Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Multiple Dead In Shopping Center Stabbing Spree; Biden's One Word Warning On Iran Threat In Israel; Historic Trump Hush Money Trial Starts Monday; Donald Trump's Hush Money Trial Kicks Off Monday; Inside Chicago's Effort To Stop "Smash-And-Grab" Robberies; Tiger "Tired" But Says He's "Got A Chance" To Win Masters. 7-8a ET

Aired April 13, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning to you again. It's the top of the hour here, about 7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta. Welcome back to CNN This Morning.

Here's what we're working on for you this morning.

First, the breaking news out of Sydney, Australia, a stabbing attack at a packed shopping center. Six people are dead. A policewoman shot and killed the accused attacker. We'll tell you what we're learning about the violent attack ahead in a live report from the scene.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Also, Israel ramps up attacks on Hezbollah militants with new airstrikes overnight as President Biden issues a one-word warning about retaliatory attacks from Iran. We're live with the latest.

BLACKWELL: And for the first time in U.S. history, a former president will stand trial on criminal charges. A legal analyst will break down the New York hush money case against Donald Trump that kicks off Monday. That's coming up.

WALKER: And Allison, a lot coming up with the weather. I mean, there's a lot of severe weather you're watching.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we've got severe weather in the northeast for tomorrow. A bigger, more impactful event on Monday. We'll detail the timing on all of that coming up.

WALKER: And Andy at the Masters.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN REPORTER: And it's moving day here at the -- yes, it's moving day here at the Masters. Tiger Woods is still alive. He's seven shots back. We'll hear what Tiger had to say about his 23-hole marathon.

And hey, it's 7:00 a.m., but it's never too early to eat a pimento cheese sandwich here in Augusta.

WALKER: Oh, it's not too early. That's actually pretty good.

SCHOLES: Big bite.

WALKER: I hope you have some milk or something to go with that.

BLACKWELL: All right, we'll see you in a moment, Andy.

Let's get to that breaking news, though. This is out of Australia. Six people dead following a stabbing attack at a busy shopping center. 9News, our CNN affiliate in Sydney, reports that one of the victims is a mother whose baby was also attacked. Witnesses described the moment that they jumped in and tried to help them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shopping, saw the man run up to the woman with the baby, and then we were both ready to go and help out. But I just said to my brother, we've got to run in -- run in, told the guys to just lock up the doors. And then the mother came with the baby, bleeding, stabbed. And we got them into the store and just got them safe and then rang for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what did you use to help stop the blood?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, just shirts from the shop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just kept yelling out to get some clothes, get some shirts and just help us to compress and stop the babies from bleeding.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Wow.

A police officer shot and killed the attacker. Several other victims are now in the hospital. Our CNN producer, Angus Watson, is joining us now from Sydney.

I mean, that just sounds so terrifying to hear about one of those victims as young as the little baby. What else are you learning about the victims, Angus?

ANGUS WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara, it's just been a horrific day here in Sydney where this busy shopping center in Sydney's east, an affluent precinct of the city where people came on a beautiful day to get their shopping done, it turned into horror there. Six people killed here before the man with the knife was shot by a police officer.

As you say, police barricaded off the mall. It will remain a crime scene for many days as they try to ascertain just why this person did this, why they went into the mall at 3:30 in the afternoon with a knife and began wildly stabbing people, killing six, tragically, and injuring seven more, including that little baby who is in hospital right now.

Now, the prime minister of Australia spoke earlier, Anthony Albanese, and he said that the death toll would have been even higher if it wasn't for a heroic police officer, a policewoman who was acting alone, who was in the neighborhood when she heard about what was happening.

She didn't wait for backup. She went into the mall. She confronted the man with the gun and -- with the knife, I'm sorry, and she shot him dead.

Witnesses, as we just heard, describing the absolute horror in this shopping mall here in Sydney, Australia today, Amara.

WALKER: Yes, thank goodness for that fast-acting police officer. Angus Watson, thank you so much.

And, of course, we'll stay on top of that story as we get more details. We'll bring that to you.

In the meantime, the White House is on high alert for possible escalation in the Middle East.

[07:05:04]

Sources familiar with U.S. intelligence tell CNN that American authorities expect Iran will carry out strikes inside Israel soon. In preparation, the U.S. Defense Department is moving additional assets to the region. Now, the sources say Iran wants retribution for an Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate in Damascus last week. And they observed Iran readying nearly 100 cruise missiles.

BLACKWELL: Now, the White House doesn't know the exact timing of possible attacks. But in a message on Friday, the president predicted that they would happen sooner rather than later. So, he gave a one- word warning to Tehran, don't. In the past 24 hours, Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah traded multiple airstrikes.

We have team coverage. CNN's Camila DeChalus joins us from Washington, D.C., with the latest details on what a possible attack could mean for the U.S. But we're going to start with CNN's Jomana Karadsheh in London.

What is Israel doing to prepare for this possible attack?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Victor, Israel and the entire region have been very much on edge since that strike by the Israelis on April the 1st on that consular building in Damascus that killed a top Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander as well as other senior commanders.

And Iran has made it very clear that it is going to respond, that it is not going to allow such a brazen attack to go unanswered. And the question has since been, what sort of a response are we going to be seeing from Iran? Is this going to be a direct attack by Iran on Israel? Is it going to be using its proxies to carry out attacks? Is it going to be both? And will this take place inside Israel or is it going to be going after Israeli interests elsewhere? And the questions remain unanswered. It is very unclear right now, although we are hearing from U.S. officials what they believe, what their intelligence is indicating is going to happen. At this point in time, no one really knows what Israel is going to do, Iran is going to do. But what the Israelis have been saying very publicly since is that they are ready and prepared for all scenarios.

Yesterday we heard from the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, who was speaking after a meeting with the U.S. CENTCOM commander, General Erik Kurilla, who is in Israel meeting with Israeli officials in anticipation of this potential Iranian attack. The Israeli defense minister saying that they are prepared to defend Israel, he said, both on the ground and in the air and would respond in close cooperation with our partners.

We also heard from the Israeli military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, saying in a briefing yesterday that Israeli commanders had presented plans, both offensive and defensive, to the Israeli military leadership and that they are ready.

And a short time ago, Hagari also releasing another statement saying Iran will bear the consequences of choosing to escalate the situation any further. Israel is on high alert. We have increased our readiness to protect Israel from further Iranian aggression.

We are also prepared to respond. The Israel Defense Forces is prepared for all scenarios and will take the necessary steps together with our allies to protect the people of Israel. So, we are continuing to see these threats from both sides coming, these very strong statements.

The question remains, what sort of a retaliation are we going to be seeing from Iran? CNN sources over the past week have indicated that while the Iranians want some sort of a major response to what happened, they also want to make sure that it is a measured response, a calculated one, because they do not want war.

They do not want this to escalate into a war, a confrontation potentially with the United States, something the U.S. also doesn't want to do. But of course, Victor, the concern is not only about what sort of a response we're going to be seeing from the Iranians, it is how Israel will also respond to that.

I can tell you that the region right now is really on edge. It is a very, very dangerous situation, perhaps the most dangerous since October.

WALKER: It sure is. Jomana Karadsheh, thank you so much. Let's go now to CNN White House reporter Camila DeChalus in Washington. Tell us more about what Biden has been saying, Camila, about the rising threat from Iran.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Good morning. The White House has really reiterated that they are on high alert from any threats that are posed by Iran. And Biden really reiterated that yesterday when he spoke to reporters, saying that he believes that these attacks are going to come sooner rather than later. Let me play -- just wanted to have you guys play a quick clip just to give the viewers just a quick listen to what Biden said yesterday.

[07:10:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My expectation sooner than later.

REPORTER: Mr. President --

REPORTER: Mr. President, what is your message to Iran in this moment?

BIDEN: Don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DECHALUS: So as you can see there, Biden really issued a stern warning. And when he spoke to reporters, he also reiterated his support by Israel, saying that he remained committed to standing by their side and saying that he's in constant communication with the Israeli military defense system. Amara, Victor.

BLACKWELL: DeChalus, thanks so much.

We are tracking what is expected to be a significant severe weather threat across parts of the country.

WALKER: Tornadoes, hail and excessive rain are possible in several states early next week. But there's also a severe threat for the northeast this weekend. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar Char has more. Hi, Allison.

CHINCHAR: And good morning, guys. Yes, we're taking a look at two separate systems, but eerily similar types of weather that we can expect.

Now, for today, all that's really left is kind of some lingering rain and snow showers across portions of the northeast. Not really too much to be concerned about. It's the next system, that one that slides in from Canada, will begin early Sunday morning before spreading all of that moisture eastward.

So, states like Pennsylvania, New York could end up getting some rain. And trust me, the last thing Pittsburgh needs is more rain. They're already sitting at their third wettest April on record. Even if they only get an inch from this next system, they will likely top out at the wettest April on record. But it's not just rain. It's also the potential for severe.

For Sunday, the main concern stretches from Philadelphia all the way back into Cincinnati. The main concern is going to be damaging winds, but we can't rule out the potential for a tornado.

Now, once we get to Monday, an entirely different system takes shape across the central U.S. This one has more of an enhanced threat, although the threats themselves remain the same. Still looking at damaging winds and the potential for some tornadoes.

Here's a look at that system. That's the one that begins over the Rockies this weekend and then continues to spread eastward across the country as we go through the rest of the week.

Now, we talked about the severe threats. The main focus here really is from Des Moines all the way down into Texas. Again, main threats, damaging winds, the potential for very large hail. We're talking tennis ball size or even larger. And, yes, we could also see some tornadoes across this area as well.

WALKER: Wow. All right. Allison Chinchar, thank you very much. Still to come, finger pointing in Arizona after the state revived a Civil War era law banning most abortions. How the Biden campaign is putting a major focus on reproductive rights ahead of the presidential election.

BLACKWELL: Plus, jury selection starts Monday for the first criminal trial against a former U.S. president. What we can expect in court for the hush money case against Donald Trump.

WALKER: Also, misbehaving at the Masters. One golfer was caught stealing a signpost.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:17:18]

BLACKWELL: Vice President Kamala Harris is blaming Arizona's new abortion law on Donald Trump.

WALKER: The vice president went on the offensive in Tucson yesterday telling the crowd, "Trump did this" after Arizona's Supreme Court this week revived a Civil War-era law banning nearly all abortions in the state. Here's CNN's Priscilla Alvarez.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara, the vice president's trip to Tucson, Arizona, provided a window into 2024 and how Democrats are going to frame the issue of abortion and also hit back against former President Donald Trump.

Only moments before the vice president took the stage, Donald Trump said that he broke Roe vs. Wade and also said that states are doing what they're supposed to on this issue. The vice president taking aim at the former president for his remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITES STATES: And just minutes ago, standing beside Speaker Johnson, Donald Trump just said the collection of state bans is, "working the way it is supposed to."

And as much harm as he has already caused, a second Trump term would be even worse. Donald Trump's friends in the United States Congress are trying to pass a national ban.

And understand, a national ban would outlaw abortion in every state, even states like New York and California. And now Trump wants us to believe he will not sign a national ban. Enough with the gaslighting. Enough with the gaslighting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, the vice president also said that Donald Trump wants to take the United States back to the 1800s, casting the state Supreme Court ruling as an inflection point and also tying the former president to these unpopular abortion bans across the country, calling them, "Trump abortion bans."

Now, of course, this is an issue, a salient political issue for the Biden campaign and one that they are trying to seize on heading into November.

In fact, in the state of Arizona, they are pouring more money into abortion-related ads and planning to air those in the battleground state. Now, the vice president in particular has been uniquely positioned on this issue. She began tackling it shortly after Roe was overturned, but also at the beginning of this year with her Reproductive Freedoms Tour, where she's already done six stops nationwide.

Now, the vice president trying to keep the issue front and center in her remarks and also making clear that this is going to be a steady drumbeat by Democrats heading into November as they try to continue to directly tie former President Donald Trump to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

[07:20:00]

And also casting this as an attack on personal freedoms and health care. Victor, Amara.

WALKER: All right, Priscilla, thank you.

We are just two days from the start of former President Trump's hush money criminal trial in New York. We take a look at the strategies his attorneys may use when jury selection begins.

Also, CNN's getting an exclusive look inside Chicago's efforts to crack down on so-called smash and grab burglaries.

SCHOLES: And it's a beautiful day here in Augusta, Georgia, for round three of the Masters, and Tiger Woods making it into the weekends. We'll hear what he had to say about his marathon 23-hole day coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:03]

BLACKWELL: Jury selection starts on Monday in the first criminal trial against a former president in U.S. history.

Twelve New Yorkers plus six alternates will decide the fate of Donald Trump in this high-profile hush money trial.

Joining me now is CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney Joey Jackson. Joey, good morning to you. Let's talk about just jury selection, because that could go on for weeks. Political leanings aside, what do you think Team Trump wants in their perfect profile of a juror?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Victor, good morning to you. There's never any perfect juror, but certainly the basis for jury selection is to select a jury that could be fair and impartial. Remember, Victor, that there was polling already done, significant polling by the Trump team to determine what a panel of Manhattan jurors would be like.

And of course, their assessment in the polling concluded that the pool of jurors would have likely overwhelmingly voted for Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020. And so I think what the Trump team wants to do, by virtue of the 42 questions that we know will be asked of the jury, is to ensure that people don't have such firmly held and biased views against the president, such as to make a determination based upon who Donald Trump is and not what Donald Trump allegedly did.

The essence is to decide the case based on the facts, the evidence, and the circumstances in that courtroom and to put all biases aside. That's what his team wants, Victor. That's what the prosecution wants. We'll see whether or not they're able to get it.

And if they don't, you know we're going to see additional motions for changes of venue and delays of the trial.

BLACKWELL: Yes, Joey, you mentioned some of the questions that the Trump team wants answers to. Political leanings, the news they watch, and so forth.

What's the line of constitutionality? I mean, can they ask who'd you vote for right there in the courtroom during voir dire? How far can they go?

JACKSON: Not going to happen. So this is largely scripted, Victor. They have, they being the parties, the prosecution and the Trump team, have made their arguments to the judge, have submitted questions to the judge, and the judge has already given the indication of what's permissible and what is not.

Remember that when you get the panel of jurors, they will be anonymous, we know by the way, to protect their privacy, to protect the integrity of the proceedings, to ensure they're not at all impeded with. What happens is they'll be asked the generic questions, where are you from, what neighborhood do you live in without giving your address, what does your family do, what do you do for a living, all the generic questions, and then more specific, you know, did you attend Trump rallies, do you belong to any specific groups, have you attended fundraisers, et cetera. However, they will not be, in terms of your core question, asked about

who'd you vote for, why'd you vote for them, are you a Democrat, are you a Republican, but that largely is not relevant. Why? You're shocked that I say that, because you're able to discern based upon the other questions that they're asked, really what their leanings are, and predicated upon some other questions, what news programs do you watch, do you watch any podcasts, do you belong to any groups.

I think you could discern from that where their leanings are without specifically asking them questions about who'd you vote for and why, and whether you're a Democrat or a Republican.

BLACKWELL: We know that the delay is one of the priorities of Team Trump across all of these criminal trials, and the civil trials as well, and you've determined that some of their maneuvers have not been credible in trying to either have these cases dismissed or delayed, but there is one that Trump's attorneys, in this case, are asking the judge to distinguish between jurors who said that they can't be fair and those who are otherwise unable to serve. Is this a legitimate request?

JACKSON: So I think that the essence of it, when you do jury selection, right, you want to ensure that jurors in every way, shape, or form can listen to the evidence and information, and it's not about who you like or dislike. That's not the issue. It's not about whether you have opinions or not opinions. That's not the issue. It's not whether you've heard the case or not. That's not the issue.

The issue is whether you can put that aside and really make a determination on the merit, and so I think what you'll see is you're going to see many challenges, Victor, for cause. What does that mean in English? It means that it's a juror that is not for this jury, that they have preconceived notions and dispositions that doesn't have anything to do with whether they're a great person or not a great person, but whether or not they can be fair here.

And so, any request by the defense which would distinguish, right, whether jurors have any dent against their client is a fair ask.

[07:30:01]

And I think you're going to repeatedly see jurors challenge for cause, and you could do it in an unlimited way. Not to get in the weeds, Victor. But there are also these things called peremptory challenges. Those are challenges based upon discretion.

I didn't get a particular vibe from a juror. I don't like a particular jury. There'll be limited, that is both teams, prosecution and defense to 10 of those. But when it comes to making -- and two for each alternate. But when it comes to making specific request to remove jurors, because of their leanings and their biases, they are going to do those aplenty, and the judge will have to make a discretionary determination as to whether they're right or wrong.

But I think the judge will be pretty liberal and just dismissing jurors who are not right for this case. BLACKWELL: All right. Joey Jackson, thank you very much.

And CNN will, of course, have special coverage of the historic trial of former President Donald Trump. "SPECIAL LIVE COVERAGE" starts Monday morning at 9:00 Eastern on CNN, and also streaming on Max.

WALKER: Lawmakers across the country are passing stiffer penalties for smash and grab robberies, criminals are often overwhelming store employees and simply walking away with stolen merchandise.

CNN law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild got an exclusive look inside Chicago. Police's new efforts to stop this type of organized crime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The crimes are casual and brazen. Video shared exclusively with CNN by the Illinois Cook County Sheriff's Office shows in less than a minute, a group of people calmly walk into a beauty supply store, clear shelves of high-end products, throw them into trash bags, and stroll out the door as casually as they entered.

Law enforcement calls cases like this organized retail theft when groups band together to steal a high volume of products and then resell them. Nationwide, industry experts say it's a multi-billion- dollar problem.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seriously. Get out.

WILD (voice-over): Video shows the crimes are almost always quick. Some cases turn violent.

In January, a Chicago police officer and suspect were shot after police responded to a smash and grab.

LEO SCHMITZ, CHIEF OF POLICE, COOK COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Do not kick up. Do not get tight. Stay loose. It's just another day, another job.

WILD (voice-over): Task forces like this one in Cook County, Illinois, home to Chicago, are trying to stop the problem. CNN got exclusive access to the Cook County sheriff's organized retail crime task force. This search warrant yielded two felony arrests and hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen goods from what police say was a crime ring spanning the Midwest.

During the search, police found stolen products ranging from dog leashes to toothpaste, to supplements.

WILD: What struck me was that they actually seem to have security seals.

LT. MICHAEL WARE, COOK COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Yes. Still, luckily for us, we got them at the day where they were unable to clean the cells.

WILD (voice-over): Police say the operation targeted five locations, the total haul.

WILD: Have you ever seen a search warrant yield this much product?

SHERIFF TOM DART, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS: No. No, I'm close.

WILD (voice-over): Almost $500,000.

DART: To get something in one operation, this is a lot and I think this would be a lot for any police department anywhere in the country.

WILD (voice-over): Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart created the team in 2023. High profile smashing grabs in the city have attracted national attention. Dart, a former prosecutor, says in the past, law enforcement didn't prioritize theft and penalties have been too low.

DART: I mean, you'd literally have to be a idiot to think that if you're charged with a misdemeanor, that's going to have any consequence whatsoever.

WILD (voice-over): A 2022 law stiffened the penalty for organized retail theft in Illinois. Coast to coast, officials are proposing similar measures. Governor Kathy Hochul proposed beefed up penalties for retail theft and $45 million to fight the problem.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: And as governor, I'm not going to stand by and watch brazen thieves wreak havoc in their shops.

WILD (voice-over): California Governor Gavin Newsom is spreading $267 million among law enforcement agencies, and in January proposed felony charges and longer sentences for certain cases.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): We've taken this very seriously. We've been very proactive, not just here in Southern California, but throughout the state.

WILD (voice-over): Dart says often the stolen goods are sold online.

DART: We believe this group here is all from Amazon.

WILD: This looks so legitimate.

DART: Oh my God, yes. I mean, there's nothing in here that would lead you to believe this is not on the up and up. Nothing.

WILD (voice-over): Dart says he worries organized retail crime shows no signs of slowing down.

DART: This is very large. Unfortunately, I think this is sort of the tip of the iceberg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILD (on camera): Amara and Victor, one of the biggest challenges with cases like this is that they are so complex. They span cities, counties, and frequently states. And so, one of the biggest challenges is getting all of these law enforcement agencies together and then factoring in and bringing in these private businesses who may have been affected in all of those different jurisdictions.

So, the coordination there is really challenging and that's what this taskforce seeks to do, try to get all of these groups together to try to combat this problem with intentional investigations. Meanwhile, online platforms are doing what they can to try to stop this problem as well.

In fact, when we reached out to Amazon for comment on this story, they told us that their analysts and their investigators frequently send cases to law enforcement, and those have resulted in arrests all around the world and in the United States.

[07:35:12]

Amara Victor?

WALKER: It's a remarkable affair. Whitney Wild, thank you so much.

House Speaker Mike Johnson made a trip down to Mar-a-Lago to appear with Donald Trump, as he looks to shore up support from the former president and his quest to keep his speakership. More on that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:08]

WALKER: Donald Trump may have bought House Speaker Mike Johnson a little more time in office, Trump shared his support for Johnson at a Mar-a-Lago event on Friday, as some in the House are threatening to remove him.

Joining us now is CNN political analyst and national political reporter for the New York Times, Astead Herndon. Astead, good morning to you. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

Just quickly if we could start with Trump's criminal trial, because, you know, it's going to start Monday. It will be the first time that a former U.S. president will go on a criminal trial, and he is going to have to be in court four days a week as the court is in session for up to eight weeks. Is there a silver lining for Trump in this falsifying business records case that it's going first before the more serious cases as the public may see it?

ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, if there's a silver lining on being indicted, this many times across this many places, I guess you can just -- you can say that it is one that we're talking about this case first rather than the other ones when we used to talk to the Trump team last year.

This was a case that they thought was the easiest to politicized on the substance of the case that they thought the public had already kind of up in over in public opinion rather than cared about the facts of the case.

And so, frankly, they are going to use this as an opportunity to politicize and poison the water about the justice proceedings overall. And so, this case, I think, we should see as a proxy for him to make a political argument and a personal argument that he -- the justice system has been weaponized against him. And he is going to use the theatre of this trial to make that case day after day after day.

And so, if there is a silver lining in Trump's kind of political and legal predicament right now, it's that this case is maybe a better setting than other ones to do that in. Even though, I think any candidate, this is not an ideal situation --

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: Of course not. Yes, yes. But of course, though, Trump has had this uncanny ability to dodge accountability. And he's also been able to multitask, right? I mean, there is been so much drama in the house, and House Speaker Mike Johnson trek tomorrow Lago on Friday to ostensibly get Trump's backing.

HERNDON: Yes.

WALKER: I just want to play for you quickly what Trump had to say about Johnson's tenuous situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're getting along very well with the Speaker, and I get along very well with Marjorie. We have a Speaker. He was voted in. And it was a complicated process. And I think very -- it's not an easy situation for any Speaker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And so, some sympathy from Trump, but Trump did not explicitly say, hey, guys, leave Speaker Johnson alone.

So, what did speaker Johnson gained from this trip that he initiated?

HERNDON: Yes, he gained his short-term lifeline. And I think that's all that we should see this as. You think, we can -- you know, going down to Mar-a-Lago is not only a track for political kind of P.R. purposes.

But this is him trying to say to the MAGA wing that he still has an ability to have a direct relationship with Donald Trump, who ultimately as the kingmaker and deal breaker of this party.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has made a lot of noise about making speaker Johnson's life difficult. We have certainly seen the ability for a small wing of Republicans to complicate and obviously vacate the House -- speaker chair, taking back to McCarthy. But we haven't really seen people join those efforts. And so, I think Speaker Johnson is trying to proactively show a sense of support with Trump. The problem, as we know with Donald Trump is that he switches his opinions every day.

And so, this is a lifeline for Johnson in the short term and can -- and show he has some political support elsewhere. If this comes down to a head and Speaker Johnson because it's no longer useful for Donald Trump, the evidence over years and years of seeing these relationships is that this is, you should not expect the former president to save him.

WALKER: yes.

HERNDON: And so, if both of those things are at play here, there is a kind of short-term mutual benefit at play for both men, but Donald Trump works for one person only and that's Donald Trump.

WALKER: Yes, yes. Absolutely. Stead, we're out of time, unfortunately. We'll leave it there. Thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Next round of the Masters Tournament is a few hours away. Already, history is being made by Tiger Woods.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:48:45]

WALKER: The third round of The Masters tees off with a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard.

BLACKWELL: Not too far behind the leaders is Tiger Woods. Andy Scholes joins us now live from Augusta.

All right. So, does Tiger have it in him? I mean, we're getting this -- we're getting the Saturday and Sunday. Does he have it to get to the top?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Well, Victor, Tiger says, you know, he is still in this. And if he is somehow was able to climb that leaderboard, we could be in for one amazing weekend here in Augusta.

But Tiger was able to survive, this is the wild wind gusts that we had here yesterday, and he ended up making his record 24th straight cut here at the Masters. He had four birdies and four bogeys on the day that ended up at even par, leaving him one over through the first two rounds.

It was certainly an impressive showing from Tiger who had to finish his first round early in the morning and then play a total of 23 holes on the day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER, FIVE-TIME MASTER CHAMPION: I'm tired. I've been off for a while, competing, grinding, it's some -- spin along and 23 holes on lawn day. But Lance and I really did some good fighting today and was -- we got a chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [07:50:02]

SCHOLES: Yes, the Tigers going to tee off at 12:45 Eastern today. He is seven shots back of the lead. You got three guys tied a top of the leaderboard right now: Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa.

Scheffler ranked one in the world. He was the overwhelming betting favorite coming into the tournament. He's looking for a second green jacket after winning it two years ago. Scheffler had to play late in the afternoon yesterday, and he was also able to just survive the crazy wind gusts we had out here.

Homa, meanwhile, he has the best start ever for him in a major in his career. The 33-year-old really has become a fan favorite recently. And he is looking to break through for the first time. Houma was one of only seven golfers able to shoot under par yesterday in the brutal conditions.

His best finish ever in a major is tied for 10th at the Open Championship last year.

So, he is trying to beat that.

So, let's take a look at the leaderboard. And this is a very important leaderboard, because 36 out of the last 37 Masters winners, including the last 12 have been in the top 10 Following the second round. So, history tells us one of these guys right here is going to win the Masters this year.

Now, 2020 U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau, he was doing everything he could to make sure he stayed on top of that leaderboard yesterday. Check him out on 13th.

So, he went in the trees. He had the idea to try to shoot it right. But one of those Masters iconic patron signs was in the way so he just went and yanked it up out of the ground to give him the shot that he wanted.

Well, rules official came over and said, yes, you can't do that. So, Bryson had to go put it back. But he still ended up burning the hall and it certainly gave everyone a nice laugh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU, 2020 UNITED STATES OPEN CHAMPION: I picked up the signpost. I was trying to direct people, you know? Try to get people to go the restrooms or --

I had a great shot out around the corner and was able to take advantage of a pretty open entrance to the Green, to that back right back right flag and many nice birdie putt.

END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Guys, you know what, I think they should change the rule. I think if you have the ability to pick up a giant sign and move it, you shouldn't be allowed to do so.

WALKER: Those signs like heavy.

BLACKWELL: I would -- I would have loved it to be part of that conversation -- Bryson.

Man, you can't take the side. You got to put this back. There is a good picture though.

SCHOLES: I just carrying it around like what?

WALKER: Like nothing. Just like nothing.

BLACKWELL: That's a good picture.

WALKER: that was great.

BLACKWELL: Andy, thanks so much.

WALKER: Thanks, Andy.

BLACKWELL: Still to come, the James Webb Telescope. I mean, it has really been showing out and showing off, looking into the deepest reaches of space. And we're hearing now from the scientists who get to use it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:57:03]

BLACKWELL: The Webb Telescope is one of the most incredible things ever build. But it's only as good as the scientists to get to use it.

WALKER: So, for two years, we have followed two scientific teams made up of some of the first scientists to ever get to use the most powerful telescope ever built.

Here is CNN space correspondent Kristin Fisher.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The James Webb Space Telescope, unprecedented in science and scale.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is effectively the best time machine that we've ever created.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James Webb is revealing the cosmic story.

FISHER (voice over): Where do we come from? Are we alone in the universe? These are big questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unlocking the secrets that we never knew.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well over 10,000 individuals $10 billion. FISHER:

FISHER: Behind schedule, over budget.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's thousands of ways this can go badly and one way it goes right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James Webb begins a voyage back to the birth of the universe.

FISHER (voice-over): And those otherworldly images displayed on a cosmic tapestry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a historical moment for humanity and I feel we are super privileged, that we can actually see this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully, we'll be able to see a reflection of ourselves and to learn more about where we came from.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His birthday.

FISHER (voice-over): Replacing our reality by rekindling a childlike imagination.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are all astronomers. As a kid, as an adult, you look up, you say what's out there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Be sure to catch an all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY" with Anderson Cooper. One whole hour, one whole topic tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.

"FIRST OF ALL," with Victor Blackwell is up next. Hi, Victor. So, what's coming up?

BLACKWELL: All right. So, the video of Donald Trump meeting with black supporters doing huge numbers with folks on the right. But who are these young people? And does this tell us something new about Trump's support among young black voters?

We've got some details of who's in this space and some insight that might surprise you. Also, rebuilding the bridge in Baltimore that recently collapsed. Is this also a good time to rename it?

I'm going to talk to someone who brought together a group of civil rights leaders who want to drop Francis Scott Key over his racist past. And they have a different name in mind.

Plus, actor Gabriel Luna is with me. He's a star of "The Last of Us". But his latest role is trying to change how Latinos and Hispanics are portrayed in media. We'll talk to him about why and how he plans to do that?

WALKER: So many interesting topics. Of course, happy watching. Have a great show, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Thanks so much. Let's start the show right now.

[08:00:04]

So, FIRST OF ALL, we talk a lot about black voters who support Donald Trump. But we don't often hear from them.