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Calls Grow For Man In Subway Chokehold Death To Face Charges; North Carolina's Republican-Controlled State Senate Passed Abortion Ban; White House Meets With Tech Leaders On Artificial Intelligence; Alabama Head Baseball Coach Fired Amid Betting Investigation; "CNN TONIGHT" Presents "On The Lookout." Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired May 04, 2023 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. Thanks for tuning in to this hour where we bring you "Tomorrow's News Tonight." We have our great lineup of reporters to share their scoops. We have Melanie Zanona, Danny Freeman, Dianne Gallagher, and Omar Jimenez. Great to have all of you back again tonight.

Okay, so, tonight, new information about the chokehold incident in New York City Subway -- on New York City Subway that killed a 30-year-old man. Graphic video shows the 24-year-old suspect with his arm wrapped around Jordan Neely's neck after one witness said that Neely had been -- quote -- "acting erratically" and ranting about being fed up and hungry. Neely was taken after this to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Omar has been covering the story all day. So, Omar, where do things stand? I mean, there are new charges, right, for the suspect. So, what is going to happen next?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so, people are -- are calling for charges. That is why we have seen some protests. That video, obviously, has circulated pretty widely. I think people see that chokehold happening for an extended amount of time. And people, even up to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are saying this was murder.

Well, on the charge side of things, the Manhattan D.A. says, look, we are examining all the video footage that we can, we are looking at all the photos, we are talking to witnesses likely to try and build that case to try to offer charges.

Now, as for the man who was actually doing the chokehold, I reached out to who we believe is him. When I identified myself as a reporter on the phone, he told me, I don't want to answer any of your question, and then click before I can even ask, do you have a lawyer?

And then from there -- but, however, sources have told CNN that he has spoken to police. He has been interviewed. But he is released. He is not in any form of custody right now. But that is where things stand.

CAMEROTA: We are going to get to the victim's background and what we know about him in a moment. Do we know anything about the suspect? We know his name. Do we know anything about his background?

JIMENEZ: Uh, I'm sorry. About, uh, the --

CAMEROTA: The suspect.

JIMENEZ: Yeah --

CAMEROTA: Do you know --

JIMENEZ: -- the guy who did the chokehold. Yeah.

CAMEROTA: Yeah. I heard he was a former marine, but that's it.

JIMENEZ: Yes. So, 24-year-old former marine from the Queens area, so from here in New York. Outside of that, we are not sure too much. I mean, this is a commuter on -- on -- on the train. Now, as for Jordan Neely --

CAMEROTA: Yeah.

JIMENEZ: -- he was someone that was known in various regards over the course of his lifetime. What I mean by that is in one sense, he was known as a performer. You know, there are videos of him as a Michael Jackson impersonator, as a dancer, being really someone who is bringing light into people's eyes. I mean, you see him there. That's a video of him on the train. He was known and seen performing on the train multiple, multiple times.

CAMEROTA: Do you know what year this is from?

JIMENEZ: This was from a few years back. And that's important because in the years since this, talking to friends, he seemed to have a little bit of a decline. People that knew him, last seen in 2016, oh, we have not seen him since 2015. And what we sort of pieced together is that in that time, he became, at point, someone who was experiencing homelessness.

And one of those friends actually who used to dance and perform with him, hadn't seen him in a while but then saw him as he was experiencing homelessness and went as far as to offer him the shirt off of her own back because she wanted to help him so much. But I want you to take a listen to some of what she said tonight about how he essentially may have gotten to this dark place in his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOSES HARPER, FRIEND OF JORDAN NEELY: I know that him losing his mother, he never got over that. I know that that he, from what he said, he did not have a strong father figure in his life. I know the only joy that he really found was in interacting with other members of the community and performing.

I know that I did try to encourage him to make sure that he got some things in order in terms of becoming educated and getting a diploma, that he was struggling with it and struggling inside because there was a lot of pain inside that was unresolved.

[23:05:03]

And it makes a young person really unstable when they are not able to resolve and heal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And those comments really create a convergence of factors because in this train car, when he first interacted with this train car, he came in, he was, as a witness described, acting erratically. He was -- he was yelling and in many ways was making people feel uncomfortable, at the very least the passengers.

But the things he was saying was he was fed up, he was hungry, he didn't care if he went to jail, indicating that whatever his situation was not a good one. But again, in that moment, that witness said he wasn't attacking anyone. But the question becomes what were passengers interpreting about what he potentially may have done next.

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Do officials have any guidance about what you are supposed to do in a situation like that as a passenger? I mean, clearly, this is a case of vigilantism gone wrong, but what are you supposed to do when you encounter something on the train and you perceive it as either dangerous or uncomfortable situation?

JIMENEZ: Well, there are a lot of ways to answer that. So, for one, for people who live in New York and take the subway, I do often, that is not an uncommon thing to see, where someone comes on to your train car, they may be experiencing some sort of episode, you are not sure, and they're acting erotically.

And for anyone who has been on the subway car, when that happens, most people are just looking down at their phones trying not to make eye contact because they do not want to make the situation worse. Some people might say, you see something, say something, go get someone and make sure that this person has the help.

The interesting thing here was that the witness that we spoke to said there we no words exchanged between this guy who initiated the chokehold and Jordan Neely. So, there was no conversation. Hey, are you okay? Hey, what is going on, stop that, please get out of here. There was no sort of even --

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right to a chokehold?

JIMENEZ: As we understand from this witness, it was -- the witness did not hear any words. The one thing he heard outside of the yelling was the thud of both of them going to the ground and that is when all of this sort of began.

GALLAGHER: So, was the other man apprehended? He was questioned but there has been no arrest. What happens next? It seems strange that there has been no recourse whatsoever. There is someone -- there was a man who is dead.

JIMENEZ: And that's the weird thing about our legal system. It feels weird every time. So, in this case, as we understand, they are trying to build that case. But until they have it built and until he is charged, he can't really be held for an extended amount of time.

We saw this, too, in the Kansas City area where that 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot off the doorstep. That man was questioned and released. And then they filed charges, then he was brought into custody, then he bailed out, and now he is awaiting trial. So, we very much could see that same scenario happen here if he's actually charged.

GALLAGHER: Has the district attorney conveyed any sort of messaging that that might be possible? I know they are looking into it, but is this something that is possible we're looking at in the coming days maybe or --

JIMENEZ: Well, it is hard to know the exact timeline because there -- look, the New York Subway system is in New York City. There are cameras everywhere. There is a lot of technology to comb through and a lot of witnesses potentially to track down.

How did you feel in these moments? Because, again, how these passengers felt and what they perceived is going to make a big difference in how -- in the amount of force that maybe one person would've thought was necessary to end this situation. That said, this is different than if you are in a bar and you punch someone and they happen to die. That is a split-second decision. And those do warrant charges when that happens.

This was more of an extended chokehold that happened over the course of minutes. And so that is likely going to be a really big factor that they are considering again as they weigh any potential charges here.

CAMEROTA: Just hearing everything about this victim's background is heartbreaking and devastating, and everybody wishes that he had been able to get --

UNKNOWN: Yeah.

CAMEROTA: -- the help that he needed. But there also -- he did also have run-ins with the law --

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

CAMEROTA: -- and some of them were for -- you know, turnstile jumping and sort of minor things. But some of them were -- some of them from more aggressive things.

JIMENEZ: Yes. So, as we understand from law enforcement, sources told CNN, he has had -- he has been arrested over 40 times. And some of them are, yeah, minor things, turnstile jumping, some theft. But in a few cases, assault even happening on the subway itself.

Now, in that moment, it is unlikely any one on the train car knew any of that history. I mean, how could you? They perceived someone coming in. So, that may not factor into -- into whether the person who did the chokehold is potentially charged. But obviously, it is a symptom or at least shows a paper trail of sort of where his life had been heading.

CAMEROTA: Yeah.

JIMENEZ: And talking to advocates in the community, they say, look, how can someone be arrested 40 times?

[23:09:58]

At some point, you have to say, we need to be intervening in other ways because clearly what is happening here is not working and so many factors converged into that subway car when that happened and here we are talking about it.

GALLAGHER: Systemic failure.

CAMEROTA: Yeah. We have to leave it there. But thank you very much for reporting on all that, Omar.

All right, next, Dianne is covering the new abortion ban in North Carolina where restrictions -- I guess we should say why it will only take one single Republican to overturn it. She is going to explain how that works, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: The North Carolina Senate passed a ban on abortions after 12 weeks today. The bill has exceptions in the case of rape and incest through 20 weeks and an exception for a -- quote -- "life-limiting anomaly" through 24 weeks. The governor promises to veto this bill, but that veto is in jeopardy.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is here to fill us in. Okay, so, Dianne, you explained all of this to us last night.

GALLAGHER: Yes.

CAMEROTA: You predicted that this is how it is going to go.

[23:15:00]

What happens next?

GALLAGHER: So, yeah, in short, his veto is in jeopardy. But I will tell you that Governor Roy Cooper, who is a Democrat in North Carolina, even though both chambers in the North Carolina legislator have supermajority of Republicans, so we are dealing with this sort of bipartisan, if you will, situation, we are going to see Governor Roy Cooper veto this bill within the next 10 days. He has 10 days to act on it. He has already said, I'm going to do it.

What happens next will determine whether or not this bill goes into effect in the state of North Carolina. The governor actually spoke about this at length, talking about the bill, and then talking about what he is going to need to actually get his veto to stay. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): All we need is one Republican in either chamber to uphold the veto in order to stop this disastrous abortion ban. This is the kind of thing that happens when you let right-wing politicians into the exam room with women and their doctors.

This bill is oppressive, it will cause clinics to close its doors, it is invasive, it requires doctors to turn over the ultrasound to the state and a lot of other personal information about women. This is wrong. I'm going to veto it, and we are going to work the next few days to make sure that we have a Republican that will stand up and vote with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: So, we talked about that last night, these very slim margins. We are talking about a one vote supermajority that the Republicans have there. So, the governor actually called out four Republicans by name today, saying, we know that you campaigned on essentially keeping things as they are in North Carolina when it comes to reproductive rights, and so --

CAMEROTA: And that would mean keeping it at 20 weeks or --

GALLAGHER: Keeping it at 20 weeks, yes. At the time, North Carolina was actually a little further back and there were some rollbacks that happened as well in North Carolina because of lawsuits and things like that after the Dobbs decision. But people campaigned on this.

As Republicans, to win in more mixed districts or even in more blue districts, in the case of -- we talked about Representative Tricia Cotham who is now a Republican but at the time was a Democrat. I talked to some Democratic strategists today who said that they don't believe that this is impossible.

It is going to be difficult and we are basically going to see a full court press from the governor and from Democrats in North Carolina putting the pressure on and making sure that voters know specifically what is in this bill. However, I talked to Republican strategists who say there is no way in hell that is happening.

CAMEROTA: No way in hell they are going to get four or any of the four Republicans?

GALLAGHER: Yes. They said that this is a steadfast Republican group. The speaker of the House has, you know, control over his caucus, basically. I will say that the Democrats sounded a little more confident than I thought they would. But again, I think they have to project that, too, right now. They have 10 days to potentially get this done, essentially, to try and whip votes, if you will. Um, we will see.

ZANONA: It is so interesting to see state Republicans leaning into abortion bans because lawmakers in Congress, Republicans in Congress, could not run away from this issue fast. Literally, when I try to ask them about abortion, they will run away from me into oncoming traffic to avoid my question.

GALLAGHER: It is very funny you say that.

ZANONA: Are you concerned about that in North Carolina?

GALLAGHER: It's when you say that because in talking to some of those Republican strategists and elected Republicans today, they said that they feel like the basis of this bill, talking about essentially a 12- week ban with exceptions, not going into the nitty-gritty and some of the other things of the bill keeps them safe.

But there was something really interesting today. One of the local NPR affiliates in North Carolina tried talking to the lieutenant governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson, who is running for governor. He has extremely strong feelings on abortion, including saying that it should be outlawed altogether. He has made extremely inflammatory remarks about abortion in the past.

Today, he responded he was tired of talking about abortion and wanted to talk about what happens after people are born. You know, jobs, the economy, giving people good lives. I've never heard him avoid that topic before. And so that could be because he is in campaign mode and it may not be the best topic for him personally to discuss right now.

But it was a difference in seeing it in reality with someone who is actively now a candidate for higher office and hearing strategists talk about the fact that they feel like this bill is just enough for them to not have to run away from it.

I will also point out that this bill passed in less than 48 hours. They were not exactly running around, you know, wearing the bill and proudly displaying it.

CAMEROTA: Sort of the cover of darkness, right?

GALLAGHER: Very much. It was dropped in the middle of the night. It was voted on in one day in one chamber and the next day and the next one. So --

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Did we hear anything -- I mean, last night, we talked a lot about that one particular Republican that was a dDmocrat not too long ago, who changed her stance on abortion as well. Have you heard anything from her because, of course, she is going to be very important when it comes to the question of this veto, right?

GALLAGHER: Not at this point.

[23:20:00]

And I -- I think there is going to be a lot of pressure again on some of those other three Republicans as well.

FREEMAN: More than her? GALLAGHER: Yes. Two of them on the coasts, two in the Charlotte area, one of those is Tricia Cotham. But one of them is also that lawmaker we talked about yesterday who just did not vote.

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

GALLAGHER: And so there -- I would anticipate that you are going to see a lot of pressure on that lawmaker, Ted Davis. There has been a lot of online campaigning to try and make sure that people sort of get their voices out there.

After it passed in the Senate today, the cleared the gallery because, of course, people who are there to watch began shouting shame and abortion rights and things like that. We have seen consistent protests in the 48 hours, basically, since this sort of popped up. I know from talking to sources that we are going to continue seeing them over the coming days.

Again, like, May 16th is basically what we are going to be watching for, depending on how long the governor takes to do this a veto. But there is a lot happening behind the scenes, exactly what Melanie said there. I mean, they want to make sure that Republicans have to wear this.

JIMENEZ: I should say, one thing that really strikes me about this is that it seems like -- let's just say that this goes through, which for many people across the country, especially women, has now had to be a real possibility, a real consideration. What do I plan to do if this actually happens?

Is that -- it feels like it will become another piecemeal like in Wisconsin. All right, abortions are banned, they are back to 1849 rule. So, we know what people do. They go across the border to Illinois. In North Carolina, if this happened, what is the situation, you know, in the region, like what options would in theory people have if all of a sudden it went away?

GALLAGHER: I want to address this in two ways.

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

GALLAGHER: You mentioned Wisconsin. I want to talk about the south first. But I do want to come back to Wisconsin if we can --

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

GALLAGHER: -- because of what happened today there.

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

GALLAGHER: Good job, Omar.

(LAUGHTER)

But -- yes, my man, all right. All right, so, in the south, and I think that we usually have a graphic to kind of show here what is going, we've seen a lot of these bills passing throughout. And what we have seen in states as these have begun passing, and even you see South Carolina right now which shows the access there, they did pass a six-week abortion ban. Later on, their Supreme Court struck it down. All right?

After the Dobbs ruling, in South Carolina specifically, I talked about this last week when they were unable to pass that total ban on abortion from the point of consumption, they saw an astronomical increase in the number of out of state patients coming in because of restrictions in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and all over the region.

Look, North Carolina and now Supreme Court, because their law was struck down, have become essentially abortion access refuge. So, if this bill does go into effect and become law in North Carolina and if South Carolina lawmakers can get their six-week ban figured out, because there are some tweaks made to the law, the south will effectively not have any place that has passed 12 weeks without these exceptions.

CAMEROTA: We're almost out of time, but give us the update in Wisconsin.

GALLAGHER: Okay. So, today in Wisconsin, Omar referenced there, we are talking about this 1849 bill. So, when the Dobbs ruling came down, basically, Wisconsin reverted back to 1849, a bill that effectively banned all abortion.

So, the attorney general went in and argued today. They are saying that we passed several laws since then, it's ridiculous, we've had to go back to a law from 1849. And they say that they think they found this little catch, basically, that it only applied to nonconsensual abortions. So, that the law does not apply to a consensual abortion. And they argued that today in court. I think we have a sound bite. I bet we do not have time for it right now.

CAMEROTA: Do we, guys?

GALLAGHER: But --

JIMENEZ: It's a log check (ph).

CAMEROTA: No?

GALLAGHER: It's a log check (ph) on this.

CAMEROTA: Okay, yes. Yeah, they say it would be very quick.

GALLAGHER: Yes. So, go ahead. Yeah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH KAUL, WISCONSIN ATTORNEY GENERAL: I've had heartbreaking conversations with doctors, for example, who talked about patients who come in, who have either had to have make emergency decisions. The doctors have had, too, when they are not sure whether they can provide the care their patients need. They've talked about patients who come in. even when they have healthy pregnancies, concerned about what might happen if they can't get the care that they need. I have heard from an OB/GYN student who talked about how she was not sure if she was going to practice in Wisconsin because she could not get the training that she needed and provide comprehensive care. This is having harmful effects on women in Wisconsin right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: It's interesting. we always hear about the ripple effect that the Dobbs decision would have and we are starting to see it.

GALLAGHER: This is piecemeal. No one really knows what is going to happen next in each state that you live in.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. Thank you very much for explaining all of that. Okay, meanwhile, White House officials meeting with top leaders from the tech industry to discuss artificial intelligence. There are rising concerns about the fast development of this technology and, of course, all the dangers.

[23:25:01]

Melanie is going to bring us up to speed about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Vice President Kamala Harris and other officials met with the CEOs of four tech companies today on the risks and the pace of artificial intelligence. Melanie is on the story for us. Melanie, tell me that they have put a halt to all A.I.

(LAUGHTER)

ZANONA: To all (INAUDIBLE) robots, yeah.

CAMEROTA: For the good of the world. Is that what came out of this meeting?

ZANONA: Unfortunately, no.

[23:29:57]

But, listen, this is the White House trying to show that it is at least thinking about how to confront the concerns and questions about the problems of artificial technology and artificial intelligence.

But out of today, there is announcement about new regulations. It was really more about talking to the CEOs. They announced a new research initiative. It's going to be $140 million towards research centers dedicated to A.I.

And they also said they're going to talk about how federal agencies are procuring and using A.I.

CAMEROTA: Do they understand that time is of the essence here? I mean, that A.I. is galloping forward --

ZANONA: Galloping.

CAMEROTA: -- while they are trying to just put the saddle on the horse? I mean -- and I only say this based upon the tech leaders who are trying to warn us and caution us about this thing getting out of the gate.

ZANONA: Even the godfather of A.I. quit Google so he could talk about the concerns that he sees with the prevalence of A.I. But this has been the story of our government, is that they are behind the ball when it comes to regulating.

Even when you look at social media companies, right, they were so reluctant to regulate big tech, especially with Republicans, right, because they are big business, anti-regulation. And then we saw how it was used and how disinformation spread. And they were behind the ball and struggling to play catch-up.

So, I think they're trying to learn lessons from that debate. But they have not put any regulations on the books. There is barely any on the books right now.

And we are already seeing this used in different ways, including in politics. Last week, the Republican National Committee put out a fake ad, an anti-Joe Biden ad, in response to his official election launch, using these fake images to create this dystopian world under Biden. I think we actually have a clip of that, if we can play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This morning, an emboldened China invades Taiwan.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Financial markets are in free fall as 500 regional banks have shuttered their doors.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Border agents were overrun by a surge of 80,000 illegals yesterday evening.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Officials closed the city of San Francisco this morning, citing the escalating crime and fentanyl crisis.

UNKNOWN: Who is in charge here?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): It feels like the train is coming off the tracks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: That wasn't real.

ZANONA: Yeah.

CAMEROTA: None of those were real.

ZANONA: All fake. You could see a tiny little disclaimer.

FREEMAN: That is my favorite part.

(LAUGHTER)

It's the top -- yeah, I know. (INAUDIBLE).

ZANONA: Yeah. And our fabulous Donie O'Sullivan went out and asked people, can you tell the difference?

CAMEROTA: Yeah.

ZANONA: They could. But some couldn't. And listen, deceptive ads are nothing new in politics. But this is such a gray area. Just imagine if it had been a fake Biden saying our borders are open or something like that. Or on the flip side, the other concern is that real videos of something embarrassing that a lawmaker is doing comes out and then they can say, that's A.I., that was fake, that was generated. So, there is a lot of risks and concerns that they are grappling with here.

JIMENEZ: I feel like we're kind of been in a honeymoon era with A.I. We have been enjoying. I've been on TikTok watching all sorts of videos of -- for example, they have one video where it's meant to be a bunch of people gaming together, but it's like what if President Obama was gaming with President Trump, gaming with President Biden, and they're all saying ridiculous stuff, but it's in their voices. That's the fun part of it.

GALLAGHER: Yeah, funny.

JIMENEZ: But we already had problems verifying what was on social media already in the two-dimensional space before.

UNKNOWN: Yeah.

JIMENEZ: And now it seems like we're going to be entering this whole new era of verification when I feel like we didn't even quite have a handle on trying to make sure people were seeing real things on social media before.

ZANONA: And I will say bad actors tend to adopt these types of technologies early, which is the other challenge here. But there are so many benefits to A.I. as well. It can increase access to health care, education, revolutionize just our everyday lives.

And so that is the challenge for the administration, for policymakers. How do we allow this technology to thrive and flourish without it endangering people's lives?

GALLAGHER: Were they doing anything or they're just like thinking about doing something?

CAMEROTA: Yeah, and talking about thinking about doing something.

GALLAGHER: Have steps been taken already? ZANONA: Bills have been introduced. There are one million bills that

are introduced all the time. Actually, back in 2020, a video came out of Nancy Pelosi, a fake --

CAMEROTA: I remember this.

ZANONA: -- and it spurred a bunch of hearings. Everyone was concerned, everyone said this is an issue, and nothing has happened since then. In fact, the technology has only gotten more advanced, more sophisticated. And so that's kind of where we are. Everyone is concerned but no one can seem to do anything about it.

FREEMAN: Here's my one question. You said it before and this is part of the conversation that, you know, we have seen all of the congressional hearings where it seems like the lag time of the technology in addressing it has been like a decade or years and years and years.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT, all these companies, have been -- it's like light speed in the past six months. Is there any sense that there is an urgency there? I think this is actually a little faster than maybe the lag of Facebook or Twitter, even discussions about the power they may have.

ZANONA: I will say there is more of an appetite on Capitol Hill to take on big tech in a way we have not seen before for different reasons, for both parties, but there is that general appetite there.

[23:35:06]

But the industries that are impacted, and it's not just politics, it's music, it's journalism, et cetera, they have been gearing up and preparing for this. The music industry, for example, is very concerned about this. There is a TikToker recently who made a fake song impersonating Drake and The Weeknd. I think we have --

GALLAGHER: It's a good song.

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: Listen to our finale (ph). Let's listen to this.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: That's the fun part. That's the fun part. There are concerns with that, too.

ZANONA: Not fun for Drake, not fun for these artists. There are questions about whether we would still value someone like Drake if we can just make a song using him. So, yes, there's fun aspect to this, it can be revolutionary, but there's a lot of risk associated as well.

CAMEROTA: I hope our lawmakers move with alacrity which we have not seen yet. Melanie, thank you very much for that.

There is going to be a big shake-up at the University of Alabama. The head baseball coach fired amid a betting investigation. Danny has that for us, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: The University of Alabama fired head baseball coach Brad Bohannon today amid an investigation into suspicious wagering on a recent game against Louisiana State University.

Earlier this week, the Ohio Casino Control Commission suspended all bets on Alabama baseball games, saying they were notified of suspicious betting activity on the Tide versus Tigers game. No direct link between Bohannon's firing and the suspicious bets. I hear you laughing at my sports --

(LAUGHTER)

That suspicious bet has been announced over in the NFL. Let me tell, Omar, what is going on over there? Attorneys general from New York and California announcing the investigations into allegations of employment discrimination and a hostile work environment. Thank goodness Danny is here. He is going to tell us what is next on both stories. Start with Alabama.

FREEMAN: No problem. Okay, so, I'm going to paint a picture for you for a second here. Last Friday, April 28th, Baton Rouge, there is a baseball game going between LSU and University of Alabama. Right? This game setting up the first game, three game series, Alabama loses, its 8 to 6. Otherwise, a normal game.

However, what we know now is around the same time on that same day, someone in Cincinnati was plaything bets on that again. The weekend goes through. Alabama actually lost all of the games over the course of that weekend.

But during that weekend, and ultimately on Monday, the Ohio Casino Control Commission, they got a flag from their integrity people, like a third-party contractor, that said something was wrong with some of these bets that were placed on Friday. You need to look into this.

CAMEROTA: What does that mean, something is wrong with the bats? How can they tell?

FREEMAN: That is a very good question. I think that is an example that we're learning a lot more, about how this whole casino and this boom of sports gambling in recent years is really regulated. But there have been a couple of reports tonight that basically said that there was a bet on a college baseball game that was very, very large. And if it's the Super Bowl, people are placing bets all the time. The Kentucky Derby, people are placing bets all over the place. JIMENEZ: LSU Alabama football.

FREEMAN: Yes.

GALLAGHER: Right.

FREEMAN: But to place a large amount of money on a kind of random college baseball game at the end of the week, that is enough to potentially flag some regulators. So then Monday comes along and this OCCC, this gaming commission in Ohio, they put out the word. I think we have the statement. They say, everyone, stop taking any bets, specifically in regard to Alabama baseball. Nothing to do with LSU. They singled out any bets with Alabama baseball, no one can take baths.

GALLAGHER: They knew something was up.

FREEMAN: They knew and suspected something was up. It seemed very, very clear that something specific was up. So, it is kind of a mystery in the sports world for a couple of days there. Very strange. Later on in the week, New Jersey also pulled the plug, not taking any bets. Today, Pennsylvania said, we're not taking any bets, specifically on Alabama baseball.

And then we got the news today that you started with, that the head coach for the Alabama baseball team, Brad Bohannon, he was fired this morning. As you said, right off the bat, there has been no official connection between these two things, but those sports watchers out there are saying something strange is happening, specifically with the Alabama baseball team earlier this week and gambling. And then this morning, we get the news that this coach is fired.

CAMEROTA: Thank you for explaining that sports story so that I could completely comprehend it.

(LAUGHTER)

FREEMAN: I tried.

CAMEROTA: That is fantastic.

JIMENEZ: We are laughing, by the way, when you're reading, because you said, in this game of the Tide versus the Tigers --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

JIMENEZ: -- it was like --

(CROSSTALK)

Technically, it's right.

CAMEROTA: I would correct myself.

GALLAGHER: It is correct.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

CAMEROTA: But it's not how you really said it.

JIMENEZ: I don't think I've ever said Tide versus Tigers.

CAMEROTA: I would've said Alabama versus LSU.

JIMENEZ: Yeah, something like that.

CAMEROTA: I would've said Alabama versus LSU. (INAUDIBLE). Sorry, folks. I read it phonetically. Okay? That's what I'm doing. I'm reading it phonetically because I really don't know what I'm saying in sports stories.

[23:45:01]

But you made that understandable. Okay, now, do you want to explain what's happening in the NFL?

FREEMAN: Yeah, absolutely. So, NFL, it has just been a big week for sports news and different controversies. The NFL, very, very different thing that happened today. So, today, we've got a press release from the attorney general in New York, Letitia James, and in California, Rob Bonta, that basically said they are announcing an investigation into the NFL over workplace harassment, citing numerous complaints from women in the organization.

It's interesting because the focus of this investigation by these attorneys general, they're not individual teams, they're really tackling the NFL as an organization, kind of the whole operation versus specific front offices in teams. They are looking for violations specifically of federal and state pay equity laws and discrimination laws as well.

Meanwhile, I should say the NFL, they came out with their statement as well today. They said, listen, the allegations are entirely inconsistent with the values that they have, the values and practices. The offices are places where employees of all genders, races, and backgrounds thrive. We do not tolerate discrimination in any form.

But, again, like all the stories that I seem to be running into recently, there is some context here. Last year, a big expose by "The New York Times," interviewing a number of women who said that there were a number of instances of discrimination or harassment.

The NFL also has, for a number of years, really since Ray Rice in 2014, that video came out, they have said that they are promising to clean up certain acts and to make it a more inclusive place. But, obviously, these attorneys general don't think that it is right now, so they're subpoenaing the NFL.

JIMENEZ: It's interesting that it's happening at the league level because recently, it was a team level. House Oversight Committee comes out with their report detailing just multiple similar allegations going all the way up to the owner, Dan Snyder, and from someone looking from the outside in, they would say, look, football is this guy's culture.

And I think for a long time at the team level and clearly at the league level, there have tried to be concerted efforts to try and clean that up. Whether that is actually happening, these reports are indicating progress might be going a little slower than some might have hoped.

GALLAGHER: I just want to say, I mean, are these only about those allegations from before, a year ago, years ago? Because some of those allegations in that report were from years before that. So --

FREEMAN: I think -- my understanding is that these attorneys general are focusing specifically on things that have happened recently.

GALLAGHER: Okay.

FREEMAN: We're not talking age in history. They're talking about as recently as 2021.

GALLAGHER: Okay, yes.

FREEMAN: The report came out in 2022, from last year. Omar, to your point, I think what these two attorneys general really want to emphasize, and they said it as much, is we are not afraid to pick on one of the most popular organizations as a whole in the country. I mean, it was the A.G. from California who said no company is too big or popular to avoid being held responsible for their actions.

And listen, these are two politically elected officers and law enforcement officers as well, so I'm sure there is emphasis on that, Democrats from each side of the country. But that's their message, that we get it. The NFL is, again, one of the most popular organizations out there. We're going to try to hold them to task.

CAMEROTA: Thank you for all of that. I realize why I understand it. It's not really sports stories.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: I was wondering why I understood it so well.

JIMENEZ: The House Oversight Committee mention. You know, we're all here. We're all in the coach together.

CAMEROTA: Thank you so much. Up next, "On the Lookout." Our reporters tell us what stories they are looking out for on the horizon.

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[23:50:00]

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CAMEROTA: Okay, we are back with our fantastic panel of reporters to tell us what stories they are keeping an eye on. We call it "On the Lookout." Omar?

JIMENEZ: Well, we talked a little bit about it earlier. We're waiting to see if charges potentially would be filed in that case of Jordan Neely --

CAMEROTA: The chokehold.

JIMENEZ: The chokehold on the New York Subway. And so, as we wait to see how much progress the district attorney's office makes, people are continuing to demand and protest that charges be filed, but we will see.

CAMEROTA: Okay. Dianne?

GALLAGHER: I'm going to go with your favorite sports here. I'm looking forward to Formula 1, the Miami Grand Prix. Formula 1 back in Miami and looking forward to the painted marina. They painted asphalt, basically, to fake a marina. Also, my husband would kill me if I did not mention in the motor sports also the NASCAR race in Kansas this weekend. No painted marinas there, but, yes, motor sports weekend for me. I'm very interested and looking forward to that.

CAMEROTA: You're a sports family. I'm getting that.

GALLAGHER: Yes, very much so.

FREEMAN: She is the one.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: Right, for sure. All right, Melanie?

ZANONA: I'm looking out for the Kentucky Derby, another semi-sports on Saturday. That's because I love a good hat. I also like to drink good bourbon.

But there is some controversy heading into this. A trainer was suspended after two of his horses suddenly died. They are investigating. They don't know the cause of death, but they say it's really unusual. They have good reason to believe there were some condition. So, the industry takes it very, very seriously.

CAMEROTA: Did the trainer explain what happened to those two horses?

ZANONA: They haven't said. They're trying to look at all the possible causes. But to have two of them die, I mean, it was within like days of each other. It's very, very unusual.

CAMEROTA: Yeah. Danny, I understand we have a very special "On the Lookout" for you.

FREEMAN: Yeah, I'm looking forward to a celebratory weekend because today, for at least five more minutes, it's my birthday.

(APPLAUSE)

FREEMAN: No other place I'd rather be than here for my birthday. (LAUGHTER)

[23:55:00]

CAMEROTA: So, this is how you're spending your birthday.

FREEMAN: Yeah. Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: We are honored.

FREEMAN: Thank you for having me. It is a true birthday present to be here with you guys.

CAMEROTA: That's awesome. Okay, and very quickly, how are you going to celebrate?

FREEMAN: Got a ball game tomorrow night down in Philadelphia. I can't wait. Sports. Right.

JIMENEZ: Sports. There we go.

GALLAGHER: We're going to indoctrinate you, Alisyn.

JIMENEZ: I know.

CAMEROTA: Good luck. Good luck. It's really difficult. People have tried.

All right, thank you, guys. Great to have you all here today with me. Be sure to tune in to "CNN This Morning," tomorrow where they will be gearing up for the coronation of King Charles III. Actually, it's basically -- is it even tomorrow? I mean, it's four minutes away, the day that I'm talking about. So, 6:00 a.m.

Thanks for watching tonight. Our coverage continues now.

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