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Erin Burnett Outfront

Report: 6 Presumed Dead After Ship Crash Flattens Bridge; Judge Hits Trump With Gag Order In Criminal Hush Money Trial; RFK Jr. Names Political Newcomer, Silicon Valley Attorney As VP Pick. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired March 26, 2024 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:39]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, rescuers searching for at least six people still missing in the Baltimore bridge collapse. The Maryland governor is OUTFRONT along with an eyewitness who has new video tonight. We're live in the Baltimore Harbor.

Plus, Trump's selling $60 Bibles? Yes, Bibles to raise money for his legal bills. This as a judge just placed a new gag order on former president in that hush money case. So if he violates it, could Trump end up in jail?

And Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing his running mate, a wealthy lawyer who's once married to the co-founder of Google. Just who is Nicole Shanahan? And was she picked for her politics or her deep pockets?

Let's go OUTFRONT.

Good evening. I'm Erica Hill, in for Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news, dive teams at this hour searching for any survivors after the horrific bridge collapse in Baltimore, and they are racing against time. We have live pictures for you here of what was the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Its still an arches in the center span there as you can see, gone after a massive cargo ship plowed into a support sending cars and construction workers plunging some 185 feet into frigid 47 degree water in the Patapsco River below.

Six construction workers have been fixing potholes on the bridge when it went down, are still missing. Two other workers were rescued two other workers were rescued. Tonight, we're learning just how close this accident came to becoming an even bigger disaster.

So, around 12:30, the ship left the port of Baltimore. Shortly afterward, it turns south as you can see on the map here toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Now, I want you to take a look as we show in this next instance here, the lights on that ship at 1:24, as you see there, they suddenly go out, then a minute later at 01:25 a.m., thick black smoke can be seen coming from the ship. At 1:26 a.m., the lights flicker again. It's about that time that crews actually managed to shut down traffic on the bridge. And then just 40 seconds to spare, you can actually see two vehicles

racing highlighted there across the bridge. It appears there the last two vehicles to make it across.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) dispatch. The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start, whoever, everybody, the whole bridge just collapsed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do we know what traffic was stopped?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't get to the other side, sir. The bridge is down. We're going to have somebody on the other side, (INAUDIBLE) to get up here and stop traffic going northbound on the Key Bridge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Tonight, of course, traffic is disrupted. That bridge carries some 30,000-plus vehicles a day. Shipping traffic, and one of the nation's biggest, busiest most important ports is also on hold.

Brian Todd is OUTFRONT, live in Baltimore harbor this hour, right by where that bridge collapsed.

Brian, you've been out there on the water throughout the day. What are you learning tonight?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, six people who were on the bridge when it collapsed, do remain unaccounted for tonight. As you mentioned, the ship lost power shortly before impact.

We can show you from our unique vantage point here, the point of impact where the Dali, this container ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge just over my right shoulder over there. You can see the wreckage there, the tangled metal and the concrete that's just still draped over the bow of that vessel.

Conditions here becoming more challenging for the response teams as the rescue efforts continue and the investigation ramps up tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. WES MOORE (D), MARYLAND: This is -- this is -- this is not just not just unprecedented from what we're seeing and what we're looking at today, it's heartbreaking.

TODD (voice-over): The middle of the one-and-a-half mile long Francis Scott Key Bridge plunged 185 feet into Baltimore's Patapsco River early Tuesday morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be advised the entire bridge, the entire Key Bridge in the harbor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't get to the other side, sir. The bridge is down. We're going to have to get somebody on the other side, the Anne Arundel County MSP to get hear and stop traffic coming northbound on the key bridge.

TODD: A container ship building, dark smoke was moving at about eight knots near the bridge when the ship lost power, according to Maryland's governor.

Before the bridge collapse at 1:27 in the morning, the ships crew called in a mayday when it became clear, there'll be a collision despite having dropped its anchor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need one of you guys on the south side, one of you guys on the north side, hold all traffic on the Key Bridge.

[19:05:01]

There's a ship approaching that just lost their steering.

TODD: A move officials say saved lives.

MOORE: We're thankful that between the mayday and collapse that we had officials who are able to begin to stop the flow of traffic, so more cars would not have on the bridge. Many of the vehicles were stopped before they got onto the bridge, which saved lives.

TODD: National Transportation Safety Board and FBI teams are on the scene.

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: We are standing back to allow the Coast Guard and search and rescue to continue their search and rescue operations.

TODD: Authorities on the ground say they have a tough task ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bridge itself, it does present a challenge. It presents a challenge as we navigate on the surface. But more likely a greater challenges subsurface and underwater.

TODD: In addition to a search from the air, officials had about 50 divers operating in the harbor hours after the bridge came down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The water is frigid here right now, we believe this to be about a 60 foot dive. Makes these -- makes us an extraordinarily difficult challenge for our teams.

TODD: Officials have said they have tracked a few vehicles that they believe fell into the water from the bridge and you can see the distance that they might have dropped from the height of the bridge there into the water. That's going to take days just to get floating cranes and other heavy equipment here in order to start the salvaging operations and an order to remove some of the remnants of the bridge here.

And once they get here, they have to chop these remnants of the bridge into smaller pieces just to remove them.

President Biden says he's directing federal resources to help with recovery and rebuilding. JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm directing my team to move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as you, humanly possible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Now, at this moment, all major ship traffic coming into and out of Baltimore harbor has been halted indefinitely. And that's going to cause some major economic disruptions.

Here's a case in point. You can see these basically dormant terminals over here on the Baltimore harbor, that green vessel over there. That's the Carmen. That's a vessel that brings automobiles and light trucks into Baltimore Harbor.

Baltimore's a major port for transporting new cars and trucks into the United States. It handled about 850,000 vehicles just last year. All of that has come to a sudden stop -- Erica.

HILL: Brian Todd, appreciate the reporting as always. Thank you.

OUTFRONT now, Maryland's Governor Wes Moore.

Governor, it's good to have you with us tonight.

As we've been discussing, six people remain unaccounted for. Is this still a search and rescue mission at this hour or has it moved into the recovery phase?

MOORE: Now, this is -- this is still a search and rescue as of -- as of right now. And I tell you, I think about these first responders, they have been working around the clock ever since the middle of the night last night, and just -- and then I have instructed and ordered every resource that this state has air, land, and sea to focus on the recovery effort.

We've had other governors and we've had the federal government put any significant resources into this. So as long as this is a search and rescue mission, were going to make sure that were doing our best to find survivors.

HILL: I know you spoke with one person you met earlier who was injured. Can you tell us how he's doing tonight? Can you share anything about his condition?

MOORE: Yes. I had the -- you know, I was speaking with one person who literally told me he was he was steps away when the -- when the bridge collapsed. And how has he started watching the bridge collapse behind him? He started running in the other direction while watching his vehicle fall.

So his vehicle was one of the vehicles that were lost. And this is -- this is a harrowing moment and I remember when -- when I got the phone call saying that -- the key bridge was gone and I remember asking my chief of staff, so what do you mean by gone, and he said his collapsed. I mean, this is -- this is -- this is an iconic bridge for all of us

here in this city of Baltimore. And so watching and seeing what, what's so many, so many Maryland had to endure last night, it really is heartbreaking -- heartbreaking time for the whole state.

HILL: Yeah, understandably. I just -- it's still so much disbelief and shock I think for a lot of folks. As the investigation continues, understanding it's in early stages. Are you satisfied at this point with the communication, the level of cooperation from the company that owns this cargo ship?

MOORE: Well, I know they'd been cooperating and there's going to be a lot of -- a lot of entities that are going to be involved in this investigation from federal assets to state assets, to the companies that are involved. I know this is going to be a long investigation. The same way this is going to be a long recovery period for the city and for the -- for the region when while my focus right now is on search and recovery, and so in search and rescue.

I also know that making sure that we get a proper conclusion to the investigation is also going to be a core priority.

[19:10:01]

HILL: In terms of that conclusion, there are also questions about the bridge itself when we see the video of that ship hitting the bridge. It appears to crumble so quickly.

Do you believe there were adequate -- adequate protective devices, barriers around those bridge supports?

MOORE: Well, I think that's something we're going to have to dig into to figure out and know how can we fully make sure that our infrastructure is hardened. It's something that we have put a core focus on in our time with a tremendous support that we've gotten from the Biden administration, when we think about the -- in the infrastructure capital that's come to states. So we know that making sure we have hardened infrastructure is going to be a priority.

We also know that if you look at what happened last night, a ship of that size moving at that speed, it was going to be difficult for any form of infrastructure to be able to take that type of head and not have real impacts in facts, but we had to take a real inventory of all of our infrastructure assets to make sure that people are safe.

HILL: The port of Baltimore, as Brian was just laying out, how important, how integral it is for the country also for the local economy there in Baltimore, for the state economy, some $80 worth of foreign cargo move through that port in 2023 alone, a major hub for cars, trucks, farming equipment. I believe it's the leading U.S. port for sugar imports. And of course, there are local jobs impacted.

How are you preparing right now for that hit to the economy in your state?

MOORE: It's going to have -- it has a huge economic impact and you pointed out, I mean, it is the largest port, four automobiles, for new automobiles, the largest port in our country for farm vehicles. And so, you think about, we're talking about $191 million a day of economic activity, 8,000 jobs that are directly related to this.

So this has a significant and a seismic impact economically, not just on Baltimore, but on the entire state of Maryland.

But the thing that I know about Maryland is that we are Maryland tough and we are Baltimore strong and were going to recover, but we are going to focus on making ensure that we can have -- have an economic recovery that really honors the work that was taking place with the port.

HILL: Governor Wes Moore, appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.

MOORE: Thank you so much.

HILL: OUTFRONT now, Jayme Krauss, who was one of the first people to witness the aftermath of the bridge collapse. She took this video. You can see police arriving on the scene there. You see the lights.

Jayme, thank you for joining us.

So, you were actually -- you're working the night shift at the Amazon factory near the bridge. I understand when this happened around 1:30, you actually felt like a hard rumbling is how you described it.

Can you walk me through that moment, what you felt and what you heard?

JAYME KRAUSE, WITNESS TO BRIDGE COLLAPSE AFTERMATH: So around like 1:30 a.m. I was doing cage cow, which is where do you go through those ship dock of the warehouse and count the pages, to make sure that we have like enough people voting and enough trucks to put it out. And as I was pushing my car my whole time of hardship right and left, like downward, like I hit something.

So I look out and around my car to see if I hit like a palliate or a piece of metal or something, there was nothing there. And then a couple other coworkers like -- yeah, man is something shook me, I don't know what happened. Maybe its first quake or maybe its thunder and even my boyfriend who works with me, he was like, yeah, man, my heart shook also because he's also trying to me as well, chasing.

So that was at 01:32 a.m. when we went outside everybody was like, yeah, man, the bridge collapsed and I ran over and started recording. I couldn't believe it. I loved that bridge.

HILL: When you ran out there half an hour later, as you said, you're on break with your coworkers and you realize the bridge is gone -- I mean, can you describe what that's like? This is a bridge that you went over often. I know you recently moved but used to use it all of the time.

To see it gone, what's that like?

KRAUSE: I'm 32 years old, I was born and raised here in Baltimore. I grew up right near the bridge. I live right near my whole entire life. Like I lived in (INAUDIBLE) my whole life. So every single day, I would see the bridge. And I go out there at 10:00, the bridge is there, come back out at 2:00 a.m., the bridge is gone.

So it was very devastating. It's a historical mount -- landmark here in Baltimore, like one of the most historical landmarks we have besides like Capitol building or whatever in that least. But for Baltimoreans, the Key Bridge and Bay Bridge is our thing, like we have that for history. Like that's something that means a lot to a lot of Baltimoreans, like we use it for travel. We use it for resources. We use it for food, fun everything and its now gone. So it's kind of devastating, really.

HILL: Yeah.

KRAUSE: Nice photograph at all time. And it's just heartbreaking, knowing it's not there anymore.

HILL: Seeing these -- these close-up images that have come out since and also seeing it in the daylight, knowing that you felt that basically at that moment of impact that you felt, was that bridge falling than the number of construction workers in vehicles also fell into the water, when did all of that sink in about just the extent of this damage and destruction?

[19:15:16]

KRAUSE: Around 7:00 a.m. must started crying because I was like, oh, my God, all those families are probably dead, all those people are probably dead, and that's heartbreak and you don't want to think about that while you're at work, people who are dying literally hundreds of feet from you. It's -- that's like, again, it's devastated as one of the most heartbreaking thing I've ever witnessed as an adult.

I -- I couldn't believe my eyes, and just the realization that there are people who probably lost theirs, their lives in that like, it's -- (INAUDIBLE) me and my boyfriend a couple of times. We're very emotional people

And we couldn't -- we couldn't muster the how like if there was -- we don't know who was on the bridge, you know? It's hard -- it's hard to deal with. I watched boats go through that bridge every single day while working. I worked at Amazon for two years and I've never seen anything like this. It's the worst thing I've seen at this job.

HILL: Yeah, yeah. It is a lot and it's understandable that you and your boyfriend would be emotional thinking about all.

Jayme, really appreciate you taking the time to join us tonight. Thank you.

KRAUSE: No problem. Thank you.

HILL: OUTFRONT next, our breaking news coverage continues. We are just learning officials are about to hold a press conference about that cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge and those rescue efforts. We're going to bring that to live as it happens.

Also, the breaking news in Trump world. The former president just hit with a gag order. Now he's also selling bibles as he faces mounting legal bills.

And Robert F. Kennedy Jr. naming his running mate may not be a household name tonight, but it is someone with a lot of cash. So who is Nicole Shanahan?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:21:26]

HILL: Breaking news, "The Baltimore Sun" is now reporting at least six people are presumed dead in Baltimore after that cargo ship crashed into a critical bridge there overnight. This after crews, of course, have spent hours searching for six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time. That information from "The Baltimore Sun" coming from an executive at the company, the building company that had those crews saying that they are shocked and distress, but presuming all six are dead.

We are expecting a news conference from officials at any moment. So, as we wait for that, we also want to bring you some new details this hour about the ship itself and its track record, including multiple deficiencies and at least one other collision that we know of.

Will Ripley is OUTFRONT with this part of the story.

So what do we know about these pass inspections and these issues, Will?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So the route that the Dali that this container ship follows is that it links Asian ports with the U.S. East Coast. Primarily, it flies under a Singaporean flag. It's actually owned by a Hong Kong group and was built less than ten years ago in 2015 at the Korean Hyundai shipyard.

So this, this, this is a relatively new ship. Yet as you mentioned, according to Equasis, which is the electronic quality shipping information system, 27 inspections and two deficiencies. So the most recent inspection that we know of was September 9 of last year in New York by the U.S. Coast Guard. No deficiencies found at that point, but just three months earlier in June of 2023 in Chile, there were some issues found with this ship, including problems with propulsion and auxiliary machinery like gauges and thermometers.

But the big incident involving this ship was actually about a year after its construction. This was seven years ago, November of 2016, in Belgium. There was actually an instance the ship was pulling out of poured. It hit a quay, which is a platform that's used for loading ships as it was trying to exit the North Sea container terminal. And there was major haul damage affecting sea worthiness.

They actually had to basically dock the ship for quite some time to repair it after that incident. It was a relatively new shipping but that time still a relatively new ship, average size container ship with 22 crew members.

So certainly a lot of questions as to the state at status of this ship, even though that most recent inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York, September last year, didn't turn up any problems, Erica.

HILL: Will Ripley, appreciate it as always, thank you.

OUTFRONT now, Bobbie Scholley, retired Navy captain and diver; Captain Morgan McManus, an instructor at SUNY Maritime College here in New York; and Mary Schiavo, former inspector general with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

It's good to have all of you with us tonight and to have your expertise here.

Captain McManus, I think what is remarkable to so many people is how quickly this seemed to have happened that at 1:24 a.m., those lights go out on the ship a minute later, there's thick black smoke coming from the ship, a minute after that, the lights flicker again and then the ship crashes into the bridge.

Given how quickly it happened, given what we see in that video, Captain, what does it tell you about what may have happened?

MORGAN MCMANUS, MARITIME CAPTAIN: Well, thanks for having me first.

I think the biggest takeaway is that they realized they were having problems with that initial blackout. When you look in the video, you see the ship go dark. So at that moment, you know, down in the engine room, alarms are going off, they're trying to go through the blackout recovery, restart everything up. You know, the pilot is trying to get information from the captain of what's going on in the ship.

They recover it fairly quickly. I think it's within a minute they get power back and they get propulsion going.

[19:25:00]

But it looks like in the video with that black smoke coming out as going emergency, a stern. And then they had the flicker again.

So, they're there -- they're still chasing issues at that time with -- I would venture its electrical, so there are switchboard issues, there are generator issues are going on. So there's a lot of scrambling going on at that time.

HILL: I'm going to hold you all here for just a moment. If I could, we want it to dip in this live press conference that is happening. Let's listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- as well as Colonel Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent, Maryland state police.

Tonight, we're going to hear from brief statement from each of them on current updates and after that, we'll be able to take a few questions. But we do need to keep it brief because we want to get these folks back to work.

With that, I'd like to introduce Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath.

REAR ADMIRAL SHANNON GILREATH, COAST GUARD: Hey, good evening, everyone.

First, I'd like to say thank you to all of the first responders that have come out today to assist in looking for these individuals. We've had tremendous support across the state and county and city and federal enterprise. You've seen for yourself to helicopters flying over small boats that are out there, the Coast Guard cutter that's out there, the boats that go back and forth bringing people out on scene to search for these individuals. So, thank you to those -- this entire community helping in that regard.

Second, I want to say thank you to the community for the outpouring of support to those first responders, and in particularly the outpouring of support and prayers support for the families of the six individuals. So I would like to announce tonight that based on the length of time that we've gone in this search, the extensive search efforts that we put into it, the water temperature that at this point, we do not believe that were going to find any of these individuals still alive.

And so the seeming at about 7:30, were going to suspend the active search and rescue efforts. Coast Guard is not going away. None of our partners are going away, but were just going to transition to a different phase.

So, I'm going to turn it over to Colonel Butler, please.

COLONEL ROLAND L. BUTLER JR., MARYLAND STATE POLICE: Good evening. And thank you all for being here to echo the admiral's comments here, we really appreciate the support from the community. It's all the first responders there. We appreciate your patience and allowing us to do the best job possible and get the information as it comes up.

At this point, as the admiral said, we're going away from the search and rescue portion. So recovery operation, the changing conditions out there have made a dangerous for the first responders, the divers in the water, we will still have surface ships out overnight at 0600 hours tomorrow. Were hoping to put divers in the water and began a more detailed search to do our very best to recover those six missing people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. With that, we have time for just a few questions. We know there's a lot of questions. To be answered and we do have time for just a few. So, if we could take few, please?

REPORTER: Sir, do we think it's still just six? There's talk of maybe other cars on the bridge.

GILREATH: All the information we have is six individuals.

REPORTER: Got it.

GILREATH: Yes, sir.

REPORTER: Can you go into detail about how difficult this might be for the recovery phase of this one? What kind of challenges are you up against?

GILREATH: Well, I'll start by saying -- I'm going to turn it over to the experts on diving. I'm not an expert on diving, but we've got very difficult water temperatures. You have structures from the bridge there in the water that can move with the tides and currents making that dangerous for divers and people in the water to actually try to do recovery.

And we do not want to injure any of these first responders in this recovery effort. We absolutely want to be a safe as possible for everyone involved in this.

Now, let's see, Colonel, has anything he wants to add.

REPORTER: Can you go into specifics about what the search and rescue entailed like where there's scuba divers or was everything above water, sonar, any sort of equipment that might have been utilized over the past 12 hours?

BUTLER: From the outset, we moved all those resources in, with dive teams from various state, local, and county agencies. We also use sonar. We're doing our very best and some very difficult times and difficult conditions, which is why we're making that transition now, the last thing we want to do is put divers in the water with changing currents, low temperatures, very poor visibility -- visibility, and so much metal and other an unknown objects in the water.

All it takes is one object to strike an individual and all of a sudden, we have for first responders trying to recover another first responder. I think 0600, we'll find ourselves in a better position to understand the dynamics of what we're dealing with and to address the issue in a much safer manner.

[19:30:02]

REPORTER: Did the authorities have six IDs now and at those victims, each been contacted, those families I should say?

BUTLER: I can't speak on that. That's still in the investigative portion of this.

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) reports that there might individuals trapped inside the vehicles that there might be debris that's challenging for FBI (INAUDIBLE) to deploy?

BUTLER: All of that is unknown at this point and as I say, we have to cease operations, we can start again until we can ensure the safety of those divers and rescue personnel that again, to participate in this. If we look at how -- how challenging it is at a simple motor vehicle crash to extract an individual. I'm sure we can all imagine how much harder it is to do it inclement weather, when it's cold, under the water with very limited to no visibility. REPORTER: Just to clarify no remains thus far (INAUDIBLE).

BUTLER: That is correct

REPORTER: So, Colonel, you're confident than that, no other vehicles made it onto that bridge collapse or as it was collapsing, I should say?

BUTLER: Based upon the fact the original information was provided, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department was able to shut down traffic.

Is there the possibility there was another vehicle on their other than those vehicles involved in the construction process? I think we all would have to understand. Yes, that's a distinct possibility. As unfortunate it's maybe, it's a distinct possibility. However, we don't have any information to support that at this point.

Ma'am?

REPORTER: (IANDUIUBLE)

BUTLER: We do not know at this point. I'm sure as you've seen some of the aerial photos, there's a tremendous amount of debris in the water, from containers hanging off ships. We have to make sure there was a short up. We're going to work with structural engineers to help them understand how to navigate and address the challenges of having bridge structure in the water that may be sharp, they could puncture a shoe, they could puncture an airline, all of these things that we must take our time with

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just last question, by the way.

BUTLER: I'm sorry?

At this point, we do not know where they are, but we intend to give it our best effort to help these families find closure.

REPORTER: How might inclement weather tomorrow impact the recovery efforts?

BUTLER: Very clearly, it could, but we're going to do everything in our power to help these families find closure.

(CROSSTALK)

HILL: So, if you're just joining us here, we've just been listening in and this update or this important update from the Coast Guard is that this effort to find those six missing people who, of course, went missing in the wake of this bridge crash and collapse in the early hours of this morning this has now changed from a -- from a search -- search mission to this is in a recovery phase now.

They were very clear their official, they are not going away. But this is now a recovery operation citing these changing conditions as well, not only the fact that this is very cold water, this was 46 to 48 degrees when this accident happened. It is very difficult to survive, frankly, in water that cold for a long period of time.

But officials also noting there the poor visibility in addition to low temperatures changing currents, the amount of metal, too, in the water. We're back now with Captain Morgan McManus, an instructor at SUNY Maritime College and Mary Schiavo, former for inspector general with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Captain, I just want to pick up on a little bit of what we heard there from officials. These concerns about what is in that water right now. They don't know they said where the victims are located. There is a possibility there could be other cars. They don't have the information to support that, but said there is a possibility there.

When you're dealing with so many checks challenges in front of you, including the large amount of metal and debris could potentially be sharp -- I mean, just put in perspective for us, would a massive operation this is even in terms of a recovery effort at this stage.

I think its the best way to look at it as a giant metal jigsaw puzzle that's now upside-down underwater and pitch-black conditions, everything's tangled mess of metal right now that's below the waterline that you can't see.

You know, you see on the surface how chaotic it looks it's probably worse beneath the waterline right now. As they mentioned, containers are hanging off the ship, which provides other issues of that they fall in. They can disrupt everything that's in the water and that could have a cascading effect of all the structure that's down there.

HILL: Mary, we had heard earlier today that the NTSB was holding back a little bit to let the Coast Guard continue with these search and rescue efforts.

[19:35:01]

The fact that this has now moved into a recovery operation, what is that change in terms of the NTSB and how -- their involvement rather in this investigation?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: Right. Well, this afternoon, the NTSB had indicated that they hadn't gone to the ship yet and that of course that would have meant that they hadn't talked -- we assumed meant they hadn't spoken with all of the crew and the staff on the ship, although obviously, they could have used other communications.

But ordinarily, the NTSB tries to get to the witnesses particularly those who were involved in the accident, us to get to them right away. They want to get their statements while they're fresh. They don't want, people to have to think about all the things are fill in the blank and they usually do that right away, but they said, we don't want to do that because we want to give the Coast Guard every opportunity to find any of the victims in the water and therefore, were not going out to the ship.

Now at this point with that with them having declared that they have been in the water so long that the survivability chances have dissipated. Tomorrow, they will be able to do that. They would be able to get to that ship, start doing all those interviews, and, of course, they've already made -- made it clear that they have kept the recordings. They've got the recording group there to go through the recordings from the ship's command and from all of the engines and equipment on the ship.

And so, tomorrow, they will really have an opportunity to start digging in and get a lot of information. I'm sure they will be briefings tomorrow as well.

HILL: Yeah. Absolutely. I really appreciate you both taking the time to join us tonight and staying with us through that press conference with some really important updates. Thank you again.

OUTFRONT next, as we continue our coverage of this breaking news, investigators searching for answers as we just talked about a bit there, why did this bridge come down so fast? And what does this say about the state of America's other bridges? We have a special report.

Plus, breaking news. Donald Trump just hit with the new gag order in New York. He's now banned from saying anything about potential witnesses and court staff. Could the former president put a jail if he violates that order?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:41:04]

HILL: Breaking news, a new gag order tonight for Donald Trump. If he violates it, the former president could end up in jail. The judge in Trump's criminal hush money trial issued that order, banning him for making any statements about witnesses, prosecutors or court staff, specifically called out Trumps history of, quote, threatening, inflammatory, denigrating comments, comments like the ones you're about to see, which he said about the assistant district attorney in his case just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Colangelo is a radical left from the DOJ, who is put into the state working with Letitia James, and then was put into the district attorney's office to run the trial against Trump.

But remember this, Colangelo was a DOJ guy. He's a Biden DOJ guy. These are all Biden trials because Colangelo works for Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OUTFRONT legal analyst, Ryan Goodman.

Ryan Goodman, you would think I would know your name by now. Ryan joins me now.

Good to see you. So it seems almost like in reading that order, the judge may have been

watching some of those comments that Donald Trump was making yesterday. You've called this is a pretty solid order. Is there any wiggle room here for Donald Trump?

RYAN GOODMAN, JUST SECURITY CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: No, not really. I mean, the order is identical -- identical to the order in the D.C. Circuit that they approved, except this one goes one step beyond and also protects jurors. But the D.C. Circuit hadn't considered whether or not to protect jurors at this stage, narrowly drawn. The judge in fact is in fact saying, I have to do this in order to protect the administration of justice.

I don't think the order is going anywhere, so I don't think Trump could even think really about appealing it successfully. And he really has to stay within this line. If he doesn't, then I think there could be serious consequences.

HILL: Serious consequences including jail time?

GOODMAN: Yes, at a certain point. And just last night, Maggie Haberman was on CNN explaining is going to be quiet interesting to see him sitting there as a former president in this courtroom four days a week, and then with people who doesn't like to see getting under his skin and then going on the campaign trail on the weekends. What does he say in the weekend?

Now we have a gag order that says if he goes after those witnesses, et cetera, there could be consequences and at a certain point, he could be held in contempt, and that could mean jail time because there's nothing else that the court would be able to use to in order to deter him and he seems undeterrible otherwise.

HILL: So interesting as we watch that. Ryan, thank you.

And we also have more breaking news tonight involving Donald Trump, his media company, which of course includes Truth Social, soaring in its first day of trading on Nasdaq, surging 56 percent at one point during training to $78 a share before closing at $58.

As a majority shareholder, Trump's 60 percent stake is now worth nearly $5 even as the company itself is actually bleeding money.

OUTFRONT now, Bloomberg reporter Bailey Lipschultz, who's covered Trump's Truth Social deal since the beginning, it's good to have you with us.

So as we look at what happened today -- I mean, look, I don't want to date myself, but I remember covering the dot.com boom. So we remember what it's like when there's a lot of excitement about a stock and we see its surge in its first day of trading when that excitement starts to die down, the question is, you know, does it maintain that valuation?

What are you watching for? BAILEY LIPSCHULTZ, BLOOMBERG MARKETS REPORTER: We're trying to see if

that follow-through continues. Were seeing a lot of likely retail trader buying so people who drove GameStop, for instance, to valuations that were not based on fundamental.

So the big question is, can there be follow-through looking at today's intraday trading, you mentioned that 58 percent that pop at one point, closed up closer to 16 percent. So the big thing is, will those volumes continue to play out?

HILL: There's also when we look at the value itself, so valued at about $8 billion after trading today, there are less than 500,000 users on Truth Social, right? Which is part of this company. If you compare that with X, for example 75 million users, its valued at $5.6 billion.

So in looking at those traditional valuations, is -- are those traditional metrics rather, is this trading at a higher valuation than other similar companies?

LIPSCHULTZ: The best comparison that we have is looking at price to sales. So as you mentioned, close to $8 billion through the first nine months of last year, they brought in just $3.4 million. So, that valuation is north of 2,000.

[19:45:02]

For instance, Nvidia, one of the best performing stocks in the market, trades about 38. So this is evaluation that everyone I talked to you would most likely agree is not really based in what the company currently is offering right now.

HILL: There's been a lot made of how well this looks for Donald Trump, right? Being a majority stakeholder, almost $5 billion today. He can't touch that money for six months unless -- and there is a big unless here, right?

LIPSCHULTZ: The big thing would be for the board which he kind of knows and is very closely tied to a number of people would be moving forward that lock-up exploration, which right now is tied to September or altogether waving at. The big question, then would be what he take out loans against those shares or would he outright sell shares? How did those trading dynamics evolve?

Because the big question right now is there not a lot of shares available for trading? So there could be a flood of sales, which then in turn would likely pressure the stock, at least according to the market experts I talked to.

HILL: It's a lot to watch, Bailey. I appreciate it. Thank you.

Well, as we continue, our breaking news coverage here, we also are looking at politics. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. making it official a short time ago, the independent presidential candidate choosing political newcomer Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate. Shanahan is an attorney, was once married to the co-founder of Google. So what more do we know about her? And could she help Kennedy move the

needle?

Eva McKend is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER (voice-over): A political newcomer propelled into the spotlight as part of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent bid for the White House.

NICOLE SHANAHAN (I), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is so good to be here in Oakland.

MCKEND: At just 38 years old, Nicole Shanahan is a wealthy Silicon Valley lawyer, and investor, who was once married to a billionaire Google co-founder.

SHANAHAN: For the first time in a long time, I felt hope for our democracy again. We can do this.

MCKEND: Earlier this year, putting her considerable wealth behind Kennedy, helping fund this $7 million Super Bowl ad that drew inspiration from his uncle's 1960 campaign.

Shanahan has long been a large donor to Democratic candidates and causes, giving the $25,000 individual maximum to Biden's election effort in 2020.

But now she says the party has lost its way.

SHANAHAN: In this moment, I -- I am leaving the Democratic Party.

MCKEND: And was drawn to Kennedy after listening to him speak.

SHANAHAN: Chronic disease, addiction, poverty, depression, this is where Americans are hurting the most. It is time for politicians to listen.

MCKEND: The Oakland native is largely unknown to the public outside of elite tech circles.

Her marriage to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, ending in divorce last year.

"The Wall Street Journal" reporting she had an affair with Elon Musk, something she and Musk both strongly denied.

Shanahan writing in people last year. I can't think of anything worse for professional woman's career than publicly shaming her for a sexual act.

Shanahan rose from a difficult upbringing --

SHANAHAN: I don't think we would have made it without food stamps and government help. MCKEND: -- to become the founder and president of her own foundation, focusing on climate change, reproductive health, social justice, and finding a cure for autism, an issue close to her as her daughter with Bryn has autism.

SHANAHAN: Conditions like autism used to be one in ten thousand. Now, here in the state of California, it is 1 in 22.

MCKEND: And she now shares a presidential ticket with someone who has repeatedly pushed misinformation about the efficacy and risks of vaccine, including the discredited link between vaccines and autism.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. (I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do believe that autism does come from vaccine.

MCKEND: Shanahan saying it's only RFK, Jr. really taking the issue of chronic health, seriously.

SHANAHAN: I will be his ally in making our nation healthy again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKEND (on camera): And, Erica, it is clear that Democrats view Kennedy as a real threat. Earlier today, a DNC mobile billboard driving around linking Kennedy to Trump. Then they held a press conference where they characterize Kennedy as a tin foil hat conspiracy theorists who could lead the Trump getting reelected -- Erica.

HILL: Eva McKend, appreciate the reporting as always. Thank you.

Joining me now in studio, Astead Herndon, national political reporter at "The New York Times". He just interviewed RFK, Jr. on his podcast, "The Run-Up", which you should listen and subscribe to.

Astead, as we look at this, what does -- what does Nicole Shanahan bring to this ticket for RFK, Jr.?

ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the campaign says that she's someone going to energize young people, that she's someone who could actually bring in women. They have all these kind of things, but we don't really know what she brings because she's a political newcomer as RFK Jr. is himself themselves, she's never run for public office.

[19:50:03]

She's a tech lawyer, yes. But we mostly see her as a kind of liked like mine with RFK, Jr.'s kind of conspiracy-driven lane. When I asked him last week about what does this candidacy about, what he really said was about challenging the orthodoxy of America, challenging the medical institutions, the political institutions. He sees himself as someone who's an active vote for breaking the system.

I think he sees his VP pick in the same type of lane. It's important that she has that personal connection to autism because he has made that at a central thesis of his campaign. His campaign is built off of COVID backlash, built off a vaccine backlash, and he is using that does credit discredited conspiracy to continue that claim.

So I think we should see her as yes, a vice president source selection that could bring in some people as they're saying, but they're not testing that. They're not running a campaign that type of sense, they're really seeing this as a way to further his message. And that's what's core to think about.

HILL: You went on, sort of his campaign is almost a protest of institutions. It's not necessarily a vision of where the country should be, and in that some of these speeches you said are almost like a red herring because its not really what they're about.

HERNDON: Absolutely. And these type of moments, this is when you're going to get the most traditional version of the RFK, Jr. campaign. This is when he's going to say speeches about bringing in independents, bringing in Democrats. But when you're actually there, the people I've talked to on the road, I've not heard that disgruntled Democrat say they're interested in RFK, Jr.

You're mostly hearing Republicans. You're mostly hearing people who never voted all. People were kind of buy into his long-term branding as someone who is anti-vaccine and has pushed other conspiracy, too, that 5G wireless has -- you know, causes cancer, things like that. Those are the people who are coming to this.

It's important to remember though, I remember being at Donald Trump rallies and hearing that kind of lane of person there before. So we shouldn't presume that he just takes from one side or the other. This is really a scattershot type candidacy. And frankly that's what worries the Biden and the Trump campaign.

HILL: Exactly. And to that point, right, when we look at some recent polling, some recent CNN polling from Michigan, Kennedy gets 18 percent of the vote in Michigan. Trumps at 40, Biden's at 34 percent.

Pennsylvania, he gets 16 percent. You look at it 40 versus 38.

The fact that is Eva was reporting, right? You had sort of mobile billboards out there today, the concern that is there, are they actually going after that concern in the right way?

HERNDON: It's interesting because there's undoubtedly concern there. The DNC has just opened up a kind of a group of their office to focus specifically on third party candidates. As Eva mentioned, there was that billboard today and they're really trying to make sure to get that message out there.

But I think it's more about the fear of that name recognition. When we think about 18 percent number, that's partially because there is no better name to have in Democratic politics maybe than the Kennedy one. But the question is whether when people hear him more, will they like him more, or were they like him last night? And I have the presumption that when you start hearing what RFK Jr. is

about that this might be the ceiling rather than the floor. And so that's what the campaigns aren't necessary worried about him winning. They're worried about one loss vote in a critical state.

HILL: Right.

HERNDON: Because if this is closed, that's what this can come in.

HILL: I mean, that's what his sister, Rory Kennedy, told me last night. She thinks he's a danger, not necessarily because of his policies, but because he will take votes away from Joe Biden.

HERNDON: Absolutely. That's the concern.

HILL: Yeah. Astead, always good to see you. Appreciate it. Thank you, my friend.

Next here, breaking news, the six people who were missing are now presume dead after that bridge collapse in Baltimore.

And a special report just ahead on American troubling history when it comes to deadly bridge disasters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:28]

HILL: Tonight, live pictures here of what remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The Coast Guard announcing just this hour they have now moved to the recovery phase of this operation. Those six missing people now presumed dead.

The incident understandably frightening, but it is not isolated and its drawn question questions about whether there are parallels with other deadly bridge collapses.

Jason Carroll is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Investigators still in the early stages of piecing together the events that led to the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge already, comparisons being made to pass deadly disease disasters involving America's bridges.

I-40 Bridge, Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, May 2002. Fourteen people killed, nearly a dozen hurt after freight barge is being transported on the Arkansas River struck a pier supporting the bridge, a 580-foot section of road collapsed sending vehicles careening into the water.

Queen Isabella Causeway, Port Isabel, Texas, September 2001. Eight people lost their lives when a tugboat and barge struck the causeway. Eleven people drove into the opening below, only three survived. Big Bayou Canot near Mobile, Alabama, September 1993. Forty-seven people died and more than 100 injured in what was seen at the time is one of the worst disasters of its kind in the United States. It happened after barges being pushed by a tow boat in dense fog hit the bridge causing an Amtrak train carrying 220 people to derail minutes later. Rescue crews pulled victims from the partially submerged buckled train cars.

CHLOE DEMROVSKY, FEMA NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL: We are so bad at learning from our mistakes and preparing for future instances. We need to assess our infrastructure.

CARROLL: Collusions, not the only cause of tragic bridge collapses. Take what happened at the FIU footbridge, Miami, Florida, March 2018. Six people were killed after a pedestrian bridge near the campus of Florida International University suddenly collapsed. The 170-foot long newly installed bridge had been under construction.

I-35 W Bridge, Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 2007. Thirteen killed, 145 injured, a major interstate at a standstill after the 35 West Bridge collapsed during rush hour. Federal regulators blame the accident partly on support plates, which they said were half as thick as they should have been.

Hyatt Regency Skywalks, Kansas City, Missouri, July 1981. One hundred fourteen were killed when the walkways on the second and fourth floor of a Hyatt Regency Hotel collapse due to a design flaw. It was known as one of the most devastating structural failures in U.S. history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (on camera): So much tragedy there. You know, experts tell us when things like this happen, it's an opportunity to once again take a hard look at the country's infrastructure. If you think about this in these terms across the country, there are more than 617 bridges in the country, 42 percent of all bridges are at least 50 years old. And so experts say once again, this is an opportunity not only to take a look at protection for bridges, whether it'd be in the water, but also maybe that means updating them as well in terms of their infrastructure.

HILL: Jason, thank you.

Thanks to all of you for joining us.

"AC360" starts right now.