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Former President George H.W. Bush In Intensive Care; Police Capture Waffle House Shooting Suspect; What Will The Royal Baby Be Named?; Voters Head To Polls In Arizona's Special Election; AT&T-Time Warner Antitrust Trial Nears The Finish Line. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired April 24, 2018 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:31:03] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Former President George H.W. Bush is in intensive care this morning. A spokesman for the family says he's being treated at a Houston hospital for sepsis.
He was admitted just one day after the funeral of his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush.
CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now. Sanjay, great to have you here.
What is sepsis?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Sepsis is an infection that becomes more serious and potentially life-threatening. Something that can start off as relatively minor, even. Something the body could typically combat.
But for various reasons, oftentimes because someone's own immune system is unable to contain the infection, it starts to spread and it spreads into the bloodstream.
And what happens Alisyn, is there's a couple of things. One is that you have this infection in the bloodstream but then the body responds to it in a big way, trying to basically clear that infection.
And that body's response can also make someone quite ill. It can drop their blood pressure. It can make their heart rate erratic. They may have difficulty breathing.
So it's a combination of things that are happening at the same time that can make someone quite ill.
CAMEROTA: A family spokesperson put out a statement saying -- well, it's a family statement. He is responding to treatments. He appears to be recovering.
Can a 93-year-old truly recover from sepsis or are you weakened after that?
GUPTA: I think you can recover. I mean, there is a -- there is a cause here in this case which is there is an infection and it may have started anywhere in his body. A urinary tract infection, for example, can spread into the blood.
That can be cleared using antibiotics. You identify what the bacteria is, you treat that. It's a balance.
You want to be able to treat this infection without causing any damage to his other organs -- his heart, his lungs, his kidneys, for example, but that can happen.
I think, to your point though, he is 93 years old. He does have these underlying illnesses.
His immobility from his Parkinson's disease can actually make you at greater risk for these types of infections. He's been in and out of the hospital.
So certainly, it's very worrisome. I think it's very concerning.
And his recovery, despite the statement there, is still going to be measured in days and weeks, not minutes and hours. But a recovery is possible. People do recover from this, especially if treated early.
CAMEROTA: Sanjay, look, the timing is notable, OK? So he was hospitalized one day --
GUPTA: Yes.
CAMEROTA: -- after his wife of 73 years -- Barbara Bush's funeral.
Is there a medical -- such a thing -- a medical thing as a broken heart?
GUPTA: Yes. You know, it's interesting, Alisyn. People think of this as a sort of more anecdotal stories and they are, but there has been some science around what is known as broken heart syndrome, first of all.
That's a syndrome where in response to some devastating loss like what the president suffered here, the body releases all sorts of different chemicals into the bloodstream and can have a direct impact on the heart. It can cause the heart to become weakened and to even fail -- broken heart syndrome -- so that's sort of a tangible representation of this loss.
There's also a tangible sort of impact on the immune system. Your immune system -- again, being able to fight these types of infections on your own, that's what we do all the time when you're healthy and you're not suffering a loss like this.
But your immune system can also become weakened in the wake of a loss like this. So that again could take a -- what may have been a minor infection and amplify it -- allow it to spread.
CAMEROTA: Sanjay, let's end on this positive note, OK? This is a hearty man.
He jumps out of planes. This was him on his 90th birthday, OK, three years ago. This wasn't his 60th birthday, this was his 90th birthday.
So his heart is strong. He can tolerate something that certainly I could not or many people. So, you know, who knows?
[07:35:00] I mean, you probably know better than anyone what's going to happen in the hospital next, to him, but look, he's a strong guy.
GUPTA: I don't know if I could do it on my 50th birthday coming up, Alisyn.
Yes. I mean, the will to live, the fight that everyone keeps talking about, his -- already, his response to these antibiotics -- these medications in the intensive care unit.
He is 93. He does have this underlying illness but he has been in and out of the hospital before and has these quick recoveries. So, you know, fingers crossed. Certainly, wishing him well.
CAMEROTA: Of course.
Sanjay, thank you very much for all of the expertise.
GUPTA: Yes, thank you.
CAMEROTA: Chris --
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right.
So, royal baby number three is here. So, what are they going to name the newest prince? A live report from London, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAMEROTA: The man accused of opening fire at a Nashville-area Waffle House is now in custody facing four counts of criminal homicide this morning. His first court appearance is tomorrow but we're already learning more about his troubled past.
[07:40:02] Nick Valencia is live in Antioch, Tennessee with more. What have you learned, Nick?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.
Nearly 36 hours after Travis Reinking went on the run he was captured by police and it was a very dramatic afternoon here in Antioch. We were live on the air as we saw police race to the scene.
It had been nearly a day of no credible sightings of Reinking until some construction workers spotted in a wood-lined area right behind his apartment complex not too far where, police say, Reinking carried out that mass shooting early Sunday morning.
Now, when they arrested him he was taken into custody without incident. They did find a handgun, 45-caliber ammunition, and a flashlight in his backpack.
Now, this is all the more disturbing when you consider the Reinking shouldn't have had those weapons, to begin with.
After 2017, the summer incident where he crossed into a restricted area in the White House, authorities recommended that he have his authorization of having weapons removed in his home state of Illinois.
When he moved here to Tennessee in the fall of 2017, though, his father gave those guns back to Reinking and police say it's at least one of those guns that Reinking used when he carried out that mass shooting early Sunday morning.
Yesterday, at a press conference, the ATF said that the father could possibly face charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could his father have violated gun laws by giving his son the weapons?
MARCUS WATSON, SPECIAL AGENT, ATF: It is possible if you transfer weapons knowingly to a person that is prohibited, so that could potentially be a violation of federal law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even though his guns were taken away in Illinois, should he have had weapons in Tennessee?
WATSON: He should not have had weapons, correct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Tennessee?
WATSON: In Tennessee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: Reinking is not cooperating with authorities. In fact, he's asked for an attorney. He's being held on $2 million bail, four counts of criminal homicide.
And guys, we've talked a lot about the shooter but really, this is about the victims. Four victims killed in all, all of them in their twenties. And we should mention, Chris, that two of them are still in the hospital in stable condition.
CUOMO: Hundred percent, got to keep your focus on that but this is one of those cases that raise questions that don't often get answered.
If he's not charged, why won't he be charged -- this parent? If this man wasn't supposed to have weapons, why wasn't he monitored better?
Why wasn't there more of a treatment protocol in place? What laws do they need there of the red flag variety?
They're important questions. Nick, thank you very much for raising them all.
The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, back home, healthy, thank God. She's in Kensington Palace. Gave birth to her third child. So now, they've got to name the prince, fifth in line. What's it going to be?
CNN's Max Foster live in London with more.
The bookmakers are up to it. What are the top choices? What is the max mode on this?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, people still are trying to fathom just how the Duchess of Cambridge managed to look so glorious yesterday just seven hours after giving birth, even wearing heels outside the hospital. That's made all the headlines today.
What we do know is that they're all -- there's a family of five tucked up in the palace behind me, expecting some visitors today. Perhaps the Middletons, perhaps the Queen.
Prince Charles just issuing a statement saying, "It's a great joy to have another grandchild. The only trouble is I don't know how I'm going to keep up with them."
He doesn't know the name yet, officially, either we understand.
So these are the top names according to the bettings who are speculating at this point. But the top names are Arthur, James, Albert, Philip, and Fred.
We think Philip and Arthur are the frontrunners because both William and Charles have them as middle names. It perhaps makes sense to pass those on to the next generation.
If you're looking for an outside bet though, Chris and Alisyn, 250 to one with Ladbrokes, you can get odds on Prince Donald.
CAMEROTA: Oh, that's what you've been recommending or suggesting, I should say.
CUOMO: There it is.
CAMEROTA: Max, that's great. I had already checked Arthur and Philip on my betting sheet here so I think that I'm --
CUOMO: I saw you check them while he was talking.
CAMEROTA: No, I checked it an hour ago. I did not --
CUOMO: Alternative facts.
CAMEROTA: -- counter in -- I did not count in Fred.
CUOMO: Fred?
CAMEROTA: King Fred?
CUOMO: What if they out of the box?
CAMEROTA: With what?
CUOMO: Enzo?
CAMEROTA: Oh, I like this. Go with a Pizon name.
CUOMO: Right. Go with a little something. Everybody wants to be Italian.
CAMEROTA: That's right, everybody does. Let's see. Maybe they're going to.
CUOMO: Yes, change it up. Fifth in line.
CAMEROTA: So what does that mean?
CUOMO: Try something different.
CAMEROTA: Yes, yes, yes, sure. You've got other options. That's great -- pick one.
OK. The Toronto Maple Leafs set aside the excitement of a playoff hockey game to remember the victims of that deadly van crash and Lindsay Czarniak has more in the "Bleacher Report." Hi, Lindsay.
LINDSAY CZARNIAK, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Alisyn.
Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs, they hosted the Boston Bruins for game six of their first-round playoff series last night.
Napping is a big part of a hockey player's pregame routine so a lot of folks said that they learned of the tragedy after waking from their rest. So not a lot of time to process before the puck dropped.
Emotions running high. The team held a powerful moment of silence for the victims and their families prior to the opening faceoff. Then, Martina Ortiz Luis, who sang the Canadian National Anthem, stopped to let the crowd sing along.
[07:45:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTINA ORTIZ LUIS, OFFICIAL ANTHEM SINGER, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (Singing Canadian National Anthem with crowd).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CZARNIAK: As for the game, the Maple Leafs held off Boston in an emotional three to one win. That forces a decisive game seven that will be tomorrow night in Boston.
To the NBA we go. Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook, he isn't very popular in Salt Lake City.
And even Mitt Romney was getting in on the act, guys. The former presidential nominee -- you see him there sitting courtside with a Jazz jersey over his dress shirt. Check it out. When Westbrook got into foul trouble late in the first half, Romney holding up four fingers there in Russell's direction, as in four fouls.
Romney's Jazz routed the Thunder 113-96. They take a three games to one series lead.
So Romney, guys, joining the ranks of Kevin Hart and Drake in terms of team taunting, Chris.
CUOMO: It's good to see the new generation of celebrity fans. Spike was so lonely -- him and smiling Jack Nicholson. Now we've got the new guys at the games.
CZARNIAK: Everybody's getting in on the act here.
CUOMO: Lindsay, thank you very much.
CZARNIAK: You're welcome.
CUOMO: All right.
So there's a special election being held today for a U.S. House seat representing Arizona. President Trump won this district by over 20.
What's the state of play here? A little surprising. A live report, next.
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[07:50:37] CAMEROTA: Republicans are looking to avoid an upset today in a special election in Arizona's 8th Congressional District.
President Trump carried the deep red district by 21 points in 2016 but Democrats think they stand a chance.
CNN's Kyung Lah is live in Peoria, Arizona with more. How's it looking there, Kyung?
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, Democrats here didn't even run a congressional cycle in this -- run a candidate in the last two congressional cycles. That's how lost they thought this district was. Such Trump country, they said.
They've gone from that to now hoping that they have a chance. The Republican here, her campaign says uh-uh. They are pledging today will not be an upset.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAH (voice-over): Trump country in Arizona. Voters, some with walkers, clutching brochures, filling the room for Democrat Hiral Tipirneni, running in Arizona Congressional District 8th's special election.
LAH (on camera): Very few of the voters here actually look like you.
HIRAL TIPIRNENI (D), CANDIDATE, ARIZONA'S 8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Yes, that's true but they think like me, you know. They are talking about the same issues.
LAH (voice-over): Like health care and Social Security.
Dr. Tipirneni, a former emergency room doctor, the first Democrat to run here in two congressional cycles, propelled by Democratic upsets in Alabama and Pennsylvania.
TIPIRNENI: After what we learned in Pennsylvania every vote counts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We like her a lot, too.
LAH: Democrats forging into a district Trump won by 21 percentage points.
National Republicans spending money to blunt this Democratic challenger.
LAH (on camera): Republicans have put in an estimated million-plus into this race.
TIPIRNENI: Yes.
LAH: When you look at that figure what do you think?
TIPIRNENI: I think they're scared or why else are they investing in a race that they haven't invested in, in years?
LAH (voice-over): But, Arizona eight is not Pennsylvania.
LAH (on camera): You may notice a little something as you take a look at this crowd. It's older, predominantly white. That's because that's what the voters of this congressional district look like.
LAH (voice-over): Most importantly, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 70,000 voters --
DEBBIE LESKO (R), CANDIDATE, ARIZONA'S 8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Yay. We're having fun.
LAH: -- while Republican Debbie Lesko is all smiles. The longtime state lawmaker known here for pushing the law, allowing more street access for golf carts in this district packed with retirement communities.
LAH (on camera): They had a parade for you after that law passed.
LESKO: It was awesome.
LAH: What percentage do you have to win by that you'll look at it as a comfortable win?
LESKO: Well, I want to win by double-digits, but --
LAH: Ten percent?
LESKO: Ten percent would be good. Higher would be better. But, you know, a win is a win.
LAH: Do you feel that Democratic energy from where you sit?
LESKO: Yes, more so than in the last nine years that I was in the state legislature. It's a different feeling this year. They're energized.
We need to make sure that our base on the Republican side is just as energized.
One, two, three, win.
LAH (voice-over): Democrats say this race is an uphill climb. For the party, it's not just about winning here but momentum for the fall midterms.
LAH (on camera): Regardless of what happens on the 24th, do you send a message?
TIPIRNENI: We absolutely send a message because they have never seen this in CD8 before. It's just going to grow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAH: And polls open in just over an hour. Traffic expected to be light because the majority of people in this district have already voted by mail.
So, Chris, what to watch? At the end of the night, it's going to be the numbers.
Dems absolutely hoping to overperform. Republicans say they know they won't get 20. They're hoping to get a 10-point victory -- Chris.
CUOMO: Look, it's interesting. It's an interesting reflection of the overall state of play. What resonates there and why we'll know after the fact, but we have a much better sense of the state of play now because of you.
Thanks, Kyung.
All right, so this big trial that's going on -- the antitrust move of the decade by the government nearing the finish line. Closing arguments are expected in just days.
The government suing to block AT&T from merging with Time Warner. Full disclosure, as always, Time Warner owns CNN.
Let's bring in "CNN POLITICS" media and business reporter Hadas Gold. And, CNN senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES" Brian Stelter.
[07:55:02] Hadas, what do we expect and when?
HADAS GOLD, MEDIA AND BUSINESS REPORTER, "CNN POLITICS": Today, we are expecting actually the government's star witness, the expert economist Carl Shapiro.
He already testified once but he's being brought back as a rebuttal witness to further bolster all of his claims about pretty much that there would be a price increase for cable consumers and there would be harm on innovation is this merger went through.
Now, we heard from AT&T's economist, another economist from a very prestigious university who said that Carl Shapiro's study was bunk.
He said that there was a lot of problems with it and if you change just a few little elements in his model it would completely eliminate that proposed price increase. So the government is going to try to bring back their economist to explain why that might not be the case.
We've heard from several rebuttal witnesses already who have been claiming that AT&T and Time Warner's claims that if they get together they will have better innovations and will be able to sell better ads are not necessarily true.
But we are getting to finish line, as you said. On Monday, we are expecting closing arguments, finally.
CUOMO: Tea leaves, brother. You ain't a lawyer but you can play one on T.V. this morning in terms of how this plays and what seems to be resonating within this trial.
What are you picking on?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, HOST, CNN "RELIABLE SOURCES": I think the conventional wisdom right now is that the government's lawyers have been outmatched by AT&T and Time Warner, but because this is all up to one judge it's very hard to know that for sure.
I do think regardless of the outcome of this case what we're seeing at this trial is the future of TV. What the future of T.V. is going to look like.
And right now, I go home and I turn on my big-screen T.V., my T.V. barely knows me.
It's the same jumble of channels. It's in a random order. The T.V. doesn't know where I left off when I was watching last.
In the future, it's going to be much more customized, more tailored, much more mobile. A lot of more of a focus on streaming and a lot more options in terms of smaller bundles of channels, bigger bundles of channels.
Now, AT&T has said in court it needs to be able to buy Time Warner, CNN, and other channels in order to create that future -- in order to compete. In order to create more customized ads and a better experience.
Whether that deal goes through or not though we're seeing other deals stack up like it. And I think it's interesting that to look at this trial as a preview of what's to come.
Part of the question then becomes how fast is that future coming? You know, will these improvements in technology happen faster is this deal goes through.
CUOMO: You really put a lot of shade on your television. Is it really all --
STELTER: I --
CUOMO: -- the television's fault? Is there anything you could do to make your relationship with your T.V. better?
STELTER: There probably is -- there probably is.
You know, I think it comes down to this, Chris. A lot of people complain about paying $100 or $200 a month for cable. I certainly would love to have a lower bill.
But I actually think if you can make it a better experience people are happy to have that bundle. And really, it's partly the bundle that's on trial of this case.
You know, these economists --
CUOMO: Yes.
STELTER: -- worrying over exactly what's going to happen if AT&T is able to buy Time Warner sell it as a bundle.
CUOMO: As a commodity.
STELTER: Yes.
CUOMO: And, Hadas, you got a little bit of a hint of this judge's potential predilection to what they are going to weigh most.
When the judge stopped the AT&T-Time Warner counsel on cross -- I'm trying to say this in layman's way. He said you're done with cross. Now, a judge can do that but it's unusual.
And then on redirect which is, again, the prosecution's choice to go back at one of their own witnesses after being crossed -- hey, this is redirect. No leaning questions.
So this was very tightly policed and it does give you a little bit of a window that this judge is not joking around and seems to be going by the book, which would suggest that the government has a little bit of a -- a little bit of a challenge on its hands because by the book, we haven't seen a case like this before.
GOLD: That's true. We haven't seen a case like this in trial since honestly, the 1970s, so this -- he understands the magnitude of this case.
He was even admonishing a witness on trial yesterday for what he said was just not answering the questions directly.
I've spoken to quite a few former Justice Department officials, including in the antitrust division, and some of them have told me that they think that the government is in trouble. Now, these are the people who would have been arguing this type of case.
There is a general consensus that the government has a possibility to win this case but it's a narrow path. And so, the general consensus is that AT&T is on the winning side right now but as Brian said, it's all up to one person. So we don't know what's going to happen until Judge Leon delivers his opinion.
CUOMO: Hadas, Brian, thank you very much. Better luck with your T.V. and this relationship.
STELTER: We're going to make it better, hopefully, someday, somewhere.
CUOMO: It's all about communication. That's what they tell you.
We're following a lot of news. What do you say? Let's get after it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE: This is a very important state visit given our current environment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The stage is set for tonight's first state dinner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Macron is one of the few democratic leaders who's figured out how to handle Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was suffering from an infection. It became a crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When one person dies, the spouse has a dramatically increased rate of mortality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The American public sees him as the last of the greatest generation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I seen a white van. He's just hitting people, one-by-one going down. I couldn't believe what I seen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The police managed to corner the attacker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This kind of tragic incident is not representative of how we live or who we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.
