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Emotional Testimony from Amber Heard; Fears over Pilot Shortage; Suns Surge Past Mavericks. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired May 05, 2022 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN LEGANSKI, HOUSE GOP FLOOR DIRECTOR: I think they want him to resign, which I don't see happening either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: So that's a conversation between -- between the -- between Kevin McCarthy and a top GOP leader.

But when talking about the 25th Amendment, Maggie, Kevin McCarthy's response isn't that he doesn't necessarily wants to evoke it or see it invoked by the cabinet, but that it takes too long.

What's your reaction to that?

MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think that Kevin McCarthy was looking and, you know, I think we knew some of this at the time. We were reporting at the time that he was asking some colleagues whether he should call on President Trump to resign. He was in search of options and what might work.

I'm not sure that he was endorsing that, but he certainly was not saying, yes, let's -- you know, this is a terrible thing. This doesn't -- this doesn't, you know, apply here. He was, obviously, entertaining all of his options and looking at what could happen because -- and that those tapes, which are remarkable, make abundantly clear how disgusted Kevin McCarthy was.

And while he let a little of that show on a -- on a House floor speech right around January 6th, not at all to the extent of what he was saying to his colleagues privately. And it's a - it's a -- it's a really quite something juxtaposition.

MARQUARDT: And it remains to be seen how this will impact his bid to become the next speaker of the House.

HABERMAN: Indeed.

MARQUARDT: Maggie Haberman, this morning in New York, thanks so much.

All right, well, President Joe Biden has called MAGA Republicans the most extreme political group in recent U.S. history. Michael Smerconish will be weighing in.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, Congressman Madison Cawthorn firing back after a leaked video shows him naked and in bed with a man. What he's now saying.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER HEARD, ACTRESS AND EX-WIFE OF JOHNNY DEPP: You said, you think it's so funny. You think it's funny (EXPLETIVE DELETED). You think you're a funny (EXPLETIVE DELETED). And then he slapped me again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Amber Heard telling her side of the story. Her pushback to ex- husband Johnny Depp's claims ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:36:10]

MARQUARDT: There is more emotional testimony expected today in court when actress Amber Heard returns to the stand in Fairfax County, Virginia, defending herself in a $50 million defamation suit from ex- husband, the actor, Johnny Depp. Now, Depp filed the suit over a "Washington Post" opinion piece that Amber Heard wrote when she claimed -- where she claimed to be a public figure of domestic violence.

Now, Depp is not named in that op-ed that was written by Heard, but he claimed that he lost key movie roles after that publication.

So let's bring in CNN's Chloe Melas, who's been following all this.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Good morning.

For the first time in weeks we finally heard from Amber herself. And she had a lot to say when she took the stand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMBER HEARD, ACTRESS AND EX-WIFE OF JOHNNY DEPP: This is the most painful and difficult thing I've ever gone through.

MELAS: Johnny Depp's defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard continued for a 14th day with Heard taking the stand.

Heard's team began its defense Tuesday with a forensic psychology who testified that she diagnosed Heard with posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of intimate partner violence from Depp.

HEARD: I fell head over heels in love with this man.

MELAS: Heard testified before a courtroom packed with Depp's fans. She chronicled her relationship with Depp, which she testified started in 2011 on the media tour for the film "The Rum Diary." She recalled the secretive, warm glow in the beginning of their relationship that they kept hidden from the public.

HEARD: When I was around Johnny, I felt like the most beautiful person in the whole word.

MELAS: She says the relationship took a turn when Depp struck her after she asked him about one of his tattoos. Depp denies ever striking Heard and alleges she abused him.

HEARD: I just staired at him, kind of laughing still, thinking that he was going to start laughing too to tell me it was a joke. But he didn't. He said, you think it's so funny. You think it's funny. You think you're a funny (EXPLETIVE DELETED). And he slapped me again. Like, it was clear it wasn't a joke any more.

I didn't want to leave him. I didn't want this be the reality. I didn't want to have the man I was in love with. I know you don't come back from that. You know, I'm not dumb. I -- I know you can't hit a woman. I mean, you can't hit a man. You can't hit anyone. You can't just hit somebody because they -- I knew there was no -- I knew it was wrong and I knew that I had to leave him. And that broke my heart because I didn't want to leave him.

MELAS: Heard told the court that Depp apologized for the incident. But by March 2013, the abuse was escalating. She sent a picture of a bruise on her arm to her mother that she says she sustained from an argument with the actor.

HEARD: He grabbed me by the arm and he kind of just held me on the floor screaming at me. I don't know how many times he hit me in the face, but. I remember being on the floor in my apartment. And I'm just -- I remember thinking, how could this happen to me again.

MELAS: Heard shared pictures of drugs that she says Depp abused one night before he allegedly held his small doing out the window of a moving vehicle.

HEARD: Everyone in the car, I'll never forget it, everyone just froze. No one did anything.

MELAS: In May 2013, during a trip to the desert where she testifying both took drugs, Heard says Depp accused her of hiding his cocaine. She alleges that he began ripping her dress off and proceeded to conduct what she called a cavity search.

HEARD: He starts, you know, pat -- what feels like patting me down or saying he's patting me down.

[06:40:01]

I can't recall. But he ripped my dress. The strap -- top part of my dress. And he's like grabbing my breast, he's touching my thighs. He rips my underwear off.

Why would I hide his drugs from him? Like I -- like he was insinuating that I was doing it or something. It made no sense. And he was telling me, we're doing -- we're going to -- we're going to conduct a cavity search. I didn't stood there staring at the stupid light. I didn't know what to -- you know, I didn't know what to do. I just stood -- I just stood there while he did that.

MELAS: Heard recalled another incident from 2013 where she was on Depp's yacht in the Bahamas with Depp's children. She says Depp's daughter realized her father had started drinking again and Heard says Depp accused her of ratting him out to his kids.

HEARD: He slams me up against the side wall of the bedroom with the -- we were in the bedroom this whole time, but up against the wall of the cabinet and slams me up by my neck and holds me there for a second and tells me that he -- he could (EXPLETIVE DELETED) kill me and I was an embarrassment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MELAS: Amber is expected to testify again today. Johnny Depp actually took the stand four times over the past few weeks. So you can imagine that Amber has more to say. And at some point, too, Alex, she will be cross examined by Depp's legal team.

MARQUARDT: What an incredibly dramatic trial.

Chloe Melas in New York, thanks very much.

KEILAR: And joining us now is Laura Jarrett, anchor of "EARLY START." She is also an attorney and watching this trial closely.

I wonder, as we look at this testimony, which will continue for days, Laura, what impact this might have.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR, EARLY START: Yes, so, Brianna, this entire case is going to come down to credibility. If the jury believes Amber Heard's story, as we heard Chloe lay it out in that piece, then Depp has to lose this case full stop. Remember, this is not a criminal case about domestic violence. Even though domestic violence is at the center of it, this is a defamation case dating back to 2018 when she wrote that op-ed that said she was a public figure representing domestic abuse.

Now, he says, of course, that that's a lie. That's slander. So she has to lose her case. But if the jury believes her, and they've now heard a pattern of abuse stories from her. It was not just one instance, it was not just physical, it was classic domestic violence, a situation of isolation of where he was so jealous of all of these different fantoms, where he actually hit her on more than one occasion. To hear her story, if the jury believes that, that is an ultimate defense to defamation.

And not only could he lose, but he also may be on the hook here because, remember, she has countersued him because his lawyer went out to say essentially that her story was a hoax. So if, in fact, the jury believes her, then he could also be on the hook here for money.

KEILAR: Yes, he's suing her for $50 million. She's counter suing him for $100 million.

JARRETT: Yes.

KEILAR: Lots of talk about his substance abuse. How does that factor into this?

JARRETT: I think it's going to go into the jury's sort of picture of what their relationship was like, right? This entire thing just sounds incredibly toxic, incredibly disturbing.

You know, they've heard -- they've heard a number of audio recordings, the jury has, of things that she was saying to him, things he was saying to her. It all kind of paints this -- this really disturbing picture, I think, for the jury.

And if, in fact, they believe her, which, when he used drugs, and he used a lot of different drugs, and her telling that he became more violent, that that will add credibility to her story.

Again, remember, his telling of this under oath is that he did not even hit her one time. So if they believe that he did at least one time, he has to lose.

KEILAR: He has to lose.

All right, Laura Jarrett, thank you so much for that.

JARRETT: Sure.

KEILAR: New safety fears as the nation is dealing with a pilot shortage. Why airline carriers now want new pilots with less experience.

MARQUARDT: And, she sold her home, planned to retire, then disappeared with an inmate. What we're learning more about Vicky White. We'll speak with a district attorney who worked with White for 17 years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:48:34]

MARQUARDT: And brand new this morning, because of a shortage of commercial pilots, airlines are starting to slash thousands of flights from their schedules. Now, a possible fix that some carriers are coming up with is that they could have pilots with less experience.

CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has been following the latest developments and joins me now.

Pete, this does have implications for commercial pilots who are still in training.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, airlines just argued this week that this should change. It's known as the 1,500 hour rule. That's how much training airline pilots need before they become new airline pilots. Now, airlines are arguing that it's a hurdle from keeping people from coming into the business. But those who argued for this rule in the first place say this simply cannot change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MUNTEAN: The airlines latest push to curb flight cancelations caused by a shortage of pilots cannot happen say John and Marilyn (ph) Kausner.

MARILYN KAUSNER, LOST DAUGHTER TO PLANE CRASH: And this was her younger years, but all her kitties (ph).

MUNTEAN: Their daughter Ellie (ph) was on board Colgan Air Flight 3407 the night of February 12, 2009, when it plunged into a Buffalo neighborhood. Ellie was among 45 passengers and four crew who were killed.

JOHN KAUSNER, LOST DAUGHTER TO PLANE CRASH: I didn't get an opportunity to walk my daughter down the aisle.

MUNTEAN: After that crash, the Kausner's fought to mandate more pilot experience. New airline pilots, once required to have 250 flying hours, now need 1,500 hours. But some airline executives say that requirement is contributing to the shortage.

[06:50:03]

JONATHAN ORNSTEIN, CEO, MESA AIRLINES (voice over): This is not a safety issue. And I think it's important that some of the politicians start to act and take this up because if they don't, they're putting the industry in jeopardy.

KAUSNER: I -- I -- just flabbergasted that someone would say this worked perfectly, perfectly for 13 years. We haven't had a plane crash. And -- but we'd like to change it.

MUNTEAN: A change in regulations would be felt most in smaller regional airlines, contracted by major carriers to operate short routes. They make up 40 percent of all flights in the United States.

Regional Airline Association President Faye Malarkey Black supports substituting some flight time for classroom time.

FAYE MALARKEY BLACK, REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION: We should not be talking about rollback or repeal but add and replace and enhance so that we can open up training pathways to people who have not had access.

MUNTEAN: This week, an executive from JetBlue said pilots from other countries operate safely despite loser regulations.

Earlier this year I asked United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby whether the rule should change.

SCOTT KIRBY, CEO, UNITED AIRLINES: I won't weigh into the debate on what the number of hours is.

MUNTEAN: NTSB investigators found the pilots of Flight 347 did not properly recognize an aerodynamic stall. Ellie Kausner's family says that was due to a lack of experience, something they insist regulators never forget.

KAUSNER: We put rules and regulations in place that have prevented plane crashes largely. And I -- that's the legacies. Let's not lower our safety standards. That's our legacy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MUNTEAN: Work is just starting on a new FAA reauthorization bill and the Kausner's fear that that change could get slipped into that bill. They also fear they're just simply too old to fight now.

John Kausner, who I interviewed, was 61 when this happened. He's 73. Now, you know, it begs mentioning, this was the last, major fatal airline crash in the United States. Fifty people died, including one person on the ground, Alex.

MARQUARDT: Terrific report. So much turmoil in that -- in that industry.

Thanks so much, Pete Muntean.

MUNTEAN: Any time.

MARQUARDT: All right, well, Dave Chapelle, the comedian, is weighing in after being attacked on stage in Los Angeles. He is making his first comments since that attack.

KEILAR: Plus, CNN is live on the front lines in eastern Ukraine where Russian forces are intensifying their attacks. We're going to take you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:56:41]

KEILAR: The Suns used a fourth quarter surge to take command in their series with the Mavericks. And Coy Wire has more in this morning's -- gosh, I can't speak, Coy. Your name is throwing me.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It happens to the best of us.

KEILAR: It's the morning "Bleacher Report."

But I will tell you, their moves were as sweet as their uniforms.

WIRE: Oh, you got it. OK. Let's do some sports, Brianna.

The Mavs, they have some kryptonite and its name, the Phoenix Suns. Heading into last night, the Suns had beaten them 10 straight times dating back to 2019. And last night it looked like Dallas might finally get that -- to break that streak. There's superman, Luka Doncic dropping 35 points, showing grace and grit. Still, not enough. Here comes the Suns. Chris Paul gets so hot he even tells the Dallas bench to call a time out in the fourth quarter. The 12-time all-star scored 14 of his 28 points in the final quarter, including six shots in a row at one point. The Suns win 129-109, taking a 2-0 series lead. Game three tomorrow night.

And NFL announcing that Tom Brady and the Bucs will play in the first ever game in Germany. Tampa talking on the Seahawks in Munich this season.

And I talked with Tom and another GOAT, 17-time Formula One champ Lewis Hamilton at Miami Beach Golf Club yesterday ahead of the first- ever F1 race in Miami this weekend. They were there to raise some money for local community programs. And Brady tells us what keeps him coming back. He's now entering his 23rd NFL season after unretiring just a bit ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY, QUARTERBACK, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: When people make the commitment to you, in the end you want to fulfill that, you know, what they're coming to see. You know, people want to come and see me do great. They want to see Louis do great. You know, they follow their sports heroes and their favorite sports teams because they want to see you, you know, the thrill of victory. And I feel like I want to -- when I make that commitment to play, it's a kind of all-encompassing commitment. And I want to go out there and I want -- I want to perform at my best. And that requires, really at this point in my life, a year-round effort to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: It was interesting to hear him also talk about that passion and love which keeps him coming back year after year, Brianna. But hearing him talk about, for the fans now, that's a different sort of mindset that we see from the GOAT heading into this next season.

KEILAR: Yes. Maybe he's maturing. That's what drives him now. I don't know.

Coy, thank you so much.

WIRE: You got it.

KEILAR: NEW DAY continues right now.

Good morning to viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. It is Thursday, May 5th. I'm Brianna Keilar, with Alex Marquardt. So great to have you here today.

MARQUARDT: So nice to be with you.

KEILAR: John Berman is off.

And if there is hell in the world, right now it is inside the last Ukrainian stronghold in the city of Mariupol. That is from an official as battles are raging inside the Azovstal plant after Russian forces breached the compound there. These are extraordinary images revealing what hundreds of women, children and elderly have endured for two months. And this is it. It's a relentless missile bombardment.

(VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: What you're listening to there is Ukrainian soldiers singing the battle hymn of the Ukrainian army.

[07:00:00]

This is brand new video of troops that we're getting, troops holding out in Azovstal's underground bunker.