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New Day
Jones Gloats as Jury Awards Sandy Hook Families; Northeast Faces Rain and Damaging Wind; Davante Adams Faces Charges; Doctors Censored About Abortion; Headlines from Around the World; L.A. City Councilmember Resigns. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired October 13, 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]
ROBBIE PARKER, FATHER OF SANDY HOOK VICTIM EMILIE PARKER: His own listeners that have fallen victim to Alex Jones. So I think this number represents more than just us.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Jones did not attend the verdict. Instead, he was streaming it live on his Infowars show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Defamation/slander damages, past and the future, $24 million.
ALEX JONES: Yes!
CASAREZ: Mocking the decision and using it to fund raise.
JONES: I don't have any money, so it's all a big joke.
ERICA LAFFERTY, DAUGHTER OF SANDY HOOK VICTIM DAWN HOCHSPRUNG: Money is all that Alex Jones cares about. And the only way to start to explain how he's made us feel is to hit him in the pocket.
CASAREZ: It is unclear when or how much of the money the plaintiffs will ultimately see, but some plaintiffs see it as a warning for those who spread these types of lies.
BILL SHERLACH, HUSBAND OF SANDY HOOK VICTIM MARY SHERLACH: People like Alex Jones will have to rethink what they say, how they say it, how long they say it.
CASAREZ: Jones' attorney is planning to appeal.
NORM PATTIS, ATTORNEY FOR ALEX JONES: Well, certainly it's more than we expected. That's an understatement. But we look very much forward to an appeal in this case.
Today is a very, very, very dark day for freedom of speech.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CASAREZ: And looking ahead, the judge will determine punitive damages in November. And also, Jones was on libel (ph) for something called Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, deception in business all to make money. He was found liable for it, and the judge will determine how much monetary damages are warranted. And it can be anything.
Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Anything. You just hope those families get some comfort from that verdict, Jean. Thank you so much.
Raider's star Davante Adams facing assault charges for that. He shoved a photographer after his team's loss to the Chiefs on Monday night.
And, what is preventing doctors from talking about the effect abortion bans are having on patients. We have some new CNN reporting, next.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Have you apologized to anyone?
ANNA SORKIN: Yes, I did.
TAPPER: Who?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So interesting. Fake heiress Anna Sorkin talking to CNN in her first TV interview since her release from detection.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:36:52]
KEILAR: Today the northeast facing threats of heavy rain and damaging winds from severe storms in the area. So let's get to meteorologist Chad Meyers to see what he is tracking.
Chad.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Certainly, a couple of slow commutes out there. But look at the weather yesterday, seven tornados reported, six of them in Wisconsin. That's the area that really picked up the spiraling winds across the area yesterday. And we did see some of those tornadoes touch down.
Here's the weather, brought to you by Safelite, your vehicle glass and recalibration experts.
So, let's get to today. The rain does move through the northeast this afternoon and moves away for tonight, but there's a few things going on in the northeast today that you'll probably want to be interested in.
Here comes the rain. Here comes the wind behind it. We have the fire weather back out to the west. There's just been a huge drought out here. Winds are going to blow 50 or 60 miles per hour.
The forecast, rain does move away by later on this evening into tomorrow and another round of showers for your Saturday possible, possibly slowing down the college football game with a little bit of lightning.
But Yankees and the Guardians are playing tonight, well, at least we hope they are. There's an awful lot of rain in the forecast there. Some heavy rain possible as well. Even the potential for some wind damage. But some very heavy rainfall possible in New England, in places that can really use it.
Brianna.
KEILAR: Well, that it could be some good news.
Chad, thank you.
MYERS: Yes. You're welcome.
BERMAN: Of course, the Guardians, America's team.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams now faces criminal charges, misdemeanor charges, for a post-game push after a Monday night loss.
Coy Wire with more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."
Hey, Coy.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John.
Davante Adams has been charged with misdemeanor assault for pushing a photographer after his team blew a 17-point lead, losing to the Chiefs in Kansas City. According to the court documents, Adams caused whiplash and headache and possible minor concussion when he shoved the man to the ground as he was leaving the field. Adams later apologized for his actions, both in a tweet and in the locker room after the game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVANTE ADAMS, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS WIDE RECEIVER: I bumped into him. I kind of pushed him. And he ended up on the ground. So, I want to say sorry to him for that because that was just frustration mixed with him running in -- literally just running in front of me. And that was -- I shouldn't - I shouldn't have responded that way, but that's - that's how I initially responded. So, I want to apologize to him for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Well, Adams' court appearance, John, is scheduled for November 10th. No word yet on any potential disciple by the NFL. The Raiders have a bye week this week. It's typically a time when a player can relax a little bit and recharge and refresh. This certainly will be on Davante Adams' mind quite a bit. BERMAN: Yes, no doubt about that.
All right, Coy, thank you very much.
KEILAR: Muzzled, censored and shackled. That is what doctors anonymously tell CNN they're experiencing from their employers who won't let them explain the dangers of abortion restrictions to patients and the public.
CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is digging into this for us.
So, Elizabeth, tell us what these medical professionals are saying.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Brianna, we've been talking to doctors who treat high risk pregnancies, and they wondered, when Roe v. Wade was overturned in June, what's going to happen when we need to give a woman an abortion to save her life. There are women who come in with horrible complications, they will die without an abortion, and the baby is not going to survive anyways.
[06:40:07]
Ordinarily, they would just offer them an abortion, but in states where there are severe bans or restrictions, they say that they have to watch the woman get to the brink of death, they have to watch her deteriorate before they can step in and do anything. And then when journalists call them and say, hey, can you talk about what life has been like after the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned, they ask their public relations departments and the hospital public relations departments say, no, we're not going to let you talk, or you can talk but you can't say that you work here, you can't use your work email account, you can't use your work computer.
So, here's what doctors have said about how they feel about this. They tell us, we feel like we are - they are censoring me. It's shameful and embarrassing to work for an institution that is not supportive of women's rights. I'm extremely angry. It's disgusting. Another doctor saying, I feel shackled. I feel muzzled. I feel completely restrained, and I'm outraged.
These doctors, Brianna, say that they're outraged because they can't get these stories out. And so Americans don't really know. They're not aware of what life has been like for these poor women who suffer these pregnancy complications after the Dobbs decision.
Brianna.
KEILAR: Some feel censored. Some also feel intimidated, Elizabeth.
COHEN: That's right. So, doctors who are told, OK, you can talk, but you can't say where you work, you can't use your, you know, computer that we gave you, you can't use your work telephone. They say the message is pretty clear that their employer would rather not have them talk at all. So, here's what one doctor in Texas told us. She said, there is clearly been done - this has clearly been done to make us feel like criminals. That's exactly how it makes us feel, like we're doing something wrong. I think we're all pretty scared. I'm afraid of losing my job. I'm the primary breadwinner of my family, so losing my job would be a big, big deal.
And I want to emphasize here, these are abortions that are being done to save women's lives, in the same way that, say, heart surgery is done, to save people's lives. And these doctors say I can talk about a heart surgery if I did a heart surgery, but I can't talk about an abortion that saves a woman's life.
KEILAR: It's really fascinating to pull back the curtain. And it's so important to hear what they're saying.
Elizabeth, thank you for bringing that to us.
Los Angeles City Council Member Nury Martinez resigning from the council, not just her presidency, from the entire council after an audio leak of her making racist comments. What she's saying now, next.
BERMAN: U.S. universities now ranking lower and lower globally as Chinese universities reach an all-time high. What is driving the shift, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:46:22]
KEILAR: This morning, Iran is now detaining school children in the deadly crackdown on protests. And North Korea's Kim Jong-un continues to provoke the west.
CNN's correspondents bring you today's headlines from around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks in Seoul.
North Korean media is showing Kim Jong-un overseeing the launch of two long range strategic cruise missiles fired on Wednesday. It's not technically breaking any rules as cruise missiles are not banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions, but Kim has been quoted as saying that they are another clear warning to the enemies and also show the capabilities of his nuclear combat forces. It brings the number of missile launches this year to 26, a record for the North Korean leader.
SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Selina Wang in Hong Kong.
President Joe Biden's first formal national security strategy calls China America's most consequential geopolitical challenge, singling out China as the only competitor with the intent to reshape the international order and increasingly the power to do so. The document lays out Biden's vision of a world where America and its allies are in a growing contest with China, even as he tries to avoid a Cold War- style standoff. U.S. and China relations are at the worst point in decades and Beijing sees Washington's moves as trying to contain its rise.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jomana Karadsheh in Istanbul.
The Iranian government is continuing to try and control and contain the protests, but its internet restrictions, the brutal crackdown with the arrests, the beatings and the bullets hasn't stopped violent protesters. We're seeing protests spread across the country like a wildfire, with people from the middle class, working class, university students and fearless young school girls all joining in the calls for regime change. In its latest attempt to try and deter protesters, a disturbing announcement from the government saying it's detaining school children taking part in protests and sending them to psychological institutions for, quote, re-education and reform.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: In Los Angeles, a resignation over racism. Los Angeles City Council member Nury Martinez has now resigned from office altogether. This is just two days after stepping down from her post as council president. It comes after a tape on which Martinez made racist remarks about another council member and his son was released. This is part of that audio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NURY MARTINEZ: And then there's this - this white guy with this little black kid who's misbehaved.
They're raising him like a little white kid. Which I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Like, let me - let me take him around the corner and then I'll bring him back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: So, after this was released, it did prompt calls for Martinez to resign.
Also, the resignations of others who took part in the meeting. According to "The L.A. Times" they were council members Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon, and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, who did resign on Monday.
In a statement Wednesday, Martinez wrote in part, it is with a broken heart that I resign my seat for Council District 6, the community I grew up in and my home. To my constituents, serving you has been a privilege and one that I don't give up lightly. You are my neighbors, my friends, and the reason for this service.
I want to bring in CNN Espanol correspondent Maria Santana.
Maria, what about that statement from former City Council Member Nury Martinez? MARIA SANTANA, CNN EN ESPANOL ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, I found her statement to be a little bit tone deaf. I didn't see a lot of contrition in it. You know, she spoke about how heartbroken she is, how much she has accomplished and what she has done in her time on the city council.
[06:50:05]
I didn't see any direct apologizes to the people that she hurt, especially her fellow council member Mike Bonin and his son, but also to her constituents in her community. And it wasn't just the people that were targeted in this conversation that were hurt. I think Latinos as a whole were hurt and damaged by this conversation between these Latino city officials.
You know, as part of a community of color, I understand that sometimes we have to work twice -- triply sometimes as hard as our white counterparts. And when you achieve success, when you gain a position of power, it's a burden on us. It comes with a level of responsibility. And it's completely unfair that we still live in an age where the actions of one reflect on the other. So, I feel like she completely failed our community. She failed as a leader, but she also failed Latinos as a representative of our community.
KEILAR: She's opened up -- this moment has -- it's terrible what we hear her say. It has opened up a conversation about something that maybe she's not an outlier in, though, right? I mean she says in these comments, she talks about a white council member saying he, quote, thinks he's f-ing black. That's a quote from her. And said that his son, who is black, is, quote, like a monkey.
We also hear in these recordings, she's insulting Mohawkins (ph). I mean she's insulting Latinos as well who are of a darker complexion.
Can you talk a little bit about what this has revealed about some anti-blackness in the Latino community?
SANTANA: Well, absolutely. You know, a Pew Research survey just from this year says that Latinos experience discrimination from other Latinos just as much as they do from non-Latinos. About a quarter of Latino adults say that they have been discriminated against by other Latinos. And being of a darker skin color, being foreign born, these are things that make you more prone to that type of discrimination.
There is blatant discrimination and racism, but there's also this casual racism. I mean I come from the Latino community, and I hear, you know, people being referred to as Negrito or Morito (ph), the little darkie, or, you know, everyone from an Asian country is a Chinito. And these are things that we, as a community, don't address enough. And I say that as I sit here as a white Latina. You know, someone who has probably enjoyed a little more privilege than, you know, darker skinned Latinos. When you turn on the television, when you see Hollywood, this was a big discussion in Hollywood last year as well. You see more people that look like me on TV and in Hollywood and in ads, instead of darker skinned Latinos. So, it's something that we can't wait until a recording is leaked to
talk about. I think we need to talk about it every day and point it out and address it as a community.
BERMAN: It's an important discussion. Maria Santana, thank you so much for being with us this morning.
SANTANA: Thank you.
BERMAN: The House January 6th committee expected to make its closing arguments ahead of the midterms. What to expect from today's hearing, ahead.
KEILAR: Plus, the fake heiress herself, Anna Sorokin, speaking to CNN in her first TV interview since her release from ICE detention. Whether she's learned her lesson, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:57:25]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to work hard to get what you want. I've always known that.
I'm building something. It's a private club. A step beyond the VIP room.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That was from "Inventing Anna" on Netflix. The story about Anna Sorokin, or Anna Delvey as she labeled herself. She's sometimes better known as the fake heiress for defrauding New York banks, hotels and others while posing as the daughter of a German diplomat. Well now she's telling her side to CNN's Jake Tapper in her first TV interview since her release from immigration custody.
Sorokin isn't totally out of the woods, though. She's still under house arrest. She's wearing cropped pants in her interview to bare her ankle bracelet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you have any regrets?
ANNA SOROKIN, FAKE HEIRESS PROFILED IN NETFLIX'S "INVENTING ANNA": Absolutely, yes. I feel so sorry for a lot of the choices I've made. I also feel like I've learned so much and like I grew as a person.
TAPPER: Have you apologized to anyone?
SOROKIN: Yes, I did.
TAPPER: Who?
SOROKIN: I said, look, I'm very sorry for all the decisions I've made.
TAPPER: Oh, in court, you mean you said it?
SOROKIN: Yes.
TAPPER: But have you reached out to anybody? Have you reached out to any of your friends, or the hotels or the restaurants or anyone?
SOROKIN: Well, I didn't steal any money from friends. The only friend that was involved in my criminal case, I got acquitted of that account.
TAPPER: Right.
SOROKIN: And everybody else is a financial institution.
TAPPER: But when you say right now -- you just said that, you know, what you did, you did it to financial institutions. It doesn't sound like you really regret what you did. You sound like you're almost kind of like casting it as though it was a victimless crime. It wasn't a victimless crime, right? I mean you took advantage of people.
SOROKIN: I definitely did, yes. And I was younger. And I learned from my mistakes.
TAPPER: But did you?
SOROKIN: I did, yes.
TAPPER: Did - did you learn from those mistakes? I mean are you not going to do anything like this ever again?
SOROKIN: Absolutely not.
TAPPER: So, you served 20 months in pre-trial detention in -- at Riker's, then you were convicted. You did another 20 months. Then you were released. And then, instead of going back to Europe, you did 18 months here in the United States in immigration custody.
SOROKIN: That's right.
TAPPER: But why not be free in Europe instead of in detention in the United States? Can you help me understand that?
SOROKIN: Because I'm trying to fix the mistakes I've done in the past. And I feel like if I were to leave and say, oh, whatever, I'm just going to do -- I'm just going to move on and like move to Europe and I would be like accepting the labels that they're trying to slap on me. So, I think like me just staying in jail and trying to prove people wrong got to stand for something. I hope people will recognize it.
TAPPER: But what do you mean prove people wrong, by staying in the United States and doing what? What are you -- how are you going to prove anybody wrong?
[07:00:02] SOROKIN: Well, I'm still on my criminal parole. I'm still with ICE. And I'm trying to comply with all the rules and restrictions they're placing on me.
