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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
CNN First Major News Network On The Ground In Port-Au-Prince Since Gangs Attacked Government; Trump Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade Resigns After GA Judge's Ruling; Chances For Pre-Election Trial In Trump Georgia Case Grow Dimmer; Judge Delays Trump Hush Money Trial In New York; Third Party Candidates Complicate Election Math For Biden, Trump; Undecided Female Voters In Arizona Say Reproductive Rights One Of Their Top Issues In 2024 Election; Undecided Female Voters In Arizona Voice Concerns Over Crisis At Border; Three Dead, Search And Rescue Efforts Continue After Tornadoes Slam Midwest; Public Act Of Defiance During Voting In Russia, As Putin Seeks Fifth Term; Meghan Markle Launches New Brand Amid Royal Family Drama. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired March 15, 2024 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. KRISTI NOEM (R) SOUTH DAKOTA: I will do everything I can to help him win and save this country.
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SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: And in South Dakota, there is not yet a formal inquiry looking into all of this opened up just yet. The Democratic state senator, who is co-chair of the committee who would eventually potentially handle this, said he intends to bring this up at the next meeting in July. Erin.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: All right. Sunlen, thank you very much.
Thanks so much to all of you for being with us this hour. We'll see you on Monday. AC360 starts now.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Tonight on 360, CNN's David Culver, the first U.S. television correspondent on the ground in Haiti. What he is seeing with armed gangs controlling the capital and the World Food Programme, saying a third of the population is now experiencing acute hunger.
Also tonight, the judge ruled and Fulton County DA Fani Willis decided she is staying on the Trump case, but her lead prosecutor and former romantic partner has quit. Take a look at what happens now.
And key voters in a swing state. What undecided women in Arizona told our Randi Kaye about the issues they're weighing in picking the next president as part of our election year series on women voters, the 53 percent.
Good evening. We begin tonight with Haiti and CNN's David Culver, who has been trying for days to get into the country and has just now arrived. The country is in chaos with Prime Minister stepping down, gangs now controlling the streets and ordinary Haitians, millions of whom are going hungry, trying to survive.
CNN is the first major news network to make it into Port-au-Prince since this latest outbreak of violence. David Culver joins us now from there.
What is the situation like on the ground there?
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Anderson. Yes, we landed about three hours ago. It's tense, but there's also this eerie quiet that you feel as you're making your way through the streets and we were only driving for about 10 minutes or so. And compared to when we were here three weeks ago, I expected to see at least some livelihood out on the street, some activity. There were no street vendors. Folks were hurrying along, and one local Haitian told me it's because we were getting close to curfew, six o'clock.
And you run the risk, if you are out after curfew, not to be ticketed or cited or anything, but rather potentially to have police open fire on you. I mean, that just tells you the type of situation that this city is dealing with, and really this country has found itself in. It is a crisis that they have not faced in years. It is unprecedented for many aspects of the city in particular.
And then when you look at some of the most difficult aspects, you're talking about food insecurity and health care. So if you break down the health care, it's 80 percent, according to one local hospital executive, of hospitals in the city that are shuttered. And many of them have been ransacked, they've been looted. Some of the medical workers themselves have been targeted by gang members, so they're living in fear.
And then the food insecurity is a growing concern. You have officials who are saying that you've got about a million people who are a step away from famine. Why is that? Well, we experienced it just in the logistics of trying to get to where we are now. And that is you've got roadways that are blocked by gang activity, depending on the hour. You have to reroute and figure out another way around. It just shows you how quickly evolving this situation is, Anderson, and you've even got communities that have started to barricade themselves even more so than we saw three weeks ago and have created essentially self-defense brigades, according to locals, and are carrying guns more than I've seen on the streets here, certainly from the last visit, just to make sure that the gangs don't get any closer and try to take over territory.
COOPER: So - I mean, who is in control in Port-au-Prince, in the capital?
CULVER: Yes. Right now, it does feel like there are almost factions within the city, if you will. I mean, it feels like there are aspects that have contained themselves and basically protected their own communities, if you will, not only physically and putting up a defense, but also just kind of operating on their own, neighbors looking out for neighbors, if you will. And outside of that, there are some aspects that are able to continue just with some of the standard government and police protection.
But then, you can hear it on and off at times, you'll have moments where gunfire will just erupt. And it shows you that these are times that are just totally unpredictable. And so for that reason, you've got people who are sealing themselves in their homes and who haven't left in the past couple of weeks.
COOPER: How difficult was it to get into the country?
CULVER: Yes. I mean, this was a huge challenge and the logistics of six days waiting out in the Dominican Republic, trying to go through a lot of bureaucratic red tape at times, of course. But that just shows you what the Dominican Republic and Haiti officials were trying to navigate to so as to get the foreign media in.
Now, we happened to be the first ones to get into Port-au-Prince, which is significant, especially after six days of trying over land crossings, then trying to book certain helicopters to make our way in. And we finally were able to land about three hours ago. And this is just a sampling of our trip.
[20:05:06]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to fly to Haiti. It's going to take us one hour to get there.
CULVER: The logistics of this trip alone have been incredibly challenging, to say the least. They're confirming with us something that we've been working on the entire day, and that is the landing zone, trying to figure out where we'll touchdown amidst a very dire situation in Port-au-Prince.
Gunshots. Do you hear that? There it is.
Already hearing gunshots just a few seconds into stepping out of the car after arriving here at Port-au-Prince.
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CULVER: And so that shows you the logistics of trying to get here, and again, six days to make that one helicopter ride. And as soon as it lands, a lot of the folks who are expats trying to get out are, of course, looking to board some of these helicopters and make their way back to the Dominican Republic. But those are the fortunate few, Anderson.
Of course, you've got many Haitians here who - they don't have that option to leave. And as far as a foreign presence, international aid, I mean, the U.N. has tried to set up an air bridge, but right now it doesn't seem like that's in effect. And so you've got a city that's essentially cut off from anything that would allow it to stay alive at this point, including food. Ninety percent of the food that comes into this country is imported. So that tells you just how significant any sort of supply chain that's cut off. If you think about the vast majority of what's consumed here has to come in from elsewhere, and supply lines are just totally blocked, it's - making it near an extremely dire situation.
COOPER: David Culver, I appreciate the report. Be careful.
Domestic politics now and the law, the former president already celebrating online about prosecutor Nathan Wade resigning from the Georgia election interference case that Fulton County District Attorney hired him to run. His move came after the trial judge this morning gave the one-time couple a choice, either he goes or she goes, Fani Willis.
In his ruling, the judge rejected defense arguments that their former relationship was a conflict of interest. However, he did say it raised a "significant appearance of impropriety." He also took issue with what he called DA Willis' "unprofessional manner" during her testimony last month. This is some of it.
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FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I object to you getting records. You've been intrusive into people's personal lives. You're confused. You think I'm on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I'm not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.
You've lied in this - let me tell you which one you lied in, right here. I think you lied right here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your Honor, I'm (inaudible) ...
WILLIS: No, no, no. This is the truth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Judge ...
WILLIS: ... and it is a lie. It is a lie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: As we mentioned, the former president weighed in, mocking how Ms. Willis pronounces her first name and calling the judge's ruling "big stuff," even though it keeps her on the case.
More now from CNN's Nick Valencia.
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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Judge Scott McAfee announcing today the defense failed to prove Fani Willis financially benefited by hiring Nathan Wade as her top deputy on the Georgia election subversion case against Donald Trump and others. But this finding is by no means an indication that the court condones this tremendous lapse in judgment or the unprofessional manner of the district attorney's testimony during the evidentiary hearing. Judge Scott McAfee wrote, "Rather, it is the undersigned's opinion that Georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices."
McAfee also describing Willis' fiery testimony last month as unprofessional.
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WILLIS: You've been intrusive into people's personal lives. You're confused. You think I'm on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I'm not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA (voice over): And her January remarks at an Atlanta area church as legally improper.
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WILLIS: First thing they say, "Oh, she's going to play the race card now." But no, God, isn't it them who's playing the race card when they only question one.
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VALENCIA (voice over): The judge also saying reasonable questions exist about the timing of Willis and Wade's relationship.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When did your romantic relationship with Ms. Willis begin?
NATHAN WADE, FORMER SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: 2022.
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VALENCIA (voice over): McAfee writing: "The district attorney chose to continue supervising and paying Wade while maintaining such a relationship. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist."
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SCOTT GRUBMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don't think it's a good day for the justice system.
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VALENCIA (voice over): Defense attorney Scott Grubman faced off against Willis during the case when he represented Trump ally Ken Chesebro, one of the four co-defendants to take a guilty plea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GRUBMAN: I hope and expect that the criminal defense lawyers in this case will appeal this decision. And I hope the Georgia Court of Appeals has a different view than Scott McAfee.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She's not equipped to do the job and that case should end immediately.
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VALENCIA (voice over): The former president's legal team vowing to fight on. "We will use all legal options available as we continue to fight to end this case, which should never have been brought in the first place," Attorney Steve Sadow said.
[20:10:08]
Those close to Willis note the judge wasn't buying the idea that Willis devised a financial scheme to enrich herself and they're glad she could stay on the case. But now she might not be able to take the case to trial before the November election.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And Nick Valencia joins us now from Atlanta.
Now that the judge has ruled, Nick, that she can stay on the case of prosecutor, do we know more about when it might actually go to trial?
VALENCIA: Well, Trump's Georgia attorney is expected to appeal the decision, which could lead to more delays, Anderson. Previously, before these charges or before these allegations surfaced against Fani Willis, she had asked for an August trial date and she was on track for that. Right now, the question is, can she get it back on track before the November election?
Unlike the federal charges that Trump faces, these state charges have different implications because even if Trump wins the 2024 election, he would not be able to pardon himself from these state charges, Anderson.
COOPER: Yes. Nick Valencia, thanks so much.
Perspective now from two former federal prosecutors, Jeffrey Toobin and Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig. Also joining us is Gwen Keyes, who served as district attorney for the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit in DeKalb County, Georgia.
Jeff, I mean, the judge's opinion was a scathing rebuke of Willis - her judgment. He wrote that the reasonable questions remain about whether Willis and Wade testified untruthfully about the timing of their relationship. I mean, that's ...
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Today was a very good day for Donald Trump. This case is going nowhere. Even if in the extremely unlikely event that this somehow staggers to trial in August or in the fall, think about this, there's another racketeering case in Georgia where jury selection, not the trial, jury selection has taken a year. This case is never going to trial before the election.
It's an embarrassment, all of this. I mean, Fani Willis has hung on, but this case is going nowhere very quickly.
COOPER: Gwen, I mean, this is now the second time that Willis has been admonished by a judge for showing incredibly bad judgment.
GWEN KEYES, FORMER DA, STONE MOUNTAIN JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA: Well, and probably not surprisingly, but certainly respectfully, I disagree with Mr. Toobin. I do think that there is enough evidence to go forward. I think that particularly the timing in this case, while we've had one racketeering case that has taken a long time to go to a jury, that's an anomaly.
In my 17 years as a state prosecutor, I've never seen it take 10 or 12 months to get a jury. And in the last RICO case that I'm aware of, DA Willis taking to trial with 12 defendants, she was able to get a jury in about four weeks. So I think that's the precedent that we should be looking at.
Now, true. There are a lot of other cases and matters that may shift the time frame, but she has unequivocally said she is ready to take this to trial. That has been her mantra since the beginning. And if she had her way, this would start August 5th.
COOPER: Elie, I mean, do you think what the judge said today is this going to hurt her at trial?
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely, Anderson. So the way I would characterize what Fani Willis got today is she survived. I don't think she won, but she survived. And that's the most important practical bottom line. She's still on the case.
But Fani Willis' credibility is in tatters in a way that I've never seen from any prosecutor. She's now been reprimanded twice by two separate judges. And the language in this opinion, you never see this. I've never seen a prosecutor admonished like this by a judge ever.
I mean, the judge said there's seven or eight attacks on her credibility founded by the record. He said there are reasonable questions about whether the D.A. testified untruthfully. That means the judge is saying there's a realistic probability the district attorney got on the witness stand and committed perjury and so I think that's going to manifest a couple ways.
One, we're all watching. The public's all watching. That's your jury pool.
And second of all, it's going to undermine the legitimacy of this prosecution going forward, and that matters. We care about our prosecutors abiding by the rules and staying clean of conflicts like this. COOPER: Jeff, this trial would be televised. This is probably the only trial that actually would be televised. So people will be actually able to watch Fani Willis' performance in the courtroom and the defense attorneys.
TOOBIN: And as far as I can tell, this trial will be conducted during the presidency of Malia Obama. I mean, it is so far behind.
COOPER: So - because Gwen was saying she thinks that the - it was an anomaly, the RICO case involving Young Thug that lasted for 10 month (inaudible) ...
TOOBIN: Right. I mean, okay, jury selection will take somewhere between a month and a year. I mean, there are lots of legal motions that are still to be decided in this case, just as there are in the other cases that Trump is facing. So independent of jury selection, there is a lot still to be resolved here. There are also many more defendants in this case who also will want to be heard about issues before the trial takes place.
[20:15:02]
So, I think Fani Willis in many respects was ill-treated here. I don't think her testimony was unprofessional. That wasn't my view. But no - my view doesn't matter. The judge is doing that.
COOPER: You think she was ill-treated by ...
TOOBIN: By the defense. I think the judge was unduly harsh on her. But the situation is that this trial is a very long way from - appear - going forward and that's the most important thing.
COOPER: Gwen, I'm wondering when you think this actually might go to trial and also the judge threw out, which hasn't gotten as much attention today, but the judge threw out six of the charges in the indictment, including three against the former president earlier this week.
KEYES: Yes. And so I think one of the things we're waiting to see is whether the district attorney decides to re-indict on those charges. She has the ability to do so. Interestingly, in that order, the judge also provided the option of seeking a certificate of immediate review for appeal. Notably, that suggestion was missing from the non- disqualification order today.
So if it was my case, you'd - I think you'd start to look and see how strong is your case without these six charges, whether you would go forward. It does not dismiss any defendants from the case. Everybody is still tied under the main charge, the RICO charge in this matter. And it's very easy, as your guests in studio know, very easy to indict at the state level. I actually think the federal system has an easier route to cure deficiencies such as those that were outlined earlier this week. But she is able to go forward and re-indict if she decides to cure.
COOPER: Elie, also just separately in the hush money case in New York, the judge delayed the trial some 30 days.
HONIG: Yes. So a letter just came out from the judge to the parties and it's clear to me that the judge is taking this seriously, just so people understand what's happening here. So the federal government, DOJ, the Southern District in New York, where I used to work, they ran an investigation of the whole hush money scheme and they decided not to charge Donald Trump when he left office. But in the course of that, they generated 10s of thousands of documents, some of which may be favorable to Donald Trump's defense.
Now, Trump has been trying to get those documents from the feds for a year now. And the feds, my former office, has, I think, done a very poor job of disclosing those. They've played keep away. They've played slow down. And now the Trump team is just starting to get those documents.
TOOBIN: And the judge said ...
HONIG: Yes.
TOOBIN: ... maybe it will start April 15th. He didn't commit to that.
HONIG: Right.
TOOBIN: It could be well after that. And you know that the defense, once they see these thousands of pages, they are going to request more time and they are also going to make more motions, which could delay the case further.
HONIG: The point is, Trump is entitled to these documents. He's getting them too late and now it's cost them their first trial date and could ...
COOPER: It's incredible they didn't hand over those to prosecutors - local prosecutors.
TOOBIN: Outrageous.
HONIG: You have a duty to do that as a prosecutor.
TOOBIN: Outrageous.
COOPER: Elie Honig, Jeff Toobin, Gwen Keyes, great to have you on. Thank you.
Coming up next, the presidential race and new polling on how Robert Kennedy Jr. and other third party candidates could shape it. CNN's John King is at the magic wall for us.
Plus, the latest on the fake photo of Princess Kate and her kids and why Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are now facing questions for a whole different reason. More ahead.
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[20:22:15] COOPER: Former Vice President Mike Pence today said he could not in good conscience endorse Donald Trump. He cited differences over the national debt, abortion in China. He did not mention that his old boss egged on a mob bent on murdering him on January 6th and who got within a few dozen feet of him and his family as they were hustled away to safety. Nothing about that. He would not say who he'd vote for, only that it would not be Joe Biden.
He also suggested that he would not back a third party candidate. With that in mind, there's new battleground state polling that shows how competitive things are and how complicated, too, because of high interest in Robert Kennedy Jr. and other third party options.
John King breaks down the numbers for us tonight at the magic wall.
So, John, this is the week that Biden and Trump clinched enough delegates to become presumptive nominees. We often hear it's the rematch America doesn't want. Do the new numbers support that?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very much so, Anderson. This is the 2020 map when the third party candidates really didn't make that much of a difference.
In a minute, we'll get to 2016 when they did. But yes is the answer to your question. Is there great dissatisfaction out there? Forgive me for turning my back. I just want to stretch this out. Look at this right now. At this point in 1992, Ross Perot was polling about 20 percent. So the disaffection, the disillusionment, the search for another candidate is not quite that high.
But look, Robert Kennedy Jr. getting 10 percent in Michigan, 10 percent in Arizona, 9 percent in Pennsylvania. Add in Jill Stein is running for the Green Party nomination. Cornel West is running SES (ph), we'll see if he gets on the ballots. He says he's running as a third party candidate. Justice for All, I believe, is what he calls his new party.
Seventeen percent in Michigan right now looking for an alternative, 13 percent in Arizona, 11, 12, 13 percent there in Pennsylvania as well, so yes. Yes, people are looking for other choices. Those are pretty significant numbers. The question is, where does it go from here? If you think just about independence, right, we think about the middle of the electorate. Everybody always says in a close election, independents settle it. That's true. You could say it's the suburbs. But this is a key group just among independents. This is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 16 percent in Michigan, 25 percent in Arizona, 21 percent in Pennsylvania.
So the self-defined middle of the electorate don't belong to any party. They're looking for somebody else, Anderson.
COOPER: So who does a third party candidate, a Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who does he take votes away from, Trump or Biden?
KING: It's a great question and I would say this data does not give us a definitive answer. It'll actually show you as I walk through this. It can take from each candidate, depending on what state we're in and what group we're talking about. But just more broadly, I want to go back to 2016, most smart people about politics will tell you if there's a lot of interest in third party candidates in this dynamic, it benefits him, Donald Trump. Because in a lot of states, let's go to Michigan, 2016, he has trouble getting above 50, but he can get to 47 or 48. So if the bar for victory drops to 47 or 46 or 45 because the third party candidates are getting votes, in general, that benefits Trump in general.
[20:25:02]
Now, let's show you more of the specifics as we come through, because it's not always true. If you look at all of the voters right now, this is these three states looking at the horse race, right? Who's winning right now? In a two way race, Trump is up three in Michigan. Trump is up five with the third party options added in.
So you could say - and it's with its margin of error. It's debatable. But you could say, okay, maybe it helps Trump a little bit in Michigan. Look at Arizona. He's up three in a two way race. Just Trump and Biden plus four with third party options. Is that a little bit of a boost? Let's be careful. But it's something to watch as we go forward. But look at Pennsylvania. Trump's up two in Pennsylvania in a Biden Trump question. When you throw in the third party candidates, it's tied. So maybe it hurts Trump a little bit in Pennsylvania.
So it's going to be fascinating as we go forward. Just to look at some of the other data in here. As you look at all of this, I just mentioned among independent voters. Where are we among independent voters? Well, look at this. In a two way race among independents, Trump plus four in Michigan. Trump plus five on the third party options and moved in maybe a little bit. Biden loses a little bit in Arizona, plus 14 in a two way, plus 10 in a third party. Trump, as we noted, he loses a little bit in Pennsylvania, plus seven to plus four.
The most damning piece, Anderson, if you scrip through - strip through, excuse me, in - within the bowels of these polls, we move this one out here and bring up this one here. This is the most damning thing I found when you look at the crosstabs in these polls. This is Arizona among non-white voters. In Arizona, that means predominantly Latinos.
In 2020, Joe Biden won them. This is the exit polls by 20 points - by 20 points. And he just barely won Arizona, right? Look where we are now, 38 to 35, plus three for Biden, plus 20 to plus three, because Robert Kennedy Jr. is getting 17 percent. Others don't know, 11 percent.
So if you're the Biden campaign, some of it's anti-Trump, some of it's anti-Biden, that's a problem.
COOPER: It certainly - I mean, it complicates the work for both campaigns ...
KING: It does, and that's what makes it so complicated. We have eight months to go. Historically, support for third party candidates shrinks closer to the election. People realize, you know, they're not going to win. I need to vote for a winner. Perot, though, remember, got 19 percent. So we have to watch this and see, is this traditional or is it like 1992? We've got to watch it play out.
So look just in Arizona. This is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s support among Hispanics, Latinos, 19 percent. That mostly hurts Biden, right? Because that's traditionally a more Democratic constituency, although there has been a little trickle back to Republicans in recent cycles. Younger voters, he's getting 16 percent. Again, your reflex is that hurts Biden, right? The Democrats mostly get younger voters. Independence, as I said, that's a bit of a draw. There are independent Republican-leaning independents, Democratic-leaning independents. But look at this. Joe Biden needs Democrats in the cities, right, urban areas. Robert Kennedy's get 11 percent.
But rural voters, that's traditionally a Trump base. Robert Kennedy's getting 13 percent. So both campaigns are going to have to study. That's just Arizona. I'll bring up Pennsylvania to look at it as well. In these key states, absolutely critical to getting to 270, Kennedy gets 6 percent of Biden voters in Pennsylvania. So if your Biden campaign you say that's a problem, well, he's getting 9 percent of 2020 Trump voters in Pennsylvania.
In the cities, 9 percent; in the suburbs, 7 percent, but again, a lot of Trump voters in those rural Pennsylvania counties, he's getting 10 percent. So the key thing is, Anderson, both campaigns, eight months, they're going to have to study. In which state is he hurting me, in which state might he - and the others, don't forget the others - be helping me. And guess what? Money you think Trump would spend his money just against Biden? Biden just against Trump? No, watch. Pretty soon, there'll be some ads against Bobby Kennedy. You can count on it.
COOPER: All right. John King, thank you.
We're now in the state of play that John just touched on in Arizona, specifically what undecided women voters there are saying about the issues that matter to them this time around. As part of Randi Kaye's continuing election series, the 53 percent, which is the average proportion of women voters in presidential elections since 2000.
Randi's conversation came during a week that saw Vice President Kamala Harris make a stop at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The first time a sitting vice president has visited an abortion provider. The Biden campaign is clearly looking to make reproductive rights an issue during the campaign and it was top of mind for the women that Randi talked to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talk forever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just saying.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cheer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So are you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cheers.
KERI SCOTT, ARIZONA UNDECIDED VOTER: I don't know why the hell women's reproductive rights are even a political conversation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
SCOTT: Why my body now a topic of conversation?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
SCOTT: Look, at the end of the day, we have two potential presidents, like you have no business up in my body, so (inaudible) ...
CAMERONE PARKER, ARIZONA UNDECIDED VOTER: Yes. Exactly, exactly, look, it's not only reproductive rights. They're now talking about IVF. What is next? I do not want anyone, a government official who is a non- doctor, not part of my medical team, telling me what I can and cannot do to my body or what is right for my body.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How important are reproductive rights and freedoms to you in terms of choosing a candidate?
PARKER: That's my top-top.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
PARKER: Top.
KAYE: Is that number one issue for all of you?
PARKER: Mm-hm.
ALONDRA HUPE, ARIZONA UNDECIDED VOTER: I think it's definitely on the top one or two. And the timeline is coming up where me and my husband wanted to start trying.
[20:30:01]
And I'm scared for when I start trying and something happens and I have to make that choice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HUPE: Left either to die or, you know, like it's just --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And doctors will go to jail.
KAYE (voice-over): These six women are all independent voters living in the critical swing state of Arizona, and they are all undecided until we brought them together in Scottsdale they've never met. Though all are affiliated with the Women's Business Organization, no women.
ANDREA MERRILL, ARIZONA UNDECIDED VOTER: Can't believe I'm saying it here. Like, friends and family don't even know this, but I had to have a medical abortion. And they were like, it is either your life, like, or it's this unborn baby. And to rip that away is not OK. Like, we are literally going back so far in history.
PAMELA WILLIAMSON, ARIZONA UNDECIDED VOTER: We have come such a long way. We have fought such a hard battle and so many people have died along the way. And the fact that we are going to go back to that --
CAMERONE PARKER, ARIZONA UNDECIDED VOTER: Such a joke, isn't it?
KAYE: Which candidate do you think would do the best job with the boarder?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry, we picking from Biden. I mean, we have to --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We refer (ph) to category.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) at the day, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to. I'm going to --
KAYE: There is a none of the above, is that what you want? Trump has declined to rule out resuming his contentious zero tolerance policy that led to thousands of migrant children and parents to be separated at the U. S. border in 2018.
HUPE: Why is it always separation of families?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HUPE: Why is that the go to -- I am a child of immigrants. My entire family are immigrants. My father is a direct immigrant. He crossed over when he was in his 20s, but he did it the correct way. As a Mexican-American, I've lived here and I've known both cultures, and it's a struggle.
And it's like, sorry, it's makes me a little bit emotional sometimes because we're a country of immigrants, but also what Biden is doing by letting mass quantities in, there was already a murder.
KAYE: So when you hear Trump say something like, you know, he's going to do the biggest number of deportations in U.S. history, how do you feel about that?
HUPE: It breaks my heart. I worry about the friends and the family here. I am of lighter skin tone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
HUPE: No one's going to ask me for my documents or whatever. What about my father? He's very dark skinned.
KAYE: One thing that Biden's proposing is through executive action is having asylum officers at the border and they would decide the asylum cases right there at the border. So it wouldn't get gummed up in the courts. They would really speed things up.
PARKER: It's the immigration system. It means more border patrol agents.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
PARKER: It means more asylum --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More judges?
PARKER: -- more judges, more -- it's overhauling the entire system. Not just the wall, not just -- oh, let's add some more people that can say yes, no, yes, no. It's an entire overhaul.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there should be a wall. I really, really do.
KAYE: Trump's legal troubles, 88 criminal charges and four separate criminal cases. Does any of that, as you sit here still undecided, does any of that have any impact on whether you will end up supporting him?
WENDY FARRELL, ARIZONA UNDECIDED VOTER: Every person who works in the government, from the private in the military to the president, takes the oath to support and defend the concentration.
PARKER: Country, yes. Trump doesn't do that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
FARRELL: And Trump does not do that. He does not respect the laws of the nation if they get in his way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's a criminal.
PARKER: I agree.
WILLIAMSON: And a crook and a manipulator and a bully. And so all of those things run through my mind is I think about, do I really want this person representing the United States?
KAYE: Are you comfortable with Trump serving as president, even if he ends up being a convicted felon?
FARRELL: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that a possibility?
KAYE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a felon?
KAYE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get the -- out of here.
KAYE: It's a very real possibility.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why is that even called out (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That it wasn't me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
KAYE: Do you think either Biden or Trump are mentally fit for office?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're both way too old to be there.
HUPE: One's too childish, one's too senile.
KAYE: What do you all need to hear to pick a candidate?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michelle Obama come in.
FARRELL: I need a new candidate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can she slide in?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
FARRELL: I really do.
HUPE: Maybe Kennedy, being a stronger --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HUPE: -- opponent.
WILLIAMSON: Yes, I agree with that. I agree with actually both of you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. We need somebody new to come in and shake things up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Randi, those women sound really disappointed in their choices. Did they say what their vote will ultimately come down to?
KAYE (on-camera): Well, Anderson, at least two of the women told us, in fact, they may not vote at all, but they are all really disappointed, as you said, in their choices in Trump and Biden. But on the flip side of that, they're also all very intrigued by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent. In fact, one woman who really strongly dislikes Donald Trump told me that if Trump were to choose Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his running mate, she would vote for Trump. But really, Anderson, I get a sense from these women that they're not looking to hear something specific from Biden or Trump to win their vote.
What they're looking for is a new candidate, a fresh face, who they believe will bring real change. Anderson?
[20:35:03]
COOPER: Randi Kaye. Randi, thanks.
Just ahead, the latest on the search and recovery efforts in the Midwest after a series of powerful tornadoes destroyed parts of towns, killing at least three and included scenes like these.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my god, look at it, go. Oh my god, it's a tornado. It really is there, look. Go, go, come on, go, go, go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at the hail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: At least three people are dead in the Midwest as search and rescue teams continue to look for survivors after incredibly powerful tornadoes hit six states. Most of the major damage occurred in Indiana and Ohio. Parts of towns were leveled. One sheriff in Ohio told CNN it was like a bomb going off.
Whitney Wild has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYLA ALLAMAN, TORNADO VICTIM: She was screaming, "Please, help me. Please help me. The house is on top of me. Please get me out."
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kaya Allaman says the frantic call from her mother came in around 8:15 Thursday night after an EF-3 tornado ripped her mother's home from its foundation while she sheltered inside.
ALLAMAN: The house was over there and they got thrown across the street.
WILD: How do you feel knowing that she survived that?
ALLAMAN: I'm really surprised digging through this and looking where she was buried.
[20:40:00]
WILD (voice-over): Allaman's mother and brother were found under a wall of the home with only minor injuries. Now, Allaman and her siblings picked through the debris, still stunned. This is all that's left.
ALLAMAN: Oh, look, grandma's picture. They literally lost everything. So we're just trying to dig up any part of their life for them to have anything. My dad's awards from the Army, clothes, anything that we can try to save for them.
WILD (voice-over): Only yard away, Andrew Day was washing dishes inside and now obliterated taco bell when the tornado hit.
ANDREW DAY, TORNADO VICTIM: It just started shaking and it blew me back about 15 feet. From there to about right there in that debris. And I just held on to whatever I could grab ahold of.
WILD (voice-over): Scenes like this stretch from Kentucky to Ohio after strong storms and tornadoes moved across the Midwest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God, we need to leave.
WILD (voice-over): Hail shattered windshields from Missouri to Illinois.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never seen anything like that.
WILD (voice-over): To Indiana.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at it, go. Oh my God, look at the hail.
WILD (voice-over): First responders working night and day searching through the wreckage.
SUPERINTENDENT DOUGLAS CARTER, INDIANA STATE POLICE: We don't know the extent of the damage to actually go through and subdivide every single one of those properties. And do everything within our power to find out if there is anyone still within the confines of those collapsed buildings.
WILD (voice-over): As Allaman looks at the piles of debris around her, mostly what she sees, she calls a miracle.
ALLAMAN: I'm just thankful that they're alive and, I mean, stuff can -- some stuff can be replaced, but, you know, lives can't.
WILD (voice-over): Whitney Wild, CNN, Winchester, Indiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Coming up, voting began today in Russia's presidential election. It's guaranteed Vladimir Putin will win, but there were acts of public defiance today. Matthew Chance joins us from Moscow next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [20:45:52]
COOPER: In-person voting began today for Russia's first presidential election since the war started in Ukraine. Voting ends Sunday when Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of deceased Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, has called for protests.
The Moscow prosecutor's office warns against what they call unauthorized public gatherings for Sunday. Saying those, quote, "illegal actions" and, quote, "could prevent people from exercising their voting rights in the work of election officials and those violating the law will be criminally liable." But already there have been some acts of public opposition to the election.
Matthew Chance is in Moscow tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The reelection of Vladimir Putin may be underway, with Russians dutifully casting their votes across this vast country. But there are unexpected signs of public defiance.
In the Russian capital, a young woman pours dye into a ballot box before being detained by police.
In the city of Voronezh, an old lady is being held by election officials for doing the same thing. You can see the ruined votes, stained bright green. An act of defiance that could mean a lengthy term in a Russian penal colony.
On the eve of this vote, amid simmering opposition despair at the sudden death of Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent Kremlin critic, who was himself once infamously attacked with green antiseptic dye. Russian authorities have warned attempts at disruption would be treated as a serious offence.
CHANCE: For the Kremlin, this is meant to be a show of resounding national unity, with Russians coming together in support at the ballot box for Vladimir Putin.
The Russian opposition hasn't even been allowed to take part, and the three candidates who are standing are neither anti-Putin, anti-Ukraine war, or even popular with the Russian electorate. In other words, the Kremlin is taking absolutely no chances with the outcome of this vote.
CHANCE (voice-over): But in one Moscow polling station, a voting booth is set on fire. An onlooker tries to douse the flames with water, before police grab the suspect.
Outside a St. Petersburg polling station, a protester lobs a petrol bomb at the front door before being wrestled to the ground.
Not everyone, it seems, is willing to let this Putin reappointment go unchallenged.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And Matthew Chance joins us now from Moscow. I mean, how do these expressions of dissent in this election compare to other elections in Russia, especially ones where Putin has been a candidate for president?
CHANCE (on-camera): Well, in 2018, in the last presidential election, there was certainly wide scale protests, but this time it's very different. The country is very different. I mean, Russia was not involved in a full scale war with Ukraine back then.
Alexei Navalny was still alive. There was an opposition which was, you know, kind of repressed, but it was still able to operate inside the country. Now the opposition has been silenced. There's been a brutal campaign of repression. Opposition leaders have been exiled, jailed.
We're in the case of Alexei Navalny. I mean, he's dead. He died in an Arctic penal colony last month. And so, you know, the context of it is very different. It's much rarer now to see protests like this and much riskier.
And it points to the real frustrations that are simmering beneath the surface in Russia. We'll see, you know, what happens over the next couple of days. The results are expected to be announced perhaps on Monday, because it's a three-day voting process. So we've still got some way to go and probably still some protests we'll see in the days ahead as well.
COOPER: Matthew Chance in Moscow. Matthew, thank you.
Coming up next, the fallout from the royal photo edit and growing drama now surrounding the feuding royals.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:54:16]
COOPER: What a week it has been for the British Royal family. Questions surrounding the public absence of Catherine, Princess of Wales, after her abdominal surgery have only grown. As you likely know, news agencies pulled a doctored photo of her and her three kids, which was designed to show her seemingly healthy and happy. No detailed explanation yet from the Royal Family.
Now, Catherine's sister-in-law, Meghan, and Prince Harry, are facing questions over a surprise announcement online that's unrelated. Details now from Isa Soares.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new business venture and a social media comeback for the Duchess of Sussex. After a six-year absence from Instagram, Meghan has launched American Riviera Orchard. Little is known about the brand, but the timing of the announcement is raising eyebrows here in the U.K.
[20:55:05]
Across the Atlantic, on the very same day, Prince William honored the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, at an awards ceremony. His brother and Meghan's husband, Prince Harry, joined live via video link and thanked those working for keeping her memory alive.
Despite the warm messages, the event was overshadowed by the relentless saga surrounding the Princess of Wales.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the question that has taken over the internet. Where is Kate Middleton?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone is still talking about this picture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wherever you stand on Katespiracy, there's no doubting its impact on the reputation of the British royal family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They really, really messed up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They really have messed up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have messed up, yes.
SOARES (voice-over): Which has been swirling in the media and amid the public for nearly a week. It all started with this photo to mark Mother's Day in the U.K. meant to calm fevered speculation over her health, but in the end, only made things worse.
The image, put out by Kensington Palace, is the first glimpse of Princess Catherine since her last public appearance on Christmas Day. The only problem, it had been edited.
By the end of the day, major international news agencies had withdrawn the image, citing manipulation concerns, including the French-based AFP, where Eric Baradat is a photo director.
ERIC BARADAT, AFP PHOTO DIRECTOR: Everybody started at, you know, enlarging, zooming in the picture and noticing straight away that something was wrong. And after a few hours, all agencies in London decided to pull the pictures together.
SOARES (voice-over): With the palace in damage control, the princess issued an apology on social media saying, "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."
She was spotted briefly on Monday alongside her husband, William, in the car leaving Windsor for a private appointment. But AFP's photo director, says her doctor photo raises serious questions about trust and transparency.
SOARES: You thought you were tricked. Did you feel you were tricked?
BARADAT: Yes. Our position now will will be that every image still image coming out of Kensington Palace will clearly be scrutinized very thoroughly before we decide to put it out to our subscribers around the world.
SOARES: It's often said that the royal family has to be seen to be believed. But when you don't believe what you see, then a whole host of conspiracy theories start swirling online.
I did a search for Kate Middleton photos you can see here and there are so many just circling right now on on social media from the insensitive to the outright outlandish.
SOARES (voice-over): Still, some in the British public believe Kate has a right to privacy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot bigger issues to worry about in the world, really, but people just leave her alone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's blown out of all proportion. She did a little couple of tweaks at home. End of story.
SOARES (voice-over): Blown out of proportion or not, one thing is clear. With King Charles's ongoing cancer treatment and the mystery around Kate's health, the royal family is dealing with a PR battle on several fronts.
Isa Soares, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Joining me now with some data on all the royal drama is Harry Enten, who's a big -- you're a big royal watcher.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Oh, I'm a huge royal -- I am just so happy to be here.
COOPER: There's a lot of interest. So, I mean, this is huge, obviously.
ENTEN: This is so huge. You know, when I found out that I was doing this segment, I got so many texts from people within the company who just were saying, I'm so looking forward --
COOPER: Is that an actual Blackberry?
ENTEN: It is actually a knockoff Blackberry. It's a Unihertz from China. It's like a blueberry a little bit.
COOPER: It's like a national security issue.
ENTEN: It may be, either way.
COOPER: So what's the national interest?
ENTEN: The national interest is huge. There are more people who are searching for Kate Middleton over the last few days than --
COOPER: Searching online, not actually physical search. ENTEN: Searching online, correct. Not searching for her. They're not going to her house or anything like that. Then searching for baseball, then searching for Donald Trump, then searching for Joe Biden. The interest in this story, Anderson, in one word is tremendous, and I find the whole thing to be absolutely delicious.
COOPER: OK. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has launched this new brand. Where does her sort of popularity stand?
ENTEN: Yes, she's launching this new brand. And I'll note that we don't really know what the heck this new brand's exactly going to do. It seems like a lifestyles brand. You know, they're going to sell jams, jellies, cookbooks, perhaps --
COOPER: I feel like you're the target customer for this lifestyle.
ENTEN: I am absolutely the target customer for this. Let me tell you, I love going in there and, you know, making some nice sandwiches.
COOPER: Sure. Yes.
ENTEN: But I will know, Meghan is not all that popular in the United States. She's more popular than Donald Trump or Joe Biden, but her net favorability rating is significantly lower than any of the other big royals, right? Then Megan or William or Harry.
And I think this is going to be a real question going forward. Could this brand actually succeed? And then the other real question is, given Kate's high popularity, she's sort of the face of the royals, will these scandals really drag her down?
COOPER: All right, Harry Enten, thank you.
Before we go, we want to take a moment to say goodbye to a member of our team here. Our line producer, Kristina Callahan, is in the control room for us right now for the last time, unless of course she ever wants to come back. Kristina has been at 360 for nine years and over the years has become a vital member of the team.
She's incredibly calm, incredibly calm, under pressure, incredibly professional, which are two really important traits for a line producer. Most importantly, she's an all-around great human being, and we are truly going to miss her. So thank you, Kristina. And we wish you the best of luck moving forward.
The news continues. The Source of Kaitlan Collins starts now.
