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"Transgender" And "Queer Erased From Stonewall Uprising National Monument Web Site; Teen Accused Of School Shooting Plot Inspired By Parkland Massacre; Parent Stars In Play About Losing His Son In School Massacre; White House Bans A.P. From Oval Office, Air Force One Indefinitely. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired February 14, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

STACY LENTZ, CO-OWNER, STONEWALL INN: Yes, well, we're seeing them honestly being, you know, erased from every kind of government program, right? I mean, we've seen that with birth certificates not having X gender markers, on passports and things of that nature.

So they really have been scrubbed from all government Web sites. And again, once we saw President Trump come out during the inauguration and say there's only two genders, we can't really be surprised.

But to say it's appalling is certainly an understatement. And so we will organize as the LGBTQ-plus community and ask all our allies to organize with us as we stand up and fight back against the erasure of American people.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: What's the mood right now? It's not good, obviously. But what are -- what are you hearing? What are the concerns in the community?

LENTZ: Yes, yes, I think the concerns are that people are upset. People are devastated. I think that this takes a very personal note because it is -- it is Stonewall.

Stonewall is such a global symbol to our community that, you know, it's outrageous that a government entity could come into what we consider our home and try to erase a group of people that have been existing for thousands of years.

Trans people exist. They've always existed. And so for the government to come into Stonewall, of all places, and try to scrub them, not just from the Web site, but from existing is really just insanity to us.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Stacy Lentz, thanks so much for sharing your point of view. We appreciate it.

LENTZ: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Coming up, a teenager has been arrested and charged by police for allegedly plotting a Valentines Day school shooting inspired by the Parkland massacre. We have details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:36:23]

SANCHEZ: A teenager in Indiana is accused of plotting a school shooting inspired by the Valentines Day massacre at Parkland High School in Florida. Police have charged the teen, who is currently in custody, with conspiracy to commit murder and two terrorism-related charges.

CNN's Whitney Wild joins us now with the details.

What are you learning about the investigation, Whitney?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Boris, 18-year-old Trinity. Shockley is in custody without bond.

There is a lot to unpack here. This all started February 11th, when police say a tipster called in a tip to the FBIs Sandy Hook tip line.

And the tipster told police that they we're concerned about their friend, concerned that Shockley had a real obsession with the shooter who carried out that Parkland shooting, killing 17 and wounding 17 others on Valentines Day seven years ago. Had access to an A.R.-15 and had just purchased a bulletproof vest.

That information quickly went to the Mooresville Police Department. They conducted an investigation. And, Boris, in just a couple of days, they we're able to execute a search warrant and bring Trinity Shockley into custody.

Here's more from the police chief in Mooresville, Indiana.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY BUCKNER, CHIEF, MOORESVILLE, INDIANA, POLICE DEPARTMENT: Nothing ever happens in Mooresville. It's a small town. But to think that somebody was plotting to hurt a lot of individuals, kids, I mean, future leaders of this country or whoever is pretty disturbing.

The pictures in her room were -- they look like family photographs, like you would put of your kids, but they were all of people that had committed mass shootings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Boris, this is a really good example of the importance of "see something, say something." Because what is clear is that, according to police, this plot was very real. What is not clear is in what way Shockley might have had access to a firearm.

When police conducted the search warrant, they didn't actually find a firearm. But what they did find were multiple magazines. And as you heard the police chief say, it was basically a collage on her bedroom wall of other mass shooters.

Again, Trinity Shockley is in custody without bond. Boris, the question here is, why? And what the affidavit makes clear is that Shockley was grieving the death of their mother.

As you heard, the police chief used the she/her pronouns. Trinity Shockley is transgender. It is not clear what pronouns Trinity Shockley used. But they were grieving the death of their mother. They had been bullied at school after being hit by a drunk driver.

And then further, Boris, you know, this Trinity Shockley, this teenager felt immense guilt after learning that the driver who had hit them later committed suicide.

So, a lot of factors here. Much more to learn. But the big takeaway for anybody watching is the real significance, if there is a concern, bring it to police immediately -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: Whitney Wild, thank you so much for the reporting.

Brianna?

KEILAR: Seven years ago today, a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. For seven years, the parents of Joaquin Oliver have channeled their grief into advocacy, creating viral moments that keep the focus on their son and other victims of gun violence.

The latest backdrop for their efforts, the stage of a theater between the capital and the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANNY OLIVER, FATHER OF JOAQUIN OLIVER, KILLED IN THE PARKLAND MASSACRE: Before, I'm like, super hyper. I wear my headphones and then I'm just listening to music with Joaquin, and then I leave everything on stage.

When you lose a son, what do you do?

[14:40:03]

KEILAR (voice-over): On this seventh anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, shooting, you'll find Manny Oliver here at the Wooly Mammoth Theater in Washington, D.C., starring in a one-man play about his son, Joaquin Oliver, Gwak to his friends, forever 17-years-old.

We know how Joaquin died. Manny wants the world to know how he loved a boy who loved laughing, Pepperoni pizza, bacon, "The Godfather," his mother, Patricia, who called Mi Pooh and playing air guitar with his dad.

OLIVER: We are really good at playing the air guitar. We're the best.

KEILAR: A life-size cutout of Joaquin is on stage for almost the entire show. Manny painting a mural around his son throughout the 100 minute performance,

Manny takes the audience through Valentines Day 2018, dropping his son off at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the morning, Joaquin, proudly carrying sunflowers for his girlfriend, Tori.

OLIVER: And I decided to pull down the window and shouted at him, hey, hey, call me! Call me when you give those flowers to Tori. I want to know the whole story behind it.

What? An active shooter situation in Joaquins school? So I call him again and again and again and again. Where the(EXPLETIVE DELETED) is my son? Where the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is my son? Where are the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is my son!

I was hoping that he'd drop his phone. Then. I was hoping that he was on the other side of the school. I was even hoping that he was injured but not bad. And now I'm hoping that it was fast.

(BANGING)

(SHOUTING)

(BANGING)

(SHOUTING)

OLIVER: My beautiful son, Joaquin, was shot four times with an A.R.- 15.

KEILAR: This is the artistic disruption that has been Manny and Patricia's defining approach to advocating for gun violence prevention.

OLIVER: You can try something, and it's not working for decades, maybe you should try something different and give it a chance.

KEILAR: On the fourth anniversary of Joaquin's death, Manny unfurled a sign on a crane near the White House and was arrested for it. But he succeeded in getting then-President Biden's attention and an invitation to the Oval Office.

JOE BIDEN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: (INAUDIBLE)

KEILAR: A few months later, Manny interrupted Biden's Rose Garden event honoring the passage of gun legislation that was, for Manny, not ambitious enough.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: In 2023, Manny was arrested at the capitol after he and Patricia interrupted a Republican-led gun hearing.

PATRICIA OLIVER, MOTHER OF JUAQUIN OLIVER: You took my son away from me, and I'm not going anywhere.

This has to be very important because you need to know him before knowing everything else was 100 percent.

KEILAR: At the theater, Patricia walks through an exhibit of viral advertising campaigns the couple has helped produce through their nonprofit called Change the Ref.

Putting a bulletproof vest on the famous statue of The Fearless Girl on Wall Street not long after the shooting, asking on social media, how can she be fearless if she's afraid to go to school?

Patricia, accepting Joaquins diploma in a shirt reading "This should be my son."

In 2021, duping a former head of the NRA into giving a graduation speech to empty chairs, symbolizing the estimated 3,044 victims of gun violence who are not alive to graduate that year.

UNIDENTIFIED FORMER HEAD OF THE NRA : So my advice to you is simple enough, follow your dream and make it a reality.

KEILAR: And last year, making an A.I. deepfake message of Joaquins voice and those of other gun violence victims, including from the Uvalde shooting, to send to members of Congress.

A.I. VOICE: I was murdered at school by a shooter with an A.R.-15 assault rifle. My voice has been recreated using powerful A.I. technology.

P. OLIVER: This is called The Final Exam.

KEILAR: They marketed a video game showing what it's like to try to escape a school shooting, and "thoughts and prayers" toilet paper.

Manny says they're just doing what they know, using art, advertising, and Joaquins rebellious spirit to make a difference.

(APPLAUSE)

OLIVER: Come on.

KEILAR: Manny ends the show with an air guitar tribute to his son, urging the audience to join him and calling them to action.

OLIVER: It's not that I want you to agree with me. I want you to know the reality and prevent it to ruin your life. That's the point here.

[14:44:59]

And that's the call to action. Get involved.

When you lose a son, what do you do? What do you do? What do I do? I say we do what we do best.

My name is Manuel Oliver, and I am Joaquin Oliver's dad. And that's what I do best.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: The Plague Walk has already had an off-Broadway run in New York, and will run here in Washington through Sunday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:94]

SANCHEZ: So the Associated Press is now banned from the Oval Office and Air Force One indefinitely. At issue, the A.P. continuing to call the body of water south of Louisiana, the Gulf of Mexico, even after President Trump signed an order changing the name to the Gulf of America.

KEILAR: According to the White House deputy chief of staff, the Associated Press can ignore the name change, but the news organization will no longer have unfettered access.

I'd like to bring in CNN chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, with us.

So, Brian I mean, talk a little bit about how this ban is going to interfere with the A.P.'s ability to do their job. They're normally such a focal point of briefings and coverage at the White House.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: That's right. It's a dramatic change by the Trump White House. It's going to have a chilling effect. it's causing concern at other news outlets as well. And it's probably going to cause a legal challenge from the A.P. Right?

One of the themes this week has been Trump being challenged in court over changes at federal agencies. Well, this is probably also going to prompt a lawsuit.

However, there's been no immediate comment from the A.P. this afternoon. The newswire is trying to figure out what to do next.

This all started on Tuesday, when the A.P. reporter was blocked for the first time from entering the Oval Office during a photo op. Then it happened again on Wednesday, again yesterday. And now today, the A.P. is not being allowed on board Air Force One as the president heads to Mara-a-Lago for the weekend.

Here's why that's a big deal. The A.P. is not just another ordinary news organization. The A.P. is a part of the White House press pool every single day.

In fact, the A.P. helped create the pool more than 100 years ago. Whenever the president travels, there are reporters with him at all times.

I was at the Superbowl on Sunday, for example, and the press pool was there, making sure the president was, you know, watching his every move as much as possible.

So that's how it works. It's a small team of reporters that travel with the president. And the A.P. is always in the pool. So the fact that the White House is singling out the A.P. and banning them, that's an impact not just for the A.P. but for other news outlets as well that rely on the A.P.'s information.

The press pool, in other words, is being targeted by this. And that's why I expect there will be legal action.

SANCHEZ: Brian, how has the A.P. reacted? Have they said that they're planning some kind of legal action?

STELTER: Right. They've called this a violation of the First Amendment. They say this is viewpoint discrimination. They're using terms, they're using legal language that foreshadow a lawsuit.

However, no action has been taken yet. And my impression, speaking with sources, is that A.P. reporters and editors were waiting to find out what would happen today. Would Trump actually kick the A.P. off the plane, off Air Force One?

Now that that has happened just in the past hour, that might cause a domino effect. We've already seen journalists from other news outlets speaking out on the A.P.'s behalf.

What we have not seen is a boycott or any other public show of solidarity. I'm told by editors at other outlets that there are behind the scenes conversations, but there's also a desire not to try to play into the Trump White Houses hands here, not to take the proverbial bait.

If the Trump White House wants the journalists to seem like the enemy, to seem like the opposition, it's important to show that we're just trying to be observers.

After all, the A.P. didn't go looking for this fight. They're just trying to report the news. And the news right now is that Trump has renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in the United States, but Mexico doesn't recognize that. Other countries don't recognize that.

So because the A.P. is a global news outlet, it needs to report the news fully. And that's why it is including in its stories, the Gulf of Mexico name, as well as the acknowledgment about Trump's executive order.

This stuff is nuanced. And by the way, other news outlets are doing the same thing. Other global news outlets are still referring to the Gulf of Mexico.

Which raises a question is the Trump White House going to take action against other news outlets as well? For the moment, it's just the A.P.

KEILAR: All right. Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

[14:53:48]

And today, thousands of employees across the federal government are now out of work as the Trump administration moves ahead with its plans to dramatically shrink the federal workforce. We're live with the latest ahead.

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[14:58:52]

KEILAR: Thousands of federal employees expected to be laid off today as part of President Trump's moves to slash the federal workforce. A source telling CNN, at the CDC alone, about 1,300 employees are losing their jobs.

SANCHEZ: And new information from last month's collision of an American airlines jet and a helicopter. The NTSB, releasing the latest from its investigation into the tragedy over the Potomac. We have the newest details.

And later, Louisiana health officials move to stop promoting mass vaccination. Why some believe the move could hurt those without access to health care.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

This just into CNN. As the Trump administration plows forward with mass layoffs in its effort to gut the federal government. We're learning thousands of health care workers across multiple agencies are expecting to be fired today.

[14:59:53]

Meantime, the newly minted agriculture secretary is warning that terminations are forthcoming at the USDA. This latest round of termination has targeted probationary workers, those who have been on the job for less than a year or two and have fewer protections than other federal employees.