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Lawmakers Demand Answers, Action on Unexplained Drones in New Jersey; Jan. 6 Defense Attorneys Try to Make Sense of Who Will be Pardoned; Historic Army-Navy Rivalry Set for 125th Kickoff Tomorrow. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired December 13, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: A word from the White House this morning on those mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey, there's no problem. Don't tell that, though, to local lawmakers and residents who still don't know who's behind the aircraft hovering over their communities. They want answers and action from the federal government.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: One of the suspected CEO killers last known messages to friends now surfacing as police reveal new details about the search warrants just executed in the case.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And this morning, a 125-year-old rivalry, that's me, John and Sara, just kidding, is now getting ready for the next big battle, Army-Navy. The game is about to go down.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: This morning, the White House is downplaying concerns over a growing mystery in the skies. Scores of drones spotted flying at night over New Jersey sparking growing fear and outrage so far. There are no explanations as to what they are, where they're coming from, or who might be launching them.

The drones have been seen over homes, critical infrastructure, and sensitive government sites for weeks now. And the only concrete thing that local lawmakers and residents seem to be hearing from the federal government so far is they don't appear to pose a threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security threat, or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Despite several briefings this week, state lawmakers and members of Congress say they don't feel like they're being told much of anything.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): I'm concerned. I issued a letter to ask for more information. I think there should be a lot more transparency about that.

REPORTER: Are you hearing from constituents?

BOOKER: Yes, I am.

REP. BRIAN BERGEN (R-NJ): There are tons of these drones flying over the state of New Jersey and we don't know where they're coming from, where they're going to and who's flying them.

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): People got enough on their minds, right? They don't have -- they shouldn't have to worry about things flying around that they don't know who they belong to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: CNN's Polo Sandoval is on the case. He is looking into this and joining me now.

What are you hearing about these drones? Because it's been New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, which is a huge population, millions of people. Have the drones been spotted elsewhere?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's really where a majority of these sightings have happened, Sara. I actually checked in with Rockland County, New York officials from just across the state line, and they told me yesterday they have not had any report. So, it seems to be that a concentration of those sightings are actually where they have been cited for the last few weeks or so, about 40 miles west of New York City here.

We just heard from the Mine Hill, New Jersey mayor just a short while ago here on CNN basically accepted that it's quite likely that at least 50 percent of these maybe airplanes, but what about the other half? So, he really is digging his heels in, as are other local officials, demanding answers, trying to find out a little bit more.

Also we're hearing from some drone experts. For example, my wife always makes fun of me for being a big plane geek. So, like using flight apps like Flightradar. We can actually track airplanes. So, experts recommending, when in doubt, open up some of those applications where you can actually see real time what planes may be flying nearby.

But when you hear from some of these residents, it will tell you they have used some of these, and in some cases, some of the manned aircraft have not appeared on these apps. So, this is what sort of fueling that speculation.

SIDNER: We heard from the New Jersey governor earlier in the week who said the same thing, sort of doesn't believe they pose a threat, and yet said that they are sophisticated. So, what are residents saying as they hear some of these things from the federal government, from the governor as there -- some of them are freaking out, like, frankly, online. You know, they have video themselves, but they're also being told. We just heard from sort of DHS and the FBI that perhaps they're missing things. They may be manned or unmanned, they're not sure. The information that's out there is really frustrating people.

SANDOVAL: What's quite interesting about this story, Sara, is that much of it's defined by what we do not know. And that's what's really fueling speculation and that call for answers. And when you hear from some of these communities and these New Jersey residents, they hear from the White House and they say that is not enough, just hearing that as they try to reassure them this is not a public threat.

[07:05:02]

What I also think is interesting in that joint statement that was just released yesterday by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, they're really sort of the federal agencies in charge here, saying that they've deployed personnel, and at this point, they have not been able to corroborate any drone sightings with electronic detection.

And I think that's key. I spoke to some other drone experts yesterday, specifically an official at the drone, which is a private airspace company that basically helps client protect themselves against any sort of drone attacks. And what they described is that there are multiple ways that investigators on the ground could actually have this kind of confirmation. They could use radio frequency, for example, the comms between the drone and the remote on the ground, if that drone is not autonomous. They can also use cameras, radar, and finally acoustics. So, that lately has become less reliable because drone technology has evolved and these drones are a lot quieter.

So, there is sort of this treasure chest of tools that investigators on the ground could be using and the FBI and DHS assures that they have deployed similar technology to try to get confirmation. But thus far, they have not been able to corroborate, I should say, with electronic detection.

So, I think that is really what you're hearing from a lot of the residents there. It's like we want that sort of -- we want to be reassured.

SIDNER: That sounds like serious sophistication. And I know -- let's listen to sort of what the mayor of one of these towns is saying, as people come to him and say, heck, we are seeing this and we're concerned.

SANDOVAL: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR SAM MORRIS, MINE HILL, NEW JERSEY: That is ridiculous. I would invite Mr. Kirby to Mine Hill. Come on out, Mr. Kirby, and let's go on out one night about 9:30, 10:00. I'll go out behind my town hall and you can count them with me all night.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANDOVAL: Yes, there's the mayor that we were talking about earlier of Mine Hill, New Jersey. And, again, we just heard from him this morning, just a short while ago. And he basically said that it's quite possible that half of these may be airplanes, but what about the other half? And that's a lingering question that's being asked, not far from where you and I are having this conversation.

SIDNER: And I think he was just responding to DHS and to the FBI, saying that these might be miss sightings. And he's like, no, we're seeing something that's odd.

Polo Sandoval, I'm glad you're on the case, and I love that you are an aviation geek. It is wonderful. Thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: Thank you,

SIDNER: Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, still ahead for us. The president-elect is talking about January 6th again. Why his statements now are leaving some of his biggest supporters, people who rioted at the capital that day, feeling not so reassured by his statements and what he's saying about pardons.

Plus, the woman who set off a national firestorm in 2006 by falsely accusing Duke Lacrosse players of raping her is speaking out.

And he's already a grandmaster, but we're going to show you a man who just became the youngest ever world chess champion.

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[07:05:00]

SIDNER: 20 years after an allegation of rape that rocked the lives of male lacrosse players, the accuser now admitting she lied and is making a plea for forgiveness. Crystal Mangum, who accused three Duke men's lacrosse players of rape back in 2006, igniting a firestorm, now admitting on a web show that her allegations were false.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRYSTAL MANGUM, ACCUSER: I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn't. And that was wrong. And I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me. I hope that they can forgive me and I want them to know that I love them and they didn't deserve it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann were all exonerated of the charges in 2007. Mangum was never prosecuted, though, for perjury because of her mental health and the statute of limitations ran out years ago. She is now, by the way, in prison serving time for the second-degree murder of her boyfriend in 2013. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Wow, there's a lot there.

A new CNN report out this morning, defense attorneys for January 6th rioters, they're right now trying to figure out who's going to get pardoned when Donald Trump returns to the White House next month. The president-elect has repeatedly promised in the campaign trail all along the way that he is going to pardon rioters on day one. But it's not clear who he's talking about.

One defense attorney right now is saying this, quote, the statements change every day. The latest is everybody's nonviolent. But who knows what that means?

This comes after a new interview with the president-elect telling Time Magazine that came out just yesterday morning that he will begin handing out the pardons to January 6th rioters starting in the first hour, he said maybe even in the first nine minutes he takes office.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is following this one for us. Katelyn, what are you learning about all this?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, Kate, Trump is out there saying it's going to be the nonviolent rioters, it's not going to be the people that were crazy. It's going to be the first hour he gets into office. But the bottom line is they just haven't figured it out yet, at least on Trump's side. There's a lot of defense attorneys that are representing hundreds of these rioters who are trying to get answers. They just can't get them about how this will work, even though Trump is promising to pardon the January 6th defendants.

[07:15:01]

And there's a lot of questions about when they do turn to figure this out, how do they do it? Will rioters individually have to apply in some sort of process? Will it be a blanket pardon where Trump will just say, everybody with a certain type of crime or related to this part of the riot, those people are pardoned?

And then there's also big questions about where is the line drawn here? So, Trump in that Time Magazine interview was talking about nonviolent rioters that he believes have been punished too severely. He as the incoming president, once he's president, he has all kinds of power and authority to pardon however he wants as soon as he takes office.

But there is a lot of question about what about those rioters that are charged with violent crimes, charged with assault. There's about 200 that were convicted of assaults. But even in that group, there's a lot of difference between the people who were very, very violent toward police intentionally and people who were not in that same category of violence, but are charged with that same crime.

So, there's a lot of confusion here among these rioters, many of whom are not in jail at this point, but some of whom have already finished their sentences, some of whom have been convicted and are in jail as well. BOLDUAN: Have the judges kind of involved in all of this, all like so many prosecutions? Have the judges weighed in on this?

POLANTZ: Yes. Even though there are these people who are talking about the pardons and the exoneration of these January 6th rioters, the judges that have handled these hundreds of cases, about 1,500 of these cases in D.C., they are making the statement quite clear that they believe that these people are being brought to justice in their system.

So, Judge Royce Lamberth at a hearing I was at last Friday said, you know, it is the president's choice if he wants to pardon these. But a reminder, the rioters, they chose to trespass on restricted grounds, destroyed public property, assault law enforcement officers, and attempt to subvert the will of an electoral majority. Conduct such as this is light years outside the ages of the First Amendment. Every rioter is in the situation He or she is in because he or she broke the law and for no other reason.

There was another Judge in Washington, D.C. Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee to the bench who said that blanket pardons for all January 6th defendants or anything close would be beyond frustrating and disappointing if that is the way that Trump decides to do it.

But still a lot of questions there, exactly how this plays out.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Great reporting, as always, Katelyn. Thank you so much. John?

BERMAN: All right. Thanks so much, Kate.

So, Texas may soon be getting into the Bitcoin business. A Texas state lawmaker introduced a bill this week that would establish a strategic reserve of the cryptocurrency. If passed, Texas would be able to buy and hold Bitcoin as an asset, as well as start accepting payment for taxes, fees, and donations in Bitcoin.

(INAUDIBLE) in Bloomberg this week argued a Bitcoin reserve could be the biggest crypto scam yet. That's a quote there. But supporters are pitching the bill as a way for the state to strengthen its finances and emerge as a leader in the growing crypto industry.

So, this morning, anger growing as the White House claims the mysterious drones flying over New Jersey are not a threat, but have yet to answer what they are or where they're coming from.

And a legendary rapper goes undercover for jury duty.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

SIDNER: We're counting down to kick off for one of the greatest rivalries in sports, the Army-Navy game. Tomorrow, the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen will meet for the 125th time to battle for the commander-in-chief's trophy. This year's game is at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, near, of course, Washington, D.C., which is where we find, of course, CNN's Coy Wire this morning. Looking pretty chill, although you look like you might be going out to a Scotland golf course, but I'm just saying cute hat. What can we expect tomorrow

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Fore. This is one of my favorite assignments of the year, Sara. We're talking about the best and brightest since 1890. This tradition has the pageantry and the pomp and circumstances like no other really in sports. Ten sitting U.S. presidents have attended. These are the future defenders of this nation.

We caught up with some of the players and coaches and they told us they know this is so much more than just a game. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLIN RAMOS, NAVY SENIOR LINEBACKER: This game represents more than just us, the players all the people that have come before us, have served this country, they've sacrificed their lives for this country. So, it's a great honor to play in this game.

DABA FOFANA, NAVY SENIOR FULLBACK: It represents a battle between two of the nation's best forces, honestly. You know, it's always the most physical battle of the year. It's the most intense battle of the year and that's what it represents. It represents the epitome of football.

BRYSON DAILY, ARMY SENIOR QUARTERBACK: It's everything for our program and our guys. You know, this is the game we'll remember forever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: America's game, Sara. And as you heard there, this game is about people who are willing to give up everything for everyone that's watching. That's powerful stuff.

It is a bit of rivalry though. And they get after it, some of the hardest hits you'll see in all of college football, all season long, Sara. And despite that bit of rivalry, we asked the players and coaches about the mutual respect they have for the man lining up across from them on game day. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMOS: I respect Army because they're going to serve this nation.

DAILY: I respect Navy because they have a similar military service commitment as us.

[07:25:03]

FOFANA: I respect Army because they're going to be our future brothers in arms. BRIAN NEWBERRY, NAVY HEAD COACH: I know the young men are doing the same thing that our young men are doing. They took the hard path. And they're going to serve their country when they're done here. And so just a tremendous amount of respect for who they are and the way they do things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Some of the best and brightest young folks this country has to offer. They are balancing the rigors of being a collegiate athlete, the academics, we're talking thermal dynamics, cyber ops. These are incredibly bright individuals, Sara. And they told me that the mutual respect they have for one another, they hope that someday that can be replicated in society all across the country. Game time is tomorrow at 3:00 P.M. Eastern. It's going to be awesome,

SIDNER: But let's be fair. They're like the respect and the kind words. That is not going to be what you see on the field because they go to battle and then bragging rights are huge.

WIRE: It's not -- yes. Probably more like snot bubbles and things like that we're going to be seeing from these huge hits, but you got to love it.

SIDNER: Coy Wire, always a pleasure. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. John?

BERMAN: Coy Wire on snot bubbles.

All right, new reporting that Donald Trump is floating RFK Jr.'s daughter-in-law for a major role in the CIA.

And one company trying to sell a small bottle of sake for more than half a million dollars. Why? Because they're brewing it at the International Space Station.

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[07:30:00]