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Mexican Ship Hits Brooklyn Bridge; Numbers on Trump and Congress; Harris May Make Decision on Her Future; Investigators Search for Motive in Fertility Clinic Explosion; Trump to sign Take It Down Act. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired May 19, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:31:56]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, new this morning, the NTSB will hold a news conference about the ongoing investigation into the Mexican navy training ship that struck the bottom of the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday evening. Officials say the ship was carrying 277 people when it lost power. And all three of its masts ended up striking that bridge, each breaking on impact.

Mexican officials have identified the two people who were killed during the collision, after they fell from one of the ship's masts. The first victim was Cadet America Yamilet Sanchez and the second, a sailor, Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos.

CNN safety analyst David Soucie joining me now.

First of all, looking at this ship, how in God's green earth did this actually happen?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, Sara, it's -- it's pretty similar, actually, to what happened on the key bridge when it collapsed. It looks like they lost power to the rudder. They weren't able to navigate or steer the ship at all. I believe they lost thrust power as well or they would have averted this. But you can see it just drifts backward. And it seems to be going slow, but the speed and the inertia of that ship could have caused some serious damage to that pier.

SIDNER: You heard that some of the early investigation is that, like you said, that the power went out somewhere, although you can still see the lights on the mast there. So, no control of the ship. But I guess the big question is, what were they doing in that area anyway? It seems like they were on the wrong course.

SOUCIE: Well, it seems like they were, but, however, they were actually at the museum. They -- this is part of a celebration tour or goodwill -- goodwill tour for that ship. It was manufactured in Spain years ago, and -- and it's been touring the -- the world, actually. So, that's why it stopped in New York as a goodwill tour. When it departed that is when it lost its power and started drifting back up the river, which is -- was not its intent. It was heading out to sea. It was heading to Reykjavik, actually, from there. So, it was going to be quite a long trip. They had -- they were going to make fuel stops, other stops along the way, but it just simply was not headed in that direction until the river brought it that direction to -- to collide with the -- with the bridge.

SIDNER: David, you mentioned the Key Bridge. And one of the key differences, obviously, is that this isn't a huge container ship that is so heavy. This is a very different kind of ship. So, what will the NTSB be looking for in this case? What will they be after? What will they be looking for to try to figure out exactly how all this went down?

SOUCIE: Well, they'll look at the actual proximate causes of the things that happened on the site. But more than that, I would expect, in their recommendation, that they're going to include a lot of retrospect to look and see how the ports and how the piers are managed. You can see that there's a tugboat that tried to prevent the collision as the ship was removed, as the ship moved.

SIDNER: Yes.

SOUCIE: And that tugboat was instrumental in -- in preventing further damages because it held it in place. So, this is one of the things the NTSB recommendations will say. Their -- their scope goes far beyond the actual accident on site.

[08:35:02]

It's procedural. It's, do we need to have tugboats on ships of a certain size before they leave port? What kind of safety precautions are in place before the ships leave so that they can prevent these types of tragedies?

SIDNER: Yes, it's so awful. There's so much video, sort of, of people on either side of that bridge. Seeing, at one point, two people who were at the very top of those masts kind of falling down.

Do we have any idea what they were doing up there? Were they lookouts? Was this part of sort of the presentation of the whole thing?

SOUCIE: Well, in furling the sails -- and -- and I'm not a sailor, but this is things that I've investigated since this accident. But in furling the sails, bringing them up and stowing them, it does require people to be up there just for inspection and make sure that it's stowed properly. So, that may have been why they were there at that time after they left port. But you would think that that had been done before they left port. So, why they were up there at that time, I -- I really couldn't say.

But it was -- those masts are steel masts. They're not like light aluminum masts like you might find on a regular sail ship. These things are massive. And I'm surprised they didn't cause more damage than they did. But, fortunately, those were not the sailors that were injured and killed. The injured parties were on the deck when pieces fell and hit them on the deck. So, it is tragic. SIDNER: Yes. David, it really is tragic, and -- and so many people

witnessed it as well. Hard to see, but incredible that the Brooklyn Bridge started -- up and running 40 minutes later. So, it didn't do major, major damage to the bridge.

SOUCIE: Yes.

SIDNER: I mean that is pretty wild.

David Soucie, thank you so much for your great analysis. We always appreciate it when you come on.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a 22-year-old model and influencer shot and killed in her home. The disguise the suspect wore to get her to open the door.

And former Vice President Kamala Harris is weighing her political future. We've got new reporting this morning on what the next steps could be.

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[08:41:36]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, overnight, President Trump's sweeping legislative agenda made a big step forward. Republican leaders in the House spent the weekend really scrambling to get the tax and spending cuts bill back on track after hardline Republicans, you'll remember, dealt them an embarrassing setback late last week. And after clearing the House Budget Committee then late last night, House leaders are still hoping to bring this to a floor vote on Thursday and hopefully get it to -- they hope to get it to the president soon enough because it would be a big win.

But you have seen this movie before in terms of Republicans fighting Republicans and struggling to push forward Trump's agenda, despite having the majorities in both the House and Senate.

CNN's Harry Enten is looking into this one for you this morning.

So, Harry, what are the numbers around Trump's agenda and how successful they've been in getting it to him?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, I mean, look, this has been an historically unproductive Congress so far. I mean it's -- it's basically bizarro land compared to where we were during the first Trump administration. So, laws signed by a president since 1953 at this point in a presidency. Look, the fewest on record through this point. There have only been five. Get it, five laws actually passed by this Congress and then signed into law by the president. Compare that to 2017, where you actually had 35 by this point, which was the most on record. So, it's not much of a surprise that this Congress is struggling to actually pass legislation, because the fact is, that has been the rule of the game so far where they just really haven't been able to pass anything. And the fact that they'll actually be able to pass something, well, it's a minor miracle by some accords.

BOLDUAN: without Congress the president -- Donald Trump has proven that he's just going to go on without them, which is when -- which is why -- where executive orders have come in so much, so often and so early. What are the numbers around that?

ENTEN: Yes. So, you know, if Congress has been historically unproductive, Donald Trump has been historically productive. What are we talking about here? Well, if you can't pass a law, why don't you just sign an executive order? That's what Donald Trump's been doing. So, Trump executive orders at this point, in 2017 it was just 36. Look at the number now. Holy Toledo, 152. That is the most on record for any president at this point in a presidency dating back since at least the FDR administration. Indeed, if you had this 152 and Donald Trump didn't sign a single other one, that itself for the entire year would be the most since FDR.

And, of course, we still have, what is that, six, seven months to go. So, the bottom line is, Congress historically unproductive, but Donald Trump has been historically productive because he signed all these executive orders. You can do the quick math. I mean, what is that, four or five times as many this term than he had in his first term. Holy cow.

BOLDUAN: And -- but then where are where -- where are Republicans in terms of on this? Like, sign -- getting on -- getting stuff through Congress or not, signing executive orders. It all comes down to trust. Like, who they actually trust to do it better.

ENTEN: Yes, you bring in Donald Trump as the closer. He is the Mariano Rivera of the Republican Party, or maybe Jonathan Papelbon if you're a John Berman. You're welcome, Johnny B. Who Republicans trust more? If these groups disagree on an issue, Donald Trump or the GOP leaders in Congress, just 22 percent say that GOP leaders in Congress, 58 percent, that's a very large number, say Donald Trump.

So, the bottom line is, yes, Congress is struggling, but Donald Trump is thriving in terms of getting his agenda enacted. And that is why Donald Trump is going to be pushing these Republicans very hard in order to get this budget passed.

BOLDUAN: Well, of course, because executive orders, those can change with the signature of the next president.

[08:45:03]

ENTEN: You got it exactly right.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Harry.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: I'll just wait. Waiting. Waiting. ENTEN: Wait.

BOLDUAN: You can -- and here we go.

BERMAN: All right, here we go.

New this morning, multiple sources tell CNN that a decision from former Vice President Kamala Harris regarding her political future could be coming later this summer. The former presidential candidate has been weighing a potential run for governor of California, hosting informal meetings at her Los Angeles home and speaking with former aides on issues most pressing to California voters.

So, let's get right to CNN's Isaac Dovere for the latest on this.

What are you hearing?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Good morning, John.

Well, look, she is back home in California. That's where she's been mostly since Trump's inauguration. And she's really been thinking about what is ahead for her, but also what's ahead for California.

The state is running up against a huge number of problems. A $12 billion shortfall in the budget just for next year, according to Gavin Newsom, the outgoing governors, he's term limited. They're looking at, obviously, the recovery from the L.A. wildfires from earlier this year. That's a huge project. The film industry suffering a lot. All sorts of things going on. And that is not even counting things like the recession fears that people have and how that would affect things, trade, how that would affect things, and Medicaid cuts that might be coming through this budget bill that's working its way through Congress. That is California at a real crossroads and a crisis point.

And Harris is trying to figure out if that is the right place for her to be and whether she would want to step into this field and say, I want to be the one to -- to help California at this moment.

BERMAN: You know, being governor of California is never easy. You know, let alone now. We keep saying deciding this summer. Is this, like, the summer starts in June, right? I mean are we talking June, July, August, September? What's the time frame?

DOVERE: The people that I've spoken to and which include a lot of people who have spoken with her, feel like this would come -- probably be late summer if she were to announce. And we don't know whether she's going to do it here. But if she were to announce that she was running for governor, it would probably be late summer, maybe even after Labor Day. But in a way that would give her enough time to do this campaigning. She does not want to run and be seen as taking the -- the race for granted, or taking a win for granted, but really would want to throw herself into it if she does decide to do it.

There are a lot of other people who are running, though, and not all of them are -- are too pleased to hear that she might be jumping into the race. BERMAN: No, the real problem comes with those who are running who are

super close friends. I mean that's where it gets very delicate.

Isaac Dovere, great to see you, as always. We enjoy your reporting. Thank you.

And, Sara.

SIDNER: It's me, John. Thank you, Johnny.

This morning investigators, look at this, combing through evidence connected to the explosion at that Palm Springs fertility clinic. Look at the damage there. Now, it includes what authorities are calling a manifesto and a rambling audio recording posted online. The FBI calls it one of the largest bombing investigations ever in southern California. The suspect was the only person killed in the blast.

Joining me now is CNN's senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.

OK, so, when authorities say something like there was a manifesto, we all think that it's this, like, well thought out, very researched -- that's not always what it is, correct?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Very rare. Very rarely, right? So, we think about manifestos. Maybe you think about the -- the Unabomber who wrote this massive, you know, for real manifesto.

SIDNER: That's right.

MCCABE: Typically what -- when they say manifesto, we're talking about a personal statement from the actor that reveals something of their motives, of their desires, what they were thinking about, maybe what led them to that moment, that path towards radicalization. But it's got to be in the actor's own hand.

SIDNER: When it comes to an investigation like this, I mean, southern California has never seen a bombing this bad in the years that I can remember, as far back as I can remember. I mean, this is -- this is an incredibly damaging event. What are authorities looking for to sort of go back -- because now they have a suspect, to go back and find what to try and sort of link all this and figure out how this actually came to pass.

MCCABE: You know, your first concern, Sara, is, obviously, making the scene safe. And that takes quite some time because bomb teams come in to ensure that there aren't any other secondary devices or any other hazards. So, that's clearly been done now.

They're also collecting evidence, which as we know from their statements, it's a massive crime scene. The force of this explosion was enough to completely destroy a vehicle and send pieces of it blocks away. So, it's collecting that material.

Ultimately, we want to know exactly, not just why this person did what they did, but how they did it. What sort of components they used in the device? How did they obtain those components? How did they fund those purchases? Because the answers to those questions let us know if this person was working with anyone else. And that's really the key here.

SIDNER: I knew you were going there because it is -- it is key, how did this person figure this out? Did he go online and figure out how to make a bomb?

MCCABE: That's right.

SIDNER: How did he get the components? I mean those are all really important things.

MCCABE: Absolutely.

[08:50:01]

SIDNER: Who sold them to him? Did they know? Et cetera, et cetera.

I do want to ask you a little bit about hearing from some of the investigators saying that there may have been a plan on his part to livestream all of this as it's happening. What -- what does that tell you about the person? Sort of the profile of this person.

MCCABE: This is something we've seen a lot in the last five to ten years, particularly in the realm of mass shooters. There has become a performative element to these crimes, to these attacks. And, you know, we saw it in -- with the -- infamously with the shooter in Christchurch.

SIDNER: Right.

MCCABE: And we've seen it repeated again and again. And it is, I think, indicative of the actor's desire, excuse me, to -- to create fame, to create infamy, to become known. We know that many of these, particularly disassociated young men, lead themselves down this path toward extremist beliefs because they bear these grievances about being alone in the world, about being isolated, about being -- not being accepted by peer groups. So, you can imagine that in that context, the ability to livestream some horrendous act that you're committed to kind of puts you out there in a way you've never been before.

SIDNER: I think we've seen this ever since Columbine, right?

MCCABE: Sure. Yes.

SIDNER: Where there's this desire for fame, even if you're infamous, even if it's -- it's negative.

MCCABE: That's exactly right.

SIDNER: It's -- it's really troubling. But it's -- it's not troubling to see you in person.

MCCABE: Oh, thank you.

SIDNER: Thank you for getting up so early and hanging out with us in these big, bright lights.

MCCABE: It's such a pleasure to be here.

SIDNER: Appreciate it.

All right, over to you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Ahead for us, a plane with more than 200 people on board flew without a pilot for ten minutes. We have a new report on how this scary incident occurred.

And also this morning, President Trump will sign the Take It Down Act into law. An initiative his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, is championing in this second term, taking on revenge porn.

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[08:55:46]

BOLDUAN: An investigation is underway after a 22-year-old model and influencer was shot and killed at her home in Columbia. Authorities say the suspect, disguised as a delivery man, shot Maria Jose Estupinan when she opened -- right when she opened the door. She's a university student and had been the victim of a domestic violence case, and was about to receive compensation for it. Now, her murder comes just days after a woman in Mexico, also an influencer, was killed while livestreaming from a salon. Officials there are investigating her death as a suspected femicide, the killing of a woman or girl for gender-based reasons.

Now, Pope Leo celebrated his inaugural mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday. During his homily, he condemned the exploitation of the poor and pushed for unity within the church. He also called for peace in Ukraine and offered prayers for the people in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people attended this inaugural mass, including Vice President J.D. Vance and the second lady and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

And it is -- it was a potential nightmare scenario. According to Spain's accident investigation authority, a copilot on a Lufthansa flight passed out while he was alone in the cockpit, leaving the flight with more than 200 people on board without a pilot for ten minutes. This happened in February last year on a flight from Germany to Spain. The details are just coming out now, saying -- also saying that the captain was in the bathroom at the time, had to use an emergency code to eventually get back into the cockpit. According to the report, the plane kept flying in a stable manner because the autopilot was engaged. However, the unconscious copilot did unintentionally operate some of the controls. When the captain was able to get back in, the flight did land safely. An investigation afterward found that the copilot had passed out due to a symptom of a preexisting neurological condition that he did not know that he had.

John. BERMAN: Hope he's OK, and I'm glad everyone on that plane is OK.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BERMAN: All right, today, President Trump is set to sign the Take It Down Act that will make it illegal to share online non-consensual explicit images, whether they are real or generated by artificial intelligence. The bill was championed by First Lady Melania Trump, who is expected to be with President Trump today during the signing at the Rose Garden.

CNN's Clare Duffy is with us now.

So, what exactly will this bill do?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, this bill does two really important things. One, it criminalizes the sharing of these non- consensual, explicit images, whether they're real or generated by AI, so that victims of this could go after the people who make this kind of content.

It also requires that the tech platforms remove these images within 48 hours of being notified that they're there. So, it gives victims a path to make sure that these images don't continue to spread around the internet.

This, of course, very important because as AI technology has improved, we've seen this form of harassment where people will use artificial intelligence to superimpose someone's real face onto a nude body, really growing as a form of harassment. Everybody from Taylor Swift to high school girls across the country have been targeted by this kind of harassment.

This is also the first -- really one of the first laws that is regulating how AI-generated content can be used. And I spoke with Ilana Beller. She's an organizing manager at Public Citizen, which is a non-profit that supported this legislation. And I think she really captured why this legislation is so important. She said, "AI is new to a lot of us, so I think we're still figuring out what is helpful to society, what is harmful to society, but non-consensual, intimate deepfakes are such a clear harm with no benefit."

And we are expecting President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to be in the Rose Garden today to sign this bill into law.

BERMAN: The way she put it, the clear harm part of it is an interesting way to look at it. You don't need to debate the larger implications here, you can focus on the things that are achievable.

DUFFY: The biggest risks, yes.

BERMAN: Right. All right, thank you so much for that.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

SIDNER: A crucial call in hopes of ending a war. President Trump expected to talk with Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after calling Russia's latest large-scale attack on Kyiv a bloodbath.

[09:00:02]

Cancer has spread to his bones.