Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Two Louisiana Inmates Remain at Large; Another Round of Severe Weather; Putin Wants Written Pledge from West. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired May 28, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:33:11]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, two inmates who escaped a Louisiana prison nearly two weeks ago remain on the run. Authorities say Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves should be considered armed and dangerous. Eight other inmates who managed to escape that day have been recaptured.

CNN's Ryan Young joins me now.

Antoine Massey specifically has a criminal history as a fugitive and someone who's been able -- who's been able to break out of jail before. What are you learning about the whereabouts, potentially, of these two?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's a lot of questions just about why he was on the floor that he was on when you know that he has a propensity to sort of escape. This is the third time he's done something like this. Massey's actually wanted for rape and kidnaping and is accused of domestic abuse.

Now, Derrick Grove, at the time of the jailbreak, was waiting to be sentenced after being convicted of two counts of second degree murder, in addition to two separate counts of manslaughter. So, when you look at the two men who are still out there, they are believed to maybe have been behind some of the pieces of this when it comes to the escape here.

And, in fact, they've been using AI to go back and listen to not only the jail calls, but some of the planning that may have been involved in this.

Take a listen to the DA as he talked to us yesterday about this investigation into this escape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON WILLIAMS, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, ORLEANS PARISH: We've got a lot of leads. The Crime Stopper tips are coming in. My office, my digital forensics team, has been scouring through hours and hours of jail calls using some AI software to figure out who they were in contact with the night before, hours before, to figure out where they may have been heading. Their circle is tightening as people who are assisting are being arrested. That circle is tightening around these last two.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, Sara, if you and I were talking off camera, we would say this almost reminds you of almost like some "Shawshank Redemption." They go through a hole in the building, they get out and they run off.

[09:35:03]

But this is, at the end of the day, is not that.

And there's so many questions about how they were able to do so many of the steps of this and to get away. We talked to the former sheriff of the jail. He says there should have been an alarm system that as soon as they got behind that wall, something should have told someone in the background that something was wrong. And then they went through another door before crossing the highway.

There are so many questions about this. But I will say this, the public has been so great in terms of calling Crime Stoppers and the FBI tip line to get these men and sort of the tips and information to sort of capture some of the other people who have been involved in this. But when you think about this, $20,000 on each person's head. Those two men still on the run, considered very street savvy, considered to be the masterminds behind this. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few hours.

SIDNER: Yes, one of the things going against Massey is that he's got this very distinctive face tattoos as well, that people may be able to spot in the public domain.

YOUNG: Can't avoid that.

SIDNER: Yes.

Ryan Young, great reporting for us this morning. Thank you so much.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now millions of people are at risk for another round of severe storms today, reaching from the southern plains through the southeast.

CNN's Derek Van Dam tracking this one for us. He's here now.

Derek, what are you seeing?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we've got a flash flood potential as well this morning. So, a bit of a caveat to the coastal plain of Texas. Remember, Corpus Christi, to places like Houston, large urban footprint there. So, it makes it more prone to that runoff and especially when the rain starts to pile up very quickly.

We've already accumulated over four inches of rain in and around San Antonio. There's a flash flood warning associated with the heavy rain that moved through overnight. That expires here within the next 30 minutes or so but, nonetheless, could see some -- some of that localized urban flooding.

We're going to watch out, though, for this coastal area of Texas with the showers and thunderstorms that are moving through, just about to enter the Houston metro, already impacting Corpus Christi, southward into Brownsville. There was a thunderstorm warning just a few moments ago, but it looks like that storm system now starting to push off the coastal areas.

Nonetheless, severe threat today south of Atlanta along the coastal areas of the Gulf region. And then we start to increase that threat, especially across the central and southern plains, as well as the hill country of Texas.

But look at this. This hatched area across the central plains, that's an area we could see very large hail develop this afternoon with some of these thunderstorms. So, the time frame for that really right around dinner. You can see, just south of Dallas, perhaps into the Austin region, further northward, just east of Denver, that's where we expect these pop-up thunderstorms to produce the large hail, the strong winds. And as they move across the south, they'll bring that flood threat along with it in a very, very wet and saturated area.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

Derek, thank you so much. It's great to see you.

Still ahead for us, this morning, a new report on what Vladimir Putin wants as a condition for a ceasefire in Ukraine. What he reportedly wants in a written pledge from western countries.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:38]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this morning, a written pledge to end what he calls NATO expansion eastward. Also lift a number of sanctions. Russian sources tell Reuters that these are Vladimir Putin's demands to end the war in Ukraine.

Now, this morning, President Trump is said to be considering new sanctions on Russia and said to be frustrated that Moscow is stalling on a ceasefire. The president has warned Putin on social media that if it were not for him, lots of really bad things would have happened to Russia, adding that Putin is playing with fire.

With us now, CNN military analyst, retired General James "Spider" Marks.

Spider, thank you for being with us.

Just this written pledge to promise to not expand NATO eastward. As a starting point, why do you think Putin wants that, and is it something that should be on the table?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Clearly Putin wants that. I mean he has stated all along he's looking for some type of a protection from a near abroad. He wants a buffer between NATO -- NATO and Russia. And he essentially has it with Belarus. And his intent for the invasion three years ago was to achieve that with Ukraine. He failed in Ukraine, but he achieved a bit of it, right, from Kharkiv, all the way down to the Crimea.

So, I think, in his mind, this is essential. And through his perspective, you got to put this in his perspective, NATO stated early after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States stated in concert with NATO that we would not expand an inch eastward. Well, we did that. Over the course of the intervening years, we chalked up a number of NATO partners, and we went right up to his doorstep. So, from his perspective, we're lying bastards. We don't do what we say we're going to do.

So, we have to be able to understand this from his perspective. But to assume that he's going to embrace a written accord or a statement from anybody and be a signatory to that is foolish on our part.

BERMAN: That's a great point. That last point is, any proposals, any agreement he makes, how can the U.S. or any country in the world necessarily buy into that for -- I also want to read you a statement that was made this morning by an aide to Vladimir Putin, Yuri Ushakov, who was talking about, you know, President Trump's new vocal skepticism on Vladimir Putin. This aide to Putin says, "Trump says a lot of things. Naturally, we read and monitor all of this. But in many ways, we have come to the conclusion that Trump is not sufficiently informed about what is really happening in the context of the Russian Ukrainian confrontation."

[09:45:09]

So, to what extent is this biting the hand that feeds them? I mean, President Trump said it explicitly, you have no idea how much I've done for you basically, President Trump to (INAUDIBLE) and now Putin and his people are -- are demeaning him to the world.

MARKS: Yes, it makes no sense. I mean, look, President Trump essentially called President Zelenskyy a jerk in the White House. And -- and I know they noticed that. Russia noticed that.

BERMAN: Right.

MARKS: So, I don't fully understand what the intent is here. I -- I really don't. I can't get into the head of Putin, nor can I into the head of our president. But clearly, what our president is concerned with is Putin has embraced none of the offers for some type of an engagement that would bring us to some type of a ceasefire. And then you got to sustain that ceasefire, and then maybe you move in the direction of some longer term agreement, whether that's a peace agreement, an armistice of division of Ukraine, not unlike Berlin post-World War II. I -- I don't know. But you would think that Russia would realize that this is an opportunity for them to get exclusively off their war economy, which is what they're on, and they can only sustain that for the next maybe 12 to 18 months.

BERMAN: Yes.

MARKS: Can NATO, in the interim, do the same thing? Can they continue to support Ukraine over that period in a fulsome way that gives Russia every incentive in the world to stop this thing.

BERMAN: Yes. Again, President Trump says that Putin is playing with fire. It's not clear what that fire is. Is it clear to you what fire that President Trump or NATO has shown Vladimir Putin?

MARKS: No. And I -- and I don't -- and I don't know, John, whether -- whether this administration, our administration, wants Putin to get burned or whether they want to try to extinguish the fire before there's additional burning. And I -- I really don't know what that means, other than our president and our vice president have said, look, if Putin doesn't start acting appropriately, which means stop -- stop your crazy, brutal behavior, criminal activity, and we're going to walk away. If NATO can't step up, we're going to walk away. I mean that's been the clear message.

BERMAN: Yes.

MARKS: (INAUDIBLE) has received that.

BERMAN: Which is exactly what Putin wants in theory.

All right, Major General James "Spider" Marks, always a pleasure to speak with you. Thank you very much.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: A second suspect is now in custody after the alleged kidnaping and torture of a man all over his crypto password allegedly.

And Eva Longoria is bringing you to the coastal beauty and rich history of Galicia on this week's new episode of "Searching for Spain." Berman is excited.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:11]

SIDNER: We are standing by for one of the suspects in that crypto kidnaping and torture case to appear in court. John Woeltz was arrested for allegedly holding a wealthy Italian cryptocurrency trader hostage for weeks as part of what police said was a violent scheme to obtain his bitcoin password. A second suspect in the case turned himself in yesterday. Prosecutors say the two men threatened to kill the victim and his family, and they also held him and used electric wires to shock him.

All right, the WNBA says it can't substantiate allegations of racist fan behavior directed at Angel Reese during a game earlier this month. An alleged -- an allegation was made that it happened when her team, the Chicago Sky, and Caitlin Clark's team, the Indiana Fever, played in Indianapolis. The league says it spoke to fans, teams and reviewed the audio and video from that game.

All right, some houseguests are truly unbearable. You're welcome, John. Like this one. Oh, I know everyone's saying, oh, but he might eat your face off. Whatever. A black bear who made itself comfortable on a kitchen stove. Authorities say it climbed up a ladder outside, squeezed through an opening into the attic, and then fell through the ceiling. A game warden and a deputy who eventually got the bear outside. Everyone's OK, calm down, including that adorable bear.

John.

BERMAN: As I always tell my boys, I don't have to be faster than the bear, I just have to be faster than you.

SIDNER: Good one.

BERMAN: This Sunday, Eva Longoria is back -- I actually do tell them that.

This Sunday, Eva Longoria is back with a new episode of the CNN original series "Searching for Spain."

I sat down with her at a restaurant to learn about Galicia's fresh seafood, wine, language, history, and traditions that the region is known for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVA LONGORIA, HOST, "SEARCHING FOR SPAIN": We have moved on to the Galicia region --

BERMAN: Galicia.

LONGORIA: Which they speak Gallego there. They are really known for their seafood, specifically for its octopus. But it's also known for its beef. It has a very, very famous Galician blond beef that you can only find in Galicia. And it is rare. It is expensive. It is a cow that is massaged and -- and taken well care of until it is on your plate.

BERMAN: Is this where you -- you had a piece of meat and then called your dad in Texas and said, you guys --

LONGORIA: I did.

BERMAN: You guys think you know beef.

LONGORIA: I did call him. We had a cattle ranch in Texas. I'm like, if anybody knows beef, it's me. It was the best beef I have ever eaten by far.

Albarino.

BERMAN: Ah, cheers.

LONGORIA: Cheers. Another favorite of mine in Spain. BERMAN: I think that might be my favorite.

LONGORIA: No, I love an Albarino too. But Albarino is a grape specific to Galicia. Galicia is really a rich region of Spain that is known for the best products, whether it's produce, seafood or beef. But the interesting thing about pulpo, which is the octopus.

[09:55:03]

So, the pulpo has to be prepared by a pulperia, which is a person who specializes in making octopus. And it's a very simple -- it's -- you just boil the octopus and then you put a little bit of paprika on it. And then you usually eat it with a toothpick, but we can eat it with our fingers.

BERMAN: OK.

Sometimes in the U.S. we I octopus --

LONGORIA: Chewy.

BERMAN: Yes, it's chewy. This is not chewy.

LONGORIA: No. When you're in Galicia it is out of the ocean onto your plate. The other thing I drink in Galicia was queimada, which is the drink that they light on fire. And you have to say this incantation in -- in Gallegos that burns off evil spirits. And so, I got to make that, mix it, pour it in a cup and burn away any negative energy.

BERMAN: You know we could all burn away some evil spirits.

LONGORIA: Yes, exactly.

BERMAN: I think it's -- it's something we could all use a little bit.

LONGORIA: Yes, exactly. And, you know, Galicia was the only region I had never been to. I had always wanted to go to Galicia because it's the end of the Camino de Santiago, which is a catholic pilgrimage that could start in France and ends at the cathedral in Santiago, Galicia. And so, to be there in Galicia, in front of the cathedral, and you see all of these groups, they arrive, and they're in tears and they're praying at the cathedral that they made this pilgrimage. It was really beautiful to watch. And I want to do that. I want to do the pilgrimage one day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: And of course we should have a wine pairing for all of our interviews on this show.

Be sure to tune in for a new episode of "Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain," airing Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

BOLDUAN: I'm sorry, that's not in your contract because --

BERMAN: There should be a wine pairing. SIDNER: I want the drink where you're burning off evil spirits. We could put it here and get rid of all the evil spirits out there.

BOLDUAN: We need like a cauldron -- we need like a cauldron of it to get rid of these guys.

Love you guys.

Thanks for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SIT ROOM," up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)