Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Supreme Court Orders New Trial Richard Glossip; Pope Francis Remains in Critical Condition; Musk's SpaceX Gets FAA Contract; Yosemite in Distress. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired February 25, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. The Supreme Court just ordered a new trial for Richard Glossip, the Oklahoma death row inmate, drew national attention. CNN's Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid joins us now. Take us inside, Paula, what the high court ruled here.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Pam, this has been one of the biggest cases of the term so far, and certainly the most high-profile death penalty dispute to make it before the justices. And here, the Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for an Oklahoma death row inmate, Richard Glossip.

Now, his case, as you said, it has garnered national attention and even support from the state's conservative attorney general amid questions about whether key evidence was withheld during his trial. Now, he was convicted for arranging a murder. His conviction goes back to 1998. But there's subsequently been additional questions about some of the evidence that was used in this trial.

Now, in the opinion today, Justice Sotomayor said, quote, "We conclude that the prosecution violated its constitutional obligation to correct false testimony."

Also, Pam, an interesting breakdown in the justices here. Five justices sided with Glossip on ordering a new trial while two conservative justices, Justice Thomas and Justice Alito, dissented. But conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett said she would have just sent the whole case back to the lower court and let it decide how to move forward.

I mean, this is really such an extraordinary case. He has been scheduled for execution nine times. And three times he has had his last meal before his execution has been stayed, and now he will get a new trial, Pam.

BROWN: Unbelievable. He's had three last meals and now this from the Supreme Court. Paula Reid, thank you. Coming up, a symbol of distress draped on one of America's most iconic natural wonders. Workers at Yosemite raising the alarm about how they say drastic cuts could lead to disaster. I'll speak to someone who works closely with those at Yosemite next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:00]

BROWN: Well, the Vatican says Pope Francis rested well all night in a Rome hospital, adding that he's showing slight signs of improvement, but he remains in critical condition as he battles double pneumonia. On Monday, he met with two senior Vatican officials and made a series of bishop appointments. Worshippers have been holding vigils for the pope since he entered the hospital almost two weeks ago.

Well, Rudy Giuliani's years long defamation saga is now over. He reached a settlement to resolve the nearly $150 million judgment against him, according to lawyers for the two Georgia election workers who sued him after the 2020 election. Giuliani will narrowly avoid a second trial, which could have cost him his Florida condo and New York Yankees World Series rings. We don't know the details of the settlement, but Giuliani said on X that he has agreed to never speak about the women in a defamatory way again.

And new this morning, Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink just got a contract with the Federal Aviation Administration. Now, the FAA is just one of the many agencies where Musk is recommending cuts, raising new conflict of interest concerns. CNN's Pete Muntean is following this. Pete, what exactly will Starlink be doing at the FAA?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, this is not the first time there have been conflict of interest concerns when it comes to Elon Musk and the Federal Aviation Administration. Remember, SpaceX and all private space launches are overseen and certified by the FAA. So, this only adds fuel to the fire for members of Congress who've been calling for the Trump administration to put the brakes on any conflicts that could benefit Musk.

This latest rub came out on a post on X last night. The Federal Aviation Administration said it is testing Starlink satellite internet at three locations. The FAA's test center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Also, what it calls two non-safety critical sites in Alaska. This is timely because getting reliable weather information in Alaska has been a major issue. It was just highlighted earlier this month after the crash of a Bering Air Cessna caravan, killed 10 people. Flying is a vital way of life in Alaska. State has the highest number of pilots per capita and often weather automated weather reporting system are working can really be the difference between life and death for pilots.

[10:40:00]

The FAA says in a new statement that Alaska has long had issues with reliable weather information for the aviation community and the 2024 FAA reauthorization required the FAA to fix telecommunications connections to fix those needs. Likely only the start though. Bloomberg reports this could be a huge contract for Starlink eventually spreading to 4,000 Starlink terminals over the next 12 to 18 months.

Really no dispute here that the FAA's various computer and communication systems are in bad need of an upgrade. The Government Accountability Office said just this last December that urgent FAA actions are needed to modernize aging systems. Also, set this against the backdrop of Musk's cuts to the federal government. The FAA just asked X about 400 employees who help maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure. So, the story really developing all the time, Pam.

BROWN: It certainly is. Pete Muntean, thanks so much. Well, visitors to Yosemite National Park this past weekend saw a dramatic protest, an upside-down American flag. You see it right here. Now, this traditionally symbolizes a distress call. It hung over the side of the iconic El Capitan Rockwall, reportedly put there by employees raising the alarm over deep cuts to the park system by the Trump administration.

Around 1,000 national parks workers have been fired. Some of them are now saying this puts the entire park system in peril and will change the experience for the hundreds of millions of visitors each year.

Beth Pratt joins us now. She is the regional executive director. She's the director at the National Wildlife Foundation. She also worked extensively in Yosemite and Yellowstone. So, Beth, what is your most immediate concern over the impact of these job cuts?

BETH PRATT, REGIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL WILDLIFE FOUNDATION AND WILDLIFE ADVOCATE: Yes, you know, I think we can all relate to having to tighten our belt and do our part. But when you're making indiscriminate cuts to vital services that are serving 300 million visitors a year, it's like cutting your frontline workers in a coffee shop and expecting them to serve coffee.

Let's work with the park managers if we need to make cuts and not make these sweeping and also shameful cuts. Some of these people were fired saying it was for cause when indeed they were just probationary employees. So, let's work together if there's cuts, but not risk things like camping, not risk things like people being able to hike or even risk having to close some of these public lands for staffing shortage or a shortage of expertise. Some of these people let go were vital services and people who had been there for a long time.

BROWN: Yes. What is the impact of that? And by the way, you're right that, we've talked to several employees who were fired saying it was performance after they had just gotten, you know, a raise or a promotion because of good performance reviews. But what is the impact of losing people who have a lot of experience in the role? Because we have seen that a lot of them have been let go.

PRATT: Yes, national parks and all these public lands, whether it's a National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Forest Service, they require people to protect them, they require people to manage the wildlife, to manage the people, law enforcement. There's a lot of institutional knowledge here. So, you want your best experienced people protecting these special places, which I think we can all agree on. The American people love our parks.

You know, I invite President Trump, come see our parks. You just did a NASCAR race. Round come to a round of Yosemite. These are not places we want to put at risk. We love them and we love our park rangers. But if you are cutting people who, again, manage vital visitor service like campgrounds, then park managers are going to have difficult choices.

As we've seen in Yosemite, they had to put the campground reservations on pause because they didn't know if they'd have enough staffing to manage them this summer.

BROWN: So, how do you think the experience, on that note, could change for park visitors after these cuts?

PRATT: Yes, you know, I think it's just going to depend on the park. I've been seeing so many, you know, heartbreaking stories, whether it be a wildlife refuge in Crystal River, Florida, where they cut, you know, the people working with the public and protecting the manatees, you know, a really critical species. I've been seeing other parks where they cut law enforcement. In Yosemite, they cut the only locksmiths. So, I think it's going to impact in a wide variety of ways.

But what we know is this is the absolute worst time. Those of us who work in parks, we're gearing up now. It is, you know, Memorial Day. I mean, to -- Labor Day is the busy season, where usually you're doubling your staff with seasonal and others. So, it is likely to impact services, we just don't know how.

But I'll tell you what it impacts more than the visitor experience is the park. Once a bear is harmed or dies because the trash had an impact because it couldn't be empty because of lack of staff, that bear doesn't get a do over. Once a sensitive meadow is driven on because you didn't have enough park rangers on the ground, that meadow can take decades to recover.

[10:45:00]

We know what happened during the pandemic when there weren't enough boots on the grounds and these parks were trashed. So, why do we want to risk our special places that most Americans agree are places that we want to preserve and protect? And again, why are we running our parks with a profit motive?

The -- what we are charged with our park, as mandated by Congress, is to protect them unimpaired for future generations. That should be the bottom line here.

BROWN: In his first term, President Trump signed this bipartisan Great America and Outdoors Act, which provided billions to fund maintenance and sustainment projects and national parks, but it's on track to run out of money this year. How concerned are you that this may be a kind of double whammy for parks and for wildlife?

PRATT: Exactly. You know, that's why President Trump supported parks and recreation in his first year. So, please, re-up that support. Look at these parks. These parks are not fat on the bone. You're talking a minuscule part of the federal budget. I hear some of these subsidies to other companies, which could literally fund the entire public land system for the whole year.

So, I am concerned, and the American people should be concerned. Please, again, in a time where we agree on very little, we agree on our public lands. We agree that we love our wild heritage and these natural landscapes. Ken Burns titled his documentary, "America's Best Idea." It is an idea of democracy that we exported to the world. So, I am concerned and the American people should be concerned.

So, please, we implore president and this administration to restore funding to parks and make sure that we can make them whole and protect them. And that visitors can bring their kids to go camping, that they can bring their kids to go fishing, right? These are time honored traditions that we don't want to put at risk.

BROWN: Beth Pratt, thank you so much.

PRATT: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: And when push comes to shove, one NFL team is looking to ban the tush push. CNN's Coy Wire is here. What's the deal, Coy?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: What's up, Pam? To push or not push the tush, that is the question. Is this a team being salty or are there some health and safety factors going on here? We'll have a live demonstration in studio coming up. Maybe not that last part, but all the other stuff and more in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

BROWN: It's a play that has become synonymous with the reigning Super Bowl champs. The tush push or brotherly shove has been a successful goal line tactic for the Philadelphia Eagles, but one NFL team wants to put a stop to their signature move. CNN Sports Anchor Coy Wire joins us now. All right. What's going on here, Coy?

WIRE: Yes. Is this just one of the Eagles division rivals being salty, Pam?

BROWN: That's the question.

WIRE: Like, you know, or a team that lost to them, or is it because, you know, they don't have a quarterback who could do it as well as Jalen Hurts with the Eagles. That's how he scored his first touchdown in their Super Bowl win over the Chiefs, the tush push, where a quarterback barrels ahead while getting shoved by teammates like a snowplow for a first down or a touchdown. Some say it's unfair. It's unstoppable. Others say, don't hate. Just figure out how to stop it. Like, probably Jake Tapper. You know, Eagles fans. The Super Bowl chance made it popular.

Well, NFL EVP Troy Vincent says at least one team has submitted a rule proposal to ban the play. At least 24 of the 32 team owners would have to approve the rule change, Pam. Here's one of the originators of the pushing of the tush, a.k.a. brotherly shove, former Eagle, future Hall of Famer, Jason Kelce, describing the way he sees this divisive play.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON KELCE, FORMER PHILADELPHIA EAGLES CENTER: It depends on what you think of football. Like, if you think football is this incredibly meticulously organized game with -- you know, it's like chess and whatnot, then I can see why you don't think the tush push is a very football centric play. But if you think football is a play that comes -- a sport that comes down to physicality, aggression, and like we're going to -- it's going to be our will versus your will for a yard, you know, I think that sums up football pretty good to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, whether it's fair or not, because teams can't stop it is one thing. But the key factor, Pam, determining if this play would be potentially banned in a potential vote, would likely be whether or not it is safe. And if injury data shows that this play does put players at greater risk for injury, then there would be a strong chance the tush push could be banned.

BROWN: We shall see about the old tush push. I'd be saying that today, but there you go. All right. So, let's switch gears to skiing. You spoke with one of the best, if not the best in the sport. What did she tell you?

WIRE: Yes, Mikaela Shiffrin. When you talk about some of the greatest athletes ever, she is one of them. On Sunday, she became the first downhill skier ever to reach 100 wins, an incredible moment for her, especially Pam, given how difficult these past few months have been. After 99th win, she had this scary crash in Killington in November, she punctured her abdomen. She was all beat up. It rattled her. She told me about her PTSD. And she also talked about how that might impact her moving forward in a career. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN, AMERICAN SKIER: With this latest injury, there's also a part of me that wonders if I'm going to be able to get back to that level. So, right now, probably my biggest goal has nothing to do with results and not about milestones, it's really just about diving within myself to see what's now possible. For me, that's really overwhelming and a little bit stressful to think about, but it's also kind of exciting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:55:00]

WIRE: So, those Winter Olympics are coming up soon, Pam. Mikaela is using this historic milestone to create positive change for our youth. $100,000 for 100 wins. Her mic 100 reset the sport campaign. She teamed up with Share Winter. They're going to provide young kids who wouldn't otherwise have access the opportunity to enjoy and learn the sport that's given Mikaela so many lifelong memories.

BROWN: Amazing. Good for her. Wow. Coy Wire, thank you.

WIRE: You got it.

BROWN: And coming up bakeries bearing the brunt of surging egg prices. Up next, I'll speak to a Washington baker who is scrambling right now for solutions.

[11:00:00]