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Trump Admin Urges Supreme Court to End Pause on Deportations; Justice Alito Slams Supreme Court Majority for Alien Enemies Act Order; Pope Francis Gives Blessing on High-Profile Appearance on Easter Sunday; FSU Waives Mandatory Attendance, Will Allow Remote Studies; FSU Shooting; Autism Discussion; Weinstein Retrial; Captain Canuck Returns. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 20, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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


[16:00:45]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with the intensifying legal fight over President Trump's controversial immigration policies. The administration is now urging the Supreme Court to allow deportations of a group of Venezuelan migrants detained in Texas under laws other than the Alien Enemies Act.

Just after midnight Saturday morning, the Supreme Court blocked the deportations under that 18th century act, freezing the fast moving case to allow more time for legal proceedings. And on another front, there is mounting scrutiny over the case of a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.

The Trump administration insists Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a violent MS- 13 gang member and will never be allowed to return to the U.S. But a federal judge said earlier this month the government has not presented evidence that connects Abrego Garcia to any criminal organization.

Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, who met with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador last week, spoke with CNN this morning about why his case is bigger than just one person.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): He was sad and traumatized that he was being in prison because he has committed no crimes. And that goes to the heart of this issue, because he's being denied his due process rights. And Donald Trump is trying to change the subject. And, you know, when people start asking about -- asking that question, in my view, they're falling into the president's trap because what the president wants to do is talk about that as if we can't all fight gang violence, which I've been doing for much longer than Donald Trump. Right?

His argument is you can't fight that and at the same time uphold people's constitutional rights. That's a very dangerous view. And if we deny the constitutional rights of this one man, it threatens the constitutional rights of everybody in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Kevin Liptak has more from the White House now.

Kevin, the Trump administration argues it should be allowed to continue with its deportation policies. What more are they saying?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they're claiming that these actions are legal, but it is clear that the president's goals of mass deportations, including using the Aliens Enemies Act, are now completely enmeshed in the federal court system and will be for the foreseeable future.

And just to take these two cases one by one, that case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who was living in Maryland and was deported mistakenly, according to administration lawyers, certainly has engulfed this White House. And you hear the argument from officials here is that, one, he would have been deported anyway. They say that he's a member of the MS-13 street gang. They have pointed, for example, to his tattoos for evidence of that.

And they say that he will, quote, "never be returned" to the United States. They have been supported on that fact by the president of El Salvador, President Bukele, who is here at the White House this week, who also said that he wouldn't be returned to the United States. But in saying all of this, they are essentially skirting the question of whether his deportation was a mistake. That is what administration lawyers told the court.

And today, even some of the administration's own allies are saying that it was, quote, "a screw up." Those were the words from Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, who is otherwise a top ally of this White House.

Now, on that other case that the Supreme Court ruled on early Saturday morning, saying that the administration should not take action to deport these Venezuelan men who were being held in Texas. This is sort of underscoring the skepticism that a majority of the Supreme Court has, that the administration can be believed to uphold its earlier ruling, which said that deportees under the illegal -- the enemy aliens act would need to receive notification within, quote, "reasonable time" of their pending deportations, and also that they are able to challenge them. And the court essentially saying that it didn't believe that the men in this case had received those sort of parameters.

[16:05:05]

The lawyers for those men saying that they had received a one-page document in English right before they were essentially loaded onto busses to head to the airport to be deported.

Now, today, we are hearing from a top administration official, Tom Homan, he's the administrations border czar, trying to explain why due process, at least in the normal understanding of that term, isn't being applied in these cases. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: The length of due process is not the same under the Alien Enemies Act. That's why the Alien Enemies Act was created. President Trump invoked the authorities he had in the Alien Enemies Act, an act written and passed by Congress and signed by a president. We're using the laws on the books, the statutes on the books to secure the border and remove significant public safety threats and national security threats in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So you hear him there explaining why due process isn't being used under the Alien Enemies Act. Of course, that law has only been used a handful of times in American history. Never before when the country was not at war. And so certainly plenty of judges, plenty of immigration advocates disagree that due process can be removed as part of this telling. Certainly, this will be a question for the courts will continue to have going forward as the administration continues this deportation push.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak at the White House, thanks so much.

All right. Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is slamming the Supreme Court majority for its Alien Enemies Act order this weekend. Alito was joined in the dissent by fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas.

For more now on this rare rebuke, let's bring in CNN's Marshall Cohen.

Marshall, what can you tell us about this scathing dissent?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, it was scathing from the two most conservative members of the court, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. But as you just heard from Kevin Liptak, this question on the table for the justices that they answered right around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, yesterday morning, was, do we let these deportation flights take place, or do we hit the pause button just for now?

This was not a sweeping decision that's going to stand for very long. This was an emergency order, an unsigned opinion issued at 1:00 a.m. in the morning yesterday just to hit the pause button because of those concerns raised by the ACLU lawyers and the immigration advocates that was basically making the case that the Trump administration was not complying with prior orders to give due process to these migrants.

So going back to Alito here, he was in the minority. The majority did not explain its decision making. They don't always speak with, you know, an issue, a written opinion to explain their views when they're acting on an emergency basis. But Samuel Alito decided to delve in and issue a five-page dissent yesterday.

And it was tough. I'll read it for you here. Quote, "Literally in the middle of the night, the court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party. Within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation."

He blasted his colleagues, Fred. But look, this is not the final word. We are expecting more clarity from the court in the coming days as they sort of dig into this a little more deeper -- Fred.

QUEST: All right, Marshall Cohen, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

All right. Now to the Vatican, this Easter Sunday and a highly anticipated public appearance by Pope Francis.

Today he delivered the traditional Easter blessing from the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica in front of delighted crowds. And the excitement continued when he greeted the faithful from his Popemobile. Here are just some of those moments.

(VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The pontiff's Easter appearance followed a private meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic. The Vatican says Vance was provided an opportunity to exchange Easter greetings with the Pope.

[16:10:04]

The vice president also met with senior Vatican officials on Saturday, following sharp criticism by the Pope of the Trump administration's immigration policy.

Joining me right now is Katie McGrady, host on the Catholic Channel on Sirius XM.

Great to see you, Katie. So, let's break down this visit and this day. I mean, how important was it for the faithful to see and hear from Pope Francis on this Easter Sunday?

KATIE PREJEAN MCGRADY, HOST, "THE KATIE MCGRADY SHOW" ON SIRIUS XM, THE CATHOLIC CHANNEL: It's a big deal to see our holy father anytime. I mean, people go to Rome just to see the holy father on a Wednesday audience or for the Sunday angelus. And we haven't seen him in Saint Peter Square for any extended period of time since early February. So this was really exciting. I'm sure the people there were thrilled that they were there, not just for Easter, but they got the first Popemobile drive through.

And I mean, even from Louisiana. We were watching it on YouTube with my kids, and we're going to be there next weekend. And they were asking, are we going to get to see the Popemobile? So it was a big deal to get to see him. And he looks well. He seems to be doing as well as can be expected after a 35 plus day hospital stay. So everyone is quite relieved and quite joyful to have our papa back.

WHITFIELD: Right. And that hospital stay after this double pneumonia. All right. And then, you know, given tensions and even the Pope's reference to the Trump administration's policies over immigration, given tensions between his point of view and theirs, were you surprised to see this moment happening where the Vice President JD Vance had an opportunity to sit with him, talk with him? JD Vance saying he prays for the Pope every day, him telling him that, according to some of the reporting I've seen. What was this moment like to see?

MCGRADY: Well, I was a little surprised that they met when they met. So they met at like 11:30 in the morning, which is when the Easter Sunday mass was actually going on in Saint Peter Square. So if you look kind of at the logistics and the lay of the land, they met at his residence right before Pope Francis was probably brought over to Saint Peter's Basilica for the Urbi et Orbi.

WHITFIELD: Right.

MCGRADY: So it was a quick greeting. It was an exchange of Easter greetings. This was not the formal on-the-books discussion like he had yesterday with the secretary of state. But I do think it was important that the holy father greeted Vice President Vance, who is a convert to Catholicism, who has spoken about his faith. He spoke at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast this year, and there have been those reported tensions.

I mean, let's be real, one of the last things Pope Francis wrote before he went into the hospital was a letter to the U.S. bishops, where he essentially critiqued some of the comments that Vice President Vance had made. And so this wasn't necessarily a, hey, Pope Francis is giving any sort of rubber seal of approval to anything that Vice President Vance or the Trump administration have said or done, but it was a showing of we can have ideological differences and conversations and discussions, which were certainly brought up I'm sure yesterday in the formal meeting, and also still Vice President Vance is Catholic.

And whether you agree wholeheartedly with something the Pope has or hasn't said, you pray for the Pope, and to express that as a Catholic is important for Vice President Vance to do. And I'm glad that he did. And I'm glad that the holy father greeted him. I think that was an important sign of he's his father, too. He's his holy father.

WHITFIELD: In a week. you know, from now, despite today's moments, or maybe in spite of, you know, Pope Francis will canonize Carlo Acutis. He was an Italian teenager who died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was renowned for using his computer skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith. He even earned the nickname God's influencer. Talk to us about this so-called millennial saint's path to sainthood.

MCGRADY: Blessed Carlo is, and I'll say this affectionately, he's my boy. A lot of millennials love Blessed Carlo, and I think it's because he will be the first canonized millennial of this generation. He grew up with the internet in some ways in its earliest form but long before we had social media in the way we now have it. And I think he provides this incredible example. And millennials especially feel this attachment to him of balance. Carlo was known for loving video games. He learned how to code to make

his own Web site about eucharistic miracles, but his mother and his father have talked a lot about he put limits. So he'd play for an hour, and then he'd go outside, or he'd say, you know, mom and dad, I'm going to work on the Web site. And then he'd go for a long walk. He understood the balance between the digital and the analog, and so he provides this incredible example.

The thing about Carlo that we need to remember is that he was a pretty ordinary kid who knew how to do computer things, who played with Pokemon cards, who watched movies, who hung out with his friends.

[16:15:02]

But when he was confronted with leukemia, and he died rather quickly from leukemia, the reason he's holy and the reason we can look to his sanctity is because he approached that suffering with a great serenity and peace. There have been reports about the doctors who cared for him, and how, in those final days before he slipped into a coma, how he wouldn't complain about the pain, how he would ask to receive the blessed sacrament, how there's this one anecdotal story.

The nurse comes in to take his vitals, and his parents had fallen asleep, and so she went to go wake up his parents. And Carlo said, no, no, let them sleep because they need to rest because they're going to have to plan my funeral. So he was just an incredibly kind and peaceful young man, even in the face of death. And he knew what was coming and knew that he would be united to God.

And so that example is so inspiring. It's inspiring. I mean, I'm bringing my whole family to go to his canonization because we love him so much and we want to be there when they say he's now Saint Carlo. That's -- a lot of people love him for a lot of reasons, and that's one of them.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's extraordinary. You did a beautiful job explaining all of that and safe travels to you. Katie McGrady, great to see you.

MCGRADY: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Thank you, to you and your family.

MCGRADY: Happy Easter.

WHITFIELD: Happy Easter.

All right, coming up, we're tracking a significant threat of severe storms for millions of families on this Easter Sunday. Plus, a new decision for students still worried about going back to class after a deadly mass shooting on the Florida State University campus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:11] WHITFIELD: Millions of Americans in the south and Midwest are facing severe weather threats this Easter weekend. Ten homes were damaged and dozens of high water incidents were reported in Oklahoma in what officials are calling a historic weather event.

Early this morning, just south of Oklahoma City, a family of three was caught in dangerous floodwaters when their vehicle became wedged against a drainage pipe. A woman and a 12-year-old boy died after they were swept away. A third person managed to escape and was taken to the hospital in serious condition.

And in Texas, a possible tornado was captured on video in Jacksboro, west of Fort Worth. Braden Pewitt filmed it while standing in his driveway with his family. A National Weather Service alert indicated several cities, including Jacksboro, were under a tornado watch last night.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has more on today's storm threats.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The threat is a twofold today. We have not only the potential for severe thunderstorms, but we also have the potential for flooding. And you'll notice on the map that both of those threats kind of encompass some of the same states. The overall threat area includes Southern Plains all the way up into portions of the Midwest. Now, the severe threats themselves, we're talking damaging winds up around 60 to 70 miles per hour. Hail that could be golf ball size or even larger.

And yes, the potential for a few tornadoes. This includes Memphis, Kansas City, Saint Louis, all the way down towards Shreveport, Louisiana. Now here's a look at the system as it continues to slide. The bulk of it really for the last 24 to 36 hours really hasn't moved all that much. But by the time we go through the afternoon and evening hours tonight, we finally start to see it exit states like Texas and Oklahoma, and really begin to push eastward.

This is good news for the flooding threat, because it's finally going to relieve some of these areas from additional moisture. By tomorrow morning we're finally starting to see it spread into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. This means for the Monday morning commute, places like Cincinnati, Nashville, and even Detroit could be looking at a very soggy start to the day. By late into the day, Monday now, we start to see it spread into portions of the northeast, mid-Atlantic, and also into the southeast, places like Knoxville and Huntsville, Alabama.

Here is the overall threat for the excessive rainfall. This is where you're going to have the best potential for that flooding. And that does include Kansas City, Springfield, Saint Louis. Notice those are some of the same cities that also had the potential for some of those severe thunderstorms. A lot of these places are looking at an additional one to three inches of rainfall. But keep in mind, that's on top of what they've already had for the last 24 to 36 hours.

WHITFIELD: All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. All right. Coming up, RFK Jr. says autism is an epidemic that destroys

families. Why some people are taking issue with the health secretary's comments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:28:26]

WHITFIELD: Classes at Florida State University are set to resume tomorrow for the first time since last week's deadly mass shooting, but the school's president is waiving the mandatory attendance policy after some students said they were concerned about returning to campus.

CNN's Rafael Romo is with me now.

What are you learning?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very difficult weekend there because people are supposed to be celebrating Easter, getting ready for graduation, for finals, all of that. Instead, they're mourning, Fred. And this week is the last one before finals. And FSU president Richard McCullough says he knows it will certainly not feel like a typical week.

Some students return to campus for the first time this weekend since Thursday, when a 20-year-old FSU student allegedly opened fire near the university student union, killing two men and leaving several others injured.

People formed prayer circles near the largest memorial on campus, located on the FSU pathway called Legacy Walk, near the student union. A CNN team counted about half a dozen memorials around campus on Saturday, mostly in the same area near the student union.

Given the circumstances, some students, faculty and staff wondered if campus would reopen this week. In a video message published on Saturday, FSU President McCullough said that while classes will resume Monday, the university will provide students and instructors with new options. This is part of his message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD MCCULLOUGH, PRESIDENT, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY: And we understand that some of you may not be able to return on Monday. It's OK. It's OK. We will be flexible and find a way to accommodate you. I promise. Please take care of yourself. If you need time or support, reach out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:30:11]

ROMO: So, it's about being flexible. And, according to McCullough, that flexibility is aimed at making sure everyone who needs support get the help they need during this difficult time. An FSU student shared with CNN the struggle he feels about going back to campus after the shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID SEYBOLD, STUDENT, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY: I don't feel safe right now being on campus. I don't know where -- how were going to do it. But, you know, there's a reason that Florida State is unconquered. We're stronger together. We will always move forward, whatever that looks like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: According to authorities, the suspect in the shooting, identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, is the son of a Leon County sheriff's deputy and an FSU student. Tallahassee police chief, Lawrence Ravel, said Thursday, there do not appear to be any connections between Ikner and any of the victims.

But, again, you could hear the emotion in that student's voice. It's just very difficult to cope with this right now.

WHITFIELD: This is a super tough time. All right, Rafael Romo, thank you.

All right. Coming up, the just-released files about the 1968 RFK assassination. What was in those files? What wasn't? And what the Trump Administration says this show of transparency means.

[16:31:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Health and Human Services' secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is facing criticism for claiming that autism is preventable and part of a chronic disease epidemic that destroys children and their families. He made those remarks at his first news conference as head of the department. Advocates and researchers say his rhetoric is harmful for Americans living with autism.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones shows us how families and members of the autism community are reacting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., SECRETARY, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: It is not a canard.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A series of controversial statements about autism, by Robert f Kennedy Jr., sparking anger last week in the autism community.

KENNEDY: This is coming from an environmental toxin. And these are kids who will never pay taxes. They'll never write a poem. They'll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.

JONES: He later clarified he meant among the most severe cases. The CDC says about a quarter of eight year olds with autism are considered to have profound autism.

For Russell Lehmann, who was diagnosed with autism at age 12, the words stung.

RUSSELL LEHMANN, DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM: It's degrading. There are some individuals out there who have very high support needs. To talk about them as if they are not able to contribute anything to this world does a disservice to them.

I was that little boy who would cry and shut down and break down the minute I wasn't by my mom's side, due to severe anxiety.

JONES: Lemon is a public speaker, raising awareness about autism and a lecturer at UCLA.

R. LEHMANN: I want people to know the real, raw, transparent look into my world.

JONES: Kennedy's remarks followed a CDC report, showing a rise in autism diagnosis rates among U.S. children. In 2022, about one in every 31 children was diagnosed by age eight, up from one in 36 in 2020, and one in 150 children in 2000, according to CDC data.

Autism diagnosis rates are also higher among boys than girls, and in Asian Pacific islander, black and Hispanic children. Experts have largely attributed this rise to the better understanding and screening for the condition.

But Kennedy argues that this lets industries that make or use products, he believe may be linked to autism, off the hook.

KENNEDY: And it's to their benefit to say all that to normalize it.

JONES: Kennedy says HHS has launched research to identify a cause for autism by September.

R. LEHMANN: For him to cut funding to where we are conducting that research and those studies, and then to start his own task force led by people who are anti-vaxxers, does nothing. If we got accommodations, we would thrive. All of us would pay taxes. All of us would be able to write a poem. All of us would be able to have a relationship.

JONES: Awareness is the first step for that, he says. In the mid- 1990s, when Lehmann was being diagnosed, autism was hardly part of the conversation.

JONES (on camera): How many different doctors did you go to?

GRETCHEN LEHMANN, RUSSELL'S MOTHER: I would say 10, easily.

JONES: And what did they tell you? G. LEHMANN: Usually, an incorrect diagnosis.

JONES (voice-over): As school became unbearable, Russell dropped out in the fifth grade.

G. LEHMANN: You know, I never had the opportunity to go to college or anything like that. I was very lost. Had no friends.

JONES: It was poetry that inspired him to make something out of his suffering.

LEHMANN: I always feel like I'm just one random act away.

JONES: The raw, unfiltered videos he posts online have gained him thousands of followers, many of whom say he makes them feel seen.

G. LEHMANN: I want to keep it authentic. I don't want to say autism is a superpower. If it's my superpower, it's my kryptonite. If it's my best friend, it's my worst enemy. You know? So, autism is neither good nor bad. It's both.

JONES (on camera): Now, the silver lining here, Fred, is that autism is, once again, in the national conversation. Lehmann says that while he also thinks it would be good to know more about the causes of autism, the energy should be focused on finding dignity and more support for those living with autism today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:40:07]

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much.

The Trump Administration has released about 10,000 pages of records on the 1968 assassination of Robert f. Kennedy. It comes just weeks after files were released on the assassination of his brother, John F. Kennedy.

Robert Kennedy was a U.S. Senator running for the Democratic presidential nomination when he was gunned down at a Los Angeles hotel. Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of the killing and remains in prison. RFK Jr., the current HHS secretary, says he does not believe Sirhan committed the murder.

Julian Zelizer is a professor and historian at Princeton University. He also publishes "The Long View" on Substack. Great to see you.

So, what stood out to you about the release of some of these files?

JULIAN ZELIZER, PROFESSOR AND HISTORIAN, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY (via Webex): Well, most of the information confirms what we know, supports what we know. And there's more words from Sirhan Sirhan to see just how determined he was to carry out this act. Thus far, that's the major findings, I think, from the documents.

WHITFIELD: RFK Jr., as I mentioned, you know, says he doesn't believe that Sirhan killed his father. But does, you know, history support his claim that it was someone else?

ZELIZER: No. Thus far, the evidence still points to Sirhan Sirhan. There's no evidence showing something -- substantive evidence showing something different. And that's why historians keep coming back to that same story.

And so, the burden now, I think, is to prove something different. And it doesn't seem that this trove of documents from, from what has been learned so far, does that at all.

WHITFIELD: If anything, at least based on what we've been able to read from -- you know, material from the 10,000 pages, that kind of reaffirms what already been said. What kind of promise might there be in the remaining, or at least another 50,000 pages, that is said to have been revealed that will eventually be released?

ZELIZER: It might be there's findings that connect to other stories in American history from that period. That was a little of what happened with the JFK releases. There wasn't anything that really added to what we knew about the assassination. But we learned other things about what the CIA was doing during that period.

So, I think in many ways, that might be the most useful part of the documents, assuming there's no other revelations connected to the assassination. The more we have, the more we learn about the period. And we also get more support for the story that we have about how the assassination happened.

WHITFIELD: There will be files released or being made public by this administration on Martin Luther King Jr., as well. Overall, you know, this administration is saying it's important to release, you know, these -- this material. Are you in agreement that it's important to release this material or what are you hoping to learn of -- from these releases?

ZELIZER: More material is always better. We should have as many records as possible about individuals, about government. We have to handle them carefully. We need people who can contextualize what comes out.

Obviously, the big danger is they just feed either conspiratorial ideas or smear. But to have the record from the past is a good thing. We learn more. We can debate more. We can advance our knowledge about history.

So, totally in favor of having more documents, rather than holding them back.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julian Zelizer, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

ZELIZER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Happy Easter. All right. Straight ahead. The man who helped inspire the MeToo movement is going back to court. But the upcoming retrial could have some significant changes. [16:43:57]

WHITFIELD: Disgraced Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein, will be allowed to stay in the hospital for his retrial in New York. Our Elizabeth Wagmeister has more details and tells us about a new accuser whose attorney is speaking to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TARALE WULFF, WEINSTEIN ACCUSER: The thought that he would be free again is terrifying.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dawn Dunning says she's on edge, as disgraced movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein, goes back on trial.

WULFF: This has been such a long ordeal for me.

WAGMEISTER: Dunning's testimony and that of other supporting witnesses, helped convict Weinstein of sexual assault and rape in 2020. Then sentenced to 23 years in New York. But an appeals court threw out the conviction, saying too many accusers, like Dunning and Tarale Wulff were allowed to testify, even though Weinstein wasn't facing charges in their cases.

WULFF: It did highlight how difficult these crimes are to try, but it also highlights for me what needs to change.

WAGMEISTER: Weinstein denies that he ever sexually assaulted anyone. His lawyers claim he was made out to be the poster boy of the MeToo Movement, tainting the first trial.

ARTHUR AIDALA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We can hear the protests outside through the windows. There was an enormous amount of pressure on those jurors.

WAGMEISTER (on camera): More than 100 women who have all accused him, women across decades, unaffiliated with each other. Are all of these women lying?

[16:50:04]

AIDALA: I would tell you, Harvey Weinstein would say they are.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): In the retrial, three women will testify against Weinstein, including a new accuser who alleges Weinstein assaulted her in a Manhattan hotel in 2006. The woman's identity is currently unknown but Jane Doe's attorney is speaking first to CNN.

LINDSAY GOLDBRUM, ATTORNEY: She is one of the bravest, strongest women that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You can imagine that any individual, who is going to testify against someone as powerful as Harvey Weinstein, is going to be nervous. There's going to be a certain level of anxiety. But, at the end of the day, she's ready for her testimony. WAGMEISTER: She'll join two other women whose testimony led to

Weinstein's conviction in the first trial. Former actress, Jessica Mann.

MIMI HALEY: I told him, no, no, no.

WAGMEISTER: And a former Weinstein Company production assistant, Mimi Haley, who alleges Weinstein overpowered her and forced himself on her.

HALEY: I remember Harvey afterwards, rolling over onto is back, saying, don't you feel we're so much closer to each other now? To which I replied, no.

GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: It's painful to go through the process again about a traumatic event. And she finally decided to do it. And I commend her. It does take a tremendous amount of courage.

WAGMEISTER: Haley's attorney, Gloria Allred, disputes that the MeToo movement has weakened. She says a jury will, again, believe these women.

ALLRED: They refused to be ruled by fear. Fear is now on the other side. Fear by the defendants.

GOLDBRUM: I think that what's important to understand about the court of appeals decision is that it wasn't based on not believing the women. It was based on a procedural difference.

WAGMEISTER: Weinstein's defense says he's in poor health, and that his life ultimately may come down to the verdict in this trial.

AIDALA: The stakes could not be higher for Harvey Weinstein in this trial. I'm not sure Mr. Weinstein has enough gas in the tank to sustain the years of -- that the appellate process takes.

DAWN DUNNING, ASPIRING ACTRESS: I know everyone thinks he's so old and frail and sick, but he's never going to stop.

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Now, this is a story that I have been covering for nearly a decade. I covered both of Weinstein's trials in New York and here in Los Angeles. And what I have learned throughout the course of my reporting is just how difficult it is to prosecute sex crimes' cases like Weinstein's.

Even though he has been publicly accused by more than 100 women, those accusations is not what this trial is about at all. This trial will just boil down to the testimony of three women.

But if Weinstein is acquitted in New York, remember, his conviction still stands in Los Angeles, where he was sentenced to an additional 16 years. But Weinstein is also appealing that decision. Back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much. And we'll be right back.

[16:53:13]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. President Trump makes an appearance in a Canadian comic book. But he's not the hero. CNN's Paula Newton explains how Trump has inspired a new mission for Captain Canuck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Canada Day, folks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, Canuck, get moving. There's a holiday crowd out there, and we have less than three minutes.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Canada's comic book superhero, Captain Canuck, is back. And, this time, he's taking on U.S. president, Donald Trump. In this 50th-anniversary issue, Captain Canuck fights to protect Canada's independence from the U.S.

Canuck's co-creator, Richard Comely, says he wanted to bring the maple leaf-covered hero back, after Trump said he wanted Canada to become the 51st U.S. state and started his trade war with allied countries.

RICHARD COMELY, CO-CREATOR, CAPTAIN CANUCK COMIC BOOK: All of a sudden, Trump gets into office and he starts talking about annexation and tariffs. And, yes, all of a sudden, Canadians are looking to Captain Canuck as a symbol. And it's -- basically, to them, Captain Canuck symbolizes independence. We have -- no thank you. We have our own independence. We have our own symbols.

NEWTON: Since 1975, Captain Canuck has been a symbol of Canadian strength. Storylines about fighting off foreign powers and groups who've tried to take over Canada.

COMELY: Never, never in any of those stories was it America that was going to be taking over Canada.

NEWTON: Captain Canuck has been popular in Canada for years, with a countless number of comic books, spin offs, and even a web series. Comely says he has received lots of new interest in the character, since political tensions began to rise between the U.S. and Canada.

COMELY: So, in a sense, we have Mr. Trump to thank for a bit of resurgence.

NEWTON: Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And then, there's Dodgers' legend, Shohei Ohtani, who has so many titles: big hitter, pitcher and, now, dad. Ohtani announced on Saturday that he and his wife, Mamiko, have welcomed a baby girl. Oh, my God, what a precious picture he posted on social media. This photo of them holding a pair of newborn feet. [17:00:00]

WHITFIELD: So tiny. This is the couple's first child. Ohtani thanked the Dodgers' organization, his teammates and fans for their support and encouragement.