so what will it take to get donald trump to stop? that question asked in court. donald trump walks out during closing arguments in the defamation damages trial against him. his lawyer warned that he could get locked up. and in a michigan courtroom a jury will decide if a mother should be held criminally responsible for the mass shooting at a school committed by her son. the judge and defense attorney have been butting heads all

morning long. >> vince mcmahon accused of sex trafficking. the allegations from the people who worked for him. i'm kate bolduan with john berman and sara sidner. this is "cnn news central." the breaking news. i want to get right to court in lower manhattan because inside that courtroom today in the defamation damages trial against donald trump, there has already been some high drama. donald trump's lawyer threatened with getting locked up. donald trump himself walks out during closing arguments. and now we're getting new threats from inside the courtroom. kara scannell has been inside following all of it. bring us up to speed. >> reporter: well, so e. jean carroll's attorney wrapping up closing arguments. her final line is the very question you said, what will it

take donald trump to stop doing this. she said he doesn't care about the truth, but he does care about money. so asking the jury to hit him where it hurts which is his pocketbook. this of course though coming after an already adventurous morning where trump's team was late into the courtroom. that already irritated the judge. and then they were fighting before the jury entered about what evidence to be shown on a slide and carroll's attorney saying they wanted to use something that wasn't even in evidence. trump's attorney trying to reargue the point with the judge and he said you are on the verge of spending some time in the lockup. now sit down. that is when the closing arguments got under way. trump in the courtroom sitting at the defense table, e. jean carroll's attorney began addressing the jury telling them that it has already been established that trump sexually assaulted carroll and that he defamed her, the job for them is to determine how much he should have to pay. and she started telling them, she said this trial is about whether the rules that apply to me and to you apply to donald

trump. and she said the case is about publi punishing trump for what he's done and continues to saying he hasn't even respected the previous jury's verdict because within 24 hour he was on cnn repeating at that town hall the same defamatory statements that the jury had just ordered him to pay $5 million for e. jean carroll. and at that point is when donald trump stood up from the defense table, turned and walked out of the courtroom with his secret service detail following him. it was a surprising moment and the judge interrupted carroll's lawyer telling the court reporter to note that donald trump just stood up and left the room. carroll's attorney continued on with her closing statement telling the jury how much it has cost her emotionally, losing her career, saying it took her five years to build it and donald trump shattered it within 24 hours. also saying that donald trump had some gall to say that

carroll even benefited because she became more famous after she went public with her allegations that he raped her in the '90s in a new york department store. she said he had the gall do that and asking the jury to award carroll a large amount of money to sxen say the her and try to get him to stop repeating the statements. >> what will it take to get donald trump to stop. the question from the plaintiff's lawyer. almost as if they were playing off his antics that were happening realtime in the courtroom there. it is interesting -- it will be interesting to see if that is how the jury sees it. we'll let you get back inside. donald trump's lawyers presenting their closing arguments very soon. and i want to bring inin theirry harry litman. the judge literally threatened trump's attorney with jail time because of the rule breaking antics in court. never mind their client's antics

in court. how might this all affect the jur jury? in the end they are the ones that sdecide what the damages will be. >> and her lawyer has been very savvy in showing them that they have the power and the responsibility. now, the comment that we just heard didn't happen in front of the jury. but he has plenty of times up righted her in front of the jury. and i want to say about trump's exit today, that might be a surprise or drama on tv. in real life in federal court, it is mind boggling. it just doesn't happen. and of course it just drips with contempt for the whole process, for the plaintiff, for the jury. it is almost calculated. first he proves very point that the lawyer was saying, he thinks rules don't apply to him. everybody, everybody sits still

and respectfully for closing argument. and it virtually begs the jury to impose stratosphere ic punite damages. >> we've been in plenty of courtrooms and i've never seen anything like that. some people might say this is something that rhymes with a skit show. but carroll's attorney told jurors what it will take to get donald trump to do. what do you think that will do when the jury hears that? it was something about what happened before, but also what was happening right then. >> and there are two parts to it. one his utter in-ckcore origina ability or nastiness, and probably also his wealth. ironically inflatedoriginal ability or nastiness, and probably also his wealth. ironically inflated accounts of his wealth. so i don't know if there is a cal could you later high enough for what they might be thinking about. at the end of the day, there

will an issue on appeal, whether maybe they went too high. but really they are just completely i think given the freedom, but sort of a sober task of really what could make him stop. it is only money. so how high can you go. >> yeah, i think that they are asking for $12 million in this particular case. i do want to ask you as to whether or not -- >> can i just say that is in compensatory. punitive could be to the roof. >> right, punitive damages are the damages that often are very, very high. so let me quickly ask you a quick question -- we'll get back to you, wheerg fre're hearing f alabama state attorney general after the execution. >> -- we stand ready to proceed.

most of those elections took place several years ago when legislature allowed this to take place. we have a quota for you -- sorry. go ahead. [ inaudible question ] i think it provides an opportunity for states to choose this method. whether they do so, that will be up to them. we know mississippi and oklahoma have chosen this as an appropriate method and i do believe based on feedback i've received other states will follow suit. [ inaudible question ]

>> clearly they were watching what took place and how it was able to occur in alabama. at this point we'll continue to offer not only other services and the experience we've had but also i'm sure our department of corrections will cooperate as well to the is ist tent extent want go. thanks for your time. >> we've been listening to the alabama attorney general and of significance, one of the reporters, we couldn't hear anything because the reporters were not miced, but one asked him whether it might be used elsewhere, this method that has never been used before in the united states until last night to kill an inmate. they used nitrogen. and he said this is an opportunity for states to choose this method alabama chose to use this method. we'll have much more on this story an unprecedented case of the way that they killed one of the inmates in an alabama prison. we'll get back to you on that in a bit. we'll thank harry litman who has

been going through a different case involving donald trump and now toss it over to kate. and we'll continue to follow that absolutely. we also have more breaking news this morning. united states state department has now halted funding to the u.n. organization for palestinian refugees, pabe paus funding temporarily after serious allegations that unrwa staffers were involved in the october 7 terror attacks in israel. the u.n. agency says it has fired the employees accused of being involved. let's get over to alex marquardt for more. this is a u.n. agency that has been operating in gaza for decades. and now these allegations are very serious. what are you hearing from state? >> reporter: yeah, incredibly disturbing. we heard about the allegations earlier from unrwa itself which had said that it had been given evidence by the israelis that

several of its staffers had been involved in the october 7 massacre. of course the deadliest day in israeli history. the commissioner general of unrwa said he took immediate action after receiving what he called shocking allegations to immediately terminate the contract of these unrwa staffers who are accused of participating in the october 7 attacks. and not -- very quickly after he made those statements, the state department came out with its own statement saying that the u.s. will now hold what they are calling additional funding, temporarily pausing additional funding for unrwa at this is investigated. to your point, it is hard to overstate the importance of the work that unrwa does in gaza. it is the main u.n. agency there during peace times, it provides critical levels of support in terms of schooling, all kinds of

aid, medical clinics, et cetera. and now during the war the main u.n. body that has been coordinating the entry of aid into the gaza strip both from the rafah crossing in egypt and also in israel. so they provide a vital service. they have had strained relations with the israelis, israeli government has repeatedly accused unrwa of allowing hamas militants to use their facilities to hide weapons, to fire rockets from their facilities that hamas militants have taken shelter inside their facilities. so it already was a strained relationship. now we see unrwa taking this immediate action. i also want to read part of the state department's statement from spokesman matt miller. he said "we welcome the decision to conduct an investigation and secretary-general guterres's pledge to take decisive action to respond should the allegations prove accurate. and we also welcome the u.n.'s announcement of a comprehensive

and independent review of unrwa. there must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in heinous attack of october 7. " we've reached out for more details on the allegation of the 12 staffers who the u.s. alleges may have participated in the october 7 attacks. >> this is so disturbing these allegations. alex, thank you so much. new developments in the trial of a mother whose son committed a mass shooting. the judge and the defense attorney arguing over the killer's potential testimony. and wwe founder vince mcmahon accused in a new lawsuit of sexual assault, trafficking and physical abuse.

emotions are running high today in a michigan courtroom. a mother standing trial for the hay fussheinous crimes her son committed. the jury will decide if his mother and his father there should be held criminally responsible for what she did and didn't do. both of the parents are now facing charges. and this is the second day of testimony in the trial of jennifer crumbley. let's get back to jean casarez.

she's been watching the trial play out live. what is the latest? >> more art becaugument because are texts from ethan to his mother, this is march of 2021. so a matter of months before the mass shooting. and in those texts, he says i'm home, i think somebody is in here, the door is slamming, somebody walked in, they flushed the toilet, but i don't think anybody is here. maybe these are my delusions. can't you respond to me. it will come to the jury. there was a ruling that no alcohol will be mentioned in this trial. the alcohol that the parents participated in. because there was -- there were empty alcohol bottles all around the house. that may change a bit. listen to the argument that just happened. >> i'm objecting to the portions about alcohol. sglt >> the door has been opened. the counsel said her client is a highway vigilant mother. nobody says anything about

having a cocktail. but when there is evidence that shows they are drinking when the son is texting things to the mother, no call back, that is important and it is important to show the jury what they actually did and spend their time on. >> can i see the text? >> so the judge just ruled this text will come before the jury from jennifer crumbley. i'm going to get drunk and ride my horse. and the judge said that is coming in because it shows her intent. >> where is this going to head now? this is really just -- i mean, this is the second day of testimony. >> it shows the state of mind of the mother. her son is crying out saying i think i'm having delusions, the wall is falling in. and though texts, he wrote those texts, and the mother didn't respond and now saying that she's going to ride her horse and get drunk. >> and the outcome of this, what the jury decides, could have huge implications for a parent being held responsible for a mass shooting that their son

committed. >> because of the knowledge of his mental health crisis. >> thank you so much. and employees fired, one woman arrested, all of it over a $35 drinking cup. and burn the boats, go to broke, what is the next move for nikki haley has the last person standing against donald trump.

donald trump back in the courtroom after walking out while the plaintiff's lawyers were delivering their closing arguments in the defamation trial against him. we're learning his attorney has just begun closing arguments. kara scannell has been there for all the twists and turns. what you can tell us about what is going on at this moment? >> reporter: yeah, so trump's attorney habba has begun her closing arguments. and trump did return to sit to listen to her try to convince the jury that they shouldn't award e. jean carroll damages and trump shouldn't have to pay. she began the closing argument by saying the plaintiff is trying to pin twitter troll comments on a former president of the united states without accepting any responsibility. they are trying to distance trump from the onslaught of negative e-mails, tweets, harassing messages that e. jean

carroll received after donald trump called her a liar when she accused him of raping her in the mid 1990s. her opening statement has already drawn one rebuke from the judge. she was raising questions about who was paying the fees of the witness that she called in this case, carol martin, a long time friend of e. jean carroll. she asked martin about that when receives on the stand and martin said she doesn't know. so habba mentioned it in the closing statement and that got the judge irritated. he told her if you violate my instruction again, you may have consequences. now, earlier before the jury was even in the room, he said -- he told habba who was challenging one of his rulings that he could thre throw her in lockup. so the tension is building. and carroll's turning gave her closing argument for about an hour or so earlier today. and in her closings, she was making the case to the jury that trump should have to pay.

and the only way to stop donald trump from repeating the statements that jury had already found to be defamatory was to make him pay a lot of money. millions of dollars in both compensatory and punitive damages. that is what they are asking the jury do. and in the closing statements from carroll's lawyer, they said this trial is about whether the rules that apply to us apply to donald trump. and that this case is about punishing donald trump for what he's done and continues to do. and they say that he has not respected the prior jury's verdict because just 24 hours later at a cnn town hall he was repeating the statements that that very jury had found to be do defamatory. at that moment donald trump got up and left the courtroom. but now that we're back in the closing arguments that his lawyers are giving, he is in the courtroom listening to this and that is expected to go another half hour or so. >> so you are telling us that again his attorney, ms. habba, has been rebuked by the judge

and warned again, twice this just one day. we'll wait to see what happens when she gets through her closing arguments. quite a day there. thank you for going up and down trying to get us the information as soon as possible. so former south carolina governor nikki haley, we're just hearing conducted her first interview since the new hampshire prirm. and in it, she talked about calling the chair of the rnc to complain about this motion that was introduced had would have declared donald trump the presumptive nominee. they eventually backtracked on it though. this is a quote from this interview, she is talking about donald trump here, she says "then he goes and encourages the members of the rmpnc into sayin that he is the nominee in the race. they got so much pushback that he had to backtrack from it, he's totally unhinged." that in a new interview just conducted by nikki haley.

he's totally unand i hinged. those comments make me think about a new column kate made me read in the "wall street journal" there peggy noon in an titled nikki haley should go for broke. she says that there is only one subject in an titled nikki haley should go for broke. she says that there is only one subjectin an titled nikki haley should go for broke. she says that there is only one subject now and it is feel the freedom. there is something glorious about the last stand. you can pick up the sword. and with us now, bakari sellers and also rena shaw. this made me think about the possibility of a multiple choice quiz on the events in south carolina. so what i want to ask about nikki haley down there, here is the question, the question is, nikki haley is staying in the race because -- a, she thinks she has a 23nonzero chance of winning, b, she wants to hurt trump, c, she's positioning for

something else, d, she still has money so why not. >> i'll go with e, none of the above. i think that people fail to realize kind of the selfish nature of -- most people first of all who run for president are decent layly a sociopath. but second, nikki doesn't have the self awareness of most. i will say i love it, because what she is doing is fracturing the republican party and damaging donald trump for the future. i think that democrats and republicans both acknowledge that. but this has turned into a vanity project because she cannot win this nomination. >> and see, you are throwing it back to my high school days. i used to pick two in a multiple choice test and i'll go with b and d. i think it is a combination of both of those. she wants to stick it to trump now. she's brought out the fangs this past fall and now she's got the money. so when you have money, desire,

stamina, you will take it right to him. and i see her getting more and more comfortable. if you were advising her campaign, i'd say it is time. it is time to go for the jugular. again, like peg gy noonan said, nothing to lose here. this is how you want to see the future of the party, how you want to see the country talk about the issues. she was responsible in talking about the kitchen table issues the entire past fall. that is what brought her all the support that she was not expecting. when you talk about koch brother, jamie dimon, people arrived at her doorstep on the basis of merit. and she's made a few missteps here and there, but she understands this is a fight for the soul of the republican party and she's ready for it. >> let me ask you question number two -- >> can i -- >> okay, bakari, you're going off script here. but go ahead, you are going for extra credit. >> my only thing is that she has all of these people at her doorstep, but none are republican primary voters. all of the donors that we named

today and she has them, so she will have money, but none actually voted in the republican primary. and i reject the premises of 3eg peggy noon in an's article that she doesn't have anything to lose. yes, she does. if she loses in south carolina, she will embarrass herself and damage her chances either to be a u.s. senator or be a republican nominee for president in 2028. people are no the looking at this with any sympathy and people around her are just cashing nikki haley for president checks and not worrying about her well-being. >> and that leads in to this question that was the next question on the test. if haley runs tough, if she runs a tough campaign in south carolina, it will, a, give her a shot to win there, b, wound donald trump for the general election, c, there is not a single frickin' thing she could do that would hurt donald trump in any way, d, even her in the

an annals of campaign history. >> oh, no, i'm picking two again. a and d. because she's hoping she has a shoot. she doesn't want an embarrassment in her home state. but maybe she's made peace with that that there is no future after this race. not everybody has to have ambitions out -- you know, that far. i understand she's a very ambitious politician. she has been for the past decade and some. and we've seen it on display. but i think again this fight is so different, this primary has shaken out in such a way this even political insiders like us could not have predicted exactly where we'd sit right here today at the end of january. so i would just say maybe -- look, she's practical, reasonable and understands it might be worth going down as a figure in history that at least had the fight and grit in her to do this darn thing in a different way. >> bakari, i'll let you get first dibs at the final question. nikki haley's chances of being picked as trump's running mate are a, high, b, better than

bakari's, c, exactly zero, plus or minus zero%, d, she would never accept even if offered. >> man, that is a tough one. i don't think -- i actually don't think her chances are better than mine at this point. the bar probably in hell. i don't think that she has a chance to be donald trump's nominee at all for vice president of the united states. you have people like stefan knick, sarah huckabee sanders and ben carsons who run circles around her. but look, i love this rose colored lens that we're look at nikki haley through. but i can tell you one thing, if nikki haley or when nikki haley does not win this primary, this will not be some gallon yant effort where she rides off into the sunset and says i tried to fix the republican party, put me in the annals of history. no, she'll be focused on 2028. >> note bakari just put himself on something of a short list for

running mate for donald trump. rina, last word to you. >> this is where we can agree, i think that we're on c here, exactly zero. there is way too much bad blood. and if i'm not mistaken a few weeks a go there was a bird cage on her doorstep sent by trump himself. so who knows. i think that they are done for good. >> a-plus to both of you on this quiz. thank you both very much. all i could think of when bakari started talking is so you're saying there's a chance. >> that's right, he's got a better chance he thinks than nikki haley to the donald trump's running mate. >> thank you for those tests. coming up, just ahead, disturbing allegations unveiled in a new lawsuit against wwe founder vince mcmahon. plus the spiritual adviser for the alabama inmate who was put to death last night by something unprecedented, nitrogen gas. they have been used before in a state. he called the execution, quote,

absolute torture. more on that ahead.

this morning an alabama state prison official said a first of its kind execution there went as expected. kenneth smith was killed by nitrogen gas through a face mask. a witness said smith appeared to shake and writhe on the gurney for several minutes. isabel rosales is outside the prison this morning where we have heard once again from officials there. >> reporter: yeah, the state certainly touting this brand new execution method as a success.

we heard yesterday from governor kay ivey saying the execution was lawfully carried out. and we also heard from the attorney general steve marshall who said that execution by nitrogen gas proved to be, " "effective method." and he said that execution by nitrogen gas is no longer untested, it is a proven one. and also saying that 43 more inmates here in alabama are slated to be executed in this way. here is what he had to say about nitrogen gas, the future of it as an execution method. >> what occurred last night was textbook. they deserve a great deal of thanks and credit for being willing to be the one to step up first in the country do so. and i now suspect that many states will follow. >> reporter: right, expecting many other states to follow

there. this is precisely what critics had feared. there were witnesses yesterday who viewed this execution who described smith on the gurney shaking, including cnn was the first to speak with reverend jack hood, spiritual viradviser hit who said that it was not painless, that it was absolute torture, that he saw smith struggling and he saw his face changing colors and gasping for breath and spitting beneath his mask. and these are the last words from kenneth smith before that flow of nitrogen gas was put on. here is what he said. "tonight alabama causes humanity to take a step backwards, i'm leaving with love, peace and light. thank you for supporting me, love all of you." so speaking very clearly there in those two sentences about the

future of nitrogen gas as an excuse method. the big question, will other states follow alabama and just how quickly. alabama is just one much three states including mississippi and oklahoma who have approved the use of nitrogen gas.much three states including mississippi and oklahoma who have approved the use of nitrogen gas. >> terrific work there all night long. thank you so much for your reporting. and new lawsuit accuses wwe founder vince mcmahon of sexual assault, trafficking and physical abuse against a former employee in the filing, they claim mcmahon promised her a job and promotions with wwe in exchange for sex and then trafficked her to a man inside and outside the company. mcmahon spokesperson says the lawsuit that is filed is filled with lies and distortions. v veronese a oig is here with the more details. some so disturbing.

>> 70 pages of graphic details about this woman's experience about wwe. she was an employee for about a year, she was promised by vince mcmahon a job in exchange for sexual activity with him. and as part of this deal so to speak, she was then trafficked to other men in the company and people outside of the company. she said she was also sexually assaulted. in one instance she describes being locked in a room with vince mcmahon and another employee. and being forced to engage in sexual activity. she said no. she says in the complaint that one of the men said no means yes. this is a woman who says that she has suffered trauma, she is still dealing with this abuse. she ultimately ended up leaving the company because she says that vince mcmahon forced her to sign an nda in exchange for $3 million. she says she's only received $1 million of that payment.

vince mcmahon obviously is a titan in the sports world and he has a lot of power. he was with wwe. however, he left when the company started to investigate a lot of these claims. and they found that he paid $12 million in hush money payments to women. in this complaint also, she alleges that wwe, others there, knew about this but did nothing. for his part vince mcmahon says in a statement via a spokesperson to deadline, "this lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made uninstances that never occurred, and vindictive disportion of the fruit. t truth. and he says that he will vigorously dwefend himself. mcmahon no longer works for wwe, but he works for tko and that is the company that owns w wwe. he is chairman of the board. and tko says "mr. mcmahon does not control tko nor does he

oversee the day to day operations of ww eflt. while this predates tenure at the company, we take ms. grant's horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally. and finally, grant wants to be released from the nda, she wants to hold mcmahon accountable, other men accountable, and wwe accountable and she doesn't want any other women to be handled this way. >> and you said there are 70 pages of this. mcmahon has his side of the story and i'm sure we'll hear it. king charles hospitalized for a scheduled procedure. just got a brand new update on his condition this morning.

so this morning police say a 23 year old stole about 65 cups. okay. >> wow. >> 65 cups from a dick's sporting goods. these are not just any cups. these are cups, the wildly popular ones made by stanley. now, that haul you're looking at there in the back of the car, authorities say it is worth more than $2,500 total. bail has been set in this alleged theft at $150,000. cnn's senior data reporter harriet is here and i have to say taking his life in his hands for this cup. at any point someone can attack

you for these. >> there you go. >> these are how big a deal? >> a huge deal. the fact someone would steal $2,500 worth of cups gives you an understanding. look, stanley cups have become massively popular. sales are up 900% over the last few years. we've seen they've become a status symbol for a lot of people. people are going out and clencl collecting them. on earnings bay they're selling for $375 defispite the fact the retail for about $50. i don't know what is so great about it. i guess it comes in a lot of different color. a lot of people like that. a lot of women like that. i know women are into them, i've seen them throughout the office, but the fact is they fit in a nice little car cup holder. but beyond that, i'm a big fan of a 12 ounce cup usually for my water or soda, i have to admit. >> the only time i would ever spend that much money on a cup is for stanley becker, my

friend. okay. this is outrageous. to spend that much -- how much are they spending, $350? >> 350 on ebay. >> you can get them for less. >> you can get them for a lot less. the fact is if you look, for example, there are a lot of target workers who are getting fired because they come into target and they're buying them and getting them before they can hit the public. so this is like a big thing. it is almost like an internal thing. >> it is a collectible. >> and telling them at a markup? >> they can sell them at a markup. i was speaking to somebody that told me back in the days, furbies they get them internally at fao schwartz and tell them at a markup. >> do you plan to sell it for a markup? >> no, i am not. this belongs to lawyer, the executive of the ctm program here. she was kind enough to let me use it as a display. >> does it take batteries? what does it do. >> holds water, keeps it cool. you can't go back in time with

it, but i think the fact is we had a lot of things like these craze z before. beanie babies when i was a kid, my mother would shop in different kids to find them. perhaps a historical thing you might appreciate, yo-yos. i was going to say the tulip mania in 1634 to 1637. it is part of a long-spirited campaign of people getting excited about something. at this point maybe sarah and i can go in and get a bunch of these cups and try to sell them on the black market. >> also, i don't know what is in here, but wow, okay. for the morning show i see why she is up and at 'em. >> a little hooch in there. harry, thank you very much. >> thank you for joining us. "inside politics" up next.