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CNN International: Fears Of Iranian Reprisal Attack After Deadly Strike On Iran's Consulate In Syria Last Week; Aid Convoy Enters Northern Gaza Through New Crossing; Trump & Johnson To Make Joint Appearance At Mar-a-Lago. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired April 12, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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SARA SIDNER, HOST, "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Margaret Hoover and S. E. Cupp, I think it's very significant that you say, look, immigration was the big deal there in Arizona, and now you see topsy-turvy that abortion could be the fame that moves that state. Thank you. Appreciate you both. John.
JOHN BERMAN, HOST, "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": New this morning, a Trump attorney who was a key witness for his classified documents case is now out of the fold. Why Evan Corcoran's exit is causing discomfort inside the Trump orbit. Donald Trump is stoking fears that Christianity is under attack. Now, new pleas from pastors speaking out against Christian nationalism. In a brand new survey of CEOs that shows a growing number of things, I should not even be here today and you should be in bed snoring. Major developments in the push for a four-day work week. Kate is out. She is smart. I'm John Berman with Sara --
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": All right. Hello, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN Newsroom.
Straight ahead, Israel remains on high alert as Iran again warns a punishment for a deadly airstrike in Damascus. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is at Mar-a-Lago today for a joint news conference with former President Donald Trump. More ahead on what they plan to talk about. And who wants to work a four-day week? All hands go up. But, what do employers have to say?
And close watch on Iran as it has vowed revenge on Israel after a deadly attack on its embassy compound in Syria last week. The strike in Damascus killed top Iranian commanders and is stoking further tensions in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is preparing for all scenarios beyond the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, the top U.S. humanitarian official says it's credible to assess that famine is already occurring in parts of Gaza, while UN officials have been sounding the alarm for months. Samantha Power is the first U.S. official to publicly comment.
CNN's Nic Robertson joining us right now, live from Jerusalem, with more on this. So, Nic, we're hearing that an aid convoy has entered northern Gaza through a new crossing. And how is it getting to people who need it?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. This has come, as you say, under a huge amount of pressure from the United States. It is something Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been calling for in his meetings here for many months. Samantha Power laying out the importance and the need for it, last week in a phone call President Biden where Prime Minister Netanyahu essentially demanding it. And over that weekend, the government -- Prime Minister Netanyahu saying there will be a new border crossing opened. It was supposed to be Erez, predominantly for foot traffic, not for aid. But then, officials by Monday this week said Erez wasn't going to be possible.
So, what we've seen in some nighttime, a short 30 seconds clip of nighttime video released by the IDF and COGAT, the body of Israel that oversees aid go into Gaza, is two or three trucks of aid, one with cardboard boxes on, one with sacks, it looks like it could be food, potentially flower going in down a dirt track at nighttime with a military escort, we understand. It appears to be the main route that the military uses to go into Gaza from the north, a place called Zekeem, but the government isn't saying that officially. But, from what we've seen, that's how it looks.
This is a drop the United States, the White House, many other countries, UN agencies, looking to Israel to multiply this up many, many, many times. This small opening that opened last night isn't going to be open for more days. How much aid can get through? None of that is clear. But, it does indicate that that pressure to get food desperately needed into the north, northern part of Gaza, 300,000 or 400,000 Palestinians, their children on the verge of starvation, some dying from lack of food, that perhaps this is the beginning. But, of course, that's the scrutiny. What else is going to follow? How much else? How often? How frequent?
WHITFIELD: And Nic, let's also now focus on Iran and the threats by that country to retaliate. What is and how is Israel poised to protect itself?
ROBERTSON: Yeah. The Prime Minister says they're ready, that they've been preparing for this. He was meeting with F-15 fighter pilots that are based in central Israel on Thursday, and that's when he made those comments. Well, we heard from the IDF spokesman last night that they're ready, that Israel is ready, is prepared that if a threat comes directly from Iran, they're ready. He also said that if Iran did strike directly back into Israel, that would show that they are ready to escalate the current tensions at the moment.
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And of course, that's raising a lot of concern with the United States, with its allies in the region, with allies in Europe. So, the Foreign Minister in Tehran, over the past 24 hours, has had phone calls from a number of counterparts here in the region, and from a number of foreign ministers in in Europe. And the pushback from Iran on this has been, well, you countries that are calling for us to show restraint, where were you in coming out publicly and criticizing Israel's strike in Damascus last week?
So, for Israel, this gives them some diplomatic heft. Of course, how they will choose to respond, as the top leader there has said they will, is unclear, and that puts the jitters into people in Israel, which is why what the Prime Minister says and what the spokesman from the IDF says, are kind of important for Israelis to know that they have a level of security. But, of course, as Iran delays its response and it allows those jitters here to grow, that also in Iran's eyes is a win for them. But, how they're going to respond, where they're going to respond, multiple rumors, no certainty on that.
WHITFIELD: All right. Nic Robertson, keep us posted. Thank you so much.
All right. The embattled Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is hoping to shore up support in his party by making a pilgrimage to Donald Trump in Florida. Mike Johnson will appear with Trump at Mar-a- Lago today to discuss their concerns about election security. They're expected to highlight the issue of non-citizen voting, even though there is no evidence non-citizen voting is a meaningful problem in U.S. elections. And it's worth noting that Johnson played a prominent role in Trump's effort to get the U.S. Supreme Court to look into the 2020 election, despite no evidence that voter fraud played any role in Joe Biden's victory.
Let's get more now from CNN's Alayna Treene. So, Alayna, appearing alongside Trump, it's apparently a big deal for Johnson. I mean, it kind of reckons back to the former House Speaker McCarthy kissing the ring. So, after all of this, it is Trump's staunchest allies in the House who are talking about trying to oust Johnson from this speakership. Is this more about Johnson maintaining his position, or what's going on here? What's the goal?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, that's definitely a huge part of it, Fred. House Speaker Mike Johnson is making that trek to Mar-a-Lago in part, and largely, I should say, to emphasize his close ties to the former President. Of course, it comes as he faces a threat to his speaker's gavel. And I'm told from many sources familiar with the planning of this event today that it was really Johnson's team that was pushing for this public event. So, I think you can kind of read between the lines there. But look, in my conversations with Donald Trump's advisors, they tell us that this event today is really to emphasize and call attention to what they argue are state proposals and lawsuits aiming to allow non-citizens to vote in elections.
And as you rightly pointed out, I think it's very important for us to be clear here that there is already a federal law that bans non- citizens from voting. But, this is really part of what we've seen be a major theme of Donald Trump's. He has claimed in the past that Democrats want undocumented immigrants coming into the country in order to impact the results of the 2024 election, and this is really part of that fearmongering that we've seen Donald Trump and other Republicans use to continue to stoke fear with voters about a very real and concerning issue for them, which is immigration, and how immigrants will play in the election. And I do just want to point out as well, Fred, that there is some
nuance here. We do know that in some cities, they do allow non- citizens to vote in some elections, for example, school board elections, but this is not a widespread problem. Now, we're also told, and our colleagues Kristen Holmes and Melanie Zanona laid this out in their story today, that part of this event today is going to be Donald Trump and Mike Johnson re-litigating the 2020 election. And remember, both Trump and Johnson played a role in peddling the false claims that there was fraud in the 2020 election, and that really tried to use that to overturn the election results.
Now, another part of this that I think is just very interesting to keep in mind is Mike Johnson is also going to Florida with something else at the top of his mind, which is this idea of Ukraine funding, and it's something that has been really a perilous issue for him. So, it'll be interesting to see how he tries to walk that line with the former President today. And one other thing here, Fred, is that they are billing this as a press conference, but it's still unclear whether they're actually going to take questions. I'm told from Trump's advisors that they do expect them to take questions, but, as we both know, that doesn't always mean they will.
WHITFIELD: All right. Alayna Treene, keep us up to date on that. Thank you.
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All right. It appears Donald Trump has run out of ways to delay what will be the first ever criminal trial for a former U.S. President. After a week filled with motions and appeals, all of which have been rejected, Trump's hush money trial is scheduled to begin on Monday with jury selection. Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to keep a porn star from talking about her alleged 2006 affair with Trump in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
Let's go now to CNN's Katelyn Polantz with the very latest. Katelyn, great to see you. So, what do we know about the jury selection that begins on Monday? What kind of questions will be asked? What they're looking for?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Fred, it certainly does start on Monday. So, all of these jurors are going to be coming to the courthouse in Manhattan where Donald Trump will be for the first day of this trial. The process starts with jury selection. So, the dozens of people that were subpoenaed to come and provide their civic duty, their public service as jurors, they're going to get a questionnaire. That questionnaire has 42 questions. It asks the typical things that you would ask to screen jurors, their feelings about law enforcement, some of their background as far as their professions.
And then, they're going to be asked questions about how much engagement in politics they have, specifically extremist politics. Are they people that have been supporters of left-wing or right-wing extremist groups like the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, Antifa? What are their feelings about how Donald Trump has been treated? Those are questions that will allow prosecutors and defense lawyers to ask people further things, once they write down their answers. There are no questions, though, on how people voted exactly, what their political contributions have been in the past, and what their party registration is. And so, that is not the issue here.
The question and what the court is going to be trying to do is make sure that even if people have strong feelings about Donald Trump, one way or another, and they've heard something about this case or him in the past, they just want to make sure that the people can set aside their feelings and weigh the facts and the evidence without bias. If someone says, however, they can't do that, they're not going to be a juror.
WHITFIELD: OK. Meantime, there are other criminal proceedings that the former President is facing, significant developments connected to the classified documents case. What's happening?
POLANTZ: Of course. There is a hearing today at 2 p.m. Donald Trump will not be there, nor will his lawyers. It's for his two co- defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, two people who work for Trump and are accused of moving boxes for him to help him hide classified national security records from the federal government, as they were being demanded to be returned.
What's happening in court is a set of legal arguments where both of these men's lawyers are going to argue to the judge that the case against them should be dismissed for a lot of reasons. But, what it boils down to is that they weren't aware of enough to know that what they were doing was wrong when they moved those boxes. So, they do admit to moving boxes, but they are saying things like there is no allegations that say that they knew what was in those boxes, or that they knew that there was a federal investigation that they could be obstructing whenever they move boxes on Donald Trump's behalf.
So, that focus on the obstruction case against Trump and these two others, that's going to be at issue in this court hearing today. And we are getting all kinds of new court filings by the day, because the judge is starting to free up some more transparency in this case.
WHITFIELD: All right. Katelyn Polantz, thanks so much.
All right. Still to come, Beijing hits back at President Biden after his warnings about aggression in the Indo-Pacific. And a shocking plunge into poverty for the people of Myanmar. I'll be talking to the person who oversaw the UN's new report on the nation's economic crisis.
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WHITFIELD: All right. U.S. President Joe Biden appeared to send a blunt message to China, don't mess with Filipino ships in the South China Sea. Mr. Biden was speaking after hosting the leaders of the Philippines and Japan at the White House on Thursday. Both nations have separate and ongoing territorial disputes with Beijing. But, Biden said his commitment to defending them is ironclad.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has more on how China is responding.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The trilateral summit between the U.S., Japan and the Philippines is a major move to counter China's increasing pressure in the South China Sea, and China is pushing back. On Friday, China's Foreign Ministry summoned a Japanese diplomat to express quote "serious concerns and strong dissatisfaction". And according to state media, China's Coast Guard conducted a patrol near the disputed Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands. On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a White House summit. Biden said U.S. defense commitments to both the Philippines and Japan remain quote "ironclad".
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The United States' defense commitments to Japan and to the Philippines are ironclad. They are ironclad. As I've said before, any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defense treaty.
STOUT: The three nations also announced plans to bolster the Philippines with a number of new infrastructure projects, including investments in ports, rail, clean energy, semiconductor supply chains, and wireless communications. They also pledged to deepen cooperation and global humanitarian aid and disaster response. Also on Thursday, Japan's Prime Minister addressed Congress. He called China the quote "greatest strategic challenge". Now, China's Foreign Ministry criticized Japan and the United States for ratcheting up tensions. On Friday, a spokesperson, Mao Ning, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said quote, "The real challenges facing regional peace and stability are the United States and Japan forming gangs, forming cliques, and instigating group confrontations" unquote.
Japan has a dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea. The Philippines has had several tense encounters with China in the South China Sea. In fact, just last month, a CNN team witnessed one confrontation while on embed (ph) with the Philippine Coast Guard. And China's provocative moves in the region have drawn regional allies closer together and closer to the United States.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
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WHITFIELD: And Myanmar's military rulers continue to see significant losses to opposition rebel fighters who have claimed control of the key town of Myawaddy and its military base along the Thai border. They say about 200 government troops abandoned their posts and were pushed back to a bridge linking Myanmar to Thailand. CNN cannot independently confirmed the rebels' claims. And here you see people lining up to cross into Thailand. Myanmar was plunged into a civil war after the military seized power in a coup three years ago, and that coup and civil war have translated into dire economic consequences.
This is how the UN describes Myanmar today, "a disappearing middle class, deepening poverty, plummeting foreign investment, and all of this happening in fewer than three years."
Kanni Wignaraja is the United Nations Assistant Secretary General and the UN Development Programs Regional Director for Asia and Pacific, and she oversaw the report that paints such an alarming picture of Myanmar, and she is joining me right now live. Good morning to you, Kanni.
KANNI WIGNARAJA, U.N. ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL, & REGIONAL DIR. FOR ASIA AND PACIFIC, UNDP: Good morning.
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WHITFIELD: So, your UN reports finds a dire economic crisis in Myanmar, just two and a half years after the country had been showing real progress. So, what exactly has led to such a shocking about phase?
WIGNARAJA: Myanmar was one of the economic darlings, six percent growth and having poverty, all of this before the COVID. Every other country in that region has seen a COVID rebound of post-COVID progress, but not Myanmar. And this is the unfortunate thing that just in three years, we've seen, not just 50 percent of people below the poverty line, another 26 percent hovering just above it. And very alarmingly, a buffer, which was the middle class, half of that middle class now are falling into poverty. So, this is a conflict exacerbated because we see this across the region, as conflict spreads, so does poverty.
WHITFIELD: And conflict exacerbated, meaning, it's more difficult for people to have access to food. People are unable to rely on the jobs they once had. I mean, paint the picture for me as to why from a day- to-day basis people are doing or having to do without. What is standing in the way as a result of this conflict?
WIGNARAJA: Well, it's large numbers of displaced. So, we have about three million people displaced within the country, and those who used to move to what they thought were safer spaces and areas where there still were services and goods available towards the urban centers. Now, these are also in conflict zones. So, you can imagine that previously the poorest regions, Rakhine, Chin, Sagaing, and Kachin, are now not the only places where you can't find jobs. People are being pushed off their farms. If we see, a lot of destruction of homes and shelters. And then the breakdown of public services, very little energy, water, education and health services. All of this has resulted in what is a very dire call for help.
WHITFIELD: How can the international community help?
WIGNARAJA: Just to bring the group below poverty up and help them directly. That we've estimated through this study at about $4 billion. Now, that's nothing compared to all the money out there. In the survey we conducted of 12,000 households, their ask was for income, for a livelihood so that they can buy their food and basic needs. We've also, as UNDP, set up digital platforms for education, health, and training, so that basic skills can be provided. But, I think the biggest issue, of course, is a cessation of hostilities, and this will need, not just the resources that are very much needed for Myanmar, but a political attention to Myanmar to mediate on this conflict.
WHITFIELD: All right. Kanni Wignaraja, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much for being with us.
WIGNARAJA: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Still to come, we'll look at the unprecedented steps law enforcement is taking to keep Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York safe. Stay tuned. And could a shorter working week beyond the horizon? Some bosses are thinking about it. The details after this.
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WHITFIELD: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to the key battleground state of Arizona today as part of her nationwide "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour. Her visit comes just days after a controversial ruling by the state Supreme Court that a Civil War-era near-total abortion ban can still be enforced. Harris is expected to take direct aim at former U.S. President Donald Trump for the wave of restrictions on abortion following the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision.
CNN's Camila Bernal joins me now live from Scottsdale, Arizona. Good to see you, Camila. So, what did you find out by speaking to women in Arizona about their thoughts and feelings right now?
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. So, what I saw and what I think the Vice President is going to see is a lot of people who are motivated, who are energized about this issue, people who say they want to get involved and are specifically looking at November already. I spoke to some advocates who are for abortion rights in the state of Arizona, and what they told me is that their biggest focus is on gathering signatures for a ballot measure, and what they're hoping to do with to have abortion rights in the state's constitution. And so, they have been talking to as many people as possible to try to get people involved because they see that the state legislature efforts have failed to find either a solution or an alternative to this nearly total ban on abortions.
And so, the group sort of leading the efforts for the ballot measure is "Arizona for Abortion Access", and they say that they've seen a huge increase in the number of people wanting to participate, wanting to sign, wanting to get involved, to donate ever since Tuesday when they heard that decision from the Arizona Supreme Court. Take a listen to what the spokesperson for the group told us. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAWN PENICH, ARIZONA FOR ABORTION ACCESS: People are going door-to- door in their neighborhood. People are tabling outside of their favorite local coffee shops. This is not something that appeals to only Democrats, that Republicans, independents, women and their loved ones believe in this and want to see this on the ballot.
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BERNAL: Now, I also talked to the group "It Goes Too Far", and they're seeing just that. They believe this ballot measure goes a little too far, and they say that people are not being educated in terms of what the language of this ballot measure entails and what the consequences could be for women and girls. But, they too are energized and they too are going out and putting out tables and trying to get people to come out and get involved in this issue. Now, in the meantime, you have providers here in the state of Arizona who are already struggling, who say that they're not shocked because they somewhat expected this decision, but they are angry and they are frustrated because this ban specifically carries a sentence for providers when it comes to abortion.
So, I talked to one provider who is one of eight in the state of Arizona, and she says that, look, she is going to continue fighting for this issue even if she has to stop providing abortions in her clinic. And so, what she told me is that she is going to focus on the legislation that will likely come after the November election.
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But again, everybody really focused in doing whatever they can ahead of November so that this issue is front and center for voters here in Arizona, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Camila Bernal, keep us posted on thoughts and feelings there in Arizona. Appreciate it.
All right. Meantime, in New York, jury selection begins Monday in the first ever criminal trial of a former U.S. President. New York prosecutors accused Donald Trump of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, to keep their alleged affair secret amid the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump's attorneys have tried three times to delay the trial, but an Appeals Court judge ruled Wednesday that the trial will go on. And this will be one of Donald Trump's highest profile cases. So, officials say law enforcement has a put a sophisticated multi-layered security plan in place.
Brynn Gingras is joining us now from New York with a look at the security preparations. Brynn.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Fred, a robust security package. That's how law enforcement describes it to us. Now, remember, this is the first criminal trial of an ex-President in history, but this isn't the first time Donald Trump has been in court. Right? He has been in and out of courtrooms for the last year or so. And in New York, there has been a couple of trials. So, law enforcement has really looked to those events to kind of build on top of this one to figure out exactly what they need to do, and they've been practicing this for the last couple of weeks.
And so, they say they're going to bring out all the toys, is how they describe it to us, that talk. That means bomb-sniffing dogs. They're going to have barricades to create frozen zones or streets around that courthouse, Lower Manhattan, drones. And they're going to have more cameras. About 50,000 cameras can actually look in on that one area from a central hub at the NYPD. So, this, like you said, is going to be multi-layered. And of course, there is a lot here they got to keep their eye on. There is going to be a huge media presence for the six to eight weeks that this trial is expected to last. There is going to be likely protesters and supporters. And there is likely going to be a lot of chatter online, as they describe it. That's something they're really going to zero in on and have to be nimble about in order to respond to.
Inside that courthouse, a little bit of detail there. We know that the 15th floor, where the trial is actually going to start on Monday and take place for that duration, it's going to be shut down for the general public. People are going to have to go through several security measures just to even get on the floor to cover it for the press. And the elevator that the former President will use will also be frozen. So, there is a lot of security measures that are going to be taking place. And like I said, it's going to be a lot of stamina on the part of law enforcement, though they say they're very used to this. Six to eight weeks expected to last for that criminal trial of Donald Trump. He is expected to go every day for that trial, and it kicks off on Monday, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Brynn Gingras, thanks so much, in New York.
GINGRAS: All right.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's get some perspective on all the Trump developments. We're joined now by Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Larry, always great to see you. So, let's talk about what we believe to be Donald Trump's first move today, aside from the trial that's coming up on Monday. But, he is going to be having a press conference today with the House Speaker Mike Johnson. What do you suppose is the centerpiece of this press conference?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, & EDITOR, "RETURN TO NORMALCY?: THE 2020 ELECTION THAT (ALMOST) BROKE AMERICA: Well, Fred, you always ask, what is the power relationship between the two people doing something like Johnson and Trump are doing today? And the power relationship is very simple. Mike Johnson needs Donald Trump a heck of a lot more than Donald Trump needs Mike Johnson. Johnson has a very weak House Speaker. He barely attained the post. He is barely keeping it. He is already under attack by some of the same right wingers that ushered Kevin McCarthy out of the speakership. Donald Trump is at one of his peaks in the Republican Party, incredibly, facing that trial next week and additional trials this year, one supposes.
Yet, Trump is so strong in the Republican Party that Johnson needs him to reinforce the weakness really that Johnson himself faces in the House of Representatives in the Republican Conference. He wants to keep his speakership. And one of Trumps key allies, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, is trying to take it away from him.
WHITFIELD: I mean, is it your feeling too that the former President is more powerful now than he seemed to be in terms of wielding power with the Republican Party when he was sitting President?
SABATO: Yes. Amazingly so. Look at all the things that have happened. That should have weakened Trump. But, they have weakened Trump in some ways with a general electorate. People don't see it yet, but they'll see it in the fall or by the fall. But, within the Republican Party, Trump is unassailable. He is an old party boss.
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He can end the careers of any Republican officeholder he wants to, simply by drumming up a primary challenger or demobilizing the Trump forces in a district where the incumbent may need a lot of heavy turnout among Trump people. This is real power. Again, it doesn't extend to independents and to the general electorate, but within the Republican Party, he is the boss.
WHITFIELD: And do you see the President once again, whether he uses his Monday trial, the hush money trial in New York, or perhaps even motions today with his Florida documents case, that he will be able to continue to successfully use that as power points for his campaign trail activity? I mean, he doesn't seem to be knocked off his game, but instead, is more empowered by it.
SABATO: Yes. That has certainly been the case so far, and I think it will continue to be the case within the Republican Party. It helps them to raise money, particularly small dollar money from his base. They want to give to their chief who is obviously being persecuted by the Biden administration, the Biden Justice Department. That's ridiculous, of course. There isn't a scintilla of evidence that that's taking place, but Donald Trump doesn't need evidence within the Republican Party.
But, beyond that, I don't know that it's going to continue to work. There are so many legal challenges that Trump is facing, and some of the matters are more serious than the one being presented next week, not that that's not seriously the trial that connects indirectly to Stormy Daniels, the other trials about January 6, then about the documents and so on. These things can have a greater impact on the general electorate, and that's what it's all going to be about very shortly.
WHITFIELD: OK. And as for the news conference later on today, what are you looking for in this news conference, which we don't even know? We had our Alayna Treene say. We don't know if they're going to be questions that are going to be entertained, like you would see in a press conference, or really maybe a statement by the former President and Speaker Johnson. What's your expectation about what would be said?
SABATO: They are saying this is a press conference about election integrity, because there is a bill being sponsored by the Republican side, of course, that will prevent illegal voting by quote, "illegal immigrants", meaning undocumented immigrants. Guess what? It's already illegal. This is just a front for another phony discussion about voter fraud, which didn't exist, which had nothing to do with Trump's seven million vote loss in 2020.
WHITFIELD: All right. Larry Sabato, great to see you. Thanks so much.
SABATO: Thank you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. The Sunday scaries could soon be the thing of the past at least for some workers in the U.S. Nearly one third of large U.S. companies are considering changing to a shorter workweek in an effort to hold on to talent. That's according to a new survey of CEOs.
CNN's Matt Egan has details on this, Matt. I mean, anxiety-filled Sundays are very common for folks who are like, Oh, my gosh, I have to go back to work on Monday. Do we know what that four-day workweek would look like? No Monday madness?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Fredricka, it does sound pretty nice. Right? I mean, think about how much more time there would be to get stuff done, right, run errands and spend time with family. Maybe weekends would actually be relaxing for a little while. And we do know that some companies are desperate right now to attract talent, and frankly, hold on to the workers they have right now. I mean, work life balance isn't just great for employees. It's really important for companies as well, even if their workers get burned out. They're no good at the company. So, maybe that's why this survey found that 30 percent of CEOs of large U.S. companies are exploring shorter work schedules such as a four and a half day or even a four-day workweek. And listen, they would not have to sell workers on this idea.
There is a Gallup poll that found 77 percent of U.S. workers, they were positive about the idea of a four-day workweek. That includes 46 percent who were extremely positive. It's hard to get 77 percent of Americans to agree on just about anything, but they're on board with this. Now, I did talk to KPMG's U.S. CEO Paul Knopp and he kind of said we should tap the brakes a little bit here. He doesn't think that a four-day workweek is imminent. He said it wouldn't work for every job and for every person, but he did say companies will continue to explore. And there has been some positive research on this finding that four-day workweeks have benefited employees' well-being, worker productivity in the largest trial in the UK.
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After a year, the vast majority of companies they stuck with the four- day workweek, and more than half of them, they even made the change permanent. So, I don't know, Fredricka. What do you say? Why don't we just make it --
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
EGAN: -- official here at CNN --
WHITFIELD: Yes.
EGAN: -- and do the four-day workweek? I don't know if you and I have those powers but --
WHITFIELD: Yeah. I don't need to hesitate. What are you talking about? Yes.
EGAN: That's it. So, it's official.
WHITFIELD: I like it. Let's make it happen.
EGAN: Done.
WHITFIELD: OK. Good. Good deal. All right. We know -- here is another question, though. So, how does the work get done on that one day, that one less day that people are working? Do people need to be worried about AI filling their roles?
EGAN: Well, it's interesting because AI is often held up as sort of this job-killing boogeyman, and no doubt, some jobs are going to be negatively disrupted by artificial intelligence. But, what's interesting is KPMG said that it's also possible that AI in the future helps make a four-day workweek possible. The thinking is that AI is going to automate some of those boring tasks that we have to do, sending emails, writing reports, combing through research, and give everyone a little bit more time to get other work done. And then, in the long run, maybe that'll free up time so that people don't actually have to work that fifth day.
A lot of uncertainty around these predictions. But, Fredricka, I think it's telling that we're even talking about --
WHITFIELD: Sure.
EGAN: -- a four-day workweek. It's something that's really, really popular with employees.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. Well, it all sounds really rosy. I mean, the former really sounds rosy, four-day workweek. The latter, AI filling your role for a little bit, I don't know about that one just yet. Who wants to be replaced by AI?
EGAN: No.
WHITFIELD: No.
EGAN: No, no, no. But, your job is safe. They -- no one can -- AI could not do an anchor's job. That's for sure.
WHITFIELD: OK. So, you say, I like it. All right. Matt Egan, thank you so much.
EGAN: Thanks, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Just a little later on this hour, politics and money, a certain tech billionaire and Argentina's President will soon meet in person for the first time. We'll look at what this could mean for Argentina's battered economy.
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WHITFIELD: A former U.S. diplomat accused of spying for Cuba is scheduled to be sentenced in a Miami court in the coming hours. Prosecutors say Manuel Rocha, the former U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, worked as a covert agent of Cuba's intelligence services for decades. In court today, prosecutors say Rocha will formally plead guilty.
Carlos Suarez joining us now from Miami with more details on this. Carlos, what kind of sentence is he facing?
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is the big question at this hour. Good morning, Fred. We expect that the 73-year-old will be joined by his attorneys in a federal courtroom here in downtown Miami this afternoon where, as you noted, he is going to change his plea from not guilty to guilty.
[08:45:00]
And in exchange, we expect that federal prosecutors will drop a number of the charges that were filed against him. He was facing several charges, including acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, wire fraud, and lying to investigators. Now, the details of this plea agreement are not known. And it is just as big a mystery here in South Florida as to how Rocha helped the Cuban government while he worked at the State Department for over two decades.
Those details were not laid out in the indictment that was handed up against Rocha back in December, though, prosecutors that didn't know throughout the indictment that Rocha, because of his high-level position within the State Department, having been the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, and having at one point worked in the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, that he had access to top secret information and that he held a high level of security clearance. Prosecutors believe that Rocha acted on behalf of the Cuban government since at least 1981, though it is important to note here that he was never charged with espionage.
All of this really came to a head in December when Rocha was arrested after a -- several year-long investigation after the FBI essentially used an undercover agent to contact Rocha via WhatsApp. The two struck up a conversation, and the undercover agent said that he was a member of Cuba's intelligence services. And so, according to prosecutors, the two of them developed a relationship. They developed contacts, and they met here in Miami on a number of occasions where, according to prosecutors, Rocha said that his work as a spy for the Cuban government is quote "strengthened the revolution". He referred to the U.S. as quote being "the enemy", and he praised Fidel Castro.
Again, Fred, we expect this plea agreement to take hold later this afternoon at around 1:30 in the afternoon. We expect him to change his plea to guilty, and then we will most likely learn just how many years he will serve in prison, considering some of the seriousness of the charges involved in this case. Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let us know. Carlos Suarez, thank you so much, in Miami.
All right. Still to come, the weather may have delayed action at the Masters on Thursday, but golf is in full swing today. We're live at the tournament, after a break, with a look at round two.
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WHITFIELD: Until now, it's been a digital bromance. But, the President of Argentina is set to meet Elon Musk in person in the next hour at the Texas headquarters of Tesla, which is Musk's electric car company. Argentina's leader is seeking new investments as he looks to overhaul his country's battering economy.
I want to bring in now CNN's Rafael Romo, who is tracking the story for us. This is very interesting. I mean, this is billed as a mutual admiration society. Why is that?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. That's right, Fred. It's been described as a bromance for a while now. Argentinian President Javier Milei and Tesla mogul Elon Musk have been saying really nice things about each other on social media for months. Just to give you an idea, Fred, back in November, the very same day that the libertarian Milei won the second round of his country's presidential election, Musk wrote on his very own X platform that quote, "prosperity is ahead for Argentina."
[08:50:00]
On December 5, just five days before being sworn in, Milei wrote a message to Musk again on X, saying (FOREIGN LANGUAGE). We need to talk. This was in response to Elon Musk posting a video on X of a speech by Milei where he talks about how he opposes the idea of giving priority to equality over liberty. Both leaders are libertarian, often favor right-wing's ideas, and are against an overreaching government. This bromance goes beyond having those things in common, Fred. In February, the government of Argentina granted access to SpaceX to offer Starlink satellite internet services after President Milei got rid of regulations that would have prevented Musk's aerospace company to do so.
And according to global data, Argentina is the world's third largest producer of lithium, a crucial metal for the production of rechargeable batteries, like the ones used in cars made by Elon Musk's Tesla. More than half of the lithium imported to the United States comes from Argentina, according to a report by the U.S. government. And Fred, Milei's communications team told CNN in Espanol that liberty advances the President's political coalition values and is grateful for Musk's kindness. So, a lot going on. A lot of really nice things to say about each other. But today, they talk in person for the first time. Fred. WHITFIELD: All right, which means a lot of promises, potentially too.
All right. Rafael Romo, thank you so much.
All right. The former interpreter for Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani has agreed to turn himself in to authorities today. Ippei Mizuhara is facing federal bank fraud charges for allegedly stealing more than $60 million from the former Los Angeles Angels, now Dodgers slugger, to support Mizuhara's gambling activities. Prosecutors say they have recordings of Mizuhara impersonating Ohtani in calls with the bank in order to transfer money from Ohtani's account, and they emphasize there is no indication Ohtani was aware of or involved in illegal betting, and that he is the victim.
All right. In other sports news, round two of the Masters is underway in Augusta, Georgia. But, first round action is also continuing because bad weather delayed the start of the tournament on Thursday. Play went until dusk, but some golfers, including Tiger Woods, had not finished the round. So, he is out there right now, still in round one. The weather didn't appear to affect Bryson DeChambeau, who blazed through the course to the top of the leaderboard.
Andy Scholes is joining us live from Augusta National Golf Course. OK. All smiles. You're anticipating a great day, clearer skies. Right?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Oh yeah. Oh, yeah. It's going to look great. It's going to be windy again.
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
SCHOLES: But, it's a beautiful day here in Augusta, Fredricka, four rounds, one and two of the Masters because we didn't get to finish round one on Thursday. So, a lot of guys out there still finishing, including Tiger Woods, didn't get off to a great start. He bogeyed 14. And so, he is even par right now as he is playing the 16th hole, and it's going to be a long day for Tiger Woods. He has got to play 23 holes out there today. So, it's going to be a lot of walking for Tiger. But, I went out there. I watched Tiger quite a bit on Thursday. Looked pretty good. He hit six drives over 300 yards, and Tiger is trying to set a record today and make his 24th straight cut here in Augusta at the Masters.
Now, yesterday, as I mentioned after those storms came through, it was a beautiful day, other than the wind. It was a pretty wild day out here on the course. I mean, there were gusts up to 40 miles per hour, and it is going to be like that again this afternoon. So, the golfers are going to be dealing with those conditions. But, the wind didn't seem to bother Bryson DeChambeau. I mean, he was able to deal with it easily. The former U.S. Open champion birdied his first three holes of the day. He finished with eight birdies on the afternoon. He is your leader right now at seven under. This was Bryson's best Masters round of his career. And after a few down years, which including missing the last few cuts here in Augusta, the now live golfer says he has found a new approach to the game, just keeping it simple.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRYSON DECHAMBEAU, MAKING 8TH START AT MASTERS, BEST FINISH IS T21: It's been a journey, to say the least, one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. But also, it's taken a big toll on me in numerous situations. I'm just doing the same thing every single day in and day out. I'm not trying something new. I'm trying to figure something out. And that's what I feel like, just accumulated into playing some really good golf.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now, Scottie Scheffler, he is a huge favorite coming into this tournament, and he played like it in round one, shooting a six under 66. Scheffler won his first Masters two years ago. He has never finished outside the top 20 in four appearances here. It seems like nothing is going to stop him, except for maybe his wife going into labor.
[08:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
The couple is expecting their first child at the end of the month.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, 2022 MASTERS CHAMPION: Maybe I should be more concerned. I don't really know. People have asked us how our preparation is going for the baby. And it's like, well, you know, I feel like we're a little bit underprepared. The nursery isn't quite ready, and had some issues at our house the last few weeks. But, yeah, I think that's the exciting part. I think we're definitely very underprepared to be parents. And as far as her going into labor, I wouldn't say I'm very concerned. We haven't seen any of the early signs. But, pregnancy is weird. It can happen anytime. But, get open lines of communication and she can get ahold me if she needs to. And yeah, I'm ready to go at a moment's notice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Fredricka, what a tough call that would be.
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
SCHOLES: What if Scheffler is winning the Masters on Sunday?
(CROSSTALK)
SCHOLES: But, his wife goes into labor.
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
SCHOLES: What do you do? What do you do?
WHITFIELD: That's a tough choice.
SCHOLES: I can sympathize, Fredricka, because I was here covering the Masters in 2018, my wife went into labor and I had to leave.
WHITFIELD: No. SCHOLES: So, I've been there.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my God.
SCHOLES: Yeah. Yeah.
WHITFIELD: Well, then, you're going to have to give him some tips while he is out there. Oh, wow. All right. Well, fingers crossed for him. I'm glad everything worked out great for you too, you and your wife and family, Andy. Awesome. All right. Talk to you soon.
All right. Thank you so much for joining me here in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Connect the World with Becky Anderson is up next.
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