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Missouri Governor Says Some People Trapped after Tornadoes; Trump: Drop Investigations or No Deal; Second Judge Allows Access To Trump Bank Records; Six Dead in Indonesia Election Protests; Mobile Networks Suspend Orders for Huawei Smartphones. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired May 23, 2019 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: We believe that the president of the United States is engaged in a cover-up.
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A planned meeting with congressional Democrats goes off the rails after the Speaker of the House accuses President Trump of thinking himself above the law.
Will the outraged president ever come back to the table with lawmakers?
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ALLEN (voice-over): We will delve into it. It also, it's one of the planet's biggest elections. Nearly half a billion people begin casting their votes for the European Parliament, the contest that could determine the future direction of the E.U.
Also this hour, nearly two decades ago, he was the first American to face charges in the war on terrorism. Now he is hours away from getting out of prison.
But has the so-called American Taliban rejected his jihadi beliefs?
Hello, everyone, welcome to our viewers joining to us from all points around the world, I'm Natalie Allen coming to you from Atlanta and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
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ALLEN: And we begin this hour with breaking news. Violent weather across the American Midwest. Right now we are getting reports that the capital of Missouri took a direct hit from a tornado a short time ago. So far, seven deaths have been confirmed across the region.
Not far away, this tornado was spotted ripping across the Missouri countryside and several injuries reported. The location was near Joplin, Missouri. This was devastated by a large tornado exactly eight years ago.
The severe storms are also bringing enormous amounts of rain. This home in Oklahoma was no match for a flooded river as it went on down river. One person who lived there said the river rose 3 meters in just four hours.
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ALLEN: Now we turn to politics. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it a temper tantrum. The top Senate Democrat said it was jaw- dropping but Donald Trump claims he was calm and polite when he abruptly ended their White House meeting, only to rant then in the Rose Garden just a few minutes later.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins explains why the president is no longer willing to work with Democrats.
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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president's anger was obvious the minute he marched into the Rose Garden.
TRUMP: I walk in to look at people that had just said that I was doing a cover-up. I don't do cover-ups.
COLLINS: He had just blown up scheduled talk on infrastructure with Democrats after hours earlier the House speaker accused him of hiding something.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): We believe that the president of the United States is engaged in a cover-up.
COLLINS: Sources tell CNN Trump erupted when he heard Pelosi's claim, but told his aides not to cancel their meeting.
TRUMP: I came here to do a meeting.
COLLINS: Instead, sources said Trump entered the Cabinet meeting without shaking a single Democrat's hands and lashed out at them declaring he won't work with them until their investigations are over.
TRUMP: I told Senator Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, I want to do infrastructure. I want to do it more than you want to do it, but you know what? You can't do it under these circumstances. So get these phony investigations over with.
COLLINS: Democrats said they were shocked by the president's behavior.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): To watch what happened in the White House would make your jaw drop.
COLLINS: But they voiced skepticism that this was all last-minute. SCHUMER: It's clear this was not a spontaneous move on the president's part. It was planned.
COLLINS: The Senate minority leader pointing to this sign printed and posted on the presidential lectern as proof that Trump staged the whole thing.
SCHUMER: When we got in the room, the curtains were closed and, of course, then he went to the Rose Garden with prepared signs that had been printed up long before our meeting.
COLLINS: Pelosi suggested Trump used her comments as an excuse to get out of finding a way to pay for a $2 trillion infrastructure plan.
SCHUMER: Hello? There were investigations going on three weeks ago when we met. And he still met with us.
COLLINS: Despite the showdown, Democrats say the investigations will go on.
PELOSI: This president is obstructing justice and he's engaged in a cover-up. And that could be an impeachable offense.
COLLINS (voice-over): Talks in Washington about impeachment have intensified in recent days and clearly rattled the president.
TRUMP: The I-word. Can you imagine?
PELOSI: I pray for the president of the United States and I pray for the United States of America.
COLLINS: Now the president said he is not going to work with Democrats until they stop investigating him but it's unclear how sustainable that threat really is.
Of course, some of these investigations could take months, potentially even years and there are a slew of budget and funding deadlines that are fast approaching here in Washington -- Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
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ALLEN: Let's bring in Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham in England.
Hello, Scott, thanks for being with.
SCOTT LUCAS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Good morning, Natalie.
ALLEN: Good morning to you. OK, here we go. What do you make of the president's Rose Garden appearance and his declaration that he's --
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ALLEN: -- not going to work for the Democrats as long as these investigations go on, which looks like they are going to be going on for sometime?
LUCAS: OK. Either he lost his temper and stormed out of a meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer or he had planned all along to set this up and put the line out to the media.
The bottom line is the same. And that is Trump is issuing a demand. I will do no government business, disaster relief, the budget, as well as infrastructure unless the hearing stop. Why is that? Because Trump and his inner circle are concerned not only about the hearings on Trump, Russia contacts and on Trump's possible obstruction of justice.
Trump is also very concerned about hearings into his tax and financial affairs and this is going to continue. I do not -- I think, in other, words the president is saying, unless you back off and let me off, scot-free we've gridlock in government.
ALLEN: Right. I want to ask you this, though. The Mueller investigation ended. Mr. Trump often says Democrats are harassing him, at this point. That they're trying to undermine his presidency. Does he have a point at all?
LUCAS: Well, the Mueller report may have been submitted but the issues don't end. So, let's juxtaposed two things. On the one hand, the Mueller report found evidence of numerous contacts between Donald Trump's campaign and transition, Russian officials and intermediaries like WikiLeaks.
And, perhaps more importantly, the Mueller report found that in 8 of 10 cases there is evidence that Trump obstructed or attempted to obstruct justice. So, nothing ends with that.
And the reason why you have Democrats saying you have to have hearings is, we do not yet have closure on how far Russia went to interfere in the 2016 election, or if there was any rolled by Trump or attempt to cover it up. So, that's an open issue.
And the White House is trying to block that. Attorney General Barr trying to bury the report by misrepresenting it. Donald Trump and his inner circle filing subpoenas to prevent any witnesses or release of documents to House committees.
In other words, it's not that the Mueller report resolved everything, the issues were actually more important afterwards but the White House doesn't want to discuss that.
ALLEN: Right. Well, Nancy Pelosi made a brazen statement first thing about the president and accusing him of a cover-up. Why do you think she went that far?
LUCAS: Because that's what the White House and Trump's lawyers have been doing. They have been attempting or refusing to release the Mueller report unredacted to legislators. They have blocked people like the former White House counsel Don McGahn. Very important in the obstruction of justice cases from testifying. Others, like Hope Hicks, the White House communications director may
refuse to testify. But also, in the past 48 hours, the White House and Trump's lawyers have lost two important battles.
They tried to block a subpoena which asked for Trump's records of his loans from Deutsche Bank and Capital One. And they try to block any release of records from his accountants about his financial affairs over six years.
So, in other words, when Nancy Pelosi says there is a cover-up, even if you don't like the word because it resonates to Watergate, at the very least it refers to the fact that there was almost a total blackout or attempted blackout by Trump regarding his affairs that are of concern, I think, across a wide variety of issues.
ALLEN: Right. Well, Ms. Pelosi also met with Democrats that want to go the impeachment route. She has been wanting them to pull back, she wants the investigations, for the most part, played out through legal avenues through the courts. Why are Democrats divided on this, Scott?
LUCAS: Well, I think in one sense, Democrats are, if not divided, there is a difference of opinion on how far you go towards impeachment. But I do think as we go through the story, there is sort of an agreement which will begin to emerge.
And that is, if Trump in the White House, if Attorney General Barr and the Justice Department, if Steven Mnuchin and the treasury continue to refuse to provide any information, which congressional committees feel they are legally entitled to, then Democrats will possibly consider the start of impeachment hearings to say, look, at the very least, we want some type of cooperation in getting to what has happened.
And if the White House continues to do this, as Richard Nixon did in 1973, '74, I think you might have impeachment hearings. Not with a view that Trump will ever be convicted because of the Republican majority Senate, but to keep the issue alive and to say, it's important, you can't just sweep this away.
ALLEN: Right. Well, we know we got the sense this Wednesday that the president again is feeling the pressure. He wouldn't even say the word impeachment in the Rose Garden, he called it the I-word. One can understand.
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ALLEN: But, Scott, we always appreciate your insights. We'll see you again sometime. Thanks.
LUCAS: Thank you, Natalie. Take care.
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ALLEN: Well, Scott mentioned the other issue that we are going to talk about now. House Democrats are another step closer to getting a look at Mr. Trump's bank records, thanks to a federal judge's ruling in New York. CNN's Kara Scannell has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the second major setback in three days and president Donald Trump's efforts to block Congress from gaining access to his financial records.
Judge Edgardo Ramos ruled Wednesday in New York that Congress' subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capital One were valid and could move forward, denying the president's efforts to stop the subpoenas.
But these subpoenas are very broad. They are seeking records from not only Donald Trump but his children, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his company going back as far as 10 years.
Now the judge also ruled that he would not stay the ruling on this, meaning he would not set aside his decision so Donald Trump could appeal the ruling, saying any delay in this process would harm Congress and their fact-finding mission here as they are investigating potential money laundering, foreign leverage over Donald Trump and foreign interference with the elections -- Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
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ALLEN: And one more setback for the president. The New York state legislature has approved two bills that would allow Congress access to Mr. Trump's state tax returns. The president and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have repeatedly refused to turn over Mr. Trump's federal returns. New York governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign the bill.
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ALLEN: Voting is underway in the European Parliament elections. Polls in the Netherlands and the U.K. are now open. Over the next four days, hundreds of millions of people within the 28 member union have the chance to cast ballots for a new Parliament.
Newly elected members of the European Parliament will represent their citizens for the next five years. CNN's Bianca Nobilo has this look at the makeup of the Parliament.
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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are 28 countries, more than 500 million citizens, welcome to one of the biggest elections on Earth. Over four days, voters from across Europe will decide who will represent them for the next five years in the European Parliament.
Each country gets a certain number of seats depending on its size, so Germany will have 96, as they have the biggest population. The smallest countries, such as Luxembourg or Estonia, get six seats each.
They're all trying to get into here: the 751-seat European Parliament. E.U. MPs don't just sit with their own parties, they form political groups with those of a similar ideology.
This is what it looked like after the 2014 election. You had eight big political groups.
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ALLEN: Of course, we'll be covering the outcome of these elections for you throughout the next few hours.
India begins counting ballots after six weeks of voting. Coming up, we take you live to New Delhi for the latest results.
Also ahead, here the U.S.-China trade war has global implications as several companies delay orders for new Huawei phones.
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ALLEN: Welcome back. 40,000 riot police are on standby in the capital of Indonesia following deadly post-election unrest.
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ALLEN (voice-over): At least six people were killed, hundreds injured, when protesters faced off against security forces. More than 250 people were arrested during a night filled with tear gas, rocks and fireworks, as you can certainly see there. The violence was triggered when election officials certified president Joko Widodo as the winner of last month's election. Opposition leaders allege the voting was rigged and say they plan to file a lawsuit challenging the results.
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ALLEN: The results of India's six week national election should come into sharper focus over the next few hours. The main question, will prime minister Narendra Modi and his party, the BJP, keep their majority in Parliament when the final tally is announced.
CNN's Sam Kiley is live for us at BJP headquarters.
Hello to you, Sam.
When are the results expected and what is the anticipation where you are?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Natalie, no official seats declared but all the indications are coming from the Indian electoral commission that the BJP is well in the lead with some 290 seats drifting their way; none formally declared, as I stress.
But they are in the lead in 290-plus constituencies, which means that they are well over the 272-seat threshold that they need in the Indian parliament to form an absolute majority. Back in 2014 it was the BJP which won the first outright majority in
about 30 years with Mr. Modi at the helm.
Over the last election, we have seen this very much concentrated in an American style election, if you like, with Mr. Modi being the center of attention rather than focus being on his party.
He has managed also to duck some of the failures, the opposition would have said, in terms of his economic policies, with declining support in the rural areas, for example, where a lot of his support traditionally came from mainly because of a bump in his security credentials as a consequence of India's reaction to what they say it was a Pakistani inspired bombing in Kashmir when 40 security forces were killed.
And India struck back inside Pakistani territory with airstrikes, allowing him to campaign with the slogan that he is the guardsman, the watchkeeper, if you like, for the security of the nation, very much focusing attention on himself rather than the party.
And that seems to be paying off with him in a clear lead, not only in the exit polls, Natalie, published on Sunday but now in the early stages of the actual results coming out, though, as I stress, no seats have actually been declared but the broad trajectory is for an overwhelming BJP majority here in the Indian parliament.
This is the biggest exercise in democracy in the history of mankind. More than 600 million voters turned out, 900 million people potential, 67 percent of the population, a big turnout in this country of 1.3 billion people -- Natalie.
ALLEN: That is an impressive turnout. All right, we will wait and see the results. Sam Kiley give us the perspective. Sam, thank you.
The U.S. blacklisting of Huawei is already having a global domino effect.
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ALLEN: Mobile networks in Europe and Asia are dropping deals with the Chinese telecom giant. This comes after Google says it can only service existing Huawei phones for the next 90 days.
And popular apps like Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps will not be accessible on Huawei's new phones. That freezes out ride hailing and food delivery apps, which rely on services like Google Maps.
China has accused the U.S. of bullying Chinese companies for political reasons and is demanding fair treatment from its trading partners.
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LU KANG, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): We have repeatedly expressed China's position as opposing the United States' abuse of national power, to willfully smear and suppress other countries' companies, including Chinese companies. China has always required Chinese companies to abide by international
norms when investing abroad but, at the same time, we always demand that other countries give Chinese enterprises fair and nondiscriminatory treatment.
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ALLEN: Our Sherisse Pham is in Hong Kong with more on the wide- reaching impact of the U.S. blacklisting that Huawei is having.
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SHERISSE PHAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Global companies are pulling away from Huawei. Top mobile carriers in Japan and the U.K. delaying the launch in sales of new Huawei phones.
EE and Vodafone in the U.K. pressing pause on Huawei's new 5G phones, Vodafone saying in a statement today, "We are pausing preorders for the Huawei Mate 20X 5G in the U.K. This is a temporary measure while uncertainty exists regarding new Huawei 5G devices."
Over in Japan, NTT Docomo has stopped taking reservations for Huawei's P30 Lite phone. KDDI and SoftBank saying they will delay the launch of that phone.
Now these moves come after Google signaled that Huawei's latest smartphones will not have access to Google's popular apps and services. That makes Huawei phones a lot less attractive to international consumers.
It means they won't have Google Play or Gmail or YouTube. Also a lot of third-party apps, like Uber and Deliver Route, rely on services like Google Maps. Without access to Google's ecosystems, Huawei phones lose a lot of their functionality.
Huawei is the world's second largest smartphone seller. They said they were going to overtake Samsung in the top slot by next year. All of that now in doubt, as the Trump administration cuts off access to U.S. tech and products.
Beijing defending Chinese companies today, calling the U.S. actions "an abuse of state power meant to smear Chinese companies" -- Sherisse Pham, CNN, Hong Kong.
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ALLEN: Coming up here, a sharp jump in cases of the flu is raising questions about how migrants are being cared for in U.S. processing centers. A tense exchange about it on Capitol Hill.
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[02:30:20] ALLEN: And welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen. Let's update you on our top news this hour. Donald trump says he will not work with Democrats in Congress until they end their investigations attempt. The President cut short a White House meeting. He was angry over comments from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier Wednesday that he was engaging in a cover-up.
Donald trump says he will not work with democrats in Congress until they and their investigations of him. The President cut short a White House meeting. He was angry over comments from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier Wednesday that he was engaging in a cover-up.
Early returns from India's national election show the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the league. It was still too soon for final result and no parliamentary seats have been officially declared. Estimated 600 million people cast ballots, can you believe that? During the six-week election.
A night of unrest in Jakarta, Indonesia left at least six people dead and hundreds hurt. Riot police faced off against protestors armed with fireworks and rocks. They were angry that the President Joko Widodo won reelection in the country's recent voting.
A spike in the number of cases of flu at a U.S. migrant processing center is raising questions about the medical care migrants are receiving. After more than 30 cases were discovered, the overcrowded center in McAllen, Texas closed temporarily. Maria Santana has more about it.
MARIA SANTANA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Border patrol officials say that at least 32 migrants have tested positive for influenza at one of the nation's largest migrant detention centers in McAllen, Texas. Prompting officials there to temporarily close the facility. This move was ordered late Tuesday, a day after the death of Carlos Gregorio Hernandez, a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy who was being held at the center and was diagnosed with the flu.
Now, investigators are looking into whether Hernandez had been in contact with any of the migrants that now have the illness. Hernandez was detained for six days at the McAllen facility, twice as long as the law generally allows. On Sunday, he told the staff there that he was not feeling well and was seen by a nurse. He was later transferred to a nearby border patrol station where he was found unresponsive the next day.
Now, at least six children are known to have died while in U.S. custody including a 10-year-old girl from El Salvador who passed away last year but whose death had not been previously reported. Of course, the death of these minors along with this recent flu outbreak have raised serious questions and concerns about the conditions and medical care offered and border patrol facilities as officials say that they are struggling to handle the record number of migrants that are arriving at the southern border.
Most of these migrants are families with small children. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of border crosser taken into U.S. custody topped 100, 000th for the second consecutive month in April. And arrests have reached their highest level since 2007. According to officials, many of the agencies processing centers are overwhelmed and overcrowded.
One source with knowledge of the situation at the quarantined in McAllen facility told CNN that this center is equipped to taken 1500 people, but currently has a population of 2000 detainees diagnosed with the flu are being moved to nearby border patrol facilities to keep them isolated from other people. Maria Santana, CNN, New York.
ALLEN: The issue of care for migrants while in U.S. custody came up at a Congressional hearing. It resulted in a heated exchange between one lawmaker and the acting Homeland Security secretary.
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REP. LAUREN UNDERWOOD (D-IL): Congress just provided half a billion dollars in February to address the humanitarian crisis at the border and will soon provide more. Why do these tragedies keep happening?
KEVIN MCALEENAN, ACTING UNITED STATES HOME SECURITY SECRETARY: So, they're happening because the crisis is exceeding the resources provided, that's why we've asked for more. And we've asked for more authority to deal with it to prevent this crisis from happening in the first place, and from the children being put at risk. We have deployed the funding from F.Y.19 that Congress has authorized.
We have increased our temporary facilities by 500 beds in Donna, by 500 in El Paso, we've got three additional soft-sided facilities coming online in June. We have deployed medical practitioners. We now have over 100 certified medical practitioners in our two busiest sectors.
UNDERWOOD: Right, but people keep dying, sir.
MCALEENAN: We've asked for more money to extend that.
UNDERWOOD: People keep dying, sir. And so, this is obviously more than a question of resources. Congress has been more than willing to provide the resources and work with you to address the security and humanitarian concerns.
[02:35:00] But at this point, with five kids that have died, 5000 separated from their families, I feel like, an evidence is really clear that this is intentional. It's intentional. It's a policy choice being made on purpose by this administration and it's cruel and inhumane. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I hold back.
MCALEENAN: That's an appalling accusation and our men and women fight hard to protect people in our custody every single day. We have asked for these resources three weeks ago, it hasn't been responded to by Congress, and we've asked for changes in authorities for the last three years that would have prevented this from happening.
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ALLEN: Republican lawmakers objected to Underwood's remarks and the committee voted to delete them from the record. We continue to follow breaking news out of the State of Missouri of the capital, Jefferson City taking a direct hit from a tornado a short time ago. We've just getting these pictures of some of the damage. This appears to be a business, possibly a gas station. So far, at least seven storm- related deaths have been confirmed across the region.
The three most recent were from a storm that hit the small town of Golden City, Missouri a few hours ago. Jefferson City, the capital has 43,000 people. That's a very large, condensed area and Derek Van Dam is here with us. And you were saying this storm hit in the middle of the night. We just don't know what the damage is and possibly more injuries.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN INTERNATIONAL WEATHER ANCHOR: Yes, Natalie. It's true. And unfortunately the tornado went directly over the town as well. And as you mentioned, over 40,000 people, a densely populated town in Central Missouri. Now, it struck in the middle of the night and we have some of the first images that the tornado move through. And there was actually a lightning strike that illuminated the backdrop.
So, we were able to see the width of this massive wedged tornado. What you are looking at here is what is called a wedged tornado because it is wider than it is tall. OK? So the scope of the potential damage of a tornado like this is obviously large. And the other issue here is that it struck in the middle of the night. So, most people are sleeping. Just before midnight, think about you lying in bed, not hearing a siren because you're sound asleep.
And a large tornado comes barreling towards your House. Well, we already know that there is damage in Jefferson City. We're seeing the first images coming out of the capital city, but we're concerned that once first light comes in the early morning hours that it could be catastrophic because it was so large and it appears to be very destructive. And we were able to see this on radar as the tornado thunderstorm moved across Jefferson City, again, just before midnight.
Meteorologists have ways of confirming that this indeed was a tornado. Not only have we seen damaged pictures, not only have we seen the lightning illuminated wedged tornado that I showed you on the T.V. screen just a moment ago but what you're looking at here is a velocity scan that shows us the direction of wind. So, any time you see that shading of red, that indicates winds moving away from the radar.
That green indicates wind moving towards the radar. And what does that do? It provides a circulation pattern. And you can see that circulation pattern that went directly over Jefferson City. So, it followed right along route 54. There were reports that debris was being hurled into the air and we were able to slice into the three- dimensional scan of the actual super cell thunderstorm and see signatures within the radar that showed us debris being hurled over 13,000 feet into the atmosphere.
And that was confirmed also in some of the video that we have seen, as well. We are starting to see some of the images of damaged buildings. There have been reports of trees being completely stripped of their lives and their bark. Power lines completely snapped over, and of course, that makes search and rescue that much more difficulties when roads become impassable because of the power lines and the trees that are covering the roadways. The good news is the storm has moved on from Jefferson City. There is still a flash flood threat ongoing across Central Missouri and then fast forward into this afternoon and evening. Thursday, local time, we have the refuelling from the daytime heating of the sun and then we see thunderstorms flare-up once again across the plains. It just never ends, does it, Natalie?
ALLEN: It doesn't seem to. And you got to feel for all of those emergency workers who right now are trying to rescue or help people in Jefferson City because the governor tweeted out that what was underway at this moment. So, it should be revealing, yes, when there is daylight over that city. Derek, thanks very much.
DAN DAM: And only hope for the best.
ALLEN: I know. So true. Coming up here. John Walker Lindh. You may recall that name.
[02:40:02] He came to be known as the American Taliban. He is about to be released from prison. Nearly two decades after he pleaded guilty to aiding the terror group. Some worry he could still be a threat. We'll have that for you. Also ahead, former attorney for Stormy Daniels is in legal trouble of his own. The surprising charges he now faces in two separate cases.
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ALLEN: In the weeks after 9/11, the story of John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban, captivated the world. Americans who were stunned by the worst terror attack in U.S. history wondered how a 20-year-old from California could betray his country by fighting with the Taliban. Now, after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence, John Walker Lindh will soon be a free man. CNN'S Barbara Starr reports.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're an American citizen, right?
JOHN WALKER LINDH, ARMED FORCE OFFICER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now you're a prisoner.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It was in this exclusive CNN video that America first saw John Walker Lindh, a then 20-year-old from California once known as the American Taliban.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What injuries do you have?
LINDH: I have a bullet in my leg and several shrapnel wounds.
STARR: Now, Lindh is about to be a free man after serving 17 years for fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan where he was even introduced to Osama bin Laden. Taliban fighters stormed the compound where Lindh was being held and claimed the first American casualty in the global war on terror. Johnny Michael Spann, an undercover CIA officers who had interrogated Lindh. Lindh is now being released three years early for likely good behavior bbut there will be restrictions on his freedom.
MITCHELL SILBER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS, NYPD: He won't be able to access social media on his own. He won't be able to have his own e-mail address. And he probably will have some limitations in terms of who he might be able to meet with. What he won't have any restrictions on is what he can say and doing media. So, it's likely that he will be out there, you know, in the public domain potentially even espousing the same pro al-Qaeda beliefs that got him arrested to begin with.
STARR: Documents from the National Counterterrorism Center obtained by foreign policy magazine say that Lindh continue to advocate for global jihad and to right and translate violent extremist texts.
[02:45:05] And in this U.S. Bureau of Prisons document, Lindh wrote to his father that he was not interested in renouncing my beliefs. Those views are what concerns Mike Spann's father Johnny who petitioned Federal court this week to investigate.
JOHNNY SPANN, FATHER OF MIKE SPANN: We need to find out for sure, is this guy still the same al-Qaeda member that we put in jail? If he is still the al-Qaeda member we put in jail then we need to throw the plea agreement away and do something else.
STARR: Lindh's parents continued to claim his is innocence over the years, maintaining he was too young to understand what he had gotten himself into.
MARILYN WALKER, MOTHER OF JOHN WALKER LINDH: It's been exceedingly hard for us to think that most of the citizenry of this country believes that your son, your child is a terrorist. And it's a -- it's difficult moniker to, you know, to remove.
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STARR: Lindh will now be on a three-year term of supervised released. It's not yet been made public where he will live. Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
ALLEN: Michael Avenatti is the attorney who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her legal battle with Donald Trump. He even flirted with the Presidential bid at one time. Now, he is heading back to court, but this time he faces serious charges. Here's CNN Sara Sidner.
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Federal prosecutors have indicted Attorney Michael Avenatti on two separate charges, one of which is not a surprise. That one involving Nike. There was an announcement about a few months back where the government is accusing him of trying to extort that huge sports apparel company out of $20 million plus. But the other case is quite a surprise, at least to the public here.
That case involves Stormy Daniels, perhaps his most famous client. They are accusing him of fraud and identity theft charges in that case. Daniels, as you remember and Michael Avenatti who represented her both became quite famous after she sued the President of the United States and he represented here in that suit. They became Household names. Here is where the problems began, according to prosecutors.
She wrote a book called Full Disclosure which talked about her life but also talked about the details of her alleged sexual encounters with President Trump. Well, Michael Avenatti, according to prosecutors, brokered that deal and in so doing they say he lied to her in connection with the monies involved, particularly the advance that she was to be given to write the book. The advance was some $300,000.
They say he initially took that money by forging her name on some documents to her literary agent and then started spending that money on what they said was his extravagant lifestyle before she kept asking about where the money was. And he eventually paid her about half, about $148,000 or so that he paid her. But he took that from another place, in other words, he started spending the money before handing over some of it to her.
They say he has not paid her the other half of that money. Now, Michael Avenatti has responded to these allegations and vehemently denies any wrongdoing against stormy Daniels or Nike. Here is what he said. He said, no money is relating to Miss Daniels were ever misappropriated or mishandled. She received millions of dollars' worth of legal services and we spent huge sums in expenses.
She directly paid only $100 for all that she received. I look forward, he says, to enduring hearing all the evidence and passing judgment on my conduct at no time was any money misappropriated or mishandled. I will be fully exonerated. Now, we have not heard from Stormy Daniels herself. I'm sure that we will, eventually. In this case. But we have heard from her earlier when they broke up their relationship, the attorney-client relationship that they had.
She said that she believed that she was treated extremely dishonestly by Michael Avenatti. He denies those allegations as well. Sara Sidner, CNN, Los Angeles.
ALLEN: Aid workers in Yemen are worried that a cholera -- that cholera is making a massive come back and the fighting is making it difficult to tackle the outbreak. CNN'S Sam Kiley traveled to the cholera tense in remote towns where doctors fight in uphill battle.
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KILEY: Spring rains, something to celebrate in war torn Yemen. But this joyful abandon has a mortal risk, cholera. Aid agencies fear they're on the brink of an epidemic. Hajjah is an ancient city many miles from Yemen front lines where Houthi rebels are battling a Saudi- led coalition.
[02:50:07] Refugees fleeing war who brought cholera with them. It's spreading and fast.
DR. ILHAM WASEL, HAJJAH CHOLERA EMERGENCY CENTER: Everybody. Everyone in the area, nausea, vomiting.
WASEL: Yes.
KILEY: The numbers of new patients climb every day. A month ago there were only 11 patients here. 60 came in yesterday. How old is she?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two years.
KILEY: And what's the name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Elia.
KILEY: When did you first see that she was getting sick?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Around four days ago. It started with diarrhea. Then it got worse.
KILEY: One of the catastrophic side effects of this war has been that people from outside the cities have been forced into beautiful ancient towns like this, Hajjah. But as a consequence of that the systems are overloaded, the clean water systems. And these women have been telling me that they've been drinking from the river in the town, the same
river that sewage flows into. That will guarantee a cholera epidemic.
A year ago a million Yemenis were infected with cholera. Over 2,000 died. This year the United Nations says there have been 300,000 suspected cases. A quarter are kids under five. For now the Yemeni are coping but they don't have long.
LISE GRANDE, RESIDENT COORDINATOR, UNITED NATIONS: We're very worried that if we're not able to stop it now we could see an uncontrolled epidemic spread like wildfire across this whole country. As we face this cholera outbreak right now, we do not have sufficient cholera kits in the country. We do not have sufficient IV fluid to address the crisis.
KILEY: So Doctor, what's happening with this patient?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has low blood liter and in a coma. We shot IV fluid and give him a breathing should control it.
KILEY: Cholera kills very quickly, doesn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
KILEY: This cholera patient survived, but without outside help, many thousands of other lives are at risk. Sam Kiley, CNN, Hajjah, Yemen.
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ALLEN: Next here on CNN NEWSROOM. How growing anti U.S. sentiment in China has been captured in a song going viral on social media.
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ALLEN: U.S. Presidential candidate Joe Biden is firing back in his war of words with North Korea. It all started during Biden's first campaign rally, Saturday when referred to Kim Jong-un as a dictator in a tyrant. Pyongyang returned fire on Wednesday, calling Biden a fool of low I.Q. The Biden campaign sent CNN a statement saying in part, Donald Trump has been repeatedly tricked into making major concessions to the murderous regime in Pyongyang. It is no surprise that North Korea would prefer that Donald Trump remain in the White House.
[02:55:06] Well, anti U.S. sentiment is spreading throughout China as the trade war escalates with the U.S. There is even a song about it, and it's lighting up Chinese social media. Our Kristie Lu Stout is in Hong Kong.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Feel bitter hatred for the enemy, the patriotic songs demands. Propaganda reminiscent of Chinese communist revolution now going viral on social media. The anthem is called Trade War, and calls for support for Chinese businesses taking hits as tensions between Beijing and Washington worsens. This time, they are fighting economic battles but China's propaganda's have been reminding the public of a much darker time when U.S. and Chinese troops fought one another in Korea.
And like before the United States is painted as the aggressor. This editorial cartoon in Chinese state media shows Uncle Sam sacrificing American consumers and companies as he sends trade war salvos. But Donald Trump says American consumers made China the world's second largest economy and now it's time for Beijing to pay that first back.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What they've done to us is indescribable, economically. We have rebuilt China. They've done a great job, and I don't blame China.
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STOUT: To do that, the U.S. has more than double to tariffs on much of Chinese exports to America and blacklisted telecoms company Huawei. But Beijing says it won't take it lying down.
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LU KANG, SPOKESMAN, CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): We have repeatedly stated our opposition to the U.S. behavior and its abuse of state power. To want only smear and crackdown on foreign businesses, including Chinese companies.
(END VIDEO CLIP) STOUT: Again, harkening back to Chinese communist revolution, this
week President Xi Jinping steeled his people for another Long March. That was when Chairman Mao's rebels were forced to retreat during China Civil War but also prepare themselves for a future victory. As this trade war escalates, Trump is landing blows on China but propaganda proves that China's leaders have long memories and maybe prepared to roll with the punches while looking for future winds. Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
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ALLEN: Thanks for watching this hour. I'm Natalie Allen. Remember to connect with me any time on Twitter @AllenCNN. I'm back with another hour of news in just a moment.
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