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N. Korea Fires Submarine Missiles Before U.S.-South Korea Drills; Three Women Missing After Crossing Mexican Border Two Weeks Ago; "Everything Everywhere All At Once" Makes Oscar History With Seven Wins. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired March 13, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Testifying before a grand jury in New York as a prosecutor there considers criminal charges over the hush money -- the hush payments to Stormy Daniels. What's behind Trump's decision? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: The United States and South Korea kicked off today their largest joint military exercises in years. And just hours before they began, North Korea tried to send a message claiming to fire off two missiles from a submarine. Oren Liebermann is getting some new detail on this. He's joining us now from the Pentagon. Oren, what is the view from the Pentagon on this latest missile launch?

[11:40:13]

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Kate, there is some skepticism not only on the number of missiles launched, but also on the type of missiles. So, there's a question about what North Korea claims they launch versus what they actually launched. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff saying they're working with the U.S. to further analyze the details of the launch, saying they tracked at least one submarine-launched missile of an unidentified type. So, not even acknowledging that it was a cruise missile or that it was two missiles that North Korea claimed.

It is worth noting that cruise missiles or other types of missiles except ballistic missiles are not a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, so they're not viewed as escalatory as a ballistic missile launch. Of course, this is North Korea, so they did carry out a short-range ballistic missile launch just last week that was viewed as not a threat to the U.S. or the U.S. territory by the United States. It's also worth noting that ahead of the exercises, none of the exercises have started freedom shield that is, North Korea claims that they will counter -- to carry out the toughest counteraction yet, Kate. So, this is a space we will certainly be watching.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely, and unclear exactly what that means but definitely a space to be watching. It's great to see you, Oren. Thank you. So, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump says that the former president will not be testifying before a grand jury in New York. Now, Trump was invited to appear before the grand jury investigating his alleged role in a scheme to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels way back when. Kara Scannell has this new detail and much more on Trump's response. Kara,

I thought it was really interesting. His attorney did not hold back this morning when he's speaking to George Stephanopoulos. What else did he have to say about the investigation and the possible charges against his client?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, not holding back at all. After that meeting at Mar-a-Lago this weekend with the former president, his lawyer, Joe Tacopina coming out swinging, saying that Donald Trump will not appear before the grand jury, who will not accept that invitation. And just as a reminder, I mean, sources tell me that prosecutors are weighing whether to bring charges against the former president for falsifying business records related to the reimbursement of those payments to Michael Cohen and how they recorded it in the books of the Trump Organization and also a possible felony charge if these documents were falsified to conceal another crime. That would be campaign finance.

Now, Tacopina gets into what some of their possible defense could be on Good Morning America. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE TACOPINA, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: This was a plane extortion. And I don't know since when we've decided to start prosecuting extortion victims. He's denied -- vehemently denied this affair. But he had to pay money because there was going to be an allegation that was going to be publicly embarrassing to him, regardless of the campaign. And the campaign finance was very, very clear, George, that you cannot have something that's even primarily related to the campaign to be considered him invited for --

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST, ABC: OK. So -- but he did direct --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCANNELL: So, you can hear Tacopina there really underscoring that this was his personal money and it was for -- that was the payment was made to save his family from embarrassment. That's obviously be a question for the jury. Speaking of juries, Michael Cohen, the man at the center of the hush money payments, is expected to appear before a grand jury this afternoon, Kate.

BOLDUAN: More to come on that. Kara, thank you.

A man is suing three of his ex-wife's friends because he says they helped her get an abortion. It's one of the first tests of that Texas law attacking abortion rights. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [11:42:45]

BOLDUAN: There's a new mystery out of Mexico that we want to tell you about. Authorities are on a desperate search right now for three women who vanished two weeks ago after crossing into Mexico from Texas. Their family says that they were headed to Montemorelos about three hours from the border but that they never arrived.

Rosa Flores has been tracking this. She's joining us now with more on it. Rosa, what's the very latest here?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is from the AG from the state of Nuevo Leon. He says that the investigation and the search is ongoing. Now, here's the latest timeline. According to police in the Rio Grande Valley, these three women crossed into Mexico on February 24. According to various Mexican authorities, these women were driving a green 1996 Chevy Silverado and it was when they were driving from a city called China, Nuevo Leon to Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, that these women disappeared and that their families reported them missing on February 25.

Now, the AG's office says that they're doing everything they can to locate these women. They do say that the FBI is not collaborating with them. Now, the AG's office says that most likely that's because these women are U.S. residents but not U.S. citizens. We've, of course, reached out to the FBI about this and they are not commenting at the moment. But, Kate, I mean, this is an ongoing search of trying to find these women and they haven't found them yet. Kate.

BOLDUAN: I mean two weeks -- in two weeks. Rosa, thank you so much.

A Texas man has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against three of his ex-wife's friends. Now, he's alleging in the suit that they helped her get abortion pills. It's one of really the first major tests of the recent laws that we've been seeing cracking down on abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Whitney Wild has more in this case for us. She's joining us now. Whitney, what's going on here?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically what this man is saying is that these three women plus the manufacturer are civilly liable for the death of his unborn child. So, he's going after all three of these women. And as he moves forward with this lawsuit, intends to also file a claim against the manufacturer of the abortion pills.

And, Kate, what's notable here is that the mother, his ex-wife, is actually excluded from the lawsuit because of the way that the Texas bill is written. It actually excludes the mother. And so, the question here is, how broad is this web of liability when it comes to an abortion in Texas?

[11:45:07]

Here's how the law is set up. Basically, what the law says is that anybody who knowingly aids and abets or performs an abortion in violation of this law who knowingly engages in that conduct or -- again, aids and abets, the performance or inducement of an abortion or notably, Kate, intends to engage in the conduct described by Senate Bill Eight, which is an effective ban on abortion after six weeks in Texas is civilly liable. The penalty here, Kate, could be significant because the law says that damages are a minimum of $10,000.

In this case, this man Marcus Silva is seeking a million dollars in damages, at least -- a billion dollars in damages from each of these parties. So, certainly, a case to watch, Kate, in this post-Roe v. Wade era again trying to answer the question how broad is the web of liability for people who either perform an abortion or help someone else or intend to help someone else induce an abortion? Back to you.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Thank you so much, Whitney.

So, Everything Everywhere All At Once wins almost every Oscar that it was nominated for. A look at the night's history-making winners. That's ahead.

But first, Dr. Sanjay Gupta with why a diet rich in one specific thing might help keep your brain sharp as you age in today's "CHASING LIFE."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "CHASING LIFE" podcast.

We all want to keep our brains sharp. And one way to help slow memory loss may be by eating more flavonols. Remember that word. Flavonols. They're the antioxidants in many fruits, vegetables, tea, wine. A recent study tracked close to a thousand people between the ages of 60 to a hundred per seven years, none had signs of dementia. Along with taking annual cognitive and memory tests, they also feel that regular questionnaires about what they ate are.

What they found is that people in the study who ate the foods with the highest amounts of kaempferol correlated with the least cognitive decline compared with those who ate the fewest. A good sources of kaempferol, onions, asparagus, berries, spinach, kale, green leafy vegetables, but the researchers don't expect to get those same results from bottled flavonols or flavonoid supplements. What was key they say was eating nutritious Whole Foods.

And you can hear more about ways to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[11:52:50]

BOLDUAN: There are some Oscar first to talk about today. The first Asian woman to win for Best Actress. And in another first for women of color, Ruth Carter became the first black woman to win two Oscars, taking home Best Costume Design for Wakanda forever. Here's Stephanie Elam with a roundup now of Hollywood's biggest night. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: Everything Everywhere All At Once.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The Best Picture winner living up to its name. Everything was everywhere at the Oscars.

MICHELLE YEOH, ACTRESS: Never give up.

ELAM: Michelle Yeoh winning Best Actress, making history as the first woman of Asian descent to win.

YEOH: For all the little boys and girls who looked like me watching tonight, this is the beacon of hope.

ELAM: Her co-star Ke Huy Quan, won best-supporting actor.

KE HUY QUAN, ACTOR: Mom, I just won an Oscar.

ELAM: Nearly four decades after becoming a child star in Indiana Jones, played of course by Harrison Ford, the two with an emotional embrace on the Oscar stage.

QUAN: My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood's biggest stage.

ELAM: Races that were too close to call before the show including the best actor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brendan Fraser.

ELAM: Brendan Fraser winning Best Actor for The Whale after trading winds all award season with Elvis's Austin Butler. For Fraser, it's a return to Hollywood's A-list.

BRENDAN FRASER, WINNER, BEST ACTOR: There was a facility that I didn't -- I didn't appreciate at the time until it stopped. And I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jamie Lee Curtis.

ELAM: Jamie Lee Curtis edged out Angela Bassett for Best Supporting Actress. The one-time Scream queen who got her start in the horror film Halloween, thanks those genre fans for their decades of support.

JAMIE LEE CURTIS, WINNER, BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: The thousands and hundreds of thousands of people. We just won an Oscar together.

[11:55:11]

ELAM: CNN films Navalny won Best Documentary Feature.

DANIEL ROHER, DIRECTOR: I would like to dedicate this award to Navalny, to all political prisoners around the world.

ELAM: The wife of Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny speaking directly to her imprisoned husband.

YULIA NAVALNAYA, ALEXEI NAVALNY'S WIFE: Alexei, I am dreaming the day when you will be free and our country will be free. Stay strong, my love.

ELAM: Last year's Will Smith slap was not ignored by host Jimmy Kimmel.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, 95TH ACADEMY AWARD: If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor.

ELAM: Kimmel joked but the Academy did have a crisis team in place, a result of last year's slow response to the slap.

KIMMEL: If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the ceremony, just do what you did last year, nothing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And the other big question we had going into the show was who was going to present Best Actress since that should have been Will Smith since he won Best Actor last year. Well, Jessica Chastain won best actress last year so she was there along with Halle Berry, who you may remember won best actress in 2003. And she up until last night was the only woman of color to win Best Actress. Now, there's two. Kate.

BOLDUAN: It was a -- it was a good -- it was one of many good moments.

ELAM: Yes.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you as always, Stephanie. Thank you. Thanks so much for watching, everybody. "INSIDE POLITICS" starts after this.

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