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Putin: Wagner Group "Simply Does Not Exist"; Sources: Jared Kushner, Hope Hicks Testify Before Election Interference Grand Jury; Over 90 Million Under Heat Alerts Across 15 States. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired July 14, 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]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Legally. When you hear those words, what do you hear? What does -- what does that term mean to you?

MAJ. MIKE LYONS (RET), U.S. ARMY: Yes, a lot of fiction going on in Russia these days. It's kind of maybe its opposite day because it's exactly the opposite. I mean, to say the Wagner group doesn't exist or hasn't existed is just not --- doesn't make any sense.

There's reports this morning of them training in Belarus already those some of the potato soldiers that they have there in those places. Vladimir Putin is definitely trying to consolidate power, though. But he also knows that Prigozhin is a strong charismatic figure, has a group that follows him, and can't put him in jail. I think that he's someone in a box with him.

He's not getting rid of the Wagner group. They project power in Africa and other places around the world that it would be too difficult for him to try to recreate a private military company. So, that's a lot of fiction I think coming out today.

SIDNER: We are seeing Putin trying to split Yevgeny Prigozhin away from some of the commanders there.

LYONS: Yes.

SIDNER: But we're also seeing a reshuffling, sometimes a firing of generals -- Russian generals that are in the actual military, not the mercenary group. What is happening here, and how will Ukraine use this to their advantage?

LYONS: So, you're seeing a similar situation that, unfortunately, our president had during our Civil War, couldn't find the right general to fight the war back in -- from Abraham Lincoln's perspective. But -- so, Putin is in the same box right now. And he's trying to find the right leadership in Ukraine.

I think that eventually, it will take -- have an impact if he finds the right person, but he thought he had the right person a couple of times ago. Popov, the one that's just been relieved out of that group in Ukraine, a tremendously powerful position that he had, but really didn't get any results. And so, Putin is looking for the person that's going to get him the results.

But the -- but it's still they're on the defense. So, I don't see them doing anything. They're going to win by not losing right now. And I think that's going to take place for a long time until they recognize that Ukraine can bring more offensive capability to the situation.

SIDNER: Major Mike Lyons, there have been promises made at the NATO Summit. A lot of expectations, so we will see what happens going forward.

LYONS: Yes.

SIDNER: Thank you so much for coming in.

LYONS: OK.

SIDNER: Appreciate it. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up. Jared Kushner, definitely a member of Donald Trump's inner circle, testifying before a grand jury investigating 2020 election interference. The kind of information the prosecutors are looking for, and what it means for Donald Trump now. We'll be back.

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[11:36:57]

BOLDUAN: Did former President Trump acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election? How was Donald Trump told that he lost the election? Sources say this is what federal prosecutors want to know. First reported by the New York Times, CNN has learned that Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and former aide Hope Hicks have testified before a grand jury investigating the 2020 election interference.

With me now, for more on this. Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti. It's great to see you, Renato. Thank you so much for being here.

Let's talk about this. What do you think of this line of questioning in this -- in the -- in this special counsel investigation into 2020? As the New York Times put it, they asked whether Mr. Trump had privately acknowledged in the days after the 2020 election that he had lost. And they want to know how he was -- how he was informed that he lost. Why would prosecutors want so much to get down to this?

RENATO MARIOTTI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, ultimately, at the end of the decade, they're trying to lock out Trump's defenses. You know Trump can't take the witness stand himself unless he wants to be subjected to weathering cross-examination. He has a right to remain silent.

But what he might do is try to put on other witnesses who could try to make his defense. And his defense is going to be that he genuinely believed that he won. That all of these fake elector schemes and other methods to try to obstruct the proceedings in January 6 were because he believed he was being cheated out of legitimate land. So, what they're trying to show and I think a lot of the viewers probably saw a preview of this during the January 6 hearings, is that they want to lock in the fact that all of these witnesses around Trump, people who are pro-Trump, his own family, advisors, were telling him that he had legitimately lost the election.

BOLDUAN: And maybe not surprising that the special counsel would want to speak to those in Trump's inner circle like Jared Kushner, and like Hope Hicks. But what does it indicate to you about the investigation?

MARIOTTI: Well, it looks like they're preparing to charge Trump. I don't think, Kate, that you talk to Jared Kushner because you're trying to bring charges against John Eastman or someone like that. I think they are developing charges against Trump.

It means Kushner does not believe that he has criminal liability, or I'll see he would have taken the Fifth. He's testifying ultimately, and they are preparing charges. And I wouldn't be surprised if they came the next you know month or two.

BOLDUAN: Renato, I want to ask you about also because there are some more developments coming out in court filings about the other special counsel investigation, the charges that Donald Trump now faces over his mishandling of classified documents. The special counsel in a court filing just ripped into Trump's legal team who's -- which is pushed for kind of an indefinite delay to the start of the trial. And that's what this is really all about.

In this new filing, the counsel -- the special counsel says that Trump's team is giving a misleading picture of the amount of evidence, the amount of material that Donald -- that they -- that the defense team needs to look over. Trump's team points to 800,000 pages of discovery. The special counsel says it's a fraction of that, like 4500 key documents in this investigation.

[11:40:05]

They say in some, neither the amount of classified discovery in this case nor the timetable for its production is a reason for an indefinite continuance of the trial date. What do you think of this?

MARIOTTI: I think both sides are presenting perhaps a somewhat slanted picture. I think the government is trying to push back against defense arguments. Some of which are legitimate, but many of which I think are disingenuous or silly. I think Smith is right about that.

But this issue about the relevance of documents I don't -- I don't think is completely playing it straight for the government either. In other words, the government selected the 4500 documents that they think are the most important. I suspect that the defense is going to have their own view of what documents are important.

They're going to have their own defenses. They may be silly, they may not be the strongest arguments, but they'll have their own argument. They're going to want to review every page of documents. That is the weak point of the government's case is the extensive amount of discovery.

BOLDUAN: And we will maybe find out next week in front of Judge Aileen Cannon, what this trial day -- the start of this trial to -- trial could actually look like. It's good to see you, Renato. Thank you. Sara?

SIDNER: The U.S. not only dealing with sweltering heat right now, but parts of Europe also under extreme and dangerous conditions. And officials say it's going to get worse. We'll go live to Rome for the very latest.

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[11:45:56]

SIDNER: Right now, more than 90 million Americans are under extreme heat warnings across the country. In Las Vegas, forecasters suggest residents avoid the outdoors between nine and six, basically all day. The forecast suggests the city could challenge its all-time high temperature of 117 degrees on Sunday.

In Texas, zookeepers at the El Paso Zoo got creative to keep animals cool making ice pops and setting up misters and cooling sheds. According to the National Weather Service, the city has reached one hundred degrees every day since June 16. The streak of 28 days is a new record, breaking the previous mark of 23 set back in 1994.

CNN Senior National Correspondent Ed Lavandera joins us now. I have experienced this heat alongside you so many times that the Texas sun is no joke. What is happening there?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I want to show you the absolute smartest people in the entire city of Dallas are those little children running through this popular fountain that Klyde Warren Park here in downtown Dallas. But the heat has been relenting for several days. It will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future.

And really the warnings are going to write about what's going to happen here in the coming days. As you mentioned 90 million people across the country are under heat advisories. There have been 900 heat records set in communities across the country in July alone. And there's another one hundred or so heat records that could be expected this weekend.

So, the intensity of this is really unrelenting. And the highest -- the areas with the highest eat -- heat indexes that were recorded yesterday were here in Texas and Oklahoma. So, this region really getting hit very hard by this heatwave. And live it to an 11-year-old to fully capture what this experience has been like this summer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMERON JOHNSON, 11-YEAR-OLD DALLAS RESIDENT: It feels like if hot sauce could be felt without you having to taste it. Like -- and they got poured on my dad. I would love to enjoy some time outside without getting wet, like just riding bikes and stuff. But every time I try to go out, I get tired really fast because of the sun and I just -- I'm like, OK, I got to go in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And, Sara, I'll leave you on this note. The hottest place on earth, Death Valley, California, could reach 130 degrees this weekend. That has only happened five times since these records were kept. So, by the end of this weekend, we will all be heat zombies, Sara.

SIDNER: Now, a lot of people say look it's summer, It's hot. We get it. But this is dangerous heat potentially deadly. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much. Stay cool. Kate.

BOLDUAN: Heat zombies from Ed Lavandera. So, the United States is just one of many places of course getting hammered with the extreme heat right now. Europe is up against it as well.

In Greece, the heat even forced officials to briefly close the Acropolis of Athens because of the way conditions were getting. And in Italy, authorities have issued health warnings for 15 cities including Rome and Florence over the temperatures.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau is live in Rome for us. Barbie, it's always good to see you. Thank you for being there. What are you hearing from folks there, how are they handling it, and what are authorities saying?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU: Well, it's really, really, really hot here. I have to say. One of the biggest problems with it is -- it's the height of tourist season. All these people who are here right now in this heat, they shouldn't be because authorities are saying you should stay out of the heat during the middle of the day.

They don't have a choice. This is their holiday. They booked it you know months and years in advance.

We're in front of the Roman Colosseum. We've seen people in line all day long under the blazing sun. And it's you know nearing a hundred degrees here.

And the worst of it is that we're expecting this to be the coolest day for the next five. The forecast for Rome and for Florence and for Sardinia, an island off of Italy, is supposed to be even hotter over the next couple of days. And you know, one of the things I think is most important to remember is that most Europeans don't have air conditioning. Only 10 percent of Italian -- European homes have air conditioning.

So, there's really no end in sight. It doesn't cool off at night. It's hot in the shade. It's humid beyond belief. And it's going to get worse.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Barbie, thank you for that context. Thank you for being there. Sara. SIDNER: We have a real-life Barbie in Rome who was melting to the plastic kind that is around the world. Just a Barbie girl in a Barbie world. In the years since Mattel launched the doll in 1959, it became a global icon. The live-action movie debuts next week, and could help revitalize a brand that has seen a bit of a slump in recent years.

CNN Business and Political Correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich has more details. Vanessa, what's happened with the Barbie brand over -- we've seen them, of course. But what's happened business-wise with the Barbie brand?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Does Barbie need -- even need an introduction? I mean, she's been around for 64 years. She has gone through some transitions. The maker of Barbie, Mattel, has worked with many other brands to try to boost Barbie sales. But they're looking at this live-action movie as a way to bring the nostalgia back for Barbie fans and to bring in some new ones.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Barbara Millicent Roberts. You know her as Barbie. Parents, Mattel, born in 1959, but doesn't look a day over 19.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone had a Barbie, and it was the thing to have a Barbie.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Next week, Barbie comes to life in a new movie with an ageless director and actors.

KEN, FICTIONAL CHARACTER: Hi, Barbie.

BARBIE, FICTIONAL CHARACTER: Hi, Ken.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Distributed by CNN's parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery.

RICHARD DICKSON, PRESIDENT & COO, MATTEL: It's an incredibly important milestone for the brand.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Barbie beloved by girls and boys around the world, has had ups and downs.

DICKSON: Back in 2014 and '15, we hit a low. And it was a moment to reflect in the context of what -- why did Barbie lose relevance. She didn't reflect the physicality, the look if you will of the world around us.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Now Barbie, Ken, and friends have many different skin tones, shapes, and special traits that make them look more like us. But this year's first quarter sales of Mattel slumped. Down 22 percent from last year's.

YURKEVICH: How is Mattel and Barbie viewed as a brand?

KATIE MANCINI, GENERAL MANAGER, LANDOR & FITCH BRANDING: There's been a lot of decline and that differentiation and that relevance that keep a brand fresh and top of mind from a purchase perspective. And when that happens, brands go into a place of fatigue.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Mattel hopes this new movie will give them the boost they're looking for.

DICKSON: We also now have the opportunity to reach new ages and stages that ultimately from a business perspective provides huge merchandising and monetization opportunities.

YURKEVICH: We're standing in front of?

ILENE GAYER, OWNER, HOM BOM TOYS: Barbie.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): At HomBom Toys, owner Ilene Gayer can't keep the movie Barbie on the shelf.

GAYER: Or within a day they will gone.

YURKEVICH: Have you always had Barbie --

GAYER: Absolutely.

YURKEVICH: -- and Ken and friends in store?

GAYER: Absolutely. It's a staple. It's the moms and dads who are more nostalgic than the kids.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): But that nostalgia isn't for everyone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how she's evolved.

YURKEVICH: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like to shift college degree now.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): The movie has calculated for that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We haven't played with Barbie since we were like five years old.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): And for others, you're never too old for Barbie.

CAROL SPENCER, FORMER BARBIE CLOTHING DESIGNER FOR MATTEL: I am 90 years old, or I should say 90 years young.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): Carol Spencer didn't grow up playing with Barbies.

SPENCER: This was my first project.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): But Barbie wouldn't be -- well, Barbie without her.

SPENCER: I was a designer for the Barbie doll starting in 1963 for over 35 years, and I loved every minute of it.

YURKEVICH: While Carol helped make Barbie, Barbie helped make Mattel. As other toys have come and gone, Barbie is still strutting.

SPENCER: Barbie really carried Mattel for great many years. I thought of every child who played with the Barbie doll as my child. So, let me tell you, I have a big family. And I love it.

YURKEVICH (voiceover): And that is the magic and power of Barbie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH (on camera): And when Barbie came to market in 1959, she was a teen fashion model. She went on to become a fashion designer. But then consumers started asking questions could Barbies have other jobs? Not those jobs were bad, but could Barbie have in a man's job?

So, then we saw lawyer Barbie, scientist Barbie, Astronaut Barbie and of course, we, have reporter Barbie right here for us. Dropping the mic --

SIDNER: She dropped the mic on you.

YURKEVICH: -- not the first time that's happened. And then of course we have camera woman Barbie right here. So, clearly evolving.

SIDNER: Yes.

YURKEVICH: But Mattel says that Barbie really is a blank canvas, and she can be whatever you want her to be.

SIDNER: There's always been a presidential candidate Barbie --

YURKEVICH: Yes.

SIDNER: -- that has been around for a really long time. I got the opportunity to speak with Margot Robbie in America Forever who were starring in this movie. And neither of them played with Barbie as kids. And America said the reason why is because it didn't -- she didn't feel like it really represented her at the time. Has that changed the representation of Barbie?

BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE) toys such conflicted feelings. I can now Barbie myself.

YURKEVICH: Yes. It's only changed in the last 10 years. Mattel saw their sales drop quite dramatically from 2014 -- 2015 because they did not diversify fast enough. Then over the pandemic when kids were at home and parents were at home, they started buying Barbies again. And then this movie is an attempt to bring in more diversity with Barbie and friends, but certainly took them a little while to get there.

BOLDUAN: Maybe Barbie is evolving as well. Great to see you, Vanessa. Thank you so much.

SIDNER: Thank you, Vanessa. YURKEVICH: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you all so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is next.

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