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Kidnapping in Haiti; Russian Nuclear Threats; Actor Paul Reubens Dies; Georgia Trump Indictment Decision Nearing. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired July 31, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:48]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: "We're ready to go." That is the quote from the Fulton County DA, saying the work is done in the investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. An indictment decision could be announced at any time.

It also comes as the classified documents case against the former president moves forward. We're on top of all those moving details.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: A lifeline for student borrowers. The White House outlining a new plan just weeks before payments resume. That new plan could lower monthly payments, also reduce the total amount borrowers must pay back. We're going to break down exactly how it works.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, an American nurse and her child kidnapped in Haiti, how U.S. officials are now working to get them home.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: This is Mar-a-Lago property manager, now co-defendant in former President Trump's classified documents case Carlos De Oliveira. You see him here leaving a federal courthouse in Miami after his initial court appearance.

De Oliveira was indicted last week on four charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements to the FBI. He did not enter a formal plea during this brief hearing and was released on a $100,000 bond. He will be formally arraigned next week.

The special counsel says that Trump close aide Walt Nauta and De Oliveira together tried to delete security footage after it was subpoenaed by investigators and that the three men tried to -- quote -- "alter, mutilate and conceal evidence." According to the indictment, De Oliveira allegedly told Mar-a-Lago's I.T. director that "the boss," as he put it, wanted the server deleted.

A number of people close to the former president, as well as people who know De Oliveira, personally described him as someone not in Trump's inner circle. As Trump's classified documents case expands, an indictment could be

coming at any time in the special counsel's January 6 probe. The former president said over the weekend he thinks he -- quote -- "probably" will be indicted in that case and in the election interference case in Georgia. And he may be right.

Fulton county DA Fani Willis over the weekend saying that she will announce charging decisions within weeks here, saying -- quote -- "We are ready to go."

Let's begin now with CNN's Randi Kaye, who is in Miami with the very latest here.

Randi, what more do we know about Carlos De Oliveira's first court appearance?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, we had been looking for him for days, and we finally got our first glimpse of him as he entered the courthouse here just behind me in downtown Miami.

He was wearing a navy blue suit and tie, and he walked in with his attorney John Irving from Washington, D.C. The judge asked him to come to the lectern in the courtroom. And he did read the charges that are being filed against him. And he asked De Oliveira if he understood them. He told him that he had the right to obtain a lawyer and also to remain silent.

So he said that he understood the charges, and then he did tell him that he would be released on that $100,000 bond, as you mentioned.

A couple of other notes to make. He was asked if he has a passport. He did say he holds a U.S. passport, but that it was expired. The judge told him that he would have to turn that passport over within 48 hours. The judge also told him that he could not leave the area of South Florida without permission, so some restricted travel put in place.

And the judge also told De Oliveira that he would not be able to speak with any witnesses who have been I.D.ed on the government's list. As you mentioned, he did not enter a plea. He will do that on August 10. He did not have a Florida-based attorney, Brianna, which he needs in order to enter a plea here in the state of Florida.

He is working on getting one, his D.C.-based attorney said, and he does expect to enter a plea come August 10 -- back to you.

KEILAR: Randi, we have also learned that Yuscil Taveras, the Mar-a- Lago employee who oversees the resort's surveillance cameras, received a target letter as well from federal prosecutors after Trump was first indicted in June, and that he met with investigators after the original indictment.

What more can you tell us?

KAYE: Well, it's important to note that Taveras has not been charged, and it's unclear how much he is actually cooperating. But I can tell you that he was -- CNN has learned he was the I.T.

worker that De Oliveira had met with in the audio closet, as it was referred to in the indictment. And that's where he was asked about the security camera footage and how long it remains on the server and if they could delete it.

[13:05:15]

But, now, this I.T. worker apparently is responsible for sharing information that allegedly -- that apparently has led to these additional allegations against the former president, his aide Walt Nauta, as well as Carlos De Oliveira.

That is because he spoke with those investigators and shared some information, according to sources telling CNN.

KEILAR: All right, Randi Kaye with the very latest there in Miami, thank you for that report -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Well, in another investigation, we could see a decision any date now in the Fulton County district attorney's investigation into Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Fani Willis says her team's work is accomplished and -- quote -- "We're ready to go."

This as CNN learns that a judge has rejected the Trump legal team's efforts to disqualify the DA.

CNN's Sara Murray, she joins us now.

So, Sara, she says they're ready to go. We have heard of security preparations around Fulton County. This is like reading tea leaves, but do we know how close? And based on the folks you talk to, is there any doubt as to what decision the DA is going to make there?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I think it's hard for people to believe that she would be doing anything other than seeking indictments for the former president and others, given the public signals she suggests, the ramped-up security posture.

But, of course, that will depend on actually taking this to the grand jury. And we can always see things change at the last minute. I still think that, whatever her decision is, whatever her announcement is, we're probably a week or two away from seeing it, rather than a day or two away from seeing it.

Again, we're still just seeing the very beginning of the security, preps here. But a local affiliate here, WXIA, caught up with Fani Willis over the weekend at a back-to-school event. And she addressed both some of her concerns about how people may react to her decision and also where her investigation stands. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FANI WILLIS (D), FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Some people may not be happy with the decisions that I'm making. And, sometimes, when people are unhappy, they act in a way that could create harm.

The work is accomplished. I mean, we've been working for two-and-a- half years. We're ready to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY: Now, obviously, those concerns about people who could create harm is why we're seeing this increased security footprint already, even though she's yet to make this announcement -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: We have seen security preparations here in Washington for the possibility of an indictment here from the special counsel. We have seen them in Fulton County as well.

Is that based, according to the DA, on information about specific threats, or is it an abundance of caution?

MURRAY: Well, they haven't addressed whether for instance, barricades going up around the courthouse or her having her staff begin to work from home has to do with specific threats.

But she did flag one specific threat to a handful of other county officials over the weekend in an e-mail that we obtained a copy of. She shared a pretty vile, racist and sexualized threat. And she forwarded it.

And, in this e-mail, she said: "I'm sending to you in case you are unclear on what I and my staff have become accustomed to over the last two-and-a-half years." She said: "I guess I am sending this as a reminder that you should stay alert over the month of August and stay safe," so, again, encouraging her county partners here to stay village and really signaling that her announcement is coming in August.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

And, listen, we know from speaking to folks here that they take these threats very seriously.

Sara Murray in Atlanta, thanks so much -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Back here in the nation's capital, the grand jury investigating former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election could hand down an indictment at any time. It comes as we're learning former New York police commissioner Bernie Kerik, an ally of Rudy Giuliani, will meet with the special counsel in the coming days.

Let's discuss that and more with CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez, and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

Evan, first to you.

Put the meeting between the special counsel and Bernie Kerik into context for us. Why is this significant?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kerik was working very closely with Rudy Giuliani and his team. And they were trying to do investigations. They were trying to take witness statements.

They were claiming this is all in the effort to show that there was fraud. Of course, we know that it didn't materialize. But they were definitely involved in trying to drum up all of those things that the former president was using to try to make -- to pressure state officials to overturn their election results, to pressure members of Congress to try to find ways to seat his fake electors.

All of this, of course, was the effort of the former president to stay in power, despite losing the election. So, Kerik's character information -- and he provided documents just in the last couple of weeks to the special counsel.

SANCHEZ: Hundreds of pages.

PEREZ: Hundreds, thousands of pages, actually.

[13:10:00]

And so this is something that seems kind of important to the overall picture of what happened. We had Tim Parlatore, his attorney, on our air over the weekend with Paula Reid. And he addressed what he believes this means, the importance of what this means for the -- for what we expect is an indictment to come. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIMOTHY PARLATORE, ATTORNEY FOR BERNARD KERIK: When you have something like this, to bring an indictment before you have finished your investigation, it -- for whatever reason they may choose to do it, it feeds directly into the Trump campaign narrative about this all being about election interference.

And so I think it would be incredibly stupid for them to go forward with indicting before they finish their investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: So, there you have some legal advice from Tim Parlatore to Jack Smith and his team if he wants to avail himself of it.

We -- look, we don't know whether this is part of the effort -- the effort to bring charges against the former president or if this relates to others who may also be charged.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Andy, what do you make of that legal advice from Parlatore?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I think it's unlikely to be taken by Jack Smith and his team.

(LAUGHTER)

MCCABE: And it's very common for investigations to continue beyond the indictment. You can continue to use a grand jury, as long as you're pursuing new

leads or potentially investigating additional possible defendants. So this is very much standard procedure. I understand how it plays into the former president's political narrative, but I'm fairly confident that Jack Smith and his team don't really care about that.

SANCHEZ: I did want to get both of your thoughts on what we're likely to see in court, which is Carlos De Oliveira extending his case, right, likely to be a delay there, because he doesn't have a Florida- based attorney.

This is part of Trump's strategy, right, delay, delay, delay? His entire team appearing to want to delay. How likely is that strategy to work?

PEREZ: It's working.

I mean, we had Walt Nauta eat up an entire month of the calendar in his search for a Florida attorney.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

PEREZ: I don't know you and I both lived in Florida for many years. And that's...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: ... journey there.

PEREZ: There's a lot of lawyers. And, apparently, they keep having problems finding lawyers.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

PEREZ: So, here we have today -- in the court hearing in Miami, they told the magistrate that they were trying to schedule it for later in August. The magistrate said, no, August 10 is when you're going to do the arraignment.

So, look, it is a strategy. It's working so far. And it's very likely -- I mean, I think you and I both agree that this is very likely to stretch us out beyond the election.

MCCABE: I think that's right. This is, I want to say, outrageous. Maybe shocking is a better word, 21 years of overseeing arrests and indictments, most of which take place on the same day. Hundreds of people get arraigned in federal courts around the country every single day.

Most of them don't have the luxury of four days' notice that they were going to be arrested and need to be arraigned. They all find lawyers on the day of the arraignment. Oftentimes, federal judges appoint public defenders to represent the defendant, just for the purpose of the arraignment, so that things can move forward.

SANCHEZ: Yes. MCCABE: I think the judge is allowing these sorts of tactics to result in what will end up being a significant delay at the -- at the end of this process is really -- it's concerning. And they need to get their hands around this process and move it forward.

PEREZ: Guaranteed that dozens of people in that courthouse today, where because -- if they didn't have a lawyer, were...

(CROSSTALK)

PEREZ: That's right.

SANCHEZ: And, how much of that decision-making by the judge do you think has to do with the amount of public scrutiny there is on every even minor decision in this case?

MCCABE: Sure.

So federal judges have incredible discretion to run their dockets and make decisions on these sort of issues every day. They do that all around the country. You have to assume, though, that, in this case, with the sort of media attention and people like us microanalyzing everything they do every day, that, I'm sure, plays a role in a judge's consideration of a request like this.

Notably, the magistrate did not give him to the end of August, but he gave him 10 days. And that's 10 days more than most people get to find a lawyer when they need one for an arraignment.

PEREZ: Every day counts.

SANCHEZ: It does. And it is an unprecedented case. So it deserves the scrutiny.

PEREZ: That's right.

SANCHEZ: Andy McCabe, Evan Perez, thanks so much for the conversation -- Brianna.

KEILAR: We are following some breaking news, sad news.

Paul Reubens, the actor best known for playing Pee-wee Herman, has died.

CNN's Chloe Melas is joining us now on this story.

Chloe, what is the very latest that you can tell us that you have learned?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: So, Brianna, his team has just released an emotional statement on his social media channels revealing that he had been battling cancer for the last several years.

And they, sadly, announced that he passed away last night.

They write that last night: "We said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer, and producer, whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness.

"Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and witness. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit."

[13:15:14]

Brianna, he paved the way for what children's television and programming is now in the '80s. And he had this resurgence in the mid- 2000s. And especially with the age of social media, he was growing in popularity among a generation of people that did not know him in the '80s and early '90s.

KEILAR: Yes, I don't know about you, Chloe, but this was appointment viewing for me coming home from school, I think, in elementary school.

And I think there are a lot of people who are going to have sort of memories from their childhood of watching his programs, and even just that format that kind of carried over to other programs.

MELAS: And in this show originally was not meant for children.

And then, quickly, he realized that he had these children and this younger audience watching him, and he really tailored it to have a positive message, almost a new-age Mister Rogers, and, obviously, the comedy portion of all of it.

I just also wanted to point out that on this social media page, this is something interesting that we don't always see. Paul Reubens had a prepared statement to be issued at the time of his passing.

And here's what that says it says: "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I have been facing the last six years. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."

And he has asked that any expressions of sympathy be made in honor of his late parents to stand up to cancer and any Alzheimer's and dementia foundations and charity organizations.

But that is something that you don't always see, Brianna, is that when someone doesn't die suddenly, and they have time to plan, he had created and crafted this statement for his fans specifically. So, that -- I also was really happy to see that just now.

But, obviously, it's a huge loss for so many people who grew up loving him and loving his work, and we will keep you posted as the story develops.

KEILAR: Yes. Well, thank you for sharing that with us.

Chloe Melas, really appreciate it -- Jim. SCIUTTO: As the indictments and potential indictments mount for the

former president, he is spending a fortune, though, we should note, that's someone else's money. Ahead, how he's launching a legal defense fund to pay his hefty attorneys fees.

Plus, Ukraine's president vows to take the fight across the border and why Russia says it may be forced to use -- listen to this carefully -- a nuclear weapon.

Also, an American nurse and her child are kidnapped in Haiti. We're going to show you what is being done now to get them back safely.

It's all ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:22:13]

SCIUTTO: A one-time Russian president has now said the Kremlin, Russia, may be -- quote -- "forced to use nuclear weapons" if Ukraine's counteroffensive is successful and threatens Russian territory.

This the latest In a series of nuclear threats not just from former Russian President Medvedev, but also from the current Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

This comes on the same day as the war seems to be landing on Russian soil. A drone strike hit a business and shopping district right in Moscow. Have a look. Of course, similar scenes we have seen in Ukraine for more than a year-and-a-half now.

In Ukraine, a Russian missile has hit the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kryvyi Rih, killing least six people there, frightening scenes nearly every day there.

CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, he is in Ukraine.

Nick, you have witnessed, as our teams have witnessed, so many strikes like this. Tell us what exactly took place in this latest one.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in Kryvyi Rih, a scene, as you say, that so many Ukrainians have become used to almost daily over the past 17 months of the war, but particularly acute, given the huge number of people who appear to have been injured by what seems to also, according to Ukrainian officials, have been just two ballistic missiles.

It's what they hit, though, that is particularly shocking, an apartment block, where it seems certainly a 45-year-old mother and a 10-year-old daughter were killed. And also, a technical college, where a laboratory was hit. That, according to witnesses, was entirely empty.

Now, neighbors of the apartment block describe how one woman said how her husband was in their apartment and knocked off his feet by the shockwave, and they were glad that their daughter was in the enclosed space of the bathroom when the missile indeed hit.

But there's now a frantic rescue operation under way to see if there's anybody left under the rubble there with, as you said, a death toll now at six and over 70 people injured. That is particularly high for strikes like this.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

WALSH: And, of course, there will be concerns the toll may possibly mount -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And with a weapon like this, if it was indeed a missile, you would have to enter the coordinates, which would indicate it was a deliberate strike.

Tell us about these -- something we're seeing more often, which is what appeared Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory. Tell us about this latest one.

[13:25:07]

WALSH: Yes, in Moscow on Sunday morning, it appears the three drones -- obviously, as usual, Ukraine hasn't directly said it's them. They have offered sort of vaguely veiled statements just that they might have had a role in it.

Russian officials say, of the three drones, one was intercepted, two were taken down by electronic warfare. But, still, they cause damage to Moscow city, an upscale, glass-towered area, essentially a sort of wannabe Wall Street for the Kremlin elite. And there are pictures of people, frankly, terrified to see something like that broach part of what they consider perhaps a sanctuary far from a war that's predominately being fought by Russia's poor.

And so psychological impact certainly on Russians, who'd hoped this would never come to their front door. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has said how this is a sign that the war is gradually returning to Russia's territory. And, indeed, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, referred to this as an act of desperation.

Well, we're seeing more of these supposed desperate acts. We have seen Moscow's expensive suburbs, the Kremlin itself hit by drones that are most likely sent there by Ukraine, and this just a tiny taste of Russians -- nobody injured in any of these attacks.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

WALSH: A tiny taste for Russians and what Ukrainians are experiencing every day, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes, those Russian statements delivered apparently without any irony, given the many hundreds of similar strikes Russia has carried out on Ukrainian territory. Nick Paton Walsh in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, thanks so much -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: It's now been four days since kidnappers abducted an American nurse and her young child in Haiti. That's according to the nonprofit founded by her husband.

Alix Dorsainvil said her husband, Sandro, invited her to the Port-au- Prince area to help care for the nearly 400 students in his program. Dorsainvil disappeared the same day that the United States ordered all American visitors leave Haiti because of an increase in the number of kidnappings and rising instability there.

The president of her alma mater told NBC News that she was not surprised the nurse from New Hampshire chose a life of service.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTOINETTE HAYS, PRESIDENT, REGIS COLLEGE: Alix was very compassionate and cared very much for people who had great needs. She was definitely a very special young woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN's Paula Newton recently returned from Haiti, and she joins us now live from Ottawa.

Paula, what is the United States now doing to help her find her way home?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, they clearly say that they are in contact, that is, the State Department, with authorities in Haiti and local authorities on the ground.

CNN has reached out to both the Haitian government and Haitian police and have not heard any comment yet. Now, Boris, this is not surprising, because given who might have taken them, which was likely a gang, trying to isolate exactly which gang it was, and if they're asking for a ransom or something else, all of those delicate negotiations.

And those involved will want pretty much of blackout on anything going on right now. And, certainly, the charity itself that her husband is a director at, El Roi, has said that they, for the interest of safety of both Alix and her child, want to make sure that people don't speculate on any of those details too much.

Having said that, though, as you just pointed out, Boris, the violence in Haiti has persisted. It has terrorized average citizens there, who are unable to do things like get medical help, get food, to send their kids to school. It is a daily occurrence, especially on the streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital.

And yet Alix Dorsainvil, as you just explained, was devoted to trying to help those Haitians. I want you to listen to her in her own words now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALIX DORSAINVIL, VOLUNTEER: Sandro invited me to come to the school to do some nursing for some of the kids. He said that was a big need that they had.

At first, I didn't think that there was going to be much of a need there. But, when I got there, there were so many cases. Haitians are such a resilient people. They're full of joy and life and love. And I'm so blessed to be able to know so many amazing Haitians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Alix Dorsainvil said herself that she was there to try and help divert that kind of membership into gangs that young people were lured by.

Having said that, right now, again, prayers, not just in Haiti and from her friends and family around the world, but specifically in her hometown in New Hampshire, as they continue to pray for her safe and very fast return, that of her and her child -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: A heart-wrenching situation, not only for her, but broadly in Haiti.

Paula Newton, thank you so much -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Hunter Biden's former business partner is testifying behind closed doors on Capitol Hill. Ahead, what more we're learning about this witness and what Republicans are focusing on.

And in just the latest sign that former President Trump's legal strategy is intertwined with his 2024 election, his camp is now looking for ways to bankroll his defense.

New details -- when CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns.

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