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Now: Hunter Biden's Ex-Business Partner Speaks To Oversight Committee; Source: Trump PAC Has Spent $40M-Plus On Legal Fees; White House Launches New Web Site For New Income-Driven Student Debt Repayment Plan; Cardi B Throws Mic After Someone Tosses Drink At Her. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired July 31, 2023 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: New details when CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns.
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KEILAR: Right now, Hunter Biden's former business partner is testifying before the House Oversight Committee behind closed doors. Devon Archer arrived on Capitol Hill this morning and he is set to serve a one-year sentence for an unrelated fraud conviction.
Republicans secured his testimony as they focus on trying to link Hunter Biden's controversial business dealings to President Biden.
[13:35:05]
CNN's Zachary Cohen is tracking this story for us.
First things first, Zac. Explain who this man is and what Republicans want to know from him.
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Brianna, no one disputes that Hunter Biden and Devon Archer were business associates and that the two of them did engage in various foreign dealings.
But House Republicans have insisted that Archer could provide a smoking gun in evidence that connects the president to his son's foreign deals.
And we're learning now, after one Democrat member of the House Oversight Committee emerged from this three-hour meeting now, which is still going on, connecting President Biden to the business dealings.
The emergent said, look, this testimony has offered no proof connecting the president to his son's foreign dealings.
Congressman Dan Goldman, the Democrat on the committee, did say that Archer testified that Hunter and his son -- Joe Biden, did speak every day, that, at times, Hunter Biden would be in a setting where there would be business partners present, but not once, according to Goldman, did the dealings ever come up. So, you know, Jim Jordan, a Republican member of the committee, has
also left the interview. Republicans seems like they're done with their questioning. Jordan didn't have a lot to say. He called the meeting productive.
But, you know, Goldman, my comparison, spoke to reporters at length.
So we're really getting the first details of what Archer is saying in this interview. Democrats now have now returned to question the witness as well.
But according to Goldman, there's nothing directly linking the president to his son's foreign business dealings, which is what Republicans set the standard as going in.
KEILAR: And some House Republicans claim DOJ was trying to block his testimony. What's the truth behind that?
COHEN: Yes, Brianna, leading up to this, there was a lot of allegations by Republicans that the Department of Justice was trying to prevent Archer from coming in and testifying basically by trying to force him to schedule a report date to serve out his unrelated one- year sentence in prison.
But, you know, DOJ has clearly laid out in court documents that was not what they were trying to do.
And so Republicans still standing by that outrage. Democrats calling it what it was, based on court documents, and frankly, a mischaracterization of the truth.
KEILAR: All right, Zac Cohen, live for us on Capitol Hill, thank you, so much for that.
Jim?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Former President Trump is racking up massive legal fees for himself and for many advisers, whom he's now paying for. And his political action committee has been footing the bill.
CNN has learned that the Save America PAC has spent more than $40 million just this year. And with more potential indictments coming this summer, Team Trump is launching a legal defense fund to help further offset those enormous bills.
CNN's Kristen Holmes has been following the money.
Kristen, first, talk about the total dollar figures here. And Save America, I thought, was a political campaign fund but it's going to the legal fees.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is a leadership political action committee. It has been funding many of these bills.
Just, as you noted, in the not Donald Trump's legal bills. These are going to associates, former and current aides, employees, people who are wrapped up in these investigations.
And when you talk about the enormous number, $40 million, you look at where we are now here, that's $40 million for half of the year. All of last year, the legal fees added to $16 million. So they are hemorrhaging money right now.
SCIUTTO: And you might very well a special counsel indictment. And then you might have a --
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Oh, yes. There are several more investigations.
And not just that. When you talk about these aides, two of his co- defendants are people who are currently represented by lawyers, who have been paid an enormous amount of money by Save America PAC.
SCIUTTO: Does anybody raise the question of influence with Trump paying for the legal fees of folks who might, under circumstances, testify against him or at least he might want to head off that concern?
HOLMES: There hasn't been anything that the special counsel's office on this investigation has been able to prove in that sense.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HOLMES: However, we do know, with multiple people who have been subpoenaed, these witnesses, who have lawyers who are paid for by this political action committee, they've been asked about the arrangements.
They've actually been asked to show what documentation there is. Those are their contracts with the lawyers saying what kind of collaboration is happening?
And it should be clear. They are allowed to collaborate. There's nothing about this right now that is illegal. And there's nothing about the sense that they with spend $40 million that is illegal. That is the money.
But it gives you an idea of how strapped for cash they are. Because we did learn that the Save America PAC did try -- gave a contribution for $60 million to another PAC supporting Trump. Now they have asked for a refund on that contribution, that $60 million dollars.
That Save America PAC was, at one point, a $100 million war chest of the former president. He's been fundraising for a very long time, putting that money there.
We don't know what that looks like now. We are expecting to know from an FEC filing, the campaign financing filing. But it'll be interesting to see what of that is even left after all of these enormous expenses.
[13:40:06]
SCIUTTO: Just briefly, is there any sign that people are less reluctant to donate to these funds now than they might have been --
HOLMES: They haven't.
SCIUTTO: -- six months ago --
HOLMES: When I talk to political advisers, they don't think that's (INAUDIBLE.) They know what they're signing up for. They believe that donors know that these monies could go toward legal fees.
SCIUTTO: All right.
HOLMES: But that's -- Trump under investigation, and part of the sell to the American people, to the voters --
SCIUTTO: Right.
HOLMES: -- is that he is a victim of the system, so could you help out with some kind of money, monetary donation here.
So they don't believe that is going to change.
SCIUTTO: Kristen Holmes, those are some big figures. Thanks so much.
Boris?
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Police in North Carolina are trying to track down a driver who they say intentionally ran over several migrant workers outside a Walmart. We have the details on that.
And despite a blow from the Supreme Court, the Biden administration is still trying to make good on campaign promises to help student loan borrowers. What you need to know, when we come back.
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[13:45:26]
SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.
Officials in California are warning about dangerous conditions for firefighters battling a blaze at the Mojave National Preserve.
Among other things, they're facing something called fire whirls. That's a vortex of flame and smoke caused by fire and turbulent wind. The York Fire has consumed 75 acres and, right now, is zero percent contained.
Also, the city of San Francisco, not a fan of Twitter's rebrand. City officials visited the company's headquarters twice regarding the new flashing "X" sign on top of the building.
Owner Elon Musk changed Twitter's branding to "X" last week. The city appears to have issued a notice of violation for work done without a permit for the new sign. CNN has reached out to "X" and the city for comment. Meantime, in North Carolina, police are searching for a man they say
intentionally hit six migrants with his car. All six victims were taken to a hospital with various injuries.
Police are describing the suspect as an older white man driving a black SUV. The motive is under investigation. Police aren't exactly saying why they believe the incident was intentional.
Jim?
SCIUTTO: The Biden administration just launched a new Web site in a new push to help students repay student debt.
The income-driven repayment plan called Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, comes after the Supreme Court struck down the White House student debt forgiveness program, which was much larger, last month.
It could lower monthly law payments for some borrowers, based on income, even reduce the total amount that they have to pay back over the life of their loan. So important. But for whom?
CNN senior White House correspondent, Kayla Tausche, joins us now with details.
Generally, how many folks would be available for this? And if they're watching now, how do they find out?
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, several million borrowers are going to be qualified for these changes to income-driven repayment. And specifically one million borrowers -- that's the White House's estimate -- will see their payments per month drop to zero.
That's --
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: Wow. That's a good thing.
TAUSCHE: Yes. Because they're essentially changing the guidelines for how much borrowers have to pay each month based on how much they make. They're widening the net of people who qualify to pay nothing, because they make 225 percent of essentially the federal poverty level.
SCIUTTO: Just in rough terms, what would the income threshold be to be --
TAUSCHE: It was 10 percent. Now it's 5 percent.
SCIUTTO: OK.
TAUSCHE: But I asked the administration, doesn't that mean you're just accruing more interest over time? And they'll have more to pay off in the long run? And they said, no, they're going to be eliminating that extra interest, too. SCIUTTO: Understood. I imagine you can go to the Web site, you can
kind of find out the whole -- all of the details.
TAUSCHE: Right.
SCIUTTO: OK, Kayla.
If you're watching, go to the Web site. SAVE, I believe --
TAUSCHE: Yes.
SCIUTTO: -- is the Web site.
Kayla, thanks so much.
TAUSCHE: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Brianna?
KEILAR: Cardi B becoming the latest performer to have an object thrown at them on stage. A drink in this case. Much more on this disturbing trend when CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns.
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[13:53:11]
KEILAR: Do not mess with Cardi B. Maybe you've seen all of this, "throwing stuff at performers" nonsense. Well, on Saturday, someone tossed a drink at the rapper while she was performing on stage. But Cardi B actually fought back by throwing her microphone into the crowd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
CARDI B, SINGER: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So this all happened in Las Vegas. And it is the latest in this alarming trend of so-called fans throwing objects at performers.
CNN's Chloe Melas is joining us now on this story.
Chloe, it seems like we're seeing this time and again. This isn't the first person this has been done to. But Cardi B was not having it?
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: You know, Brianna, it feels like things have reached a fever pitch right now. For Cardi B to throw the microphone, artists are fed up. And she's getting a lot of support right now.
Because first of all, you don't know what was even if that drink. You assume it might be alcohol or water, but it could have been something that could have hurt her.
As you know, we've seen so many stars speak out on this very topic. I was even talking to Tim McGraw over the weekend about how he's about to go on tour, and how he's concerned that people might throw something that could hurt him and essentially stop the whole show.
KEILAR: Yes. We've heard Adel saying don't throw things at me. She sounded kidding but also kind of serious here.
And this follows this string of other incidents where people in the audience have been targeting performers, throwing things at them. In fact, several artists, Chloe, are even suffering kind of significant injuries as a result.
MELAS: Yes. Let me go through a recent list. Just, it's so alarming.
Bebe Rexa, she was performing in New York, someone threw a cell phone at her. Can you imagine? Hitting her in the face. You see it right here.
They stopped the show. She was taken to the hospital. She's OK. She got stitches, but essentially ruins the show for everyone and she's severely injured.
[13:55:07]
Harry Styles, he gets hit in the face. You see him down there in the bottom right. He was performing overseas. We don't know what was thrown at him in the face but you see him wince in pain and grab his head.
Pink, this didn't hurt her, but it was disturbing. Someone threw their mother's ashes on the stage while she was performing.
(CROSSTALK)
MELAS: And then you have Kelsey Ballerini who, look, she also get hits in the face, if you look top right.
I mean, this has got to stop. Obviously, people have thrown things at concerts since live music has essentially begun, but the problem is that this is happening with more severity and more frequency.
And at the end of the day, if anybody out there wants to continue to see live music -- I know that I do -- your life will change completely in how you see it if this does not stop.
Potentially, nobody around the stage. Your cell phones and other items being confiscated when you walk into the venue. And it's going to ruin it for everyone, essentially.
KEILAR: Yes. No, it's going to be real interesting to see what steps some of these venues are taking. Because it seems like it's coming to that.
Chloe Melas, live for us on this, thank you so much. Jim?
SCIUTTO: Yes, folks, don't throw stuff at the stage.
Another story we're following, the wife of the Gilgo Beach murder suspect has made further public comments. Ahead, what she is saying about the impact on her family.
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