Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Ukraine: Russia Boarding Cargo Ship ""An Act Of Piracy"; Russia's Largest Shipbuilder: Moscow Equipping Its New Nuclear Subs With Hypersonic Missiles; Hunter Biden's Lawyers Say Plea Agreement Still "Valid And Binding"; Lawyers For Hunter Biden: Trial "Not Inevitable"; 6 Former MS Officers Plead Guilty In Abuse, Torture Of 2 Black Men; Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Stroke Patient Walk Again. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired August 14, 2023 - 13:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:33:45]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Ukraine calls Russia's boarding of a cargo ship in the Black Sea on Sunday a deliberate attack and an "act of piracy."

Russia's Defense Ministry says that one of its warships fired warning shots and then boarded the vessel after it refused to stop for an inspection.

This video, captured by the Turkish crew aboard the cargo ship, shows crew members sitting and waiting on deck as a Russian military helicopter hovers closely over the vessel and soldiers with guns board the ship.

CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now.

So, Nic, what more can you tell us about this incident?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the Turkish captain of the ship, when he was questioned by the Russian officials, they asked him, well, why - essentially, why were you trying to evade us, why didn't you try to stop when the ship first fired and then when the helicopter fired warning shots?

And the captain said, I was in international waters and I maneuvered then to try to put myself in a place where I could make a call to -- make a call ashore and alert people about what was happening.

They said, after that, the Russians spent about an hour or so on board the ship. They checked the documents of the crew, all Turkish, checked around a little bit. But he said they didn't really do any big inspections of the ship.

[13:34:59]

It does seem to be a warning from Russia that it is upscaling its efforts, if you will, to try to stimulate more discussion about the Black Sea grain deal.

Because what this vessel was doing was literally going to a port to stock up with grain and try to get out through the Black Sea in the way it's been doing over the past year as part of that Black Sea grain deal which Russia has pulled out of.

And Russia pulled out of it because it seems to want better terms and conditions for the Russians, easier access to financial institutions for payments.

And if you add this into Russia's missile attacks on Odessa overnight, you can see they've really got a big focus on that grain deal on the Black Sea right now.

SANCHEZ: And, Nic, there's also an update regarding Russia's largest shipbuilder and hypersonic missiles. What can you tell us about that?

ROBERTSON: Yes, they're going to put these hypersonic Zircon missiles aboard nuclear-powered submarines.

This will give them a greater stealth capacity because obviously that type of submarine can stay submerged for longer, and it will bring the potential for a hypersonic missile closer to land in unpredictable locations, which is an advantage for the Russians.

Now, they do, of course, have other hypersonic missiles, the Kinzhal, which is fired from aircraft. But this particular missile that they want to put on board the subs is a Marine-launched missile.

And the ability to shoot down a hypersonic missile is determined by how long you can see it coming, can you track it, and can you shoot it down. And the answer is it is possible.

But if you shorten the flight distance, which is what the Russians essentially by doing this are talking about, it's much harder to intercept and therefore is an increased level of threat.

SANCHEZ: A significant maneuver by the Kremlin.

Nic Robertson, in London, thank you so much.

Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Attorneys for Hunter Biden say their plea deal with the Justice Department is still, quote, "valid and binding." Ahead, why they say a trial is not inevitable.

Plus, more fallout from Senator Tommy Tuberville's blockade of all military promotions. Another chief has given up command without a Senate-confirmed replacement. What this means for the nation's military readiness, ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:41:41]

SCIUTTO: In a new twist, lawyers for Hunter Biden are now arguing that at least part of his collapsed plea deal still stands.

In a new court filing, they say the deal they made with federal prosecutors to resolve a felony gun charge against the president's son is still, quote, "valid and binding."

This comes just two days after Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss was granted special counsel status following the breakdown in those plea talks.

CNN's Kara Scannell is covering this story for us.

Kara, to be clear, there were two parts to Hunter Biden's plea deal, one dealing with the tax misdemeanors, and then this diversion agreement on a felony gun charge.

Why do his attorneys think at least the gun portion of this still stands?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, so the gun diversion agreement was something that was struck between the prosecutors and Hunter Biden's lawyers.

And normally, these diversion agreements are between two parties and they are binding and valid when they are signed.

The issue in this case was that the judge had raised this exact question to the parties in court last month where she said they had inserted her into the process and, therefore, it was now before her.

And she had some questions around that. She questioned, in fact, whether it was a constitutional deal.

So Hunter Biden's lawyers now, after DOJ filed a court filing on Friday, saying that talks had broken down, they were at an impasse, and none of these deals are together, they're saying they actually do believe that this one is valid and binding.

And the judge is giving prosecutors until noon tomorrow to make their position. It's really unclear where that's going to go from here since she already had some concerns and issues about it.

You know, that said, Hunter Biden's legal team over the weekend has been saying, even with the elevation of David Weiss to special counsel, they seem to be optimistic that they will, at least on the tax charges, end up in the same place that they were a month ago, hopefully, in their minds with another plea deal.

And one of Hunter Biden's attorneys, Abbe Lowell, was on CBS yesterday and he was asked if a trial is inevitable.

Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBE LOWELL, ATTORNEY FOR HUNTER BIDEN: It's not inevitable, and I think -- (CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED CBS CORRESPONDENT: And you're trying to avoid one?

LOWELL: Well, yes. We were trying to avoid one all along. And so were the prosecutors who came forward to us and were the ones to say, can there be a resolution short of a prosecution. So they wanted it, and maybe they still do want it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCANNELL: Jim, it remains to be seen if prosecutors will get there at some point. But as of Friday, they said they were at an impasse.

This elevation of special counsel certainly does not lead you to think that this investigation is going to wrap anytime soon -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: We know you'll be watching.

Kara Scannell, thank you so much.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

Officials are trying to figure out what caused a huge explosion in a neighborhood outside Pittsburgh. A blast that killed five people and injured three others. Three homes were destroyed with at least a dozen more damaged.

A doorbell camera captured the apparent moment of the blast. Officials say this is at least the third time in 15 years a house in this area has exploded.

Also, some incredible video to share with you showing two people ejecting from a fighter jet during an air show in Michigan. The jet crashed in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex.

[13:44:59]

Officials say the two people who ejected, fortunately, did not suffer serious injuries. No one on the ground was hurt either. You see the plane right there. The FAA and NTSB are now investigating.

And three military services are now without Senate-confirmed chiefs for the first time in the Defense Department's history as Senator Tommy Tuberville continues his blockade against military confirmations.

Today, the chief of naval operations relinquished command. His appointment -- his appointed replacement, I should say, is one of 300 military officers whose promotions are being stalled by the Alabama Republican to protest Pentagon reproductive health policies.

Jim?

SCIUTTO: Lots of families waiting for those promotions as well.

Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers, some of whom referred to themselves as the Goon Squad because of their willingness to use excessive force, have now pleaded guilty to state charges in the torture of two black men.

The group has also pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Correspondent Ryan Young, he's been following this story for us.

This is a remarkable development in this case. Walk us through what happened today. And does this represent a deal with prosecutors?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, that's the great question here. They all pled guilty, Jim.

But look, this story has really been turning people in Mississippi upside down in terms of just how angry they are about the fact that this Goon Squad was even operating inside Rankin County.

And then there was, of course, one other police officer that was part of the Ridgeland Police Department.

Now we have their mug shots. Now they all walked into court and they pled guilty.

Now, what they pled guilty to was basically they went to the home of two men and they tortured them over a two-hour period.

They used tasers to see which one had the most powerful taser. They threw eggs at them. They called them the "N" word over and over again.

They then even tried to sexually assault one of the men. But unfortunately, he became so sick and so terrified that they could not complete that sexual assault.

The story had been going on for months. It happened back in January. These men have been trying to get the attention to so many in the law enforcement community.

Once the Mississippi state investigators got involved, they started unveiling things to make sure that they saw that there was something wrong with this.

In fact, take a listen to one of the victims who was in court today to watch these men plead guilty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE PARKER, VICTIM: I enjoyed the view of seeing the shame, the walk of shame, head down. I hope this is a lesson to everybody out there. Justice will be served.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: You think about whether or not justice will be served, you understand why these men were so angry about what happened to them.

The sheriff has released a statement. He says, "I believe today's guilty plea showed the community that our system of checks and balances is effective."

Jim, I can tell you this statement goes on. But we were hoping to hear from the sheriff himself in a news conference. We're not sure that's going to happen. CNN has asked him multiple times for interviews.

Of course, we traveled to Mississippi to talk to these two men, and one of their mothers just about this pain they've been going through for months.

Because as you can understand, this really came to light because, at one point one, of the deputies took a gun, placed it into the mouth of one of the men and pulled the trigger, lacerating his tongue and having the bullet come out his throat. That man will suffer with that for the rest of his life.

So you understand there's an entire Mississippi community trying to figure out exactly what happens next.

Brian Bailey says he's not stepping down as sheriff. He also says he did not know this was going on. But the Goon Squad was known throughout that community -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: Ryan, you've been covering this case since the beginning. They referred to themselves as the Goon Squad. Does that presume that this was not an isolated case of torture?

YOUNG: Well, I will -- yes, I will tell you this. There are people in that community who said they have encountered these men before. It's part of the story that we're still digging on right now. We're hoping to go back to Mississippi to talk to people in the community who have faced these men before.

But as you can understand, not only did they do this and they've said they pled guilty to it, they disappeared for two hours, Jim. They turned off their body cameras. They surveilled the home to know where the cameras were.

So this was a procedure they had understanding of. You've just got to ask, how were they able to do it and not be checked on for two hours?

SCIUTTO: And turned off their body cameras.

Ryan Young, thanks so much. The details of that just shocking.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: Still to come this afternoon, one stroke victim calling it the greatest feeling in the world. How a new device implanted in patients changed their lives and is giving them new hope.

[13:49:27]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: New today, some promising early results from a first-in- humans trial. Researchers found that implanting a stimulation device directly onto the brain could help patients who've been impaired by a stroke.

This effort to help them regain motor function is critical because strokes are one of the leading causes of disability in the United States.

CNN medical correspondent, Meg Tirrell, joins us now with the results of this new study.

So, Meg, how exactly does this work?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris, this is very early research. Phase one trial in 12 patients done at the Cleveland Clinic.

And what they did here was insert a tiny electrode into the back of the brain. This was a wire that was no wider than a grain of sand. You can see it going in there at the area there at the bottom in the back. That's a really important area for controlling movement.

[13:54:58]

And they found that when they inserted this deep brain stimulation device -- and they essentially had it turned on for at least four months, continuously providing stimulation -- that that, in addition to physical therapy, could help people who survived a stroke but had upper limb movement problems, restores some of that function.

We talked with a patient who was in this trial, and you can actually see an image -- we've got it -- of the deep brain stimulation device in his own brain. You can see there that wire in the back.

He had what he described as really amazing recovery here of some of his functions. He'd lost a lot of it and really wasn't improving after about a year of physical therapy alone. So this, he said, really made a huge difference for him.

The hope is that this could bear out in larger clinical trials because there's more than seven million survivors of stroke in the United States, two-thirds of whom have some disability.

So this patient we talked with, Stan Nicholas, said this is really helping him restore some of the functions important in his daily life -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: An amazing result for him, hopefully, with big implications for the future.

SANCHEZ: Meg Tirrell, thanks so much for the reporting.

Jim? SCIUTTO: Ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, a grand jury is meeting today in

Atlanta and could soon return a fourth indictment for former President Trump. We are live outside the courthouse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)