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Kurt Volker is Interviewed about the G20 Summit; New sighting of Escaped Inmate in Pennsylvania; Philadelphia Officer Turns Himself In; Fulton County to Release Grand Jury Report. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired September 08, 2023 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:33:13]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, happening now, you are looking at live pictures of Air Force One, which just touched down in New Delhi in India. President Biden, any moment, will walk out that door.

This is the G20 Summit, a two-day affair with a range of issues to discuss with leaders of these nations.

I'm just trying to see if President Biden's about to leave.

One of the issues that no doubt will come up at this meeting, these meetings, Ukraine, and continued international support for Ukraine as Russia continues its war there.

I'm going to continue looking at these pictures to see if President Biden comes out.

Obviously, the war in Ukraine will be of utmost importance there. This comes as there was just a missile strike in the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown. At least one person was killed there, dozens and dozens injured.

I want to talk about Ukraine. With me now from Kyiv is Kurt Volker, former ambassador to NATO, now with the Atlantic Council.

Ambassador, great to see you, as we await President Biden deplaning from Air Force One in New Delhi for this meeting, the G20.

What's interesting about this meeting is not in attendance. Vladimir Putin won't be there. President Xi of China will not be there. And President Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was not invited to attend. He's been at a lot of international gatherings over the last year and a half.

So, what can President Biden accomplish there without these individuals present?

KURT VOLKER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: Well, I think it's a shame that the Ukrainians are not invited, at least President Zelenskyy, because I think it's important for him to make the case that Russia's war against Ukraine doesn't affect only Ukraine, it affects the entire world in terms of food security, you know, farmers in Argentina are paying higher prices for fuel, people in Sub-Saharan Africa having shortages.

[09:35:08]

Inflation everywhere all over the world. That's an important case to make. And without Zelenskyy there it does -- it is going to rely on the U.S. and other western countries to be making that case on their behalf.

BERMAN: One of the things we've been looking at in Ukraine is this counteroffensive that's been taking place over the last few months. And there has been some territory regained by Ukraine in the south. And, yes, they do want to push through to the Sea of Azov to break off that land bridge between Russia proper and Crimea.

What if they don't? What if by 2024 or by the new year Ukraine doesn't manage to push through to the water there? What would the significance be?

VOLKER: Right. Then - yes, well, then they'll have to do it next year. For Ukraine it's not an option to defend their country and retake their territory. This is their country, their people, their land, their relatives and they're going to fight to take it back. It would be very helpful. It would be good for Ukraine if they could break that land bridge now because it will help deprive those Russian forces in southern Ukraine and Crimea of logistical supplies. But if they don't get it done this year, they just keep going. There isn't any other option for Ukraine.

And, frankly, I think the way the counteroffensive has been going lately, we've seen them make significant advances through mine fields, getting to a second line of defense, widening their incursion into that area and the Russians having to fall back. A lot of reports of Ukrainian artillery now being of a superior range and longer than what the Russians have. So, I would count on the Ukrainians actually having some success this fall.

BERMAN: Ambassador, President Biden -- again, we're waiting for President Biden to leave Air Force One for this G20 Summit, two-day meeting, in New Delhi. He arrives there with this new CNN poll showing his approval rating at just 39 percent and all sorts of domestic political concerns.

How aware are these other world leaders, who will be meeting with him, of his domestic political situation, and how will that shape the discussions?

VOLKER: Well, it's an important question because I'm here in Ukraine and that is certainly part of the talk here as well. Everyone is wondering, will Biden get re-elected? If not, will former President Trump get re-elected? What does this mean for U.S.' role in the world? What does it mean for support in Ukraine? So, it is - is on everybody's minds.

And I think what's important for all Americans abroad to convey, whether it's Democrats or Republicans, is that we're a big country, we have national interests, we have strong leadership, we have strong institutions and the U.S. will play a major role shaping the developments in the world no matter what president we have.

BERMAN: You talk about the political situation in the United States and how keenly aware people are in Ukraine, where you are right now, of that situation.

When you hear Republican candidates on stage, Vivek Ramaswamy and others, say that the United States needs to end aid to Ukraine, or Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida saying Europe needs to do more, what are the risks there?

VOLKER: Well, I don't think that's actually a risk because I was very pleased with the way that debate went. Of course, Vivek Ramaswamy has his view that we should cut off aid to Ukraine. I don't agree with that. But more important there are other Republicans on the stage, like Nikki Haley, who argued back against that very effectively.

And so around the world people see that we're a democracy, we have a robust debate, and there are people who are standing up for very strong principles there in that debate. I think that actually was an encouraging sign.

BERMAN: Ambassador Kurt Volker in Ukraine, in Kyiv.

I will say, one remarkable thing, if we think about the progress of this situation over the last, you know, 16, 18 months, the idea that we're talking to you, a diplomat, standing in Kyiv right now, where, you know, in 2022 bombs were falling, I know bombs still are falling there occasionally, but this just shows the progress that Ukraine has made over the last many months. Terrific talking to you, Ambassador.

VOLKER: You bet. Absolutely right. Absolutely right. Eighteen months ago people were wondering if Ukraine would survive. Now the question is, how does Ukraine end the war on its terms.

BERMAN: Again, and here we are - here we do see President Biden walking out of Air Force One in New Delhi. Walking down the stairs here. As we see him deplane here, Ambassador, if he can achieve one thing during this visit in New Delhi, in regards to Ukraine, what would the one thing be for him to do?

VOLKER: I would love to see him and President Modi stand together and make some kind of message of support for Ukraine. That would be a big breakthrough if we could get that.

India has been somewhere on the fence, not wanting to upset Russia, having to take care of a billion plus people, needing cheap energy.

[09:40:02]

But India, of all countries, should understand what it's like to be under an empire, basically, a country trying to take you over and the need to reestablish your independence. And the idea of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity in today's world, those are things that India would naturally stand up for. And if we can get a statement like that from President Modi, that would be incredible.

BERMAN: Ambassador Kurt Volker in Kyiv, as we're watching President Biden arrive in New Delhi for the G20 Summit in India. It is all connected, very connected. President Biden, I believe, greeting the ambassador to India, former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti right there.

Again, this is CNN's special coverage. The president there. So much else happening today.

Ambassador Volker, thank you very much.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: we're going to keep an eye on these live pictures. A lot of events are going to be playing out during our show in the next two hours. We're going to bring those to you, including a sit-down with Prime Minister Modi that President Biden will be heading to.

We're also watching this, coming up, a new sighting reported of the escaped murderer in Pennsylvania, but he is still on the run. Where police are focusing their search effort now.

And the protest delay at the U.S. Open. One protester gluing his feet to the floor in order to avoid being taken away. The wild scene near court, and how it all led to a 40-minute stoppage in play.

We'll be back.

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BOLDUAN: D.C. Police have released new video now of a murder suspect who's been on the run after escaping police custody two days ago. This surveillance video shows, as you see, Christopher Haynes, suspected of murder, in what appears to be someone's backyard.

[09:45:02]

And he's seen walking around in socks with apparently no shoes on his feet.

Haynes was in police custody, wanted for murder. Police took him to a D.C. hospital after he complained about a prior ankle injury, and that is when he escaped. There is now a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And that, of course, Kate, is not the only manhunt underway. The manhunt in Pennsylvania has intensified after a new sighting of the convicted murderer who escaped prison last week. Police say Danelo Cavalcante has now been spotted at least nine different times, including at a nearby botanical garden. Authorities swarmed the venue last night, shutting it down until further notice. It's the second time he was seen there this week after he appeared on a security camera on Monday. CNN correspondent Danny Freeman is following the very latest from

Chester County.

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DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest here in Chester County is there has just been a tremendous amount of police activity overnight and into the morning in day nine of this manhunt for Danelo Cavalcante. We've seen troopers racing down some of the winding roads of these neighborhoods. Also, the perimeter has shifted again more to the west. And this is all because Pennsylvania state police told CNN last night there has been another sighting. Now, we don't know specifics as to when that sighting occurred or where specifically it occurred, but we're still working to find out more information.

And I want to tell you what we do know about this latest flurry of activity. A lot of this started around the 6:00 hour last night. That's when we saw a lot of troopers rushing to close off roads in the area that, frankly, have not been closed off before. One trooper even telling us as they were ushering us away, that they had discovered new intel.

And then we learned that Longwood Gardens had been shut down. Longwood Gardens is the large botanical gardens that we've been talking about all week, a few miles south of the prison. A spokesperson from Longwood Gardens telling us that guests were told to leave and tenants were told to shelter in place. And it was all because police were searching an area of interest on their property.

But, like I said, that search perimeter has extended much further north, in fact, to pretty close to where we are right now, which is less than a half a mile from the prison where Cavalcante escaped.

At this point officers have still projecting optimism. They still believe he is in this area. They still are hoping that they can take him into custody without any incident. But, again, it is day nine this manhunt. It's expected to get hot again today. So, we will give you the latest with any updates as soon as we get them from police.

Danny Freeman, CNN, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

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BERMAN: And our thanks to Danny for that.

We should note that police are going to soon hold a press conference, expected to release body camera footage in a fatal police shooting.

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[09:51:40]

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, a Philadelphia police officer involved in a fatal shooting last month has turned himself in. And new video is about to be released of this incident.

CNN's Brynn Gingras joins us now.

What are the details here, Brynn?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, so, listen, this new video is going to be body camera footage unedited. And that is very important as I tell you about this story and bring it back to your memory.

It was August 14th when police approached Eddie Irizarry, basically pulling him over after he was going the wrong way down a one-way street, according to them, driving erratically. Police say that they fired at Irizarry when he failed to give up -- basically drop his gun multiple times, didn't do that while he was outside his car, and then they fired at him.

Well, it wasn't until Irizarry's family attorney came forward with this surveillance video from the neighborhood that you're looking at here. And you can clearly see that Irizarry was actually inside his car. After that happened, police had to come forward in Philadelphia and essentially say that they were wrong in their initial reporting of what happened in that incident that killed Irizarry and essentially giving a mea culpa that they needed to, you know, review this body camera footage and figure out exactly what happened.

In the meantime, they had put that officer on suspension with the expectation that he was going to be fired. Well, what we are learning today is that body camera footage is going to be released, unedited, as you just mentioned. That officer, Mark Dial, he has turned himself in, through we don't yet know what charges he is facing, but that is all about to come out in the next couple of hours. So, we'll keep you updated on this.

BERMAN: All right, we're going to get more details about the officer, we're going to get that video, unedited video, and see that.

GINGRAS: Yes.

BERMAN: Brynn Gingras, keep us posted. Thank you very much.

GINGRAS: Yes.

BERMAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right, John, any moment now we could see the full unredacted report from the Fulton County special grand jury that investigated former President Trump's efforts to overturn the election in Georgia. We will bring you all of those details as soon as we get them, live, next.

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[09:58:01]

BOLDUAN: The unredacted report. The final version of the special grand jury report in Georgia is set to be released this hour, as the DA there heads toward a historic trial against Donald Trump and 18 others. Did this special grand jury recommend charging even more?

BERMAN: Yes. And if they did want to charge more people, why weren't' they charged? What's the significance? And what could that mean going forward?

SIDNER: And the accusations are flying between Congressman Jim Jordan, the chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, and Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia. Jordan accusing her of partisan misrepresentation. Willis firing back. We will have all the details there. It's all in black and white.

I'm Sara Sidner, alongside John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: Any moment now officials in Georgia are going to release the full report from the Fulton County special grand jury that was tasked with investigating the 2020 election interference efforts. Things that we know. The initial release included only five pages and was pretty sparse on details. I did not include, you'll recall, who the jury thought should be charged or how many people should be charged by the DA.

We know now, of course, 19 people have since been charged in the case, all of them pleading not guilty of taking part in a criminal enterprise of overturn the election there. But were there even more, and what more detail did this grand jury come up with. did the special grand jury recommend more people should face charges? This report is what ultimately led to another grand jury handing up the indictments of the 19 people leading to these mug shots.

CNN's Paula Reid and Evan Perez are standing by.

Paula, first to you. What is expected to happen today?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, today we're expecting to see who the special grand jury recommended be charged in this case, and what law that the special grand jury believes was broken.