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ABC: Trump Allegedly Discussed Sensitive Nuclear Submarine Info With Mar-a-Lago Member in 2021; Officials: 52 Killed In Hroza After Russian Strike; Strike On Kharkiv Kills 10-Year-Old And His Grandmother; Body Cam Shows Arrest Of Suspect in Tupac Shakur Cold Case; Amazon Launches Its First Internet Satellite. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired October 06, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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


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[14:32:44]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Next hour, a New York appeals court is going to hear arguments on former President Donald Trump and his co- defendants' motion for a stay of his fraud trial, as well as a stay of the judge's order to dissolve Trump's corporate entities.

This is coming at the end of week one of testimony in that civil trial. The former president has been trying to get all of the court cases against him either delayed or dismissed.

Separately, Trump is facing additional scrutiny today after a major new report on his handling of nuclear secrets.

ABC News saying, quote:

"Months after leaving the White House, Trump allegedly discussed potentially sensitive information about U.S. nuclear submarines with a member of his Mar-a-Lago club, an Australian billionaire, who then allegedly shared that information with scores of others."

That sensitive information allegedly included the exact number of nuclear warheads that U.S. submarines typically carry and exactly how close U.S. subs can get to Russian subs without being detected.

Trump allegedly made that disclosure to Anthony Pratt, the head of U.S.-based Pratt Industries, one of the world's largest packaging companies.

Here is how Trump described him back in 2019.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A lot of people don't tell you about Anthony, but I will tell you about Anthony. He is the most successful man in Australia. He is a great man and he's my friend and I appreciate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Joining us now is Sarah Matthews, a former Trump White House deputy press secretary.

Sarah, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

This reporting from ABC News about Trump sharing sensitive information with members of the Mar-a-Lago club, you worked pretty closely in his office for years. Does that coincide with what you've seen from him personally?

SARAH MATTHEWS, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: I didn't personally witness him handle any classified information so I don't want to, you know, mischaracterize anything.

But I think that it's been very clear in the testimony from folks in the White House and then the reporting that we've seen that he was very careless with classified information.

Hearing this new report that he shared some of our most sensitive information relating to nuclear warheads on submarines with a foreign national is extremely concerning.

[14:35:01]

And I think that, in the reporting from ABC, it also said that this Australian billionaire then went on to share that story with 45 other individuals.

So that is what is really concerning, too, is that Trump has no regard for our nation's top secrets and is willing to blab them to anyone just to try to look impressive. And then who knows who those folks are going on to share it with.

It shows that he has no regard for our nation's secrets. And this is showing further that this case is rock solid in terms of the evidence that they have.

SANCHEZ: Sarah, you alluded to the other instances, the other allegations of Trump acting carelessly with highly secret material.

Yet this doesn't seem to be a major concern for Republican voters. Trump is head and shoulders above the competition in primary polling.

MATTHEWS: That's correct. And I think that a lot of folks know that Trump -- his presidency wasn't necessarily the norm. He definitely did things his own way.

And so I think, to some folks, they hear this and they are not necessarily surprised by it.

But I think that we should be concerned about it because him leaking this to an Australian billionaire is one thing, but what if that got into the hands of someone that did not have our nation's best interests?

And we've heard the reports, too, that Mar-a-Lago is crawling with folks from nations like China and other things, undercover spies, who are trying to get this exact type of information from the president or folks who are there. So that is what's really concerning.

And I think that the evidence in this case is rock solid. But I think that voters might not necessarily understand the gravity of it, just because they're used to Trump operating in a way such as this.

SANCHEZ: Sarah Matthews, thanks so much for sharing your time with us. Appreciate it.

MATTHEWS: Yes. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: So moments ago, Amazon just launched its first Internet satellite, a major move to compete with SpaceX. We will bring you the very latest details when CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns.

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[14:41:27]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Russia unleashes another deadly attack in Ukraine today in Kharkiv where a missile strike on residential buildings killed a 10-year-old little boy and his grandmother early this morning. Dozens more were left injured.

The strike follows an overnight drone attack in Odessa, damaging port infrastructure, trucks and a grain silo.

Meanwhile, the damage is still being assessed in the small village of Hroza. More than 50 people were killed there yesterday when Russia aimed a ballistic missile as people gathered to mourn a local soldier. That building was destroyed.

Hroza has no military assets. Its small population is entirely composed of civilians.

CNN's senior international correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, joins us from Hroza.

You have the Kremlin saying, Fred, that is not targeting civilians. But clearly, the evidence shows otherwise.

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and Ukrainians, Pamela, say that there were absolutely no military assets in this village.

From what we've seen, we haven't seen any military installations. We haven't seen troop concentrations or anything like that. It is a very small village.

I can show you, once again, the extent of the damage here in Hroza.

One of the things that you mentioned that's extremely important, Pamela, is that there was this second attack today in Kharkiv, which is a big city very close to here.

And that used the same type of missile as the one that was apparently used on this building here, which completely destroyed the building. It's called an Iskander missile, which is a medium-range missile with

a massive warhead. We can see here now that the debris has been cleared. But there is basically nothing of this building standing.

There's a few walls here. You can sort of see where the impact site appears to have been where the floor has kind of given way. But other than that, this place has absolutely been reduced to rubble.

And something that's a big concern to the Ukrainians where they say missiles like this obviously cause a lot of carnage among the civilian population in small places like this.

But of course, also in larger places like Kharkiv, as you were talking about, which was struck today.

The Ukrainians are saying the only thing that can help against this is further air defense systems for them. It's something they've been pleading for.

They say that this is something that is a direct help to keep their citizens alive.

We've had some pretty tragic encounters here today, Pamela. We talked to one gentleman who lost his brother and his brother's wife in the attack. But they had a list of the people who were killed here.

And pretty much everybody here in this village has lost someone who was close to them.

I spoke to one lady who was in tears as she spoke to me, also talking about the loved ones that she has lost.

Just to put the whole thing into perspective, there were more than 50 killed here in this village. And the population of this village at the time of this attack was about 150. Ao a third of this village has been wiped out by this attack -- Pamela?

BROWN: So incredibly sad.

Fred Pleitgen, thank you, live for us from Ukraine.

Boris?

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

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to jailed Iranian activist, Narges Mohammadi. The committee made the announcement this morning saying she's been recognized for, quote, "her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all."

Mohammadi has continued her activism despite facing numerous arrests. Iran denounced the Nobel Committee's decision, calling it, quote, "biased and political."

Also, Rudy Giuliani's Florida condo is now under a federal tax lien, with the IRS saying the former New York mayor owes more than half a million dollars in unpaid income taxes.

[14:45:03]

It was listed in Palm Beach County on September 1st and first reported by "The Daily Mail."

We should note this is just the latest of Giuliani's financial struggles as he faces millions of dollars in mounting legal bills, fighting a number of lawsuits and criminal charges.

And this painting was valued at $15,000 just a couple of years ago but now it's expected to sell at an auction for up to $18 million.

It's been identified as "The Adoration of Kings," the work of Dutch master, Rembrandt, which has been virtually unseen since the 1950s.

It was previously thought to be the work of a student or artist close to the famous painter. It's believed to be one of his early paintings dating back to around 1628.

Still to come, the body police camera footage showing the moment they arrested the man allegedly connected to the murder of rapper, Tupac Shakur. We will show you what he says and why it matters. Stay with us.

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[14:50:23]

SANCHEZ: We have some remarkable new footage to share with you showing the arrest of the suspect in the 1996 murder of legendary rapper, Tupac Shakur.

Las Vegas police released this body cam video and it shows how calm Duane Davis was in the moments he was handcuffed while out on a walk.

An arrest that breaks open a cold case that some say should have happened nearly three decades ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Hey, Metro Police. Come over here.

Thanks, buddy. Come on over here. Appreciate your cooperation, OK? Stand right here in front of my car.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Put that down for a second, all right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN's Josh Campbell has been tracking this story in L.A.

Josh, what does the body cam video reveal about the arrest?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to Duane Davis, which was captured on that body camera, he appeared to know exactly why law enforcement was there on Friday.

Just to set the scene for our viewers, he is out for a walk. He is then swarmed by undercover officers in these unmarked Ford F-150s. They take him into custody without incident and take him over to another vehicle.

And what's interesting is we can hear on this video this exchange with the officer. The officer himself appeared surprised by who was in the back seat.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What they got you for, man?

DUANE DAVIS, ARRESTED SUSPECT IN MURDER OF TUPAC SHAKUR: Biggest case in history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes?

DAVIS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like recent?

DAVIS: No. September 7, 1996.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Wow. That was a long -- that was a long time away.

DAVIS: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, not a detective quite yet, but yes.

DAVIS: (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I mean, that's what court is for, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, he was, indeed, in court earlier this week. That arraignment was postponed.

I spoke to his personal attorney here in Los Angeles, Boris, who said they are currently working to obtain him a criminal lawyer in the state of Nevada.

SANCHEZ: So, Josh, you got your hands just now on transcripts from the grand jury that decided to bring down the indictment. What do they reveal?

CAMPBELL: You know, this is interesting. The pieces are starting to come into play here.

This has obviously been nearly three decades since this incident. There's been this question about what took so long. Members that Shakur's family have been asking as well as fans.

Authorities say he was well aware of making these public statements over the past several years, admitting to being in the vehicle at the time of that shooting. He never admitted to pulling the trigger.

But in the grand jury testimony, we hear from a detective saying that there are, quote, "hours' worth of public videos that authorities were aware of."

The detective was asked by a prosecutor what he thought the motive might have been to publicly talk about a case that authorities have not yet solved. That detective said that he believed, potentially, financial gain.

Finally, the district attorney told CNN that they also are well aware of those statements but they wanted to gather corroborating information before bringing a charge.

They say, Boris, that there are, quote, "other witnesses that have since come forward" in the last couple years. We will see what they said if this actually goes to trial.

SANCHEZ: Josh Campbell, we look forward to the next developments in the case. Thanks so much.

Pam?

BROWN: Well, moments ago, Amazon launched a super long-distance delivery, sending its first Internet satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida, into space. It is a major move to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Let's bring in CNN's space and defense correspondent, Kristin Fisher.

What exactly is this satellite for, Kristin?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: So these satellites are to Amazon what Starlink is to SpaceX, and that is a massive mega constellation of very small satellites that operate close to earth in lower-earth orbit.

And they are designed to provide -- blanket the earth with Wi-Fi Internet coverage.

What we saw this morning, about an hour ago, was the launch of those first two prototype satellites. For Amazon fans, they call it Project Kuiper.

If today's launch is successful in getting the satellites out, what we could see, the goal of Project Kuiper is to get about 3,500 satellites in low earth orbit. And then you compare that with what Starlink already has, Starlink already has about 4,000 active Starlink satellites in orbit. So it's well ahead of the competition.

And of course, that's meant that Starlink essentially has monopoly in lower-earth orbit in terms of Internet connectivity.

[14:55:03]

And of course, we've seen what happened on the ground with the war in Ukraine and how critical those Starlink satellites have been to the Ukrainian military's operations.

So what today's launch signifies is essentially the beginning of the end perhaps to SpaceX's monopoly on Internet connectivity in lower- earth orbit. But they are so far ahead, Amazon has a very long way to go to catch up.

So this is great, you know, for earthlings who want Wi-Fi. But the bad news is there are some downsides.

Astronomers really hate the impact this is having on astronomy. Thousands and thousands of satellites this close to earth, it interrupts and interferes with their observations. And then there's just the issue of space junk.

BROWN: I was going to bring that up, yes.

FISHER: The government is having such a hard time regulating so many satellites that are up there. And there's a real threat that some of these satellites could collide and create a pretty devastating coalition.

So there's some good and some bad, like most things in space.

BROWN: Yes, exactly. It's not all good.

Thanks for giving us the big picture. Appreciate it.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Well, after fierce Republican backlash, all the contenders for House speaker pull out of a FOX forum. We will explain why just ahead.

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