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Sources: Mar-A-Lago Workers Could Testify In Docs Case; Families Plead For U.S. To Help Free Hostages Held By Hamas. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired November 10, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

MICHAEL MOORE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: We're talking now about maybe somebody who saw something in a room where they were cleaning the club. Or we're talking about somebody who was doing some construction work and happened to see a questionable or at least suspicious to them, folder of some type. And while it may not go directly to whether or not those are classified documents, it certainly begins to paint a picture of maybe the insecurity, the lack of physical security, and at some point, the chaotic sense that these classified documents may have been kept at Mar-a-Lago.

So, they are important witnesses, but again, I don't think that these are silver bullets that have been held back. But I think from a trial perspective, that they --these will be significant when it comes the time to tell the story about these documents and how they were kept or not kept safely at Mar-A-Lago.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More of the everyday workings of how the club since --

MOORE: That's true.

JIMENEZ: Most of the people paying attention in this trial won't have been in Mar-a-Lago on a daily basis. I want to move to another aspect --

MOORE: No, it --

JIMENEZ: Yes, go ahead.

MOORE: Well, I will just going to say. It also is a little bit of a credibility boost for them because typically they come in without really being on one side or the other. They're just fact witnesses.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

MOORE: Like somebody's saying well, the light was red or the light was green. That's different than having the passenger in a car that was involved in the wreck talk about what happened. So, that's -- these are just fact witnesses, and they will be important to the case.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And the other aspect that I wanted to touch on because it was significant is Judge Aileen Cannon. She decided for now the trial will still begin in May 2024 despite Trump's team pushing for it to start after the presidential election. What sort of factors would she have been weighing there, and what do you see as the importance of her decision?

MOORE: You know, I think there's a benefit to keeping the trial scheduled. I would urge anybody not to buy a plane ticket to Florida if they were to watch the trial for May because I still think there's a lot to hear that you'll see this trial get bumped. I mean, we have not got to the place here where we've got appeals, we've got issues sent up to the 11th circuit, things to delay a case, especially one like this. So, while I think it's important that she kind of keep this window open, I think at the same time, it might freeze out the issue of bringing the state of Georgia case in the middle of next year, for instance.

Because, typically, the federal trials would take priority or precedence over the state court trials, and so that block some of the calendar. But again, we have not had a situation where we've been taking issues of presidential immunity and executive privilege up to the appellant courts as we prepare for a trial. Those can take some time to decide. And I think you will see those issues raised both on the federal and the state level.

But at least for now, she has blocked out part of the calendar for some other cases that could move forward. I don't think she did that intentionally, but that's just the reality of what has happened. And so, we will see. I think it's probably a bittersweet pill at the same time for the Trump team especially since you saw the early Georgia trials result in pleas. And so, that opened up some time for the Fulton County judge to leave things in place.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

MOORE: So, we will see now where it goes.

JIMENEZ: What? You're saying court proceedings could get delayed? Who -- that's unheard of in the legal justice system.

MOORE: Right.

JIMENEZ: Of course, we will see. Michael Moore --

MOORE: Absolutely unheard of, right? It's a --

JIMENEZ: Yes. It never happened.

MOORE: It's a game of wait sometimes.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Michael Moore, thank you so much. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up for us, a medical first. The world's first full eye and partial face transplant is giving a retired army reservist new hope. This remarkable story, we will bring that to you.

And also, this. Families begging the United States for help now to bring their loved ones home after more than -- after more than a month and more than 200 hostages still being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Up next, I'm going to speak to one man who says his brother has been -- to talk about his brother who is among those who have been missing now for more than a month.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:38:15]

BOLDUAN: Secretary of State Tony Blinken declared again this morning that the United States will continue to focus relentlessly, his words, on getting our hostages home. More than 200 people are still in the hands of Hamas terrorists. Kidnapped on October 7. And now more than a month later, families of these hostages are begging for help. Some even traveling to the United States this week to appeal to lawmakers and the American people to not give up, not forget about them, also even warning that this is much more than just about bringing their loved ones home. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN SHAMRIZ, BROTHER KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: We need help now. We don't know what is their condition. This is a call for action.

And this is a wake-up call not only for Israel, not only for the Jewish community. This is a wake-up call for all the -- all of you here. All of America. All of Europe.

You are next. You are next. And we should do everything that we can to stop these atrocities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That was Jonathan Shamriz. His 26-year-old brother, Alon Shamriz is believed to have been kidnapped by Hamas terrorists along with others from his kibbutz where 59 people were killed. Jonathan Shamriz joins us now from Tel Aviv, just returning from the United States for that trip.

It's now been more than a month, Jonathan, since your brother was taken. When I spoke to your father last week, he said that it was just -- it was still assumed that he was kidnapped but it had not yet been confirmed by Israeli officials that he was kidnapped which almost makes it all the more worse. Have you received any further word?

[11:40:06]

SHAMRIZ: Not yet. But as time goes on, we were -- you know, the assumption that he's kidnapped is like getting strong. So, we are still grasping the -- grasping on that he's kidnapped in Gaza.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Alon managed to message you as everything was happening on October 7. And this was just moments before Hamas took him. He was able to send you and you were able to send a text to him back as well. Can you tell me about those text messages in that moment, which was also a moment while you yourself was hiding with your family from these very same terrorists?

SHAMRIZ: Yes. So, I was with my pregnant wife and my 2-year-old daughter, and my two dogs in the safe room. And we started getting messages from all the -- all my friends from the kibbutz that they hear terrorists going inside houses and slaughtering people. As soon as my younger brother, Alon, sent me a message that they heard terrorists going inside his house.

And in that time, you know -- you know what's going on. And it's -- you try to think what you're going to write to your brother. If you think you're going to write him for the last time, it was like very hard.

But I want to tell him that I love him. I want him to tell him that I love him and he's strong. And that's it. He sent me back heart emoji. And after like, one minute, I send him, did they go? Are they gone? And they never respond back.

BOLDUAN: What do you think -- what do you think was in that heart emoji? What do you think he meant?

SHAMRIZ: I think it was an emoji that was containing despair and hope together. Because they send me a private message, so -- because I'm his eldest brother. So, we -- I think he -- you know, he wants me to protect him. He wants me to do something. And then -- and after what I wrote him, he understands that he is -- he is all alone in this battle, unfortunately. And then the blame is like in me every minute every day.

BOLDUAN: Guilt. Do you feel guilt?

SHAMRIZ: Yes, of course -- of course. This is my younger brother, and I couldn't protect him. And it's eating me from the inside. Sure.

BOLDUAN: Your father told me something that really stuck with me was that his biggest fear right now is that your brother could be killed or injured by the -- by the IDF -- by an IDF bomb or explosion as they're trying to carry out the attacks on Hamas and Gaza, which is -- I -- just stuck with me because it's an impossible place and a helpless place for you all to be in. You want your brother back. You support Israel's operation to take out Hamas. But the possibility then that your brother could literally be caught in the middle of it, it seems impossible.

SHAMRIZ: Yes. It's -- you know, it's like a -- where we are in a limbo. You know, from one end, you want IDF to destroy Hamas and destroy the Gaza Strip. And from the other end, you want your brother back. But you know, Hamas is accountable for their lives.

And Hamas is accountable for their condition. So, there is no excuses for anything like Hamas needed to take care of the civilian hostages. And we need to remember, Hamas is a barbaric organization. Every day in captivity is like a great danger for them.

BOLDUAN: Oh, and I do want to ask you about --

SHAMRIZ: And there are children. There are elderly people there.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. And I do want to ask you about that because I can't let you go without asking you about that strong message that you had for Americans when you were visiting in Washington. I mean, the warning that you gave, you know, this is a wake-up call not just for Israel, not just for Jews, but you could be next. What are you trying to say in that?

SHAMRIZ: Simple as that. When Hamas started this terror attack, they don't -- they didn't kill only Jews and Israelis. They kill Americans. They kill Russians. They kill Thai people. They kill like citizens from 40 different countries that have nothing to do with the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. And if you can see what's going on in Europe, and even in U.S. campuses, this is not going for a good direction. And I think what I'm trying to say is that they can turn anything on you on any second. I think it will be much worse than what happened on the seventh of October.

[11:45:16]

BOLDUAN: It's hard to imagine anything that would -- could be much worse than what happened on the seventh of October. That's for sure. Jonathan Shamriz with his brother 26 years old, Alon Shamriz held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, still one month later. Thank you for coming on.

SHAMRIZ: Thank you, Kate. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you. Omar.

JIMENEZ: Great interview, Kate. Coming up for us. We've got to first- of-its-kind surgery, a success. We're going to meet the man who's the first to receive a complete eye and partial face transplant, thanks to this medical breakthrough. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:17]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I think the control room is trying to deal me something. Moments ago, Taylor Swift made history again. This year's Grammy nominations just came out and her song "Anti-Hero" is nominated for Song of the Year. Here's the history. She is now the first person in Grammy history with seven nominations in the songwriting category. And there's more. "Midnights" was also nominated for Album of the Year, which now ties Taylor Swift with Barbra Streisand for the most all- time nominations by a female artist in that category. Rockstar.

There's also this on our radar this hour. A New Jersey man wanted in connection with the January 6 attack has turned himself in. Gregory Yetman. He was the subject of an FBI manhunt. It had offered $10,000 in a reward after he evaded arrest earlier this week. He's now in custody facing multiple charges, including assaulting officers and engaging in physical violence on Capitol grounds. Omar.

JIMENEZ: Well, Kate, this is honestly incredible. A tremendous breakthrough in medicine. Doctors successfully completed the world's first whole eye and partial face transplant surgery.

The patient is a man in Arkansas, whose injuries stemmed from touching a high-voltage wire two years ago. He works as a lineman. As a result, Aaron James lost his left eye, most of his face, and went into a coma. James was set to receive a partial face transplant, but his doctor had a bigger plan in mind. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (voiceover): Aaron James was working as a high-voltage lineman in 2021 when his face accidentally touched a live wire. He lost an arm and parts of his face. James's new reality left him nearly unrecognizable with no memory of what happened. He was sent to a hospital in Texas not long after.

AARON JAMES, LINEMAN: Basically, I got up, went to work, and woke up. Six weeks later in Dallas, Texas.

JIMENEZ (voiceover): Doctors at New York University soon got wind of his case and saw the possibility. Less than two years after the accident, they performed a successful partial face and a whole eye transplant. The first time that's ever been done in history.

And this is what James looks like now. The new eye is still not open but receiving blood flow, his doctors say.

JIMENEZ: When you walk by the mirror, do you ever stop yourself and go --

AARON JAMES: Oh, yes.

JIMENEZ: Wow. All right.

AARON JAMES: Every time I see a mirror, I'll stop. It's unbelievable.

MEAGAN JAMES, WIFE OF AARON JAMES: In the very beginning, it was a poor outlook. They were basically preparing me for his death.

JIMENEZ: Did you ever lose hope?

M. JAMES: No.

JIMENEZ: Why is that?

M. JAMES: Because he was fighting.

JIMENEZ (voiceover): Their daughter Allie wasn't sure what do he would look like. But that's not what she cared about.

ALLIE JAMES, DAUGHTER OF AARON JAMES: Most of my worries was just how he was going to be when he was awake and aware.

JIMENEZ: Did you ever think you're going to lose him?

ALLIE JAMES: Yes.

AARON JAMES: I think I'm still a little in shock -- still in shock. How in the world -- you know, how this happened to us, you know?

JIMENEZ (voiceover): The 21-hour procedure was intricate at every level.

JIMENEZ: Why is adding an eye to a face transplant much more complicated than the already complicated face transplant?

DR. EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ, CHAIR, HANSJORG WYSS DEPARTMENT OF PLASTIC SURGEON, NYU LANGONE: It's completely uncharted territory.

JIMENEZ (voiceover): Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez helped lead the historic surgery. In one of two operating rooms, he dissected the face that James would soon receive, including an eye.

RODRIGUEZ: We've disconnected from the donor and the race begins. At this point, the face and the eye are not receiving any blood supply. The amount of time that it's not receiving blood is critical. The eye could die. So, I take the face from the donor rooms through Aaron's room, and I begin all those connections.

JIMENEZ (voiceover): Having to use a microscope to connect nerves no more than a millimeter wide to connect the eye.

JIMENEZ: Is there a possibility that he will see in the future?

RODRIGUEZ: At this point, he does not see. But the fact that the eye is there, we've already made one huge step forward.

JIMENEZ (voiceover): This was James seeing himself for the first time post-surgery.

JIMENEZ: You don't look at this as a finish line. This is more of a starting point.

[11:55:01]

RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely.

JIMENEZ (voiceover): Through it all, James sees a purpose greater than his own.

AARON JAMES: That's really my biggest hope out of this deal. I mean, if I can see out of it, that's great. But a good kickstart. The next path in the medical field. And I'm all for it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): I mean, look. He's still --

BOLDUAN: Oh, wow. JIMENEZ: He's still got more work to be done, you know. He still doesn't have teeth. He's -- you know, the -- some swelling needs to go down too. He also told me that one thing he wants to make sure people know is that he thinks about the donor families all the time. Because he says at the -- on the other side of his successes are someone who lost someone and gave up a piece of their loved one for him.

BOLDUAN: Is it amazing -- I mean, amazing. There aren't the right words.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

BOLDUAN: What a marvel and what an amazing man and wife and family to charge through this. I mean he woke up six weeks later.

JIMENEZ: I know.

BOLDUAN: I mean --

JIMENEZ: I can't imagine. And the -- just the strength they've had through it all is unbelievable.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Thanks for bringing it to us.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

BOLDUAN: And thank you for being here.

JIMENEZ: Of course. Good to see you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you all so much for joining us today. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is next.

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