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Ex-Trump Organization CFO To Plead Guilty To Perjury Charges; First Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill In U.S. Ships To Retailers; NASA Engineers Determine Door Seal Crack Not An Issue. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired March 04, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:31:07]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This is cool. The world's oldest living person turns 117 today. Maria Morera was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907. She and her family eventually returned to Spain where she currently lives in Catalonia.

She posted on X today, with the help of her daughter, quoting a Spanish bishop. She said, "Old age is a kind of sacrament. You lose your hearing but you hear more because you hear life, not noises." How beautiful is that?

All right. In Alaska, speaking of beauty, the mushers are off for the official start of what is billed as the last great race, the Iditarod. The famous dog-sledding competition will cover 998 miles starting in Anchorage, Alaska, and ending in Nome. Five-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey is on the trail again this year in hopes of breaking the record for the most wins.

Also, U.S. stock futures flat going into the work week as big action in the Asia markets overnight. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index surpasses 40,000 for the very first time today. This followed a surge in U.S. stocks late last week, as you'll remember, with the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 both hitting record highs on Friday. Both recorded highs are fueled by a boom in chipmaking and, of course, artificial intelligence stocks -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And this just into CNN. Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer for the Trump Organization -- he is expected to plead guilty to perjury charges this morning.

Let's get straight to CNN's Kara Scannell who has more detail on this. Kara, what is this all about? What does this mean for Weisselberg, and what does this mean for Donald Trump?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Kate.

So, Allen Weisselberg, who is a longtime confidante of Donald Trump, just arrived at the Manhattan district attorney's office. We caught him on video as he walked in this morning. And he is expected to plead guilty today, according to sources.

Now, Weisselberg has been under investigation for testimony he had given in the New York attorney general's civil fraud investigation into the Trump Organization and into Donald Trump himself. He testified during their investigation, which has been ongoing for several years, and he also testified at the trial last year and some of the testimony that people have raised questions about the accuracy involved.

And we know that prosecutors have been looking at -- involved his -- what he said about his dealings with an insurance agent and also about what he said about the size of the Trump triplex apartment at Trump Tower. That was one of the issues in the case.

So he is expected to plead guilty today. He has been in talks for several weeks to do so.

And this is a blow for him, but this is not a blow for Donald Trump. He is not expected to cooperate in Donald Trump's criminal investigation involving the repayment and reimbursement of hush money payments that he is facing trial on later this month.

So, Weisselberg was at the center of these financial transactions but he is not cooperating against Donald Trump as a result of this guilty plea. So it will not change the dynamic for Trump as he is heading into trial. Weisselberg is not expected to be called as a witness by the Manhattan district attorney's office or by Donald Trump.

Of course, now this will be the second time he has pleaded guilty to criminal charges -- in this case, perjury charges. So it would make him a difficult witness. Even if someone were to change their mind and decide to call him it would put some taint on that.

But, Weisselberg here. He's expected to plead guilty later this morning, then we will learn more details about the specific crimes that he's pleading guilty to. But they are perjury charges related to the New York attorney general's civil fraud investigation -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Really important context you're offering, Kara, as you followed all of the ins and outs of this very closely. We're going to have much more detail on this today, hopefully, and we'll bring it to you -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. New this morning, a deeply revealing new interview with President Biden. Biden tells Evan Osnos, of The New Yorker, that Donald Trump will, quote, "Do anything to try to win in November." He says he does not think Trump will concede if he loses. Quote, "Losers who are losers are never graceful."

[07:35:08]

This, as the Trump campaign is being forced to learn how to be a little more frugal. The campaign is trying to cut costs. With Donald Trump's mounting legal fees, that is proving to be a difficult proposition.

CNN's Alayna Treene is in Washington with the details here. You know, maybe fewer trips to Starbucks. Make the coffee in the office.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. I mean, there are some great anecdotes in this story, John, but it all stems from really -- you know, Donald Trump is gearing up for a very costly general election campaign against Joe Biden while also facing the enormous legal costs of all of the legal problems that he is facing. And because of that his campaign is really trying to rein in spending.

Now, we have one anecdote about how staff on the campaign often refer to Susie Wiles, one of the campaign managers, as a miser -- something that she agrees with. We have one story about how a staffer had been telling others -- to make sure to tell others, I should say, that he was only taking UberX, one of the more less costly Ubers. Because if he didn't, Susie would, quote, "Kill me."

Now, we also know that Chris LaCivita -- he is another campaign manager for the Trump operation -- he has privately grumbled on multiple occasions about how expensive Donald Trump's rallies are. And he's made a very concerted effort to try and host these large rallies at smaller venues to try and save some money.

We also have some great color about how in the Trump headquarters across the country they've been pulling furniture from yard sales. They -- it's all mismatched, as one senior adviser described it. They don't have mahogany desks and if they do, they're falling apart. That just gives you an example of, really, how they look at this.

Now, I do want to share with you a quote from LaCivita, who remarked on some of this. He said, quote, "Any organization that is concerned or at least puts that level of concern at the forefront, you're gonna get better bids for business." He added, "If you're not spending the majority of your money on touching voters and pushing your candidate, then you're not running a good campaign."

Now, John, I can tell you that this frugal approach is something that many of Donald Trump's top staff and aides do take pride in. But it also has been a point of frustration for many as -- you know, you look at past campaigns. They were able to spend a lot more money. They were a little bit more free with their expenses. This time around they're very much keeping a tight leash on it.

BERMAN: Yeah. Every campaign I've covered, they like to brag about how frugal they are. What's different about this one --

TREENE: Right.

BERMAN: -- is the candidate running has got, like, a ton of legal bills. How much is that factoring into this?

TREENE: It's a huge part of it. And the way that I have heard from my conversations with Donald Trump's campaign about this is they look at it as two-fold.

One is about they recognize that in 2020 when Donald Trump was still the incumbent and money was supposed to be one of the big assets of his campaign, they actually spent and burned through hundreds of millions of dollars in just a matter of months. And that left them in a really dire financial situation in the lead-up to the 2020 election. And so that's something that his top advisers very much fear.

But you're right. One of the bigger and I think driving concerns of this frugal approach is the legal bills and they recognize that that's been putting them at a disadvantage. We know that the Biden campaign has fundraised far more than them. They have way more money in the bank than Donald Trump does.

And there's a few ways they look at paying for this. So, one is the Trump campaign is still planning to rely on Save America, his main leadership PAC, to underwrite his legal bills except they had actually spent $50 million -- or more than $50 million last year. And so, they are in their own dire financial situation.

But one way that -- and this is new reporting, John -- that they're also planning to pay for this is Donald Trump, himself, has been putting forth his own money to underwrite his own legal bills. And this is from a man that we know has long loathed paying lawyers. He's stiffed his lawyers in the past. And so, this is a departure for the former president.

BERMAN: The departure is using his own money to pay his own legal bills, which should tell you something in and of itself.

Alayna Treene, thank you very much for that -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.

BERMAN: Whose money are you going to use to pay your legal bills?

SIDNER: I mean, usually --

BERMAN: Not that I have legal bills. But when I do, I pay.

SIDNER: Well, I would like to use your money then. So maybe --

BERMAN: Yeah, I want to use your money to pay for my legal bills.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, John.

Nikki Haley is celebrating her first big primary win. CNN projects she will win the Republican presidential primary in Washington, D.C. This victory comes on the eve of what could be a do-or-die moment for her campaign. Today, 29 GOP delegates in North Dakota are up for grabs. Tomorrow, it's, of course, the big one, Super Tuesday. Eight hundred sixty-five Republican delegates will be doled out over 16 states and territories.

CNN's Kylie Atwood is on the campaign trail traveling with Nikki Haley's team. Kylie, is this the momentum that Haley needed or is it just not enough when you look at the polling?

[07:40:00]

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, it's certainly significant that she has now won a single contest as part of this Republican primary process. But it is just that, Sara. It is one single contest. It's 19 delegates in D.C. It's not necessarily enough to boost her to the top of the pack with the former president.

Now, one interesting thing that we're looking at today is the fact that over the weekend she very clearly said that she doesn't feel that she is still bound by her commitment that she made last year to support the eventual Republican nominee for president.

Listen to what she said on NBC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, at the time of the debate, we had to take it to where would you support the nominee? And you had to -- in order to get on that debate stage you said yes. The RNC is now not the same RNC. Now it's Trump's daughter-in-law.

KRISTEN WELKER, MODERATOR, "MEET THE PRESS": So you're no longer bound by that pledge?

HALEY: No. I think I'll make what decision I want to make, but that's not something I'm thinking about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: Now, listen, Nikki Haley, just a few weeks ago, did say that she would uphold that pledge. So this is a key change for her and she is saying, obviously, that she will make the decision that she wants to make.

That comes as we have seen her criticism of former President Trump become sharper and sharper and sharper over the last few months as the two of them have battled it out. It also comes, as you said, on the eve of Super Tuesday when there are more than a dozen states that are going to be voting. It could very well determine the fate of Nikki Haley's campaign. She has said she's not looking past Super Tuesday at this point.

And we're here in Texas today where she will have two events -- her final events ahead of that major event tomorrow as she watches those states vote -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, Kylie. You're looking at the states that will be voting on Super Tuesday. We are very close to that point in time, John.

BERMAN: All right. Happening now, a new crew is headed to the International Space Station. But just minutes before liftoff, a small crack raised big concerns.

And the first over-the-counter birth control pill ever approved in the United States is now on its way to pharmacies across the country.

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[07:46:38]

SIDNER: Feelings or facts? Which has more influence on voters when it comes to the economy and the 2024 election? The latest New York Times/Sienna poll shows that emotions may be overriding the numbers. More than half of registered voters say the U.S. economy is poor. That's nearly double the number of voters who say it is excellent or good.

CNN global economic analyst and Financial Times associate editor and global business columnist Rana Foroohar joins me now.

Rana, in your latest column you talk about the GDP being up, inflation is down, job markets --

RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST, GLOBAL BUSINESS COLUMNIST AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES: Yeah.

SIDNER: -- solid. Good numbers. But voters not feeling good about the economy.

When you say, as someone who is not an economist and not looking at all the big numbers, I don't think the U.S. economy is good, are you really saying my economic conditions are not good?

FOROOHAR: You just nailed it. It's all about that felt experience. How do we feel when we're in the grocery store? When we're paying our rent? When we're filling our car? And that gets to where people live, how they're going about their daily lives, and what they're feeling in their wallets, which frankly doesn't really reflect those big numbers.

On the one hand, if you look at the headline data -- I mean, this economy is roaring, right?

SIDNER: Right.

FOROOHAR: GDP is up. The jobs market could hardly be better. Inflation, which we know has been a problem -- we've all felt that -- is actually moderating.

But what do people feel? They actually feel that hey, over the last two or three years, the price for food, the price for rent, the price for what I'm paying for my car has gone up maybe 20 percent in some cases. So they're angry.

SIDNER: Yeah.

FOROOHAR: You know, that's one thing that I'm really taking away from my coverage in talking to voters. They are very, very angry about those prices. And they don't feel -- even though the numbers are getting there, they don't really feel it in their pocketbook yet.

SIDNER: Yeah. When you're already down --

FOROOHAR: Yeah.

SIDNER: -- or you're in debt, we view -- we know credit card debt is up --

FOROOHAR: One hundred percent.

SIDNER: -- then it feels like punishment even if the prices stay the same or lowered just a bit.

FOROOHAR: That's right.

SIDNER: All right. Let me ask you about this -- something else that you put in your article that's really interesting. For the first time in several years, Americans believe that immigration is the top issue.

FOROOHAR: Yeah.

SIDNER: The number one issue. That's according to Gallup -- a Gallup poll.

How does immigration, though, affect inflation because you argue there is an affect there? What is it?

FOROOHAR: Well, it's fascinating. You know, immigration -- the numbers are showing -- is actually one of the reasons we haven't seen more inflation, particularly in labor markets.

So if you think about who is working in restaurants? Who's in the car economy? Who's taking care of your grandmother, your child? A lot of that labor is immigrant labor. Now, what's fascinating is there is some new research to show that both legal immigration but also illegal immigration has been part of that lower inflation story.

Now, this is a very controversial issue, right? Because if you look at illegal immigration, for example, you see a lot of folks coming into sanctuary cities. I mean, we see this in New York. A lot of them are not working but some of them that are working are in the informal sector. They're working maybe off the books in restaurants, in the care economy. That actually does have a dampening effect on inflation.

Now, what's fascinating is you could argue hey, if there was a way to fast-track these folks into legal positions and get them work permits -- you know, we've seen some exemptions with Venezuelans, et cetera.

SIDNER: Right.

[07:50:00]

FOROOHAR: That could be a good thing, right, for the inflation story overall.

But most Americans -- 61 percent of Americans believe that illegal immigration, in particular, is a huge problem. Ninety-one percent of Republicans think that.

So no matter what immigrants are doing for our inflation story there is still a sense that hey, we're concerned about the border. We're concerned about security. Illegal immigration -- huge issue. SIDNER: All right. This is also interesting yet probably surprising to no one though. Party affiliation has a lot to do with how Americans --

FOROOHAR: Yeah.

SIDNER: -- see the economy. You described this as cognitive political divide and it's something you've said has been going on for decades. What is this? When did you notice this sort of divide? And it's widening, correct?

FOROOHAR: It is widening. And -- I mean, look, we know that we're in a partisan world, right? I mean, things are more polarized than they've been for decades.

But what's fascinating is you can literally show the same piece of data -- the same number to a Democrat and a Republican and how they see it will be completely black and white. Now, that divide has been growing erratically over the two decades. If you look at, say, 1999 versus today, a much, much bigger partisan divide.

And another thing that's quite interesting to me is that divide widens in periods of recovery like what we're in right now. And why is that? Because if we're in a great depression we're all feeling bad, right?

SIDNER: Right.

FOROOHAR: But if we're in a recovery there's a lot of data. It's changing. We've seen inflation hit hard in the last couple of years. We've also seen inflation dampen and get a little bit better in recent years.

So you can look at that in two different ways. And if you're a Republican, maybe you're saying I think inflation is terrible. Biden's done a terrible job. If you're a Democrat you might be saying hey, things are getting better. Maybe this Bidenomics is actually working. It's all about party affiliation now, even when you're looking at numbers.

SIDNER: That is terribly disturbing actually.

FOROOHAR: It is terribly disturbing. It's --

SIDNER: Yeah.

FOROOHAR: And I think it's going to drive a lot of what happens in November --

SIDNER: All right.

FOROOHAR: -- and Super Tuesday.

SIDNER: We will be watching. That's coming up really fast.

FOROOHAR: Indeed.

SIDNER: Rana Foroohar, thank you so much for being here. It's great.

FOROOHAR: Thanks.

SIDNER: Kate.

BOLDUAN: So as of this morning, the first over-the-counter birth control pill approved in the United States is now being shipped to stores and pharmacies across the country. It's called Opill. And it's a huge moment as -- and it also comes as some U.S. states, as we know, have sought to restrict access to birth control and abortions.

CNN's Jaclyn Howard -- she has much more on this and she's joining us now. Jaclyn, tell us more. What happens today?

JACLYN HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Well, Kate, this is a huge milestone. Starting today, shipments of Opill are heading to major retail pharmacies. It will be available online.

And what we know about Opill, it's a mini pill. It contains progestin only to help prevent pregnancy. And if it's taken as instruction -- so about the same time every day -- it can be up to 98 percent effective.

And as for the cost, we know that it has the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $19.99 for a one-month supply; $49.99 for a three- month pack, and $89.99 for a six-month pack.

But, Kate, as you said, at a time when there's been a lot of debates and concern, really, around women's access to reproductive health services, this rollout of the nation's first-ever over-the-counter birth control pill to stores -- it's a major milestone, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Where can people find it?

HOWARD: So, some of the major retail pharmacies that will carry it include CVS and Walgreens. Again, it will be available online at opill.com and other online retailers. And if you do walk into a store later this month you can expect to see it in the family planning section of major pharmacies.

And again, we should expect -- with shipments starting today, we should expect it to be in stores in the coming days and weeks, and online as well, Kate.

BOLDUAN: The first over -- approved over-the-counter birth control pill now, where people can preorder it --

HOWARD: Exactly.

BOLDUAN: -- this week.

It's good to see you, Jaclyn. Thanks for the update -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Happening now, a new NASA SpaceX crew is on its way to the International Space Station, but there was concern over a small crack minutes before launch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Engines full power and liftoff of NASA Crew98. Go, Falcon; go, SpaceX; and go, NASA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Go, NASA despite the crack that was in a seal on the capsule's side hatch, but engineers decided it would not be an issue for the mission. Now, the three NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut are expected to dock at the Space Station early tomorrow morning.

CNN's Tom Foreman is with us now. Small crack -- it doesn't seem to be the type of thing --

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Small crack.

BERMAN: -- you want to see before liftoff there, Tom.

[07:55:00]

FOREMAN: No, and they were giving it a very, very close look. I'll tell you this. It was so small, John, that they debated for a while whether or not it was actually a hair, not a crack. They determined that even if it was a crack that it would be tightened by reentry by the heat and that it did not pose a real threat. So they were confident enough to go ahead with the launch. But that was right down to takeoff.

Takeoff, really beautiful. Picture-perfect there. Burning about 700 gallons of fuel a second as they took off and got up into orbit and started chasing down the International Space Station to catch up with it tomorrow and dock there.

They're going to do a lot of important work while they're there -- about 200 different experiments. Many of them are aimed, really, at sustainability in space. About how people deal with things like the impact of microgravity and UV radiation, stem cell study, and test pressure cuffs. In this case, they're looking at circulation that might be happening in the legs and the arms of the astronauts when they're up there.

Three astronauts -- NASA astronauts, one cosmonaut from Roscosmos. So -- and three of them flying for the very first time. Only one has been up there before and that is the pilot.

In any event, one of the real reasons there's so much focus on human health and radiation and all of this is all becoming more and more a precursor for this return to the moon and a potential trip to Mars maybe in the 2030s, 2040s -- depending on when that might happen -- when human sustainability in that environment is really going to matter.

And one of the nicest things that happened yesterday was they have an anti-gravity or a zero-gravity indicator that each crew takes along, which is basically something to just float around and show they've reached zero-gravity. What they took this time was a small stuffed toy. In this case, a little dog. You can see it just there to the left. He's sort of playing with it and bouncing it around.

That was chosen by one of the astronaut's children to represent the sacrifice of families and kids when people have to go away to their work, whether they're astronauts or anybody else. Really, a nice choice.

BERMAN: Oh, I was going to make fun of it but the kid gave the stuffed animal to show that --

FOREMAN: Yeah.

BERMAN: -- occasionally, everyone's got to give a little bit. Oh, Tom, you melt my heart --

FOREMAN: Yeah.

BERMAN: -- this early in the morning.

FOREMAN: Yeah, an amazing mission.

And when we go to Mars or to the moon, this is -- these people are going to be up there for about --

BERMAN: Yeah.

FOREMAN: -- six months we think. And for a few days, they'll have 11 people on the International Space Station. That's a lot of people even though it's about as big as a six -- a six-bedroom house. But the further we go, the longer they're going to be out there.

BERMAN: Eleven people and one stuffed dog.

Tom Foreman, thank you very much for being with us.

SIDNER: Eleven people in a six-bedroom house. I guess people are bunking.

BERMAN: It's like a reality show.

SIDNER: It's space. What can you do?

BERMAN: It's like "BIG BROTHER" in outer space.

SIDNER: That would be good.

All right. The end is in sight for a monster blizzard on the West Coast. California's Sierra Nevada is still getting hit with snow this morning with some areas reporting more than seven feet of snowfall right now. One ski resort posted this video showing crews getting hit with strong winds as they try to clear away the snow on the roads that has left some people stranded.

CNN's Derek Van Dam is joining us now. Man, snow all weekend. You all predicted this. DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah.

SIDNER: People didn't listen.

VAN DAM: Yeah.

SIDNER: They got in their cars. I saw cars buried. And it's still snowing?

VAN DAM: And it's still snowing. The snowfall totals, so far, above seven feet, like you mentioned. This has been a five-day blizzard.

I want you to look at the disappearing act that this vehicle in Lake Tahoe went through yesterday. I mean, poof, right before your eyes it disappears because of the low visibility. I mean, this is what people were dealing with and contending with.

When will it end? Well, it is wrapping up now. But still, a consequential and very impactful storm.

And one of the major reasons is not just the amount of snow. Yes, we've accumulated more than Shaquille O'Neal's height. He's seven- foot-one. We have 7 1/2-foot totals, so far.

And just look at this. One hundred forty-five mile-per-hour winds. You don't even need that much snow on the ground to lift it up into the air, reducing the visibility, and all of a sudden it becomes extremely difficult whiteout conditions.

By the way, that is equivalent to a category-four Atlantic hurricane -- those types of winds. That is impressive.

Eighty-nine inches recorded at Sugar Bowl.

SIDNER: Wow.

VAN DAM: The storm's not done just yet. Donner Peak also around 87 inches. And, yes, it was stranding vehicles. People getting pulled out. I mean, that is impressive.

So we still have our winter weather alerts blotting the landscape here across the western half of the U.S. because of this ongoing storm. But the good news is that just within the past hour the blizzard warnings have been lifted for Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada regions, so that's good news. We do have some precipitation north of there but that's really not going to impact the hardest-hit areas. So maybe, just maybe, we'll get just a few moments or a few days to dig out of this recent snowstorm.

But, wow, how impactful is that -- snow above Shaquille O'Neal's head? And you saw the disappearing act there right on your TV screen --

SIDNER: Yeah, if you've --

VAN DAM: -- so that's saying something.

SIDNER: If you've ever seen him in person you just realize how high that really is.

VAN DAM: Yeah, exactly. You're right.

SIDNER: Derek Van Dam, thank you very, very much.