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Soon, Trump in Court After Heated Cross-Examination of Stormy Daniels; Florida Sheriff Releases Body Cam Footage from Airman's Shooting; Axios Reports, State Department Report on Israel's Conduct Expected Soon. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 10, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: This is a modern Malibu. Over the years, more than 10 million people have used them to get where they need to go. But, of course, you probably remember it, if you do, from Hollywood.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, miss, go get a steak.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can get a steak here, Daddy O. Don't be a --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, after you, kitty cat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: The cherry red 1964 Malibu had a supporting role in Pulp Fiction and also appeared in hundreds of other movies and TV shows. In 1973, Malibu Coupe was Ryan Gosling's car of choice back in the 2011 movie, Drive. And in Say Anything, a 1977 Malibu was right behind John Cusack's character in this incredibly iconic scene.

G.M. ended production of the Malibu in 1983 and then they brought it back in 1997. Who knows? Maybe it's not gone for good.

Our thanks to our panel and thanks to all of you for joining us. I'm Kasie Hunt.

CNN News Central starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: No mistrial, no gag order change. The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money trial delivering two blows to the defense as Stormy Daniels wraps up her explosive testimony. Who will be next on the stand?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And then tell the truth about my son. This morning, the family of a black U.S. airman shot in his apartment by a deputy is demanding answers. What the sheriff's office is saying about claims the officer went to the wrong apartment.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And just how many Americans are taking Ozempic-like drugs? A new study shows one in eight people in the United States have taken the drug originally meant to treat diabetes but has become wildly popular for weight loss.

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: So, I wish those questions hadn't been asked, the judge said. But for the life of me, I don't know why Ms. Necheles didn't object. The judge overseeing Donald Trump's New York criminal trial left scratching his head, apparently, about the Trump team's strategy during what became the most explosive testimony of the trial so far.

The judge saying that that, what I just quoted, just before he denied a second move by Trump's defense team to try to declare mistrial over Stormy Daniels' testimony.

The headline in The Washington Post this morning, let's call it a review, Stormy Daniels testimony on sex, lies and money was risky for both sides.

Very soon, Donald Trump will make his way back to the courtroom after he reportedly left fuming last night. And jurors are now standing by to hear more from a former White House aide to Trump this morning as she's laying out more groundwork for the prosecution's star witness, Michael Cohen. Cohen is expected to take the stand next week.

CNN's Zach Cohen and Alayna Treene are here with more.

Do we need to do the disclosure, no relation? I don't think so. I'm pretty sure we don't. Zach, what are the takeaways as we enter in? Where are we now, Day 15 of this trial?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Yes. Trump's attorneys yesterday got their chance to question Stormy Daniels, who obviously is a key witness in this case. And as you mentioned, the judge raising questions about their strategy, they tried to undermine her credibility, really trying to get her to walk back or contradict previous things that she said on the stand. And one of those things was at something that's at the core of this case, and it was the question of did she have sex with Donald Trump?

And I want to read one exchange between Trump's lawyer, Susan Necheles, and Stormy Daniels, which was in the stand yesterday. Necheles says, you've bragged about how good you are about writing porn movies and writing really good stories and writing really good dialogue, right? Stormy Daniels responded, yes. Necheles said, and now you have a story you've been telling about having sex with President Trump, right? And Daniel says, and if that story was untrue, I would have written it to be a lot better.

And that sort of captures the tone of the testimony yesterday, which was really explosive. She wrapped up her testimony and left the stand. As you said, once she was off the stand, Trump's team did suffer two additional losses. One was their request for a modified gag order so that Trump -- they're asking the judge that Trump could publicly defend himself against Daniels' allegations and Daniels' testimony, the judge rejecting that request, and the judge also rejecting a request for a mistrial based on some of the salacious testimony that Daniels delivered.

And, in fact, that prompted the judge to question the strategy of Trump's attorney, saying they essentially opened the door for prosecutors to bring in some of those salacious details because it was relevant for the jury to hear.

So, now we pick back up with testimony from a former White House aide. This is Madeleine Westerhout. She sat outside the Oval Office. And she's important because she's scheduled a meeting where Michael Cohen, Trump's former fixer in no relation, says that the alleged plan to falsify business records was discussed.

[07:05:01]

We'll hear more from Westerhout today.

We're also learning that we won't be hearing from a potential key witness, Karen McDougal. It seemed prosecutors have decided that they don't need to call her. So, another day of testimony, but Stormy Daniels really leaving an impression on the jury yesterday

BOLDUAN: Yes, maybe the impact today will still be felt. Zach, stand by. Let's bring Alayna Treene.

So, Alayna, take us inside what you are hearing from people around the former president. It was reported he left fuming yesterday, but where are things today? What are they thinking?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Yes, he did leave fuming. I mean, there's no question that Donald Trump has been furious with some of this testimony. And, look, it's been a very uncomfortable week for the former president.

Stormy Daniels was one of the witnesses that his team was the most worried about. And we've kind of seen that play out this week now because she did get on the stand and share a lot of salacious details, details that are very embarrassing for Donald Trump.

And when I talked to his team, they say a lot of the same things we heard from his attorneys. They try to discredit her. They try to say that she's making this up for her own gain. But they also will acknowledge privately, and they've told me this in our conversations, that they really do not know how this is going to play.

When you take a step back and you think about the politics of it, they have no idea how this testimony or how the rest of the trial is going to play in a general election. And, of course, from the political side of this and from the campaign side of this, that's really one of their big concerns.

Now, I do just want to walk you through something very interesting because Zach did a very good job of laying out kind of the tone in the room and what we've been hearing. Stormy Daniels, as she did on the stand, continued to taunt Donald Trump on social media last night. I'm going to read for you what she wrote. She wrote, quote, real men respond to testimony by being sworn in and taking the stand in court. Oh, wait, never mind. So, you know, a pretty taunting message from Stormy Daniels.

And, look, I mean, I'm not sure what her strategy is, if she's trying to goad him into testimony. But this is, of course, something that is going to get under the former president's skin. We know that in the past, he has said that he wants to testify. It's in Donald Trump's nature that he wants to be the one to defend himself. Of course, his lawyers have been behind the scenes telling him that is not a good idea.

And, you know, I also think just big picture here, this is part of why he is so angry about the gag order as well. Because when people like Stormy Daniels, witnesses are able to come out and attack him, he feels like he has no way to defend himself. And I think we'll see a very similar type of situation with Donald Trump feeling similarly furious when Michael Cohen ultimately takes the stand, Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right. Alayna Treene, thank you so much, Zach Cohen, thank you both. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Ahead, disturbing body cam video shedding light on what happened in the moments leading up to the fatal police shooting of a 23-year-old active duty airman. What we're hearing from law enforcement after the family is insisting the deputy went to the wrong apartment.

Also, did Israel violate international law using U.S. weapons? The Biden administration has reached a conclusion in a report that is about to be sent to Congress. Here with CNN, sources say the administration has decided.

And what to expect tonight. You've heard of bomb cyclones, a giant hail. Now, a severe geomagnetic storm is set to impact all of Earth for the first time in almost 20 years. What we will see.

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BERMAN: This morning, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says he is closely monitoring the case of a Georgia airman shot and killed by a Florida deputy. The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department released a body cam video of the deputy shooting Roger Fortson, maintaining they went to the correct apartment, but Fortson's family says the details did not add up.

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CHANTEMEKKI FORTSON, ROGER FORTSON'S MOTHER: I need you guys to tell the truth about my son. I need you to get his reputation right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

FORTSON: If you have a heart, if you have a niece, a nephew, any young person in your life, tell the truth about my son.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: So, the family's legal team released their own video from the FaceTime call between Fortson and his girlfriend, which caught the aftermath of the shooting.

CNN's Nick Valencia following this story for us. Nick, what are you learning?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, social justice activists are enraged by this, saying this is yet another example of police putting out a false narrative about what really happened. In fact, yesterday, during a press conference, Ben Crump said, the initial statement from the Okaloosa Sheriff's Department made it seem as though this incident happened outside and that the deputy fired because he feared for his life.

There is a claim, though, that is being disputed that Crump made during that presser, and he said that he believed that the deputies went to the wrong address when they were responding to a disturbance in progress call.

We want to warn you that the video that we're about to show is very graphic.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sheriff's office, open the door. Step out.

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VALENCIA: The victim has been identified as 23-year-old-Roger Fortson, and he was a senior airman in the U.S. Air Force. He was actually on a FaceTime call with his girlfriend when that shooting happened. We paused that video before the deputy opened fire.

But we do want to show you that FaceTime video from his girlfriend.

[07:15:01]

And in it, you could hear Fortson struggling to breathe, even still while he's laying on the ground. The deputy continues to order him and give him commands.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't breathe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not move. Stop moving. Stop moving. (INAUDIBLE).

Hang on, man. We got EMS coming for you. Don't move.

We're good. We're good. We're good. We're good. You got a gun, just open that door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Now, you've seen both those videos for yourself. Listen now to how the sheriff in Okaloosa County described what happened.

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SHERIFF ERIC ADEN, OKALOOSA COUNTY, FLORIDA: What we do know at this time is that the deputy did announce himself, not once but twice. Mr. Fortson's comments indicate that he did acknowledge it was law enforcement at the door and he arrived at the door with a firearm in his hand. The deputy knocked on the correct door. He did not cover the peephole or otherwise obscure its view in any way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Now, this shooting happened just a matter of seconds, really. Fortson was idolized by his family. You can see that in the photo here with his little sister. She dressed up like him so they could match here. They were -- he was just somebody that they looked up to, according to the mother. He was a good man, they say, a patriot.

Now, the deputy who fatally shot Fortson, he's been put on paid administrative leave as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates this shooting. John?

BERMAN: All right. A lot of questions here still. Nick, thank you so much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, the State Department assessment due to Congress right now on whether they think Israel has violated international humanitarian law in Gaza. The impact of this assessment and these findings to be handed over to lawmakers will be significant, especially after Joe Biden's warning to pause weapons shipments to Israel.

And why a growing number of Americans feel like it is a terrible time to buy a home.

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[07:20:00]

SIDNER: New this morning, a highly anticipated report on Israel's conduct in Gaza could come out soon. CNN has learned that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will report to Congress that Israel did not violate the terms for its use of U. S. weapons in Gaza. That is according to CNN Contributor Barak Ravid.

CNN's Kayla Tausche joins us now from the White House. Kayla, there's information about President Biden's decision to withhold some weapons from Israel as well. What are you learning?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, we're learning that this was something that was telegraphed to the Israeli side for several months, Biden and his top national security aides for three months in private phone calls, virtual meetings, and even in some in-person meetings, telling Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and his counterparts, in no uncertain terms to consider alternatives to a full scale invasion of Rafah, and saying that no U.S. weapons would be part of a military campaign that was seen causing mass casualties in that dense hub for humanitarian aid and for refugee resettlement.

Over the course of those months, Sara, the administration did not get clarity on what Netanyahu's plans were. And so when the Israeli Defense Forces started establishing a presence along the border, choking off some of those points of entry, that's when the Biden administration and the president specifically decided that those private warnings simply were not enough. And the president, as we have heard, then disclosing to CNN's Erin Burnett that if Israel were to go into Rafah, then aid would be withheld.

NSC Spokesman John Kirby telling reporters yesterday, I can assure you that direct and forthright nature with which he expressed himself and his concerns in that interview with Erin Burnett is consistent with how he has expressed himself to Prime Minister Netanyahu and to Israeli officials.

Now, that public declaration, Sara, as you mentioned, coming in advance of that highly anticipated report where the U.S. was required to certify whether Israel was in compliance with or had violated international humanitarian laws that would allow it to continue receiving that aid, and CNN has learned, according to Contributor Barak Ravid, that Secretary of State Tony Blinken will be saying that Israel has complied and can continue to receiving aid, though, Sara, you should be sure that some of those warnings will continue behind the scenes.

SIDNER: Interesting to learn that there was some diplomatic back and forth in private, as you would expect before Biden made this public.

Kayla, thank you so much, there live for us from the White House. John?

BERMAN: Right. So, do you know, eight people? According to new data just in, at least one of them is on a weight loss drug like Ozempic or Mounjaro.

And this morning, is this a confederate victory? One school board votes to change the names of schools back to honor confederate leaders.

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[07:25:00]

BERMAN: New this morning, the names of Confederate leaders will be added back to two Virginia schools. Shenandoah County School Board voted five to one to restore the names of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson to the schools. This is after a 2020 decision to remove them.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Sweden protesting Israel's participation in the Eurovision contest. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, she was there. Israeli singer Eden Golan performed in the competition's semifinal and advanced to tomorrow's final. Protesters have accused contest organizers of hypocrisy for allowing Israel to participate, but not Russia.

So, for the first time since 2005, the Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch. These storms have the potential disrupt the power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations. On the plus side, the storms could also trigger an amazing view of the northern lights across the U.S. spanning from Southern Alabama to Northern California.

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The best chance to see it, 11:00 P.M. tonight through Sunday.

And, Sara, I don't know if you know this, but the Fantastic Four got their superpowers.