Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Soon, Trump Trial Witness Who Sparred With Judge Retakes Stand; One Person Dead, Several Hurt After Severe Turbulence on Flight; Georgia Primary, D.A. Fani Willis and Judge Scott McAfee Up for Re- Election. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 21, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: In the table.

[07:00:01]

She was, I think, someone who brought something to all of our lives.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. And it's remarkable how consistent the comments have been for people who knew Alice across the political spectrum. It should surprise no one that a lot of the folks, Maria Cardona, who she was paired with and diametrically opposed to politically that they had such warmth between them. But I speak to the kindness about asking about your kids, your family, your life that she did every day, this is tough.

HUNT: Yes. All right. Alice Stewart was 58 years young. We will miss her very much. Thanks to all of you for being here this morning.

Don't go anywhere. CNN News Central starts next.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Sparks fly. The judge clears the courtroom as the defense is poised to rest its case in the criminal trial of Donald Trump.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And we have some breaking news for you. Several people are injured, one person is dead after severe turbulence on a flight. We have the very latest reporting on that flight ahead.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: A legal battle over Elvis Presley's Graceland. His granddaughter now fighting a foreclosure sale of that historic home and she's alleging fraud.

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

BERMAN: So, what will happen this morning after a moment so tense, the judge cleared the courtroom? White hot emotions flaring in the criminal case against Donald Trump. He is charged with falsifying records to cover up hush money payments to an adult film actress all to influence the 2016 election. Shortly, the man who was likely the final defense witness, Robert Costello, retakes the stand.

Now, Trump's lawyers say, I'm going to go ahead and witnesses might be wishing they never called him as the judge found his behavior so over the top that the judge lashed out at the witness, threatening to strike his entire testimony. But this could be it. We could be done with testimony in the next few hours.

CNN's Brynn Gingras live outside the courthouse for what really looks like the final day of testimony, Brynn.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Final stretch, John. Listen, it was a wild day in court yesterday. As you just said, Michael Cohen had been on the stands for 17 hours over four days. But before he left, the cross-examination was intense. They got Michael Cohen to admit that he Stole $60,000 from the Trump Organization, essentially admitting that he asked for a reimbursement from Allen Weisselberg and kept much of that money for himself.

When prosecution had its chance to redirect, they basically just tried to elicit more of the testimony that they had got from Michael Cohen bringing up evidence to corroborate his story, and then they rested for the day and it was the defense's turn, and that's when it really did get wild.

As you just explained, Robert Costello was the second witness to take the stand for the defense. Now, he is an attorney that advised Michael Cohen when Michael Cohen's home was raided in 2018 by the FBI. And, essentially, he didn't like much of what the judge was sustaining when prosecutors were objecting to some of the questioning by defense attorneys, so much so that he was rolling his eyes, he was sighing, he said, geez, audibly ridiculous.

The judge warned him without the jury in his presence. And then essentially Robert Costello gave the judge a long glare to which the judge basically said, are you staring me down? And then he cleared the courtroom.

Let's go to the transcript so I can read exactly what happened at that point. Judge Merchan said the fact that I had to clear the courtroom and that the court officers, including the captain had great difficulty clearing the courtroom, and that there was argument back and forth between the press and including counsel for the press goes to why I had to clear the courtroom in the first place, and that is, sir, your conduct is contemptuous right now. I'm putting you on notice that your conduct is contemptuous. If you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand. I will strike his entire testimony. Do you understand me?

And defense attorneys said they did understand. Merchan said, Listen to the question and answer the question to Robert Costello, to which he said, can I say something, please? And the judge said, no, no. This is not a conversation.

So, listen, that was an intense moment with Robert Costello. He is expected to come back to the stand. Prosecutors think they have about a half an hour or so left of testimony of questions of Robert Costello. And then we do expect the defense to rest its case.

Now, what happens in the next few days is not clear. Remember, there is no court tomorrow. There was no already no court on Friday. It's unclear if in the afternoon session today, if they're going to go through jury instructions or what, but it's up in the air what's going to happen on Thursday.

[07:05:05]

We already know that closing arguments in this case are set for Tuesday. And then the jurors have a clear runway to deliberate this historic trial. John?

BERMAN: We have a timeline. We had some sparks. We will see what happens in the next few hours. Brynn Gingras, thank you very much for that. Sara?

SIDNER: What a day in court. All right, as Trump heads to court today, he's also facing fierce new criticism after a video shared on his social media implied there would be a unified Reich if Trump wins this November. The term linked to Nazism. His team now trying to walk it back.

CNN's Alayna Treene has more on this. Can you tell us exactly what was posted in the context of all of this because this is truly disturbing?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: It is. It's pretty stunning, Sara. And, look, as you said, Donald Trump's social media account shared a video that includes language that references Germany around World War I, hypothetical newspaper articles, and one of them referred to, quote, the creation of a unified Reich under the headline, what's next for America?

Just take a look at this video. I want to show you it so our viewers can see it with their own eyes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happens after Donald Trump wins? What's next for America?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, you can see there, Sara, it's a small text at the bottom of this video, but still obviously drew very fierce backlash from many people, including the Biden campaign. And I want to be clear, the word Reich typically refers to German empires. However, it's obviously been more closely associated with Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. And that's why, of course, this is receiving so much backlash.

Now, the Trump campaign in a statement to me this morning tried to walk this back They said that this was a video that was shared by a staffer while Donald Trump was in the courtroom and that they did not realize that it had this language in it and try to really distance themselves.

Here's a statement from Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. She said quote. This was not a campaign video. It was created by a random account online and reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word while the president was in court.

Now, despite that, I will say the video is still up and this was brought to their attention yesterday. I asked the Trump campaign, you know, if this is what you're saying, why haven't you not removed this video from Donald Trump's account? We did not get an answer to that.

Now, here is what the Biden campaign is pushing back on. They said, quote, America, stop scrolling and pay attention. Donald Trump is not playing games. He's telling America exactly what he intends to do if he regains power, rule as a dictator over a unified Reich. And that's from Biden campaign spokesperson James Singer.

And, look, we did see as well, the Associated Press first reported this, but the language in that video seems to be copied word from word for word from a Wikipedia page referencing World War 1. And so this is very troubling. And obviously we know that Donald Trump has shared some kind of anti-Semitic rhetoric and images on social media before. And so this is something that many people are calling attention to. And, of course, we saw the Biden campaign speaking out against this very sharply. Sara?

SIDNER: I think the key thing that you just reported is that you brought it up to them, you asked, you know about it. They tried to step back from it, but it's still up. So, clearly, at this point, they stand by it. Alayna Treene, thank you so much for your reporting. I appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, the numbers are in. President Biden's campaign posts a $51 million fundraising total for last month. Why Donald Trump's team is celebrating that haul.

Plus, breaking news, one person has died after a flight headed to Singapore hit severe turbulence. Several other people are also injured. We have more details that are coming in.

And Scarlett Johansson is threatening legal action over OpenAI's new virtual assistant, a new voice that Johansson says sounds too eerily familiar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's amplify the drama. Once upon a time, in a world not too different from ours, there was a robot named Byte.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: We do have some breaking news. One person is dead now from severe turbulence after severe turbulence hit a flight. It was going from London to Singapore this morning. The flight has been diverted to Bangkok, where several more passengers have also reported injuries.

Let's get the very latest from Marc Stewart. He's standing by with more details. Marc, what are you learning about this?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kate. As investigators try to figure out a timeline as to what happened, so are we. This involves Singapore Airlines Flight 321. It was heading from London to Singapore when about halfway through this 13-hour flight, it encountered what is being described by the airline as severe turbulence. And based off of what we have been seeing from some of the different flight records, it made a very quick descent to Bangkok to help take care of the injured.

As we are reporting, one person is dead, several others injured. This is a Boeing 777 300. It's a very large aircraft, a jumbo jet. It flies these long haul flights all the time for carriers like Singapore. 211 people were on board, as well as a crew of 18.

[07:15:05]

We don't know if the injuries involve crew members or if it involved passengers. But if this flight was well underway, it's very likely that meal service perhaps was taking place or passengers were sleeping.

We have some video that we got in from the scene, and as you will be able to see, an army of ambulances greeted this aircraft.

As far as lingering questions, because there are a lot right now, number one is weather. As someone who's covered aviation for a very long time, I could tell you that you could look out the window. The skies could be blue, the sun could be shining, yet this sudden air turbulence can strike at any time, even in the best of weather conditions.

And then the second question is, was the seatbelt sign on? If this was mid-flight, it's very likely that it was turned off and crew members were walking around. And in that case, if this turbulence was as strong as it is believed to be, it likely threw people to the ceiling and then back to the ground. And that can result in some very serious injuries. In fact, pilots say. During the flight itself, the biggest danger to passengers is turbulence, as appears to be the case here.

Kate, we're talking to authorities in Thailand soon as we get more. We'll certainly pass that along.

BOLDUAN: Marc, thank you so much. It's just such a tragedy. You're seeing the video from the airport, as you're mentioning, a sea of ambulances on site. You see someone being taken over on a stretcher, just horrible to hear this. Marc, thank you. John?

BERMAN: All right. How Donald Trump's new trade proposals could cost the average family at least $1,700 a year.

Then illegitimate, disgusting, and a clown, that's how Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis described Congressman Jim Jordan in a scathing new interview as she faces a primary day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: It is primary day in Georgia. On the ballot, two key players overseeing the state's election subversion case, District Attorney Fani Willis and Judge Scott McAfee. And Willis had a lot to say in a rare interview.

CNN's Ryan Young live outside of polling station in Atlanta. A lot on the line today, Ryan.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, John. Looking now at the time here, it's 7:20. And I can tell you so far, you normally would see a lot more people at some of these polling centers.

Look, as a person who's been in this community for quite some time, behind us is one of the polling centers that we're always at, because this is normally where we see long lines of people showing up to vote. You can see a couple people walking toward that door. No long lines this morning.

Look, this is the primary. Usually if you build it, they will come. That tension hasn't really been here. Fani Willis has been, you know, far in the lead in this community when it comes to what pollers say about what could happen next in this election.

You talked about last night. She did do an interview. She did have a lot of things to say about the election and also about standing up against people trying to take her down and the prosecution of Donald Trump. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I am at a point where I need Fulton County voters to get out and vote. I need people around the country to support me big and small, to say that we are going to be a country that still believes in the rule of law. We are not going to allow people to be attacked while they do their job, of having prosecutors that are free from interference and are allowed to just look at cases, look at the facts, and if people broke the law, to bring charges, has to go on for us to live in a free society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Hey, John, Fani Willis and the judge. Scott McAfee both are up in this primary. They're both expected to win. The tension here really is about the conversation about the support that they both are getting for being involved in this case. But it seems like the voters of Fulton County at least believe that Fani Willis who's in her first term should continue to move forward. The polling really shows that she's probably going to win this going away.

But, hopefully, there's no voter apathy because we do believe there'll be less voters in this area. But, look, it's a chamber of Congress day. It's beautiful outside. There's no rain. There's nothing wrong. We've only seen a handful of people go inside this polling center to vote. We should also note that Fulton County, according to WSBTV here in town, is opening a new Fulton County Election Center, where you'll be actually able to watch online as they do the counts. I'm sure there'll be people from across the country logging in to watch that count happen. But at the same time, no drama right now in this race. John?

BERMAN: Great to have you there. Ryan Young, nice to see you this morning, I appreciate it. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, now to the good stuff. Graduates of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth received more than just their diplomas as they crossed the stage. Billionaire philanthropist Rob Hale surprised graduates with this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT HALE, CEO, GRANITE TELECOMMUNICATIONS: These trying times have heightened the need for sharing, caring, and giving. Our community needs you and your generosity more than ever. There are 3,000 customized and full envelopes in that truck over there. You see that truck over there? One says gift. One says give. The first in every one of you is going to get two of them. The first is our gift to you. The second is a gift for you to give.

As I mentioned, the greatest joys in life that we have experienced have come from giving. We want to share that gift of giving with you today. Each of you is getting a thousand dollars cash right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: You heard the applause there, a thousand ducats, a thousand greenbacks. This is the fourth year in a row Hale has given similar gifts to a group of graduates students. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Look, you see one graduate's mouth, jaw drop. Yes. So, thank you.

Coming up is still for us, President Biden slamming the International Criminal Court's decision to bring charges against and seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli defense minister.

[07:25:09]

Why he says the call for their arrest is outrageous.

And the lawyer for world number one golfer Scottie Scheffler speaks with CNN, their plans to fight the charges over Scheffler's arrest that happened just hours before his second round tee time at the PGA Championship.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: his morning, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be on Capitol Hill. He is there to discuss the State Department's budget, but, of course, will likely face a lot of questions about Israel's war in Gaza against Hamas.

Blinken blasted the International Criminal Court for requesting arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, along with Hamas leaders.

[07:30:07]

He said the U.S. rejects the prosecutor's.