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Russia Responds to Trump; Trial of Dentist Accused of Poisoning his Wife; Misty Marris is Interviewed about the Craig Trial; Trump to Unveil Investment in A.I. and Energy. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 15, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Music around how Trump addresses an issue, you get a better idea, frankly, about the course we might be traveling in. And be in, no doubt, John, we've seen a stark change in the last week in how he addresses Vladimir Putin. He almost called him an assassin yesterday and said -- actually said, well, he's a tough guy and he gave an anecdote about the first lady coming in to remind him about the heavy bombardment of Ukraine. Clearly a change in his thinking.

Is that going to necessarily mean overnight the weapons that Ukraine needs are in its hands? Well, it might take a little longer than that. Germany, today, the most likely deliverer of the patriot missiles and batteries that Ukraine so urgently needs, said that it might take months, in fact, to get them in Ukrainian hands. I'm sure they can expedite parts of this.

But the help they got yesterday, vital and urgently needed by Ukraine. Is it necessarily going to stave off a Russian offensive that could be days, weeks away? Unclear. But, ultimately, the White House has certainly changed its tone for the first time now, arming Ukraine.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I think it's a great point. No question the tone has changed. The question now is how quickly that tone will change the situation on the ground itself.

Nick Paton Walsh, in London, thank you very much for that.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us now for more on that is CNN global affairs analyst Brett McGurk.

Let's talk about kind of the structure of this new threat and promise, if you will, Brett. Fifty days or else. And Senator Lindsey Graham, he's been pushing the congressional secondary sanctions bill, he says this is a smart move, what the president announced. He says it allows Trump to essentially be the good cop in Congress, the bad one. The way he put it to me is, "Trump now has a new hammer in his toolkit from the executive. And Congress will come in with the sledgehammer in 50 days if it's needed."

I mean, what's the likelihood that that works? What do you see?

BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I think, Kate, overall, I think what was put together yesterday, if it's followed through and carried through, I think, is really the right approach. So, 50 days from today, that's September 2nd. So, mark your calendars.

And the sanctions that are being discussed, these are secondary sanctions, as Nick just mentioned, on China and Russia. So, 100 percent sanctions is what Trump said. The Graham-Blumenthal bill has 500 percent sanctions.

Look, that's a wrecking ball to the global economy if you put those on. So, nobody really wants to see those happen.

I think what's happened here, you shift the burden to Putin. These sanctions are coming on September 2nd, these secondary sanctions, unless we're in a ceasefire. So, if used wisely over the next six weeks, you want to encourage the Chinese, you want to encourage the Indians, you want to encourage the gulf states, all those countries with influence over Moscow to say, hey, let's get into a ceasefire so we can stave this off.

But I think that deadline has to stick. And the three components of the strategy, coordination with allies, you've seen that from the NATO summit and then through this week with the visit of the secretary general of NATO and the threat of sanctions is a stick is important. And then turning back on military aid. Overall, it's a sound approach. But, yes, as Nick just said, it has to be carried through. And I think you got to be serious about that deadline on September 2nd.

BOLDUAN: Well, and that 50 day window, I mean it -- some people have a real problem with it, saying it is Trump punting any punishment once again. Others see it as a good window to allow for the dynamic to actually shift. What do you see?

MCGURK: Look, I think we're not ready to put those types of secondary sanctions on China or India, which is a close partner of ours. So, I think you want -- you want to -- you want to buy some time and say, hey, this is coming, get ready for it, unless there's a change in Moscow's behavior in Ukraine.

Look, this is going to be extremely difficult, Kate. I have a piece on cnn.com today. I point out something that Teddy Roosevelt said that diplomacy is utterly useless without force behind it. That is something the Russians understand. And Trump is basically revealing this. The Russians say very nice things at the table and do something completely different on the ground. And here, we're kind of shifting a little bit, and we're putting force behind our diplomacy. I think you have to do that when you're negotiating with the Russians.

Look, this is going to be difficult. Putin is all in on Ukraine. He wants to subjugate Ukraine. That is his objective. In order to keep him from that objective and trying to deescalate the war and get to a ceasefire, you have to put some force behind the diplomacy. We're now coordinating with allies. We have the threat of sanctions. And we have the systems returning the pipeline back into Ukraine. It's going to be tough. I think it's the right approach. But that deadline has to be real.

BOLDUAN: The response so far from Russia, the Kremlin spokesperson saying that the statements of the U.S., they take the statements of the U.S. president are -- as very serious, saying certainly we -- we certainly need time to analyze what was said in Washington and if any -- and if and when President Putin deems it necessary, he will definitely comment on it.

And this got -- this gets me to something else that you wrote about in your piece for cnn.com, which makes me wonder, is this what you were describing as the dancing with a bear diplomacy, which definitely caught my attention?

[09:35:02]

MCGURK: Yes, when I've negotiated with the Russians before, a Russian experts said to me, it's like dancing with a bear. The Russians come at the diplomacy knowing they're the bear. They will control how the dance ends. Unless it turns out they're actually negotiating with a bigger bear.

And so, if you don't have some force behind your diplomacy, some teeth behind it, you're going to get nowhere diplomatically with the Russians. And so that's how this is going to play out. Absolutely. The Russians will now test President Trump's resolve. Is he serious about this? Is he just kicking the can? Is this deadline not real? And over the coming days and weeks, I think we have to demonstrate, in coordination with allies and the steps we take, it is real. September 2nd is a real deadline. And we have to see a change between now and then.

BOLDUAN: It's great to see you, Brett. It's a great piece. I recommend everyone take a look at it. It's on cnn.com right now. Thank you.

John.

BERMAN: All right, we are standing by for opening statements in the trial of a dentist accused of fatally poisoning his wife using her protein shakes.

And the rush to save a pilot, his wife and young daughters after their plane crashed in Florida.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like, I wasn't even registering if the plane were to blow up, you know what I mean? I was just registering them people not burning up.

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[09:40:37]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Next hour we are expecting opening statements to begin in the trial of the Colorado dentist who was accused of killing his wife by poisoning her protein shakes. Now, prosecutors say he also hatched a plan to kill the lead detective investigating his wife's death. James Craig has pleaded not guilty to the six felony charges against him.

CNN's Whitney Wild is joining us now.

What are we expecting to hear today in court?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: We are going to hear the beginning of this long list of evidence that prosecutors say supports their allegation that he killed his wife, Angela Craig. Angela Craig had -- she had six children. And what they're going to do is lay out that they had this facade of a beautiful life. They had these six children. He had a thriving dental practice. But behind that was a really tumultuous relationship.

Further, Sara, they're going to contextualize his actions. They're going to say that he was having an affair, that he was having financial trouble. And they're going to lay out in detail how they believe he committed this crime.

Sara, a couple of key pieces of evidence they're pointing to are purchases they say he made for arsenic and cyanide. And in some cases this was prior to her hospitalizations. And in another case it was actually during one of her hospitalizations.

Further, they're going to say that while Angela Craig was in the hospital fighting for his -- for her life, James Craig's girlfriend traveled from Texas to Colorado.

Again, Sara, they're really focusing on the -- the days before and after her hospitalizations. She was hospitalized three times total. The third time came after a seizure and a rapid medical decline. She was in the ICU. She was on life support. She died three days later. And the medical examiner put it plainly, they say she died of poisoning.

And then there's this plot twist, Sara. And what prosecutors say happened next is that while James Craig was awaiting trial behind bars, he tried to solicit another inmate to kill the lead detective. Further, Sara, they're saying that he has masterminded a plot to try to make -- make it look like Angela Craig was suicidal, telling others around her that she was suicidal. Masterminding evidence to support that she was suicidal. That is going to be key to his defense, Sara.

Again, we're going to hear, in much more detail from prosecutors today about why he did this, how he did it, how long he had planned. Those opening statements set to begin this morning, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes. And let us not forget the six children who are having to deal with all of this. Awful.

Whitney Wild, thank you so much for your reporting there for us.

John. BERMAN: All right, with us now, defense and trial attorney Misty

Marris.

Counselor, it's great to see you.

So, prosecutor's opening statement. There's so much evidence that Whitney just laid out there. You have the purchases of the poison. You have web searches. You have the affair. You have the murder for hire plot. So, if you're the prosecution, you know, planning your -- your opening statement, how do you choose what to focus on?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE AND TRIAL ATTORNEY: Yes, John, what they're going to have to do is weave this together. And they're going to be really focused on timeline, looking at that period of February 2023 through March 6th to March 18th, when Angela Craig passes away. And they're going to take all of that, including what you just said, that electronic footprint, those internet searches, the purchasing of these poisons, and they're going to match that up with Angela's hospital stay.

And to do that, they're going to be looking at this -- her declining condition, doctors are baffled, and they're going to match it up with what was going on with Craig during that time. And that's how they're going to do it.

They're also going to focus on this video, which happens during the times that she's in and out of the hospital, that critical time period in March where she confronts him, and it's on video, in their kitchen, saying, why did you tell the hospital that I'm suicidal? Now they're not taking me seriously. So, that is a key piece of evidence the defense really tried to keep out of the trial.

BERMAN: Yes, but as for the defense, you just brought up the one word that seems to be central to the entire case for them, maybe their only defense, which is suicide.

MARRIS: Yes, absolutely. They're going to be focused on this narrative, presumably -- and this is what we learned from all the pretrial hearings -- that Angela was actually suicidal, or they were in a game of chicken. They were in a tumultuous marriage. There were threats of divorce. And that was why he was acquiring these poisons. He had told this to another key witness, his dental partner, during the time that he was actually getting these things delivered to his dental practice, and his partner said, there's no medical reason for this at a dental practice.

[09:45:08]

So, that's going to be a key component.

But where the defense is really going to focus, John, because you get into a sticky situation from everything that happened behind bars when you talk about that suicide narrative, they're going to be focusing on the investigation. They're going to say that there were blinders for him the whole time, the husband, and also that testing of the actual protein shake containers came back negative on toxicology. So, I expect to see the defense really go after forensic toxicology, battle of the experts, and talk about the investigation where it lacked.

BERMAN: What are the risks for the prosecution here, especially in a case where at least, when you look on paper and you read the stories going in, you're like, wow, look at all the evidence here. Look at this.

MARRIS: Absolutely. And I think prosecutors do not have to show motive. That's something that they don't have to explain to the jury. But, gosh darn it, it helps, especially when you're talking about a husband and a plot to murder his wife. So, I think where prosecutors are going to have to fill in that gap, which can be risky, John, because when you talk about motive, you're starting to get into the defendants head, even more so than proving intent. You're talking about something else as well.

But I think here they're really going to have to do so because this is such a twisted story. It's so horrific. Six children. And I think prosecutors are going to have to explain the why to the jury.

BERMAN: We'll wait and see what they do. Opening statements begin shortly.

Misty Marris, thank you so much.

MARRIS: Thank you.

BERMAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right, ahead, we're hearing President Trump is poised to announce a major investment in artificial intelligence. How he is planning to boost A.I. advancements.

And, next hour, ousted national security advisor, Mike Waltz, facing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He's seeking confirmation to become the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., but he's expected to face some tough questions over the Signal-gate scandal. Remember that one?

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[09:51:23]

SIDNER: Former Major League Baseball pitcher Daniel Serafini has been found guilty in the murder of his father-in-law and attempted murder of his mother-in-law. Four years ago, Serafini shot them both at their home in what Lake Tahoe authorities called a, quote, "execution-style murder." Serafini's nanny, who was also his lover, pleaded guilty to helping him. What's even more stunning? Serafini's wife testified in the trial, saying she and he had an open marriage and that she still trusts him.

All right, four people were hospitalized with minor injuries after a small plane crashed into a tree in south Florida Sunday evening. You see what the plane looks like there. My goodness. Authorities say the plane was approaching NORTH PERRY AIRPORT when it went down about a mile short of that runway. Neighbors who witnessed the crash raced in to help rescue those who were trapped inside. But, get this, all four people on board, one pilot and three passengers, were safely pulled from that wreckage and transferred to a hospital. The cause of the crash under investigation, as you might imagine this morning.

All right, a Cantonese opera all about President Trump is a smash hit in Hong Kong playing to sold out crowds. Here's the premise of the comedy. Trump has a twin in China who then moves to the U.S. and takes Trump's place when the president is abducted by aliens. The show parodies events in Trump's second term. You saw one of the things there, like his Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And there's always dancing.

Back to you, Kate. Can you follow this one?

BOLDUAN: I mean the premise, given the way this year is going, the premise, you know, not far off from reality these days.

SIDNER: You mean the aliens? What about the aliens?

BOLDUAN: I mean, that's just like -- just wait till Wednesday. You know, like --

SIDNER: It's par for the --

BOLDUAN: Stand by for breaking news, friends.

All right, let's turn to this.

Today, President Trump is expected to unveil a massive $70 billion investment plan focused on artificial intelligence and energy. A big win for Pennsylvania, where the investments will be made, and one that highlights how pretty much every industry at this point is racing to keep up with and optimize on the growth of A.I.

CNN's Clare Duffy has much more on this one for us.

It's a huge investment, and there's big names involved.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, this will be really significant. This is expected to come today at the first annual Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit. Trump is going to be making this announcement alongside Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick.

And this is really significant. Trump has made investing in A.I., especially A.I. infrastructure, data centers, the energy resources that are needed to power those data centers, a key focus of this first -- his term here, especially because A.I. is seen as key to allowing the U.S. to stay ahead in the global technology race.

And so that is what this $70 billion investment is expected to focus on. It's expected to create thousands of new jobs in Pennsylvania. We don't know who it is that will be making this investment exactly, but it could be any number of major companies because, as you said, the attendee list at this event is really significant. President of Blackrock, CEO of the chipmaker Arm, CEO of Amazon Web Services, ExxonMobil, Anthropic, the chief investment officer at Google, parent company Alphabet. And we expect that it will be some combination of these companies given the scale of this investment.

BOLDUAN: And when you were on previously, you were giving the download on Elon Musk wants to hold a vote of shareholders having to do with his A.I. operation. Is there a sense of like how shareholders feel about being asked to invest in his private company?

[09:55:02]

DUFFY: Yes, it's a good question, especially because shareholders at Tesla, which is where they're going to be holding this shareholder vote, have been kind of frustrated with Elon Musk lately. He has spent a lot of time, as we know, at the White House, although he's had a bit of a falling out with Trump. There are also concerns that he's distracted with his sort of empire of different companies.

BOLDUAN: They basically made him come back, you know. Like, yes.

DUFFY: They want him to be spending at least 40 hours a week on his job as CEO of Tesla. And so, on one hand, of course, these big A.I. companies need to be making massive investments in A.I. infrastructure, as we were just talking about, but it's unclear if Tesla shareholders will be on board with being the ones to make that investment.

BOLDUAN: We shall see.

It's great to see you, Claire. Thank you.

BERMAN: Imagine having to spend 40 hours a week on -- on -- on your primary job.

SIDNER: I knew you were going to mention that. I knew you were going to say it.

BOLDUAN: You mean, like, it would -- that would be like a vacation.

BERMAN: I -- yes. I'm like, good. I mean, you know.

SIDNER: Sounds good.

BOLDUAN: And how much do you make? Just kidding. Versus Elon Musk at this point (ph).

BERMAN: Yes, I -- you know, I spend at least 14 hours a week.

BOLDUAN: Oh.

SIDNER: Just 14. OK. Pay cut coming.

Thank you guys so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We're done here. "THE SITUATION ROOM" is ahead.

BOLDUAN: Unless you want to pay us more.

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