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Prosecutors Show Video of Chauvin Kneeling on Floyd's Neck; Biden Administration Cuts Trade Ties with Myanmar; First Oil Tanker in Months Docks at Hodeidah Port; Texas Congressional Candidate Under Fire Over New Ad. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired March 30, 2021 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: In the south, and they want to build the confident for the port in the north and south entrances of the canal at the same time. So this is vital that the president conveys a message, yes, we will do everything we can, safety and with the infrastructure to make sure it's functioning at all times. They have to rebuild trust at this stage. But I have to say they responded quickly, as fast as possible, knowing what's on the table and they've been rather transparent with the media and the international shipping community at the same time -- Rosemary.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and they certainly need to make sure it doesn't happen again. We will see what happens. John Defterios, many thanks as always.
Well U.S. president Joe Biden is cutting trade ties in Myanmar, the latest move by international powers to end the turmoil and bloodshed in that country. We will have the details.
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CHURCH: In just a few hours from now the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin will resume in Minneapolis. Day one in court saw prosecutors accuse Chauvin of killing a defenseless George Floyd as they showed the jury disturbing video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for almost ten minutes. Floyd said over and over he could not breathe.
The defense is arguing that other factors including Floyd's medical history and intake of illegal drugs were the reason for his death. They say Chauvin acted reasonably in the situation.
Well three witnesses took the stand for the prosecution on Monday and we also learned new details about the moments when George Floyd was arrested.
[04:35:00]
CNN's Jim Sciutto spoke to the Floyd family's attorney about that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: The prosecution began the day by playing the entire video of Chauvin's knee on George Floyd's neck for a greater period of time, we've thought about 8:46, right, 8 minutes, 46 seconds, now 9 minutes 29 seconds based partly on new video from an eyewitness, plus also the police camera video. What is the impact of that length of time in your view on the defense and the prosecution?
CHRIS STEWART, FLOYD FAMILY ATTORNEY: I mean, it's heartbreaking to know that, you know, the torture lasted even longer because that's what it is, it was torture. This isn't the standard situation where an officer has to make a split-second decision and pull the gun or pull the trigger, no, this was premeditated torture. He smugly sat on top of him, he looked at the crowd, he puffed up his chest. That type of individual can't be walking the streets and definitely can't wear a badge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: U.S. president Joe Biden has suspended all diplomatic trade with Myanmar after a weekend of carnage. The U.S. president calls absolutely outrageous. An advocacy group says at least 14 were shot and killed Monday. It says people banged pots and pans in protest in Yangon and security forces warn they will burn neighborhoods if this continues.
CNN's Ivan Watson joins me now from Hong Kong with more. Ivan, President Biden responded to Myanmar's military killing its own people by stopping trade with the country. What is the latest on all of this?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you do have warnings coming from the U.S., from European governments, from the British government which has urged British citizens to leave Myanmar if they can because of the unraveling situation there. The U.N. secretary general calling for unity and more pressure from the U.N. Security Council to try to bring an end to the military coup and the detention of political prisoners, the former civilian elected government that was ousted on February 1st.
Meanwhile, the situation does continue to unravel, and we are seeing the first signs of internationalizing with this incident on the border between Myanmar and Thailand after escalated fighting between the Karen National Union ethnic militia and the Myanmar military in a border region. There were air strikes. We're now getting reports for three straight days, Saturday, Sunday, Monday against targets along the border there from the Myanmar military that sent thousands of people fleeing across the border to neighboring Thailand on Sunday. And then we saw video of several thousand of those refugees returning back across the Salween River into Myanmar with the KNU arguing they were forced back by the Thai security forces.
Thailand, the government, initially denied that. And we just got the statements from the Prime Minister of Thailand kind of clarifying that denial arguing that people weren't forced back, but that the fighting subsided and that they were escorted back voluntarily with handshakes and wishes of good luck and that Thailand would of course welcome refugees if the fighting does intensify and it's under way. In the meantime we are seeing increasingly as the death toll grows in
Myanmar cities more and more signs of some of the protesters there that have been banging pots and pans every night trying to go out and protest, a new tactic, throwing garbage, for example, into the streets of intersections in Yangon overnight, as another sign of defiance. Also seeing them increasingly throwing rocks, firing sling shots at the security forces who are of course using lethal force against them and increasing calls for arming them or carrying off Molotov cocktail attacks.
All of these, Rosemary, are signs of the situation deteriorating further. And as the U.N. secretary general warned perhaps irreversibly toward conflict -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL: The international community, we have more commitment the international community to put pressure in order to make sure that the situation is reversed. I'm very worried. I see we have a lot of concern the fact that apparently many of these trends look irreversible, but hope is the last thing we can't give up on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON (on camera): There've been calls for arms embargoes against Myanmar's military in the past.
[04:40:00]
It's hard to imagine a country like Russia voting in favor of that when Russia sent its delegation to sit alongside the military on Saturday at the parade they threw for themselves on the same day when the military has been accused of killing more than 100 unarmed protesters around the country -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: Unacceptable situation there. Ivan Watson, many thanks, bringing us the latest from Hong Kong.
And still to come, a glimmer of hope for people in war torn Yemen, as a tanker carrying fuel docks at a key port. We will have a live report next.
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CHURCH: Houthi rebels in Yemen are keeping up missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia despite the Saudis proposal for a new ceasefire. Meanwhile, fuel shipments to the key port of Hodeidah are flowing again to get aid to millions of starving Yemeni people. CNN's Nima Elbagir has more.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is the first vessel that has been permitted to dock at the Hodeidah port in Yemen for months. One of four fuel tankers recently cleared to dock at the Red Sea port carrying a vital resource turned pawn in the year's long civil war.
But local officials warn that this arrival won't be enough to meet demand.
AMAR ALADRAI, EXECUTIVE MANAGER, YEMEN NATIONAL OIL COMPANY (through translator): The lives of 26 million Yemeni citizens are in danger over the coming days. The current situation in Yemen is extremely dangerous. Because fuel has been prevented from entering the country since the beginning of the year. Not to mention the deficit carried over from last year.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Battered by six years of war and a crippling U.S.-backed blockade, Yemen has been devastated by this mounting fuel crisis.
[04:45:00]
A CNN investigation earlier this month revealed that Saudi warships had been preventing oil tankers from docking at the port. Including vessels approved by U.N. clearance mechanism as part of the Saudis ongoing war against Iran back Ansar Allah, Houthis who control the territory where the vast majority of Yemenis live.
We witnessed firsthand the impact on hospitals across the country struggling to keep their generators going.
ALADRAI (through translator): The amount of fuel released to the country in 2020 doesn't even represent 45 percent of Yemen's needs. And now in the first quarter of 2021 we are receiving only 8 percent of what Yemen would need under normal conditions.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): CNN has now independently verified that three of the four tankers that have been allowed to park at Hodeidah, are carrying fuel and gas intended for small number of private companies. The Thuraya is the only shipped carrying fuel for the public sector, but its supplies accounts for what the public sector would use in less than 10 days.
ALADRAI (through translator): Of the four ships that have been released, only Thuraya is for public consumption, but it only covers 8 percent of the county's needs of the first quarter of 2021.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): That's barely enough to cover the needs of the country's health care sector which is already facing the threat of near total collapse. There are more vessels still waiting for approval to enter this port. It's unclear if or when these ships will be allowed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELBAGIR (on camera): The release of the four tankers comes as part of a Saudi proposed peace initiative that is backed by the U.N. intending to end the conflict in Yemen. It would see a ceasefire and a lifting of the devastating land and sea and air blockade on the Ansar Allah, Houthi controlled areas in the north of Yemen.
The local Houthi officials told us that this initiative was unacceptable to them, that they need that devastating blockade to be lifted as part of a good faith showing ahead of any negotiations. Since then CNN has spoken to the internationally recognized government out of Aiden who told us that they were prepared to allow further fuel ships in in return for a customs and tax proposal in all Houthi- controlled areas.
CNN has also reached out to the U.S. State Department and to Saudi Arabia itself to see if more ships carrying life-saving fuel will be allowed to dock in Hodeidah -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: Thanks so much for shining a light on this, Nima Elbagir joining us live from London.
And we will take a short break. Back with more news in just a moment.
[04:50:00]
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CHURCH: A Congressional candidate in Texas has come under fire after revealing a new campaign ad with a southern accent. The problem, he's from New Jersey, and the last time he ran for Congress in another state he didn't have an accent. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has more on the ad raising lots of questions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the same man, Dan Rodimer, as a congressional candidate last year in Nevada.
DAN RODIMER (R), U.S. HOUSE CANDIDATE, TEXAS: I'm just a small businessman, a family man, living in the suburbs.
SERFATY (voice-over): And Dan Rodimer, now a candidate for a U.S. House seat in Texas.
RODIMER: Texas, send Big Dan to Congress. I know how to handle Nancy Pelosi and stop her bull (BEEP).
SERFATY (voice-over): The transformation is impossible to overlook. Gone is the suburban family guy.
RODIMER: Sometimes, it's easy to lose track of what's really important. And for me, it's family.
SERFATY (voice-over): Rodimer is now pitching himself as a bull rider, and cowboy hat wearer, who speaks with a Southern drawl.
RODIMER: Now, that's Texas, tough baby.
SERFATY (voice-over): In an interview with CNN today, Rodimer pushed back. RODIMER: In regard to my voice? Well, as you can hear right now, it's gone. It's been gone for the past three weeks. And between the two videos that they did, back to back, if you look at them, they were selectively edited. If you watch the whole thing, you can hear my voice, just like it is right now.
SERFATY (voice-over): Rodimer lost his Nevada race, last November, and has now picked up, and moving his family over 1,000 miles to the Dallas area.
RODIMER: I moved by family of seven back to Texas because I wanted to raise my kids in a Constitution-friendly state.
SERFATY (voice-over): Rodimer is one of the more than 20 candidates running in the May special election, to fill the seat of Congressman Ron Wright, who passed away, after being diagnosed with COVID. Wright's widow, Susan, is also running for the seat.
Rodimer's new persona is being panned by some, as phony. Including one of his Democratic opponents, who suggested he may have even used a body double to ride the bull in his campaign video.
RODIMER: Let's go.
SERFATY (voice-over): The ad never shows the rider's face, and the boots and vest appear slightly different than what Rodimer is wearing in the video. Even some Republicans in Congress are calling him out.
Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz tweeting: Fake Texan makes fake video of fake bull ride. We already have enough phonies in Congress, Texas shouldn't import this congressman. Big Dan is all hat, no cattle.
For the first time, Rodimer admitted to CNN that the campaign did use a body double for parts of the bull ride.
RODIMER: Did I ride a bull? Yes. I actually did on for 11 seconds. We didn't get the full filming of it. And, yeah, we had other people jump in to be body doubles.
SERFATY (voice-over): Rodimer is originally from New Jersey. But according to his campaign website, he once lived in Houston where he worked as a home builder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So much determination off the face of Dan Rodimer.
SERFATY (voice-over): Before running for office, he was a professional wrestler. This is not the first time Rodimer has stirred controversy.
[04:55:00]
RODIMER: I have no convictions, and no criminal record.
SERFATY (voice-over): During his 2020 campaign, the father of 6, faced questions of past physical assault allegations.
RODIMER: I had one arrest in my life, while in college. Those charges were dismissed.
SERFATY (voice-over): His now wife, also releasing a campaign ad, explaining 9-1-1 call she made against, him in 2018. Alleging, he stole money, jewelry, and guns from her.
SARAH RODIMER, WIFE: What happened between Dan and I was a verbal argument, plain and simple. Dan has never laid a hand on me, not then, or ever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Sunlen Serfaty with that report.
Firefighters are working to put a massive fire at Indonesia's state oil refinery in West Java. The fire broke out early Monday and reportedly injured more than a dozen people. Nearly 1,000 people living nearby were evacuated but have begun to return home. The oil company is investigating how the fire started and hopes to resume operations in the next few days.
And we are tracking some dramatic scenes out of Iceland. This spectacular volcanic eruption is happening right now. The hot red lava is drawing thousands of visitors. Until now the volcano has been dormant for 6,000 years, and what's a volcano without a game of volleyball, perfectly normal, of course, experts say the volcano could be spewing lava for weeks, months, perhaps even longer. We will keep an eye on that.
Well thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church, "EARLY START" is up next, you're watching CNN. Have yourselves a wonderful day.
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