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Israel Confirms Country's Second Case of Omicron Variant; Supreme Court to Hear Major Case That Could Threaten Abortion Rights; Jury Selection Begins in Ghislaine Maxwell Sex Trafficking Trial. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired November 29, 2021 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:01]

ERICA HILL, CNN NEWSROOM: World leaders are working to contain the spread of that variant. In Israel, we're learning there's now a second confirmed case. Travel restrictions are in place there. The country's tourism minister though says they still plan to host the Miss Universe Pageant in a few weeks.

CNN's Hadas Gold is live in Jerusalem for us this morning. So, in terms of that pageant, Hadas, we're just learning one of the contestants has now tested positive for coronavirus. What more do we know?

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Just in the last couple hours, we did learn from the Miss Universe Organization that one of the contestants who had just arrived into the country for the competition has tested positive for coronavirus.

Now, Miss Universe says that all of their contestants and staff are vaccinated and tested before they leave, but this contestant tested positive upon arrival at the airport. She has now been moved to a state-run quarantine hotel. Not clear whether she will be still able to compete in the competition that is less than two weeks away.

But organizers and authorities here say that the show will go in the southern city of Eilat. This despite the fact that there are now two confirmed cases of the omicron variant in Israel, and as a result, after the first confirmed case came through, the Israeli government decided to shut down the borders to foreign nationals for two weeks.

And in addition to that, all Israelis, when they are coming back into the country, no matter where they are coming from, now have to quarantine for at least three days and produce two negative PCR tests before they get released. Any Israelis who are returning from what are considered red countries, these are any -- most of the countries in Africa besides from the northern countries, they now have to be taken to state-run quarantine hotels no matter their vaccination status.

In addition to this, anybody with a confirmed or suspected case of the omicron variant will now have their locations tracked via their cell phones by the Israeli security service. It goes to show you how seriously the Israeli government is taking this new variant despite though these new travel restrictions, life, otherwise, is continuing more or less as normal here.

There are not new restrictions on gatherings. This is important because we're right in the middle of the Hanukkah holiday here in Israel. But so far there're no restrictions on gatherings. And as we have noted, within less than two weeks, we will have many of these beauty queens in the southern city of Eilat for this competition and they say that that competition will still go on as planned.

SCIUTTO: So, Hadas, given how seriously Israel has taken every phase of this pandemic, and given what we know about international events you think of, say, fashion week in Milan early in the pandemic and how that helped the spread around Italy, how are Israeli officials defending going ahead with the beauty pageant?

GOLD: Well, they said that they need the next two weeks to really understand this variant, especially to see how it interacts with a vaccine. Of course, there was a major drive for the boosters here in Israel. And I think that all the authorities are hopeful that they will see that this vaccine is still very effective against this new variant and, therefore, they'll be able to justify continuing with this competition.

HILL: Hadas Gold with the latest for us, Hadas, thank you.

In Vienna this morning, the U.S. and its allies have resumed talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal. Now, it's important to note here the U.S. delegation will not be speaking directly with the Iranians.

SCIUTTO: And so leaving it to America's European allies. With a newly elected government in Tehran, U.S. officials, frankly, they are not optimistic, emphasizing that if diplomacy fails, the White House is, quote, prepared to use other options.

CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson, he has been covering these negotiations for some time. It's a new Iranian government, harder line than the previous hard line government. What is the impression as to how they will approach these negotiations? Are they interested?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: That's an open question right now around that table. Some clues might be being given to U.S. allies, you know, U.K., France, and Germany who are sitting down at the table. Look, the Iranian representative yesterday, the deputy foreign minister met with the Chinese and the Russians who were also around that table as well.

This is a more conservative Iranian leadership. It is viewed as being more hard line, more skeptic of the U.S., skeptical even of its last round of negotiators who -- the assessment is, well, they made a deal but look where it left us. And, look, it left us with heavier U.S. sanctions.

What the Iranian foreign ministry is saying today is we have sent a quality team, those were those words, we've sent a quality team because we are, quote, serious. They're also saying that this quality team is known to all. I think that maybe they're trying to sort of create that impression that there's continuity here. Their new negotiators will be similar to their old negotiators.

But, you know, what's very clear for the United States and its allies, if Iran sits down at that table, where the talks stalled back in June, and they don't move the ball forward and they try to regress or stall again, then it's going to be -- you know, the United States has made it very clear, it will turn to other means, sanctions very clearly, and its partners say they may join.

[10:35:02]

SCIUTTO: We'll be watching it closely. Nic Robertson, thanks very much.

And still to come this hour, a pivotal week for the Supreme Court. It will hear a major case that could overturn abortion rights in this country, something to watch closely.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: This week, the Supreme Court will take up an important case that could have major implications for abortion rights across the United States. The justices set to weigh the constitutionality of an anti-abortion law in Mississippi which bans most abortions after 15 weeks, no exceptions for rape or incest.

[10:40:09]

SCIUTTO: No exceptions for rape or incest. This was passed into law in 2018. It has been struck down by two federal courts.

CNN's Joan Biskupic has been following all this from Washington. Joan, so you really have multiple tests of Roe coming up and abortion rights, but let's start with the Mississippi law and the potential implications here.

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's right, Jim. Good morning to both of you and Erica.

Roe v. Wade has not been under such a challenge as we have now since 1992 when the justices narrowly, by a five-to-four vote, affirmed Roe v. Wade, which had been declared a national right for women to be able to end a pregnancy in 1973. That was affirmed about two decades later. And now we have, as I said, the most serious threat since then, because we have a whole new court with -- now we have six conservative justices, many who have spoken out against Roe v. Wade, and this challenge that you just referred to that's going to be heard Wednesday goes to the heart of Roe.

It's a 15-week ban on abortions from the state of Mississippi. Roe v. Wade and the 1992 Planned Parenthood versus Casey said that women have a right to end a pregnancy before viability. That is at about 22, 24 weeks when the fetus can live on its own outside of the woman. And that's what's at stake now with the 15-week ban.

Now, Jim, you referred to other challenges, and I know what you're thinking of. You're thinking what is happening in Texas, where there's a six-week ban on abortion that has been allowed to take effect in that state for the last three months, because the justices have not blocked it. That case is specific to Texas. It involves a very complicated procedural issue in that that ban in Texas. But what happens in Mississippi, the case to be argued this week, could be affect women, all Americans, across the country.

HILL: This is getting so much attention. What's also interesting is everyone looking at the makeup of this court now. As you mentioned, not since 1992 have we seen this challenge. You recently wrote about this. There's a lot of focus on Chief Justice John Roberts. Is there any sense today of where he is likely to come out specifically on both Mississippi and Texas?

BISKUPIC: Well, Erica, in 1992, he was an advocate before the court arguing for reversal of Roe, as a matter of fact. But now he's steering the court and trying to probably roll back abortion rights in some way, but not shatter the integrity of this institution. Most Americans say that the right to abortion should exist still. And he's struggling with five more conservative justices to his right, only three liberals left on this court to his left. And it's a very fine line he's walking.

And I think what he would like to do is probably something more incremental. But there's a real tide going here, and I would use what's happened in Texas as a bit of a signal that at least in one state they've already essentially lifted the right to abortion, and that could be what comes next.

But, Erica, even though it's going to be argued on Wednesday, we probably won't know until almost the last day of June 2022, right as we head into the midterm elections what this court will do.

SCIUTTO: With the Texas law, I mean, the other thing about this, and you know far more about it than me, is that it provides, in effect, a legal end-around potentially of a whole host of constitutional rights because it puts the burden on private citizens to enforce rather than on a state actor, which, therefore, gives you no one to sue. Anyway, shorthand, that piece -- this is also fascinating, right, because the court has, in effect, allowed its authority to some degree to be undermined.

BISKUPIC: That's right. In fact, I certain on September 1st that a majority of the court would not want to be gamed the way Texas has gamed it. But when it comes to abortion, and it comes to this new court, with three appointees of Donald Trump, who had vowed to appoint justice who would overturn Roe, all predictions are off.

So, that law, I think, eventually will be suspended in some way just because, as you talked about, Jim, that way that the state has tried to essentially deputize private citizens to enforce the right to abortion to try to avoid Texas being sued. But the more consequential case truly is this Mississippi one because this likely is a vehicle for the justices to end -- you know, I hate to predict having not heard the oral arguments on Wednesday, but I think there's a good chance given the makeup of this court that they might lift that viability line that has been in place for nearly half a century that said women with their physicians have the right to decide whether to end a pregnancy before that point.

[10:45:11]

HILL: We will be watching very closely. But as you point out, we won't know for some time what the ruling will be, but still a lot of interest for obvious reasons. Joan Biskupic, always appreciate your insight and your expertise. Thank you.

BISKUPIC: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Still to come this hour, the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell begins. Opening statements set to begin at any moment now. Jeffrey Epstein's longtime companion accused of helping him entice minors to engage in criminal sexual activity. We're live outside a U.S. district court here in New York. That's next.

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[10:50:00]

SCIUTTO: Jury selection is expected to begin this morning in the sex trafficking trial against the British socialite, Ghislaine Maxwell.

HILL: Maxwell is accused of grooming girls for sex with her longtime companion, Convicted Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial.

CNN's Kara Scannell live this morning outside New York's -- the U.S. district court in New York.

So, we could see this begin today. Kara, what are we expecting?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Erica and Jim, good morning. They are still in the process of doing jury selection right now. They have winnowed it down to 12 jurors and 6 alternates. One of the jurors had a question involving employers. The judge is trying to work that out. But once that issue is resolved, the judge will swear in the jury, instruct them on what to expect during this six-week trial, and then we'll move to opening statements. The prosecutors say that they need only 25 minutes to make their presentation to the jury. That will be followed by Maxwell's attorneys. They're expecting to take a little less than an hour.

The issue here, of course, is prosecutors have charged Maxwell with helping Jeffrey Epstein recruit, groom and sexually assault young women, some as young as 14 years old. Now, prosecutors say this all occurred between 1994 and 2004 in New York, Palm Beach, New Mexico and in London. The prosecutors are also expected to call as many as four of Maxwell's alleged victims. Now, those victims will testify under pseudonyms. We do understand that there is at least one alleged victim here today, not part of this case, but here to support some of the other victims.

Now, Maxwell's attorneys have not laid out their defense. But one of the big issues here is that Jeffrey Epstein, because he died by suicide, is not on trial, they're looking to make the point that the only reason why Ghislaine Maxwell is, is because he's not here. Jim, Erica?

HILL: Kara Scannell, I appreciate it. Thank you.

Meantime, also keeping a close watch on Chicago. Jury selection begins this hour there in the case against Actor Jessie Smollett. Smollett is charged of making false reports to police after claiming he was the victim of a hate crime.

SCIUTTO: Chicago Police say the actor orchestrated the incident, paid two men to stage it for publicity.

CNN's Omar Jimenez reports.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, Erica, it's been a long road just to get to this moment, jury selection in the trial of Jussie Smollett. Now, the actor and former Empire star is facing six counts of making false police reports that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack as a black and gay man.

This goes all the way back to January 2019 when Smollett told police that he was physically attacked in Downtown Chicago by two men who used those racial and homophobic slurs, that an unknown chemical substance was poured on him, and that they put a noose around his neck. So, Chicago Police investigated and they said Smollett made it all up, orchestrated it with two brothers in the name of publicity.

So, not long, after he was charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct. Several weeks later, though, those counts were suddenly dropped when the state's attorney's office cited a $10,000 bond he'd already paid, the community service he had done and argued that's likely where the case was headed anyway. Well, months after that, a special prosecutor was appointed, and that is where this six-count indictment came from, the six counts of making false police reports. And that's, of course, where we are now.

Smollett has maintained his innocence throughout all of this, including in this particular trial, pleading not guilty to these six charges. This trial is expected to move pretty quickly. Four to five days is what we're looking at here. And the judge in this case has said he wanted to start hearing evidence right after the jury was selected. Jim, Erica?

HILL: Omar Jimenez, I appreciate it. Thank you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:00] SCIUTTO: This just in to CNN. Officials in New York City are highly recommending that residents wear masks while indoors in public places, this regardless of vaccination status. This in response to concerns about a new coronavirus variant, omicron. While there are no identified cases of the variant in the city or the country, health officials say this is one way to prevent a potential spread.

HILL: Also new this morning, the White House revealing its holiday theme. That theme is Gifts From the Heart. Here's a preview of what things look like inside. More than 100 volunteers helped to put up the 41 Christmas trees, 78,000-plus lights, 6,000 feet of ribbon.

Later today, first lady Jill Biden will thank those volunteers and also give a tour to the unit commander for the D.C. National Guard and her family.

SCIUTTO: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, isn't it?

HILL: Indeed it is.

SCIUTTO: Those songs are already on the radio.

Thanks for joining us today.

[11:00:00]

I'm Jim Sciutto.

HILL: And I'm Erica Hill.

At This Hour with Kate Bolduan starts right now.