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Police Search Home of Man Accused of Helping Crumbleys; Actor Jussie Smollett Testifies His Hate Attack was Not Staged; Violence at Eric Zemmour's First Campaign Rally in France; Hawaii Under State of Emergency Due to Storms. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 07, 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]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. Let's get you up to date with the latest story this hour.

We are hours away from that high stakes call between President Biden and his counterpart Vladimir Putin. They expect to discuss tensions over Ukraine. The Pentagon says its seeing increased Russian military capabilities on the border with Ukraine. President Biden has been working with European allies to impose sanctions on Moscow.

And a top aide to former Vice President Mike Pence is cooperating with the January 6 investigators to give lawmakers insight from one of the highest-ranking Trump officials. Much more ahead on both of these stories in 30 minutes on "EARLY START."

Police in Michigan have searched the home of the man who helped the parents of the suspected Oxford school shooter. So, far that man hasn't been charged with any crimes. Meanwhile, the school district's investigation continues. Earlier Michigan's Attorney General told CNN the district's turned down her offer to conduct an independent investigation.

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DANA NESSEL, MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL: The offer that we made would have extended to, you know, the protocols and policies, not just so that we can make sure the kids in Oxford are safe in the future, but so that we can ensure that the policies are put in place all over the state of Michigan so that each and every school district can be better protected.

If the school district is really looking for transparency and they're really looking to ensure that everything that they did and everything they continue to do results in the most security for their children, which is something people are greatly concerned about right now, then I would hope that they would want to cooperate with an investigation by the state.

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FOSTER: CNN's Adrienne Broaddus has the latest on the investigation from Oxford, Michigan. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES CRUMBLEY, FATHER OF ETHAN CRUMBLEY: Not guilty.

JENNIFER CRUMBLEY, MOTHER OF ETHAN CRUMBLEY: Not guilty.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Jennifer and James Crumbley now sit in the same jail as their son, all under close observation. The parents were arrested early Saturday morning, found in a warehouse in nearby Detroit hours after they were charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter.

NESSEL: If they are fugitive of justice, charges that could be additionally added. If they're convicted, there are actually additional points that are scored for the obstruction of justice. And so, they are likely to get higher sentences.

BROADDUS (voice-over): Prosecutors saying the Crumbleys were making preparations to flee during the time they evaded capture.

KAREN MCDONALD, OAKLAND COUNTY PROSECUTOR: They withdrew $4,000 from an ATM in Rochester Hills. They fled. And they sought multiple attempts to hide their location and were eventually tracked down, and these two individual were found locked somewhere in a room hiding.

BROADDUS (voice-over): A third person, the man who allowed the couple to get into the warehouse was interviewed by the Oakland Sheriff's Department. A search warrant was issued for electronic evidence at his home, but still no word on whether he will face potential charges.

SHERIFF MICHAEL BOUCHARD, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: Clearly somebody helped them into that location and made it available to them. And it was after it was publicly announced that there were warrants for them.

[04:35:00]

BROADDUS (voice-over): Both Jennifer and James Crumbley have pleaded not guilty to the charges. And their attorney took issue with the timeline of events laid out during the arraignment.

MARIELL LEHMAN, ATTORNEY FOR JAMES CRUMBLEY: The facts that have been presented by Ms. McDonald and her office have been cherry-picked to further her narrative of making an example of Mr. and Mrs. Crumbley.

LEHMAN: None of these shouldn't have happen. A 15-and-a-half-year-old should not be sitting in jail facing life in prison. And it could have been prevented.

BROADDUS (voice-over): The prosecutor is still investigating the school's role in the events leading up to the shooting.

MCDONALD: I just think it's time we stop talking about how terrible it is we have school shootings and look to see what we can do to absolutely prevent them from happening again.

BROADDUS (voice-over): The Michigan attorney general has also criticized the Oxford School District's hiring of a third party to investigate the shootings and offer to help conduct a review of the events that day. Meanwhile, a community is still grieving the death of four teenagers and rallying around those injured in the shootings.

BROADDUS: And today the 16-year-old who died in the patrol car on the way to the hospital will be laid to rest. His family says he loved the holidays, especially this time of year, decorating the tree and making cookies with his mom.

Adrienne Broaddus, CNN, Oxford, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell resumes just hours from now in New York. On Monday a woman testified that Maxwell befriended her when she was 17, then arranged meetings that allowed Jeffrey Epstein to sexually assault her on multiple occasions at his homes. She said Maxwell also asked her whether she knew of other girls who could perform sex acts with Epstein. Epstein was a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019. The defense argues Maxwell is being used as a scapegoat for his abuses.

And in Chicago, actor Jussie Smollett has taken the stand in his high- profile criminal trial. He is trying to refute charges that he staged a violent hate crime attack against him then lied about it to police. Here's our Omar Jimenez.

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OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jussie Smollett testified for about five hours on Monday. Things ended with cross-examination or in the middle of it, I should say, where Jussie Smollett denied tampering with the new scene around his neck just after the alleged hate crime back in January of 2019. He denied tampering with it to make it look more like a more serious lynching.

Now the pictures were shown side by side of the noose when he first walked into his apartment building around his neck and after police officers arrived sometime later. And Smollett did tell jurors he took off that noose at one point and then before police got there, he put it back on under the advice of his manager. Because, he said, they should see the evidence. Smollett argued it looked less like a noose afterward.

Now prior to cross-examination, the defense went through some of the major points in the prosecution's case, or at least took Jussie Smollett through that in the testimony that was being heard. During one of the major points, I should say, came during the car ride the Osundairo brothers testified was when Jussie Smollett first brought up this alleged hoax and asked Smollett if that's what happened. Smollett said, no. All they did was drive around and smoke blunts. Specifically, he was asked by his attorneys at any point in time, did you talk to Bola Osundairo about a hoax? No, he responded emphatically.

Separately, though, he testified that he and Bola had had multiple sexual encounters, which Bola denied over the course of his testimony. But that's important because the defense has argued that Ola Osundairo -- or at least one of their arguments was that homophobia from Ola Osundairo was one of the driving factors in what they say was a real hate crime attack.

Cross-examination was where things left off, so that's where things will pick up when court resumes Tuesday at 10:15 Eastern time. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Omar Jimenez.

Now, the U.S. Justice Department is closing its investigation into the murder of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old black teen was kidnapped, tortured and killed whilst visiting Mississippi in 1955. At the time, a 20-year-old white woman claimed he whistled at her. The Justice Department reopened its investigation after a 2017 book claimed the woman recanted parts of her testimony. The department said it could not prove the woman lied. Till's relatives say they didn't get justice, but they will continue fighting hate crimes.

A controversial far-right campaign kicks off with violent results in France. What happened at Eric Zemmour's rally? We are live in Paris for you just ahead.

[04:40:00]

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FOSTER: The state of Georgia which handed Democrats control of the U.S. Senate is now facing a contentious governor's race. Ex-Senator David Perdue, who lost his reelection bid, has announced he'll challenge the Republican incumbent, Brian Kemp. And Perdue has already picked up the endorsement of former U.S. President Donald Trump. There is no love lost between Kemp and Trump, who blasted the governor for refusing to challenge his loss in Georgia last year.

Purdue says he's running to make sure Stacey Abrams is never governor of Georgia. The Democratic voting rights activists announced her candidacy last week. She narrowly lost to Kemp in 2018.

In California Republican Devin Nunes says he's retiring from the U.S. House to become CEO of the new Trump media and technology group. The Trump loyalist is facing the threat of a more Democratic district. Nunes won right wing praise for his efforts to discredit the FBI's Russia investigation.

Now, French police are launching an investigation into the violence that erupted at Eric Zemmour's campaign rally on Sunday. A protester grabbed the far-right presidential candidate by the neck and antiracism protesters were assaulted by Zemmour supporters. The FM TV reports 62 people have been detained in connection with those attacks. Cyril Vanier reports on the start of a divisive bid for the presidency.

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CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eric Zemmour's first steps as presidential candidate overshadowed by violence. France's conservative columnist turned far-right ideologue attacked on his way to the stage. Moments later the former journalist delivered his first official campaign speech.

ERIC ZEMMOUR, FAR-RIGHT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): Now obviously, I'm not racist. Nor you, you're not racist. All that we want is to defend our heritage. We're defending our country, our homeland, the heritage of our ancestors.

VANIER: Eric Zemmour defended himself against accusations of fascism and racism and misogyny.

[04:45:00]

He promised zero immigration and singled out French movement. This is the reaction he's been getting.

VANIER (voice-over): Even two years ago this would all have been unthinkable. He is not possessed of obvious charm. Has never held political office. And has been convicted twice, found guilty of inciting racial and religious hatred. In today's political landscape, it turns out, the perfect resume for a fire-breathing populist campaign.

ZEMMOUR (through translator): They are thieves, murderers, rapists, that's all they are. We've got to send them back.

VANIER (voice-over): This diatribe about under age migrants in France one of countless controversies. Yet even that pales in comparison to his writings.

Islam is incompatible with France. He expounds in a best-selling book. Foreigners, who come in their thousands, in their hundreds of thousands, tomorrow in their millions, are invaders.

He says, Arabs are to blame for France's problems, explains this political analyst and Zemmour critic. Politically he's found a gold mine. A gold mine distilled into viral TV sound bites over 20 years. This from the Jewish son of Algerian immigrants.

ZEMMOUR (through translator): We must give first names what we call the calendar. That's to say the names of Christian saints.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name's (INAUDIBLE).

ZEMMOUR (through translator): Well, your mother was wrong.

VANIER (voice-over): Provocations tolerated in part because Zemmour was seen not just as a journalist, but as an intellectual.

This has specifically French, says the author of a recent Zemmour biography. He hypnotized part of the French population with his knowledge of history, his love of French literature. So, how far can Zemmour's popularity take him? In France's fragmented

political landscape, he is seen as having a real shot at reaching the final round of the presidential election against the incumbent Emmanuel Macron. But his first campaign steps have been shaky, and pictures like these won't help. An anti-racist group silently protesting at his rally, violently assaulted by Zemmour's supporters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER (on camera): And Max, Eric Zemmour was on French TV this morning. He was of course, asked about this violence. He says he takes no responsibility for it. The reason it occurred, he said, was because of the provocation of the anti-racist group. He also says he can't promise there won't be repeat moments of violence at his future rallies if the same provocation occurs.

And lastly, Max, Eric Zemmour came on set for the interview this morning bearing a cast on his wrist saying, why, asking why the media are not giving as much coverage to the attack of which he was a victim. I think beyond these clashes between far-right and leftist groups, Max, what's going to be interesting is to find out how much political momentum Eric Zemmour really has now that he is officially a candidate in this presidential campaign, -- Max.

FOSTER: We'll find out soon. Cyril in Paris, thank you.

Torrential rain and flooding are concerns right now in Hawaii prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency. After the break, a look at what the islands can expect in their forecast.

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FOSTER: Rescue workers in Indonesia are digging through layers of ash and debris to find survivors of Saturday's eruption of Mt. Semeru. At least 34 people have died. Heavy rain is hampering the rescue efforts. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed in east Java province. And officials say about 2,000 people are in evacuation centers. Mt. Semeru is one of Indonesia's most active volcanos.

Hawaii's governor has declared a state of emergency as heavy rain pummels the state bringing the threat of catastrophic flooding and landslides. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the latest.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI. CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Max. The story across the Hawaiian islands is as impressive as it gets. You notice the rainfall amounts upwards of a foot or more. And now the western periphery of the islands, which of course, includes Oahu and Honolulu, the most densely populated city there across the islands, underneath a flash flood warning. Meaning flooding is imminent or occurring. Across the region that's where we are seek the storms train or essentially a little like boxcars on a train, one after another producing heavy rainfall over the same spot. And that is precisely why we are seeing flood warnings across some of these areas. Now, Max, why this is so interesting is that much of the islands had

been underneath a drought situation. In fact, 56 percent of the islands dealing with drought conditions, and this last run of rainfall here certainly going to be beneficial. Unfortunately, too much of it coming down in a short time period. Also leading to some problems. And this is how things are playing out across the region with some of the disruptions and roadways that are shutdown as a result of this.

And again, notice as you work your way a little farther towards the west, across Kauai, invoice even west of there, the heaviest rain falls still in store. Maybe another 10 inches possible in a few spots. In Honolulu, scattered thunderstorms possible on Tuesday, but you'll notice dryer weather persists once we get through Wednesday.

And across the lower 48 has been also about thunderstorms, and severe weather there across portions of the Southern U.S. as many as six reports of tornadoes. And as you work your way through the northern reaches of the U.S., plenty cold enough to support significant snowfall. And how about these wind chills across parts of the state of North Dakota? Wind chills as cold as 40 below observed in the past 24 hours. But change is in store. Warmer temperatures relatively speaking, climbing back up into the 40s and almost 50 in Chicago at the latter portion of this week -- Max.

FOSTER: Thanks to Pedram.

Now, the horse racing world is mourning the sudden death of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit which is 3 years old and placed in every race that he ran. According to the California horse racing board, the colt collapsed and died as he was completing a workout, most likely due to a heart attack. And there is plenty of controversy here because this happened at the notorious Santa Anita Race Track.

[04:55:00]

Which was investigated after 37 horses died there in 2019, 20 have died there so far this year. Medina Spirit, winner of the Kentucky Derby, is also under scrutiny after he tested positive for a legal drug but it's banned on race days.

Warns of the Harry Potter heads -- HBO Max, which is part of CNN's parent company Warner Media, has released a new teaser for its upcoming Harry Potter reunion special, Return to Hogwarts, marking 20 years, can you believe it, since the first film in the franchise was released. Take a look at this.

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(HARRY POTTER REUNION SPECIAL VIDEO)

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FOSTER: The new trailer there features Emma Watson who played Hermione Granger. And fans will also recognize the actors behind the blook characters like Hagrid and Arthur Weasley. The special set to premiere on January the 1st. Now, when it comes to yuletide decorating for one German couple, more

is better. They are the German world record holders for having the most decorated Christmas trees in one place -- a total of 444. No two trees are the same. Themes include stormtroopers and superheroes. More than 10,000 Christmas balls, 300 strings of lights were used in the display. The couple starts putting the trees up months ahead of time to have them ready for the first Sunday in December. They made it.

Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. Our coverage of the highly anticipated call between President Biden and Russia's Vladimir Putin continues on "EARLY START" with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett. You're watching CNN.

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