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Violation of Rights Claim for Frank James; Rep. Victoria Spartz is Interviewed about Aid for Ukraine; Oklahoma Passes Abortion Ban; Astronauts Describe Interactions on ISS. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired April 29, 2022 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: In the recent days, in CNN's great reporting from Capitol Hill. Obviously, they've already invited Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader in the House, Scott Perry, Jim Jordan. They have not agreed to appear.

And, of course, Rudy Giuliani says he's going to come in. So, apparently, is Donald Trump Jr. So there's a lot -- a few more witnesses between now and June that we're still expected to hear.

But you can expect that a lot of this is about painting a picture of exactly what happened so that people who may not get around to reading the full report from the committee at least know what exactly was happening.

Bianna.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And they'll be able to watch it in primetime, beginning June 9th.

PEREZ: Exactly.

GOLODRYGA: Evan Perez, thank you.

PEREZ: Sure.

GOLODRYGA: Well, federal prosecutors are pushing back against claims that the accused Brooklyn subway shooter's rights were violated. One of the lawyers representing Frank James says FBI agents took DNA samples from him without telling his attorneys first. James is accused of shooting ten people on a subway train in Brooklyn earlier this month.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is here with the latest.

So, Brynn, what exactly are prosecutors saying right now?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is sort of a sparring that's going on between James' defense and prosecutors, all happening in court documents. Essentially what they're saying is that the FBI went to James' detainment center earlier this week and took DNA swabs from him without their knowledge. They actually allege that they only found out about this because James said to them, I signed some paperwork with the FBI this week.

Well, the prosecutors basically say that's just not true. We actually had a search warrant. We had a judge sign off on that search warrant. That's all public record. You can see it right there for yourself.

So, again, this is some sort of sparring that's going on. But the defense attorney is essentially saying, hey, we may work to try to get whatever you just collected from him thrown out. The prosecutor is saying, hey, slow the brakes. It's too early to go that route just yet because they haven't even gone to a grand jury to get an indictment in this case. They're essentially saying, we're just continuing to collect evidence.

Remember, he's got that one single charge, federal terrorist related charge, and they had always been saying they have a strong case against him, more charges might be coming out against him. So, this is just another step in the process. We'll see if more charges do come. But, of course, you know, just a couple of weeks ago it was here in New York City where it happened on that subway train, 33 shots fired into the crowded train during the commute.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, you were there reporting for us live in Brooklyn that day.

GINGRAS: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: I know you'll continue to cover this story for us.

GINGRAS: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Brynn, thank you.

And, up next, the first Ukrainian born member of Congress will be joining Jim live. Are lawmakers on board with President Biden's massive $33 billion aid plan for Ukraine?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:37:15]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, U.S. and NATO allies say that Russia is beginning to make some progress in eastern Ukraine. The war now taking a new shape as President Biden has asked Congress for $33 billion in new funding, both military and humanitarian, to help Ukraine. The package includes about $20 billion for security assistance, as well as funding for basic services, humanitarian assistance. Joining me now is Congresswoman Victoria Spartz. She's a Republican

from Indiana, sits on the Judiciary Committee. She is the first Ukrainian born member of the U.S. Congress.

Congresswoman, thanks so much for joining us today.

REP. VICTORIA SPARTZ (R-IN): Thank you.

SCIUTTO: You recently visited Ukraine, including one of the hallmark places of this war, and that is the devastated town of Bucha. Visiting what is your home country, original home country, seeing that devastation. Tell us what you saw and how you react to it.

SPARTZ: Thank you for having me and covering this. You know, seeing it with your own eyes, you know, you see pictures and you see videos, but seeing, you know, with your own eyes, it makes it real and it's real. You understand people this as people are going through hell, living through hell. It's a very, very brutal, barbaric war. A lot of suffering. You know, you see, you know, I mean, pictures of people, but then you see dead bodies. You see people killed, women, children killed, tortured. I think, you know, it's very emotional and almost, like, I cannot believe that we're living through this in the 21st century.

SCIUTTO: Yeah. The U.S., its allies are sending more weapons, they're sending more humanitarian aid. But as I've been here for weeks covering this war, it struck me that, as a country, we're still congratulating ourselves for having defeated Nazi Germany. But, of course, there was more than weapons shipments and sanctions then.

Do you believe, as a member of Congress, but also someone born in this country, that the U.S. and its allies are doing enough, enough to stop what you saw here?

SPARTZ: Well, I think, you know, I'll be honest with you, the U.S. (ph) has been dragging their feet. We're getting a little bit better because we started understanding more that, you know, we need to help them to hold the ground. If Ukraine doesn't hold the ground, this crisis is going to escalate, not just to Europe, but worldwide.

And also what's happening, I just went to Odessa too, in my second trip to Ukraine, and Russians blocking the ports of Odessa. It will create a lot of problems and famine and collapsed government around the world. And I think it's a very dangerous situation. And U.N. gas a responsibility just like putting pressure on them.

And I actually -- you know, I know secretary-general just visited Kyiv, and he's, you know, said that they failed.

[09:40:02]

But, you know what, we need to have that attitude, like at the (INAUDIBLE). Failure is not an option. We just need to figure out how we can stop this insanity and international community to put pressure. If Russia wants to ever exist as a country, they need to get to the table. Is there a point at which -- and I understand the arguments, the

rational for not risking a direct military conflict with Russia, but is there a point, in your view, where direct military involvement might be necessary? Russia's making some advances in the east. If they're able to, say, surround Ukrainian forces there, is there a point where your mind changes and says, no, we have to get involved?

SPARTZ: Well, I think and those are different ways how we can get involved now. And I think there was a -- providing proper security assistance for Ukrainians to fight the battle is very important.

But we also need to draw some red line and also be proactive in that and say, what is not acceptable? And if Ukraine -- you know, if Russia is deciding to go and escalate it to further with (INAUDIBLE) weapons that really can, you know, cause a lot of problems to all of us, to the whole world, it needs to be kind of mentioned and talk to them very, very clearly that the international community, not just us, we need to have countries get -- countries like China and other ones with us and say, you know what, you can do a lot of these things but you are not going to be waving your flag with nuclear violence (ph) and all of this different, you know, chemical things because this is a dangerous conversation to have. So I think we need to be proactive on things like that and say the response is going to be very different and Russia needs to get to the table and stop doing this things. I think some things need to be talked (ph) beforehand and I hope that, you know, we'll have more leadership on this issue.

SCIUTTO: There is -- it's remarkably, really, that Europe, the world is still doing business with Russia through -- they're still buying its oil and its gas. There are discussions of complete embargoes and weaning off dependence on gas. And those are big steps. But Russia is still making money, even more money than it was making per month before the war.

Do you believe the U.S. needs to step in here and say this stops today, not in several weeks or several months, it stops today?

SPARTZ: I think we can take more leadership, and help Germany and push on Germany, particularly, and not single them out, but Germany is really the biggest problem in Europe. And, you know, the biggest economy in Europe. You know, to really to tell them, you know what, we have some policies we can help you in a long-term, and to be able not to be dependent on Russia. But there are some things they can do in short-term and we can help them to address some of the things.

And I understand it will (INAUDIBLE) the industries but, you know, to tell you the truth, the war is going to impact all of us in all of the industries. So the decision we have to make, do we want to have maybe, you know, stronger pain for shorter period of time or we'll have a very long pain for longer period of time? And I believe that it's better to take the pain for shorter period of time and then recover the economy and move forward because if it's going to be a long-term war, the implications are going to be significant.

SCIUTTO: Remarkably G-20 host Indonesia has now invited the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to participate later this year, in November, at the summit in Bali. The U.S. opposes that. How do you think the U.S. should respond? Should the U.S. refuse to attend? Should President Biden refuse to attend if Putin attends as well?

SPARTZ: Well, I think we need to have a discussion with international community too and have better really foreign policy because there are a lot of different reasons what other countries are doing and their dependency on Russia and China. And I'll be honest with you, China was eating our lunch at foreign policy. So we're spending a lot of money and a lot of times to countries that do not support us and then don't support our lives. So, I think we need to have peace from -- through strength and have smarter foreign policy to work with international community, to make sure that, you know, they know where stand and they know what it means to be our friend and what not to be our friend and the implications of that.

So, I think we haven't been doing a good job with that and we have to strengthen that so then we have a better collaboration because ultimately the whole world will benefit if this crisis and this war stops. And I think a lot of countries just really have some dependency and problems with, you know, countries, like Russia and China, for different reasons. So we need to have more leadership. You know, and they try to unite (ph). If you can see that Russia tried to embarrass us and they tried to do all these things and I think we can be smarter because we're a strong, powerful country.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

SPARTZ: And I'll be honest with you, people want to be friends with us.

SCIUTTO: Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, an American, but also Ukrainian at heart. This is your home. Thanks so much for joining us.

[09:45:00]

SPARTZ: Thank you so much.

SCIUTTO: Ahead, a critical decision, Germany says they must try the unrealistic to break away from dependence on Russian oil and gas, as we were just discussing there. The impact of that discussion coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Oklahoma lawmakers have approved a bill that bans abortions as soon as doctors can detect cardiac, activity which can be as early as six weeks and well before many women even know that they're pregnant. It's modeled after a controversial Texas law. And it also allows private citizens to sue anyone who aids and abets the abortion.

[09:50:02]

Let's bring in justice correspondent Jessica Schneider.

So, Jessica, this is just the latest step by the state of Oklahoma to completely ban abortion.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It is, Bianna. You know, Oklahoma, they've been passing this flurry of anti-abortion measures, particularly in recent weeks. So, you've got this six-week ban that was modeled after Texas' law. That just passed last night.

But earlier this month, Oklahoma's governor actually signed a law that completely outlaws abortion except in medical emergency, and it imposes penalties of up to ten years in prison and a $100,000 fine for doctors who perform these abortions. The difference in these Oklahoma laws is, the six-week ban goes into effect immediately when the governor signs it, which he's expected to. The complete abortion ban isn't set to take effect until August.

But what we're seeing is several states increasingly emboldened by the Supreme Court's refusal to stop that Texas law back in September that has effectively stopped abortions in that state for months. And the widespread belief here is that the Supreme Court is poised to significantly roll back abortion rights, if not all out overturn Roe v. Wade, and that would allow states to ban abortion outright.

You're seeing here in Florida, Arizona, Kentucky, Texas -- sorry, Tennessee even, they're all passing laws that are restricting abortion. In Florida, in Tennessee, in -- also Kentucky, they have banned abortions at 15 weeks. And that falls in line with the Mississippi 15-week ban that the Supreme Court is now considering.

So, a flurry of these Republican-dominated states, they are passing laws severely restricting abortion, and they're doing it because they've got these signals, Bianna, coming from the Supreme Court that's really, they believe, allowing them to crack down a lot more on abortions.

So we will see in just a few weeks the Supreme Court's ruling on that Mississippi 15-week ban, if that law is upheld or if the court overturns Roe. We will see even more states here severely restricting or even banning abortion.

Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And what's significant is up until just the last few weeks you saw many women in Texas going north to Oklahoma after Texas enacted its ban.

SCHNEIDER: Yes. Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Jessica Schneider, thank you so much.

Well, the first private space crew got to spend an extra week in orbit after bad weather delayed their return. Up next, we'll hear about their experiences on board the ISS, including working with their Russian counterparts.

But first, a quick reminder, the second season of "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" premieres this Sunday. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STANLEY TUCCI (voice over): I had no idea we'd start with a lake full of sitting ducks. Actually, they're wooden decoys and they'll encourage the real thing to drop by.

TUCCI (on camera): So me, in here? OK.

TUCCI (voice over): My host, Oliver Martini, aptly named, is by day a top businessman. In the past, he might have made doge (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now the ultum (ph) is particular because many ducks arrive from the north and they stay here until March.

TUCCI (on camera): There's thousands of them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

OK, now we try to catch some, otherwise you don't eat.

TUCCI (voice over): Most of these ducks are mallards. And so numerous they're officially listed as unendangered. Obviously, these particular specimens are in quite a lot of danger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Can't wait for that second season to begin.

Be sure to watch "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:58:03]

GOLODRYGA: Well, with that splashdown, the Axiom Mission One, the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, returned to earth after two weeks in orbit. A former NASA astronaut led the group of three businessmen.

Now, in their first interview, they're telling CNN all about the historic mission.

Joining me now is CNN's space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher.

So, Kristin, this was a once in a lifetime experience for them, living and working with the residents of the ISS, including Russian cosmonauts. What did they say?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so I spoke with Larry Connor, who was the pilot of this AX-1 mission, which was organized by a company called Axiom Space. And he just spent 15 days living and working up at the International Space Station alongside three Russian cosmonauts. And he described those cosmonauts as very gracious hosts. They invited them over to the Russian segment of the Space Station. They shared two dinners with them. And the Russians also said that they would be happy to share their toilet in the Russian segment. And I will let Larry Connor explain why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY CONNOR, PRIVATE ASTRONAUT ON AX-1 MISSION: It's a remarkably durable piece of equipment that the Russians developed. That's the other reason why we have to operate as one group, all the international partners, because if the toilet ever goes down -- and, by the way, we had one day when it was down for a couple of hours. Well, we go -- in our case escorted over to the Russian side, and they're happy to let us -- yes, let us use that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISHER: And despite those two dinners and all of that interaction, Larry says that the situation on the ground in Ukraine never came up.

Now, Larry Connor had more than 1,000 hours of -- 1,000 training hours at Johnson Space Center and at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California, to train for this mission. This was a massive research mission. More than 25 experiments were conducted. These astronauts, private astronauts, spent 14-hour days trying to get all of this done.

[10:00:03]