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Tuesday's Focus: Extremist Group Ties to Trump Associates; Japan's Longest-Serving Prime Minister Mourned an Honored After Murder; Webb Telescope Captures Deepest View of Universe Ever; Biden Taking Crucial Trip to Middle East. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 12, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The American people need to see exactly what a man who swore to protect and defend the Constitution, all branches of the government, was doing during a time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These kids are going to remember what happened that day and is going to stick to his head for the rest of his life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You covered your ears. Were you hearing a lot of gunshots?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This incredible outpouring and the showing of grief by the people of this city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hundreds upon hundreds of people have turned out to give this last farewell.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Lite from our worlds, orbiting stars, far beyond our own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

FOSTER: It's Tuesday, July 12, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. in Washington where the House Committee investigating the Capitol Hill riot is set for its seventh hearing. They're looking to draw connections between former President Donald Trump's role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his knowledge of the violent attack that would take place on the U.S. Capitol.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers have already interviewed several people from Trump's White House team. Today's hearing will likely feature excerpts from a key witness, former White House counsel Pat Cipollone. He was deposed by the committee last week. And we also expect to hear from Steven Ayers, a January 6 rioter who entered the Capitol illegally and later pleaded guilty. He's one of at least two witnesses expected to testify later today.

Now the big focus of the hearing will be on how extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers made preparations to attack the U.S. Capitol in the days before January 6. The committee will also highlight the group's ties to Trump allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn. CNN Congressional correspondent Ryan Nobles has the latest.

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RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): CNN has learned the January 6 Committee is planning to zero in on a key link, the extremist groups' ties to Trump associates, Roger Stone and Michael Flynn.

The hearing comes as another key Trump ally, Steve Bannon, is changing his tune, telling the Committee he would be willing to testify, but only in a live public setting. It's a move prosecutors believe is a stunt to try and wiggle out from his criminal contempt charges, but a Federal Judge on Monday declined his request to postpone his trial for next week.

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): I expect that we will be hearing from him and there are many questions that we have for him.

NOBLES (voice over): The Committee has already revealed a bevy of new information. Among the biggest headlines -- that Trump and his allies were made fully aware that there was no evidence the election was stolen.

BILL STEPIEN, TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I didn't think what was happening was necessarily honest or professional.

NOBLES (voice over): Trump knew he lost the election but kept telling his supporters he won without evidence to back it up. That the campaign to subvert the will of the voters extended all the way to the states where Trump personally pressured officials to help his effort.

RUSTY BOWERS (R), SPEAKER, ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: You're asking me to do something against my oath, and I will not break my oath.

NOBLES (voice over): The Committee also revealing that Trump knew his supporters were armed and planning to be violent, but he directed them to the Capitol anyway.

HUTCHINSON: I overheard the President say something to the effect of, I don't effing care that they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me. Take the f*ing mags away. Let my people in. They can march the Capitol from here. Let the people in. Take the f*ing mags away.

NOBLES (voice over): The Committee also uncovering details about Trump's efforts to prevent Congress' certification of the election. How he ignored his advisers that there was no fraud and instead tried to install an Attorney General who would do his bidding.

RICHARD DONOGHUE, FORMER TRUMP JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL (voice): I recall toward the end saying what you're proposing is nothing less than the United States Justice Department meddling in the outcome of a presidential election.

NOBLES (voice over): That man Jeffrey Clark is now under scrutiny as part of a Federal investigation into the attempts to overturn the election.

And finally, as an angry mob called for the assassination of his Vice President.

CROWD: Hang Mike Pence.

NOBLES (voice over): Witnesses say Trump did not seem to be bothered. His response to the violence leading several Cabinet officials to quit and others quietly considering a plan to invoke the 25th Amendment.

[04:05:03]

HUTCHINSON: There is a large concern of 25th Amendment potentially being invoked, and there are concerns about what would happen in the Senate if it was, the 25th Amendment was invoked.

NOBLES: And among the people that we could hear from on Tuesday, Pat Cipollone, the former White House counsel who was deposed by the committee last Friday. We're told the committee asked Cipollone a number of questions about a key meeting that took place in the White House in December. Select committee aides said today that they believe that meeting was a pivotal moment that set the stage for the violence that took place on January 6.

Ryan Nobles, CNN, on Capitol Hill.

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FOSTER: The committee won't hold a hearing this Thursday, something it had been considering. Committee member Adam Kinzinger told CNN's Wolf Blitzer it's because of the volume of information that keeps coming in.

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REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-I): We just keep getting more and more information. You know, obviously, the meeting with Pat Cipollone, the discussion and the stuff that comes in every day, we just have figured that it's probably better to do this next week with more of that information presented before the American people. And we're going to specifically be talking about -- on top of other things -- what was the president doing during the 187 minutes the Capitol was under attack. And you know, I'll tell you a quick spoil alert, not much. And so, the American people need to see exactly what a man who swore to protect and defend the Constitution, all branches of the government was doing during that time. And so, yes, it would be nice to do it Thursday, but we figured it's probably better do it next week so we could incorporate more information for people.

(END VIDEO CLIP) FOSTER: Be sure to tune into CNN's special coverage of the today's hearing, that starts at noon Eastern in Washington and New York, 5:00 p.m. here in London.

Japan has said good-bye to its longest serving Prime Minister. Shinzo Abe's funeral wrapped up a few hours ago. The private service was followed by a procession through the streets of Tokyo. The hearse carrying Abe's body passed by the Japanese Parliament and the Prime Minister's office. His widow sat in the front seat and acknowledged mourners with nods.

The current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his staff stood outside their office to pay their respects. Abe's younger brother, the Japanese defense minister, was also there. You see bowing towards the hearse. Abe's body will eventually be cremated. He was assassinated on Friday in Nara, Japan.

Now police say the murder suspect confessed to the shooting and is awaiting formal charges. He scheduled to appear in court in a week. Japan is still reeling over the tragedy. There was a huge outpouring of grief with many people laying flowers, leaving notes and sharing condolences. CNN's Blake Essig has been following all of this for you from Tokyo.

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Max, it's a sad day here in Japan and even the weather gray skies and a little bit of rain, raining right now, seems to be reflecting the mood as Japan says good-bye and lays to rest its longest serving Prime Minister. A man who first served in Parliament -- that building right there -- in 1993 and would go on to become both a popular leader as well as a polarizing figure who is most certainly responsible in a big way for the Japan that exists today.

In terms of legacy, internationally Abe will be remembered as a strong figure who was deeply admired as a skilled global statesman. Domestically he'll be remembered for boosting defense spending and pushing through the most dramatic shift in Japanese military policy in 70 years.

Earlier today a funeral service for Shinzo Abe was held at a temple here in Tokyo similar to last night's closed door vigil, the funeral service also limited to only close friends and family. Abe's body was then traveled in a procession to the Prime Minister's office, National Diet and then the LDP headquarters before heading to the funeral hall to be cremated. He visited those specific locations because in Japan, the culture sometimes the body will be driven by places where the deceased was heavily associated to bid farewell.

Now we saw his hearse pass by about two hours ago. Hundreds of people lined the streets including children, people who looked like they had just left work, Diet members and Diet police all here to say farewell as Abe's body passed away.

Now for the past several days we've talked to people on the streets and every single person has expressed shock, sadness and that they were horrified that such a violent act could be carried out against one of the most powerful people in Japan in broad daylight in a country where gun violence essentially doesn't exist.

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This is very much a country in mourning as it lays to rest its longest serving Prime Minister, a leader who experts say had a clear vision for the direction that he wanted Japan's future to go in and pursued it relentlessly -- Max.

FOSTER: Let's get more reaction from the region, CNN's Will Ripley is live in Taipei for us. The whole world really looking at these images. It was a very private event, wasn't it, but everyone wants to pay their respects in their own way as well across the region and the world.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a moment for people, Max, to think about Shinzo Abe's legacy and that legacy is defined differently depending on which leader, which country, which perspective you are talking about. Here in Taiwan, Shinzo Abe was an ally and a friend. Somebody who deepened the relationship between this self-governing democracy which faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion, because the Communist rulers in Beijing -- though they never controlled this island -- they claimed it for more than 70 years and they've never ruled out military conflict.

But Shinzo Abe and Japan have been among the strongest to signal that they would come to Taiwan's defense if China were to make a move on Taiwan. So, President Tsai Ing-wen, she stopped by the representative office to sign a condolence book this week. You have the Vice President of Taiwan actually in Tokyo on a what's being called a private visit, but still for sitting Vice President from Taiwan to travel for an event like this to Tokyo, that is truly extraordinary and very rare that it would happen. And certainly, Beijing not going to be too happy about that.

But of course, Shinzo Abe didn't make Beijing happy quite a lot especially when he was one of the champions for changing the way the Asia Pacific region as it was previously kind of commonly called was then moving towards being called the Indo-Pacific region, to include Southeast Asia and India and shift the center focus away from mainland China. Certainly, Xi Jinping and leadership in Beijing were not happy about that, they also weren't happy about Shinzo Abe's visits to a controversial war shrine where Japanese, you know, people who had been accused of war crimes and convicted of war crimes are buried. And yet Shinzo Abe, who is a Japanese nationalist. who thinks that Japan's legacy shouldn't just be its wartime atrocities. He visited that shrine that infuriated people in China, it also infuriated people in South Korea.

The South Korean relationship was certainly fraught while Shinzo Abe was in office even though he was trying without success to get a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the time when his friend and ally, Donald Trump was meeting with Kim.

The U.S. relationship was always Shinzo Abe's top priority and you heard that from Secretary of State. You heard that from President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden, as well as former President Trump who all enjoyed good relationships with Shinzo Abe.

So, Max, certainly quite a legacy for Shinzo Abe to leave behind today on a global stage, on a regional level and also just for these leaders including the Indian Prime Minister Modi who said that he considered Shinzo Abe a close friend and said he's gutted by what happened. And they stayed in touch even after he stepped down as Prime Minister.

FOSTER: OK, Will Ripley, thank you.

Still to come, a critical trip for U.S. President Joe Biden. He'll meet with the Saudi Crown Prince during his first visit to the Middle East as president. We'll have a preview. Plus, this --

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is a new window into the history of our universe. And today we're going to get a glimpse of the first light to shine through that window.

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FOSTER: NASA's powerful Webb Telescope produces a stunning image of space which will change our perspective and understanding of the entire universe. More images are being released in a few hours as well.

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FOSTER: U.S. President Biden and NASA has unveiled the deepest sharpest image of the universe ever recorded. It comes from the James Webb Space Telescope and more images are being released in just a few hours as well. CNN's Rachel Crane has more on what makes this telescope so groundbreaking.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN: We are seeing the very first image released from the James Webb Telescope released by President Biden at the White House. Biden talking about the significance of this moment. Take a listen to what he had to say.

BIDEN: It's a new window into the history of our universe and today we're going to get a glimpse of the first light to shine through that window. Light from other worlds, orbiting stars, far beyond our own. It's astounding to me when I read this and saw the -- I mean it really is.

CRANE: And in this first image we see the other worlds, other galaxies, other stars. NASA saying that this is the deepest and sharpest infrared image we have ever seen of our universe. So really an incredible historic image there. And this is just the start. NASA will be releasing several other images and a batch of images from the James Webb Telescope.

We know that we'll see nebula which are essentially stellar nurseries. We're going to see additional galaxies. We're even going to get to see an exoplanet, and not just the exoplanet itself, which is a planet that orbits another star, but we're going to be able to peer into its atmosphere if it has one and get a sense of what that atmosphere is comprised of.

So, James Webb, this is the most ambitious telescope humanity has ever created. And it's more than just a telescope. This is really a time machine. We're going to be able to see back in time to just a few hundred million years after the big bang. This is really, you know, it sounds like a long time ago, but it is really the moment where the universe is just turning its lights on. We're going to be able to see the formation of galaxies, the formation of stars.

And scientists are most excited about what they can't even imagine, what James Webb will reveal about our universe. We know that the Hubble telescope taught us endless amounts of lessons about our universe. We know that our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate because of Hubble. We know that there are a hundred billion galaxies out there or more when we thought that there was just a fraction of that before. So, Hubble is the predecessor to James Webb Telescope. And what we're going to learn from this extraordinary telescope has just yet to be seen.

Rachel Crane, CNN, New York.

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FOSTER: More to come today. And the presidents of Mexico and the U.S. will look to reach some common ground in the coming hours amid recent tensions between the two countries.

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The U.S. National Security Adviser says Tuesday's talks in Washington will focus on their common vision for North America as well as Russia's war in Ukraine. The meeting comes just weeks after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador refused President Joe Biden's invitation to attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

Now later in the day President Biden leaves for his first visit to the Middle East as president. It's a crucial trip with stops in Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia. We get details now from CNN's Phil Mattingly.

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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Senior White House advisers are framing President Biden's this first trip to the Middle East as a critical moment to reengage or reinforce the U.S. role in a strategically consequential region of the world. Something that has become more acute over the course of the last several months in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Now it will be a three stop trip, going to Israel, the West Bank and also Saudi Arabia. And while every aspect of the trip will certainly be scrutinized with a focus on regional stability, on economic stability, even on a potential global food crisis. There's no question that all eyes will mostly be trained on Jeddah when the president arrives in Saudi Arabia, a country that he referred to -- a kingdom that he referred to -- as something that he wanted to make a pariah state back in 2019 when he was campaigning for president in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Now Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, says that the president doesn't regret those remarks, he hasn't walked them back, but there is a strategic reality and a strategic interest at this point for the U.S., take a listen.

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: America's values, human rights are a strategic interest in the United States, so is energy security, so is stopping terrorism, so is seeking peace in a place like Yemen. So, we are trying to do multiple things all at once, advance along a number of different tracks.

And as I said before, the basic thrust and purpose of our policy with respect to Saudi Arabia has been to recalibrate the relationship but not rupture it. We have stayed true to that from the beginning of this administration.

MATTINGLY: Sullivan making clear human rights will be something that the president brings up, but the realities of this moment which have been so abundantly clear, you just need to look at gas prices at your local gas station. That underscores a big part of the visit to Saudi Arabia where energy security, gas prices, will be something U.S. officials bring up. It won't be the sole issue they bring up with Saudi, but Saudi being the biggest player in OPEC Plus, obviously critical for global oil supply. And U.S. officials have made clear they will be asking for more supply and they believe that Saudi has the capacity do just that.

As to the president's meeting with the Saudi royal family, he will be meeting with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be present at that bilateral meeting. Whether or not the two will shake hands, whether or not there will be photos taken, well, that according to Sullivan, is still an open question.

Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.

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FOSTER: Well, as Phil reported, gas prices are a big concern for many Americans but they've been dropping actually recently. AAA says the current national average is $4.66 a gallon, that's down more than 30 cents from last month's record highs. AAA says falling oil prices have helped even though consumer demand of gasoline was up over the July 4th holiday.

And get this, the U.S. dollar is worth about as much as a euro for the first time in 20 years. Right now, the currencies are less than a penny away from parity. The value of the euro has fallen in recent months. Analysts say fears of a European recession, high inflation and energy uncertainties are affecting the exchange rate.

And after months of protests in Sri Lanka over a crippling economic crisis, the country's Parliament will elect a new president next week. Nominations for the top post will be presented to lawmakers in the coming hours. The dramatic move comes after the president and Prime Minister agreed to resign on Wednesday under mounting pressure. Tens of thousands of protestors stormed their residences on Saturday. Some are refusing to leave until the resignations become official.

India will soon surpass China as the world's most populist country. That's according to a United Nations report. Right now, both are home to about 1.4 billion people but the U.N. says India is projected to take the lead next year. The findings were released on Monday on World Population Day.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, the next hearing on the U.S. Capitol insurrection is just hours away. But how closely are Americans watching? We ask voters in a key Midwestern state.

Plus, massive explosions rocked southern Ukraine as the country prepares for a counter offensive to take back Russian-occupied land.

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FOSTER: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up-to-date with our top stories this hour. The former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's funeral wrapped up just a few hours ago. The private service was held followed by a procession through the streets of Tokyo. Abe was the country's longest-serving Prime Minister.

And the House Committee investigating the January 6 U.S. capitol riot is set for a seventh hearing in the coming hours. Members will hear from a rioter and are expected to present excerpts from former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone's testimony as well. It's unclear how much attention Americans are paying really, to what's happening on Capitol Hill. Many are consumed with other contentious issues like record high prices, relentless shootings and abortion rights. CNN's Miguel Marquez spoke to voters in the swing state of Wisconsin.

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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Summer in Green Bay.

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): The committee will be in order.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Washington D.C. and the congressional hearings investigating the January 6th insurrection feel a million miles away.

JONATHAN FERNANDEZ, WISCONSIN VOTER: They stormed the Capitol. That's what happened. They went in, they climb in through windows, and they rummage through offices and they did what they did. I mean, what more do I need to know about the fact that what occurred, occurred?

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Some Democrats watching closely.

JOE REFSGUARD, WISCONSIN VOTER: Some of the testimony that's come out has been a little bit more in depth then I had been aware of.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): But with so many hot button issues, gun violence, inflation, abortion rights, among others, the January 6th hearings, even for those concerned.

MARQUEZ: Where does January 6th and those hearings fit on the priority list for you?

FERNANDEZ: On the bottom rung to me.

REFSGUARD: Just getting a little bit lost in the shuffle.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Dawn Koors is a Republican who voted for Donald Trump twice and would vote for him again.

DAWN KOORS, WISCONSIN VOTER: I think it is more of a distraction. What the real reason is, is why this January 6th hearings are going on I think is beyond what we are seeing superficially.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Mark Becker was chair of Green Bay's Brown County Republicans. He left the party in 2015 as Trump rose to power.

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