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Agreement Reached to Reopen Ukraine's Ports for Grain Exports; Trump Ally Steve Bannon Guilty of Contempt of Congress; Soaring Temperatures Across Europe, U.S.; Ex-Insiders Detailed Trump's Refusal to Stop Capitol Riot; Secret Service Scrutinizing Phones of Ten Agents; Ukrainians Crowdsource $20M to Buy Turkish Drones. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 23, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom. Turkey helps broker, a deal to secure critical grain supplies for the world. We're live in Istanbul with the latest. Former Trump Aide Steve Bannon found guilty of contempt of Congress. He says if he goes to jail, so be it. And wildfires burn across parts of Europe amid the deadly heatwave around the world. Details and a live report from Rome and the CNN Weather Center.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin with both new hope and a new round of fighting in Ukraine. Officials say 13 missiles struck a city about 300 kilometers north of Mykolaiv leaving a number of people injured and killed. The missiles targeted military airfield and a railway facility. Officials are urging people to stay in shelters for now while the mayor of Mykolaiv is reporting what he calls powerful blasts in that city.
But on the hopeful side, Ukraine and Russia have signed an agreement that will allow Ukraine to resume grain exports through the Black Sea. Much of that green has been stranded because of a Russian naval blockade leaving 47 million people around the world in a state of acute hunger according to a U.N. estimate. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says Russia may not fully keep its side of the bargain. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): The text of the documents signed today is published and everyone can read its points. They fully meet the interests of Ukraine. It is clear to everyone that there may be some provocations on the part of Russia, some attempts to discredit Ukrainian and international efforts, but we trust the U.N. Now, it is their responsibility and the responsibility of international partners to ensure compliance with the agreements.
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BRUNHUBER: The deal was signed in Istanbul where Turkey and the U.N. broker talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Nic Robertson has more.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: In Istanbul, the biggest diplomatic breakthrough in Russia's war against Ukraine, a deal to ease Russia's stranglehold on Ukraine and get its grain 1/5 of the world's supply to market.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: It will bring relief for developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine.
ROBERTSON: Since the war began, Russia has attacked and blockaded Ukraine's ports, burnt wheat fields, stolen harvest from farmers. Until now Russia has been holding the world's grain hostage. The new deal aims to end that by creating safe shipping channels, using Ukrainian pilots to navigate through sea mines, implementation overseen by Turkey includes inspecting cargoes.
Russia's Defense Chief and Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister sign the deal, but not with each other, separately with the U.N. Tensions remain and the deal fragile with no hard ceasefire at ports, an adviser to President Zelenskyy's chief of staff tweeting, in case of provocations, an immediate military response.
DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINE FOREIGN MINISTER: Ukraine does not trust Russia. I don't think anyone has reasons to trust Russia. We invest our trust in the United Nations as the driving force of this agreement.
ROBERTSON: Speaking in Istanbul, Russia's Defense Chief indicating what they got from the deal. The U.N. lifting restrictions on their food and fertilizer exports, despite their responsibility, triggering the current calamity.
Ukrainian officials say 20 million tons of grain are stuck in port and exports could begin in days likely using ships stuck in port since the war began.
(On camera): But the key for lasting success agricultural experts say is getting insurance for more ships to come in. And that depends on nothing going wrong, even while the war rages on land. Nic Robertson, CNN Kyiv, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: For more, Nada Bashir joins us from Istanbul, where that deal was signed. So, Nada, we just got the big picture there. So walk us through Turkey's role in helping to bring this deal together?
[03:05:10] NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Kim, Turkey has played a crucial role, that was certainly underlined by the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres yesterday. This was taken weeks and weeks of negotiations being mediated by the Turkish Government, by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has been somewhat of an outlier amongst his NATO allies, he has chosen to maintain that channel of communication of dialogue with President Putin.
Meanwhile, also offering support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He has condemned the war in Ukraine. He has supported the armed forces in Ukraine by supplying military hardware drones. So he has offered support to Ukraine. But he has also continued that channel dialogue with President Putin and clearly, that has now yielded some results. The Turkish newspapers today, really hailing President Erdogan as somewhat of a hero, the they are saying that this is a deal, which will end the food crisis. And that was the message that we are hearing from the United Nations as well, that this is a crucial deal, and that it has taken weeks of negotiation by President Erdogan to really mediate this and bring both the Ukrainian and Russian sides to the table, as we saw yesterday. That symbolic handshake to finally bring about an agreement for the export of grain.
Now, Turkey has played a crucial role in bringing about this deal, but it will also play a significant role in terms of the implementation as you heard there in Nic's reporting. Now, of course, Turkey already plays a significant role in regulating the passage of vessels through the Turkish straits, which is, of course, the main gateway through the Black Sea to the rest of the world. That set out under the Montreux Convention of 1936.
Now, under that convention, during peacetime, warships would be able to travel through the Turkish straits prior, depending on whether or not they've given prior warning, diplomatic warning to the Turkish Government. And, of course, depending on some restrictions around the weight of the vessels and what sort of arms they're carrying, but during wartime and Turkey now officially views Russia and Ukraine as being at war, of course. Those warships are not permitted to travel through the Turkish straits. So Turkey is obliged to prevent the passage of Ukrainian and Russian vessels through the Turkish straits.
And of course, as you heard in Nic's reporting there, now Turkey will be playing a central role in regulating the passage of other vessels. So namely, those carrying grain exports from the black sea ports of Ukraine through those safe corridors, and that will be inspected by the Joint Coordination Center, which is set to be established right here in Istanbul.
BRUNHUBER: All right, thank you so much, Nada Bashir, really appreciate it.
And the United Nations Secretary General is calling the deal a beacon of hope for many people around the world. Antonio Guterres was in Istanbul for the signing of the agreement. As we saw, the U.N. and Turkey had been mediating the talks for months. And Guterres later told CNN's Becky Anderson, many people didn't believe the deal would ever be reached. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUTERRES: Nobody believed when I said three months ago that I had made this proposal to President Putin and to President Zelenskyy and that we were starting to work on it. Everybody was saying this was not possible. It has happened. So I believe it is in the mutual interest of the parties. Because this will represent not only an important solution for Ukraine that has -- all the silos fall and the new harvest being made. So it's vital to export Ukrainian grains. But we are working also as it is known with U.S. and with E.U. The U.S. has already issued a statement in relation to this. There are no sanctions on food and fertilizers. And so Russian food and fertilizers will also be able to be in access to the world markets. And these two combined operations will mean huge injection that I believe will bring possible prices down, will stabilize the markets and will allow developing countries that are in that extremely difficult situation and vulnerable populations where famine is growing, that will allow this to stop. That was our objective, our motivation.
What has guided us during these three months, they were very difficult, many obstacles. But I have to say, I mean, today I feel I'm living probably the most important day of my tenure of Secretary General.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Is there a mechanism in place to hold parties accountable? Should they renege on this deal certainly?
GUTERRES: There is a Joint Coordination Committee, the Joint Coordination Committee as representatives of the U.N., Turkey, Russia and Ukraine, all movements will be coordinated by this committee. All ships that will be in this movement will be resisted and will be followed through remote mechanisms that exists in order to make sure that we all know at any moment where any boat, any ship is. And there is a clear commitment of the parties that not only no attacks will be made on any of these ships, but that the control will be remotes, not web warships in the proximity.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, it seems no one knows what's happening at Europe's largest nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia, the facility has been under Russian control since the war began. That means five months have gone by without international inspections. The head of the International Atomic Agency says it is alarmed by recent reports of an incident possibly with casualties as urging calling for an international inspection.
On Thursday, the plant's operator said the Russian military was hiding weapons and munitions inside the facility where they'd be safe from Ukrainian artillery.
Donald Trump's ally and former White House Adviser Steve Bannon is vowing to appeal and says he's not afraid to go to jail after he was found guilty of contempt of Congress on Friday. Bannon was charged after failing to comply with the subpoena from the House Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. CNN Political Correspondent Sara Murray has more.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon found guilty on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress.
STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: We may have lost the battle here today but we're not going to lose this war.
MURRAY: Bannon who smirked as the verdict was handed down faces at least 30 days behind bars after a jury rejected his defense that the dates of his subpoena weren't set in stone. The conviction is a major boost for the House Select Committee investigating January 6 reaffirming its subpoena power as it continues its quest for more information and additional witnesses. Bannon refuse to comply with the committee's subpoena for information about his contact with Trump and comments like this one ahead of the Capitol riot.
BANNON: All hell is going to break loose tomorrow.
MURRAY: Prosecutor Molly Gaston boiling it down in her closing argument. Bannon didn't show up. He has contempt for our system of government and he does not think he needs to play by its rules. She compared his offense to snubbing a parking ticket, a sorely relevant analogy for a Washington D.C. jury and said the former White House Chief Strategist shows allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance to the law.
BANNON: I stand with Trump and the Constitution and I will never back off that, ever.
MURRAY: As for Bannon's last gasp offer to testify publicly before the committee.
BANNON: Give me a date, a time, a room number, a microphone in a holy bible, I can take the oath on, boomed.
MURRAY: The prosecutor Amanda Vaughn called him out saying he and his friend former President Donald Trump suddenly decided he's going to comply. Give me a break, Bannon is not above the law. He is not the decider of the law. He is guilty, she said.
While Bannon promised to fiery case.
BANNON: This is going to be the misdemeanor from hell.
MURRAY: That offense rested without calling a single witness. In a choppy closing argument, Bannon and attorney Evan Corcoran was interrupted by objection after objection, highlighting the limited defenses the court allowed Bannon to present, ultimately Corcoran claimed there was no magic to Bannon's subpoena date.
In a final bid to inject politics into the case, Corcoran said, the powerful tried to silence the opposition. Politics can play no role. He argued, it's important that we are all in this together and Steve Bannon is innocent. The jury didn't buy it, deliberating less than three hours. But Bannon's team already plotting their appeal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a bulletproof appeal.
(On camera): Now, What the Steve Bannon's appeal is. actually bulletproof remains to be seen. But until then we know he has a sentencing date set for late October. Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Summer is taking a brutal toll across Europe and the U.S. and people are searching for relief from record breaking temperatures. Look at why some are in more danger than others. And a check of the forecast, next. Plus, why didn't Donald Trump stop the supporters from storming the U.S. Capitol from the White House insiders testify about what they saw and heard during the crucial hours of January 6, (inaudible) in Washington coming up, stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Sweltering temperatures and raging wildfires record breaking heat waves are wreaking havoc across parts of the world. And there's little relief in the site. Crews are working to put out fires in several areas of Europe, including Greece, Spain and Slovenia, and rising temperatures of people desperately searching for ways to stay cool. Many of them in places where air conditioning just isn't common. Let's go to meteorologist Derek Van Dam at the CNN Weather Center. Derek, it's not just Europe, of course, Asia, North America as well sweltering under all this heat?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. What I'm going to show you, Kim, is that basically, most of the northern hemisphere is baking right now, quite literally too. So let's take you to D.C., the nation's capital in the U.S. where ice is a commodity, keeping their drinks cool, delving those out to their friends, family, trying to help with the excessive heat.
You can see the heat advisories, excessive heat warnings in place across much of New England, heat indices between 95 to 105 degrees. That's over 32 to 38 degrees Celsius. And it's not just east coast, it's the nation's midsection, it's also on the West Coast over a made at American -- 80 million Americans under heat alerts right now. We have the potential to shatter over 40 records just today, right through the end of the weekend. New York City five days in a row, we've had temperatures above 32 degrees or 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If we get one more day that ties the record which was set back in 2013 of a six day stretch of that amount of heat.
Here's the forecast. It's definitely going to be that hot in New York, all the way to the nation's capital where a heat emergency is in place. It's not only North America, it's also across the big pond and the Atlantic Ocean. This is Europe. This is a picture coming out of Milan, Italy. People there doing whatever they can to keep themselves cool. These temperatures are incredible. This is oppressive heat 44 degrees for severe through the weekend. Madrid 40 degrees to end off the weekend for you. What you'll notice is the heat will shift across the Mediterranean and move into the southeastern portions of Europe in the coming days. So Italy to Croatia as well as Bosnia these areas are going to feel the mercury in the thermometer climb will get a bit of a reprieve, of course, across the U.K. where we shattered all-time record temperatures earlier in the week.
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Look at the forecast high temperatures across this area. This is a very hot weather set up just pumping in the air from the northern Sahara and North Africa. Check out these temperatures from Madrid, above average, right through the weekend and into next week. And as I mentioned, much of the Northern Hemisphere literally baking lots of red on this map. This is of course Northeast Asia. Check out the Korean Peninsula, Japan, China, temperatures above average for most locations. Beijing will top 37 degrees to end out the weekend, 36 on Monday, finally a cooldown for Tuesday and Wednesday with some rain and cloud cover and store above average temperatures for Shanghai as well. Quite the climate emergency if you ask me. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. All right, Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.
I want to go now to our Barbie Nadeau, who's in Rome, where the temperatures are expected to hit nearly 99 Fahrenheit, 37 degrees Celsius. That's in just a few hours. So Barbie first on the heat, you're up there on the roof. I mean, you must be feeling it too. How are folks being affected across the country there?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah, it's oppressive. And it's been so hot for so long that you're just, you know, it's a depressing factor. People are doing everything they can to try to stay inside to go to places that are air conditioned. As you mentioned, air conditioning is not that common in Italy or much of southern Europe. It's expensive to run it. But it's not cooling off at night either. You know, that's what makes this heatwave seems so different than other ones at least it used to be that you could cool off at night. Not seems that doesn't seem to be the case this time around. It is hot. People are staying inside. People are avoiding the activities they would normally be doing in the summer. The beaches are full but not to the extent you've seen before. It is just too hot. Even you go to the beach for a lot of people. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: It's too hot to go to the beach. Unbelievable. The other big concern, the fires raging in many European countries, including Italy, where you are, what's the latest there?
NADEAU: Yeah, these fires are a big worry. And those firefighters imagine working in that heavy protective equipment under this blazing sun trying to, you know, keep communities safe. There have been so many evacuations. There have been so many, you know, buildings destroyed. People that are more than 1000, people have died over for the heat -- in the heat and, you know, being evacuated in fires and things like that.
We've had a fire burning outside of Rome. There were fires in the north of the country here in Italy over the last couple of days. And it's not getting any better because there's no rain in sight. And this country has been under a drought condition for a long time. And that's turned everything into this sort of tinderbox. People throwing a cigarette butt out of their car and barbecuing, all these sorts of things that are starting the these fires, and it's making them very hard to contain. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. All right, thanks so much, Barbie Nadeau from Rome.
Now, earlier I spoke with Henna Hundal, a researcher at Stanford School of Medicine about the health crisis that can arise from heat waves like this, and I asked specifically about heat related deaths, which are often used to help gauge just how bad a heat wave really is. And she explained why they can fall short of measuring the gravity of the problem. Here she is.
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HENNA HUNDAL, RESEARCHER, STANFORD SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: There's certainly an issue with potentially undercounting heat related deaths. And, you know, so for example, the CDC what they do is we look at death certificates. And they look at death certificates that have tabulated heat as either an underlying cause or a contributing factor. But the problem is heat can affect morbidity and mortality in ways that aren't abundantly clear, especially for health professionals. It can be really difficult to discern when he is exacerbating an underlying medical condition when it's contributing directly or indirectly to new symptoms. And so you get an undercounting of these deaths.
In fact, the Los Angeles Times did an investigation that found that California potentially undercounts heat related deaths by as much as six fold. So that's a real problem. And so one of the potential solutions to this is to actually calculate excess steps. And for example, Spain, which was just hit with a heatwave last week has been doing this in their preliminary numbers, about the deaths that have potentially occurred during this heatwave. And what you do is you look at the difference between during this heatwave the deaths that occurred versus the number of deaths you would normally expect, without this heat wave, and then you can compare the difference and that might help you potentially capture how many more deaths are occurring because of the extreme heat.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and then, you know, looking at, you know, people of color I mean, according to the EPA, people of color face disproportionate harm from climate change, which exacerbates the sort of existing health disparities. So explain what makes these communities so vulnerable in times like these?
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HUNDAL: Yeah, you know, it's really unfortunate and it's something that we definitely need more public health action around. There was a study done in 2019, looking at heat related emergency department visits between 2005 and 2015, in California. And although the number of heat related emergency department visits increased across the board, you saw greater increases for Asians, Hispanics and black communities.
And so, you know, this is unfortunately a huge problem. You know, also, minority communities black and brown communities often have less access to central air conditioning units, as opposed to single room air conditioning units, which can affect the ability to keep the household cool. You also see something called urban heat islands. So, you know, when you have less foliage and greenery and you instead have kind of pavements and densely packed buildings and concrete and asphalt, that can make the surroundings feel a lot warmer. And actually, New York City released a report last month, kind of mapping these urban heat islands where it feels a lot warmer, and unfortunately, that coincides with a lot of neighborhoods where communities of color primarily reside. So there's a lot of work to be done to really close these gaps.
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BRUNHUBER: And you can see my full interview with Henna Hundal coming up in about 50 minutes right here on CNN. I'm Kim Brunhuber for those of you here in North America, CNN Newsroom continues after a quick break. For international viewers African Voices Changemakers is next.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States and Canada. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom. When the January 6 committee resumes its hearings in September, one key issue will be missing text messages from Secret Service agents at the time of the insurrection.
Now, CNN has learned 10 agents may have sent or received relevant texts, but those messages apparently weren't preserved. If recovered, they can help corroborate testimony that Trump became irate when agents blocked him from going to the Capitol to join his supporters. We get more now from CNN Manu Raju on Thursday's dramatic primetime hearing.
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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Trump was sitting in the White House for more than three hours, watching TV as the deadly attack on the Capitol unfolded.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you aware of any phone call by the president of the United States to the secretary of defense that day?
PAT CIPOLLONE, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: Not that I'm aware of, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you aware of any phone call by the president of the United States to the attorney general of the United States that day?
CIPOLLONE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you aware of any phone call by the president of the United States to the secretary of homeland security that day?
CIPOLLONE: I'm not aware of that, no.
RAJU: Trump rejecting pleas from members of Congress, his aides and his family members to tell the mob of his supporters to go home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Pence came, we're going to drag (bleep) through the streets.
RAJU: Instead, inflaming tensions, including with a tweet attacking Vice President Mike Pence.
MATTHEW POTTINGER, FORMER U.S. DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The tweet looked to me like the opposite of what we really needed at that moment, which was a de-escalation.
SARAH MATTHEWS, FORMER DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It was essentially him giving the green light to these people.
RAJU: Trump was on the phone with his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who in turn was pushing senators to slow down the certification of Joe Biden's victory in a last ditch attempt to stay in power. As Trump went to the residence that night, he did not express concerns about the attack. Instead --
REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): He said only, quote, Mike Pence let me down.
RAJU: But the committee revealing that Trump's actions endangered pence's life.
Radio communications from the VP's secret service detail showing the chaos, with rioters just feet away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hold, they're entered the building. Hold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harden that door up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we're moving, we need to move now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Copy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If we lose any more time, we may have -- we may lose the ability to leave. So if we're going to leave, we need to do it now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've gained access to the second floor and I've got public about five feet from me down here below.
RAJU: And this testimony from a White House security official whose identity was kept anonymous for his own safety.
WHITE HOUSE SECURITY OFFICIAL: Members of the VP detail at this time were starting to fear for their own lives. There were calls to say goodbye to family members, so on and so forth.
RAJU: Even the day after the attack, outtakes of Trump's speech show he refused to say the election was over.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) FORMER PRESIDENT: But this election is now over, Congress has certified the results. I don't want to say the election is over. I just want to say Congress has certified the results, without saying the election is over, OK?
RAJU: The committee plans witness interviews behind closed doors in August and more public hearings in September, some members believe they have laid out a criminal case against the former president.
KINZINGER: I think the president certainly has criminal exposure.
RAJU (on camera): Now, one of the things the committee will try to figure out during August is, what is the story behind those missing texts from January 5 and January 6 of 2000 to 2021? Now, the Secret Service contends there was some sort of phone migration that led to the loss of some of these texts. But the committee's says they are determined to figure out the true story behind it. Jamie Raskin, a member of that committee, told me that they're going to fill out a whole bunch of leads over August gaps in the storyline in as well as those text and he said, "We're going to figure out this whole mystery with the Secret Service text. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: For more on this, I'm joined by Natasha Lindstaedt who's a professor of government at the University of Essex in England and she actually joins us from Paris.
So thanks so much for being here. So let's, you know, let's say one were a cynic. One might say listen, we knew -- you know, broadly what happened on January 6, we saw the footage, we know Donald Trump egg the insurrectionists on and then basically did nothing to stop them. So now, after eight hearings, what's really changed?
[03:35:00]
NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Well, we know the extent to that, to which he was involved that this was months and months and months of planning, that he knew that there was no fraud and that there was nothing that he could legally do. And he knew that there was violence, that there was an attack on the Capitol, and he just didn't really do anything about it. And, in fact, just sat back and was actually reveling in it.
And we've actually seen public opinion change a little bit. I mean, if several weeks ago when I had spoken to you, I didn't think that this would move anything much. But we've seen that there's been a 4 percent shift and that now we have 57% of the public that think that Trump was at fault. And we have a little bit more of the public that thinks that this is a big threat to democracy.
Now, it's very partisan in the way that it breaks down. But you have 86% of Democrats that believe it's a big threat to democracy, 52% of Independents, but only 12% of Republicans. But it's still important because we need to provide transparency about what take place and we need to apply the pressure.
More pressure needs to be placed on the DOJ to actually prosecute and Merrick Garland finally did say something that no one is above the law. And we have to make an example out of this. This is a democracy and we had a president that tried to stage a coup. And if he gets away with it, this is going to really shift our norms for what people can get away with, and it will lead to more bad behavior upon future presidents. That's how coup traps happen, when you have one coup that leads to another coup. And we see that it's the shifting norms that are really, really problematic for our democracy.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I want to go back to the public reaction to this. In Liz Cheney's closing statement, she laid out basically the key question to Americans. I want to play this, here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LIZ CHENEY, (R-WY): Can a president who is willing to make the choices, Donald Trump made during the violence of January sixth ever be trusted with any position of authority in our great nation again?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: But so far, I mean, very few Republican lawmakers have said, you know, no to that question. So what does that say, do you think?
LINDSTAEDT: I mean, it's really astounding was taking place with the Republican Party, which I do view as an authoritarian party that has been captured by Donald Trump. You don't have any Republicans that are willing to even say, I don't think he should run again, or I might not support him. They're hedging on this, they are really that worried that if they say something against Trump, that there's going to be some sort of revenge on him, or that this is going to make them not part of the party anymore. It is really incredible.
But I think what the Republicans just need to keep their eye on, he is not popular, he has a very low approval rating. But the other issue is in the Republican Party, there aren't that many other politicians that have a high approval rating, either. Ron DeSantis' approval rating is around 33%. Mike Pence's approval rating is just a little bit higher. I think the Republicans need to regroup and take an honest look at what Trump has done to their party and try to move on from this.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, although to be fair, President Biden's approval ratings are not much better.
LINDSTAEDT: Not much better, that's true.
BRUNHUBER: Another point of these hearings was to prevent something similar from happening and again, as a consequence of Trump's attempts to hold on to power, Congress is working on a bipartisan deal to make it harder to overturn the results of a presidential election. So that's, you know, on the one hand, on the other the forces that animated January 6, they're still out there, whether it's you know, Donald Trump, recently calling the Wisconsin assembly speaker to decertify, the 2020 election, or Maryland Republicans choosing an election denier as their nominee for governor, you know, just to name two examples. So do you think these hearings will have helped go any way to prevent this from happening again, especially if Republicans take back the House, the senator or both?
LINDSTAEDT: I mean, that's a really good question. And I think if the DOJ doesn't prosecute, there's going to be real problems because we actually have to make an example out of this. We've seen other countries, a newer democracies in the U.S., like in South Korea, in Taiwan, In Peru, where they've made an example, out of a president who has abused power that is something that is incredibly vital to our democracy. And if they don't do so, you know, as I mentioned, you know, the norms are going to shift. And to prevent this from happening again, we have to keep our leaders accountable. And I think that is one of the questions that the DOJ is going to have to decide upon. But the point of the hearings is that we have to have transparency about this. So this is something that happened and we need to really say never again.
[03:40:03]
BRUNHUBER: All right, we only have maybe a minute left but just want to look ahead to the hearings in September, what are you expecting or hoping to hear then?
LINDSTAEDT: Well, I think they're just trying to lay out the case even further for the American public, about how involved he was in the planning of this, that this is something that is premeditated. It was not some kind of spontaneous event, and that this is a big threat to our democracy. This is not covered by free speech, as 40% of Republicans believe. This is not some small event as another 40% of Republicans believe this is a big, big obstacle to our democracy, and it's something we have to tackle head on.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. All right. We'll have to leave it there. I really appreciate your insights, Natasha Lindstaedt, thanks so much.
LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.
BRUNHUBER: All the rift between Donald Trump and his former Vice President, Mike Pence, is growing. The two held competing rallies on Friday in Arizona for their candidates in the state's upcoming Republican primary for Governor. Trump is backing Kari Lake, a political novice and former local news anchor, she has embraced the former president's lies about the 2020 election. While Pence has endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson, businesswoman and political ally of outgoing governor Doug Ducey.
Now, the race is being viewed as something of a referendum on the future of the Republican Party. And a candidate running for Governor of New York is condemning the cashless bail system that allowed a man suspected of attacking him to be released quickly from custody. Republican House Representative Lee Zeldin was unharmed after he was attacked on stage at a campaign event in New York on Thursday. On Friday Zeldin called for changes to the state's bail system saying judges should have the discretion to decide who remains in police custody. The suspect was charged with attempted assault and released on his own recognizance. Police say he was armed with a set of self- defense knuckles with sharp pointed ends. Now, the motive for the attack isn't yet clear.
A presidential health checkup just ahead find out how Joe Biden is faring as he isolates in the White House with Coronavirus, stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: The White House says, President Biden's condition is improving while adding he's taking additional medication to treat his COVID infection. Biden tested positive for Coronavirus on Thursday. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Biden will be spending the weekend in isolation in the residence here at the White House. It's actually a rare weekend for him to be spending in Washington he had scheduled to be in Wilmington, Delaware, at the Biden home. That's where First Lady Jill Biden is spending her time. As of Friday, she tested negative for COVID-19.
But the White House clearly trying to make the case, the President is doing fine. He is working behind the scenes, working virtually, they released these images of him meeting with his national security team as well as showed this brief meeting where he was meeting with advisors on Friday to talk about low gas prices. He said he feels better than he sounds. He sounded a bit congested and was talking with a lower voice. But clearly his advisors said that he is doing better because of vaccinations and the booster and he's being treated for Paxlovid, that's the antiviral medication.
So the one that was clearly trying to use this as a teachable moment, if you will, they said he is being treated with world class medical treatment, that's available free to all Americans that has vaccinations, that has boosters as well as antiviral medication. So clearly the President will be here at the White House until at least Tuesday. That is five days and they will also be going above and beyond the CDC recommendations of, he will be have to test negative before he goes out into the public as well. So for now, the President spending a rare Washington weekend here at the White House, doing things virtually, as so many Americans have during this long pandemic. Jeff Zeleny CNN, the White House.
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BRUNHUBER: And COVID cases are rising around the world driven by the BA.5 variant. On Thursday, China reported more than 1000 new cases and nearly 1000 the day before. And here in the U.S. cases are at the highest and rising fastest in the south, according to Johns Hopkins University, but also taking up in the Midwest and Northeast. And the fourth COVID vaccine authorized for use in the United States will be available to pharmacies in the coming days. Biotech Company Novavax says its COVID vaccine has arrived at federal distribution centers and drugstores can begin ordering it on Monday. The two dose primary series will begin -- will be available to those 18 and older. The Centers for Disease Control signed off on its emergency use on Tuesday. Now, it works differently than the previously approved vaccines. It's made using small lab built pieces of the virus to stimulate immunity.
Concerning development in the spread of monkeypox across the U.S. Health officials say the first two cases of monkeypox in children have been reported in the United States. Officials are investigating how the children were infected. Both have symptoms but are in good health and receiving treatment with an antiviral medication. Now, this comes as the U.S. government shipped 300,000 Monkeypox vaccines to U.S. states and territories.
Well, she may be far from the frontlines. But look this little Ukrainian girl is part of that country's war effort. Will explain how people like her are raising money to buy more weapons for Ukraine's military. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: We'll have a look here, a dramatic sight in California as a small plane bobbed in the waves after crash landing at Huntington Beach. The Piper Club was towing in advertising banner when it went into the water not far from sunbathers. Local media reported that surfers and other onlookers rushed the plane to pull out, the sole occupant the pilot who was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Federal officials are investigating the cause of the crash at the timing had, no element of luck the crash occurred during a junior lifeguard championship.
Well, the West has provided billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine since the war began. But there's still a shortfall between what Ukraine says it needs and what it has. And filling that need as best they can or the Ukrainian people themselves doing whatever it takes to support the war effort. CNN Scott McLean explains.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Of the losses we suffer, it's a matter of modern weapons, which we must get.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Zelenskyy rarely gives a speech without appealing for weapons. But while he waits for the West to deliver, ordinary citizens are getting impatient.
Serhiy Prytula, a TV host who set out to raise $15 million to buy Turkish military drones called Bayraktars. The small but extremely effective weapon that's gained -- following in Ukraine, thanks to videos like this. Its crowd funding appeal didn't raise 15 million, but 20 almost all of it from Ukrainians inside the country.
SERHIY PRYTULA, UKRAINIAN TV HOST: People from foreign countries they don't donate for Ukrainian army. But you need to understand that $1 you donate for Ukrainian army save $10 that you donate for Ukrainian refuges, if we stop Russians, so you have no refugees.
MCLEAN: Ukrainians don't need convincing, like this nine year old who sold her hair in Chernihiv, or this six year old busking in Dnipro, both to raise money for the front lines.
(On camera): What does it say about your country that you have kids fundraising for deadly military weapons?
PRYTULA: I think that those kids don't want to die.
MCLEAN (voice-over): The Turkish manufacturer has since announced it will send three drones for free, leaving Prytula with a $20 million decision. What weapons does Ukraine need most? President Zelenskyy blamed lack of heavy artillery for the withdrawal from Luhansk he has also called for better air defense systems but sometimes the need is much more basic.
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Anna Nikolskaya-Pukas just received a small order of camo first aid backpacks for the front lines, all bought with money she raised only after she ran out of her own money buying flak jackets and helmets.
ANNA NIKOLSKAYA-PUKAS, KYIV RESIDENT: If ordinary citizens can help our government they will as I do, no problem because it's our future.
MCLEAN: In a bohemian back alley in Kyiv former pacifist Kate Shas (ph) hopes or magic wands will conjure up a victory. In fact, all of the artists and designers here are selling their Ukrainian made products to buy frontline supplies for war. Screenwriter and musician Irena Karpa knows that artists are perhaps not your stereotypical military backers.
IRENA KARPA, KYIV RESIDENT, SCREENWRITER, MUSICIAN: We were all like Gandhi and Che Guevara, you know, but right now we just don't have a choice. You know, we don't really believe into diplomatic issues because we know that we cannot discuss with Putin unless he was drawing his troops from our lands.
MCLEAN: Scott McLean, CNN, Kyiv.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber, and I'll be back in just a moment with more news, please do stick with us.
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