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Trump's Long, Strained Relationship with the FBI; U.N. Chief to Visit Ukraine Amid Nuclear Plant Concerns; Extreme Weather Around the World; China Experiencing Worst Heat Wave in 60 Years; Dozens of Books Under Scrutiny in Texas School District. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired August 18, 2022 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump's contentious relationship with the FBI dates back to before he became president.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Please, FBI, please, go after Hillary.
TODD (voice-over): Those provocative days of the 2016 campaign, when Trump was relentless in his badgering of the FBI to investigate his opponent's handling of her emails.
TRUMP: The FBI did not act. I have such respect for the FBI. I am so disappointed. How did they let that happen? She was so guilty.
TODD (voice-over): Then from almost the moment he stepped in the White House, analysts say Trump seemed to view the FBI as his own personal instrument of power.
GARRETT GRAFF, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Donald Trump, you know, upended and tried to usurp the FBI in that spring of 2017, and that relationship has never been smooth since.
TRUMP: He has become more famous than me.
TODD (voice-over): Soon after taking office, Trump pressured then FBI Director James Comey to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. That's according to Comey himself, who claimed that Trump put the squeeze on him personally.
JAMES COMEY, FORMER DIRECTOR, FBI: I got the sense my job would be contingent upon how he felt I conducted myself and whether I demonstrated loyalty.
TODD (voice-over): Trump denied asking for Comey's loyalty but ended up firing Comey. Later saying that he was frustrated over the ongoing Russia probe.
JULIAN ZELIZER, HISTORIAN, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: He wanted that investigation shut down. He saw it as a political problem and this was what Comey was up to. ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER ACTING FBI DIRECTOR: The morale in the FBI definitely took a hit after the firing of Jim Comey. I think that was the watershed moment that made everybody kind of focus on this issue of the possibility that the administration is really trying to have a direct impact on how we did our work.
TODD (voice-over): Throughout the Russia investigation and afterward, Trump continued to berate the FBI for how that investigation played out.
TRUMP: These were dirty, filthy cops at the top of the FBI.
TODD (voice-over): Trump complained that texts between two FBI employees investigating the Russia connection were biased against him.
TRUMP: Look at these horrible FBI people talking about, we got to get them out, insurance policies.
TODD (voice-over): But one analyst says Donald Trump wasn't alone among presidents who believed the FBI should be beholden to them.
GRAFF: That is something that has long frustrated presidents going back to Nixon and Johnson and even John F. Kennedy, that the FBI was not necessarily loyal to them personally.
TODD: After lambasting the FBI again following the Mar-a-Lago search, there are hints in recent days that Donald Trump might have softened a bit toward the bureau, telling Fox, quote: The temperature has to be brought down, and saying, he'll do whatever he can to help the country.
But many analysts are concerned that the latest battle between Trump and the FBI could be irreversible, especially if it unleashes more violence against agents.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: We now have unofficial confirmation from Ukraine that its forces were behind the series of devastating brass in Russian-held Crimea. An internal government report obtained by CNN acknowledges for the first time Ukraine's role in the attacks on Russian airfields and ammunition depots.
And in the north at least four Russian missiles were reported overnight in the city of Kharkiv. Including one that struck an apartment building. Officials say at least seven people were killed.
And Russia claims that Ukraine is preparing a false flag operation at the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia to coincide with a visit to Ukraine by the U.N. Secretary-General. The facility is under Russian control and recent shelling has raised fears the plant's safety could be compromised.
Well for more, let's go to David McKenzie who is live for us in Kyiv. And David I believe Guterres do to meet with President Zelenskyy later today to discuss the situation at the plant. So presumably that's why we're hearing these claims of false flag operations.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At this point you have to take everything with a pitch of salt or a handful of salt frankly when it comes to the Zaporizhzhia power plant. Both sides in this conflict have blamed each other for shelling there and around it and in it. And leading to fears of course of a very serious situation like a leak or a fallout of some kind.
That Russian statement claiming that Ukraine is planning some kind of strike to blame on them, timed with the U.N. Secretary-General's visit here to Ukraine later today. They say he'll be having a meeting with the president of Turkey, President Erdogan and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That'll be an important meeting in terms of discussing further the cooperation on getting much needed grain out of this country. But I'm sure there will be discussions about the overall security situation and possibly about that nuclear site.
[04:35:00]
There were these significant strikes on Kharkiv in the northeast as you described, hitting a residential building, at least seven people killed. It continues to be a very heavy assault by Russian forces both on military and on civilians in the northeast and particularly in the east of this country.
The grinding war has had a massive impact on civilians and soldiers alike and we met some soldiers who are struggling to rehabilitate.
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MCKENZIE (voice-over): A coffee and a cigarette. That's all Andrii asked for after field surgeons amputated both of his legs.
OK, you're a fighter, you'll be OK, they told him.
I try to stay positive, and that helps me to survive.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): A veteran of Ukraine's war, just nine days into this conflict, Andrii was clearing cast ammunitions when they exploded. It left him bowed, but not broken.
"It's hard, but this is my task. To stay upright", he says, "and I'm doing it. Maybe I'll even return to duty."
At a rehabilitation center in Vinnytsia, the soldiers often choose CAMO prosthetics, the artisans have been doing this for nine decades, putting soldiers back together. And the prosthetics, the physical rehabilitation isn't enough.
MCKENZIE: How is the attitude or the hope for a patient important in this process?
VOLODYMYR DANILYUK, ORTHOPEDIST, VINNYTSIA REHABILITATION CENTER (through translator): It's 50/50, 50 percent depends on our doctors and 50 percent depends on the soldier and his mental health. If he doesn't want it, doctors can't help him.
MCKENZIE: How do you feel about this war, now? It's been many months.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): "I am very sorry for the younger men who are dying in this war", says Andrii. "For permanent soldiers who have been going to the front since 2014, I understand. But for the younger guys, I feel sorry for them."
Russia's invasion sent 23-year-old Serhiy (ph) far from home to the northeastern front. He felt proud to defend his homeland.
"Our orders were to push the enemy from the frontline", he says, we were too close to the enemy."
Russians attacked their position with overwhelming force with tanks and mortars.
"Yes, I'm very angry", says Serhiy (ph). "But first of all, I'm angry because they attacked Ukraine. And I'm angry about my leg."
"Of course, it's much better when you have your own legs", says Andrii, but now I understand that the wheel chair and the prosthetics are part of my body. It's physically very, very hard. It's very hard.
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MCKENZIE (on camera): You can see the pain and discomfort on Andrii's face there. Of course, after a horrific injury like this, you will have phantom pains where the limb used to be for a long time afterwards. And what is extraordinary, Christina, is that there are soldiers who go to that center, get a prosthetic and then head back out to the front. In fact, a few days before we were there, there was a soldier who came back to have his prosthetic fixed because it was damaged in another attack.
It shows a commitment of Ukrainian soldiers to defend their homeland, but also the grinding impact of this conflict. Andrii said that his son really wants to go out and fight to join what his father did, but he says he needs to take care of his -- I need to take care of him and one day he wants to have grandchildren -- Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, I mean, it is important, isn't it, to see the toll this is taking on average soldiers. And as you say the resolve that they have despite that. David, thank you so much for your reporting there live from Kyiv. Many thanks.
Well still to come, China faces its longest and most severe heatwave in more than 60 years. As deadly fires sweep across Europe and North Africa. The details when we come back.
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MACFARLANE: Strong thunderstorms hit southern France on Wednesday. This video shows heavy rain and hail pummeling the entrance to a hospital. Local media reports flooding in the area led to at least one store being evacuated and orders by the city to close all parks and gardens. There are reports of flooded roads and downed trees throughout the area. Local firefighters were called 169 times during the storm. As of now no injuries have been reported.
And in eastern Spain, this dramatic new video shows firefighters running to escape a violent blaze. Two firefighters were injured, they were working to save a number of homes from going up in flames. The wildfire began on Monday and has led to hundreds of evacuations and dozens of injuries.
And in Algeria, the death toll from wildfires there has risen to at least 26 according to the country's interior minister. Two dozen firefighters have been reported in the eastern part of the country, crews are still working to contain those flames.
Well, China's worst heatwave in more than 60 years is showing no signs of letting up. The extreme heat has prompted red alerts in 138 cities countless across multiple provinces. And Yangtze River is drying up amid the relentless heat and low rainfall threatening drinking water as well as water for crops.
Let's get right to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout who is live from Hong Kong with the latest. And Kristie, how is China coping with this, what measures are they taking to try and combat this?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well you have officials across the country right now scrambling to find ways to alleviate the effects of this prolonged and punishing heatwave. We've learned today that one city of Chongqing has suspended factory production for a week in a bid to save electricity during a power crunch during this heatwave.
We've also learned that the city of Chengdu, the subway system there is running on low power mode and there's these photos going viral on Chinese social media showing people boarding a subway in the dark.
And also, you have in the province of Hubei, officials there resorting to cloud seeding in a bid to make rain.
[04:45:00]
This is the practice where you shoot silver iodine pellets into the clouds to somehow induce rainfall. This is something that China has been doing it since the 1940s, also during the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
But for other two months now, China has been suffering baking and scorching conditions, a red alert has been issued to over 138 cities and counties across China, that means that these are areas that expect a temperature of around 104 degrees Fahrenheit or about 40 degrees Celsius. It was on Wednesday when Chinese authorities said this is a record-breaking heatwave, that this was the strongest heatwave since 1961.
I want to bring up the statement for you coming from the Chinese National Climate Center. In which it said: The heatwave this time is prolonged, it is wide in scope and strong in extremity. Taken all signs together the heatwave in China will continue and its intensity will increase -- unquote.
Christina, unfortunately, this day we have additional really devastating extreme weather news to share out of China. We've been monitoring the situation out of northwestern China where there've been landslides, there've been flash floods, as a result 16 people have died and 18 remain missing. Back to you.
MACFARLANE: Yes, that is said news to hear. Kristie there with the latest on China. Thanks very much, Kristie.
Nasa has rolled out its mega moon rocket ahead of its scheduled launch on August 29th. The launch will formally start the Artemis Moon Exploration Program, NASA's multibillion-dollar effort to return human to the moon as practice for future missions to Mars. The first mission will be unmanned.
Still to can come, in Texas just as children are going back to class, a school district has pulled dozens of books from libraries. The reasons why, next.
Plus, the new NBA schedule is out and there are some surprises in store like games played outside the U.S.
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MACFARLANE: Hi, welcome back. A Texas school district is temporarily removing and reviewing dozens of books that have been challenged in the past school year. And that includes the Bible and an illustrated adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary. CNN's Ed Lavandera explains why these books are under scrutiny.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The book banning controversy is once again swirling in the state of Texas. This time in the city of Keller which a suburb just north of Ft. Worth.
Last year the Keller School District created a community committee that essentially was allowed to review complaints and challenges from community members and parents in the school district that were complaining about various books. The committee looked at 41 different books, they were pulled off the shelves. They included a lot of books dealing with LBGTQ issues. But also included in those -- that review was the Bible, a graphic adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary, "The Bluest Eye" by acclaimed novelist Toni Morrison.
Of those 41 books, about two-thirds were allowed to be put back on the shelves or they were adjusted for more appropriate grade levels like high school or middle school depending on the book. But what has since changed, is that just the day before schools started, principals across the district were told that those 41 books had to once again be pulled off the shelves. And that including those same books that were reviewed last year.
What is sparking the change? In May a right wing Christian organization political action group helped elect three new school board members. Now this school board has adopted new policies by which books that have been challenged by parents or members of the community are reviewed. And once again, these 41 books are back under the microscope. And so, all of the principals across the district were told that those 41 books needed to be taken off the shelves. So even though this was done last year, this review process is happening once again in this Texas school district.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.
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MACFARLANE: Now good news for Lakers fans. LeBron James is staying with the Lakers and his new contract puts him in record territory. The NBA star has signed a two year $97 million extension with Los Angeles and with that deal, James is now the most paid player in league history with career earnings of $532 million. James who is entering his 20th season averaged just over 30 points a game for the Lakers last season.
And the NBA schedule for the upcoming season has been released. An opening night doubleheader will pit the defending champions Golden State Warriors against the Lakers on October 18th. And the Celtics will take on the 76ers. And there will be five games on Christmas day and two games held outside the U.S. in Mexico City and Paris.
And the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has now returned to training camp after his appendix ruptured last month. He addressed the surgery for the first time on Wednesday.
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JOE BURROW, CINCINNATI BENGALS QUARTERBACK: I didn't really feel much, just getting checked out and had some discomfort and so we thought we'd get it checked out. Turns out I had it, so we had to get it fixed. Not ideal timing obviously, but glad it happened now and not halfway through the year. It was frustrating, but you know, control what you can control. And so, we're working back to get to that point. Not quite there, but we've got three weeks left to get my strength, my speed and my athleticism back to where it was before.
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MACFARLANE: Earlier this year Burrow led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl since 1998. They open their regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 11th.
Now forget deep dish, New York style or Neapolitan, Papa John's just unveiled a whole new kind of pizza, one without a crust. That's right. The pizza chain has announced its latest menu item "Papa Bowls" that feature all the toppings of a normal pizza just minus the dough.
[04:55:03] U.S. pizza sales which saw a boom early in the pandemic are still up, but growth has been slowing. The company says by offering a new option they hope to get people excited about pizza again. And of course, boost those sales.
And in more food-related news, the Girl Scouts have announced that new cookie will be joining its 2023 lineup. The Raspberry Rally Cookie, dubbed the sister cookie to the much loved thin mints is infused with raspberry flavor and dipped in the same chocolate coating as its siblings. But the new cookies can only be purchased online. A strategy the Girl Scouts say is aimed at enhancing ecommerce and entrepreneurial skills. The Girl Scouts annual cookie season runs from January to April. I hope I can purchase some here in London.
The "Addams Family" is returning to a small screen near you and we're getting our first look at what the upcoming spinoff series Wednesday has in store.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe you be among peers who understand you. Maybe you will even make some friends.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want to take a stab at being social?
JENNA ORTEGA: I do like stabbing.
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MACFARLANE: How good does that look? That is part of the just-released trailer for the Netflix series out this fall. You saw Jenna Ortega plays the entitle character Wednesday. The Gothic like teen daughter of Gomez Adams and Morticia, a role being played by Catherine Zeta- Jones. And the series will feature eight episodes, four of them will be directed by Tim Burton.
And that does it here for CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. Do stay tuned to "EARLY START" with Christine Romans is coming up next.
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