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Growing Fears Over The Safety Of Nuclear Power Plant; Russian Troops Face New Calls To Leave Zaporizhzhia; China In The Midst Of The Worst Heat Wave In 60 Years; Russian Tanker Carrying Crude Oil Arrives In Cuban Waters; E.U.: Serbia, Kosovo Agree To Continue Crisis Talk; Ex-Trump Organization CFO Pleads Guilty to 15 Felonies; Court Records: Some Jan. 6 Rioters Using Event to Make Money; Monkeypox Outbreak; London Steps Up Polio Vaccination Campaign for Young Children; Drought Compels Israel to Pump Water into Sea of Galilee. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired August 19, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:57]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up this hour on CNN Newsroom, who's showing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine? Global concerns escalate over the risk of a nuclear disaster. He knows where the bodies are buried. The former Trump Organization senior executive Allen Weisselberg, set to testify against his old employer out of the plea deal. And cashing in on an insurrection, how some in the MAGA world are making money from those riots which rocked the nation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Day 174 of Russia's war in Ukraine and many are increasingly worried about the fate of Europe's largest nuclear power plant. Zaporizhzhia's nuclear power plant in the south of Ukraine has been under Russian control since early March. And in all that time, international inspectors have been denied access and the Ukrainian technicians who operate that facility and their families have been threatened by occupying Russian troops forced to work incredibly long hours many suffering exhaustion. It's a recipe some say for a nuclear accident.
And then there's a deadly artillery fire around the planet, which is close to the front lines. Both Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the recent shelling. CNN has verified video showing Russian military trucks inside the plant, parked near one of six nuclear reactors.
Just when this video was recorded is not known. But Ukraine accuses Russia of using the site as a shield for soldiers and military equipment as well as cover to fire on nearby towns. On Thursday, the leaders of Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N. agreed on a basic framework to allow international inspectors access to the site as quickly and as safely as possible.
Moscow says it wants inspections, but he's yet to agree to anything. After the meeting, U.N. Secretary General was blunt as he laid out his concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Military equipment and personnel should be withdrawn from the plant. Further deployment of forces or equipment to the site must be avoided. The area needs to be demilitarized and we must tell it as it is. Every potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Added to the mix fears of so-called false flag operations that would have catastrophic consequences. We have more than this now from CNN Sam Kiley.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russian propaganda has been fiercely trying to suggest that on Friday at the end of this week, there could be some kind of incident in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which could be blamed on them in some kind of false flag operation. The Ukrainians are making similar allegations against the Russians. And this is because the international community now is deeply afraid of some kind of nuclear catastrophe unfolding in what is Europe's biggest nuclear power plant. And on the ground, the tensions are no less.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KILEY (voice-over): It's an all too routine scene. A Ukrainian home destroyed by a missile. But here the lucky escape of a young couple is overshadowed by a potential catastrophe. The first Russian rocket hit the local soccer pitch and sent them scrambling into their basement safe from the second.
After what happened we jump in every sound, Andrei (ph) says. The Ukrainian authorities say that both rockets were fired by Russian troops from the grounds of a nuclear power station captured in March.
(on-camera): The International consternation over the future of the (INAUDIBLE) nuclear power station is very obvious when you stand here. And you can see the six reactors of the biggest nuclear power station in the whole of Europe. The United Nations, the international community are all reacting in horror at the mere thought that this could be at the center of fighting.
(voice-over): Ukraine blames Russia for using the nuclear plants as a fire base and insist that it's not able to shoot back for risk of blowing up the nuclear facility.
The Russian occupies shoot all the time to provoke the armed forces of Ukraine and to spread panic among the people. We understand that the power plant may explode because of their actions. I just don't understand. Maybe they just don't get it, he told us.
[01:05:08]
The United States, the United Nations and Ukraine have all called for Russia to leave the nuclear plant and for it to be demilitarized. These demands are growing in volume as the bombardment of Ukrainian towns allegedly from around the six nuclear reactors has intensified.
Andriy Tuz worked at the plant until he escaped the Russians. But then he was recaptured, he says, and tortured before being released. Now he's in hiding in Western Europe. And he says the possibility of a disaster is very high.
ANDRIY TUZ, EX-SPOKESPERSON, ZAPORIZHZHIA NPP: I would say 70 to 90 percent if we're talking about the most optimistic scenario. I'm very worried about it.
And civilians in the Russian occupied town next to the plant have been stuck in traffic jams, trying to flee a potential nuclear escalation. Ukraine's claims that it hasn't shelled the nuclear site cannot be verified. But there's no doubt that Russia has used it as a safe location to attack Ukraine from. Ukrainians have been conducting nuclear disaster drills in cities nearby. And both sides have said that some kind of incident is imminent, and could cause massive radioactive contamination, or a meltdown, a cataclysm that could be felt far beyond Ukraine, even in nearby Russia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KILEY: Now, clearly, that is the military picture but there's also very serious technical issues, not least because Russia has announced plans that it wants to try to redirect the electrical energy being produced in that plant towards illegally occupied Crimea, that is Russian territory, Russian held territory.
Now, a number of international technicians are saying if they try that, there are risks to the cooling system of the reactors and that in and of itself, could also be extremely dangerous. Sam Kiley, CNN, Zaporizhzhia.
VAUSE: Joining us now is Mariana Budjeryn, a research associate with the Project on Managing the Atom at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center. Thanks for coming back.
MARIANA BUDJERYN, HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL'S BELFER CENTER: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: OK, so a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry outlined the attacks Kyiv has been accused of carrying out and he also had added this warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVAN NECHAEV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translation): Not only Ukrainian residents may become victims of Kyiv's actions, but also citizens of many other countries in Europe. It is necessary to force the Ukrainian military units to stop shelling in order to prevent a nuclear disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: The suppose threats of the people of Ukraine and beyond seems to fit into a Russian strategy of escalate to deescalate, to try and cause concern and fear also, among Ukrainian neighbors. So this is weighing accurate. Could this -- is there is a strike on the power plant, nuclear power plant? Will it affect the neighbors, you know, in every countries? Will all of your field the immediate consequences?
BUDJERYN: Well, John, that depends, that depends what kind of strike and what kind of intensity or level of accident would be caused by it. I mean, just to go back for a minute to the Russian's spokesman's words, which echo something Medvedev, the Deputy Secretary of the Defense Council, I think in Russia, former president of Russia said. He also incidentally, a few days ago, mentioned something about oh, you know, Europe has a lot of nuclear power plants as well, in the sort of rather ambiguous way. So there seems to be a sort of strategy to emphasize and terrorize and threaten not only people of Ukraine but the international community and put some pressure there.
VAUSE: What do you make of these claims coming from both Ukraine and Russia, the false flag operation at the nuclear plant planned for some time on Friday?
BUDJERYN: Well, it is very disconcerting. One hopes their false Ukrainian intelligence agency, the Ukrainian Security Service, SBU, has warned of this false flag operation right after the Russian MOD said the very same thing blaming the Ukrainians. Again, it's hard to corroborate but it's certainly difficult to understand why Ukrainians would carry out such an attack not only on their own soil, but also risking the support of international community and its Western allies on which they rely so strongly, so significantly in carrying out there defense efforts.
VAUSE: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he feared another Chernobyl after meeting with Ukrainian president and the General Secretary of the U.N. All three are demanding U.N. nuclear inspectors be allowed access as well as a demilitarized zone around the planet. Here they are. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[01:10:06]
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): We agreed with Secretary General parameters of possible a mission at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in a legal way through the non-occupied territories.
GUTERRES: Common Sense must prevail to avoid any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant.
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We call on Russia to cease all military operations at or near Ukraine's nuclear facilities, and to return full control of the ZNPP to Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: They can make whatever demands they want, though. The bottom line is Russia controls the plant. Russia decides what happens next.
BUDJERYN: Indeed. Now, the IEA mission, I think is not really a mission impossible at this point. And I do hope that with this visit of Guterres and Erdogan that perhaps such a mission could be negotiated. But that is not the same as instituting and enforcing a demilitarized zone. And IEA mission would bring in nuclear security and safety specialists that could maybe bring technical assistance that pertains to the operation of nuclear power plant and, you know, check on the people who work there and so forth.
They're not military folks. They're not -- they can't, for instance, corroborate, you know, who's firing where and from which direction, right? Plus, as you say, Russia controls the plant so they could stage up by Chunkin (ph) village, right, they could remove the armor and the military equipment that have stage there and then return it after the mission is gone. So there's always that risk. But this is not to discount the value of the IEA mission.
VAUSE: Mariana, thanks so much for being with us. We really appreciate your insights.
BUDJERYN: Thank you.
VAUSE: Thunderstorms sweeping across Western Europe have left at least a dozen people dead. Five were killed around the French island of Corsica, 10 suffered injuries on boats mostly falling. Authorities received nearly 125 calls for help at sea.
Elsewhere in Europe, at least five were killed in Austria, two others in Italy. About 100 people evacuated from their homes in Italy's Tuscany regions (INAUDIBLE). New Zealand's Nelson region has declared a state of emergency because of mass flooding. Hundreds of homes have been evacuated on the west coast of the South Island. Nelson's mess is flooding and evacuations likely to continue to the rain eases at the end of the week. And recovery, though, could take years.
Hundreds of cities across China sweltering under extreme temperatures. China's worst heatwave in 60 years is being felt mostly in the south with temperatures in some parts have reached 40 degrees Celsius. For more, let's go to CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. So you know, it does get hot this time of year but it's a sustained heat that devastated gives up because you break it, that's probably, right?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's not only the daytime highs, but it's also the overnight lows. So they're not dropping below 28, 29 degrees Celsius. So it doesn't give people the opportunity to cool their bodies appropriately and it can be very dangerous. Take Chungqing, for instance, this is across Central China. And they have had 11 consecutive days above 40 degrees Celsius, they just clocked in 43.2 degrees Celsius yesterday, incredible amounts of heat.
The -- it doesn't like there's any kind of respite in the weather forecasts, it does look like the mercury in the thermometer starts to edge up a little bit towards Tuesday and Wednesday. Maybe perhaps by the end of next week, we start to see the temperatures go down a bit with a weak cold front that will press through. But we'll just have to hold thumbs and cross fingers for that, right.
So it's not Chongqing but there are other locations across Central China that have ranged anywhere from 7 to 10, even 12 degrees Celsius above where they should be this time of year. And this is incredible because this amount of heat has made this the longest heatwave in over six decades. So we're talking about 67 days of heatwave criteria, that's 40 degrees Celsius or higher, met at many locations across central and eastern sections of China.
Look at Wuhan, upper 30s Chongqing right through the weak 40s. And there's a scientific journal from the science advancements, talking about how -- by the year 2,100 portions of South Asia may be unfit for humans to actually survive as the likelihood of heatwave, this extreme nature continues to increase with it, John?
VAUSE: Derek, thank you. Derek Van Dam there with all those details. Appreciate that. Help is much closer for Cubans struggling to deal with energy shortages and frequent blackouts. Russian supertanker filled would arrive Thursday carrying desperately needed crude oil after a massive fire at Cuba's largest oil storage facility left the island struggling to meet energy demands.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann is our man in Havana.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A supertanker carrying Russian oil has arrived on the waters off of Cuba and what oil analysts tell us is -- has begun take place is that oil is being offloaded to smaller ships that then can bring it into ports where then it can be taken to power plants which are essentially keeping the lights on in Cuba.
[01:15:13]
There are more and more blackouts taking place. That's because there's an energy crisis on top of another energy crisis after the island's main port in Matanzas, Cuba, the only port that had the capability to accommodate a supertanker like the one that Russia has sent to Cuba was essentially taken offline after a lightning strike caused an oil tank there to explode.
Human firefighters were able to bring that blaze under control, but that facility is essentially crippled out. And so Cuban officials are dealing with the unexpected headache of how to bring in the oil that some countries like Russia are supplying to Cuba. It's not clear if they're charging money or if they're doing this to essentially buy influence in Cuba and to shore up a socialist ally, like Cuba.
But what we are seeing is increased blackouts across the island sometimes lasting several days. And people, Cubans taking the streets in a way that is rarely been seen here before. Sometimes with pots and pans to protest banging on these pots and pans to the demand the government turned back on the lights. Cuba's President Miguel Diaz- Canel has told Cubans that they should not do this, that they're essentially playing into the hands of the enemy. But as summer temperatures short here, patience is running out. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
VAUSE: A lot more here on The Newsroom. Now despite being at the center of war games and some serious military flexing by China, for many in Taiwan, it's a case of just keep calm and carry on, that story ahead. And later, we'll get to see the affidavit that led to the search of Mar-a-Lago or will be? A judge says maybe but not yet for the Trump camp and the Justice Department. What do you say about that?
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VAUSE: August has been a deadly month in Afghanistan with the highest number of civilian casualties so far this year. The U.N. Assistance Mission says 250 people have been killed or injured in the past few weeks alone, including 21 in an explosion at a mosque in Kabul on Wednesday. The death toll was initially put it three. U.N. Mission is calling on the Taliban authorities to, quote, take concrete steps to prevent all forms of terrorism in Afghanistan.
A year on, it seems the Taliban's rise to power has left the country divided. In the cities especially Kabul, there is fear of the Taliban strict Islamic laws mixed with equal parts with a longing for the return of U.S. soldiers. But in small towns and villages in Afghanistan's heartland, there is often little love for the Americans.
As CNN Clarissa Ward reports, many remember the days of the U.S. occupation as brutal and deadly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There were no tears in the Tangi Valley when U.S. forces left Afghanistan. The landscape is awash with white flags marking the graves of Taliban fighters killed in battle.
[01:20:09]
Among them is the son of Nabi Mubaras (ph).
(on-camera): This is your son?
(voice-over): He tells us he was killed during a U.S. supported Afghan Special Forces nitrate on the family home in 2019. Video of the aftermath shows the scale of the destruction. After a protracted gun battle, the house was leveled. Killing a second son of Mubaras's as well as his niece and her daughter.
There was a lot of blood spilled, a voice says off camera. The rebuild living room is now a shrine to the dead.
(on-camera): What was your reaction when American forces left a year ago?
(voice-over): I said the peace has come to Afghanistan, he says. There will be no more mothers becoming widows like our mothers and sisters who are widowed and our children killed. Across this rural Taliban stronghold, American forces were seen as invaders brought death and destruction with their nitrates and drone strikes.
Peace has brought a chance to air long held grievances at the local market were immediately surrounded. Every household had at least one fighter, this man tells us. And every house had people who were killed by the Americans and their drones. And we are proud of that.
Sheir Muhammad Hamas (ph) is treated like royalty here. His brother is believed to be responsible for downing a helicopter full of U.S. special forces.
(on-camera): So he's taking me to the spot where he says his brother shot down a Chinook (ph).
(voice-over): It was August 6, 2011. Hamas says his brother was hiding behind the trees and shot the Chinook (ph) down with an RPG as it prepared to land by the river. 30 Americans were killed. The single greatest loss of American life in the entire Afghan war.
There were a lot of celebrations and not just here, he tells us. It was a big party.
(on-camera): I'm sure you can understand that it's hard to hear that people were celebrating about the deaths of dozens of Americans.
(voice-over): This was a heroic achievement because the people who were killed on this plane, they were the killers of Osama bin Laden, he says. And Sheikh Osama is someone who was the crown on the head of Muslims. So definitely the people were happy about this.
Days later, the U.S. says it responded with a strike that killed Hamas's brother. Another white flag raised in a valley where murders were made and views hardened.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Tangi Valley, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The European Union says Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to keep talking despite making no progress at their crisis negotiations in Brussels on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEP BORRELL, E.U. HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Today meeting was not normal meeting. I don't give up. Today, that is not an agreement. But we don't give up. We need to continue discussing. We need to look for a solution. The project will continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Serbia and Kosovo are trying to reduce tensions between seeming over a very simple issue, license plates. But as Scott McLean explains, the issue is threatening to escalate to a much wider problem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, no one was expecting a full- blown normalization deal to be struck. But the E.U. mediated meeting between the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia was the last best hope to avoid a repeat of the heightened tensions and border blockades that we saw earlier this month. In just two weeks, Kosovo is set to reimplement its requirement for all cars to have license plates from Kosovo, even those owned by ethnic Serbs, many of whom don't actually recognize Kosovo's independence.
This seemingly minor change in law is seen as a provocation against the Serb minority in Kosovo. NATO, which has almost 4,000 troops in Kosovo promised to bring in even more if need be in order to keep the peace. Now, going into these latest talks with the E.U., it's hard to be optimistic. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic tweeted that, while I am hopeful for some kind of a solution, I remain skeptical.
Now the press was not invited into the meeting, but even the brief few moments the cameras were allowed to shoot, were pretty awkward. There were no handshakes between the two leaders when they entered the negotiating room, not even any eye contact, but it looks like they're both trying hard to avoid it. The meeting was supposed to have lasted two hours but the press conference after it was delayed by about four hours.
[01:25:07]
Ultimately, the E.U.'s top diplomat spoke to the press but he did not come bearing good news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORRELL: Unhappily, we did not get to an agreement today. No, sorry. But it is not the end of the story. Both leaders agreed that the process needs to continue, and the discussion will resume in the coming days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: Now, Borrell made clear that progress and compromise were pretty tough to come by in this meeting, though the two sides will keep talking in the coming days. If there is any good news, it's that they agreed to meet more regularly to try to work toward normalizing relations sometime in the future.
Scott McLean, CNN, London.
VAUSE: Taiwan has put his own military might on display in response to recent Chinese war games in the region. Taiwan's Air Force showcases anti-aircraft capabilities. China claims the self-governing Island as its own territory, has been carrying out military war games ever since several U.S. lawmakers including the House Speaker made a recent visit.
China making even more demands following the U.S. and Taiwan officially agreeing to launch trade negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WANG WENBIN, SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (through translation): We urge the U.S. side to abide by the one China principle and the provisions in the three China-U.S. joint communique with concrete actions, stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop negotiating agreements with implications of sovereignty and official nature with the Taiwan authorities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The people of Taiwan know well the ebb and flow of relations with Beijing. High ranking communist officials issuing threats often heard but rarely listened to. CNN's Blake Essig has more now reporting in from Taipei.
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Twice this month, U.S. congressional delegations, one of them led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei. Their goal to reaffirm U.S. support for Taiwan and help ease cross strait tensions. Although the U.S. delegations came and went, Beijing responded by condemning the visits and flexing its military muscle, while the people of Taiwan were left to deal with the consequences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): We kind of expected cross strait tension to be escalated because of the visit. I don't think the visits are helping Taiwan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I think it was selfish of Pelosi to visit Taiwan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Since there is the Taiwan Relations Act, maybe they are visiting to reassure us that they stand with us. I don't think they provoke China. After all, threats from China never stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ESSIG: Despite the constant threat of a forceful reunification from China, take a look around. Life here continues. The shopping district is packed, restaurants are full. And while some people are concerned, the mood here is surprisingly call.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We can't rule out the possibility of them to attack Taiwan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Being worried isn't helpful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I don't think China dares to really attack Taiwan. They're just posturing to enhance cohesion domestically.
ESSIG (on-camera): Although there's a quiet confidence that Taiwan's military would be able to hold off a Chinese invasion --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Taiwan's military has regular exercises, and I have faith in them.
ESSIG (on-camera): Before it does break out, there are many people here who say that they'll do whatever they can to help fight for their island, whether that's by taking up arms or learning to provide first aid, which is why Civil Defense courses like this are being held and why this class is full.
ENOCH WU, FOUNDER OF FORWARD ALLIANCE: There's no delusion about the fact that we face, however, will remain calm because this is the reality that we've lived under for so many years. But it's -- when I see folks turning out for events like this one, I know that while we're not running around panicked that PLA might attack tomorrow, we all know that we can do more and we must do more to help preserve the peace.
BRUCE CHEN, TAIWANESE CITIZEN (through translation): I believe the better our preparation is, the less chance to war will be because our rival will not win easily. And it is important to show them that we are prepared.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ESSIG: Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait concept that people here tell me seems more unlikely with each passing day, as tensions between China and Taiwan show no signs of improvement.
Blake Essig CNN, Taipei.
VAUSE: Who was a former senior figure within the Donald Trump world has now pleaded guilty to tax fraud. We'll talk about what that means in the Trump Organization and it could be in trouble for Donald Trump himself.
Also ahead for many, January 6 will stand as one of the darkest days in American history. But some of the insurgents on Capitol Hill it's also a way to make some cold hard cash. Those details in a moment.
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[01:32:06]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: A U.S. federal judge may unseal parts of the affidavit used to justify the FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. The battle to release the affidavit played out in a Florida court Thursday where the judge gave prosecutors a week to propose redactions. Mostly to explain why each piece of information should be kept secret.
But the Justice Department has argued to keeping the document under seal warning the FBI has already faced a surge in threats since the search. The sources named in the affidavit could face reprisals, which would hurt the prosecutor's case.
Media organizations including CNN are also seeking the search warrant records.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEANNA SHULLMAN, ATTORNEY FOR DOW JOES AND CO AND ABC: This is a proceeding that is about the credibility of all the players. So whether the judge is doing his job, whether the DOJ is doing its job. That is the proper function of these access proceedings and why the public is entitled to access. That is the public interest. We are entitled to monitor the affairs of our government at all levels. And that is the interest in this essence that we were asserting today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Trump camp repeatedly pushing for the full release of the affidavit, saying there should be no redactions. But during Thursday's hearing, Trump's lawyer made no motion for that to happen. He merely monitored the proceedings.
Now Trump and the allies are trying to claim that he had a standing order to declassify the documents taken from the Oval Office. But exclusive reporting from CNN had no less than 18 former top officials from the Trump administration have been mocking that claim.
They described it as ludicrous and ridiculous. Other terms used include "total nonsense" and BS.
Meanwhile, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization has pleaded guilty to tax fraud schemes. And as part of the deal he made with prosecutors, he's agreed to testify against Trump's real estate company at trial.
CNN's Kara Scannell has all the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, pleaded guilty to 15 felonies on Thursday, admitting to his role in a decades-long tax fraud scheme.
As part of this deal, Weisselberg has agreed to testify against the Trump Organization, a company he has worked at for more than 40 years.
The Trump Organization goes to trial in October and the Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg has said that Weisselberg's testimony will be invaluable. Also as part of this deal, Weisselberg has agreed to pay nearly $2 million in back taxes, interests and penalties. And in exchange, he will receive a five-month sentence in jail.
Now, Weisselberg will not implicate the former president at the trial. He also is not cooperating with the Manhattan district attorney's long running investigation into the Trump Organization's finances.
The Trump Organization put out a statement today, calling Weisselberg a fine and honorable man and said they look forward to going to trial in October. Back to you. (END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:34:49]
VAUSE: Areva Martin is a CNN legal analyst as well as a civil rights attorney. She is with us this hour from Los Angeles. Good to see you.
AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hi, John.
VAUSE: So clearly, Allen Weisselberg, in his role as the Trump Organization chief financial officer, he knows a lot about the Trump family business. But just how much -- that is the question.
So we are about to hear from Weisselberg's former daughter in law, Jay Goldberg is a former Trump attorney and, of course, Michael Cohen former Trump bag man. Here we go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER WEISSELBERG, FORMER DAUGHTER IN LAW OF ALLEN WEISSELBERG: It has been his life. He's always been saved by Donald.
JAY GOLDBERG, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: He knows everything about Donald next to a family member and perhaps even more than a family member. He knows everything about Donald.
MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER TRUMP BAGMAN: Everything went through Donald. You name it. Allen Weisselberg's kids payments, rent, everything would have a Donald signature on it or his initials.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In other words, he knows where all the bodies are buried. And if he's pleading guilty to it, does that mean the Trump Organization, essentially, is looking at a guilty verdict as well?
MARTIN: Well, the Trump Organization, John, as you know has been pretty adamant that these charges are bogus. They continue to say that there is no criminal liability on the part of the organization and they say they look forward to having their day in court in October when this trial actually gets started.
But given the guilty plea that was entered into by Weisselberg, given what we have heard from those around him about what he knew of the kind of criminal activity that he was involved in, I do not see a pathway for the Trump Organization to prevail at this criminal trial.
And in fact, some of the evidence that comes out in this trial, we know Weisselberg is going to testify and may give a scene to the criminal investigation to Trump and various other members of his family who were intimately involved in this organization.
VAUSE: Well that investigation, that criminal investigation was shelled back in February. The prosecutor resigned a month later and he wrote a letter to colleagues which included this line. The team that has been investigating Mr. Trump, harbors no doubt about whether he committed crimes. He did.
He planned also to charge Trump with falsifying business records which is a felony in New York State. Weisselberg's testimony, could that revive the criminal case if it is, you know, serious and egregious enough?
MARTIN: You know, it is interesting John, because when those top prosecutors resigned from the New York district attorney's office, they said the reason they were resigning was because the new D.A. that was elected basically pulled the plug on their investigation.
Now, that district attorney has disputed that. And he said that this investigation had been ongoing. And as recently as today, he maintains that the criminal investigation into Donald Trump personally and others that were high up in his organization that those investigations are still active.
So disputes between these top prosecutors, they left the office and the guy that was elected to head that district attorney's office. But it would be impossible to think that there is no investigation of Donald Trump himself when you think about Weisselberg pled guilty to and the evidence that must be available to these prosecutors.
They called Weisselberg, who at first was being adamant about, you know, not pleading guilty himself. So there must be a mountain of evidence that would implicate Donald Trump himself.
VAUSE: And Trump is also facing a legal battle over highly-classified documents which are seized by the FBI in his Florida home. Now, Trump lawyers are claiming the former president had a standing order to declassify those documents.
Kash Patel is a Trump ally. He is among those spinning this latest defense. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASH PATEL, EX CHIEF OF STAFF TO ACTING DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER TRUMP: President Trump, on multiple occasions at the White House, declassified whole sets of documents. Including I remind you and your audience, that around October of 2020 he issued a statement from the White House declassifying every document related to not just the Russia gate scandal, but also the Hillary Clinton email scandal.
So when the president says that, that's it. He's the unilateral chief. He's the commander-in-chief --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
PATEL: -- and the sole authority on classification.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: 18 Trump officials, former administration officials I should say would like to disagree. All of them said there was never a standing order, never happened, some laughed out loud, calling it nonsense. Here's the former national security adviser John Bolton on that, you know, "standing order".
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I never heard of it. Never saw it in operation. Never knew anything about it. The president never said anything to me during 17 months there. I just think it's a complete fiction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It would seem Team Trump may not have a lot of arrows in their quiver right now.
MARTIN: John, just even listening to that Trump ally trying to suggest that there is some standing order sounds completely idiotic. Basically what he's saying is every classified document, every document that contains national secrets, the highest secrets possible, you know, pertaining to the U.S. national security was somehow just declassified by Donald Trump in this broad, reaching declassification process that no one knows anything about.
And here's the problem with the argument too, John. If those documents, in fact, have been declassified then the news media, the public could have access to those documents.
[01:39:52]
MARTIN: And does the United States and someone who served as the president really want to expose, you know, national secrets, make them public not only to members, you know, in the United States but our adversaries?
That is why that argument is completely -- it's fabricated, it's idiotic and it's nonsensical from every standpoint.
VAUSE: That's a good point to finish on.
Areva, thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.
MARTIN: Thanks John.
VAUSE: Take care.
For many Americans, they feel the January 6 riot was a disgraceful part of American history and that the people involved should feel ashamed of their roles in it. But court records show some of the accused rioters are actually using it as a moneymaker.
CNN's Tom Foreman explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Who would've thought one of the darkest days of American democracy would produce such a silver lining for some. Court documents showing case after case, people charged in the January 6th attack trying to cash-in selling merchandise, hawking books and fund raising for legal and other expenses. Is that ok?
We ask Ken White, a criminal defense lawyer and former assistant U.S. attorney.
KEN WHITE, CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER: Well, there is nothing against the law about it as long as they are not getting the money by lying about what's happening.
So you are allowed to fund-raise to defend yourself. You're even allowed to make money by talking about some crime you committed.
FOREMAN: Court records of people charged surveyed by the Associated Press and confirmed by CNN found a Washington state man, who walked with the Proud Boys that day, later helping his dad sell T-shirts, baseball caps, water bottles and decals line lionizing the event.
A rapper from Virginia who was charged, nonetheless, putting out a new album with a picture of himself in the fray atop a police vehicle.
A California doctor who was sentenced to 60 days for trespassing that day has ties to an anti vax group that raised more than $400,000 claiming she was persecuted. The judge called that a disservice to the true victims.
And there was the main man who relied on a public defender then went online and raised more than $20,000 for his defense. Prosecutors would like the court to be reimbursed.
Again, none of this money making is illegal. But --
WHITE: What makes good public relations is very different THAN what makes good courtroom strategy. The smartest thing to do in court, which is almost always just to shut up.
FOREMAN: The gold rush goes beyond those charge. The Patriot Freedom Project has been seeking to raise hundreds of thousands online in the name of helping defendants and their families.
CYNTHIA HUGHES, PATRIO FREEDOM PROJECT: We need somebody to drop us $500,000 today. Today, Steve. Because we need to have our own attorneys on these cases.
FOREMAN: And while some giggled at right wing firebrand Senator Josh Hawley, running from the fray, he started selling coffee mugs of a different moment that day, laughing all the way to the bank.
REP. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): Thank you for all the help with my fund raising. It's been tremendous.
FOREMAN: Part of the problem for Trump's legal team is just this. While he can make wild and outlandish claims with no proof whatsoever, that is a riskier endeavor when it's done in court. The consequences can be different too.
Tom Foreman, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: I have an update now on the upcoming presidential election in Brazil. The former president, Lula Da Silva is leading in the latest poll with 47 percent. That is 15 points ahead of the sitting president Jair Bolsonaro. He is up three points a month after increasing funding for a program which has financial help for the poorest civilian.
When we come back monkeypox spreading around the world. Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM -- how U.S. officials are increasing the availability of vaccinations for those at risk.
And a viral enemy along thought eradicated turning up in London's wastewater. How health officials there are scrambling to vaccinate the youngest and most vulnerable.
[01:43:52]
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VAUSE: The monkeypox virus continues to spread around the world. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, there are now more than 40,000 infections globally.
Monkeypox can be transmitted by any close contact, but it's spreading disproportionately among men who have sex with men.
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky breaks down the numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: Monkeypox case data reported to the CDC, showed that 98 percent of cases are occurring in men. Of the more than 6,000 cases for which we have data on race and ethnicity, nearly 35 percent of cases are occurring among those who are white, 33 percent of cases are occurring among those who are Hispanic, and nearly 28 percent are occurring among those who are black.
The median age of cases is 35, and among cases with known recent sexual history and gender, 93 percent of cases were among men who recorded recent sexual contact with other men.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The U.S. is ramping up efforts to increase monkeypox vaccinations boosting supply by nearly 2 million doses. CNN asked White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, why it didn't happen sooner?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE MEDICAL ADVISER: It should have been done earlier, but if you look forward now about where we are. It's true that early on, when the strategy went from a post exposure prophylaxis, which means giving the vaccine around the people who have been definitely exposed to someone with a documented case.
When that shifted to what's called pre-exposure prophylaxis, namely vaccinating people for just that risk who may not have had a documented exposure to someone. That increased dramatically the demand for vaccines, which took a little bit to catch up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: London is the latest to make the list of cities where the polio virus has been detected in waste water. That sent health officials scrambling to get the most vulnerable vaccinated.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a disease once eradicated from the U.K. But after decades of zero cases, polio appears to be spreading again.
A total of 116 instances of the virus were identified in 19 sewage samples collected in London between February and July this year, officials say. No cases of the virus have been reported in the U.K. so far, and the risk to the public is considered low.
But Dr. Natalie Rout says officials have good reason for concern.
DR. NATALI ROUT, It's come as quite a surprise that we've seen so many cases identified in sewage, which suggests that there may be some transmission between people.
ABDELAZIZ: In response, the U.K. announced a vaccination drive for children aged 1 to 9 in London.
DR. ROUT: There are many children who haven't had their usual course of immunizations, which is why there is a real concern that that opens up people to potentially contracting polio.
ABDELAZIZ: Polio was once one of the world's most feared diseases, striking children younger five the hardest, the worst form of the virus can lead to permanent paralysis.
There is no cure for polio, vaccination is the only prevention.
Polio was first detected in sewage samples from this facility. Afterwards, more samples are taken from other sewage facilities across London and more polio was found. What's concerning for officials is that these areas, these neighborhoods have lower vaccination rates.
In London, nearly 14 percent of infants under 12 months have not received a primary course of polio immunization. This shortfall is significant says Professor David Heymann.
Is this an over reaction in any way by public health officials?
[01:49:55]
PROFESSOR DAVID HEYMANN, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT: Absolutely not, this is what needs to be done in all countries because we live in a world where people travel very much, and can carry infections with them. ABDELAZIZ: But with vaccine hesitancy and fatigue soaring, doctors
will face a challenge.
DR. ROUT: There's a real drive for us to reach the communities where vaccination isn't really done, isn't really encouraged. And just try to look (ph) back a little bit about why vaccination is important.
ABDELAZIZ: The government aims to complete the polio vaccine drive by September 26th, a major feat for an overstretched health service. But it says a necessary response to protect the city's youngest.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The Sea of Galilee has long been a source of inspiration and hydration for the people of Israel but climate change is putting all of that at risk. Ahead the unprecedented steps Israel is taking to save the city (INAUDIBLE).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: State media in Algeria is reporting the death toll from wildfires has risen to at least 37, more than 180 hurt. 2,600 hectares of land has burned in the country's mountainous region in the East. The interior minister says all means are being used to fight the flames from the ground and the air, including helicopters flown by the Algerian Air Force.
2,000 years ago, Christians believed Jesus performed one of his most famous miracles, walking on water across the Sea of Galilee.
In recent years, water levels had fallen to levels so low there was no need for miracles to walk across what is actually a freshwater lake.
Right now though, after two winters with little rain, water levels have recovered and then some. But with climate change bringing drought and soaring temperatures, a massive Israeli project is underway to pump desalinated water back into the Sea of Galilee.
Hadas Gold explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. This ancient place of pilgrimage has been sustaining life for thousands of years. But recent times have seen this freshwater lake shrinking to historically low levels, forcing the government to act, by leveraging the country's expertise in water technology.
This is part of the Ashdod water desalination plant, one of five such plants along the coast of Israel. After the sea water is pumped through the desalination process, the sweet water is held here in this 100,000 cubic meter reservoir, the water under this tarp I'm standing on right now. For decades now, Israel has taken seawater from the Mediterranean, and
treated it with a process called reverse osmosis, providing nearly all of the countries tap water.
From Ashdod, a pipeline pumps water from all the desalination plants north, to Israel's main water filtration facility near Haifa. From there a new 31 kilometer pipe is being made eastward to connect via stream with the Sea of Galilee.
The end is in sight, the $264 million project is due to be completed by next year.
NOAM SHOA, ENGINEERING DESIGN MANAGER, MOROKOT: It sounded like a strange proposition from the beginning, but very soon we understood the value it has. The (INAUDIBLE) and also it contributes to other challenges such as global warming, development of agriculture in the entire Sea of Galilee region, and also with our neighbors, the kingdom of Jordan here.
[01:54:54]
SHOA: This is another part of the solution that will help us maintain the provision of water through the kingdom of Jordan, as part of the existing treaties.
GOLD: This 1.6 meter wide pipe will be able to carry 120 million cubic meters of water per year. But only what's needed to replenish the lakes will be released at any time.
SHOA: The uniqueness of this project is that it gives us almost infinite flexibility. If you look at the system from end to end, we can basically take the water where it is available, leave desalinated water in the center of Israel and just divert it and transport it to wherever it is needed.
GOLD: The desalinated water will end up here at the Sea of Galilee. Now, this lake used to pump out the vast majority of Israel's drinking water. But now the water will be flowing in the opposite direction.
The need to do things radically differently was driven home to authorities by the most recent five year long drought which ended in 2018.
DR. GIDEON GAL, DIRECTOR, KINNERET LIMNOLOGICAL LABORATORY: They looked at what happened on the five-year drought conditions when the lake bed was really low. They looked at the future of climate change and what's going to happen with rainfall in this area.
And also looked at, you know, the increase in population, and projected increase in the demand of water. And realize that 30 to 40 years from now there's going to be a serious problem in maintaining the lake level in the lake and maintaining water quality.
GOLD: As the concerns about what non native water could do to the lake's ecosystem, research so far suggests it won't make much of a difference and may actually help the lake fight the effects of climate change by increasing the turnover rate of the water, and cooling it down.
SHOA: The risk of introducing desalinated water is a risk that is worthwhile taking, as long as a certain quantity and we don't talk about huge quantities of water.
GOLD: It's a scientifically uncomfortable and unprecedented step Dr. Gal says he wishes they didn't have to take but one hen the realities of climate change is forcing upon them.
Hadas Gold, CNN -- the Sea of Galilee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: These are happy days for archaeologists in Spain. A record long drought has sent water levels plummeting, and that has revealed -- a prehistoric stone normally submerged under water. It's been dubbed the Spanish Stonehenge. It's believed to date back to 5,000 B.C.
Archaeologists are taking advantage of this rare opportunity of climate change and drought, to study the circle before it gets submerged again. Maybe they'll have a lot of time thought.
It was first discovered back in 1926, before the area was flooded decades later. Since then, it's only become fully visible four times. How about that?
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my colleague and friend Kim Brunhuber.
Have a great weekend. See you back here on Monday.
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