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Judge: DOJ Has "Compelling Reason" To Keep Some Details Secret; Appeals Court Temporarily Pauses Oder Requiring Sen. Graham To Appear Before GA Grand Jury; Biden Admin Launching New Monkeypox Vaccine Program At Multiple LGBTQ Events; Study: Advanced Cervical Cancer On The Rise; Will & Kate To Leave London To Give Children "Normal" Life. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired August 22, 2022 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:31:51]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: The federal judge who approved the FBI's Mar-a-Lago search warrant is now weighing in on the legal fight over releasing the affidavit that led to the search two weeks ago.
Prosecutors want key details to stay under seal. And in an order this morning, the judge agreed that the Justice Department, quote, "has a compelling reason not to publicize that information."
But he also reiterated his opposition to keeping the full affidavit secret, so the DOJ has to propose redactions by Thursday.
CNN legal analyst, Elliot Williams, joins me now.
Elliot, good to see you, my friend.
Based on today's order, do you see the judge giving prosecutors the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the redactions that they do submit?
ELLIOT WILIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST; He really is. And it seemed like, Brianna, he really should.
What the judge is saying is that, look, there might be some way that the document can be redacted in a way that's, quote, "in the public interest." That's the standard.
Will the public be served in the document put out but in a manner that doesn't reveal secret information for law enforcement or the people being investigated, and so on? That is a narrow, narrow needle to thread.
And we'll just have to see where they land with the Justice Department and whether they and the judge can agree on it. So we'll see.
GOLODRYGA: So that's the DOJ side. Let's turn to Trump. He and his allies are pushing for the affidavit to be unsealed.
But the judge today points out they have yet to file a motion in court to that effect.
So help us make sense of this. It appears that we're seeing a public side to this story and one quite different in court.
WILLIAMS: I think that's exactly it. It's sort of a public side -- it's like a political side but also a legal side.
Look, the president isn't actually a party to this proceeding. At the end of the day, the defendant -- it's really a question of the judge unsealing a document with input from the Justice Department.
Other parties like news -- CNN for one has weighed in saying that the release of this would be in the public interest.
But at the end of the day, this is between the judge and the Justice Department.
It's an interesting question as to what interest the former president has in seeing this released.
Because, number one, what this will lay out is investigative tactics suggesting evidence of crimes committed at Mar-a-Lago.
Number two, Mar-a-Lago is a sensitive location. It's a Secret Service protected site. And revealing some of that information could jeopardize the safety of the president himself.
So there's many -- it's sort of perplexing why they haven't weighed in and what their actual position is. Some of that might be revealed over the course of the week as the judge weighs it.
GOLODRYGA: Just a reminder of how unprecedented all of this is, Elliot, since we have you here, let's go from Florida to the other investigation in Fulton County, Georgia, into election interference there.
We know that Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was ordered to appear before the grand jury and yesterday an appeals court paused that order.
Explain what we can expect to see happen next now.
WILLIAMS: OK. So at issues is what's called the speech or debate clause of the United States Constitution. It protects members of Congress from being sued in effect over things that they do when carrying out their jobs as members of Congress.
[13:35:06]
And that's actually a very good thing. You don't want your member of Congress, no matter who they are, being sued if they're just doing their job.
Now, of course, members of Congress stretch that beyond its normal definition and try to pull in other activities that aren't just being a member of Congress in the speech or debate clause protection. Now, there's an open question as to whether Senator Graham was acting
in his capacity as a Senator or engaged in a form political activity.
The appeals court -- and I should note, I clerked for one of the judges on the court that wrote this opinion.
The appeals court said, you know what, let's send this back down to another judge to see if there's some things Senator Graham can testify about or maybe not if they have to carve it up a little bit.
GOLODRYGA: Are they sending it back down to the original judge who said he has to appear or to a different judge?
WILLIAMS: No. They're sending it back to a judge that has already suggested skepticism, to put it charitably, about Senator Graham's position here.
My guess is what the judge does is say there are a few questions that Senator Graham doesn't have to answer. But for the most part, this was political activity and he's got to come in and testify.
I'd be stunned if that judge, who's already weighed in on this, quite forcefully, if she were to now say that he didn't have to testify.
So I think what the appeals court -- and this is very common for appeals courts to look at something and just send it back down for a little bit more clarity, even if largely the same answer is going to come out of the lower court.
GOLODRYGA: In the meantime, it will buy Senator Graham at least some more time, right?
WILLIAMS: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: Elliot Williams, thank you.
WILLIAMS: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: OK, cases of advanced cervical cancer are on the rise here in the United States, but why? And can we do anything about that?
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[13:41:50]
GOLODRYGA: Starting today, 1.8 million additional doses of the monkeypox vaccine are available to order for states and localities. And it can't come soon enough. Monkeypox has been identified in all 50 states.
The surge coincides with the Biden administration program to get 50,000 extra doses to LGBTQ events. That effort kicked off at the Charlotte Pride festival over the weekend.
CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live in Charlotte.
So, Dianne, how did that vaccine drive go this weekend?
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, Bianna, this was an excellent advancement for Mecklenburg County Public Health in their quest to essentially stop monkeypox here in this area.
The Charlotte area has the highest number of cases in the state of North Carolina, nearly 40 percent of the state's cases.
I do want to be clear about one thing, monkeypox isn't a sexually transmitted infection. Anyone can get it from close contact with a person who has monkeypox.
But men who have sex with men and transgender people are the majority of cases of monkeypox right now.
And that's the idea behind the Biden administration's pilot program that launched here in Charlotte, to essentially meet people where they are, to bring these extra doses of the monkeypox vaccine to large LGBTQ-centered events like Pride.
So there's easy access without appointments to the vaccine and for visitors who are coming into this area.
Look, the idea was praised by some who got the vaccine.
But others say that it's not going to be as simple to just show up somewhere and expect to reach out to everyone in the community, especially brown men who have sex with transgender people who are at most risk right now and most affected.
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ABE GADIKIAN, CHARLOTTE PRIDE ATTENDEE: Doing an event like this and having people reaching out and telling people where to get it, when to get it, especially that they can get it right now, you don't have to make an appointment, made it very easy.
MIGUEL FULLER, CHARLOTTE PRIDE ATTENDEE: You can't just like put something on social media and say, all right, we've done it.
They need to go to the bars, to the clubs individually, like find the taste makers in those communities to get the information out so they can disseminate it out to the community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: Look, there are also pushes for education about monkeypox and monkeypox vaccinations at the Charlotte Pride event in cooperation with federal officials.
Bianna, look, when talking to the people here, the health department said we appreciate those extra vaccines but we're going to need more vaccines just for our residents once we've gotten through this Pride festival week.
GOLODRYGA: Nonetheless, it's still encouraging to see those that attended the event took up the offer for a free vaccine.
Dianne Gallagher, thank you.
One of the deadliest forms of cervical cancer appears to be on the rise in the U.S. A new study finding that stage four cases are increasing. At that stage, only 17 percent of patients will live past five years.
CNN health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, joins us now.
Jacqueline, what more can we learn from this study?
[13:45:02]
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Bianna, the study certainly suggests that since we're seeing an increase in advanced stage cervical cancer, it suggests that we're diagnosing cervical cancer at a late stage because we're also seeing a decline in early-stage cervical cancer. So that's really the takeaway here.
And what the researchers did, they looked at data from the year 2001 to 2018, looking at the incidents of stage four cervical cancer in the U.S. They found a 1.3 percent increase in the annual rate of stage four cervical cancer each year.
And the researchers found the biggest increase among white women in the south. That increase among that demographic was 4.5 percent each year.
But the researchers said that the data also suggests that still black women are more likely to be diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer.
You see the rates here among black women. The rate was 1.55 cases for every 100,000 persons. Among white women it was 0.92 cases per 100,000 people.
And the takeaway, Brianna, the researchers said they think we're seeing this increase in late-stage cervical cancer because we're seeing young women getting screened less.
We really, as women, need to maintain our pap tests and continue cervical cancer screening.
The researchers also pointed out there are low HPV vaccination rates in certain demographics where the increase is highest. We all know that HPV virus is associated with cervical cancer.
So those are two takeaways, Brianna, for women, for us to keep up with our cervical screening, And if you're not vaccinated and you're eligible, get your HPV vaccine.
GOLODRYGA: And what's alarming, that range is from 2001 to 2018 so you can't even say that was during the pandemic.
HOWARD: Exactly.
GOLODRYGA: I wonder if that will increase over the last couple of years.
Jacqueline Howard, thank you for making us aware of this. We appreciate it.
More big health news today. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, and President Biden's chief medical advisor, has announced that he'll step down from his several posts in December.
He says in a statement, "While I am moving on from my current positions, I am not retiring. After more than 50 years of government service, I plan to pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field."
:I want to use what I have learned at NIAID director to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats."
He's not retiring at 81 years old.
GOLODRYGA: Well, a royal source tells CNN that the duke and duchess of Cambridge want to give their children a, quote, " normal life." So how will they do that? More on that up ahead.
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[13:52:18]
GOLODRYGA: Teachers in Ohio's largest school district are walking the picket line just days before school is scheduled to start. Members of the Columbus Education Association went on strike this morning after rejecting the school board's latest offer last night.
The union says the disagreement is over learning conditions, including class size and heating and air-conditioning in classrooms. School is set to start Wednesday.
The school district's Web site says classes will be taught by substitutes and will be entirely online. And New York City welcomes 140 asylum seekers from Texas. It was the large et single-day arrival so far, according to city officials.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed thousands of migrants to be bussed to New York and Washington, D.C., to protest the Biden Administration's immigration policy.
Volunteers were on hand to help the migrants as they arrived yesterday, providing food, water and clothing. The city is also providing legal assistance.
And as grueling drought conditions and heat waves grip several parts of the world, some incredible discoveries are being made as massive bodies of water dry up.
In China, low water levels in the shrinking Gangtze River have revealed a trio of Buddhist statues believed to be 600 years old. One depicts a monk sitting on a lotus pedestal. China is battling one of the worst heat waves in more than 60 years.
In Spain, a ministerial stone circle, dubbed Spanish Stonehenge, has now fully emerged from a receding reservoir.
The grouping of heavy boulders is believed to date back to 5,000 B.C. It was first discovered about 100 years ago.
But now is fully visible as Spain battles one of its worst droughts in decades.
And along the Danube River in eastern Siberia, more than 21 warships have now been exposed in the Danube. Experts say the German ships sunk during World War II and some still contain active ammunition.
Finally, a big royal move, literally. A source telling CNN the duke and duchess of Cambridge are leaving London in an attempt to give their kids a, quote, "normal live." Who could blame them?
Max Foster is at our London bureau.
Max, what more can you tell us?
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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: In royalty, this is pretty unprecedented. The heir to the throne and duchess of Cambridge are taking their children out of heir schools in London, out of Kensington Palace, it's many rooms and many members of staff.
And they're moving into a four-bedroom cottage in the rolling hills of the queen's Windsor estate.
They're going to sign their children into a new school, Lambrook School, a prestigious fee-paying school nearby. And they say they want to be hands-on, involved parents.
This is a lifestyle change in many ways for them. They won't have any live-in staff. They will have access to the wider rural estate staff. But this is a big change for them. It does signify how they want to carry their royal lives forward.
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According to a source I spoke to, they just want their family to have as normal a life as possible.
Max Foster, CNN, London.
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GOLODRYGA: They'll be closer to their great grandmother, the queen, as well.
And finally, today, a quick programming note. Wolf Blitzer takes you inside the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum this Friday. Hear stories from survivors, like his own father, and a witness to history that must be remembered.
"NEVER AGAIN" airs Friday night at 11:00 on CNN. You don't want to miss that.
Well, that does it for me. I'll see you right back here tomorrow.
Until then, don't go anywhere. The news continues right after this quick break.
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