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Daughter of Vladimir Putin's Ally Killed in a Blast; Russia Blames Ukraine for Darya Dugina's Death; Liz Cheney Promise No to Donald Trump's Second Term; American People Favors Continuing January 6 Investigation; Sen. Lindsey Graham Free of Testifying for Now; Prime Minister Imran Khan Under Terrorist Act Investigation; Al-Shabaab Attacks Again in Somalia. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 22, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom, and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, Russia's murder investigation into the car bomb that killed the daughter of the man who has been called Vladimir Putin's brain. Who she was and the reaction just ahead.

Plus, another U.S. official is in Taiwan to strengthen ties with the island despite China's warnings to stay out. We will bring you the story of the farmers caught in the middle of the geopolitics.

And Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan is under investigation to see if he violated anti-terror laws. We will have a live report from Islamabad.

UNKNOWN: Live from center, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us.

Investigators in Russia say they are working to find out who is responsible for a car bomb near Moscow that killed the daughter of a prominent supporter of President Vladimir Putin. The Russian investigative committee believes that someone ordered and planned the weekend blast.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is following all the developments from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A car ingulfed in a massive fireball on a highway outside Moscow, police say the vehicle exploded and then crashed. The driver dead on the scene. That driver was Darya Dugina, a well-known commentator and supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine who was sanctioned by the United States and by the U.K. She was also the daughter of prominent right-wing idealogue Alexander

Dugin, who promotes Russian expansionism. According to Russian state media, an explosive device detonated on Saturday night, setting the vehicle on fire. Russia has opened a criminal investigation; the investigative committee says they believe Dugina was murdered.

Taking into account the data already obtained the investigation believes the crime was preplanned and of an ordered nature a statement said. While forensic work continues, the foreign ministry implied that Ukraine maybe behind the attack. If the Ukrainian trace is concerned, foreign ministry spokeswomen Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram, then we should talk about the policy of state terrorism implemented by the Kyiv regime. The Ukrainians deny any involvement.

MYKHAILO PODOLIAK, ADVISER TO THE HEAD OF THE OFFICE OF THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I emphasize that Ukraine definitely has nothing to do with this. Because we are not a criminal state which the Russian federation is and even more so, we are not a terrorist state.

PLEITGEN: But some in Russia believe Darya Dugina wasn't the actual target of the explosion, but rather her father. Alexander Dugin, also sanctioned by the U.S. remains highly influential in Russia as he calls for the annexation of large parts of Ukraine. And ultraconservative philosopher and TV personality with roots in the orthodox church, he is a champion of Russian expansionism, some claiming he may have influenced Vladimir Putin's decision to further invade Ukraine.

In 2014, Dugin said that Russia must, quote, "kill, kill, and kill the people running Ukraine and that there should be no more discussion." Darya Dugina was 29 years old when she was killed. Russian investigator say that they are frantically working to find those responsible.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Let us bring in CNN's Scott McLean, he joins us live from London. So, Scott, what more are you learning about this deadly car bombing and of course the murder investigation?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary, look, as you heard there in Fred's piece, there's plenty of speculation within Russia that it was Alexander Dugin who may have been the actual target. One of the people who is making that accusation is a family friend named Andrey Krasnov who said that it was Dugin's vehicle, this Toyota land cruiser that was being driven by his daughter Darya at the time of the blast.

Both had been at this festival called Traditions in a small town or village about 50 kilometers or so outside of Moscow but they head driven separately. And so, just a few kilometers down the road from where the festival was taking place was the main highway, she would've turned on to go back to Moscow and that is the moment we're told that that explosion actually took place.

[03:05:04]

Obviously, if it took place in the parking lot of that festival, the consequences in terms of human lives would have been a lot worse. Now, according to investigators, we are getting new information here, the bomb was actually placed underneath of this land cruiser on the driver side. There was about 400 grams or so of TNT according to investigators that were used inside of that bomb.

Now, to be clear, there's no indication as to who was behind this. But you heard in Fred's piece again that the blame game has already begun. The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, you heard her say there, that mentioned the Ukrainian trace, that actually originated from the head of the Donetsk people's republic. This breakaway region of occupied Ukraine, who suggested that without evidence that it was the Ukrainians who may have been behind this.

The Ukrainian denial is also notable here because a, it was swift, and b, in the past when they've been explosions, unexplained explosions inside of Russian territory, often at military points, the Ukrainians have not claimed responsibility for those. In fact, they not even likely to acknowledge them at all.

So, this is for sure is notable. Adam Schiff, the chair of the U.S. House intelligence committee he was also asked about this and he said he hasn't been briefed, so he doesn't have special knowledge as to who may or may not have been behind this. But he suggested that there's plenty of factions within Russia that easily could have been responsible. He also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Anything is possible. I certainly hope that if it was an attack on either one of those people, that it was an internal Russian affair and it wasn't something emanating from Ukraine. We have seen terrible war crimes by Russia against Ukraine. And Russia should be held accountable. I certainly would never want to see anything like an attack on civilians by Ukraine. And hope that their reportations are correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: One other thing to mention, Rosemary, and this could be a total coincidence but it's worth mentioning. This explosion took place on Saturday. Saturday evening, that is two years to the day that prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned.

CHURCH: All right. Scott McLean, joining us live from London, many thanks for that.

A U.S. federal appeals court says Senator Lindsey Graham doesn't have to testify for now before a grand jury investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Graham's attorneys say he called Georgia election officials as part of his duties as the then chair of the senate judiciary committee and it was only to discuss the process of counting absentee ballots.

Graham is among a handful of key Trump allies the grand jury has subpoenaed. Meantime, a vocal Republican critic of Donald Trump says she has no regrets sacrificing her political career to defend democracy against the former president. U.S. Representative Liz Cheney is just days removed from a crushing defeat in her reelection bid in Wyoming.

She became a top target of Trump and his supporters after voting for his impeachment. And now serving as the vice chair of the January 6 committee. Cheney told ABC News her greater concern is the direction the Republican party is taking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): No regrets. You know, I feel -- I feel sad about where my party is. I feel sad about the way that too many of my colleagues have responded to what I think is a great moral test and challenge of our time. A great, a great moment to determine whether or not people are going to stand up on behalf of the democracy and on behalf of our republic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Cheney went on to say that she is now focused on keeping Donald Trump out of the White House. Meanwhile, a majority of U.S. voters say the various ongoing investigations into alleged wrongdoing by Donald Trump should continue. According to a new NBC poll, nearly six in 10 voters back the investigations. This poll was conducted following the FBI's search of Trump's Florida home.

Joining me now is Jessica Levinson, she is a professor of law at Loyola University and host of the podcast Passing Judgment. Always good to have you with us.

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Good to be here.

CHURCH: So that NBC News poll we just mentioned found 57 percent of registered voters want investigations into former President Donald Trump to continue. Compared to 40 percent who do not. And one of those investigations is the Georgia election meddling probe. But, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who was set to testify this week in relation to that investigation was granted a temporary reprieve by an appeals court Sunday.

[03:10:03]

So, what could this mean potentially?

LEVINSON: A delay of potentially months at least for Senator Graham's testimony. It's interesting when people ask me where do I think the former president could have the most immediate legal exposure, meaning when could he be indicted the soonest when it comes to all these investigations. I've always pointed to Georgia. Because in that case, we have a phone call, we have evidence, we have

witnessed testimony. And it's pretty clear I think to all of us when we hear that phone call, where he says just find me almost 12,000 votes what he is asking for.

Now Lindsey Graham was part of that story. And what he has said is, I don't have to testify, I have total immunity from a subpoena because of the speech and debate clause. Which basically protects sitting lawmakers from being subject to subpoenas for issues that fall within their legislative duties.

This has gone up and down above -- excuse me, up and down between the trial court, and court of appeals. But what the court of appeals said is, go back to the trial court and try to figure out if some of this information is covered by the speech and debate clause and some of is not. The bottom line here is, it's not great for the investigation because this could take, as I said, months.

CHURCH: Right. And top Republicans are demanding the release of the affidavit that authorize the recent search at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, but it will need to be redacted before it's released and the Department of Justice is preparing for the hearing with a Florida magistrate this week on what can and can't go public.

What will they likely decide and if it's too heavily redacted, could that run the risk of fueling more conspiracy theories?

LEVINSON: Well, I think that there are going to be conspiracy theories unfortunately either way. But yes, if we see just enough information so that basically everything is open to interpretation, it could absolutely lead to even more disinformation.

Now, what's interesting is, as you mentioned, a lot of Republicans are calling for the release of the affidavit. But the former president, while he is called for the release outside of court, he did not join the media organizations and saying, let's release this affidavit. So, it does matter what you say out of court as opposed to in court.

In terms of what the judge is going to look at here, the Department of Justice has been ask to go, basically line by line anything they need to redact, explain why to the judge. The judge will then determine, OK, it is within a national security interest. Or, yes, this is legitimate to protect witnesses, or to protect a roadmap for the investigation.

At that point, it's probably not over. This is an order that can be appealed to the chief judge in that district. And so, it could take a while before we have an answer on what's redacted and what isn't. And frankly, if we see anything other than the words, and, the, and, or.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed. And while all of this is happening, Donald Trump is struggling to retain and hire top tier lawyers. What is the significance of this?

LEVINSON: So, I think that a lot of people in the Republican establishment and in the legal establishment have seen that there are serious -- this is going to be an understatement, but client control issues when it comes to the former president. Now I think he will retain counsel.

But let's remember that counsel also has official duties so that they can't rep -- misrepresent to the court. And they have to only say basically what's true. They can't make things up. And that's part of the reason why, particularly when you and I talked about the post- election litigation. I said, focus on what the former president and his representatives say outside of court, versus what they say in court and under oath. I think people will look at the former president as a potential client. And again, they see some serious client control issues there.

CHURCH: And while Republicans are doubling down on conspiracy theories, the Democrats are racking up some legislative and policy wins, as fuel prices drop and employment number strengthen. But Joe Biden's approval rating is still low, around 42 percent or so. So, what might this mean for the midterm elections, do you think?

LEVINSON: So, we're having this conversation in August. I think the answer is, if the midterms were held right now, then Joe Biden doesn't have particularly big coattails. There's still about three months. And I think the last two things you mentioned are probably the most significant. It's the economy, right? It's fuel prices. It's not really fair because presidents don't control the economy. There are so many factors that go into this.

But I think if people are paying less at the gas pump, less at the grocery store, less for all their basic goods and services, that's going to be better for the party power, which are the Democrats.

[03:15:04]

If there's some major bombshell when it comes to the January 6 committee, I don't actually know if that moves the needle that much. I think that's where we are in American politics today.

CHURCH: All right. Jessica Levinson, always great to get your analysis. Many thanks.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: And just ahead, Pakistan's former prime minister is under investigation under an anti-terrorism law. We will have a live report from Islamabad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan is being investigated under an anti-terrorism law.

CNN's Sophia Saifi joins us now from Islamabad with more on this. So, Sophia, what's going on with this investigation, and what are the potential ramifications for Imran Khan?

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Rosemary, it's been a very early morning for all of us here in Islamabad because as late on Sunday night, there was a first information report filed by the Islamabad capitol police charge -- not charging but investigating Imran Khan on the fact on anti-terrorism laws.

[03:20:05]

Basically, there was a rally on Saturday night which Imran Khan had spontaneously taken out in the capital of Islamabad in support of his aide Shahbaz Gill who has been under police custody since June -- since the 9th of August. Now during the speech that he made on that rally on Saturday night, Khan stated that he would take action against the chief of police, as well as the female magistrate involved in the Shahbaz Gill case who is the former chief of staff for Imran Khan when he was the prime minister.

Those are the statements that Pakistan's interior minister Rana Sanaullah has said are inflammatory and invoking terrorism. There was a huge outpour of support when this news came to a head late last night. Many supporters came out to Bani Gala which is a suburb in the capital of Islamabad where Imran Khan lives in support of him.

We saw people come out in the streets in Karachi as well, which is the largest most populous city of Pakistan where Khan also enjoys a lot of support. This is the political crisis that has been brewing in Pakistan since April of 2022. Earlier this year when Khan was removed in a una -- in a vote of no confidence. It is a situation where we've seen Imran Khan use very strong political rhetoric.

And while there has been an anti- arrest bail filed for Khan, we just have to wait and see how this plays out today in the capital. Rosemary?

CHURCH: (AUDIO GAP) Saifi bringing us up to date on that situation, many thanks.

In Somalia, emergency crews are sifting through the rubble of what was once an upscale hotel. They are searching for any remaining explosives after security forces ended a 30-hour standoff with Al-Shabaab militants on Sunday. At least 21 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the Hyatt Hotel attack.

CNN's Larry Madowo is following this story for us. He joins us live from Nairobi, Kenya. So, Larry, what more are you learning about this deadly siege?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, we know the actual death toll from this could still rise. Because as you mentioned, authorities are sifting through the debris to see if there are bodies buried under the rubble. This is an ordeal that lasted more than 30 hours and gripped the nation, because it reminded Somalia of the terror of Al- Shabaab.

They might have been driven from the capital of Mogadishu in 2011, but they control still large parts of southern and central Somalia. And that is why the U.S. has been carrying out air strikes in recent weeks against this group targeting fighters. The most recent attack happening about a week ago an air strike by the U.S. killed about 13 fighters.

But this is an organization that has been described by one senior U.S. official has Al-Qaeda's largest global affiliate. The U.S. Africa command estimates that it has between five and 10,000 fighters in Somalia. It is a potent threat and this was a sign that it can still yet do more damage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MADOWO: It lasted more than 30 hours an attack by Al-Shabaab that has been described as one of the longest hotel sieges for the Al-Qaeda- linked terror group in Somalia in over a decade. And there are signs all around the Hyatt hotel in Mogadishu of just how intense and prolonged the battle was.

Police say that it began on Friday night when militants blasted their way into the building, shooting civilians as they tried to escape. Witnesses saying the attackers barricaded themselves inside and blew up the stairs in order to trap some people on upper floors.

Hour by hour, fierce gun battles erupted between the insurgents and elite armed forces who eventually regain control of the hotel. Authorities say that more than 100 people were rescued, but one Somali police commander says it was hard fighting.

He says, it is shocking that innocent people lost their lives here. And adds, security forces were engaged in rescuing people one by one and in groups. Police say the hotel is badly damaged. And they are sweeping the debris for explosives that were left around the hotel. And they say that they are still counting the dead, as some relatives may have buried their loved ones instead of taking them to the hospitals.

But the attack in the heart of the country's capital just months after Somalia's new president was elected shows just how dangerous Al- Shabaab is and how difficult it will be to defeat them as the Somali government has promised to do.

[03:25:05]

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MADOWO: The new Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud promised when he took over power and even during his campaign that he would neutralize the terror group and that attack appears to have been a direct message to him that Al-Shabaab is still here to stay. They have carried out attacks all across Somalia and even here in Kenya, at a mall at a university, at a hotel complex.

Back in May, the U.S. President Joe Biden re-authorize the redeployment of U.S. troops in Somalia, about 500. This reversed the decision by President Trump back at the end of 2020 to withdraw all U.S. troops there, because the U.S. considers Al-Shabaab a serious threat and that is why U.S. troops are back on the ground fighting Al- Shabaab and supporting the Somali military. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Larry Madowo, many thanks for that report. I appreciate it.

In the coming hours, we will find out of Kenya's former prime minister followed through on his promise to challenge the presidential election results in court. Raila Odinga has until the end of the day Monday to file his claim with Kenya's Supreme Court.

Last week, after officials declared he narrowly lost the presidential race, Odinga said he completely rejects the results. His opponent, Kenya's deputy president, William Ruto says he will engage in any possible court proceedings. Officials declare Ruto won the presidential election with just over 50 percent of the vote.

And still to come, why some of Taiwan's farmers feel they are caught in the middle of recent diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Washington. Their story after the break.

Plus, after months of fighting in Ukraine, the land is littered with live rounds of ammunition that could explode at any time. Find out what's being done to make Ukraine safe long after the war is over.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A murder investigation is underway in Russia after a car bomb near Moscow killed the daughter of a prominent ally of President Vladimir Putin. Darya Dugina died Saturday night after the vehicle she was driving exploded.

The Russian investigative committee says it believes someone planned and ordered the attack. Dugina is the daughter of Alexander Dugin who's been called the spiritual guide to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

So, let's get some perspective now from Ukraine on the car bombing, as well as the upcoming Independence Day and commemoration marking six months since this war began.

And CNN senior international correspondent David McKenzie joins us now live from Kyiv. So, David, what has been the reaction in Ukraine to Dugina's death?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you had that dramatic fire ball in car bomb in the outskirts of Moscow. But the Ukrainian government officials, particularly spokesperson one adviser to the president's office had this to say, and I quote, "Ukraine definitely has nothing to do with this because we're not a criminal state, which the Russian federation is. And even more so, we are not a terrorist state."

So, as you might expect, and certainly based on that, Ukraine is very much pushing back on the word from ultranationalist and others in Russia, blaming Ukraine on this apparent attack. Ukraine says it has zero to do with it. Rosemary?

CHURCH: And David, you have been talking to people in Ukraine. How do they plan to mark their Independence Day on Wednesday?

MCKENZIE: Well, this is a very important week for Ukraine. It's both the 31st anniversary of the independence of Ukraine from the then Soviet Union. It also marks six months since this war began. And you know, the toll on this country is devastating.

Just a few days ago, the U.N. updated their death toll. More than 5,500 people killed and many thousands injured in this conflict. And that's just civilians. And it's definitely going to be an undercount compared to the actual death toll.

We went with a team doing dangerous we're trying to make areas vacated by Russians safe. And that process could take a very long time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN "MONTY" MONTGOMERY, FSD TEAM LEADER: That's where the vast majority of the contamination is gone.

MCKENZIE: For each devastating strike, there's a deadly chain reaction.

MONTGOMERY: An 80 (Inaudible) struck this building. Any ammunition that didn't detonate on that initial blast has been kicked out. It's been thrown from here. And it can travel up to several hundred meters.

MCKENZIE: Ammunition like this live round can kill civilians, often children, long after the fighting has stopped.

MONTGOMERY: So, you see before us this carnage that's been left by the ammunition trucks which are fuselages (Ph) are great detonating.

MCKENZIE: In March, Ukrainian forces struck this farm warehouse hashing tons of Russians shells and rockets.

MONTGOMERY: I can only imagine the fireball and the sound that was produced when it happened.

MCKENZIE: For this explosive ordinance disposal team in Chernihiv --

UNKNOWN: We've got an aggressive. Obviously, there's a threat out there.

MCKENZIE: The threat is very well.

UNKNOWN: We will continue with the search straightforward. If I say stop at any time, you stop immediately. Advance!

MCKENZIE: We have to be all the way back here for our own safety. It shows how dangerous this work is. And it's painstaking. This small area has taken several days, and you're not even finished.

MONTGOMERY: No, we've merely scratched the surface. MCKENZIE: And you've got an entire country, potentially.

MONTGOMERY:MONTGOMERY: Yes.

MCKENZIE: How do you possibly do that job?

MONTGOMERY: If me doing this job, and being here in Ukraine removing one item, however small or however large it is, it saves one life, then for me, personally, that's a goal that I have reached.

UNKNOWN: OK. Stop!

MCKENZIE: When they spot a suspected shell --

UNKNOWN: Every one, come back!

MCKENZIE: Team leader John Aldridge must go it alone, using only his fingertips. John works very, very carefully.

These shells are designed to destroy defensive positions. If armed, even the slightest nudge could set it off.

What is it like when you're there, scrambling through, not knowing what exactly you're going to find?

[03:35:02]

JOHN ALDRIDGE, FSD TEAM LEADER: Yes, it's an interesting one. I think it's something that you get used to have to time, but there's still that element of, you know, sort of adrenaline kicking in a little bit, yes. And if you beat this way.

MCKENZIE: This shell can be moved safely.

UNKNOWN: OK.

MCKENZIE: Soon, they'll have Ukrainian team leaders clearing their own land.

"This will be an enormous task," says Natalya. Since all of this must be done carefully. You just can't rush this job."

UNKNOWN: Nice and steady, yes.

MCKENZIE: Even if this war stopped today, it could take years for her country to be safe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Now, to give you an idea of how long a threat can remain, Rosemary, that team in that area is finding ordinance and grenades all the way from World War II that could theoretically pose a danger. But in the current conflict, you can imagine those areas of the east, the northeast, and the south that are seeing very heavy fighting and blasts over the last few days and maybe into the next few months. This is a threat that will have long lasting implication on Ukrainian

civilians, especially, so far, the Ukrainian government has said they've defused more than 180,000 explosives. And that's just six months into this conflict. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Just extraordinary. David McKenzie, we thank you for that report. I appreciate it.

Well, Taiwan is now hosting a third delegation of U.S. lawmakers in less than a month. This time, it's a group led by Indiana governor Eric Holcomb. Their trip comes after visits by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a few weeks ago and a Senate delegation last Sunday. Indiana state officials are on what they call an economic development trip that will also take them to South Korea. Holcomb met with Taiwan's president earlier today and spoke about his hopes for mutual economic development.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ERIC HOLCOMB (R-IN): Because we share so many common values and interests and goals, there are more opportunities ahead of us than I think there ever had been before for us to continue to strengthen and cultivate and nurture this relationship, as our economies grow, and grow together. We will continue to seek to build strategic partnerships with you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: After Pelosi's visit, Beijing suspended some trade with Taiwan, including the import of certain fruit and fish. And some of the island's farmers feel they are caught in the middle of this diplomatic friction.

CNN's Blake Essig explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a small township in the south of Taiwan, farmers like Li Meng-han (Ph) are battling more than mother nature to make a living. But geopolitics? That's something his hard work can't change.

"It's some kind of political issue between Taiwan and China. We simply want to grow fruits and sell them at a good price."

A reasonable request, but one that got so much more difficult following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent stop in Taiwan.

NANCY PELOSI (D), U.S. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: We will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan.

ESSIG: China reacted by flexing its military missile, executing at least six days of live fire drills, while at the same time, exerting its economic power over this democratic island, this time going after what some consider low-hanging fruit. Citrus fruit like this pomelo was included on the most recent list of

Taiwanese items banned from entering China. Beijing says the reason is because of excess pesticides, accusations that farmers here deny. It's a move that experts say is less about health care or the economy and all about politics.

LI MENG-HAN, OWNER, CHINGCHUAN ORCHARD (through translator): I didn't see the ban coming so fast. We were caught off guard.

CHIAO CHUN, AUTHOR, DRUITS AND POLITICS (through translator): We all know that politics is behind the bans. This is a politically motivated economic sanction on Taiwan to exert economic pressure on Taiwan.

ESSIG: The latest sanctions on fruit and fish went into effect on the same day Speaker Pelosi met with the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Sanctions that will cost farmers like Li a lot of money. And if things don't change, it could force him and other farmers to let employees go.

SUN TZU-MIN, GENERAL MANAGER, MADOU FARMER'S ASSOCIATION 9through translator): It's been hard for farmers. A sudden ban can put everything on hold. The pomelo trees can live for decades, and their fruits get sweeter as the trees get older, so it's impossible for farmers to abandon them.

ESSIG: Each year, roughly 72,000 tons of pomelo are produced here in Taiwan. Only about 7 percent are exported to China. The vast majority are being sold and processed here locally in places like this. A small number on paper, but one that will have a big impact on farmers financially and mentally.

CHUN (through translator): I think psychology is a bigger factor here. And they can say that they have banned a large number of fruit items from Taiwan in one go.

[03:40:00]

ESSIG: While Pelosi is now gone, the impact of her visit is still being felt. With farmers forced to get creative by transforming the pomelo into something different to make up for that lost revenue.

MENG-HAN (through translator): Taiwanese people shouldn't suffer from the tension between the U.S. and China. They always come, and then they leave the next day. But the impact is felt here by Taiwanese farmers.

ESSIG: It's the collateral damage of world powers going toe-to-toe, where it's usually the case, it's not politicians that suffer, but every day people just looking to pick some fruit and feed their family.

Blake Essig, CNN, Madong, Taiwan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Finland's 36-year-old prime minister is getting some support after coming under fire from opponents over a leaked dance party video. We will get the latest in a live report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Legal battles over abortion access are heating up across the United States as more states move to impose strict bans on the procedure. In the hours ahead, a hearing is expected in a lawsuit over Idaho's near total ban on abortions such to take effect Thursday. Tennessee and Oklahoma are expected to enact similar laws this week.

But even in states where abortion is still legal, it can be hard to access care. In Kansas, voters went to the poll this month and chose to protect abortion rights. But recent data shows around 90 percent of counties there don't have clinics that provide abortions.

And we're also saying more pushback from some officials in states that have opposed strict abortion laws. More than 80 district attorneys nationwide have signed a letter saying they would not enforce abortion bans in their state.

Earlier, I spoke with Brenda Feigen, a lawyer feminist and former vice president of the National Organization for Women. And I asked her how effective some of those efforts would be.

[03:45:07]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENDA FEIGEN, LAWYER: I think the first thing that you're talking about has to do with the state of Florida and the prosecutor there, Andrew Warren, who was suspended or fired from his job by Ron DeSantis, the governor, because he spoke out and said that he was not going to prosecute people who were violating the law, so to speak.

In other words, people who were providing he was not going to -- he was going to prosecute -- excuse me, he was not going to prosecute people who are providing abortions, or women who are getting abortions. And that is a very -- that's a very interesting approach because what has happened now is that DeSantis has made such a mess that Andrew Warren is in federal court suing into the first amendment under the United States Constitution saying he has a right to speak out and say that those laws should not be enforce, that women should have the right to have an abortion.

And that's -- that's a really interesting issue because it raises the first amendment of the United States Constitution saying that you have a right to an abortion. He has the right to not prosecute. There are places where there are so many other serious crimes that are being committed and they simply don't have the person power to go ahead and prosecute them.

So, they don't want to -- there are other places like Michigan and Georgia that literally do not want to prosecute in certain counties. Doctors or women getting abortions.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: The leaked footage of the Finnish prime minister dancing with friends continues to cause a stir. Sanna Marin is pushing back against criticism sparked by the video showing her at a party. She says it was meant to be private and she's disappointed it was shared. Critics say her behavior was inappropriate for a world leader.

So, let's get more details now from CNN's Melissa Bell. She joins us live from Paris. Good to see you again, Melissa. So, what is the latest on reaction to this leaked dance video of the Finnish prime minister?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're quite right, Rosemary. She had come in for a fair amount of criticism back home, and specifically from opposition politicians about the video about her dancing. And there was speculation about whether drugs may have been consumed.

Now, she put this statement very quickly afterwards explaining as you say her disappointment that the videos which had been private should have been made public. They'd been filmed, she says in a private space and she resented that they had become known to the public.

And she was at pain to explain that she had done nothing illegal, this had been her time off. No drugs had been consumed. On Friday, she announced that she had under pressure from those opposition politicians taken a drug's test to prove that she had no drugs in her system, going on to say that she had never taken drugs even as a teenager.

But what we've seen over the course of the last few days is first of all, a lot of interest generated by the story. And a lot of support that's come online, women, professional women, doctors, lawyers, professors, going and posting videos of themselves dancing to show that it is possible to be at once a credible professional woman and to dance.

I think the point here, and this is something that has been raised when Sanna Marin has been in the heart of controversies in the past for what she has worn, or, for being someone who insist that she will go to festivals and do things that are normal for 36-year-old gone to night club during COVID that she had recognizes lacks of judgments as the foreign minister have been found to be positive and she's been a test case.

But she's been at the heart of these sort of controversies before. Essentially, a lot of attention being paid to how this particular politician behaves in power and the images of her are partly, of course, Rosemary, because we're talking about a woman, and a young woman. And it's simply also that we're not used to seeing 36-year-old women in power.

And I think that goes to the heart of what a lot of the support that we've seen online speaks to, which is women saying, look, men are held to much lower standards of behavior than women. The fact that Sanna Marin is being ridiculed pilloried for dancing entirely regrettable and those videos really meant to come out and support her.

CHURCH: It is truly extraordinary, isn't it? Melissa Bell joining us live from Paris, many thanks.

Well, heavy rains could bring dangerous flooding to parts of the United States, including the Dallas, Fort Worth area. We will get the details from the CNN weather center when we come back.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the western U.S. has been dealing with severe drought. But now, some areas have been hit with dangerous flash flooding. This was what it looked like in Moab, Utah. Bridges and roadways were inundated when high water swept through the areas. And in the U.S. south, millions of people are under flood watches and warnings.

Joining me now is CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. So, what more, Pedram, are you learning about all this flooding?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Rosemary. There's been a soggy summer across portions of the southwest, where parts of northern Arizona have seen 400 plus percent of what is normal for this time of year. So, we go from extreme drought, of course to getting extreme rainfall here in the monsoon season. Some of it is beneficial. But certainly, a lot of it becoming problematic.

And right now, what we're watching is around northern Texas, parts of Oklahoma into Arkansas, as well as tremendous rainfall here has been observed in the past 24 or so hours. And even into this early morning hours seemed very heavy rainfall reports into the Dallas metro plains.

And of course, when you see a densely populated environment, you know heavy rainfall is going to lead to quite a bit of flooding. And that's why this region under flood alerts that are impacting about 13 plus million Americans. So that's what we're watching here.

Potentially you could see this kind of linger into the afternoon hours, as well. But anytime again you see heavy rainfall in the suburban environment when you have a lot of concrete, we know much of this water becomes runoff. About 55 percent on average in major cities in these urban environments from what falls from the air if hits the ground, becomes runoff. Whereas, natural ground about 10 percent of it becomes runoff. As most of it of course is absorbed by the soil in the landscape around.

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So, again, it becomes a little bit more of an issue in these urban environments. But you'll notice, moisture is plentiful around the southern United States. So, we do expect these heavy rains to continue into the afternoon hours as well. For some, from Dallas points eastward into New Orleans some of to the highest areas of concern.

The moderate risk, which on a scale of one to four, it's a three right there for Dallas. And also, into Shreveport that's in place here for heavy rainfall starting right before sunrise. So, the morning commute could also be problematic across this region.

As I noted, we're coming off of course a historic year of drought here. The state of Texas, you kind of pick your location. These are the top 10 driest years on record for year to date. You'll notice San Antonio has never been drier than 2022. So, a lot of these areas could use the rainfall. But the amount of it that's coming down in a short duration is what's going to be problematic.

You'll notice New Orleans, next in line here for some of these storms to eventually arrive in your direction sometime into Monday afternoon, Rosemary. So, a lot of people on alert here with heavy rain in store.

CHURCH: All right, Pedram Javaheri, many thanks for that.

Well, in some parts of the world drought conditions are having an unexpected effect, revealing hidden treasures and pieces of history. In Spain, dozens of upright stones arranged in circles are now visible for only the fourth time since their discovery. It's unknown who built the site known as Spanish Stonehenge. But experts believe it may be a mass tomb.

In eastern Serbia, more than 20 warships have been exposed along the Danube. Experts say the ships was scaffold by Nazi forces during World War II and still contain ammunition and explosives. And in southwestern China, a small island containing three buddha statues is now visible above the water. The statues are thought to be at least 600 years old.

And thank you so much for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. CNN Newsroom continues with Max Foster next.

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