Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

DOJ Says No to a Master for Trump's Team; Jackson, Mississippi Residents Can't Quench Their Thirst; Russians Threaten Safety for IAEA Team; Princess Diana, an Icon Forever Loved; DOJ Decline Approving a Master for Trump's Legal Team; President Biden Wants to Ban Assault Weapons; Soviet Union Leader Mikhail Gorbachev Dies at 91. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 31, 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.

We begin with new blistering revelations from the U.S. Justice Department's search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. They come in a court filing opposing Trump's request for a special master to review materials seized by the FBI.

The department reports it has now recovered more than 320 classified documents from Mar-a-Lago. Prosecutors say that some documents were likely concealed or removed from storage in an effort to obstruct their investigation. The court filing casts serious doubt on a statement by Trump's attorneys that all classified material had been returned.

The Justice Department also argues that Trump lacks legal standing to request a special master, since the documents belong to the government and not to him. The court filing came with this photo showing documents taken by the FBI from a container in Trump's office.

More now from CNN's Sara Murray.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The Justice Department weighing in with its side of the story on what happened in the run up and in the aftermath of the search at Mar-a-Lago. This is all part of the court battle that's playing out over whether there should be a special master, an independent third party appointed to review the documents that the FBI seized when they searched Mar-a-Lago.

Now the Trump team has argued they want this special master. The Justice Department in a late-night filing said, they didn't believe it was necessary. They said the government has already completed its work in going through these documents. It's segregated any attorney-client privileged information. And they also said that Donald Trump doesn't have the standing to intervene in this. These are not his documents. These are the property of the government.

But they also laid out their clear rebuttal to what the Trump team has been saying. The Trump team has been saying the former president was cooperative with the Justice Department. They suggested that the search at Mar-a-Lago was over the top in this filing, the Justice Department lays out what they found in this August search. They say there were over 100 unique documents with classified markings.

And this is important because they say, this is twice as many documents as what the Trump team produced after they had been subpoenaed. So, they had an opportunity, they said that they handed over everything as a result of this subpoena.

And what the Justice Department is saying, is no, we found 100 unique documents with classified markings. They also included a photo that showed the cover sheets, the classification sort of a sample what -- of what they found. And in this filing, they also said that there were documents that were likely concealed and removed from Mar-a-Lago, from a storage room there, in an attempt to obstruct the Justice Department investigation.

Now this court fight is going to continue. Donald Trump's side has until Wednesday evening to respond. And there is going to be a hearing on this matter on Thursday.

Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Joining me now from Washington, former U.S. federal prosecutor and host of the podcast That Said with Michael Zeldin, is Michael Zeldin himself.

Good to have you with us.

MICHAEL ZELDIN, HOST, THAT SAID WITH MICHAEL ZELDIN: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So just a short time ago, the Department of Justice filed its 40-page response opposing Donald Trump's plea for a special master to review the classified information, those documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago home. The DOJ essentially saying that review has already been done. So it would be unnecessary to do it again. So, what is your response to this and what decision do you think the judge will likely make on Thursday?

ZELDIN: I agree with the Justice Department, that a special master is not needed in this case. Even if the review hadn't been done, special master's typically are appointed when there is a seizure from an attorney's office, so they can check attorney-client privilege issues. That wasn't the case here.

And additionally, the search has been completed, pursuant to the procedures that the judge who issued the search warrant laid out. So, they have a team that reviewed all of these documents, called out the executive privilege or the attorney-client privilege stuff, put it in one basket and then proceeded to give or want to give the other documents to the reviewed team so that they can get going with the criminal investigation and the national security review.

[03:05:07]

So, I think the Justice Department has its correct here and I don't think there's a good response that will be forth coming from the Trump team.

CHURCH: And Michael, the DOJ court filing also states this evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from a Mar- a-Lago storage room to obstruct the investigation. What are the legal ramifications of this?

ZELDIN: Well, this is the most brutal part of the Justice Department filing for Trump and his attorneys. Because they represented to the Justice Department a response to a grand jury subpoena a little bit earlier in the process in June, that they had done a comprehensive search and that there was nothing else found other than this read well of documents that they turned over.

Well, the Justice Department got additional information from confidential sources that there was actually additional stuff. They got the search warrant, and they found not only the stuff in the storage facility that they said was comprehensively previously searched, but they also found stuff in Donald Trump's personal office.

Giving the Justice Department reason to argue that not only was it untrue that they did a comprehensive search, but true that they moved stuff from that storage locker to another location to obstruct the investigation. Very telling stuff, very damaging legally, and from a P.R. matter it's hard to defend the president.

CHURCH: Right. And the DOJ also says the August search of Mar-a-Lago cast serious doubt on the statement made by Trump lawyers that classified material had already been returned. In fact, a top Justice Department official contends that federal investigators were limited in what they could look through when visiting the resort in June, contrary to the Trump's team narrative of total cooperation. So, what are the possible legal consequences of that?

ZELDIN: Well, there are two statues that are in play here. One is obstruction of justice. And the one other is criminal concealment of documents. The Justice Department filing raises the very clear possibility that there is both an obstruction charge, and a criminal concealment charge that is waiting for somebody. Who that is, we are not sure, because we don't know who gave what orders to hide these documents, but that surely is first and foremost on the Justice Department's mind.

CHURCH: And Michael, the DOJ filing also includes a damning photographic evidence of top-secret and secret documents that the FBI took from Mar-a-Lago, perhaps we could bring that up. What, what did you think when you saw this image? Just extraordinary. Of course, we don't know whether that's how they found the documents all over the floor, they might have laid them, we don't know that, do we?

ZELDIN: No, but the important part is that these documents in big letters said top-secret, classified and everyone knows that has worked at the government what precautions need to be taken around those documents.

Also, interestingly, in the DOJ filing, they point out that which was requested was not for classified documents per se, but rather documents that had classified markings on them. So, Trump's argument that he declassified is irrelevant in the face of a search warrant or a grand jury subpoena says, give us all documents that are marked as classified, irrespective of whether they are declassified now or not.

So again, the Trump response to the DOJ is not really likely to be very compelling to the judge. I think she should now at this point not appoint a special master and let the Justice Department go forward with its investigation and national security risk assessment.

CHURCH: And why do you think it took Trump's legal team so long to request that a special master be appointed? Is this more about delaying tactics, buying time as the DOJ appears to be saying? Because on the other side of this, Trump team and his allies keep saying, this is political, this is right near the November midterms. But this could have been resolved many months ago, couldn't it? If the Trump team had wanted to.

ZELDIN: Absolutely. This case is the creation of Donald Trump and company. They, one, didn't have to take these documents with them. And two, when requested of them, they could have given them all back and said we are very sorry we took them inadvertently. And this would have been all done. But they didn't, they held on to these documents, they appear to hidden these documents.

[03:09:51]

And the big question now is why. What was it that was behind all of this secrecy and concealment and obstruction? What is in these documents that they were trying to cover up in some sense, or potentially in most seriously use for other purposes?

CHURCH: We certainly want that question answered. And meantime, Donald Trump has expanded his legal team, adding a former Florida solicitor general Chris Kise who is also a former adviser to Governor Ron DeSantis. Does this signal just how concerned Trump must be about being indicted in this Mar-a-Lago probe do you think?

ZELDIN: I would think so. You asked the question previously why did it take so long to file this motion for a special master, the answer is that I think his counsel were not very experienced. Now I think they realize that they need more experienced counsel. But I don't know that a solicitor general from the state of Florida is actually what they need.

I think that they need experienced national security, former federal prosecutors with top secret clearances, to start working on this case. I think that his legal team at the moment is not up to the standard that the Justice Department legal team is.

CHURCH: Michael Zeldin, always great to get your legal analysis, particularly on a day like this, many thanks.

ZELDIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: U.S. President Joe Biden laid out his plan to combat crime and increase funding for police during a fiery speech in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. The president ramped up his political message in the battleground state ahead of the November midterms.

CNN's Arlette Saenz has the latest.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden delivered an impassioned plea for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban as he talked about gun crime in a speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. The president's remarks came as he talked about his safer America plan to try to tackle violent crime, including gun crime in this country.

His plan includes calling for the hiring and training of 100,000 police officers nationwide over the course of the next five years, as well as investing billions of dollars in community violence prevention program. But the president grew emotional as he talked about that massacre down in Uvalde, Texas this past spring where 19 children and two teachers were killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: When I was recently in Uvalde, I almost hesitate to say this, some of the kids in there, some of the parents had to do, supply DNA. Supply DNA. These AR-15s just ripped the bodies apart. Could not identify. Could not identify the body.

A 20-year-old kid can walk in and buy one? DNA to say that's my baby. What the hell is the matter with us?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: The president also used the speech to try to draw a contrast with Republicans when it comes to support for law enforcement. The president arguing that Republicans can't say they support law enforcement if they also are defending those rioters who rioted up on Capitol Hill on January the 6th.

Now the president's trip to Pennsylvania marks his first trip here over the course of the next week. He is slated to travel to Pennsylvania, a battleground state three times over the course of the next week. He will also be speaking in Philadelphia on Thursday to talk about his campaign message of engaging in a battle for the soul of the nation. And warning that democracy remains at risk.

He is also slated to travel to Pittsburgh on Monday to participate in a Labor Day event. There are very important Senate and governor races here in the state that the president is trying to help advance those Democratic candidates participating in those races as the White House is preparing to go into full campaign swing mode in the coming weeks.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

CHURCH: One of the most important figures of the late 20th century has died. Just ahead, we'll find out with other world leaders are saying about the man who drew back the Iron Curtain.

And later this hour, 180,000 people in Mississippi's capital are suffering through a water crisis. Still ahead, why Jackson is now being described as the next Flint, Michigan.

[03:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, has died at the age of 91. He was known for policies like glasnost and Perestroika, meant to reform the Soviet government and economy. During his time in office, the Iron Curtain was drawn back, something that many in the west believed unthinkable.

In 2012, he sat down with CNN's Christiane Amanpour and explained what he would like his legacy to be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Too many people around the world, you are a hero, a once in a generation actor who ended the Cold War. How would you like your people to remember you?

MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, FORMER PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: History is a fickle lady, and you can expect surprises from history. But I do know that I did what I did, and that I can proud of what I did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: For more on this, I would like to bring in Daniel Treisman, he joins us from Los Angeles where he's a professor of political science at UCLA. He is also the author of "The Return: Russia's Journey From Gorbachev to Medvedev."

[03:20:03]

Thank you, professor, for being with us.

DANIEL TREISMAN, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UCLA: Sure.

CHURCH: So, as the last Soviet Union leader, Mikhail Gorbachev oversaw the end of the Cold War. But while he charmed Americans, there were pretty mixed feelings for him back home, weren't there? How located is his legacy inside Russia?

TREISMAN: Well, if you think about it, his achievements in Russia were all negative, at least they were perceived that way. He is a paradoxical figure because as you said, he is widely admired in the west, but at the same time, at home, pretty much everything that he tried to do failed. He wanted to revive the communism. It died on his watch. He wanted to

revitalize the Soviet economy, it collapsed. He wanted to maintain the integrity of the Soviet state, and split up into 15 separate republics. So, in almost all respects, he is viewed by Russians as having introduced catastrophe, rather than improving their lives. And I think that's unfortunately his legacy.

But on the other hand, from the outside, one can see that by retreating before the historical changes that were unfolding, by accepting the end of Soviet communism and the beginnings of free markets, that he was actually doing a great, it was actually a great achievement for Russia and for the other former Soviet republics.

CHURCH: And Gorbachev initially supported Vladimir Putin, didn't he, when he became president. But that later changed. Why did he stand by Putin for so long? And what changed his view?

TREISMAN: That's a very interesting question. I think early on in part, it was that Putin charmed him. Putin went out of his way to solicit advice, I think he pretended to listen to Gorbachev, rather than actually taking him very seriously. He encouraged Gorbachev to set up a political party.

So, that was part of it. I think Gorbachev at that point was extremely negatively disposed toward Boris Yeltsin, the previous president, and so Putin seemed like a contrast after Yeltsin, and I think Gorbachev also, to some extent recognized that there was a need in the early 2000's for some more centralization, for restoration of the Russian state.

I think, over time, though, especially after Putin returned for his third term in 2012 and after the annexation of Crimea, I think Gorbachev realized that what Putin was doing, year by year, was undermining every element of Gorbachev's own legacy, he was starting a new Cold War where Gorbachev had ended one.

CHURCH: Pretty much goes without saying but America has a very different relationship with Russia now under the leadership of Vladimir Putin. Do you see a day when that might change?

TREISMAN: Well, of course, it's going to change. After Putin leaves office, maybe not immediately, but at some point, it's likely that there will be a reemergence of understanding between Russia and the west, at least, partially. That doesn't mean that everything will be easy and cooperative, but there are different national interests, obviously, on both sides.

But it does seem likely that a society as modern, as economically developed, as rich in communications and as highly educated as Russia will eventually develop a political system that's more open, more democratic, more participatory. So, I do imagine that at some time in the future we'll see change. That seems very unlikely under Putin, and there is bound to be some transition after he eventually leaves the stage.

CHURCH: Professor Daniel Treisman, thank you so much for talking with us. I appreciate it.

TREISMAN: Thank you.

CHURCH: And for more on reaction, pouring in from around the world, I'm joint now by CNN's Nada Bashir in London. Good to see you again, Nada.

[03:24:59]

So, what are world leaders are saying about the passing of Mikhail Gorbachev and of course his legacy?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Look, Rosemary, that legacy is certainly a tarring one, and as you laid out there in that interview, he was somewhat polarizing figure at home, he is widely held responsible for bringing about an end to the Soviet Union as a global superpower to rival the west.

But as you laid out there, abroad he is still hailed and will continue to be hailed for easing those nuclear tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1980s and for presiding over key reforms, bringing eastern Europe back out from behind the Iron Curtain.

That has really been the sentiment we have heard from numerous world leaders, far and wide expressing their condolences over the passing of Mikhail Gorbachev. And we've heard from the U.S. President Joe Biden issuing a statement saying that as leader of the USSR, Gorbachev worked with President Reagan to reduce our two countries nuclear arsenals, to the relief of people worldwide, praying for an end to the nuclear arms race.

He believed in glasnost and perestroika, that is openness and re- striking. But not as mere slogans, but as the path forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation.

We also heard from the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres also issuing a statement describing Gorbachev as a one-of-a- kind statesman who changed the course of history. He did more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold War. He also went on to say that the world has lost a towering global leader, committed multilateralist and tireless advocate for peace.

Now here in the United Kingdom, the prime minister, Boris Johnson tweeted out yesterday that he always admired the courage and the integrity Gorbachev showed in bringing the Cold War to a peaceful conclusion. In a time of Putin's aggression in Ukraine, his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all. And again, that is a sentiment that we've heard repeatedly as of course as the war in Ukraine rages on. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Nada Bashir, joining us live from London, many thanks.

Well still to come, more on the U.S. Justice Department's rebuttal to Donald Trump's special master request to review material seized from Mar-a-Lago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Back to our top story this hour. In a blockbuster court filing, the U.S. Justice Department is opposing a request by Donald Trump to appoint a special master to review documents taken from Mar-a-Lago. DOJ lawyers say government documents were likely concealed and removed from a storage room at Mar-a-Lago to obstruct the investigation into Trump's potential mishandling of classified materials.

The DOJ says the FBI search casts serious doubt on his lawyers' claims that there had been a diligent search to return classified material in response to a grand jury subpoena. And they argue that Trump lacks standing over presidential records because the material belongs to the government and not him.

The court filing came with this photo showing documents taken by the FBI from a container in Trump's office.

And for more on this, we want to bring in political analyst Michael Genovese, he joins us live from Los Angeles.

Good to have you with us.

MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, the Justice Department's court filing opposes Donald Trump's plea for a special master, saying that a review of the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago has already been done. But for the sake of optics, and of course to counter claims coming from Trump -- Trump allies that the process has not been fair, should a third-party special master be appointed, but given a limited time to get that review done. Is that a must in the current divisive political climate, do you think?

GENOVESE: It's a possibility, but not a must. The Department of Justice has done the review that a special master would already be asked to do and they've done -- and they said we've gone through everything, we've got a few small things that may be covered by client -- attorney-client privilege. Those we've taken out. They've already looked at the documents. So, it would be redundant.

The only reason why you would do this to give greater appearance of fairness in a process that's already fairly open and quite fair.

CHURCH: So, the DOJ filing also said that U.S. government documents were likely concealed and removed from a storage room at Mar-a-Lago as part of an effort to obstruct the FBI's investigation, how damning is this?

GENOVESE: That's one of the big takeaways. Donald Trump's lawyers, Corcoran and Bobb, and the president had to sign off on this saying that we've gone through it all, we find -- there are no more classified documents, we've given everything to you. They certified that. That was not true. It was a lie.

And so, that is why the Justice Department is looking at the question of, did they obstruct justice? It's very hard to prove intent, but when you say what they said, we looked at everything, nothing else is there, there is no there, there. Certified it, they obstructed and that is a very clear sign of intent.

[03:34:51]

CHURCH: We also learned that in total, 320 classified documents were recovered from Mar-a-Lago. What are you thinking he was planning to do with these documents and how damaging is this for Trump politically as people start to learn more and more about this, and certainly, those images we see of documents strewn across the floor?

GENOVESE: You know, 18 months after leaving office, you still wonder what do you want with him, what are you doing with him, what do you need them for? And I think it's just a matter of Donald Trump being very proprietary and feeling that he is above the law. That these are mine, he has used that phrase a number of times, these are mine. They're not his. They don't belong to him. He knew they weren't his.

And so, what's happened is then, things like that picture, the picture that we've all seen of the documents strewn across the floor with top secret, all over them, that picture is incredibly damning to Donald Trump. Because the picture like that is about as welcome as hair on a biscuit. It just doesn't belong, that you don't want to see it and it's something that every voter can see and identify with and grab. Pictures can be worth a thousand words. This one is damning to Donald Trump.

CHURCH: And the DOJ filing also says that the August search casts serious doubt on the statement made by Trump lawyers that classified material had already been returned. What does that reveal about Donald Trump and his team, his legal team?

GENOVESE: You know, it's the carelessness that they applied to this, they didn't take it seriously. If they did, they would've behaved very differently. It's true that Donald Trump had lawyers that were not qualified to do what they were asked to do. But that's the fault of Donald Trump. He hired these people. And he has history of hiring lawyers who tell them what he wants them to tell them, not what the law is. Not what he needs to hear.

And so, this fits a pattern of Donald Trump. The pattern is, I hire you to confirm what I say, to do what I say, not to tell me what the law says. Don't tell me what I can't do, just tell me it's Ok for me to do it because it's mine. And that's coming back to haunt him right now.

CHURCH: Michael Genovese, offering some political analysis there, many thanks as always. I appreciate it.

GENOVESE: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: The largest city in Mississippi doesn't have enough water for drinking, basic hygiene, sanitation, or even to fight fires. The main water treatment facility in Jackson, Mississippi has failed. Buckling under years of systemic issues all made worse by torrential rain in recent weeks.

CNN's Ryan Young reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: It's not safe to brush your teeth with.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A dire situation, in Jackson, Mississippi.

GOV. TATE REEVES (R-MS): We were told on Friday that there was no way to predict exactly when, but that it was a near certainty that Jackson will fail to produce running water sometime in the next several weeks or months if something did not materially improve.

YOUNG: Water issues are not new to Jackson, Mississippi. Years of neglect on the aged water system has led to numerous problems and residents have been under some sort of boil water notice or advisory several times in the last year alone after a 2021 winter storm shut down the entire system.

This time, the recent flooding in the south bringing their system to the brink. The city maintains they just don't have the financial resources to make repairs on the antiquated system.

MAYOR CHOKWE ANTAR LUMUMBA (D), JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI: We don't have the funds in order to deal with 30 years of neglect.

YOUNG: Damage to the main water system that some led officials to believe that it would leave inevitably to the system's complete failure. Monday, it did. Back up pumps are running, but the governor says they lack enough water to fight fires or flush toilets.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves tweeting today that the state has requested a federal declared disaster, and offered the state to pay half of the repairs needed if the city covers the other half. He also declared a state of emergency for the city, and up to 4,500 National Guard members have been activated, scrambling to distribute water to residents who are frustrated and scared.

UNKNOWN: It's just something that's an ongoing problem that needs to be corrected, and we're hoping they're heading in the right direction.

UNKNOWN: There's almost always something going on with the boil water notices, or now with this all of a sudden shortage. It's just kind of scary because we don't know if anything is going to get done or when it's going to get done.

YOUNG: Now a possible special meeting of the legislature to try to come up with the funding to fix the situation. LUMUMBA: I don't want to hypothesize on why it has taken this long.

I'm just grateful that the relief has arrived.

YOUNG: Frustrated residents hoping that this time it's true.

UNKNOWN: So whatever Jackson has got going on, they need to get that right. It's very frustrating. It's very frustrating to have to fight for some water.

YOUNG: Ryan Young, CNN, Jackson, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, U.N. inspectors are on their way to assess the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine as safety concerns grow. The latest on their mission. That's just ahead.

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif says the current flooding that people are seeing is the worst in the country's history. Pakistani officials say extreme flooding has killed more than 1,100 people, including 384 children, and impacted about 33 million others.

[03:44:57]

The U.N. secretary general has launched an urgent appeal for aid, calling the flooding a monsoon on steroids. The U.N. chief is asking for $160 million in aid for Pakistan.

Ukraine is claiming early success as it ramps up a counteroffensive to retake Russian occupied territory in the south. Ukrainian officials say troops have broken through Russian defenses in several areas in the Kherson region and retaken four villages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces now have two options, run or surrender.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): We will chase them to the border. To our border, which line has not been changed. Occupiers are well aware of it, if they want to survive it's time for the Russian military to run away. Go home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ukrainian forces have been targeting critical bridges in the Kherson region to disrupt Russian supply routes. And a Ukrainian official says that's also preventing Russia from reinforcing its units.

Well, meantime, inspectors with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog are now on their way from Kyiv to Zaporizhzhia to assess the situation at Europe's largest nuclear power plant which remains under Russian control. President Zelenskyy says their mission is urgent amid growing safety concerns.

CNN's Melissa Bell has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A long-awaited arrival, the IAEA in Kyiv ahead of an inspection of Europe's largest nuclear power plant. But the road there was never going to be easy. Ukrainian officials accusing Russia of making access to the Zaporizhzhia plant nearly impossible.

ZELENSKYY (through translator): We want the IAEA mission headed by director Grossi to find a way to reach the plant via our forces and security corridors and to do their utmost to avoid all the dangers this poses to the world.

BELL: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy adding that he hopes the visit will mark more than an inspection, but also a break in hostilities. His aide tweeting as the meeting began that Russia is trying to disrupt the IAEA mission and shelling an area near the nuclear plant.

For days now, it's been at the center of fears and tit-for-tat Russian and Ukrainian accusations over shelling damage to the plant itself and to surrounding areas. Shell holes visible in the roof of some of the plant's buildings and armored vehicles too. Ukraine, again, today calling for the demilitarization of the area.

With a senior U.S. defense official backing Ukrainian claims that Russians have been using the plant as a military base. The E.U. has promised deliveries of 5.5 million potassium iodide tablets to Ukraine to protect people from potential radiation exposure. As the fighting around the plant prevents an inspection, that grows more vital by the day.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And just ahead, 25 years after her shocking death, Princess Diana continues to captivate the world. We look back on her life and legacy, that's next.

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Wednesday marks 25 years since the shocking death of Princess Diana, who was just 36 years old. Even after all this time, she remains a beloved and fascinating figure, not just in Britain but all around the world.

In her short life, she changed the image and perception of the British royal family. Championed charitable causes and gave birth to two sons who follow her example to this day.

And joining me live from the crash site in Paris is CNN's Jim Bittermann who covered Princess Diana's wedding and her death. And Jim, Princess Diana captivated the world throughout her life, and even since her untimely death. How is she being remembered there in Paris and around the globe?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, the most striking thing for me is the fact that very little has changed here in 25 years since the last time I was here, or the first time I was here. You still see the well-wishers coming with flowers. You still see the journalists coming to take pictures of the memorial.

But it's not a memorial to Princess Diana. In fact, it's a flame. It was a replica of the flame on top of the Statue of Liberty that was erected years before the crash and by the International Herald Tribune. But it just so happens that the crash took place in this tunnel, which runs underneath the Pont de l'Alma.

And because of that, this is about the closest place that anybody can come to bear witness or to take pride in an emotional way to what happened here. One other thing that has not changed, and that is that no one has suggested despite the years of conspiracy theories, no one has proven that there was anything other than just a mundane accident. As one police investigator put it. A mundane accident caused by a driver who was drunk, driving too fast.

And many of the experts say that that Princess Diana might be alive today if she had been wearing her seatbelt. The one person who was wearing a seatbelt, the bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived the crash. Rosemary?

[03:54:55]

CHURCH: Yes. And of course, her vehicle was pursued by the paparazzi. I mean, they were trying to speed away from that, weren't they?

BITTERMANN: Right, and they were -- none of the paparazzi were ever charged, they were held to helm and there was an investigation and all of that, but in the end the investigation was dropped. Millions of dollars was spent on investigations, both in France and in Great Britain, but they never proved that there was any conspiracy despite the fact that there were years of talk about some kind of a conspiracy to kill Princess Diana.

It should be said that if you want to try to kill someone, probably the worst way to do it is via a traffic accident because you don't know who exactly is going to die in the accident. A totally random event. So, just in a lot of ways, none of the conspiracy theories have gone up in the end. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes. Never forget that shocking day. Jim Bittermann, joining us live from Paris. Many thanks.

And thank you for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. CNN Newsroom continues with Christina Macfarlane, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)