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Biden Condemns Attacks on FBI, Slams MAGA Republicans; IAEA Inspectors En Route to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant; Princess Diana Remembered 25 Years After Her Death; NASA Will Try for Saturday Launch of Artemis Rocket. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired August 31, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Demand as weakened and rising inflation and other factors. So, retailers including Kohl's and The Gap are using business strategy known as pack and hold to manage their bloated inventory and future profits.

Now U.N. inspectors are now on their way to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine as safety concerns grow. The latest on their mission in a live report just ahead.

Plus, President Biden is ramping up his law and order message ahead of the November midterms. Details on his fiery speech in Pennsylvania when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Hello, welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane. If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

Former President Donald Trump has until tonight to answer a damning court filing from the U.S. Justice Department opposing his plea for a Special Master in the investigation of Mar-a-Lago. The Department's filing says Trump lacks legal standing to intervene in the probe and in total more than 320 classified documents have been recovered from Mar-a-Lago since January and much more is of course ahead on this developing story on "EARLY START" next hour.

Meantime U.S. President Biden defended the FBI and condemned MAGA Republicans during a fiery speech in the swing state of Pennsylvania ramping up his political message ahead of the November midterms. CNN Kaitlan Collins has more now from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Biden forcefully condemning attacks on law enforcement agencies after the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is no place in this country, no place, for an endangering the lives of law enforcement. No place.

[04:35:00]

None, never, period.

COLLINS (voice-over): Biden defending rank and file agents after the agency saw a spike in threats after searching former President Trump's home to retrieve sensitive materials taken from office.

BIDEN: It's sickening to see the new attacks on the FBI. Threatening the life of law enforcement agents and their families for simply carrying out the law and doing their job.

COLLINS (voice-over): Biden calling out those in the GOP call to defund the FBI.

BIDEN: I'm opposed to defunding the police and I'm also opposed to defunding the FBI.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): You have worked hard all your life and ...

COLLINS (voice-over): And the president also going after Senator Lindsey Graham for suggesting that there would be, quote, riots in the streets if Trump is prosecuted while Hillary Clinton wasn't for her use of a private server as Secretary of State.

BIDEN: The idea that you turn on a television and see senior Senators and Congressmen saying if such and such happens, there will be blood in the street. Where the hell are we?

COLLINS (voice-over): Biden drawing a contrast between Democrats and Republicans who bill themselves as defenders of law and order.

BIDEN: Don't tell me you support law enforcement if you won't condemn what happened on the 6th. Don't tell me.

You can't be a party of law and order and call the people who attacked the police on January 6 patriots. You can't do it.

COLLINS (voice-over): The president was in the critical battleground state to renew his push for assault weapons ban and detail his plan to combat crime.

BIDEN: I'm determined to ban assault weapons in this country. Determined. I did it once before and I'll do it again.

COLLINS (voice-over): And a rebuke of previous calls from progressives in his party to defund the police, Biden advocated for boosting law enforcement instead.

BIDEN: When it comes to public safety in this nation, the answer is not defund the police, it is fund the police. Fund the police.

COLLINS (voice-over): He has visited the pivotal battleground state 14 times since taking office and will be there two more times in the next week as former President Trump is also scheduled to hold a rally of his own on Saturday.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Pennsylvania is close and dearest to his heart.

COLLINS: And President Biden will return to Pennsylvania for the second time this week on Thursday for what officials are saying is going to be a speech with that theme of his campaign, this battle for the democracy and soul of the nation. As they say it is very much still under threat by Republicans, the MAGA Republicans that the president is forcefully critical of lately. That comes as the White House officials are trying to keep their distance from the investigations into Trump and into the materials he took from office.

Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, President Biden getting in touch with his law and order message could be a key political move for the November midterms. Pennsylvania will be critical in determining whether Democrats can hold on to control of Congress or the Republicans can flip the power dynamic. Former President Trump is expected to visit the battleground state on Saturday to rally support for Republican candidates.

And inspectors with the U.N. nuclear watchdog are on their way from Kyiv to Zaporizhzhia to assess the situation that that Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which remains under Russian control. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says their mission is urgent, as he met Tuesday with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Kyiv.

But Mr. Zelenskyy doesn't just want the plant inspected. He's also calling the immediate withdrawal of all Russian troops from the facility. Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the shelling around the plant in recent weeks.

For more now let's bring in Melissa Bell. She's live for us today in Kyiv. And Melissa, even as these inspectors make their way to Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine reporting that there has been shelling and deliberate targeting of corridors to the plant. What more do we know?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, that's what we were hearing from Ukrainian authorities yesterday, fears about the accessibility for the 14 strong inspection team of the plant itself.

Of course, it has been at the heart, Christina, of so much speculation but also accusations from one side to the other about exactly who's been responsible for the shelling that may have damaged it and what that has meant. So, the point of the mission is that.

The head of the team spoke this morning as they set off for what will be a drive of several hours. They are still on their way to Zaporizhzhia. Here's what Rafael Grossi had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI, IAEA DIRECTOR GENERAL: Six months of efforts, the IAEA is moving into Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

[04:40:00]

As you know we have an very, very important task there to perform. To assess the real situation there. To help stabilize the situation as much as we can. And I am really very conscious of the relevance of this moment. But we are ready. The IAEA is ready.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Now the head of the military Russian appointed administration there has said that the team has one day to carry out in its inspections. So, he also says that he will be there physically to show the team what he says, the Russian side says, is shrapnel damage to one of the buildings. There was a great deal about this earlier this week. Shrapnel damage that the Russian side says has been caused by Ukrainian shelling.

But that limiting of the mission of the time of the inspection to just today of course an added layer of complication no doubt for the mission. The idea had been they'd spend several days and that a team would stay in place for time being. It's unclear how possible that's going to be -- Christina.

MACFARLANE: All right, and I know that you will continue to track developments for us there live from Kyiv. Melissa Bell, thank you.

All right, after the break, Pakistan's climate change emergency, details on the deadly floods now impacting the lives of millions of people in the region.

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

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MACFARLANE: At least one person is dead, another critically injured after a three story building collapsed in Nigeria. Six others were treated in hospital and released. The building is located at a popular market. Authorities are still searching through the rubble in case anyone remains trapped.

[04:45:02]

In Pakistan, more than 1,100 people have died including 380 children in what the U.N. Secretary-General is calling a monsoon on steroids. Torrential rains and floods have forced millions of people from their homes. The 2022 monsoon season which started just two months ago has been the wettest on record. Total rainfall so far is nearly three times the average amount seen up to this point in the year. And in the hard hit provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, rainfall has been more than 500 percent of average. Pakistani officials say this is a climate disaster, one which they must adapt to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BILAWAL BHUTTO-ZARDARI, PAKISTANI FOREIGN MINISTER: At the moment we're still in the midst of an ongoing disaster and the phase that we're conducting right now is of rescue and relief. Once we get through our rescue and relief phase, the immediate danger, then we work towards reconstruction and rehabilitation. And that has to not only be done in a transparent manner but we have to adapt to the new realities of climate change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: And if you like to find out how you can help the millions of people impacted by the devastating floodings in Pakistan, head over to CNN.com/impact.

Now Iraq's president says early elections could end the violent political crisis facing his nation. This Monday supporters of the powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed the heavily fortified green zone after al-Sadr announced his final retirement from politics. At least 21 people died in the clashes and more than 250 were injured. Iraq has not had a functioning government for ten months and the political parties are deadlocked on who should lead the next cabinet.

Now Wednesday marks 25 years since the stunning 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 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 in her example to this day.

Well, joining me live from the crash site in Paris is CNN's Jim Bittermann who covered Princess Diana's wedding and her death. Jim, it's really hard to believe that 25 years have passed since that moment when we, you know, woke up to this news that Diana had devastatingly died. And yet her legacy, her presence continues to be felt to this day. Why do you think that is?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm not really sure, Christina. I think one of the most striking things for me is the way that nothing has really changed over the last 25 years. That there still people coming to this monument -- which by the way it is not a monument to Princess Diana. It is a monument that was erected years before the crash by the International Herald Tribune. It's a replica of the flame atop the Statue of Liberty.

In any case, people still come here, the journalist still come here and on special occasions like this especially. But you know, during the year you see people as well coming to see and pay their respects and lay wreathes and flowers and notes to Princess Diana. And it's really kind of inexplicable, but it's one of the spontaneous monuments around the world that sprung up after her death.

The other thing that has not changed and that is that one of the reasons that this is a monument, it's here because the accident happened right below here in the tunnel that goes underneath the Pont de l'Alma. And the other thing that has not changed is the explanation about the

cause of the accident. There were two extensive investigations over the course of the 25 years, one in the U.K. and one here in France. They went into it in great detail looking at all the conspiracy theories and all the plots and all that sort of thing and they found no explanation more than it was a simple traffic accident caused by a chauffeur who was drunk and by speeding through the tunnel when he lost control of the car.

And one of the other things that they pointed out over the year, the safety experts, if that Princess Diana had been wearing a seat belt, she'd probably be alive today. The one survivor of the accident Trevor Rees-Jones , the security man was in fact wearing his seat belt, all the rest were not -- Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yes, it hasn't stopped conspiracy theories over the years, has it, Jim. Great to have you there for us live in Paris today to there to mark the occasion at least. Thanks very much, Jim Bittermann.

Just ahead, two space telescopes team up to produce a stunning new image of a faraway galaxy.

And NASA sets new launch window for Artemis 1 rocket in its mission to the moon.

[04:50:00]

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MACFARLANE: You are looking at the Phantom Galaxy, a spiral of solar systems 32 million light years from earth. This image was taken using data from both the Hubble and James Webb telescopes giving scientists a greater understanding of this galaxy. You can see it's well defined spiral arms winding out from the center. The Webb telescope also found delicate filaments of gas and dust in those arms. The photo also the nuclear star cluster at the galaxy center unclouded by gas.

Well meanwhile, here in our galaxy, NASA hopes to try again this Saturday to launch the Artemis 1 rocket for its journey around the moon. Meantime, Mission managers are learning a little more about why the engine issue which forced them to scrap Monday's liftoff. CNN's Kristin Fisher has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: NASA has set a date for the second launch attempt of its Artemis moon rocket. They're going to try again on Saturday at 2:17 p.m. Eastern time. They've got a nice long two hour launch window that day. But they do have a 60 percent chance of hitting some kind of weather violation during that window. So, things like rain, wind, lightning, those could all cause a weather violation.

[04:55:00]

But they are still fairly confident that they will get some kind of break, I know who will break during that window where they could perhaps try again. So, that's the weather side of things.

Now to the technical side. And you remember on Monday the biggest issue was a problem with engine number three. They weren't able to cool it down to the right temperature. They've got to get those engines down to negative 420 degrees Fahrenheit. And the reason why is they kind of equate it to what you would see in a Formula 1 race. How you see those cars on the tracks just warming up their tires before a race.

Well, for a rocket launch like this, you've got to do essentially the opposite. You've got to cool down the engines that much, negative 420 degrees Fahrenheit before launch. Now what they're going to do to try to make sure what happened on Monday doesn't happen again is there going to start the cooldown process a little bit sooner in the countdown.

And then they're also going to be doing a lot of work checking out what may be a faulty sensor. There is a chance that this oil boiled down, this scrub was all the result of a faulty sensor. We don't know for sure, but NASA has some concerns about it. And so, between now and Saturday they're going to be looking at if there are other ways that they can collects data to make sure that the engine is at the right temperature so they don't have to rely on that one perhaps faulty sensor.

So, fingers crossed that Saturday is the day. But if they do scrub on Saturday again this time for weather, the next launch attempt would be Monday.

Kristin Fisher, CNN, Cape Canaveral.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Yes, fingers and toes crossed for Saturday.

OK, get this, no one has come forward yet to claim the $1.3 billion Mega Million jackpot for July drawing in the U.S. The ticket was purchased from a gas station near Chicago. The lucky winner has one year to claim their prize. So, everyone, you may want to recheck your ticket if you played in Chicago July, check it now.

OK, that does it for this edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. Stay tuned for "EARLY START" coming up next with Christine Romans.

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