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President Joe Biden Campaigns In Pennsylvania; Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) Is Interviewed Regarding Trump's Speech Calling Biden Enemy Of The State; Threat To Democracy, MAGA Republicans; The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Are Back In The U.K.; Pope John Paul I Beatified; Bed, Bath & Beyond Executive Dies After Fall From High-Rise Apartment; U.S. Jobs Growth Slows Down. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired September 04, 2022 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Sixty-five days, that's when Americans will head to the polls to decide who controls Congress. And Pennsylvania is looking like the center of the midterms universe with President Biden heading there tomorrow for a campaign blitz just days after delivering his fiery speech about MAGA Republicans.

CNN's Joe Johns joins me now from the White House. Joe, what will we hear from the president tomorrow in this big Labor Day appearance? He's really kicking off the start to the mid-term cycle.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, one thing, it is very clear and that is the president, Jim, is definitely interested in getting out there and showing his stuff as it were. He's going not only to Wisconsin. He's also going to Pittsburgh.

And later in the week he's going to Columbus, Ohio. That, of course, is going to be essentially a groundbreaking for a microprocessor plant that he's been promoting. Labor Day, of course around Labor Day, is the time of year where campaigns really start bearing down. It's also a time, very important to say, that people start looking more closely at the candidates.

Of course, Joe Biden's name is not on any ballots. Nonetheless, just the fact that he's getting out to these three major battleground states really does tell you that the Biden people are thinking very carefully about the president and his posture.

You know, it was just a few weeks ago that people were talking about the fact that the president had a real problem with this mid-term election because there were so many worries for example about the president's approval rating, also worries about the price of gas, worries about inflation.

The fact of the matter is now things perhaps are looking a lot different. The question is whether the president is going to continue to hit the campaign trail. Jim, back to you. ACOSTA: Alright, Joe Johns, typically these midterms are about the

president who is in office, but Joe Biden, President Biden wants to make it about his predecessor. Alright, thanks, Joe, very much.

Last night, Donald Trump was also in the keystone state. It was his first campaign trail appearance since the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago home and recovered dozens of classified documents. And so, what was meant to be a rally for a pair of struggling GOP candidates ended up being a MAGA-phone for Trump's attacks on President Biden and the Justice Department. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's an enemy of the state if you want to know the truth. The enemy of the state is him and the group that control him.

The FBI and the Justice Department have become vicious monsters controlled by radical left scoundrels, lawyers and the media who tell them what to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I'm joined now by Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. She's on the Judiciary Committee and the January 6th Select Committee. Congresswoman, thank so much for making time for us on a Labor Day weekend. You have the former president of the United States calling the current president of the United States an enemy of the state. Your response?

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): Well, it's bizarre. And you know, the -- President Biden did caution Americans about extremism in his speech in Philadelphia. And the ex-president is proving his case to call out law enforcement as vicious enemies. I understand that he identified an FBI agent by name on his social media, probably exposing that law enforcement official to threats that we've seen.

It's just weird and, you know, that he makes everything about himself. You know, the Republican voters I know here in my district, they didn't steal classified documents and put them in a little room off their pool. The ex-president did that. So, this is -- it's a weird speech.

[17:04:54]

ACOSTA: And he also referred to members of the FBI, the Department of Justice, as vicious monsters, quote, unquote, "vicious monsters." You looked at, along with the committee, Trump's rhetoric leading up to January 6th. Do you think that kind of rhetoric is more incitement essentially?

LOFGREN: Well, potentially, yes. In the leadup to January 6, there were extravagant claims made -- meant to inflame public opinion and that is what is happening here, although I think it's meant to turn people against law enforcement officers. And we've seen that sometimes that rhetoric reaches people who are prepared to act on it, for example, the fellow who was killed when he tried to attack the FBI agents in Ohio.

So, this is not responsible and the ex-president ought to stop it. But meanwhile, all of us, Democrats and Republicans, in elected office should call this out. This is not proper behavior.

ACOSTA: And one of the rally speakers was somebody named Cynthia Hughes. She runs a group that raises money for January 6 defendants. And our Marshall Cohen over here at CNN points out that last night she told a story to gin up sympathy for her nephew who is a convicted Capitol insurrectionist, and this is her nephew right here posing as Adolf Hitler.

His former colleagues testified that he said, quote, "Hitler should have finished the job." He was convicted on all five January 6th charges that he faced. Why do you think, I mean, do you think this belongs at any kind of a political rally, this kind of speaker being given this sort of platform?

LOFGREN: Well, when President Biden warned that there are some elements in this extreme group that are really semi fascist, maybe he didn't need to use semi, you know. Being a supporter of Adolf Hitler does put you in the fascist category. There's no semi about it.

So, I do think this is troubling and responsible Americans, you know, we can disagree on issues right to left, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't stand up for peaceful communities to push back against the chaos that the ex-president is trying to create. We ought to be thankful to our law enforcement community that does their best to keep us safe instead of attacking them.

ACOSTA: And we're still learning about the scale of the sensitive documents that were discovered at Mar-a-Lago. One of the questions that I had is, and perhaps you can answer it, is it possible that any of these documents were in any way connected to the January 6th investigation? Might they have -- might they be of some interest to the January 6th investigation?

LOFGREN: Well, we don't know yet. Here is what we are doing. We asked the Archives for a whole set of material and they sent us what they had. And the question we have is, is some of what's been returned to them on the list of what we asked for? We don't know the answer to that question yet, but we expect to get the answer.

ACOSTA: And how soon do you expect to get that answer?

LOFGREN: Well, they're working hard. As a matter of fact, members of the January 6th committee are working over this weekend along with our staff. We've got so much to do and, you know, limited time to do it. So, we are pressing everyone to make this a high priority to get answers. And at this point, we just don't know the answer to your question.

ACOSTA: And you said the January 6th committee plans at least one hearing this month. Any update on when that could be, what it would cover, and when do you think we will see that full report? Will we see it by the end of the year? LOFGREN: Well, let me say, I always leave the announcements up to the

chair and vice chair. So, I'm not able to answer that question. But surely, we will have our complete report done by the end of this year. We've always planned on that. And as you know, all congressional select committees are established for the life of the Congress. And so that has always been our intention and remains so.

ACOSTA: And we're heading into a big mid-term political cycle. A lot of your colleagues will be busy campaigning, running for re-elections. Will that get in the way of getting finished on time?

LOFGREN: No, I don't think so. I mean, there is just such a large volume of material, we're not going to have it done like in two weeks, but we are busy working on it. And not only that, the charge of the committee was not just to find the facts and lay them out, but also come up with recommendations for possible legislative changes or administrative procedures. We're also working on that. That's probably not going to be done in the next month either, but we will have all of it done by the end of the year.

[17:10:04]

ACOSTA: Alright, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, thank you so much. We appreciate your time this --

LOFGREN: You bet.

ACOSTA: Thanks.

LOFGREN: Have a good Labor Day.

ACOSTA: You as well and everybody else. We appreciate it.

Coming up, we're just weeks away from the midterms and President Biden is taking a tough new approach in his tone against the former president and his followers. We'll talk about that next.

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ACOSTA: President Biden's return to Pennsylvania tomorrow will come days after he issued a fiery warning about MAGA Republicans and the direction of American democracy in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. The Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump. MAGA Republicans have made their choice. They live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:15:01] ACOSTA: A day later, the president was asked if he considers all Trump supporters a threat and here was his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I don't consider any Trump supporter to be a threat to the country. I do think anyone who calls for the use of violence, fails to condemn violence when it's used, refuses to acknowledge when an election has been won, insists upon changing the way in which we rule and count votes -- that is a threat to democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And joining me now to talk about this, CNN political commentator and host of PBS "Firing Line," Margaret Hoover, and CNN senior political analyst John Avalon. He's the author of the book "Lincoln and the Fight for Peace." John, let me start with you, and thanks to both of you for being with us on this Labor Day weekend. Appreciate it. Happy Labor Day. John, the president is hitting the road for Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman tomorrow. My guess is, is that this is going to be fiery.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, that's a good bet. I mean, all political roads this year lead to Pennsylvania. And the Fetterman-Oz race is a backdrop to this, but you have the ex-president campaigning there, the current president. You know, Pennsylvania is a must-win for control of the Senate full stop.

ACOSTA: And Margaret, what's your take on these races? How critical are these races in Pennsylvania right now? I mean, you have, you know, last night you saw Trump on the campaign trail, you know, at this rally with Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano, an election tonight who is running for governor there. How critical are these races? Very important it seems.

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. They are enormously important. And Republicans have hoped desperately to win back control of the Senate and they have been putting everything on 2022 and almost unstoppable wave of election that they've anticipated. What's turning out -- this is the part about the fall that's coming to fruition, is that it's turning out that it may not be a given, the Republicans walk away with the Senate.

I suspect they will still walk away with the House, but the Senate and the caliber of the candidates that Republicans have nominated in order to compete in these contests has been substandard, inferior, especially in states like Pennsylvania.

You've got lot of swing voters, a lot of people who are predisposed to, you know, be the prototypical Trump supporter, right, white, working class, a bit economically alienated that frankly, the Democratic nominee speaks to as well. So, there's a real contest in Pennsylvania, but also in Nevada and this --

AVLON: Ohio.

HOOVER: Ohio.

ACOSTA: Yes.

HOOVER: So, we have -- it is not a given that Republicans will get the Senate. Republicans are, of course, starting (ph) to get worried.

ACOSTA: Are we not paying enough attention to Roe versus Wade being overturned as being a pivotal issue in all of -- in so many of these -- maybe not all of these races, but so many of these races?

HOOVER: I'm going to cut John off because I'm going to tell you, Jim, when this happened, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, I talked to Republican consultant after Republican consultant who said, it's already baked in the cake. This isn't going to hurt the Republicans nominees. This is not going to be an issue in the election.

And you know, (inaudible), I'm a pro-choice Republican. There are not many of us left. And I sensed they were wrong and I also couldn't -- they were pointing to data that I just didn't add up. And you are seeing that now. You're seeing how motivated Democrats, independents, suburban women. This is an impact. This is playing in November.

AVLON: Big time.

ACOSTA: Yeah. And, John, let me ask you about Senator Lindsey Graham. He is defending the comment that he made that there will be riots in the streets if Trump is prosecuted for mishandling classified information recovered from Mar-a-Lago. I mean, this is not the Lindsey Graham who was John McCain's wing man so many years ago. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): What I tried to do is state the obvious. We live in a rule of law nation in America. The raid on President Trump's home, the likely nominee for 2024, better bear some fruit here. Our country, people on our side, believe that when it comes to the justice system there are no rules regarding Trump. Get him. It doesn't matter how you get him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yeah, John, your sense of it.

AVLON: Should have stopped at the first sentence. We live in a rule of law nation. Full stop. That means applying the law without fear of favor. And the political threat of riots if the law is applied fairly, equal justice under law, is a threat, it's a political threat. Also, by the way, treating Donald Trump is a foregone conclusion as the nominee, I think itself is putting the thumb on the scale.

But you know, you either believe the rule of law or you don't. You ought to believe in equal justice under the law or you don't, and you don't threaten political violence, in effect, if the rule of law is applied equally and judiciously.

ACOSTA: Yeah, I mean, haven't we had enough rioting? I mean, why aren't our elected leaders tamping this down. It's time to tamp this down.

AVLON: They should be.

ACOSTA: Yeah.

AVLON: And that's about leadership.

ACOSTA: What do you think, Margaret, about that?

AVLON: That's about leaders in the Republican Party are doing.

[17:20:00]

HOOVER: I find them -- we're agreeing a lot, Jim. Could you ask us some other questions?

ACOSTA: No. I -- you know --

HOOVER: John is right. It is rule of law. Look, as I go through this and I hear Republicans gripe about this rule of law nation but then resenting the fact that the rule of law came to Donald Trump's doorstep. I mean, you remember the national security adviser in the Clinton administration, Sandy Berger, who took documents that belonged to the federal government from the National Archives. He was prosecuted by the Department of Justice. There is no Republican who followed this closely in the 90s who would say, I mean, their arguments are inverse (inaudible).

AVLON: Right. And Jim, let me just say we don't, you know, Margaret and I, you know, have different political perspectives, right, but I think where we agree is where most Americans should agree, and I think the vast American -- majority of Americans do agree, which is defense of democracy should trump, no pun intended, but were pun intended, any ideological difference.

We need to go back to having debates about policy differences and different perspectives on how to achieve the best outcomes for the country. And what we're seeing is a total twisting of that tradition. We all got to stand shoulder to shoulder against it, it seems to me.

ACOSTA: Yeah. I mean, even Trump's former attorney general, Bill Barr, is not defending Trump. It's remarkable. Let's watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BARR, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL: If, in fact, he sorts of stood over scores of boxes not really knowing what was in them and said I hereby declassify everything in here, that would be such an abuse that -- and show such recklessness that it's almost worse than taking the documents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yeah, I mean, Margaret, when you've lost Bill Barr, right?

HOOVERL: No, I mean, not worse than taking the documents, stealing federal property, I mean, that's bad. Bill Barr we also knew was gone, right? Like we knew that actually Bill Barr in those final moments did differentiate himself from the president, was on terrible terms, sort of grasping on to his seat up until the final days of the Trump administration.

So now we got the tell-all and, you know, I'm sure he's selling a lot of books. Would have been nice if they stood up when it mattered.

AVLON: But he did stand up when it mattered to the extent that he wouldn't go along with overturning the election. I know that's a low bar, no pun intended, you know --

ACOSTA: How many times are you going to incend or not incend?

AVLON: I'm really, too many. This is dad jokes creeping in in my life here.

ACOSTA: My dad joke meter is going off.

AVLON: It's really, really -- I wrestle with this all the time now, Jim. But in all seriousness, the deal is that Lindsey Graham and other Republicans in the Senate need to take a page from Bill Barr. You can be a principled conservative and if you indeed are a principled conservative and a principled constitutional conservative, then you stand up for applying law and you stand against attempts to overturn the election. This isn't hard or at least it shouldn't be.

ACOSTA: Yeah. And Margaret, we still don't have -- and I keep coming back to this, we still don't have an answer to the question why he took the documents. Why he had them? We don't have that answer.

HOOVER: Yeah. And we also don't know what the documents were.

ACOSTA: We know there are empty folders. Yeah.

HOOVER: Time will tell all of this because we live in an open society where transparency is the key, right? And that is fundamental. People have the power and people need to have the information or to make decisions about who our leaders are and who holds power and governs with our power.

So, we will know and time will tell, but there's absolutely nothing -- nothing against the law. I mean, the law had -- Donald Trump must be held accountable, must be held according to the law and no one is above the law. No former president, no current president.

ACOSTA: And without rioting in the streets. I mean, that should be a bare minimum in the United States of America. I mean, you know, it is a low bar, but pun intended once again, but we'll leave it at that.

AVLON: A lot of dad humor this weekend, but it's okay. It's Labor Day.

HOOVER: It's Labor Day.

ACOSTA: Alright. Thanks so much, John and Margaret. We appreciate it.

AVLON: Thank you.

HOOVER: Thanks. Jim.

ACOSTA: Coming up, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle return to the U.K., but not before a new interview ratchets up the tension yet again with the Royal Family.

Plus, CNN goes one-on-one with Pope Francis. His comments about cracking down on sexual abuse in the Catholic church.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

ACOSTA: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will make public appearances in the U.K. this week but before the Duchess of Sussex gave a new interview saying she is, quote, "Still healing from her experience with the Royal Family." Speaking to New York magazine's "The Cut," Meghan said, quote, "I think forgiveness is really important. It takes a lot more energy to not to forgive. But it takes a lot of effort to forgive. I've really made an effort, and active effort especially knowing that I can say anything."

And she had plenty to say during the interview expressing her frustration once again that the Royal Family would not allow them to make their own money while also working on behalf of the monarchy. She says they were even willing to move to another commonwealth country, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, to get away from harsh British tabloids saying, quote, "Just by existing we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy so we go, okay, fine, let's get out of here. Happy to."

Joining me now to talk about this is Patrick Jephson, the former private secretary to Princess Diana and the author of the book, "The Meghan Factor: A Royal Expert's Insight on America's New Princess -- And How She Could Change the Windsor Dynasty Forever." Patrick, so good to have you here.

I didn't realize you were here in the colonies, but we appreciate you making time for us. What kind of reception do you think Harry and Meghan are going to get on this return trip to the U.K.? I have to imagine there will be some media coverage.

PATRICK JEPHSON, PRINCESS DIANA'S PRIVATE SECRETARY & CHIEF OF STAFF: Yes, Jim. I think it's safe to say that the reception will be mixed. They're going to support three excellent charities.

[17:30:00]

And they each have hands-on experience with these organizations. So, there will be a lot of warmth in the welcome, there'll be a lot of support. There will also be a lot of scrutiny. I mean, the British media have a pretty divided view on Harry and Meghan. They are polarizing figures and this is a particularly sensitive time for the British monarchy. Just this week, Tuesday, the Queen will be greeting a new prime minister. ACOSTA: That's right.

JEPHSON: And, of course, as we know, sadly, the current reign is drawing to an end, very slowly, we hope, but these are momentous days in royal history. The question is, are Harry and Meghan going to be remembered as positive elements in that history or as a bit of a sideshow?

ACOSTA: And Meghan also has a new podcast on Spotify called, "Archetypes" where she said that it wasn't until after she started dating Prince Harry that she was treated like a black woman. And here is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I mean, for us it's so different because we're light skinned, you're not treated as a black woman, you're not treated as a white woman. You sort of fit in between. I mean, if there's any time in my life that it's been more focused on my race it's only once I started dating my husband. Then I started to understand what it was like to be treated like a Black woman because up until then I had been treated like a mixed woman and things really shifted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And we all remember from her Oprah interview her accusations of racism against the royal family. Is this still an issue, do you think, for Buckingham Palace?

JEPHSON: Well, Jim, I'm not really qualified in any way to talk about racism but I'm quite happy to take Meghan at her word about how she feels. On the other hand, if you are going to make allegations of racism, as she has against an unnamed member of the royal family and in certain other respects against elements in the media, I think it is important to explain what you mean and who you are talking about because these are extremely serious.

I mean, they are disgusting allegations, you know, if this has happened, it's disgusting behavior and it needs to be called out as such. But it does -- it does, I think, require from her a little more detail on what she's talking about. And then --

ACOSTA: She's done that to some extent.

JEPHSON: To some extent, but I think if you're going to say something as incendiary as the media has been calling her children the N-word, then some more detail would help. It would help the way in which she is perceived. I think if she is going to make serious comments about these sorts of subjects, it's all the more important that she is credible. And without more evidence, her credibility, I think, has to be in question.

ACOSTA: And Prince Harry is set to release a memoir that apparently is a major source of contention between him and the palace including his older brother, Prince William and his father, Prince Charles. It's all happening as his grandmother, the Queen, is experiencing health issues. How bad is this, do you think, this relationship right now?

JEPHSON: Well, the British Royal Family likes to control as much of the media about itself as it can, understandably. But it is also, I think, got the benefit of 1,000 years of history, of many previous family issues. You know, the British monarchy is not a byword for family calmness.

So, this will pass as others have. And this is very much, I think, something we need to see in a cultural perspective. This isn't just U.K. speaking to the U.S. or U.S. to U.K. It is California speaking to Windsor and there are plenty of students for misunderstandings. I've migrated from the U.K. to the U.S. myself and even after 11 years there are aspects of the culture that fox me.

In my book "The Meghan Factor," I wrote when Meghan came into the family, there will be days where the Atlantic Ocean seemed very wide. And as we look at Harry and Meghan and their future, whether we approve or criticize what they're doing, we need to remember that they are doing their best halfway through their lives with a new family and a huge cultural ravine between there and here that they find themselves, even today, trying to bridge.

ACOSTA: And I have to ask you about that the world just marked 25 years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris. As someone who knew her, you worked with her, what is it like to reflect on her legacy after all these years? I mean, I still remember the day that it happened vividly, you know. We all watched this incredibly painful time for all of Britain when it happened.

[17:35:03]

JEPHSON: Well, of course, it's painful to remember her death but it's very encouraging to remember her life. And I feel very strongly that there are lessons from her experience that Harry and Meghan really would do well to pick up on.

Especially the simple one that we are here to be happy and then the Royal family do have an opportunity to do a lot of good with your status. That status has to be earned every day. Princess Diana drew attention not to herself but to her causes and I think that is a lesson -- she once said to me, what you are saying to me Patrick is shut up, Diana, and do your job. That's a pretty good motto for any member of the Royal family.

ACOSTA: For all of us, actually. Patrick Jephson, alright, thank you very much. We appreciate it. Again, he's the author of the book "The Meghan Factor." Be sure to check that out.

In the meantime, Pope John Paul I who led the Roman Catholic Church a mere 33 days before his sudden death in 1978 moves closer to sainthood today. Pope Francis beatified him in a ceremony that marks the last step towards sainthood. The last hurdle for Pope John Paul I, attributing a second miracle to him.

CNN Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher joins us now. Delia, Pope Francis sat down with our colleagues at CNN Portugal. Very interesting. What are some of the highlights?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDEMNT: Well, Jim, the Pope gave this interview in advance of a trip that he'll be making to Portugal next year. He discussed a number of topics including sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, which he called diabolical. Let's take listen to some more of what he had to say on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translation): If he is a priest, he is there to lead men to God and not to destroy men in the name of God. Zero tolerance and we cannot stop on that. And every case of abuse that appears hurts me, hurts me, but we have to face it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: And the Pope also said that he didn't think that celibacy in the Catholic church was one of the reasons for sexual abuse. He said that sexual abuse occurs in all sectors of society including the family and obviously there, celibacy is not an issue. Jim?

ACOSTA: And Delia, the Pope also spoke out on Russia's war in Ukraine and his conversations with the leaders of those two countries. What did he say?

GALLAGHER: Well, you know, we know that Pope Francis since the war has begun has had several conversations with President Zelenskyy. There's been no indication, however, that he has had any conversations with President Putin. Here is a little bit more from the interview on what he had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA JOAO AVILLEZ, CNN PORTUGAL: What is it possible for a pope to say to President Putin and President Zelenskyy?

POPE FRANCIS (through translation): I don't know. I don't know. I had a dialogue with both. They both visited me here before the war, and I always believe that in dialogue we always have to move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: And the pope said that a trip to Kyiv and Moscow was, quote, "up in the air." He has been invited on several occasions to visit Kyiv. He has said he would like to go, but that he would also like to go to Moscow, Jim. However, Moscow has not yet issued an invitation to the pope. Jim?

ACOSTA: Alright, Delia Gallagher, thank you very much for staying on top of that.

Coming up, a top executive at Bed, Bath & Beyond falls to his death just days after the company announced it was closing stores and cutting staff.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [17:40:00]

ACOSTA: Now to a one in 200-year flood event in Georgia. This was the scene in the northern part of the state. Flash floods overwhelming roads, homes, and businesses. Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp has issued a state of emergency with an estimated foot of rain expected in some places. This gas station was completely flooded, as you can see here, and it's not over yet. More rain is expected tonight and we will keep our eye on top of that.

In the meantime, a law enforcement source tells CNN that a man who jumped to his death from a New York City high rise was the chief financial officer for struggling retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond. He's been identified as Gustavo Arnal. Let's bring in CNN's Polo Sandoval. Polo, what are you learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPODENT: Yeah, Jim, as you mentioned, the NYPD has identified him as Gustavo Arnal. Law enforcement source telling our colleague, Brynn Gingras, that the 52-year-old was the chief financial officer for Bed, Bath & Beyond and that he died after jumping from his luxury high-rise apartment here in Manhattan on Friday.

Now, no suicide note was discovered and SEC records showing that he was appointed to his executive position just back in 2020. We should also mention that Arnal was recently named as a defendant in a class- action lawsuit just this past August. In it, it accused Ryan Cohen as well as Arnal and other large shareholders of engaging in a pump and dump scheme to artificially inflate the price of the company's stock.

The suit also alleging that stakeholders basically shared fake revenue numbers to fill stock buying. Meanwhile, Bed, Bath & Beyond for its part releasing a statement, a portion of it reading, "The entire Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. Organization is profoundly saddened by this shocking loss. Our focus is on supporting his family and his team and our thoughts are with them during this sad and difficult time.

Again, that is a statement from Bed Bath & Beyond. It certainly has been a difficult time for Bed, Bath & Beyond recently. They have been in deep financial turmoil, even recently announced that they would lay off about 20 percent of corporate employees and close 150 of their stores in an effort to avoid bankruptcy.

The company has also said that it is in the process of securing more than $500 million in financing to try to keep that company going. As for this particular investigation though, the medical examiner's office yet not officially ruling this a suicide, Jim, though, it says that there is no criminality that is suspected.

[17:44:57]

That he suspects. Of course, you know what I know and it's a point that our viewers know that we don't typically offer coverage to suicides. However, given this latest thread and the business news that surfaced just a couple of days ago, this is certainly one that we are closely following on air as well. Jim? ACOSTA: Alright, Polo, thank you. And if you or someone you know is

struggling with suicidal thoughts or their mental health, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. The lifeline is at 988, and there you will connect with a trained counselor or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website at 988lifeline.org. And we'll be right back.

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ACOSTA: U.S. job growth is slowing from its red-hot pace. Here is Christine Romans with your "Before the Bell" report. Hi, Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORESPONDENT: Hi, Jim. Markets are closed Monday for the Labor Day weekend. Expect the labor market to be center stage in the shortened week. We learned Friday that 315,000 jobs were added in August. Job creation is slowing from a red- hot pace earlier this year. A year, Jim, in which 3.5 million jobs have been added.

Now, the jobless rate ticked up to 3.7 percent. Why? Well, it's because people on the sidelines entered the labor force looking for work. That's a good thing. Now, jobs growth was broad based. All in all, a very strong labor market showing signs of slowing maybe from an unsustainable pace. It might be exactly what the Federal Reserve wants to see.

This week, key speeches from a Fed governor and the Fed chief that could hint toward just how aggressive the Fed will be at its next meeting in September. Now the fed is on a campaign to cool inflation running at a 40-year high, raising interest rates four times this year. The overall economy has already shown signs of stalling of course, but the job market has defied gravity. There are two open jobs for each job seeker. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

ACOSTA: And one of the most brutal war crimes in Ukraine captured on camera is now leading to charges. Prosecutors in Bucha say never before seen video obtained by CNN helped identify one Russian soldier who shot and killed Ukrainian civilians. We want to warn you the video is violent and disturbing. And CNN's Sara Sidner reports.

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SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ukrainian prosecutors say this is the moment an undeniable war crime was carried out by Russian soldiers. This video clip obtained by CNN has yet to be seen by the public. It shows Russian soldiers firing at something alongside a business they have just overtaken on the outskirts of Kyiv. Turns out their target is two unsuspecting and unarmed Ukrainian civilians, who they shoot in the back.

We first reported on this portion of the video in May, showing the business owner dying where he falls and the guard initially surviving, but bleeding to death after making it back to his guard shack. Both men had just spent the last few minutes speaking calmly with the Russian soldiers who appeared to have let them go, but we now see two of the soldiers return and fire on them.

YULIA PLYATS, FATHER KILLED BY RUSSIANS (through translation): My father's name is Leonid Olekiyovych Plyats.

SIDNER (voice-over): The guard's daughter, Yulia, told us then she wanted the world to know her father's name and what the Russians did to him.

(On camera): Yulia, have you seen the video?

PLYATS (through translation): I can't watch it now. I will save it to the cloud and leave it for my grandchildren and children. They should know about this crime and always remember who our neighbors are.

SIDNER (voice-over): And now, the Bucha prosecutor's office says with the help of CNN's story, it has finally identified one of his executioners. The suspect's name, Nikolai Sergeyevich Sokovikov. Ukraine has informed Russia that their pre-trial investigation has zeroed in on Sokovikov as the perpetrator of the cold-blooded killing.

While prosecutors will not reveal exactly how they identified this particular soldier, we have seen one part of the process being used by Ukrainian officials -- facial recognition technology.

(On camera): It's really fast.

(Voice-over): The Ministry of Digital Transformation gets an image, loads it into the program they created and it scrubs social media looking for a match. Once they have a match of a soldier dead or alive, they try to corroborate it with friends and family on the soldier's social media sites.

We have identified about 300 cases, he says. The identification of the latest suspect for war crimes was months in the making. But it is at least one step toward justice for the families who have had something taken from them they can never get back. The life of someone they loved. Sara Sidner, CNN, New York.

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ACOSTA: It's the unbelievable story of the man who took on Putin and lived to expose the truth. The Sun Dance award winning CNN film "Navalny" airs tonight at 8:00 on CNN. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Hello.

UNKNOWN: (Speaking in foreign language.)

TEXT: It's Alexei Navalny calling and I was hoping you could tell me why you wanted to kill me

UNKNOWN: Hung up.

UNKNOWN: Remarkably, Vladimir Putin faces a legitimate opponent, Alexei Navalny.

[17:55:01]

ALEXEI NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I don't want Putin being president.

If I want to be leader of a country, I have to organize people.

UNKNOWN: The Kremlin hates Navalny so much that they refuse to say his name.

UNKNOWN: Passengers heard Navalny cry out in agony.

NAVALNY: Come on. Poisoned? Seriously? We are creating a coalition to fight this regime.

UNKNOWN: If you are killed, what message do you leave behind to the Russian people?

NAVALNY: It's very simple. Never give up.

UNKNOWN: "Navalny" tonight at 8:00 on CNN.

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