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Security Tightens in New York and Washington ahead of Former President Trump's Possible Indictment; Republican Congressmen to Probe on Manhattan Prosecutor; China's Xi calls Russia's Putin a Dear Friend, Talks Between Two Leaders now on its Second Day; Taiwanese President to visit U.S., two Other Countries in her Overseas Trip; First Republic Bank Fighting to Survive; Body of a Teenager to be Exhumed for Autopsy; War Crime for Russian Soldier Who Attacked Ukrainian Civilians; L.A. School District to Push Through With the Strike; New Report from United Nations Regarding Climate Change. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired March 21, 2023 - 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 am Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, it may not be today, but a decision on a Trump indictment could come soon, and that has law enforcement in New York and Washington beefing up security ahead of potential protest.
Vladimir Putin continues talks with his dear friend, Xi Jinping, in Moscow in the coming hours. The White House says that it was watching the Russian and Chinese leaders closely how this visit could impact the war in Ukraine.
Plus, shares in First Republic Bank tumble to a new low, raising the question, is the U.S. Banking system secure or is more turmoil ahead?
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, today is the day that Donald Trump has predicted he will be indicted and arrested by New York prosecutors.
But it is still unclear when or if that will actually happen, and a source close to the former president's legal team tells CNN not to expect any arrest or court appearance before next week.
Still, police in New York are getting ready for any potential protest. Mayor Eric Adams says that there are no credible threats to the city, but they are putting up barricades and surveillance cameras just to be safe. And a police memo tells all officers to be in uniform and ready to deploy today.
And in Washington, police have put up fencing around the U.S. Capital to keep potential protesters away.
The grand jury in New York is investigating a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen says that he made the payment at Trump's direction to keep Daniels quiet about an alleged affair. Now, Cohen's former attorney claims that Cohen decided on his own to pay Daniels. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT COSTELLO, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR MICHAEL COHEN: I listened to Michael Cohen stand in front of the court house, and say things that are directly contrary to what he said to us. Now, he's on a revenge tour. I understand it, but I do not condone it. And that is why I went in there today to tell these people the truth about who the real Michael Cohen is and what he was actually saying at that moment in time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Cohen claims that Robert Costello's last minute testimony before the grand jury on Monday is nothing more than a smear campaign by Trump's team. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: It is a typical Donald J. Trump play out of the playbook. Figure out how you can muddy the waters as best as he possibly can, denigrate the person, disparage them, they did the same thing to Cassidy Hutchinson. They did the same thing to anyone and everyone that is it -- is for the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Donald Trump's version of the Stormy Daniels story has gone through a number of revisions over the years.
CNN's Tom Foreman explains how we got here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He had a hit television show, she was in adult films. He was 60, she was 27 when they met at a golf tournament in 2006 where Stormy Daniels says that Donald Trump shared photos of his wife, his new baby boy --
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: And you had sex with him?
STORMY DANIELS: Yes.
FOREMAN (voice-over): And Trump has denied it ever since.
DONAL TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: To be bringing up that kind of crap, and to be bring it up, witch hunts all the time, it's all you want to talk about. FOREMAN (voice-over): Born in Louisiana, Stephanie Clifford got into
adult entertainment in her teens, taking the name Stormy. By her account, she thought Trump might help her get into TV.
Instead, her allegations of an affair took over the headlines. A key claim as Trump's 2016 campaign came to the wire, she says that she was paid $130,000 to keep quiet about him. He denied any knowledge of that in the spring of 2018.
REPORTER: Mr. President, Did you know about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels?
TRUMP: No. No.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But that same summer --
UNKNOWN: Did you know about the payments?
TRUMP: Later on, I knew.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Her story as seemed at times confusing. For example, at one point, she signed statements denying any affair took place.
COOPER: If it was untruthful, why did you sign it?
[03:05:02]
DANIELS: Because they made it sound like I had no choice.
COOPER: No one was putting a gun to your head?
DANIELS: Not physical violence, no.
COOPER: You thought that there would be some kind of legal repercussion if I didn't sign it.
DANIELS: Correct. As a matter of fact, the exact sentence used was they can make your life hell in many different ways.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Further complicating questions now at the center of the legal case against Trump, did the alleged payoff come from campaign funds, and was that a violation of campaign finance laws?
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen who went to prison over the alleged hush money says yes and that Trump knew about it. But others in Trump's orbit say no way.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY : That money was not campaign money, sorry.
FOREMAN (voice-over): As for the former president, just days ago he leveled an insult at Daniels as he insisted, once again, I did nothing wrong in the Horseface case. I never had an affair with her. Witch hunt. (on-camera): This story has been unwinding for years and it is now
full of many twists and turns. But it may finally now be time for a court to sort it all out.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Joey Jackson is a CNN Analyst and a criminal defense attorney. He joins me now from New York. Always good to have you with us.
JOEY JACKSON, CNN ANALYST: Nice to be here.
CHURCH: So, Robert Costello, a Trump ally and Michael Cohen's former legal adviser, testified Monday before a grand jury investigating Donald Trump's alleged role in a hush money scheme, essentially saying that Cohen is a liar and that he is out for revenge. But Cohen wasn't asked to give a rebuttal on that. So, what impact will Costello's testimony likely have in terms of undercutting Cohen's credibility, and of course, on the probe as a whole?
JACKSON: Yes. So, it is important by way of context to understand that this is a grand jury and a grand jury consists of 23 members, a simple majority of which, that is 12, are needed to vote out an indictment. Now, in that process it's not about proving a case beyond a reasonable doubt, as if you were at trial, it's about whether there is reasonable cause to believe that a crime was committed and the subject of that investigation, that is Mr. Trump, would have been the commissioner of those crimes, the one who committed the crimes.
And so, I say that because you are going to have evidence oftentimes, and I've never really tried a case in over 20 years, where there haven't been conflicts and one person says A and another says B. So there's got to be credibility assessments.
But in the context of a grand jury investigation, the issue simply is not whether Trump did this, but is there a reasonable cause to believe that he did and that's the essence of it. And so, while it could be damning, that is the contrary evidence that was given in terms of Michael Cohen, it does not mean that the grand jury would not indict just by virtue of that conflict, so potentially a trial jury forgets that part, could sort that out.
CHURCH: And given that Trump has predicted already that he will be arrested today, in fact, in just a few hours, and called on his supporters earlier to get out and protest on his behalf. His lawyers are warning that if he is indicted then mayhem will ensue. So, how likely is it, do you think, that Trump will be arrested?
JACKSON: So, you know, when you are indicted, you're arrested, but ultimately what happens is, there is an arrangement for a surrender. What does that mean? It means that a grand jury, having indicted you, and again, it's not convicting you, it's just an accusation that you get it, which makes the case available to that and be sent to a trial jury for an assessment as to your guilt. And so, when that generally happens, there is arrest, but generally
also, the currency is extended, particularly to be extended here to a former president to surrender yourself.
And so, the issue is, how is that done, whether it is done safely, of course, securely, of course. People have a first amendment right to protest. They'll be people who find that this is purely political, should not have happened, and is nonsense and they will be protesting. There are others who will say that it is about time that the president was found accountable for something and therefore there will be counter protests.
And so, I think that's important, my hope is that they're peaceful, but people express their views as they should in any democracy. But without question, Mr. Trump will have to surrender himself up to answer to these charges.
CHURCH: So, as we mentioned, Trump thinks that this is happening in the coming hours, but when do you expect an outcome on this possible indictment of a former U.S. President, I mean that is significant, isn't it?
JACKSON: It's majorly significant. Now, we should note that the grand jury apparently reconvenes, at least that's the information, tomorrow that would be Wednesday.
[03:10:01]
And so, it would seems to be that if there is an indictment it could be voted out as soon as then, and if the indictment is voted out as soon as Wednesday then, of course, there will be an opportunity for Mr. Trump to surrender himself.
It's also possible that the grand jury might want to hear from additional witnesses, which would prolong this particular investigation and the grand jury could go a lot longer than that. So, as we know now, when they do reconvene they could vote at that point or they could wait, call other witnesses, and certainly, issue out an indictment if they do so at some time later. But that apparently, as of now, is the timeline.
CHURCH: And Joey, how do you think this investigation compares with the other probes looking into Trump?
JACKSON: You know, The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, you should know, I'm an alumni of that office having served over the prosecutor there, they are very adept at prosecuting these financial crimes because of where New York is, it's the financial mecca of the world.
And so, certainly, Mr. Trump has a lot to answer for. We know about what is going on in Georgia, which many people believe, and in that case, just a clarity involving, hey, fine votes for me, was there some illegality. We know District Attorney's office there is looking at and investigating and has convened a special grand jury to look into that. And there are other investigations of Mr. Trump. But, you know, everything is significant as it relates to any
investigation. And so, people say this case is weak, unlike some of the other cases. I'm not prepared to say that yet. We should also note that a grand jury convenes in secret.
And so, we do not know specifically what that grand jury really did, what they heard from, who they're heard from, the nature of the crimes that they're actually considering. And so, until I actually see an indictment, that is what I'll say and assess the strength, the relative weaknesses or where it stands in conjunction with the other cases that Mr. Trump has to answer for.
CHURCH: Joey Jackson, always a pleasure to get your legal analysis. Many thanks for joining us.
JACKSON: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: The Republican Chairman of three House Committees say they are planning their own investigation of the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The move shows how far Trump allies are willing to go to defend the former president, even though Bragg has not announced any charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): It is a misdemeanor. So, it's not really the crime of the century, either. But yeah, this thing it is going to be -- it's going to have a political taint to it, you know, any way you spin it.
REP. MIKE WALTZ (R-FL): Look, I think it's completely appropriate. I think a lot of people would expect us, from an oversight standpoint, from a judiciary committee standpoint, to look into a politicized process.
UNKNOWN: We don't think -- we don't think President Trump broke the law at all.
REP. BEN CLINE (R-VA): But I think that the questions about this prosecutor, having existed for sometime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is breaking his silence on Trump's hush money case. The potential 2024 presidential candidate criticized the probe, while still getting in a dig at Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DE SANTIS (R-FL): I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure violence over some type of alleged affair. I can't speak to that, but what I can speak to is that if you have a prosecutor, who is ignoring crimes happening every single day in his jurisdiction, and he chooses to go back many, many years ago to try to use something about porn star hush money payments, you know, that's an example of pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, Trump responded being to be mocked by DeSantis in his Truth Social post saying, "Ron DeSanctimonius will probably find out about false accusations and fake stories sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known, when he's unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman, even classmates that are underage or possibly a man."
And I spoke last hour with CNN's Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein, and I asked him how DeSantis would likely hold up in the face of Trump's blistering attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The core of his campaign, in development, is that he plans on offering Republican voters Trumpism without Trump. That he will fight all of the culture wars that Trump does but not trail all of the personal baggage.
And you see that in that statement where he goes after, you know, what Republicans would call woke or liberal prosecutors but also remind people of the personal baggage that Trump brings from paying hush money to a porn star out of a symbol of all the scandals trailing him.
[03:14:56]
And then, on the other side you see Donald Trump just scorched earth attack on anyone, who stands in his way, as we saw in 2016. And any Republican, who is operating under any illusion that Trump will not do everything he can to tear down DeSantis, through any means necessary, and you know, referring to allegations about his behavior when he was a teacher, it's just the beginning of what will be just, you know, an extraordinary turn in the blast furnace for Ron DeSantis behind anything that he's ever faced.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Still to come, the meeting in Moscow, the leaders of Russia and China tout their close ties as the West keeps a close eye on any developments. The latest on the talks just ahead.
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CHURCH: Russian President Vladimir Putin is now gearing up for a second day of talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
[03:19:58]
The two leaders exchanged a handshake and smiles as they met at the Kremlin on Monday. They later touted their close ties, meeting for more than four hours with President Xi calling Putin his dear friend. This is Xi's first visit to Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
And the meeting is being closely watched by Kyiv and its western allies amid concerns China is considering sending lethal aid to Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: We still don't believe China has taken it off the table. We still don't believe and have not seen any indication that they're moving in that direction or they have made a decision to provide or that they are actually going to do that. We continue to believe it's not in China's best interest to do that, to help Mr. Putin slaughter innocent Ukrainians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN Correspondents are following the developments. Kristie Lu Stout is standing by in Hong Kong and Salma Abdelaziz is live for us in London. Good to see you both.
Salma, let us start with you and what we can expect to see come out of the second day of meetings between the Russian and Chinese leaders.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Rosemary. So, in a few hours time, we are expecting, really the day of formal talks, although as you mentioned, they spoke for four hours yesterday. Now, the first question is, of course, what is on the agenda. What are the two leaders going to discuss? You can expect of course the top of the list is going to be Ukraine.
But there is a lot here that we really do not know about President Xi's thinking. Is he going to push President Putin deeper and further into this war by potentially providing weapons? Something the U.S., as you've heard there, has been warning about, but says that it's not necessarily going ahead at this time or will he pull President Putin back?
Remember, Beijing put out a 12-point peace proposal just a few weeks ago. That was something that was wrongly dismissed by the U.S. and its allies, but President Putin says that it is absolutely something he wants to consider. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We studied closely your proposals on the settlement of the acute crisis in Ukraine. Of course, we will have an opportunity to discuss this issue. You are also aware that we are always open to the negotiation process. We will certainly discuss all of the issues, including your initiative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: That will, of course, be significant. Does this relationship deepen-widen? Does it become more involved when it comes to Ukraine? Does China directly intervene? Those are all things that are going to be considered and worried about in D.C. today.
But it's important to remember that China and Russia's relationship right now is primarily economic. It is primarily based on technology and trade. China has been Russia's number one antidote when it comes to dealing with western sanctions, when it comes to dealing with the U.S. attempts to isolate Moscow. That is absolutely going to be on the agenda. How do they widen that trading relationship?
Remember also, Beijing also still purchases Russian oil and gas. There could be discussions about a potential pipeline. So the economics here are absolutely going to be crucial, but it is the question as to whether or not China will expand this relationship, make it more deeply based on military ties, particularly when it pertains to Ukraine and the peace proposal coming from China that's going to be the key question for the United States, of course. They have already preempted any potential announcement at the end of the meeting has been one-sided and only pro-Russia.
CHURCH: And Kristie, all eyes are of course on China's leader Xi Jinping and how far he will go in helping Russia in its war in Ukraine. The big concern, as Salma pointed out, whether he intends at any point to offer lethal weapons to Putin. It seems that it's not part of this journey or this experience from what we are understanding.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely. That does remain a big concern. But so far, the leaders of China and Russia are at the moment presenting this sort of united front, even after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president Vladimir Putin. You know, at the start of the three-day state visit, underway right now in Moscow, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Putin greeted each other as dear friends. They held informal talks in the Kremlin lasting nearly four and a half hours.
And Xi Jinping said that Russia and China have similar goals. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT (through translator): It is true that both of our countries share the same or similar goals. We've exerted efforts for the prosperity of our respective countries. We can cooperate and work together to achieve our goals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Now, the U.S. has denounced the visit with the U.S. Secretary of State saying that China was giving Russia diplomatic cover to commit crimes in Ukraine. And the White House expressed concern that China might call for a ceasefire that will in effect allow Russian troops to stay in Ukraine. Here is John Kirby.
[03:24:58]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESMAN: The ceasefire called right now would basically just ratify rushes conquest and give Mr. Putin more time to re-equip and retrain and restart operations at a time of his choosing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: According to China, this visit is a, quote, "Journey of Peace." It comes right after China brokered that truce between Saudi Arabia and Iran. It comes about a month after China released the 12- point peace plan position paper. You know, China claims to be neutral, despite having the no limits alliance with Russia, and a tendency to speak with one side more than the other.
Since the Ukraine invasion, Xi Jinping has spoken to Putin four times. Xi Jinping has yet to make a single phone call with the Ukrainian president. But meanwhile, Rosemary, we have learned that Japan's Prime Minister is visiting Ukraine today and will be meeting with Zelenskyy. This was the first visit by a Japanese leader since the invasion. Fumio Kishida earlier, he warned this quote, "Ukraine today, maybe East Asia tomorrow."
Back to you, Rosemary
CHURCH: Significant. Salma Abdelaziz and Kristie Lu Stout, joining us there. Many thanks for your live reports.
Well, Taiwan's president will transit the U.S. twice during an upcoming overseas trip. Tsai Ing-Wen is expected to leave Taiwan for New York at the end of the month before going to Guatemala and Belize. Then she will pass through Los Angeles on her way back home.
Earlier this month, U.S. House speaker Kevin McCarthy said that he would meet with President Tsai in the U.S. but did not specify a date.
And still to come, a new report that big banks may have to prop up First Republic again just days after they handed out a rescue package.
A live report on the global banking crisis, next.
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[03:30:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: U.S. Markets were a little calm on Monday following the UBS/Credit Suisse deal after being battered last week following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. But another U.S. bank, First Republic is struggling to stay afloat despite a $30 billion lifeline from 11 of the world's largest banks and a $70 billion loan from JPMorgan.
Its shares tumbled more than 45 percent on fears it will need a second rescue, which JPMorgan and other big lenders may be planning according to the "Wall Street Journal." And CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us live from London. Good morning to you, again, Clare. So, how secure is the U.S. banking system? Can we expect more turmoil (inaudible) do you think?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONENT: You know, I think we've got the sense from the markets on Monday, Rosemary, that things were finding a little bit of a footing. Perhaps some confidence was returning notwithstanding of course the situation with First Republic where clearly that first rescue with that consortium of banks coming in has not restored confidence.
And now they may be looking at a plan B as you said, by JPMorgan. Although neither First Republic nor JPMorgan would confirm that to us. I think like the regional banks are one thing. They are clearly under intense scrutiny because of some of the risky elements on their balance sheets, because of the number of uninsured deposits that some of them, including First Republic have and their exposure, of course, it's a rising interest rates and that kind of risk.
Overall, though, the U.S. banking system is significantly more secure than it was in 2008. The regulations, the stress tests, the capital (inaudible) requirements, all of those things have made it. So, the question of course when it comes to this current crisis is whether or not people believe that. Whether depositors believe, that whether shareholders believe that.
That is why you've seen the global regulators come out in full force and say, look, our respective banking systems are safe. And, look, this is something that has infected even the strongest banks in the U.S. system. Take a look at the losses of over March for those biggest banks. You can see that pretty much all of them losing double digits.
JPMorgan down 11 percent, Wells Fargo, Bank of America having lost about a fifth of their value over the course of March. This is about confidence as I said. This is also about a realization of what happens when interest rates were low for the best part of a decade, and then jacked up so quickly.
It means that banks are now having to offer bigger returns to savers and depositors. That eats into profitability. And the current crisis and confidence could lead to higher borrowing costs. Now, of course, for the markets, the focus shifts to the Federal Reserve. Will the current turmoil in the banking sector sort of weaken the argument for them to keep raising rates. That is the big question right now on Wall Street.
CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Clare Sebastian joining us live from London. And still to come, a family of a teen killed in 2015 wants his body exhumed for a private autopsy. Why the surviving son of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh is issuing a statement on this case.
Plus, a CNN exclusive, a Ukrainian couple under attack near the front lines. The moment caught on camera by a Ukrainian drone. Now, the incident is under investigation as a possible war crime. Back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:35:00]
CHURCH: New details in the investigation into the 2015 death of Stephen Smith in South Carolina. Smith was a classmate of Buster Murdaugh, the surviving son of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh. Buster Murdaugh is denying claims he was involved in Smith's death calling them vicious and baseless rumors. CNN's Dianne Gallagher has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: What is your emergency?
UKNOWN: Hello. I just going down Crocketville Road. I see somebody laying out.
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been nearly eight years since the body of 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found in the middle of this country road in Hampton County, South Carolina. The teen's death gained national attention in June 2021, nearly six years after he was killed when the state law enforcement division announced it was opening an investigation into his death based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.
UNKNOWN: Verdict, guilty.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison, for the murders of his wife and son earlier this month.
[03:40:01]
UNKNOWN: For the rest of your natural life.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): And investigators have never revealed what information they believe from the Murdaugh murders investigation that resulted in his case being opened. New private efforts launched to uncover the circumstances, spearheaded by Smith's mother, Sandy, and two attorneys. The first goal, exhuming Smith's body.
UNKNOWN: We think we have good cause to show why a fresh advice on this would be beneficial. It kind of has to start with a fresh new look at the body.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Initial reports said the nursing student died on July 8, 2015 from blunt force head trauma, originally said to be the result of a hit and run. But the accident investigation team report cited, quote, "no vehicle debris, skid marks or injuries consistent with someone being struck by a vehicle."
SANDY SMITH, STEPHEN SMITH'S MOTHER: I just love my son. And since I couldn't protect him, I'm going to fight for him.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Smith's mother said she worried her son may have been targeted because he was gay. According to police filed during interviews with friends and family after Smith's death, the Murdaugh name kept coming up, but no suspect has ever been named and authorities have never connected anyone in the Murdaugh family to Smith's death.
Still, rumors and innuendo persisted as the Murdaugh case spawned podcasts, documentaries and a rabid social media following. Often with Buster Murdaugh, a former classmate of Smith at the center of the speculation.
He broke his silence in a statement provided to CNN this morning, saying in part, "I've tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smith's tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grief over the brutal murders of my mother and brother. These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death. And my heart goes out to the Smith family." Smith's attorneys cautioned the public, this is not about the Murdaugh's.
ERIC BLAND, SMITH FAMILY ATTORNEY: This is not an Alex Murdaugh 2.0 or any Murdaugh 2.0. This is a Stephen Smith 2.0. It's all about Stephen.
GALLAGHER (on camera): And that's what's at the heart of this here. It's a mother who for nearly eight years simply wanted to find out what happened to her son and who did it to him. Sandy Smith started a GoFundMe. She has raised around $75,000 already, which she said she plans to use to pay for the independent autopsy and to exhume her son's body if a judge signs off on a petition allowing it.
We did ask (inaudible) about the death investigation of Stephen Smith. They told us that they had made progress, but said it was still active and ongoing. Diane Gallagher, CNN, Charlotte, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Ukrainian authorities say a Russian attack last year on a couple in their car is a clear case of a war crime. It's also the subject of a new documentary by a Ukrainian filmmaker. CNN's Ivan Watson has our exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From a battlefield in eastern Ukraine, a desperate call for help as a Ukrainian woman pleads for her wounded husband's life. Footage from last June shows the moment when a Ukrainian couple took a wrong turn towards an active frontline. Their car came under fire from nearby Russian forces. Badly wounding the driver, Valeria Ponomarova's husband.
VALERIA PONOMAROVA, WIFE OF SHOOTING VICTIM: I saw his head was injured and immediately began to bandage his head.
WATSON (voice-over): The incident, captured on video, by a drone piloted by Ukrainian soldiers, and later compiled into a documentary by the Ukrainian director Lyubomyr Levytsky. PONOMAROVA: I turned, it fell on my knees, and just screamed with the
most agonizing cry. I didn't know who's drone it was, our forces or the enemy.
WATSON (voice-over): The pilot taped a sign saying, "follow me" on his drone and directed Ponomarova to safety. She made the agonizing decision to leave her wounded husband behind. As she followed the drone, Russian soldiers emerged to approach her car. They took her husband, Andrii, and dumped him in a ditch.
(On camera): This is the intersection where that terrible shooting took place in June. The Ukrainian military subsequently liberated the area, allowing Ukrainian police to come in and launch an investigation into an alleged Russian war crime.
(Voice-over): Ukrainian police investigator, Serhii Bolvinov says he has gathered evidence to accuse a 26-year-old Russian army officer of the war crime of attempted murder of a civilian.
SERHII BOLVINOV, KHARKIV POLICE: He is a company commander of the Second Motorized Rifle Division, First Tank Army, Western Military District. We established his identity.
WATSON (voice-over): For police to work here, zappers (ph) first had to clear the area of land mines. Then police conducted forensics and ballistic analysis of the crime scene.
(On camera): Ukrainian police say the Russian troops were stationed here on this side of this wall and it's from here that they opened fire on the car.
[03:45:03]
WATSON (voice-over): Inspector Bolvinov shows me what he says are incriminating telephone intercepts of their chief suspect calling his wife.
UNKNOW: I (BLEEP) killed a man today.
UNKNOWN: You did?
UNKNOWN: Yeah.
UNKNOWN: What man?
UNKNOWN: I don't (BLEEP) know. I don't know who the (BLEEP) he is. Huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
UNKNOWN: Was it a (BLEEP)? What, did he go where he wasn't supposed to or what?
UNKNOWN: Anyway, the car was coming and I hit it with 30-millimeter (BEEP) BMP. And there were women there. The woman survived and the fucking man didn't.
WATSON (voice-over): Ukrainian police say the weapon was a 30- millimeter cannon aboard this type of infantry fighting vehicle. Police say they've also tracked down photos of the officer and his wife from their social media accounts.
On that dark day, Valeria Ponomarova followed the drone to safety, stepping around deadly land mines. Until a Ukrainian soldier met her. It was too dangerous for troops to retrieve Andrii Bohomaz.
(On camera): Is this where they brought the victim? The Russian soldiers?
UNKNOWN: [SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]
WATSON (voice-over): But that's not the end of Andrii's story. Miraculously, he somehow survived after spending the night badly wounded in the ditch.
ANDRII BOHOMAZ, SHOOTING VICTIM: I felt I had fallen. I looked around and realized I was lying in some kind of a ditch.
WATSON (voice-over): The next day, he limped to safety.
BOHOMAZ: It took 30 or 40 minutes; I stopped a lot because I was in a lot of pain.
WATSON (voice-over): Andrii is still in treatment for multiple shrapnel wounds to the head, chest and spine. The alleged attempted of murder of Ukrainian civilian at these crossroads, just one of hundreds of potential war crime cases being investigated by police in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. But it's perhaps the only incident that has been so incredibly well documented. Ivan Watson, CNN, (inaudible), Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And still to come, the U.N. says humanity is standing on thin ice and it's melting fast. More on their dire warning about the climate crisis and what must be done to avoid disaster.
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[03:50:00]
WATSON (voice-over): The Los Angeles Unified School District has canceled school today ahead of a three-day strike set to begin in the coming hours. The Service Employees International Union Local 99 said Monday that it would be proceeding with the strike after contract negotiations failed to reach a resolution. The strike is expected to impact hundreds of schools and 540,000 students.
More than 15 million people in California are under an increased flood threat. That's according to the U.S. Weather Prediction Center. It's all due to an atmospheric river event set to douse the southern part of the state with up to 4 inches of water in some areas. Parts of the state have been dealing with rising water levels since last week when multiple cities were evacuated due to flooding. High winds and snow were also expected as the atmospheric river moves across the West Coast. Well, the United Nations is making a last-ditch effort to convince the
world to correct course or face the catastrophic effects of climate change. It issued a new report full of information we already know but are not acting on fast enough. Carbon pollution and rising temperatures have reached record levels and yet countries, especially the most developed continue to burn fossil fuels.
In turn, underdeveloped nations are paying the biggest price for a problem they have a very small hand in. CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir has details.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: This report is by far the most stark of the five that came before it in the last 40 years. The scientists from around the world agreeing that humanity is unequivocally heating up the planet in unsustainable ways, both with energy addictions to fossil fuels, land use problems, deforestation, agriculture practices, and human consumption.
And it calls for world governments to rapidly speed up any endeavor to try to put things right for this generation and all of those to come beyond. They say at the current high emissions rate, we could hit that 1.5 degrees celsius cliff that the world has been hoping so hard to avoid, by the 2030's. But it lays out a prescription for so many solutions as the secretary general calls it, a guide for defusing a climate bomb.
That is to decarbonize as quickly as possible. Big energy systems to renewables like sun and wind and geothermal, nuclear energy as well, to triple in some cases, increase the transition by six times in wealthy nations like the U.S. At the same time, helping developing countries avoid deforestation by supporting indigenous communities. Also justly, helping coal communities' transition economically after the shutdowns that must be needed as well.
But if you look at the real politics of what they are calling for, a50 percent reduction by 2030 in oil and gas use around the world and compare that to the fact that there has been no cut in fossil fuel emissions all throughout history. It is a huge ask.
[03:54:57]
President Xi meeting with Putin in Russia, just approved over 80 new coal mine projects in China. President Biden in the United States disappointed his climate voters by approving the Willow Oil project in Alaska up there as well. And the market signals are that Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil, are some of the richest, most profitable companies in the history of the world.
So, the social license to burn this fossil fuel is still very much in place. These companies and petrol states are not going to gently into the carbon's future. So, at least in the near term, it looks like these desperate warnings from sites around the world will be ignored a little while longer. Bill Weir, CNN, New York.
CHURCH: Very sobering there. And thank you so much for spending a part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo next.
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