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CNN International: Trump Expected to Appear in Court Tuesday; At Least 32 Dead from Severe Weather as More Looms; Russian Pro-War Military Blogger Killed in St. Petersburg Cafe Blast; Washington and Moscow Discuss Arrested American Reporter; Freight Train Leaves Tracks in Remote Area of Montana. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired April 03, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Max Foster joining you live from London. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Former President Donald Trump will arrive in New York City.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have heard him talk about how it is a political hoax and a witch hunt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: DAs don't indict people. Grand juries indict people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going to take the indictment, evaluate all our legal options and pursue everyone most vigorously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This explosion killed one of Russia's most prominent pro war military bloggers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: None of that is good for the Kremlin because it says, either that they're not capable or that they don't know when the next attack is going to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

FOSTER: It is Monday, April 3rd, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. in New York, where in the coming hours, former U.S. President Donald Trump will head to New York for what will be one of the most unprecedented moments in U.S. history. Sources tell CNN that he's expected to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.

NOBILO: Trump has been indicted for his alleged role in a hush money payments scheme involving adult film star Stormy Daniels. New York City has been bracing for possible protests upon Trump's arrival.

FOSTER: Trump's legal team says he'll voluntarily surrender but plans to file substantial legal challenges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE TACOPINA, DONALD TRUMP'S DEFENSE LAWYER: I honestly don't know how this is going to go. Hopefully as smoothly as possible. And then we begin the battle to right this wrong because it's a really -- it's a day that in my opinion, the rule of law in the United States has died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Trump and his team have also been trying to discredit Michael Cohen as a witness. He was Trump's former personal attorney and fixer during the alleged hush money scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANNY DAVIS, MICHAEL COHEN'S LAWYER: Regarding credibility, let me repeat. Everything, Michael Cohen has said since he decided to tell the truth. He lied for 10 years for Donald Trump. He went to the American people in front of Chairman Cummings and he said, I lied. I'm ashamed of myself. I own that now. From that point on, he's never been shown to have lied. He has been forthcoming with every investigator. He never took the fifth amendment the way Mr. Trump did. And the credibility between him and the jury and that courtroom is going to be based on corroborating evidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: After his arraignment Trump plans to deliver remarks Tuesday night. CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME INJUSTICE REPORTER: Donald Trump is still awaiting to see exactly what he's charged with in Manhattan for the first criminal charges ever levied against a former president or president of the United States. But his legal defense team is already out there laying the groundwork on how they're going to fight the case. So, one of his attorneys, Joe Tacopina, spent many minutes on television over the weekend, talking about all of the options that they might have once the team is able to actually see this indictment brought by the Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg against Donald Trump.

And he says that one of the options will be to challenge the law to ask a judge to throw out the case. Potentially also another option is to challenge on the timing of what is being charged here. We know that there are -- some of this case is based around camp the campaign of 2016 for Donald Trump hush money payments that were made to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet before the 2016 election and also some financial entries related to the Trump Organization related to that hush money payment. There's a possibility that because that's 2016 Donald Trump's lawyers could step up and say that's way too long ago. Can't bring that in court now it's 2023. It's past the statute of limitations. But here's what Joe Tacopina said specifically to Dana Bash on "STATE OF THE UNION" on Sunday.

TACOPINA: We will take the indictment. We will dissect it. The team will look at every, every potential issue that we will be able to challenge and we will challenge. And of course, I very much anticipated a motion to dismiss coming because there's no law that fits this.

DANA BASH, CNN STATE OF THE UNION ANCHOR: Are you going to ask for a different judge?

TACOPINA: We are going to take the indictment, evaluate all our legal options and pursue everyone most vigorously. This is a case of political persecution. I've no reason to believe this judge is biased. I've not been before him on this matter. So, I -- we have to let this process play out.

[04:05:00]

POLANTZ: Dana asks Donald Trump's lawyer about the judge in this case. That judge is one that Donald Trump has already been out there on Truth Social attacking, saying that he hates him. This is the judge that Trump is going to have to appear before on Tuesday, and much is in the hands of the judge going forward in this case, including whether the case could be tossed, could be moved. Many of the other things that Trump's lawyers could be requesting help on in this case as it leads up to a jury trial.

But right now, the first decision the judge may need to make is whether or not the indictment should be unsealed early. A press coalition, including CNN has asked for the charges to be made public before Donald Trump gets to court on Tuesday.

Katelyn Polantz CNN Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Donald Trump is already attacking the judge handling the hush money case. Writing on his Truth Social platform, the former president claimed the judge hated him.

NOBILO: And legal experts say that Trump needs to be careful with his attacks on the judiciary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CYRUS VANCE JR., FORMER MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I would be mindful of not committing some other criminal offense like obstruction of government administration, which is interfering with or by threat or otherwise the operation of government. And I think that could take what perhaps we think is not the strongest case when you add account like that put it in front of a jury can change the jury's mind about the severity of the case that they're looking at.

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: We do know that a lot of the defense is political. I think -- there's never been any doubt in my mind that one of the reasons Donald Trump was so quick to jump into the presidential race is he sees that as his vehicle to get a defense. That he can politicize everything. That he can use the excuse he's running for president to try to delay things, to try to influence the proceedings and use that vehicle as a defense mechanism. And it's unprecedented, of course, because of the attention he can draw.

But I think the judge is again going to have cut through that and square the guy away. And say, listen, you're not in charge. But I think the rule of law is at issue here and with Trump playing with the process and belittling the process. In particular, it even puts more emphasis on the importance of a proper process. And that's what this DA is doing. He's following it by the book. Mr. Trump doesn't play by the same rules everybody else so he's not playing by the book. And he's as you know, going to give a speech, apparently after he is arranged when it gets back to his estate in Florida.

So yes, the rule of law, it's foundational to our democracy. And all of these proceedings are going to test it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: A number of Republican lawmakers are weighing in following the indictment of Donald Trump.

FOSTER: Some are calling it a distraction, while others say it's a politically motivated move.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): We're four months away from the first debates in the primaries for the election to the most important office we have, president of the United States, and so it is ridiculous. I think the American people see it for what it is.

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): What I think is the particular problem, is it's going to lead to all kinds of political theater. Theater that is going to distract from addressing the issues that are incredibly important to our country right now.

REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): When this comes out, and we finally get to see what's happening. If this is politically motivated, this will be a shame on our criminal justice system. It's one thing when you have a cancel culture. It's another one you have a canceled criminal justice system. And I hope that that we're certainly not turning to that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: And no sign that this chat of political motivation will abate. Because, of course, pending delays in this as well. The crescendo of this trial could coincide with the presidential election as it heats up and gets into its most critical stage.

FOSTER: It raises the question, doesn't it, does it change anyone's minds about him. Whether they vote for him or vote against him. Because they're pretty set in their thoughts, presumably.

NOBILO: And from what I hear, according to pollsters, it's unlikely to change. Obviously, Trump supporters are Republicans minds but whether or not that crucial sort of floating voter Independents in the center that will be the determining.

FOSTER: There's going to be a lot more airtime again. That's one thing we know.

NOBILO: He certainly is, yes.

FOSTER: Donald Trump facing multiple investigations, and now officials claim to have new evidence suggesting potential obstruction by the former president in their probe of his handling of classified documents. That is, according to "The Washington Post." Investigators say the information indicates that Trump personally reviewed some of the documents in his Mar-a-Lago home after receiving a subpoena last May from the Justice Department.

NOBILO: While the former president's team returned some classify materials, the FBI searched last August turned up more that hadn't been returned. Additional evidence obtained by investigators suggest that Trump told others to mislead officials trying to recover White House documents before the subpoena.

FOSTER: Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has called on Donald Trump to drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. As he announced his own White House bid.

[04:10:03]

NOBILO: Hutchinson is planning a formal announcement later on this month. On ABC news he explained why he believes he is the best candidate and Trump is not.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe that now that he's been indicted, should he drop out?

ASA HUTCHINSON, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: Well, I do. First of all, the office is more important than any individual person. And so, for of the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that's too much of it sideshow and distraction and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process, and there is a presumption of innocence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Donald Trump manages to win the nomination again becomes the Republican candidate for president, will you support him?

HUTCHINSON: I'm running because I believe that I am the right time for America, the right candidate for our country and its future. And I shouldn't hinge upon anything else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you couldn't see yourself supporting Trump again.

HUTCHINSON: I don't believe he should be the next leader of our country. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now at least 32 people have died from severe weather and tornadoes that ripped across the U.S. Midwest and South this weekend. But more bad weather is on the way as well. Some of the very same states across the Midwest will likely see a new round of storms starting on Tuesday.

NOBILO: Damaging winds, large hail and even more tornadoes are possible for more than 45 million people under alerts. On Sunday, the rain and hail was so bad in Texas that Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and another airport had to temporarily ground all flights.

Meanwhile U.S. President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration for Arkansas ahead of FEMA's arrival. It will free up more federal resources to help an immediate relief efforts.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam has more on the damage that the state's facing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Governor Sanders arrived on the scene of the badly damaged wind Arkansas where we find ourselves today. She was flanked by federal representatives from FEMA, but also from the National Weather Service. From the representatives from the NWS actually telling her -- I listened in on this conversation -- saying at a bare minimum they believe that this is an EF-3 tornado. So they're having meteorologists come out and assess the damage here and EF-3 tornado is winds of 136 to 165 mph. That is the bare minimum of what this place experience.

But when we talk about the role that meteorologists have in forecasting this, I was able to ask Governor Sanders about if she felt like the warning lead times there was adequate for warning the residents of Arkansas. Have a listen to what she said.

So, it sounds just from your press briefing that you -- you did you believe that the meteorologist gave adequate warning time for this particular tornado. Do you feel like that saved lives? And can you elaborate on that?

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: Absolutely, there's no doubt that the warnings that came from meteorologists certainly saved lives. You know, one of the things that I found pretty unbelievable, as the folks on the ground in Little Rock certainly as the storms were moving through there, they were literally watching their own neighborhoods as they were reporting and warning people knowing that their families were right in harm's way.

They stayed on TV, they continued to warn people. They continue to give people notice. And did that as best they could throughout the day on Friday. And we're thankful for their willingness to keep stay on the air, even though when it was really difficult for them personally, as well. VAN DAM: You can hear in the distance, the sound of chainsaws. The all

too familiar sound within natural disasters like this. We have the opportunity to tour some of the worst devastation within Wynne, Arkansas. You can see just a drop in the bucket of really what's at play here. And coming from a meteorologists who covers natural disasters regularly, this is some of the worst devastation that I have bear witness to, are still very active and fluid scene. You can hear the sounds of sirens and chainsaws behind me as the recovery process is ongoing.

It is going to take weeks if not months to completely rebuild this area. It's hard to believe that there is a threat of severe weather looming in the distance later this week on Tuesday to be particular.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Wynne, Arkansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Authorities in Russia have launched a murder investigation after a prominent pro-war military blogger was killed in a blast at a cafe in St. Petersburg. Vladien Tatarsky died in that explosion, which happened during an event hosted by a pro-war group on Sunday.

FOSTER: More than 30 others were injured. State media reports that investigators have been questioning everyone who was inside the cafe at the time.

CNN's Clare Sebastian following developments and joins us live here in London. No sense of a motive or culprit here. But where's the finger pointing?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is now a potential suspect. There's a woman 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident named Daria Trepova. Who is been placed on the interior minister -- ministry wanted list.

[04:15:00]

She has an interesting sort of history. She hasn't officially been named as a suspect. They say that she is wanted on an article of the criminal code. They don't say which one. The investigative committee says that they have launched a murder investigation. Preliminarily state news agency Tass is linking her to the crime, saying that she was the woman who in video that's emerged from the scene presented Vladien Tatarsky with a figurine. Shortly after which the explosion happened. Now she --

FOSTER: She's Russian.

SEBASTIAN: She's Russian. She's 26. She's from St. Petersburg. She was arrested on the 24th of February last year, the first day of what Russia calls the special military operation for taking part in a protest -- jailed for 10 days. So, it would seem that the narrative emerging from this is someone who was potentially anti-war versus Vladien Tatarsky who was very much pro-war in terms of the blogging that he did. That's where we are at the moment. FOSTER: It looks like domestic terrorism as opposed to an outside

operation.

SEBASTIAN: We just don't know at this point. There are a lot of -- there's a lot of speculation around it. Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, immediately pointed the finger at Ukraine, saying that Russian journalists she essentially linking him with journalists are subject to reprisals from the Kyiv regime, she said, and it's inspired us. So, she's pointing the finger at them.

Interestingly Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, who said that he allowed this pro-war group to use his cafe in St. Petersburg for this event. Tatarsky has also been very supportive of Wagner. In recent comments, he came out and said he didn't think this was anything to do with the Kyiv regime that it was radical groups and advisor to President Zelensky in Ukraine. He thinks this is in fighting in Russia, as you say domestic terrorism, but it is early days. The investigation is ongoing. We just don't know yet.

NOBILO: Very unhelpful for the Kremlin if it was dissent from within against the special military operation.

SEBASTIAN: Potentially unhelpful, but there's another way to look at it. The Institute for the Study of War -- the think tank in Washington -- is suggesting that perhaps there's an element of wanting to crack down on dissent by discouraging people from going to events like this in bars. Whether special military operation could be discussed where potential -- even though it's, you know, sort of overtly pro-war and Tatarsky was very pro-war. Where different opinions could potentially be discussed. That's one -- that's one sort of suggestion out there.

FOSTER: Clare, thank you very much indeed.

NOBILO: Washington is taking its demand for the release of an American journalists arrested in Russia directly to Moscow. Evan Gershkovich is the first American journalists to be detained by Moscow on espionage charges since the Cold War.

FOSTER: The "Wall Street Journal" reporter faces up to 20 years in prison and as CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz tells us, he was not the only American detainee brought up during that call.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday to urge Russia to immediately released "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich. This marked a very rare phone call between the two men. They have only spoken three times since Russia invaded Ukraine, and each of those calls has focused on trying to release detained Americans.

Now the State Department released a readout of this most recent call, where they say, quote: Secretary Blinken conveyed the United States' grave concern over Russia's unacceptable detention of a U.S. citizen journalist. The Secretary called for his immediate release. Secretary Blinken further urged the Kremlin to immediately released wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan.

Paul Whelan is in the process of serving a 16-year sentence after facing espionage charges in Russia. Gershkovich is also facing espionage charges, something that the White House and his employer, the "Wall Street Journal," say simply just is not accurate.

Now on the Russian side, they said that this phone call between Blinken and Lavrov was requested on behalf of the United States, and they said that Lavrov told Blinken that ultimately that "Wall Street Journal" reporter's fate would be determined in Russian court.

Now this all comes at a point of very high tension between the U.S. and Russia, especially with that war in Ukraine continuing on. And one thing that officials will be working towards in the coming days is trying to get consular access to Gershkovich so they could see what exactly his state it is. So officials can assess that, and they can also relay that to their family. But the White House at this moment is trying to stress that this remains a top priority for the president.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: An identified American citizen has also been detained for allegedly committing indecent acts against a 15-year-old Russian girl, according to state media.

NOBILO: The incident took place in St. Petersburg. Russian investigative authorities have opened a criminal case, and CNN has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, there has been yet another train derailment in the United States. We'll have details on the damage that's caused.

NOBILO: John Fetterman will be returning to the United States Senate soon. Find out what he had to say about his experience with depression in a candid new interview.

[04:20:00]

NOBILO: Plus, anger increases in Iran after two women are attacked for not wearing a hijab. We'll have the latest updates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: The body of Stephen Smith was exhumed over the weekend for an independent autopsy, according to the lawyers for Smith's family. Smith's mother says that she needed answers about his death and the new autopsy was part of a fight for justice. The family raised more than $100,000 to make it happen. Smith was just 19 years old when he was found dead in the middle of a road in 2015. South Carolina. Police originally said that he was hit by a vehicle. But last month police began investigating his death as a homicide.

Investigators are trying to figure out what caused the freight train to derail in the remote part of Montana. About 25 cars left the tracks on Sunday morning sentence. CNN's Camila Bernal has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Information is very limited, but we do know that no injuries were reported, and that no hazardous materials appear to have been on this train that was derailed. This all happened at 9:20 a.m. local time.

[04:25:00]

This was near highway 135 in Paradise, Montana happening on Sunday morning. The Sanders County Sheriff's Office and the fire department responded to the scene. They are telling us that about 25 cars derailed and this train derailed on the banks of the Clark Fork River. That's the images that you're seeing there. It is now all under investigation. But again, no injuries and there does not appear to have been any hazardous materials on the train.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: A rural hospital in Idaho has announced plans to discontinue labor and delivery services as closures mount across the country. Ballad Health says it will stop delivering babies due to staffing and financial challenges.

FOSTER: In the past year alone, more than a dozen U.S. hospitals announced they would suspend maternity care services or closed altogether.

U.S. Senator John Fetterman talking candidly, meanwhile, about his struggles with depression in an interview with CBS. Senator Fetterman said he never tried to harm himself, but said he was indifferent about his life. He also suffered from weight loss and appetite loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): You just won the biggest, you know, race in the country. And the whole thing about depression is that objectively you may have won, but depression can absolutely convince you that you actually lost. And that's exactly what happened. And that was the start of a down -- a downward spiral. I had stopped leaving my bed. I've stopped eating, dropping weight. I stopped engaging some of the most things that I love in my life.

It makes me sad. You know, the day that I go in was my son's birthday. And I hope that for the rest of his life his birthday would be joyous , and you don't have to remember that your father was admitted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Fetterman was discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last week. He's expected to return to the United States Senate the week of April 17th. But for his immediate plans, he intends to take his son out to the restaurant that they were supposed to go to for his birthday.

FOSTER: Still ahead, New York is on high alert as it prepares for possible protests ahead of Donald Trump's expected court appearance.

NOBILO: Plus, details on what Trump's lawyers plan to do with the indictment. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)