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CNN International: Trump to Turn Himself in Today at New York Courthouse; Heightened Security Ahead of Trump's Court Appearance; U.S. House Speaker to Meet Taiwan's President This Week; Spy Balloon Was Able to Send Information to Beijing; City in Shambles After Tornado Rips Through Arkansas. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired April 04, 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 a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Former president Trump is back in New York ahead of his historic court appearance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harken back to this is a witch hunt that this is something that's unjustified, that he's being politically persecuted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has added a new defense attorney to his team the day before he's about to be arraigned, does show that they are taking this seriously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't charm or politic your way out of a criminal case. This is a different arena.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: It's a big day. It's Tuesday, April, the fourth, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. in New York. Where in just a few hours we'll witness an unprecedented event in U.S. history. Donald Trump will become the first current or former president to be arrested and arranged.

NOBILO: Sources tell CNN that he faces more than 30 criminal charges related to falsifying business records. But we won't know what those charges are until the indictment is unsealed in court. Trump is expected to voluntarily surrender to authorities at a Manhattan court. But his arraignment will not be broadcast live. The judge in the case has turned down the media's request for cameras, but he will allow some photographers to take still pictures before the arraignment begins. FOSTER: We expect Trump to be booked and fingerprinted, but it's

unclear if he'll have a mug shot taken due to concerns that it might be leaked, and the former president isn't expected to be handcuffed. More from Jeff Zeleny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump has seen it all and done it all, including run for the White House from here in Trump Tower in New York. But on Tuesday morning, he does something new. Faces a judge for an indictment and an arraignment in a felony case here in New York City for an old hush money case involving Stormy Daniels.

Of course, this was litigated during his first presidential run back in 2016, but now the Manhattan district attorney has brought this up again, and a grand jury last week indicted the former president. This will all come to a head really the first time in a historic moment, whereas former American president faces an arraignment in a criminal court.

Now I'm told that the former president was huddling with his advisers as after he arrived here in New York City after flying up for Mar-a- Lago on Monday. Meeting with his lawyers and his political team as well. He is not expected to speak on Tuesday here in New York. He's going to save his remarks -- I am told -- for on Tuesday evening at Mar-a-Lago when he plans to deliver a full-throated defense of this case, as well as other cases before him.

But now this legal case is front and center in the 2024 presidential race. It is essentially brought this early stages of the campaign to a halt. He's raised some $7 million in the last few days alone, with his supporters coming to his defense, even his rivals have been standing on the sidelines, essentially defending him and watching this case unfold.

But there is no doubt on Tuesday morning when the former president arrives at the district attorney's office and later goes into a courtroom. He is facing an uncharted territory, something he has never done before. In his long years of entertainment and political life here. He's standing in front of a courtroom in which he has very little control over.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: U.S. officials say the online chatter around Trump's court appearance has been disorganized and sporadic, and there's no indication that his supporters are planning any coordinated January 6th style violence. But we're told that authorities are staying vigilant. CNN Shimon Prokupecz shows us what it will take to get Trump in and out of the courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The president's motorcade will come down this street. This is One Hogan Place where the Manhattan DA's office is and that is where he's going to surrender. He will walk through those doors and almost immediately be taken up to the seventh floor, where the police officers and other officials from the DA's office will take him into custody, and technically, he will be under arrest.

[04:05:00]

And then after that happens, he will be taken up to the 15th floor, which is attached to this building here. The courthouse that's attached to this building, and that's where he will be arraigned. That's where he will see the judge. The charges will be formally announced, and then we'll hear more information from prosecutors and obviously his attorneys.

Security all across this area now already tightened. We're seeing a lot of these metal barriers all across this building surrounding this building as police officials, law enforcement officials a little concerned over who may show up, some of the protesters, some of the supporters for the for the former president. And so, they're going to have all of these security measures in place. Streets around here will be closed. Certainly, this street here will be closed while the former president is inside.

And then once the arraignment is complete, once he's finished seeing the judge, we expect that he will leave, head to the airport and then take go back to Florida. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: It's a big operation ahead of Donald Trump's arraignment today. Legal experts are weighing in on the case with one former assistant prosecutor explaining why he believes there was fraud.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK AKERMAN, FORMER ASSISTANT SPECIAL WATERGATE PROSECUTOR: This particular case, paying hush money to women to shut them up just prior to the vote, was basically a fraud on the voters. Despite what Bill Barr says about no one being defrauded, the entire electorate was defrauded here and not told the true facts about these incidents because he was using money to pay them off.

I mean, somewhere around a million dollars floated through the system between Karen MacDougal and Stormy Daniels and paying Michael Cohen an extra bonus, etcetera. This in a way, was just an effort to rig the first election that he tried to steal the second election. So, in a way, it fits into a pattern that is extremely serious, and it's important that this case be brought.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen has been essential figure in the grand jury investigation and has provided testimony. Cohen's attorney spoke with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANNY DAVIS, ATTORNEY FOR MICHAEL COHEN: Every American should be treated equally under the law, including an ex-president. Michael Cohen did time for a crime that the federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Donald Trump directed him to do and was only for his benefit. And so Michael Cohen did the time now it's time for equal justice. Donald Trump is an innocent person until proven guilty. And both

Michael and I believe in that due process system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: A CNN poll -- a new one -- shows more than three and four Americans believe politics played a role in the indictment of Donald Trump, but overall 60 percent approve of the indictment, 38 percent disapprove. No surprise Americans are divided along party lines. 94 percent of Democrats agree with the indictment. 79 percent of Republicans disagree.

NOBILO: 37 percent said Trump's alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels were illegal, 33 percent said unethical but not illegal. Just, 10 percent said not wrong at all.

But of course, New York indictment is just one of several legal challenges facing Donald Trump. A district attorney in Georgia is investigating election meddling.

FOSTER: A special counsel is looking into the events leading up to January 6th and Trump's handling of classified documents.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz has new reporting on that investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: The Justice Department in a federal criminal investigation around classified records is right now nailing down how Donald Trump himself handled classified records at Mar-a-Lago and people who may have witnessed Trump with those records at the clubhouse.

Now, this is new reporting through sources. My colleague Evan Perez and I have been able to nail down that some of the witnesses have provided information to a federal grand jury. Things like notes, texts, emails, photographs, all of the things that will allow the Justice Department to potentially button up a case and put it into its final stage as they wrap up an investigation into Donald Trump. His handling of classified records after the presidency and possible obstruction of justice .

Another thing that's significant here is that we now know through Kaitlan Collins reporting here at CNN that Molly Michael an assistant to Donald Trump, she turned over her notes to the grand jury investigation showing what Donald Trump was doing and I also whom he was meeting with at Mar-a-Lago at key moments when the just department is looking into the handling of records over the past year or so. We also know on top of that, that there are witnesses being forced

into the grand jury now to tell a story for the second time. Stories that they have already told to the FBI. So that is the sort of thing where the Justice Department is locking in testimony under oath at the grand jury, and I hear that the grand jury activity in the coming weeks is going to be at a pretty significant clip.

[04:10:00]

All of this taken together. We don't know where this will lead and if Donald Trump will be charged or others would be charged with a crime in this federal criminal investigation, but we do know that this is very serious legal jeopardy for the former president of the United States, even while he's facing this totally separate case in New York City for his indictment.

Katelyn Polantz, CNN Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The Dutch Prime Minister says at least one person has died and several have been injured in a train derailment near the Hague. Reuters reporting the passenger train was carrying about 50 people when it slammed into construction equipment on the tracks.

NOBILO: The crash caused the passenger train to leave the rails. At one point, rescue teams will also be working to put out a fire that erupted at the scene.

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has confirmed that he will meet with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, in California this week.

FOSTER: China is condemning the move, saying it's firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. CNN's Anna Coren is in Hong Kong. How are you reading this, Anna?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max China is not happy. The ministry of foreign affairs has just issued a protest over the upcoming meeting between Taiwan's president, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on Wednesday, which as you say, has now been confirmed by both parties.

The language used is perhaps not as harsh as the rhetoric that we've heard this past week from China. But the sentiment is still the same. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAO NING, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): China firmly opposes the U.S.'s arrangement for Taiwan's transit trip to the U.S. and any meetings between her and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The said highest ranking official of the U.S. government. Because it seriously contravenes the one China principle and provisions in the 3-20 U.S. Joint Communique. And it gravely undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Earlier Taiwan said it's not for China to intervene as to who President Tsai meets. A spokesman for her said, quote: It is the right of the 23 million people of Taiwan for democratic Taiwan to have exchanges with other democracies. China has no say in this matter.

Well, McCarthy's office issued a statement confirming the by policy meeting will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library just outside Los Angeles. McCarthy will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to meet a Taiwanese leader on American soil.

This meeting is guaranteed to further inflame an already fractured relationship between the U.S. and China. Beijing last week threatened to, quote, resolutely fight back if this meeting goes ahead.

Now Tsai has been in Central America for an official visit to Guatemala and Belize. During her stopover in New York last week, she said that Taiwan's relationship with the U.S. has never been closer.

China believes as we know that Taiwan belongs to China. It's refused to rule out the use of military force to bring Taiwan under Beijing's rule. And while the U.S. acknowledges China's position and has never officially recognized Beijing's claim to the island. Interestingly, the White House has declined to weigh in on Wednesday's meeting. And as you remember when former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, China responded by firing ballistic missiles over Taiwan, deploying warships in the Taiwan straits and conducting a simulated blockade of the island.

Max and Bianca, there is a very high chance we'll see a similar response of this time.

FOSTER: OK, Anna live in Hong Kong. Thank you.

NOBILO: Do you wonder if the political brinkmanship is going to end.

We're learning more about the technical capabilities of the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down off the U.S. East Coast back in February. Here's what the Pentagon said on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SABRINA SINGH, DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We do know that the balloon was able to be maneuvered and purposely driven along its track. But not going to get into specific sites it was able to hover over. But what we did do is take precautionary steps to limit the intelligence value that it would be able to collect. And you know, again, we took steps to protect our own military installations from foreign intelligence collection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: The incident further escalated tensions between Russia, Washington and Beijing. CNN national security reporter Natasha Bertrand has the details. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: The suspected Chinese spy balloon that was hovering over the United States before being shot down off the coast of South Carolina back in February, was able to take some images and collect some signals intelligence over sensitive U.S. military installations across the United States.

Now the U.S. government is saying that they were able to take steps to mitigate that kind of intelligence that the Chinese were able to gather. But at the same time, we are told that the Chinese government was able to remotely erase the data on that spy balloon, making it possible that the U.S. government will not ever know for sure what the Chinese government was able to glean from that balloon.

[04:15:05]

In other words, the Chinese government may have been able to wipe all of the data on that device before the U.S. government was able to get its hands on it. So the U.S. government does have some idea here of what the Chinese were able to gather because they were able to determine that there were some pictures as well as some signs that there were some signals intelligence gathered by this balloon.

But at this point the U.S. is saying that they do not believe that any of this intelligence that the Chinese gathered anyway was more sophisticated than what Chinese satellites are able to gather as they orbit above the country on a daily basis.

Now it remains unclear how much longer the FBI is going to be investigating this balloon. They have had it, of course, now for well over for about two months now. And they have gleaned some important new information about the algorithms that power the balloon software, for example, and how it is actually able to be maneuvered across its targets.

So, what we're waiting for now, of course, is a fuller picture by the U.S. government about what the balloons capabilities actually are. And, of course, about the kind of intelligence it was able to gather about the sensitive U.S. military sites.

Natasha Bertrand, CNN at the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Australia, the latest country to announce the ban of the TikTok social media app on all government devices. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus says the move will go into effect as soon as possible.

NOBILO: It comes amid a major push by the U.S. and other Western countries to keep the Chinese owned app off state devices over privacy concerns. TikTok tells CNN that it's extremely disappointed in the move, saying it's driven by politics and not by fact.

I guess people are going to be keeping an eye on whether or not these government bans and bans that we're seeing in the U.S. and schools and universities are going to translate in any into anything broader.

FOSTER: Yes and it's America really leading the way, isn't it. The first ones to come that banned them on government devices, State devices, some campuses as you were saying. Whether or not that goes to the next level, and they ban it altogether.

NOBILO: And we shouldn't forget that this was first introduced as an idea by President Trump -- I think in 2020 he signed an executive order that would have seen TikTok banned unless the U.S. part was sold. But then I think that was overruled by court.

FOSTER: Yes, and also older people care less about TikTok, and they vote the same as the debate we're having yesterday. I think it will cause a lot of concern amongst young people.

NOBILO: That's true. Just ahead. March Madness is over, and one of the top basketball schools in the country has another championship honor to hang on their rafters. We'll have the highlights from Houston.

FOSTER: Plus, Finland will join NATO today. We'll have details on what prompted the country to seek membership with the military alliance.

NOBILO: And Donald Trump brings in a new lead counsel just ahead of the big arrangements, details on that and the mood within the Trump camp.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: In just a matter of hours, Donald Trump will become the first past or present U.S. president to be arraigned in criminal charges. And an adviser described his mood on Monday as defiant and focused.

NOBILO: And we're hearing that he's added more legal firepower to his defense team. Todd Blanche to keep figure in his first impeachment trial will now serve as lead counsel. Trump's former White House communications director predicted how the proceedings will play out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I think he's a good showman. And so he'll put on a good show tomorrow. He'll be defiant, like his lawyers are saying, but it'll be polite. He'll be courteous to law enforcement. Remember, they're a good part of his base. And I think he will be fairly muted.

I don't think this is a happy day for Mr. Trump. It's not a happy day for America. And so, this stuff about it making him stronger. It's obvious that the polls have gone up a little bit, and perhaps it's making him stronger in the short term, but I don't think it's a great set of facts for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud and alleged hush money payments. But the specifics of the indictment are still under seal. CNN's Kara Scannell picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: By midday Tuesday, former president Donald Trump will become the first current or former U.S. president in American history to appear before a judge to face criminal charges. In this historic moment, Trump is expected to leave Trump Tower where he announced his candidacy eight years ago and traveled by motorcade to the courthouse in lower Manhattan.

Trump will be under arrest, processed, fingerprinted and escorted into the courtroom. His lawyers say Trump will plead not guilty to the charges. Sources tell CNN Trump is facing more than 30 criminal charges relating to the hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels, the adult film star and the reimbursement of those funds to Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen.

It is likely we will hear from District Attorney Alvin Bragg at some point on Tuesday to lay out the case and address the significance of the charges.

Meanwhile, Trump is already signaling that he is digging in for a protracted legal fight, he added a new criminal defense attorney to his team.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: More bad weather is in store for parts of Midwestern and the southern U.S. The Storm Prediction Center warns that afternoon and overnight tornadoes and damaging winds could hit states like Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

FOSTER: The National Weather Service says at least 50 tornadoes ripped across the region from Friday to early Saturday, and they're still trying to get the official count for the entire weekend.

NOBILO: But as CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam shows us, residents in Arkansas are still trying to pick up the pieces after last weekend's deadly tornadoes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This is what winds of up to 165 mph is capable of. Just take a look at this damage around me. It looks like a bomb was detonated in Wynne, Arkansas. Terrifying for these residents. There's a piano over my right-hand shoulder, that is a full wall that has collapsed. There's clearly somebody's lawnmower equipment there. Damage as far as the eye can see. Trees toppled. Electrical poles taken down.

The good news -- some glimmer of hope here is that utility companies, particularly the electrical companies have been replacing these electrical poles very rapidly.

[04:25:00]

So hopefully we can start to see the power and the lights turn on again, so we don't have to endure another night of darkness here in Wynne, Arkansas.

I spoke to a woman who wrote out the terrifying moments of this twister. Those 10 seconds that changed her life dramatically listen to what Jesse Wilson had to endure.

JESSE WILSON, WYNNE, ARKANSAS RESIDENT: Now I looked out that window right there where you see the white garbage, my God kids because I was I put that in there because of the cold. It was a big slab of wood coming from the First Baptist Church over toward my window, and I thought it was going to come and hit the whole window, but it stopped.

But then there was another little sharp board. And that sharp board came through the window and glass went everywhere. We have had tornadoes in Wynne, Arkansas before, but it was never, nothing like this.

VAN DAM: We are so glad that Jesse Wilson was able to tell us her story. But unfortunately, her neighbor was not as lucky. There was a fatality across the street from her home.

And with the threat of more violent tornadoes and severe weather within this area and across much of the Midwest, it is time to start taking the peak of tornado season seriously. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now ahead, why Trump's imminent arraignment could be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his legal problems.

NOBILO: Plus, we're getting new videos showing the moments before an explosion ripped through a Russian cafe killing a pro war military blogger. That is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, let's bring you up to date with the top stories this hour.

We are just hours away from Donald Trump's arrangement at a New York court, where sources say he faces more than 30 criminal charges.

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