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Ukraine Says They Have No Involvement in Kremlin Drone Attack; Georgia Shooting Ignites Discussions on Gun Violence; U.N. Aid Chief Says Civilians in Sudan Still in Urgent Need for Food, Water and Medical Supplies; U.S. Federal Reserve Raises Interest Hike for the 10th Time; Expert Weighs on Ed Sheeran's Copyright Infringement Case; Indian Wrestlers Train and Protests on the Ground Against Top Sports Official's Sexual Harassment Case. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 04, 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]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Russia calls it an assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian leaders insist they had nothing to do with it. Video from Moscow shows two drones flying inside the Kremlin walls early Wednesday. And you can see one of them exploding just above the building's dome roof there.

A CNN analysis does support Russia's claim that two drones flew by the Kremlin, but doesn't show evidence Ukraine was behind this. A former Russian lawmaker who now lives in exile tells CNN he thinks Russian partisans trying to discredit Vladimir Putin are to blame. Others suggest it may be a Russian false flag operation to justify more brutal attacks on Ukraine. CNN's Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton-Walsh reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON-WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's on the edges of imagination, but the Kremlin insists it's real. An apparent drone flies into the Kremlin and detonates right on its dome, captured on many cameras a truly seismic allegation. Russia saying Ukraine sent two drones to kill President Vladimir Putin, but he wasn't home.

As the smoke rose, these videos played out globally, unverified and the only slim evidence of the Kremlin's claim. It is a moment that carries great risk for the Kremlin ahead of an annual Victory Day parade there just next week.

It's embarrassing they have claimed such a breach of security happened. And there will be calls for their battered military to find a way to escalate, now they have. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, on a visit to Finland today, issued a flat denial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELLENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: We don't attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We're defending our villages and cities. We don't have, you know, enough weapons for this.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WALSH (voice-over): The U.S. also, not convinced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker assault.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): But fear of Russian reprisals rising again in Ukraine, where bombings already definitely do happen every day and night. Over a dozen dead this day in a recently liberated Kherson, a railway station shelled and a supermarket mid-morning. Tension mounting here ahead of an expected Ukrainian counter-offensive, so from Friday there's a 58-hour curfew, nobody coming out of their homes.

In Zaporizhzhia, our nights were shaken by sirens and blasts. Here is where they hit, homes. The first missile landing outside and leaving enough time for families to jump into the bath or shelter their children before the second left this hole.

WALSH: How did you survive? You know, we were in such stress, Ludmila (ph) says, but it was only when people asked us if we were okay that we realized we were alive. Like in the Kremlin, nobody killed or injured here either, but lives destroyed and no doubt who was behind it.

Nick Payton-Walsh, CNN, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments from London. So, Claire, Russia vowed to retaliate for that drone attack and it appears the retaliation has already begun.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Yeah, Kim, this is, don't forget, a vengeful war in many ways that Russia is fighting. We've seen this throughout the conflict. You know, the attack on the Kerch Bridge linking Russia and Crimea back in the autumn unleashed a winter of attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. And just this morning, we're hearing of overnight attacks on Kyiv and Odessa. The air force in Ukraine saying 24 Shahi (ph) drones were fired at the country of which 18, they say, were shot down.

[03:05:00]

They did -- the Ukrainian military in the south of the country have published a couple of images of drones that they say were among those shot down 18. They've got some writing on them, I think we can pull up those images for you. One of them says, "For the Kremlin", you can see there using the Latin Zed which of course is symbolic of Russia's war, and this one says, "For Moscow", so clearly signifying that this is part of a sort of revenge for those drone attacks on the Kremlin.

This is something that of course is hard to distinguish from the very regular attacks that we see on Ukraine. The head of the Kyiv Military Administration saying that the capital has actually been attacked three out of the four days in May, which is the greatest intensity since the start of the year.

In other news, President Zelenskyy, who just wrapped up his trip to Finland is now, according to the Dutch public broadcaster, in the Netherlands, set to make a speech in The Hague entitled, "No Peace Without Justice" and to visit the International Criminal Court itself, which barely two months ago indicted President Putin himself of war crimes, continues to investigate those war crimes in Ukraine. He of course has distanced Ukraine from those attacks on the Moscow Kremlin. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Claire Sebastian in London. I spoke earlier with Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and I asked him why he was skeptical Ukraine was behind the drone attack on the Kremlin. And here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALCOLM DAVIS, MILITARY ANALYST: The Ukrainians have so much to do in terms of defending their own country. They don't have the means to attack that at that distance. Certainly, the Ukrainians have attacked inside Russia. But it's a long way from where their attacks have gone to Moscow. And I really don't think that this attack would have made much sense militarily in terms of giving the Russians exactly what they wanted, which is a justification to escalate. The Ukrainians are not that stupid.

BRUNHUBER: Okay, but why would Russia need a justification to escalate? They could just escalate on their own.

DAVIS: Certainly, they could. But I think what Putin is thinking in terms of is using this as an opportunity to potentially declare war, potentially undertake a national mobilization. That opens up all sorts of opportunities for the Russians to bring in additional forces to also, more importantly, leverage other aspects of Russian industry and society to support the war effort.

So, in other words, if they're going from what they're calling a special military operation to an actual declared war, suddenly a whole set of new operations and rules and opportunities kick in for the Russians that are not there at the moment that they can bring to bear. And I think that the Russians are thinking very much in terms of what happens at the end of the upcoming Ukrainian offensive, which is likely to go well.

What the Russians want to be able to do is ultimately withstand that offensive and then come back stronger later this year or into 2024 to sustain the war, because the Russians want a prolonged war. They do not want, essentially, to see defeat staring them in the face.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: Israel says it has killed two gunmen suspected in a deadly attack on a British-Israeli mother and her two daughters in the West Bank last month. A third militant accused of aiding the gunman was killed, as well, in a raid early Thursday in the West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack on the mother and her girls whose funeral was reportedly attended by thousands.

For more, Elliot Gotkine joins us from Jerusalem. So, Elliot, what more can you tell us about this?

ELLIOT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Kim, we started getting reports of this morning raid by the Israeli security forces in Nablus about two-and-a- half hours ago. And then, subsequently, we have received statements from the IDF in the last few minutes telling us that they raided the home, the apartment where the two suspected Palestinian gunmen were hiding out, that they came under fire. There was an exchange of fire, resulting in the deaths of those two suspected gunmen, as well as this senior operative.

So, this is what went on this morning, and that's also been confirmed, the three deaths by the Palestinian Health Ministry, as well. Now, in a statement, Leo Dee, this is the widower and the father of the -- Lucy Dee, Maia, age 20, and Reena Dee, age 15. He sent us -- sent me an audio statement in which he said that they were delighted. I and the kids, he says, were delighted to hear that the terrorists were eliminated today. Most of all, that it was done in a way that apparently did not endanger the lives of Israeli soldiers. And Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister, subsequently tweeted that, just as I promised Leo Dee, Israel's defense establishment will reach any terrorist that harms our citizens.

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And of course, the killing of the Israeli security forces are killing the gunman -- the suspected gunman who killed Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee comes in the wake of -- still of tensions between Israel and the Palestinians which remain high. You recall that, just the other day, after an Islamic jihad militant, a former spokesman for that militant organization, died after a prolonged hunger strike in an Israeli prison. There were more than a hundred rockets fired from within the Gaza Strip towards Israel.

Israel subsequently retaliated though things are calm there right now. And it seems that perhaps, you know, tensions remain high. And we would expect some kind of comment about the killing of those Palestinian gunmen who killed Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee at some point later today. But certainly, this will be seen as a major achievement and victory, if you like, from the part of Israel that they have kept their word and that they have taken out the people they accuse of, or they say killed, the British Israeli mother and two of her daughters. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate the update. Elliot Gotkine in Jerusalem, thanks so much. The suspect is in custody after a shooting at an Atlanta medical

facility, left one woman dead and four others wounded. Twenty-four year-old Dion Patterson allegedly became enraged during a visit to the medical facility and opened fire with a handgun. Authorities say he fled on foot and then stole a vehicle nearby. The woman who was killed has been identified as 38-year-old Amy St. Pierre, who worked at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC expressed condolences for her family and friends.

The shooting has reignited discussion on gun violence here in the U.S. Here's what Senator Raphael Warnock from Georgia had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAPHAEL WARNOCK, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: What are the long-term traumatic effects of basically telling our children we can't protect you and the best we can do is to tell you to hide? We are a nation living in fear and some seem to think that this is the price that we have to pay for freedom. I reject that. It's a strange kind of freedom that causes our children to have to go on lockdown any random day of the week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Gary Tuchman explains how the suspect was tracked down.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For nearly eight hours, he was on the loose. But Dion Patterson, the accused killer, is now under arrest. He was captured in the suburbs here in Cobb County, Georgia, about 11 miles northwest of where the shootings took place. Right here at a gated community, a condominium called Waterford Place, we saw police cars speeding down the street and entering inside there.

We thought maybe it was just a tip. We had heard all day that the belief was that he was in the suburban Cobb County. Fifteen minutes after police entered, we talked to an officer who came out who confirmed to us that Dion Patterson had been captured. We talked to neighbors inside this condominium community. As we said, people have been saying all-day to authorities that it was very possible that he was here in Cobb County.

Cameras picked up the license plate on a car that he allegedly carjacked and it indicated the car that he then abandoned was only two blocks away from here. So, police were searching this whole area. They went inside and according to the women who live there, who we just talked to a short time ago, they told us they heard dogs barking and they weren't stopping barking. That was very unusual because they knew this man might be in Cobb County.

They were suspicious. One of the women had a hunch. She called the police and said we have a pool and gazebo area. It's possible that he's there. We hear the dogs barking there. The police entered. The next thing the ladies tell us is the police yelled, get on the ground, and they realized that this man had been caught and now he is in custody. This is Gary Tuchman, CNN, County Georgia.

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. Federal Reserve raises a key interest rate again. It's the 10th consecutive time but this may be the last one for a while. Also ahead, some potentially good news in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. One U.S. drugmaker says its new medication could slow early stages of the illness. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The seven-day ceasefire that was expected to go into effect on Thursday may already have been breached. Sudan's rapid support forces claim the Sudanese army has violated the humanitarian armistice by attacking their forces with artillery and aircraft early Thursday. And the Sudanese army says it repelled a RSF attack in North Khartoum. CNN's David McKenzie's following all of developments from Johannesburg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Despite ceasefire announcements being made repeatedly on Wednesday, there were still reports from eyewitnesses and CNN reporters on the ground of clashes and airstrikes in Khartoum in Sudan. The U.N. says that more than a hundred thousand people have left the country and at least three times that many are stuck within the country displaced.

The head of the humanitarian response, U.N. Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths was in Port of Sudan. There's a need for everything, he says. Food, water, medical supplies and the need is very urgent to get to civilians in Sudan. But he said what is critical is that there are assurances of security for both their staff and for those supplies.

MARTIN GRIFFITHS, U.N. UNDERSECRETARY GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: We will still require agreements and arrangements to allow for movement of staff and supplies. We will need to have agreements at the highest level, and very publicly, and we will need to deliver those commitments into local arrangements that can be depended on.

MCKENZIE (on-camera): To illustrate his point, he said six trucks of the World Food Program were looted on their way into Darfur. And in Darfur, there's been some of the most chaotic scenes.

[03:20:00]

Eyewitnesses saying that there have been repeated clashes in cities like Al-Jana'ina, where all of the hospitals are closed, they say. It means that people are streaming across the border into Chad where they are getting help from the UNHCR and others. But if there isn't a meaningful ceasefire in the coming days, you can imagine that this humanitarian catastrophe will get even worse in Sudan.

David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

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BRUNHUBER: Serbia is trying to come to grips with the horrific mass shooting, a very rare occurrence in the country. Police say it was committed by a 13-year-old boy who shot and killed nine people in his elementary school in Belgrade on Wednesday. A candlelight vigil was held for the victims. Officials say the suspect didn't show any remorse after the attack and his motive is still under investigation. CNN's Scott McLean has more on the attack and the aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Handcuffed with a jacket over his head, a teenager is whisked away by police. He's the suspect in a mass shooting that's brought Serbia to a standstill. The 13-year-old was accused of using his father's handguns to kill at least eight children and a school security guard at a renowned elementary school in an upscale part of Belgrade.

Serbia's interior minister says the boy had the code to the safe where his father locked the weapons. In the immediate aftermath, worried parents rushed to the school anxiously, waiting for news their kids were okay. The ones who do emerge are shell-shocked or overwhelmed. Some parents recalled their children seeing the attack right in front of their eyes.

ASTRID MERLINI, MOTHER OF SHOOTING SURVIVOR (through translator): She heard shots before that, but thought those were firecrackers. When she saw the security guard fall, she immediately rushed back to the class. She was scared. She told her teacher there is a shooting upstairs.

MCLEAN (voice-over): Police and ambulances quickly rushed to the scene to treat victims. Six students and a teacher were taken to the hospital, some in stable condition, others fighting for their lives.

DR. SINISA DUCIC, CARETAKER DIRECTOR, TIRSOVA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: It is very difficult surgery because of severe brain injuries. The child is out of operation room and is vitally endangered and is in Intensive Care Unit. All resuscitation procedures are performed.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Belgrade police said the teenager waited to be arrested in the school yard after calling police himself to confess what he'd done.

VESELIN MILIC, BELGRADE POLICE CHIEF (through translator): Upon arriving at school, he immediately pulled the pistol out of his bag and shot DV, the security guard. He then went past the on-duty staff member and sat down at his desk like he did nothing wrong.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Despite one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, mass shootings in Serbia are rare. Police said the attack had been carefully plotted for more than a month. While the precise motive is unclear, the education minister and this high school student blamed violent video games and media.

UNKNOWN: This thematization and popularization of violence and crime through public and media, through art, through everything that could popularize it, and this example of violence is a consequence of that. Police have cordoned off the scene and continued to investigate. And while answers may bring clarity for families, they won't bring back the young lives taken far too soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Scott McLean, CNN.

BRUNHUBER: All right, still to come. Prosecutors for the special counsel are looking into the Trump Organization's handling of Mar-a- Lago surveillance footage. Want more on this development? Next, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

CNN is now learning that Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating the handling of surveillance footage from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home following a subpoena last year. That, we're told, has prompted a new round of grand jury subpoenas. Sources also tell us that two long- time Trump organization executives are set to appear before the grand jury in the hours ahead. CNN's Katelyn Polantz has details from Washington.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: The Special Counsel Jack Smith, working for the Justice Department investigating Donald Trump has been busy in recent weeks. Just last week, he was personally sitting in to witness some of the testimony of Former Vice President Mike Pence at a grand jury looking at Donald Trump and the aftermath of the 2020 election for possible federal crimes. That is not a typical thing. There are many prosecutors that work for Smith that are in and out of the grand jury, out of the federal courthouse almost daily.

I don't believe anyone has ever spotted Smith there personally, and he was in the room for some of that Pence testimony to witness it himself, just underlining how serious of an investigation, how substantial a witness Mike Pence, the former vice president, was bringing him in under court order, under subpoena to testify to that grand jury, potentially about his former boss, Donald Trump. And Smith, like I said, has been very, very busy. He's busy in the coming days.

We are learning not just related to the January 6th inquiry, is bringing in many, many witnesses. He's also having major allies of Donald Trump. People from the Trump Organization at its high levels, handling security, the chief operating officer are set to testify to the Federal Grand Jury in Washington on Thursday. Those men, their names are Matthew Calamari, Sr. and Matthew Calamari, Jr., father and son.

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POLANTZ: They are the people that would be responsible for the handling of surveillance tapes by the Trump organization. And they are of interest right now, we know because, the Justice Department, Jack Smith, and his investigators, they are questioning them and others about the handling of surveillance footage, that the Justice Department wanted to obtain last year.

It ultimately was turned over and showed employees of Donald Trump actually moving boxes in Mar-a-Lago at the resort out of the storage room. But now, the handling of that surveillance tape itself, when it was requested by the Justice Department, has become an area of inquiry into a possible obstruction case as well as related to Smith and his many inquiries on that side of the Mar-a-Lago documents.

Katelyn Polantz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Despite earnest efforts to contain the recent string of bank failures, another regional bank is said to be, quote, "Exploring its strategic options."

Shares of Los Angeles-based PacWest Bank face more than 50 percent in after-hours trading. That came after "Bloomberg" reported the bank might be looking to sell itself, split itself up, or raise cash to stabilize itself. But many regional banks' rising interest rates have devalued its loan and bond holdings, prompting depositors to quickly withdraw their uninsured deposits. PacWest reported last week the customers have stopped withdrawing their money and more than 70 percent of its deposits are insured.

So, Americans, once again maybe paying a bit more for their mortgage, credit card, or auto deal loan. The U.S. Federal Reserve has just hiked its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point, its 10th consecutive raise. It is now at 5- to 5.25 percent. But the Fed chairman suggested the rate hikes might take a breather for a while now, and see if inflation eases even more on its own.

Now, that uncertainty rattled Wall Street, all three major indices ended down, less than one percent.

CNN's Rahel Solomon in New York has more on the right hike, and what it means.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: U.S. Federal Reserve hiking interest rates, yet again on Wednesday, against a backdrop of fresh tremors in the banking sector, and a still unresolved that ceiling crisis. Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell, and company raised rates by one-quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday, making it the 10th increase in a row since the Fed began lifting rates in March of last year.

This now brings the Fed's benchmark interest rate to 5.25 percent, the level not seen in more than 15 years. Now, when the Fed raises rates, it makes it more expensive for banks to borrow, which then makes it more expensive for us consumers to borrow.

Think anything with an interest rate that is not locked-in. So, mortgage rates for new loans, auto loans, credit cards. The idea is that when borrowing costs go up, it will curb consumer demand, and ultimately bring down consumer prices.

But, there is a lag with interest rates. The effects from higher rates can take months, if not more than a year, to show up in the economy. Meaning, most of the effects of the Fed's rate hikes are still in the pipeline. That's just one reason there is a growing chorus of voices, including economists, including lawmakers, urging the Fed to pause for the rate hikes.

Another reason, banking stress. Earlier this week we also witnessed the second largest bank failure in U.S. history with First Republic. That said, inflation does remain elevated and it continues to run hotter than the Fed's 2 percent target. In Wednesday's press conference, Fed chair Jay Powell signaled this.

JAY POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: These tighter credit conditions are likely to weigh on economic activity, hiring, and inflation. The extent of these effects remains uncertain. In light of these uncertain headwinds, along with monetary policy restraint we put in place, our future policy actions will depend on how events unfold.

SOLOMON: And later this week on Friday, we will get another look at the state of the U.S. economy and the labor market, with the April jobs report. Recent data points to a still strong, but cooling labor market.

Rahel Solomon, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Drugmaker Eli Lilly claims an experimental Alzheimer's drug may be able to slow progression of the disease by more than a third, if used in the early stages. The drugmaker plans to file for FDA approval by the end of next month. Eli Lilly says the medication works by removing a buildup of plaque in the brain, and that nearly half the people who took it during an 18-month trial showed no decline on a key measure of brain condition. But it's not without some problems. Eli Lilly reports 2 -- more than 1700 patients in the trial died from adverse effects like brain swelling.

U.S. regulators have approved the world's first vaccine for a respiratory virus called RSV. The drug's designed to be given as a single shot to adults, 16 and older. It still requires approval from an Advisory Committee of the Centers for Disease Control, but could be available later this year. RSV is often associated with babies and young children, but it can be dangerous for seniors.

[03:35:03]

All right, still ahead, the jury deliberates in the copyright infringement case against the British Pop Star Ed Sheeran. We'll have more on that case coming up, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: So, how similar can two songs be before it is considered copyright infringement? That is what a Manhattan jury has to decide a high profile case against Pop Star, Ed Sheeran. He's accused of copying the classic Marvin Gay's song, "Let's Get it on," for his hit single, "Thinking Out Loud." So, we want to play you both songs so you can hear for yourself. Listen to this.

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(AUDIO CLIPS PLAYING)

The plaintiffs have alleged similarities between the court progressions and certain melodies, but Sheeran's legal team has argued that the melodies are different. The elements used in both songs are common in pop music. Jury deliberations in the case are set to resume in the coming hours.

The plaintiffs of alleged similarities between the chord progressions and certain melodies, but Sheeran's legal team has argued that the melodies were different. The elements used in both songs are common in pop music. Jury deliberations in the case are set to resume in the coming hours.

So, for more on this, I'm joined now by Hayleigh Bosher, a Senior Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law, and Associate Dean at Brunel University of London.

Thank you so much for being here with us. So, it's such an interesting story. I mean, Sheeran demonstrated in court the similarities of "Thinking Out Loud" to other pop songs, you know, by artists like Van Morrison, Bill Withers, Nina Simone. But sounding kind of the same is one thing. But do you believe he's guilty of copyright infringement in this case.

HAYLEIGH BOSHER, SR. LECTURER IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW, BRUNEL UNIVERSITY LONDON: No, I think that -- as you said, lots of songs, especially pop songs they can't sound similar because we have these commonplace elements that are the building blocks of making a song. And copyright is not supposed to protect those things, it is supposed to allow people to build from those blocks. And so, if you think about it like that, then I think the parts that are similar in the song are the building block parts. And therefore, it shouldn't be copyright infringement.

BRUNHUBER: But even -- I mean, we just played those two snippets, and it was remarkable how much it sounded like. I mean, is that -- is that really allowed to have two songs just sound so similar in blocks like that?

BOSHER: I think it depends on how you think about when you compare the different songs. I mean, both the sides in the case have musicology reports. And obviously, this side for Ed Sheeran says oh they are not that similar, and the parts that are similar are commonplace. And then, on the other side, they say it's got all the similarities. And I think that it -- it's easy to say all these to some sound the same. But you have to really break it down and bullet which parts of the songs are the same, and then are those parts things that we want to protect? I mean, it basically comes down to a four-chord progression which is commonplace in many pop songs.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I don't know. But they did sound a lot like there. All right. We've seen an uptick in these kinds of lawsuits ever since the "Blurred Lines" victory that was one Marvin Gay estate won some, you know, $5 million plus future royalties from Pharrell and Robin Thicke. And that it'll come as a shock to many experts. Can you explain what that jury found and how the Sheeran case kind of stacks up to that one?

BOSHER: Sure, so about 10 years ago there was a really similar case with "Blurred Lines," and another Marvin Gay song brought by the Marvin Gay estate. And they were successful in finding that it was infringement. And the reason why it was really controversial is because most of it was based around the feel and the vibe of the song, and some background noise, rather than what we would consider a copyright as a really protectable element.

And this is the floodgates case. So we saw loads of similar cases come in, especially in America, but also some of the U.K. as well after the "Blurred Lines" case. We really felt the impact of that as opening up the door for more cases like this. And Ed has been sued, while for this case, there are three cases. He's had a case in the U.K., and another U.S. case as well. So he has really been part of that impact of the "Blurred Lines" case.

We've had some other cases in-between. There was a re-hearing of a Led Zeppelin case, there's a Katy Perry one where we thought, mainly they were bringing it back a little bit into kind of more of a balance. But then, this case has been going on since 2017, so it is still in the kind of impact era of the "Blurred Lines" case.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I'm wondering about that. So, you know, you referenced the fact that the Sheeran's sort of faced problems before, we've had many others as well that have had to deal with this. Do you think that modern music has sort of a sampling problem or does this go back to a long line of, you know, mostly white artists -- I guess, having this long history of being accused of ripping-off R&B greats?

BOSHER: Absolutely, I think in music there's always this thing of like, you take inspiration as when you create anything. But there definitely is a context of kind of racialized, cultural appropriation where white people have taken Black music, and reappropriated it. That's definitely a context that exists. But also, there is a fine balance between what is taking inspiration and what is actually copying. And that's what copyright tries to do. Whether it does it right every time, i don't know that and I necessarily agree.

[03:45:02]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. It's such a thorny question. All right, so I want to look ahead here. Sheeran said at trial that if he loses this case he is quitting the music business. I mean, we will see about that, but he said other artists are cheering him on as well. So what kind of precedent do you think this verdict would set, especially if it goes against him?

BOSHER: Yeah, I think it's a big concern in the music industry because people are worried about overprotective copyright. And Ed said, after the case in the U.K. that he now records all of his writing sessions, so that he can refer back and be like, this is how he came up with that idea rather than some other thing coming along.

And that's not really that -- copyright song supposed to do that. It supposed to encourage creativity. And so there is a fear that if it's found to be infringement, songwriters will be more concerned about whether they're accidentally copied or something just happens to sound like something else, which I don't think is very useful. And it might be considered, basically, another "Blurred Line" situation where we also see an influx of cases where it is found, if it is found to be infringement.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, well, we will see the world will be watching. The jury resumes deliberations later today. I really want to thank you, Hayleigh Bosher, I really appreciate it.

All right, still ahead. Demands for justice in India, how female wrestlers are camping out and training on the streets protesting alleged sexual harassment, the highest levels of their sport, that coming up. Stay with us.

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[03:50:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Indian police have detained three people, including a politician, after a scuffle broke out between police and supporters of the country's female wrestlers. The women are camping out and protesting the streets of New Delhi, accusing the head of the sport's governing body of sexual harassment.

CNN's Vedika Sud has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): They're up just after dawn, emerging through tense and identity road-side in the heart of New Delhi. Quickly, they're makeshift home becomes a training ground. These women are celebrated athletes. They've held this protest vigil day and night for over a week.

Their flights could bring a Me Too reckoning for Indian sports.

We're Olympians, gold medalist and world champions, Wrestler Vinesh Phogat tells me. There's been a grave injustice, we've dedicated our lives to our country, she says.

Protest leaders Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik are accusing the most powerful man in the sport of sexually harassing female players.

Brij Bhushan Singh, President of the Wrestling Federation of India strongly denies the allegations. He was asked to step aside early this year while the complaint went to a government oversight committee. And while the committee now runs the day-to-day affairs of the federation, Singh officially remains chief.

Malik and Phogat are among those who have been demanding a thorough and impartial investigation.

Seven women athletes have filed police complaints. I believe they're more victims, says Olympic Medalist Sakshi Malik.

Singh isn't only involved in sport. He's also a member of Federal Parliament and an influential voice within India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The police registered two cases against him, only after the Supreme Court intervened. India's top court is now observing the police investigation.

(on-camera): You'd expect professional wrestlers to be training inside an academy, but these women have little choice but to train on the road, here, at the protest site.

(voice-over): Support has come from across the country. Each day, hundreds come to demand action.

We realize we have just one avenue left, to appeal to the public, says Phogat. If we get public support, then at least we know the country stands with us.

Supporters say these wrestlers have become a symbol of change in a nation so often shocked by sexual misconduct.

RAHUL MEHRA, SPORTS LAWYER AND ACTIVIST: Only it is that Me Too movement. I'm sure you know, women athletes have really mustered the courage to come out. This is at least in my living memory I've not come across this kind of protest ever. So, this is unique, this has its own power.

SUD (voice-over): India Sports Minister has promised an impartial probe, but without any firm deadline.

These wrestlers, who have put their careers on the line, are prepared for a long wait. They say they are ready to camp it out, on mattresses, under mosquito nets, for as many nights as it takes to get justice.

Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, just two days into the coronation of Britain's King Charles, the monarch and his wife Queen Camilla attended a garden party in Buckingham Palace on Wednesday in celebration of the upcoming event. Among the guests was American singer, Lionel Ritchie, who will join Katy Perry and the British boy band, Take That, to perform at a concert on Sunday. King Charles named Ritchie a global ambassador for his charity, the Prince's Trust, in 2019. It's an organization that supports young people to get into the work, education, and training.

Well, looks like it may rain on King Charles's parade. Forecasters expect the chance of rain to increase in London by late morning on Saturday, just as a coronation begins. It will continue through the afternoon.

[03:55:01]

But despite that, high temperatures in the capital are expected to reach 19 degrees Celsius, or 66 Fahrenheit. And Britain's Met Office says showers and thunderstorms will be moving across the U.K. over in the next several days.

And of course, CNN will bring you special live coverage of the coronation of King Charles the Third, this Saturday May 6th, starting at 10 am in London, 5 am Eastern in the U.S. And we'll be everywhere from Buckingham Palace, to Westminster Abbey, and all along the mile with the crowds. And you will see it all here, of course, on CNN.

That's it for me, thanks so much for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Bianca Nobilo after a short break.

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