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CNN International: Jury to Begin Deliberations in E. Jean Carroll Civil Rape Case Against Trump; China and Canada Expel Diplomats Amid Rising Tensions; Murdaugh Changes Story in Housekeeper's Death; Biden Wants Better Deal for Airline Passengers. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired May 09, 2023 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster. If you are just joining us, let's bring you up to date with the top stories.
U.S. officials say more than 150,000 migrants are waiting at the northern Mexico border to enter the U.S. when Trump era immigration policy Title 42 expires on Thursday. Border officials have been preparing for a migrant influx in the recent weeks.
And Israeli strikes have killed at least 13 people in Gaza including several women and children. Israel say that it was targeting terrorists of the Islamic Jihad.
NOBILO: Later today the jury in the civil rape trial against Donald Trump is expected to begin deliberations. Trump is accused of civil battery and defamation by former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. During closing arguments on Monday, her attorney told jurors that no one is above the law. While Trump's lawyers urged them not to hold any negative feelings about the former president against him. More now from Kara Scannell
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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The lawyers squared-off in closing arguments in Donald Trump's battery and defamation trial. Over two hours, attorneys for Carroll called out Trump for not appearing for his own civil rape trial, telling the jury that he never looked them in the eye and denied raping her.
Her lawyers played for the jury parts of Trump's video deposition, saying Trump was in fact a witness against himself. They showed the jury the moment Trump mistook Carroll in a black and white photo taken years before the alleged assault for his second wife, Marla Maples, proving Carroll's lawyers argued that Carroll was Trump's type.
They also played again for the jury the "Access Hollywood" tape, with Trump boasting, I just start kissing them. I don't even wait. Her lawyers argued, this is how he treats women. That video is a confession.
Trump's attorney said Carroll's story was unbelievable. They want you to hate him enough to ignore the facts, his lawyer argued. He focused on Carroll's inability to provide an exact date of the alleged rape.
Without a date, Trump's lawyer said he couldn't find witnesses or go through Trump's calendar for an alibi. Instead, he suggested Carroll colluded with the two friends she confided in at the time of the alleged assault because they were politically motivated and wanted Trump out of office. The jury will return Tuesday morning. That's when the judge will give them an instruction on the law and then deliberations will begin.
Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
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FOSTER: China's foreign ministry has announced that they expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai. It comes just a day after Canadian officials did the same to a Chinese diplomat after claims he harassed a Canadian lawmaker and interfered in the country's elections.
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Now both officials have just days to leave the country. CNN's Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang joins me with more on this. This is really escalating. Some concerned where it might end.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, this tit for tat itself not surprising given that is exactly what the Chinese had threatened earlier, as you mentioned, after Canadians exposed their Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei for his alleged role in pressuring and targeting a Canadian member of Parliament and his family in Hong Kong. After the MP sponsored a motion to condemn China's treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang.
Now Chinese authorities of course, have repeatedly denied all of that allegation and calling this a smear and a total fabrication out of ideological bias. But once the allegation was revealed in a Canadian intelligence report, Prime Minister Trudeau has been under tremendous pressure to do something about it. And this later tit for tat really opens up another chapter of downward spiral in this barely thawing relationship.
Remember for years this relationship was in a deep freeze over the saga of the arresting Canada of that Chinese tech exec Meng Wanzhou, and the subsequent arrest in China of two Canadian citizens. And that episode was finally over after years of wrangling. But the phenomenon, the allegation that Chinese influence campaign and election interference is not new. Remember last year, Trudeau himself actually got into a bit of back and forth with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Bali. Caught on camera actually with Xi being seen lecturing Trudeau for leaking a conversation on this topic to the press and warning of unspecified consequences.
All of this of course is happening with a broader context of the Chinese so-called overseas police stations gaining more attention with some groups saying more than 100 overseas police stations around the world with their agents and officers targeting Chinese nationals, especially dissidents. And Max, as you remember, the FBI just arrested two agents and indicted dozens of other police officers in China not long ago -- Max.
FOSTER: OK, Steven in Beijing, thank you.
Double murderer Alex Murdaugh, he is now saying he lied when he said his housekeeper died five years ago because she tripped over his dogs.
NOBILO: It's just the latest convoluted wrinkle in the case of the former South Carolina lawyer already convicted of killing his wife and son. CNN's Randi Kaye unravels it for us.
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ALEX MURDAUGH, DISGRACED FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY: Gloria was there, sitting up, big pool of blood, a lot of blood on the side of her face.
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Newly released audio of Alex Murdaugh talking about how he found the family's housekeeper after she'd fallen down the steps at their South Carolina home. Murdaugh told investigators a month after the fall that he wasn't home when it happened on February 2, 2018, but blamed it on the family's dogs.
MURDAUGH: She indicated that the dogs had caused her to fall. And what I'm assuming happened is when Gloria pulled up, the dogs are, you know, rushing her, you know --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For affection.
MURDAUGH: -- for affection.
KAYE (voiceover): Gloria Satterfield later died at the hospital. But Alex Murdaugh's story about the dogs being responsible, Murdaugh now says it's not true. But why? It turns out it's all about money.
KAYE: Following her death, Murdaugh arranged for Satterfield's surviving sons to sue him, given it was his dogs' fault. But when Nautilus Insurance Company paid $3.8 million to the Satterfield estate to settle the case, Alex Murdaugh stole the money and kept it for himself.
KAYE (voiceover): Years later, he admitted stealing the money and agreed to a judgment against him.
MURDAUGH: I have never disputed since I was confronted on Labor Day weekend that I took money from my clients.
KAYE (voiceover): But now, Nautilus Insurance Company has filed a lawsuit against Murdaugh, claiming it relied on Murdaugh's false statements to its detriment and disbursed funds, based upon the fraud and deceit directly and approximately causing damage to Nautilus.
The insurance company is looking to recover the $3.8 million it paid Murdaugh in the Satterfield case. And here's where the dogs come in. Court papers show Murdaugh suddenly changing his story, saying it wasn't his dogs that caused Satterfield's fall after all, though he isn't offering an alternate cause. In court papers, Murdaugh's lawyers wrote, defendant invented Ms. Satterfield's purported statement that dogs caused her fall to force his insurers to make a settlement payment.
Murdaugh and his lawyers directed Nautilus Insurance Company to instead claw back the insurance money paid from the Satterfield family, not from Alex Murdaugh.
ERIC BLAND, ATTORNEY FOR SATTERFIELD FAMILY: It's almost a perversion of the justice system to suggest that the Satterfield family be victimized again.
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KAYE (voiceover): Attorney Eric Bland represents the Satterfield family.
BLAND: Nautilus Insurance Company has never paid one cent to the Satterfields.
KAYE (voiceover): That's because Alex Murdaugh deposited that money into his own account. Bland believes Murdaugh is changing his story now so he's not on the hook for his estate to pay any of those millions back.
KAYE: And as far as what really happened the day that that housekeeper died, we may never know. Because there were no surveillance cameras on the property. There were no eyewitnesses to what happened. Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were still alive -- this was back in 2018 -- and they were home at the time. But they didn't actually see what happened although they later did corroborate others' accounts that at least one or more of the dogs did trip the housekeeper. But again, no eyewitnesses to exactly what happened.
So, whatever happened we may never know. What we do know is that Alex Murdaugh saw an opportunity, an opening here, to make a lot of money, millions of dollars perhaps, from this family and they have never seen a penny of it since.
Randi Kaye, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.
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NOBILO: People in their 20s and 30s with mental disorders have a much higher chance of having a heart attack or a stroke. That's according to a new study by the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
FOSTER: Researchers saw mentally ill adults younger than 40 were 58 percent more likely to have a heart attack and 42 percent more likely to have a stroke than those who are not mentally ill. More than 6.5 million people were part of the study.
NOBILO: This stands to reason actually because if you are under mental stress, that makes the heart work harder. It makes your blood pressure go up, fat levels in the blood increase and that all makes, you know, clots forming and traveling to the brain more likely.
FOSTER: Yes, and one thing about mental health, presuming that includes just stress as well.
NOBILO: Yes, but I think anyone experiencing a mental health condition will have more mental stress and physical stress.
The Biden administration is proposing rules that would require airlines to compensate passengers for canceled or delayed flights. Take a listen.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I get it. That's why our top priority has been to get American air travelers a better deal.
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BIDEN: I know how frustrated many of you are the service you get from the U.S. airlines. Especially after you the American taxpayer stepped up in 2020 in the last administration in the early days of the pandemic to provide nearly $50 billion in assistance to keep the airline industry and its employees afloat. I get it. That's why our top priority has been to get American air travelers a better deal.
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NOBILO: That's U.S. President Biden proposing airlines be required to compensate passengers for delayed or canceled flights.
FOSTER: In some countries these rules are already in place and the Biden administration wants to make things easier for U.S. passengers as well. CNN's Brian Todd has more.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was only a few months ago that the Southwest Airlines cancelation meltdown over the holidays left millions of travelers stranded and miserable.
PAM SHELBY, STRANDED SOUTHWEST CUSTOMER: I wanted to visit my family, but there's nothing I can do about it.
TODD (voice-over): Now we're on the brink of a busy summer travel season, which analysts and officials acknowledge could be messy for the airlines, like last summer's was.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Summer travel is going to put enormous pressure on the system.
TODD (voice-over): The Biden administration now proposing a new rule to compensate passengers who experienced delays and cancelations that are the fault of the airlines themselves. Right now, ten U.S.-based air carriers cover the costs of meals for passengers when a delay or cancelation is the airline's fault. Nine of them cover the cost of hotel accommodations. But the airlines are doing that voluntarily and could roll back those policies any time. The president and his team want to change that with a new rule.
BIDEN: I will make it mandatory, not voluntary, but mandatory for all U.S. airlines to compensate you with meals, hotels, taxis, rideshares, and rebooking fees and cash miles and/or travel vouchers.
TODD (voice-over): But the president's proposal for this won't come until later this year, and there are no specifics yet on exactly how much the airlines would have to pay in each circumstance. Why is the Biden team announcing this now?
DAVID SLOTNICK, SENIOR AVIATION BUSINESS REPORTER, "THE POINTS GUY": He's doing this now partly as a perception thing. They want to be seen as taking action on the airlines. There have been multiple travel seasons in a row now of just these really prolific delays, cancelations, issues like that.
TODD (voice-over): The trade group representing the airlines is responding to the Biden proposal with a statement saying: U.S. airlines have no incentive to delay or cancel a flight and do everything in their control to ensure flights depart and arrive on time. But safety is always the top priority.
The airlines also say quote: Carriers have taken responsibility for challenges within their control.
Analysts point out that delays caused by weather and air traffic control or shortages, which the FAA has already warned could cause problems, wouldn't be seen as being the airline's fault, so passengers wouldn't be eligible for compensation in those situations. Still, some passengers say they'll take relief anywhere they can get it.
BA PHO, DELAYED PASSENGER AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT: I do think they should pay for it only because when it's a delay like this, it makes the travelers' schedule all messed up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it will make a difference. I think it motivates the airlines to do better by the consumer. So, I'm in favor of it.
TODD: What can passengers do this summer to prepare for delays and cancellations? Analyst David Slotnick says there's no reason to avoid air travel. But he says, you should build in buffers of time at your destination. If you have a time sensitive meeting or event, fly early to that city, don't book the very last flight out.
Brian Todd, CNN, at Reagan National Airport.
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FOSTER: Elon Musk says many Twitter users will likely see a drop in their followers soon. On Monday he warned that the platform will purge accounts if they haven't been active for several years.
NOBILO: Musk says those accounts will be archived but that they want to free up the band it handles. He didn't provide further details about the move and it's just the latest overall that he's announced since purchasing the company last year.
Auckland has declared a state of emergency due to torrential rain and flooding in parts of New Zealand. The city has received about half of its average rainfall for the entire month of May in just a day.
FOSTER: Our affiliate news hub reports that residents have been warned to prepare for evacuation and avoid unnecessary travel. Police say a student has also gone missing in the cave system on the North Island amid the heavy rain.
Now just ahead, it's win or go home for the defending NBA champion. The Warriors have their backs to the wall against the Lakers.
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FOSTER: Buckingham Palace releasing new official portrait of King Charles III and Queen Camilla after a weekend of coronation celebrations. They show the king on a throne from 1982 dressed in full royal regalia while holding the sovereigns orb and scepter. And Queen Camilla is seen wearing Queen Mary's crown.
NOBILO: And here we see them flanked by working members of the family who carry out official duties. In a new message from the palace, the couple shared their most sincere and heartfelt thanks for everyone who helped with the weekend's many events. They say that the kindness shown by so many is the greatest coronation gifts of all.
FOSTER: And that is the working royalty, and that's what they are saying with that. And notice that Princess Anne right next to the king I think that's quite symbolic. Right hand woman.
NOBILO: What else do you infer from the photograph?
FOSTER: That it is slimmed down. Because a lot of them are quite elderly and they're not going to be working for much longer. So, it's going to be right down to just Charles and two of his siblings and William and Kate.
NOBILO: A lot of royal duties to be spread amongst fewer people.
FOSTER: Yes.
NOBILO: Now to the NBA playoffs. The defending champion Golden State Warriors have dug themselves a hole in the Western Conference semifinals. Facing the Lakers in Los Angeles for game four, LA's LeBron James had 27 points and Anthony Davis added 23.
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As Lakers took the 3-1 series lead with a 104-101 victory. And they head back to San Francisco for game five on Wednesday.
FOSTER: And in the east the Miami Heat got 27 points from Jimmy Butler as they beat the New York Knicks 109 to 101 in game four of their series. Miami now leads 3 to 1. Game five is Wednesday in New York. I was leaning toward supporting Miami so really called a glory supporter now.
Moving to the ice and the Vegas Golden Knights were forced to shuttle gold tenders but still managed to dominate the Edmonton Oilers in game three of their second-round playoffs series.
NOBILO: After an early deficit, Vegas rattled off five unanswered goals, winning 5-1 on Monday, on a 2-1 series lead. And they'll play game four on Wednesday.
And Netflix hit "Stranger Things" will have to wait a little bit longer for the fifth and final season. It's one of the latest shows to halt production due to the writer's strike.
FOSTER: The show's creators and show runner, the Duffer brothers, say they're excited to start filming once a fair deal is reached in Hollywood between writers and studios. Members of the Writers Guild of America are seeking better pay and royalties from studios and other streaming platforms. Until then, what happens in the upside down stays in the upside down.
Astronomers say they are gaining new insight and new images of a bright star located 25 light years from earth. They focus on a dusky disk encircling the star and found two inner belts for the first time.
NOBILO: That revelation, a groundbreaking revelation.
FOSTER: Yes, it's going to change the way we look at our stars.
NOBILO: It suggests that planets hidden deeper within the star system may be affecting the dust belt's shape and the new image shows the structures are more complex than anything in our solar system. Don't you think so?
FOSTER: It is for about a second.
Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster.
NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. "EARLY START" is up next right here on CNN.
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