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Fire Forces Collapse, Closure Of I-95 In PA; Defiant Trump In Court Tuesday In Miami; American Detained In Russia On Drug Charges; Security Ramps Up Ahead Of Trump In Court; Trump Slams Indictment In Return To Campaign Trail; Official: Children Survived Five Weeks On Flour And Seeds. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 11, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:50]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with this breaking news out of Philadelphia where a section of northbound Interstate-95 collapsed when a tanker truck burst into flames underneath the highway this morning. Interstate-95 is one of the biggest arteries in the U.S. connecting drivers from Maine to Florida.

CNN's Danny Freeman is live for us on the scene there in Philadelphia.

So Danny, this is a major issue for the northeast for commuting, getting around and its potential dangers. What do we know right now?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. It's a major issue and also really it's just a gnarly scene out here today.

We're actually on the southbound side of I-95. That's not the worst of it. You have been seeing the northbound side. That where it really just completely collapsed right there.

Let me step out of the way to give you an idea of what we are seeing from up here. Again the southbound side, you can see charred parts of this highway from that tanker fire.

And let me tell you a little bit about what we know so far about what happened. This morning just before 6:30, first responders got that call to respond to an accident behind me on the ramp to I-95, this is on Cottman Avenue we're standing right there.

The city initially said it was a tanker truck that caught fire underneath, fire officials now digging through the rubble to confirm that. And because that fire was so hot, I-95 northbound eventually did collapse. And fire officials say that southbound, even though it looks standing, they were compromised too, those lanes up there.

No reports at this point of anyone injured after the collapse and first responders are still searching for any driver of the vehicle underneath the highway.

But Fred, to your point, the fallout has just been massive. There were manholes exploding because of potentially compromised gas lines this morning. The Coast Guard is here trying to investigate if maybe gallons of gasoline have seeped into this water supply.

And of course, this is a huge traffic artery for Philadelphians and for folks in this area getting through Philadelphia, likely on the east coast.

Take a listen to what one city official said about how long it may take to clean all this up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINICK MIRELES, DIRECTOR, PHILADELPHIA OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Today is going to be a long day. Obviously with 95 northbound gone, you know, southbound is questionable, it's going to be even longer than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, so far we've had one major update from city officials who officials, we're waiting for another one later this afternoon. We'll of course, bring you the information from that update when we have it.

But the main message right now from officials is avoid this area of I- 95 if at all possible just because it's going to be shut down in this area for a while, days, probably weeks and months to come, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow, this on the eve of a Monday rush hour. All right. Thank you so much Danny Freeman. We'll check back with you.

All right. In just about 48 hours from now, Donald Trump is set to appear in a federal court in Miami. The former president is facing 37 federal counts over mishandling classified documents and obstructing an investigation after he left office.

That did not stop Trump from hitting the campaign trail this weekend where he lashed out against the indictment calling it a political hit job and calling special counsel Jack Smith deranged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration's weaponized Department of Injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country.

This vicious persecution is a travesty of justice. You are watching Joe Biden try to jail his leading political opponent. Think of it. This is like third world country stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. Today Trump's former U.S. attorney general is calling his claims of -- Trump's claims of a witch hunt ridiculous. Bill Barr says the indictment is very damning and described the government's case against Trump as solid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BARR, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: And this idea of presenting Trump as a victim here, a victim of a witch hunt is ridiculous. Yes, he's been a victim in the past. Yes, his adversaries have obsessively pursued him with phony claims and I've been at his side defending them when he is a victim.

[14:04:53]

BARR: But this is much different. He is not a victim here. He was totally wrong that he had the right to have those documents. Those documents are among the most sensitive secrets that the country has. They have to be in the custody of the archivist.

He had no right to maintain them and retain them. And he kept them in a way at Mar-a-Lago that anyone who really cares about national security, their stomach would churn at it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Katelyn Polantz is in Miami for us. So Katelyn, what else did Barr have to say about these charges against Trump just a couple of days ahead of Trump's appearance?

Katelyn, are you able to hear me. All right. It looks like we have some audio problems. We'll try to get back to her momentarily.

All right. Let's talk further about this whole case instead now with Ron Brownstein. He's a CNN senior political analyst and a senior editor for "The Atlantic".

So. All right, Ron. Good to see you. Glad you are at the ready.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: That was very convenient.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right.

BROWNSTEIN: Nice to see you.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. So your thoughts now on Bill Barr, you know, saying that this is a rock solid case really against Trump. Do those words carry weight with the Republican Party?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, it is a striking contrast to what you were hearing from almost all Republican leaders who have spoken out. I mean we're in a familiar dynamic here with these very detailed, very serious charges that have been filed against former president Trump where the only voices in the Republican Party just about that are willing to talk are those who preemptively condemn the whole thing, discredit it, it's illegitimate, it's political, it's weaponized, it's a witch hunt.

And those who might think it's more serious with the rare exceptions now of Bill Barr, John Bolton, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson -- they are remaining silent.

And so you have this enormous imbalance in kind of the conservative information sphere where Republican voters are only getting the message that this is illegitimate and it is putting the Republican Party again in this familiar position where allegations against Trump that are unquestionably I think hurting him with the broader electorate are strengthening him in the context of the Republican coalition in the Republican primary.

WHITFIELD: So Ron, there is even more that Bill Barr said beyond, you know, that he said, you know, he was totally wrong, referring to the former president Trump.

Katelyn Polantz is with us now who is there in Miami. And Ron, we're going to talk some more on this.

So Katelyn bring us more about what Bill Barr, the former attorney general for the former president Trump had to say.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well Fred, this has really been an extraordinary action from the former attorney general Bill Barr. And really across the legal community to the level of detail that is in this indictment of Donald Trump.

31 counts of individual documents that Donald Trump is accused of retaining at Mar-a-Lago where he shouldn't have had them says the Justice Department. And there are photos of these sorts of documents kept in a bathroom with a chandelier in it, in a storage closet where they're spilled over the floor.

That is the level of detail that has caused a really, really widespread reaction of how serious this case is as a national security case and how serious the risk was for Donald Trump to have these boxes of documents after the presidency.

Here is a little bit more from Bill Barr on Fox News on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARR: Here I think the government acted responsibly. They gave him every opportunity to return those documents. They acted with restraint. They were very deferential to him and they were very patient.

They talked to him for almost a year to try to get those documents and he jerked them around. They finally went to a subpoena and what did he do? According to the government, he lied and obstructed that subpoena. And then they did a search and found a lot more documents. They're not even -- I don't think they are even sure now whether they

have everything. So they acted in a very patient way and what were they met with was, according to the government and the indictment, very egregious obstruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: Now Fred, contrast that with Bill Barr previously when he was attorney general and even after he left the Trump administration believing that Donald Trump should not have had a special counsel previously investigating him and his 2016 campaign. That that was not an investigation that the FBI should have been embarking on at that time.

A very different tune from Donald Trump's own attorney general -- someone very, very linked to his administration.

[14:09:47]

POLANTZ: And so now Fred, we're going to be waiting for the next two days; about 48 hours from now is when Trump will be arriving to the federal courthouse here to have his arraignment, his initial appearance to tell the court he is not guilty to these charges.

And that will be kicking off quite a process in the federal system where the court will be moving towards a trial to have a jury look at the evidence that the Justice Department has gathered here and decide if they believe that the former president of the United States is guilty of these crimes he is charged with, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Highly anticipated, unprecedented day on Tuesday, their schedule in Miami. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much.

All right. Ron Brownstein back with us now.

All right. Adding to how extraordinary it is to hear from Bill Barr, the former U.S. attorney general that he brought his sentiments to Fox News. I mean, that is quite striking as well.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: You know, flip side to that, you know, among some of Trump's allies on Capitol Hill, this is how they are rallying around the former president in this way. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: He says point blank on tape "As president I could have declassified it. Now I can't." He says in his own words, it's on tape as part of this indictment that he did not declassify the material. Therefore it is classified.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Dana, saying he could have -- saying he could have, is not the same as saying he didn't.

BASH: He said "Now I can't". JORDAN: He said that he has declassified this material --

(CROSSTALK)

JORDAN: -- he said that -- now he can't, right. right. Because he is not president now, but when he was president, he did declassify it.

BASH: Which means it is classified.

JORDAN: He said that.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): President Trump will have his day in court. But espionage charges are absolutely ridiculous. Whether you like Trump or not, he did not commit espionage. He did not disseminate, leak or provide information to a foreign power or to news organizations that damaged this country.

He is not a spy. He is overcharged. Did he do things wrong? Yes, he may have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Ron, you know, those comments either ignore or try to explain away what is in the indictment, a 49-page indictment. And these are some of Trump's elected loyalists.

Are they doing this because they believe their arguments or they just want to make sure that they keep Trump supporters, voters in their corners?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, it is probably some combination of both. I mean you don't hear as many people trying to defend the underlying comment. The most common argument from Republicans has been they sort of delegitimize the entire investigation as inherently political or weaponized, the same way they reacted to the indictment in New York, to the civil verdict against him on sexual abuse.

I mean the basic argument is that there is a conspiracy so vast, as Bill McCarthy (ph) might have said in kind of all of these different institutions to produce all of these unfounded allegations against Donald Trump.

And they are both cementing and reflecting the dominant view inside the Republican coalition. But as I said, outside of the Republican coalition, not surprisingly Fred, multiple criminal indictments is not a way to broaden your support. I think there is evidence of that in polling both before and after this indictment.

But the Republicans who believe this is a problem either because it shows behavior that should not get into the Oval Office again or even on a more crass political ground that it does not suggest he would be a strong general nominee, by and large, they are once again biting their tongue and allowing the Trump defenders to try the dialogue in Red America.

WHITFIELD: All right. And then there are some Republicans who are not biting their tongue, who are criticizing the president outright for his handling of these classified documents and this is what they said -- some of them today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): They have to come out and acknowledge this is different, this is serious. If even half of this stuff is true, he is in real trouble and it is self-inflicted.

And I just see too many of the candidates trying to walk around it, we'll see what happens.

To your point, you have to be clear and transparent. You are running against this guy. He's whooping you by 40 points. Everybody needs to come out in concert so it is not just a Chris Christie hitting Donald Trump or this candidate hitting Donald Trump.

It is a party message. That's very, very important because Donald Trump doesn't represent the Republican Party. He doesn't -- he only represents himself.

ASA HUTCHINSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is bad for our country, bad for the presidency. And it is a legitimate campaign issue.

We do not need to have our commander in chief of this country not protecting our nation's secrets. Think about when you talk about the equal application of the law, if these allegations and probable cause have been found against any military person or any public servant that wasn't named Donald Trump, they would have been indicted a long time ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Sununu is not running. Hutchinson is. So how effectively does this give Republican challengers kind of a restart on distinguishing themselves?

[14:14:52]

BROWNSTEIN: Well, we're going to have to see what they do with it. As I said, I mean there are two different arguments here that are both potentially -- have an audience even in a Republican coalition.

One, as Asa Hutchinson said, this is not behavior that you would expect in a president. This is kind of a reckless attitude that calls into question the fitness of somebody to be president again.

And in fact, Mike Pence, you know, said last week in his announcement that Donald Trump and his attitude toward the constitution, what he tried do after the election in 2020 should not be president again.

But Pence would not go the next step and say that he wouldn't support him if he was the Republican nominee in 2024, which was kind of head spinning. But they're saying --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Because he wants the votes potentially.

BROWNSTEIN: Right. I mean -- and there's even a more kind of utilitarian argument for Republicans, that not surprisingly if you look at polling, voters outside of the Republican coalition are in fact disturbed by the kind of behavior that we have seen from Trump since election day in November 2020 from January 6 to these various indictments against him, to the civil judgment against him on sexual abuse.

And you can raise the question of whether he is, you know, an effective nominee. But Republicans feel enormous pressure to fall into line behind him. They are stitching their own straight jacket by refusing to even discuss the underlying potential validity of the facts laid out in the indictment and preemptively dismissing it as a weaponized, you know, kind of political witch hunt.

It is a very difficult -- Governor Sununu is right about one point. Donald Trump is way ahead in this race. Most Republican voters believe he won in 2020, most Republican voters were satisfied with his presidency. You're going to have to give them a good reason to move beyond him.

He is providing plenty of ammunition to those other candidates. The question is whether they have kind of the nerve to use it.

WHITFIELD: All right. So you know, there are some polls that are giving us a bit of an insight into how Americans at large are viewing this indictment.

An ABC News poll shows that 61 percent of Americans view the charges against Donald Trump as serious. But a CBS poll shows the charges may, you know, change GOP voter opinions of Trump. It shows that just 7 percent of Republican voters have a worse view of Trump after the indictment, while 61 percent say the indictment won't change their views of Trump. I mean, just underscoring the real loyalty, you know, of some Trump supporters.

BROWNSTEIN: Oh, yes. That CBS poll captures the Republican conundrum. 70 percent of Republicans say that he should be able to serve as president even if he's convicted of the allegations in the indictment. Not surprisingly a clear majority of everybody else says that he shouldn't.

We saw that as well in a recent NPR/PBS/Marist poll where 65 percent roughly of Republicans said they wanted a second Trump presidency even if he was convicted of a crime. And three- quarters of Independents, 81 percent of college-educated white voters; three-quarters of people of color said they didn't want a crime.

And so, you know, this is what the kind of challenge that Republicans are allowing to deepen when you don't have voices in the party that Republican voters trust saying this is something serious. This is something we should be concerned about. The natural tendency based on everything that Trump has done the last eight years is for Republican voters to accept his argument. You saw him yesterday in Georgia make that core argument. The deep state is going after me because they know I'm the only candidate who is strong enough to stand up for you against them.

And to the extent that the other Republican candidates are echoing his claim, they are reducing themselves to kind of a chorus in his drama.

I mean the drama in the Republican world for the next few months is going to be Donald Trump standing up against the liberal persecutors who are going after him in all these trumped-up charges and you're going to have the other candidates basically saying yes, he's right, but you should nominate me anyway.

They are putting themselves in a very difficult position by this choice to echo what are really unfounded claims that the, you know, prosecutor is a lunatic, deranged. He described others investigating him as Marxists and communists yesterday.

Is that what the other Republicans leaders and candidates believe of Jack Smith or the D.A. in Fulton County?

WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean it is a convergence of some dizzying psychology. That's for sure.

All right. Ron Brownstein, great to see you. Thank you so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. Tomorrow, join Anderson Cooper and Chris Christie for a "CNN REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL TOWN HALL". The former New Jersey governor will take questions from a live studio audience and share why he says he is the best-suited to be the next commander in chief.

[14:19:57]

WHITFIELD: This live event starts tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

All right. Straight ahead this hour, another American citizen detained in Russia. The charges he is facing and how the U.S. State Department is responding.

Plus we're learning new details about the children who spent more than a month in the Amazon jungle, what they ate to survive and how they were finally found.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All righ.t Welcome back.

Another American citizen has been detained in Russia. A Moscow court said in a statement that Travis Leake was arrested on drug charges. Leake is a former paratrooper and musician living in Moscow.

CNN's Jennifer Hansler is following the story for us. Jennifer, what do we know about the charges against Leake?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred,: right now we really only know what that court in Moscow has accused him of and that is drug dealing or in their words, quote, "engaging in the narcotics business through attracting young people".

[14:24:57]

HANSLER: Now Leake reportedly told police there in Russia that he did not know what he was accused of and did not understand why he was being detained. That court in Moscow said he will remain detained until at least early August.

And of course, this comes at a time where there is extremely high tension between the U.S. and Russia. There have been a number of American citizens who have been detained there. Two of those Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan have been declared wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department.

And you will remember that Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was freed in a prisoner swap last year, she was also arrested on drug charges there in Russia.

So of course, this is an extremely heightened tense period. And one thing I should note for your viewers, Fred, is that Travis here has reportedly been living in Russia since 2010. About a decade ago, he spoke to the late Anthony Bourdain about the state of censorship in that country and he cited an incident that happened with his band and MTV show and then also the Russian government.

Take a listen to what he said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRAVIS LEAKE, AMERICAN DETAINED IN RUSSIA: This was a documentary series about musicians standing up and risking their lives in some cases, stand up against government abuse of power, government corruption. And yet a foreign government was able to editorially control what American viewers see on their TV screens. That to me is a scandal of epic proportions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANSLER: So you can hear right there Fred, that even back then, he was really passionate about freedom of speech and how concerned he was about repression in Russia.

WHITFIELD: And now, Jennifer, have we heard from the U.S. State Department?

HANSLER: So the State Department has not mentioned Travis by name, but they did say that they are aware of a U.S. citizen who was recently arrested in Moscow and that as they do with every American who is detained abroad, they are working to provide consular access as soon as possible and doing everything they can to provide the appropriate consular assistance when they can, Fred. WHITFIELD: All right. Jennifer Hansler, keep us posted. Thank you so

much.

All righ.t Coming up, sources tell CNN the former president is expected to head to Miami as early as tomorrow ahead of his court appearance scheduled for Tuesday. How is the city preparing? Details right after this.

[14:27:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:21]

WHITFIELD: Former President Trump will appear in federal government in Miami on Tuesday. And while security promises to be air tight, the city is bracing for a chaotic day potentially.

CNN's Carlos Suarez is joining me now live from Miami.

So, what is the city willing to reveal about how it's preparing?

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the mayor of Miami says that there's going to be a news conference on Monday to go over what he says are safety and security concerns ahead of the former president's appearance in federal court on Tuesday. We know that inside the courthouse the Secret Service, as well as the U.S. Marshal Service and federal protective service, they're the ones that are going to be in charge of the security effort inside.

It's important to note that this part of downtown Miami is pretty much already a security bubble. You've got the federal courthouse here behind me. You've got the older federal courthouse just across the street as well as the U.S. attorney's office for the southern district of Florida. And just right across the street from there is the federal detention center.

It is our understanding that according to the city of Miami, all police officers have been told that anytime off that has been approved on Tuesday has been canceled. So the entire Miami-Dade police department we're told will be on standby if they are needed. The mayor of Miami, again, Francis Suarez, said that he is going to talk about some of these details on Monday.

Here's a bit of what he said on "Fox News Sunday".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR FRANCIS SUAREZ (R), MIAMI: I'm going to tell you that in Miami, we're going to have a press conference on Monday to talk about safety and security. We want to make sure that all our citizens know that they're going to be able to express their First Amendment rights and at the same time, we're going to keep them safe and we're going to make sure that there is no disorder.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SUAREZ: And so, because there are so many federal buildings surrounding this courthouse here, law enforcement really does have a good amount of experience in being able to move folks between all of the buildings.

The Miami-Dade County police department, they're the one that are in charge of the unincorporated parts of Miami-Dade County. We're told that they are working with the Department of Homeland Security bureau to keep a close eye of social media post on any supporters of the former president coming out here, any events that are taking place.

And so, Fred, right now, the security posture at least outside of the courthouse is visible in the sense that this is a federal building and so you normally would see law enforcement out here at all times. But as we head into Tuesday, we expect to see a lot more security out here as we get ready for the former president's appearance here on Tuesday -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Carlos Suarez, thank you so much in Miami.

Well, ahead of returning back to Florida, the former president was in Georgia. Donald Trump attended a state GOP convention Saturday where he spoke for over an hour. He told the audience that the case against him was a joke and called special counsel Jack Smith deranged.

Trump is the current frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2024 and vows to stay in the race even if he is convicted over his handling of classified documents since leaving office.

CNN correspondent Isabel Rosales is joining me here live with more on this.

You attended yesterday's convention in Columbus, Georgia, and you took the pulse of people who are there.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I don't think it is much of a surprise, but they don't think too highly of special counsel Jack Smith or really this investigation. Their support for former President Donald Trump remains unshaken. And if anything, they are doubling down. They see this new indictment as further proof that as they see it every level of government and the press is unfairly going after Trump.

[14:35:01]

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES (voice-over): Former President Trump unapologetic and on the attack.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Jack Smith sounds so innocent. He's deranged. This is a political hit job.

ROSALES: Georgia's GOP convention marking Trump's first public appearance after becoming the first former president to face federal charges.

JACK SMITH, SPECIAL COUNSEL: We have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone.

ROSALES: Special counsel Jack Smith announcing 37 criminal counts against Trump, the majority for violations of the Espionage Act.

SHARON WILDER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: It doesn't matter to me, not at all.

ROSALES: Outside the state convention, his supporters are unfazed.

DARYL NEAL, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I think it's a bunch of bull (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Trump ain't done nothing. Only thing Trump done is save this country.

JILL WILCOX, TRUMP SUPPORTER: They're not going to let it stop. They can't stand the fact that he is running for president. And I'm a Donald Trump fan.

GARY GRIESHEIM, TRUMP SUPPORTER: It has probably altered, but just typical liberal propaganda.

ROSALES: None of the Republican voters CNN spoke with had read the indictment.

NEAL: No, I wouldn't waste my time on a phony indictment.

I don't care about the indictment. You can indict a bologna sandwich.

ROSALES: These loyalists share a deep sense of distrust against perceived opponents of Trump, including the Department of Justice, the FBI and the press.

Supporters routinely brought up President Joe Biden, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, all had sensitive materials in their possession while out of public office.

One big difference, Trump and his aide Walt Nauta face nearly a half dozen charges related to obstruction and concealment of documents, including for allegedly suggesting to his lawyers to not cooperate with the grand jury subpoena.

TRUMP: It is all fake indictment, they don't even once mention the Presidential Records Act.

ROSALES: The indictment outlines two different occasions Trump allegedly showed classified documents to unauthorized people and in 2021, Trump admitted on tape having secret documents that he hadn't declassified, according to the indictment. As president, I could have declassified, but now I can't, Trump said, according to the transcript of the audio obtained by CNN.

There's an audio recording of him doing so.

WILCOX: We know that that can be changed. We know that that can be altered.

ROSALES: Within the 49-page indictment, pictures showing boxes of classified documents stacked high in a Mar-a-Lago bath room, ball room, office space and elsewhere.

GRIESHEIM: What he did is incorrect, absolutely incorrect. But the system allowed it to happen. The system is broken. It needs to be fixed.

ROSALES: The convention also drew a handful of anti-Trump protestors co-opting one of his most popular catch phrases, in this quick moment of tension.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lock him up!

NEAL: Lock you up!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I ain't done nothing wrong.

NEAL: You support Hillary Clinton. She did a lot wrong. You're an idiot.

ROSALES: Ultimately, these Trump supporters could not point to any piece of evidence that would cause their support to waiver.

WILDER: I think Trump is the best president we've ever had. And I'm all about getting him reelected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES (on camera): Former President Trump denies any wrongdoing. An attorney for Nauta declined to comment.

And, Fred, I think it will be interesting to see as further details come out especially as this goes to trial if this really moves the needle for independents or other conservatives that are maybe not so gung-ho about Donald Trump.

WHITFIELD: All right. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, we're learning new details about the incredible rescue of four young children from the Amazon rainforest. What officials are saying kept the kids alive in the jungle for more than five weeks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:42:51]

WHITFIELD: We're learning new details about the five week survival of four children lost in the Columbian Amazon after a plane crash. Colombian officials tell CNN they were able to eat seeds and cassava flour. Cassava is a type of root. One official says it was the children's knowledge of the jungle including what they could and could not eat that helped them stay alive for so long.

CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is with us this afternoon from Bogota, Colombia.

So, what more do we know about their recovery right now and the condition these kids were found in?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN JOURNALIST: Yes, Fredricka, today is important because it is the first time we heard directly from the father of the four children, he is the biological father of the two youngest siblings and the stepfather of the two oldest daughters. And he was in the jungle for these incredible 40 days joining -- first leading and then joining forces with the Colombian military and indigenous scouts to try to locate what remains of his family.

And today, he spoke with the press for about ten minutes and this is what he said about why he never lost hope even when everything seemed so much against him. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANUEL RANOQUE, FATHER OF RESCUED INDIGENOUS CHILDREN (through translator): We are indigenous people. I believe in the jungle which is our mother. And that is why I've always kept the faith and would say that both the jungle and nature have never betrayed me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: So in terms of what happens next, even that Don Manuel, the father of the four children, said that he expects his children to stay in the hospital the next two to three weeks. He asked the media to respect the privacy and the intimacy of this moment. The children are also receiving some psychological report because you can just imagine how affected the four young ones are after surviving such a horrible experience.

And then he says that he wants to go back to the jungle. He wants to go back to their home community and he asked the president of Colombia to make him aware of his pledge to support the children's education, because the Amazon is a poor region.

[14:45:12]

And of course, these children were brought up also in quite difficult conditions. So he wants them to now receive the best education possible -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I mean, Stefano, are there any new details about their rescue? I mean, how they were located?

POZZEBON: Yes. Yesterday we were able to speak with one of the coordinators of the indigenous scouts of this operation. Think of this operation which in Colombia has been called Operation Hope, the deployment of over 100 special commanders from the Colombian special forces but also of the same number, of about 100 of indigenous scouts from the Amazon and other regions of Colombia.

So it was joining forces between men in uniforms and the army in particular and the air force and indigenous people. We spoke with one of the coordinators of the indigenous communities and the scouts that were leading the search. And he told me that they were able to locate the four children because the children had stopped moving around the jungle. So since the moment the plane crashed, they had been moving around in the forest and suddenly, they stopped probably because they ran out of food and that that is when they were able to find them in an area clear of trees -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow, it's fascinating.

All right. Stefano Pozzebon in Bogota, thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

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[14:50:57]

WHITFIELD: A major day in horse racing again marred by death in a race run just after last night's Belmont stakes, a 4-year-old horse suffered a catastrophic injury and had to be euthanized. It's the latest in a string of deaths that has the horse racing industry under intense scrutiny.

CNN chief investigative correspondent Pam Brown takes a look at the rules meant to keep these horses safe and who has broken them.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the biggest days in racing. Hours before the Preakness Stakes -- tragedy strikes.

ANNOUNCER: Losing the rider, having a meltdown.

BROWN: A horse injured, the jockey thrown, the horse euthanized right on the track.

BOB BAFFERT, HALL OF FAME HORSE TRAINER: It's been a very emotional day.

BROWN: It was supposed to be a triumphant come back for that horse's trainer, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Later that day, he won his first Triple Crown race since a disqualification at the 2021 Kentucky Derby, just one of the horse deaths at America's top racetracks this season.

At Churchill Downs, home of the Derby, 12 horses died in about a month, leaving the facility to suspend racing operations.

FARMER: One horse fatality is important to me. There's no excuse for that.

BROWN: Dr. Will Farmer, the equine medical director at Churchill Downs, sat down with CNN.

What do you make of this recent cluster of deaths?

FARMER: It's been a really big challenge. It's definitely concerning to all of us, not just to Churchill Downs, but as an industry, that we want an answer.

BROWN: Part of the investigation includes whether the horses had preexisting injuries, which happens in more than 85 percent of horses with fatal injuries according to researchers.

They'll also look at what, if any, medication trainers gave their horses. Something as simple as an anti-inflammatory can mask the pain of a minor injury. So there are strict rules about what's allowed on race day.

FARMER: We want to make sure they're not going out with a potential injury that could become significant.

BROWN: Even the most successful trainers have broken those rules. A CNN analysis shows the 10 top-earning horse trainers in the U.S. have violations for excessive medications found in their horses, more 140 total infractions.

While some have few violations, others have more than a dozen over decades of racing. The penalties they faced: warnings, small fines, or brief suspensions.

LISA LAZARUS, CEO, HORSERACING INTEGRITY & SAFETY AUTHORITY: When you look at violations, the vast majority are medication violations. And that's really important but it's very different from the doping and cheating.

BROWN: Bob Baffert has had about two dozen medication violations, including a horse that placed first in the Kentucky Derby in 2021.

Churchill Downs suspended Baffert but he was able to race elsewhere and won nearly $10 million in prize money last year.

Baffert denies any wrongdoing at Churchill Downs and disputes some of the violations. He and other trainers blame a patchwork of changing state regulations and testing that doesn't account for differences between horses.

Some of these trainers, Bob Baffert himself, argue that such a small amount could be detected if lab testing is so sensitive.

FARMER: It's a very small amount, but it's very potent. And that's the most important thing is to identify with the medication its potency.

GRAHAM MOTION, HORSE TRAINER, FAIR HILL TRAINING CENTER: We, as an industry, as a sport we are under tremendous pressure to improve how we handle things.

BROWN: Horseman Graham Motion has won and placed in Triple Crown races. He says it's time for a change.

MOTION: I think, certainly, the scrutiny is warranted. It's inexcusable to have seven or eight horses die the week of the Kentucky Derby. It's a tragedy. But we need to be better regulated.

BROWN: Congress created an oversight group, and new nationwide rules just went into effect to standardize medication for horses.

LAZARUS: This is a seismic change for the industry. This is really the most dramatic thing that's happened in horseracing.

MOTION: Punishments are going to be more severe than they were.

BROWN: Do you think they are too lax before?

MOTION: Yes, I do.

BROWN: I mean, some people only got fined a couple hundred dollars.

MOTION: Yes, I think it's absurd.

BROWN: About 1,000 horses die at racetracks every year in the U.S., according to Patrick Battuello, an activist who compiled information from state records.

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BROWN: His group wants to see horseracing banned all together.

PATRICK BATTUELLO, ACTIVIST: We see horseracing as no different from dog racing, which is all but dead in America.

MOTION: Look around us. These horses are probably better taken care of than some human beings. We look after their every need.

BROWN: Graham Motion, who has two medication violations himself, says it's a delicate balance to care for horses.

MOTION: Horses are a very complicated animal.

BROWN: Have you ever had to make the decision to euthanize a horse because of an injury before a race?

MOTION: Absolutely, yes.

BROWN: What's that like?

MOTION: Devastating.

BROWN: As the investigation continues at Churchill Downs, the racetrack is trying to find other methods to prevent injuries, including state-of-the-art technology.

How do you explain the tension between wanting them to go out there and win, and also wanting to take the best care of them possible?

MOTION: It's an extraordinary thing to see a horse go out and give their all in a competition. So it's our responsibility to take care of them. The most important

thing is the welfare of the horse. It's not winning at all costs.

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BROWN (on camera): Even with the new national standards and rules, it's unclear whether that would have prevented any of the recent horse deaths.

We are still waiting for some of the reports from Churchill Downs as well as those on the deaths at Preakness and Belmont.

Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, Representative Jim Jordan claiming today that President Trump can store national security information however he wants, a question we will ask former White House counsel John Dean, next.

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