Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Donald Trump Heads to Miami on the Eve of his Court Appearance; Philadelphia Highway Collapsed, Neither Injured nor Killed in the Collapse; Several Ukrainian Villages Liberated as the Counteroffensive Against Russia Has Begun; Federal Reserve to Meet This Week on Interest Rate Adjustment; Pope Francis' Health Now Improving; Thousands Evacuate as Mayon Volcano May Erupt Anytime Soon. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 12, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, former U.S. President Donald Trump is traveling to Miami later today. That's ahead of his federal court appearance this week where he'll face a 37-count indictment. That indictment is sparking dangerous rhetoric from some of the former president's supporters. We'll look at the online chatter.

And thousands of people have evacuated as a volcano in the Philippines spews gas and lava. We have a live report from Hong Kong.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to head to Miami today to huddle with his legal team ahead of Tuesday's historic court appearance. That's when he'll face federal criminal charges related to his handling of classified documents after he left office.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more now from Miami.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SR. CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: The level of detail and evidence that the Justice Department has collected in this case has begun to sink in.

And Donald Trump's own attorney general, Bill Barr, one of his top people in his own administration, who had gone to bat for him multiple times saying that investigations around Donald Trump should not have been taking place previously, was condemning the actions of the former president after he left the White House because this indictment is so explicit in the evidence that it has because of the photos of documents in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago, photos of boxes of documents spilled in a storage room, and then those 31 charges each representing a document that Donald Trump is accused of willfully retaining outside of the protected area of the federal government, top secret documents, classified documents, national security information.

Here's more of what Bill Barr said to -- had to say on Sunday on Fox News.

WILLIAM BARR, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: If even half of it is true, then he's toast. I mean, it's a pretty -- a very detailed indictment, and it's very, very damning.

And this idea of presenting Trump as a victim here, a victim of a witch hunt, is ridiculous. He's 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 would -- their stomach would churn at it.

POLANTZ: Now, with this indictment approved by the grand jury here in Florida, a process will kick off in the federal court system at this courthouse in Miami. So Donald Trump currently is going to be traveling because he needs to get here and face his charges in person.

So he's going to be traveling to Miami on Monday, along with his body man, Walt Nata, a man also charged in this case as part of the alleged obstruction, part of this investigation. And then they will stay at a resort, at his resort, near Miami, and then huddle with lawyers.

So they're going to be having to talk to their lawyers about what's going to be expected on Tuesday in federal court. And then Trump will come to court on Tuesday, but he's going to have a lot of Secret Service protection around him.

It's very possible that there will be no live pictures of him or even photographs of him coming into the building to face these charges for his initial appearance. There's no photos in federal court There's no video inside the building either. And so he'll have that proceeding be read his charges and we expect him to enter a plea of not guilty at this time.

Afterwards, he's gonna turn political again. The legal part of the day will be done and Trump is already announcing to Bedminster, New Jersey, where he has another resort, and he will be giving a speech.

Katelyn Polantz, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Earlier, I spoke with CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein and Loyola Law School professor Jessica Levinson about Trump's case, and I began by asking about the legal ramifications of the charges he faces and when the trial might start.

[03:05:01] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: His legal jeopardy is very real. Some of these counts carry with them decades in federal prison. I mean, this is a very serious indictment. And if the Department of Justice is able to convict on either even half of the obstruction charges here, the former president is facing serious time in federal prison.

I'm avoiding your question of exactly when this trial will happen because that really is up to largely a federal judge's discretion in terms of how quickly or slowly this process will move.

As you mentioned, Judge Eileen Cannon was appointed by the former president. But for me, what's much more significant is that second thing you mentioned, which is that she actually ruled on an issue related to this case dealing with whether or not there should be a special master, and she essentially made a ruling that was just completely baseless and was actually overturned by the 11th Circuitm but it looks like a piece of advocacy, not a piece of not a ruling from a judge.

And so if the former president wants this to take a long time, I think he is the right judge to make that happen.

CHURCH: So, Ron, we have seen Trump gain support from his legal woes in the past, of course. Could these more serious criminal charges against him end up helping or hindering him politically, do you think?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I think the answer is really both. I mean, all of these -- all of these charges that are accumulating against him and the others that seem to be heading our way, possibly from Georgia and another from the Federal Special Counsel relating to his efforts to overturn 2020, you know, outside of the Republican coalition, polling suggests it is having exactly the kind of effect you would expect, that a majority of Americans beyond the Republican coalition are saying that if Donald Trump is convicted of a crime, they think that it's disqualifying to serve as president.

And in a CBS poll today, a clear majority of voters outside the Republican coalition said they viewed his handling of mishandling of classified documents as a genuine national security threat. But inside kind of the under-the-dome world, inside the Republican coalition, the effect so far seems to be very different, once again, as really for the last eight years now.

We have seen the vast majority of Republican officials speak out in defense of Trump's claims that he is the victim of a politicized, weaponized witch hunt. And very few voices countering that, a handful, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, Bill Barr, John Bolton, but by and large, very few.

And as a result, what Trump has been able to do is basically set up a construct in which moving away from him in the primary process is in effect rewarding those who are persecuting him. And I think that makes it very difficult for the other Republican candidates, even as the evidence grows, that this is, as you would expect, not exactly a calling card to winning back the White House again in a general election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Officials in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania say it could take months to repair a section of a highway that collapsed on Sunday.

This is Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, which was heavily damaged when a fuel tanker truck caught fire. The city's mayor says no injuries or deaths have been reported so far. Local and federal investigators are now trying to find out what started the destructive fire.

CNN's Danny Freeman has more now from Philadelphia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The big questions that we don't have an answer to yet are still why and how did this fire and this collapse happened. The governor and the city were not giving answers during a press conference Sunday evening, but I will tell you what we do know about how all this went down.

Basically, just before 6:30 Sunday morning, there was a tanker truck that was sitting underneath I-95. That tanker truck then caught fire, and that fire is what ultimately led to the collapse of the northbound lanes on I-95. And the governor told us on Sunday that the southbound lanes also are not safe at this moment.

Now, currently, the truck is still trapped underneath that wreckage. We've been hearing all throughout the day, jackhammering and heavy machinery working through the day to sift through that rubble. And while there have been no reported injuries, the governor said they are still working to see if anyone was actually alive in that truck when this collapse happened.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said that there are 500 tons of concrete mess now sitting on the ground. That's what officials have to sift through. Take a listen to what Governor Shapiro said when he laid eyes on this incident first.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): Remarkable devastation, and I found myself, you know, thanking the Lord that no motorists who were on 95 on I-95 were injured or died, just a remarkably devastating sight, one that our first responders, law enforcement, and others contained very, very quickly. They got people out of harm's way.

[03:10:08]

And now, under leadership of Secretary Carroll and others, the hard work of clearing the site, rebuilding it will be underway, and we're going to move as quickly as possible.

FREEMAN: Now, Governor Josh Shapiro said that this cleanup could take, quote, "some number of months," and just for some perspective this is going to be a traffic nightmare. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said that this stretch of I-95 carries about 160,000 vehicles every single day. It's likely the busiest in the state of Pennsylvania.

Danny Freeman, CNN, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Despite the damage, Philadelphia's fire commissioner says first responders were able to secure the scene in a short amount of time. Here's part of his comments to CNN on Sunday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM THEIL, PHILADELPHIA FIRE DEPT. COMMISSIONER: Our members actually had this fire under control in about a half -- in about an hour, so one hour really. Now, under control doesn't mean it's over or out. It simply means that it's not going anywhere. We don't think the incident is going to break containment. Still gonna be a long time for the recovery and traffic on I-95 is gonna be rougher than usual for the next several months, I expect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And coming up here on "CNN Newsroom," Ukrainian forces are raising their flag in newly liberated frontline villages. We will tell you about their latest efforts to push Russian forces out of their country.

Plus we'll speak to a Ukrainian parliament member about how last week's devastating dam collapse is affecting people in the region. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Ukraine says Russia is on the defensive when it comes to fighting around Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, adding that Ukrainian armed forces have liberated villages along the eastern front lines.

Ukraine's deputy defense minister says three villages in the Donetsk region have been recaptured, and Russian pro-military bloggers are warning its forces they should, quote, "expect the pressure to intensify soon." Russian forces are pushing back, claiming to have destroyed some Ukrainian weapons and equipment.

Clare Sebastian joins me now from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So what more are you learning about these liberated villages and what it means, of course, for Ukrainian troops?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, if you look again at that map just quickly, you can see potentially the strategy here. These are, by the way, small villages. We're hearing potentially that Ukraine might have liberated a fourth one this morning. They are just on the edge of the front line there in the sort of border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya, which really is sort of the narrowest strip of land linking Ukrainian controlled territory with the Azov Sea.

If, as many have speculated, the purpose or part of the purpose of this counteroffensive is to cut Russian gains in half, to interrupt essentially its land bridge to Crimea, then this particular area of fighting that we're seeing would make strategic sense.

But what we do understand certainly looking at the evidence collected from these battlefield reports over the last week or so is that Ukraine is not limiting itself to one area, to one axis here. We're hearing of fighting up in Bakhmut and the Donetsk region where Ukraine is claiming to have advanced again on Sunday, that they are playing down the significance saying this is not part of a broader offensive. There's fighting up in Luhansk region, in the Kharkiv region as well.

There's a video that was put out by the Ukrainian land forces on Sunday where they claim to be destroying a Russian T-80 tank. We cannot verify the location of that or indeed the, this is that video here, or indeed the date, but certainly it seems that there's fighting going along all along these hundreds of miles of frontline.

Russia also claiming to be destroying western-provided military equipment to Ukraine. The Ukrainians are suggesting that while Russia is attacking in the Donetsk and Luhansk region along the eastern front, they are more in defensive mode along the southern front in Zaporizhzhya and Kherson.

We know, for example, from satellite images that Russia has spent months building up vast networks of trenches, anti-tank defenses and things like that in that region. But it does seem that we're witnessing perhaps the early stages, smaller battles in the build-up to a counteroffensive. Though of course, Ukraine is staying very quiet about strategy or even whether this has actually started. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Totally understandable, of course. Clare Sebastian, joining us live from London. Many thanks.

Oleksiy Goncharenko is a Ukrainian member of parliament for part of the Odessa region. He joins me now from the city of Odessa. Thank you so much for talking with us.

OLEKSIY GOCHARENKO, UKRAINIAN MP: Thank you.

CHURCH: I did want to start by asking how critical this liberation is of three frontline villagers in Ukraine and how significant it could be for your war-torn nation?

GONCHARENKO: It is very important for us. I was very happy to be one of the first to inform about this in my Telegram and Twitter about the result of your Odessa Marines, because that was Odessa Marine Brigade, which liberated the last village that showed that our counteroffensive has success. We can't assess it now, like, because it's too early to say it's early stages of counteroffensive.

But what is important that it is not a stalemate. We are breaking through Russian lines. Yes, it's very difficult. Russians are entrenched, fortified, they have advantage in the skies, but despite all of this our army is moving ahead, so we're keeping fingers-crossed and praying for them.

CHURCH: All right, so confirming this is the early stages of Ukraine's counteroffensive. So I do want to talk now about the announcement made by President Zelenskyy in his Sunday address that the International Criminal Court has begun investigating the collapse of the Kakhovka dam. What more are you able to share about this and any evidence you might have that shows Russia was indeed behind the collapse of this dam?

[03:20:02]

GONCHARENKO: Absolutely, I think that's extremely important because that is an awful crime, a catastrophe of a planetary scale, which was manually organized by Russians.

What evidences do we have? Definitely we don't have a video how a Russian officer is saying, hello, I'm now blowing up Kakhovka Dam. But what do we know? The Kakhovka Dam was controlled by Russians till the last minute. The explosion was from inside the dam, not from outside. There were seismic activity at 2 a.m. within minutes, and there was no shelling at this time, because Russians are saying the dam was shelled, but there was no shelling at all.

Also, we know that one week before this, the Russian government suddenly decided to stop any checking of dams on the occupied territory, very interesting coincidence just week before the explosion.

One more thing that we know, yesterday Russians again destroyed the dam, but much small amount in the Zaporizhzhya region with an aim to stop Ukrainian offensive, to use the river as a natural barrier.

So that is their tactics, that is their playbook, and we are absolutely sure that they did it. And we hope very much that the International Criminal Court, which already issued warrants against Putin because of his genocide and stealing of children, kidnapping of Ukrainian children were also issuing warrant against Putin as a criminal for a echo site.

CHURCH: And as you've been speaking with us, we've been looking at some of those visuals there of Ukrainians waist-deep in water. So how has this dam collapse affected the lives of people in the region that have been impacted?

GONCHARENKO: You can imagine their life is destroyed. I mean like Kherson city, I saw everything by my own eyes, I was there. Kherson city was first occupied by Russians. Then they were tortured, killed, raped by Russian army. Then after they were liberated, Russians sheltered them constantly for more than half a year. And now they destroyed it with the flood. Like many people are killed. Just it's an environmental catastrophe for years and decades ahead.

And I just want to tell you that I am very much concerned where are all ecology activists, many organizations who should be now in Kherson, in Ukraine. I am waiting for Greta Thunberg to come to Kherson. I am waiting for them to be together with us because that is environmental catastrophe of the biggest of the last decades.

And I don't see, unfortunately, many of them who were so active, I don't see them sitting near the Russian embassies throughout the whole world. That's something which should be done if you want to save our planet.

CHURCH: And Russia is blaming Ukraine for the dam collapse. What do you say to that?

GONCHARENKO: Russia is blaming Ukraine in the war. Putin was saying that Ukraine, he never wanted to attack Ukraine, that he was not preparing. And he said that Ukrainians are killing themselves. Probably it's Ukrainians who destroyed our power grid in the winter in order to freeze ourselves.

Now we destroyed our dam, to destroy our land and to kill our people. I mean, this is Russian logic. Even to repeat it, I think it's disgusting. It's absolutely clear who did this, who started this war, who made this awful primes. And only Russians could do this, which I already told you.

So I think even spreading what Russians are telling, it's already, I mean, something which should not be done at all.

CHURCH: Our thanks to Oleksiy Goncharenko for joining us. --

GONCHARENKO: Thank you.

CHURCH: -- I Appreciate it.

Well, more than a day after U.S. citizen Travis Leake was detained in Moscow on drug charges, his mother says she has yet to hear from anyone in the US government about his current status.

CNN's Jennifer Hansler has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: A court in Moscow has accused U.S. citizen Travis Leake of drug dealing, or in their words, engaging in the narcotics business through attracting young people, and has said he will remain detained there in Russia until at least early August.

Now, the State Department on Sunday confirmed Travis' arrest, and they said that there were officials from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow there at his arraignment hearing yesterday. Now, Travis' mother said she has not heard from the State Department as of Sunday, and she is concerned about the welfare of her son being imprisoned there in Russia. She is concerned about his well-being and his health, and she said she would reach out to the U.S. government because she has still not heard from them if she did not hear from them by Monday. Now, this arrest, of course, comes at a time of very heightened

tensions between the United States and Russia. We have seen them detain numerous Americans. Two of those Americans, Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, have been deemed wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department.

[03:25:07]

And last year, Brittany Greiner, the WNBA star, who was freed in a prisoner swap, was also arrested on drug charges.

Now, one thing viewers should note is that Travis had been living in Moscow reportedly since 2010, and about a decade ago, he spoke with the late Anthony Bourdain about the state of repression in Russia. He cited an incident that happened with MTV and his band and the Russian government, take a listen to what he said about that.

TRAVIS LEAKE, U.S. CITIZEN 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 proportion.

HANSLER: And we will be continuing to follow this case. We will be watching to see what the U.S. government has to say about Travis's arrest. For now, a State Department official said they will continue to monitor the case closely.

Jennifer Hansler, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The WNBA's Phoenix Mercury say they will be making travel adjustments for the safety of their players after a man harassed star Brittney Griner at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday. A source says the man was yelling at Griner about the merchant of death, likely a reference to Victor Booth, the Russian arms dealer Griner was traded for as part of a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia.

The source added that the confrontation got so heated, the man was tackled and law enforcement was involved. Griner's teammates described the incident as unnerving and alarming.

Well, still to come. Donald Trump is set to meet with his attorneys in the day ahead as he prepares for an historic appearance in Federal Court to face criminal charges. We will have the latest on his legal troubles.

Plus, will they or won't they? Wall Street waits and wonders if the Federal Reserve will raise this week for an 11th consecutive time. I'll speak with an economist about what to expect. We're back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Just one day before his historic court appearance, former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to head to Miami as he prepares to face 37 federal criminal charges.

Those charges are related to his handling of classified documents after he left office. Trump is expected to meet with his lawyers today and discuss a new legal team. And after his court appearance, sources say the former president is expected to make remarks Tuesday night at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club where he'll be hosting a fundraiser.

Meantime Trump's indictment is sparking dangerous rhetoric among some of his supporters. Law enforcement sources tell CNN, FBI special agents assigned to domestic terrorism squads across the country are actively working to identify any possible threats. Sources say the FBI is aware that various groups such as the Proud Boys have been discussing Florida to show support for Trump.

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has more now from Orlando, Florida on potential threats.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're seeing a lot of chatter right now, no specific or credible threats of violence, according to law enforcement officials that we have spoken to and also experts who monitor this kind of stuff online.

We're certainly not seeing anything like the lead up to January 6, 2021, where there's a mass mobilization effort on Facebook and elsewhere to get people to come to Washington, D.C. as part of the Stop the Steal movement. But look, a lot of, you know, because of January 6, and because of the prosecutions stemming from that. A lot of this organizing has moved into private channels, which law enforcement officials tell us, of course, that's a lot harder to penetrate. So there could be organizing happening, you know, in the kind of darker corners of the internet.

We are seeing some right-wing personalities calling for people to show up outside the court in Miami on Tuesday. But in terms of the rhetoric, you know, we're seeing a lot of the charged stuff online, of course, talks of violence, but also from pretty prominent Republican figures.

I want to show you what Kari Lake said on Friday night in Georgia. She said, if you want to get to President Trump, you're going to have to go through me and 75 million Americans just like me. And I'm going to tell you, most of us are card-carrying members of the NRA. That's not a threat, that's a public service announcement.

But of course, you know, the experts that we've been speaking to and monitor this kind of stuff, that's exactly the kind of talk that can, you know, encourage people who are online who may want to show up and perhaps even engage in violence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: One quick programming note, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper will host a Republican Presidential Town Hall with former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie live from New York. That's Monday at 8 p.m. in New York, 8 a.m. in Hong Kong, right here on CNN.

Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has reportedly been released without charges after she was arrested Sunday in connection with a probe into the Scottish National Party's finances.

Police are investigating funds specifically earmarked for a second Scottish independence referendum campaign. This marks the third high- profile arrest in the investigation, including the Scottish National Party's treasurer and Sturgeon's husband back in April. They were also released with no charges. Sturgeon says she knows beyond doubt that she is innocent of any wrongdoing.

U.S. Federal Reserve officials are set to meet this week. And what they'll do about a possible 11th consecutive rate hike is the talk of Wall Street. The Fed has been aggressively raising interest rates since March of last year, hoping to calm inflation. But it's signaled it might skip a hike this month to assess more data and see how the previous increases are working. Interest rates are now at their highest level in more than 15 years. But last month, strong jobs report also complicates things and could prompt the Fed to make a modest move.

[03:35:10]

And even if it chooses to skip raising rates this month it could go right back to hiking rates again in July.

Ryan Patel is senior fellow at the Drucker School of Management - Claremont Graduate University. He joins us now from Amsterdam. Appreciate you being with us.

RYAN PATEL, SR. FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: Great to be on with you.

CHURCH: So what do you think the Federal Reserve will do on Wednesday? Hit the pause button or raise interest rates for the 11th time in a row. What do you think?

PATEL: I need to find a pause button, because I'll hit it for them, because they really do need to hit the pause. I think that's what they're leaning toward. I think the markets actually have already baked it in. You saw the last week, the last three days, it's reacted very positively. They think that the Fed is gonna do that. And part of the reason why I think they're gonna do it is they are gonna probably most likely later, raise it again.

And so, I think to give a little bit of a break to see the data further to be able to be more hawkish as they and this is a great point for them to pause to give a little bit of breathing room based on what we've seen over the last couple of months of what the economy has gone through.

CHURCH: It's interesting that you say that to pause now, but maybe raise a little later. But what exactly does the Federal Reserve look for when the board makes a consequential decision like this, whether to raise interest rates and by how much? What's the critical economic data specifically that signals to them that they need to act?

PATEL: Well, there's a couple of things, right? They're looking at, you know, a historical basis to unemployment, right? Still continues to remain. very low. They're watching that though. The growth -- the labor growth market or the way, you know, wages continue to rise. And then you think about the consumer price index which is going, we're going to see this new data which is going to be really important in a couple of days. That's what I think.

Part of the pause is to see what the data says this month to see if inflation continues to increase on, you know, from when it comes to shelter to housing to food. You know, those are the things that they're watching, looking for, and see how the economy continues to be resilient, because that's what they're seeing, but the economy continues to be resilient behind it.

CHURCH: Right, and of course, the markets will be very happy if the Fed decides to hit the pause button, but at what point does raising interest rates become an overcorrection and trigger a recession? And how does the Fed know when it's close to that point?

PATEL: Well, that's a great point. I think we're, you know, you and I have been talking about this. I think we're getting there, meaning the stickiness of the point of where, you know, this is where the needle is. If you do too much now, it can cause that aspect. We saw the banking crisis. We saw the debt ceiling. You know, we saw all these things that are kind of teetering.

I think the stability for the Fed to be really pay. And that's why I think that they do pause it. It shows signals that the Fed is paying attention to these other variables because they are going to be aggressive. Let's be, I'm going to be very honest.

They're going to be hawkish and aggressive. There's nothing changing about that because they are going to continue, like I say, continue to probably look to do more hype races later, even though they're taking a pause. So I think that's the important factor here. I don't want anyone to lose fact that they're not going anywhere. They're still going to try to be that 2 percent inflation number, which is still kind of. a very long way of, you know, being hopeful, but I don't see them being not as aggressive as they've done in the past.

CHURCH: And how much has the easing of the debt ceiling crisis and of course the banking sector problems had an impact on the Fed decision coming up this week, do you think?

PATEL: I think it has. I think over the last couple of months it did scare them. You saw Jerome Powell come out and say this is something that the debt ceiling specifically is not something that the U.S. economy can handle on the default. He also made remarks around the bank turmoil as well. I think the timing of all this, Rosemary, is actually very good for a pause to be able for the Fed to kind of buy another month to be able to see the data further. But yeah, a couple of months ago, Rosemary, we were in a good position to be having these conversations for the Fed to continue to be more aggressive.

All right, we'll see what happens, Ryan Patel, many, thanks for joining us, I appreciate it.

PATEL: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And still to come, the Vatican says Pope Francis' recovery is going well, after abdominal surgery. We will have a live report from Rome with the latest on the pontiff's health.

Plus, thousands quickly evacuate as a volcano in the Philippines spews caustic gasses and lava. We'll have an update from the region.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, Pope Francis is recovering well from abdominal surgery. The Vatican says the Pontiff took a few steps and worked for a few hours in the hospital. He also followed the Holy Mass live on television and received the Eucharist on Sunday, and gathered in prayer for the recitation of the Angelus at a little chapel in the hospital.

And for more, Barbie Nadeau joins us now live from Rome. So Barbie, what more are you learning about the health of Pope Francis and how he's recovering after this surgery?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we're expecting really any minute now to get the morning health bulletin, but last night they said he took a few steps. Now, that's obviously good news. This is an 86-year-old man who's in weak health. You know, we've had so many occasions where we've seen this man suffering publicly with his sore knee. He's been in a wheelchair. He rocks with a cane. He was in the hospital here behind me in March for infectious bronchitis and then this three-hour surgery.

So it's good news that he's back on his feet. We understand that he's moved from a liquid diet to a semi-liquid diet. And so everything the doctors say are progressing the way it should be. And of course, that's hugely important because he has two big, big trips coming up in August. So everyone's waiting and wondering if he's gonna be healthy enough to go on those two trips, one to Portugal and the other to Mongolia in August, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And -- and Barbie, as you mentioned, Pope Francis has been suffering through numerous ailments of late. And in this situation, of course, we know that Pope's generally serve in that post right to the very end, although it previously didn't with Pope Benedict. But talk to us about what happens in a situation like this when it gets to the point where a pope is just going through so much suffering that it seems impossible for him to continue in that service. What happens, what backup plans are made?

[03:44:54]

NADEAU: Well, I mean, the Vatican is a fine-oiled machine. Obviously, if the Pope becomes incapacitated, and we already know, he's already said that he has signed a letter of resignation should he become incapacitated and not be able to make a decision on his own or to vocalize that decision.

But it's, you know, there would be, obviously, most popes do make it till the end. Pope Benedict, obviously famously retired, which led the way to the election of Pope Francis and which led the way to two popes until Pope Benedict died earlier this year.

You know, the Vatican goes through a whole system of things. If this pope were to pass away or were to resign, then of course there would be a conclave, the College of Cardinals voting for a new pope. But no one wants to talk about that right now. Everybody wants to talk about the fact that this pope is on demand. And as far as we know, we haven't seen any photos of him yet.

We expect sometime this week that we may get a glimpse of him from either video or photo, that we just, everybody's hoping that he does recover once again. This is, you know, he's shown to be a man of resilience and incredible strength and stamina and there's something to be said, I suppose, to the Catholics around the world that he's suffering in public. It shows that everyone else can, you know, can live this way too, that suffering is part of life. Rosemary?

CHURCH: He's certainly been an extraordinary, isn't it? Barbie Nadeau joining us live from Rome. Many thanks.

And we're getting new images of the team that rescued those four children who'd been missing in Colombia's rainforest for weeks.

This video aired on a public TV station showing local indigenous scouts and Colombian soldiers feeding the children in the dense jungle. The four siblings have been lost since May 1st after surviving a plane crash that killed their mother and two other adults.

On Saturday the children were airlifted to a military hospital in Bogota where doctors say they will continue to recover for two to three weeks.

And now for the first time we are hearing from the father of those four siblings. He says his children were able to survive in the rainforest because of their upbringing as indigenous people and their connection with nature.

Almost 13,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the Philippines as one of the most active volcanoes erupts.

Officials say Mount Mayon has been spewing sulfuric gas and lava on the southeastern part of Luzon, the nation's largest island.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is following this story for us. She joins us now live. So Kristie, what is the latest on the volcano, of course, the evacuation of residents from the danger zone?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the volcano is acting up and just as the lava is starting to flow from the Mayon Volcano in the Philippines. Nearly 13,000 residents have been evacuated and taken to some 18 evacuation centers. And authorities say at least 88 percent of the local population have already been evacuated. We're talking about thousands of families there, and officials are working to move the rest to safety.

Now, Mayon has been spewing sulfuric gas and lava in the last day or so, and I want to show you again this video from Sunday evening, just last night, and you can see the glowing crater of the volcano and that hot lava, the hot molten rock flowing down. And alert level three is in place, and that basically means there is a possibility, the danger of explosive activity.

A perimeter is also in place. Any entry into a six kilometer or 3.7 mile radius of the volcano has been prohibited. There are no major industries around the volcano, but there is some subsistence farming. So, in addition to the 13,000 residents have been evacuated, local officials have also evacuated 10,000 farm animals.

Let's bring up the map for you to show you where this volcano is located. It's in the Philippines' Albay province that is in the southeastern part of Luzon Island, and the Philippines itself is in the Ring of Fire, of course, where volcanic activity, earthquakes, tremors are indeed common.

And right now we will continue to keep our eyes on Mayon, one of the most active of the 24 volcanoes in the Philippines.

Let's show you some imagery of it. It's known around the world for its shape, for its near-perfect cone shape, which has inspired artists as well as stories, legends as well.

And it is just so awesome in its beauty but also in its destructive power. This is a volcano that has erupted more than 50 times in the last 400 years. And given what's happening right now, this high level of unrest, rockfalls, volcanic activity. Volcanologists say a hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even the next few days. Back to you Rosemary.

CHURCH: Alright, thanks to Kristie Lu Stout joining us there live from Hong Kong. I Appreciate it.

LU STOUT: Thank you.

Well Kenya's Maasai community celebrates traditions of the past in a festival that looks to promote tourism and renewed cultural interests. The details after the break.

[03:50:09] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Crowds packed the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil for the city's annual Pride Parade on Sunday. Thousands of people turned out for the massive celebration, first held in Sao Paulo in 1997. But since then it has grown and is now said to be one of the largest Pride events in the world.

In Kenya, some leaders of the semi-nomadic Maasai community are hoping tourists who come for the safari will stay for the culture and the historic traditions featured in the Maasai festival.

CNN's Laila Harrak has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A jumping dance by Maasai warriors. It's just one of the traditions practiced by one of East Africa's most famous indigenous communities. This Maasai cultural festival in Kenya aims to preserve.

While held near the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, a popular tourist destination known for its wildlife in Kenya.

[03:55:00]

Organizers say the gathering celebrates the rituals and customs passed down by generations of Maasai, but also importantly looks to the community's future by trying to boost tourism in the area.

MICHAEL MARKO, TOUR GUIDE: We used to get stories from our fathers, we used to get tales from our grandmothers, and today we are seeing the kaifja that we have been used to be told. We see if this continues and if this event goes well, we will be hosting many and many Maasai kaifja (inaudible) for us and other generations to come.

HARRAK (voice-over): Dressed mainly in vibrant reds and adorned with beads, this is the iconic image of the Maasai. But their historically semi-nomadic way of life, raising cattle, sheep and goats in parts of East Africa, is under threat in recent years.

There are frequent droughts, and some Maasai in Tanzania say they have been forcibly removed from their land for hunting, investment and conservation reasons.

Organizers hope the festival in Kenya is a reminder to younger generations to embrace their past and a chance for the people visiting the country to learn that Africa's safari animals aren't it's only treasure.

JOSHUA OLE KAPUTA, MAASAI FESTIVAL ORGANIZER: When you come into this country and you don't see a Maasai, then you have not visited Kenya. So I'm saying, Kenya is Maasai and Maasai is Kenya. Yeah.

HARRAK (voice-over): Laila Harrak, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)