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Russian And Ukrainian Forces Report Intense Clashes; Donald Trump Back In Florida Ahead Of Tuesday's Historic Court Appearance In Classified Documents Case; Former Italian Prime Minister's Funeral Set For Wednesday; JPMorgan Chase Settles Lawsuit Over Jeffrey Epstein; Scottish First Minister Rejects Push to Suspend Sturgeon; BTS Fans Celebrate K-Pop Band's 10th Anniversary. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired June 13, 2023 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, slow and steady. Ukraine's counter offensive inching forward in the southeast, liberating small villages on the front lines from Russian occupation.
Trump's day in court again, the now twice impeached or twice indicted, twice impeached, one term president said to appear in a Miami courtroom on 37 criminal charges, and he's yet to appoint a new lawyer.
Despite all the controversy, the scandals, the sex parties or maybe because of them, he was Italy's longest serving Prime Minister, remembering the flamboyant Silvio Berlusconi.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: Good to have you with us for an hour here on CNN NEWSROOM. We begin with the Kremlin where the war it seems is not going well. And that's the assessment from Russian backed military bloggers and other official commentators.
They describe intense fighting along the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, so Ukrainians are accumulating forces there and resisting Russian counter attacks.
Meantime, Ukraine reporting more gains on the ground. A top defense official says they've recaptured at least seven villages in the past week. And this raising Ukrainian flag as they recapture villages.
An advisor to Presidents Zelenskyy says they will not stop until all territory is back in Ukrainian hands, including Crimea.
According to an intelligence assessments, Ukraine has lost some Western supplied equipment in recent fighting, including 16 U.S. made armored vehicles or Bradley armored vehicles but Zelenskyy is sending a message of confidence and strength.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The battles are fierce, but our movement is underway and that is crucial. The enemy's losses are exactly what we need.
And although the weather these days is unfavorable, the rains complicate our tasks. Nevertheless, the strength of our soldiers yields results.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Russia is not having much success against military targets, so attacks on civilian targets continue around Ukraine.
In one city, a five-storey building was struck by a high precision missile according to the mayor, leaving victims in, "extremely critical condition".
CNN's Fred Pleitgen Ken has more from Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Ukrainian military video purporting to show strikes on Russian positions behind the front lines, as Kyiv says its forces have dramatically ramped up their offensive operations, taking several villages over the weekend in the southeast of the country.
This drone video that Ukrainian say showing their troops sweeping a settlement and taking several prisoners. The same unit displaying Ukraine's flag after the battle.
They tried to push us back with their artillery, the soldier says, we managed to seize back the initiative and slowly liberated the settlement one house after another.
While Ukraine says it's attacking the Russians in several areas of the vast front line. Kyiv remains coy about whether the long anticipated large scale offensive has really begun.
The head of Ukrainian military intelligence releasing this video of himself just sitting at his desk with a message plans love silence.
But the Russians say they're holding the line in most areas. This defense ministry video allegedly showing a Russian chopper destroying Ukrainian Reconnaissance vehicles. In total, the Russians say they've already destroyed a large number of Western provided armor, including German made Leopard 2 main battle tanks and U.S. donated Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
But as Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu hands out medals to Russian soldiers, the infighting between Russia's military and the Wagner private military company continues.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin refusing to abide by a defense ministry decree to sign a contract with the Russian army saying his mercenaries are more efficient than regular troops.
Unfortunately, most military units do not have such efficiency, he says, and precisely because Shoigu cannot manage military formations well.
Balancing the rival factions in his war machine, a tall task for Vladimir Putin as the country celebrated Russia Day. Putin urging people to keep supporting his war in Ukraine, while calling it a difficult time for his country.
Russia is based on faith and people, he said, people who go from victory to victory, basing their lives and all their work on faith, faith in victory, faith in justice, faith in Russia.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
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VAUSE: Joining me now from Washington, retired U.S. Air Force colonel and CNN Military Analyst Cedric Leighton. Good to see you, Sir.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to see you too, John.
VAUSE: OK, so I want you to listen to an early assessment on the counter offensive from President Zelenskyy. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Our generals reported today on the successes we have already achieved on the points along the front where we need reinforcement and on the actions we can take to break more Russian positions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, I guess school is in right now for generals. Explain how it is that a counter offensive may have started. But we get to see the main attack actually happen. So, what's the tactics here?
And as Zelenskyy suggested, it seems the Ukrainians what, is probing for weakness?
LEIGHTON: Yes, basically, that's what they're doing, John. And you know, this is part of a probing action that they're -- that they're conducting. Also what we're seeing is, you know, some elements of a reconnaissance in force.
And what that means is, they're going forward with fairly heavy weaponry, including tanks, to take a look and see how far they can go with the weapons that they have and how weak the Russian lines are, or how strong they are.
So, that's what we're seeing and that, you know, does portend for some more fighting of more -- of a more intense nature as the situation develops.
VAUSE: One thing we've heard over and over again from Ukrainians is that there are a big disadvantage because of lack of air cover. But the Russian Air Force seems to be AWOL since, you know, the early days of the war, the early weeks of the war, and they had some very big losses. So, does that even the odds up a little here?
LEIGHTON: So, what -- yes, this is a very interesting situation, especially for an Air Force guy like me. What you're looking at is both Air Forces laying low to the Ukrainians, because they kind of have to based on the number of weapons that they have, the number of aircraft that they have. And, of course, the Russian air defense systems that are deployed near the front lines.
The Russians that were facing the same fate, they have far greater number of aircraft than the Ukrainians, but they're very afraid of the Ukrainian Air Defense System, which the Ukrainians were able to put together out of spare parts, and that has a huge impact on how this operation is unfolding.
VAUSE: Well, as for the endgame here, we've talked about this before. Clearly, the Ukrainians know how they want this to end, listen to this, an adviser to the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IGOR ZHOVKVA, CHIEF DIPLOMATIC ADVISER TO UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Once again, this is not the first counter offensive operation we were having, and definitely probably would not be the last counter offensive operation.
The ultimate goal of the counter offensive as a process is to win back all the territories, including the Crimea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But listen to the White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby, followed by the French president Emmanuel Macron. Here they are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, PRESS SECRETARY, PENTAGON: What we're going to stay focused on is making sure that Ukraine can succeed on the battlefield.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Of course, there is this counter offensive, and we want it to be as victorious as possible, so that we can then launch a phase of negotiations under the right conditions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Now the NATO know U.S. officials are talking about liberation of Crimea. You know, it's been the endgame here.
So, is this kind of where we could have some kind of division here in the unshakeable support, which was aid the Ukraine, if the Russians are for some territory occupied since the invasion last year, but the Ukrainians want to push forward onto Crimea? Could that be a moment where NATO and the U.S. says hang on, we need to pause this?
LEIGHTON: It's possible. However, there have been other statements in the past where they have said that Crimea is Ukraine, that is Western powers, including the United States have been made statements like that.
So, it's really hard to see where they'll actually end up. I think negotiations will become attractive at some point in the fairly near future.
But what you're seeing is, you know, clearly the Ukrainian desire to get things back to at least what they were before 2014 and if they can do that, you know, so much the better as far as they're concerned.
The reality of the situation however, could very well be a little bit short of that too. They might fall more into line with what the border looked like before February of 2022.
VAUSE: And you know, just to put this in a movie term so it's easy to understand. If we're looking at this counter-offensive by Ukraine, this rematch if you like, is the counter-offensive going to be like "Rocky II" when, you know, Rocky beats Apollo after all going through all the rounds and the very last few seconds he, you know, he knocks Apollo out? Or is it going to be like "Rocky III" when he defeats Clubber Lang in the third round of the fight? What are we looking at here in terms of how long this should go?
LEIGHTON: Probably not "Rocky III". I'm thinking that you know, this might take a while and it won't be a decisive knockout in that sense, except if the Russians in some places are probably going to be abandoning their positions just based on troop morale issues, the types of personnel they have, their lack of training, their weapon shortages. Some Ukrainians could very well find themselves in possession of large areas of territory if those conditions hold on the right side.
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Of course, the Ukrainians have to maintain momentum. And they also have to make sure that their forces are is trained and ready as they possibly can be. So far, so good for them. But things obviously can change, especially as things grind on. It's definitely not in Ukraine's advantage to have this so for a long time.
VAUSE: Colonel, thank you so much, Sir. As always, it's good to have you with us, thank you.
LEIGHTON: You bet, John.
VAUSE: But one of NATO's biggest exercises in years began Monday in the skies of Germany. Military spokesperson says the exercise sends a clear message that NATO is ready to defend every inch of allied territory. 10,000 personnel, 250 aircraft from 25 nations participating in the exercise known as Air Defender.
Here we go again, if you think you've seen this movie before, you have, only this time it's a different city. Former U.S. President Donald Trump will walk at a federal courthouse, this time in Miami, where he'll be arrested and arraigned on 37 criminal federal charges. The extraordinary event already been acknowledged by the judge. The judge was appointed by Trump called the proceedings genuinely historic.
Trump traveled to his golf club just outside Miami on Monday, where sources say he spent the day speaking with potential candidates to add to his legal team.
We're told Trump is pushing for his attorney to take a more aggressive stance against the Justice Department as they defend him against allegations of mishandling classified documents.
So as to say, law enforcement officials are concerned over the potential large number of Trump supporters expected to get them outside the courthouse unlike in New York where it was fairly quiet.
But heavy security is already in place with both Miami's mayor and police chief saying the city is ready to handle a large crowd or any protests that may break out.
CNN's Paula Reid following developments from Miami.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The documents whole thing is a witch hunt. It's a disgrace, it should never happen.
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former President Trump in Miami ahead of his historic arraignment in federal court. With him was his personal aide and co-defendant Waltine Nauta who has been with him in Bedminster since the indictment came down. Trump will be staying at his Doral Golf Course where he is expected to meet with his legal team currently being led by white collar defense attorney Todd Blanche after the departure of his other top lawyers over the past few weeks.
TIM PARLATORE, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: There are things in here that I think, you know, if they have backup for are certainly problematic.
REID (voice over): Trump is looking to bring in additional attorneys to handle the Florida based case but he has had trouble in the past hiring lawyers amid concerns about him paying his bills and firms worrying about alienating other clients by taking him on.
In the court of public opinion.
WILLIAM BARR, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL: If even half of it is true, then he's toast.
REID (voice over): Trump's former Attorney General Bill Barr, who helped spin the Mueller Special Counsel findings in Trump's favor said the indictment alleging his former boss mishandled classified information is damning.
BARR: 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. And he kept them in a way at Mar-a-Lago, that anyone who really cares about national security, their stomach would churn.
REID (voice over): But his staunch allies on Capitol Hill, like Senator Lindsey Graham and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan jumped to Trump's defense.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Espionage charges are absolutely ridiculous. He did not disseminate, leak or provide information to a foreign power or the news organization to damage this country. He is not a spy.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): If he wants to store material in a box in a bathroom, if he wants to store it in a box on a stage, he can do that.
REID (voice over): On Tuesday, the former president will surrender to authorities, be arrested and booked before his arraignment where he's expected to plead not guilty.
The case landed in Florida where the alleged crimes were committed after a year of prosecutors collecting evidence with a Washington D.C. based grand jury but the South Florida venue poses challenges, the jury pool is likely to be friendlier to Trump.
TRUMP: It's called election interference and they're doing the best they can with it.
REID (voice over): And even before trial, Trump's lawyers are likely to try to suppress key evidence from one of Trump's own attorneys, Evan Corcoran, who testified to the grand jury in D.C. and whose own notes are used in the indictment to make the case that Trump tried to hide incriminating documents.
He made a funny motion, Corcoran noted, as though well OK, why don't you take them with you to your hotel room and if there's anything really bad in there, like, you know, pluck it out.
Trump will make his first appearance Tuesday before a magistrate judge but then the case will be heard before federal Trump appointee Judge Aileen Cannon.
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AILEEN CANNON, FLORIDA DISTRICT JUDGE: My sincerest thanks to the president for the honor of this nomination.
REID (voice over): She was previously criticized for a ruling in another matter related to the Mar-a-Lago documents case, that decision was ultimately overturned.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
REID (on camera): It's unclear if Trump will have his final legal team in place ahead of tomorrow's hearing, but his current legal team can absolutely handle this arraignment as it is just the first step in this historic case.
Paula Reid, CNN, Miami.
VAUSE: To Los Angeles now, civil rights attorney and longtime Legal Affairs commentator Areva Martin. Areva, it is nice to see you. Thank you for being with us.
AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, John.
VAUSE: OK, so I want you to listen to how conservative leaning legal experts see this case and we'll begin with Trump's former Attorney General Bill Barr.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: It's a very detailed indictment. And it's very, very damning.
JONATHAN TURLEY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CONTRIBUTOR: It is an extremely damning indictment.
PARLATORE: There are things in here that I think, you know, if they have backup for are certainly problematic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, on paper, as far as you read it, is It a slam dunk case for the prosecution? And so, what could be the possible legal defense here?
MARTIN: Well, it sure seems like a slam dunk, John. And I rarely agree with Bill Barr. But I have to say I agree with Bill Barr. He said if the allegations in this indictment are true, Donald Trump is toast.
Look, there are 37 charges in this indictment. And the jury doesn't have to find him guilty of all 37 counts, he could be found guilty of seven of the counts, 10 of the counts and would still face considerable jail time.
In terms of defenses, Trump doesn't leave himself very much room for any defenses. The typical defenses, I'll call it the U haul defense, which is, you know, all of these documents were just put in a truck and sent to Mar-a-Lago. I didn't know what was in them. I had no intention of keeping or retaining or taking away from the White House classified documents. That defense has been blown by the very conduct that he has engaged in.
He had every opportunity to return these documents and he didn't. And not only did he not return them, John, he engaged in this, hide the ball, tell lies, try to engage his own attorney to engage in criminal conduct and then have his personal aide move the boxes and then lie to federal law enforcement agencies as well. So, there's not a lot of room for Trump to make any -- I would say,
credible defense and if these allegations are true, he probably is facing conviction and prison time.
VAUSE: OK, so he is now to his second indictment. Two more indictments are likely pending for his role in January 6th instruction, as well as violation of state election laws in the state of Georgia.
So, now, with that in mind, listen to the twice impeached, one term president on his current campaign for the White House. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGER STONE, TRUMP ADVISER: Is there any circumstances under which you could see yourself dropping out of the 2024 presidential election?
TRUMP: No, none whatsoever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, he's in. Take Trump at your -- at his word at your peril. He's also said he won't take a plea deal.
What are the chances he'll be in a courtroom for much of next year's election campaign for the White House? Can these trials be dragged out beyond the election? And is Trump's delaying in choice -- choosing a lawyer, is that a delay tactic here?
MARTIN: Well, I don't think it's a delay tactic with respect to attorneys. I think the problem is Trump has run through most of the qualified criminal defense attorneys that would even consider this case.
He has a history of not paying his bills and other clients as some of these large international or national law firms don't want to be affiliated with lawyers that represent Trump.
We have seen so many of his lawyers end up being a subject of bar, disciplinary proceedings, some have been disbarred, and some have been convicted and have served jail time like Michael Cohen. So, having Donald Trump as a client is detrimental to your practice of law.
And as it relates to the speed of the trial, John, we know the rocket docket format in Florida says that this trial could be happening by early next year, so we could have a full blown trial and a verdict.
Well, before we get well into the election seasons of late fall of next year.
VAUSE: Right now, according to the Secret Service website. The former president's Protection Act of 2012, reverses a previous law that limited Secret Service protection for former presidents and their families to 10 years if they served after 1997.
Former President George W. Bush and future former presidents will receive Secret Service protection for the rest of their lives, and that includes Donald Trump.
If he is convicted, if he does jail time, does he get Secret Service protection while he's in jail?
MARTIN: You know, John, that's a great question. The Constitution did not anticipate a president like Donald Trump ever serving in the White House, someone that will be twice impeach, and now twice indicted. And as you said earlier, facing other potential indictments.
[00:20:06]
The reality is if Donald Trump is convicted on these federal charges, and if by chance he wins the presidency, we could expect them to try to pardon himself.
If he's convicted, and he's not president, we could expect if there's a Republican president for them to try to pardon Donald Trump.
There are lots of scenarios including maybe home confinement for him as well. But we know if he does have to serve jail time, that's going to create an incredible crisis for this country, one that is unprecedented, and one that we've not had to deal with.
I would imagine the Secret Service would have to do the time with him, despite the criminal activity that he is accused of, he still is a former U.S. president.
VAUSE: Wow. Areva, as always, thank you so much. Great to see you.
MARTIN: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Please stay with CNN for a whole lot more on the arrest and arraignment of Donald Trump, the special coverage begins Tuesday 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. That's 7:00 p.m. in London, 10:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi.
When we come back, America's biggest bank agrees to a huge settlement. We'll explain why JPMorgan will pay out hundreds of millions of dollars to victims of serial sex abuse of Jeffrey Epstein.
Also, a look at the legendary flamboyant controversial call it what you will, the life of Silvio Berlusconi, as Italy prepares a state funeral for its longtime Prime Minister.
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VAUSE: It's only taken 47 years for the Denver Nuggets to win their first NBA championship. They defeated the Miami Heat 94 to 89, game five of finals on Monday, taking the series four games to one.
Nikola Jokic finished the game with a high 28 points and 16 rebounds. He was named Most Valuable Player of the finals.
Italy will observe a national day of mourning Wednesday as former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is laid to rest. Flowers, flags and other attributes are now coming in outside his villa north of Milan, the billionaire businessman turned politician passed away Monday, aged 86.
Condolence is now coming in from world leaders including Pope Francis, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The current Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has ordered flags at half-staff outside all government buildings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGIA MELONI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Silvio Berlusconi was most of all a fighter, he was a man who never feared to defend his beliefs. It was that courage that determination, which made him one of the most influential men in Italy's history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Even the woman, one of the center of a 2010 sex scandal involving Berlusconi is paying tribute. Ruby the Heart Stealer posted goodbye president on Instagram.
Berlusconi was a popular but controversial figure, once the richest man in Italy, who was first elected prime minister in 1994, won reelection twice, but his career was marked by financial and personal scandals.
CNN Contributor Barbie Nadeau has our report.
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BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice over): BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice over): The Jesus Christ of politics, the best political leader in Europe and the world. That is how Silvio Berlusconi once described himself, and without a doubt he was a powerful political operator and businessman who sparked more than one scandal.
And despite a string of legal trouble and dubious friends, Berlusconi always managed to bounce back. He made his name as a business tycoon. He owned the famous AC Milan football club for 31 years. At one point, he was the richest man in Italy.
SILVIO BERLUSCONI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER: I have always been adored by those who have worked with me.
NADEAU (voice over): First elected as Prime Minister in 1994 he was quickly removed when his coalition partners pulled out, but he was elected to the top job twice more in 2001 and 2008, becoming Italy's longest serving Prime Minister since World War II. And voters brought him back to power in 2022 as a coalition partner with Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini.
Charming and with a flippant sense of humor, Berlusconi's off the cuff remarks and missteps with protocol were often criticized. He welcomed the newly elected U.S. President in 2008 by complimenting Barack Obama on his quote "suntan", a left German Chancellor Angela Merkel waiting during a NATO summit. And his close friendship with Vladimir Putin got him in hot water after he disclosed he had reestablished his friendship with the Russian President in late 2022 after Putin sent him 20 bottles of Russian vodka for his birthday. He later blamed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for starting a war, putting him at odds with Meloni.
The Prime Minister often surrounded himself with beautiful women. Allegations of a relationship with an 18 year old aspiring model which he strenuously denied triggered a painfully public divorce. And revelations about his so called "Bunga Bunga" parties landed him in court on charges of abuse of power and having sex with an underage prostitute. Allegations he also denied.
BERLUSCONI: It is absurd to think that I have paid to have rapport with a woman.
NADEAU (voice over): Meanwhile, the Eurozone was going through a financial crisis. Italy was hit hard and the government's debt ballooned 120 percent of the GDP in August 2011. The Italian Prime Minister promised to crack down on tax evasion and introduce other austerity measures but it was not enough. Berlusconi lost his majority in parliament and was forced to resign as Prime Minister in November 2011.
In 2012, he was convicted of corporate tax fraud and banned from public office. Months later an Italian court found Berlusconi guilty on the charges stemming from the "Bunga Bunga" parties an appeals court later overturned the conviction.
He was voted out of parliament in 2013. Two years later convicted of bribing a Senator a decade before but never served time since a statute of limitations timed out in the same year. At the age of 82, Berlusconi managed another come back. He led his Forts Italia Party in the European elections and won a seat in Parliament.
A month before he turned 86 he led his party back to power as the junior partner of the current ruling coalition. In the summer of 2020, a few weeks away from turning 84-years-old, Berlusconi was struck by COVID-19 and was hospitalized for 12 days. He called that experience the most dangerous test of my life and boasted to journalists that his viral load entity of the virus.
BERLUSCONI: Was the highest one amongst tens of thousands.
NADEAU (voice over): Few could match the one and only Silvio Berlusconi. And even though the "Teflon Don" as he was known was in and out of the hospital in his later years, he always managed to look remarkably younger than his years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thanks to CNN Contributor Barbie Nadeau for that report from Rome.
When we come back, catch and release, Scotland's former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, arrested and later released by police, now calls a growing for her expulsion from the party she once lead.
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VAUSE: Welcome back. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
[00:32:13]
A big financial win for the victims of the sex abuser pedophile, now deceased, Jeffrey Epstein. JPMorgan has agreed to pay them $290 million, settling a class action lawsuit, which accused the bank of enabling Epstein to sex-traffic those women while he was a client. CNN's Kara Scannell has more details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: JPMorgan Chase agreed to pay $290 million to settle a lawsuit brought by victims of Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operations. The deal, which was announced on Monday, would resolve a lawsuit brought by a Jane Doe last year.
In the lawsuit, the victim alleges that the bank enabled Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operation by turning a blind eye to a number of red flags. Among them, large cash withdrawals, as much as $750,000 in one year.
Authorities allege it was those cash withdrawals that Epstein used to pay the underage girls and the recruiters who found them. David Boies, a lawyer for one of the victims, said that it was a great day for survivors of Epstein and for justice. He said he expects more than 100 survivors to seek compensation under this deal.
Now, the deal still requires the approval of a federal judge, and as part of the settlement, JPMorgan will not admit or deny any wrongdoing.
Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Scotland's current first minister says he sees no reason to suspend former leader Nicola Sturgeon from the Scottish National Party. The mounting pressure follows Sturgeon's arrest and later release on Sunday as part of the government investigation into the party's finances.
Currently, there are no charges out against her. CNN's Scott McLean has details, reporting in from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The former Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, was arrested late Sunday --
MCLEAN (voice-over): -- held for questioning for more than seven hours and then released without charge, pending further investigation, according to the police. Now, all of this is in relation to an investigation into the funding
and finances of the Scottish National Party and, specifically, what happened to 660,000 pounds that had been earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning, according to the British Press Association.
In a statement, Sturgeon said that the situation was deeply distressing but that she was innocent, writing in part that she is, quote, "grateful that so many continue to show faith in me and appreciate that I would never do anything to harm either the SNP or the country."
MCLEAN: Now, she says that she will continue to sit as a member of the Scottish Parliament, but some in her own party are suggesting that she ought to --
MCLEAN (voice-over): -- resign her party membership, at least temporarily.
Her resignation in late February as first minister and leader of her party came as a shock to British politics, in part because it was just January that she was being asked about the sudden resignation of the New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern.
[00:35:10]
MCLEAN: And Sturgeon insisted that she still had plenty left in the tank. And then she said this.
NICOLA STURGEON, FORMER SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER: If I ever reached the point that she has clearly reached, where I think I just can't give the job if we think it deserves, then I hope I have the same courage she's had in saying, OK, this is the point to go. But just for the fighters of the day (ph), I don't feel anywhere near that right now.
MCLEAN: It was just a few weeks later that Sturgeon herself was abruptly resigning as first minister.
Now, in her parting press conference, she denied point-blank that the police investigation had anything to do with her decision to step down.
All of this, though, is undoubtedly a blow to her party. The current leader of the SMP and the current first minister, Humza Yousaf, on Friday reacted to the resignation as MP of former British prime minister Boris Johnson, tweeting that "Westminster is consumed with this third-rate political soap opera."
Well, how he has his own political soap opera to contend with.
Scott McLean, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Up next, they grow so fast. At first it was just a few dance moves and a couple of pop tunes, but now global K-pop sensation BTS turning ten years old. What a world we live in. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: American game show "Wheel of Fortune" will soon need a new host. Long-time host Pat Sajak announced his planned retirement on Monday.
For 40, or nearly 50 years that "Wheel of Fortune" has been on-air, Sajak has been the host. And now, his 44th season, starting in September, will be his last.
On Twitter he said, "It's been a wonderful ride. Many thanks to you all."
So far now -- this is interesting -- no word on who could replace him.
Change is also coming to the Golden Globes. The rights to the award show were sold to Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions. The terms were not announced, but this means the Globes will be now a for- profit venture.
No word yet on who will broadcast next year's ceremony.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, that little-known group which previously ran the Golden Globes, will now be dissolved. The group has faced accusations of corruption, lack of diversity, racism, sexism, pretty much every-ism you can think of.
This week marks the tenth anniversary of the iconic South Korean K-pop group BTS. Tough the group is on a temporary break right now, weeklong celebrations kicked off in the capital of Seoul on Monday.
The country's landmark Nan Fung Tower is lit up in purple, the band's signature color. Many of their global fans have descended on the city to celebrate this monumental event, and CNN's Paula Hancocks is there.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the first the world saw of BTS. "No More Dream," released ten years ago this week. Alongside backstage footage of seven young men who could sing or dance. But few could have imagined the global stardom that would follow.
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From being the first K-pop group to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, to securing the most weeks at the top spot of any artist, beating out Taylor Swift, with 46 weeks at No. 1.
International fans have been arriving in Seoul for recent weeks for tenth anniversary BTS tours, visiting anywhere the band has made famous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We waited for this moment for years, and now it's finally happening.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): A group of fans from the United States are flying in from different states for their pilgrimage, a trip seven months in the planning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to just, you know, eat the food that they've eaten. They must have really good taste. And just be in places where they've been, you know, music video shooting, just to breathe the same air that they breathe.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Top of the tour list, a bus stop on the east coast, where the band shot its album cover, "You Never Walk Alone." A regular stop for fans, who refer to themselves as the Army.
As well as the band's old home that's turned into a cafe, and this building where the band's agency used to be.
We caught up with two fans in Seoul, who traveled all the way from Scotland and are graduate students who consider this to be the first of many BTS-related trips to South Korea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's emotional. It's very, like -- you're happy, but it's very like, Oh, my God, this is real.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): They attribute the band's longevity to the serious messages they portray in their lyrics. Topics they can relate to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their mental health talk is unique to them. Honestly, I know new brands are trying to do that, but BTS have done it in a way they haven't before.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): With two of the seven members currently serving mandatory military service here in South Korea and the remainder to follow soon, the group's record label, Big Hit, reportedly says they could reconvene by 2025.
Every member has also had success with a solo career so far.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: We've been prepared to turn this into a turning point in their career. It's obviously true that they needed this time of rest after such an intense period of hard work.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): BTS is marking its ten years with a new single, a new book and a festival by the river. Some fans are celebrating with a pilgrimage of anything their idols visited or touched or even ate.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
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VAUSE: I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. But we'll take a short break now. Then, it's WORLD SPORT. See you back here in just under 18 minutes (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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