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CNN International: Washington Post: Lawyer Wanted to Explore Settlement with Justice Department, But Trump Refused; NATO Defense Ministers Meeting in Brussels; Hundreds of Migrants Missing and Feared Drowned in Shipwreck Off Greek Coast; Federal Reserve Pauses Interest Rate Hikes; U.K. Privileges Committee: Boris Johnson Misled Parliament; Dodging Bullets, Airstrikes in Ukraine's Southern Front; Top U.S. Diplomat to Visit Beijing This Weekend. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired June 15, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. Bianca is off the show for the day. But just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It underscores the Justice Department's commitment to both independence and accountability.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is still looking for lawyers to represent him in this case here in the southern district of Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know exactly how the boat capsized, but it was well over capacity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We cannot afford anymore losing lives in the sea.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the area of Ukraine where the heaviest fighting is currently taking place. And you can see what it has done to a lot of the buildings in the city's and villages around this area. And that fighting is said to get even worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

FOSTER: It is Thursday, June 15th, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast.

And we begin with a possible missed opportunity that some say might have kept Donald Trump from being hit with federal charges in the classified documents case. The "Washington Post" reports the former U.S. president rejected efforts by one of his attorneys to try to negotiate a settlement with the Justice Department. Several sources told the newspaper that Trump showed no interest in finding an exit ramp and preferred a more combative approach.

However, CNN spoke to sources close to Trump's legal team who are casting doubts on whether there was any real opportunity to cut a deal. Since what was listed in the indictment predates when that lawyer joined Trump's team. Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney General is defending his decision to appoint Jack Smith as special counsel to prosecute the documents case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: As I said when I appointed Mr. Smith, I did so because it underscores the Justice Department's commitment to both independence and accountability. Mr. Smith is a veteran career prosecutor. He has assembled a group of experienced and talented prosecutors and agents who share his commitment to integrity and the rule of law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The former president is pushing ahead with his fundraising defiant as ever. And a spokesperson says the indictment has been lucrative for his campaign. CNN's Kristen Holmes explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The former President Trump's campaign says it has now raised $7 million since that indictment on Thursday. Much of it coming from small donations, from digital fundraising, about 2.1 coming from the fundraiser he had Tuesday night after he was arraigned in Miami.

This is significant. Because I spoke to a number of advisers and allies who weren't sure that he was going to be able to still get that big boost in fundraising after a second indictment. Now this is something that they are very excited about. I've talked to a number of his allies today who are saying that this is going to carry him through the election -- the indictment that is.

And I spoke to a number of advisers who really laid out what they believe is a working playbook to help them get through the campaign with all these legal hurdles. The idea behind it is to essentially play this out in the court of public opinion, to change the narrative. And that is what you saw when Trump went to Versailles, that was a planned trip. His team wanted that video of him out there. They knew there would be no cameras inside of the Miami courtroom. But that would likely be some of the only video that existed of Trump from that day.

Also what we saw afterwards when Trump called it election interference and a hoax, he is trying to spin his own narrative. Now I'm also told that Walt Nauta is going to be by Trump's side, that of course is his co-defendant, his body man. Even though he was told by a judge not to communicate with Trump about this case, nothing is going to change. That is according to an adviser. So as they roll out this campaign, Walt Nauta will continue to be by the former president's side at least for now. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now another Republican candidate is jumping into the race for the White House. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has filed paperwork to run for U.S. president in 2024. He'll be speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California in the coming hours.

[04:05:00]

Suarez, a Cuban American, is currently in his second term as mayor of Miami. He starts out as a decided underdog in the primary with former President Donald Trump, a resident of nearby Palm Beach and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis far ahead in opinion polls.

The White House has been holding high-stakes conversations with NATO allies about when and how Ukraine may join the alliance. That's been happening ahead of a NATO defense minister's meeting in Brussels now underway. NATO's gathering also includes the meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group which is focused on providing military aid to Kyiv.

Salma has been following these developments for us. He speaking now. We'll get a summary of that later on. So, it is about the current, you know, what is happening on the ground but potentially about the fighter jets as well?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think there is a lot on the agenda as the secretary of defense makes these opening remarks right now. I'm sure a lot of language that he's going to present his allies with is to be expected. We're going to stand with Kyiv for as long as it takes. We must stand up to Russian aggression. NATO is more united than ever. Of course, Finland has recently joined. Sweden has a bid in as well. Ukraine is looking to join.

But this is all taking place at a very key time. President Zelenskyy just in the last few days made clear that that counteroffensive is under way. We do see intense fighting along the front lines particularly to the south, the Zaporizhzhia region and as well as to Bakhmut.

And the point that we've heard from the NATO chief so far, Jens Stoltenberg, is that the help, the assistance, the military aid that these NATO defense ministers are providing is making a difference on the ground. But you have to remember these defense ministers are also under pressure. They have another meeting taking place tomorrow. They need to prove when they go back home that those billions of dollars that Ukraine is receiving is actually making a difference on the ground. Particularly if they're about to spend even more and provide things like fighter jets as you mentioned.

FOSTER: And in terms of what is happening on the ground, how would you assess the latest situation? More of what you were telling us about yesterday?

ABDELAZIZ: You have to remember we're talking very modest gains. Yes, NATO and Ukraine are saying we have made progress. There is success on the ground. You do see an intensification of fighting particularly again along that access, the Zaporizhzhia region to the south of the country. But there is an expectation that Ukrainian forces need to break through Russia's defensive positions. That means making a major gain, make a major difference on the ground. Whether that's cut off the land bridge to Crimea, cut off supplies to Russian forces, there needs to be a shift on those front lines for these allies to know that they are making a difference.

FOSTER: OK, Salma, thank you so much for that. We'll bring you the highlights from those statements coming up.

Now Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says about 14 migrants who arrived in the city on Wednesday from Texas will not be turned away. But she had harsh words for the man who sent them, Texas governor Greg Abbott. Accusing him of using the migrants as pawns for his own political purposes. An advocate for the migrants said she's very concerned for the well-being of the children in the group.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELICA SALAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COALITION FOR HUMANE IMMIGRANT RIGHTS: Governor Abbott sent babies, sent toddlers, sent school age children, sent middle Schoolchildren, this is who was on this bus. And what we needed to make sure -- and this is important -- adults obviously react to situations in a different way. Children need to have the most welcoming environment possible after they have been through everything that they have been through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Governor Abbott was unapologetic, saying in a statement, our border communities are on the frontlines of President Biden's border crisis and Texas will continue providing this much needed relief until he steps up do his job and secure the border.

Greece has declared three days of national mourning for hundreds of migrants who appeared drowned after their boat sunk on Wednesday off the Greek coast. This is one of that country's worst maritime tragedies in years with at least 78 confirm deaths so far. Just over 100 people have been rescued. The Greek Coast Guard provided these aerial photos of the overcrowded vessel on Tuesday. The boat believed to have been carrying 400 to 750 people. And the Coast Guard says it most likely capsized because of a sudden shift in weight.

Journalist Elinda Labropoulou joins me now from Kalamata, Greece. I mean, when we look at that image and see how many people on board and the fact that we only know about 100 have been rescued, it just paints a horrific picture.

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: If really does, Max. And we heard this morning that we have no news of anymore people being rescued, although the operations continue. What we do know from the people who are housed in here -- this is where most of the survivors are. They say that there were women and children on board as well. And at the moment the only people who have been rescued have been men.

[04:10:00]

We understand that there were people in some of the lower decks of the boat as well and that the ship capsized due to a shift of weight. This is emerging information from the local authorities that's now coming out. And they're saying that as time passes, and also because of the great depth of where this incident took place, operations will become increasingly difficult. And there's a very good chance that we'll never really know the number of those on board.

What I can tell you is that the people who are here, who are slowly recovering, some remain in hospital, but most of them are here. They're starting to ask about loved one, they are starting to ask about others on board. So a very tragic picture is emerging.

We understand that most of these people will be moved somewhat closer to Athens later today. NGOs who are here providing assistance, are saying that this will be a better situation for them, that we'll have better help when they get to Athens. And it is not clear what will happen to them next. The worse in this is that there is a chance that some of these people coming from countries such as Egypt and so on. As we understand there were Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis on board, among others, may actually be facing deportation at some point, Max. But obviously for now, all the focus is on the actual investigation that's under way.

Elina live in Kalamata, Greece, thank you so much for bringing us that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's something over there. They're coming down. Oh, man, never seen anything like that. Oh --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You follow them. Going right --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Their under the threat of severe weather today in the U.S., that's after more than 300 storm reports across the South on Wednesday including at least ten tornadoes, three of those in Alabama, that's where this video was taken.

The main threat today is large hail, damaging winds and even tornados in some states. That last report more than 120,000 homes and businesses were still without power across the Southeast.

Thick plumes of noxious smoke from dozens of wildfires in Canada are once again billowing across the U.S. border compromising air quality for millions. The entire state of Minnesota and almost all of Wisconsin are currently under air quality alerts as the gray haze drifts south. Parts of Canada also saw multiple health risks on Wednesday. Smoke from more than 60 wildfires across Ontario could be detected as far south as the state of Kentucky. Conditions for the region should begin improving late this morning, but the poor air quality will linker through Friday as it takes time for the smoke to dissipate.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is pausing its relentless interest rate hikes at least for now. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell announced on Wednesday that the Fed is taking a break after ten consecutive rate increases. But he also warned it's likely more rate hikes are coming and soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: We have to get inflation at 2 percent and we will. And we don't see that yet. So, hence you see today's policy decision. Both to write down further rate hikes by the end of this year, but also to, you know, to take -- to moderate somewhat the pace with which we're moving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Here is the way the U.S. markets are poised to react when the opening bell rings on Wall Street about 5 1/4 hours from now. They're all down -- as you can see. After the Fed's announcement they had a wobbling Wednesday afternoon really and enclosed mixed. CNN's Matt Egan explains the reasoning behind the Fed's decision.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: This is a pause, not a finale. At least that is the message from the Federal Reserve. The Fed deciding unanimously to keep interest rates steady, that is a significant shift after ten straight meetings where they raised interest rates. And yet the Fed is making clear that they are not ready to declare victory over inflation at least not yet. Fed officials are penciling in another two quarter point interest rate hikes this year.

During a press conference Fed Chair Jerome Powell, he called out the fact that core inflation which excludes food and energy, that has not cooled off enough. And he opened the door to another rate hike at next month's meeting. Calling the July meeting a, quote, live meeting.

So what does all of this mean? Well, for consumers, it is certainly good news that the Fed is taking a breather here with rate hikes. Because we've seen borrowing costs spike for mortgages and credit cards and car loans. And so, there is some relief there at least for now.

[04:15:00]

The pause also means that the Fed thinks that their inflation fighting medicine is working, that the economy doesn't need these monster interest rate hikes every single meeting just to get inflation back down.

One very important point that Powell stressed again and again during the press conference is that these rate hikes, they hit the economy not immediately, but with a lag. It's kind of like if you take antibiotics, you might not feel the impact right away, but it doesn't mean the medicine is not working, it's just taking some time. And so all along the risk here was that the Fed was moving interest rates so fast, so much higher, that they were going to overdo it and actually cause a recession. So that is why Powell says that they are moving slower now to look around and see what the impact is in the economy.

So again, it doesn't mean that the Fed is done raising interest rates. It doesn't mean the war on inflation is over. It's just moving in a more deliberate phase. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Breaking news from here in London. The House of Commons Privileges Committee in the U.K. has found that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson knowingly misled Parliament. The panel has just issued its long-awaited report on "Partygate," and Johnson's statements to lawmakers. Johnson has claimed he didn't break any COVID rules hosting and attending gatherings during lockdown. He stepped down having seen a preview of this report. So he's no longer a member of Parliament. But the report actually says that if he had still been a member of Parliament, they would have recommended he be suspended for 90 days.

Boris Johnson has called this a kangaroo court effectively. So we'll wait to hear what he says about that. But the crucial thing here is that he doesn't just mislead Parliament, he deliberately misled Parliament. He lied to Parliament which is absolutely breaking all the Parliamentary rules. But he'll have his own view on that.

Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, we had to evacuate to this shelter now because apparently the guys fear that there could be aviation bombs coming this fairly soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: We'll take you to the frontlines in Ukraine's fight for freedom. That's next.

Plus, a former U.S. Marine is been indicted in connection with a subway chokehold death of a black homeless man in New York city. We'll have reactions from the victims family.

And later, the long road success. Berry Henson's incredible journey from driving an Uber to driving the fairways at the U.S. Open.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: "The Wall Street Journal" has obtained remarkable video showing what appears to be a Russian soldier on the battlefield of Bakhmut surrendering to an Ukrainian drone. You can see the soldier running in the trenches and dodging mortar fire. CNN spoke to the drone commander. He says the Russian soldier threw his weapon aside, raised his hands and used hand signals to say he wouldn't fight. The drone dropped a note telling him to follow if he wanted to surrender. "The Wall Street Journal" interviewed the soldier in the presence of Ukrainian guard.

CNN doesn't know whether he was speaking under duress and we haven't seen the raw video. That video was edited and produced with music added to it.

Now Russian forces are putting out a fierce fight in this early stages of Ukraine's counteroffensive. Ukrainian officials say that they are taking both offensive and defensive positions as Russia uses shells, airstrikes and mines to try to stop their progress. Despite those difficulties on the battlefield, Ukraine says its troops are advancing slowly but surely in the east and in the south. Fred Pleitgen brings us this report from the frontlines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Ukrainian forces laying into Russian troops holed up Blahodatne in southern Ukraine. This video shows what was the Russians' final stand here, the brigade said, but Vladimir Putin's army continues to put up stiff resistance, a drone pilot tells me.

They are good grunts, he says. Sometimes it is very difficult to knock them out of those positions.

But the Ukrainians have been making significant gains here, after launching large scale offensive operations across southern Ukraine. Heavy combat now nearly constant.

PLEITGEN: This is the area of Ukraine where the heaviest fighting is currently taking place. And you can see what it's done to a lot of the buildings in the cities and villages around this area. And that fighting is set to get even worse.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): We're with the 68th Jaeger Brigade. The soldiers confident and grateful for U.S. supplied vehicles, saying it's not only the firepower, but also the protection that matters.

A lot of times it saved my life, he says. It saved our lives every day from shrapnel, shelling and bullets.

But some vehicles have already been lost, and the Russians continue to fire back with frequent artillery barrages, but also using jets to try to hit Ukrainian forward positions. We had to take cover as a plane dropped bombs nearby.

Not the only time we had to scramble.

PLEITGEN: So we have to evacuate to the shelter now because apparently, the guys fear that there could be aviation bombs coming in fairly soon. You can see the situation here is still very kinetic. There's a lot of shelling still going on.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Still, the deputy brigade commander says his soldiers are just getting started.

Our counterattack will definitely be successful, he says. We believe in victory, we are moving towards our goal, we are advancing.

On this part of the front line, the Ukrainians believe they have the gear, the manpower, and the determination to advance far into Russian- held territory.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:25:00]

FOSTER: The U.S. has deployed F-22 fighter jets to the Middle East to push back against what he calls unprofessional behavior by Russia's Air Force. Washington says Russian fighter pilots are increasingly conducting unsafe maneuvers around U.S. military jets in the region. That includes what the U.S. calls a Russian attempt to dogfight American planes over Syria in April. The U.S. says that Russian behavior runs the risk of escalation or miscalculation.

The U.S. military set to open a formal investigation into a deadly drone strike in Syria after reports it killed a civilian and not its intended target which was a senior Al Qaeda leader. The launch of this more formal inquiry is the clearest sign yet that the U.S. Central Command may have botched the drone strike in northwest Syria on May 3. There is growing relief inside the Pentagon that the man killed was a farmer with no ties to terrorism. Family members of the victim say he was a 56-year-old father of 10 who had been out grazing his sheep when he was killed.

America's top diplomat is heading to Beijing this weekend for a long- delayed trip to try to smooth over some rocky relations. Antony Blinken called off his trip in February when the Chinese spy balloon was found floating over the U.S.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is live this hour in Hong Kong with details. Such a sensitive trip. How are they both going to play it?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a sensitive trip, Max. And expectations are low for a breakthrough. But Wednesday the U.S. and China both confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China this weekend. His trip was originally scheduled for February, four months ago. But that was postponed due to the Chinese spy balloon incident.

Now this will be the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to China since 2019. First visit in five years. And the senior State Department official says that Blinken is expected it discuss the situation in Ukraine and to reiterate a call for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. And he was very cautious about the possibility of a breakthrough.

Let's bring up this statement. This was what we heard from Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Pacific affairs.

Saying, quote, we're not going to Beijing with the intent of having some sort of a break through or transformation in the way that we deal with one another. We're coming to Beijing with a realistic, confident approach and a sincere desire to manage our competition in the most responsible way possible. Unquote.

He also added that Blinken is expected to raise the issue of the three wrongfully detained U.S. citizens in China and also to call for appropriate high-level military to military communications.

Earlier the U.S. Secretary of State had this phone call with China's foreign minister -- it took place on Wednesday. And in that call Qin Gang had some pointed words. He urged the U.S. to respect China's core concerns including Taiwan. And according to a foreign ministry readout of the call, the foreign minister said this -- let's bring it up for you.

Quote, the U.S. should respect China's position on the Taiwan question, stop interfering in China's internal affairs and stop undermining China's sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition. Unquote.

This diplomatic rift is there. It's been deepening between the U.S. and China over trade, over tech, over Taiwan, over territorial disputes, et cetera. But U.S. officials are hoping that this upcoming visit will pave the way for more bilateral meetings. Back to you, Max.

FOSTER: Thank you Kristie in Hong Kong.

STOUT: Thank you.

FOSTER: Back to our breaking news. The House of Commons Privileges Committee, a committee in the U.K. Parliament, has found that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson knowingly misled Parliament. The panel has just issued its long-awaited report on "Partygate" and Johnson's statements to lawmakers. CNN's Scott McLean has -- 30,000 words, isn't it? I mean, it's so comprehensive and you've had 28 minutes to read it.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so what I'm going to give you in summary is not going to be even close to comprehensive. But I've had a chance to skim through some of it. Obviously, it's 108 pages long. It's important to note that this was carried out. The committee was made up of seven people, four of them were conservative, two Labour and one Scottish National Party. And the conclusion here is that Boris Johnson ought to be suspended for 90 days from the House of Commons. Of course, it was last week that he resigned his position as a backbench MP in anticipation of this report. All of that would have -- the 90-day suspension would have triggered a by-election. And so, he would --

FOSTER: A lot longer, people were talking about 10 to 30 days.

MCLEAN: Ten days, yes. And now we have something that's 90 days. And sort of this report goes in to excruciating detail into what precisely took place. What Boris Johnson said about it, and what the reality actually was. And so they looked at six gatherings in particular, five of them were either thank you parties or leaving dos as you say in this country, leaving drinks for colleagues who were moving on to greener pastures.

And one of them was Boris Johnson's birthday. Which he actually concedes himself that was in violation of the rules. But he says that, look, at the time that he made the statement in the House of Commons, December 8, he genuinely believe this had to be true when he said, I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there were no -- there was no party and no COVID rules were broken and that is what I have been repeatedly assured.

So this was December 2021. The committee found that, look, you ought to have known what the rules were and you ought to have known that there were serious questions about whether --

FOSTER: There is a suggestion that he didn't receive that advice.

MCLEAN: So, yes. So, the report -- and again, I'm just going through it. From what I've seen so far, says that this was given by the sort of political media advice, not, you know, official civil servants who were in a position to know specifically what the rules actually were. And I just want to read you this passage from the report as well.

He said -- it says: We came to the view -- this is from the report again. We came to the view that some of Mr. Johnson's denials and explanations were so disingenuous that they were by their very nature deliberate attempts to mislead the committee and the House, while others demonstrated deliberation because of the frequency with which he closed his mind to the truth.

FOSTER: We've got some sound from Boris Johnson. I mean, whether or not he misled Parliament is one thing, what he saying is he deliberately --

MCLEAN: Deliberately.

FOSTER: So, he lied to Parliament, which is the most damning part of it. But let's hear what he had to say about all this.

[04:30:00]