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CNN International: World Leaders Gather in Lithuania for NATO Summit; Turkey Agrees to Back Sweden's NATO Bid; Devastating Floods; Trump Legal Team Asks Court to Delay Setting Trial Date; U.S. President Declares State of Emergency for Vermont; U.S. Marines Without Senate-Confirmed Leader. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired July 11, 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]
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo, live from London. Max Foster has the day off. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Completing Sweden accession to NATO is an historic step. It makes us all stronger, and safer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Putin's political objective of further dividing NATO has really fallen apart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my home. That is my garage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have you lost?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an all-hands-on deck response. We've not seen rainfall like this since Irene and in some places, it will surpass even that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.
NOBILO: It is Tuesday, July 11th, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 11:00 a.m. in Vilnius, Lithuania, where world leaders are set to arrive this hour for a crucial NATO summit. As the U.S. national security adviser says the alliance is stronger and more united than ever.
President Joe Biden met with Lithuania's president just moments ago. You're looking at the live pictures. The allies will focus on Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine and Kyiv's push to join NATO during two days of high stakes talks. The White House says the group will send a united positive signal on Ukraine's part to membership but declined to provide a timetable. And an official says Mr. Biden will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.
Cheers in Vilnius on the eve of the summit, amid a rapid reversal by Turkey on Sweden's bid to join NATO. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Turkey has now dropped objections to Sweden becoming a member, after standing in the way of that of more than a year. Stockholm in turn, appears to be supporting Turkish membership in the European Union, according to Turkey's statement news agency.
CNN correspondents are tracking all of these developments. Clare Sebastian is live for us here in London, but we begin with Melissa Bell, who is standing by in Lithuania for us. Melissa, this is quite the reversal that we're seeing from Turkey. It's been a real sticking point and bone of contention now for over a year. Talk to us about the significance of that and what might have driven that decision.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it was crucial in order that the rest of the next couple of days could even take place. After all, Bianca, if the question of Sweden's accession to NATO, decided as it was a year ago, could be blocked and dominate the next couple days, what hope was there of actually considering the question of Ukraine's? So, a crucial first stumbling block, and right up until the last minute, of course, these divisions have dominated the run up. And the fact that they should've been resolved as we saw that bi-lat began between the American president and the Lithuanian host, was celebrated this morning by the national security adviser, saying that I was with a head full of steam that they could now go into the summit.
I'd like you to have a listen, first of all though, Bianca, to what the Swedish Prime Minister had to say yesterday after that crucial meeting that paves the way for this year long deadlock now to be resolved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ULF KRISTERSSON, SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I'm very happy the three of us, the president of Turkey and the secretary general of NATO and myself have shaken hands over this joint statement. We are thus taking a very big step towards a formal ratification of Sweden's membership in NATO. It has been a good day for Sweden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: A good day also no doubt for NATO and the unity that this summit was meant to be all about, Bianca. In terms of the actual accession of Sweden, it will take another couple of weeks for that ratification process to go ahead in Ankara. Budapest also has to formally drop the idea of the possibility of using its veto. But it should happen very quickly. It was meant to be celebrated here and now. It will take a little longer than that. And still, the fact that this thorny issue has now been removed means that the leaders can talk about what they've come here to discuss.
[04:05:00]
Which is not just the reform and reinforcement of NATO capabilities inside, but the question of who is allowed to join next, and specifically, of course, the question of Ukraine.
You just saw that bilateral meeting between the Lithuanian and American presidents, just the beginning of what will be a very busy day for all the leaders. And what you'll see in a short, when the official summit kicks off, will be the 31 members of NATO, includes Finland now, of course, for the first time, with Sweden now knowing that it will be in, beginning to discuss what comes next. And specifically, what we look ahead tomorrow to, which is we understand, the arrival of President Zelenskyy. And regardless, almost, of the actual wording of the final communique is, the fact of his presence at this summit, when he had not been explicit as to whether he is coming until the last minute, here just 20 miles from the Belarusian border -- Bianca.
NOBILO: Melissa, thank you so much. Do stand by. We're just going to listen in to the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: NATO support to Ukraine to help them liberate more land. On the membership issue, I am also expect that allies will send a clear and positive message on the path forward towards membership for Ukraine. I have proposed a package of three elements, with them more practical support, with a multi-year program to ensure full interoperability between Ukrainian forces and the NATO forces. This will move Ukraine closer to NATO.
To strengthen the political ties with the establishment of the NATO and Ukraine council. We will have the inaugural meeting tomorrow with President Zelenskyy. And then to remove the requirement for membership action plan. This will turn the membership process for Ukraine from a two-step process into a one-step process. So, all of this will send a positive and strong message.
Then allies will also make important decisions to further strengthen our deterrence and defense, with new defense plans and more forces on high readiness. We also agree -- that I also expect that allies will agree a more ambitious defense investment pledge, where two percent of GDP for defense will be a minimum.
And then lastly, I look forward to also welcoming our Indo-Pacific partners at this summit. This will demonstrate that securities, not regional security, it's global. And therefore, I welcome the partners from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan. And with that, I'm ready to take some questions.
STEVE SEDGWICK, CNBC: Yes, mister secretary general, Steve Sedgwick, CNBC. Sir, security guarantees it didn't stop Vladimir Putin in 2014, the Budapest memorandum was worth a piece of paper to Vladimir Putin. What is concrete about the future security guarantees for Ukraine will make a difference? And a second point if I may on the same issue, Ukraine has fears that perhaps security guarantees will change overtime with different leadership, perhaps a different presidency in the U.S. What kind of guarantees are there, with security guarantees, will outlast any changes the presidency and United States? Thank you, sir.
STOLTENBERG: Well, at the most imminent task now is to ensure that Ukraine pervades as a sovereign independent nation in Europe. So, the most important thing they can do is to continue to provide weapons, ammunition, military support to Ukraine. Because unless Ukraine prevails as a nation, as a democratic nation in Europe, there is no issue to be discussed about security guarantees or membership in NATO at all.
Then on the membership issue, the -- we will send the -- we will send a clear message, a positive message, on the path forward. The text in the communique will be made public within hours, later on today, when all allies agree on the text. But I expect that allies will agree a message which is clear on the need to move Ukraine closer to NATO, with making sure their forces are interoperable with the NATO Ukraine council, and also removing their comments for a membership action plan. This is all about moving Ukraine closer to NATO membership, which will be extremely important for Ukraine, and also demonstrates the unity and the strength of the message that NATO allies are sending to Ukraine.
NOBILO: That was Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary general, speaking to journalists at the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. We're going to continue to monitor that and bring you the develop throughout the day.
Our Melissa Bell is also in Lithuania. Let's go back to you, Melissa.
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Do we get any elucidation from Jens Stoltenberg there about the dilemma that the NATO allies face when it comes to Ukrainian membership. Because obviously Ukraine currently embroiled in an active conflict, but also future promises of Ukrainian membership in NATO are likely to rile Russia and incentivize them to crush Ukraine in the short term even more?
BELL: This has been the principal argument of those who are at least favorable to a fast and clear accession of Ukraine to NATO, United States and Germany, that any such decisions, any such pledge, any such signal coming from Vilnius this time would surely escalate things further and rile Moscow beyond what they wish to do.
What the more fervent adherence to the idea of a fast and clear accession and a stronger signal of an invitation towards Ukraine say -- and I included those of course the Baltic states that are hosting this, Lithuania, that is hosting the summit -- is that it is now time to go much further then NATO.
And I think what you just heard from the secretary general there was a lot of confidence that when the 31 members, plus Sweden, meet later today, they will agree on that fairly maximalist version of what the Ukrainians could've hope for. Clearly, what President Biden had set out, speaking to CNN a couple of days ago, is the impossibility of considering Ukrainian accession while the conflict continues, simply because NATO would by definition be drawn into a conflict with Russia, that is a nonstarter. And what he explained -- the American president -- is that there were brought to an image on that.
But there are profound divisions on how strong the signal should be about when Ukraine can join. What you just heard from Jens Stoltenberg was a very confident tone that they will be able to send the strongest signal that Kyiv could possibly have hope for -- Bianca.
NOBILO: Melissa Bell, thank you.
Clare, with us in London. What exact does Ukraine want? Bearing in mind what Melissa just said about there being legitimate strategic concerns that actually stronger NATO guarantees in the immediate, but also in the future, could potentially escalate the conflict and Russia's desire to avoid that?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, escalate the conflict, or if there's a clear signal that say as soon as the war ends, Ukraine can join, that could incentivize perversely Russia to drag out the conflict. So, it's a really delicate balance.
Ukraine, I think it's worth working back from what they don't want. What they don't want is more of what they've had over the last 15 years, as the Lithuanian president laid out quite early this morning. More those mantras that Ukraine can join someday. Everything that we heard since that Bucharest summit in 2008. And frankly, Russia has invaded twice since that. So, it's clear that did not work as a deterrent. So they need something more concrete. They need these security guarantees. They want a strong signal, which is of course what Jens Stoltenberg is promising.
There was an interesting moment this morning, a Ukrainian politician stood up in front of Jens Stoltenberg said look, millions of Ukrainians want to hear the word invitation. They want to hear that. They've been waiting for that. Are we going to hear that? And Stoltenberg said we'll just wait and see the text of the communique. You know, we're going to send a strong signal. So, he wasn't going to be drawn in that. But I think the language in this communique will be really critical. And as Melissa pointed out, the optics as well, as Zelenskyy, as we expect he will, turning up at the summit, meeting with President Biden, a summit, by the way, happening really on Russia's doorstep.
NOBILO: And these are all important points you say, you know, what Ukrainians want to hear, because often in Ukrainian media, this conflict is framed as Ukraine providing resistance to prevent Russia from moving further into European territory. So, they see their role as being one protecting NATO, to some extent.
SEBASTIAN: Right.
NOBILO: Clare Sebastian, thank you so much. And Melissa Bell in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Donald Trump's legal team is pushing for a delay in the trial over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. His defense attorneys argue a trial during the upcoming election season will create extraordinary challenges. This as Trump just agreed on a date for a first hearing in the case, recommending a week from now, along with the Justice Department. But Trump isn't the only one who's been trying to delay the trial. CNN's Paula Reid has more now from Washington. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Trump's longtime aide Walt Nauta is asking the court to move a hearing that is scheduled this Friday, it would focus on how classified materials will be handled during the course of this case. The special counsel is pushing back, saying this is both unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. A pretty strong response for someone just asking to move a hearing. But we have to put this in context.
One of the central tensions of this case is a should timing. Little delays that will add up overtime. We know former President Trump, he has always approached a litigation, civil, up until now, which of course, this is a criminal case, with the idea of trying to delay things, draw them out. And this is no different. This is arguably the biggest case of his life. He has every incentive to want to push a potential trial after the 2024 election.
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And the special counsel's pushing back here because they know that little delays, even a few days or week or so, overtime those all add up. It already took Walt Nauta a month to be formally arraigned after repeatedly delaying his arraignment hearing. So, that's part of why they're really pushing back now on this request to delay Friday's hearing. Now ultimately, it will be up to the Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by President Trump, or then President Trump, to decide if this will be delayed.
Everybody is going to be watching this decision. Because, again, even though it seems procedural, incremental, the fact is this is a key issue, whether she will allow little delays overtime, which would likely push this until after the election. So, a lot of focus on this judge and how she handles what is otherwise a very routine matter and a case that is anything but routine.
Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: But Trump's troubles aren't limited Florida. In the coming hours grand jury selection is set to begin in Georgia in the election interference cases tied to the 2020 election. It stems back to a recorded call the president made to Georgia's Secretary of State, where he asked the official to find more than 11,000 votes to help win the state. But the case has expanded beyond that event. The Fulton County district attorney told our affiliate WSB, her case will go where the evidence leads. If Trump is charged, it will mark yet another indictment in his ongoing legal woes.
Donald Trump's former lawyer is trying to negotiate an end to a defamation lawsuit that he's facing in Georgia. Two election workers are accusing Rudy Giuliani of using them as scapegoats for how votes were counted in the state during the 2020 presidential election. The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount in damages. Giuliani has already been ordered to pay them for attorneys' fees. A new dangerous long-lasting heat wave in the U.S. could set dozens of
heat records, even in touristy hot places. The heat is hitting south Texas, south Florida and the Southwest the hardest now, and through the work week. But by the weekend, the hottest temperatures will arrive in the Southwest, making brutally hot cities like Phoenix even hotter.
Not long ago, from Lithuania, the U.S. president approved a state of emergency declaration for Vermont. More than 50 swift water rescues were carried out there as of Monday night local time. This drone footage that you're looking at over Londonderry shows the scope of this flooding disaster. Two Vermont dams are expected to breach their spillways today, and more than 9 million people are under flood alerts across the region, including this Vermont town.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON HANCOCK, VERMONT RESIDENT: This is my home. That is my garage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have you lost?
HANCOCK: We don't know yet. All I know is there was a whole bunch of tools in there and we watch them go down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are wet from head to toe without any shoes on. I mean, --
HANCOCK: I lost my shoes when I came across.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you lost your shoes trying to cross here?
HANCOCK: Yes, I couldn't find a rope, so I took two heavy duty extension cords, tied them to there, and tie them to the back of the truck. And it is going to bring them out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: And Vermont's capital Montpelier has issued an emergency health order that's close the downtown area for the time being.
Joining us now on the line is William Fraser, who is city manager of Montpelier. Great to have you with us, thank you so much for taking the time during this disaster that's befalling you. We're so sorry to see those pictures. The scale of this is immense. How do you begin to approach it?
WILLIAM FRASER, CITY MANAGER, MONTPELIER, VERMONT (via phone): Well, it's, it's really beyond anything we've seen. It is the level of water. It's pretty frightening. (INAUDIBLE) the most latest piece of news is that one of the dams that's holding back a lot of water may breach. And so, we are actually -- as we're having this conversation, we're in the process of moving our dispatch center and our emergency operations center out of our downtown and up to our water treatment plant, which is on higher ground.
NOBILO: Has the capital of Vermont seen anything like this before? FRASER: Not to this extent. In 1992 we had a pretty catastrophic ice
jam flood, and then in 2011 we had two floods, both in May and then tropical storm Irene in August. They both had flooding in the downtown but not to this extent. We are completely underwater in, you know, our whole major commercial areas. We've got roads out in different areas, a lot of washouts. People really can't leave their houses because there's no routes to get, because of to go, because of the road washouts.
NOBILO: What are the biggest threats to public health and safety at a time like this, and you need any extra support, and who from?
FRASER: Well, you know, one of the interesting things that's happening is that this is a statewide emergency. It's not just up here in Montpelier.
[04:20:02]
I think the biggest threats are that the floodwaters are not clean. You know, they have oils in them. They have septic, they have sewage, they have all sorts of contaminants in them. And people seem to want to wade in them. We were pretty distraught this evening, or last night I guess now, watching these scenes, almost like sightseeing tourists coming out and taking pictures and, you know, fishing gear. It was really kind of like, get out of here, this is dangerous. So, not a good situation. So, that's a big thing.
And then once the waters recede, we're concerned about electrical damages in basements, you know, building systems failing, and those kinds of things. So, that's one of the reasons we want to close the city until noon until we can assess just how safe it's going to be to return to the commercial area.
NOBILO: We'll let you get back to that very important work, but so grateful that you've taken the time to speak to us, given what's going on.
FRASER: Our pleasure.
NOBILO: That was the city manager of Montpelier, Vermont, William Fraser, being with us.
Still to come, U.S. Marines are now without a Senate confirmed leader for the first time in over a century. We will hear from a Republican lawmaker who's blocking the military appointments.
Plus, despite a successful launch of a new app, sources tell CNN that Meta slashed jobs within its election team. What that could mean for misinformation amid the upcoming political season.
And later, the state that's now considered Americas inflation hot spot. We'll tell you where and why, it's costing so much.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY: We have a sacred duty to do right by those who volunteer, who wear the cloth of our nation. Smooth and timely transmissions of confirmed leadership are central to the defense of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: That was U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaking at a ceremony where General David Berger stepped down as head of the Marines. But he relinquished command without an immediate replacement. Marking the first time in more than a century that a major branch of the U.S. military is operated without a Senate confirmed leader. And that's because a Republican Senator is blocking leadership nominations. Senator Tuberville was asked about his decision to stall the confirmation of military appointments, and here is what he told CNN's Kaitlan Collins.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: You're claiming that abortions are going to skyrocket, because the Pentagon is paying their people, to take off work, and have to go out of state to get them?
SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AL): Kaitlan, abortion, for three exceptions, is going to abortion at any time, also their dependents. I mean, you're adding a lot of people into this. You're adding a lot of a timeframe into that during the pregnancy. That's what I'm talking about.
There is no set rules on this. It's just, hey, if you want to have one, have it. We'll pay for your flight anywhere to a state that can do it. We're going to give you three weeks off, paid. That doesn't come out of your time-off as a service member. There's a lot added to this, and it's going to be charged to the taxpayer.
COLLINS: Seven former U.S. Defense Secretaries, including two who served under former President Trump, James Mattis and Mark Esper, disagree with you. And they signed a letter, to Senate leaders, saying that your actions are harming military readiness, that this risks damaging U.S. national security and it risks turning military officers into political pawns. And they specifically say that there are some pretty important positions that you were holding up, including the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific, which are critical to checking Iranian and Chinese aggression.
Are you saying that you know better than those seven former Defense Secretaries?
TUBERVILLE: Well, first of all, those Secretary of Defenses were nominees. They weren't elected. I was elected to represent the people of Alabama in this country.
Number two, if they want to confirm a general or admiral, we can do it, tomorrow. OK. I'm not stopping all of it. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Senator Tommy Tuberville says he wants to speak to the White House and Secretary Austin on the Pentagon's abortion policies, but he says he hasn't heard from either in a while.
The United States Air Force is suspending personnel moves and bonuses until the end of this fiscal year, and they say it's to avoid exhausting funds. According to the Air Force, this shortfall is due to a higher-than-expected amount of costs. The new fiscal year starts on October 1st, and members of the Air Force are already scheduled to move in July will still have their relocations approved, later moves though will be delayed.
And Israeli protesters are gathering in the streets at this hour for what organizers are calling a day of disruption. Already, police are trying to arrest demonstrators blocking a major road around Jerusalem, and marches carrying Israeli flags are making their way through Tel Aviv. This is the 27th week of protests in Israel, some of which have attracted half a million people.
The protests come hours after Israel's legislature gave initial everyone to a measure that critics say will severely undermined democracy. Prime Minister Netanyahu's government pushed through a vote curtailing the courts ability to strike down laws that they fight unreasonable. Now opponents say that they're worried the country could be slipping towards authoritarianism.
Still to come, new details emerged about Russian President Vladimir Putin's armored train. We'll give you a look inside the luxury vehicle that he's been slowly upgrading over the years.
Then imagine seeing floodwaters creeping into your backyard like this, and then completely taking over. I'll speak with a Vermont resident who was forced to evacuate along with his family.
[04:30:00]
