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CNN International: Trump's Multiple Attempts to Overturn 2020 Election; DeSantis: Justice Department Weaponized Against Trump; Key Republican Allies Rush to Trump's Defense; Kenya Braces for Three Days of Anti-Government Protests; Police Serve Search Warrant in Tupac Shakur Murder Probe. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 19, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane. If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

A U.S. soldier is believed to be in North Korean custody after Pentagon officials say he willfully crossed the border at the Korean demilitarized zone.

Donald Trump says he is now the target of the special counsel's criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. It's a sign Jack Smith is now zeroing in on Trump. If charged it would be the third indictment for the former president.

And Michigan's Attorney General has charged 16 people in the state's 2020 fake elector scheme. These are the first criminal charges for current and former officials who tried to overturn the election for Donald Trump.

Our CNN's Tom Foreman breaks down the multiple efforts by Donald Trump and his supporters to overturn the 2020 election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Up in Michigan, state officials have now charged 16 people as false electors posing as if they were the official electors from that state in the election. That fits in very well with the litany of accusations, suspicions that the special counsel has been scrutinizing, false electors, legislative nullification, pressure calls in at least seven different states -- that's calls to state officials saying that they should overturn the election in Trump's favor.

What else did team Trump tried to do to overturn the selection? 62 court filings around the country. They lost all but one -- all but one. They lost virtually everything. But when the Supreme Court turned one down, Trump went online and again said the Supreme Court really let us down, no wisdom, no courage.

[04:35:00] What else did they try? There's been scrutiny of an oval office discussion from December of 2020 when there was allegedly talk about seizing voting machines, declaring martial law, anything rather than accept the fact that Trump actually lost the election.

There was all that pressure on Vice President -- then Vice President Mike Pence to block certifications, something that we know legally he could not do. And of course we all saw what happened on January 6 when then President Donald Trump rallied supporters, told them to go to the Capitol and said to them at one point, you need to fight like hell to defend your election here. What he called his victory in all of this.

All of that we saw, all of that testifies to the fact that there was a concerted effort by team Trump in many places to try to overturn this legal fair election that he lost.

And yet Trump's response to all of this in the latest news is: I have a right to protest an election that I'm fully convinced was rigged and stolen.

Only question for many legal analysts here is, when did he go and did he go beyond merely protesting into something much more serious?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, Donald Trump leads the field of Republican presidential candidates by far. And the man in second place in the polls is coming to Trump's defense over the Justice Department investigation. Here is part of Jake Tapper's exclusive interview with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, THE LEAD: So I do have to ask about the breaking news today.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sure.

TAPPER: Your chief competitor, the front-runner right now, Donald Trump, says he was informed that he is the target of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and Mr. Trump has until Thursday to report to the grand jury. If Jack Smith has evidence of criminality, should Donald Trump be held accountable?

DESANTIS: So, here's the problem. This country is going down the road of criminalizing political differences. And I think that's wrong.

Alvin Bragg stretched the statute in Manhattan to be able to try to target Donald Trump. Most people -- even people on the left acknowledge, if that wasn't Trump, that case would not have likely been brought against a normal civilian.

And so, you have a situation where the Department of Justice, the FBI, have been weaponized against people they don't like and the number one example of that happened to be against Donald Trump with the Russia collusion. That was not a legitimate investigation. That was being done to try to drive Trump out of office.

And so, what I've said as president, my job is to restore a single standard of justice to end weaponization of these agencies. We're going to have a new FBI director on day one. We're going to have big changes at the Department of Justice. Americans across the political spectrum need to have confidence that what is going on is based on the rule of law, not based on what political tribe you're in.

And then the second thing I would say is, this country needs to have a debate about the country's future. If I'm the nominee, we'll be able to focus on President Biden's failures, and I'll be able to articulate a positive vision for the future. I don't think it serves us good to have a presidential election focused on what happened four years ago in January.

And so, I want to focus on looking forward. I don't want to look back. I do not want to see him, I hope he doesn't get charged, I don't think it will be good for the country, but at the same time, I've got to focus on looking forward, and that's what we're going to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well meanwhile, Trump is asking top Republican allies on Capitol Hill to rush to his defense with criminal charges potentially looming in the election probe. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy who initially criticized Trump's role in the January 6 insurrection has now drastically changed his tune.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA) U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: The president bears responsible for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters.

MCCARTHY: President Biden went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection, so what do they do now. Weaponize government, to go after their number one opponent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: And he is not the only Republican using their power and platform in an effort to shield the former president without even knowing the details of the criminal investigation. CNN's Manu Raju picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Even before Republicans saw any of the evidence or allegations detailed of any possible indictment that Donald Trump could face in the January 6 investigation, many of them rushed to his defense including the Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy who attacked the Justice Department over the possibility that Donald Trump could be indicted and that he is in fact a target of Jack Smith's probe.

Now others with a much more muted response including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell who refused to comment on the news of the Trump target and something that has been similar in indictments past. The past two Trump indictments, McConnell said very little. Kevin McCarthy rushed to Trump's defense underscoring the division within the Republican Party and the Republican leadership about how exactly to deal with Trump. Whether he is the best candidate for the party in 2024 and whether to go after the Justice Department. Something that House Republicans in particular plan do in the aftermath of this news involving Donald Trump.

[04:40:03]

Now, I caught up earlier with John Thune, the number two Senate Republican, and I asked him about the impact that this could have on Trump's 2024 candidacy. And he raised concerns about nominating someone with so much legal baggage.

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): There will be a lot of analysis of that. Analysis of that that goes on for many, many years into the future. That was a bad day in American history. And we should do everything we can to avoid it happening again.

RAJU: Does it worry you about nominating someone with this many legal problems?

THUNE: Well, I mean I think it's part of the distractions that are always going to be surrounding the former president. And people have to make their own judgment.

RAJU: But not everyone feels the same way as Senator Thune reports. Senator Tim Scott in the 2024 presidential race, others indicating that they plan to fight the special counsel. Republicans on the House side offering a bill to essentially defund Jack Smith's investigation into Trump. That has no chance of passing. But Republicans do hold the power of the purse. They have to pass funding legislation in the House and Senate. Some of them urging for them to pair back spending for the Department of Justice in the aftermath of news of this investigation and of the past Trump indictment.

Now, how that remains to be seen. The Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, has not yet indicated a plan to take action against the special counsel. But one person he did speak with in the news of all of these legal problems with Donald Trump was Trump himself, Speaker and Trump connected and tried to urge his colleagues to rush to his side and rush to his defense. Something we've seen Republican after Republican do in the House even as many in the Senate are skeptical.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Now for the fourth time if just over a month, a bus carrying migrants from Texas has arrived in Los Angeles. A rights group says more than 40 asylum-seekers were on board including six children. The group believes the trip was funded by the state of Texas. Some Republican governors have been sending migrants to Democratic led states and cities in protest of the Biden administration broader policies. Still ahead, new developments in the unsolved murder of the legendary

rapper Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years since he was shot. That story and more when we return.

[04:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: U.S. consumers continue to spend, spend, spend despite higher interest rates, continuing inflation and general uncertainty about the economy. U.S. retail sales were up in June for the third consecutive month. But they did carry a warning sign. The June increase was less than in previous months. Economists say people are running down their savings they have built up during the COVID pandemic and job growth is slowing.

And with student loan payments coming due again, they say it wouldn't be surprising if consumer spending continues to moderate.

And stronger than expected second quarter earnings are pushing U.S. stock markets higher. This is a look at futures right now for the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500. U.S. markets open in a little less than five hours. And they are coming off another very strong Tuesday on Wall Street. The Dow surged 366 points or more than 1 percent while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 both rose about three quarters of 1 percent. Earnings from Netflix, Tesla and United Airlines are due out on Wednesday.

And new figures from the U.K. are showing a sharp slowdown in inflation. The rate fell to 7.9 percent in June, lower than expected and down from 8.7 percent earlier -- a month earlier. Lower fuel prices and food prices are the main reason. And it could take some of the pressure off the Bank of England when it comes to raising interest rates. And here's a look at the markets in Europe are looking. As you can see, all four indices there up in the green.

Now Kenyan opposition leaders have called for three days of anti- government protests beginning today. Schools in Nairobi and two other major cities will be closed amid fears that the protests could turn violent. Demonstrators are protesting a slew of unpopular tax hikes the government claims will generate jobs and domestic revenue. Our CNN correspondent Larry Madowo is live for us from Nairobi from those protests. Larry, tell us what you're seeing and the message these protestors are wanting to send.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christina, this is one of the places in Nairobi where the opposition leaders have promised to hold some of these gatherings. We've seen a lot of security presence here. What you see back here is some of officers kind of involved. They're trying to pull back some of the protestors. And some of these young people have been actively trying to provoke them into using tear gas, which they eventually did.

So what you see is that smoke and some of those fires, is that police finally using tear gas to try and hold them back. But they keep throwing rocks back at the cops. And as they moved back -- I can say, so far, we've seen a lot of restrain from these officers, as they keep throwing a lot of rocks at them, but they're trying not to -- so far, we haven't seen any use of live ammunition. So far, they're just trying to make sure that they're protected. But I think it gets increasingly difficult to do so when so many people from so many corners are throwing rocks at them, throwing pieces of shoes and everything that they can get.

They've lit a couple fires on the street right now. This is one of the tactics these demonstrators are using to try to block the road from people accessing it. But the officers have instructions to make sure that the roads are usable. Because the government said they did not get any notice about these demonstrations from the opposition and they will not allow them to take place. So they are taking place.

We've driven around the city of Nairobi so far and it's mostly deserted. That's something that the government is trying to avoid. But it's inevitable it's happening here.

These began as cost of living protests that devolved in to full-on antigovernment protests from so many people who feel that the cost of living has become so expensive for them, fuel, food and just about everything else.

But that eventually comes into something like this. So many young people on the streets, some of them younger than 18, probably 13, 14, Christina, just battling the cops here. And I think you are about to see one of them using tear gas as they move forward to try and pull them back in their homes, but this running battle -- the whole day until night fall and the opposition promised three days of protests. So we might see tomorrow and the day after more of this.

MACFARLANE: Certainly looks like a precarious situation, Larry. Let's hope it doesn't turn more violent, as you say, in the days to come with those protests running for another two days. Larry Madowo, we appreciate your reporting, Larry. Stay safe.

All right, police in Las Vegas are taking new steps to solve the murder of Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years after the rapper was shot and killed.

[04:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUPAC SHAKUR, RAPPER: Take it back to the threat ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well police confirmed to CNN they executed a search warrant on Tuesday in connection with the ongoing investigation into Shakur's murder. The search warrant was served in Henderson, Nevada just outside Las Vegas. Shakur was shot multiple times in a drive-by attack in 1996 while leaving a boxing match at the MGM Grand Hotel on the Las Vegas strip. Tupac Shakur's death has been one of the most well-known unsolved killings in the music industry in the years since.

Still to come, "Taco Tuesday" becomes free-fall. While the trade mark phrase available to use after a legal battle between past chains.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back. Time for stories in the spotlight.

Taco John's, the chain of U.S. restaurants, is dropping its legal battle against the mega chain Taco Bell over use of the phrase "Taco Tuesday." The smaller chain owns the trademark for it. But Taco Bell file to have a cancel, claiming it a common phrase and should be available for anyone to use.

[04:55:02]

Instead of continuing the legal battle, Taco John's will donate $40,000 to a nonprofit supporting the children of restaurant employees.

And burger chain N-N-Out is banning employees from wearing masks in some states unless they receive a medical note from a doctor. The company says the new policy is about customer service, with an emphasis on showing smiles and facial features. It will impact workers in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Utah. But local laws prevent the policy from going into effect in Oregon and California, where most of the chain's locations are.

Now Rachel Zegler is once again addressing criticism regarding her casting in Disney's upcoming live-action remake of "Snow White." In a tweet, the "West Side Story" actress said she wants to be left out of nonsense caused discourse surrounding the role. Zegler had racist remarks since the announcement of her casting in 2021. Some internet users have questioned why an actress of Latin descent is playing a character celebrated as having skin as white as snow.

Now an Australian man has recounted the remarkable tale of his rescue after spending more than two months at sea. Tim Shaddock his dog Bella set out for Mexico on a fishing expedition in early May, bound for French Polynesia. But weeks into their voyage, their small catamaran was damaged in a storm leaving them adrift. Shaddock was in poor health but managed to survive by collecting rainwater and eating raw fish. They spent their days waiting and hoping for rescue which miraculously came last week. Thanks to the crew of a tuna vessel. Here's what Shaddock had to say once he was back on land.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM SHADDOCK, SAILOR RECUED AT SEA: Look, to the captain and this fishing company that saved my life, I mean, what do you say. I'm just so grateful. I'm alive. And I really didn't think that I'd make it, you know. So thank you. Thank you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Remarkable. And that does it for this edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. Stay tuned for "EARLY START" next.

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