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CNN International: California Man Stabs a Woman, Posts Video on Facebook; Arkansaw Judge Blocks Law Criminalizing Librarians and Bookstores for Providing Harmful Books to Minors; U.K. Using High-Tech Surveillance to Track Migrant Boats; Australia Seek to Advance After New Zealand Fell Short in Woman's World Cup. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 31, 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]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with the top stories this hour.

Donald Trump employee Carlos de Olvera is due to appear in federal court in just a few hours from now. He's charged with making false statements to the FBI in the criminal investigation into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents.

A brutal heat wave continues to sweep across the United States. Over the next week, nearly 60 million people could see temperatures soar above over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That is more than 70 -- 37 degrees Celsius.

A Bay Area man is facing a murder charge after he allegedly stabbing a woman to death and then posted the video of the killing on social media. CNN's Camila Bernal has more.

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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thirty-nine-year-old Mark Mechikoff is now facing a felony murder charge after police say he filmed himself stabbing a woman and then posted that video on Facebook. Police saying he filmed her last moments.

Now this all started on Wednesday when the Nye County Sheriff's Department in Nevada actually called the San Mateo Police Department saying that they received a call from a woman saying she watched the stabbing on Facebook.

That woman was able to provide a name and a phone number and that information led authorities to an apartment complex. They say it was actually a large building, so it took them about three hours as they went door to door trying to find the suspect or the victim in this case. Unfortunately, they found that woman that had been killed. And authorities say that the two did have a connection, but so far, they do not know what the exact motive was in this case.

Now he was arraigned on Friday and assigned a public defender. We have not been able to locate that public defender. And it is also important to point out that we reached out to Meta to ask exactly why that video was on there, how long it took or how long it was posted on the website before they took it down. We have not received a response from the company. But of course, it is a horrific crime where we're still asking those questions and still trying to figure out why he did this.

Authorities asking for surveillance video from the area if anyone saw anything because they are trying to piece together exactly what happened in this case.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

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FOSTER: In Arkansas, a judge has temporarily blocked a state law that would have held librarians and bookstores criminally minor for providing minors with materials deemed harmful. That move came just days before the law was to take the fact and weeks after a group of libraries, librarians, bookstores and publishing groups filed a lawsuit arguing that the section of the law violated the first amendment. They also argued the law could lead to the removal of young adults and general collections with sexual content.

Republican Governor Sarah Sanders signed the law in March. Her communications director says she continues to support the law despite the ruling which is subject to appeal.

Biden administration officials tell CNN they've now launched a website for new income-driven student loan repayment plan. It will allow borrowers to begin submitting applications for the program. Federal student loans payments are set to resume in October. CNN's Arlette Saenz has more details from Delaware.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The Biden administration is taking some new steps to offer relief to some student loan borrowers. With some borrowers potentially seeing their payments go as little as zero dollars per month. Now this was rolled out by the Department of Education in a beta website opening up applications during a test period for the latest version of the Income-Driven Student Loan Repayment Plan that the administration is calling the Safe Plan.

Now, this would apply to those who have federal student loans. Private student loans are not part of this. It applies to current loan holders, as well as future borrowers as well. This plan would be based on your income and family size. And the Department of Education is estimating that one million borrowers could potentially see their payments go to $0 per month. This will be based on discretionary income so that money that you have after paying your taxes and also other living expenses. And individuals who are making $32,805 or less in families of four making $67,500, they would see their monthly payments wiped down to zero.

Another interesting component of this plan is that as you are paying off the student debt, the interest would no longer accrue on those federal loans.

Now others when this plan goes into full effect next summer, they can see their payments cut in half and ultimately could have them all forgiven if they make their payments on time for 10 years.

[04:35:00]

So this is the latest effort from the Biden administration to try to offer relief to student loan borrowers after the Supreme Court had struck down President Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan.

Now there have been Income Driven Repayment Plans in the past going back decades, and officials that I spoke with believe that they do have the legal standing, the legal grounds for this type of program because Congress has given them authority to build these income-based repayment plans. So ultimately, they do not think that there will be a successful legal challenge since they hadn't seen those with this plan in the past.

Arlette Saenz, CNN traveling with the President in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

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FOSTER: Meanwhile, the president and first lady are getting some time away at the beach. The Bidens took to the sand and the sun at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Sunday afternoon. You can see there. They said beach chairs reading just feet from the water. A group of supporters cheered when they arrived. But their part of the beach was relatively empty and some beachgoers walked by without even stopping.

Two separate aircraft crashes before a major air show in Wisconsin left four people dead and two injured. The first happened early on Saturday when a vintage military training craft crashed into Lake Winnebago in the city of Oshkosh. Authorities say the plane went down quickly from around 3,000. The two people on board were found dead. Hours later two others died in a mid-air collision between a helicopter and gyrocopter, two people injured in that incident are in stable condition though.

And in New Hampshire a beachful of people watched as a small plane towing and advertising banner crashed into the ocean. Video shows the aircraft hitting the water nose first and tipping upside down not far from swimmers in Hampton Beach. Lifeguards rescued the pilot though who was not seriously injured. Plane had to be towed out of the water. Federal authorities will investigate the cause of the crash.

Still to come, a live report on new surveillance technology used by the U.K. to monitor migrants crossing the English Channel. Stay with us.

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[04:40:04]

FOSTER: In the U.K., the government is ramping up measures to deter migrants crossing the channel from France. A controversial new law has been passed. It will include criminalizing anyone who seeks asylum here this way. And to aid this, the country has invested millions in high-tech surveillance to spot small boats. But despite this, a CNN investigation has found no evidence it was used during the deadliest incident in the channel last year. Our Katie Polglase has been looking into this.

KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER: Well, Max, we found that border control is another area that A.I. is entering into. But this time there's some troubling consequences. So this is part of a global trend. It's not just the U.K. It's happening on the U.S./Mexico border. U.S. government is investing in it. It's happening in the European Union as well. They're investing in things like automated lie detectors.

But the fundamental question is, how is this information that this A.I. technology is providing going to be used by authorities? Because the A.I. companies are telling us in their advertising that this tech has life-saving capabilities. It can be incredibly positive. It can save people and rescue them when they're in distress in these journeys. But what we found in this investigation, we looked at the deadliest incident in the English Channel last year, four people died. And we found none of this tech appeared to have been used and instead, it's been part of a campaign of hostility and deterrence. Have a listen to what we found.

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POLGLASE (voice-over): It's three in the morning on the 14th of December 2022 in the middle of the English Channel. A fisherman has spotted multiple people in the water and is trying to haul them out.

RAYMOND STRACHAN, FISHERMAN: It was pitch dark. It was a very cold night, minus one, minus two. And there was a lot of screaming.

POLGLASE (voice-over): In total they rescue 31 people from the sinking vessel, including two Afghan boys just 12 and 13 years old.

STRACHAN: This is not an area that we fish a lot, and if we wasn't there, everyone there would have probably drowned.

POLGLASE (voice-over): U.K. authorities arrive later and rescue eight more. Four died in what becomes the worst migrant tragedy in the Channel that year. But officials had been informed of the incident nearly an hour earlier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please help. We have children and family in a boat. Please, we are in the water.

POLGLASE (voice-over): And just before 2 a.m. the boat had made a distress call here to Utopia 56, a French migrant charity that passed it on to the French and U.K. authorities. The French Coast Guards say the boat is undetectable on shipping radar but estimate it will shortly cross into British waters.

Now CNN has found that, at the time of the incident, the U.K. government had expensive A.I. technology designed to spot these boats and knowing that the vessel was soon entering their territory, and that there were people freezing in the water, including children, they could have sent this.

A Tekever AR5 drone designed to detect small boats and capable of deploying a life raft. It's licensed by the U.K. government. Even the British prime minister proud to show it off.

CNN has established it flew over the same area where the distress call was made on multiple previous journeys. It even flew the day before and after the incident, but not in the hours the vessel was sinking. Instead, it took more than an hour for the first U.K. lifeboat to arrive. In which time, a fishing crew rescued the majority on board.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We must stop the boats.

POLGLASE (voice-over): This tech forms part of a campaign of deterrence and hostility by the government towards those attempting to reach British shores. Millions of pounds have been spent on A.I. cameras trained to find rubber dinghies, some able to see beyond U.K. waters, drones with automatic identification abilities. And while the companies tout their life-saving capabilities, footage from these drones is also being used to identify those driving the boats and prosecute them for human trafficking. A new bill will take it even further, criminalizing anyone who seeks asylum in the U.K. this way.

PETRA MOLNAR, HUMAN RIGHTS AND MIGRATION LAWYER: Yes, technology could very easily be used for search and rescue, for finding boats faster, for preventing these horrific disasters. But unfortunately the reality on the ground is the opposite. It's assisting powerful actors to be able to sharpen their borders, make it more difficult for people to come, and again, using surveillance for these kind of ends.

POLGLASE (voice-over): And it follows a global trend in digitizing border security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These towers are operating 24-7, 365.

POLGLASE (voice-over): The same sentry towers made by the American tech startup Anduril that line the U.S./Mexico border have recently been installed along the British coastline to identify and track boats.

[04:45:00]

Another company, Sirius Insight AI, whose technology is also available to the U.K. authorities, insisted their tech is used for saving lives, but stopped short of talking about how the government uses it.

MALCOLM GLAISTER, CEO, SIRIUS INSIGHT AI: Our equipment shows any vessel that's in the U.K. territorial waters where it is and where it's going. And if that vessel is in distress, it allows the lifeboat to get to that precise location because we're tracking it.

POLGLASE: And so, we've been following some of the incidents that have unfortunately led to fatalities in the Channel. If we have this technology, why are people dying?

GLAISTER: I don't think I can comment on those instances because of the commercial nature of our relationship with the Home Office, I'm afraid.

POLGLASE (voice-over): The Home Office declined to comment on the incident on the 14th of December. In response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by CNN, U.K. Border Force said revealing the tech's capability might aid the criminals facilitating the crossings and increase risk to life at sea.

The Coast Guard declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation into the incident and a court case underway to prosecute the alleged driver of the boat.

A new record was set for June with nearly 4,000 people detected arriving to the U.K. But for those that do make it, they face an increasingly hostile welcome.

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POLGLASE (on camera): And so, this illegal migration bill has become law -- the one we reference in that piece. It now means everyone arriving in the U.K. that way, in a small boat, to seek asylum here will be criminalized. They will be detained and then deported back to their home country or another country that is deemed safe.

Now this law has had a lot of controversy here in the U.K. The U.K. Parliament had a lot of debating. The upper House of Lords here said that there were a lot of amendments they wanted to include to protect victims of human trafficking, victims of modern slavery and unaccompanied children that are arriving here on these journeys.

These amendments were not included and the bill still went through. And now it has become law. The United Nations put out a statement basically saying that there were some quite serious consequences to this bill. Some of the statement said that the U.K. is now at variance with the country's obligations under the international human rights and refugee law. And it says it will have profound consequences for people in need of international protection.

FOSTER: OK, Katie, thank you so much for bringing is that. It was a lot of work over months.

A World Cup co-host misses out on the knockout round. And in the hours ahead, another host will try to avoid the same thing. We'll have a preview of Australia's fight to qualify for the last 16.

[04:50:00]

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FOSTER: The Women's World Cup, Japan are on the verge of clinching the top spot of group C. right now, the team has a comfortable lead over Spain and the deciding match. If they win, they're going to knockout round with an unbeaten record in group stage. Meanwhile, Zambia and Costa Rica both searching for their first victory. They're facing each other this hour with Zambia leading 2-1.

In the day ahead, co-host Australia will take on Canada to try to advance to the next round. CNN's Angus Watson joins us live from Sydney. They'll all be watching.

ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: MAX, what an extraordinary night in football. We've already had here at this fan zone where I'm in Sydney, fans hanging on the action, particularly this Spain versus Japan game. 4-nil to Japan. The team scored 11 goals so far at this World Cup, really throwing down the gauntlet to its competitors here at the 2011 champions Japan.

But all eyes will soon be on the Australia versus Canada match. Both of those teams with a chance to go into the next round, course, host Australia under just that bit much more pressure there, you've to say, playing against Canada, the Tokyo 2020 gold medal medalists. So it was always going to be the match of the group stages. That gold medalists, as I said, versus the highly fancied Matildas. Now just means so much more in the eyes of Australia on the Matilda's team. Coach Tony Gustavsson said it would be a failure if Australia too didn't make out of the group stages as New Zealand unfortunately haven't made it out of theirs either.

So much of the game tonight will focus on Sam Kerr. How much will Australia's Tallysman, the straightest captain, be able to play. She went out with a calf injury just before the match against the Republic of Ireland in the first game. She couldn't play when Australia lost to Nigeria in the second. How much will she be able to play in Melbourne today? That's what Australia has been talking about for days now. Waiting to see whether their Matildas could move through to the next round -- Max.

FOSTER: Good stuff. Angus in Sydney. Thanks for joining us,

The Dutch cyclist Demi Vollering has won the 2023 the Tour de France Femmes. She finished second in the eighth and final stage to take the overall title. This was the Tour de France's second year and Dutch riders have won both of them.

Just months after returning to the WNBA Brittney Griner is taking what her team calls a mental health break. The Phoenix Mercury announced that Griner will miss at least two road games. They didn't say when she'll return. Griner spent ten months in a Russian prison last year in what the Biden administration called a wrongful detainment.

Stories in the spotlight. Rapper Cardi B is the latest performer swept up in a dangerous trend where fans are throwing things on stage at concerts. At a show in Las Vegas on Saturday, someone in the audience appeared to hit the rapper with a drink and she responded by throwing her mic into the crowd.

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(END VIDEO CLIP) FOSTER: You can see the security guards there moving together in the crowd as Cardi B looks on from the stage. Other performers have faced similar incidents in recent months. And some have suffered injuries from the objects thrown at them.

A familiar and controversial face is back on Twitter.

[04:55:00]

Rapper Kanye West -- who legally changed his name to Ye -- had his name reactivated on the social network X -- formally known as Twitter. It was suspended in December after West made antisemitic comments violating Twitter's rules on inciting violence. The move cost him not only his account, but multiple brand deals and partnerships. CNN has reached out to X and representatives for West for comment and haven't received response just yet.

And Madonna is opening up just one month after she was hospitalized in the ICU for a bacterial infection. The queen of pop shared in an Instagram post how love from family and friends is the best medicine and is helping her deal. Madonna added that she feels lucky to be alive and thanked her six children for showing up for her when she was ill.

Vietnamese fans of K-pop supergroup Blackpink, finally got to see their idols in Hanoi on Saturday. Earlier this month the tour organizer in the country was the target of a government inspection and boycotts amid criticism that the website showed a disputed sea boundary. The concert this weekend were the first performances ever for Blackpink in Vietnam. Fans in Hanoi on Saturday said they were happy the show could finally go on.

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DUONG HOAI LINN, BLACKPINK FAN (through translator): Blackpink said they would be here, they were and they will again. It was a roller coaster of different emotion and nervousness and excitement not knowing if the sisters are going to be here in Vietnam or not. So today, my emotions just busted with joy.

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FOSTER: Finally, who said you can't wear scarfs for the summer? More than 150 dogs decked out in colorful scarfs in a four-kilometer race with their owners in Venezuela's capital on Sunday to raise support for animal shelters in the country. With Venezuela's economy struggling many people have left their pets in shelters or abandoned them on the streets. Organizers of the race say they're hoping to give those animals a better quality of life while they wait for new families.

Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. "EARLY START" is next.

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