Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

CNN International: Trump New Docs Case Co-Defendant Appears in Court; Trump Faces Mounting Legal Fees Amid Investigations; Russia Accuses Ukraine of Ramping Up Attacks in Moscow; France Preparing to Evacuate French and EU Citizens in Niger; Idaho Woman Sentenced for Her Children's Murder; Abduction of American Nurse and Child Sheds Light on Crisis in Haiti. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired August 01, 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 U.S. and all around the world. I'm Max Foster in London, Bianca is on assignment, but just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Justice Department has unfortunately decided to bring these charges against Mr. De Oliveira. Now it's time for them to put their money where their mouth is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: De Olivia walked out of court on $100,000 bond.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think this is a very basic necessity of survival that somebody like Carlos wouldn't turn on Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lori Vallow Daybell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is guilty of what she was found guilty of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: House Republicans are turning up the heat on Hunter Biden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There still is no connection of any of Hunter Biden's business dealings with President Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

FOSTER: It's Tuesday August 1st 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. in Washington where the grand jury investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election is expected to meet in the coming hours. This as the legal troubles for the former president continue to mount. In Georgia, a judge has rejected efforts by Trump's legal team to toss out evidence against him and to disqualify the district attorney.

And in Florida, the new codefendant in the classified documents case has appeared in court for the first time. CNN's Jessica Schneider has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN IRVING, REPRESENTING TRUMP'S CO-DEFENDANT: The Justice Department has unfortunately decided to bring these charges against Mr. De Oliveira. And now it's time for them to put their money where their mouth is.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Carlos De Oliveira leaving the federal courthouse in Miami, Monday, escorted business his lawyer and federal agents. A 20-year employee at Mar-a- Lago, De Oliveira walked out of court on $100,000 bond after being charged along with former President Trump and Trump's close aide, Walt Nauta, with attempting to delete security footage from Mar-a-Lago after it was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury. De Oliveira allegedly telling the director of IT at Mar- a-Lago, the boss, an apparent reference to Donald Trump, wanted to delete the server where security footage was stored.

CNN also reporting that another Mar-a-Lago employee received a target letter from federal prosecutors. Yuscil Taveras oversees the property's surveillance cameras and has met with investigators in recent weeks. It's unclear if he is cooperating. So far, he is not facing charges, but at latest some of the allegations in the indictment were based on information he provided.

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, they're not indicting me. They're indicting you. I just happen to be standing in their way. That's all it is.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Trump defiant as he continued campaigning over the weekend, even as he was charged with additional crimes in the special counsel's classified documents case.

TRUMP: If I weren't running, I would have nobody coming after me. Or if I was losing by a lot, I would have nobody coming after me.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Plus, all signs point to another indictment soon out of D.C.'s federal court --

REPORTER: Can you tell us whether you expect to have an indictment this week?

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): -- likely against Trump and his allies for their efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We're ready to go.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): And in Georgia, an indictment watch kicks into full gear. Fulton County's district attorney likely a week or two away from presenting her case to a grand jury and announcing whether Trump will be charged for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in that state. Ramped-up security measures are already in place around the local courthouse and a county judge just rejected efforts by Trump's legal team to toss evidence in that criminal investigation and to disqualify the district attorney. WILLIS: Some people may not be happy with the decisions that I was making. And sometimes people, when they're unhappy, they act in a way that could create harm. The work is accomplished. We've been working for 2.5 years.

SCHNEIDER: And Donald Trump's legal bills are mounting, so much so that sources have told our Kristen Holmes that his team is now creating a legal defense fund to help offset some of the cost. Up to this point, it has been Trump's political action committee, Save America, that has been fronting those costs, already spending more than $40 million just this year to pay the legal fees for Trump and many of his associates.

Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Those associates have remained loyal to Donald Trump even as they face their own legal troubles. Former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham explained why she believes his codefendants in the documents case haven't turned on the former president.

[04:05:04]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think that this is a design that Trump does to people. I think he chooses and selects vulnerable people to surround him, and I'm putting that myself in that group either way. You know, if you think about this new gentleman -- who I've never seen at Mar-a-Lago, and I spent a lot of time there. When you considered him -- the fact that he started as a valet, he worked his way up -- he really owes Trump. This is what he does. He chooses people who have -- they work their way up, and we feel ingratiated toward him and like we owe him.

And then it's really scary, the thought of turning on Trump right now. His lawyer is being paid for right now, and he has a job. You get out into that world without the Trump cushion and it's very scary. And it's not very friendly, I got to tell you. It's not lucrative, and you have to think about, how am I going to support my family? How will I ever pay from these legal bills? And so, you know, I think it's a very basic necessity of survival that somebody like Carlos wouldn't turn on Trump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: That was Trump's former White House press secretary.

Now temperatures -- temperatures in the U.S. continue to break records amid a heat wave that shows little sign of weakening. And millions of Americans remain under heat alerts across central and southern parts of the country. Thousands of heat records have been bested in the last month alone, while more than 120 could be broken this week. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has the latest forecast. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And the heat is back on in places, really in places that that never left. Still, the excessive heat warnings with heat indices later on today, over 115 degrees in some spots. Now the high temperatures are still going to be over 100 in many places. But the Southwest is a little bit cooler than we've been. No 118 or so for you, Phoenix, a high of only 108. And not above 100 in Las Vegas.

That's already been changed, because this big heat dome is coming back. All the way through the end of the week we're going to start to heat things up, especially across the Southwest. It'll be nice across the North, and the East but the heat will begin to build again. With 50 record highs or more still coming through by the end of the weekend in the places down in across the South.

So here we go, Dallas, your air temperature 107. Your normal high should be 97. So yes, it should be hot. But not ten degrees above hot and that's what we're getting here. And we also have to add in that heat and humidity in places are going to feel 114, 115 by the afternoon. And those numbers are always recorded in the shade. So keep that in mind.

Here is the cooldown, at least briefly for Vegas, only 96 on Tuesday today. And then for Palm Springs 106. But don't get used to it. This is all because we are seeing these showers in the afternoon. The clouds pop up, a few showers come through, and temperatures are held down. When we don't get showers like we didn't last week at all, temperatures begin to heat back up again. And that's the case again for Phoenix, even though one day of reprieve by the weekend and back into the 116 range for you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Russian officials are accusing Ukraine of launching a new wave of drone strikes in Moscow. The mayor says several of them were shot down this morning, but one of them crashed into a high-rise tower, the same one that was hit in a previous attack on Sunday. Russia's defense minister had warned earlier that his country would respond by intensifying its own attacks.

Overnight Ukrainian officials reported three drone strikes in the city of Kharkiv. Saying that Russia had targeted densely populated areas. They also accused Moscow of launching two ballistic missiles in the hometown of the Ukrainian president. At least six people were reportedly killed, including a five-year-old girl.

CNN's Clare Sebastian joining us. The intensity of these attacks in Russia is increasing, and we're presuming, aren't we, that it's Ukraine because they're not denying.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're not denying it. In fact, in the last hour or so we've had a tweet, Max. I don't know if we can show it to you, we might be able to. From a prominent Ukraine official, the advisor to the head of Zelenskyy's office. He says: Moscow is rapidly getting used to a full-fledged war, which

in turn will soon finally move to the territory of the authors of war. He says, to collect all their debts.

It's pretty cryptic. We get a lot of these kinds of comments from Ukraine. And recently there have been some instances actually claimed responsibility for certain attacks. In this case they're not. But as you say, we are seeing the frequency increase this morning or overnight. What we got where two drones that Russia says were shut down over the Moscow region to the west. Not far away from where we seen drones before, near Putin's country residents. And then again in Moscow City, this very visible, very glitzy business district. Hitting the same building that was hit in the early hours of Sunday morning.

It's a commercial district. We know there are several sort of slightly obscure government offices in this building. And overall, this is a financial district. But I think the point here is literally and figuratively shattering the facade. Right?

[04:10:00]

Trying to bring home the idea to the Russian people that this is not as they are told, repeatedly, on television and by politicians, you know, a war, you know, that is isolated in Ukraine. And not going to affect them.

FOSTER: And you can compare them to the attacks that the Ukrainians are suffering even in the last 24 hours?

SEBASTIAN: Despite what Russia says. Right? We got comments in the wake, yesterday, a of that major attack on Kryvyi Rih, the president's own hometown. Comments from Sergei Shoigu, trying to reframe this as revenge for what's happening in Russia. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEI SHOIGU, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): Given the current situation, we took additional measures to improve defense against attacks from the air and sea. The intensity of strikes against Ukrainian military facilities, including those used to conduct these terrorist acts, has been increased many times over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Select -- I mean, the attacks that we've seen certainly in the last 24 hours or so in Ukraine, are not military targets. And in Kryvyi Rih it was a school and residential building. Kharkiv, the mayor overnight saying that was attacked in densely populated areas in the city. Kherson was shelled on Monday, four people were killed, 17 injured.

Russia has throughout this conflict tried to frame this as vengeful in some way. But I think overall, this is the general course of Russian aggression. Certainly as Ukraine makes slow progress in the counteroffensive.

FOSTER: OK, Clare Sebastian, thank you.

San Francisco X marked the spot, but not anymore. Crews have dismantled a huge flashing X Elon Musk had installed on top of a building formerly known as Twitter's headquarters to hail the company's new name. On Friday, the city's building inspection department issued the company a violation notice for putting the sign up without a permit after receiving about two dozen complaints. Now X will have to pay fees for the permits that it didn't get.

A 99-year-old trucking company in the U.S. that was once a dominant player in the industry is now shutting down. Yellow Corp halted operations on Sunday and its 30,000 workers are now out of a job. The company had been in a battle with the Teamsters Union, but just a week ago the union canceled a threatened a strike over pension and health insurance concerns. This comes a few years after Yellow Corp received a $700 million loan from the federal government.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, an Idaho woman had been sentenced for the murder of her two children. Here what the victims' loved ones had to say.

Plus, the abduction of an American nurse and her child in Haiti is shedding light on an alarming kidnapping crisis across the island nation this year.

Also ahead, Niger's political crisis is deepening, as neighbors -- neighboring countries warm against military intervention to restore the ousted president.

[04:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: We refer to Niger's political crisis spilling into other parts of West Africa as escalating. The nations of Mali and Burkina Faso say they would consider any military intervention to restore the ousted president of Niger, an act of war against them. It comes after the West African economic bloc threatened just that. And the military leaders who removed the president accused France of plotting to free him by force. France denies it. Meanwhile, Chad's president is trying diplomacy. Hoping to persuade the ousted president and the coup leaders to find some path out of this crisis.

We've also learning that France is preparing to evacuate French and EU citizens from Niger, as well as its embassy staff.

CNN's senior editor for Africa Stephanie Busari is in Lagos, Nigeria for us. Steph, I mean, there's a lot there isn't there. Isn't there? And a lot of people aren't aware of the complicated internal politics, let alone the regional politics and how it then links into France and Russia.

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA: Absolutely, Max. There's some very complicated situation, in a very complicated region. And France is responding swiftly as the rhetoric heats up. And saying that it will be evacuating its staff and citizens. And the embassy releasing a statement in the last few minutes saying

that this is because of the situation in Niamey, the capital, and the violence against our embassy the day before yesterday, the closure of Niger's airspace which leaves our citizens without the possibility of leaving the country by their own means.

Now it looks like France is preparing for what could be potential force, boots on the ground in Niger. Nobody wants that but is the first time that ECOWAS, this regional body, has threatened force or violence for a coup and we've seen a number of coups in this region. We saw Burkina Faso, Mali, in the last few years, and they are neighboring countries to Niger. We saw that, but it's the first time really that the ECOWAS body has threatened or use such tough language. Some political watchers say it's because maybe it's the new leadership, and President Tinubu of Nigeria, the new leader is trying to flex his muscle and show that he won't accept any situation like this in the region.

But it is just escalating, and this region is very complicated as you say. Niger is very strategic, a key ally to the U.S., to France, excel in fighting insurgency that has plagued this region from al-Qaeda, from ISIS, from Boko Haram. So a very, very fragile region bordering many countries such as Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, who have been increasing their anti-French sentiment. Both countries expelled the French military and cut ties, diplomatic ties with France.

So there's a lot of situations happening here. France itself faced protest after the coup with pro coup supporters in Niger, shouting, down with France, outside their embassy. So it's a threat that the French are taking seriously, because their interests have been threatened and they are fearful for their citizens in the Niger -- Max.

[04:20:02]

FOSTER: OK, Steph, thank you for that from Lagos.

Now an Idaho woman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole months after she was convicted of killing two of her children. Lori Vallow Daybell was also accused of conspiring to kill her husband's first wife. Daybell denied killing her 16-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son, but the jury found her guilty in May. Her son's grandfather reacted to the sentence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY WOODCOCK, GRANDFATHER OF TYLEE RYAN AND JOSHUA "J.J." VALLOW: I will take life sentences without the possibility of parole consecutive, that's what we prayed for. It's what we got.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Camila Bernal gives us the details of this tragic case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lori Vallow Daybell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, for killing her two children -- 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and seven-year-old JJ Vallow and for conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, her husband's first wife. The judge in the case saying that murder is the most serious offense, and the most unimaginable type of murder is to have a mother murdering her own children.

Vallow Daybell addressed the court, denying having killed her children and citing religious text and beliefs. And she told the court that Jesus Christ knew that no one was murdered in this case, citing accidental death, suicide and fatal side effects from medications. She also went on to say that she had spoken to Jesus, spoken to her children and her husband's first wife after their death. And said they were happy and extremely busy in heaven.

In explaining in his sentence, now the judge cited Vallow Daybell's mental health issues, but he also said that she showed no remorse, had not apologized and continues to deny her crimes. The judge saying this, you justified all of this by going down as a bizarre religious rabbit hole and clearly, you're still down there.

And before imposing the sentence, the judge also heard a number of emotional victim impact statements. JJ's grandmother broke down in tears and said it was Vallow Daybell's greed and need to be the center of attention that led to these murders.

Tammy Daybell's sister also speaking out and saying that this had a huge impact on her life and her family. Telling Vallow Daybell in her statement that she was not a dark person or a zombie -- and this was all referring to the religious beliefs that the indictment said were used to justify the killings.

Prosecutors said that the couple believed in a system of rating people as light or as dark. And on Monday the judge did acknowledge that Vallow Daybell had been described as a good mother and had no previous criminal record. But again, said that this was an unimaginable crime, adding that he didn't believe that any God and any religion would want to have this happen.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The U.S. is quietly -- cautiously working to secure the release of an American nurse and her child objected in Haiti. According to the U.N., authorities have already registered more than 1,000 kidnappings in Haiti this year. And the country's rampant gang violence only seems to be getting even worse. CNN's Paula Newton reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALIX DORSAINVIL, KIDNAPPED AMERICAN NURSE: Haitians are such a resilient people. PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Alix Dorsainvil in her own words, saying how much her work in Haiti means to her. Now her family and friends are asking for prayers and mercy and the safe return of this nurse from New Hampshire and her child.

They were snatched Thursday from the grounds of the faith-based charity El Roi near the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. Her husband Sandro is El Roi's director.

The statement from the charity reads: Our team at El Roi, Haiti is grateful for the outpouring of prayers, care and support for our colleague. We continue to work with our partners and trusted relationships to secure their safe return.

The U.S. State Department says they're aware of the abductions and doing all it can to assist.

MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We are in regular contact with the Haitian authorities. We'll continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners,

NEWTON (voice-over): Haitian police and government authorities have not responded to CNN inquiries about the kidnappings. But on the same day, Dorsainvil and her child were taken, the U.S. ordered all non- emergency staff to leave Haiti and again warned that all Americans should leave, citing the increase in violence and the risk of kidnapping.

But it was the dire need in Haiti and the hope that gang recruitment could be stopped that Dorsainvil said so compelled her to live and work in Haiti over the last several years.

DORSAINVIL: Lots of people who would just have turned to games or turned to the streets. They're able to get vocational training. People are learning how to read. The community is being transformed where it was once ashes is now beauty is coming up from it.

[04:25:00]

NEWTON (voice-over): Brutal street battles and evermore violent incidents still plagued the streets of Port-au-Prince and beyond. And now with an equally violent vigilante uprising, Wakala in recent weeks, that has seen suspected gang members stoned and burned to death. In fact, the U.N. reported earlier this month that an alarming cycle of violence persists. The U.N. continues to plead for a multinational force to move in and quell the violence. The U.S. Secretary of State saying Saturday, there has been some progress.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We've been very focused on trying to put in place what's necessary for a multinational force including finding a lead nation to take this on.

NEWTON (voice-over): Kenya now says with a U.N. mandate, it is willing to send up to thousand officers to train and assist Haitian police. But an international intervention may not come soon enough for Dorsainvil and her child who at this hour are at the mercy of their captors with their demands unknown.

Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: ISIS is claiming responsibility for Sunday's suicide bombing in Pakistan. The terror group made the claim on Monday, saying the attack was part of its ongoing conflicts against democracy, which it views as hostile to the principles of Islam.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the attack is now climbed up to 56. Police say the attacker detonated explosives at a political rally near the Afghan border.

At least six people were seriously injured after their tourist bus overturned in Spain veering off the road and rolling down a hillside. Authorities say there were 49 people on board, including many children. But most of them sustained minor injuries and were transferred to local hospitals for treatment.

Still to come, House Republicans turn up the heat on Hunter Biden, the latest on their investigation.

Plus, for the first time all 15 Supreme Court judges in Israel were convened for a hearing on a controversial judicial overhaul law passed by the government. We'll head to Tel Aviv for the latest on that.

[04:30:00]