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CNN International: Trump to Appear in Court in Coming Hours; Thousands Rally in Niger's Capital to Support Coup; Typhoon Khanun Weakens Slightly after Battering Japan; Ukrainians Save Two Soldiers from Rival Armies. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired August 03, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, welcome to CNN "Newsroom", I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, Former U.S. President Donald Trump is just eight hours away from facing a judge in his third indictment in recent months. We're live in Washington.

This Independence Day in Niger and a week after military coup depose the democratically elected President. There's no sign of a solution. And the lottery of life on the Ukrainian front lines will tell you how a drone was used to save lives on the battlefield.

Just hours from now, Donald Trump will appear in the federal courthouse not far from the U.S. capital. The Former U.S. President will be arraigned on criminal charges stemming from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He's facing four counts including Conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Indictment is the result of a month long investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Security has been ramped up in the nation's capital and around the courthouse. Law enforcement is on the lookout for any potential threats. Let's bring in CNN's Alayna Treene, outside the Trump Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Alayna, how do you think this is going to play out? What are we going to see?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Right, well, good morning. I am just near the Former President's Golf Club in Bedminster where he will be departing soon to head to Washington D.C. for his court appearance later today. And I can tell you, Donald Trump's team has a good idea of what will transpire at court.

This is his third arraignment in just a matter of months. And so they have a pretty good idea of what they're walking into. Now, as for Donald Trump's mood, I think you can expect the Former President to be somber in court today. He is very much concerned about these charges and in my conversations with his advisors and his aides.

They tell me that he's frustrated he has to go through this process yet again, but for the timeline for where you can expect to depart this, his club and travel just by here on this road at some point after noon Eastern Time where he'll head to Newark Airport and take his private plane to Washington, D.C.

He will be arraigned beginning around 4 pm. And it'll be a pretty quick court process. They'll be able to process them quickly and go through the necessary steps. And then immediately after that he's going to head back to the airport. He's likely to gaggle with reporters on the tarmac and then he'll fly right back to Bedminster later tonight.

FOSTER: OK, Alayna Treene will be watching closely. Thank you so much. Thousands of people to to the streets of Niger's capital on Thursday, they were there to support the military coup that deposed the countries democratically elected President. The rally was also aimed at protesting against sanctions slapped on Niger by West African countries that want the coup to end.

Many of the crowd chanted anti-French slogans as today's Independence Day in Niger celebrating the country's independence from France in 1960. All of this comes as France says it's wrapped up his efforts to evacuate citizens from Niger, recovering this from both France and the African continent.

Our Jim Bittermann is in Paris first, though, David McKenzie in Johannesburg. Where do we go from here, then David is interesting to see those large crowds out in Niger, and the huge amount of support from what wasn't a democratic move?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't know let's be honest about the levels of support the crowd there is impressive in some way, Max, but it doesn't necessarily represent the broad swath of the nation and whether they support this coup or not. I do want to bring you some new reporting, though, that actually originated from our Paris Bureau.

They managed to get hold of a Former Adviser to the President Bazoum, who is also now a member of his party operating in France. And he said that Bazoum is very determined, very optimistic that is under house arrest with his wife and his son that he is in relatively good condition.

He did describe how the President is able to have these critical phone calls with the outside world, including with regional leaders, and importantly, the French and U.S. authorities that seem to have been in constant contact with him. Now, this coup doesn't necessarily it's not necessarily the end of the story.

You've got significant amount of pressure building from the regional bloc ECOWAS, in particular the President of Niger who plays a critical role in these discussions, I think and potential negotiations that's the newly instated President in Niger who just took the Head of the ECOWAS position.

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And Tinubu will be trying to push the coup leaders through a carrot and stick method you've had an indication that Nigeriens are trying to cut off the power supply in some cases, or threaten further economic sanctions and sanctions against individuals within the coup leadership.

And while those crew members have been in some cases going to Mali and Burkina Faso to try to shore up support from other military leadership, it isn't clear yet whether the moves for them to just consolidate power despite those crowds in the Capital will succeed here is the Coup Leader saying he will resist any pressure from the outside world.

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ABDOURAHMANE TIANI, NIGERIEN COUP LEADER: The National Council for safeguarding the homeland rejects all sanctions and refuses to yield to any threat wherever it may come from. We reject any interference in Niger's internal affairs, and we reject the claim by any party to punish the National Council for safeguarding the homeland and the people of Niger's an example.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: The next few days, the pressure will build I'm sure, Max, but whether the outside world can really put enough pressure on these coup leaders to back down is unclear. I think, going into next week, we'll really get an indication whether they're able to consolidate their pile.

FOSTER: Yes, David McKenzie, thank you. Jim Bittermann, in Paris, so the evacuation has been pretty effective, they got all of the French citizens out in pretty speedy time.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pretty much all 36 hours or so, Max, and those are all the French citizens who wanted to leave. If not all those French citizens in the country, there are still an estimated 600 French citizens who are left in the country.

They got 577 out with their five evacuation flights as well as more than 1000. People all told that included the Europeans have 50 different nationalities that came out. The Coup Leader we just heard from their General Tiani, in fact, said today that there's no reason for the French to leave.

There's no reason for them to evacuate. But it's the kind of crowds that are gathering today that's exactly started this whole ball rolling that was last Sunday, when the French Embassy was attacked, and violently so and the French had reason to believe that there would be further attacks.

And one of the things they wanted to do was get people out before today's Independence Day because they knew that emotions will be running high, Max.

FOSTER: OK, David McKenzie and Jim Bittermann thank you both for joining us. Now a potentially historic case in Israel Supreme Court, three justices are hearing a challenge to a new law that makes it more difficult to declare a Prime Minister unfit for office.

The law passed in March also takes away the possibility of ousting the Prime Minister because of a conflict of interest. Critics claim it was created just for Netayahu's benefit as he faces childhood corruption. Journalists, Elliott Gotkine has the latest now from Jerusalem.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Today's Supreme Court hearing has its roots in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's legal troubles. Netanyahu, of course is on trial for corruption charges he vehemently denies. Now when those legal troubles began, there were petitions to the Supreme Court saying, look, he's unfit to be Prime Minister or to run for office, because of this trial.

The Supreme Court disagreed they said he can be Prime Minister, so long as there's no conflict of interest. Roll on to the creation of this government unveiled its judicial overhaul plans, those controversial plans that have led to mass protests across Israel for more than six months.

As a result of that the Attorney General says, well hang on Netanyahu, you're on trial for corruption. You can't be involved in this judicial overhaul plans, because that represents a conflict of interest. The government then amends the basic law, one of these quasi constitutional laws.

That Israel has to say that actually it will be much harder to remove Netanyahu from office in the event of a conflict of interest that brings us here to the Supreme Court today. The three Supreme Court judges are hearing arguments that Netanyahu shouldn't have passed that law because it was tailored to him.

And it represents an abuse of power. The Attorney General agrees with that assertion as well. And if the Supreme Court decides to strike down this amended basic law, it could indicate that when all 15 Supreme Court judges meet in September, to hear the first of the petitions against the government's judicial overhaul.

This so called reasonableness bill, that it could have fewer concerns about striking down that basic law if it's already struck down the one that is at issue today because it would no longer be unprecedented and that is why today's Supreme Court hearing matters. And it got concern in Jerusalem.

FOSTER: In China the impact from Typhoon Doksuri is putting the country's disaster response system. So the test flooded streets and trapped residents in Northern China's Hebei Province have raised their natural disaster emergency response level.

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Now that the rains have mostly stopped emergency workers are performing rescues. On Wednesday more than 8500 rescue workers were dispatched to Fujian where nearly 134,000 people were affected by extreme weather. Chinese state media say it could take weeks for floodwaters to recede. And Typhoon Khanun has weakened slightly while making its track west through the Pacific after battering Southern Japan. At least two people have died and dozens more injured in Okinawa. High winds lashed out on the island for hours, knocking out power to thousands of homes.

A last check around 160,000 was still in the dark there. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins us with more on the Typhoon's track. So where is it going, Allison?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, that's a very important question, Max, because we're going to start to see a complete 180 shift in that direction here in about the next 48 hours. For now that movement is west northwest at about seven kilometers per hour, sustained winds right around 165 kilometers per hour.

And again, tremendous amount of rainfall, because what we've noticed in the last 48 hours is it's really begun to slow down. And what that means is it has a longer period of time to dump a tremendous amount of rain, a lot of these areas picking up well over 300 millimeters.

In just the last 48 hours, we've noticed this system starting to weaken. And you can really notice that here on the satellite, you start to see that open cloud field right there really indicating the storm is weakening as it sits over the water. Part of that is because it's starting to change directions instead of going west northwest.

Now we're going to start to see it shift the other direction going back to the northeast, it's going to take at least another 24 to 48 hours before it does so. But the general track will bring it back further to the northeast heading back potentially making a second landfall over a different portion of Japan.

As we go through the next five to seven days. The biggest concern in the short term is going to be the rain because until it makes that direction change. It's going to sit there dumping a lot of rain over areas of Southern Japan, especially Taiwan before it finally begins to take a new track off to the north and east.

Winfield will also be a concern because once it does get out over the open water, it is expected to re-strengthen a little bit, probably not up to the category four equivalent that the storm was at one point or maybe even the category three that it was as it neared Okinawa, but still the potential to have that storm strengthen as it begins to make its way up towards Osaka.

As we head into early next week. Rainfall we mentioned really going to be the target concern with this storm. Even as it speeds up, it's got a pretty wide wind field. It's also got a lot of those outer bands really being able to pull in a lot of that moisture, Max, from the Pacific. And that will help feed a lot of that rain into Japan in the coming days.

FOSTER: OK, Allison, thank you so much still to come. Donald Trump back in court, we'll look at the charges and his defense, after the break.

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FOSTER: The federal courthouse where we'll see Donald Trump appear later isn't the first of Capitol Hill. It's where we've seen many trials related to the January 6 insurrection. When Trump arrives in just under eight hours, is expected to plead not guilty to four counts. Then key Conspiracy to defraud the U.S. will be fingerprinted, but will not take mug shots as far as defense.

It's believed his lawyers are preparing to argue that you're simply following his lawyer's advice that his claims of election fraud are protected by free speech and that he truly believed the bogus fraud claims were true. CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us live now from Washington with details. How much information you're getting from the defense team and how they're going to play it?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, they've already been out there publicly talking about what their defenses may be, or at least trying to defend their client in the sphere of public opinion. One of the lawyers for Donald Trump, John Lauro, has made some public appearances on television and essentially saying that the Justice Department here is criminalizing free speech.

And also, trying to sort of shift the point to the defense attorneys that were around Donald Trump after the election, pointing to them saying that Donald Trump was receiving their legal advice and he just wanted to check out the election to make sure that it was sound.

Now the Justice Department allegations, they say that there was much more that Donald Trump actually knew that what he was saying publicly about the election that he had believed he still could win or find votes that were deceitful. It was disinformation and ultimately, that it was fraud.

A fraud Conspiracy, to disenfranchise people from having their votes is trusted to elect the next President. And so there is going to be an ongoing battle of where the lines are drawn between free speech and the Constitution, because Trump's side is very likely to keep raising these issues.

He was getting the advice of lawyers, its constitutional law. It's free speech, and the Justice Department is going to be sticking to the facts. Now let's step back for a second, though. Just to put a point on this. We did do an interview last night on CNN, with Donald Trump's Former Attorney General Bill Barr.

Quite a vocal defender of him during the Presidency, who stepped down right at the end of the Presidency and bar called the behavior that is outlined in the Justice Department indictment of Donald Trump nauseating and to say, essentially saying, look at the facts here, you can read the behavior in that indictment.

It's nauseating, it's despicable. It potentially could be criminal, and that he doesn't see a problem with the legal justification for the Justice Department bringing this case at this time. FOSTER: Obviously, no crowds behind you can see a crowd barrier though. Can you just talk us through the sort of security in place there and what they are concerned about?

POLANTZ: Right, there's obviously the concern for crowds to gather and to become unruly. And also there is a concern to make sure that this building, the judges within it, the people within it, and the Former President himself, are kept safe and protected throughout the day and specifically during that proceeding at 4 pm.

Now we are in a part of Washington, D.C. that is so close to where that final rally at the ellipse on January took. January 6 took place where Trump's crowds of supporters gathered and then marched to the capital over running the building. The capital is just a couple of blocks away.

I can see it from here. And this is a courthouse that has processed many of the criminal defendants tried their cases, sentenced them to jail time in this courthouse to make sure that there is justice happening after that riot on January 6 of 2021. So it's really quite a moment to have Donald Trump himself here as a criminal defendant related to that rally and related to what happened after the election, the beliefs of him and his supporters.

But also right now, this is essentially business as usual. On a Thursday morning in Washington, there's a typical commute going on. There haven't been crowds that have gathered yet. And so there is a lot of security in place, making sure that this is pretty much a fortress behind me as well as a safe scene around in downtown Washington D.C.

FOSTER: What effect is this having on the Presidential campaign doesn't disqualify him presumably from running?

POLANTZ: Well, there are a number of Republican opponents to Donald Trump as well as Democratic politicians out there criticizing him or at least reflecting upon the indictment here and the behavior that is documented in this indictment of Donald Trump. A lot of people now asking, is he fit for office?

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Is this something that should allow him to run for the nomination for the Republican presidency and also serve as President if you were to win there are people including Mike Pence his Former Vice President who have strongly condemned the choices Donald Trump made after the election, saying that he essentially was choosing something for himself rather than choosing the good of the country following the Constitution.

And essentially that he was wrong to pressure Pence to try and overturn the American vote. However, Donald Trump can do what he wants in this situation, the Presidency has a lot of protections around it, and so he can run for President, even if he is charged with a crime, even if he is convicted with a crime, even if he were to be in jail for a crime. And there are a lot of questions about what would happen if he were to be winning the Presidency again, he could potentially pardon himself shut down an investigation at trial a lot remains to be seen. That's a long road ahead.

FOSTER: That's why we're here I will be following up, Katelyn thank you. Still ahead the story of two injured soldiers on the opposite sides of the war both saved by the Ukrainian army.

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FOSTER: Now to a story of two soldiers, one Russian one Ukrainian who were separated from their units after being wounded on the battlefield both were saved by Ukrainian troops. Nick Paton Walsh brings us this report we warn you some of the images are graphic.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is usually only the dead lying here in the craters of Ukraine Southern Front. But sometimes a glint of life shines. This drone spotting and Ukrainian soldier Serhiy separated from his unit wounded in the chest and leg by shelling.

He filmed this as he lay alone bleeding. He feared whatever fight to live he put up would not be enough. He later told CNN from his hospital bed.

SERHIY, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER: I was ready to fight for my life. And I did even lying there under the blazing sun. I realized I was too close to the Russians and you even start to look at your gun in a different way.

WALSH (voice over): But the drone operators had other plans. They attached water, medicine and a note to the drone and sent it back. It found him again and dropped the package. But he didn't know if it was friendly or a Russian bomb.

SERHIY: All the time I was crawling a drone was always hovering above. We didn't realize if it was friend or foe. It was a lottery.

WALSH (voice over): This is the moment he realizes the drone may save him. The water and medicine kept coming, easing the pain that was visible, even from up high. And then he crawled back to safety.

SERHIY: The combat medics who gave me first aid when they found me were very surprised I survived for two days with a pierced lung.

WALSH (voice over): So he's recovering and talks now have a new life with greater value and purpose. They don't want to leave anyone behind said the drone operator.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every life is important to us. I could not live with myself if we just left someone behind in the field

WALSH (voice over): Probably only several miles away salvation was uglier.

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Here is Ukrainian assault by the 15th National Guard on a Russian position. It is ferocious and and eventually forced a dozen Russian troops to pull back artillery that injured the Russian commander badly, and the Russians left him behind, presuming he was dead.

But this video supplied by Ukrainian forces shows, they found him alive and he received medical treatment. We're not naming him for his safety, but he was later awarded a posthumous medal. According to Russian media reports, left behind and declared dead by his comrades.

The Ukrainians who found him say he may have wished he didn't survive. We said, don't try anything, or you'll die, he says. And he asked us to shoot him. And we offered him a chance to do it himself. But he said he could not do that. He's an enemy, and I had no real desire to save him.

But orders are orders, and they have our guys and we can swap prisoners. As a human another says, I was shocked that they had left him behind. But as a soldier, I know my enemy, and I know it's not an uncommon practice for them, the opposite fates, on different side in these wide, ugly expanses of violence. Nick Paton Walsh CNN, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

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FOSTER: Finally Greenpeace activists are sending a message to U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The activists climbed onto the roof of Sunak's private home in Northern England on Thursday. Once there they dropped the house in 200 square meters of black fabric.

They're upset it's Sunak's announcement this week that he'll issue hundreds of new permits for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, as you can see. Thanks for joining me here on CNN "Newsroom", I'm Max Foster in London. "World Sport" with Patrick is up next.

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