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Trump Pleading Not Guilty to Election-Related Charges; Niger Celebrates Independence Day with Mass Protests; More Rain Expected in Japan due to Typhoon Khanun. Two U.S. Navy Sailor Arrested on Espionage Charges; Dutch Runner Has a Different Meaning for His Run to Ukraine's Capital. Germany Booted Out of Women's World Cup. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 04, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade, coming up on CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: This is a very sad day for America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: A historic day in America as Donald Trump pleads not guilty to charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 election. A look at what comes next for the former president. Plus --
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Protesters taking to the streets in Niger, slamming imposed sanctions by West African countries. We're live in the region with a look at the unrest across the nation.
And we'll bring you the inspiring story of one Dutchman running from Amsterdam to Kyiv to raise money to buy ambulances for Ukraine.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: For the third time this year, Donald Trump has been arraigned on felony charges, this time for alleged crimes against democracy itself. Unlike his first two arraignments in New York and Miami, this one was held in a courthouse within view of the crime scene, the U.S. Capitol.
Dozens of members of the violent mob that he allegedly incited have been convicted and sentenced to prison. The proceedings took only 27 minutes. The former president pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that he plotted to overturn the 2020 election. His next hearing is set for August 28th when the judge is expected to set a trial date.
Sources say he left the courthouse in a sour and dejected mood, upset that the judge addressed him as Mr. Trump instead of Mr. President. He spoke briefly with reporters at the airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This is a very sad day for America, and it was also very sad driving through Washington, D.C., and seeing the filth and the decay and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti. This is not the place that I left. It's a very sad thing to see it.
When you look at what's happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America. This is the persecution of the person that's leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot. So if you can't beat him, you persecute him or you prosecute him. We can't let this happen in America. Thank you very much, everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: More now from CNN's senior legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid.
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PAULA REID, CNN SR. LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Former President Trump in federal court Thursday pleading not guilty to those four felony counts that he is facing. And going forward, it appears this could be a rocket docket.
The judge who will oversee this case through a possible trial, giving the government just seven days to tell her when they're going to be ready to take this case before a jury and how long that jury trial could take. Now, defense attorneys are supposed to give her the same information just a week later, so that she can possibly set a trial date at a next hearing, which is in August 28th.
That is a pretty quick turnaround for these kinds of decisions, suggesting that the judge would like to move this along quickly. Now it is unclear at this point if this case really will go to trial before the 2024 election. One of the big outstanding questions that could really impact a possible schedule is if the special counsel intends to add additional charges or additional co-defendants.
We know from our reporting, they will continue to interview witnesses over the next several weeks, suggesting that there could be additional charges which could impact that timeline.
Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Russia claims it for two types of drone strikes launched by Ukraine Friday morning. One of them was apparently caught on video.
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Moscow says that's a sea drone attack on a naval base in southwestern Russia, which it says was repelled by its warships. Social media videos suggest one vessel may have been damaged, and northwest of there, Russian troops say they had success intercepting aerial drones in Crimea.
Well, Ukraine is tempering down on expectations of its counteroffensive, which has slowed down to a crawl, partly because of Russian minefields. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russians are also trying to
push back, but they're getting nowhere.
{03:05:10]
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Front line. The battles are tough. The occupiers are trying with all their might to stop our guys. The assaults are very fierce. But no matter what the enemy does, it is the Ukrainian forces that dominate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well for more now, Nada Bashir joins us from London. Good to have you with us, Nada. So what more can you tell us about that Ukrainian sea drone attack?
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, we are just getting a new video of this now which appears to show this boat being towed away from this naval base despite earlier comments from the Russian Defense Ministry. But of course we are also learning more about other drone attacks across Russian territory. We saw those attacks yesterday. Seven drones reportedly shot down according to the Russian Defense Ministry just southwest of Moscow.
In the early hours of this morning the Russian Defense Ministry says its air defense systems were able to down 10 Ukrainian drones over occupied Crimea causing new casualties and new infrastructural damage according to the defense ministry. But of course, Lynda, over the last few nights we've also seen continued drone attacks across Ukrainian territory as well.
And many of those drone attacks, largely Iranian-made Shahed attack drones, have been repelled by Ukraine's air defense systems, but of course some have impacted infrastructure, have met their targets. Particularly, in the port city of Odessa where those drone attacks have caused damage to port infrastructure and crucially grain storage facilities as well.
We heard from President Zelenskyy yesterday saying that since the beginning of this invasion last year almost 2,000 drone attacks have been targeted towards Ukrainian territory.
KINKADE: And Nada, Ukrainians are calling expectations on the progress with this counteroffensive that they've launched. Just explain further why.
BASHIR: Look when we look at the videos from the front lines, assessments of statements from officials it appears as though no major movement of progress has been made on the front lines over the last few days. We've heard from Ukrainian officials over the last few days.
There have been gradual advances according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry but they say that their focus now is not on deadlines. They are not focused on the timing of this counter-offensive but rather their main priority is focusing on protecting Ukrainian lives and particularly protecting those of the Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines.
And one of the key obstacles that Ukrainian soldiers are now facing across the Ukraine's eastern front lines is the amount of territory across those eastern regions that have been mined by Russia. We've heard from one Ukrainian official saying that between two, there are between two and five mines on average per square meter in some areas of the front lines, which is making it increasingly difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate on the ground.
But at this stage it appears as though that fighting is really concentrated in two key regions, in the Zaporizhzhia region, but we continue to see that devastating artillery fire across that region impacting civilian life day in, day out.
KINKADE: And Nada, if you can just stand by for us, I want to come back to you on this next story.
We have -- we are expected to get a verdict today in the coming hours in the trial of a Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny. He's accused of creating a quote, "extremist community."
On social media Thursday, Navalny said that he expected a long sentence saying, it's going to be a huge term. This is what's called a Stalinist term. They asked for 20 years. So they will give 18 or something around that.
And for more on this, I want to ask you, Nada, exactly what we can expect because Navalny, of course, is the leading Russian opposition leader. He is the most vocal critic of the Kremlin, already in jail for various charges, widely seen as politically motivated. But this latest trial, if you can even call it that, is in a high-security prison. So what can we expect today?
BASHIR: I mean look, Navalny is already serving an 11.5 year sentence in that maximum security prison. In fact, just around two weeks ago he was moved through what's described as a punishment cell for failing to introduce himself correctly according to Russian authorities in court. Now of course, we are expecting to hear that verdict later today. It is expected to be a lengthy sentence and that could add decades to the current term that he is serving.
As you mentioned, he is facing a slew of extremism charges which have been widely accept this politically motivated. As he said there, we heard from Navalny speaking yesterday. He addressed supporters on Twitter, accepting that he anticipates that he could face between 18 to 20 years further in prison, in this maximum security prison.
[03:10:06]
But also he had a message for his supporters. He called for their solidarity, not only with himself, but also with other Russian political prisoners. And he said that the purpose of this prison sentence, the purpose of this punishment, directed towards political dissidents and opposition figures in Russia is not only to intimidate themselves but also to intimidate the Russian population.
Now of course we are expecting to hear the verdicts later today at around 9 a.m. Eastern Time. It will be a closed door hearing and Navalny of course as he has done throughout his political career throughout these charges continues to dismiss the allegations put forward.
KINKADE: All right. Nada Bashir, staying across all angles and various stories today. Good to have you with us from London. Thank you.
We want to get back to our top story this hour, Donald Trump having been arraigned on criminal charges. I want to go to Los Angeles and civil rights attorney, Areva Martin, who joins us now, live. Good to have you with us.
AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Lynda.
KINKADE: So this case accuses Donald Trump, the former president, defrauding the nation that he once led. This has never happened before, right?
MARTIN: This is a historic moment. No former president has ever been charged for felonies like Donald Trump, and not just in one case or two cases. There are now three federal, three criminal indictments that have been filed against Donald Trump, and this one being arguably the most serious, because it does, the indictment lays out a case of Donald Trump engaged in conduct to subvert democracy, to prevent the lawful accounting of votes and to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election, after it was abundantly clear that he had lost that election to Joe Biden.
KINKADE: And today he pleaded not guilty to all four of those criminal charges relating to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The next hearing is August 28 and the judge does want to set a trial date at that point in time. What will impact the timeline?
MARTIN: Well, what we know about this judge, Judge Tanya Chutkan, is she does not suffer fools. And she, I expect, will set a trial that is not favorable to the position that Donald Trump and his team has taken. We know in the Florida case, the criminal case involving Donald Trump related to the mishandling of classified documents, they asked that the trial be set after the 2024 election. Now that judge in that case rejected that request and set the trial for May.
I expect that Donald Trump's team is going to again try to delay the trial in this case beyond the 2024 election. I do not believe, based on everything we've seen from this judge and how she has treated those insurrectionists, that she will allow this trial to go beyond the election next year. In fact, I expect that the prosecution will ask that this case be set on a speedy trial document -- docket, and that this case could be set within the next 90 to 120 days.
KINKADE: Wow. And talk to us, if you will, about the co-conspirators. Could they also be indicted?
MARTIN: You know, that's a good question. Obviously, there were six unnamed co-conspirators. We obviously know who those individuals are at this point. We can identify who they are. In the case of Rudy Giuliani, his lawyer came out and identified him as co-conspirator number one.
The special counsel could clearly still bring charges against those individuals, those six individuals who are identified in the indictment.
It's possible that those individuals are working with the special counsel and they may enter into some kind of plea agreement, may give testimony favorable to the prosecution as it relates to this case. We know they all were intimately involved in this scheme to prevent the lawful transfer of power.
So. My guess is, my suspicion is, that the prosecution wanted a very streamlined case. You have one defendant. It's much easier in terms of scheduling. If this case involved all of those co-conspirators, there would be seven defendants, all of them requesting continuances, different trial dates. So it appears that Jack Smith wanted to keep the case, at this point, very streamlined, but still leave open the possibility of charges for additional individuals.
KINKADE: And Areva, the former vice president Mike Pence has turned over contemporaneous notes, apparently quite a lot of them, that he took during the time of the insurrection, during the 2020 election. How much weight do those carry? What sort of weight do they carry?
[03:15:01]
MARTIN: Significant. Mike Pence is probably going to be, if not the star witness, a very significant witness. Think about what we're going to see in this federal trial. We are going to see a former U.S. president on trial or felonies related to, again, subverting democracy. And then one of the key witnesses being his vice president, someone that was on the ticket with him, someone who was incredibly loyal to him throughout the four years that they were in office.
Mike Pence did not testify, refused to testify before the January 6th committee that was investigating the insurrection. But over the last 24 hours, he has been incredibly vocal about the criminal conduct that Donald Trump was engaged in. He's almost - he seems like he's part of Jack Smith's legal team.
He said that Donald Trump tried to pressure him to overturn the election. He says that he knew from the beginning that what Donald Trump was asking him to do was illegal, that he didn't have the power to reject the electors that were being sent by the various states or to do anything to prevent the counting of votes or to prevent Joe Biden from becoming the next president of the United States. And I don't think we've heard Mike Pence be as forceful and as forthcoming as we have heard in the last 24 hours.
KINKADE: So, Areva, if convicted, what's the chance Donald Trump would be sent to prison?
MARTIN: I think there's a very good chance. The charges that have been brought against him in this Washington court carry up to 55 years in prison. And we know that this is not the only case. There are three indictments that are pending. We know Georgia, the district attorney in Fulton County in Georgia, is expected to announce an indictment between now and September 1st.
And again, you know, just the law of averages, just mathematically, it's unlikely that someone is going to be able to be exonerated in four different cases. And likewise, if there is a conviction, unlikely that someone like Donald Trump would escape all jail time. Now, we know he's running for president essentially to win so that he can pardon himself.
So this whole presidency run is not about serving the American people, but it's about serving his own needs and trying to escape accountability for the actions that he's engaged in. But he wouldn't have any power over these two, the one state case that's pending and the potential other state case. So even if he is elected and tries to pardon himself, although there's no legal precedent for that, Donald Trump still faces significant legal jeopardy. And I think it's a great possibility that he could be facing jail time.
KINKADE: Areva Martin in Los Angeles. Always great to have you on the program. Thanks so much.
MARTIN: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Well, crowds in Niger celebrate their Independence Day with a show of support for the country's military rulers. We'll have the latest in a live report.
Plus a deadly typhoon hammers parts of Asia with devastating rain. Japan could be facing another round of it. We'll have the forecast when we come back.
And a viral video from a Chinese zoo is raising awareness about the dangers facing sun bears. Coming up, how this moment of fame could help the endangered species.
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(VIDEO PLAYING) KINKADE: Thousands came out to show their support for Niger's new military junta, on the country's Independence Day on Thursday. Many in the capital shouting anti-French slogans, while also chanting the name of the general who led the coup last week.
They demonstrated against the growing pressure from other West African countries to return to democracy. And just a short time ago, the ruling junta, announced that it has revoked Niger's various military cooperation pacts with France.
CNN's Stephanie Bussari is following all the latest developments and joins us now from Lagos, Nigeria. Good to have you with us. So we have heard from several West African nations that a threatening military intervention, if there isn't a return to democracy, what's the latest?
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SR. EDITOR, AFRICA: Lynda, the deadline is looming that this regional block, ECOWAS, known here as ECOWAS, has given to the military junta in Niger to reinstate President Bazoum, the democratically elected leader. And that deadline is on Sunday.
And what we're seeing is that there may be some efforts to diplomacy. ECOWAS has sent some delegates to Niger to talk to the general, to the military leaders there to try to avoid this military intervention. But the risk of military intervention is high. ECOWAS has a new leader, a new chair, which is Nigeria's newly elected president, Mohamed Amid, Bola Amid-Tinobu.
And he's keen, inside us, to tell me to show that he is a tough- talking, no-nonsense leader who will not accept this kind of a takeover of power in the region, because don't forget there have been other coups. Neighboring Niger is Burkina Faso, Mali and other countries that have taken over power forcefully.
And so the West African bloc is fragile. They are trying to avoid what they're calling the contagion effect. In Nigeria, Tinobu is facing discontent. So they don't want this to spread across their countries. So there is a very high chance that military intervention that has been promised will go ahead. But there are hopes that the delegation that's been sent to Niger will have some success with diplomacy.
But the risks are high. And what is at risk here? This is a region of the Sahel in West Africa where there was a lot of insurgency. You have insurgency from al-Qaeda, you have the threat from ISIS and Nigeria's homegrown terror group Boko Haram all working in this region. It's very fragile.
And Niger was a key ally with the Western powers, U.S. and France, who had military bases there, to push back many of these insurgencies and was having some success, you know, according to results seen in the past few months and years.
So the region is at a huge risk and don't forget also that Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. So there is a lot of suffering to come for the people of Niger if this military intervention does go ahead. Lynda.
KINKADE: All right, Stephanie Busari, staying across the door from Lagos. Thanks so much.
Well the new report finds more than 20 million people in Sudan are facing acute food insecurity due to the ongoing conflict and the resulting mass displacement. The report from multiple governments, U.N. agencies, NGOs and civil society says that compared to their last analysis in May of 2022, the number of highly food insecure people has nearly doubled to nearly 42 percent of the population. The U.N.'s migration office said on Thursday nearly four million people have been displaced since fighting between the Sudanese military and the rival Rapid Support Forces broke out mid-April.
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The typhoon that knocked out power to parts of southern Japan and killed at least two people on the island of Okinawa has begun to turn back towards the northeast of the country. That sharp turn means it's expected to dump even more rain on Japan.
Meteorologist Chad Myers has the details from the CNN Weather Center.
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CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Typhoon really is the major story here. Not much else going on in the region.
The storm has lost quite a bit of intensity and now though down to only 130. So we've lost the eye, we've lost the rotation, we've lost the breathing of the storm, and we've also lost the very warm water that was here because it's now all just stirred up.
Still though, some spots over 350 millimeters of rainfall. There's the center of the storm here. There's Okinawa back off toward the east and the storm is forecast to turn back off toward the north and toward the northeast over the next several hours and next several days.
The only problem I see here is that there is a swing back up toward Japan at the very end of this forecast from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. It doesn't have a lot of strength here, but still it's beginning to build. I don't like this trend back up to 130 kph as it makes its way into that warmer water.
And anything can go plus or minus 10 or 20 percent from here. And all of a sudden, this could be a fairly major event for parts of Japan. So all the models now beginning to turn it to the left into parts of Southern Japan. We'll have to watch that. Some models are to the left, some models are to the right, but most are doing this.
Still gaining some strength in times, gaining some wind speed, maybe getting the eye back. If that happens, then all of a sudden, this turns into a much bigger story over the next coming days.
We've seen a lot of rainfall with this, and I think we're going to see more. Even if we don't get landfall, we're going to see a couple hundred inches, couple hundred millimeters there of rainfall across parts of southern Japan. And that's going to be the story more so if it does make that turn to the left. So here's your Typhoon 130 kph at this hour. We'll keep watching it for you.
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KINKADE: Thanks so much Chad. Chad Myers there.
Well a sweltering heat wave in South Korea is taking a heavy toll at the World Scout Jamboree. Some 250 people at the site south of Seoul have been taken to the hospital after suffering heat-related symptoms. There are among more than 39,000 people attending the gathering of scouts from across the globe. South Korea's president has ordered an unlimited supply of air-conditioned buses and refrigerator trucks to be sent to the site.
At least 18 people were killed when a bus plunged into a Ravine in western Mexico Thursday. They were on their way to Tijuana when it veered off the road falling about 40 meters. Three children are among the dead. At least 22 other people were injured and the bus driver has been detained. Authorities say he failed to slow the bus as it approached a curve, causing the bus to leave the road.
Just as the Republican primary season heats up next year, it's likely to collide headlong with the many criminal proceedings against Donald Trump. We'll show you how his various court dates could overlap with the crucial state primaries.
Also two U.S. Navy sailors face serious charges of spying. Coming up, the secrets they're accused of selling to China.
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KINKADE: Welcome back to our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
I want to get you up to date on our top story this hour. Former U.S. President Donald Trump back at his New Jersey golf resort after spending Thursday afternoon inside a federal courthouse in Washington.
For the third time this year, he's been arraigned on criminal charges. Trump pleaded not guilty to four counts connected to his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost. The charges include conspiracy and obstruction. The entire court appearance took just 27 minutes. The judge is expected to set a trial date during the next hearing on August 28th. It's not clear if he will attend that hearing.
Well Trump's legal exposure only threatens to get worse in the coming weeks with yet another criminal indictment possible in Georgia. But as these cases work their way through the various courts, it's inevitable that some will collide with next year's Republican primaries.
CNN's Brian Todd explains what we can expect.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All these criminal cases involving former President Trump can be dizzying, so we want to update you on the cases and what lies ahead. There are a total of four criminal cases that the former president has been investigated in, three of them where he's been formally charged and pleaded not guilty.
The January 6th case that he was just arraigned in on Thursday, where he's charged with four counts including obstructing federal proceedings and conspiracy to defraud the government.
Then there's the Mar-a-Lago documents case, where he faces 40 counts related to the allegedly illegal retention of documents at his Florida estate.
There is the New York hush money case brought by the Manhattan D.A. where he faces 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels and to Karen McDougal.
Those are the cases where Donald Trump has already been indicted.
Then there's the Georgia case where an indictment could come soon. That case focuses on Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state of Georgia.
Now let's look at what happens next on the calendar. In just about a week, August 10th, he'll be arraigned on three additional charges brought in the Mar-a-Lago case, although he's not expected to attend that hearing.
Also, likely in August, could be a decision on an indictment in the Georgia case.
Now, as far as when the actual trials in these cases will begin and how they square with the election calendar for next year, well, two of the cases he's been indicted in are scheduled to start in the middle of the primary season.
Super Tuesday is on March 5th, 2024; and there are several other primaries during that month of March.
And the first case to begin, the first criminal case to begin, the Manhattan D.A.'s Hush Money Trial is scheduled to start about three weeks after Super Tuesday on March 25th.
In the Mar-a-Lago documents case, a pre-trial hearing is scheduled for May 14th. The trial itself could begin as early as May 20th. On the election calendar, there are several primaries in the month of May and the Republican Party's nomination deadline is 11 days after the Mar-a- Lago trial is slated to begin. That deadline for the nomination is on May 31st.
But that Mar-a-Lago trial, we need to point out, could easily slide until later in the year. As for the case he has just been indicted in, the January 6th case, the start date could be set during the next hearing in that case, which is on August 28th.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, the indictment against Donald Trump says that he deceived the U.S. public. Despite that, a new CNN poll shows most Republicans still believe him. The poll shows that 69 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe that Joe Biden's 2020 win was not legitimate. That's up from earlier this year.
Overall, 61 percent of Americans say yes, Biden did win fair and square. 38 percent believe he did not. Well, legitimate or not, Mr. Biden has some room for improvement. Our poll shows his approval rating is down to 41 percent. Only Jimmy Carter had a lower approval rating at this point in the presidency.
Ron Brownstein is CNN's senior political analyst and the senior editor for "The Atlantic." He joins us from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Thanks Lynda, thanks for having me.
[03:35:05]
KINKADE: So for the first time in U.S. history, a former president is facing court for interrupting the peaceful transfer of power. And for Donald Trump, this is his third indictment this year, but the most serious so far, right?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, yeah, absolutely. The preliminaries are over. Certainly the classified documents case involves serious accusations as well. But this is really the core question left at the end of the Trump presidency.
Did his actions in trying to overturn the 2020 election and instigating the January 6th riot and insurrection, does that rise to a level of a crime? It may be, as I think many legal commentators have said, the single most momentous set of accusations that have ever been presented in American law and certainly perhaps the most consequential trial ever, given how open Trump has been about, if he has reelected, his intention to use the justice system himself to, quote, "deliver retribution against those he believe is wrong, him and his followers."
KINKADE: And it's being interesting watching the coverage on this from what I saw, the most watched right-wing network in the U.S., Fox News, did not cover this story in their prime time hours on Thursday night. So perhaps it's not surprising that the latest polls show that no matter what charges Trump faces, most Republicans stand by him and believe the lies. We've got a poll here that shows 69 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe that Biden's 2020 win was not legitimate.
BROWNSTEIN: Right, yeah.
KINKADE: And overall 61 percent of Americans believe that Biden won fair and square, but 38 percent believe he did not. What does that tell you, Ron, about the electorate?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, look, I mean, we are extremely polarized at this point. You know, and this is something that's been growing for decades. But I think this entire episode of Trump's, the attempts to bring legal accountability to Trump has really shown the extent to which we are living in two countries that are operating on a very different set of values and really living almost in completely different information spheres.
Now, this is not unique. I think people who study threats to democracy around the world will tell you that quasi-authoritarian leaders who are later brought to account for their actions are often able to generate this kind of response in their core supporters.
Not only that poll that you point out from CNN today, a recent poll from a group called Bright Line Watch, which is a consortium of political scientists studying threats to democracy, found that 60 percent of Republicans in London now call the January 6th riot legitimate protest. The separatist impulse that is now evident in the Republican coalition, the belief that they are the victims of a changing society is really profound. We are seeing that and we are seeing some of the dangers, but not I don't think we've seen the last of the dangers that represents.
KINKADE: Yeah, exactly. It really is. Those -- those polls are just absolutely startling.
The former president is accused right now of defrauding the nation that he once led. Many Republicans are defending the president claiming that he is entitled to say what he wants due to the First Amendment. This is what House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN MCCARTHY, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: You're entitled to raise a question. You're entitled to question whether it was honest or not. That's the uniqueness of the First Amendment. That's the uniqueness of America. But you know what? You shouldn't be prosecuted for your thoughts. And the difference here is, when Hillary Clinton said it, nothing happened to her. When they said it in Georgia's election, nothing happened to them
either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well Ron, this case isn't just about what Mr. Trump said, it's about what he did or the scheme, --
BROWNSTEIN: Well that's the point, right?
KINKADE: -- conspiracy to change the results, right?
BROWNSTEIN: It's astonishingly misleading. First of all, as many legal scholars have pointed out, the First Amendment does not extend to your right to launch into a conspiracy, you know, your right, you know, or to yell fire in a crowded theater in effect. And as you point out, Marco Rubio made a similar argument as Kevin McCarthy. This is not only -- This is not about primarily about what he did. I said, this is about what he did.
The First Amendment does not include your right to organize a conspiracy to pressure the Justice Department to send letters without fact telling states that there is serious fraud in their results or to enlist, you know, co-conspirators in the states to create slates of fake electors. What's really striking to me is that you have many of the people who worked around Trump in the Executive branch even to the point of such a slavish defender as Bill Barr, not to mention the defense secretaries, Mark Esper, James Mattis, General Kelly, the former chief of staff, basically saying, John Bolton, that his actions have rendered him unfit to be president.
[03:40:04]
KINKADE: Our thanks to Ron Brownstein there.
Well, two U.S. Navy sailors have been arrested on espionage charges. Federal authorities say they shared national defense information with Chinese intelligence officers in exchange for money.
CNN's Anna Coren is live for us in Hong Kong. Good to have you with us, Anna. So these are pretty serious charges. One of those sailors accused of sending some information just a couple of days ago. What can you tell us?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are very serious charges, Lynda, and U.S. officials are, you know, condemning China's espionage campaign. One of the sailors involved is 22-year-old Jinchao Wei. He was arrested Wednesday as he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego, one of the largest Navy installations in the Pacific. He was charged with conspiring to send national defense information to China in exchange for thousands of dollars.
Now the other sailor, 26-year-old Wen Hong Zhao. He's a petty officer at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Wynemi, California. Zhao was charged with conspiracy and bribe taking, having been paid $15,000 by the Chinese in exchange for photographs and videos of sensitive U.S. military information. Now let's have a listen to Matt Olson from the Justice Department.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT OLSON, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ASST. ATTY. GENERAL FOR NATIONAL SECURITY: The charges demonstrate the PRC's determination to obtain information that is critical to our national defense by any means, so it could be used to their advantage. The alleged conduct also represents a violation of the solemn obligation of members of our military to defend our country, to safeguard our secrets, and to protect their fellow service members.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Prosecutors say that Wei, who received U.S. citizenship back in May of last year, served as an engineer on the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship. He allegedly entered into a handler asset relationship with a Chinese intelligence officer a few months earlier.
Wei allegedly sent photos and videos of the USS Essex and other U.S. Navy ships to his Chinese officer as well as dozens of technical and mechanical manuals relating to the ship's layout and weapon system. This apparently went on for more than a year.
Now much of the information was stored on restricted access Navy computer systems that Wei was able to access because he had security clearance. As for Zhao, the other sailor, well he was responsible for installing, repairing and servicing electrical equipment on U.S. military installations. He also had security clearance.
He allegedly provided sensitive military information to the Chinese for almost two years, including operational plans for major military exercise in the Indo-Pacific, plus photos of blueprints and diagrams of a U.S. radar system stationed on a military base in Okinawa, Japan.
Now this week's arrests, Lynda, come amid growing concerns by the U.S. military about China's ongoing and brazen campaign to target U.S. officials with access to sensitive military secrets.
The Chinese embassy in the U.S. has refused to comment on the case and we are yet to hear anything from the Chinese government.
KINKADE: All right, we'll wait and see if they do put out another statement. Anna Coren, good to have you with us from Hong Kong, thank you.
Well the viral video is raising awareness about one of Asia's most endangered and intriguing animals. Now scientists hope the added attention will help save the sun bears. CNN's Ivan Watson reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This video put a zoo in China in a bind. When Chinese social media exploded with claims this animal was a human in a costume, the zoo decided to grin and bear it, issuing a statement in the voice of the animal saying, I'm a sun bear, a message echoed by another zoo in the U.K.
(on-camera): Have you seen that video?
SIEW TE WONG, FOUNDER, BORNEAN SUN BEAR CONSERVATION CENTER: Yes, I've seen that video and I am very, very convinced, 100 percent sure that it is a sun bear.
WATSON (voice-over): Siew Te Wong is a biologist and founder of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center.
WONG: This is a male. We got Joel over here.
WATSON: And I think we can confidently say that that's a bear, not a human in a costume.
WONG: Yes, that is a bear.
WATSON (voice-over): This forest enclosure in Malaysian Borneo shelters 44 rescued sun bears.
WONG: They are the smallest bear in the world. They look very similar to people when they stand up. WATSON (voice-over): Sun bears are also an endangered species. Their
tropical forest habitat across Southeast Asia is shrinking.
[03:45:01]
(on-camera): What does the future look like for the sun bear as a species in the wild right now?
WONG: If the forest is not big enough. If hunting and poaching still continue the future is very bleak for the sun bear because they need large forests in order to survive.
WATSON (voice-over): Wong says there's an illegal market for sun bear claws, teeth and organs used for traditional Asian medicine.
Now the Chinese viral video is giving the world's smallest bear a moment in the sun. In recent days, attendance surged 30 percent at the zoo in Hangzhou.
It doesn't look humid at all when you see it in person, this man says. Something to bear in mind the next time you're sent a viral video.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: The Dutchman is literally running towards danger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOAS KRAGTWIJK, LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER: I just thought it's kind of our turn to do something because it's so close by and it's so terrible what is going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Coming up, how this long distance runner is raising money to help Ukrainians. Stay with us for that.
And it's a race to the top of the music charts for one Canadian actor. Still to come this hour, how the summer blockbuster movie "Barbie" is making its mark once again.
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KINKADE: A Dutch man is literally running towards war. He's on a journey across Europe, raising money to help war-torn Ukraine. CNN's Laila Harrak reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Dutch ultra runner Boaz Kragtwijk is running from Amsterdam to Kyiv this summer, crossing about 50 kilometers a day. The reason? To raise money to send ambulances to Ukraine.
KRAGTWIJK: Just hearing the stories and sawing this war evolving on the news just made me think I have to do something.
HARRAK (voice-over): The 28-year-old also wants to demonstrate the proximity of the war to Western Europe. He plans to reach Ukraine by mid-September. The total journey? 2500 kilometers divided into three phases.
KRAGTWIJK: Phase one is to Berlin, 15 days. Then we're going to phase two, deep waters. Berlin to Warsaw. And then we design phase three, road to victory. 1000 km ending on Kyiv. Down here the timeline, 22 July, 50 days, end of September, hope to arrive, hopefully not alone, but with a lot of ambulances.
HARRAK (voice-over): He's accompanied by his manager and a photographer in a caravan where the team eats and sleeps. At the end of the run, the caravan will stay in Ukraine to be used by a medical team.
KRAGTWIJK: It's going to be warm because we're going to drive straight in the summer, so it's going to stink, it's going to be dirty, but we're happy that we have something.
[03:50:04]
HARRAK (voice-over): Although Kragtwijk has visited Ukraine before, he says he has no close personal connection to the country.
KRAGTWIJK: It's more that I felt kind of my, maybe you can call it duty, but I just thought it's kind of our turn to do something because it's so close by and it's so terrible what is going on.
HARRAK (voice-over): After about 500 kilometers, Kragtwijk had raised about a quarter of his 100,000 euro goal on his GoFundMe page. He says that goal would cover the cost of three ambulances.
Laila Harrak, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: For more information on how you can help civilians in Ukraine, you can go to cnn.com/impact.
Still to come, another titan of the Women's World Cup has fallen, and a team making their World Cup debut overcame the odds to advance. The round of 16 is set. We'll have the details next.
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KINKADE: Well Thursday saw the final day of the group stages in the Women's World Cup and what a dramatic day it was with a powerhouse crashing out. A new upstart advancing their Cinderella runs.
CNN's Don Riddell has the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: The Women's World Cup is going to be taking a breather for a couple of days and this tournament has certainly earned it. The drama in the group stage has been incredible. There have been some major upsets and some rather unlikely teams are now living a dream.
Three of the world's top ten sides are on their way home and it's the world number two, the two-time world champions Germany leading the way. That was the moment they knew they were in trouble. An early goal from South Korea's Cho So-hyun put the Germans on the back foot, but they fought back with a header from Alexandra Popp just before half- time.
Now a one-all draw might have been good enough for Germany but in the second half they learned that the score in the other game could knock them out if they didn't win. They tried to score a total of 13 shots on the Korean goal but they just couldn't get another, meaning that their World Cup campaign is over. This is a stunning upset in every World Cup so far they've always made it to at least the quarterfinals, and just last year they played in the final of the European Championships.
Elsewhere in Group H, Morocco against Colombia. In Morocco's first game of the tournament they lost six-nil to Germany but then they beat Korea and then they scored against Colombia. What a calm finish from Anissa Lahmari. Morocco were able to hold that lead until the final whistle.
But they couldn't celebrate until they knew that Germany had failed to win that other game and there was an anxious wait as they all watched on a little phone and then the party started. And their joy was absolutely palpable. Morocco, one of eight teams playing in their first ever World Cup this time. They are the only one of those eight teams still standing. They're also the third African team into the knockout stage of the Women's World Cup. That has never been done before.
Here's a final look at this group. Despite losing their last game, Colombia still finish on top, shading Morocco on goal difference. Germany could only muster four points from their three games and this is the first time that they've ever failed to make it out of their group.
[03:54:57]
The round of 16 then is all set. And it's not just Germany who are noticeably missing. The Olympic champions Canada have also left the scene as have Brazil who featured in every knockout stage since 1995. The knockout round will get underway on Saturday. The first game is going to be Switzerland versus Spain. Back to you for now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Thanks so much, our Don Riddell there.
Well, retired U.S. football legend Tom Brady is now the minority owner of a British football team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BRADY, FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK: So here's the deal. I'm officially coming on board at Birmingham City Football Club. And maybe you're asking, what do you know about English football, Tom? Well, let's just say I got a lot to learn. But I do know a few things about winning, and I think they might translate pretty well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well Birmingham City says Brady becomes the chairman of a new advisory board and part of its leadership team. A seven-time Super Bowl champ, Brady also has a stake in a pickle-born team and a clothing brand. As for Birmingham, it needs the help. They finished 17th in the second-tier of the English football pyramid.
Mattel is looking to stir up interest for a new version of the classic card game, UNO. The toy maker is looking to hire a chief UNO player, responsibilities include playing the new game, UNO QUATRO for four hours a day, four days a week for four weeks. Those interested must be a U.S. resident and at least 18 years old. Job pays $44,000 a week.
And before we go, just as the "Barbie" movie is conquering the box office, the real-life Ken is climbing up the music charts. Take a listen.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
Well, actor Brian Gosling is on the Hot 100 first-timers list with "I'm Just Ken." Gosling's no stranger to music, the Mickey Mouse Club alum showed off his chops back in the acclaimed 2016 musical film "La La Land." The Canadian actor's new hit, "I'm Just Ken," is cruising into the Hot 100 this week at number 87, while the "Barbie" soundtrack is sitting pretty at number 2 on the Billboard 200. And by the way, Warner Brothers Pictures and CNN are both part of the Warner Brothers Discovery Company.
Well that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @lyndakinkade. CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster is up next.
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