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Trump Campaigns Despite Criminal Charges; More Heat For Southern U.S.; Navalny Receives New Prison Sentence Of 19 Years; Gilgo Beach Investigation; U.S. Pauses Some Aid To Niger After Coup; Third Anniversary Of Beirut Explosion; Simone Biles' Competition Comeback. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired August 05, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

On the trail, former U.S. president Donald Trump is back in campaign mode, even after pleading not guilty to charges twice in the last 24 hours.

And an almost uncontrollable crowd in New York City. What police say led to the surge that resulted in dozens of arrests.

And tens of millions of people in the U.S. once again starting the day under heat alerts. One city is even putting sunscreen on the roads.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: The Republican front-runner Donald Trump takes his election campaign to South Carolina tonight, a state considered a bellwether of future electoral outcomes. And Trump's appearance at a Republican event in Alabama Friday came hours after he pleaded not guilty for the second time in two days.

That was for additional federal charges related to the classified documents case in Florida. Special counsel Jack Smith has asked a federal judge to set strict rules for Trump's legal team when they receive evidence in the 2020 election case.

Smith wants to keep Trump from having copies of key evidence, particularly grand jury testimony, for fear that he'll make those details public. We'll get the latest from CNN's Jessica Schneider in Washington.

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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Things are already moving very quickly in this latest criminal case against the former president. So the special counsel's team, they have to submit their recommendations for a trial start date next week on August 10th.

After that, Trump's legal team will then have seven days to respond. And they've already said they will definitely be pushing back against any rush to trial. So the Speedy Trial Act, it does say that a trial should happen 70 days after a defendant appears in court, so 70 days from Thursday.

But Trump's team really can move to have that date pushed back which is very likely.

Trump's attorney, John Lauro, did tell the judge on Thursday that, in his view, there was just way too much evidence to sift through in this 2020 election case to move fast toward a trial date. And, of course, part of the Trump legal playbook has been delay, delay, delay. So we can expect that to likely continue.

Now as for Trump, he did rail against the prosecution on the tarmac at the D.C. airport after his arraignment, saying that it was all political, part of the Biden administration's plan to thwart his 2024 bid. And he was back on the campaign trail just hours later speaking to Republicans.

And we could see more legal trouble for the former president in the next couple of weeks. That's when we're expecting action from the district attorney in Atlanta, Georgia.

It really could mean more charges against Trump related to his and his allies' attempts to overturn the election results in Georgia. So a lot that the former president is confronting on the legal realm -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, more now on Trump's continued campaigning in the face of these growing legal woes. He struck a defiant tone at a Republican dinner in Alabama on Friday. Take a listen.

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TRUMP: Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxists, communists and fascists indict me I consider it a truly great badge of honor. I'm being indicted for you. Thanks a lot. Thanks a lot. I appreciate that. I appreciate that, Lee Greenwood.

Never forget our enemies want to stop us because we are the ones and the only ones that are able to stop them. They want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom. It's very simple.

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KINKADE: Jessica Schneider also mentioned that a fourth criminal indictment against Trump now seems likely in the state of Georgia. As CNN's Nick Valencia explains, there are signs that formal charges may be imminent.

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

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a half smile and a nod, Fani Willis says she's ready.

The Fulton County district attorney is leading the investigation into the former president and his allies' efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

WILLIS: If someone broke the law in Fulton County, Georgia, a heavy duty to prosecute and that is exactly what I plan to do.

[04:05:00]

VALENCIA (voice-over): While indictments could be handed down this month, it has been more than a year since Willis launched the investigation, convening a rare special purpose grand jury with the power to subpoena.

Although the special purpose grand jury cannot itself issue indictments, it handed over its recommendations in February, after interviewing more than 75 witnesses, including some of the biggest names in Trump's orbit.

Mr. Giuliani, when you met with Georgia lawmakers, did you lie to them?

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: We will not talk about this until it's over. It's a grand jury and grand juries, as I recall, are secret.

VALENCIA: Trump's former attorney, Rudy Giuliani, is among the list of Trump associates who received letters from the D.A. indicating he is a target of the investigation.

In the months after Trump's loss in Georgia, Giuliani met with Georgia lawmakers at the state capitol three times, spreading conspiracy theories and election interference lies.

GEORGE CHIDI, INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST: I thought they were trying to conceal something from me.

VALENCIA: Independent Atlanta-based journalist George Chidi stumbled into the 2020 meeting of fake electors in the Georgia state capital. This week, he received a subpoena to appear before the grand jury as soon as Monday. Once the grand jury hears the case, it will be in their hands to decide whether or not to issue indictments.

Is there merit to this investigation to what you've seen firsthand?

CHIDI: I think there is enough to put things in front of a grand jury. Beyond that, I will let the grand jury figure it out. VALENCIA: It has been months of work for a sprawling investigation that could include racketeering and conspiracy charges. There are several indications it may be nearing the end.

On Friday outside the Fulton County courthouse, a heavier than normal police presence in the shadows of freshly erected police barricades. Starting Monday morning, streets around the courthouse will be closed.

And now with Trump already facing three other indictments, the big question here is will Fulton County be another place where the former president is arrested and charged?

The Fulton County sheriff telling upfront his team is prepared.

SHERIFF PATRICK LABAT, FULTON COUNTY: We understand what courthouse security and it looks like and quite simply, we are ready.

VALENCIA: There are current two grand juries seated in Fulton County, one of them tasked with having to hear the Trump case. Each grand jury consists of 24 jurors plus two alternates; 16 will be needed for quorum and it will take 12 of them to be in agreement for indictments to be handed out -- Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

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KINKADE: Well, a social media influencer faces at least two counts of inciting a riot and unlawful assembly. Police say a giveaway got out of hand, going from 350 people to thousands in just minutes after Kai Cenat said he would be giving away gaming systems and gift cards in New York City. He has more than 15 million followers.

The crowd turned violent, even lighting fireworks and throwing them at police and each other. This led the NYPD to activate a level 4 response, its highest level of disaster response.

The city's police chief says Cenat was removed for safety reasons, adding he had not notified police of his plans nor had he obtained a permit; 65 other people have been arrested. CNN has reached out to Cenat's representatives for comment.

Record breaking heat to hit the South this weekend; 65 million people are under heat alerts with no end in sight. In Phoenix, Arizona, it's been so hot, officials are even putting sunscreen on the roads to help reflect heat and keep the pavement cool.

The city government and researchers at Arizona State University found that it kept roads up to 12 degrees cooler than normal asphalt.

Meantime, heavy rain and severe weather has been hitting the mid- Mississippi-Tennessee River Valley and parts of the Northeast and the northern Plains.

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[04:10:00] KINKADE: Russian defenses reportedly started to show some cracks and pressure from Ukraine's counteroffensive. Still ahead, Ukraine reports progress in the south but more fortifications lie ahead.

Plus, the Kremlin's most vocal critic is handed another prison term. We'll discuss the wider purpose of the sentence and what it could mean for the dissenting voices in Russia.

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KINKADE: Welcome back, Ukraine is threatening more attacks with its sea drones following two back to back strikes on Russian vessels. CNN has obtained a video of an attack on a Russian oil tanker near the strategic Kerch Strait on Friday.

A Ukrainian security source says Kyiv is behind that attack, targeting a ship that reportedly transported fuels for Russian troops. The attack happened hours after a different drone damaged another vessel, a Russian warship.

It was struck at a major port in southwestern Russia, hundreds of kilometers away from the shores controlled by Ukrainians.

And in the day ahead, Ukraine will try to convince more countries to support its plan for ending Russia's brutal war on its soil. An international summit is being held in Saudi Arabia. Russia will not be involved but its ally, China, will attend.

And it is sending its special representative on Eurasian affairs, a move that Kyiv has hailed a breakthrough and an historic victory. For more on all this, Nada Bashir joins us from London.

Good to have you with us, Nada. The Ukrainian peace talks taking place this week in Saudi Arabia; 40 countries said to be there but not Russia.

What are the expectations?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, Saudi has been clear; they hope that this will lay the foundations for a potential peace agreement, a lasting peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. This isn't a final step, far from it.

But this could be, in their view, an opportunity to set the groundwork for future peace talks. This isn't the first time we've seen such attempts. We saw similar talks held in Copenhagen in June and headlines coming from that.

Near around 40 nations sending delegations to these talks, including China, as you mentioned, described by the Ukrainian foreign minister as a breakthrough, though Russia will not be attending.

But of course, for President Zelenskyy, for Ukraine and the Ukrainian delegation, this will be a crucial opportunity to prove that Ukraine support spans far beyond its traditional Western allies and also to seek commitments and to renew commitments from key international players, particularly when it comes to its 10-point peace plan.

And one of the key priorities will be the security of the Black Sea. We've seen the stepping up of attacks over recent days, particularly around port infrastructure. And President Zelenskyy has been very vocal about this and the impact this is having on the global food security crisis. Take a listen.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Ukrainian food exports are a key factor in the stability of food markets. And we work with all our partners, both in the region and in the world in general, to guarantee food security.

The state of millions of people in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world directly depends on how fast the world will be implementing the peace formula.

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BASHIR: Saudi's role in these talks will be -- mark an interesting shift in the international engagement in this conflict. Saudi has not overtly backed either side but has maintained communication with both Ukraine and Russia.

KINKADE: Nada Bashir, we'll speak to you again very soon, thanks very much.

Western countries are condemning Russia. They're handing another prison sentence to its most vocal critic. A court on Friday ordered Alexei Navalny to serve a 19-year term on charges of extremism. That's on top of 11.5 years he's already serving on other charges, which he denies. Navalny says his latest sentence is another attempt to crush dissent.

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KINKADE: Well, Alexander Baunov is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

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KINKADE: Good to have you with us.

ALEXANDER BAUNOV, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE RUSSIA EURASIA CENTER: Hi.

KINKADE: First, Navalny was poisoned by Russian agents. Then he was jailed in 2021 on various offenses. Then this week he got another 19 years, handed down in a makeshift court in a high-security prison.

What's your reaction?

What signal is Putin sending?

BAUNOV: Well, it may seem to the people that there's no news in political repression in Russia. Unfortunately, there is bad news because, before that, the political repressions have been executed in a disguised manner.

Navalny is in jail but he is in jail, accused in embezzlement, basically. If you remember, for instance, (INAUDIBLE) was the main Putin challenger in the early years of the center, in the early Putin terms. It was the same, it was accusation of economic character.

Well, look at the now director Yevgeny Prigozhin. He is jailed for his play for the performance of (INAUDIBLE) openly. Before that, see, five years ago we had the so-called theater director, Yevgenia Berkovich, who was prosecuted, again, with top political background, for political scope but for the embezzlement.

So now Navalny, who has been in jail after his return to Russia for acts of economic crime, now he's openly sentenced for a political crime.

KINKADE: Of course it's not just left-wing critics of Putin being jailed. Recently a right wing critic, Igor Girkin, a Russian military commander in Ukraine, a key player in the annexation of Crimea, who then became a critic of Putin.

He was arrested and sent to a pre-trial detention for allegedly inciting extremism.

What does it say about Putin and his efforts to crush dissent, no matter where it comes from?

BAUNOV: It's another threshold Putin crossed after Prigozhin's mutiny. Putin inherited the Soviet tradition of seeing main enemies, the main danger for his system, the democratic opposition, pro Western democratic opponent.

And he was like a (INAUDIBLE) with his critics, from (INAUDIBLE), from the Right or from the Communist Left.

Now it's not anymore the case. Again, it's in other news and another signal to all sorts of the positions, that no position, even the patriotic one, even the anti-Western one, anti-Ukrainian, more Putinist (ph) than Putin won't be tolerated it if it hinders his power. It challenges his power.

KINKADE: In a CNN Emmy award-winning film, "Navalny," we got a very clear message from Alexei Navalny. He said the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. And he issued advice. He said, don't be inactive.

For people in Russia, against the war in Ukraine, against Putin's crackdown, what can they do? BAUNOV: It's very difficult matter because many Russians have been accused of doing nothing. But the matter of fact is, yes, maybe they tolerated the regime. But it was a different form of the regime, the form that political scientists call (INAUDIBLE) totalitarianism or totalitarianism (INAUDIBLE).

It's changed in one way after (INAUDIBLE) the last February. The so- called smart totalitarianism, when many hoped to dissolve (ph) itself somehow after Putin's (INAUDIBLE), after Putin stepping aside, as happened now in Franco's Spain after (INAUDIBLE) became a real brutal, classical old-school dictatorship.

And whether talking about selective repression of Russia, they are not that selective anymore. No, we are in the stage of moving toward mass repression. We have dozens of thousands of accusations. And, look, and prisons terms.

Why Navalny was sentenced right now, because his previous prison term of eight years was -- seems too short for main Putin's challenger, for main opposition. Look at other political prisoners that had been sentenced after the Russia's invasion in Ukraine.

[04:25:00]

BAUNOV: They got terms in -- of 20 years for high treason, for instance, and in the case of (INAUDIBLE) there are other cases of imprisonment for 15 or 20 years, which is -- they are longer than imprisonment in the late Soviet Union of Brezhnev (ph) time.

And they are closer to the oppressions of Stalin time. So we are much closer to the mass repression in the number of sentences and in the length of terms, of prison terms.

KINKADE: Yes, the crackdown continues. Alexander Baunov, thanks very much for your time.

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KINKADE: Still ahead this hour, six police officers call themselves the goon squad and now they're facing the consequences of the brutal beating they're accused of carrying out on two Black men in Mississippi.

And New York authorities have revealed the identity of another woman whose remains were recovered in the course of the Gilgo Beach murders investigation. We'll have the details when we come back.

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KINKADE: New York authorities have revealed detail about a victim whose remains were found in the same area as the women known as the Gilgo Four. The suspect arrested in three of those murders, Rex Heuermann, is not linked to the woman identified Friday, who went missing more than a quarter of a century ago. Details now from CNN's Jean Casarez.

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JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What this shows is the length of time that it can take to identify someone and also the advent of forensic science.

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CASAREZ: It was in February of 1996 that a female went missing, we know now to be Karen Vergata. She went missing in February. In April, there were extremities, body parts, her legs and her feet that were found there on Fire Island.

And then it wasn't for 15 more years until 2011, that a skull was found in the Gilgo Beach area. Now in 2011, they were able to get DNA out of the extremities from Fire Island and also the skull.

And they were able to discern that it was the same person. The DNA was, you could say, a match. But then it lay dormant and it wasn't until 2022, when the Gilgo Beach investigation and the task force really ramped up, that they were able to do more. Take a listen to the district attorney of Suffolk County.

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RAY TIERNEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: In August of 2022, approximately six months after we formed this Gilgo task force, a DNA profile suitable for genealogical comparison was developed for Karen Vergata.

In September 2022, the FBI was able to -- was able, via a genetic genealogy review, to identify Ms. Vergata presumptively as Fire Island Jane Doe.

Thereafter, in October of 2022, using a buccal swab from a relative of Karen Vergata, we were able to definitively identify her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: The district attorney is not implicating Rex Heuermann at all in this investigation. He says that they will continue to work this case, just like they did the Gilgo Four case.

But it is interesting because what Rex Heuermann is charged with, the modus operandi of those victims, is that they were tied with belts and duct tape; they were wrapped in burlap and they were left on the Gilgo Beach.

Now with Karen Vergata, as several other victims that were found in that Gilgo Beach-Long Island area, they were dismembered and their body parts were found in separate and distinct locations. So the district attorney says this investigation is far from over. They will see where it leads and we will follow it -- Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: An Orange County, California, judge has been arrested in the fatal shooting of his wife. Jeffrey Ferguson was taken into custody Thursday after police found his wife dead at their home with at least one gunshot wound.

He was released on a $1 million bail on Friday. The local district attorney's office says it's reviewing the arrest. No charges filed as of Friday night.

Two more bodies were found Friday in the rubble of a New Jersey home that exploded the day before. The discovery brings the death toll to four. Authorities describe the victims as two adult males and two infant children. All four were in the home when it blew up. A 1-year- old girl and a 16-year-old girl were injured and are still hospitalized.

The child is in a critical condition. The teen is said to be in a stable condition. Local and county authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion.

Well, still to come, Pope Francis is delivering prayers in Portugal. We'll take you there as large crowds gather to see the pontiff.

Plus, the clock is ticking as Niger's military junta faces a deadline from its regional neighbors to reinstate the ousted president. The growing fears of a wider conflict -- next.

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KINKADE: Welcome back, right now, Pope Francis is praying for the sick at a shrine in Portugal. It's part of a gathering of young Catholics known as World Youth Day. Events have been attracting huge crowds of faithful over the past few days. On Friday, some 800,000 people attended a Way of the Cross event in Lisbon to hear the pontiff speak.

Well, the leaders of last week's coup in Niger are digging in their heels as they face a looming deadline from regional neighbors to return to democracy. The junta will retaliate if other West African countries try to intervene.

The regional bloc, ECOWAS, has given the Nigerien military a Sunday deadline to release and reinstate the country's ousted president. The U.S. is pausing certain foreign assistance programs to Niger in the wake of the military takeover.

Secretary of state Antony Blinken announced the decision Friday but says it will not impact life-saving humanitarian food aid. CNN's Stephanie Busari is following the developments and joins us from Nigeria.

Good to have you with us, Stephanie. No major breakthroughs for the discussions with the West African states, which are calling on the restoration of democracy and threatening military action if that doesn't happen. The coup leaders have issued their own threats, too.

So how could this play out?

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR AFRICA EDITOR: So there's a few different ways this could play out, Lynda. The one nobody really wants is military intervention. That is the last resort. But it's very much on the table.

The defense chiefs have spent the last three days in an intense meeting in Niger's capital, preparing what they say is a comprehensive plan for the heads of states of this regional body. There's 15 of them. And they are saying that their preferred option is dialogue and diplomacy and that is ongoing. But all possibilities remain on the table.

And this is the first time, really, that ECOWAS is threatening coup -- military action against the coup. There have been military interventions in peace-keeping missions and the like.

But experts are telling me that they really cannot afford to be seen as a toothless body. They want to take action. And this is the sixth forceful military takeover in the region and they just don't want to sit back and watch and say and allow another one to happen.

So that is why they're talking tough and that is what experts are saying, that they are prepared to go all the way with this -- with this threat. Lynda.

KINKADE: Stephanie, the United States is now pausing certain foreign assistance programs, which typically benefit the government of Niger. Explain further what that means.

BUSARI: So Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Friday that they are pausing this aid to Niger. It didn't specify what it was exactly.

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BUSARI: But he says it's an interim measure and life -- you know, life -- life -- they're going to continue giving assistance to what it calls the most important life-saving humanitarian aid.

And now, of course, Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. So this is going to impact greatly. And it receives some $2 billion a year in international aid, according to the World Bank. So these sanctions from not just the U.S. but also the E.U. and the regional bloc, are going to start biting quite sharply in the country very soon, Lynda.

KINKADE: Stephanie, we will talk again very soon ourselves. Thanks so much for joining us from Lagos. We've got some news just in to CNN. Pakistan's former prime minister

Imran Khan has been arrested on corruption charges. A lower court found him guilty of making false declarations of his assets, which could disqualify him from holding office in the future. Kahn's political party says an appeal has been filed in the supreme court.

CNN's Sophia Saifi joins us with more on this.

This is a major development in the case against the former prime minister because not only has Imran Khan been sentenced to jail, he'll be unable to run in the November national elections without a successful appeal, right?

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Exactly, Lynda, and this has been a long time coming. This trial has been ongoing for close to a year. In October of last year, the election commission of Pakistan had disqualified Imran Khan for not declaring that he had sold state gifts given to him for personal gain.

That's an illegal -- that's an offense in Pakistan to sell state gifts and then not declare them. So he has been accused of misdeclaration of assets. Now a disqualification and an arrest -- again, he's got multiple court cases against him. But this is one of the major ones that had been ongoing for the past couple of months.

And everybody was monitoring this pretty aggressively. He's made multiple appearances in court, in Islamabad, the capital city; he was currently in the city of Lahore, where he's only just been arrested.

And as we know from the previous time that he was arrested on May 9th, there was a lot of chaos in the country. So we're just trying to figure out how -- what the repercussions of these recent developments are going to be here in Pakistan today. Lynda.

KINKADE: Sophia, just give us a sense of the mood in Pakistan right now and what sort of reaction can we expect from Khan's supporters?

SAIFI: Lynda, if we look back to May 9th, when he was initially arrested rather bombastically here in the capital, there were widespread protests across Pakistan. There was a lot of violence. There were a lot of clashes.

And after that, there's been an aggressive crackdown on Imran Khan's supporters, which has been heavily criticized by major rights groups as well. And a lot of party members from Imran Khan's party have jumped ship and joined other parties and left Imran Khan standing alone in many ways.

That has been critical of Khan's own leadership as well. But at the moment, since it's a Saturday, there has been a previous crackdown but we don't know what is going to happen in the city. He's still immensely popular.

And his team has called for a peaceful protest but we're going to have to wait to see how this unfolds. So a lot of anticipation here in Pakistan with these developments. Lynda. KINKADE: Sophia Saifi, good to have you on this breaking news story

with us from Pakistan, thanks very much.

Well, Friday marked three years since a tragic explosion in Beirut killed at least 200 people, injuring thousands of others and leaving apocalyptic scenes all over the Lebanese capital. People took to the streets to mourn the victims of that blast and demand accountability from those responsible. CNN's Tamara Qiblawi reports.

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TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL MIDDLE EAST PRODUCER: The investigation into the Beirut port explosion is frozen. Three years on, the people of Lebanon have no answers, no closure about an explosion that laid waste to large parts of their capital.

For the third year, people are pouring into the streets of Beirut, demanding justice, demanding answers but also demonstrating against the staggering obstruction of justice. In Lebanon, an investigation into the Beirut port blast has prosecuted leading members of Lebanon's political elite.

[04:45:00]

QIBLAWI: Those officials have, in turn, filed several petitions to freeze the investigation. They have largely succeeded. This has angered protesters. It's certainly angered the relatives of the deceased from the Beirut port explosion. But they haven't given up hope.

They have, instead, decided to take their conversation elsewhere. So increasingly we are hearing growing calls for a U.N. fact-finding mission into the Beirut port explosion and, increasingly, the people of Lebanon are calling on the international community to intervene in this regard.

But as it stands, the ruins are incredibly raw; tears continue to flow through the family members of the deceased, who showed up on the streets of Beirut today, and we are none the wiser than we were three years ago. Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: An attorney representing two Black men, who say they were tortured by police in Mississippi, claim the sheriff nurtured this environment. Malik Shabazz told CNN he believes that Rankin County sheriff condoned the actions of the officers over the years. CNN's Ryan Young reports.

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DARREN LAMARCA, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF MISSISSIPPI: They became the criminals they swore to protect us from.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They allegedly call themselves the goon squad, a group of white former law enforcement officers giving themselves that moniker because of their alleged willingness to use excessive force and not report.

Now they pled guilty to federal charges related to an assault that according to a charging document included nearly two hours of torture, physical, racist and sexual abuse of two Black men after a white neighbor complained.

Several Black males had been staying at the property and the neighbor had observed suspicious behavior. The officer who received the complaint directed an investigator to take care of it.

On January 24th, six law enforcement officers entered victims Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins' home without a warrant.

KRISTEN CLARKE, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR CIVIL RIGHTS: Handcuffing the victims behind their back and using racial slurs and derogatory language and yelling at the victims.

Discharging a firearm in order to scare and intimidate the victims. Holding them down and pouring cooking oil, milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup on their faces and into their mouths; forcing them to painfully and involuntarily ingest those liquids.

Striking one of the victims with objects including a metal sword, a piece of wood and a wooden kitchen implement. Kicking one of the victims in the ribs, tasing the victims dozens times with department- issued Tasers and stealing personal belongings from the house.

YOUNG: It ended with Jenkins getting shot in the mouth, the bullet lacerating his tongue, breaking his jaw and exiting out of his neck. For months, there was doubt about the official account of what took place.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety releasing a statement the day after the incident saying only that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations is investigating an officer-involved shooting. But that didn't encapsulate the horror.

In July, I spoke to Parker, Jenkins and Jenkins' mother and toured the home where the crimes occurred.

EDDIE PARKER, VICTIM OF RANKIN COUNTY POLICE ASSAULT: They started beating me here and tasing me and you can see, you know, blood spots and all. My blood spots there.

YOUNG: Jenkins' injuries make it difficult for him to speak.

MICHAEL JENKINS, VICTIM OF RANKIN COUNTY POLICE ASSAULT: It hurts and I'm embarrassed.

YOUNG: Has anyone from the department reached out to you and apologized or ever asked for anything at all?

Franklin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey spoke at a press conference about the incident in late June. BRYAN BAILEY, FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF: I believe in my heart that this department is one of the best in the state and I'm committed to do everything in my power to keep this department on a correct path moving forward.

YOUNG: Yesterday, he issued an apology and said he didn't fully understand the gravity of the crimes until recently. Federal authorities begin their review in February, they along with the state of the Mississippi, were able to secure guilty pleas of all accused.

LAMARCA: Not only did they brazenly commit these acts but firing a shot through one of victim's mouths. They left him lying in a pool of blood. Gathered on the porch of the house to discuss how to cover it up. What indifference. What disregard for life.

YOUNG: A life that will never be the same for either of these two men.

PARKER: It's hard to stay right here, knowing what happened right here. Justice is what it all boils down to. I'm just like them. You know, whether they're in uniform or not.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Thanks to Ryan Young for that report.

We'll take a quick break. We'll be right back.

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KINKADE: Welcome back, the knockout round of the Women's World Cup is underway, as Japan and Norway face off in New Zealand. Norway fell behind in the 15th minute to give Japan the lead 1-0.

But just a few minutes later, Norway leveled the score with a cross and header into the back of Japan's goal, 1-1, which is where we are right now at halftime.

Earlier, powerhouse Spain crushed Switzerland 5-1, securing their place in the quarterfinals for the first time in history. Spain will play either the Netherlands or South Africa in the next round.

The greatest gymnast of her generation, if not of all time, Simone Biles is looking to make a comeback this weekend. The seven-time Olympic medalist is registered to compete in all four events at a competition Saturday. CNN's Carolyn Manno has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMONE BILES, OLYMPIC GYMNAST: I guess I would describe myself as confident.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flying high after five Olympic medals in Rio and an unprecedented ascension to the top of the sport.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm always in awe when I watch her. Sometimes I just think she's unhuman (sic) just because she's just so amazing.

[04:55:00]

MANNO (voice-over): No one could have predicted just how human Simone Biles would be five years later, the superstar gymnast withdrawing from five events at the Tokyo games, prioritizing her mental health over her medal count.

BILES: To bring the topic of mental health, I think it should be talked about a lot more, especially with athletes, because I know some of us are going through the same things and we're always told to push through it.

JORDAN CHILES, AMERICAN GYMNAST: We don't know what's going on in her head, so it was probably the most devastating thing that happened to her.

MANNO (voice-over): Biles says she's been in therapy weekly since stepping away. Now she's ready for a comeback. This weekend marks her first elite competition since 2021. She's aware of how influential she continues to be.

BILES: At the end of the day, we're not just entertainment; we're humans. And there are things going on behind the scenes that we're also trying to juggle with as well on top of sports.

MANNO (voice-over): Biles has recently married and has kept a lower profile leading into this weekend. But she has acknowledged the overwhelming support from fans.

BILES: I think gymnastics has helped shape me and the people around. But I'm really excited about life and what's to come and how I've changed and evolved as person.

MANNO: Biles is planning on competing in four events at this Saturday's Core Hydration Classic, sold out for weeks ever since this news broke of her return. A lot of people also viewing this step back into elite gymnastics as the first step toward the Paris Olympic Games, set to take place next summer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Thanks to Carolyn Manno for that report.

Astronomers are getting a whole new look at one celestial beauty, the Ring Nebula courtesy of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

The nebula can be seen home telescope but the Webb telescope allows scientists to capture details in the celestial wonder they had not seen before. The nebula is about 2,600 light years from Earth and has been observed and studied for many years.

Well, thanks so much for joining us, I'm Lynda Kinkade. I will be back at the top of the hour with much more CNN NEWSROOM.