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CNN International: Deadline Nears for Response to Protective Order Proposal; Republican Candidates Stump at Iowa Barbecue Event; Ukraine Strikes Bridges Between Crimea and Occupied Areas; 80 Million People Under Heat Alerts Monday; Missing Boater Found Alive Off of Florida Coast; At Least 30 Killed, Dozens Injured after Train Derails in Pakistan; Coup Leaders in Niger Remain Defiant After ECOWAS Ultimatum. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired August 07, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo live from London. Max Foster has the week off. We're trading places. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What president Trump did not do is direct Vice President Pence to do anything. He asked him.
MIKE PENCE, FORM VICE PRESIDENT: The president was talking about us rejecting votes, his lawyers suggested that we return votes to the states. They were asking me to overturn the election.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said, daddy, is this heaven? And I said no, it's Iowa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: November 2024, that is not the end of the a campaign. It's the start line of a national revival.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just shows how cruel these games sometimes can be. The smaller details makes the difference between winning and losing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.
NOBILO: It's Monday, August 7th, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. in Washington, where Donald Trump and his legal team are just hours away from another deadline in the case over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Prosecutors have requested limitations on evidence provided to Trump's team. Specifically, they're asking the former president not to receive any copies of this own sensitive material, fearing that he could use it to threaten witnesses. Here's one of his attorneys speaking with CNN's Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN LAURO, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: One thing that we are going to do is fight this very, very unusual outside of the bounds criminal prosecution of First Amendment rights vigorously in court. My focus is on addressing the issues. One of the issues that the Biden administration will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt is that Donald Trump had corrupt intent, had criminal intent, when he protested the results of the 2020 election. That's core freedom of speech.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: This comes as Trump took to social media over the weekend claiming in a string of posts he won't receive a fair trial in Washington and will likely request a change of venue for the case. He went on to say his team would immediately request a federal judge over the case recuse herself on the, quote, powerful grounds. In addition, Trump's attorney says that they plan to fight the Justice Department's proposal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURO: We will not agree to keeping information that's not sensitive from the press. The press and the American people in a campaign season have a right to know what the evidence is in this case, provided that this evidence is not protected otherwise. So we're going to oppose it as we have but for whatever reason, these lawyers on the prosecution team want to keep that from the press.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Another hot topic centers around the claims that Donald Trump may have told former Vice President Mike Pence to through out key electoral votes but that could come down to semantics. Trump's attorneys said the former president did not tell the vice president to throw out votes. He simply asked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURO: Once again, what President Trump is doing, within the reality and the realm of free speech. He's asking his vice president, what about taking this course of action? Ultimately, his vice president rejected all of the proposals that were made. What President Trump did not do is direct Vice President Pence to do anything, he asked him in an aspirational way. Asking is covered by the First Amendment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Mike Pence says he has no plans to testify in the federal trial, but will comply with the law if called as a witness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENCE: I have no plans to testify. But, look, we'll always comply with the law. But, look, I want to tell you, I don't know what the path of this indictment will be. The president's entitled to his protection of innocence. He's entitled make his defense in court. There actually are profound issues around this, pertaining to the First Amendment, freedom of speech and the rest. I'm confident he and his lawyers will litigate all of those things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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NOBILO: Meantime, over the weekend some of Trump's opponents for the Republican nomination were stumping in Iowa at a barbecue event hosted by a Republican House representative. While touting their own platforms, the candidates did not miss an opportunity to acknowledge the lead Donald Trump holds going into this primary season, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ASA HUTCHINSON, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I just want you to know, I know that this is an uphill battle because there's one candidate in the race that's got like 50 percent of the vote. So, I recognize there's an uphill road.
RON DESANTIS, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will reverse Bidenomics and give the middle class a chance in this country again. We're going to stop Congress from spending this country into oblivion. They caused the inflation with the spending and the borrowing and the debt. We need a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our government believes that we the people can't handle the truth. It is our job as the citizens of this country to speak back and say, we the people, we can handle the truth. We the people, we demand to hear the truth. That is what begins in November of 2024.
NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We gave money to China. How weak do we look? When I'm president, we will no longer give money to countries that hate America. That's a promise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: The U.S. economy is sharply in focus this week with July's Consumer Price Index report due on Thursday. We'll get a better idea of whether or not the economy is holding steady after 11 interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve in its battle against inflation. Experts like those at Bank of America recently revoked its forecast of a recession predicting a soft landing. However, the Fed is still mulling one last rate hike this year. We'll also get a look at the producer price data on Friday. Another key report for prices that measures the change in prices American manufacturers are being paid for goods and services.
And here is where markets are heading today. Things are in positive territory. Meantime, U.S. President joe Biden will travel to Arizona, New Mexico and Utah this week to sell his economic policies ahead of next year's presidential election. CNN's Kevin Liptak has more.
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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Biden is heading West this week, to sell voters on his climate agenda. This is all part of a broader effort by the White House to sell the president's accomplishments and take credit for those accomplishments. Including the Inflation Reduction Act which you'll remember included $370 billion meant to combat climate change.
Now the president will visit Arizona first. And sources tell us that he is considering designates a new national monument around the grand canyon. It's something that native tribes have been lobbying for years. And it would prevent new drilling in the area. So the president really trying to bolster his climate agenda ahead of the 2024 election.
Of course, this is a critical issue for key members of the Democratic coalition, progressives, young voters, people who haven't necessarily been satisfied with the president in this area so far. When it comes to drilling for fossil fuels. When it comes to cutting carbon emissions. The president really hoping to show voters that he is serious about combatting climate change.
And now this is all part of a bigger effort by the Biden administration to take more credit for their economic agenda in the month of August. And you'll see the president, the vice president, members of the cabinet, all out talking about their economic record. And they do believe that they have a good story to tell. Inflation is easing, consumer sentiment is ticking up. And certainly hiring remains strong. But there does remain this disconnect with voters.
In a poll last week by CNN, 75 percent said that they viewed economic conditions as poor. And that is translating into political headwinds for President Biden when it comes to his approval rating. So certainly, the challenge for President Biden as he gears up for reelection is to close that gap and remind voters of all that he has accomplished when it comes to the economy.
Kevin Liptak, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Ukraine's military is now confirming strikes on two key bridges between Crimea and Russian-occupied areas nearby. Ukraine says the two road bridges targeted on Sunday were the main transportation routes for Russia in those areas. Whilst a Russia appointed official in the Kherson region claims the bridges are used for civilian and not military traffic. And that a rupture to a gas pipeline running along one bridge cut off supplies to 20,000 residents.
CNN's Clare Sebastian joins me now in London with the latest. Clare, so Russia obviously trying to imply there that Ukraine isn't striking military targets. What do we know about the strikes on the infrastructure in Crimea. And also this is part of a space of attacks that we've been seeing.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Ukraine has certainly been getting bolder.
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They have been sending a message I think that Crimea is not off limits. We've seen them in these weeks and months, you know, munitions depots. All sorts of things being hit. And so, the Black Sea, now comes in play as well. So look, I think there's messaging that this is that sort of hard military strategy, right?
Crimea, housing, ammunition depots, military races, it's always been a key part of Russia's war strategy here. And I think just looking at the map, it's hard to imagine that what this Russian-backed official in Kherson is saying is true, that these were only civilian bridges. These are critical links between the peninsula itself and those Russian -controlled areas just to the north.
Now the Russian, still a head of Crimea, is saying they're having to divert traffic to this very thin strip of land that actually links the peninsula with mainland Ukraine. So it's clear that there's disruption there. And that Ukraine I think was progressing slower on the front lines and continuing to be slow is really undertaking this concerted effort to ease the pressure by hitting behind enemy lines by disrupting these sort is of logistic hubs.
NOBILO: We've also had a series of reports that the U.S. Navy has encountered more than ten Russian and Chinese vessels off the coast of Alaska. What more do you know about that?
SEBASTIAN: So, the U.S. Navy -- the U.S. military sent Navy destroyers and planes to meet these vessels. Not a small number, as you say, 11 of them according to two state Senators in Alaska. They were apparently staying in international waters, according to a spokesman for the U.S. military, but near the Aleutian Islands which is very close to Alaska.
Now a Chinese Embassy spokesperson for NBC did say did say this was just regular maritime patrols the two countries undertake this type of cooperation. It had nothing to do with the international situation. But clearly, this is being seen by the U.S. as a provocation by Russia and China. Especially given that international situation, given the U.S. support for Ukraine and the support for Taiwan. And that is why this incident sort of happened with this level of tension.
It happened before where there were a couple of ships seen in that area. But were only met by a U.S. Coast Guard vessel. Now Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, saying he welcomes that there was a more robust response this time.
NOBILO: And just another sentence in the height of global tensions that are reaching out and reverberating from the conflict in Ukraine as well. Clare Sebastian, as always, great to talk to you. Some 80 million people in the southern and southwestern U.S. are under
heat alerts today. The entire state of Louisiana is under an excessive heat warning. Forecasters also say that more than 120 million people will start the week with the threat of severe weather. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the details for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Heat alerts stretch almost the entire southern tier of the U.S., going from California all the way over through Florida. When we take a look at the Gulf Coast region specifically, remember, it's not just the temperature itself, but also factoring that humidity. When you combine the two, you get that heat indexer or what we like to call the feels like temperature. So for example, Corpus Christi on Monday looking at a high temperature right around that 97 degree mark. But with the humidity, it's going to feel more like 114. New Orleans, not much better. The high temperature likely just below triple digits but that heat index is going to feel more like 113.
Even states farther to the West, we're looking at incredibly hot temperature. Albuquerque on Saturday topping out at 102 degrees. That is the hottest August date ever for this area. Now some good news for that city specifically. That is temperatures are going to start coming back down, into the 90s for much of the upcoming week. But keep in mind the average this time of year in Albuquerque is 90 degrees. So we're still expecting to be about five to seven degrees above normal. I guess that's better than the 10 to 15 degrees above normal that they've spent much of the summer.
Records also possible for many locations not just today but even into Tuesday. You're looking at about 100 possible records today and tomorrow for some of these areas. And a few locations could break records both days in a row.
Another concern is also going to be some severe thunderstorms. The target point is really New York stretching all the way back into Mississippi with the bull's-eye really going to be for cities like Washington, D.C., Charlotte, even stretching down into Atlanta. The main threats will be damaging winds and potential for large hail, but we can't rule out an isolated tornado. Places like New York and Boston looking at a first round of showers to come in during early morning. But then a secondary round comes through as that final wave stretches late Monday into the evening and some of showers may even linger into Tuesday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Still to come, dozens were killed and many more injured after a train derailed in Pakistan. We'll have the latest on the crash just ahead.
And it's a remarkable story of survival for one boater. His family reported him missing. Still to come this hour, how this young man fought to stay alive.
[04:15:00]
And later, two of the year's hottest movies are setting records at the global box office. How the world between "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" has propelled both of those films to victory.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: A wall of black smoke could be seen rising from a plastics plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico Sunday. The fire is now thankfully under control with no reports of injuries, but people who live near the plant which manufactured and stored plastics were asked to stay indoors while the fire raged. Crews say that they remained on the scene through the night to make sure that the fire is thoroughly extinguished.
A missing man on a solo fishing trip in northeast Florida is safely back on land after being rescued about 12 miles, that's 19 kilometers, off the coast of St. Augustine. 25-year-old Charles Gregory was last seen Thursday night leaving sure in a small boat before he was found alive on Saturday. CNN's Camila Bernal has the details for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a fascinating story of survival. And I spoke to Raymond Gregory, who is the father of the 25- year-old who was lost at sea.
[04:20:00]
His son Charles Gregory went out 4:00 in the morning on Friday, according to his father. He went out fishing, and he says he's always did this and has done it for years. But this time around, according to his father, he didn't realize that the tide was going as fast as it was. And that's when a wave comes and hits the boat. It capsizes and that's when he loses his throw cushion, his cell phone, his life jacket. And the father saying that Charles had to remove the motor of the boat and then just try to hang on to this boat for as long as he could.
He says, of course, he's getting sun burnt, severely getting sun burnt and of course, also sees shark and big fish and gets stung by jellyfish. He says he actually did see other boats and saw airplanes and the helicopters. He took off his shorts and tried to wave them in the air to get people's attention. That did not work.
And out of everything that happened to him, Charles told his father that the worst was the nighttime. Because he says he was so sunburnt, that the wind at night was just making it freezing cold. So he would try to get in the water to warm up, but it was extremely difficult.
Thankfully the Coast Guard rescued him on Saturday morning. His father saying that Charles is, of course, dehydrated that he is weak. That his muscles -- the muscle tissue was breaking down, so he does need some days to recover because of the sunburn and the bites. He says it's very difficult to move. So, he is in bed at the moment, trying to drink Gatorade. Trying to eat. But the father saying he's really not eating a lot. Not speaking a lot and just trying to rest.
The father saying Charles is going to be OK. But the one thing he did tell me was that at the end of the day, the moral of the story is his opinion is never give up.
Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: The husband of a Georgia mother who's been missing for more than two weeks has been charged with her murder. Authorities say that Donell Anderson was arrested and charged after the body of Imani Roberson was recovered on Friday. He appeared in court on Sunday, and faces several charges including felony murder and aggravated assault. Imani Roberson was last seen July 16th in Atlanta while driving home from her mother's house after dinner. Her car was later found after it had set on fire.
In Pakistan, officials have launched a formal investigation into a deadly train derailment. At least 30 people were killed and dozens injured when a passenger train crashed Sunday in southern Sindh province. For more now let's go to CNN's Anna Coren who's with us in Hong Kong. Now Anna, what do you know about his caused the train derailment?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianca, we don't know the cause of the crash is yet. What we do know is that the death toll from Sunday's train derailment in Pakistan is expected to rise, due to the severity of injuries -- that's according to local officials. And you know, looking at the pictures of the mangled wreckage of the aftermath, it's not difficult to understand why. Yesterday the Hazara Express left Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, jut after 8:00 a.m. local time with 950 passengers on board. More than five hours later, just after 1:00 p.m., the train derailed near the town of Nawabshah in Sindh province. That's about 170 miles from Karachi.
Authorities say the train was traveling at a moderate speed, 28 miles an hour, when it ran off the tracks. Ten cars in total derailed. Now this is a remote farming area, so the first people on the scene were local villagers trying to pull survivors from the wreckage. And eyewitnesses speak of people screaming and bodies, you know, strewn on the ground including women and children.
Local media reports it took hours for emergency crews to arrive. And you know, they had to bring in heavy machinery to free passengers who were trapped. The military also assisted. The injured were taken to local hospital where is an emergency was declared to deal with the influx of patients. You know, we saw scenes of body bags lying on the ground next to survivors. Let's have a listen to one of those survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JETHA NAND, INJURED IN TRAIN ACCIDENT (through translator): It was so sudden, and we were seated comfortably until then. We heard the grinding sounds and I gathered that the train had derailed. Then a storm of dust spread. Then a berth fell on my head and blood splashed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Now, Bianca, as I said earlier, the cause of derailment is unknown. But at this point, the railway minister said it could be a technical fault or an act of sabotage.
[04:25:00]
An investigation is underway. Unfortunately, fetal train accidents are frequent in Pakistan in the country's decaying rail network has let funding and attention despite promises from successive governments to upgrade the system -- Bianca.
NOBILO: Anna Coren, thank you so much for monitoring that story for us.
And Niger's coup leaders have announced the closure of the country's airspace ignoring demands from other West African nations to reinstate the president. The defiant junta held a large rally in the capital on Sunday where thousands of people's voiced their support for the coup. It happened as the president of neighboring Nigeria discussed the crisis with the governors of states that border Niger. CNN's Stephanie Busari joins us now from Nigeria. Stephanie, we've heard that Niger has now closed its airspace. What's the significance of that? And how is the regional block likely to respond to this?
STEPHANIE BUSARI CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA: So, Bianca, it's back to the drawing board. The military, the planned military intervention has not happened. The ECOWAS chiefs, the Economic Community of West African States of West Africa, they may want to talk tough and act against what is seen as a coup contagion effect. This is after all the fifth coup that has happened in West Africa in such a short space of time. They want to act tough against that but that military action plan is not popular.
Not least in Nigeria, where the Senate has rejected the President Tinubu's request for military action in Niger. And they're asking to find a more peaceful solution to this. The war -- the military action, is just not a popular move here. Many are fearful that this region which is always so fragile, and it's been hit by so much poverty and extremism from Al Qaeda, from ISIS, from Boca Haram, that this region could be further destabilized. So that the intervention is the very last resort.
And as you say, the northern governors of the states that border Niger see this country, see Nigerians as their brothers. Their long historic and epic ties. Many in Niger speak the same language as people in Nigeria. So they don't want to be seen to go into a war with their brothers. And they've asked the president in this meeting, this crucial meeting held last night, to reconsider any planned military action.
So, this is really the latest. And ECOWAS will be keen to explore all preventive diplomacy actions. But will the chiefs, head of states of ECOWAS, will they want to push forward in order not to lose credibility? That's what the analysts are asking. And so, it's really -- it's really at an impasse at the moment, Bianca. So it remains to be seen what will happen.
NOBILO: Stephanie, we know that you'll be keeping an eye on it for us. Stephanie Busari, live from Lagos, thank you very much.
The Israeli Defense Forces say they thwarted a, quote, terrorist cell in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. They IDF alleges the three Palestinians killed during the operation in the Jenin camp were part of the cell. The Palestinian Ministry of Health has not yet commented on the killings, but Hamas has condemned the incident.
New York City says it needs federal help as it seeks to find shelter for thousands of asylum seekers in the city. We'll have the latest on the migrant crisis in the U.S., coming up next.
Plus, America's reign at the Women's World Cup comes to an abrupt end. How Sweden managed to dethroned the two-time defending champs.
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