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Ecuadorian Presidential Candidate Assassinated; Six People Killed By Wildfires Ravaging Parts Of Maui; Tropical Storm Khanun Makes Landfall In South Korea; At Least 60 Injured After Explosion At Plant Near Moscow; Red Cross: 41 Dead In Migrant Shipwreck Off Italy; U.S. Welcomes Release of American Nurse, Daughter in Haiti; More Than a Dozen Indictments Expected for Trump in Georgia; Musician Robbie Robertson Dead at 80. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired August 10, 2023 - 00:00   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: Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, a presidential candidate in Ecuador assassinated after a campaign event in the capital.

Plus --

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lahaina is on fire.

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KINKADE: Deadly wind whipped wildfires raging across the Hawaii Island of Maui, we'll to speak to a survivor.

And dozens of arson attacks throughout Russia leaving citizens there on edge, the Kremlin blames Ukraine.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: We begin in Ecuador and the brutal assassination of the presidential candidate. The killing appears to have been caught on video which we are about to show you but we need to warn you, the footage is disturbing.

At least 12 gunshots could be heard on that video, which appears to show the killing of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Officials say he was gunned down at a campaign event in the capital Quito on Wednesday. That happened 10 days ahead of Ecuador's first round presidential vote.

The country's attorney general says security forces later exchanged fire with the suspect and he died in custody. Journalist David Shortell is following the developments from Mexico

City and joins us now live. Thanks for being with us. This was a presidential candidate married with five children and shot and killed as he left that event, 10 days before elections. What can you tell us about that attack?

DAVID SHORTELL, JOURNALIST: Yes, that's right, Linda. Villavicencio gunned down as he was leaving that political rally which was being held at a school in the capital city of Quito. The video that you are watching appearing to capture that moment, recording the sound of at least 12 gunshots as Villavicencio steps into a car outside of the rally surrounded by police officers and onlookers.

At least nine other people are said to be injured in the shooting. The suspected assassin as you mentioned now confirmed to be dead, that according to the country's attorney general's office, who said that he died while in police custody.

Now, motivation for the killing still very much unclear in these early hours. But Ecuador's president appears to indicate in his statement earlier Wednesday that it could be connected to gang activity organized crime within the country. He wrote that organized crime has gone too far. And they will feel the full weight of the law.

Now, Ecuador has seen a surge in violence in recent years as it's really been caught in the crosshairs of a turf war between two rival gangs. The country, the small Andean state located between Peru and Colombia, which are two of the world's largest producers of drugs.

Earlier this week, the country's interior minister telling reporters that amid that climate of violence, seven of the eight presidential candidates were under police protection, including Villavicencio.

Villavicencio was a formal journalist, a former assemblyman who had been known within the country for his outspoken crusade against corruption in government.

In an interview with CNN in Espanol earlier this year, Villavicencio called Ecuador a narco state, and said that he had presented evidence to federal authorities that he claimed linked political leadership within the country to the payroll of narco traffickers.

Linda, in that interview, he also said that if you were elected president, he would work to restore security within the country by boosting the number of police officers and armed forces on the streets, Linda.

KINKADE: All right, David Shortell, stay across all the developments for us. Thanks very much.

Well, the FBI says it's reviewing the shooting that happened Wednesday when its special agents killed a man in Utah, who allegedly made threats against U.S. President Joe Biden.

A law enforcement source tells CNN the agents were trying to arrest the man identified as Craig Robertson and were giving him commands when he pointed a gun at them. He was facing three federal charges related to the alleged threats.

[00:05:04]

Authorities say he also posted threats online against Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic politicians, as well as prosecutors who brought charges against former President Donald Trump.

And the incident happened just hours before President Biden's trip to Utah on Wednesday evening.

Deadly wildfires are tearing through a place many think of as paradise and crews have yet to contain them. The fires raging on the Hawaiian island of Maui have claimed at least six lives so far. And the tourist town and business hub there have been devastated.

This video was shot by a woman, as you can see says she was lucky to escape. Thousands of people forced to evacuate and now in shelters and others had to be rescued from the ocean when they ran to escape the flames.

This view from a boat fleeing Maui shows the danger behind them. With power outages and phone outages, it's pretty tough to get a full understanding of the damage. The footage shows entire blocks decimated by the flames as a thick hazy smoke hovers over Lahaina. Search and rescue operations is still underway and it is believed that at least a few people are missing.

A nearby hurricane is helping to fan those strong winds over the islands even though the storm is turning hundreds of kilometers away.

CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam followed this report.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looks like an area that had been bombed in the war.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice over): Tonight, at least six people confirmed dead in a massive search and rescue operation under way in Maui County as wildfires engulf two Hawaiian islands. New helicopter video showing homes and businesses burned to the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In my 52 years of flying on Maui, I've never seen anything like that.

VAN DAM (voice over): The state now activating military Blackhawk helicopters to fight the fires that are burning across Maui and some brushfires on the big island.

Maui's mayor saying more than 2,000 people are in shelters, all of this as winds associated with Hurricane Dora continue to push across the island and fuel the flames.

LT. GOV. SYLVIA LUKE (D-HI): We never anticipated in this state that a hurricane, which did not make impact on our islands, will cause this type of wildfires, wildfires that wiped out communities, wildfires that wiped out businesses, wildfires that destroyed homes. VAN DAM (voice over): Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, who is acting as the governor as Governor Josh Green travels back to Hawaii, said he's expected to return tonight and he's preparing to request emergency federal assistance from the White House.

LUKE: Governor Green and I have been talking very closely. We just feel so sad and just great sympathy and prayers out to the people of Maui.

VAN DAM (voice over): State officials also enacting an emergency proclamation discouraging tourists from traveling to the popular destination, with late word tonight that American and United Airlines are canceling all flights to Maui's airport.

LUKE: This is not a safe place to be.

VAN DAM (voice over): Tonight, hospitals on the island are overwhelmed with burn patients and people suffering from smoke inhalation. Complicating evacuations, 911, cell and phone services are down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.

VAN DAM (voice over): Right now, emergency response teams are working together to gain control of the flames, the disaster wiping out power to thousands of homes and businesses. And according to Maui County officials, the U.S. Coast Guard has rescued at least 12 people from the waters off Lahaina, saying they jumped into the ocean to escape the smoke and fire conditions. Some Lahaina residents comparing the scene to an apocalypse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People basically running for their lives.

VAN DAM (voice over): Many now saying they're homeless.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our house is gone. Everything that we've ever known is gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone I know in Lahaina, their homes have been burned down.

VAN DAM: Similar to what Southern California residents experience with Santa Ana winds, the winds that moved up and over the topography of Maui actually went through some very basic thermodynamic processes, it actually warmed up. It also dried out and the speed of the winds increased as it moved down the slopes of the mountains of Maui, it is not until Hurricane Dora and this high pressure to its north will continue to move away from the islands will we see these winds completely relax. Back to you.

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KINKADE: Thanks to Derek Van Dam. Judi Riley lives in another part of Hawaii, but he's currently stranded in Maui near the airport. She joins us on the line now.

[00:10:00] Judi, it's just after 6:00 p.m. there. This fire, of course erupted in the middle of the night. It seems like there was no warning, everyone caught unaware. What did you see?

JUDI RILEY, STRANDED IN MAUI KAHULUI, HAWAII: Well, it's more than just one fire. It's multiple fires and that's the problem. Is that it's multiple areas. And you know, Maui, we've been hit to the south of us, you know, Dora is passing through. So we've been hit with these enormous winds that are accelerating, so we're not strangers to brush fires. Maui has brush fires. But the winds that we're experiencing right now are very unusual. So, the brush fires are rapidly traveling across the land.

So, on mountain Haleakala, which is a 10,000 foot dormant volcano, there's several fires right now. And the smoke is traveling across the valley.

And then up and over the other Mountain West Maui is just behind us, which was completely devastated by the fires.

KINKADE: And Judi, I understand about 2,000 people are in emergency shelters right now, are you one of those because you were visiting the island?

RILEY: No, we're staying with friends right now. We just live across the channel in another island called Mannai (PH). But the docks in Lahaina as you know, that's where the ferry departs. The docks are completely taken out. The entire city is gutted. And the boats in the harbor were decimated.

We're not even sure at this point if the ferry -- there's a few of the ferries that run, a few of the boats. And we're not even sure if they're still intact.

KINKADE: And can you give us a sense Judi of the status of the fires right now? Are they still out of control?

RILEY: Yes, they're still burning. They're still out of control. There's over 100 firemen. They're calling for other firefighters to come from the other islands to offer support. The helicopters are now running because they weren't able to douse the fires by the helicopter because the winds were too strong for them to take flight. So now they're -- I think there's four helicopters running now. There's multiple fires spread across a great distance.

KINKADE: And I understand Judi you're pretty close to the airport right now. Is the airport still operating? Are you going to try to get out?

RILEY: At this point right now, we're just hunker down. I'm trying to help as much as we can. I'm involved in the horse community trying to evacuate, you know, we have to prepare for evacuations and get trucks and trailers ready.

So, trees are down and we have to organize for people to come with chainsaws to make sure that the roads are clear in case they have to evacuate the animals.

The Upcountry area is called -- there's a few communities, all together they're called Upcountry, up in the volcano and it's a horse community, a farm community. Lots of livestock. So, people are really rallying to help those people.

KINKADE: Judi, it's great to hear that you are helping the community there. We appreciate your time, please stay safe.

RILEY: Thank you. Thank you for covering and letting people know that it's a dire situation.

KINKADE: Yes, we hope you stay safe. We will check in with you again soon. Thanks, Judi.

Well, tropical storm Khanun has made landfall in South Korea after threatening the region for nearly a week and battering southern Japan twice. Hundreds of flights and ferries were canceled, more than 10,000 people evacuated from the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.

CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers has the latest.

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CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We still have two tropical storms on the map but one has just made landfall 9:20 a.m. local time in South Korea, another landfall for Khanun. Remember where this thing's been over its lifetime, which seems like 10 days.

Now, finally over the South Korean peninsula, and we will see that probably lose significant strength quickly. Well, it wasn't a big storm. It wasn't a typhoon even when it came on land, but it will make some wind, 100 kilometers per hour, will make some waves, maybe even a little bit of storm surge on the east side of South Korea and then over landfall will lose all of its energy because it doesn't have any more warm water to work with.

Still moving north at 24 kph and that's going to continue for the next couple of days. That northern motion is actually a good sign, that quick northern motion is a good thing because then we will see the amounts of rainfall that we could if it was just sitting there like the other ones did over parts of China that picked up about 700 millimeters rain. We're not going to see that with this. This will be probably 250 millimeters at the most in any one spot.

Something else you're seeing behind me right here. The next storm system that may come on land for Japan, that would be Lan. There's Lan right there, you can see it.

[00:15:07]

It's moving to the north a little bit more on the latest computer models than it did yesterday. But the Joint Typhoon Warning Center also talked about that, also talked about it leaning a little bit farther toward the north. Here's your rainfall for Seoul. And there's your rain for Osaka, possibly even for Tokyo. This is the likely track, at least the likeliest tract. Remember this

far out, five days away. This is part of the eye here, part of could be part of the eye way over here to the east, missing Japan altogether. And this has been trending to the right as we call it or turning to the right a little bit more with every progressive time that we run the models, every time that we run through and take a look at all the models and add them up and divide by the number.

So, we'll hope that this thing does make a near miss. But that's always not the normal possibility. You always want to look at the middle of the line. Even though the middle of the cone is the most likely doesn't mean that that's where it's going to be, could be left, could be right and notice that the left side is all the way to Osaka. Five days away. We'll keep watching it. But this thing still could have a mind of its own.

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KINKADE: We're now to Ukraine where at least two people were killed in a Russian attack on a residential area in a city in Zaporizhzhia. Officials there say at least seven others were injured in the missile strike that destroyed a church and retail outlets. Following that attack, the Ukrainian president reiterated his call for more air defenses.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our entire territory needs much more air defense systems than we have now. Step by step, we are turning this much more into concrete capabilities of our Air Force, our anti-aircraft gunners, our mobile firing brigades.

We are also preparing more specifics on modern fighters for our warriors. I have no doubt that F-16s will be in our skies.

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KINKADE: Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister says forces have achieved partial success on the southern front and are pushing forward in the direction of Bakhmut, Melitopol and Berdyansk. The comments come after Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian counter-offensive had been difficult and probably slower than some had hoped.

In Russia, officials have opened an investigation after a powerful explosion rocked an industrial plant in Moscow. At least 60 people have been injured and eight others unaccounted for. The blast blew out windows and sent residents running.

Russian state media reports the blast occurred in a pyrotechnic warehouse on the site. But after recent incidents inside Russia, many residents are on edge.

CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Explosion shook the Russian city, sending a dark mushroom cloud billowing into the skies. Closer to the blast, you can see the windows falling from the buildings above. Even residents shocked at the devastation.

One local records these images of her destroyed sewing business and suggested drone may have been spotted by one of her friends moments before the explosion.

Outside a local reporter spots what appears to be an artillery shell on the ground. Although officially the blast is being cast as an industrial accident at a fireworks factory. Russian officials denying sabotage or that this is a sensitive military plant, making optical equipment like night vision goggles for Russia's war.

This place hasn't been used to produce mechanical optics for ages, says the Moscow governor at the scene. It's only pyrotechnics made here, he insists.

Still have made an upsurge of attacks at home, Russians have good reason to be nervous.

August has been particularly fraught with a spike in small scale drone strikes on Russian cities, including the capital.

There's also been at least two dozen arson attacks on military recruitment centers across the country like this one in the far eastern Republic of Buryatia, home of more casualties in the Ukraine conflict than any other Russian region.

But arrests in nationwide, Russian officials say vulnerable citizens like pensioners are being duped into fire bombings by Ukrainian agents posing as police or creditors calling in loans.

[00:20:13]

I was called by bankers, says this arrested woman and I thought were the FSB, she says.

But a spokesman for one Russian partisan group denies Russians are being coerced, telling CNN that if people weren't angry with the authorities, they wouldn't do anything. The Kremlin he says, wants to hide the true level of discontent.

At the moment, there's no real evidence the latest factory explosion was anything more than the devastating safety breach officials claim. But with the impact of war now increasingly felt at home has left many Russians on edge.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

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KINKADE: And just hours ago, the mayor of Moscow says two attack drones was shot down as they approached the city. He said it happened around 4:00 in the morning local time. This is the second such attack reported by the mayor in the past two days.

Leaders of the West African bloc ECOWAS will meet in the coming hours in Nigeria to discuss the coup in neighboring Niger. They're pushing for diplomatic solution but have threatened military action to restore democracy.

Niger's military leaders met Wednesday with two envoys from Nigeria offering some hope for dialogue. Then they lashed out at France for allegedly violating Niger's airspace and freeing terrorist prisoners to destabilize the country. France denies those claims.

The U.S. is expressing concern about the health and safety of the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. He says he hasn't had electricity for a week and has been forced to eat dry pasta and rice while under health -- while under house arrest.

In text messages shared with CNN, Bazoum also says he has been denied any human contact including with his doctor since Friday.

Well, still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, how four migrants survived after their boat capsized. Everyone else on board was killed. Their remarkable story of survival, that's next.

Plus, the deadly fire rips through a French care home for people with disabilities. The latest on that tragedy.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. The International Rescue Committee is calling for the expansion of safe and regular routes for migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa. The a group spoke after another migrant boat sank near the Italian island of Lampedusa killing 41 people.

The Red Cross says four survivors drifted at sea for days holding on to the remnants of another ship wrecked vessel, as our Ben Wedeman reports, despite such tragedies, the wave of migrants coming to Europe keeps growing.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yet again a boat has gone down in the Mediterranean Sea, taking with it more than 40 lives. According to four survivors interviewed by the Red Cross on the Italian island of Lampedusa, the boat took to the sea from the Tunisian port of Sfax late last week, with 45 people on board but the survivors said that just hours after it left Sfax, it was hit by a huge wave and the boat went down.

The survivors used inflated inner tubes to stay afloat until they found they said an abandoned boat, they drifted for six days until they were rescued by the crew of a merchant ship.

The International Organization for Migration says that so far this year alone, more than 2,000 people have drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean to get to Europe. That brings to nearly 26,000 the number of people who have died in the Mediterranean since 2014.

Now this year has seen a massive surge of refugees and migrants trying to reach Italian shores. As of the first week of August, the total number of people who tried to reach Italy this year so far is nearly 94,000. That's more than twice the number of people who tried to reach Italy in the same period last year.

The European Union has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in countries including Libya and Tunisia to try to help those countries prevent people from taking to the sea and reaching Europe, but clearly the desire to escape war and hopelessness in their home countries is far greater than the fear of drowning in the Mediterranean.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Rome.

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KINKADE: Well, the fire in northeast France has killed 11 people at a home hosting people with disabilities. 17 others managed to escape before firefighters arrived early Wednesday. The building was comprised of two rental homes with two floors, and it appears all those who died were on the top floor. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The French Prime Minister visited the scene and President Emmanuel Macron offered his condolences.

Nearly two weeks after they were abducted in Haiti, an American healthcare worker and her young daughter had been freed by kidnappers. The details just ahead.

Plus, more than a dozen indictments, that's what sources are telling CNN to expect in a case against Donald Trump and his allies in Georgia. That story next on CNN NEWSROOM.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. U.S. officials and an aid organization in Haiti have welcomed the release of an American nurse and her daughter, who were kidnapped near the Haitian capital last month.

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The group, El Roi Haiti, says they were abducted from the organization's campus July 27, but it's still unclear who took them or why.

Alix Dorsainvil, a health worker from New Hampshire, moved to Haiti to offer nursing care for school children. The group asked that no one contact the family while they process and heal from this ordeal.

Joining me now is Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean correspondent for "The Miami Herald." Good to have you with us.

JACQUELINE CHARLES, CARIBBEAN CORRESPONDENT, "THE MIAMI HERALD": Thanks for having me. KINKADE: So, today the American nurse, Alix Dorsainvil, and her

daughter were finally released after being kidnapped at gunpoint 13 days ago. We don't have a lot of details about that release.

But can you give us a sense of the feeling from people you're speaking to in Haiti?

CHARLES: Well, definitely, the organization that she worked for, El Roi Haiti, which is a Christian humanitarian aid organization, they released a statement. And they were very grateful, both to the support that they've received and also to God for ensuring this release.

Of course, as you know. there were protests by some of the people in the community that has been helped by Ms. Dorsainvil and this organization. So they, of course, are happy.

But I have to remind everyone there are still others who remains in captivity, one of which is the former head of the electoral council. He's been held now for more than a month.

KINKADE: Yes, I mean, this -- this is far from a unique situation. These abductions in Haiti are on the rise. We know that 300 women and children have been kidnapped in the first six months of this year. And most typically taken are locals, right?

CHARLES: Well yes. I mean, you know, Haitians every day are targeted, and they have been kidnapped, but we've also seen a number of foreigners. It's still unclear how many of them are American citizens. When we've asked, we don't really get that information.

But there is a local organization on the ground that monitors kidnapping. And again, this remains an underreported epidemic, but we have seen a number of foreigners that have also been held hostage. But, yes, you're correct: most of them are locals, are Haitians.

KINKADE: Jacqueline, the situation in Haiti has been deteriorating for years, especially since the assassination of the president two years ago. Gang violence has soared.

We know that the acting prime minister has called for foreign troops to intervene. This is what one resident had to say about that. Just take a listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I hear about the question of the foreign troops that will come. If they come, they'll be useful to us.

Her kidnapping made us feel afraid to move around. Before that, in the small area, we could stay out until late, 10 or 11 at night. Now we can't because of kidnappings. Even if the hospital might reopen at stores, we'll always be afraid of the area, due to the reported kidnap cases here.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: Just give us a sense of what most people in Haiti want. Do they want foreign intervention?

CHARLES: I think what most people in Haiti agree on, regardless of where they stand on this issue of foreign intervention, is they want to be able to breathe. They want to have a sense of security.

Now, some people think that you can get that with the Haitian police force, which is roughly 3,300 police officers throughout the country, on any given day on public safety duty. And imagine, this is a country with a population of 12 million.

And then, there are other people who acknowledge that the police just cannot do this job on their own, and they need some assistance. And that's where you go to the United States, to U.N. in terms of seeking out a multinational force, a country to lead this.

So this is not going to be a group of foreign police officers, or even military personnel who are going to come in and replace the Haitian national police, but they are going to work hand-in-hand, allow them to continue to hold ground, in areas where they have been able to move in and take control of gang-controlled areas.

Because right now the police are really, really stretched thin. When you think about the fact that in January 29, we had just outside of the capital, we had a police station that was attacked three times. You had over a dozen cops that were killed in the span of just a couple of days.

And, you have a police unit that has been out every single day, chasing after gangs, with no rest at all. And yet, every time they seem to make inroads, we get back to where we're seeing an escalation in the gang violence, an escalation in kidnappings, which last month led to the U.S. embassy basically ordering the evacuation of U.S. citizens and the withdrawal of non-emergency personnel from their embassy.

[00:35:05]

KINKADE: Yes, and I did want to ask you about that, given that the U.S. government has done that, has ordered those non-emergency government personnel to leave, and has issued these travel advisories. Do you expect more people to flee; more aid agencies to potentially not even work in the country?

CHARLES: Well, you know, that is something that we've been seeing, that we've been monitoring over the last couple of years. That as the violence and kidnappings have escalated, a number of aid agencies have quietly pulled out.

You know, Alix Dorsainvil works for a Christian humanitarian group that works in Port-au-Prince. If you recall, there were 16 American missionaries, as well as a Canadian that were also kidnapped.

Locally here in South Florida, where we talk to the Haitians in the diaspora that we go down to Haiti and go to some of these far-reach places in the rural areas to provide health care. They haven't been able to, go because of the reality that, one, they can't move from one region to the other by road. Second of all, there's that fear of basically falling victim to -- either to the violence, or to the kidnapping.

KINKADE: Jacqueline Charles from "The Miami Herald," we appreciate your time. Thanks so much.

CHARLES: Thanks for having me.

KINKADE: Well, Donald Trump's legal troubles are expected to get a whole lot worse next week here in Georgia. Sources say the Fulton County prosecutor will pursue more than a dozen indictments of the former president and his allies.

Now these are state charges, separate from the federal indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. More now from CNN political correspondent Sara Murray.

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SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to seek indictments against more than a dozen individuals when she goes to present her case before a grand jury next week.

Sources are telling me and my colleagues, of course, Fani Willis has been overseeing this sprawling criminal investigation into efforts went on Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump has been pretty clear publicly that he expects to be indicted for a fourth time, and of course, he is at the heart of her investigation.

But there are many other avenues she's looking at, such as a voting systems breach in rural Coffee County, Georgia, as well as the fake elector scheme in Georgia.

And sources are telling us that there are people who participated in those efforts who believe that they could face charges as part of her investigation next week, as well.

Again, we've seen signs that we're getting closer. We've seen the ramp-up. We've seen the security perimeter harden around the Fulton County courthouse.

And we could be just days away from learning who exactly is going to be charged in this roughly two-and-a-half-year investigation into Donald Trump and his associates.

Saraa Murray, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, Beijing is lashing out at new U.S. trade rules announced Wednesday, saying the move seriously deviates from the principles of market economy and fair competition.

But U.S. officials say that regulations are only intended to keep America's most sensitive technology out of the hands of China's military, and not harm existing trade.

Well, months in the making, the rules target U.S. private equity and venture capital firms, as well as joint ventures seeking to do business with China, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced semiconductors.

The rules also require reporting the details of those investments and activities to Washington.

And this follows a similar move last October when the administration clamp down on the export of U.S. semiconductors and chip-making equipment to China.

Robbie Robertson, one of the most influential rock musicians of all- time, has passed away. Now, he left behind a huge volume of work, but will forever be remembered for this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC: "THE WEIGHT" BY THE BAND)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC: "THE WEIGHT" BY THE BAND)

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KINKADE: Well, when the Band released "The Weight" in 1968, no one had ever heard anything quite like it. And almost overnight, it transformed them from Bob Dylan's touring band into one of the most influential rock groups of that era.

And it was announced Wednesday that the band cofounder, Robbie Robertson, who wrote that hit song and many others, died following a long illness. He was 80 years old.

And after the group's heyday in the early 1970s, Robertson went on to record and collaborate with countless other great talents, right up to the present day.

Most notably, he scored more than a dozen films with director Martin Scorsese, including "The Wolf of Wall Street." Their final project, "Killer of the Flower Moons [SIC]" -- "Killer [SIC] of the Flower Moon," is due out later this year.

Scorsese put out a statement, saying, "There's never enough time with anyone you love." Well, the director of Rome's Colosseum is calling for an and to

concerts at the nearby Circus Maximus. A performance Monday by American rapper Travis Scott at the ancient chariot-racing venue prompted hundreds of calls to authorities about a possible earthquake in the Italian capital.

It turns out the 70,000 fans in attendance caused the shaking, as they were jumping up and down when special guest Kanye West was introduced.

Scott was forced to cancel the concert last month at the pyramids of Giza in Egypt over production issues.

Well, that does it for this edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I'll be back with much more news at the top of the hour. Stick around, though. WORLD SPORT is next.

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(WORLD SPORT)