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Hawaii Wildfires Death Toll Raised to 53; GOP Candidates Head Off to Iowa; Ukrainian Hotel Attacked by Russian Troops, Children at the Camp were Spared from the Attack; ProPublica Report Reveals Supreme Court Justice's Lavish Gifts; Five American prisoners Released in Iran; Virgin Galactic Launches First Tourists to Travel into Space. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 11, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, ahead on "CNN Newsroom".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH GREEN, HAWAII GOVERNOR: What we saw was likely the largest natural disaster in Hawaii's state history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Deadly wildfires tear through Maui, entire neighborhoods wiped out. I'll bring you the harrowing stories of those who escaped the fast moving flames.
Plus, the big event that has politicians racing to see butter cows and blue-ribbon pigs. I'll bring you a report from Iowa's state fair.
And Russia is keeping up deadly attacks on civilian targets in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. This, as President Biden asks Congress for more assistance for Ukraine. I'll have a live report on the latest.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Tremendous devastation, a sense of deep loss and a scramble to save whatever can still be saved. That's all happening on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where 53 people have been killed by wildfires described as apocalyptic.
The death toll is likely to go even higher as emergency crews sift through countless properties now in ashes. The wildfire is now the second deadliest in the U.S. in a century, and the governor says it's likely the largest natural disaster ever in Hawaiian history. Much of the historic town of Lahaina has been destroyed. Tens of thousands of people, tourists and locals, have been evacuated from the island.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDON WILSON, CANADIAN TOURIST: It looks like a war zone up there. It really looks like somebody came along to bomb the whole town. It's completely devastated. It's burned down to the ground --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: A wildfire that tore through Lahaina is now 80 percent contained. CNN's Derek Van Dam shows us more of the damage and how authorities are responding.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Tonight, fires on the island of Maui continuing to burn as new federal help is now being dispatched amid unprecedented widespread destruction.
Scenes like this becoming more common. Businesses melted. Historical sites gone. Homes reduced to ash and smoke. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Officials say hundreds of families are displaced.
MARK STEFL, LAHAINA RESIDENT, LOST HOME: Everybody in our neighborhood lost everything.
VAN DAM (voice-over): Mark Stefl's home in Lahaina is gone, as is much of the tourist destination and economic hub. Stefl making a harrowing, heartbreaking escape.
STEFL: We ran downstairs, grabbed our dogs and cats and we lost the cat and the dog because of just confusion. And the fire just engulfed our house.
VAN DAM (voice-over): Officials say winds associated with Hurricane Dora helped fuel the fires.
These before and after images near Lahaina Shores Beach Resort are staggering. Same with this stretch of beach where a number of buildings are simply gone.
Today, President Joe Biden approving a disaster declaration for Hawaii, providing federal financial assistance.
And the Pentagon now activating more than 100 National Guardsmen response.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Anyone who's lost a loved one whose home has been damaged or destroyed is going to get help immediately.
VAN DAM (voice-over): Assistance meant to help Maui County residents like La Phena Davis.
LA PHENA DAVIS, MAUI RESIDENT, LOST HOME: Everything that we own, you know, in all my 50 years of life is completely burned to the ground.
VAN DAM (voice-over): Today, residents and tourists alike finding refuge in a Honolulu convention center.
CHRISTINA JOHNSON, EVACUATED HOME: The gas station blew up at like three and since then we've just been trying to outrun a fire.
VAN DAM (voice-over): As firefighters work to contain the deadly blaze, residents look at the monumental task ahead.
DAVIS: It's not just a loss of our home. It's a loss of our entire community, our town that we've known it to be for generations. And it's completely devastating. We're shook to our core.
VAN DAM (voice-over): Derek Van Dam, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Well, my next guest was caught up in the line of fire, but managed to escape. Stephen Potter is on the line from Maui's northern shore.
[03:05:02]
Thanks so much for being here with us. So I understand you were sort of setting up your life there in Hawaii when you were caught up in this fire. Just describe what happened, what you saw.
STEVEN POTTER, EVACUEE, WAIEHU, MAUI (on the phone): Well, we were trying to go through Front Street to make it through the north side island of Kalahuli. But then we, I'm assuming that trees blocked the road and nobody was getting in or out. And it was, you know, a horseshoe of fire, and the winds were pushing us, pushing it towards us, towards the ocean. And the only thing that we could do was jump in the ocean and spend about eight hours there.
And then that's when the car started exploding, and it just became apocalyptic, like he had said. It was just pure tragedy. It was about 60 to 100 people in the water with me and they kept on asking me is this it? And I'm telling them no, no, no, and in the back of my head I was like eh maybe.
BRUNHUBER: Oh my gosh, I mean you describe a horseshoe of fire and cars exploding. Were you injured in any of this?
POTTER (on the phone): Uh, just speckled from when pushing ashes on me. I made it out pretty lucky. But then you would get you know the waves crashing your face into the rocks yeah it was just absolutely crazy we lost a baby, and the evacuation it got separated from its parents and then it was lost in the two or three evacuations that we went through I haven't heard anything about it getting reunited with its family, yeah I mean it was just pure tragedy
BRUNHUBER: Oh my gosh, and you literally thought you were gonna lose your life?
POTTER (on the phone): Yeah, it got that bad because, you know, being educated in smoke inhalation, you know, and the car batteries and gasoline fumes from the interiors, dashes, you know, that's how we could breathe. There for about an hour, you know, when the fires were at their peak, all that black smoke just being pushed down it. And so, yeah, now when you breathe in, it burned, just absolutely burned.
Even with the t-shirt over our heads. It was just absolutely horrible all right arish (ph) were swung ship the next day a lot of us.
BRUNHUBER: And you were one of the lucky ones. I mean unfortunately, you know more than 50 people didn't make it out of the fire.
POTTER (on the phone): Yeah, yeah, and that's that number still going up.
BRUNHUBER: People compare, I mean we're seeing the pictures now just other devastation i mean built back up. I mean, it just looks like a ghost town. How long do you think it will take to get back on its feet?
POTTER (on the phone): It's probably going to take years to rebuild it. I mean, with the cost of housing here and people being at this place, with the housing market being tough to get into a place already, it's going to take a long time. I mean, the cleanup is going to, you know, I'd hate to be down there for sure.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, what happens to you now? I mean you were just about to just sort of set up your life there, set up your family. I mean what happens to your plans?
POTTER (on the phone): Luckily we haven't let go of our house on the mainland so I'll be flying out Saturday to return home with my family.
BRUNHUBER: And in the meantime, you must be thinking of all those people who've just lost everything.
POTTER (on the phone): Everything, yeah. I was with them in evacuation centers and the stories and you know just despair on people's faces. Yeah, you're absolutely right. I made it out very lucky, you know.
BRUNHUBER: We are hearing from the governor that so many Hawaiians are coming together. Are sending in supplies are trying to help each other i mean in these circumstances we often see that the best of humanity what are you what are you seeing?
POTTER (on the phone): Absolutely, when we got to the war memorial, I mean you can walk two feet without somebody asking if you want food or water if you need anything if you're okay and they're (inaudible) absolute thing about down there.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it's just horrific to see again. We're seeing these pictures from the air. I mean, I've been to Lahaina. It's so beautiful and just tragic to think not only of all those who've lost their lives, but everything that's been lost there. Listen, we wish you all the best in getting back up on your feet and everybody in the community there. Stephen Potter, thank you so much for speaking with us.
And we want to say if you would like any information on how you can help those impacted by the Hawaii wildfires, please go to cnn.com/impact or you can text HAWAII to 707070 to donate.
[03:10:10]
Lawyers for Donald Trump are set to make their first appearance before the U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan today. She has scheduled a hearing on the handling of evidence in the case against Trump for plotting to overturn the 2020 election. The special counsel is asking for jury selection in that trial to start in December with the presentation of evidence beginning January 2nd of next year.
Trump's attorneys are expected to push back, given all the former president's other legal entanglements. They include fraud, defamation and hush money cases in New York, plus charges that Trump mishandled classified documents after he left the White House.
Judge Chutkan could also have something to say today about Trump's recent attacks on special counsel Jack Smith. The former president has repeatedly called him deranged. On Thursday, he lashed out at the proposed January trial date, posting on social media, quote, "only an out of touch lunatic would ask for such a date one day into the new year. The trial should only happen, if at all, after the election."
Meanwhile, in Florida, Trump's co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago case, Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira, appeared in court. Nauta pleaded not guilty, but de Oliveira's arraignment was postponed.
And in Michigan, all 16 people charged in the fake electors scheme have now pleaded not guilty. They each face eight felony charges, including multiple counts of forgery.
Donald Trump's legal problem is notwithstanding. Donald Trump will campaign at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, and so will almost everybody else. The fair offers GOP candidates a chance to make a strong impression ahead of the first debate later this month and the caucuses in January. But if any of them hope to catch Trump, they still have a long way to go.
We get more from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The annual Iowa state fair is unfolding with a hearty side of politics as nearly every Republican presidential candidate is descending on the state in the coming days to make their case to Iowans about their presidential hopes.
Now, of course, the Iowa caucuses opened the 2024 Republican nominating contest on January 15th, leaving these candidates less than six months to make their case.
Now, there is no doubt that Donald Trump is the front runner in this campaign. He will be here at the state fair on Saturday but several others are as well.
But his former vice president, Mike Pence, was visiting the fair on Thursday, was asked a very pointed questions about his actions on January 6th. He defended them like this.
MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There's almost no idea more on American, than the notion that any one person could pick the American president. I mean, the American presidency belongs to the American people and the American people alone. People deserve to know that on that day. The former president asked me to choose him over my oath to the constitution. I chose the constitution and I always will.
ZELENY: And from that crowd at least, he received applause. Of course, this is still an uphill challenge for the former vice president to make his way through this very crowded primary with so many other candidates. Now, of course, the Iowa caucuses are less than six months away, but before that, critically, is the first Republican presidential debate that takes place in less than two weeks in Milwaukee.
Now four candidates have already signed the loyalty pledge that requires them to sign to support the nominee to get on stage. Former President Donald Trump has not said if he will compete in the debate or not. But clearly the Republican campaign is heating up as many of these other candidates are trying to catch the frontrunner as they define themselves and introduce themselves to Iowa voters.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Des Moines.
BRUNHUBER: So what would a Republican debate look like without Donald Trump? I ask CNN Senior Political analyst Ron Brownstein. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I would be, I think most people would be surprised to see him there at this first debate and maybe even at the second debate that Fox is again hosting Fox Business at the Reagan Library in September. But I do think that once the debates move to the early caucus and primary states, the calculation will be different.
People might remember that back in, right before the 2016 caucus in Iowa, he skipped a Fox debate in Iowa and held a counter programming event. He said he was raising money for veterans that never seemed to pan out.
But he ended up losing a caucus somewhat surprisingly, I think he will feel more pressure to participate in the debates in those early states for which absence could be seen as a slight not only to the sponsors but to the voters. But on these early debates, I think he's going to make his, I think, most people believe he's going to make his point and, you know, keep his marbles and go home as Ron DeSantis said.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:14:51]
BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian officials call it a miracle which saved children's lives during a Russian missile strike. It still had a stroke of good luck that made the children leave the site of the attack just in time.
Plus Russian media coverage versus the reality on the ground in Ukraine.
And later in the show, the U.S. strikes a deal with Iran, a group of Americans released from one of the country's most notorious prisons. What Iran is getting in exchange. We'll look at that coming up. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: A U.N. humanitarian official says she's appalled by a Russian strike on a hotel frequently used by the organization and various NGOs in Ukraine. The missile attack happened on Thursday in the city of Zaporizhzhya. Ukraine says one person was killed and 16 others were wounded. The building also serves as a children's day camp, which closed for the day just an hour before the strike. Ukrainian officials call the timing a miracle that likely saved many children's lives.
Meanwhile, the front lines are largely holding, despite reports of heavy fighting amid Ukraine's counteroffensive in the south. Ukrainian officials say Moscow is now rushing reinforcements from Crimea while pulling back a lot of damaged military equipment.
[03:20:06]
And in Washington, President Biden is asking Congress for another $24 billion in aid for Ukraine and other international needs. But he'll be up against some Republicans who are skeptical of providing more help.
For more on all this, Salma Abdelaziz joins us from London. So Salma, what more are we learning about that horrific hotel attack?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let me just start, Kim, with some breaking news that we've only received just in the last few minutes. This is coming from Kyiv city local officials that say that hypersonic missiles have been fired. These are Kinzel missiles that have been fired towards the capital. They say that their air defense systems are working, but they're calling on all families to take shelter.
So a great deal of terror and fear in the capital this morning, but straight to those front lines, Kim, of course where Ukrainian officials say that Russian troops are making an attempt to pull them, to distract them from that southern front, which of course has been key for Kyiv's fight in this counter-offensive towards the north, towards Kharkiv.
In fact, so intense has the Russian assault been towards the Kharkiv region that one city, Kopiansk, has had to order mandatory evacuations for all residents. Officials there saying that the city has been saying that the city has been struck by air assaults, dozens of times a day.
Kyiv's troops saying that Russia has sent in troop reinforcements, airborne division reinforcements, trying again to pull Ukraine's focus towards the north. And that's really what we're seeing throughout this conflict, of course, Kim. It yet again presents that issue of these very long front lines, hundreds of miles of active fighting where Ukrainian forces are stretched very thin and consistently trying to react to Russian air superiority, which has continued, of course, to hold Ukraine back in certain areas.
And that means there's very few gains that we've seen in recent months since the launch of this counteroffensive. While at the same time with very few successes in hand again, President Biden going to Congress asking for more help, more support, $24 billion in additional aid that includes humanitarian assistance and security assistance. He's absolutely set for a showdown in Congress this fall, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and were seeing not only just resistance from Republican politicians but from more Americans at-large. I just want to show you a poll here recently CNN found 55 percent of Americans say Congress shouldn't authorize more funding for Ukraine so we're seeing U.S. support for Ukraine slowly fading which in the context of Ukraine's offensive which you were just talking about adds some political pressure on top of the obvious you know military and strategic drivers here.
ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely. I mean, Kyiv's fight, Kyiv's needs on the front lines are absolutely linked to the U.S. election next year. Mentioning that poll again, just to give you a point of comparison, last February when a similar poll was conducted, 62 of Americans, 62 percent of Americans rather, said they believe that the United States should do more to help Ukraine.
So a huge shift there over the course of the last year and a half or so, and that's being reflected, of course, in Congress where there is skepticism, rather, among the Republican Party. That's not to say that all Republicans are against additional funding to Ukraine.
In fact, some, of course, have continued to call for additional assistance, saying it's absolutely imperative for the safety and security and future of NATO to counter Russian aggression on the ground. Joe Biden, of course, President Biden, of course, already trying to sell this new aid package.
A White House spokesperson saying, look, just think of the cost of this. We are fighting, providing help for the fight for Ukraine at the same time. This gives NATO what it needs on the ground against Russian aggression. It's all really going to play out this fall, but it's going to be a tough battle, especially, again, Kim, with few successes in hand so far.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely right. All right, Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much.
So as Ukraine tries to make a breakthrough in its counteroffensive, Russian state media are making their own push on the airwaves. Their take on the Ukrainian offensive is that it's already dead in the water. Matthew Chance reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how the Russians say they're taking advantage of Ukraine's flagging counteroffensive.
Latest defense ministry pictures showing Russian forces advancing on land and in the air. We can't independently verify Russian claims but officials here insist they're now making daily military gains on the battlefield.
[03:25:01]
IGOR KONASHENKOV, SPOKESPERSON, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY (through translator): During the day, seven counter attacks from armed forces of Ukraine were successfully repelled in Kharkiv region.
CHANCE (voice-over): On the country's flagship news show, they're already branding Ukraine's counteroffensive a bust. Looping videos of Ukrainian troops in Western-supplied kit getting bogged down, ridiculing. What they say are Western excuses for Ukraine's failure.
At first, Westerners justified Ukrainian failures with the weather. General frost, the anchor says. Later it was general mud. And now it's the turn of General thistle. The Russian army is now aided by the greenery. This insurmountable obstacle is why the Ukrainian army is failing to push forward, supposedly, she says.
In fact, Ukraine says it is making progress, albeit slow. Without the weapons, it says it desperately needs to overcome heavily defended Russian lines.
And it's going on the offense, stepping up drone attacks on Russian shipping and other targets to pressure Moscow and disrupt supply lines, bringing home Russia's special military operation like never before.
We're all shocked that it's happening here, says this woman in Moscow. But we're not politicians, so we don't want to comment, she told local media.
I've got two kids and want to stop being ashamed that they were born in this time, says another. Her face blurred to protect her identity.
And on the battlefield, Ukraine's slow progress is fueling Kremlin hopes that a turning point may soon be reached and that patience with Ukraine in the West may eventually run out.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The severe winds that pushed the deadly wildfires in Hawaii have eased off significantly. CNN's Chad Myers will tell us if that will continue, after the break.
Plus, bankrolled by billionaires. A new report into the lavish lifestyle of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. But more on the luxury gifts he's been receiving. That's when we come back. Please stay with us.
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[03:30:00]
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."
All right, I get back to one of our top stories this hour, the catastrophic wildfires scorching the Hawaiian island of Maui have now killed at least 55 people. And it's feared that death toll will keep rising as emergency crews reach more areas turned to ash.
Power and cell service are still out in western Maui and in the main tourist district of Lahaina, which is making it difficult to determine how many people are still missing. The Hawaii governor estimates upwards of 1,700 buildings there were destroyed. And the mayor says the heart of the town has been completely wiped out. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BISSEN, MAUI MAYOR: Until you see the devastation that we all witnessed maybe through photographs before this morning, but in person today, it's difficult to describe. But there are lots of people that will need a lot of help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now, one bit of good news. Officials say the wildfires are now about 80 percent contained and the winds that fuel the flames are gradually decreasing, as CNN meteorologist Chad Myers reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The severe winds from a couple of days ago have finally eased. Dora has moved away. The high pressure is still there and you still see the east to northeast winds here coming in on the really, the windward side of the island. So this is just a regular trade wind type of event here now. 15,20 miles an hour a little bit less on the lee sides of the island.
Here's where the fires looked like as we worked our way into the firefighting effort compared to where they were in the heat of the battle. And there's Lahaina with all of those fire hotspots picked up by satellite. Here's where we are now. Much, much better saying now 80 percent containment for these fires.
Still severe drought, especially in this orange area. That's downwind of Haleakala, the higher volcano here on the east side of Maui. 16 percent in drought, severe drought. That was only 5 percent last week and these numbers are tallied week by week by week and put out every Thursday. So here's how it works here. Little science class. All of the wind and
all the rain and humidity come and bump up against the east sides of these mountains, of these volcanoes. And it rains up here, but then all of a sudden, when that comes back down the hill, it dries out. And it has been very dry for very long. That's why we're in drought.
And that's the wind that caused all of these fires here across Maui County. We could see some showers in some spots, but usually the rain at this time of year falls on the east side of the island. And for the most part, our fires are on the West Side.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And we're getting more harrowing and heartbreaking stories from the wildfires when California Dad recounts how he and his wife and five children fought to survive by clinging to a floating board in the seawall while being pelted by debris from the fires. Listen to this.
(03:05:01]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VIXAY PHONXAYLINKHAM, WILDFIRES SURVIVOR FROM CALIFORNIA: My daughter, my little girl, is like, (inaudible) people will be okay. They got us, and they're really tired, exhausted. And at some point, the ocean almost shot my kids away a few times. Yeah, we stuck together. We're not gonna die, so no. And then we're here, we're alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER:: And again, if you would like information on how to help those impacted by the Hawaii wildfires, you can go to cnn.com/impact or text HAWAII to 707070 to donate.
Free luxury vacations, private jet rides and yacht cruises. These are some of the lavish gifts received by Justice Clarice Thomas while serving in the U.S. Supreme Court. That's according to a new report by "ProPublica." The revelations have propelled calls to implement tougher ethics standards on justices.
CNN's Tom Foreman reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The most complete accounting yet of the high life of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shows much more than previously known. More private jets, more fancy vacations, more sporting events, all gifts from mega rich businessmen and documented through public and private records plus interviews by "ProPublica."
BRETT MURPHY, REPORTER, PROPUBLICA: Justice Thomas has been living a life of extreme luxury for 30 years underwritten by at least four different ultra-wealthy benefactors. FOREMAN (voice-over): Earlier reports have revealed lavish gifts to
Thomas, including a house for his mother and this nine-day vacation in Indonesia from conservative billionaire Harlan Crow.
CLARENCE THOMAS, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: I come from regular stock.
FOREMAN (voice-over): He also underwrote a film about Thomas's humble taste.
THOMAS: I prefer the R.V. parks.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Now the list of benefactors includes three more names according to "ProPublica," David Sokol, Wayne Huizenga, and "Tony" Novelly. The report says the four moguls collectively treated Thomas to 38 destination vacations, including a previously unreported voyage on a yacht around the Bahamas, 26 private jet flights, plus an additional eight by helicopter, a dozen VIP passes to professional and college sporting events, two stays at luxury resorts in Florida and Jamaica, and one standing invitation to an Uber-exclusive golf club. The dollar value? Likely in the millions, little of which appeared in required financial disclosures, according to "ProPublica."
Thomas has previously said he didn't feel the need to disclose some gifts, and that worries Jeremy Fogel, an expert on judicial ethics and a former judge.
JEREMY FOGEL, BERKELEY JUDICIAL INSTITUTE: I simply couldn't have done this, and even if the people involved didn't have interest before the court, it's just the idea that you are receiving gifts of this magnitude.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Associate Justices make about $285,000 a year. In 2001, when they made about $100,000 less, Thomas spoke up.
THOMAS: The job is not worth doing for what they pay. It's not worth doing for the grief, but it is worth doing for the principle.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Now he bristles at questions about his principles. He calls Crow merely a friend. Crow says they never talk about Thomas's work. And the new report found none of these wealthy pals seem to have had cases before the court. Still.
MURPHY: Which one of these new benefactors, just like Harlan Crow, came into his life after he was appointed to the Supreme Court. That's why it's so problematic from an ethics standpoint.
FOREMAN (on-camera): There is no evidence that these rich friends broke any rules or laws with their extravagant gifts. In fact, it's not even clear technically if Clarence Thomas did anything wrong. So some defenders are calling this a smear job. Nonetheless, earlier revelations spurred a great public outcry for more strict and clear rules about what Supreme Court justices can accept. And with this new report, that drumbeat will likely get louder.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead this hour, from prison to house arrest, there's new hope that America's detained for years in Iran could soon be heading back to the U.S. Stay with us.
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[03:40:00]
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BRUNHUBER: There's new hope today that five Americans detained in Iran could be heading home to the U.S. in a matter of weeks. All five have been released from an Iranian prison and are under house arrest, according to one of their attorneys. We know the identities of three of the men declared by the State Department to be wrongfully detained.
The deal calls for the U.S. to release $6 billion of Iranian funds frozen in South Korea, but that money can only be used for non- sanctionable trade, including food and medicine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Mexican counterpart in Washington said the State Department has spoken with all five Americans. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a positive step, but I don't want to get ahead of its conclusion because there's more work to be done to actually bring them home. My belief is that this is the beginning of the end of their nightmare and the nightmare that their families have experienced.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:45:03]
BRUNHUBER: More now from CNN's chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour, who broke the news of the Americans' release.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): It was a heartfelt plea heard around the world.
SIAMAK NAMAZI, AMERICAN DETAINED IN IRAN (on the phone): Honestly, the other hostages and I desperately need President Biden to finally hear us out, to finally hear our cry for help and bring us home. And I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures. So this is a desperate measure. I'm clearly nervous.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Siamak Namazi was Iran's longest held American prisoner. He was arrested in 2015 while on a business trip and then sentenced to 10 years for quote "collaborating with a hostile state." Namazi, a dual-citizen, always denied the charge and Washington accused Iran of wrongfully detaining him. This was the desperate appeal he made to us from inside Evin prison in our unprecedented conversation.
NAMAZI (on the phone): I think the very fact that I've chosen to take this risk and appear on CNN from Evin prison. It should just tell you how dire my situation has become by this point. I spent months caged. I spent months caged in a solitary cell that was the size of a closet, sleeping on the floor, being fed like a dog from under the door. And honestly, that was at least my troubles.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Siamak's elderly father, Baquer, who is now 86, was lured to Iran in 2016 with the promise of seeing his son. Instead, he too was arrested, imprisoned for two years, and then barred from leaving the country.
He was finally allowed out last October to seek medical treatment abroad. He's never stopped publicly campaigning for his son's release.
BAQUER NAMAZI, FATHER OF SIAMAK NAMAZI: I will never truly be free until Siamak is here beside me. I could not be more proud of his courage, but I don't want him to have to be brave anymore. I want him to be safe. I want him to be free, to live life he should have been living for the past seven years. I want him to be home.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Among the other hostages released along with Namazi are businessman Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz, who have both been held for more than five years. They say they never so much as jaywalked, and they were held only as Americans to be traded on the geopolitical market. Before their release, their families tried to rally support.
NEDA SHARGI, SISTER OF EMAD SHARGI: I know that they are desperate, that they are scared, and they feel like they've been forgotten. They have been determined, officially, by the Department of State by our Secretary of State as having been taken, detained by the Iranians for one reason and that is because they are Americans.
TARA TAHBAZ, DAUGHTER OF MORAD TAHBAZ: My father is an amazing person. He is so calm, so kind, so generous, so noble and I think just how my siblings and I have been able to carry ourselves through this surreal nightmare is just a testament to him and my mother and everything that they've instilled in us and who they are.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who advocates for some of these families, puts it bluntly.
BILL RICHARDSON, FORMER NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR: And this has happened in Russia, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea. It's a pattern. It's a new hostage diplomacy that we have to start confronting.
NAMAZI (on the phone): Just do what's necessary to end this nightmare and bring us home. Thank you.
AMANPOUR (on-camera): We'll get that message out, Siamak.
(voice-over): These few may finally have been released, but will they be the last American hostages taken by Tehran?
Christiane Amanpour, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Well, for the first time since it began selling tickets more than 10 years ago.
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BRUNHUBER: A Virgin Galactic spacecraft launched with paying customers on board. We'll have details on the tourists and the pricey journey that's coming up next on "CNN Newsroom." Stay with us.
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[03:50:00]
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BRUNHUBER: For the first time in 47 years, Russia has successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft to the moon. The Luna 25 is expected to enter an orbit around the Earth before transferring to a lunar orbit and then descend to the surface of the moon.
The Luna and an Indian spacecraft launched last month are both expected to land at the moon's (inaudible) on August 23rd. So now it's a race to see which country will land first.
And more than a decade after it began selling tickets to space, Virgin Galactic has finally launched its first tourists to the edge of space. Have a look.
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The spacecraft VSS Unity traveled almost 50 miles above the Earth's surface, the altitude the U.S. government considers to be the boundary of outer space. It carried three paying customers, a former Olympian who's the second person with Parkinson's disease to travel to space, and a mother and daughter team who won their seats in a fundraising drawing.
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KEISHA SCHAHAFF, TOURIST ON VIRGIN GALACTIC: I was flying with my daughter and there was an ad that popped up, would you like to become an astronaut? Would you like to go to space? And I said yes.
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BRUNHUBER: Now that Virgin Galactic is up and running again, tackling its lengthy backlog of purchased flights, about 800 customers have previously bought tickets with prices ranging from 250 to $450,000 each. And I'm Kim Brunhuber, thanks so much for watching. "CNN Newsroom"
with Bianca Nobilo, is next. Stay with us.
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