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Wildfires in Maui Raises Death Toll at 93; Russia Attacks Odesa Again; Paris Cemetery Becoming More Natural; Coup Leaders: Evidence of Treason to Prosecute Bazoum; China Condemns Transit of Taiwan's V.P. Through U.S.; Georgia Prosecutors Have Messages Showing Trump's Team Behind the 2021 Voting System Breach; Fulton County Steps up Security for Potential Indictment; Trump Draws Crowd at Iowa Fair Despite Legal Troubles; Police Raid Kansas Newspaper Office and Publisher's Home; Zuckerberg: Musk Isn't Serious About Cage Match. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 14, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," former U.S. President Donald Trump could soon be facing a fourth criminal indictment. This time, the case is unfolding right here in Georgia where we're learning about some of the key evidence prosecutors have gathered.
Maui residents have started sifting through what remains of their homes as new details emerge about just how fast the flames ripped through this island community.
Plus, we will show you how one of the world's most famous cemeteries is going green.
Good to have you with us and we begin here in the U.S. state of Georgia where the Fulton County District Attorney is expected to seek more than a dozen indictments this week in a case that could potentially mean a fourth indictment for Donald Trump. In a CNN exclusive, sources say Georgia prosecutors have new evidence linking Trump's legal team to a 2021 voting system breach in Coffey County, Georgia.
Investigators believe his associates attempted to access voting systems after the 2020 election to support his baseless claims of election fraud. This as we await testimony before a grand jury this week from Georgia officials who served during the 2020 election as well as an independent journalist. And here's what some of those officials had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL STERLING, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, GEORGIA SECREATY OF STATE'S OFFICE: My lawyer hasn't said I can't talk too much about this one way or the other. So, but if I am called when I am called, I will go and do what I did before. I will tell the truth, answer honestly. GEOFF DUNCAN, FORMER GEORGIA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: I have no
expectations as to the questions and I'll certainly answer whatever questions put in front of me and certainly don't want to go any deeper than that to, you know, jeopardize or compromise the investigation. But look, for me, this is a story that is important for Republicans to hear, Americans to hear. Let's hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth about Donald Trump's actions in the surrounding cast of characters around him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Zachary Cohen previews the week ahead.
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: As we're preparing for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to start presenting her case to the grand jury, new pieces of evidence we're learning about that prosecutors in this case have gotten their hands on, text messages that show a direct link between lawyers working for then President Donald Trump and a voting system breach in rural Coffee County, Georgia on January 7th, 2021.
Now, specifically, these text messages show that lawyers working for Trump actively sought to get a written letter of invitation from a local election worker in Coffee County in days leading up to the breach. This shows that they were involved in the planning. Lawyers like Rudy Giuliani and former Trump attorney Sidney Powell, both were very knowledgeable and helped coordinate the breach in the days leading up to it.
Now, it remains to be seen how this will factor into any charging decisions brought by Fani Willis as soon as possibly Tuesday, but we do know this is a key part of her investigation and expect it could factor in to potential criminal charges going forward. Zach Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
CHURCH: Joining me now from Atlanta, Tia Mitchell is the Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Appreciate you being with us.
TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, ATLANTA JOOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: So as the City of Atlanta tightens security ahead of a possible fourth indictment for Donald Trump, we are seeing a new development in the Georgia election interference probe, with prosecutors claiming to have text messages and e-mails linking Trump's legal team to voting system breaches. And this comes as Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis prepares to present the case to a ground jury, where she is expected to seek an indictment of more than a dozen people as early as Tuesday this week. So, what is the significance of this new development and could it perhaps be a game changer?
MITCHELL: Well, so the significance is it gives us further proof that the tampering of election machines in Coffey County, Georgia is one of, we think, several threads that District Attorney Fani Willis is looking at as she considers who to bring charges against and what charges to bring.
[02:05:02]
And so, when it comes to the Coffee County election machines, my colleagues at the AJC have been reporting for months, really, not since almost immediately after January 6, 2021, about the tampering of election machines in Coffee County. But what these text messages allegedly show us is further proof that former President Trump and members of his inner circle were more directly involved in getting access to those machines, working with local Republican leaders in Coffee County, and helping to disseminate the private election data that they obtained from those machines.
And so those text messages could help Fani Willis built this case. Again, the Coffee County election machines are just one of many threads that we think she's building a case in deciding who to charge.
CHURCH: The D.A. is looking at three different areas of possible illegality, right? The fake electoral certificates, the alleged voting systems breach in rural Coffee County and the third, Trump's phone call. Now, could that be the strongest evidence given it was a recorded telephone call from Trump pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes so Trump could win the state?
MITCHELL: Well, it's just so interesting because yes, that phone call ended up resonating because it was recorded. So, there was this evidence that -- I guess the evidence kind of, you know, people could hear for themselves what President Trump was saying at the time. But there were other phone calls to Georgia's officials that weren't reported.
But the people who were on the receiving end of those phone calls have talked to the special grand jury. And now we're hearing that some of the people on receiving end of those phone calls may be talking to the grand jury that is impaneled that will consider charges. And there's even a fourth thread, which is the misinformation about the Fulton County election workers and the abuse that they received as a result of being singled out, again, by former President Trump and his allies.
CHURCH: Multiple witnesses have been called to appear before the ground jury on Tuesday, as you mentioned. One of them set to testify is former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Jeff Duncan. What's expected to come out of his testimony?
MITCHELL: So, it's very interesting because Jeff Duncan is someone who up until the 2020 election considered himself an ally of President Trump, a supporter of President Trump, but he drew the line at efforts to overturn the election in Georgia. He's the Lieutenant Governor in Georgia, but with that comes real power because he also is President of the State Senate.
And so, what happened was, Jeff Duncan parted not just with President Trump, but other conservative members of the General Assembly that were pushing the stop the steal effort. He can talk about those discussions among Republican elected officials in the General Assembly, those decisions.
He can talk about the pushback and why he and other Republicans or Democrats felt that it was improper, for example, to give Rudy Giuliani the platform that he was afforded by some members of the General Assembly to spread election misinformation and disinformation. So, his testimony could be key because not only was he on the inner circle, but he was on the inner circle with conservatives.
CHURCH: Tia Mitchell, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
The death toll from the devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui stands at 93 as new details emerge about the astonishing speed of the flames that swept through Lahaina last week. Hawaii's governor held a briefing Sunday and said officials are working to find temporary housing for nearly 1,500 residents now in emergency shelters. He also described the incredible velocity of the fire.
BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH GREEN, GOVERNOR OF HAWAII: That fire traveled one mile every minute, resulting in this tragedy. With those kinds of winds and a thousand-degree temperatures, ultimately all the pictures that you will see will be easy to understand, because that level of destruction in a fire hurricane, something new to us in this age of global warming was the ultimate reason that so many people perished.
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CHURCH: Authorities say they don't know how many people are still missing. Only three percent of the fire zone has been searched with cadaver dogs. Officials are urging those with missing family members to contact authorities and coordinate DNA testing for identification. Well, officials say about 2,700 structures have been destroyed in western Maui. The vast majority of them were people's homes. Now, some residents are slowly starting to sift through the debris. CNN's Mike Valerio is in Maui and has this report.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now, we're at Waihee, which is the only way to get into the disaster zone for residents to access the areas near Lahaina. So, we're going to show you what is going on. These officers from Maui Police are checking to make sure that anybody who goes in here is in fact a resident, not a tourist and not somebody who would engage in looting from out of town, somewhere from a different part of the island.
Some people who we have met, they have told us that this is a profoundly emotional juncture for them as they move from this lush landscape to try to move and see it through this area and see what has survived. We met a woman, Susan, who told us exactly that. Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SUSAN SLOBODNJAK, 31-YEAR MAUI RESIDENT: Well, I drove through Lahaina for the first time on Friday. Okay, I, again live up north, you know, seven miles out of Lahaina. And that night of the fires, we were watching the sunset on one side and it seemed like the sunset on the other side from the flames. And we did not know how serious it was. And when I drove through on Friday, I had no clue what I was going through.
Everything's gone. I worked at the Charred House in 1991. It is flat to the ground. There are houses that I used to live in Lahaina that I don't even know where they were. And you know, I lost friends in there, you know, they were going back to get their animals, you know, and she died. So, I mean, you know, it's really sad because people come over here, you know.
I heard there was a snorkeling boat looking at Lahaina town. Give them respect, you know, it's so bad. This is it. You know, people died here. I mean, it's not just a vacation, it's not just a place for vacation. We live here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: Just utterly heartbreaking to hear vignettes (ph) and sentiments like that as we look out at the ocean to give you some more perspective. Just the juxtaposition as you see that as your beautiful ocean, this beautiful corner of the world, and then just a couple miles down the road, you'll see the moonscape seared, scarred. We also want to note, you know, about this road, it narrows into one lane of traffic. That's one of the reasons why it's been so hard and so slow for people to get into the disaster zone to figure out what has survived and how they move forward. Mike Valerio, CNN, Maui, Hawaii.
CHURCH: More stories of survival on Maui are starting to emerge. One man made it through the inferno along with his wife and their dogs by abandoning their home and eventually jumping into the sea. He described those terrifying moments for CNN.
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MIKE CICCHINO, WILDFIRE SURVIVOR: Over the course of 12 hours, we were hiding in the seawall, jumping in and out of the water, dodging where the flames and fires were. Even in the water, we're getting burnt and dunking underwater. There were times where we thought we truly were going to die. I remember calling my mom, telling her that I love her, my brother, my daughter that's only four years old. You know, telling her that I love her. I'm thinking this is my last call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Maui's Community Mental Health Center is offering new crisis services and expanding hours to accommodate people in emotional or psychological distress after these fires. And FEMA has opened a mental health services hotline, providing counselors to those in Hawaii who may need them.
Paige Deponte is a Maui resident and director of the Spirit Horse Ranch and she joins me now from Maui. Thank you so much for talking with us at this very difficult time.
PAIGE DEPONTE, MAUI RESIDENT: Thank you. I'm very happy to be able to join you guys tonight and give you some information to hopefully get --
CHURCH: Yes. I just want -- I just -- I'm not sure if you can hear me okay but I just wanted to tell our viewers that you use ponies and horses to provide emotional support to young people who've been through traumatic experiences. But now in response to these deadly wildfires in Maui you're offering that help to all ages for free. What advice do you give people who've been through a disaster like this? Some who've lost everything, possibly loved ones. How do you comfort someone who's been through so much trauma?
[02:15:00]
DEPONTE: Well, you know, trauma is a very personal experience from a traumatic event. So, you know, we try to get them to a place of grounding and horses are very unique. They have a very amazing healing capability. They help people to become present. And when you've had a trauma -- when you've had a trauma such as this, it's very difficult. People become what we call very dysregulated and it goes in stages.
And, you know, we went down to a shelter today just to bring one of our little ponies to bring some joy. And it was amazing just to see people come and pet her. And, you know, the small bit of happiness in this darkness, you know, is super important. Maui is very strong. We band together and our nonprofit is targeted for children, but you know, everybody has suffered so much deep trauma.
And, you know, it's step by step, little by little and to be able to get back into their body really because you are at a space where you're just not connected and that's normal and it takes time and, you know, the horses actually have a really incredible way of speeding up the process. And we've seen some people already, they started coming up to our facility on Friday and Saturday, and today we went out into the public to some of the shelters.
And, you know, it's amazing. Take it slow. My advice is take it slow, come up. Sometimes we can come to you. We can offer support. We have a coherence technique that we use called heart math and it's a very incredible tool to build resilience at times like this. It's very important to reconnect your brain neurons because they're kind of going all over the place. And, you know, we're here for people.
As a Maui resident, you know, it's hard to listen to the interviews that I just heard because it's very touching. We have friends and families and, you know, our beloved town and people that we know who have been through a lot and are hurting. Everybody's hurting here. So, we are opening our doors and our arms and our horses are amazing.
Just being in the presence of a horse and working with a horse really, I've seen a complete shift, you know, with the people that have come up. They come in just, you know, outside their body and they leave very calm and it's amazing. CHURCH: Paige, Deponte thank you so much for talking with us and we
salute you for the work that you were doing there, helping people through this trauma, such a difficult time, and doing that for free. Many thanks. DEPONTE: Thank you. Aloha.
CHURCH: And coming up next, fires break out in Ukraine's south as defense forces repel a new round of Russian attacks. The details in a live report just ahead.
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CHURCH: We are following developments out of Ukraine where at least three people were injured in Russian missile and drone attacks on the southern region of Odessa. One official says multiple fires were sparked by falling missile debris. This comes one day after deadly attacks in the Kherson region. Officials say an entire family died in Russian shelling, including a 23-day-old baby girl.
Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says at least 17 shelling attacks were reported in Kherson on Sunday. In the east, the death toll from last week's Russian missile attack on the city of Pokrovsk has climbed to 10. Officials say a rescue worker died Sunday from his injuries.
Meantime in Russia, the defense ministry reports a drone attack in the western Belgorod region and shelling in the Kursk region, both of which bordering Ukraine. They come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promises a response for every Russian assault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translation): Everywhere our warriors retaliate against the occupiers' terror. There is not a single day when Russian evil does not get our completely fair retaliation. Every occupier destroyed, every piece of Russian equipment burned, fire instead of their headquarters and warehouses, the very eloquent smoke on Kerch Bridge and more. All this proves that we will not leave any of Russia's crimes unanswered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, what more are you learning about the overnight attacks on Odessa?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Rosemary. Odessa, as you know, was a major target for Russia last month when it pulled out of that Black Sea Grain Initiative, now again targeted by an overnight wave of missiles and drones. It's hard to imagine looking at the scale of that fire that Ukraine's Air Force is actually saying it repelled all of the attacks. It shot down it said some 15 attack drones, and eight sea-launched Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea, which of course itself is now a flashpoint. These fires at a supermarket, it says a dormitory belonging to an
educational institution was also hit. They were caused, they say, by debris, so still a very destructive element for Ukraine as it tries to shoot down these missiles that Russia launches.
[02:25:00]
This, of course, part of a string of attacks in a week, a month perhaps, that has been particularly destructive and violent for Ukrainian civilians, not only in Kherson, as you said, where seven people were killed on Sunday. Kherson, this was just downstream from the city itself, is an area where there have been reports in the past week or so that Ukraine has been trying to push across the Dnipro River, perhaps open up a new front in its counter-offensive, unconfirmed reports there.
And of course, now the death toll rising in last week's deadly double- tap missile attack on the eastern town of Pokrovsk. Russia, I think, look, this has been a strategy we've seen throughout this war, these seemingly random attacks on civilian areas, perhaps to amp up the psychological pressure as we see very little movement still on those front lines. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right, Clare Sebastien, many thanks for that. Joining us live from London. And Ukraine is calling Russia's boarding of a cargo vessel in the Black Sea a deliberate attack and act of piracy. And it wants the international community to recognize it as a crime. Russia's defense ministry said one of its warships fired warning shots and servicemen boarded a cargo ship sailing under the flag of Palau that it claims was headed to Ukraine.
Russia says the ship had initially failed to respond to a request to stop for inspection. This comes one month after Russia pulled out of the deal that Claire just mentioned that allowed Ukraine to move its grain exports via the Black Sea. Russia said then that any ships headed to Ukraine would be treated as potentially carrying weapons.
Just ahead, a top leader from Taiwan is transiting through the United States. Why China is upset about the visit and what Taiwanese officials fear could happen next.
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CHURCH: In Paris, the final resting place for literary luminaries and at least one rockstar is going green. CNN's Michael Holmes has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chutes of green, wild flowers and canopies of tall trees. One could say the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris is full of life, although it's best known for its 70 thousand tombs laid out in a cobblestone maze over 44 hectares of land in the French capital. The plots of everyday Parisians nestled next to the graves of the famous, like The Doors' frontman Jim Morrison, Irish writer Oscar Wilde and the French singer Edith Piaf.
And while this is a place to bury the dead, the curator of the cemetery says there is a major drive to preserve the living here by encouraging the growth of the fauna and foliage that is taking root around the stone slabs and statues. He says this area used to be paved over but the gardeners recently laid down turf that will remain unmowed and uncultivated so that flowers and clover can grow.
That should attract insects, that will bring more birds. Although the curator says about 60 species of birds have already been spotted here every year. And more wildlife could move in. Like the family of foxes that took up residents during the pandemic and have been having new litters every year. Thousands of visitors visit Pere Lachaise every day, with some people saying they appreciate its natural beauty.
UNKNOWN: Yes. I feel very relaxed. We feel at peace here.
HOLMES: Others, though, complain it looks unkempt and neglected.
UNKNOWN (through translator): It's all well and good to revive the little earthworms, but at some point I think the pleasure also comes through visual pleasure. Personally I don't think wasteland is great.
HOLMES: The curator says even trees that have upturned some graves will be given the chance to grow. This burial plot has no known owners, so the tree which has found a way to thrive won't be cut down. Life and death intertwined. It seems there's room for both at Pere Lachaise. Michael Holmes, CNN.
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CHURCH: The coup leaders in Niger are suggesting they will put the country's ousted president on trial. They say they have gathered enough evidence to prosecute President Mohamed Bazoum for what they call high treason and undermining Niger's security. He's been held under house arrest since the coup late last month. Meanwhile, a source from the West African bloc, ECOWAS, tells CNN a parliamentary committee is being formed to meet with Niger's coup leaders.
ECOWAS has warned of military intervention if Niger needed to restore civilian rule. CNN's Stephanie Busari joins us now from Lagos in neighboring Nigeria. So Stephanie, what more are you learning about the military junta apparently planning to prosecute the ousted president?
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA: Rosemary, details are still unclear about what exactly these high treason charges mean. They have said that they have gathered evidence of his meetings with international leaders and other Non-Nigerians. Details are still emerging about what exactly this means. We know that President Bazoum is being held captive in the basement of the presidential palace since he was deposed by the military junta earlier last month.
He's finally been allowed to see a doctor. You'll remember last week that President Bazoum cried out that he was being held without food, with very little food or water and he was in a very dire condition. But now, bowing to international pressure, the junta has said that they've allowed him to see a doctor and receive medical treatment.
[02:35:10]
BUSARI: But this high treason charge is perhaps part of a play to stay any kind of intervention by ECOWAS and trying to put some blame on President Bazoum and trying to say he had gone against the country in some way, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Alright, thanks to Stephanie Busari in Lagos, appreciate it. And we'll be right back.
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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. China is condemning the transit of Taiwan's Vice President William Lai through the U.S.. Lai arrived in New York on Saturday where he was welcomed at the airport by one of Washington's unofficial representatives to Taipei.
He is scheduled to leave in the coming hours for Paraguay where he will attend the inauguration of the Paraguayan president on Tuesday. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now live from Seoul, South Korea. Good to see you Paula, so why is China so angry about this stopover by Taiwan's vice president?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, this is not the first time this has happened. We have seen, a few times, that there have been Taiwanese officials transiting through the United States. Now from Beijing's point of view, they consider Taiwan to be part of their territory, even though it has never been governed by them, and they have not ruled out the use of force to try and take control of the democratic island.
So what we're seeing, in this particular case, is William Lai, who has transited through the United States, he will be leaving, as you say, today, ready for the inauguration tomorrow. What he did say when he touched down in New York, is that he was happy to arrive. Saying it was an icon of liberty, democracy and opportunities.
[02:40:08]
HANCOCKS: He also, on Sunday, met with some Taiwanese American officials and community members and spoke about the fact that Taiwan will not back down in the face of this pressure from Beijing.
WILLIAM LAI, VICE PRESIDENT, TAIWAN (through translator): So, at this decisive moment, I want to promise once again at this time and place, that no matter how great the threat of authoritarianism is to Taiwan, we absolutely will not be scared or cower. We will uphold the values of democracy and freedom.
HANCOCKS: Now Beijing, through its ministry of foreign affairs, has issued a statement saying that it firmly opposes any kind of official interaction between the United States and Taiwan. We have heard from U.S. senior administration officials saying that is an unofficial visit, saying that it is in keeping with its One China policy, and it is fairly routine for Taiwanese officials to be traveling through the United States in this way.
We have, in that statement from Beijing, saying that Lai Ching-te clings stubbornly to the separatist position for Taiwan independence. He is a troublemaker through and through. Showing their displeasure at exactly what he has done, we have been pointed to the fact though, by Taiwan, that he did this in January of 2022, as well.
So this is not unusual. And in fact this year we also saw President Tsai Ing-wen on her way to Guatemala and Belize, transiting through the United States. On that occasion she also met with senior U.S. officials, including Kevin McCarthy, the house speaker. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Alright, thanks to Paula Hancocks joining us live from Seoul. And thank you for joining us, I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, WORLD SPORT is coming up next. For our viewers here in the United States and in Canada, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Do stay with us.
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[02:46:10]
CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers in North America. I'm Rosemary Church. More now on our top story this hour. There are new developments in a growing case against Donald Trump which could mean a fourth indictment for alleged election tampering. Sources exclusively tell CNN that prosecutors have text messages and e-mails linking Trump's attorneys to a 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County, Georgia.
Some of those involved in the breach may face prosecution in Atlanta. The Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating a wide array of potential crimes allegedly committed by the former president, including solicitation of election fraud, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath and office and more. And earlier, CNN spoke to Lisa Rayam, the host of NPR's Morning Edition, on Atlanta's WABE Radio, about the Coffee County texts and emails.
After hearing the reports, Rayam says one of the first things she did was reach out to a former Fulton County assistant D.A..
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA RAYAM, HOST, "MORNING EDITION" ON WABE RADIO: We're in the 11th hour of this earth shattering indictment that is pending here in Georgia. As far as those text messages are concerned, I immediately reached out to Clint Rucker who is a former Fulton County assistant D.A. this morning. I asked him how important this latest development is in the grand scheme of things, being that this indictment is pending.
He frequently said that this potentially could be a smoking gun. And the reason is pretty elementary, as your reporters have said. Rucker says now you have something in writing that allows prosecutors to make a direct link to those in the Trump inner circle, regarding this interference of election results. And he says those text messages can be perceived as a confession. And that is pretty powerful.
You have all these messages floating around here in Georgia and all across the nation, around in the public domain, and now, for the first time, you have something really solid in writing. And, in his words, Clint Rucker who has worked for the Fulton County D.A. for over 25 years, says this is big. How big? He says it will take a lot of time to sort through this information this week.
Especially since there's so much fraud being alleged in this case. So while many are anticipating a grand jury decision this week, Rucker predicts it may not come down until the following week. So there's a lot to sort through here, and all eyes are on Georgia.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
CHURCH: Lisa Rayam, host of NPR's Morning Edition on Atlanta's WABE Radio, speaking to CNN's Fredricka Whitfield earlier. Fulton County is putting in place additional security measures in case an indictment takes place this week. CNN correspondent Isabel Rosales has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The big question here is, will Fulton County be yet another place where Trump is charged and arrested? Regardless of that answer, it appears that Fulton County is ready. They have an increased police presence around the Courthouse right here, you can see that, and oftentimes we're seeing law enforcement officers patrolling around the Courthouse.
And also these barricades, orange and white, that have been set up. And they're doing road closures as well to control who goes in and out of this sensitive area. It's not just the building but also the very visual face of this investigation in Fulton County into Donald Trump, and that is Fani Willis, the Fulton County D.A.. According to a source who is familiar with law enforcement movements in Atlanta, she has received additional security protection near her home.
[02:50:09]
ROSALES: And Willis has recently urged local officials to stay vigilant about any security threats. In an email obtained by CNN, Willis shared racist and sexualised messages that she has received due to this investigation and also similar threatening voicemails. The sheriff, Patrick Labat, is the man in charge of security here on the ground in Fulton County. He says that his team is prepared.
PATRICK LABAT, SHERIFF, FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA: So we are leveraging technology. We want to make sure we focus on the latest and the greatest, what that looks like, how it can really create a force multiplier for us, but then we have as many as four or five other sheriff's offices that are coming in to help across those particular parameters and making sure, holistically, we are safe. So we are ready.
ROSALES: Trump has been, over the past couple of months, attacking Willis on campaign events and on Truth Social with what he has been saying against her. Willis has previously said that due to Trump's rhetoric, security concerns have escalated. Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Even with the threat of a possible fourth indictment looming, former U.S. President Donald Trump is making a big show of confidence at the Iowa State Fair. The fair is a major event on the campaign trail, and although Trump drew large crowds over the weekend, he still faces competition from his chief rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. CNN's Steve Contorno had the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The campaigns of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump clashed over the weekend at the Iowa State Fair, where both Republican candidates tried to build support in what is going to be one of the most important GOP contents on the nominating calendar.
For Governor DeSantis, this was an opportunity to turn the page after a difficult stretch in his campaign. He has cut staff, he has cut spending, and he has now refocused his efforts on some of these early nominating contests, trying to win back support and convince Republican voters that he will be a better nominee for the party to take on Joe Biden in November 2024.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We need to leave this country better off than we found it and we are in danger of being the first generation that turns over less opportunities to our kids than the opportunities we inherited, and that is unacceptable.
CONTORNO: DeSantis spent most of Saturday at the fair where he was flipping pork chops and playing fair games with his family. Meanwhile Trump reminded people why he is the Republican front-runner. He showed up for just a few short hours but still brought a huge crowd and many people were there to hear him speak. And when he spoke, he talked a lot about the legal troubles that have dogged his campaign but continue to make him popular among republican voters.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER US PRESIDENT: The whole thing is a fake, it was put out by Biden. And they put it out because they can't win an election in a fair way. It's called election interference. Biden put it out because he can't win a fair way. He is way down in the polls.
CONTORNO: Trump, while in Iowa, also took the opportunity to troll DeSantis a little bit. He brought with him several members of Florida's Republican Congressional Delegation, who have endorsed Trump over their home state Governor. Just another example of how these two men are clashing with each other in this GOP contest so far. Steve Contorno, CNN, St. Petersburg, Florida.
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CHURCH: A Kansas police department is facing criticism after it raided the offices of a local newspaper and the home of its publisher, seizing computers and other records. Dozens of news organizations sent a letter to the police chief urging him to immediately return all of the seized materials. They say the raid raises concerns about press freedom. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One press freedom group here in the United States says that the Friday raid that targeted the Marion County Record not far from Wichita, Kansas, not only violates federal law but also the First Amendment. In terms of what we've heard from Eric Meyer, he's the co-owner of the publication, tells CNN that the Marion County police department raided his home and his publications office last week.
He adds the police seized things like computers, cell phones and other materials. Meyers suggested that this was all partly triggered by a story that was published, mentioning Kari Newell, the owner of a local coffee shop. Meyer explained that he and his colleagues received a confidential tip about Newell driving without a driver's license.
Rather than publish a story based on that tip, Meyer says that he consulted with an attorney and then notified local law enforcement that his newspaper had come into the possession of some possible sensitive materials. Meyer says that police then notified Newell. What followed was the issuing of a search warrant alleging violations of identity theft and authorizing the seizure of any documents pertaining to Newell.
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SANDOVAL: Newell, for her part, telling CNN that she was, quote, "Flabbergasted when she learned about the raid", and denied knowing that it was even in the works. Meyer, claiming that law enforcement did not provide him with much information, only handed him a copy of that search warrant.
During the search, Meyer's 98-year-old mother was home at the time. Meyers confirmed for CNN that she died earlier this weekend. He believes it was from the stress that was brought on by that search, though an exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed. The Marion County police chief says that he is confident the judicial system that is currently being questioned will eventually be, quote, "Vindicated".
CNN has also reached out to the Marion County Magistrate who was initially the one that signed that warrant. It's certainly a complicated story to say the least, but albeit quite an important one to follow, as this small Kansas town is now caught in the middle of a battle over the First Amendment. Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
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CHURCH: Finally this hour, a much-hyped battle of the billionaires might not happen after all. In a post on his platform, Threads, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg says he doesn't think Elon Musk is serious about fighting him in the ring. Zuckerberg claims he offered a date but says the Tesla founder mentioned needing surgery. Musk threw down the gauntlet back in June, saying he was up for a cage match with his business rival.
On Friday, Musk said the fight would be held in an epic location with an ancient Roman theme. Zuckerberg said, simply, if Elon ever gets serious, he knows how to reach me. Thanks so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.
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