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Trump Pushes For Trial Delay; Hawaii Lists 388 Missing From Wildfires; Russia Recovers Bodies, Flight Recorders From Plane Crash; Some Iowa Voters Shift Favorites After Debate; Infamous Mug Shots; Spain Football Kiss Controversy; Bronny James Diagnosed With Congenital Heart Defect. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired August 26, 2023 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching here in United States and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on "CNN NEWSROOM":
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did see it on television.
QUESTION: What did you think?
BIDEN: Handsome guy. Wonderful guy.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Reaction to Donald Trump's latest arrest and released mug shot as the former president is already fundraising off it. A look at whether this can help him politically.
Plus no end in sight for millions of Americans when it comes to the heat. We'll have a look at what parts of the U.S. will have to endure the sweltering temperatures a bit longer.
And CNN's Andy Scholes joins me live to discuss Simone Biles' comeback at the U.S. championships.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Fresh off his arrest in Georgia, Donald Trump is looking to delay the state's election subversion case. But two of his codefendants are pushing for a speedy trial.
Sidney Powell is the latest to make such a request along with Ken Chesebro. Their trials could start as early as October and that isn't clear how it could impact Trump and the others.
Meantime, codefendant Cathleen Latham says in a Friday court filing, she served as a fake elector, quote, "at the direction of the President of the United States." She's also the latest to try to get their case moved to federal court.
Now that will be the subject of a hearing on Monday with codefendant Mark Meadows, who served as Trump's chief of staff. Also on Monday, we could learn the trial date for Trump's federal election subversion case at a hearing presided over by Judge Tanya Chutkan.
Special counsel Jack Smith has asked for a January 2 date. Trump wants it to begin more than two years later in April of 2026. A closer look now at where the Georgia case stands. Katelyn Polantz reports.
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KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Now that Donald Trump has been arrested in Fulton County Jail, on charges on here in the state of Georgia related to the 2020 election, there is going to be a road to trial, just like in his three other criminal cases.
In this situation, there are already defendants of Donald Trump, co- defendants of Trump, Sidney Powell, Ken Chesebro, both attorneys saying they want things to move very fast. They want the opportunity to clear themselves very quickly.
And the district attorney wants a trial to begin for them or at least for Chesebro and others in October. A judge seems to be in agreement with that. Donald Trump, however, he does not want that at all. He wants to drag things out, given that he's running for president.
And it is very time consuming to be a criminal defendant, to have to sit through a trial. But as of this moment, that is the big question, what happens there.
The next thing that is the big question is that are all of these people going to be tried together?
There are 19 defendants in this case. There are many possibilities for Trump to remove himself from the others -- or try to. And there is going to already be a hearing on Monday about this particular issue.
Mark Meadows, the former chief of staff, is arguing that he should have his case moved from the state court into the federal court because he was a federal official at the time, working under Donald Trump.
Wouldn't have been doing the things he was doing in or after the 2020 election if it had not been because of his role in the White House. Others are asking for that same sort of protection. So a federal judge is going to look at that and look at each of those arguments, fake electors, Jeffrey Clark as well as Meadows and make determinations.
Does the whole case move from state to federal court? Do each of these defendants get their own separate cases rather than where the district attorney has charged this, in the state of Georgia?
So there's a lot of complex legal proceedings ahead of us. Witnesses to be put under oath on display as part of these hearings, minitrials, if you will. And all of this will reflect exactly what Trump will be facing not here in the long term just in Georgia but also could play in to the cases being billed against him in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Another proceeding that could be going to trial before the election next year -- Katelyn Polantz, CNN, Atlanta.
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BRUNHUBER: There's been plenty of reaction to Trump's mug shot itself. Reporters asked President Biden to weigh in on the photo while on vacation in Lake Tahoe. Kayla Tausche has more on his reaction.
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KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden is stepping out in Lake Tahoe toward the end of his vacation and fielding a range of questions from the traveling press, on everything from the current COVID wave to the arrest of his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Biden telling the press pool that he saw Trump's mug shot on TV and joked that he was a handsome guy.
But Biden had more to say about the other Republican candidates who took the stage earlier in the week for the first presidential debate of the Republican primary. For Biden's part, he was not impressed.
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BIDEN: I don't remember them speaking on any of the issues. I mean, there was a lot of talk.
But what are they going to do to deal with the notion that maintaining the job pace that we have now?
What are they going to do to deal with education?
(INAUDIBLE).
BIDEN: I kept trying to figure it out. I didn't watch the whole thing. But I didn't learn much.
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TAUSCHE: He was asked about the likely death of the former chief of Russia's Wagner Group in a plane crash this week. Biden said he could not confirm the intelligence but he was not surprised. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: (INAUDIBLE). I don't know for a fact what happened but I'm not surprised.
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BIDEN: There's not much that happens in Russia that Putin doesn't know about. I don't know enough to know the answer.
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TAUSCHE: Here at home, a special counsel investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents enters its eighth month, with new questions about whether the president could be interviewed on that topic.
CNN's Kevin Liptak asked him whether that was under consideration and Biden told him there's been no such request and no such interest -- traveling with the president in Lake Tahoe, Kayla Tausche, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: More than 90 million people are under excessive heat watches across the southern United States from Georgia to Texas, including parts of Arizona and California. The National Weather Service says Shreveport, Louisiana, reached a record high of 110 degrees on Friday.
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BRUNHUBER: Maui County, Hawaii, now has a new interim emergency administrator after the previous one resigned, citing health reasons. He was criticized for not sounding emergency sirens as the wildfires swept in, killing at least 115 people.
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BRUNHUBER: The county mayor says the new official has invaluable experience. This comes as legal battles take shape over what started the fires in Maui in the first place. Natasha Chen has the latest.
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NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In this lawsuit, Maui County is calling this a human-made disaster, alleging negligence and recklessness on the part of the electric companies, specifically saying,
"Defendants' inactions caused loss of life, severe injuries, complete destruction of homes and businesses, displacement of thousands of people and damage to many historical and cultural sites."
Also they say the electric companies didn't keep up their equipment very well. There was advanced wood decay over time, that they did not have a policy or decide to shut down the power lines, deenergize them, when there was a high wind watch and red flag warning.
Specifically, to that issue, the president and CEO of Hawaii Electric said about a week after the fires that this was actually a controversial practice, even though it is done in places like California, Nevada, Oregon as a way of preventing wildfires.
The electric company spokesperson told CNN that their priority is to support the people and county of Maui and they're disappointed that the county took this litigious route.
Separately, "The Washington Post" is reporting that the utility removed damaged poles, downed lines and other equipment from where the Lahaina fires reportedly started, which prevented investigators from being able to view the scene undisturbed.
That's according to "The Post's" investigation into court documents, letters and records; CNN is still trying to independently confirm that.
But "The Post" does report that those actions violated national guidelines on how utilities should handle and preserve evidence after a wildfire and deprives investigators of that opportunity to view any downed poles or lines in that undisturbed condition.
To that, a spokesperson told "The Post" they are in regular communication with the ATF and local authorities and are cooperating to provide them, as well as attorneys representing people affected by the wildfires, with inventories and access to the removed equipment, which they have carefully photographed, documented and stored.
Of course now we know that the unaccounted list is down to just more than 300 people of verified names. The FBI brought that list down from more than 1,000. This is a very difficult moment, the Maui police chief said, because those names, they know, are going to create a lot of pain for their loved ones, seeing them on that list.
The death count, at least 115 right now -- Natasha Chen, CNN, Los Angeles.
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BRUNHUBER: As people in Hawaii try to pick up the pieces after the deadly wildfires in Maui, Yo-Yo Ma is sharing this musical tribute. Take a listen.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The world renowned cellist posted the clip Friday on X, as he played the song, "Aloha Oe."
He wrote, quote, "This is for Maui from a faraway friend," adding, "I'm so terribly sorry."
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: If you'd like information on how to help those impacted by
the wildfires, go to cnn.com/impact or text "Hawaii" to 707070 to donate.
We'll be right back.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine is expanding its foothold in the Russian defenses in the south. It's reportedly happening south of the village of Robotyne, which Ukraine says it secured earlier this week.
So take a look at what the fighting looks like on the ground.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Ukraine says its troops are having more success near two villages south of there and even some pro-Kremlin military bloggers are conceding Russian troops are under pressure.
Ukraine is trying to advance and cut the land bridge between Crimea and the occupied eastern Donetsk region. But across the border, Russia claims its air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian drone northwest of Moscow. Kyiv says at least three people were killed and three others wounded in Russian strikes across Ukraine over the past day.
Russian investigators say they recovered 10 bodies and the flight data recorders from the plane crash that's believed to have killed Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. They said the materials are being processed and handed over for examination. The Kremlin denied it might have been involved in the crash. Salma Abdelaziz is live in London.
So what's the latest?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't have any timeline on how long this analysis, this gathering of evidence will take. But we know, as you mentioned, that Russian investigators have recovered 10 bodies found at the crash site as well as the flight recorder box, the black box essentially.
And they are now conducting forensic evidence analysis and DNA analysis to identify who those 10 individuals killed in that crash were. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner boss, is believed to be among the dead. But DNA is needed to confirm this.
A couple things to note here. We must remember above all else that this is a crash that happened on Russian soil. The evidence is being gathered by Russian investigators. And the investigation will be carried out by a Russian-backed government body. That's why there are serious questions as to whether or not this
investigation can be transparent, can be conducted without any meddling. I think it came as no surprise to supporters of Prigozhin and President Biden himself that Yevgeny Prigozhin died if he was indeed killed, in this manner.
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ABDELAZIZ: In fact, it seemed a surprise at all he lived for two months after launching what was the most serious threat to President Putin's power in his nearly two decades of control.
We know that the Kremlin has been behind a series of incidents where Kremlin critics have ended up poisoned, dead, fallen off of balconies. There are serious questions and concerns as to Kremlin involvement in this.
The Kremlin denied this outright, calling any accusations, any finger pointing a lie and saying it will conduct an independent investigation. Take a listen to what the Kremlin spokesperson said.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
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ABDELAZIZ: We're getting reports that Yevgeny Prigozhin himself was aware of threats to him or had been warned about threats to him, including from Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus and close Putin ally, who said he had twice warned Yevgeny Prigozhin about the possibility of threats to his life.
But in those comments to Belarusian state media, he went on to say he did not believe President Putin was behind this and he was a cautious and careful man.
But again, what is not surprising here is the crash itself. And whether or not we'll get answers, that's difficult to ascertain when you realize that everything there is happening inside Russia, on Russian territory, by Russian investigators.
BRUNHUBER: You're exactly right. Appreciate that.
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BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Andrei Soldatov, an investigative journalist and the author of "The Red Web." He joins us live from London.
Thank you so much for being here with us.
As we just heard from our reporter there, it's unlikely we'll really get any answers here.
But what are your sources in Russia telling you about who they think is behind Prigozhin's death?
ANDREI SOLDATOV, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: It's quite interesting that, in all previous cases when we had assassinations and poisonings, the sources inside always tried to make a case for some mysterious elements within the military or security services.
And they tried to blame those elements for these attacks. Not in this case. They said it looks like Prigozhin made a deal with Putin but it was a different kind of deal. And it was Putin who was behind this attack.
But officially and I would say, for the public, they promote some strange conspiracy theories. One is promoted by people close to the Kremlin is it was it was a (INAUDIBLE) behind this attack but everyone understands it is just for show.
BRUNHUBER: But in the other instances that you have talked about, rarely is there an investigation or a conviction.
Is it possible someone could have acted independently, assuming that it was what Putin wanted and also that there would be no consequences?
SOLDATOV: I don't think so. We need to remember, after the mutiny, the military intelligence has been under a microscope. All the Russian security services are under a microscope because there was a huge investigation, trying to understand who was too close to Prigozhin.
In this kind of climate, to try to pull off something like that, completely independently, I don't think it's possible.
BRUNHUBER: OK. So with Prigozhin's death, Putin theoretically rids himself of a problem, an enemy, a rival. But Putin also lost a man who was incredibly useful to him in many different ways, not just abroad against enemies but within Russia itself. You have called him a dark fixer. So explain how valuable Prigozhin was in that capacity.
SOLDATOV: Prigozhin was extremely valuable because he was a guy who knew how to do things, for instance how to intimidate Russians, something Putin fought a lot after the war started.
You need to mobilize your leads. And that's why Prigozhin was so important. He talked about sending school kids (ph) of Russian oligarchs and bureaucrats to the battlefield and of course that scared off a lot of people.
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SOLDATOV: He also was extremely useful to keep the military commandment and leadership off balance. And without Prigozhin, these problems are hard to keep the Russian military leadership on the leash is still there. And Putin will need to find some replacement and it's not easy to do.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting. So there's still a need for one of these volatile adventurers, as you put it. The need is still there, especially during a wartime regime. Are you saying there's another Prigozhin waiting in the wings?
SOLDATOV: Well, Prigozhin was extremely unique. He enjoyed this direct access to Putin. Not a lot of people will have this kind of access, probably because they are the closest to Prigozhin in this capacity. So let's see.
Otherwise, Putin would need to rely on something completely new. It would be really interesting to see what is the option. But he needs that because he knows it's one of the most disastrous wars in Russia, still capable of producing really ambitious generals. And they might hold a threat someday to Putin.
BRUNHUBER: Of course, the Chechen leader.
What do you think Putin has learned from this experience?
And how might the role of one of these dark fixers evolve maybe in the coming years?
SOLDATOV: The problem for him was all this is hard to balance between bureaucracy, which might be sloppy and not extremely competent but at least predictable, and people who are much more adventurous, risky but capable of coming up with some really interesting and surprising solutions to very difficult problems.
Now Putin understood that, at a time of war, he needs to rely more on people who are predictable because it might cause a problem and that might actually put everything in a very vulnerable position.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting balance he would have to strike there. Fascinating conversation. Investigative journalist Andrei Soldatov, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
SOLDATOV: Thank you.
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BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump looks to turn his Georgia arrest into a political advantage. How the former U.S. president is making his mug shot the focus of his campaign's fundraising push.
Plus the first Republican debate is in the books. We'll have a look at which candidates did enough to win over voters. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM. I want to get back to one of our top stories this hour. Donald Trump
is looking to capitalize on the media attention from his arrest and booking in the Georgia election subversion case. The former U.S. President is slapping his mug shot on T-shirts and coffee cups as part of a fundraising push.
Trump and his co-defendants turned themselves in over charges related to efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. The Republican front-runner was immediately released on bail after being processed. Only one of Trump's co-defendants remains in custody.
Trump's calendar has become increasingly crowded between campaigning and multiple criminal and civil cases. Kristen Holmes reports on how lawyers plan to handle it all.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Four of president Donald Trump's team has had multiple conversations on how to navigate if there is potential trial or trials while he is campaigning for president in 2024.
Most of the advisers that I talk to say they do not believe that it will happen. They do believe that the lawyers in their legal maneuvering will be able to delay these trials. But they are not entirely positive that is the case, particularly as these dates start to mount up.
I will show you what the calendar is now as it stands. These dates are subject to change. But October 23rd, 2023, is the proposed trial date for Georgia. Then you look at January, the 2nd is the potential trial for the 2020 election charges; the 15th is both the Iowa caucus and potentially the E. Jean Carroll civil trial.
March 5th, Super Tuesday; the 25th, Stormy Daniels hush money trial. This gives you an idea why exactly they are having these kinds of conversations. When they talk about this, one thing they hope for is making this a media spectacle and capitalizing on it.
That's something former president Trump is good at doing. They were happy with how the coverage went on Thursday. They felt they dominated the airwaves and sucked the life out of many of the other candidates, even though they were having their republican primary debate the day before.
They talked about how former president Trump's good on capitalizing on when he has media attention, showing the fact that yesterday that he was going on Twitter, putting out his mug shot, for the first time since January of 2021.
This is something people were speculating about. He is continuing to grasp onto the media narrative. They hope he can do that during these trials, Even though they say that it might help them politically, I have talked to a number of Trump's allies and Republican operatives, who say they believe this endless media coverage, no matter how Trump spins it, is just going to be exhausting for voters. Of course, we are still in these unprecedented times and it's going to
be a waiting and seeing game. But right now that is how they are preparing -- Kristen Holmes, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: In a little over a month from now, several Republican hopefuls will take the stage again in the second primary debate. The bar is much higher this time. Candidates are required to have more donors and higher polling numbers. John King shows us where Iowa voters stand.
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JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It is debate night and in Iowa, popcorn is the snack of choice. Betsy Sarcone is thrilled to watch with her parents and thrilled Donald Trump decided to boycott and leave the stage to others.
BETSY SARCONE, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I think that, you know, in the past it's kind of felt like the schoolyard bully calling his friends names and I'm not really interested in that.
KING (voice-over): Sarcone is a suburban mother and two-time Trump voter eager to move on.
SARCONE: I am pulled toward DeSantis.
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KING (voice-over): Governor Ron DeSantis was her favorite when we first met several weeks ago and as she tuned in Wednesday night. But the debate shook things up.
SARCONE: My personal favorite was Nikki Haley. I think she said -- she had a lot of commentary on different topics where I said, wow, I agreed with everything she said right there.
NIKKI HALEY (R-SC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Martha.
SARCONE: She also came across as not nasty but knowledgeable. There's a difference.
CHRIS MUDD, TRUMP SUPPORTER: This is a typical residential install. I mean, this is --
KING (voice-over): Chris Mudd owns a solar energy company is a strong Trump supporter. And when we first met, had this to say about the former South Carolina governor.
MUDD: I'm not a big Nikki Haley fan.
KING: Why.
MUDD: I've just never really --
KING (voice-over): Connect to her.
MUDD: -- connected to her.
KING (voice-over): Mudd is still for Trump. But after the debate texted, Nikki Haley made good use of her time. Sioux City Attorney Priscilla Forsyth liked Haley's take on abortion and her take charge style.
HALEY: Let's treat this like a respectful issue that it is.
KING (voice-over): "Nikki Haley really helped herself," Forsyth told us. So a good night for Haley was one clear takeaway from our Iowa group. Another was that entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy stirs a Trump like divide.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Trump, I believe was the best president of the 21st century.
KING (voice-over): Trump supporter Mudd loved it. I'm for the USA, Mudd texted. Trump reps that best in my opinion. Vivek sounds great. Not to Forsyth. This is earlier this month after Forsyth attended a Ramaswamy event.
PRISCILLA FORSYTH, REPUBLICAN VOTER: Yes, I really got the feeling he's brilliant. He's got energy. He's young. I really liked him.
KING (voice-over): Post-debate this. "He just isn't grown up enough to be president. He's trying to be Trump but he isn't." Sarcone and her parents also unimpressed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Ramaswamy's probably went down because of that abrasiveness.
KING (voice-over): But what is toxic in the suburbs is often tonic to others in today's GOP.
SARCONE: Some Trump people might have found that attractive about Ramaswamy, right?
So he might pull some of that crowd. Who knows?
KING (voice-over): Trump is way ahead. And that won't change if the anti-Trump vote is sprinkled across this debate stage.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our country is in decline.
JACLYN TAYLOR, REPUBLICAN VOTER: His statement was powerful when he said the country is in a downward spiral. And DeSantis has been elevated for me.
KING (voice-over): That's a shift from a few weeks ago.
TAYLOR: There's just a lot of around him. Is that a technical term?
KING (voice-over): How these booming suburbs shake out matters? So even if there is a new favorite after debate number one.
SARCONE: So you won a DeSantis-Haley ticket?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For Haley --
SARCONE: Haley-DeSantis. It's Haley-DeSantis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
KING (voice-over): The shopping will continue. And for many, math more than policy will shape the final choice.
SARCONE: The question is, can she win, right?
So that's my main question. She personally would be my favorite candidate right now but DeSantis at this point looks more viable.
KING (voice-over): Pass the popcorn. The second debate is in a month.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump's scowling mug shot will rank among the most famous of all time. We'll have more coming up on CNN NEWSROOM.
Plus Spain's soccer federation is threatening legal action against a soccer star following her saying that a kiss at the World Cup by the group's president was entirely unwanted. We're live with the latest, please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: We want to get back to one of our top stories this hour. Donald Trump became the first former president with a mug shot when he was placed under arrest at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday evening. But Trump isn't the only politician immortalized this way.
Here's the 2011 mug shot of former senator John Edwards, when he faced charges of misusing campaign funds to hide the existence of his mistress and their child.
He joined celebrities like O.J. Simpson, Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber and others who have had their pictures by authorities taken after run- ins with the law.
Who could forget when actor and activist Jane Fonda was arrested in Cleveland on trumped-up drug smuggling charges in 1970?
She raised up a defiant fist in her mug shot. The photos aren't just for notorious historical figures. Many of the
nation's biggest heroes acquired them during the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Here, a 43-year-old Rosa Parks sits for a mug shot in 1956 Montgomery, Alabama.
This photo wasn't taken the day she was actually arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man in 1955 but a few months later, when the Montgomery bus boycott was in full swing.
Monday marks 60 years since a key event in civil rights history, the March on Washington, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. Tens of thousands are expected to converge on the mall in Washington, D.C.,, for a rally and march honoring that historic event.
Participants will gather at Lincoln Memorial for remarks from several speakers, including King's son. Then they will walk to the King memorial about half a mile away.
Still ahead, Andy Scholes joins me live to explore Simone Biles' quest for her eighth U.S. title. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Those are fans in Madrid, calling for the resignation of Spain's soccer chief. The country's soccer federation is coming to his defense, threatening to take legal action against the player who says he kissed her against her will.
The federation says Luis Rubiales is telling the truth when he says the kiss was mutual. The player, Jennifer Hermoso, says it was nonconsensual and she was the victim of a sexist act.
In a defiant speech on Friday, Rubiales said he did nothing wrong and will not resign. Patrick Snell reports Spain's World Cup champions issued their own ultimatum.
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PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The scandal continues to overshadow what should be a joyous moment for Spain's women's football team. They were crowned world champions but are still dealing with the unsavory fallout involving the football federation chief.
Luis Rubiales is a man who is refusing to resign after video showed him placing that unwanted kiss on their star player just minutes after the victory over England. On a dramatic Friday of new developments, we can tell you over 80 players are saying they won't play for Spain's team until he's removed from his post.
Hermoso is speaking out, making it clear she did not consent to the kiss, which he claimed earlier in the day was consensual.
In a statement, "I feel obliged to report Mr. Luis Rubiales' words explaining the unfortunate incident are categorically false and part of a manipulative culture that he himself has generated.
"I want to make it clear that at no time did the conversation to which he refers to in his address take place and, above all, was his kiss ever consensual. I want to reiterate as I did before that I did not like this incident."
She added, "I have been under continuous pressure to make a statement that could justify Mr. Luis Rubiales' actions."
Rubiales said the kiss during that World Cup trophy celebration in the aftermath of the win over England in Sydney was mutual. The 46-year old, who had been expected to announce his resignation on Friday.
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SNELL: Instead he would choose words of defiance.
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LUIS RUBIALES, SPANISH FOOTBALL PRESIDENT (through translator): It was spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and with consent, which is the key. This is the key to all the criticism of all the campaign which has been mounted in this country that it was without consent. No, it was with consent.
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SNELL: Rubiales getting multiple rounds of applause during his speech and also got a standing ovation at the end from some in attendance, including some women.
But then came just a short while later some really powerful and strong words from the president of Spain's high council of sport, who says the council will look to suspend Rubiales as quickly as it can while following due process.
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VICTOR FRANCOS, PRESIDENT, SPAIN'S HIGH COUNCIL OF SPORT (through translator): I think we are in a position that this could be the #metoo of Spanish football. And for this to be a change.
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SNELL: The #metoo of Spanish football. A lot to unpack there and a lot to comprehend in this ever-evolving story. We'll stay on the latest right here on CNN and on our "WORLD SPORT" show as well. For now, it's right back to you.
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BRUNHUBER: Here in the U.S., four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles kicked off her quest for a record eighth U.S. title in gymnastics on Friday. Andy Scholes joins me now.
It's fair to say many people didn't know what to expect here, whether she could live up to the past. But she's certainly answered many questions.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Same old Simone Biles, she gets out there and continues to wow us. She made her return earlier this month. This weekend, she's looking to make even more history.
No athlete has ever won eight U.S. titles. Now Biles, a little shaky start on the beam but recovered. She had a dazzling performance there, then doing things only she can do on the vault. Just another fantastic performance.
She finished first place in the all-around vault, floor routine and the balance beam on Friday. And here was Biles on her day and what drives her to keep competing.
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SIMONE BILES, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: The beam started off a little bit rough but that's kind of to be expected. You get your nerves out of the way and then after that it was pretty smooth sailing. I'm pretty happy with the overall meet today.
I think I just have personal goals that I want to meet and keep pushing forward. So that's what I'm aiming for.
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SCHOLES: The competition concludes Sunday night. The Paris 2024 Olympics, believe it or not, now less than a year away.
The top 30 golfers in the PGA tour are in Atlanta, competing in the tour championship. Golf's top prize, an $18 million check, is going to go to the winner. Collin Morikawa going 6 under in round 2. That coming after he had the round of his life, a 61 on Thursday.
So Morikawa breaking Tiger Woods' record for the lowest two-round score at the tour championship. He's tied with Viktor Hovland at the top of the leaderboard. Scottie Scheffler is two shots off the lead.
Rory McIlroy is lurking there, six shots back. It's going to be another super hot day again in Atlanta. So we'll see who can once again play well in the heat.
Finally, Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, is expected to make a full recovery after suffering cardiac arrest on the basketball court. The 18-year old was taken to the hospital last month after collapsing during a team workout at USC.
A spokesperson for the family confirmed the cause in a statement on Friday, saying it is an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect that can and will be treated. We are confident in his full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future.
So that was the question.
Would it be something they would be able to identify as the cause and treat it so he could continue playing basketball?
And that's the great news. It turned out to be the case.
BRUNHUBER: Plenty of people have had sort of similar problems and had to call it quits, so great news he's able to continue. For folks not necessarily following his career but know LeBron James, very hard to -- big footsteps to follow there.
Is he any good?
SCHOLES: LeBron said his dream is to end his career playing alongside Bronny in the NBA. For all the pressure on Bronny to play well, he's done it beautifully. He's going to college at USC. His games are going to be big-time attractions with all the celebrities there in the Los Angeles area going to see him play.
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SCHOLES: If he continues the trend he was on, he's going to be an NBA draft pick. It will be fun to see if he's able to get back on the court and fulfill those dreams for him and his dad to play together.
BRUNHUBER: Even a victory for him to get back on the court. Thank you so much. Andy Scholes, appreciate it.
Four new crew members are on their way to the International Space Station following liftoff more than two hours ago.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. (INAUDIBLE) full power and liftoff. Go, Falcon. Go, Dragon. Go, (INAUDIBLE).
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The rocket delivered a picture-perfect launch. The crew capsule will detach after reaching orbit. It will maneuver toward the space station. Docking is expected on Sunday.
The new crew members join seven other astronauts, who have been at the station since March. Their mission includes experiments for future space exploration further from Earth.
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BRUNHUBER: That wraps this hour of "CNN NEWSROOM." I'm Kim Brunhuber. You can follow me on X, formerly known as Twitter. For viewers in North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, "AFRICAN VOICES."
