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CNN International: Idalia Nears Hurricane Strength as It Heads Toward Florida; Donald Trump's Federal Election Subversion Trial to Start March 4; Authorities Investigation Deadly North Carolina Shooting; Newly Released Video Shows Paul Whelan in Russian Prison; Regional Football Chiefs Urge Rubiales to Resign. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired August 29, 2023 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:00:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster joining you live from London, just ahead on CNN Newsroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tropical Storm Idalia is on its way to strengthening to major hurricane intensity, bringing big impacts along the West Coast of Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meridian should expect that this storm will be a major Cat-3 plus hurricane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's going to be sitting in court during the time that you normally have candidates out on the campaign trail.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mark Meadows took the stand under oath.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The moment we saw the images, we automatically thought about our bosses, our professors or teachers in the schools.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How difficult is it not to kiss somebody on the lips.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

FOSTER: It is Tuesday, August the 29th, 9:00 AM in London, 4:00 AM in Florida, where millions are now anxiously watching the track of a Idalia, a dangerous tropical storm that is forecast to rapidly intensify before slamming. To the state as a category three hurricane.

NOBILO: Idalia is now moving north and is expected to gain strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall on Wednesday. Storm surge and hurricane warnings are in effect along Florida's Gulf Coast, where highway tolls have now been suspended. At least 10 counties have issued evacuation orders.

FOSTER: Florida's governor says the states 5,500 National Guard members have been activated ahead of the storm. He's urging residents to prepare for the possibility of dangerous conditions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON DESANTIS, (R) FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I would just caution Floridians, pay attention to what's going on in your area. Listen to your local Emergency Management officials. This is going to be a major hurricane. It's likely to continue strengthening all the way until impact and it could have catastrophic storm surge in your area. We will keep you updated on the track as that may change in one direction or another. But at the end of the day, I think we've been through enough of these. I mean, you know, if you're on that Gulf Coast, you could have major impacts even if you're outside of the cone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, it appears many Floridians heeded that warning and stocked up essential supplies, clearing out store shelves. Some residents say they're uncertain about what lies ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sunday, it was like it's coming and now it's like get out. It's mandatory. I don't know if I want to leave or not though. I don't know where to go. You know it's going to hit this side and hopefully no one gets hurt, but it will hit this coast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: To the South in western Cuba, State TV reports more than 8,000 people evacuated coastal areas ahead of tropical storm Idalia. It has lashed that part of the island nation with heavy rain and strong winds.

FOSTER: CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis monitoring the storm and joins us now with the latest. And as we were saying, it's strengthening all the time, isn't it?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we have seen it for the last few updates at just about 110 kilometers per hour, about 70 mph. But this is kind of a forecast of what we think the precipitation is going to be. There you can kind of see that. It depicts a clearly defined eye. That's because these systems -- you get a lot of their energy from the water temperature and the water temperature is exceptionally warm this particular year. But just in general, during these summer time wants the water temperature between 30 and about 35 degrees Celsius.

Well, we put this into 70 mph right now as it begins to exit this west coast of Cuba, where heavy rainfall has materialized already. Then it will move past the Dry Tortugas. Now, what do we think will be the timeline as we go into the next 24 hours? It will be moving pretty much in a northerly trajectory, and this is going to intensify because it has nothing to impede its development.

So here we go. The computer models are all suggesting, yes, a northward movement until it moves north, northeast, right around the Big Bend.

[04:05:00]

But any change in direction and it could possibly move a little bit further towards the east. And that dramatically changes what happens in these coastal communities for West Florida. They're highly populated areas. This area of the Big Bend of Florida is very sparsely populated. It does have population, but there are wildlife management areas and it is an ecosystem like no other. And it encompasses a very broad area.

But there we go. Tomorrow, please have your plans in place. Please have a plan that if you need to evacuate the storm surge here is going to be significant. Maybe around Tampa between 4 and 8 feet certainly possible. And low-lying areas flooding definitely possibility -- downed trees, downed power lines. Can't rule out the potential for an isolated tornado because this is a very warm weather system. A hurricane that could be a category three hurricane. Just before it makes landfall.

When do we anticipate that? Somewhere, probably late morning or early afternoon on Wednesday. But if you wait until late Tuesday, it's going to be too late. Get your plans in order. If there are special medications you need, get those. If there are special provisions that need to be made for family members, maybe for some pets you need to get that in place as well.

Well, it's not just Florida. It's going to be coastal Georgia and interior sections of South Carolina and intercoastal sections of North Carolina as well. A lot of information to give you. I'll be back at the bottom of the hour with more back to you guys.

FOSTER: OK. Thank you so much, Karen.

NOBILO: Court dates are colliding with campaign season in the worst possible way, although I'm sure he'll find a way to turn it into a positive for Donald Trump. A federal judge in Washington has set March 4th as the start date for his election subversion trial. It's one of six court dates for Trump between October and May, several of which fall on or near Republican primaries and caucuses.

FOSTER: Arraignment for Trump and his 18 co-defendants in the Georgia election racketeering case is set for September the 6th, although they likely won't have to appear in person. Meanwhile, a U.S. district judge is expected to rule soon on whether to move the case against Mark Meadows from state to federal court. More on that from CNN's Jessica Schneider.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: A lot unfolding in the legal drama surrounding the former president on multiple fronts. So first, the Washington, DC, Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan, she has set a trial start date in the special counsel's case of election interference against Trump. The start date will be in just about six months, March 4th, 2024.

Now Trump's team, they've warned that that won't be enough time to provide the legal assistance they need to the former president. But the judge has said that Trump has more resources at his disposal than the average criminal defendant, and she believes that the case is streamlined enough for the defense to be ready come March 4th, 2024.

So we will see at least one trial early next year. Now meanwhile, the Fulton County, Georgia DA is aiming to start her trial against Trump and his 18 co-defendants. As soon as October.

But Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was on the witness stand already in federal court on Monday trying to argue that his case should be moved out of state court into federal court since he, his argument is, he was acting under his official duties during all of the conduct surrounding January 6th that's been alleged by DA Fanie Willis.

So prosecutors actually asked Meadows about his involvement surrounding that date, including the call to the Georgia Secretary of State in early January 2021, when of course, Trump asked to find those extra votes so he could be declared the winner in Georgia. And now it's up to the federal judge in Georgia to decide whether Mark Meadows was in fact acting within his capacity as a federal official.

And this is all while Trump's legal calendar is getting increasingly tight and packed. If all holds, he'd see all four of his criminal trials starting sometime between this October and March of 2024. That federal case, set to start just one day before Super Tuesday.

Jessica Schneider, CNN Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Anthony Kreis is an assistant professor of law at Georgia State University. He was in the courtroom on Monday for Mark Meadows' testimony and shared his reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANTHONY KREIS, PROFESSOR OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: He had a very hard time on I think today in trying to make a case. He certainly articulated that in his view. He had a wide range of activities that fell under his, you know, his obligations as chief of staff. You know, making phone calls, getting contact information, gatekeeping, keeping the president on schedule.

[04:10:00]

But when the DA's office pushed back, there were a number of very important points that were raised that Meadows really didn't have a very good answer for. So for example, why did he offer campaign cash in order to help the, you know, help Fulton County get a signature audit moving along. Why did he have coordinated efforts with particular campaign officials for the electors' scheme or for setting up this phone call?

And finally, I think the big question that was left open-ended was, why didn't he rope in members of the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security on the meetings and the kind of conversations he was having with people about events in Georgia if there was a real federal interest involved that he was, you know, pursuing and furthering as an officer, an agent, an employee of the federal government.

So I think he had a really tough time today. I think Brad Raffensperger made it even tougher when he came into court and basically said that when Brad Raffensperger had the phone call that Mark Meadows set up between him and Donald Trump, that there was no lawful way to change the outcome of the election.

So I think it was a it was a pretty tough day. That said, it's a low threshold for Mark Meadows to show in order to have this removed to federal court. So I don't think we really have any great insight as to what will happen but I don't think it was a particularly good day for him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Authorities are trying to figure out the motive behind the deadly shooting of a faculty member at the University of North Carolina.

NOBILO: No one else was injured. Police are still looking for the weapon used in the attack on the Chapel Hill campus. The University, that's home to more than 30,000 students, went into lockdown for hours on Monday.

FOSTER: The suspect is in custody but has not been identified. The victim's name is also being withheld for now. Police say it's unclear whether the two knew each other.

NOBILO: And we're learning more about the moments leading up to the deadly racist shooting Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida

FOSTER: Authorities have released multiple videos, including this one of the suspect at a different store. CNN's Brian Todd has the disturbing details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New information about Saturday's racist shooting rampage in Jacksonville. New video shows that before the shooter killed 3 black people at a Dollar General store, he stopped at a different Dollar store but only came out with a bag.

T.K. WATERS, JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF: When I'm looking at it, it doesn't appear to me that he wanted to face anyone that may cause him any issues. So it looks like he wanted to take action at the Family Dollar. That's what it looks like and he did not because I think he got impatient, got tired waiting.

TODD (voice-over): He then went to Edward Waters University, a historically Black university. Video shows the suspect apparently parks in a lot, gets a bag out of the hatch, then puts on a vest. Then a security officer responding to this student's tip approaches. The suspect speeds off, jumping the curb and almost hitting a column as he was chased off.

ANTONIO BAILEY, TENANT, PROTECTIVE ENTERPRISES PUBLIC SAFETY: I did see what appeared to be a tactical vest, a mask, along with a hat.

TODD (voice-over): He left and went to a second Dollar Store. There he got out of his car and shot and killed a woman in her car before going inside the store where he killed two others.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard pop, pop. I turn around, I see him drop.

TODD (voice-over): Officers stormed the Dollar General store looking for the suspect. You can see them visibly reacting when they hear a shot fired. Authorities believe that is when the gunman killed himself. Authorities revealing Monday that the shooter previously worked at a Dollar Tree store. Writings left behind show he wanted to kill Black people, the sheriff says.

WATERS: The manifesto is quite frankly, the diary of a madman.

TODD (voice-over): The three victims, all Black, Angela Carr, an Uber driver, Jerrald Gallion, who has a four-year-old daughter, and AJ Laguerre Jr., who worked at the store. Officials say there was nothing in the gunman's past to prevent him from legally buying these two guns. A handgun and an AR-15 style rifle emblazoned with swastikas. Even though in 2017 he was sent for a 72-hour mental health evaluation under the Baker Act and then released, according to authorities.

DONNA DEEGAN, JACKSONVILLE MAYOR: I don't know legally, given the way the laws are written right now in the state of Florida, that there was anything that could have been done. And therein lies the frustration for me.

TODD (voice-over): Community representatives are demanding broader action to address racism and hate crimes.

JU'COBY PITTMAN, JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: It's unjust that we can't. We can't even walk on the sidewalk. We're not safe in any stores.

TODD: A federal hate crimes probe has already been launched, officials say. Detectives have spoken to the shooter's parents. They say that he lived with his parents in a town about 30 minutes away from Jacksonville. We knocked on the door of the parent's home to try to get them to speak to us, a woman on the other side of the front door said no comment.

Brian Todd, CNN, Jacksonville, Florida. (END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: We have newly released video showing Paul Whelan, an American who's been detained in Russia since 2018.

FOSTER: In this video shot by Russian state media last May, you can see Whelan in prison wearing a prison uniform and eating in a cafeteria.

[04:15:00]

He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia on an espionage charge that he denies.

NOBILO: CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us now to talk about this. Salma, did we learn anything from this video? And why release it now? And what's the latest on his case?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think U.S. diplomats are pouring over this video right now asking that exact question. Why now? Why released this video now? It was shot by Russia Today. This is Russian controlled Russian state media in May. You can see him there, of course, in various scenes in the prison, in the cafeteria, in the yard, sewing as part of prison activities.

Now we've silenced the video because that Russian reporter, the Russia Today reporter, is speaking over most of it. However, you very, very briefly hear from Paul Whelan and I wanna play that clip for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL WHELAN, AMERICAN IMPRISONED IN RUSSIA: Sir, you understand when I say that I can't do an interview, which means I can't answer any questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: So two reasons I played that, I can't answer any questions. You begin to get a sense of how uncomfortable he was with this filming. And indeed his brother says that this TV crew showed up unannounced to him, unbeknownst to him, in May, and when he refused to participate, that prison authority authorities rather retaliated against Paul Whelan. So an understanding of what conditions are like for him there.

But it also shows him, this material, looking relatively healthy, relative well. And his brother says that they haven't really seen him since 2020. So that gave the family some relief. They say they still see the fight in his eyes, which I think is indicative of just them continuing to hope that he's holding strong.

The important thing to know about Paul Whelan, of course, the background of his case arrested in 2018 in a hotel in Moscow. Charged with espionage by Russian authorities, something of course he denies. Now in prison for that. The U.S. considers him wrongfully detained. And earlier this month, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was able to speak to him over the phone, and he told him keep the faith, we're still working on getting you out.

NOBILO: You out you raise a good point about his expression. He definitely doesn't appear to be a broken man, which is remarkable given the circumstances in that video. And as you said, is curious, given that Russia Today is -- has state influence and state control, so they wouldn't be able to go into the prison, interview a high value prisoner of the Russian state, without some form of permission. And we know that that's made things harder for Paul Whelan. It's all very interesting. Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much.

FOSTER: Still to come, the world's two biggest economies trying to get their trade relations back on track, the latest on the U.S. Commerce Secretary's visit to Beijing.

NOBILO: Plus, Spanish soccer is embroiled in an embarrassing scandal, and the man at the center of it appears to be running low on allies now after delivering an unwanted and obviously unnecessary kiss.

FOSTER: And it's alive and wriggling and stopped.

NOBILO: It's your fault that this story is in the show and it's disgusting.

FOSTER: It's an interesting story. And it did hurt me this morning. A doctor discovers a live worm inside one of her patient's brain. The remedy ahead. She's fine, by the way.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Calls for the resignation of the Spanish football president are growing louder in Madrid and beyond. Hundreds of protesters demanding Luis Rubiales stepped down more than a week after he kissed Spanish football star, Jenni Hermoso on the mouth, who had just helped her country to win the World Cup, of course.

NOBILO: Spain's regional football chiefs also say that his time is up. But Rubiales, with the backing of his Football Federation, is vowing to, quote, fight to the end. He also has the support of his mother, who's reportedly holed up in a church refusing to eat to protest the, quote, inhumane, bloodthirsty treatment of her son.

Journalist Atika Shubert is following all of this live from Madrid. Atika, it's so good to see you. Obviously, there are very serious issues in this matter such as sexism and equality, but it is almost taking on soap opera like proportions at this point with the details. Is it having a broadly damaging impact on the way that Spanish football is seen now?

ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: Oh, absolutely. And it's clear that the Spanish Football Federation feels that it's in crisis. I'm outside their office now. And they huddled in a very late-night meeting yesterday trying to figure a way out of this crisis. In the end, they issued a statement urging Rubiales to resign, but they cannot actually force him. They can't sack him. So for now, the pressure continues to build.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHUBERT (voice-over): On the streets of Madrid tonight, demands for Spain's soccer president Luis Rubiales to get a so-called red card and face criminal prosecution for the infamous unwanted kiss, the head of Spanish football planted on striker Jenni Hermoso after Spain won the Women's World Cup. A kiss, she says, that was not consensual. Drawing support from her colleagues and much of the country.

PALOMA TORRES: I mean, I think we are all very angry at this because all women have suffered some kind of abuse. We like the moment we saw the images, we automatically thought about our bosses, our professors, our teachers in the school.

SHUBERT (voice-over): Both sides are digging in, but now days after FIFA provisionally suspended Rubiales from all football related activities at national and international levels, Spanish prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into a possible instance of, quote, sexual aggression.

As protesters rallied in the streets, the Royal Spanish Football Federation called on Rubiales to resign after an emergency meeting, desperate to steer away out of the crisis and prevent it from affecting Spain's vaunted football teams from playing in international games.

[04:25:00]

In his hometown of Motril, Rubiales's family rallied at church. His mother, apparently on hunger strike to support her son.

I think this massive lynching of an honest and loyal person is shameful, his cousin said. I know him perfectly well and what he is going through is unfair.

The incident has become more than a national scandal. It is now a rallying cry both for supporters of women's rights and for those who feel threatened by their demands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SHUBERT (on camera): I'm sure you remember that it was only last weekend. It was really on Friday that Rubiales said he would not resign. He was defiant. And a number of men who were in the room actually applauded him. But since then it does seem that the federation clearly has turned against him in a number of those men who initially may have welcomed his comments are now saying it is time for him to go.

NOBILO: Such an interesting dichotomy this story presents of this amazing victory of what women can do in a sport and can achieve, and then now this. Sexism, controversy, and firestorm. Atika Shubert, live in Madrid, thank you so much.

The U.S. House of Representatives impeached Donald Trump twice while he was in the White House, and now many Republicans in Congress want to take a shot at President Joe Biden. CNN's Melanie Zanonia has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, House Republicans are inching closer and closer to launching an impeachment of President Joe Biden. I am told that in recent weeks, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has told fellow Republicans that he indeed plans to open up an impeachment inquiry into Biden and that he hopes to start the process by the end of September. And behind the scenes, he really has started to seriously strategy about what this process would look like and how he's going to message on what is still a very politically risky effort. Let's take a listen to what he said on Fox News.

DESANTIS: If you look at all the information we've been able to gather so far, it is a natural step forward that you would have to go to an impeachment inquiry. There is a lot of questions are still -- and to be able to get the answers to these questions, you would need impeachment inquiry to empower Congress.

ZANONA: So McCarthy, clearly trying to get Republicans on board by arguing that an impeachment inquiry would give them more leverage in their investigations into the Biden family. But as of right now, Republicans do not have the votes for impeachment. And that is because there's still a number of the parties more vulnerable and moderate Republicans who are still skeptical of an impeachment effort. They don't believe that the GOP has uncovered enough evidence yet to directly link Joe Biden to his son's foreign business deals.

And I think the White House response to all of this is very telling. I wanna read you part of the statement from Ian Sams. He is a White House spokesperson. He said in a statement:

Instead of continuing their extreme far-right political warfare to lie and try to politically damage the President, House Republicans should work with him on the issues that really matter to the American people, like lowering costs and creating jobs, or strengthening healthcare and education.

So Democrats, clearly looking to make this a political liability for Republicans. Hoping that they're overplaying their hand. And McCarthy recognizes that, but at the same time, he is under immense pressure to show his right flank, and former President Donald Trump, that he is getting aggressive and moving forward with this effort.

Melanie Zanona, on a CNN Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Bracing for major impact, residents along Florida's Gulf Coast are preparing for the expected landfall of what is forecast to be a powerful category three hurricane, the latest on the storm next.

[04:30:00]