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CNN International: World Leaders Begin Arriving in India for Annual Meeting; Xi and Putin are Skipping this Year's Meeting in New Delhi; First Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's Death; Search for Convicted Murderer Continues in U.S.; Actor Danny Masterson Sentenced for Two Rapes; Jimmy Fallon Apologizes to Staff for Toxic Workplace. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired September 08, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster.

NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. And if you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date on our top stories this hour.

Hurricane Lee has strengthened into a major Category 5 storm. It's spinning in the Atlantic Ocean right now, approaching the Caribbean islands. The storm will likely reach its peak intensity this weekend.

And China's Xi Jinping will not be attending the G20 summit in New Delhi, India. No explanation was given for his absence. The leader has never missed a G20 gathering since taking power back in 2012.

And we want to take you back to New Delhi now, where leaders of the world's largest economies, representing about 80 percent of global GDP, have already begun arriving for the annual meeting. But Vladimir Putin is staying home, just as he did during last year's summit in Bali.

CNN Vedika Sud joins us now live from New Delhi, with a preview of what we might expect. So Vedika, obviously India, still fresh off celebrating its newly cemented status as a space power. How important is hosting this G20 summit for the country? And what does Modi hope to achieve?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Well, I'd say it's extremely significant. Like you said, it's not just that India has successfully sent an unmanned mission to the moon, but also India is the fastest growing economy in the world. And now Modi gets his time at the G20 in the limelight as the rotating presidency lies with India this year for the G20 summit. To go out there and say India is a power, a global power to be reckoned with.

But of course notably absent would be the Chinese leader and the Russia leader. And is there a message really that the Chinese leader is trying to send out to both the American President and the Indian Prime Minister through his absence? Here's what foreign affairs expert Michael Kugelman had to say about that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL KUGELMAN, DIRECTOR, SOUTH ASIA INSTITUTE, THE WILSON CENTER: I also would argue that perhaps President Xi is trying to send a message to the U.S. and other Western members of the G20 that he -- that Beijing is simply not inclined to participate with the Western powers and the Western players at this moment, and he would prefer to spend his time focused on global forums that are meant to provide or serve as alternatives to the West. Such as the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUD: So perhaps the message going out really is, Bianca, that the Chinese leader prefers the anti-West blocs to the G20 summit. Of course, but like you said, there's been no word from the Chinese authorities on this.

[04:35:00]

But could this be an opportunity both for Biden as well as the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, perhaps yes. There would be fewer distractions. The focus wouldn't be on who Xi is meeting with, perhaps with Biden or with Modi at the G20 summit, or who Putin is meeting with on the sidelines of the G20 summit. The focus could be on some real issues along with Ukraine, perhaps food insecurity, energy and security, climate change, which is high on the agenda.

But the key areas really will be to sit down and have consensus on the major key issues that all the ministries here in India have worked with different countries over in the last one year ever since it bought the presidency. The voting -- the rotating presidency of the G20 summit.

But all eyes will be on whether there will be a joint statement or a joint communique. And now with both Xi, as well as Putin, not being there, is it really possible that their deputies can take a call on their behalf? I doubt that could happen. So the likelihood of a joint statement perhaps is pretty unlikely at this moment -- back to you.

NOBILO: Vedika Sud for us in New Delhi. Thank you.

FOSTER: Now it was a year ago that Queen Elizabeth II died, and time has really flown for lots of people. It just doesn't feel that long ago. But one of the abiding memories for me at that time were the queues outside of the Palace of Westminster as people lined up overnight, they went on for miles and miles just for a moment at the Queen's coffin as she lay in state to pay their respects. And speaking to a lot of people there, they weren't all fans. They weren't all royalists. They were just often people who had lost someone who had been in their lives, to the whole of their lives and perhaps reminded them of people in their own lives and other people who passed away in their own lives.

King Charles -- well, Prince Charles as he was then -- became king as soon as the queen died. And it's been a very busy year for him. The first thing he had to focus on was the coronation. This is the moment of the lying in state.

The coronation, it was a moment for Charles to show what his monarchy was going to be about. How it differed from the Queens. And there's very remarkably little different really, from the Queen's reign. But that was deliberate. One of the roles of monarchy is to represent continuity and a lot of the royal experts will say he's handled that brilliantly, and he's actually had a very strong first year.

Particularly when you consider some of the key challenges he's faced, most notably Prince Harry's book "Spare," which revealed all sorts of secrets. It was incredibly uncomfortable for the royal family. They chose not to respond. And a lot of people saying they came out stronger as a result of that not responding and getting into an argument with Harry publicly.

Harry actually is in London right now. He was an event last night. He gave quite a touching tribute to the Queen himself, but we don't expect him to meet up with King Charles or indeed Prince William because the tensions there are so deep. They're all in the country at the same time, but they're not going to meet up.

Charles, currently a Balmoral, which is where the Queen died, of course. He released this photo. He's leading the tributes. He released this photo of the Queen. It's from the 1960s. It's his favorite photo of the Queen. So that was quite a touching tribute from him and he also released a statement for the nation and he gave an audio version of that as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF KING CHARLES III, UNITED KINGDOM: In marking the first anniversary of her late Majesty's death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us. I am deeply grateful too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: We were expecting Charles to spend the day privately. We've just learned, though, that he will be going to church for a short memorial for his mother, and if there are well wishers there, he will do a quick walkabout. So we'll get those images quite soon. Prince William, as well, is also in Wales. He'll go to church service. He'll see a bit of him, but no big events today. Prince William and the Princess of Wales released a short statement a couple of minutes ago, actually saying they just miss the Queen.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Welcome back. The search is still underway for the convicted murderer who broke out of a prison near Philadelphia more than a week ago. FOSTER: Just hours ago, authorities zeroed in on a Botanical Garden in

an area close to where he escaped. CNN's Brian Todd has the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another reported sighting as the manhunt for convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante enters its second week.

LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: We had a possible sighting of Cavalcante by a person in the vicinity of Longwood Gardens.

TODD (voice-over): This sighting officials say was not far from where he was seen on a trail camera on Monday night. A law enforcement official tells CNN someone walked up to police and reported seeing Cavalcante around noon Thursday. Police searched the area inside their perimeter of 8 to 10 square miles, asked why they couldn't squeeze in the area to grab him.

BIVENS: Well, it's not just a perfect open piece of land that you can just march through. You've got businesses, residences, highways, hills, valleys, wooded areas that can't be pushed through.

TODD (voice-over): Cavalcante has been on the run since August 31, the week after he was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend. The victim's family fear for their lives.

DEB RYAN, CHESTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: They do have protection and they are terrified. They're -- they haven't left their home. They're barricaded inside and very concerned about their safety. We do have police detail around them 24 hours a day. But I know they're very, very worried.

This is an outrage. This should have never happened. You know that I was the prosecutor who was assigned to this case and I helped convict this man and he was sentenced to life with, you know, without parole. We're all upset.

TODD (voice-over): This stunning surveillance video shows the escape, the 34-year-old crab walking up the side of a wall in an outdoor exercise area of the prison. Investigators say he pushed through razor wire, ran across a roof, scaled another fence and got through more razor wire. Now on the run. He's been seen several times in the surrounding area and police have found his footprints.

NINA LYMAN, HOME SEARCHED TWICE IN MANHUNT: Saturday evening, we heard some very strange things in the woods, saw some things on our cameras and we did alert police.

TODD (voice-over): Nina and Charlie Lyman live less than 2 miles from the prison on a 65-acre farm. They believe Cavalcante may have been on their property which police have searched twice.

LYMAN: We do have several nooks and crannies. We have three barns, hay lofts, horse trailers, there are three houses on the property. So we're little -- we're taking precautions.

TODD (voice-over): Cavalcante has also been recorded at least twice on surveillance video.

TODD: The more days that go by without them catching him, does he get more dangerous?

[04:45:02]

J.J. KLAVER, FORMER FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT, PHILADELPHIA FIELD OFFICE: Well he does. He gets more dangerous because he gets more desperate. And he's probably looking to obtain a weapon. He's going to need to get water and food and more clothes and, you know, he's looking for a vehicle. And all of those things potentially put him in contact with the public, with citizens in their homes, cars, outside. And that's where the real danger comes in.

TODD: Police tell CNN that so far, they have found no indication that Danelo Cavalcante has obtained a weapon. When we asked if he's left any traces of himself anywhere, like food, clothing or anything else, we were told, so far, they have found no physical traces of him.

Brian Todd, CNN, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: London's Met Police says an ongoing search in the city's Richmond Park is related to the manhunt for prison escapee Daniel Khalife. So far, there have been no confirmed sightings of him, though.

NOBILO: Police have released a closed-circuit image of the delivery truck used by the terror suspect to escape from a London prison. Officials say 21-year-old Khalife strapped himself under this vehicle in his daring jailbreak on Wednesday. After his escape, a police alert was issued to ports and borders, triggering enhanced security checks. The government says it is launching an independent investigation into what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX CHALK, BRITISH JUSTICE MINISTER: I made clear then, and I reiterate now, that no stone must be left unturned and getting to the bottom of what happened. Who was on duty that morning? In what roles ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate, what protocols were in place, were they followed?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: And London's Met Police say 150 officers and staff were working to track Khalife down.

NOBILO: And it's a shocking end to what had once been a promising Hollywood career.

FOSTER: Yes, actor Danny Masterson, best known for his role in "That 70s Show," was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday for raping two women.

NOBILO: It was the maximum penalty the court could give for the crimes. Our Stephanie Elam has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Danny Masterson was sentenced to 15 years for each count of rape that he was found guilty of in May. So that is expected to be served consecutively -- according to the judge. So 30 years to life for Masterson. And really a huge part of this because of the two named victims that came forward and also spoke in court. In fact, take a listen to the assistant district attorney Reinhold Mueller speak a bit about this.

REINHOLD MUELLER, L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I'm very happy for the victims because this is a day that they have been looking forward to and they got their justice. It's a long time coming. That's first and foremost. But also, being very thankful for the jury to kind of see through everything, and recognized what the evidence is and the defendant needed to be held accountable.

ELAM: Now Masterson had pled not guilty to raping these women in his home in incidents between 2001 and 2003. His lawyer Shawn Holley also spoke after sentencing, and this is what she had to say.

SHAWN HOLLEY, ATTORNEY FOR DANNY MASTERSON: Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted, and we and the appellate lawyers who are the best and the brightest in the country are confident that these convictions will be overturned.

ELAM: Now the Assistant District Attorney Mueller did say that they have no intention of going back and re-prosecuting that third rape charge against Masterson which the jury was deadlocked on. He says that they are satisfied with these two counts and are moving forward with that.

It is also worth noting that Danny Masterson is a well-known Scientologist, and the Church of Scientology was invoked in this trial and what role they may have played in this case.

However, we reached back out to the church, and they referred us back to the statement that they originally sent out on May 31st of this year, which says in part:

There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the church harassed the accusers. Every single instance of supposed harassment by the church is false and has been debunked.

Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon is apologizing to his staff after a Rolling Stone report revealed allegations of a toxic work environment on the show. NOBILO: CNN has learned that Fallon held a Zoom call with staffers

after the article was published on Thursday, and he said he did not intend to create that type of atmosphere for the show and that he wanted it to be fun.

FOSTER: In the report, more than a dozen current and former employees talked about how difficult work conditions on the show sometimes impacted their mental health. Rolling Stones reporter spoke with CNN earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRYSTIE LEE YANDOLI, SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER, ROLLING STONE: From the two current and fourteen former employees who I spoke to on the record, they said that a lot of their mistreatment comes from the top. So the alleged behavior from Fallon trickles down to, you know, their managers and so on and so forth.

They spoke to me a lot about, you know, these -- what they called Jimmy's good days, what they call Jimmy's bad days and his mood kind of dictating, you know the vibe of the whole day of the whole show. You know, snapping at crew members, not having a lot of patience with people and the erratic-ness of, I mean, what that toxicity is, you know, the good and the bad that comes with that. And then how that over the years has impacted their mental health.

I spoke to two current staff members who were in a Zoom call with Jimmy and the current showrunner, Chris Miller. They told me that Jimmy apologized. He said he was sorry. He said that, you know, Chris Miller is going to continue to be the showrunner for the rest of the, you know, his time at The Tonight Show and, yes, I mean he apologized. He didn't really deny anything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Jimmy Fallon has been hosting "The Tonight Show" since 2014, where he took over from Jay Leno.

FOSTER: After nearly three weeks of play, it's come down to this. The U.S. Open women's final, two of the brightest stars of their generation, will face off at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:55:00]

FOSTER: American sensation Coco Gauff is heading to her first U.S. open final. She defeated Karolina Muchova in two sets on Thursday. The 19-year-old becomes the youngest American finalist of the U.S. Open since Serena Williams won her first in 1999. Gauff will face number two, Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The Belarusian star defeated American Madison Keys to advance to her second Grand Slam final. Gauff and Sabalenka will take the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium at 4:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. I mean, it's got to be a must watch. Doesn't it?

Finally, dozens of items once owned by musician Freddie Mercury raked in more than $15 million at Sotheby's.

NOBILO: The priceless item was a baby grand piano that fetched $0.2 million. I think that's one point.

FOSTER: I think it was $1.2 million.

NOBILO: $1.2 million. Mercury used to compose many of Queen's hits, including Bohemian Rhapsody.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

("BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY" PLAYING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: 2.2.

NOBILO: 2.2.

FOSTER: The items were put on sale by Mercury's close friend Mary Austin, who inherited most of his estate following his death in 1991.

Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster

NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. It's been lovely being with you this week. "EARLY START" is next right here on CNN.

FOSTER: Have a good weekend.