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Kevin McCarthy Ousted as House Speaker; Trump Returns for the Third Day of his Fraud Trial; E.U. Bloc Approves Four-Year Plan to Recover Ukraine. Four Republicans Considering Their Intention to Replace Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker; Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty to Three Federal Gun Charges; Suspect who Abducted Charlotte Sena Charged with First Degree Kidnapping. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 04, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States, around the world, and streaming on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead. Republicans in chaos, U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is ousted in an historic vote.

Former President Trump says he will be back for day three of his fraud trial as the judge rebukes him for attacking a clerk on social media.

And President Joe Biden's son Hunter pleads not guilty to three federal gun charges.

Unknown (VOICE-OVER): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us, and we begin in Washington where the gears of government have essentially ground to a halt after the unprecedented ousting of U.S. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Tuesday's extraordinary vote pushed by hardline conservatives makes McCarthy the first House speaker voted out of the job in U.S. history.

His 269-day speakership is now the shortest in more than 140 years. And the Republican Party has now plunged deeper into chaos. Lawmakers will now need to elect a new speaker, but there's no clear alternative who would have the support needed to win the gavel. And McCarthy says he will not try for the speakership again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I don't regret standing up for choosing Governing over grievance. It is my responsibility. It is my job. I do not regret negotiating. Our government is designed to find compromise. I don't regret my efforts to build coalitions and find solutions. I was raised to solve problems, not create them. So I may have lost a vote today, but as I walk out of this chamber, I feel fortunate to have served the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: McCarthy was removed from the nation's number three job amid growing infighting in the Republican Party and just days after McCarthy engineered a last-minute bipartisan effort to avert a government shutdown.

Right-wing Congressman Matt Gaetz led the revolt against McCarthy. And in explaining his rationale, Gaetz took a phrase right out of Donald Trump's playbook.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): Kevin McCarthy is a feature of the swamp. He has risen to power by collecting special interest money and redistributing that money in exchange for favors. We are breaking the fever now and we should elect a speaker who's better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: With the House now likely out of session for the rest of the week, Republicans are expected to gather next Tuesday to consider possible candidates to replace McCarthy. A number of names are already being tossed around as CNN's Manu Raju reports from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Republicans struggling to figure out their way forward after today's historic vote, kicking out Kevin McCarthy, the first time ever a sitting Speaker of the House ejected from his seat by his own colleagues. This vote coming after eight Republicans sided with all Democrats to kick him out.

Kevin McCarthy could only afford to lose four Republicans, so he was unable to convince some of those members on the hard right in particular who were unhappy about some of his deal-making. Really only two deals in particular. One, to raise the national debt limit to avoid a debt default. He had to get a deal with the White House and Senate Democrats in order to get that through.

Also, the other one, to avoid a government shutdown. That's something that he had cut over the weekend and allowed Democrats to help push that through to avoid a potentially-disastrous government shutdown. And just to keep the government open for another 45 days, that was enough to lead the -- Matt Gaetz, the congressman from Florida, to lead the charge to seek Kevin McCarthy's ouster.

He got the support of seven other Republican colleagues enough to kick out McCarthy in a startling move that really caught many of his own colleagues by surprise announcing that he would not be a candidate for speaker again.

Kevin McCarthy said that he would step aside. He told me that he could potentially get behind a successor, but he said wouldn't disclose who, because he didn't know who would possibly run.

Now, this all comes as tension is growing among those McCarthy allies going after some of those critics -- critics who pushed out Kevin McCarthy questioning whether they are true conservatives.

[03:05:09]

REP. AUSTIN SCOTT (R-GA): I think Kevin recognizes that nobody can meet their demands and the conference is going to have to figure out how we deal with, you know, eight people that are here that candidly aren't interested in, you know, governing. They're more interested in grifting.

REP. DERRICK VAN ORDEN (R-WI): Republicans who have been claiming to be fiscal conservatives just voted with every single Democrat in the House of Representatives. That would be the equivalent of every Republican voting for Nancy Pelosi. That's what they did.

RAJU: Mr. Jordan, how disappointed are you with the speech? What happened here in Speaker McCarthy's (inaudible)?

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): I thought it was unfair to Kevin. Kevin, I think, has done a fine job. He and I came in together. He's a good man. And he didn't deserve this, in my judgment.

RAJU: Will you run for speaker?

JORDAN: That's a decision for the conference.

RAJU: So, you open to it?

And that last comment could be significant. Jim Jordan, who's the House Judiciary Committee Chairman, pointedly declined to say whether he would rule out running for speaker. He had typically in the past ruled out running for speaker. This is the first time he has indicated that he, in fact, is not ruling out the possibility of running for speaker, saying that it is a conference decision. So we'll see what he ultimately decides. But he could have a race.

Kevin Hearn, who's the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest group of conservatives, is open to the idea of running. He's floating his name according to sources that we have spoken to.

Also, we'll see what Tom Emmer, the Republican whip, decides to do or if he gets behind Steve Scalise, who's the current number two, the House majority leader, whether he decides to run for speaker. So a lot of questions in this tumultuous moment for the GOP. Can they pick up the pieces? Can they get their agenda going? Can they avoid a government shutdown?

All huge questions after Kevin McCarthy becomes the first speaker to meet his fate on the floor of the House.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Joining me now, Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Appreciate you being with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So Kevin McCarthy ousted as House speaker by his own party after a vote led by hard-right Republicans, the first such removal in congressional history. How significant is this, and what does it reveal about the inner turmoil of the GOP at this time?

SABATO: You use the right phrase, inner turmoil. And it's the tail- wagging the dog in that the vast majority of the Republican conference wanted to keep Kevin McCarthy as speaker. But it so happened that if you have eight Republicans in a closely divided house deciding they want to get rid of the speaker, those were the terms under which McCarthy had accepted the speakership. It was the only way he could get to be speaker, agreeing to allow a very small minority to control whether he continued or not.

I think he thought he would squeak through most observers thought somehow or another he would manage to collect the votes he needed. But when Democrats decided to vote en masse against him, and they had every right to and probably every reason to, he was gone. He's recognized it. He's not going to run for speaker again.

CHURCH: Yeah, and as you mentioned, the Democrats didn't step in to save McCarthy because of trust issues that they have with him. So what happens now? Who will likely be the next speaker of the House?

SABATO: I don't think there's any clear favorite. The majority leader, Steve Scalise, ordinarily would be next in line. And apparently, he is sounding out his colleagues to see whether or not he should run he's undergoing cancer treatment but seems to be responding well.

So I think he's automatically in the mix but ambition stirs in the hearts of most politicians whatever there's a vacancy for anything so I think we'll have a number of candidates how many I don't know from which factions I don't know I would tell you though I think it's extremely unlikely that the next speaker will be any of the eight who voted to oust McCarthy. They have put a big red X on their backs for many years to come.

CHURCH: And where do you think this leaves funding for Ukraine?

SABATO: That is one of the most serious, substantial aspects of this. Do we get additional aid for Ukraine or not? Now McCarthy apparently had suggested to the Democrats and to President Biden that he was willing to work this out, whether he would have or not is another question.

Well, who will the next speaker be? Will the next speaker come from the, maybe, 40 percent or so of the Republican coalition and caucus that does not want to give additional aid to Ukraine, or will it come from the majority of the Republicans and nearly 100 percent of the Democrats added to them who want to continue the aid to Ukraine from the United States?

That's one of the imponderables here, and why it really matters who's selected.

[03:10:09]

CHURCH: And Larry, until a new House speaker is selected, this drama continues to play out as the country faces critical issues and only just averted a shutdown engineered by these very same politicians. Now they dare to waste the country's time with this circus. How will this likely impact voters in November next year? Or will all be forgotten by them, do you think, as we've seen so many times?

SABATO: It's a usually a good bet that people will have forgotten it of course that's what television advertising is for and I'm sure the democrats will use this well and look at how many T.T. ads, negative T.V. ads aimed at Republicans were created today by the Republicans they were attacking one another and their perfect sound bites for T.V. spots.

So this will have that kind of long-term implication. Whether the voters remember depends on whether the Republicans continue splitting and fighting and feuding, and right now that seems like it's a pretty good bet.

CHURCH: Larry Sabato, always a pleasure to have you with us. Many thanks.

SABATO: Thanks Rosemary

CHURCH: Former U.S. President Donald Trump says he will be back in court in the coming hours for day three of his civil fraud trial in New York. What remains uncertain is whether he'll continue to publicly attack the judge, his clerk and other officials because if he does, he could face some very serious consequences.

CNN's Kara Scannell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Day two in court for former President Donald Trump, and a gag order from Judge Arthur Engoron after Trump attacked the judge's clerk in a Truth Social post claiming without evidence that she was Senator Majority Chuck Schumer's girlfriend.

The judge saying, quote, "personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate and I will not tolerate them under any circumstance." The judge ordering all parties not to speak publicly about members of his court staff under threat of serious sanctions. The post has since been deleted.

But yesterday, Trump attacked the clerk outside the courtroom.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: This rogue judge, a Trump hater, the only one that hates Trump more is his associate up there, the person that works with him. She's screaming into his ear almost every time we ask a question. Disgrace. You want to know the truth, it's a disgrace.

SCANNEL (voice-over): The second day of the civil trial to determine the future of Trump's business, starting with further attacks from Trump on New York Attorney General Letitia James.

TRUMP: This case should be dismissed. This is not a case. And she should probably be dismissed also because she's terrible and grossly incompetent.

SCANNEL (voice-over): As he defends the valuation of his properties and the Trump Organization.

TRUMP: She said it was $18 million. It's $1.5 million. Likewise, we've just recently sold two properties for many times what they were worth. Many times what they were worth.

SCANNEL (voice-over): Trump's former accountant Donald Bender continued to testify as Kevin Wallace, a lawyer for the Attorney General, methodically reviewed accounting engagement letters for 2012 through 2020, making the point that it was up to the Trump Organization to provide accurate data to accounting firm Mazars for its annual financial statements.

Bender testified that he later learned the Trump Organization withheld appraisals from his firm, had he known that at the time, he said, they would not have compiled the financial statements.

And during a break, Trump confirmed that he plans to testify in his own defense. His name had been on the trial's witness list.

UNKNOWN: Mr. Trump, will you be testifying?

TRUMP: Yes, I will. Appropriately, I might as well be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Police in Baltimore, Maryland say five people have been shot on the campus of Morgan State University. In a news conference earlier, officials said four of the victims are students at the school. All five are expected to survive.

A shelter-in-place order has been lifted even though police say they're still searching for the shooter. Baltimore's mayor says the shooting should be a wake-up call for the entire country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDON SCOTT, MAYOR OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: It reminds us all again that we are dealing with not just here in Baltimore, not just at Morgan State University, but across this country of the United States, a epidemic when it comes to guns and gun violence. And it's time for us to get serious about that, not just at the local level where we've recovered over 2,100 guns, but at the national level. We have to stop saying not one more. We need action. now. There are things that can be done particularly at the level of congress that could help stop the next shooting on a campus, at a church, at a supermarket from happening. And when is enough going to be enough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:15:06]

CHURCH: The university's president has canceled classes for today as the investigation continues.

Ukraine is getting a multi-billion-dollar pledge from European lawmakers, but NATO and the U.S. are warning about a shortage of ammunition and military funding running out.

Plus, we go live to Italy for the latest on a deadly bus crash near Venice, as investigators work to determine what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well with future U.S. aid for Ukraine in limbo, the European Union is stepping up. Lawmakers have approved a four-year, more than $52 billion plan to support Ukraine's recovery from the war.

[03:20:00]

This is separate from any military assistance. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the bloc's support for Ukraine is unwavering.

Meanwhile in the U.S. the Pentagon says there's enough funding to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs for now, but is urging Congress to act soon to keep it going.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SABRINA SINGH, DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We know that their priorities are air defense and artillery and also mine clearing equipment. Um, so that's what our focus is on. So that of course, is what we're inevitably going to be refilling as well. But you have to remember in the beginning of the war, we were also saying, sending javelin stingers, other things like that. So those also are being replenished, but we've done so over time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Nada Bashir is following developments live this hour from London. She joins us now. Good morning to you Nada. So what is the latest on concerns regarding aid to Ukraine? Of course these warnings from allies of ammunition running out.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well look, Rosemary. We have been hearing warnings for some time now around that supply of ammunition ready from NATO allies to be given to Ukraine on the front lines. We know of course that Ukrainian armed forces are heavily reliant on those weapons and ammunition supplied by their Western allies.

And of course, we have heard that latest warning from NATO's military committee chair, warning in his words that the bottom of the barrel is now visible, that supply of ammunition ready to be transferred to Ukraine is running out. And the issue here is that we saw defense spending amongst NATO allies really being ramped up before the war even started, but production capacity did not follow and that is the concern here.

We've been hearing from both E.U. and NATO leaders saying that production needs to be ramped up at a much faster pace in order to fulfill demand in Ukraine. And of course, this comes off the back of concern and questions circling around the U.S. Congress's decision to pass that stopgap budget without provisions for additional funding for Ukraine at this current point in time.

And despite the continued reiterations from President Biden of support from Washington for Ukraine, we are now hearing warnings from the Pentagon itself that while funds at this stage are enough for the current demands in Ukraine on the battlefield at this current point in time, funds could run out unless urgent action is taken by Congress. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SINGH: We have enough funding authorities to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs for just a little bit longer, but we need Congress to act to ensure there is no disruption in our support, especially as the department seeks to replenish our stocks.

As Secretary Austin said on Saturday, we urge Congress to live up to America's commitment to provide urgently needed assistance to the people of Ukraine as they fight to defend their own country against forces of tyranny.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: And we know that President Biden held a call with his G7 and NATO partners yesterday where he is said to have reassured his allies and partners that Washington will not turn its back on Kyiv, but that support will be maintained on the military front from the U.S. government. But of course, off the back of this budget decision, what we have seen in Europe is a real stepping up of support both on the diplomatic front.

We've seen continued conversations around the prospects of Ukraine gaining E.U. membership following the commitments to some recommendations put forward by the E.U. But of course, we have seen a boost in funding now. As you mentioned there, the announcement of the E.U. has adopted a multi-year package worth up to around $52 billion in support for Ukraine, in addition to other military aid packages.

So we are seeing that support being boosted, but of course, on the Ukrainian front lines, there is still concern. As we said, they are heavily dependent on that support from their Western and NATO allies.

CHURCH: Nada Bashir, many thanks for that live report. I Appreciate it.

In northern Italy, at least 21 people were killed when a passenger bus careened off a bridge near Venice. Two of the victims were children. Italian authorities say 18 others were injured when the bus broke through the wall of an overpass before falling to the ground and catching on fire. They're working now to determine what caused the crash.

CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is following developments and joins me now live from Rome. So Ben, what more are you learning about this deadly bus crash?

BEN WEDEMANN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this happened just before 8 p.m. local time when apparently the bus crashed through the guardrail on an overpass in Mestre, which is on the mainland part of Venice, and plunged about 15 meters down onto a railway station.

And now this was an electric bus, and the authorities are investigating whether after the bus hit the ground that perhaps that battery may have caused the fire to be worse than it otherwise would have been.

[03:25:00]

However, it's not clear what caused the bus to go through the guardrail. There is some talk that perhaps the bus driver, who was a 40-year-old Italian citizen with six or seven years of experience, whether he was unwell, but that has yet to be determined. So really, they're still in the initial phases of the investigation to find out. how this happened, but this disaster has taken the lives, we understand, of a number of people, of various nationalities, including Ukrainians, for instance.

And among those on the bus, there were also French, German, Austrian, Croatian, and Spanish citizens as well. We understand that four of the injured are in critical condition. The injured were sent to a variety of hospitals in the area. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yeah, it is such a tragedy. Ben Wedeman, joining us live from Rome. Many thanks.

Well the race is on for Republicans hoping to become the next U.S. House Speaker. But as of now, there's no clear replacement after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the job by members of his own party. A look at the possible contenders, next.

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[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone. Well, Kevin McCarthy is no longer the U.S. House Speaker and has no plans to go for the post again after an unprecedented vote removed him from the job. Tuesday's historic ouster has brought Congress to a standstill and

plunged the Republican Party further into disarray. Eight Republicans revolted against McCarthy over his decision to work with Democrats to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.

McCarthy attacked Democrats and right-wing Congressman Matt Gaetz for pushing him out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I think today was a political decision by the Democrats. I think the things they have done in the past hurt the institution. You all know Matt Gaetz. You know it was personal. It had nothing to do about spending.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: McCarthy is now the first House speaker voted out of the job in U.S. history. His speakership, just shy of 270 days, is the shortest in more than 140 years.

Closed-door deal making is underway to choose McCarthy's successor. Among the candidates, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan and Kevin Hearn, who heads up the largest conservative group in the chamber. CNN's Brian Todd shows us some of the other likely contenders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With all this palace intrigue among House Republicans, there is no clear front runner for the job of Speaker of the House, but four people do tend to emerge, tend to rise above the others in the consideration of who's going to be the next Speaker of the House.

Congressman Patrick McHenry from North Carolina, Steve Scalise from Louisiana, Tom Emmer from Minnesota, and Tom Cole from Oklahoma. Let's tick through their credentials for the job of House Speaker.

Patrick McHenry has just been named as interim speaker, but that's not the only reason that he's considered a top candidate to be House Speaker. He currently serves as House Financial Services Committee Chairman, an enormously important position in the House because it deals with issues like international finance, banking, and housing.

His profile and influence grew earlier this year when Kevin McCarthy tapped him to negotiate with the White House to raise the debt ceiling. He's one of two top candidates for the speakership who actually voted to certify Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential election.

Let's talk about Steve Scalise from Louisiana, currently the number two leader in the House, the House majority leader. He's the former Republican whip and his credentials as kind of a vote getter, a vote counter in that job also speak to his credentials for the speakership. He survived a mass shooting at the Congressional baseball practice in 2017. He was also recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is cancer of the blood cells and because of that cancer diagnosis, a lot of questions have emerged as to whether Scalise has the physical stamina, the energy to become a House Speaker, especially if there's going to be another possible shutdown showdown.

The government shutdown could emerge again, possibly next month. Is he going to have the capability to handle all of that physically? He says he does. He says he feels good and that his long-term prognosis is very good.

Congressman Tom Emmer from Minnesota. Currently the House Majority Whip, a very important position that's the number three position overall in the House. He's a key ally of Kevin McCarthy's, also seen though as very close to Congressman Matt Gaetz. He led the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2020 and in 2022 election cycles.

He was able to win an election for Majority Whip that number three position despite the fact that in those two election cycles the Republicans did not do as well as many thought they would. He is also one of those who voted to certify Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential election.

[03:35:00]

Then you've got Congressman Tom Cole from Oklahoma. Currently the House Rules Committee chairman, another very influential position in the House. He's considered the elder statesman in GOP circles, often helps settle internal battles within the party. But even he couldn't settle this one that just concluded there. He might be considered more of a caretaker for the job of speaker because he is 74 years old.

Those are just four of the top candidates. who are emerging as maybe the leaders to become House Speaker, but others could also emerge in the days ahead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Lanhee Chen is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and teaches public policy and law at Stanford University. He joins me now from Switzerland. Good to have you with us.

LANHEE CHEN, RESEARCH FELLOW, HOOVER INSTITUTION: How are you?

CHURCH: Very good. So it is historic, right? A U.S. House speaker ousted by his own party, leaving a vacuum until that post is filled. You're a Republican. What's going on inside your party? And is Matt Gaetz and his band of hard-right conservatives running the show there?

CHEN: Well, it certainly seems as though in the current situation, they were able to effectuate, as you know, a historic change. And I do think it's very unfortunate because Kevin McCarthy is probably the only person who could have ultimately cut the deal to keep the government open recently. I think he's really the only person that has the support of the vast majority of Republicans in the House. It will be extremely interesting to see now who ends up replacing him.

But people like Matt Gaetz, you know, what's clear is that all he's interested in is media likes, raising money for whatever it is he's doing. And he's not interested in governing. And so I think it's deeply destructive. I think it's deeply problematic for the Republican Party going into an election year.

And so hopefully there's some resolution on this soon. But what we saw yesterday was nothing more than spectacle.

CHURCH: So let's look at what happens next. Who will likely become the next speaker of the House and who do you think should take that spot?

CHEN: Well, a number of people have been mentioned. You saw earlier an interview with Jim Jordan. He is somebody who is well regarded within the Republican Conference in the House. He is a conservative Republican who has been chairman of the Judiciary Committee now, is somebody who's been very much involved in the Biden impeachment efforts. He is going to be a leading candidate if he chooses to rum, he is not committed to run yet but he's interesting candidate.

It'll also be fascinating to see if a more moderate Republican ends up getting into the race, someone like for example Don Bacon the congressman from Nebraska, again not very well known but he's known as somebody who works across the aisle part of the so-called problem solvers caucus in the U.S. Congress moderates working together to find solutions on issues like infrastructure.

So this could go in one of any number of different ways, but what is absolutely clear is that when Matt Gaetz basically effectuated his mutiny, there was no plan B. There was no, hey, here's somebody who we want to be speaker instead. So it will be, again, very interesting to see how this develops over the next several days.

CHURCH: And of course, the other big point is what happens now to crucial funding for Ukraine.

CHEN: Well, that has always been a subject of significant debate, particularly within the Republican Party. CNN has done some polling recently that shows somewhere between 60 and 70 percent of Republican voters actually oppose more funding for Ukraine.

And so it would not be surprising to see a number of Republican officeholders also take that view. I do think the majority of Republicans in the House want to continue funding Ukraine. I think they just want to have a fulsome conversation about it. But that is something that the House of Representatives, Republicans and Democrats together are going to have to take up in short order to ensure that the flow of help to Ukraine does not stop and is uninterrupted going into a critical time there.

CHURCH: Yeah. And what impact do you think this GOP chaos will likely have on the presidential election next year?

CHEN: Well, the interesting piece of it there is that Donald Trump actually had said yesterday that Republicans need to stop fighting with each other. He was actually trying to be the grownup in the room.

But what is absolutely clear is that both sides, whoever ends up coming out of this fight, whether it's the hard-right or the more centrist-right is going to try and carry the mantle of Trump. They're going to have to say, listen, the reason why you want to select me to be the next speaker is because I have the support of Donald Trump.

He is still the most significant voice in this primary contest. He's still the most significant voice in many ways within the Republican Party. And so I expect that his influence is going to be felt not just in the presidential campaign, but in the speaker's fight as well.

CHURCH: Lanhee Chen, thank you so much for joining us. I Appreciate it.

CHEN: Thank you.

CHURCH: And still to come, President Joe Biden's son has his day in court, Hunter Biden's plea to three federal firearms charges. That's next.

[03:40:05]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, US President Joe Biden's son Hunter has pleaded not guilty to three federal gun charges. It's the latest step in what's likely to be a protracted legal battle. CNN's senior legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN SR. LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hunter Biden entered federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, the first time the child of a sitting president has been arraigned on criminal charges.

[03:45:03]

He listened intently as the judge read the charges filed against him, including allegedly lying on an ATF form and to a gun dealer when he purchased a firearm. He is also charged with possessing a gun while allegedly using drugs.

HUNTER BIDEN, JOE BIDEN'S SON: I went one time for 13 days without sleeping and smuggling crack and drinking vodka exclusively throughout that entire time.

REID (voice-over): While he has acknowledged his struggle with addiction, and today, he entered a plea of not guilty.

ABBE LOWELL, ATTORNEY FOR HUNTER BIDEN: Hunter owned an unloaded gun for 11 days. There will never have been a charge like this brought in the United States.

REID (voice-over): Under a previous plea deal, Hunter was supposed to avoid the gun charges, but that deal fell apart. Special counsel David Weiss is still weighing whether to indict Biden on tax charges that would have been part of the original plea deal. Hunter's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, today accused the Justice Department of bending to political whims. These charges are the result of political pressure from President Trump and his MAGA allies.

While Republicans accuse Weiss of going easy on Hunter Biden, something the attorney general has repeatedly denied.

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We do not have one rule for Republicans and another rule for Democrats.

SCOTT PELLEY, HOST, 60 MINUTES: You are not participating in those decisions.

GARLAND: No, Mr. Weiss is making those decisions.

PELLEY: The White House is not attempting to influence those decisions.

GARLAND: Absolutely not.

MATTHEW GRAVES, D.C. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The majority of cases that are presented to us --

REID (voice-over): Today, D.C. attorney Matthew Graves testified on Capitol Hill about alleged political interference in the investigation.

(on-camera): For years, Hunter Biden has been the target of Republican attacks. But as he appeared in this Wilmington courtroom here in Delaware, several Republicans were providing distractions, counter- programming, if you will. Former President Trump chose to appear in a New York courtroom for the second day of a civil trial. And then there was the urgent battle over the House speakership, choosing to distract from this critical moment that many Republicans have long hoped for.

Paula Reid, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, new details on the rescue of a missing 9-year- old girl in upstate New York. How police were able to use her alleged kidnapper's past mistakes to make an arrest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: We are learning more about the rescue of an abducted girl in upstate New York. Nine-year-old Charlotte Senna was found not far from the state park she was last seen in. Police say they were lucky to find her because the kidnapping suspect was known to live at multiple locations. CNN's Jean Casarez details how police were able to return the girl to her family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A dramatic investigation still unfolding after a miraculous turn of events in the disappearance of Charlotte Senna.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): It's been a long two days, but tonight our prayers have been answered.

CASAREZ (voice-over): The nine-year-old girl found alive Monday night, appearing to be physically unharmed after disappearing from a campground in upstate New York two days earlier. Authorities charging 46-year-old Craig Nelson Ross, Jr. with her kidnapping.

Today, searching the property where he lived in a trailer behind his mother's home and where he allegedly held the nine-year-old captive. The break in the case came at 4:20 a.m. Monday, 17 miles away, where police were watching the Senna family home. A car pulled up. Law enforcement observed someone dropping something into the family's mailbox.

HOCHUL: State police immediately go to the mailbox and identify what is. A ransom note that had been left behind for Charlotte.

CASAREZ (voice-over): A fingerprint on the note which demanded money matched those from a 1999 drunk driving arrest. It led police to Ross and that camper where he lived.

Monday evening around 6:30, SWAT teams moved in.

HOCHUL: After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet, covered. She was rescued and she knew she was being rescued.

CASAREZ (voice-over): The good news delivered to the community during a prayer service for Charlotte.

LARRY DEMING, PASTOR, MOUNT ZION CHURCH: So excited we came together, opened the doors to pray and we're seeing a miracle already.

CASAREZ (voice-over): Charlotte was taken to a hospital to be checked out. Today her family saying in a statement, we are thrilled that she is home and we understand that the outcome is not what every family gets. A huge thank you to all of the agencies that were mobilized, all of the families, friends, community, neighbors, and hundreds of volunteers who supported us and worked tirelessly to bring Charlotte home.

UNKNOWN: We're all just breathing a sigh of relief not just, you know, for them and her children but for all the children in the neighborhood, you know, it's we feel safe again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A great happy ending there. Well Pope Francis has kicked off a global summit of bishops with some important issues at stake within the Catholic Church and these are live pictures from the Vatican where the nearly month-long meeting known as the Synod is now underway.

[03:55:03]

The summit is expected to expose more divisions between progressive and conservative members of the church as they tackle issues including the role of women and attitudes toward the LGBTQ community. It also comes just days after Pope Francis suggested for the first time that same-sex couples could receive blessings on a limited case-by-case basis.

And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo, next.

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