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CNN International: Several House Republicans Considering Run for Speaker; Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty to Gun Charges; World Bank Cuts China's 2024 Growth Forecast from 4.8 Percent to 4.4 Percent; 14- Year-Old Arrested After Deadly Mall Shooting in Thailand; Multinational Force to Face Daunting Challenges in Haiti. Aired 4:30- 5a ET

Aired October 04, 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: His longtime accountant will be back in the stand to face cross examination from the defense.

And behind the scenes meetings are taking place as jockeying is underway for who will become the next U.S. House Speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role on Tuesday.

NOBILO: McCarthy says he has no plans to run for House Speaker again. Tuesday's historic ouster has brought Congress to a standstill and plunge 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 is now the first House Speaker voted out of the job in U.S. history. His speakership at 269 days is the shortest in more than 140 years.

FOSTER: Now closed door in the making is underway to choose McCarthy successor among the candidates' is House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan.

NOBILO: Now there is Kevin Hearne, 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 frontrunner 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 and the energy to become 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 in the 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.

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)

NOBILO: U.S. 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 for him.

FOSTER: CNN's senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid has the details on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR 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. 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 smoking 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.

[04:35:00]

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. Hunters 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are not participating in those decisions.

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

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

GARLAND: Absolutely not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The majority of cases that are presented to us ...

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

REID: 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 his 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)

FOSTER: The cost of the strike against the big three U.S. auto makers has more than doubled from the first week to the second week.

NOBILO: According to an analysis from Anderson Economic Group, the auto workers' strike caused $1.6 billion in economic losses in the first week. In Week 2, the losses in wages and to suppliers, dealers and consumers were up to almost $4 billion. More than 18,000 auto workers are now on the picket lines after 38 plants were added to the three plants for Ford, General Motors and Stellantis that were already on strike.

FOSTER: And this week, the World Bank downgraded its 2024 growth forecast for China by .4 percentage points due to factors like its weak housing market and higher levels of debt. But other sectors of the Chinese economy appear to be in much better shape. CNN's Marc Stewart explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): China, the world's second largest economy, is in a slump. Prices are dropping. The real- estate market is in a cash crunch. The youth unemployment rate is so bad the government stopped publishing it. And some local governments are so broke, medical benefits for seniors have been cut, leading to protests. Tough times across the country.

Yet this is the Chinese economy government officials are eager to show the world. Bustling factory floors, a free trade zone, and an industrial park dotted with international companies. Among the sites we saw on a state-sponsored trip to Northeastern China. Rare access inside the heart of what many call China's Rust Belt.

STEWART: Are you able to have success despite all of the economic challenges facing China right now?

FU QIANG, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, DALIAN FREE TRADE ZONE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE (through translator): China's economy as a whole is improving. We are confident that we can make a corresponding contribution to the general trend of development.

STEWART (voice-over): That confidence seems like a contrast to reality. Officially, China's economy is improving based on GDP. But the rebound isn't as fast as many investors had hoped, especially in a post-COVID world.

STEWART: The Chinese government is certainly looking to foreign investment to help jump-start its economy. But it's also focusing on factories like this one.

STEWART (voice-over): An effort to make sure it still churns out enough products for export, keeping China as the world's factory.

At the same time, upgrading key industries, especially tech, to become self-reliant or even leaping ahead of the U.S. and other rivals. Needed solutions, as China remains one of the biggest drivers of global growth.

ALFREDO MONTUFAR-HELU, THE CONFERENCE BOARD: A slowdown in China is going to impact everyone else in the world. You will have the effect, of course, in demand. You will have the effect in prices, and so on and so forth.

STEWART (voice-over): China saw so much growth in the past, economists say eventually it would hit a wall. Now, it's hoping some of the industries we saw here on this trip will help the nation climb over it.

Marc Stewart, CNN, Dalian, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The Biden administration is cracking down on China based companies and Chinese nationals for allegedly making and selling fentanyl and related chemicals. The potent drug kills 10s of thousands of Americans each year.

FOSTER: The U.S. has announced multiple indictments in Florida and issued sanctions against 28 individuals and entities in China and Canada.

Now syphilis is on the rise in the U.S. and the go to antibiotic is in short supply.

[04:40:00]

Cases went up about 74 percent between 2017 and 2021 and congenital syphilis when a mother passes the infection to her baby during pregnancy is up more than 200 percent, according to the CDC.

NOBILO: Public health groups want the White House to work with drug maker Pfizer to ensure adequate supply of Bicillin, a long-acting injectable form of penicillin, is made available to people.

And hang on to your COVID-19 vaccination card because getting a new one could be tricky. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer distributing the pandemic era card.

FOSTER: Major U.S. pharmacies are not requiring them for updated shots. The CDC says patients who might need the card should reach out to their state health department or their doctor.

A chaos at a crowded mall in Bangkok after a gunman opens fire. What we're learning about the teenager suspected of carrying out that deadly attack.

NOBILO: And then, heavily armed gangs crushing poverty and widespread mistrust. Coming up, we'll look at the challenges facing a multinational force that's trying to restore order in Haiti.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: In Bangkok, authorities say a 14-year-old boy shot and killed at least two people and wounded five others at a busy mall. Officials say the suspect has mental health issues and used a modified gun to fire live rounds. CNN's Paula Hancocks has more on this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Bangkok shopping mall where the shooting took place was very busy at the time. We're hearing this from the police chief who's given a briefing just outside the Siam Paragon mall in central Bangkok. And he said that it was raining outside and a lot of people were inside when gunfire was heard. Now we have seen images of many of those people rushing for the exits to get away from the gunfire.

Now the details we have from the police chief at this point is that a 14-year-old boy has been arrested. He said that he was taken to a police station for interrogation with juvenile experts.

[04:45:00]

Now he has pointed out there are certain things that he cannot disclose because the suspect is a juvenile, a 14-year-old. Now he does say that he has mental health issues. He had been treated at a hospital. Also pointing out that he had stopped taking his medicine and was told to cheat people. Now these are details that are coming to us at this point from the national police chief. He also pointed out that the suspect had said that he likes playing video games.

Now, what he hasn't told us at this point is how this individual was able to get hold of a gun. Now gun ownership is fairly high in Thailand. Certainly when you compare it to other countries in Asia. But there are checks and balances. You have to be at least 20 years old. There are background checks that are routinely done. So the question has to be how did a 14-year-old with mental issues manage to get hold of a gun?

Now one other thing that the national police chief did say was that he wanted to commend the police and also those in the mall for their quick action. Saying that this situation could have been a lot worse given the fact that the suspect had more ammunition when he was apprehended.

Paula Hancocks, CNN Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, in the gang ravaged Caribbean nation of Haiti, people are feeling cautious hope a day after the UN Security Council authorized an armed multinational security force to try to restore order there.

NOBILO: But as CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports, it will face daunting challenges battling the gangs, widespread poverty and deep mistrust.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As rampant gang warfare, rising hunger and political instability push Haiti to the brink of collapse, the international community is at long last sending reinforcements to Haiti's outgunned police force.

SERGIO FRANCA DANESE, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF BRAZIL TO THE UN: The result of the voting is as follows -- 13 votes in favor, two abstentions. No votes against.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Following months of increasing violence, on Monday, United Nations Security Council voted to authorize a Multinational Security Support or MSS force to try to halt the gangs' assault on Haiti that has displaced more than two hundred thousand people.

JEFFREY DELAURENTIS, U.S. ACTING DEPUTY REP. TO THE UN: The resolution makes clear the MSS mission will operate in strict compliance with international law, and include dedicated expertise in anti-gang operations, community-oriented policing, children and women's protection, and preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Kenyan troops are expected to lead the force with one thousand police officers on the ground for a mission that the UN authorized to last for 12 months. Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, and the Bahamas are also expected to provide personnel. The U.S. state department has promised over $100 million in aid for the effort. But foreign interventions and U.S. peacekeeping missions to Haiti have a troubled past.

In 2010, UN peacekeepers working in Haiti accidentally reintroduced cholera, killing nearly 10 thousand Haitians and infecting an additional eight hundred thousand people. And a report found that UN peacekeepers fathered hundreds of children with Haitian women, and then abandoned them. The UN Secretary General told CNN it was up to the peacekeepers' home countries to make them provide for their children.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL: But it has been very tough to make things move, very tough. There's a lot of reluctance. And my appeal to member states is to really make sure that those that have children recognize them and do the best they can to assume their responsibility as fathers.

OPPMANN (voice-over): In the aftermath of natural disasters, the assassination in 2021 of the Haitian president and now out of control gang warfare, Haiti's barely functioning government was forced to plea for the return of a UN led armed force.

JEAN VICTOR GENEUS, HAITIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Deploying the force as a first stage is essential to create a security environment that is conducive to the normal functioning of institutions. But it's not enough. Socioeconomic development must also be taken into account to once and for all address extreme poverty, which is the source of all of our problems.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Any international police force that arrives in Haiti will likely find well armed gangs prepared to fight back, widespread official corruption and a local population that is skeptical of their mission. Help may finally be arriving for Haiti, but it remains unclear if it has come in time.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come, people in the European Union may soon have access to ad free versions of Instagram and Facebook, but it could come with a price tag. Details just ahead.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAMINE YAMAL, FOOTBALL PLAYER: For me, it's like a dream to spend three more years at the club of my life. I'm very happy and I hope that the best can happen with Barca.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

That was teen football phenom Lamine Yamal after he signed a new deal with Barcelona. That comes with the buyout clause worth more than a billion dollars. The emerging Spanish star is now tied to Barca until June of 2026. Last month, Yamal became the youngest player ever -- and I'll just drop some more things on set, sorry viewers -- and youngest goal scorer for the Spanish men's national team. He's also the youngest player to appear in the Champions League.

FOSTER: Not very successful then. The Major League Baseball playoffs are underway with the Arizona Diamondbacks taking game one against the Milwaukee Brewers. Arizona hit back-to-back back home run. It's going well. Arizona hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning on route to a six to three victory. The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins in the other National League matchups.

Now in the American League, Royce Lewis hits two home runs for the Minnesota Twins in a three to one win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

[04:55:00]

The Texas Rangers shut out the Tampa Bay Rays in the other American League games.

NOBILO: Now to the stories in the spotlight this hour. It turns out Taylor Swift fans are so enchanted with the news that her record- breaking tour will hit theatres. They're sending it to the top of the box office charts, even before it's released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the Eras Tour.

TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: This has been the most extraordinary experience of my entire life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: It really is champagne problems for the singer who set a record for a single day advance ticket sales in the U.S. $26 million in tickets sold on the first day that they were available. Theatre chain Cinemark says the cinema their demand is 10 times higher than any other film they've released. I mean, she is literally phenomenal, isn't she?

NOBILO: An economic juggernaut.

FOSTER: Instagram and Facebook users in the European Union may soon be able to opt out of targeted ads if they pay for a monthly subscription. The move comes amid tightened EU regulations that will require big tech companies to ask users for their consent around advertising.

NOBILO: And according to the "Wall Street Journal," Meta aims to charge around $14.00 a month to users who want to bypass targeted ads on Instagram and $17.00 to access both Facebook and Instagram without ads.

FOSTER: Would you pay?

NOBILO: No. And finally, for viewers in the U.S., don't set the alarm for your cell phone because it will go off on its own today at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time for everyone.

FOSTER: Well, is everyone getting up at 2:20?

NOBILO: No, but for everybody, their alarms will go off.

FOSTER: The federal government is conducting a nationwide test of its emergency alert system. Cellphone users will also get a text message explaining what's happening. No need to panic. It is only a test. When we had it earlier this year -- was it this year in the UK? They all went off at different times and a lot of people didn't get them at all.

NOBILO: Yes, which is why they do tests.

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

NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. "EARLY START" is up next right here on CNN for you. We'll see you tomorrow.

[05:00:00]