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CNN Journalist Recounts Escape from Gaza; Putin Seizes on Conflict to Rally Against U.S. & the West; Trump Spars with Judge During 4 Hours of Testimony; Ivanka Trump Expected To Testify On Wednesday; G7 Countries Prepare To Meet, Israel-Hamas War On Agenda. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 07, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:39]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL 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. The four-time indicted twice impeached former President Donald Trump takes the stand as a defendant in a New York Civil for trial. We will take you through his combative and testy day in court.

Plus, it's now been a month since the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel. And as the war rages on, a U.N. official says the death toll in Gaza from Israel's relentless airstrikes defies humanity.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thank you so much for joining us. Well, Donald Trump has denied wrongdoing in each and every case against him. And Monday was no different when he took the stand and his civil fraud trial. He was belligerent with the New York judge who ordered the former U.S. president's legal team to control their client, reminding him that this was not a political rally. And that same judge whom Trump called extremely hostile will determine the financial penalties and whether Trump will be barred from doing business in New York.

The judge already ruled that Trump was liable for fraud for inflating his wealth to secure better deals from banks and insurance companies. Throughout Trump's nearly four-hour testimony he flung insults at the court boasted about his net worth and insisted the whole ordeal was a scam and a disgrace. And at one point when questioned about paperwork from 2021, Trump said he was not involved because he was too busy protecting the U.S. from China and Russia.

CNN's Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid has a closer look at what happened in court and what comes next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): I think it went very well, former President Donald Trump leaving court after testifying in an attempt to defend his real estate business.

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a scam and this is a case that should have never been brought up.

REID (voiceover): During nearly four hours on the stand, Trump continuously clashed with Judge Arthur Engoron. I'm sure that judge will rule against me because he always rules against me. The judge responding, you can attack me, you can do whatever you want but answer the question.

In another testy exchange, the judge had to instruct defense attorney Chris Kise to control your client. Adding this is not a political rally. We are here to hear him answer questions. And most of the time he's not. The judge said and then threatened to remove Trump from the stand.

On the financial statements at the heart of the case, Trump said I would look at them, I would see them and I would maybe on occasion, have some suggestions and on his role in preparing the statements. I accepted it. Other people did it, but I didn't say make it higher or make it lower, he said. When asked if he maintained accurate records from August 2014 going forward, Trump said I hope so. I didn't keep them myself.

Trump was also questioned about the valuation of his assets, including his Trump Tower apartment which financial statements show a more than $200 million value drop in one year. I thought the apartment was high, he said. Adding, we changed it and saying different property assets were both high and low.

Trump has long claimed his Florida Mar-a-Lago was undervalued saying today it is worth one to $1.5 billion.

TRUMP: The numbers are much greater than on the financial statement.

REID (voiceover): But the judge cited a Florida tax appraisal valuing the property at just $18 million in his decision finding Trump his adult sons and his company committed persistent and repeated fraud.

In court, Trump said I thought Mar-a-Lago was very underestimated but I didn't do anything about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Trump, how is it going in there?

[02:05:01]

REID (voiceover): Trump's conduct has become a flashpoint in this case.

TRUMP: You have a racist Attorney General who made some terrible statements and --

REID (voiceover): Even before he took the stand Trump took aim at New York Attorney General Letitia James, later calling her a political hack in court.

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: The only thing that matters are the facts and the numbers. And numbers my friends don't lie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID (on camera): The next witness expected to be called by the Attorney General's office in this case is the former president's daughter, Ivanka Trump. She is expected to testify on Wednesday. And then defense attorneys are expected to begin their case at the beginning of next week.

Paul Reid, CNN, New York.

CHURCH: I want to bring in Areva Martin from Los Angeles. Now she is an attorney and Legal Affairs commentator. Thank you so much for joining us.

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, a combative Donald Trump testified Monday lashing out of the judge and New York's Attorney General while admitting he probably saw some of the disputed financial statements that went to banks and lenders. How critical is that admission in this civil fraud trial?

MARTIN: Yes, Rosemary. Donald Trump, in the midst of all of his bluster, his belligerent conduct, his disruptive conduct made statements that were hurtful to his legal case. At one point, I determined that Trump and his legal team had pretty much given up on mounting a defense to this case, and that he was more focused on playing to his MAGA base, making this part of his political rallies, a part of his efforts to become the next president.

He made many admissions that you would not have expected someone in his position to me. You saw his sons who testified earlier in this trial said that everything was pretty much done by the accountants, by the lawyers. So, they tried to pass everything off on those other professionals. Trump, on the other hand, as you stated, said that he did see financial records. At one point he said, everyone, me, him and his sons were responsible for ensuring that fraud wasn't committed or that the records weren't fraudulent.

So, he didn't serve himself. Well, in the testimony that he gave today, even though you could tell that, you know, based on his ego, that he thought he was one upping the judge, but I think the prosecutors were very strategic and allowing him at points to just ramble because in his rambles, he did give testimony that was adverse to his case.

CHURCH: And New York's Attorney General says all that matters are the facts and the numbers and she says the numbers don't lie. So, how strong is this case against Trump? And with his real estate empire on the line, how do you expect this fraud trial will play out in the end?

MARTIN: Well, we know, Rosemary, the judge has already determined that Trump and his organization engaged in fraudulent conduct that they inflated the value of properties in order to submit these false statements to banks to get loans. So, there's already been a determination about liability. This phase of the trial is really about the size of a penalty that may be assessed against Trump and his organization.

Two hundred and fifty million dollars is what the attorney general has estimated this fine should be. She's also on a mission to have Trump be prohibited from conducting and doing business in the state of New York to have his businesses unravel, to have his property sold. And I think attacking the judge, attacking the Attorney General, attacking the judicial system didn't do trump any good.

This judge said he was going to make inferences negative to Trump because Trump refused to give answers to many of the questions posed by the Attorney General. So, I think it's a foregone conclusion that there's going to be a fine assessed against Trump that his properties have probably will be forced to be sold. You know, now, it's just a question of the record and whether Trump will have any kind of favor at the appellate level because we know given his playbook, he will appeal this to every possible higher court.

CHURCH: And Trump's older daughter Ivanka is expected to testify on Wednesday. How significant will her testimony likely be do you think?

MARTIN: Well, we know that Ivanka was originally a defendant in this case, and she was dismissed because of the statute of limitations. We know that Trump is very, very upset that his sons and particularly his daughter who was dismissed as a defendant was subpoenaed by the New York Attorney General. That she has to come forward and testify. It's going to be interesting to see if she testifies consistently with her brothers and say that she basically didn't have any responsibility for the records.

That she relied on the professional accountants or if she will testify consistent with their father and basically said yes, she did see records, that she did have information about the financial documents.

[02:10:05]

I think at this point there's not much that she can say or testify to that will salvage this case for Trump and his organization.

CHURCH: Areva Martin, many thanks for your legal analysis as always. Appreciate it.

MARTIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, 2023 is not a big election year in the United States, but in the coming hours, some Americans will head to the polls to vote. There's a race for governor in Kentucky where Democrat Andy Beshear is seeking reelection against Republican challenger Daniel Cameron. If Cameron wins, he would be the state's first black governor and the country's first black Republican governor to be elected.

The big issues in Ohio are cannabis and abortion. Voters will decide on a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. Ohio will also vote on whether to legalize recreational marijuana.

In Virginia, races will determine the balance of power in both chambers of state government.

And in deeply conservative Mississippi, a second cousin of the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley is challenging the incumbent Governor Brandon Presley. On the right is taking on Tate Reeves.

Now to the Israel-Hamas war which marks one month today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel will have overall security responsibility for Gaza for an indefinite period after the war ends. His comments came Monday during an interview with ABC News. He also once again stress that Israel won't allow a ceasefire until Hamas releases all the hostages.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah says that the death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 10,000. A top United Nations official is sounding the alarm about the rising death toll saying "10,000 people in one month, this defies humanity."

And for more, we want to go to journalist Eliott Gotkine who joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Elliot. So Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel will have overall security responsibility for Gaza after the war. What has been the global reaction to this?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, Netanyahu's comments about what happens the day after this war ends are being very closely scrutinized because this is perhaps one of the things that no one's really been talking about publicly. Then -- there have been great concerns certainly not in Israel. The main focus, of course, is very much on this military campaign to destroy Hamas militarily so that it can never again inflict a pogrom of the sort that it did on October the 7th.

And also, to prevent it from continuing to govern inside the Gaza Strip, as well. But there's not been a lot of thought certainly not publicly articulated about what happens next. Now, Netanyahu, in that interview said that Israel, as you -- as you mentioned, in your introduction, will have security overall. Security responsibility for Gaza for an indefinite period. Now, he's not talking about necessarily governing Gaza, he's not even necessarily talking about keeping boots on the ground but saying that Israel will retain overall security responsibility.

But of course, there are a number of things to bear in mind. And of course, who governs the Gaza Strip is perhaps the main one. Now the most convenient and I suppose practical answer to that question, as far as Israel and perhaps the United States and others are concerned would be to get the Palestinian authority which was part of the Israeli occupied West Bank to go back into Gaza which was also in control of until Hamas seized control violently from it in 2007.

But Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority lacks legitimacy there. He's in his 19th year of a four-year term. And he's hardly going to relish the prospect of being seen to be some kind of puppet government for the Israelis to go in after this war is over. And, you know, perhaps maybe if there were some major surprising concessions towards Palestinian state, but that seems very unlikely at this stage.

Now, there's been talk about perhaps the United Nations, perhaps other Arab countries going into Gaza to help govern it after Hamas is destroyed. But, you know, none of these possible solutions have been flushed out. And the other thing I think that's important to bear in mind is that in previous major conflicts that Israel has been involved in where Israeli decision making has been questioned or where Israel has suffered major losses.

The government of the day has swiftly been ejected. We saw it after the 1973 Yom Kippur War with Golda Meir. We sorted after the first Lebanon War with (INAUDIBLE) in 1982, and we saw it after the Second Lebanon War in 2006 with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. And it would be in the words of one political analyst Amit Segal, chief political analyst for Channel 12 in Israel. He told me it would be -- it would set a national precedent if Netanyahu doesn't leave office after this war.

[02:15:11]

So, it may not actually be Netanyahu's decision to make once and if Hamas is destroyed as to what happens next. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Interesting. Elliot Gotkine joining us live from London with that report. Appreciate it.

And still to come. G7 foreign ministers are gathering in Tokyo for two days of discussions. What's likely on their agenda. We'll take a look.

And a CNN journalist shares his family's harrowing journey out of Gaza. That just ahead. Back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. In the coming hours, representatives from G7 member countries will meet in Tokyo with a long list of issues to discuss. And Israel's war on Hamas will no doubt be high on the agenda. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tokyo after visiting Israel and also meeting with key Arab leaders last week. He is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the coming hours.

So, let's go live to Beijing and CNN Steven Jiang for more on this. Good to see you, Steven. So, Israel's war with Hamas will likely be top of the agenda but what about Russia's war in Ukraine and of course, other pressing issues, so many of them. What can we expect?

[02:20:02]

STEVEN JIANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Rosemary. The war in Ukraine certainly on the agenda but unlikely to feature as prominently as it did last time given what's going on in Gaza, but I think the foreign minister certainly hope they're more unified response to that Russian invasion of Ukraine to serve as an inspiration or example of them coming together for a firm and unified approach to conflict.

But so far, of course, we are seeing divisions actually emerge in between members with different concerns different, political loyalties and different economic priorities. The French, for example, voted for a U.N. Security Council Resolution calling for ceasefire, even though the U.S. vetoed it and other G7 members abstained. The host nation, Japan actually has been resisting pressure from its closest ally, the U.S. when it comes to more for long pro-Israeli public stance.

Instead, Japan has adopted a "balanced approach" from the very beginning of the war in Gaza, because of its own diverse interests in the Middle East, especially its heavy reliance on oil imports from the region and the Gaza civilian casualties, only reinforcing that approach. So, it's going to be a tall order for all foreign ministers to agree on wording when it comes to Israel's right to defend itself, the civilian casualties in Gaza.

Not to mention the concrete -- any concrete proposals of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza. But I think they were keenly aware that what they end up seeing or not seeing as being closely watched, not just by partners and allies, but especially by critics and detractors including Russia, but especially increasingly China, Beijing, Moscow and Moscow, both blaming the U.S. and its Western allies for being the root cause of the conflict in Gaza and portraying themselves as champions of the developing world as peacemakers and using that increasingly bloody conflict in Gaza as further justification of their desire and willingness to reshape a U.S.-led world order.

So, I think the G7 foreign ministers understand the implications of their actions and words at the scattering because it really is going to have implications on the political relevance of their grouping, Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Steven Jiang joining us live from Beijing. Many thanks. And still to come. A CNN journalist and his family trapped in Gaza for almost a month say they are some of the lucky few who escaped. But they're worried they'll never see their relatives again.

Plus, how Russia's President is hoping to use the Israel-Hamas war to his advantage. That's just a hit.

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[02:26:58]

CHURCH: First it was fear of no power then no food or water. Now 70 percent of people in Gaza have no roof over their head forcibly displaced by the war between Israel and Hamas according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. Now with increasing reports of sickness amid inhumane conditions and windmilling medical supplies, some doctors say there's no way they can care for everyone in need.

And we caution you, Scott McLean's report contains video that may be disturbing to watch. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Without power Gaza City is pitch black at night, now lit up only by Israeli airstrikes and the terrifying sound that comes with them. From the ground and from the air, Israel says it hit 450 Hamas targets in the past day. At the beach refugee camp named for its coastal location, they're sifting through the rubble after a bombing overnight.

I don't know what to say, this woman says there is nothing to say. There is no mercy on anyone. Not on children not on elderly or women. Complete destruction.

MCLEAN (voiceover): The injured were rushed to the nearby Al Shifa Hospital where the sky flashes red from strikes nearby.

I don't remember what happened. It was like a shock says Mohammed Hider (ph) who lives in the beach camp. I don't remember how I fell down. Suddenly I felt things fall on my head.

The IDF says it's doing what it can to minimize civilian casualties. But the human toll in Gaza following the October 7th Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed more than 1400 people has now surpassed 10,000 according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Hospital morgues now spill out onto the streets like this one in central Gaza. Overnight at that same hospital victims arrive in the back of trucks, some clinging to life, others looking lifeless. Arriving ambulances are packed with as many people as they'll fit. This girl is one of the luckier ones inside covered in dirt and shaking she tells the doctor her name is Jenna (ph) and that she's in pain.

We as medical teams are no longer in a position to be able to fulfil our obligations toward our people, says this doctor. All the beds are occupied. We may have to announce suspension of services in the hospital at any moment.

The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza says that these pictures show the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a children's hospital in Gaza City. Several holes blown through the walls and one through the ceiling. The IDF told CNN it has not struck any hospitals yet.

Aid is slowly reaching Gaza but not fast enough for Jordan which resorted to air dropping medical aid from the sky as Gazans lined up for bread this weekend in the shadow of another bakery that's been destroyed.

[02:30:05]

They have no idea when the next truckload of essentials will arrive.

Scott McLean, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: A CNN journalist and his family were among those who escaped Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Ibrahim Dahman says they feel relieved, but he says his children remain traumatized.

Here's his account.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IBRAHIM DAHMAN, CNN JOURNALIST (translated): Last month, my family and I fled northern Gaza.

Buildings were bombed before our eyes.

We became refugees in our own home.

I saw family members caught in the crosshairs.

ZAID, DAHMAN'S SON (translated): They don't strike hotels, right?

DAHMAN: My own children feared for their lives.

We sheltered with over 100 other families in Khan Younis.

We witnessed many airstrikes and survived blackouts.

We tried to make the best of a bad situation, and distract our children.

But we couldn't shield them from the horror.

Last Friday, we were told to go to the Rafah crossing.

I was relieved to get out of Gaza.

My home has become a graveyard.

In Rafah, I saw many families hoping to escape.

My heart raced as our documents were checked.

Zaid, why don't you want to go?

ZAID: I want a safe place.

DAHMAN: There are no safe places here.

ZAID: That's true.

DAHMAN: The names of a lucky few were called to board the bus to Egypt.

Finally, it was our turn.

My wife put on a brave face.

We both worry we will never see our relatives again. The feeling of being in Egypt is indescribable.

Are you happy Khalil? What do you want to say?

KHALIL, SON OF DAHMAN: It was difficult, but at the same time it was good.

DAHMAN: In Cairo, we no longer hear airstrikes.

My sons look happy, but I know they are traumatized. Sometimes they hear a plane overhead and think it's a war plane. I have to reassure them they are safe now.

We don't know what our next move will be. For now, we can be a normal family again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And coming up, the Kremlin has declined to condemn Hamas's actions, despite the militant group killing, and abducting Russians in Israel on October 7th. More on Moscow's Middle East strategy after a short break.

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[02:37:57]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Russian President Putin is closely watching the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as he wages his own war in Ukraine, and is seizing the war in Gaza to craft a new narrative about the West.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As Israel's military continues its war against Hamas, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is framing the conflict as part of a global struggle of America and the West against the rest of the world.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It's the current ruling elites of the United States and their satellites that are the main beneficiaries of global instability. They extract their blood toll from it.

PLEITGEN: While many nations around the world condemned Hamas after the October 7th raid on southern Israel, killing more than 1,400 and taking hundreds of hostages, including Russians, Russia invited a high-level Hamas delegation to Moscow for meetings.

A top Hamas leader saying the group would give preference to captives from what they call their, quote, Russian friends.

MOUSA ABU MARZOUK, CHIEF DEPUTY OF HAMAS'S POLITICAL BUREAU (through translator): This request from Russia we treat more positively and attentively than others, due to our nature of our relations with Russia.

PLEITGEN: So far, no Russian hostages appear to have been released. Still, Moscow not criticizing Hamas, instead, ripping only into Israel for the many Palestinians killed by the IDF's ongoing aerial campaign in Gaza.

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Condemning terrorism, we categorically disagree that terrorism can be responded to by violating the norms of international humanitarian law, including the indiscriminate use of force against targets where the civilian population is known to be located.

PLEITGEN: But, for years, it was Russia that waged a relentless bombing campaign against areas held by rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

[02:40:00]

The U.S. and various international aid groups accuse Moscow of deliberately targeting civilian areas, including hospitals and markets, killing and wounding scores even though the Kremlin has consistently denied those claims.

And Russia's war against Ukraine continues, Moscow once again harming civilian structures overnight in the port town Odesa, wounding several people.

Vladimir Putin, though, trying to argue that Russia is invading Ukraine to help the Palestinians.

PUTIN: These are our soldiers and officers and the choice of a real man, a real warrior is to pick up arms and stand in line with his brothers, be in a place where the fate of Russia and of the whole world is being decided, including the future of the Palestinian people.

PLEITGEN: Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is coming up next. For those of you in the United States, and Canada, I'll will be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.

Please stay with us.

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[02:45:40]

CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers in North America. I'm Rosemary Church. A stunning day in court as Donald Trump took the stand for nearly four hours in his New York civil fraud trial. Trump is accused of falsely inflating his assets to get better deals with banks. The judge has already ruled that the former president and his adult sons committed fraud.

During testimony, Trump lashed out against the attorney general who brought the case and Judge Arthur Engoron. At one point, Engoron told Trump's lawyer, quote, control your client. The judge also threatened to have Trump removed as a witness, but eventually gave up trying to control the former president.

The high stakes court case threatens the very heart of Trump's brand, his real estate empire. New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing him for $250 million and looking to bar him from doing business in the state.

Well, this isn't the first time Trump has clashed with the judge presiding over his case. Brian Todd gives us the background on the man weighing the fate of the former president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Judge Arthur Engoron might be hard-pressed to name a defendant in any of his cases who's been as contentious with him as Donald Trump, even prior to Trump's testimony on the stand Monday. During the civil trial, Judge Engoron called Trump to the stand and rebuked him, fining him $10,000 for public comments that the judge perceived as attacks on his clerk.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: This judge is a very partisan judge with a person who's very partisan sitting alongside of him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is.

TODD: Trump and his lawyers claimed Trump was speaking about Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen and not about the clerk. The judge had previously fined him $5,000 for a social media post attacking the clerk.

On Friday, Judge Engoron expanded a gag order against Trump and back in 2022, he fined Trump $110,000 for being in contempt of court, writing that Trump, quote, willfully disobeyed an order to provide documents by a certain time.

How contentious is this between the judge and the defendant compared to other cases?

SHAN WU, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It's much more contentious than other cases because usually a client would be working with the lawyers to not irritate the judge.

TODD: But if Donald Trump's an outlier as a defendant, so too is Arthur Engoron as a jurist. As a college student at Columbia, he drove a taxi.

Quote, I love the freedom, the instant cash, getting to meet people, learning how to drive like a maniac without being caught, he once said in court, according to "The New York Post".

After some time as a musician, he went to NYU Law School. Then, he writes, his career path has been, quote, a Park Avenue litigator, a piano and drum teacher, a moderately successful bar band keyboard player, a law clerk to a judge, and now an elected New York state Supreme Court justice.

One former supervisor says --

DONALD ZAKARIN, FORMER COLLEAGUE OF JUDGE ENGORON: He has a broad background. He didn't follow a very straight line. He followed what I would consider a very jagged line in his career.

TODD: Trump and his two eldest sons are accused in this case of fraudulently inflating the value of their properties to get more favorable loans and insurance policies. The Trumps have denied any wrongdoing, and Donald Trump has relentlessly gone after Judge Engoron for being partisan.

TRUMP: He's a Democrat operative and he's a disgrace to people that call themselves judges.

TODD: Engoron was elected as a Democrat and has held membership in the ACLU.

WU: Trump's team is going to argue that all these folks are in the liberal camp and that's why they're persecuting him. But at the heart, I don't think that's any kind of problem for this judge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): In the end, Judge Engoron will have enormous influence over this case against Trump. He's overseeing the case as a judge. You will decide on the verdict since there's no jury and he'll decide on the penalties if the outcome of the case does not go Trump's way, including, possibly, $250 million in penalties that the prosecutor has asked for and he could decide whether the Trump family could continue doing business in New York.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Two men are facing gun charges after police say they crashed into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol while attempting to flee from officers on Sunday.

[02:50:01]

A law enforcement official tells CNN there's no indication at this time that the suspects were targeting the Capitol. Police say the men were in a stolen car and two pistols were found, including one that had been illegally converted into an automatic fire arm. The two men are facing a slew of charges and a preliminary hearing is set for Thursday.

And an Aurora, Colorado police officer has been acquitted on all charges in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain. Nathan Woodyard and other officers responded to a call of a suspicious person wearing a ski mask and wrestled the unarmed black 23-year-old to the ground. Woodyard placed him in a chokehold and medics injected McClain with a powerful sedative. He suffered a heart attack and died three days later.

McClain's mother spoke out about the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHENEEN MCCLAIN, MOTHER OF ELIJAH MCCLAIN: My son was murdered by killer cops and their accomplices. And the system, the justice system allows for them to continue with their crimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: One of the two other officers indicted was recently found guilty of lesser charges. The other officer was acquitted. And two paramedics are set to go on trial soon.

As the Israel Hamas war rages on, an antisemitic threats surge in the United States, more and more Jewish Americans are buying guns and getting trained on how to use them fearing for their safety.

CNN's David Culver reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is not Shani Suissa's (ph) usual L.A. hangout.

SHANNI SUISSA, ATTENDED FIREARMS TRAINING COURSE: Two months ago, I never would have really thought about owning a gun.

CULVER: The 31-year-old podcaster organized this group firearms training.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead and pick up your gun in your dominant hand.

CULVER: Inviting others from her Southern California Jewish community including her childhood schoolmate, Dani. Would your friends say, oh, yeah, Dani's the type to always want to carry a gun and go shooting it?

DANI, ATTENDED FIREARMS TRAINING COURSE: No, definitely not my vibe, definitely not how I was raised.

CULVER: This course, as these women see it, a last resort in self- defense.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think I hit anything.

DANI: The reality is, people don't seem to want us around and it's hard.

CULVER: And do you feel that now more than ever?

DANI: Now more than ever. It's suffocating, actually.

CULVER: Amidst the ongoing turmoil in Israel and Gaza, law enforcement here in the U.S. warning of increased anti-Semitic incidents targeting Jewish people, homes and businesses.

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a threat that is reaching in some ways sort of historic levels.

CULVER: And gun shops, along with firearm instructors around the country, reporting a surge in interest, particularly from Jewish groups.

YOSSI EILFORT, RABBI, MEGEN AM USA: When I'm doing our messaging, it is a message of light and peace.

CULVER: Rabbi Yossi Eilfort believes that light and peace should be safeguarded through vigilance and preparation. It's why he started Magen Am, a private security firm tasked with keeping the local Jewish community safe.

CULVER: Did you ever think that you would end up also teaching people how to carry and fire a gun?

EILFORT: It's sad that it's necessary, but it definitely is. It's really important that we start educating our community.

CULVER: We went to one of his weekday firearm classes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What can I do to protect my family? And what can I do to protect myself?

CULVER: Roughly two dozen Jewish women here on this night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can tell you as a mom and as a teacher.

CULVER: You can sense anxiety, fear, and unease.

EILFORT: We want people to live and be able to practice in peace. That's the whole goal. And so, if they want to pursue the ownership training with a firearm, and that's going to help them feel at peace, then let's do that.

CULVER: California has some of the toughest gun laws in the U.S. And some here simply do not feel comfortable around guns.

EILFORT: It's not for everybody.

CULVER: Back at the range.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cannot believe I did that.

CULVER: Shani and Dani -- feeling more confident after their four- hour training.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No way!

CULVER: And in case you didn't recognize their teacher, that's Rabbi Yossi.

EILFORT: Those were about three to four shots per second as I accelerated.

DANI: What we did here today will make me feel safer in the future as long as I keep practicing.

CULVER: Are you going to continue the instruction?

DANI: I will come back, a hundred percent.

SHANI: We need to be prepared and the best defense is a good offense and I think that's really important to understand.

CULVER: David Culver, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The office sharing company WeWork as a filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company, which was at one time valued at $47 billion tried and failed to go public in 2019.

[02:55:02]

It eventually went public two years later at a much reduced evaluation of about $9 billion, after the pandemic and economic slowdown caused many clients to close their doors. Shares for WeWork have plunged roughly 98 percent in 2023 alone.

Well, four months in and still no deal between major Hollywood studios and the striking Screen Actors Guild. SAG-AFTRA says it has responded to the last, best, and final offer from studios, but the two sides still don't see eye to eye, especially on issues like the use of A.I. in movies and TV. The actors union says it is still dedicated to getting the right deal and ending the strike responsibly. The talks have recently become more urgent, with studios hoping to salvage the upcoming winter television season.

And thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Do stay with us.