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CNN International: Putin Holding Annual Address to Russian Parliament; U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Trump's Immunity Claim in April; U.S. Sources: Israel May Be Planning Lebanon Incursion; Prince Harry to Appeal Court Decision on U.K. Security; Ghana's Parliament Passes Anti-Homosexuality Bill; Catastrophic Fires Burning in Texas, Oklahoma. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired February 29, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justices will hear Trump's argument that he has absolute immunity for crimes he allegedly committed in office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That buys Trump at least another couple of months of delays in the case.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This really means no trial before the election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Already we've seen people being targeted, often put on social media, harassed, beaten and worse because of the proposal of this bill. There will be up to three years in prison for identifying as gay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he comes to the U.K., he wants police protection because he is a vulnerable person. He says his kids aren't safe in the U.K. without this police protection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, a warm welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Max Foster.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. It's leap year, so today is February 29th, 2024.

I'm here in London and it is noon in Moscow, where President Vladimir Putin is set to begin his annual address to the Russian parliament any moment now. He'll speak to both houses of the legislature at an important time for him. It's about two weeks ahead of a presidential election there and Russia is gaining the upper hand on the battlefield in Ukraine. The speech also follows the controversial death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

FOSTER: Clare is with us, keeping an eye on the speech. You cover these every year for many years.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

FOSTER: Do we get news from them or what are we looking for?

SEBASTIAN: You sometimes get news. I think that we'll get a lot of the stump speech. We'll get a lot of the West was responsible for the war, perhaps a little bit of a history lesson that we've become used to hearing from Putin, essentially arguing that Ukraine was always supposed to be part of Russia.

We will very likely, I think, hear him talking up the Russian military, the military industrial complex, the Russian economy and its resilience in the face of sanctions. He has, though, made news in the past. Last year, he did announce that Russia was withdrawing from the New START treaty, that nuclear disarmament treaty with the U.S.

We could potentially look at some more nuclear rhetoric. He did himself fly a nuclear capable bomber in recent days. So that is clearly part of the sort of strongman pre-election image that he's looking to curate in terms of the elections.

That is an important part of the context. Putin himself was quoted by state media recently as saying that he will be setting out his goals in the speech for the next six years. So barely a pretense, I think, that these are sort of real elections with a real opponent.

But we may likely hear some sort of campaign of sorts, some sort of pre-election program. And of course, the context around the war is really important to consider because, of course, Putin has the wind in his sails. He's likely to bank recent victories like Avdiivka -- like Avdiivka used that to talk up their position.

And obviously with the elections two weeks away, I think, you know, that is critical to consider here, especially given the death of Alexei Navalny and what we understand based on what the family is saying about the funeral preparations, to be a level of Kremlin and Russian state discomfort around the expressions of mourning and support that we've seen for Navalny.

NOBILO: How would you compare Vladimir Putin's strength today to what it was the last time he gave an annual address? Obviously, like you say, the wind is in his sails when it comes to the battlefield in Ukraine. There's been the death of Alexei Navalny, Prigozhin. What would you say?

SEBASTIAN: So, I mean, I think on the one hand, the way the Kremlin will want to present this is that he's in a very strong position. Obviously, last year when he made the address, it was around the first anniversary of the war. Ukraine had had three very successful counteroffensives.

Russia had been pushed out of about half the territory that it originally occupied in Ukraine. And since then, they haven't had any successful counteroffensives. Russia now appears at least in the ground war to have the advantage. So that's one thing. The Russian economy is showing resilience, although obviously there

are pockets of weakness. Inflation is very high. The Russian people continue to pay the price.

But on the other hand, as you point out, there are elements that are likely to be top of mind for the Kremlin. The Prigozhin mutiny was something that was very unusual to see, clearly rattled them.

The level of support that we've seen around Navalny's death, people, even in the context of unprecedented amounts in post-Soviet times of repression in Russia, people coming out to lay flowers.

[04:05:00]

I think there is certainly, from people I speak to, an undercurrent of anti-war sentiment that is trying to find an outlet in this context. And I think that President Putin will be looking to try to -- not necessarily counter that. He's not going to want to address it. But I think that is an important part of the content of his speech.

FOSTER: He's never on time, is he? That's the other thing.

SEBASTIAN: He may not be, but certainly everyone in the audience is.

FOSTER: They're ready.

SEBASTIAN: Yes.

FOSTER: Clare, thank you.

NOBILO: And Clare's going to be monitoring Putin's speech for us. She shall be back at the bottom of the hour with the latest on what he's saying.

FOSTER: Will justice delayed become justice denied? That's what critics of Donald Trump fear after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in the presidential immunity case come April.

NOBILO: In a one-page order, the court said the key question they'll answer is this.

Whether and if so, to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office?

FOSTER: The Supreme Court's decision to finally get involved would likely push back the special counsel's election interference trial by months, which is exactly what Trump wants, of course. But if there is even a trial, there's a good chance it won't happen before the November election.

NOBILO: The Supreme Court could have simply refused to hear Trump's appeal and let the circuit court's decision to deny him immunity stand, since that ruling by three judges was unanimous.

CNN's Evan Perez has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Donald Trump may claim immunity in special counsel Jack Smith's election subversion case. The court said it would expedite the case and hear arguments the week of April 22nd.

But that buys Trump at least another couple of months of delays in the case, a victory for the former president whose legal and campaign strategy have centered on delaying his legal cases until after the November election.

Trump issued a statement saying, quote: Legal scholars are extremely thankful for the Supreme Court's decision today to take up presidential immunity. Without presidential immunity, a president will not be able to properly function or make decisions in the best interests of the United States of America.

Now, we're still waiting for the court's ruling in another separate case. Earlier this month, the court heard arguments in a case questioning whether Trump could be disqualified from running for a second term under the 14th Amendment's insurrection ban. In December, the Supreme Court rejected the special counsel's request to hear the immunity case then.

And three weeks have passed since the D.C. appeals court dismissed Trump's immunity claims. Now, even if the Supreme Court ends up ruling that Trump doesn't have immunity, the calendar is shrinking and so is the likelihood of a verdict before November.

Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Earlier, legal experts weighed in on the Supreme Court's action and took issue with the timing since this decision could have happened months earlier when the special counsel first asked the justices to take up the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO, WORKED WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH: Timing matters here because if this doesn't go before the election, it might not ever go if Donald Trump wins the presidency because he appoints the new attorney general who could dismiss the case. He will pardon himself and the thousand others he will call patriots who have been prosecuted and convicted for January 6th.

That includes people like Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes. And the case will go away. And so in some ways, the Supreme Court knew that, and yet they sent it to the D.C. circuit and said, no, I want them to opine first.

But now what they're saying is either they disagree or they changed their mind. I just don't understand why we had to go through this if we were going to go here to begin with, because this really means no trial before the election other than the Manhattan D.A. case, which has been widely stated that is the least serious of them all. But now it's really the only case that will likely go before the election.

BASIL SMIKLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: We could have had some kind of decision on this a lot earlier. If you are concerned that the Supreme Court is being political, this just gave you additional fuel for that concern.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Later today, both Trump and Joe Biden are headed to the southern U.S. border as the migrant crisis becomes one of the most pressing issues in this presidential race.

Trump is scheduled to visit Eagle Pass, Texas, which has become the epicenter of the immigration dispute.

FOSTER: Yes, and the U.S. president will travel to Brownsville, Texas, to discuss the need for bipartisan border security agreement. President Biden is said to be considering executive action that would restrict migrants' ability to seek asylum if they crossed into the U.S. illegally.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the longest serving Senate party leader in American history, says he'll step down as the Republican leader in November.

NOBILO: He received a standing ovation from his colleagues on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

[04:10:02]

This marks the end of an era on Capitol Hill and the beginning of a high stakes race to succeed him.

FOSTER: The 82-year-old McConnell is an old school Reagan style Republican who in recent years found himself at odds with his own party as it fell in line behind Donald Trump.

NOBILO: Some Senate Republicans are pushing for a more populist, hard- right leader. McConnell says he can read the writing on the wall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), U.S. SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Believe me, I don't want to be a Republican. I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, so far, the top three potential successors have declined to say whether they'll run for the Senate leadership.

U.S. President Joe Biden underwent his annual physical on Wednesday, and his doctor says that Mr. Biden is, quote, healthy, active, robust and continues to be fit for duty. He notes the president's gait remains stiff but has not worsened since last year and blames that stiffness on degenerative wear and tear. He recommends the president continue his physical therapy and exercise regime. The president's doctor notes a neurologic exam found no signs of a stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease.

One thing you will find in the report is a cognitive test. The White House says the doctor determined the president did not need one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: They think I look too young. Thank you. No. there is nothing different than last year. Everything's great.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president doesn't need a cognitive test. That is not my assessment. That is not my assessment. That is the assessment of the president's doctor. That is also the assessment of the neurologist.

If you look at what this president, the president who is also the commander in chief, he passes a cognitive test every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: And now to a grim milestone in the war between Israel and Hamas. The Palestinian Health Ministry reports more than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October. Some of the latest Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 20 people in central Gaza. That's according to officials at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Witnesses say residential buildings were hit and people were buried under the rubble.

NOBILO: Meanwhile, the U.S. is looking for new ways to get humanitarian relief to people in Gaza. Officials tell CNN the Biden administration is considering airdropping supplies into the territory now.

France, Jordan and several other countries airdropped aid parcels into Gaza earlier on this week. And concern is reportedly rising within the Biden administration about a possible Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon.

Elliott Gotkine here with more on that. What are you hearing about those concerns?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: So we understand from Biden administration officials and officials in the intelligence community that this is something that's a growing number of people in the Israeli security establishment that think that this is something that Israel has to do.

Because let's not forget, while we've been focused on the Israel-Hamas war, and as you say, that grim milestone of 30,000 deaths now since October the 7th, there's been a war in all but name on the northern border between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. And ever since October the 8th, the day after the Hamas terrorist attacks, Hezbollah has been firing rockets towards Israel. Israel has been retaliating with drone strikes, with missile strikes and the like.

And you have also got the situation where some 80,000 people in Israel are now displaced. Many of the cities and kibbutzim communities in the northern part of Israel are like ghost towns. There's been a lot of thousands of people displaced in southern Lebanon as well.

And what Israel has said from the prime minister, defense minister and downwards, they've been saying now for weeks, for months, that Hezbollah has to abide by the UN resolution from 2006, which brought the last conflict between these two parties to a close and move back the 18 miles north to the Litani River. And that if they don't do that, then Israel will make them do that.

So now there are concerns that Israel is actually considering this ground operation, that it could happen by late spring or early summer. There is no firm decision just yet, and it could be more of a threat than an actual plan to enact such a threat.

But there is concern that it could happen, not least because any war between Israel and Hezbollah, as we saw in 2006, could be far more devastating even than what we're seeing in Gaza for the simple reason that the arsenal that Hezbollah has to hand is that much greater and that much more powerful. So there are big concerns there.

And just last night, we had the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, speaking with his counterpart, Lloyd Austin, in the U.S., saying the parties that they discussed this and Galant saying that about the attacks from Hezbollah, the state of Israel will not tolerate threats against its citizens and violations of its sovereignty and will take the measures required to ensure their security. And if right and as if right on cue, just in the last few minutes before I came on air to talk to you, sirens have been sounding in northern Israel ahead of expected.

FOSTER: What about the sovereignty of Lebanon?

GOTKINE: Well, the problem is that the Lebanese government doesn't control Hezbollah. It's almost like a state within a state. And of course, it is a proxy of Iran.

[04:15:00]

And so Israel has said that any firing from Hezbollah is the responsibility of the Lebanese government, and they need to ensure that Hezbollah moves north. But the issue is, of course, that the Lebanese government that do not control Hezbollah and as a result, it's very hard.

And the U.S. is doing its best, speaking with Israeli officials, speaking with Lebanese officials to try to create a miles wide buffer zone that at the very least would take out some of Hezbollah short range weaponry and that that could forestall any ground operation. But this is the situation that the ordinary Lebanese people are not the same as Hezbollah. But Hezbollah is firing on Israel and Israel is retaliating against Hezbollah. And the Lebanese government doesn't seem able to do anything about it. FOSTER: OK, Elliott, thank you.

Britain's top court has just ruled against Prince Harry, who is fighting to keep his taxpayer-funded security detail whilst he's in the U.K. The government stripped him of that protection when he stopped being a working royal.

Although the Duke of Sussex did lose his case on Wednesday, his spokesperson told me they are going to appeal.

NOBILO: So remind us of the arguments in this case.

FOSTER: Well, he left his working royal role and that comes with a lot of public funding and support. And, you know, the view was that he gives, you know, he gives all of that up in leaving his role. The counter argument to him getting this support from the police is that, you know, he doesn't -- he's not a public figure and he's not being publicly funded. So therefore, he shouldn't receive that.

But his view is that it's not safe for him and his children to come over. So he wants armed police as a, you know, every time he comes over.

What the Home Office is saying, it should be on merit, as it were. So an ad hoc basis. If there's a specific threat against him, they will provide it like they would any Hollywood star, for example. But they're not going to give it to him automatically because, you know, he's not a public figure here and it crosses a line for them. And we'll see what -- he says he doesn't want special treatment, but in effect, he's asking for it because there isn't anyone else that receives that outside those public figures.

NOBILO: And I suppose, as you say, their argument would be that despite not being active participants in royal duties, that they are singular figures that attract a lot of attention and that they wouldn't be able to come over here without that security. Why would he not provide the security for himself and his family by himself?

FOSTER: He's saying he would offer to pay for it, but he wants armed security, which he can't get from private security in the U.K.

NOBILO: That's interesting that he would offer to pay for it because that does undermine the arguments, doesn't it, about the fact that if you're not performing a service to the country, then you shouldn't have taxpayer-funded benefits.

FOSTER: It also becomes, should the police be guns for hire?

NOBILO: Interesting. Thanks, Max.

Ghana's parliament passes a stringent anti-gay bill, one of the harshest of its kind in Africa. How this could impact the LGBTQ plus community in that country, that's coming up for you next.

FOSTER: Plus, in just two days, a massive wildfire in Texas is already the second largest ever in the state, devastating communities in the panhandle. I will hear from some residents who've lost virtually everything.

NOBILO: And later on this hour, Caitlin Clark sets a new basketball record as the University of Iowa star closes in on another. That moment and more still to come.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: President Putin speaking. We are monitoring it -- or Clare, rather, is monitoring it for you. We're waiting for any announcements and his take really, on the momentum for the campaign in Ukraine.

NOBILO: In the meantime, Ghana is intensifying a crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ plus individuals. The country's parliament has unanimously passed a controversial anti-homosexuality bill that not only criminalizes LGBTQ plus relationships but could also carry a prison sentence for those who support them.

FOSTER: The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act is one of the harshest of its kind in Africa. The legislation is drawing international condemnation and the U.S. State Department is urging Ghana to review the constitutionality of the bill. \

David McKenzie joins us from Johannesburg. Just explain in layman terms what they're considering here, David.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, what they're considering and what has actually been unanimously passed in parliament after years of discussion is a very draconian bill, which would not only criminalize people for identifying as LGBTQ plus, but also those who are seen to support them, including the media, NGOs, non-profits, charities, all the groups that might support them.

I just got off the phone with a prominent gay rights activist in Ghana, and I asked him, well, how are you feeling now that this has been passed? He said their predominant emotion is sadness. He said that they've already, as a community, faced inequality in Ghana because of the discussion of this bill.

He describes it as inequality in healthcare, in the workplace. When it comes to rights and judicial rights. There's been an uptick reported on by us here at CNN for several years of harassment, often placed on social media to humiliate those who are part of the LGBT community.

This activist says that because of this being signed -- this being passed in parliament and potentially signed into law, it will legitimize people to continue deepening that inequality in Ghana at the worst possible time for the community -- Bianca, Max.

NOBILO: David, we mentioned in the introduction how the U.S. is asking Ghana to look into the constitutionality of this bill, but does the international community have any leverage on this?

MCKENZIE: They do have considerable leverage, and it's partly on the purse strings, Bianca. The U.S. alone assists Ghana with more than $160 million worth of foreign aid assistance. Other nations are also deeply entrenched in helping Ghana move into middle-income status.

This is a country that has tried to throw its doors open to the world, to diaspora communities in the U.S. and elsewhere, to visit Ghana, to feel part of the Ghanaian experience. It is a very open and friendly country when I've been there, but this is deeply rooted in both the social mores and religious beliefs of the country and in the political situation that the country faces.

Ghana will have an election later this year, and you can't separate politics from the policy here. There will be pressure now piling on the president to sign this bill from both the opposition and the ruling party. He has not said very much about the bill, as it's been fiercely debated for months. But it will be a difficult position he's placed in because similar situations, specifically in Uganda, when a harsh bill was signed into law, there have been punitive measures brought in by the international community.

So the president will face a fine line, and specifically on the issue of constitutionality, that might be a backdoor way for him to get out of signing this, at least in the short term -- Bianca Max.

NOBILO: David McKenzie for us live in Johannesburg. Thank you very much.

FOSTER: The second largest wildfire in Texas state history, tearing through the panhandle, destroying homes and forcing residents to evacuate. The Smokehouse Creek fire has grown immensely in less than three days and is still mostly out of control.

NOBILO: Several other wildfires are burning nearby in Oklahoma, together scorching more than 400,000 hectares since Monday. At least one person has died as a result of the fires. Emily Schmidt has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY SCHMIDT, CNN SENIOR ASSIGNMENT EDITOR (voice-over): Smoke-filled skies and fast-moving flames as a massive wildfire sweeps across the Texas panhandle.

DANNY WILLIAMS: It still seems like it's just a little bit south of Fritch.

SCHMIDT (voice-over): Danny Williams says he watched the fire approaching the town of Fritch.

[04:25:00]

WILLIAMS: Not good. Stuff blowing up, sparks flying, the whole world's on fire.

SCHMIDT (voice-over): Transforming his neighborhood of 30 years in minutes.

WILLIAMS: There was a house there, there was a house there, there was a house there, there was a house there.

SCHMIDT (voice-over): He says as far as you can see, everything is burned.

He's not exaggerating. The Smokehouse Creek fire has scorched an area larger in size than the state of Rhode Island. It's one of at least five wildfires in the area igniting since Monday afternoon.

ADAM TURNER, TEXAS A&M FOREST SERVICE: These are massive landscapes. They're small communities surrounded by tons and tons of open grassland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) I've got some houses burning, only time save the ones we can protect.

SCHMIDT (voice-over): Radio traffic from firefighters in Hemphill County reveals their efforts to protect residents and homes around the town of Canadian, Texas. While a government weather satellite captured these images showing hotspots from the Wall of Fire in North Texas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Holy cow.

SCHMIDT (voice-over): Calmer winds helped firefighting efforts on Wednesday, but the Texas A&M Forest Service says stronger gusts are expected to return later this week. In the meantime, the flames are far from contained.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You feel like you're completely out of control. I mean, being evacuated and then everything's out there at the mercy, at the hand of God.

SCHMIDT (voice-over): Leaving so much space wide open for what's to come.

I'm Emily Schmidt reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: President Vladimir Putin is holding his annual address to Russian lawmakers as we speak. We've been keeping an eye on his speech and we'll have an update about what he's said so far when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. If you're just joining us, here are some of today's top stories.

The state of Texas has executed death row inmate Ivan Cantu, despite the lack of discovery of new -- despite the discovery of new evidence. Cantu denied murdering his cousin and his cousin's fiancee more than 20 years ago. His supporters believe that he did not receive a fair trial. Federal and state courts rejected appeals and the governor declined to intervene.

Illinois is now the third U.S. state to remove Donald Trump from its primary ballot. The judge is citing the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause that bans insurrection ...

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