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CNN International: Funeral Held For Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny; Gaza Health Ministry: At Least 112 Killed In Aid Convoy Catastrophe; Palestinian U.N. Ambassador: "Outrageous Massacre" In Gaza. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired March 01, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:02:04]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We're following this breaking news.
In Moscow and around the world, people are saying goodbye to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. His coffin has arrived at the cemetery where he will be buried. Take a look.
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WHITFIELD: They're yelling and chanting now "Navalny". Thousands of brave mourners gathering outside the Moscow church where his funeral ended about an hour ago, cheering his name as his body arrived at the church. The Kremlin, however, keeping largely quiet, saying they have nothing to say to Navalny's grieving family today. Navalny's team posted this picture of his body covered in flowers, lying inside the casket. The prominent Kremlin critic died exactly two weeks ago at an Arctic penal colony. One member of his team tells CNN, Navalny is a true hero who will become a giant figure in Russian history.
Our Matthew Chance was outside the Moscow church where the funeral was held. He spoke to people who came out to pay their respects.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: We can see thousands have come out to pay their respects, and security is extremely tight. They deployed riot police outside the gates of the church where Alexei Navalny's funeral is about to take place. This is the hearse, the van, which is taking the body of Alexei Navalny into this church on the outskirts of Moscow, where Russia will finally bid farewell to one of its most prominent opposition figures. You can see thousands of people from all over the region have turned out to pay their respects, clapping as his body enters for that funeral service.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Now, that was outside the church for the funeral services that you saw Matthew Chance reporting. Now, take a look at these images. This is the throngs of people who have showed up at the cemetery where the body of Navalny will be buried. You see all of these people taking great risk to show their support for the opposition leader, even though the Russian government, Putin, they have said nothing to the family. They said -- they have been asked directly about their thoughts about all of these people who have turned out for to pay homage to Navalny, and they have said we have nothing to say.
But, all of these people, as you saw following the death of Navalny, many people who came out in the streets protesting in anger about his passing. Many were arrested. These people taking great risk that they might be arrested even though this appears to be a sanctioned gathering by the government. It did at least finally hand over the body to the family for this burial and for today's funeral.
[08:05:00]
But again, people have come out, some chanting his name "Navalny" earlier. Now, you're hearing some voices. It almost sounds like there is prayer or singing taking place just ahead of the burial of Alexei Navalny.
We've got a team of reporters on this story. Melissa Bell is in Paris. We begin with our former Moscow Bureau Chief, Nathan Hodge. Nathan.
NATHAN HODGE, CNN FORMER MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Fredricka, I think this is a moment that we haven't seen on sort of a historical scale in Russia like this since nine years ago when thousands turned out to commemorate another opposition politician, Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down within sight of the Kremlin. Now, at that time, Nemtsov was investigating Russia's covert involvement in stoking the war in Donbas in eastern Ukraine at a time when the Russian government didn't actually acknowledge that it was actually involved in this conflict, and that was only afterwards that -- now, we look two years on from the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. And the situation has changed very dramatically, especially when it comes to registering political protest.
I was in Moscow in the days running up to and following the full-scale invasion, and we saw thousands of people who are arrested across Russia, who had come out to protest against the war. And the Russian government introduced draconian new laws, essentially restricting free speech and making it illegal to criticize the military. So, as you had noted before, I mean, it's an act of tremendous courage to turn out in Russia in great numbers to commemorate someone whose name the Kremlin really wouldn't acknowledge. Navalny was sort of the he who could not be named. And state media did its best to keep him out of the headlines and out of public awareness in general.
So, it's remarkable to see people coming out and risking arrest, and turning on in large numbers in Moscow at a time when the atmosphere and when the room for public debate has been so stifled, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Nathan, these images largely being provided by the Alexei Navalny family and team, but there have been restrictions seemingly on images that we've been able to get, meaning, we haven't been able to get everything at the moment with immediacy, but we have been able to get images, whether it be by CNN cameras and Alexei Navalny's team. We've been able to get them close to on time but with some delay. And now we understand that the coffin of Navalny has been lowered. The burial process is underway. We don't have those pictures. But, of course, when they are being provided by perhaps the Navalny team, we will be able to provide them.
But, these pictures that we are seeing of people who are coming out in large numbers, I mean, they know the risk. It seems as though with Navalny's death, the following has become even more emboldened.
HODGE: I mean, Fredricka --
WHITFIELD: Putin felt he was silencing people, followers of Navalny with his death. It seems the opposite has occurred.
HODGE: Yeah. I mean, Fredricka, right now, I mean, Putin is definitely feeling quite emboldened. And what you were referring to is a practice that was -- is long standing and common at public demonstrations where the authorities would be jamming phone signals and making it difficult for people to communicate sort of broadly within Russia and to the rest of the world.
But, this is also coming at a moment of two weeks basically before Russia goes to the polls. Russians go to essentially re-anoint Vladimir Putin, who is widely expected to win a fifth term in office that would keep him in office until 2030, and also at a time when he is projecting this message of confidence, wants the world to believe that he is beginning to prevail in Ukraine. And he is intent on basically making sure that -- I think it's been quite clear that he would like to see the West waver in its support for Ukraine, and I think that he sees an opening here.
But, this funeral is happening and the death of Navalny is happening --
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
HODGE: -- in a moment when he wants to show and display national unity ahead of this election, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And in fact, Nathan, here we now have pictures with the nearest immediacy possible from the Alexei Navalny team of his actual placement of his coffin in the ground. You saw a few people perhaps just the tossing dirt there over the coffin with this movement taking place. Nathan, thank you so much. I know we've got to release you.
[08:10:00]
Perhaps, we'll check back with you momentarily. Melissa Bell, we'll get to you as well. Our Matthew Chance is joining us from Moscow. We're going to take that moment as we have it. Matthew, where are you -- you are still outside of the church, or where are you and what's happening? CHANCE: Fredricka, I'm right outside the cemetery where Alexei Navalny is now being buried, with his family and his relatives and some of his family, his relatives around him, and with thousands of people as well who have gathered outside the cemetery gates. Mourners, who've come here to pay their last respects, they're carrying flowers. They're carrying messages. They're chanting slogans as well periodically. But, they've not been allowed access into the cemetery itself. The gates are closed. It's a big security operation is underway here. You can see the riot police are making sure that nobody steps out of line from the route. People just chanting a slogan now. What is it? What is it they're saying? We mnogo (ph). They're saying we are many. We are many.
And that is a really poignant message coming from these thousands of people that have come today to pay their respects to Alexei Navalny because it's not just a funeral, of course. It is an act of mass defiance, and a very rare one in a country which does not tolerate sort of any kind of dissent and is increasingly less tolerant of any kind, in a sense. So, for people to come out and to voice those kinds of slogans, it's an enormous risk they're taking. We know that over the course of the past couple of weeks, people have been detained by the Russian authorities for simply laying flowers at the makeshift memorials that were set up for Alexei Navalny since he died (ph) two weeks ago.
I have to say, so far, the police have not moved in, as far as I'm aware, at least, and made any detentions yet. But, again, there are riot police lining the entire route of the funeral procession and outside the gates here of the cemetery. And obviously, we're watching very closely to see if the police action changes over the course of the hours ahead, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. And Matthew, it's an interesting convergence of images, because while it's a beautiful moment, it's also a very confusing one, because you talk about how people are taking great risk, and they're holding up their flowers. They're saying, we are many. There is Russian police there just in case they get out of line. Many of these people were doing the very thing that was done a couple of weeks ago immediately following Navalny's death. They were paying homage to him. They were placing flowers, and then they were getting arrested.
So, in this case, well, the message is being sent by Putin that we will allow you to gather here and pay respects to Navalny. I feel like our shot is frozen there. But hopefully, Matthew can hear me. What is it that police are there for? I mean, who is going to get what is out of line, when out of line was placing flowers a few weeks ago? I think we have lost that signal. Yes? OK. We're going to try it again. But, this is a difficult time.
OK. I'm going to have to take a break here, because I'm not hearing the communication of where we want to go next.
All right. There is Steve Hall. All right. Steve Hall, hi. I'm so glad you're with us. OK. Well, maybe you can answer this question. I find this very confusing because, on one hand the Russian government is saying we're going to punish you for coming out and placing flowers a couple of weeks ago, paying respects to opposition leader Alexei Navalny in his death. Today, he is being buried. There is police presence. People of even greater numbers are doing the very same thing. And the police are there just in case people get out of line? What would be out of line on this day of memorial, of burial, of honor?
STEVE HALL, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, & FORMER CIA CHIEF OF RUSSIA OPERATIONS: Yeah. That's exactly the right question to be asking for it. There is this delicate dance that happens between Russian society, citizens that are currently living in Russia, and the authoritarians led by Putin that run the country, and the dance goes something like this. Putin is extremely concerned, of course, that this will be a mobilizing moment for the opposition. And so, he is watching it very carefully. All the stuff that we see on the streets, the police presence, is only a small fraction of what's actually happening behind the scenes, as the security services take notes, find out who is attending these places, and perhaps follows up with them later and arrest, detain them, do whatever they want.
The Russian populace understands how this works, but they also understand that the Kremlin will allow them a certain amount of ability to go out and express their feelings, and that's where they are right now.
[08:15:00]
They're trying to try to figure out, OK, where is that breaking point? And it's a very difficult tightrope, I think, for the Kremlin to walk at this juncture.
WHITFIELD: Oh, interesting. And when Putin or a representative of Putin was asked, what's your comments on this to see this kind of outpouring? The message was, we have nothing to say. I feel like that speaks even greater volumes and saying something.
HALL: Again, exactly right. It's -- that comment struck me when Peskov said that, because there is a couple of different levels that happens on. One is, of course, just basic disrespect. We're not even going to address this issue. It's part of Putin's plan. They not even mentioned Navalny's name. This is all for internal audiences, for the most part, but that's just the basic, we don't care.
But, it's also something that sends him, again, one of those very subtle messages to Russian society, saying, OK, we're going to tolerate a little bit of this. It's like a pressure cooker. We're going to let you blow off some steam, if you will. If it goes too far, if you're not, we will come in and we will press hard if we have to. But, they're walking this very delicate line. In Russia, you give up a little bit of your basic human rights and free speech in order to maintain stable government, and that's the sort of informal agreement that the Kremlin has with its people right now.
WHITFIELD: So, the pictures that we're seeing right now of people in mass walking, I'm not sure from this vantage point if people are leaving the church, making their way to the cemetery, or people who are outside the cemetery are walking, filing home. But, what likely are they thinking and feeling right now? Are they feeling more empowered than ever, that they are seeing unmassed (ph)? They're seeing -- and they were chanting, we are many. They are seeing that they're in great company with one another, honoring the opposition leader, or they walking away and saying, OK, we had this moment now. But, what's next?
HALL: I was in the Bolotnaya protests when I was in Moscow a little over 10 years ago, and there were a whole bunch of people on the streets, much larger protests. They were protesting this sort of this informal handoff of government between Putin and Medvedev. They were very upset about that. But, speaking to people and Russians on the street, what you saw was first great divergence. I mean, it's a large population. It's a bunch of different people who think different things. Some of them being very hopeful and very aggressive, saying this is the beginning of opposition. And some of them saying we're not happy with this. But, we're not going to go too far because we don't want the FSB goon squad showing up and arresting family members and things like that. Again, they're walking this really fine line.
And I think right now, you've got a similar situation, the importance of Navalny as an opposition figure, I think, has a lot of people hopeful, but also a lot of people remembering what country they live in and how repressive Putin can be behind the scenes when he wants to be.
WHITFIELD: All right. National Security Analyst Steve Hall, thank you so much, and thanks for being there. Appreciate it.
HALL: Sure.
WHITFIELD: All right. So, Alexei Navalny has been laid to rest. And we've been watching the mourners pay tribute to him, both at his church funeral and at the cemetery. And now, we're continuing to get new images of people on mass who have turned out, who are now walking, reflecting on the legacy of Alexei Navalny, and perhaps even contemplating what the next chapter will be.
All right. Still to come, a day after these horrifying scenes from Gaza, there is growing outrage as the international community demands answers.
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[08:20:00]
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WHITFIELD: An outpouring of grief, support, and courage in Moscow today. Thousands of mourners turning out to pay their final respects to the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Despite a heavy police presence, crowds lined the streets, stretching several city blocks with snipers on rooftops nearby. Navalny's funeral took place earlier. This video was provided by his team, and in just the last few minutes, his coffin was lowered into the ground. Vigils are expected to take place across Europe later on today. In other global developments, the international community is demanding
answers after the deadly catastrophe in Gaza on Thursday. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says at least 112 people were killed and 760 injured when Israeli forces opened fire as desperately hungry civilians gathered around aid trucks in Gaza City. CNN is unable to independently confirm these numbers or exactly what transpired, given that there have been conflicting reports.
The IDF says Israeli tanks fired warning shots to disperse the crowd after seeing people were being trampled. Speaking at the UN Security Council, the Palestinian UN Ambassador said what happened was "an outrageous massacre".
Paula Hancocks is following the story from Abu Dhabi. So, what is the latest? Still conflicting reports about whether IDF says there was a threat, whereas those who came out in large numbers said they haven't seen food in a long time and they were simply hungry, and approached these aid trucks. Any more clarity on what happened? What precipitated this?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it's really the timeline as well that's been contested at this point. We hear from eyewitnesses and a journalist who was there as well telling CNN that the crush and the crowd panic and the rush of the aid trucks didn't happen until Israeli tanks opened fire. But, from the Israeli side, they say that they were two separate events. And it was after the stampede that happened that they saw some Palestinians approaching the tanks, felt that they were a threat, and then they opened fire.
Now, of course, it's very difficult to know exactly what happened without being on the ground. We have had some video, though, Al Jazeera showing images of when it did happen, you do see trace of fire. You see gunfire coming from left to right. And you do hear the sound of gunfire and shouting, and you can see the silhouettes of people running from that area. What we don't see in this video, though, is where that fire is coming from. Some Israeli officials suggesting that it may have been other gunfire that wasn't emanating from the Israeli side.
But, what we're hearing is a growing international call for there to be some kind of independent inquiry into exactly what happened. The United Nations started this, saying that there should be an independent inquiry. We've heard France, the UAE, back up those calls, saying they would like to know exactly what happened. France, in particular, from the Foreign Ministry saying that it is Israel's responsibility to comply with the rules of international law and to protect the distribution of humanitarian aid to civilian populations.
Now, we've also heard from the State Department, the spokesperson saying that they have been in touch with Israeli officials to find out exactly what happened, as well that they are saying far too many Palestinians have been killed during this conflict, not just during this one particular tragedy. They're calling on the Israelis to do more to allow humanitarian aid into the country, open more crossings into Gaza to allow this aid to get inside, because separately to who was to blame, who fired when, this does show the absolute desperation of people especially in northern Gaza where less aid has got to when you see what happens, how many hundreds were swarming these humanitarian aid trucks, trying to get food for their families.
[08:25:00]
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Right. Right. And adding to the confusion too, Paula, when you look at the drone imagery, this was at night. Correct? So, the drone imagery makes it seem with clarity. You can see all of these people descending upon the trucks. But, what we know from the other vantage point was it was very dark. And so, you wouldn't see the same right there. I mean, it's difficult to make out images. And that too, that darkness also adds to a lot of confusion, especially about the sequence of events.
All right. Paula Hancocks, thank you so much.
All right. Still to come, Donald Trump and his classified documents, a federal judge could pick a new trial date in the U.S. today. We'll take you live to the courthouse when we come right back.
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WHITFIELD: All right. We return to our breaking news. Alexei Navalny's coffin has just been lowered into the ground following a burial service in Moscow.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
Earlier, crowds chanting "Navalny" gathered outside the church where his funeral was held. Thousands of mourners turned out to pay their respects. And along with it, an extremely heavy police presence. We've just learned also from a monitoring group that one person has been arrested while trying to attend the funeral. Navalny died two weeks ago in a Siberian prison camp. And these images coming from the Navalny team. You can see the coffin there being -- carried in by the pallbearers, and then soon after placed into the ground. And then, of course, you can see those cutaway images of mourners as they enter the gates.
Our Matthew Chance was outside the Moscow church where the funeral was held, and this is what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: Yeah. I mean, the signal has been very dodgy here. They put an umbrella blanket, it seems, over the whole area, and we couldn't get a signal out. But, we're here now. And you can see the line of people stretches into the distance. Thousands of Russians have come out to pay their last respects to Alexei Navalny. Even though you've just said the funeral in the church, which is a short distance from here, is now over, you can see people are still coming along, carrying flowers and messages to lay at the casket or inside the church where Alexei Navalny has just been taken away from.
[08:30:00]
Do any of you guys speak English? You speak English?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit.
CHANCE: Do you speak English?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.
CHANCE: Hi. Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I speak English.
CHANCE: Oh, you do. Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. Yeah.
CHANCE: Thank you, sir. Thank you. Why have you come here today with so many other Russians to pay your respects?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's symbolic value for people who don't agree with everything that's happening in Russia.
CHANCE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can be specific, because we can say, like, the bad (ph) words.
CHANCE: It's risky for you to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. It's certainly risky.
CHANCE: Why take the risk?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because that's my stance. And I believe that to show solidarity that you are not the one who is -- has to deal with this.
CHANCE: All right, sir. Thank you very much. I've got Polina (ph) over here as well. The fact that Alexei Navalny is dead, what -- has that united people here? What does it say about the state of the country, Russia?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would say that if you are not some people but, at the same time, it's quite -- it's obviously horrible and sad. It upsets me, obviously, and other people here in this group.
CHANCE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But, I think it's kind of uniting thing since a lot of people come - -came here to --
CHANCE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- pay their last goodbyes.
CHANCE: Sure. What does it say about your country, about Russia?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are obviously some people who are, I guess, against the whole thing that's happening right now.
CHANCE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can say it, obviously. But, there are some people who have good hearts basically, I think like.
CHANCE: Thank you. Thank you very much. Really appreciate it. Thank you.
(Inaudible). A lot of people here coming out. They're very careful about what they say, because obviously, it can be risky speaking your mind out publicly in this way. Remember, hundreds of Russians who were simply putting flowers at makeshift memorials across the country over the past couple of weeks have been detained by the authorities. And so, people know that they're taking a risk here.
But look, so many thousands of people have come out despite the very intense security operation that's been underway here. Riot police have been put in place all along the route to sort of hold people back. But, at the moment, we haven't seen any crackdown yet by the authorities. The authorities are still allowing these thousands of people to file past, to go to this church, which is right behind us there, and to pay their respects to Russia's most prominent opposition figure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Matthew Chance, thank you so much. Of course, CNN signal is now back up after temporarily being blocked. And also, as you heard in Matthew's report there, he was unable to give his full report as things were happening. But, that's the most immediate that he was able to give once the signal was restored.
All right. Clarissa Ward is with us now from London. Melissa Bell is standing by still in Paris.
So, I wonder -- Melissa, I wonder if I should go to you first, because you waited so patiently also earlier. What does this say to you kind of like coming off of Matthew's question to the one woman who was very reticent about answering the question, understandably? What does this really mean for Russia that so many people were willing to risk so much to pay homage to Alexei Navalny, when just a couple of weeks ago people were being arrested for placing flowers? They're taking great risks today.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Huge risks, Fredricka. It is some 400 people now who are believed to have been arrested simply for laying flowers or paying their respects to Alexei Navalny over the course last couple of weeks, and I think it's important to bear that in mind when you consider those vast crowds that appeared to be getting larger all the time. What we've seen is Alexei Navalny's team as ever, very skillfully trying to get around its inability to communicate as easily as it would like inside the country by, again, urging people through all of its platforms to keep going, saying, look, it doesn't look like they're arresting many people. Keep getting out there. And this appears to have been heated.
They've also been over the course of the day continue -- allowing people to watch these images. As you mentioned, Fredricka, we have our cameras there. But, the intervention signal means that it's been fairly patchy. What they've been doing is allowing this to be live streamed to hundreds of thousands of people. There are YouTube channels showing this as well, getting around the ordinary channels, Russian state media, and showing very little of, and certainly not leading with what's happening at this cemetery.
So, again, just as we heard Yulia Navalnaya say to European lawmakers on Wednesday, the strength of her husband had been his extraordinary creativity. His teams appear to be continuing with that, managing to speak to people even when the authorities would have that be made impossible. And I think when you listen to the words of what those Russians have told Matthew on their way to the cemetery, it speaks to it, careful in what they say, guarded in the use of their words and the choice of their words, and yet there, in an extraordinary act of defiance, and I think we mustn't underestimate the tremendous courage that that takes and the extraordinary message that it sends. Fredricka.
[08:35:00]
WHITFIELD: Yeah. Melissa, you mentioned Alexei Navalny's wife, Yulia, spoke recently will Clarissa. Now, we have just heard from Yulia again, this time posting a message on X formerly known as Twitter, thanking her husband for 26 years of absolute happiness. The message also contains a video with footage of their years together. Yulia Navalnaya did not attend the funeral in Moscow. That's very interesting. I'd love to follow up with a question on why that is, but his parents were there. I mean, the message from his wife and saying, "Love you forever. Rest in peace." And Clarissa, she has said, she is going to pick up the mantle. But, we know she has also been in Europe addressing Alexei Navalny's death.
I mean, explain her message and then about her presence or lack thereof, the risk that she faces.
BELL: So, I think, Fredricka, today is as much about who isn't there, as it is about the extraordinarily brave people who are there. Who is not there, Dasha Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny's daughter, Zahar Navalny, his son, Yulia Navalnaya, as you said, his wife, who wrote this very moving and heartfelt message on X just moments ago, thanking her husband for 26 years of love of support, saying that she doesn't know if she will be able to continue doing it alone, but she is going to do her best to try to make him proud, to try to continue his legacy.
And this is a big part, I think, of what Navalny's enormous appeal was. He is, or was, I should say, thoroughly modern. Their love story is relatable. They seem real. They crack jokes. They share heartwarming anecdotes and intimacies that is so different from the pomp and formality and isolation that you see with President Putin. Now, Yulia Navalnaya, I am assuming, is making the judgment that if she did get on a plane as her husband did and she did fly to Moscow, that she would likely be arrested and possibly meet a similar fate to her husband. And given that she is the mother of two children, I would imagine she has made the decision not to take that risk.
But, I do think this is a crucial moment for Yulia Navalnaya and for the entire Navalny team going forward. They've said that she is going to take the mantle. But, what does she do with it? What is the future of Russia's opposition? What does that look like? We've already seen the Kremlin leap into action, smearing her, accusing her of being a sort of dilettante of the West, using the fact that she has been living in exile these last few years against her. And so, it will take a lot of dexterity and thought for her to try to work out how to continue to reach and touch and move the Russian people who are still inside of Russia, when she clearly cannot be there at the moment, and when the situation on the ground is so clearly at the moment very, very difficult for anyone who wants to see Russia look different.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. It's fascinating. Yeah. And the big how, she has pledged she is going to pick up the mantle. But, yes, how?
All right. To both of you ladies, thank you so much, Clarissa Ward, Melissa Bell.
A pair of hearings in the U.S. today could play a major role in determining when and if Donald Trump will go to trial. First, in less than two hours, a federal judge in Florida will hear arguments about when she should start Trump's trial about his mishandling of classified documents. Prosecutors say the case should start in early July. Trump's legal team has proposed a mid-August date.
And later on today in Fulton County, Georgia, lawyers will deliver closing arguments in the question over whether District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed from the case for having a romantic relationship with one of her prosecutors.
CNN's Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid is at the courthouse in Florida. So, I mean, the docket is full today particularly because of these two cases. So, what are you watching for today?
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So, all eyes today on Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who is overseeing this federal case. Remember, this is the case that alleges the former President Trump mishandled classified documents. He faces 40 criminal charges in this case, in addition to the alleged mishandling of classified documents.
[08:40:00]
He is also charged with trying to obstruct efforts by the government to get them back. But, right now, both sides are focused on the calendar, because right now this trial is scheduled to go in late May. But, the judge has said that she is open to moving it. She has asked both sides to come prepared today to talk about scheduling. Now, the Special Counsel is saying that they would be open to moving this until early July. Trump's lawyers have suggested early August, but they've made it clear. They don't think that the former President should be in a courtroom while he is also campaigning for the White House. They believe that is a violation of his First Amendment right to political speech.
Now, you also might wonder, hmm, I thought we've reported consistently that the Trump lawyers want to push all of these proceedings back until after November. And that is true. There is a little bit of gamesmanship going on here. The Trump lawyers probably wouldn't have a problem at this, the case, took up a lot of time on the calendar in August, because it would make it difficult to schedule some of the other criminal cases, and then they could come back and ask to move this one because it is so incredibly complicated. There is so much discovery. There are some legitimate reasons to consider moving it maybe more than once.
So, all eyes today on Judge Aileen Cannon, because as of right now, the other federal case brought by the Special Counsel, the January 6 election subversion case, that's on hold because the Supreme Court is going to hear oral arguments about Trump's alleged presidential immunity. They're going to consider that, and until they give an answer, which probably won't come into late June, that case is on hold. And right now, this could be the only case from the Special Counsel to go this year. So, we're watching very closely. I'll bring you updates throughout the day.
WHITFIELD: All right. We look forward to that. Paula Reid, thank you so much, at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. Thanks so much.
All right. Still to come, Iran's Supreme Leader cast his ballot as voters go to the polls for the first time since massive protests rocked Iran more than a year ago. A live report from Tehran straight ahead.
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WHITFIELD: Iranians are voting in the first election since massive anti-government protests rocked the country in 2022. Voters will be choosing the next parliament with some 15,000 candidates competing for its 290 seats. Despite government efforts, turnout is expected to be at record lows, as the government has disqualified opponents and cracked down on any dissent. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his ballot in Tehran a short while ago. The 84-year-old called on Iranians to vote as an act of resistance against enemies.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is in Tehran and joining us now. So, voter turnout is a key issue. It's expected to be one of the lowest however in 45 years. Why is that?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is the key issue. And you're absolutely right, Fredricka. We were actually at the Supreme Leader's headquarters earlier this morning when he cast his ballot. And then he did say a few words to the journalists who were there, which is also something that actually is pretty rare, and he did say, look, he really wants people to vote.
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He believes, as you put it, that it's an act of resistance against Iran's enemy and that it's also something that builds the state as well. So, clearly, for the folks who are in power here, it is very important for them for as many people as possible to come out.
However, we've been on the streets here in Tehran over the past couple of days, and there certainly are a lot of people who have a lot of grievances with the way things are going here right now, especially if you look at things like inflation, rising prices, and in general the state of the economy and the state of employment as well. There is a lot of people that we spoke to who say they don't believe that the politicians who are currently in parliament are listening to them sufficiently, and they want things to change. They do have this massive push to try and get people to vote. There is posters almost everywhere here on the streets, urging people to vote.
One of the interesting things that we found is that you were just mentioning that there were a lot of candidates who were disqualified, but there is also more than 15,000 candidates who are allowed to run for the 290 seats in parliament. That is a record number here in Iran. Nevertheless, the level of enthusiasm, I would say, is a little bit less than what we saw in the last parliamentary election, which we also covered four years ago, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And so, this first election since those mass protests rocking the country in 2022, what's changed? I mean -- and is there a correlation as to the low voter turnout? Is there a fear? Is there an anxiety about being on record about voting? I mean, is there a correlation here?
PLEITGEN: I think it's a very important question. I do think that there appears to be a sense of disillusionment, at least among younger people here in this country, at least among some of the younger people that we've been speaking to. There were some folks who were sort of in their early 20s, who were telling us that they believe that the leaders of this country and certainly the political leaders of this country need to do more for them. And they're not feeling heard at this point in time.
But, one of the things that we're finding, which I think is a really interesting thing, is that there are a lot of very young people willing to come to us and speak openly about some of the political grievances that they've had. That's certainly something that to the extent that we're seeing it right now. We haven't seen that to that extent in the past. So, that's something where I think a lot of people appear to be somewhat disillusioned with the political process and certainly say they want more from their elected leaders. It's going to be very interesting to see whether or not the leadership of the country is hearing that, is willing to act on that for the future.
So, certainly, right now, we're going to have to wait and see what the participation in this election is going to be. But, especially the youth vote is something that I think we're going to take a very close look at and see how many young people have actually gone to the polls when all of this is said and done, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: All right. Frederik Pleitgen, thank you so much.
All right. Still to come, Vladimir Putin's most prominent critic is laid to rest. Thousands put their lives on the line to pay their final respects to Russia's late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
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WHITFIELD: All right. Updating our top story, the body of Alexei Navalny has now been laid to rest. The prominent opposition figure died two weeks ago at an Arctic prison colony. One of his aides tells CNN, Navalny was a giant, a true hero. Thousands turned out to bid him farewell at his funeral and also at the cemetery. The mourners chanted his name.
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A monitoring group says there has been at least one arrest.
Let's once again welcome back CNN's Steve Hall, former head of CIA's operations in Russia. So, I find it so perplexing, Steve, how the Putin government has essentially sanctioned this funeral, right, this bid adieu by finally handing over the body after they had to wait for so long, allowing this funeral to take place, a procession, if you will, in the streets, and then the burial. Yet, the government would comment nothing to see here. We have no comment about it. And apparently on Russian state media, they've had very sparse coverage. Is this a sign of intimidation or worry on Putin's behalf to see this swelling support for Navalny?
HALL: Yeah. I think that perhaps concern is the best word that I would choose anyway for how the Russian government is behaving. They realize what a potent force Navalny was, and perhaps will continue to be depending on what goes on with the movement, what his wife chooses to do. It's really, really interesting, and I think Clarissa Ward talked about it just a minute ago, when you talk to people on the streets and how they react to Navalny. He was -- if you listen to him in Russian, it's really amazing. His speech is just so relaxed. He connects with young people. And it's such a contrast when you hear Putin talking in very formalistic Soviet style.
I remember speaking to young Russians when I was in Russia years ago, and asking them, what about that, and specifically about the corruption, which is what Navalny, of course, really hit on hard, the corruption in the Putin government. And a lot of young Russians would say, well, do you have any evidence of that, or is it just you're an American so you think badly? That's what Navalny was able to bring to the Russian population. He was able to show them the massive corruption. And that's why he was such a threat and that's why they're going to be watching very, very carefully what happens on the streets over the next couple of days and weeks.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. And look, I don't speak Russian. But, just in your description of the differences of delivery with Navalny versus Putin, it sounds like you're conveying to that. One would inspire people about what to do, while the other is telling people what to do. And so, it seems the support for Navalny, I mean, we're just seeing probably a fraction of the support, right, those who are well enough, bold enough to be in the streets to be seen, to be chanting his name, to say we are here. We are many. I mean, they are probably a very small representation, right, of the kind of support that Navalny was able to attract.
HALL: Yeah. That hits it on the head. And I think one of the problems within Russia because I think a lot of viewers might be asking, well, if we have this outpouring of emotion, if we have people taking these risks to be participants in honoring Navalny, why aren't we seeing some sort of stronger reaction? Why aren't people taking to the streets in the hundreds of thousands and calling for Putin's resignation? And I think the problem is, is that Russians understand that when they're over their kitchen table, when they're talking amongst family members or perhaps very close friends, they can speak their minds. But, when they undertake an act of public defiance, they run a very significant risk.
You talk about just a little -- small fraction of the people coming out and doing this and much more going on behind the scenes. The same is true for the security services. We see a strong police presence, but it's nothing compared to what's going on behind the scenes, as the security service try to identify who is coming up. Do we need to imprison those people as well? It's a very, very delicate situation right now across the country and Russia.
WHITFIELD: Delicate too for Yulia Navalnaya. Right? I mean, the wife of Alexei Navalny. So, you had mentioned it'll be interesting to see what she is able to do. She has pledged that she is going to pick up the mantle, but really the issue is, what can she do? As Clarissa mentioned earlier, she is not likely to go into Russia, nor will her children, because they see that the same thing might potentially happen to them. They'll be arrested, just like Alexei Navalny, as soon as they touch ground. So, what can she do?
HALL: The options are really limited for any oppositionist inside or outside of Russia. Of course, inside of Russia, they face much greater consequences. Outside, Putin cares a little bit less because he can control the message, maybe a little bit less than he used to be able to because of the internet and because of YouTube and things like that.
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But, he is much more concerned about domestic politics in this case. And so, he will shut down a hard repress, any opposition that happens inside of Russia. If Yulia Navalnaya stays out of Russia, Putin will say, OK. So, what's the worst thing that can happen? The West is going to think poorly of me? Of course, the West already thinks poorly of Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine and all sorts of other things. So, that's a balance. That's a game, a calculation that he is willing to make, no opposition inside, let them say what they want outside. He wants her to stay outside of Russia.
WHITFIELD: Oh my Gosh. And while you're talking, Steve, to just see those images again, the video that Yulia posted on X, I mean, it just -- it's beautiful. I mean, it shows their relationship, how in sync they were as a couple, a family couple, and with their mission of humanity. And even now that he has been buried, it seems very clever to have released this kind of imagery, because this kind of allows him to, I mean, kind of still live, right, and perhaps that was the mission of why this was posted.
HALL: Yeah.
WHITFIELD: Your final thoughts on that.
HALL: There is good --
WHITFIELD: Yeah
HALL: -- yeah, good organizational efforts on the part of the Navalny operation, mostly out of the Baltics and in other places in in Europe. But again, that's outside of Russia and that's where Western consumption (ph), Putin in the Kremlin are OK with that as long as that sort of thing isn't echoed to a great extent inside of Russia, where it would be much more dangerous for the Kremlin.
WHITFIELD: All right. CNN National Security Analyst Steve Hall, pleasure. Thank you so much.
And thank you everyone for joining me in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Connect the World with Becky Anderson is up next.
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