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Supreme Court To Hear Donald Trump Immunity Arguments In April; U.N.: Hears Accounts Of Abuse Of Palestinians In Detention; Without Aid, Ukraine's Frontline Positions Are In Peril; France Makes Abortion a Constitutional Right; China & Russia Discuss Potential Military AI Use; Overseas Fans Flock to Singapore for Taylor Swift Concerts; World's Richest in India for Tycoon's Lavish Bash; Former Twitter Executives Sue Over Severance. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired March 05, 2024 - 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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[02:00:33]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, we're just hours away from Super Tuesday here in the U.S., the biggest day yet in the race for the White House.

And as polls prepare to open, Donald Trump's campaign is celebrating a major legal victory.

In Ukraine, a grim reality emerges along the front lines where troops struggle to hold their positions with dwindling supplies and stall Western aid.

Plus, how Russia and China are cooperating on A.I. and swapping notes on its military capabilities.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Donald Trump is heading into Super Tuesday, a day with the most delegates at stake in the U.S. presidential primary calendar with a chance to all but secure the Republican nomination and bolstered by a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling in his favor.

Polls open just hours from now in more than a dozen states in U.S. territories for primary elections and caucuses. And that list includes Colorado, where Trump's name will indeed appear on the ballot after the Supreme Court ended months of debate on Monday and unanimously ruled the state could not unilaterally exclude him for allegedly violating the insurrectionist clause of the U.S. Constitution.

While that ruling has no impact on the four criminal cases Trump is facing, it carries nationwide implications for other states considering similar efforts to keep Trump off the ballot, states such as Maine which quickly restored Trump's eligibility after the Supreme Court's decision was announced.

And CNN's Paula Reid has more now on the court's unanimous opinion, as well as areas where the justices disagreed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Very much.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former President Trump today claims the Supreme Court has unified the country by securing his place on the 2024 ballot.

TRUMP: The voters can take the person out of the race very quickly. But a court shouldn't be doing that. And the Supreme Court saw that very well. And I really do believe that will be a unifying factor.

REID (voice over): In a unanimous opinion Monday, the court ruled that Colorado could not remove Trump from the ballot under the Constitution's ban on insurrectionists serving in office. States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office, but states have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section Three with respect to federal offices, especially the presidency. The justices warned that allowing states to each make different decisions about ballot eligibility would result in a patchwork, creating chaos around elections.

The victory for Trump was expected after February oral arguments where justices from both sides of the aisle up skeptical of Colorado's case.

ELENA KAGAN, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT: I think that the question that you have to confront is why a single state should decide who gets to be president of the United States.

REID (voice over): And the chief justice, John Roberts, signaled where he would ultimately find consensus across the court.

JOHN ROBERTS, CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT: The whole point of the 14th Amendment was to restrict state power.

REID (voice over): While the decision was 9-0 and applies to all 50 states, there was some tension below the surface, with four justices writing concurring opinions.

The three liberals saying their colleagues went too far by finding only Congress can enforce the 14th Amendment, Justice Barrett, a Trump appointee, agreed, but didn't sign on to the liberal justice's language, instead highlighting unity on the court. For present purposes, our differences are far less important than our unanimity. All nine justices agreed on the outcome of this case. That is the message American should take home.

The liberal watchdog group and longtime Colorado Republican who brought the state lawsuit disagreed with the court's decision and argued that the issue isn't settled yet. JASON MURRAY, ATTORNEY ANTI-TRUMP CHALLENGERS IN COLORADO: The issue of Donald Trump's eligibility for the office of the presidency remains very much a live issue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:05:04]

REID (on camera): In less than two months, the justices will hear arguments in another major Trump case that could impact the outcome of the election. There, the issue is whether Trump has immunity to protect him from federal criminal charges related to his efforts to subvert the 2020 election.

Most legal experts agree Trump is unlikely to win on that case. But the fact that the justices even took it up could help him delay that case until after the presidential election.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Jessica Levinson is a Loyola University law professor and host of the Passing Judgment podcast. She joins me now from Los Angeles, always great to have you with us.

JESSICA LEVINSON, LAW PROFESSOR, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Good to be here.

CHURCH: So, a lot to cover in politics and law. Let's start with the U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision to keep presidential hopeful Donald Trump on the Colorado ballot. Was this ruling the right legal and constitutional outcome that it's not up to the states to enforce and execute the 14th Amendment?

LEVINSON: Well, all members of the Supreme Court agreed that it was. Was there another way to go here? Of course, but it is somewhat remarkable in this fractured Supreme Court to get all nine to agree to the ultimate outcome.

Now, as always, when we talk about these cases, I think the devil is in the details. And what we see is that unanimity really dissipates and fractures as you get to the rationale.

But the headline here is that Colorado and any other state, they don't have the power to look at the Constitution, and determine that even if somebody engaged in an insurrection, that that person is not eligible for the ballot, that this is a power instead left up to the federal government and specifically Congress.

CHURCH: And Jessica, the U.S. Supreme Court will also hear oral arguments next month on Trump's presidential immunity claim, most analysts appear to think he will lose that case. Do you agree? And when would you expect a ruling on that?

LEVINSON: I think he will lose. But I increasingly am not sure that it is going to be the quick loss that a lot of other people anticipate. Now, if they stay to the timeline that they used for this case, we could have a ruling by mid-May, instead of the big rulings that always come out in late June.

I think what we need to look for in that case, dealing with whether or not a former president enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution, based on official acts is that the court could actually create a new standard, say that immunity is a qualified immunity and then send it all the way back to the trial court to apply that new standard.

Why is it worth even explaining this? Because that's another delay in the trial. And of course, we are absolutely running up against the election when it comes to that trial calendar.

CHURCH: All right, so let's shift to politics and to Super Tuesday, which gets underway in the coming hours with primary contests in 16 states, plus, American Samoa. Donald Trump is poised to dominate but still won't get enough delegates to officially clinch the GOP nomination for president and Nikki Haley continues to shine a light on Trump's inability to get more Republican voters on board. Where is this going do you think?

LEVINSON: I think this is going to the former president getting the nomination and Nikki Haley is not where she wanted to be. I think she has exactly as you said, proven that there are contests where if she stays in, Trump is underperforming, he's not getting the same number of votes as the polling would indicate.

But when and if she drops out, I strongly suspect the vast majority of those votes go to Donald Trump, not to Joe Biden, again, putting Donald Trump in a good position to get that nomination. And we're looking at I think, a competitive general election.

CHURCH: So, if this is Nikki Haley's last stand against Trump, what will likely happen to her after this politically?

LEVINSON: Well, the question I think, is if Donald Trump gets the nomination, and then if he was successful, and offered her a position in his administration, which the more he attacks her, the less likely that is, would she accept? If that doesn't happen, then I think what happens to her is what happens to a lot of Republican officials, which is essentially a waiting game. Maybe she works at a nonprofit, maybe she works with a think tank. She waits for the time that -- the next time to run, probably in four years.

CHURCH: Jessica Levinson, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: And CNN will have special coverage of today's Super Tuesday contests covering all the key races across more than a dozen states. Our in depth coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 11:00 p.m. in London here on CNN and streaming on Max.

[02:10:14]

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the coming hours. But Israel is making it clear, Gantz, a political rival of Benjamin Netanyahu is not representing the government during his trip to Washington.

On Monday, Gantz sat down with Vice President Kamala Harris, who expressed her deep concern about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. The White House says Harris discussed the urgent need to reach a deal to release the remaining hostages and is calling on Hamas to accept the terms of an agreement in exchange for an immediate six week ceasefire, which would allow for more aid to enter Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The president and I have been aligned and consistent from the very beginning. Israel has a right to defend itself. Far too many Palestinian civilians, innocent civilians have been killed. We need to get more aid in. We need to get the hostages out. And that remains our position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The White House says Harris and Gantz also discussed the situation in Rafah and the need for a credible humanitarian plan before considering any major military operation there.

Those talks in Washington are underway amid reports of an Israeli strike on an aid truck in central Gaza. Gaza's health ministry says at least eight people were killed when the truck carrying aid from Kuwait was struck on a coastal road. Some people could be seen looking through the sand for aid that was still intact.

The Israel Defense Forces has not responded to a request for comment on the claims about that strike. But the IDF did say in a statement that it eliminated a Hamas terrorist in central Gaza.

Extreme food shortages in Gaza are costing lives, the World Health Organization says it visited two hospitals in northern Gaza and witnessed children dying from starvation. The top Palestinian envoy at the U.N. urged the general assembly to take action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIYAD MANSOUR, PALESTINIAN OBSERVER TO UNITED NATIONS: Look at our children. Look at Yazan. Look what agony they are enduring. Dozen more children who died of malnutrition have been identified and many more have died and are dying in darkness and destitution. This has to stop for God's sakes. This has to stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, a new United Nations report says there is clear and convincing information that hostages held in Gaza was sexually abused. The U.N. special envoy on sexual violence and conflict said it includes rape, torture and inhumane and degrading treatment. And the U.N. says there are reasonable grounds to believe the sexual violence may be ongoing against those still held hostage captive.

The report comes after a U.N. team visited Israel to gather, analyze and verify information on conflict related sexual violence during the Hamas attacks and their aftermath.

And joining me now is journalist Elliott Gotkine. He's live in London. Good morning to you, Elliott. So, what more are you learning about this new U.N. report on the sexual abuse of hostages in Gaza?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Rosemary, this U.N. report is following from what on -- from what Israel has been saying for months and what's been widely reported in the international media but is probably the most definitive finding yet to back up what Israel has been saying about rape and sexual violence being very much a part of the Hamas led terrorist attacks of October the seventh.

And so, of course, for example, at the Nova music festival, which was probably where the biggest single number of people were killed by Hamas and others on October the seventh, the report finding that there were reasonable grounds there that victims there were being subjected to rape and or gang rape and then killed or killed while being raped.

Adding in other parts of the report that credible sources described finding murdered individuals mostly women, whose bodies were naked from the waist down and some totally naked, tied with their hands behind their backs, many of whom were shot in the head.

As far as the hostages are concerned. And let's not forget there were some 250 or so people who are kidnapped in those Hamas terrorist attacks of October the seventh taken back to Gaza at around a hundred still believed to be alive. The report finding that there was clear and convincing information of rape, sexualize torture, and sexualized, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

[02:15:08]

Now, it's important to note and this was noted in the report that the findings were somewhat hampered by the inability to speak with people who had been subjected to rape or gang rape.

Now, most of those -- the reason for much of that is because most of those victims were killed, those who were still alive, the report said that some are receiving very specialized trauma treatment and were unable to come forward.

Others refused to speak to the report, either because they don't trust international organizations such as the U.N., or they didn't want to be outed in the internet, international media and have their trauma compounded.

There were other notes in the report, for example, the first responders were often untrained in being able to see signs of sexual violence and also that their focus, because a lot of them come from ultra-orthodox groups, for example, their focus is to gather body parts and to enable burial of the victims and also, of course, the identification of the victims as quickly as possible in accordance with Jewish law. And that is something that also hampered the findings somewhat.

But certainly, Israel sees this as being a vindication of what they've been saying for months. Indeed, just in the last few minutes, President Herzog of Israel has come out and said, you know, that these highlighted the importance of this report by the U.N. special envoy, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Elliott, what can you tell us about the Palestinian allegations against Israel that were also in that report?

GOTKINE: Yes. So, the U.N. Special Envoy also went to the Israel occupied West Bank and heard testimonies there, heard allegations against Israel of what it said was cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment of women and men, including things like invasive body searches, and threats of rape.

But its mandate was not to carry out an assessment of those allegations. And it's called on Israel to allow the U.N. to investigate something Israel says it won't do because it says those allegations are simply designed to undermine the very real cases of rape and gang rape against Israeli civilians, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Elliott Gotkine joining us live from London.

We're now to the volatile situation on the Israel Lebanon border. Israel's Emergency Rescue Service says at least one foreign worker was killed and seven others injured Monday, when a missile hit Northern Israel near the Lebanese border. It's the latest in a series of back and forth strikes. And this comes as a senior adviser to the U.S. president landed in Lebanon again on Monday to work on a diplomatic solution to the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. He warned that an escalation of violence is not in the interest of either country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMOS HOCHSTEIN, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY: There is no such thing as a limited war. Escalation will not help the Lebanese and Israeli people return home. Escalation will not resolve this crisis. And escalation will certainly not help Lebanon rebuild and advance forward at this critical time in Lebanon's history.

But a temporary ceasefire is not enough. Unlimited war is not containable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Coming up, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh spent more than four days on Ukraine's frontlines were Kyiv's forces are under fire and short on ammunition. His report next.

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[02:20:53]

CHURCH: Ukraine's military intelligence agency says it is responsible for blowing up a railway bridge in southwestern Russia on Monday. The explosion took place in the Samara region, more than 800 kilometers inside Russian territory. There were no reported casualties, though Russian state media reported major delays to train services throughout the day.

Ukraine's defense intelligence agency says Russia used the railway was to trans -- used to transport military cargo including ammunition produced at a nearby plant.

By all measures, the situation on Ukraine's eastern front is bleak, frontline towns are in danger of falling into Russian hands. Ukrainian forces are struggling to hold the lines of defense and the sound of silence is just as deafening and just as scary as the noise of Russian shelling. Nick Paton Walsh shows us why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a lonely path ahead. The Russians have never been louder or closer.

Occupied Bakhmut is just up the road. But now, some Ukrainian tank guns are silent just when they're needed most. Here, they don't have enough shells.

WALSH: Sometimes they just won't far at all for a whole day. Other days is still shooting constantly. And it is loud on the other side of that hill and it's sort of surreal to hear that sort of noise over there and see this tank unit having to ration their armor.

YAROSLAV, UKRAINE'S 42ND MECHANIZED BRIGADE (through translator): We have people, but without weapons. This is not a war you can win with a sword.

WALSH (voice over): We learned they didn't fire at all that day, all the day before or the next day.

The silence here is what losing sounds like. So too is what these soldiers had to say.

WALSH: If the Americans don't give money, what's going to happen?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think we're all going to die. Everybody who is here. We will be no more.

WALSH: Is this the worst you've seen it?

GARRISON FOSTER, U.S. VOLUNTEER FIGHTER: Yes, definitely, definitely. I think this year is going to be the worse year in the war. I do know that there's certain units that they're running out of tanks.

WALSH: How angry does it make you?

FOSTER: Yes, I'm pissed. I'm absolutely pissed off. There's no point in trying to paint this in any sort of light where it's good for us that Russia takes Ukraine. That's going to be very, very, very bad for us geopolitically. WALSH (voice over): It's here Chasiv Yar that already looks like defeat. Those left sounding like they beat just about OK, when Russia comes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I want to see my granddaughter. She's in Moscow. My sister is in Kaliningrad. Half of Russia are my relatives. But I'm here alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No water, no gas, no power, nothing. They Ukrainian soldier drive straight to the house where people live and they fire right from the house. They hide behind the civilians backs

WALSH (voice over): Further south near Avdiivka, homes that dealt with about 10 years of war just up the road finally are emptying out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): You know, the house shook four times already. It's made of clay and straw that every time I think that's it, we are done. The most scary would be if that horde the Russian come here. There can be no trusting people whose hands are covered in blood.

WALSH (voice over): The skyline is bleak enough as it is but now rumbles with Russia advancing.

Ukraine said it would hold steady at three villages near here after it left Avdiivka. That hasn't happened. All three are now heavily contested at best. And the noise of the Russian approach is louder.

[02:25:02]

VIKTOR, OCHERETYNE RESIDENT (through translator): Donbas was Ukraine, we were living a normal life. We had jobs. I will turn 70 soon. I've been married for 52 years. We will be buried together. Right here. Right in that ditch there.

WALSH (through translator): Did you expect the Russians to get so close?

EUHENE, OCHERETYNE RESIDENT (through translator): We didn't expect it. We thought it would somehow settle, calm down.

WALSH (voice over): Some units had enough shells, they said, these firing American rounds in a donated Paladin but still less than before. We didn't see much in the way of heavy defenses around here. And the worry is, was and will be the Russia does not stop.

It may not be huge and sudden enough to make the West pay urgent attention, but that's exactly what Putin wants anyway.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Chasiv Yar, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Coming up next, a historic vote in France as it becomes the first country in the world to make abortion a constitutional right, back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Relief and jubilation in France as it becomes the first country in the world to make abortion a constitutional right, this was the moment the decision was made in parliament.

The vote easily cleared the three-fifths majority needed to amend the French constitution. The issue was raised in France as a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe versus Wade. One lawmaker said the vote was a win for women around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATHILDE PANOT, LAWMAKER, "LA FRANCE INSOUMISE" PARTY (through translator): We are celebrating a historic victory.

[02:30:00]

Our vote is a promise made to the future. Never will our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren have to relive the torment that has it's preceded them. Our vote is also a promise to all women around the world who are fighting for the right to have control over their bodies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Melissa Bell has more now from Paris on the vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Celebrations here at the Trocadero in the heart of Paris just after the joint session of parliament that took place in Versailles and that was shown on that giant screen there, voted overwhelmingly in favor of a woman's freedom to get access to abortion.

And what the French government said as they tried to push this bill through was that in light of the reversal of Roe v. Wade in the United States in June of 2022, but also the reversal of women's access to abortion elsewhere, it was important that this become a constitutional right. What the French government has argued was that it was important that future governments not be able to role these rights back and that this debate should at least in this country be settled once and for all.

So, celebrations here at the Trocadero as France becomes the first country to place into its Constitution that crucial (inaudible).

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now to China, where there's growing concern about how Beijing and Russia could incorporate AI into their military capability. Moscow says officials from the two countries recently met to compare notes on the technology. Will Ripley has more on what that could mean given the state of global affairs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two nuclear superpowers forging what some call a dangerous alliance that could reshape modern warfare. China and Russia, long-time U.S. rivals meeting in Beijing, strategizing a new battleground. The military use of artificial intelligence, detailed discussions, the Russian foreign ministry says, potentially delving into AI-powered weapons systems, a top military priority of Russia, China, and the U.S.

Autonomous submarines and warships, fighter jets, and ground combat vehicles, even testing swarms of AI-powered drones as shown in this Chinese state media video, weapons that could deliver increased firepower. Experts say AI could even influence military decision- making, analyzing vast amounts of satellite, radar and online data, giving commanders better and faster understanding of the battlefield.

President Joe Biden and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping agreeing to hold talks on AI in the spring at their San Francisco Summit last year.

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are going to get our experts together to discuss risk and safety issues associated with artificial intelligence.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The world's major military powers, all investing heavily in AI. The U.S. State Department warns there are risks and military AI use has to be done responsibly, a warning in the west and the far east.

SENIOR COL. WU QIAN, CHINESE DEFENSE MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): China is opposed to using AI advantages to undermine the sovereignty of other countries.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Chinese state media picking up reports on Open AI's policy change, potentially allowing cooperation with the U.S. military. The report says, beware of the U.S. military's collusion with tech giants. Moscow and Beijing conspicuously absent from a U.S.- led coalition promoting responsible military use of AI and autonomy, raising questions about their intentions at a critical time.

Military experts warn the risk of a major global conflict no longer a distant threat, but a looming crisis. Ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine threatening to spill over, highly-sensitive technology moving at lightning speed.

QIAN (through translator): China pays close attention to security risks posed by military applications of AI technologies.

RIPLEY (voice-over): China's military capabilities expanding at an unprecedented pace. Simmering tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea setting the stage for a catastrophic showdown as the world teeters on the brink of a new era of warfare, machines making life and death decisions on the battlefield.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Coming up, what do Rihanna, Mark Zuckerberg, and Ivanka Trump have in common. They all flew to India alongside a bevy of other famous faces. We'll tell you why, just ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

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[02:37:03]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Fans of Taylor Swift have converged on Singapore for a series of sold-out concerts. It's her only stop in Southeast Asia, a sore point for other countries missing out on the economic benefits from the tour. CNN's Kristie Lu stout has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" is wrapping up its Asia leg in Singapore, the pop star's only Southeast Asian stop. And fans from across the region are making a pricey pilgrimage to the city-state, including the Head of Swifties Philippines.

CHARLYN SUIZO, HEAD OF SWIFTIES PHILIPPINES: I am so happy and very excited to see Taylor later on and (inaudible) and literally (ph) overwhelmed with amazing (inaudible) and Swifties around me and very excited for that experience.

CHRISTEL KAYE KUAN, TAYLOR SWIFT FAN: We came from the Philippines and we are super fans since we were in grade school.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

KAYE KUAN: Like we were ten years. We love Taylor Swift.

(LAUGH)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

LU STOUT: But, nearby Asian governments are seeing red amid allegations that Singapore paid up to $3 million a show for an exclusive deal to secure Taylor Swift and her "Eras Tour." This is the back story.

Last week, a lawmaker in the Philippines called on his country to pressure Singapore for an explanation. Joey Salceda said this, "This isn't what good neighbors do. It was at the expense of neighboring countries which could not attract their own foreign concert-goers and whose fans had to go to Singapore."

The allegations were made public earlier by the Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin at a business forum in Bangkok on February 16. He said that Singapore paid Taylor Swift up to $3 million per show, allegedly on condition of exclusivity of a Singapore-only arrangement in Southeast Asia. And Srettha added this, "If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand." And on Monday, its Culture Minister Edwin Tong, made new comments about the grant. Speaking to parliament, he said this, "There has been some online speculation as to the size of the grant. I can say that it is not accurate and not anywhere as high as speculated." Citing confidentiality reasons, he did not reveal the size or the conditions of the grant.

This week, Swift is playing six sold-out nights to 300,000 fans in Singapore, her only stop in Southeast Asia. And according to an economist at Maybank, seven in 10 concert-goers are coming in from overseas, spending up to $370 million in the city-state.

SUIZO: For me, this the biggest amount that I have spent for a concert. I never really spend big, like six-digit amounts for someone else's, just Taylor Swift.

LU STOUT: Singapore is getting a big economic boost from Swiftonomics, which its Asian neighbors know all too well.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:40:00]

CHURCH: The guest list for one couple's pre-wedding party was packed with superstars and billionaires. Rihanna, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Ivanka Trump are just some of those invited. CNN's Vedika Sud has the lavish details from India.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): When you are the son of Asia's richest man, you have a few famous faces on speed dial when it comes to your wedding invites. The media frenzy was intense at India's Jamnagar Airport, as everyone from Bollywood actors to billionaires, politicians to pop stars arrived for Anant Ambani's pre-wedding celebrations. The youngest son of Indian billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani is set to marry his fiancee, Radhika Merchant in July.

With Mukesh Ambani's net worth estimated at $117 billion according to Forbes, no expense needed to be spared for the weekend festivities. Pop and R&B Superstar Rihanna was spotted leaving one of the parties after performing. And the young couple hosted a communal dinner for more than 50,000 local villagers.

NITA AMBANI, MOTHER OF THE GROOM: When it came to my youngest son, Anant's wedding with Radhika, I had two important wishes. First, I wanted to celebrate our roots.

SUD (voice-over): The festivities took place in a township near Ambani's main Reliance Oil Refinery in India's Gujarat state. The family commissioned a sprawling temple complex especially for the event, while guests went home with scarves woven by local artisans, as wedding favors. And all this four months before the couple officially tie the knot. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A group of former twitter executives is suing Elon Musk over unpaid severance. The group says Musk has not paid $128 million that he owes them. Twitter's former CEO, CFO, and Chief Legal Officer are some of the people behind the lawsuit that was filed Monday. It alleges Musk refused to pay the severance as a way to get revenge on the executives, they claim Musk was angry about being forced to go through with the Twitter acquisition. So far, no comment from Musk.

Well, thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is up next. Then, I will be back in 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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[02:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)