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Six Charges Thrown Out in Georgia Election Subversion Case; Judge's Ruling Shapes Future of Trump's Legal Battle; Prosecutors Fail to Prove Alleged Lawbreaking in Specific Charges; Trump's Lawyer Calls Ruling a "Correct Legal Decision"; Case Centers on Alleged Fake Elector Scheme and Infamous Phone Call; Judge Drops 6 Charges from Trump's Georgia Election Interference Case; Biden Pitches Second Term to Wisconsin Voters; Students Around the World Speak Out Against Child Labor. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired March 14, 2024 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIELL LEHMAN, ATTORNEY FOR JAMES CRUMBLEY: James Crumbley had no idea what his son was capable of. He had no idea what his son was planning. And he had absolutely no idea that his son had access to those firearms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: James Crumbley chose not to testify in his own defense, unlike his wife, you recall. Another key difference in his trial has been the focus on his decision to buy a gun for his son as a gift just four days before the shooting and how that weapon was stored. The jury deliberated for about an hour and a half today. It took a different jury in Jennifer Crumbley's trial about 11 hours to reach a verdict. Thank you all for watching. Our coverage continues.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN Newsroom:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Coordinated Ukrainian attacks from the southern border to southeastern Moscow. A clear reminder to Russian voters days before the presidential election, they are a country at war. Is the clock ticking down on TikTok? A bill to ban the app in the United States is now heading to the Senate, where Democrats, fearful of election fallout, might just play for time.

UNKNOWN: My life is incredible.

VAUSE: The man in the iron lung who survived polio as a child died Monday from COVID. And along the way, really did live an incredible and inspirational life.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Just days before Russia's presidential election, Ukrainian forces appear to be sending a message to voters. Despite what Vladimir Putin may claim, the war is not going entirely his way. Over the past two days, at least three Russian oil refineries, some of the biggest in the country, have come under attack from Ukrainian drones. That's according to Ukrainian defense sources. A fourth refinery has also been targeted, but for now, no official word of Ukrainian involvement. At this oil facility, southeastern Moscow, at least two people were reportedly injured. And Russian officials confirm fire broke out overnight and was later put out. According to Ukrainian sources, the drone attacks are intended to limit Moscow's oil revenue and then impact the Kremlin's funding for the war.

The drone strikes coincide with reports of attacks in southern Russia by pro-Ukrainian Russian exiles. Two paramilitary groups claim to have crossed the border in tanks and armored vehicles and say they've captured at least one village and destroyed the Russian command centre there. More now from CNN's Matthew Chance reporting in from Moscow.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They call themselves the Siberian Battalion, one of several Ukraine- based Russian paramilitaries now striking across the Russian border. We can't verify their video, but the group says it shows their latest assault on Russian soil ahead of a presidential vote that Vladimir Putin is certain to win. Never mind voting at the ballot box, says this fighter taking cover. Join us and vote with the gun, he says.

More dramatic video from another group. The Freedom of Russia Legion say they assaulted Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions. Two Russian villages, they say, were captured. Russian officials say all the attacks were pushed back with the help of the Russian army. The Russian army has killed dozens of invaders, as well as several tanks destroyed. It is Ukrainian election interference, according to the Russian president, who set regardless to secure a fifth term in the Kremlin.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The main goal, I have no doubt about it, is to, if not disrupt the presidential elections in Russia, then at least somehow interfere with the normal processes of expressing the will of citizens.

CHANCE (voice-over): The human rights groups say that normal process has already been distorted in a Kremlin crackdown on dissent, including hundreds of detentions at memorials for opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died suddenly last month in an Arctic penal colony. Just this week, his former chief of staff in exile, Leonid Volkov, said he was brutally attacked by a man with a hammer outside his home in neighbouring Lithuania. left with painful wounds and a broken arm.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin's strongman is already looking beyond the Russian election to the U.S. presidential race, insisting he will work with whoever, in his words, is trusted by the American people. But he warned U.S. forces to stay out of the war in Ukraine.

[00:05:09]

PUTIN (through translator): The U.S. has said it's not sending troops to Ukraine, but we know what American troops would be on Russian territory, interventionists. This is how we would treat them. Even if they appear on the territory of Ukraine, they understand this.

CHANCE (voice-over): But for now it is Ukraine doing the fighting, unleashing a barrage of drone attacks across Russia, like this one in Belgorod. These images show a drone flying near a Russian oil facility in the city of Ryazan. Russian authorities say at least 25 Ukrainian drone attacks have been thwarted. But as Russia's presidential election nears, the impact of its war next door is being increasingly felt. Matthew Chance, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: With us this hour from Canberra is Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst on defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Welcome back, Malcolm.

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST ON DEFENSE STRATEGY AND CAPABILITY AT THE AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Thanks. Good to be here, John.

VAUSE: Okay, so we'll start by hearing from one of the members of that Freedom of Russia Legion, the group claiming to have carried out attacks in the Belgorod and the Kursk regions in Russia. Here he is.

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ALEKSEY BARANOVSKY, FREEDOM OF RUSSIA LEGION VOLUNTEER: Putin first subjected the inhabitants of peaceful Ukrainian cities to war, subjected them to all these wartime hardships, now the war has come to Russia. We can only thank Vladimir Putin for this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Clearly, timing here matters, coming days before Russia's rigged presidential election. But beyond the messaging that maybe the war isn't going all in Putin's favor, is there any strategic gain from these attacks for Ukraine, unlike the ones previously where there did seem to be a point?

DAVIS: Look, I think if the Ukrainians can keep these sorts of long- range drone strikes occurring, targeting key Russian installations, for its economy and its industrial capability, then yes, there is a strategic gain. But how significant it is and how long-lasting it is, I think, is the key question. And I think it has to be seen against the context of Ukraine's own difficulties along the front line and the risk that its current situation could worsen in the coming months.

VAUSE: Given the fact that they are running low on ammunition and they are losing ground on the front lines, it seems, I wouldn't say impressive, but it certainly is notable that they are still able to carry out these sort of long-range drone attacks. As that situation on the front lines becomes less tenable, as the aid supplies dry up, would you expect to see more of these kinds of attacks? Can they continue doing these?

DAVIS: I think the Ukrainians are determined to fight on, irrespective of what happens in the U.S. Congress. Obviously, we all hope that Congress votes through that $60 billion aid package. And I think that hopefully the Europeans, contribute a significant amount but the reality at the end of the day is that if that USA aid doesn't come through chances are the Ukrainians won't be able to effectively sustain a defense against Russian advances going into the northern spring and the northern summer which means that Russia could then be poised to identify a weak point in Ukraine's defenses and breakthrough and then pour forces into Ukraine's rear. That would be catastrophic. Obviously, they can continue these drone strikes, but I'm not sure that the drone strikes alone are going to stop the Russian advance.

VAUSE: We're also hearing from Vladimir Putin once again, sort of rattling his nuclear saber, warning the U.S. of a possible nuclear conflict if Washington sends troops to Ukraine. And there's also this: here is Putin.

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PUTIN (through translator): Our triad, the nuclear triad. It is more modern than any other triad, and it's only the U.S. and the Americans who have such triads. In general, if we talk about the carriers and numbers of warheads, we are more or less equal, but ours are more modern. Everybody knows it; all specialists know it.

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VAUSE: The Reuters news agency also reporting that Washington has seen no indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, and one U.S. official added Russia's nuclear rhetoric has been reckless and irresponsible throughout this conflict. Okay, so a couple of questions here. But firstly, is Putin correct when he talks about Russian nuclear warheads having an advantage because they are more modern?

DAVIS: I wouldn't say that. I mean, essentially, when we're talking about Russian and U.S. nuclear forces, both sides deter each other. That's the principle of mutually assured destruction, or MAD as it's often called. If the Russians are stupid enough to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, then what you would likely see would be a firm NATO military response against Russia at the conventional level, below use of nuclear weapons. If Russia were to then use nuclear weapons against NATO or to respond militarily against NATO in any way, you could then see escalation

[00:10:09]

But both sides have to realise that there are no winners in a nuclear exchange. Both sides would be devastated and much of the Northern Hemisphere would be devastated. So yes, Russia is developing new nuclear weapons, but so is the Americans and so are other countries. And so I think that it's a silly statement to make that somehow because Russia has more modern nuclear weapons that somehow they have a war winning advantage.

VAUSE: So just in context here, is this more for the domestic audience playing tough before the election?

DAVIS: I think it is. I think that's what this is about. Putin knows the consequences of using the nuclear weapons and hopefully he won't be so stupid as to do that. I was far more concerned about Russia using nuclear weapons about probably six months ago or 12 months ago when Ukrainians were making real rapid advances in the South and looked like they could take Crimea.

That would be the one point where Russia could consider using a tactical nuclear weapon. But we're past that point now. The real risk ahead is that Russia wins in Ukraine and then poses a direct threat to the NATO itself. And at that point, the specter of a nuclear use comes back to the fore.

VAUSE: Malcolm, good point to end on. As always, thank you for your time and your experience. Good to have you with us.

DAVIS: Thank you.

VAUSE: Well, the US Congress remains bitterly divided over almost everything, there is bipartisan agreement, at least in the lower house, that TikTok is a risk to US national security. And on Wednesday, a bill which could see a national ban on the app received overwhelming support. 352 in favor, just 65 opposed.

Next comes the Senate, where it seems it will be a much slower process to pass the bill. That is, if it ever comes up for a vote. But if it does and becomes law, then TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance will have about five months to sell it. If it doesn't, then app stores like the ones operated by Google and Apple must remove TikTok. Failure to do that will result in massive fines. Here's more now from TikTok's CEO on the potential fallout from any ban.

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SHOU ZI CHEW, TIKTOK CEO: This bill gives more power to a handful of other social media companies. It will also take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses. It will put more than 300,000 American jobs at risk, and it will take away your TikTok.

VAUSE: For one hour, what comes next? Here's CNN's Lauren Fox.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A bill that could potentially ban TikTok in the US now heads, to the Senate after the House overwhelmingly passed their plan that would require TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the popular social media platform, or face a ban.

DAN KILDEE, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: At the end of the day, for me, it really came down to whether or not we can take some action to try to deter this malign influence of the PRC.

FOX (voice-over): But the bill wasn't without its detractors. 65 members voted against it, including 50 Democrats.

DAN BISHOP (R- NC): The answer is not to go selectively banning the flow of information from a particular nation. The way we defeat China is being more American, not less.

FOX (voice-over): Those backing the bill argue they did so for national security.

MADELEINE DEAN (D -PA): I know we're getting plenty of phone calls that young people really love TikTok and I lift that up. I think that's terrific. But I want to protect them from a foreign adversary collecting their data and manipulating it.

DAN CRENSHAW (R-TX): TikTok is owned by ByteDance. ByteDance is in China. In China, any company has to subscribe to the national intelligence law of 2017 which says you have to be our spy if we tell you to.

FOX (voice-over): Already, President Joe Biden has said he would sign the bill if it passes, even though Biden's campaign is on TikTok. Opponents argue that could be a political mistake. Do you worry at all about the political implications for Biden for democrats in the election over supporting this legislation?

Ro Khanna (D -CA): I don't know why you want to upset young people, 170 million people on a platform when there's a least restrictive ways, less restrictive ways of achieving the goal.

FOX (voice-over): Donald trump once called for an outright ban on TikTok.

DONAL TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We'll either close up TikTok in this country for security reasons or it'll be solved.

FOX (voice-over): But now he's against the house bill.

TRUMP: Frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it.

FOX (voice-over): The bill's future in the senate now less certain.

DICK DURBIN (D-IL): I haven't come to a final decision as to whether or not it should be banned.

FOX (voice-over): Senators Marco Rubio and Mark Warner, top members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, committed Wednesday to, quote, working together to get this bill passed through the Senate and signed into law. But Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not committed to putting the bill on the floor.

[00:14:59] FOX: And following that House vote, TikTok released a statement saying that they were encouraging senators to consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service. There's also no guarantee that the House bill will come to the Senate floor. That's because Maria Cantwell, a leading Democrat on the Commerce Committee, says she is looking at a different approach to try and rein in TikTok. That could take weeks, even months, to put together. And again, Chuck Schumer, the Majority Leader, has not said whether or not he's going to put that House bill on the floor. For CNN on Capitol Hill, I'm Lauren Fox.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: To New York now and CNN Tech reporter Claire Duffy, who is with us now for more on the TikTok ban, not quite a ban, at least not yet. Thank you for being with us.

CLAIRE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Absolutely. Happy to be here.

VAUSE: Okay, so all this personal data, which TikTok collects, is also collected by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or X, and it's all for sale. So even if this bill makes it through the Senate, which it probably won't, and is signed into law by the President, how will this ban actually improve national security? Are we safer?

Well, John, I think that U.S. lawmakers would say that we will be safer because the concern with TikTok really is its connection to Chinese parents. And that's not just for our current company ByteDance. Lawmakers are worried that the data that U.S. users give to TikTok could potentially, -- the Chinese government could force the company to hand that over things like location data, IP addresses, and that could be used for propaganda, for misinformation, or for intelligence operations.

But I think your general question there is a good one. And I think it's one that many TikTok users are asking here, and I think many users realize that they are handing over their data to many different kinds of companies that's getting sold to all kinds of people, and governments have access to that data. And so, I think many of these users are saying, why are we not focused on broader privacy legislation that would impact all of the big tech companies and not just target this one?

VAUSE: Yeah, and TikTok has a very, very big following in the U.S., 170 million users. Here's three of them who turned up Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

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UNKNOWN: I'm here because I'm a disability advocate and TikTok changed my life and so many others. I'm here because I'm a part of the disability community.

UNKNOWN: I'm here because I talk about books on TikTok and I encourage people to read and I want to keep on doing that. UNKNOWN: TikTok has allowed my dreams that I used to have as a child to come true. I would hate the dreams of all of the other people that use the app that are inspired and educated for those dreams to be crushed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: What is it about TikTok that creates this sort of loyalty? I mean, if Twitter was closing down or banned, half the country would be out on the streets celebrating.

DUFFY: Well, I think there's a couple of things, John. I mean, first and foremost, TikTok makes it possible for people to make a living. I imagine many of those people you heard on Capitol Hill today are people who are making money from TikTok. And, you know, it's not quite the same opportunity on a platform like X or other social media platforms to really earn a living. TikTok says there are 7 million people who are operating small businesses that run on TikTok.

And it's not so easy to just move your loyal audience and the business that you're running on one platform, move that to another platform if TikTok were to get banned. So, I think that's sort of the first issue here. TikTok also really sort of perfected this really alluring sort of addictive almost algorithm, this algorithm that keeps people scrolling and that also puts users' content in front of other users who don't follow them.

It becomes very easy to reach all kinds of different people, not necessarily just the folks who decide to follow you. And that makes it possible to grow a much bigger audience on TikTok than on other platforms.

VAUSE: Well, President Biden has said if the bill reaches his desk, he will sign it. Until then, he'll keep using TikTok like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are Niners. Two great quarterbacks. Hard to decide. But if I didn't say I was for the Eagles and I'd be sleeping alone, my wife's a Philly girl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: That TikTok machine, best way to reach the young folk. But as Rolling Stone reported last week, when this bill made its way out of committee, here we go, Congress is learning a tough lesson this Thursday. Don't rhymes with truck with teens and their scrolling. Goes on to report one House Republican aide describes the experience to Rolling Stone as a nonstop barrage of phone calls and messages this week from shrieking teens demanding that lawmakers pull the anti- TikTok bill.

So in a close election, this ban doesn't seem like a great idea, especially when what's actually really needed is a comprehensive approach to preventing all social media companies from mishandling our private data. So effectively, does this bill now die in the Senate? DUFFY: It is a really good question. I mean, I think certainly senators are going to be paying close attention to the voices of those young voters.

[00:20:09]

I saw a bunch of TikToks in the last few days of people filming themselves, calling their representatives ahead of this House vote today, saying, I'm not going to vote for you in the next election if you vote to pass this bill. And so, I think in this really politically fraught moment, it is a tricky time to pass this bill, to try to approve this kind of legislation. Biden has said that he would sign the bill if it makes it to his desk. But it's going to be a real challenge for him if that happens. What happens to all this, all of these young voters who love this app?

VAUSE: It's a really good question and one which I don't know if there's a good answer that we've heard so far. Claire, thanks so much for being with us. Really appreciate your time. And still to come here on CNN, the first humanitarian assistance to arrive in Gaza by ship. Scheduled for later Thursday, airdrops continue as well. Unprecedented efforts, but still woefully inadequate. For hundreds of thousands facing famine.

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VAUSE: A ship carrying 200 tons of food assistance from World Central Kitchen expected to arrive in Gaza Thursday night. A temporary wharf has been under construction to allow the ship to dock and unload. The first maritime shipment of humanitarian assistance ever to arrive in the territory. Meantime, aid delivery continues by air. The US military carried out its ninth airdrop Wednesday over northern Gaza. Germany now planning its first airdrop possibly by week's end.

All this as international demands continue for Israel to open additional border crossings to allow more aid convoys into Gaza, especially in the north, where fears of famine are growing. That demand for more crossing points to be open is coming from the EU's top diplomat, who was in Washington Wednesday, where he also thanked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his personal efforts in trying to increase the level of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

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JOSEP BORRELL, EUROPEAN UNION'S FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: We need to clear the humanitarian nexus through sea, by air. That's good. That's not enough. You cannot replace hundreds of trucks by sending parachutes. The most important thing is to open the borders by land.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: With this desperate need for food assistance in Gaza, there's still been no let-up in Israel's military offensive on Hamas. CNN's Nada Bashir is following all these developments. Has more now, reporting in from London.

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NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Small but vital. Pockets of peace above war-torn Gaza. Yet another round of humanitarian airdrops from international donors. Civilians on the brink of famine desperately scramble to see what has arrived today. Yet, amid each delivery, the war continues. More homes destroyed. More people killed.

Deborah, an American woman living in central Gaza, says she has lost count of the number of wars she has lived through in the besieged strip. But this time, she almost did not survive. An Israeli strike, she says, left her crushed in the ruins of her home for hours. Rescued and treated without anesthesia, she now wants answers.

[00:25:19]

DEBORAH DROLL, AMERICAN CITIZEN LIVING IN GAZA: I'm not throwing bombs. I'm not shooting anyone. Why did they come and target me? I need an answer for that. Joe Biden, I need an answer. Why are you letting them target Americans in Gaza?

BASHIR (voice-over): The English teacher says there is nowhere safe left in Gaza. Some of her neighbors being buried as she speaks.

DROLL: Yes, I could run. I could go back to America. But I would feel like it was not right to do that. I should stand beside them. I should try to help them.

BASHIR (voice-over): A voice of solidarity with those in Gaza trying to survive the unthinkable. Nada Bashir, CNN, London)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The UN plans to open an air bridge between Haiti and the Dominican Republic so aid and crisis management staff can safely reach Haiti amid the political crisis there. The announcement comes after widespread gang violence forced Haiti's prime minister to resign, paving the way for a transitional council. But Prime Minister Ariel Henry's office told CNN that Haiti's constitution states only he and his cabinet can appoint such a council. The transitional council expected to eventually hold elections for a complete political reset.

Still ahead on CNN, a judge throws out some of the criminal charges against Donald Trump and his co-defendants. But the bulk of the Georgia election subversion case remains. Up next, how the judge's latest ruling shapes the case going forward.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. In the U.S. state of Georgia, six of dozens of charges against Donald Trump and his co-defendants have been thrown out by the Fulton County judge overseeing the election subversion case. The judge says prosecutors failed to show how the defendants allegedly broke the law related to these six specific charges. Trump's lawyer calls it a "correct legal decision." CNN's Nick Valencia reports from outside the courthouse here in Atlanta. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The judge was clear in his decision: the Fulton County District Attorney's Office did not provide the necessary detail of the underlying crime these defendants were allegedly trying to solicit, enough detail to get these charges to stick in this indictment. The charges have to do, in part, with a fake elector scheme - that's the so-called "fake electors" team trying to subvert the electoral college and unlawfully elect a slate of presidential electors.

[00:30:07]

But it also has to do with that infamous phone call on January 2, 2021, when the former president and his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, called Georgia's secretary of state and asked him to find them more votes.

But the judge in this order saying the D.A.'s office simply just didn't include the detail needed to have these charges stand. And this is what he's saying in part of his order. Quote, "These six counts contain all the essential elements of the crimes but fail to allege sufficient detail regarding the underlying felony solicited. They do not give the defendants enough information to prepare their defenses intelligently."

The order goes on to say, "This does not mean the entire indictment is dismissed."

So let's pick up from there. This entire indictment is not dismissed. In fact, the judge left the door open for an appeal from the D.A.'s office, but that would mean they would have to fill in the detail that the judge is looking for and then to try to get another indictment.

That would require them to put this in front of another grand jury, which would just inevitably the lengthen this process.

All of this, of course, happening as we're waiting for that monumental decision from the judge. Will Fani Willis stay or will she go? The judge telling us earlier that he's on track to make a decision by the end of the week.

Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Biden heads to Michigan in the day ahead as he campaigns for a second term by trying to rebuild support in battleground states he won four years ago.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more now on the race for the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's good to be here. JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As he sets off on a long road to reelection. President Biden's first order of business is exciting Democrats about his candidacy. Not simply easing concerns, he's seeking a second term.

BIDEN: Our plan is working. America's coming back.

ZELENY (voice-over): Here in Wisconsin, LuVerda Martin has been watching, and for her for, Biden turned a corner with his State of the Union address.

LUVERDA MARTIN, WISCONSIN VOTER: I was actually quite motivated by what I saw. I felt relieved with the talking points and how he expressed himself, and his energy level was quite impressive.

ZELENY: You sound surprised.

MARTIN: I was surprised, pleasantly surprised.

ZELENY (voice-over): When we first met Martin last year, she was uncertain about another term.

MARTIN: I'm on the fence. I'm not sure. I'm concerned about his age.

ZELENY (voice-over): As a rematch with Donald Trump comes into sharper view, Martin said any questions about Biden pale in comparison to concerns about the alternative.

MARTIN: I just don't think he gets credit, simply because he's not as loud and boisterous about what he is doing.

ZELENY (voice-over): Today in Milwaukee, Biden touted the bipartisan infrastructure law, which paves the way for a $36 million investment to revitalize a downtown corridor.

Signs of progress come alive at other job sites across town. Plumber Rashawn Spivey is helping replace lead pipes with copper ones.

RASHAWN SPIVEY, PLUMBER/WISCONSIN VOTER: President Joe Biden.

ZELENY (voice-over): He introduced Biden during a December visit but told us, for some, Trump's appeal was real.

SPIVEY: Everybody likes to look at, you know, the surface of all of it. And then by the time they make it to the ballot box, then they have to get real.

ZELENY: By that, you mean vote for Biden?

SPIVEY: Yes, because he's the most experienced.

ZELENY (voice-over): The president's week-long blitz through battlegrounds is a partial roadmap for his best shot at reelection, with stops in Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin, with a visit to Michigan on Thursday.

DAVID CROWLEY, EXECUTIVE, MILWAUKEE COUNTY: If you're going to win Wisconsin, you have to win it through Milwaukee.

ZELENY (voice-over): David Crowley is executive of Milwaukee County, where turnout among black voters is central to Biden's reelection. He said fear of Trump winning may not be the same motivator as last time.

ZELENY: What's the balance of no Trump and yes to Biden?

CROWLEY: Well, you know, I think that there's a delicate balance. But for me, I don't just vote against something. I want to vote for something. And when I think about President Biden, he is giving us a lot to vote for.

ZELENY (voice-over): Wisconsin is among the states with the tightest margins. Trump won by nearly 23,000 votes in 2016, and Biden carried the state by less than 21,000 votes four years later.

The 2024 campaign is hardly a perfect sequel. A set of complex policy and political challenges hang over the race. The Israel-Gaza war is both.

JANAN NAJEEB, PRESIDENT, MILWAUKEE MUSLIM WOMEN'S COALITION: No change in policy. He will be the reason that the Democrats lose. And Wisconsin is a swing state.

Without the constituents that worked so hard to help him get elected last time, myself included, he definitely will not win.

ZELENY (voice-over): A fight over reproductive rights has also injected a new dynamic into the presidential race.

MARTIN: People have not moved on.

ZELENY (voice-over): It motivates Martin, a nurse, midwife, and mother of three, who said she has started to look at the old race in a new light.

ZELENY: Is this something that excites you, a rematch with Donald Trump?

MARTIN: No.

ZELENY: That's the word that that you used.

MARTIN: Not excited. I think there's a couple of words. It is what it is.

ZELENY: President Biden also visiting a campaign headquarters to meet with volunteers and talk to campaign staffers. He said this campaign will be run the old-fashioned way: door by door, phone call by phone call.

Indeed, that's a reminder. This rematch will be different on several fronts. The issues, of course, are different, with abortion rights front and center. Also foreign policy.

But there is no doubt states like Wisconsin, separated by only a few thousand votes four years ago, will be the key battlegrounds again this fall.

[00:35:03]

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Milwaukee.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Actor Olivia Munn has publicly revealed details about her breast cancer diagnosis. She shared hospital photos, along with the news, saying she was diagnosed after a routine mammogram, despite having taken a genetic test for the disease, which came back negative.

Munn says she's had four surgeries in the past ten months. That includes a double mastectomy.

She starred in the TV series "Newsroom" and films like "X-Men: The Apocalypse."

She says she hopes by sharing her experience, others in similar situations will find some comfort, inspiration, as well as support.

Well, he was known as the man in the iron lung. "Polio Paul" Alexander lived most of the past 70 years in an iron lung.

He was diagnosed with polio in 1952, age 6; is paralyzed from the neck down, unable to breathe unassisted.

But he would go on to learn breathing techniques which allowed him a few hours of freedom from the device at a time.

He became a lawyer, wrote an autobiography. And last year, Guinness World Records declared him the longest surviving iron lung patient.

He spoke to CNN two years ago about his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA ALEXANDER, LIVED IN IRON LUNG: I've got -- hard to (ph) accept from anybody their limitations. Of my life. I've got to do it. My life is incredible.

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VAUSE: It really was. Paul Alexander was 78 years old.

On that, we'll take a short break. When we come back, CNN marks our eighth annual My Freedom Day, with the help of children and teens around the world. Live to Hong Kong, where students are calling for action against child labor.

Back in a moment.

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VAUSE: CNN is marking the eighth year of My Freedom Day, a day of action led by students around the world to raise awareness of modern slavery.

We've heard from children and teens from Nepal to Ecuador, standing up against child labor. Students in Kosovo adding their voices to the cause, as well.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The future starts with the choices that we make today. Choose to stand against child labor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every handprint is a step closer to ending child labor. Print your pledge today. My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Live now to Hong Kong. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout standing by with a group of students also joining the cause.

It's that time of the year again, Kristie. It comes up so quickly.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. Yes. Here in Hong Kong, one of many schools, rather region around the world marking My Freedom Day.

It's a day of student-led action against modern-day slavery. Here at King George V School, or KG5, we've been watching these students, ranging in age from year seven to year 12, take part in this workshop to learn about child labor and how to end this horrific practice.

[00:40:08]

Some really astute questions being asked, like, which industries are the worst offenders. In just a moment, they're also going to participate in a sweatshop simulation challenge so they can feel what it's like to be trapped in a forced labor situation.

And joining me now are a few students here who will soon take part in that challenge, as well as the organizer, Matt Friedman, who is a modern-day abolitionist with the Mekong Club.

Thank you so much for joining me.

First, a question for you, Charis and Nicole. What do you hope to learn from this sweatshop simulation challenge? This is going to be your first time participating in it.

NICOLE, STUDENT: I think especially the simulation part out, I will learn how to empathize more and learn more about this issue in order to raise awareness, especially on social media or, like, with friends around me.

STOUT: And Charis, what do you hope to learn?

CHARIS, STUDENT: I've heard about modern-day slavery quite often. But then I really don't know what it's like.

So I hope that, through this simulation workshop today, I will gain a very valuable learning experience and learn about what is it like to work in sweatshop workshop every day in my life?

STOUT: Absolutely. And that -- this is a program that you've developed for quite some time now. You've taking the schools across Hong Kong and around the region. It's a virtual exercise, but the impact is very real. Tell us about it.

MATT FRIEDMAN, FOUNDER & CEO, THE MEKONG CLUB: Yes. Just as was stated, learn what it's like to be in a simulation, in a sweatshop type situation.

In our life, we hear about things. We learn about it from the teachers, but we don't experience it.

For a period of time, they will take a nut, put it on and off, and on and off. And they'll experience the boredom. They'll experience the tediousness of that.

And they'll -- it'll give them an opportunity to ask the question, what would it be like if I were to do this from six in the morning till 11 every day? What would my life be? How would that steal my childhood away. That's what the experience allows them to -- to feel.

STOUT: Since students are going to be gaining that empathy, that awareness, but also gaining some knowledge along the way. And I know that you two have questions that you want to ask a question Matt. A question that you have, Nicole.

NICOLE: Well, I want to ask, as teenagers, as young people, what can we help, in order to end this issue?

FRIEDMAN: That's a great question. Oftentimes, students say, well, I'm just a student. How can I possibly do something?

Learning about this particular topic and then doing what you do best with social media: disseminating that information is a great way of amplifying the child labor type situation. Another thing you can do is to be a responsible consumer. Before you

buy an item, basically go online to see whether that company has a policy related to this. If they do, congratulate them.

Be a volunteer. My youngest volunteer was nine years old. And at any age, you have skills that could be public speaking, it could be writing. It could be selling T-shirts. Use that as a mechanism to basically raise things.

STOUT: You can never be too young to act. Charis, Nicole, thank you so much.

You know, modern-day slavery is real. It's a problem that is definitely growing. According to the ILO (ph), it is increasing risk for the first time in some 20 years.

But the students here, determined to counter that trend.

Back to you.

VAUSE: Good for them. Kristie, thanks so much. Kristie Lu Stout there, live in Hong Kong.

I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour, more CNN NEWSROOM. In the meantime, a short break and then WORLD SPORT.

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[00:46:00]

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