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CNN International: Judge Rules Fani Willis Can Stay On Trump Election Case; Irish PM In Washington Ahead Of St. Patrick's Day; U.S. Vice President Harris Holding Marijuana Roundtable. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired March 15, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon.

New this morning, a Georgia judge has ruled that District Attorney Fani Willis may remain on the election interference case against Donald Trump. Coming up, our legal analysts and panel will break it all down. Also, President Biden and the Irish Prime Minister are meeting in what has become an annual tradition around St. Patrick's Day. But, sharp differences over policies on Israel and Gaza may change the tone of their meeting this year. We're live at the White House. Plus, voting is underway in Russia's presidential election. We will go to Moscow for an update as Vladimir Putin seeks yet another reelection.

We begin this hour with breaking news. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on the election interference case against Donald Trump. That ruling made by Judge Scott McAfee a short time ago. But, his decision also comes with one huge caveat. He says that special prosecutor Nathan Wade must be removed from the case if Willis remains on the case. Now, attorneys for Donald Trump and other co-defendants had argued that Willis' romantic relationship with Wade had created a conflict of interest.

Let's bring in CNN's Ryan Young, who joins me from Atlanta. Ryan, we've been speaking about this for the last hour or so. Just sort of bring us up to speed for our audience who may just be tuning in right now.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Rahel, friend, look, we've been really going through this. This is nine o'clock at this point. And there is so much in this, especially this decision. When you think about what's on the line here, there is a lot of people who believe that Fani Willis was taken off this case, that this case would sort of go into purgatory. Who would know what will happen next. But, what we do know is the judge has decided that Fani Willis can stay but Nathan Wade has to go.

Now, all this centers around a relationship that the two of them have admitted to having. They traveled to far-off places like California, Aruba, and Miami. And what that was at the center of this is how this money was split up between the two of them. Fani Willis has always said that she took cash money to reimburse Nathan Wade for their travel. Nathan Wade made a lot of money as this special prosecutor, over $600,000. And some people were trying to accuse the two of them of basically enriching their pockets by having this case.

Now, I want you to listen to Fani Willis when she was in court, and how adamant she was about what she believed was going on. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHLEIGH MERCHANT, MICHAEL ROMAN'S ATTORNEY: So, your office objected to us getting Delta records for flights that you may have taken with Mr. Wade.

FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Well, no, no, no. I object to you getting records. You've been intrusive into people's personal lives. You're confused. You think I'm on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I'm not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: You heard how strong she was and that -- when she was sitting there in that court case. We knew it was going to take two weeks for this decision. Scott McAfee making that decision this morning. I also want to read something from page nine, "Without sufficient evidence that the District Attorney acquired a personal stake in the prosecution, or that her financial arrangements had any impact on the case, the Defendants' claims of an actual conflict must be denied. This finding is by no means an indication that the court condones this tremendous lapse in judgment or the unprofessional manner of the District Attorney's testimony during the evidentiary hearing."

So, you can understand and hear the language from the judge there. There has been so much conversation about when this relationship actually started. When did it come to light? Nathan Wade was going through a divorce. At some point, he started a relationship with the district attorney. They say it happened after he was hired, and then from there it progressed. Now, they said the relationship is over. The judge even says there is easily a way for the public to say, how do they know that the relationship has never resumed, or this financial arrangement that they had about where money was spent could continue? So, you can understand those questions being taken into place.

But, at this point, she can remain on the case. Nathan Wade is going to have to step down. There were so many people believing that this was the case that could get started before the election. All these delays may slow that down. There is even talk from the judge about maybe putting a gag order in place to maybe stop all sides from talking.

I should report as well, Fani Willis has not planned to appear before a camera today to talk about this case. Of course, everyone probably wanting to ask her the questions that we all have in our mind about how they move forward, and who is going to take over the prosecution if Nathan Wade has to step down.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Those questions certainly remain even despite the decision. Ryan Young live for us in Atlanta. Thank you, Ryan.

YOUNG: Thank you.

SOLOMON: And Darryl Cohen knows Fani Willis quite well.

[11:05:00]

He is a criminal defense attorney in Atlanta. Darryl, good to have you today. Let me ask just your first topline reaction to this decision from the judge. Are you surprised?

DARRYL COHEN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I was surprised, but I wasn't surprised. Now, what does that mean? Does it mean that I knew what Judge McAfee was going to do? I knew whatever he did would be measured, well thought out, using law and using everything in his means to do the right thing. So, I was surprised that he did what he did, but I'm actually very pleased with what he did because he did the right thing.

SOLOMON: What do you make of the commentary that came with the decision? She can stay, but he certainly didn't let her off unscathed. As Ryan pointed out, he said her conduct was unprofessional. He said it was a tremendous lapse in judgment. Do you feel like he was compelled to say those things because of the testimony that we all saw, because of the speech at the AME Church in Atlanta that was also televised and widely circulated? What do you think?

COHEN: I think that Judge McAfee said to Fani, you know what? You are a professional. You were elected by the voters of Fulton County to be the district attorney who should be above reproach. And what he was saying is, don't do this again. Be professional. Do the right thing. Be transparent in what you do. And if you are, everything will go well. I think that he felt there was a conflict, but it wasn't enough. It may have been perceived, but the testimony wasn't enough, and the evidence wasn't enough to have Fani removed. So, he did the right thing.

And let me tell you this. In my opinion, he helped the prosecution even though I don't think that was any part of his ruling or what he was thinking. He has now removed Nathan Wade. That means that Fani doesn't have to fire Nathan Wade and doesn't have to worry about the microscope that she and Nathan would be under had they stayed the way it was. She can now go out, hire whoever she thinks is appropriate, male, female, young, old, but somebody that knows what he or she is doing as to prosecuting and/or defending a RICO case.

So, it took away any publicity, any adverse political effects from either side saying she should have. She should not have. She did this. She did not. So, I think what he did was wonderful. But I also think it was very much a help to the prosecution.

SOLOMON: Who becomes the special prosecutor now? As you said, she can go out and find someone new. But, I would imagine that might create quite a bit of a delay because then that's someone who has to get up to speed on this pretty complex case. I mean, Donald Trump is not the only defendant here. Do you think it's more likely that it's someone from within the office?

COHEN: I am not going to be able to predict. I'm sitting in Las Vegas mentally. And they told me, don't give any odds. So, I'm not. If you find someone that's outside of the office, there are obviously prosecutors who are in the office who have spoken for her, in her behalf, in the state's behalf, who know what's going on with the case. She may elevate someone else. If she hires someone outside of the office, it's not going to slow things down that much. But, in this case, everything that we've seen happen has slowed the case down. And this is really nothing more than unscripted reality TV that's predictably unpredictable.

SOLOMON: How would you describe Fani Willis? There are questions about whether this -- how this will be perceived in the court of public opinion. But, for those who may not be familiar with her, I mean, she is a prosecutor who was known for taking some big swings and going after some pretty big targets. If she feels like the case leads her there, how would you describe her?

COHEN: I describe her as a lifetime prosecutor with great integrity, bad judgment in this case. But, real people make bad decisions. Good people make bad decisions. She made a bad decision. I don't think in her worst nightmares she thought that her relationship, however short or long it was, was going to interfere with this case. She is a good person. She is a good prosecutor. But, she also has, as you say, big swings, and she has swung at the biggest.

SOLOMON: Well, we shall see. Attorney Darryl Cohen in Atlanta, or are you in Las Vegas, I hear you say?

COHEN: No. Mentally, I'm in Las Vegas. I'm sitting in Atlanta inviting, watching the rain come down.

SOLOMON: And mentally, I'm like on a beach somewhere. But, here we are. Darryl Cohen live in Atlanta. Darryl, thanks so much.

All right. There are developments in two other cases involving the former President. The district judge in Florida declined to throw out Trump's classified documents case. His attorneys had argued that the law used to charge him was "too vague". The judge is yet to rule on Trump's claim that as President he was entitled to keep the materials at his Florida estate.

[11:10:00]

And to New York, prosecutors say that they are willing to delay Trump's criminal hush money trial for up to 30 days. Right now, it is set to start a little later this month, on March 25. That's a big win for Trump who used and who is used to a strategy of trying to delay his trials until after the November election.

Meantime, St. Patrick's Day is coming up this weekend, and President Joe Biden is keeping up a tradition by welcoming the Irish Prime Minister to the White House. Mr. Biden does like to speak and boast about his Irish roots. But, differences over Israel and Gaza may overshadow the event.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has already had breakfast with Vice President Kamala Harris, and shamrocks won't be the only plants on the agenda today. The Vice President is set to host a cannabis reform roundtable.

Now, to discuss today, let's bring in White House Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez, who joins us now. And Priscilla, as we noted, Ireland and the U.S. are at odds over Israel's policies in Gaza. How is that influencing today's events?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Rahel. That meeting that you just saw there in the Oval Office between the two leaders, they discussed their friendship and the cooperation between the two. But, the second item on the list, the Irish Prime Minister said that he wanted to talk to the President about was the Israel- Hamas war, which just goes to show that this is a top priority going into this meeting. This is typically a pretty celebratory stop. As you saw there, there is the crystal bowl with shamrocks. They will often dye the fountains green here at the White House.

But, with this war looming over this -- it's an issue that the two of them are planning to discuss at great lengths. Now, when the Prime Minister was talking about this, he said that there should be an immediate ceasefire so that aid can get into Gaza, talking about the humanitarian situation in that region. And the President nodded along, saying that he agreed, and the President has said that there should be a temporary ceasefire so that there can be additional assistance sent into Gaza, and as well hostages released from Gaza. But, there is no doubt that this is a point of contention. In fact, some of the delegation, some of the Irish delegation wanted the Prime Minister to boycott this annual stop over the concerns of how the U.S. is supporting Israel as it continues its war into Gaza.

Now, the Prime Minister made clear that he would convey his concerns in this meeting and that will surely happen at greater length behind doors. But, just another example, Rahel, of the President having to navigate this domestically, having to navigate the politics of it even within his own fractured coalition, and also having to tackle it with foreign leaders when they visit the White House.

SOLOMON: Priscilla, also happening today, Vice President Kamala Harris, she is going to hold this roundtable discussion with rapper Fat Joe, also with the Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear. I mean, what can you tell us about this?

ALVAREZ: Yeah. This is part of an ongoing effort. This is something that the President talked about during the State of the Union, calling for a review of the classification of marijuana. Of course, there has been a seismic shift in polling over the decades of where Americans see marijuana. It is currently scheduled as a schedule one. That's reserved for the most dangerous controlled substances. And a Gallup poll released last year said 70 percent of Americans think marijuana should be legal. So, this is something that the administration bears in mind. It's been something they've been thinking about and reviewing. And this is another opportunity for the Vice President to hear from musician Fat Joe, as well as the Kentucky governor, but also people who have been pardoned for previous marijuana convictions.

So, this is going to happen in a couple of hours, and it's part of, again, this overarching effort by the administration to do this review and see whether there can be any changes in the classification federally of this particular drug marijuana.

SOLOMON: OK. Priscilla Alvarez live for us here at the White House. Priscilla, thanks so much.

Let's continue the conversation now. I'm welcoming Karen Finney. She is a CNN political commentator. She was also a Senior Advisor on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Karen, good to have you, as always. Let me ask, Kentucky is an interesting place to have this conversation. What are your thoughts about the significance of Kentucky, ruby-red Kentucky?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, & SENIOR ADVISOR, HILLARY CLINTON'S 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, a couple of things. Number one, Andy Beshear just won his reelection quite handily, and he was very open about his support for this issue. It's a state that, if I'm not mistaken, they are in the process of making medical marijuana available. And so, I suspect that he'll talk a little bit about that today.

And that really follows the trend in a number of states around the country that have increasingly recognized, not only as the polls show their -- the American people have changed their perspective on the issue, but I think recognizing that there are medical uses for which we should be considering marijuana, including, for example, veterans with PTSD. That's another group that has been very active in advocating for changes in policy.

[11:15:00]

So, this is an issue that -- I think part of -- to have Fat Joe and a governor from a ruby-red state there, right, that shows that this issue kind of has broad resonance across the country with a lot of different groups.

SOLOMON: Yeah. And Karen, how impactful do you think it is to be aligned, even if not officially with the likes of Fat Joe, who is a very popular American rapper? I certainly know and love his music. Andy Beshear, as you pointed out, a very popular governor in the ruby- red state of Kentucky. Perhaps we see more of Josh Shapiro in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. How important is it, do you think, to have those faces associated with Biden campaign?

FINNEY: It's very important, but it also -- I'll tell you, part of what is so important about this meeting today is that it is, and as the President talked about it in the State of the Union, it is a way to go back to the American people and say this is another promise made and promise kept. I mean, as we remember, the President has been -- has tasked the administration with looking at what is the process for re-classifying marijuana. Again, we're seeing this as an acknowledgment that, again, this issue is playing very differently across the country than it was even 10 years ago.

SOLOMON: Karen, let me play for you a clip just a short time ago from the Irish Prime Minister while here in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEO VARADKAR, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: I believe you, Madam Vice President, showed great courage and leadership in recent weeks, when you spoke publicly in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza. I'm sure it can't have been easy, but it was the right thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: So, Karen, it's interesting, because this is usually, this event from the Irish Prime Minister around St. Patrick's Day, this is usually a very sort of celebratory event where --

FINNEY: Yeah.

SOLOMON: -- the President can lean into his Irish heritage. But, this year, it does have that wrinkle that some in Ireland are opposed to the White House standing with Israel in the midst of Israel's operation in Gaza.

FINNEY: Right. I think it exemplifies the fact that increasingly leaders around the world are expressing their frustration and concerns about Netanyahu and his government and the way that they are conducting this campaign, the war against Hamas. And so, I think that's likely to be a big part of the conversation today. You're right. I've been to some of these celebrations where usually it's much more of a festive nature. But, obviously, when there is serious business to be discussed, that is from leader to leader, that is the place where you register those concerns.

And as you heard the Taoiseach there, he -- I believe he was speaking to the Vice President and acknowledging her call. And so, I think what's important for us to just take away is that this reminds us that they're increasingly -- other leaders around the world are voicing their concerns, joining, frankly, in what the Vice President has said and what the President has expressed, and hopefully that can bolster the political pressure on Netanyahu to actually start to pay attention to some of these other political concerns as we continue to see. Obviously, what Hamas did was just despicable. But, at the same time, the humanitarian concerns are very real in terms of what we're seeing on the ground.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Those strong comments from the Vice President and also those extremely strong comments yesterday from Chuck Schumer. Karen, standby for just a moment. Let me bring in Republican strategist Rina Shah. Let me actually pivot a bit because, Rina, we've been talking all morning about the decision in Fulton County and what it means for the former President legally. What's your feeling about what it means for him politically? RINA SHAH, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, now in the court of public opinion, you would hear Republicans say that this is not just a win for Fani Willis. This is something that continues to perpetuate this narrative that the President is somebody who is unfairly targeted. And now, I take great issue with that. On the one hand, I can see what this judge's ruling means. It is not a win for Fani Willis. She started at the beginning of all this, last August, when she brought these charges of racketeering against the former President. She knew she was bringing some very bombastic charges. She had a lot of ammo, and she also had a story with remarkable career. This is not somebody that didn't have integrity.

And now, fast forward to what we saw in January even where it's almost as if since these allegations of impropriety came to light, it's almost as if she was on trial. Now, the woman in government and politics, I can tell you, there is always going to be a layer of misogyny here, sexism, racism, whatever you want to call it. But, in this 20-plus ruling from the judge today, he has torched her professional reputation.

[11:20:00]

He said that she exhibited improper judgment. He questioned her judgment. He questioned her use of racial language as well. So, I think you're looking at Fani Willis now as somebody that is, of course, now able to go on with this case, but it certainly who has very much a blemish reputation. And I do think, yes, that there was some improper judgment here. But, I don't see how that impacts the former President's case, or any of the charges that he and his 18 co- defendants are facing in Georgia for election interference in 2020.

We got to remember what is at the heart of this, and that Fani Willis herself was never on trial, except for the fact that she did not admit a proper relationship -- bring to light that relationship with Mr. Wade to the court. It was uncovered by the other side, Mr. Trump's people.

SOLOMON: OK. We'll leave it here. Republican strategist Rina Shah, CNN political commentator Karen Finney, thank you both.

FINNEY: Thank you.

SOLOMON: All right. Still ahead, it is a welcome sign for people at risk of starvation. The first ship carrying life-saving supplies of food has now arrived off the coast of Gaza. Plus, voting is now underway in Russia for its presidential election. Coming up, we'll tell you why many think the results are already set.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What conditions are those hostages being held in, and what assurances can you provide their families of their well-being? BASEM NAIM, HAMAS POLITICAL BUREAU: I cannot now reassure you anyone because all these war prisoners are facing the same bombardment and starvation our people facing on the ground. Therefore, we have repeatedly called for a ceasefire to be able to care for them, to collect more data about them and to go or to engage into (inaudible).

DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli government believes at least 32 of the hostages are dead, their bodies still held as bargaining chips. But now, there is growing concern for the fate of the remaining female hostages.

DIAMOND: The United Nations said that it found "clear and convincing information" based on firsthand accounts that women being held hostage by your organization, Hamas, have been raped, have been tortured, have been subjected to inhumane and degrading treatments. What do you say to that?

NAIM: First of all, the lady (inaudible) has said this is not an investigation Committee. This is a data collection Committee. She hasn't -- she was not able to show any proof and solid evidence from an eyewitness in the report.

DIAMOND: These are first firsthand accounts by former hostages.

NAIM: Yes. But, she hasn't met any of the victims. She has heard from someone who has heard about this.

[11:25:00]

DIAMOND: That's because they're still being held hostage by your organization.

NAIM: Look, I can't -- I think the photos and the videos and the footages we have seen after releasing the woman, released inside Gaza, are in contradiction with what (inaudible) said.

DIAMOND (voice-over): But, those images of hostages being released were pure propaganda, with some hostages instructed to smile and wave on the cusp of freedom. And this is the United Nations report. "Based on the first-hand accounts of released hostages, the mission team received clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment occurred against some women and children during their time in captivity.

DIAMOND: Do you deny that any women being held hostage by Hamas have been raped or tortured or subjected to sexual violence?

NAIM: Absolutely.

DIAMOND (voice-over): That absolute denial coming even as Naim previously said he cannot account for the fate of the hostages, and as talks that could lead to their release appear to be at an impasse.

NAIM: I think we cannot talk about breaking down of the negotiations. There are still some talks, some communications. But, we cannot talk about serious negotiations at this moment because we are waiting for the Israeli response about our proposals.

DIAMOND: And your proposal, as far as I understand, it is still calling for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of all troops from Gaza. Is that correct?

NAIM: I think this is the natural or the minimum demands we can ask for after this long six months aggression that we have reached a permanent comprehensive declared ceasefire, total withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the occupied territories in the West and the Gaza Strip, and the right of all Palestinians displaced from their houses to return back to their houses before October 7.

DIAMOND (voice-over): In a statement, an Israeli government officials said "Prime Minister Netanyahu's government has freed 112 hostages to date and is committed to free all the hostages. Once Hamas' delusional demands come down to earth, there can be another humanitarian pause for a hostage release deal. Some Israeli officials believe Hamas is stalling, hoping to incite more violence during the month of Ramadan.

DIAMOND: Let me ask you this. In Hamas' latest statement, you call on the "brave masses of our people to continue to clash with the Zionist occupation". And you put it in the context of Ramadan, which you call the month of jihad and resistance. Are you holding out on a ceasefire because you hope to inspire more attacks against Israel?

NAIM: What we are calling for Israel, we are people under occupation. We are looking for our freedom and dignity. And we have all the rights and all the tools to reach these goals, starting by political and diplomatic tools up to resistance.

DIAMOND: But, you're not answering my question. Are you hoping to inspire more attacks, including terrorist attacks against civilians during the month of Ramadan?

NAIM: Please don't talk about the terrorism because I think what is committed against us is a state terrorism. If we have to talk about terrorism, we have to define it. What we are doing is resistance against the operation, against the occupation. And again, I think this is a guaranteed draft in the international law that all people under occupation have the right.

DIAMOND: Not when you target civilians.

NAIM: Occupation. No. We are not targeting civilians. I don't think that --

DIAMOND: Hamas doesn't target civilians?

NAIM: I think a settler who is carrying an M-16 or gun in TV studios or in the streets or who was burning our people (inaudible) while you're sleeping or inside the West Bank are not civilians.

DIAMOND (voice-over): But, Hamas does target civilians. On October 7 alone, Hamas militants stormed into Israeli homes, killing hundreds of men, women and children, a massacre that unleashed a devastating war. DIAMOND: And while Basem Naim in that interview told us that there

were no serious discussions underway for these negotiations and that Hamas was waiting for an Israeli response to Hamas' counterproposal, we've not learned that Hamas has actually submitted a new counterproposal today. The Israeli war cabinet reviewing that proposal this morning, and set to send an Israeli delegation to Doha, Qatar, to pursue further negotiations. Rahel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: OK. We'll continue to watch that space. And Jeremy, meantime, the aid ship carrying 200 tonnes of food has now arrived in Gaza. It's unloading this morning. Talk to us about the latest on the efforts to get aid into Gaza via air and also via sea now.

[11:30:00]

DIAMOND: Yeah. That's right. We understand that that vessel carrying the aid has now arrived off the coast of Gaza. It has begun to be unloaded. But, of course, there are enormous questions about exactly how that aid will be distributed. We have seen so many times over the last several weeks as aid distribution has become perilous at times, has been deadly as well in part because of the desperation on the ground of Palestinians who are suffering from hunger, who are struggling to find basics in order to survive.

And we also saw last night as aid distribution can sometimes turn deadly as well. There are conflicting reports about who is responsible. But, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says that 20 people were killed, 155 people were wounded. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says that it was Israeli shelling on a food distribution site in Gaza City. The Israeli Military, for its part, says that Palestinian gunman opened fire on that distribution site an hour before an aid convoy was coming through.

But, what we do know is that the devastation is clear. And it seems like more than just gunfire. The images that we've seen from that event show rubble, show dust all over deceased and wounded individuals with pools of blood, suggesting a weaponry far more serious than gunfire. But, again, conflicting accounts, and we're still trying to gather more facts on the ground. Rahel.

SOLOMON: Certainly chilling images there. Jeremy Diamond live for us in Jerusalem. Jeremy, thank you.

Well, voting is underway across Russia. Still ahead, we'll take a look at why Vladimir Putin is expected to easily win a new term as President. We'll be right back.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.

Here are some of the international headlines we're watching for you today. In Michigan, a jury has convicted the father of a school shooter. James Crumbley was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. His son, Ethan, is serving a life sentence for killing four fellow students at school in 2021. Now, Ethan's mother, Jennifer, was also found guilty of the same charges in a separate trial. The parents now face up to 15 years in prison.

Princes William and Harry spoke on their mother's legacy this week without ever stepping foot in the same room. On Thursday, 20 young people were honored with the Diana Legacy Award. Prince William attended the ceremony in person, while Prince Harry separately addressed the crowd via a live video.

In Haiti, a curfew has been extended until Sunday as gang violence escalates. All demonstrations on public roads in the western region have also been banned during the state of emergency.

[11:35:00]

That's set to last till April 3. In the U.S., officials in Florida are working to help Americans in Haiti through an online portal.

And voting is underway in Russia for its presidential election. The three-day process lasts through Sunday. People in annex Crimea and the occupied regions of Ukraine are also able to vote. Here is Matthew Chance in Moscow with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, Russians are certainly going through the motions when it comes to this presidential election. They're coming here to register their votes here before casting their ballots at the ballot box over there. There is also the option of electronic voting. There are various machines that have been set up. People can vote on apps as well.

But, make no mistake, the outcome of this presidential election in Russia is inevitable. Vladimir Putin is expected to win a fifth presidential term and that's because the opposition in this country have not been permitted to take part. There has been a brutal crackdown on dissent across Russia. Opposition supporters have been silenced. Their leaders have been exiled, jailed or a dead. Alexei Navalny, of course, died in his Arctic penal colony last month. There is an official choice of candidates, but none of the other three people on the ballot sheet are particularly against the Kremlin, or have any particular public support going into this vote now.

Now, one of the things that we are watching carefully for is any possibility of protests. The widow of Alexei Navalny has called for Russians to gather on mass at polling stations at a particular time over the weekend. The authorities have issued a stern warning, saying that anybody in Russia who engages in unsanctioned protests during this Russian election period will be facing dire legal consequences.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SOLOMON: And actually following up on something we just heard Matthew mention there, new videos are in fact emerging, showing protests happening at Russian polling stations. The videos show what appeared to be protesters defacing ballots with antiseptic green dye. According to Russian state media, officials in Moscow have launched a criminal case over at least one of these incidents. The suspect was detained and is facing up to five years in prison.

Meanwhile, Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine. Regional officials in Odessa say that a Russian striker has killed at least 14 people there and injured dozens more. On Saturday, the region is planning to observe a day of mourning.

All right. Well, still ahead, we have much more on our top story, a judge saying that District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on the election interference case against Donald Trump in Georgia. It's a win for Willis. But, it does come at a cost. We'll explain. Plus, scenes of complete devastation after deadly tornadoes tear through parts of the U.S. We'll be right back.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is a huge tornado. Wow. Oh my god.

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SOLOMON: Deadly and disastrous tornadoes tearing through towns across Midwestern states in the U.S. At least three people are confirmed dead following a storm in western Ohio. And check out this video from Indiana on Thursday night. As daylight breaks now, the urgent search for survivors is underway. Indiana's Randolph County was one of the worst hit areas. As you see, in part of the aftermath with damages to several buildings, we know that at least 38 people have been hurt.

Let's get to CNN's Whitney Wild. She is in Winchester, Indiana, where officials are assessing the damage. Whitney, just give us a sense of what things are like on the ground.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, this is about rescue and about cleanup. We saw emergency crews out here for several hours this morning. We haven't seen them in a little bit. But, what we see are people, all through these neighborhoods, working so diligently to clean up this mess.

And let me just show you something that I think really highlights the scale and the ferocity of this storm. Look at how high these sheets of metal are, Rahel. I mean, I'm 5.7. This is several feet, taller than me. And what this storm did, the power of this storm took these large sheets of metal and just draped them around this light pole here in Winchester. I mean, they are almost turned from sheets of steel into fabric. It's unbelievable when you come out here. And again, I think this image really helps highlight the scale. When you walk down the street, what you see are just blocks and blocks of debris, I mean, houses that were tossed from one side of the street to the other side of the street, homes obliterated, offices obliterated.

Rahel, one of the things that I think is so striking here too is that, as you mentioned, 38 people were injured. We have not heard of any fatalities. That is the good news here. And it's really pretty surprising when you look at the mass destruction here. What you're seeing down the street here, if you look on the left hand of the frame, is a home that had been on the clear other side of the street.

And we spoke with family members, the women who lived in that home, and they told us that around eight o'clock last night, the woman who owns that home was inside. She called her family because she couldn't get a hold of 911. She called them sobbing, screaming, that she had been crushed underneath her home. Her family members rushed out here. She had again been tossed from one side of the street to the other. Her family members were able to dig her out. Fortunately, she suffered just a broken nose, Rahel. And that is the story for so many people here.

We spoke with another man who was inside of Taco Bell, also completely flattened. He was inside as that tornado hit. He was holding up in a cooler, holding on to a steel door. The tornado passed over them in about five seconds. He and his co-workers walked away. They suffered a couple of broken bones. One co-worker, he said suffered a punctured lung. But otherwise, they walked away fine. And that is really the miracle of the day here in Winchester.

Let me show you a couple other images here of just the massive scale of this debris. So, over here, this red car you see, that's right where that Taco Bell had been. So, that had been a drive thru. And then next to it, you can see this Jeep Laredo just flipped over and crushed like a soda can. It's really striking out here, Rahel. Again, now, the effort is the cleanup. So, we've seen huge numbers of people come out, starting to pick through this debris, starting to pick up the pieces of their lives. Back to you.

SOLOMON: Whitney, it's so helpful to have you actually explain what we're looking at, because in the midst of so much destruction, it can just sort of feel like, as you point out, debris, and it's hard to even make out. It just gives you a sense of the sort of ferocity of the storm. It's hard to even make out what you're looking at.

Let me ask, when you're talking to neighbors there, when you're talking to people who live there --

WILD: Rahel, you might be talking to. But, the reception out here is -- yeah, I'm sorry, Rahel. I can hear. You're cutting in and out a little bit. The reception, as you can understand out here, is a little spotty at the moment. So, I'm sorry. If you wouldn't mind just repeating your question.

SOLOMON: No. Whitney, I was saying that it's helpful to have you describing what we're looking at, because in the midst of so much destruction, it looks like just debris, and these are people's homes. These are people's cars. When you're talking to the people who live on that block, what are they telling you about what's next? Do they even feel like if their home is still standing that it's necessarily safe structurally in terms of the integrity of the building to go in? How are people feeling based on what you're saying?

WILD: Well, some of these homes, you cannot go inside. I mean, one of those -- one of these houses here, the wall had basically been ripped off, and they've been able to put a little bit of a frame back in. But, no. You can't go back inside. For some of these families right now, they're just glad that they're alive, and they're looking for the things that are important to try to move on, like their driver's licenses.

[11:45:00]

There are bills, their paperwork, because now the next hurdle here is all the insurance, trying to get any funds and resources they can to try to rebuild their lives. And then, I was again speaking with that family of that house that had been tossed across the street, and they said, we can get through the insurance. We can get through the initial days of this, but then we have to rebuild the house, and how long is that going to take? So, this is just the start of what's sure to be a very long journey.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Absolutely. OK. Whitney Wild live for us there, Winchester, Indiana. Whitney, thanks so much.

We're going to get now to our breaking news this morning that we've been following all morning. A Georgia judge saying that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can remain on the election interference case against Donald Trump, but only, and it's a big only, that's only if special prosecutor Nathan Wade steps down. Now, the judge's ruling included a strong rebuke of Willis for what he called a "tremendous lapse in judgment". He also called her romantic relationship with Wade a result of "bad choices". But, in the end, the judge, Scott McAfee, concluded that Willis' actions were not enough to disqualify her. Mr. Trump and his co-defendants had argued that the relationship created a conflict of interest.

Let's bring in our CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. Joey, good to have you. Let me ask, just first reaction, were you surprised by this ruling? Were you surprised by some of the judge's language here?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Rahel, good to see you on. No and no. Let's start with the judge's language. Certainly, he had to recognize the inevitable and the obvious, and that were that there were some people certainly who listened to the two and a half day hearing, who may have had concerns with respect to the testimony, the credibility of the district attorney, that is Fani Willis, in addition to Nathan Wade. So, that had to be addressed. And he did address it. It had to be addressed in terms of the judgment of the district attorney in hiring Nathan Wade, to begin with.

And so, the language of the judge, certainly, he could not ignore what we call the elephant in the room. Right? So, no, as to the language that the judge used nor the characterizations, and no, as to the actual result. At the end of the day, what had to happen, Rahel, is that there needed to be established by the defendants in this case that this -- that there was some financial impropriety that really was a driving and motivating factor to the appointment by Fani Willis to the special prosecutor and that she benefited in some way, the judges not finding that present. And so, at the -- ultimately, the indictment stands. Right? That is the initial indictment brought by the Special Counsel, the special prosecutor that charges various crimes with Mr. Trump and the 18 defendants.

But, having said that, right, as you state, the special prosecutor will have to step aside and the judge doing that as a measure to try to continue to keep the faith in the justice system, and if there is any appearance of impropriety that the judgment of the public, perhaps that takes it away the little bit of detains. And so, on balance, I think it was a well-reasoned decision. I think it was a responsible decision. And I think the judge made the right decision.

SOLOMON: What does the defense do with this information, Joey, moving forward? Let's say you're representing Trump or any of the other co- defendants in this case. What do you make of this? How do you use this to your advantage moving forward?

JACKSON: So, I think, Rahel, there is two components to the question really. Right? One component, I think, is a political component, and that I believe is very important, certainly to the President. I know there is 18, well, now 14 other defendants for having pled guilty, three being attorneys who worked on the Trump campaign. But, I think that certainly from political perspective, Mr. Trump will seize on some of the language used by the judge with respect to the appearance of impropriety here, if not actual impropriety, I think with regard to the language about potential misrepresentations being made here with regard to the language that perhaps the Ethics Association in Georgia, and the Bar Association may be forums that they want to pursue.

And so, I think that will be much political fodder for the Trump campaign to make the argument, as he has been making, that this just is unfair. In terms of the legal perspective, Rahel, I think that certainly the attorneys will look to appeal this decision right prior even to trial. They'll look to ask for the judge to have permission. It's called an interlocutory appeal. Right? Fancy word. All it means is that prior to the actual case being adjudicated, prior to the trial taking place, prior to the case being heard by jury on the merits, you actually appeal an intermediary decision which this is.

It's yet to be determined whether the judge will allow that, Rahel, but I think that that might be the direction that the others might take in an effort to keep this issue very alive and well, the financial issue. Perhaps, there'll be an appellate court that disagrees with Judge McAfee and that reverses it that way. So, I think that's one step that they will likely, they being the defense attorneys for the defendants in the case, look to take moving forward.

[11:50:00]

SOLOMON: Joey, what about the dynamics between Fani Willis and the judge now? And many have said this morning that, look, the district attorney is not usually the one trying the case anyway. So, she is not necessarily expected to be in the courtroom. And yet, still, both sides make motions, both sides sort of plead with the judge to sort of see things their side of the way. How does this impact Fulton County's case?

JACKSON: Yeah. Rahel, so broader picture, this is what you see throughout the country, not only in Georgia, but in every state. You have a prosecutor and the lead prosecutor, of course, here being Fani Willis, right, in this jurisdiction, but every prosecutor also has what's called assistant prosecutors, assistant district attorneys, or assistant county attorneys. And so, every day, they're interacting with the judge, prosecutors, what they want, defense attorneys want, what we want, and the judge has to make a decision that's based upon the merits.

The reasoning, there was an evidentiary hearing, right, making it specific to this case, and to your question, Rahel, there was an evidentiary hearing held here. Evidentiary hearing means the judge heard testimony. And hearing testimony, you have to make certain findings of fact. You have to draw certain conclusions of law. Not all of those are going to be favorable. And sometimes, you have to use tough language. And as the judge said, in his opinion, prosecutors can strike very hard blows, but they can't be foul blows. And so, the judge had to course correct on that.

I think ultimately, this is part of the legal process, and that it'll be incumbent upon Fani Willis to move forward in the case, removing Nathan Wade, going with a team of professionals to pursue the case. And at the end of the day, it's not going to be about financial improprieties, trips to Belize, trip to Miami, domestic trips to Tennessee or South Carolina. It's going to be about what the indictment says, whether or not the defendants charged in the indictment, including Mr. Trump, are guilty of those offenses, could a fair trial be held? And ultimately, does the law in the case match the factual allegations? That will be up to a jury to determine.

So, there is a path forward. And I think everyone will be a professional, notwithstanding whether you didn't like the judge. You hated the judge. You loved the judge. Everyone has a job to do. And it's about doing that job, moving the case forward, and getting justice for the state and justice for the defendants who are accused.

SOLOMON: Joey, your thoughts really quickly about whether this moves forward with a trial before the presidential election?

JACKSON: Rahel, I think it'll be very tough, particularly in light of, and it will really depend upon whether an appeal is permitted before the trial. Right? It'll be up to the judge to determine whether his decision could now be appealed. If that happens, there is no way that this case moves forward. If that doesn't happen, whether it moves forward will depend upon Mr. Trump's other trials that are scheduled. Right? We've got one in New York. We've got a couple of federal cases. So, it'd be contingent upon those trial schedules whether it could be fit in and whether actually there is -- this time, right, under the other four -- the total four cases to move forward. SOLOMON: Wow, really fascinating. Joey Jackson, so good to have you. Thank you. That's our CNN legal analyst.

JACKSON: Thanks, Rahel.

SOLOMON: Well, some bad news today for some customers with a craving for McDonald's. Still ahead, the tech failure that shut down some stores and apps around the world. We'll be right back.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. McDonald's locations around the world have been hit by a massive tech failure. The failure forced some of its 41,000 restaurants to temporarily close.

[11:55:00]

It also disrupted the company's online and app orders. McDonald's has locations everywhere, from the U.S. to Japan, the UK, and Australia, and locations in all countries were impacted. Now, here is how extensive the outage was for consumers trying to place an order. A spokesperson said that the issue has now been resolved. But, as you can see on your screen, that's what folks saw.

Well, let's take a look at the markets this Friday. McDonald's, understandably is off on this news, off about six tenths of one percent, trading at $279.94 a share. Now, let's take a look more broadly across the U.S. All of the major averages are lower, as we await the Fed decision next week. We are expected to hear from Chair Powell on Wednesday where they are expected largely to hold rates steady yet again.

Let's take a look at how Europe and Asia wrapped up this week. Europe, it's mixed. FTSE 100 is fractionally lower, DAX, CAC 40, both higher by about one quarter to half a percent, let's call it. Asian markets also mixed with the Hang Seng, Nikkei lower, but the Shanghai Composite up half a percent.

Well, we know your time is money. Speaking of money, so thank you for spending some time with me today. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. ONE WORLD is coming up next.

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