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CNN International: Russia Launches Cross-Border Offensive In Kharkiv Region; Putin Picks Andrey Belousov As New Defense Minister; Palestinians Try To Flee As Israel Targets North & South Gaza. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired May 13, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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RAHEL SOLOMON, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I am Rahel Solomon live for you in New York.
It is a make or break day in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial. His former fixer and lawyer, Michael Cohen, is on the stand right now testifying against his former boss. We'll have all the details here. Plus, a downbeat assessment from Ukraine's top generals as they warn of significant losses on multiple fronts. And then, intense shelling and gunfire reported in a refugee camp in northern Gaza, forcing droves of Palestinians to flee the area. Why Israel is ramping up its offensive there? Just ahead.
Well, he was once Donald Trump's most trusted confidant and attack dog. Now, he may be the key player who helps put a former President behind bars for the first time in history. Michael Cohen took the stand a short time ago. He is the star witness for prosecutors as they try to show a direct link between Trump and the payment made to Stormy Daniels. And in a dramatic moment, Cohen was asked to identify Trump in the courtroom. The former President appeared to have his eyes closed as Cohen pointed to him. The former attorney testified that he would often threaten the press with legal action if they did not retract an article that Trump did not like.
Let's bring in CNN Justice Correspondent Jessica Schneider, who is with us now. So, Jessica, take us inside of the courtroom. What else have we seen this morning with this testimony?
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Michael Cohen really very calm and collected, very relaxed, Rahel. He has been on the stand for about 90 minutes now. He is really detailing in his testimony the extremely close relationship he had with Donald Trump, in particular, how he would keep Trump informed on every decision he made. He would often meet with him multiple times per day. Their offices were very close in proximity.
And now, what we've gotten to in the testimony is Cohen talking about all of these catch-and-kill schemes that he worked hand in hand with the National Enquirer's David Pecker to orchestrate. So, at one point, Cohen testified how Trump said bluntly, you handle it, when there was a story that arose about a doorman at one of Trump's buildings accusing Trump of fathering an illegitimate child. Of course, that story later turned out to be false.
But, Cohen did detail how they work to pay off the doorman. And now, in the last few minutes of testimony, Cohen is talking about that catch-and-kill scheme as it pertained to the Playboy model Karen McDougal. And what he is documenting here is how he constantly updated Trump about the discussions with McDougal and the National Enquirer. He is talking about how Trump wanted to constantly stay informed as to how the negotiations were going. Remember, they eventually paid off Karen McDougal $150,000, although that was by the National Enquirer. I don't think Donald Trump ever paid them back.
But, this is all laying the groundwork for what will be Michael Cohen's portrayal of the Stormy Daniels hush money deal because that's the only deal that's at the center of this case. And presumably after this McDougal testimony, we will hear Michael Cohen testify just how involved Donald Trump was in the Stormy Daniels deal, because prosecutors, they need to prove that Trump knew about the deal, that he directed it to protect his presidential campaign, and they need to really prove how Trump was intimately involved in that decision to reimburse Michael Cohen with the payments being labeled as legal fees and instead of what they actually were because that's where the falsification of business records charges come into play.
So, Rahel, what we're seeing here is really a very careful and methodical questioning from the prosecution. They started off asking about Michael Cohen's background, trying to get him to be a believable witness for the jury. And now, they're getting into the heart of this case, talking about the other catch-and-kill deals. And then next, we should be getting to Stormy Daniels. Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK. Jessica, walk us through -- I mean, calm and relax isn't usually so remarkable when talking about a witness. But, with Michael Cohen, it is remarkable because he has at times been more temperamental. He has at times been a little bit harder to predict. So, give us a sense of just how critical that is, because as we know, when the defense has its turn, his testimony will likely be crucial to their case.
SCHNEIDER: Yeah. Exactly. I mean, Michael Cohen, he has even painted the picture of himself as have other witnesses as this fiery, in your face, aggressive fixer for Donald Trump. So, that's the impression that he has made via these other witnesses. And now, he is on the stand very matter of factly talking about this and that is important.
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It's likely that he was coached by the prosecution here before he took the stand. He is answering things very matter of factly, not meandering too much in his answers. And Rahel, as you said, that's going to be crucial, because when the defense comes in eventually for cross-examination, and we're not really expecting that to happen until probably the end of this week, maybe even early next week, because this direct examination is probably going to take a while, but when they do move in, they are going to try all they can to tear Michael Cohen down. It's what we saw them do with Stormy Daniels. While the prosecution has its chance, they want to portray Michael Cohen and have him come across as a very believable, stable, matter of fact kind of guy who is just telling the facts like it is. So, the jury is more likely to believe him.
SOLOMON: Yeah. It really gets to the point, Jessica, that he is a crucial witness for both sides, albeit they obviously have very different objectives here, but still very important for both sides. Jessica Schneider, we'll check back with you a little later in the show. Thanks so much.
All right. Let me bring in Gene Rossi. He is a former federal prosecutor, who was assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Gene, good to see you again. So, let me ask, we've had about 90 minutes, as Jessica pointed out, of Michael Cohen on the stand. How is he doing? She said he seems calm. He seems relaxed. What do you think so far?
GENE ROSSI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, I think this is a good beginning. If this were a nine-inning game, Michael Cohen has a long way to go before he gets through cross and also redirect. But, this is a good start. It's just the beginning. And if he has been matter of fact and he is not running his mouth and giving narrative answers that are really not called for, that's a good sign.
One thing I want to say though, in the direct exam, I'm curious as to whether the prosecutors are going to impeach Michael Cohen with some of his lies under oath, his inconsistencies and other things to take the sting out of cross-examination. But, I have to say this, if Michael Cohen does reasonably well during direct and cross, this is very bad news for President and Trump -- Mr. Trump. If he falls on his face, Michael Cohen does, and does poorly or mediocre, then we could have a hung jury or an acquittal because you've got to connect the invoices that I call "Souffle" invoices with the election scheme.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And Gene, let me ask, I mean, to that point about they may have to impeach Michael Cohen before the defense gets their chance at doing it, what would that look like in terms of addressing some of his credibility issues, in terms of addressing his criminal background, in terms of addressing some of his past? What would that look like from the prosecution?
ROSSI: Well, I've mentioned this in other appearances. I had a client -- a witness once in a murder case. The defendant killed 35 people. My key witness had a rap sheet a mile long, including perjury. And I brought out on direct, as the prosecutor, I cross-examined my own witness. Mr. Cohen, you are in front of a judge. You are under oath. You lied to the court. I would bring that out and impeach my own witness, so that on cross, it doesn't have as much of a stain. I don't know if they're going to do that. I don't think they did it with Stormy Daniels. If they did not, they probably should have, but that takes the sting out of it, and it also builds credibility for the prosecutor because you're not hiding the warts that your witnesses have. You're not hiding that your witness has some credibility issues. You're embracing it.
So, what -- to me, the key is the corroboration of the documents with Mr. Cohen's testimony.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And give me a sense, Gene, just based on what you've seen. We're now in, what, the fourth week of testimony, the fifth week of trial. I've heard other legal observers describe the case thus far from the prosecution as strong, circumstantially. And I'm curious, from your perspective, has the prosecution thus far presented a strong case, or is this still feeling circumstantial? I mean, how key is corroborating evidence at this point?
ROSSI: Well, corroborating evidence in any case is key, because direct evidence is, I saw the robbery. That's direct. I saw it with my eyes. Circumstantial is, I saw somebody running into the alley that looked like the robber. That's circumstantial. We have a fair amount of circumstantial evidence, but we really need direct evidence for Mr. Cohen that I kept Mr. Trump appraised. I didn't go to the restroom without his approval. And if I paid anything or made any calls on his behalf, especially with Stormy Daniels, I did it at his direction. And if the jury believes that and believes that these invoices were part of that concealment, then Donald Trump will be found guilty.
SOLOMON: Walk me through -- I mean, you've obviously tried cases before juries.
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If you have a witness who has these credibility issues, even if you do have corroborating evidence, I mean, is it still an uphill battle for the prosecution, or is it a slam dunk if you have the documentation and you have the corroborating evidence?
ROSSI: That's a phenomenal question. I've had cases. I've tried a lot of cases. I didn't win every one. But, I've learned from my mistakes. And you could have a significant amount of corroboration and circumstantial evidence. But, if your key witness, your key witness flops and insults to the jury or turns off the jury, that is a very bad look for the prosecution, because in closing, I call it the final mosaic, when you're presenting that final mosaic to the jury, you're relying on a witness that is not likable and has credibility problems. That's a tough road to hoe for a prosecutor.
SOLOMON: Wow, fascinating. Gene, we know you'll stick with us for the hour, and we appreciate that. Thanks so much.
ROSSI: Yes.
SOLOMON: I'll check back with you soon.
Until then, we'll have the latest from the trial on the left side of your screen, for everyone watching at home or wherever you are, from your phone.
Now, turning to Ukraine now, Ukraine's top general warns of a worsening situation as Russia launches a cross-border offensive in the Kharkiv region, though a Ukrainian official stopped short of calling Russia's progress "significant". Britain's Foreign Secretary said that the war is in an extremely dangerous moment. Over the weekend, Russia started a new push, claiming to have captured over nine border villages in the Kharkiv region.
The Kremlin said that the Russian military is now in the hands of a new Defense Minister appointed by President Vladimir Putin. The civilian does not come with a combat background but is an economist.
Joining us now from London with the latest is CNN's Clare Sebastian. Clare, tell us a bit more about this new appointment and how it could impact the battlefield.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rahel. I think, look, we're not going to see any immediate changes in terms of what's happening on the frontlines. That is perhaps evidenced by the fact that this shakeup came during Russia's first major cross-border offensive since really the early stages of this war. The battlefield is really being run by the head of the Armed Forces. But, the Defense Ministry, this was a major deal, not least because Sergei Shoigu, the outgoing minister, is a real veteran Putin loyalist. He has been Defense Minister for 12 years. Before that, he held a different government ministership since 1991. So, a really long-standing core Putin ally.
So, removing him was certainly a big decision, and putting in an economist really signals that Russia wants to tighten the links between the war and the economy, really subordinate its sort of economy to the war effort, something that we've already seen. And I think there was also an element of Putin perhaps cleaning house after a corruption scandal of the defense ministry. But, anyway you look at this, this was a major move. Take a look.
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SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Center stage but already on shaky ground. This was to be outgoing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's last victory salute. Much less ceremony, the Kremlin's announcement of his replacement Sunday.
DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (Interpreted): Today on the battlefield, those who are more open for innovations, more open towards a quick implementation of the innovations win. That is why it's natural that on the current stage the President to take a decision for civilian to be in charge of the Ministry of Defense.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The nominated civilian is Andrey Belousov, a career economist and former First Deputy Prime Minister. That choice coming as the Kremlin made a rare admission that defense spending is approaching Cold War levels, its factories pushed to their limits amid sanctions and the labor force decimated by war.
MARK ESPER, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Russia is moving to a war economy and it is true. Seven percent of their GDP now is focused on defense. They're on a war footing.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): That demand for weapons unlikely to slow. Ukraine frantically evacuating civilians in the Kharkiv region this weekend, as Russia launched a major cross-border offensive Friday, taking advantage of a narrowing window of opportunity as Kyiv waits for promised U.S. aid. An official video from a Russian military brigade purportedly showing a massive glide bomb hitting the Ukrainian border town of Vovchansk.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (Interpreted): The idea behind the attacks in the Kharkiv region is to spread our forces thin and undermine the moral and motivational foundation of Ukrainians' ability to defend themselves.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Russia's attack on Kharkiv may also be an attempt to form a buffer zone. This the aftermath of what Russia claims is Ukrainian attack on a residential building in Belgorod. Russian state media reports more than a dozen dead. Russian lives, the other spiraling cost of Putin's war and Shoigu's legacy.
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SEBASTIAN: Also this, as the piece showed, came with a rare admission from the Kremlin that they are now spending, according to Dmitry Peskov, some 6.7 percent of GDP on defense. If you think that many NATO countries are still struggling to hit the two percent target, that puts that in perspective.
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So, this really was -- and Belousov isn't confirmed yet. He still needs to go through some procedural hurdles, but it's relatively semantic at this point. But, his appointment really shows that Russia is trying to make that level of spending sustainable, and really looks at this as a sort of war of industrial production, wants to make its factories work for the frontline. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Really fascinating, Clare, and interesting perspective in terms of defense spending and GDP and sort of what that means. Clare Sebastian, thank you.
All right. Calls from top American officials are growing to prevent a major ground invasion of Rafah by Israel, but Israel's operation seems to be pressing ahead in northern Gaza. People are fleeing intense shelling and gunfire targeting the Jabalia refugee camp. Israel says that it's trying to prevent Hamas from regrouping there. And in southern Gaza, a UN agency for Palestinian refugees says that more than 360,000 people have fled Rafah. And the devastation in Gaza comes as top U.S. officials warn that a major full-scale invasion of Rafah could lead to widespread civilian casualties. As we can see here, CNN tracking this development from -- these developing stories from all angles.
Scott McLean joins us live from Istanbul, and Alex Marquardt is with us from Washington.
Scott, let me start with you, this heavy fighting in the refugee camp, Jabalia, what can you share with us? What are you learning? SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Rahel. Yeah. The Israelis say that they dropped bombs on 120 targets over the last day alone, and they're focusing on three areas, of course, Rafah, in the south, there is one area in the central Gaza, and in the north, it's the Jabalia refugee camp. This is an area that the IDF ordered to be evacuated early on Saturday morning. And the IDF says that there has been close range fighting there. We also know from new videos just coming in that there have been bombs dropped as well. You can see smoke billowing over the skyline. And we have also seen videos of families trying to kind of figure out where exactly to go as drones buzz overhead, and the sound of gunfire can be heard in the distance as well and in the not so distance also.
There are some people who say that, look, they're going to stay put, and that's pretty hard to understand until you consider things like what we saw overnight Friday into Saturday morning this weekend when people in northern and southern -- or in central Gaza, excuse me, say that bombs were dropped on homes at two o'clock in the morning without any warning at all, killing dozens of people. And we know that many of the victims were children as well, who were brought to the hospital, whose bodies were brought to the hospital, in many cases, completely covered in soot.
Even ambulances in northern Gaza say it's difficult to drive around. They say that they have been targeted in some cases by the IDF and this is not unprecedented. We saw this, in some cases, early on in the war as well. The IDF also says that it is coming face to face with Hamas fighters in Rafah in the eastern part of the city and also near the border crossing, of course, on the Gaza side of that border crossing.
And Rahel, when you watch the videos coming in from our CNN stringer and from other sources as well, you hear many of the same things coming from people. They say that they are exhausted from moving around. They're struggling to find food. They're often only moving around for the sake of their own children. One man said that if it wasn't for his kids, he wouldn't be moving at all. He said death would be more honorable than this humiliation. And many also have doubts about the safety of the areas that they are going to. Even that humanitarian zone along the coast, some people think that it is not -- it wouldn't be out of the bounds of Israel to strike in or around that area even. That's an area where at last count there had been 360,000 people leave Rafah for that area and others.
And so, there are plenty of tents popping up. But, there is very little in the way of infrastructure to support that volume of people, who by the way, may be there for quite some time now. Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK. Scott, stand by for just a moment. Let me bring Alex into this conversation. Alex, Rafah, of course, an area where a lot of people had sheltered at one point, who are now leaving because of concerns of this Israel operation. These warnings from top U.S. officials are not new, but they are intensifying, although Israel appears to be pressing on. What more do you think the U.S. can do to try to influence Israel's position? ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, the
ultimate stick, if you will, would be to actually hold back the weapons. And right now, there is just the threat of that. We heard last week from the President speaking right here on CNN, saying that he would withhold offensive weapons for Israel if they decide to carry out a large-scale offensive into Rafah. And so, we have heard over the past few days more senior U.S. officials making the argument for the fact that Israel doesn't -- shouldn't be going into Rafah in a large scale way into the populated areas.
Now, they've been defending the administration, saying they're not cutting off Israel. The U.S. will continue to defend Israel, continue to send it weapons. But, when it comes to Rafah specifically, this is not something that the U.S. wants to see Israel do.
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They've been warning against that for quite some time. Now, they're making the threat of cutting off those weapons. And the administration continues to say that they have not seen a comprehensive plan from Israel about what to do with those civilians. As Scott was just pointing out, you now have hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are fleeing southern Gaza where they had been told to go following fighting in the north, heading to Muwasi -- Al-Muwasi on the coast where there is no infrastructure. So, the U.S. continues to insist that if there -- if Israel is going to carry out this large-scale operation, that there has to be a comprehensive plan on the table, not just to move these Palestinians, but to be able to shelter feed and take care of them.
We're also hearing a second argument, Rahel, from the Biden administration. Israel has long said they need to go into Rafah to eliminate these final four battalions of Hamas. And the U.S. disagrees, saying that they don't think that it would actually be effective. We heard from the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan saying that Hamas militants would simply melt into the civilian population, as terrorists often do. We also heard from the Secretary of State Antony Blinken pointing out that Hamas is coming back in those northern areas that Scott was just mentioning, among them central Gaza and Jabalia.
So, what we're starting to hear more and more of from the Biden administration is there doesn't need to be just a comprehensive plan for these civilians, primarily in Rafah, but there also needs to be more of a discussion about what's going to happen in the days after this war, the questions about security, about governance, because if that doesn't exist in Gaza, they say there will be this vacuum that Hamas will simply fill in and rebuild from. So, we did hear a bit more of a critique from the Secretary of State this weekend, saying that Israel needs to participate more in those conversations about post-war governance, otherwise, eliminating Hamas essentially will not be possible. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. The day after plans. All right. We will leave it here. Alex Marquardt, Scott McLean, good to see you both. Thank you. And after a short break, jury selection begins in the trial of a U.S.
Senator. We're going to have a live report from the courthouse on the charges allegedly involving Egypt and Qatar. Plus, protesters gather outside George's Parliament to try to stop the foreign agents' bill. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. Jury selection in the trial for U.S. Senator Bob Menendez is underway. The New Jersey Democrat and his two other co-defendants have all pleaded not guilty. They're accused of receiving large bribes to help the government of Egypt and Qatar. Now, the bribes are said to have included cash, gold, a luxury car. Menendez faces 16 charges. His wife Nadine has been charged as well. However, she will have a separate trial.
Let's bring in CNN Correspondent Jason Carroll, who joins us outside of the courthouse in New York. Jason, tell us a bit more about these charges that the Senator says he is innocent of.
JASON CARROLL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. And he is facing 16 in total felony counts.
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That includes bribery, extortion, fraud, obstruction of justice, and of course acting as a foreign agent. According to the prosecution, and this is what they're going to be laying out in their opening statements, when that gets over, when that gets underway, once jury selection is completed, they're going to argue that Senator Menendez and his wife Nadine accepted bribes from these New Jersey associates in exchange for the Senator's influence and things like a criminal case going on in the state of New Jersey, influence with the government of Egypt, influence with the government of Qatar. And in exchange for those bribes, he allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash that was found at his home when a search warrant was executed there, in addition to that gold bars and also some home furnishings.
Now, for his part, Senator Menendez denies all of this. He says anything that he was doing he did in behalf of his constituents. And something that's interesting, and this is something that popped up in sort of like the pretrial paperwork that goes on behind the scenes before the actual trial gets underway, and it does have the hint as to what may be part of the Senator's defense, and that's basically pointing the finger at his wife, Nadine. Let me read you a passage from that. It says "Senator Menendez intends to present a defense arguing (in part) that he lacked the requisite knowledge of much of the conduct and statements of his wife, Nadine, and did not agree to any of the charged conspiracies." So, that's perhaps a hint as to what part of the defense will be here. We'll have to see as the trial gets underway.
SOLOMON: Well, Jason, that's really interesting. Tell us a bit more about that, and what we can sort of glean in terms of what the defense might be here. CARROLL: Well, remember, Nadine Menendez is going to be tried separately. And if you look at that passage there, perhaps what the defense is going to argue with that, if there was some wrongdoing, and they're not saying that there was, but if there was some wrongdoing, perhaps they will argue that the Senator was unaware of it. Perhaps his wife wasn't telling him fully exactly what was going on with her relationship with these other New Jersey businessmen. That could be part of the defense. Again, the Senator, for his part, has pleaded not guilty, has steadfastly said that he was not aware of any wrongdoing and was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Really fascinating. Jason Carroll, thanks so much. Good to see you.
All right. Still ahead, Donald Trump's former lawyer is on the witness stand in the hush money trial. We're going to have the latest on Michael Cohen's day in court. Plus, torrents of mud washed away people, animals and houses in Afghanistan. Details ahead on why the World Food Programme says that the situation there has gone from grim to catastrophic.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. And here are some of the international headlines we're watching today.
Demonstrators in Georgia are protesting outside the country's Parliament. They want to block a Russian-style foreign agents' bill. The Parliament's legal committee approved the bill before it goes for a third reading in the full assembly. The law would require groups receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents or face heavy fines.
In Baltimore, Maryland, authorities will attempt to demolish a portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge later today. The bridge collapsed on top of a cargo ship after the ship rammed a pillar, killing six people. Officials plan to use small explosives to make cuts in the collapsed structure in order to free the ship.
In the U.S., pro-Palestinian protests forced changes to some universities' weekend graduation ceremonies. Pomona College in California moved its ceremony 30 miles away after days of protests. Meanwhile, at Duke University, about 30 students walked out as comedian Jerry Seinfeld was introduced as commencement speaker, some of them waving the Palestinian flag.
And a Nigerian official tells CNN that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have left the country after a three-day tour. Prince Harry and Meghan wrapped up their visit to Nigeria on Sunday with basketball charity events in Lagos. The trip was linked to Prince Harry's Invictus Games. All right. He was once one of Donald Trump's closest advisors. Now,
Michael Cohen is on the witness stand against Trump. Cohen's testimony is seen as a key part in the New York prosecutors' hush money case against the former President. He testified about getting hired by Trump and keeping the former President updated on all aspects of his work. Cohen said that he was quote "required to keep Trump updated and spoke to him several times a day." He was also asked about his relationship with David Pecker, the former boss of the National Enquirer.
Let's bring back in former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi. Gene, good to see you again. So, it's been about 30 minutes or so since we last spoke. Give me a sense on -- based on what you've been following. How is Cohen still doing in court? How is his testimony holding up?
ROSSI: Well, he is trying to remain cool, calm and collected, and he is not taking the bait, number one. Number two, it seems like he is answering the questions crisply and succinctly. And he is not showing humor, but he is showing a little bit of relaxation. You got to understand, Michael Cohen has already stared down Donald Trump in another case, the fraud case that was in New York. So, Michael Cohen has already had a practice run, being in front of Donald Trump, who is probably staring down Michael Cohen. But, I think so far, things look good for Michael Cohen. But, it's a long way but twixt the lip and the cup, as they say.
SOLOMON: I've never heard that one before, Gene. But, let me ask you, if you're on the defense side of this and you are watching this testimony, what are you looking for? What opportunities or missteps are you looking for from Michael Cohen to perhaps seize on or use as an opportunity when they get their chance?
ROSSI: That's a fantastic question. When you are watching somebody testify and you're going to do a cross-examination, you should even have a notepad in front of you. But, you may want to. But, you should be watching that witness like an eagle to see where he is making things up, where he is inconsistent, where he is omitting, where he is exaggerating, and of course, any inconsistencies. So, you constantly have to focus like a laser beam on that witness to see how he is answering the question and also look at the jury to see how they're reacting. And if there is an answer that he gives that the jury didn't seem to really like, you try to focus on that in cross and take advantage of that.
SOLOMON: Yeah. It's interesting, Gene, that Michael Cohen thus far has been described as calm and relaxed. I guess you could argue you would expect them to or you could expect them to because this is the prosecution's turn. When it becomes the defense, that's when it becomes a lot more at times. It can become adversarial. It can be combative. If you were trying to prep your witness for that side of things, what's that process? Like, what are you trying to tell them? How are you getting that done?
ROSSI: Well, if I were the prosecutor, first off, I'd meet with Cohen about 10 to 15 times, number one. And number two, either I or somebody else would do a mock cross that would put Michael Cohen through "H-E Double Hockey Sticks," put him through the wringer, if you will, and I would make those practice cross vicious, nasty.
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What the prosecution has to be prepared for, is on cross, whoever does it, they have to worry about Michael Cohen losing his temper, number one. Number two, getting prickly. Number three, getting sarcastic, and number four, making answers that are going to hurt his credibility. So, the cross-examiner has to poke the bear and get under Michael Cohen's skin. And I got to tell you, Michael Cohen has thin skin. For all the bravado, the confidence, he is kind of a thin skinned kind of guy. So, they got to take advantage of that.
SOLOMON: Yeah. That makes for potentially an explosive witness, potentially. You never know. Gene Rossi, that's the whole point. You just don't know because those witnesses can be unpredictable. Thanks so much for the time today. Thank you.
ROSSI: Thank you.
SOLOMON: All right. Over the -- good to have you. Over the weekend, Donald Trump used his downtime from his trial to get back on the campaign trail. He was met by enthusiastic crowds at a rally in New Jersey. Those crowds seem to match the voter sentiment in a new polling from The New York Times and Siena College. So, those polls show him leading President Joe Biden in four key states, including Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan. Now, it is closer in states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin where there is no clear leader in either of those states.
Alayna Treene joins us now from Washington. So, Alayna, what I thought was really remarkable is that these results haven't changed much from the last time The New York Times did a survey like this about six months ago. I mean, how worrying do you think these results are for Biden?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: I think they're very worrying, Rahel, and that's the one of the key things I took away too, is that these polls and other polls as well, other national polls, have all largely remained consistent for the past several months, and consistent in a way that isn't exactly good for Joe Biden. Now, I think some of the takeaways from these series of polls is that Biden is really struggling to connect with his own coalition, and that's what we've been seeing over the last several weeks, and these polls show that.
Now, I want to just dig into some of the main themes that we found. One is that, with this coalition, Biden is evenly splitting younger voters and Hispanic voters with Trump. And he also received -- Donald Trump received 20 percent support from black voters in a head-to-head matchup with Biden. And these are some of the key things I think that you should be paying attention to, because in my conversations with the Trump campaign, this is exactly what they are trying to do. They're trying to undermine and undercut Biden's support with these key different demographics, with younger voters, with Hispanic voters, with black voters. And we're showing that that strategy is paying off.
Now, other takeaways from these polls show that Biden is really struggling with a lot of dissatisfaction over his handling the war in Gaza, his handling of the economy, and also the overall direction of the country. These are tough things for him to try and turn around ahead of November. And I also think, just to give you a sense of how the Trump campaign is feeling about these polls, they feel very good. We saw his advisors this morning, people like Jason Miller, touting these on social media. He was sending -- I got a text from him and some other Trump campaign advisors saying these polls and these numbers are really good for us.
So, I think that just again underscores that this is a troubling thing for Biden. However, of course, we're still a little less than six months out from the election. Things can change. And we can't always take too much away from these surveys. But, I think your point at the top there, that these have largely remained the same. It's probably what is the most troubling for the Biden campaign.
SOLOMON: Well, Alayna, give us a sense, apparently Trump invited some of his top VP contenders to his fundraiser tomorrow. Of course, this has been the topic of much speculation in the last few weeks. Who is on this list?
TREENE: It's interesting, because there has been so much talk about VP contenders. But, I will say, in my conversations with Donald Trump's campaign, they consistently say he is nowhere close to this. This is an ever-changing list. It's always in flux. However, we are getting a better sense given who he is parading around with him. So, tomorrow night, he is going to have a fundraiser in Manhattan following his hush money trial in New York. That day, he has invited people like Florida Senator Marco Rubio, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. I will say Burgum was actually in New Jersey with the former President this weekend. He introduced Donald Trump. Trump praised him during his speech. So, he is definitely someone to keep an eye on.
Kristi Noem, the Governor of South Dakota, she is not necessarily on his list, but she has been a key ally with him. She'll be there tomorrow, as well Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida and so -- and Senator Tim Scott, I don't want to leave him off. But, look, these are all people that we know, apart from Noem really, that have been top contenders for who Donald Trump is considering for a running mate. And he is not planning on making his decision soon.
[11:40:00]
They say that decision is going to come closer to the Republican National Convention in July. But, again, we're seeing a very kind of preview into who he is considering because he is appearing with these people so much. Also, I think worth noting is that Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio is with him in court today. We saw Rick Scott join Donald Trump in court on Friday. Again, people are really trying to show their support for Donald Trump, and that they're standing in solidarity with him on the sidelines of this trial. And all of this, of course, is part of that behind-the-scenes jockeying over who could potentially could be his running mate. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Apparently, voters may have to wait for a few more months to find out who in fact he chooses. Alayna Treene, good to have you. Thank you, Alayna.
Well, still to come after a break, hundreds of deaths in Afghanistan and several more people are hurt after a devastating downpour. We're going to have more video of the flash floods straight ahead. Plus, more nasty weather expected in the U.S. as some waterlogged states try to recover or could be hit again. We will be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. We now turn to the devastating floods in Afghanistan. The Taliban government says that more than 300 people had been killed, and the World Food Programme calls the situation "catastrophic".
Our Anna Coren is tracking the deadly floods in. We do have a warning that some of this video you're about to see may be disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ferocious roar of water heard moments before its devastating arrival. Run away, people, yells a villager. Oh brother, run away. The flash flooding in mountainous Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan hit on Friday. Many men were at the mosque for prayers, while women and children stayed home. Their mud-brick dwellings engulfed with raging torrents of water. These four siblings, including two-year-old Arian (ph) were rescued. Take off the road Famir's (ph) body, instructs the man recording on his phone. Bring him to his mother and get him warm. Their uncle spoke to CNN and told us that all 10 family members survived the flood and are now being treated in hospital. But, everyone is filled with fear of what Mother Nature can unleash.
This is the roof of the madrasa and the flood has swept everywhere, explains the villager. This man held me tightly, otherwise I was gone. For this little girl, there were no miracles that day. The flood took everything, she cries, shaking. My mother was swept away. In the central hospital of Baghlan province, the bodies of dozens of children have been brought here to prepare for burial. Most of these victims are children, explains a man, and so many more are still missing.
[11:45:00]
The World Food Programme says it is sending emergency aid, some via donkey to now inaccessible areas in a region that was already poverty stricken.
TIMOTHY ANDERSON, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: There has been a system to identify the most vulnerable people who are in danger, essentially of starvation. These areas are among those hotspots. So, it was already pretty grim, and now it's catastrophic.
COREN (voice-over): The Taliban says it's mobilizing all available resources, but it's calling on the UN and humanitarian agencies to assist. For a country devastated by decades of conflict, suffering an economic crisis and now bearing the brunt of climate change, this current disaster is one the people of Afghanistan must also endure. Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: Meantime, in Brazil, more than two million people have been impacted by ongoing flooding, as another round of heavy rain hits the region. The country's Civil Defense Agency reports nearly 150 people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced from the natural disaster.
But, as CNN's Dario Klein reports, first responders are working around the clock to rescue those still in need.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARIO KLEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rescue missions don't stop even when it is night, is 24 hours a day. This is like a rescue center with many, many hundreds of volunteers are arriving here to help the way they can. Some goes into the water with their boats, with their jet ski to find people, to find pets, to give a food to the people. But other, they just come and cook. They give hot beverages. They give coffee. They help with the animals. They just wait there for people to arrive and ask for a rescue. They -- you have doctors giving massages to the people. You have a pharmacy giving leptospirosis charge and all sorts of medicine.
This doesn't stop 24 hours a days and it won't stop for probably more than a month because the water don't go down, because the water is still going up because he is still raining. It doesn't stop and probably will keep raining even tomorrow and for many days. So, the situation won't get better. The water is still not going down. But, when it does, like probably for more than a month, we will see what those waters are still hiding inside.
Dario Klein, CNN, Porto Alegre.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: All right. And then the U.S. flash flooding could strike several southern states this week. Yet another round of severe storms are expected to drench already waterlogged ground, and that includes parts of Texas where hundreds of people were rescued during torrential downpours last week.
Let's bring in Derek Van Dam, who joins us from the CNN weather center. Derek, I mean, more water is the last thing that a lot of these people need. What's the latest here?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. Rahel, we've got quite a situation ongoing across the Deep South, and that has to do with a lot of thunderstorms that is moving through the region. And really, what's happening right now is just this training effect of showers and thunderstorms, not to mention the widespread severe weather, but this rain that's moving over the same locations for several hours at a time. And at the moment, we have some stronger thunderstorms moving through the western portions of the Florida Panhandle. There was a tornado warning that has been dropped.
But, nonetheless, we still have severe thunderstorm warnings in place, as some of these winds have exceeded 80 miles per hour, roughly 130 kilometers per hour. So, definitely another round of severe weather in the cards for the Deep South that has just been ravaged lately with such intense weather.
Now, we focus in on Texas, and this is the area where we have, of course, had flash flooding recently. But now, we have the threat of severe storms, including hail and strong winds as well. So, the greatest risk, Rahel, today, two-inch size in diameter hailstones falling from the sky. Can you imagine that? San Antonio all the way to Houston. You have our greatest threat of large hail but it doesn't stop there. It extends across portions of Louisiana, including New Orleans, where you see that kind of hatched area.
Now, it's not one storm that's going to bring this round of wet weather across the Deep South. It is several storms. So, we're going to take you right through Tuesday with another round of showers and thunderstorms. So, that will continue, the flood threat, and of course the possibility of strong to severe weather. So, Rahel, difficult day across the south Gulf Coast.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Foe sure. All right. Derek Van Dam, thank you.
Meantime in Western Canada, it's raging wildfires that have forced thousands of people to evacuate there, and now the harmful smoke is blowing into the U.S., bringing with it poor air quality and reduced visibility.
[11:50:00]
Right now, alerts are posted for much of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
All right. Well, coming up, how would you like to soar high above London? In today's one more thing, we'll show you a pair of skydivers that did just that, and we will explain how they did it. We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. With star witness Michael Cohen on the stand right now, we may be in the homestretch of Donald Trump's hush money trial. Cohen's testimony will be crucial as prosecutors try to show that Trump tried to cover up payments to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Now, last week, Daniels was at the center of the trial, testifying about the alleged sexual encounter that she had with Trump in 2006. And we also heard from a former Trump White House aide who testified that the former President often signed checks without reviewing them. So, where do things stand at this moment?
Let's bring back in CNN Justice Correspondent Jessica Schneider. Jessica, set a scene for us both of what's happening right now and where we are in terms of the larger trial.
SCHNEIDER: Yeah. Like you said, Rahel, we're probably getting near the end of the prosecution's case here. Michael Cohen is their main star witness. They said that they might call one more person after Michael Cohen. But, Michael Cohen is really the entire prosecution's case, all wrapped into one person. He has been testifying all morning long. And probably the most interesting part of the testimony this morning is that prosecutors, they once again played that audio tape of Trump and Cohen. And it's -- Cohen admits that he recorded it without Trump's knowledge. But, in that audio recording, they're discussing that $150,000 payout to Karen McDougal. Of course, that money was eventually paid by the National Enquirer.
But, you hear on this audio recording and the jury heard it in prior testimony, they just heard it this morning, Trump orders at one point, pay in cash. And then Cohen explains, that was to avoid a paper trail. But, prosecutors, they're using this as just yet another piece of evidence that Trump was extremely involved in every transaction that Cowen worked on. Cohen has already testified this morning. He says Trump was a micromanager, that he was involved in every facet of the business, every payment. He was always apprised as to what was going on.
So, all of this is laying the groundwork for what will soon be Michael Cohen's testimony about the Stormy Daniels hush money deal because that is at the center of this case. We have not gotten into the meat of that yet, presumably very soon. And we'll hear that Cohen will testify likely that Donald Trump was very involved in that deal, because prosecutors need to prove that Trump knew about and directed that deal to protect his presidential campaign. And prosecutors also need to prove that Trump was intimately involved in the decision to actually disguise the reimbursement payments as legal fees to Cohen, because that is where that falsification of business records charges come into play.
So, Rahel, we're watching all of this unfold. It doesn't yet look like Michael Cohen has gotten to the heart of the Stormy Daniels hush money deal, but they are moving ever closer to it as they kind of wrap up the Karen McDougal payoff.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And really fascinating to see where the defense goes. I mean, Michael Cohen is the 20th witness for the prosecution, but arguably one of the most critical. A lot to watch here. Jessica Schneider, great to have you this hour. Thank you.
[11:55:00]
SCHNEIDER: Thank you, Rahel.
SOLOMON: All right. Let's turn to London where all eyes were on the skies above London this weekend. Two Austrian Red Bull skydivers completed a breathtaking dive through the city's iconic Tower Bridge. Just look at that. They leapt from a helicopter at 3,000 feet above the River Thames in special wingsuits, and those suits let them glide horizontally and then soar through the Tower Bridge, which we just saw, reaching top speeds of 152 miles per hour. The pair performed more than 200 practice jumps and trained with cranes to mimic the Tower Bridge. Pretty cool. And we thank them for their view. And we know your time is 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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