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CNN International: Norway, Ireland, Spain to Recognize Palestinian State; Foreign Officials Pay Respect to Raisi; Closing Arguments Set for Tuesday in Hush Money Trial; Presidential Elections in Iran Set to Take Place on June 28; One Dead, 104 Injured After Turbulence Hits Singapore Airlines Flight; Kenya's President Ruto Begins Visit in the U.S.; Deadly Tornadoes Level Homes and Businesses in Iowa; Trump's Classified Documents Case Has Been Delayed as Judge Works Through Many Legal Questions; Japanese City Blocks Mt. Fuji View to Prevent Selfie Traffic. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired May 22, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- shallow bathtub. And so, that's what you see when you haven't tried to answer things about reproductive health. You simply cannot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will also say just as we've all lived through Trump's first-term together that whenever he says I have a policy coming out in two weeks, everyone should be dubious of that, as actually that seems to be his -- a verbal sign for -- a verbal indication of no comment, at the very least.
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hi, everyone, and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is "CNN Newsroom." Just ahead, after more than seven months of war inside Gaza, three European nations say they will recognize a Palestinian State. What does this move by Norway, Ireland, and Spain really mean?
And Iran's supreme leader praised over the coffin of the country's late President Ebrahim Raisi as huge crowds filled the streets of Tehran. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is there. Plus, one person has died and more the 100 injured during extreme turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight. We are live in Bangkok for the latest on the investigation.
We begin with an important, but largely symbolic move, which is being hailed by Palestinians and condemned by Israel -- Norway, Ireland, and Spain say they will formally recognize a Palestinian State beginning next week. While Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called on other countries to follow suit, Israel is recalling its ambassadors to the three nations in protest.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says the move is aimed at accelerating efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas while Norway's prime minister stressed there can be no peace without a two-state solution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JONAS GAHR STORE, NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Recognition of Palestine is in support of moderate forces that are on a retreating front in a protracted and cruel conflict. This is an investment in the only solution that can bring lasting peace in the Middle East. It is a strong call to other countries to do the same as we are doing today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: All right. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is joining us now, live from Jerusalem with more. Obviously, Jeremy, there is a lot of pressure growing on Israel from around the world. What's the reaction been inside Israel to this move by Ireland, Norway and Spain?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli government is taking steps to formally reprimand these three countries for this decision to recognize an independent Palestinian state, and they are also teeing up the potential for additional consequences. The Israeli foreign minister today recalling Israel's ambassadors to Spain, Ireland, and Norway, following this decision. He is also summoning those country's ambassadors to Israel for a formal reprimand.
And he also said that as part of that reprimand, he would also make them watch the video of the kidnapping of Israelis on October 7. These Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz describing this decision as awarding a "gold medal to the murderers and rapists of Hamas," vowing serious consequences. Already one far-right minister in the Israeli governments, the Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is teeing up what some of those consequences might be, or at least suggesting some of his own, saying that there should be harsh punitive measures for those countries that recognized a Palestinian state.
He is seeking the approval of tens of thousands of new housing units in Israeli settlements, the approval of new settlements and the cancellation of crossing permits for Palestinian Authority officials. It is not clear if those are steps that the government will take up, but certainly Bezalel Smotrich is an influential figure in the Israeli government and one hailing, of course, from the far right. But of course, this speaks to a broader issue at stake here, which is how this conflict that has currently been roiling the Middle East, this war that has been going on for seven months now, how it may potentially lead to any more formal steps in seeking a longer-term peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
We have seen U.S. officials making significant efforts. The Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, recently traveling to both Israel as well as Saudi Arabia to try and push a broader normalization deal, which would have to include steps towards a two-state solution, steps towards a Palestinian state. We've seen efforts by the Palestinians at the United Nations to seek unilateral recognition. Those efforts blocked by the United States' veto power. But overall, there is enormous pressure and enormous hope as well that perhaps out of this terrible conflict, there could be some kind of a longer-term solution to this conflict. But for now, there is nothing concrete on the horizon. WALKER: All right. Jeremy Diamond, appreciate your reporting. Thank you very much. Let's bring in CNN's International Diplomatic Editor now, Nic Robertson, who is joining us from London.
[08:05:00]
WALKER: Nic, I just want to get your perspective on this because, obviously, Israel is becoming seemingly more isolated on the global stage. And this is also a huge blow, at least symbolically, and to its reputation considering what has happened this week with the ICC. Now, you have these European countries moving to recognize Palestinian statehood, what is the impact of all this?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think the impact is that a signal is being sent by nations, not every European Union nation, of course, not by far. In fact, the European Union says it is a vision that there should be a two-state solution, a Palestinian state in different language, but in much the same way that the United States is saying. But I think this really represents for these countries, Norway, Ireland, and Spain, a real sense of frustration that they are watching events that they can have no influence over, and that by recognizing Palestine State is a way to try to influence that.
Powerful, political and symbolic message is how the Irish taoiseach, the prime minister put it. It's been high on his agenda. He is the new prime minister and it's been high on his agenda since he took over in office about a month so ago. He had meetings almost right away with Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister. So, it is an issue that has been rising up the domestic political agendas of these countries and that it's been pushed up there by that real sense of frustration and their vision of what it is going to take to change things.
WALKER: Do you anticipate, are people anticipating that these moves could lead to a ceasefire or even talks, potential talks for a peace deal?
ROBERTSON: You know, I think it tends -- it tries to move the dial towards a stronger narrative that tells Israel that its pursuit of Hamas and its ideal to destroy Hamas in its entirety cannot come at the cost of so many thousands of innocent Palestinian lives. I think that's the narrative here. Look, the Irish said that they expected interpretations and possible reaction to this decision today.
The Spanish prime minister has been very, very clear. He said, look, this is not about anything against Israel or anything against Jews at all. This is not that, but this is a political message to the current leadership in Israel. Now, how it resonates either today or as in a month's time or two month's time, they are just trying to put down a marker now and try to bring about that change. It is not going to be immediate, but undoubtedly, it is going to have influence. These are recognized sovereign nations who've made this call and they are putting forward their values.
WALKER: Absolutely. Nic Robertson, always appreciate your analysis. Thanks so much, Nic. Now, amid the ongoing war in Gaza, as we mentioned, the International
Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants against the leaders of both Hamas and Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells our Jake Tapper, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: As a central part of the ICC's charges against you and Gallant is "Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare." Now, I know that Israel repeatedly claims that enough aid is getting in and there is not a purposeful starvation and those claiming otherwise are misinformed, are lying. Is Israel going to send a delegation to The Hague to present any evidence to defend itself?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I think these charges are exactly as President Biden called them. There are outrageous -- they are beyond outrageous. This is a rogue prosecutor that has put false charges and created false symmetries that are both dangerous and false. And the first false symmetry is he equates the democratically elected leaders of Israel with the terrorist tyrants of Hamas. That's like saying that, well, I'm issuing arrest warrants for FDR and Churchill, but also for Hitler -- or I'm issuing arrest warrants for George W. Bush but also for Bin Laden. That's absurd.
Secondly, the charges are completely false.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Israel is closely watching what is happening in Iran as well, where huge crowds have packed the capital to pay their final respects to President Ebrahim Raisi. Iran's supreme leader led prayers earlier for the late president and the others killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Tehran is the latest stop in the funeral ceremonies.
[08:10:00]
WALKER: Right now, foreign officials are paying their respects. The ceremonies are expected to conclude on Thursday night in the city of Mashhad, where Mr. Raisi will be buried. We are live in Tehran with CNN's Frederik Pleitgen.
Hi there, Fred. Tell us more about the day's events. What was it like to be there and the mood and the crowd, what did you see?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. First of all, it was a gigantic crowd, Amara. We were out really early in the morning as that precession was taking place and you're absolutely right. The supreme leader really at the beginning of the day, he presided over that funeral ceremony. There were a couple of dignitaries, but also the leadership of Hamas also attending that as well.
And then you had that massive crowd of hundreds of thousands of people accompanying those caskets as they were taken through the streets of Tehran, and a lot of the people that we saw there, obviously, were in mourning, were in shock. A lot of them had signs with the pictures of the deceased on them, obviously, wanting to support the deceased and call for helping them. But at the same time, we also did see a lot of people who said that, for them right now, the next big question obviously is how does the Islamic Republic of Iran move forward?
Of course, that was definitely something that the supreme leader was also talking about, not just today, but also even while the chopper was missing before it became clear that it had crashed and everybody on board that had been killed, saying that the government of this country, that government services will not be disrupted. And I think that is something that the government really did want to portray here today once again, that on the one hand, you have, of course, the mourning and this entire city, Amara, by the way, is plastered with pictures of those who were killed in that chopper crash.
But at the same time, also, they already called for presidential elections that are set to take place on June 28 of this year. So they are trying to move forward with a succession plan, not just of course, for the president of this country, for Ebrahim Raisi, but also for the foreign minister, of course, who has been very important over the past couple of weeks and months, especially in regard to Israel, of course, just talking about Israel before as Israel and Iran nearly came to a full-on war, which of course would have had catastrophic consequences potentially for this entire region.
So on the one hand, you do have this deep mourning that took place on the streets of Tehran today. And as you mentioned, will take place most probably tomorrow in Mashhad as well. But on the other hand, you do have those in power here, trying to project stability and the fact that there will be continuity in the government.
WALKER: And as you've been speaking, we've been showing live pictures of foreign dignitaries there, paying their respects in front of Raisi's coffin. Frederik Pleitgen, one more question to you regarding the burial tomorrow. What are we expecting to see then?
PLEITGEN: Well, one of the things that we have to keep in mind, this is the burial for Ebrahim Raisi, which of course is going to happen in Mashhad, is that for Ebrahim Raisi, that is the area of Iran that he is from, but that is also where his real political power base is as well. In fact, I was actually with Ebrahim Raisi in 2021, shortly after he got elected as president, in Mashhad when he held a political speech at the Imam Reza shrine. So that is where he comes from spiritually. That is where the people who support him, first and foremost, are.
So, it would certainly be a homecoming, a tragic one, obviously, because he's been killed, but definitely something where we do expect also big support to be showing there as well, a lot of mourning to also be taking place. Of course, the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad and Mashhad itself so important here for Iran, so that will definitely be a massive event and we do expect a lot of people are going to be coming there and once again, lining the streets, taking part in the procession there as well.
But for Ebrahim Raisi, that is really where the support that he had here in this country came from. That is where he came from. That is where his family came from. And that certainly is going to be a very important stop, that final stop as he is going to be laid to rest there, Amara.
WALKER: All right. Fred Pleitgen in Tehran for us, appreciate your reporting. Fred, thank you. I wanted to bring in CNN's Ben Wedeman now, who is looking at the impact of President Raisi's death.
Ben, I mean, this was a sudden death. It happened amidst this backdrop of really high tensions in the region with the war in Gaza. We know inside the country, economically, it hasn't been doing so well. What does this all mean for Iran now and for its future?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, it is important to keep in mind that the president of Iran is not the ultimate power. It is the supreme leader, in this case, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who really calls the shots. The president is more focused on domestic issues, but the broad outlines of Iran's policies, both domestically and internationally, are determined by the president and it is not expected that there is going to be any radical change or even palpable change in terms of Iran's regional position.
[08:15:00]
WEDEMAN: It will continue to be the center of the so-called axis of resistance, which includes the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Syrian regime, various groups in Iraq and Syria as well, and that's really not going to change. And certainly, we've seen that they, the Iranians have been playing sort of a background, but supportive role to this axis of resistance since the 7th of October by supporting, for instance, Hezbollah and its daily exchange of fire with Israel, supporting the Houthis who are targeting navigation in the Red Sea, supporting Hamas in its fight against Israel. That's not really going to change.
I mean, we really have to look ahead, for instance, Ali Khamenei is 85 years old. He has had health problems in recent years. The question is, who is going to replace him? And that will probably be much more determinative of Iran's of future, both domestically and regionally and internationally, as opposed to the death of Ebrahim Raisi, who I said -- as I said before, was really just a functionary of the state, not necessarily somebody who calls the shots. Amara?
WALKER: Right yeah, good point. Calling the shots is, of course, Ayatollah Khamenei, as you say. What will you be watching for, Ben, then as this plays out over the next few days, the funeral and of course, the messaging from the Ayatollah who will be leading prayers today? What kind of message do you expect him to send, especially on a day like this?
WEDEMAN: Well, I think the message that has been sent really from Sunday, when news came out that the helicopter was down and we didn't even know that Ebrahim Raisi and the foreign minister were dead, the message was one of continuity, that even with the sudden loss of the president and the foreign minister, that Iran has a ruling system, an establishment, a structure that is not shaken by the loss of two important people within that structure. Now, what we've seen, for instance, at today's funeral in Tehran, the capital, which is really please sort of the most important of this period of mourning, is that for instance, according to Iranian news agencies, 60 foreign delegations have shown up to participate in these ceremonies. Among them, for instance, Sameh Shoukry who is the Egyptian Foreign Minister, it is the first time that a senior Egyptian official has gone to Tehran since 2012. The Iranians are trying to show that we are not isolated despite the best efforts of the United States and its European allies, that Iran is an important player in the region.
And I think everybody would agree that that is the case. So, it is to show that Iran is not a country to be messed with. It is an important regional power, militarily and politically, and that it can stand firm despite this sudden loss of key figures in the government system. Amara?
WALKER: A show of strength and continuity. Ben Wedeman, appreciate you as always. Thanks so much, Ben.
All right. Still to come, investigators are finding out more about the terrifying moments on a Singapore Airlines flight after major turbulence hit a plane traveling from London, forcing it to land in Thailand. We will have a live report from Bangkok.
And Kenya's President William Ruto has begun his state visit to the U.S. He will meet with President Biden later this afternoon. We will have a report on the U.S. bid for influence in the African continent amid growing threats from China and Russia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:21:17]
WALKER: An investigation is underway after extreme turbulence hit a Singapore Airlines flight, leaving one passenger dead and more than 100 others injured. The flight from London to Singapore for was diverted to Bangkok due to the medical emergency on board. Data from Flightradar24 shows a Boeing plane rapidly dropping and then climbing multiple times within 90 seconds. The injured were taken to the hospital and the deceased has been identified as a 73 year-old British man. CNN's Ivan Watson is there with the details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVAN WATSON CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (VOICE-OVER): Injuries and death after several minutes of terror more than 30,000 feet in the sky. A Singapore Airlines flight hit with severe turbulence, throwing passengers and crew throughout the cabin, ten hours to the flight. The incident was so rough, lighting and air ventilation tubing fell out of the ceiling. Food trays from breakfast littered across the floor.
Emergency workers raced to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Tuesday afternoon after the flight turned deadly, traffic control on the tarmac quick to redirect ambulances and set up makeshift medical tents for injured passengers. Flight SQ 321 departed from London and was enroute to Singapore, but severe turbulence forced pilots to make an emergency landing in Thailand. A 73 year-old British man, Geoff Kitchen, died on board the flight. At least seven others were in critical condition, with dozens more injured.
KITTIPONG KITTIKACHORN, GENERAL MANAGER, SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT (through translator): The plane landed at the airport and the medical team was sent to the scene. Many injuries occurred, so the airport had to issue an emergency plan. All our teams went to help.
WATSON (voice-over): The airline has launched an investigation into the incident, with the British Embassy also deploying officials to support those in hospital. The passengers left with the question of how this all went so wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: What a terrifying story. Let's bring in CNN's Ivan Watson who is live for us in Bangkok. Hi there, Ivan. You've been talking to some passengers who were on this flight. What are they telling you?
WATSON (on camera): I think the common description is of how quickly this violent turbulence hit the Singapore Airlines flight. And if you need evidence of it, it is the number of crew members on board that airliner who were injured when the plane started to shake. Take a listen to one of the passengers and his account of what crew members endured.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW DAVIES, SINGAPORE AIRLINES PASSENGER: I didn't see any member of cabin crew that wasn't injured. They all, every single cabin crew person I saw had an injury of some sort. My heart goes out to them actually, because they were doing their job and they are quite vulnerable as well because they, on the airplane, they weren't seated.
They, obviously, didn't have the seat belts on because they were doing -- going about their duties, so that they were extremely vulnerable and as I say, not one of them was uninjured that I could see.
WATSON (on camera): Now, I am broadcasting, Amara, from the foyer of a hospital here in Bangkok. The hospital (inaudible) say at least 85 passengers and crew from the plane were hospitalized in the immediate aftermath, 20 of them are still in intensive care.
[08:25:00]
WATSON (on camera): And when you consider that there were about 211 passengers on board the plane when this happened and 18 crew members, that's roughly a third of them who've had to be treated for serious injuries. There -- one of the recently discharged men, a passenger was a 24-year-old British man who told journalists here that he had a chipped tooth, that he had a cut on his eye. And then after he got off the plane, after the emergency landing here in Bangkok, that he started vomiting. So, it sounds like he suffered some kind of a concussion. He said many of the other passengers were in much worse condition, that some of them appeared to have spinal injuries.
All of these leading into the big question of what actually happened here. Is it as CNN's own weather team have suggested, could it have been a rapidly forming thundercloud as the --the thunderstorm as the monsoon season approaches here in Southeast Asia, that the pilots flew into and that will be a big part of the investigation moving forward. Amara?
WALKER: I mean, that's frightening. You're talking about potential concussion and spinal injuries. These are serious injuries and obviously, a lot of questions about how the 73-year-old man died. You mentioned the turbulence and what may have caused this. What more are you learning about this investigation, Ivan?
WATSON (on camera): Right. Well, the CEO of Singapore Airlines has come out publicly apologizing for the trauma that the people have endured, expressing condolences to the 73 year-old man from the U.K., Geoffrey Kitchen, who died. We are still waiting for concrete results as to what caused that, but we've heard from a passenger who said that Mr. Kitchen was seated directly behind him when this all happened and that the passengers and healthcare professionals were trying to perform CPR on him in the immediate aftermath.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, it is sending a team to the region to assist with the investigation, so that's part of what will come next, trying to figure out what exactly happened. But it is kind of stunning. We just heard my colleague, Mark Phillips here, heard from the husband of an Australian woman who is currently being treated here and he said that his wife had just gotten up and was waiting line to use the bathroom when this all happened. And again, a reminder of how quickly it all happened.
CNN's weather team has said that if this was in fact a rapidly forming thunderstorm, then it is possible that it did not show up on the radar for the pilots and that they could have flown into it. But again, we'll just have to wait and see -- see more of it, but it is really a worrying development because we've all been on planes, right? We've all been relaxed there. The seat belt light comes on, but the speed with which this might have happened is truly something frightening for all of us.
WALKER: Yeah, perhaps without any indication, right? I mean, it is just a reminder if this happens ten hours into a flight, just try to keep your seat belt on for the entirety of the flight, if you can. Ivan Watson, thank you so much, live for us there in Bangkok.
In the coming hours, Kenya's President William Ruto will meet U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington at an event involving business leaders. Now, Mr. Ruto's visit comes amid efforts to improve economic and security cooperation between the two countries. It also comes as a Kenyan-led multinational force has arrived in Haiti to help restore security in the Caribbean nation. Mr. Biden will welcome President Ruto at the White House Thursday and they will hold official talks before participating in a state dinner.
All right. Still to come, one trial wrapping up and another case slowly moving forward, a check on all the legal actions surrounding Donald Trump when we come back. Also, deadly tornadoes cutting a path of destruction through the U.S. midsection. We are live from the damage zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:31:30]
WALKER: All right, the court case that has dominated news headlines for weeks is about to enter its final stage. All the witnesses are done testifying at Donald Trump's hush money trial. Up next will be the closing arguments, which will happen on Tuesday of next week. After that, the jury gets the case and we will all await their verdict. It could come as early as late next week. CNN's Kara Scannell has been following the case and here is her look back at key developments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The defense rested their case on Tuesday without former President Donald Trump taking the stand in his historic hush money trial.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have been (inaudible) almost five weeks in court.
SCANNELL (voice-over): On Monday, the prosecution rested its case, having called 20 witnesses over 19 days, totaling over 50 hours of testimony. Meanwhile, Trump's team called just two witnesses with about two hours of testimony. The majority of that time came from former adviser to Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen, Robert Costello. The defense hoped to use Costello to attack Cohen's credibility but Costello ended up angering the judge on Monday, leading the judge to clear the courtroom to address his decorum.
TRUMP: (Inaudible) phenomenal case with one (inaudible) my understanding.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Prosecutors began their case approximately one month ago by questioning former "National Enquirer" publisher, David Pecker. Pecker laid out the catch-and-kill scheme at the crux of the prosecution's case. Prosecutors alleged Trump falsified business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to block her story of an alleged affair with Trump from becoming public to influence the 2016 election. Trump denies the affair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST OF "60 MINUTES": Was it hush money to stay silent?
STORMY DANIELS, ADULT FILM STAR: Yes. The story was coming out again.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SCANNELL (voice-over): All eyes were on Daniels when she took the stand. Prosecutors sought to bolster her testimony by having Daniels recall specific details of her alleged sexual encounter with Trump and the events surrounding it. The prosecution's final and star witness was Michael Cohen, the only one who can directly link Trump to the alleged crimes.
MICHAEL COHEN, DONALD TRUMP'S FORMER LAWYER AND FIXER: I just want to get through this, so that I can start my own life again.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Cohen walked the jury through Trump's involvement, recounting conversations with Trump when he directed Cohen to pay off Daniels before for the 2016 election, as well as the 11 checks including ones Trump personally signed to reimburse Cohen for the funds that he paid to Daniels out of his pocket.
COHEN: And he says to me something to the effect of don't worry, Michael, your January and February reimbursement checks are coming.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Cohen testified the checks stubs were false because they said the payments were made for a retainer agreement. During intense cross-examination, Trump's team's main objective was to undercut Cohen's credibility, aiming to paint him as a vengeful liar who hates Trump.
TRUMP: Michael Cohen is a convicted liar and he has got no credibility whatsoever.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Trump attorney Todd Blanche got Cohen to admit he stole from the Trump Organization. In one of the most dramatic moments in the trial, Cohen was pressed over his memory of a key phone conversation when Cohen said he told Trump Daniels' deal was getting resolved.
Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: All right. Let's dig a little deeper into what we may hear in the closing arguments. Joining me now a CNN Legal Analyst Norm Eisen. He served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during the first impeachment of Donald Trump.
[08:35:00]
WALKER: Norm, it is always good to see you. Let's just do a quick recap of what we saw yesterday because the jury is now dismissed for a week. But before it was, the last person the jury heard from was the defense witness, Robert Costello, an informal adviser to Trump. It was remarkable to see how he was scolded by the judge for his eye rolls and muttering. I know you were in and outside the courtroom as well. You say the last day of this testimony was pivotal. Why?
NORM EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Amara, thanks for having me back. I have been there for every day of the testimony and the Costello testimony was, I think, some of the most important because this former legal adviser to Michael Cohen, they never entered a formal relationship, was brought on to testify about the centerpiece of the defense of Donald Trump, that Michael Cohen is lying and that Donald Trump as well here at closings, didn't know about this payment or these documents that were falsified to cover up the alleged campaign finance violation.
But it backfired, Amara, because Robert Costello was so unpleasant on the stand. On cross-examination, Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger took him through his own words. It was like a mob movie. These emails from Robert Costello telling Cohen you have friends in high places, you can rest easy tonight. It actually showed the motive for Cohen to lie before he cooperated, his fear of Donald Trump who was keeping an eye on him. So, it was a backfire and because the judge didn't like him, I could see. I watched the jury, they didn't like Costello. It created a taint for this only substantive defense witness and that's what the jury is taking home with them, as we have a week- long break because of the long Memorial Day weekend.
WALKER: OK. So, you believe Costello's testimony backfired for the defense and also, when it came to Michael Cohen, the prosecution's "star witness," it seemed like parts of his testimony, when he was cross-examined, may have backfired as well. So, when it comes to the closing arguments next Tuesday, what do you expect to hear, especially from the prosecution? What do you want to hear?
EISEN: The prosecution will argue in closing that you don't have to take Michael Cohen on his word alone, that Donald Trump participated in an illegal campaign contribution. The campaign limits in 2016 were $2,400 and Cohen made this $130,000 payment to benefit the campaign, to silence Stormy Daniels. After Access Hollywood, that was critical prosecutors will say, because such a close election, already one sex scandal. You don't have to take Michael Cohen's word for that or for the falsification of documents because everything he says is corroborated or verified by another witness and they'll go through those witnesses.
David pecker from the National Enquirer, who testified that Donald Trump intended to have these payments. He was in a meeting with Trump. Hope Hicks who'll say that she thought Trump lied when he blamed Cohen. And even Cohen, there was that controversial moment -- you're so right, but the prosecution came back with their own mini-Perry mason moment where they produced a video that they will say proves they have a screenshot, proves that Cohen was telling the truth and that the cross-examination failed. That's what we'll hear from the prosecution.
The defense will put up a furious fight. Tuesday is going to be closing statements in what I think has been the trial of the century. It will be big.
WALKER: I will never ask a legal analyst like you to predict which way a jury could go because that's just impossible. I do want to ask you though, Norm, before I let you go, since you were inside the courtroom, what was your -- what were your takeaways regarding the jurors, their engagement level, their facial expressions? EISEN: I studied them closely. I brought binoculars with me, so I could watch him wherever I was in the courtroom. I spent half my day just looking at the jury, Amara, and here is my takeaways.
[08:40:00]
EISEN: Any person who is in that courtroom who loves the rule of law and the operation of the justice system would be proud of this jury and of the judge, and of everybody, the prosecution, the defense lawyers did a great job. It really was the witnesses -- it really was something to be proud of watching that jury. They're serious, they're sober, they study, they take notes. I do think they didn't like some of the lawyers. They did not like Todd Blanche, the president -- former president's lead defense lawyer. They hated Costello. They took the cue from the fact that irritated the judge, they rolled their eyes, they grimaced when he was testifying. And I couldn't read them on Michael Cohen.
We'll see on the cross -- we'll see -- that -- that will be key, did they bond with Cohen. I did see some bonding moments on direct (ph). I think there are very serious, good jury. And you're right, we don't know what they're going to do. I do think the prosecution put in proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but it is a close case. There won't be an acquittal. There could be a hung jury, one juror who refuses to go along. And now, over the next couple weeks, we are going to find out the answer to that question. It will so interesting.
WALKER: You just made a prediction. So, you just predicted there won't be an acquittal, OK, and you also made the admission that you brought binoculars. I wish we had more time to talk about that. I would assume --
EISEN: And you cross-examined me, Amara.
(LAUGH)
WALKER: You got it on with me, (inaudible) cross-examination just like --
(CROSSTALK)
WALKER: Were you the only spectator there with binoculars or were others surrounding you with the same devices?
EISEN: At least half of the journalists, there were about 62 of us who had assigned seats in the courtroom, at least half brought binoculars with them to watch the jury, to watch the judge, to watch the witnesses.
WALKER: Wow, love it. CNN Legal Analyst Norm Eisen, always a pleasure to have you on. We will see if your prediction comes true. Thanks so much for your time, sir.
And we can get some key updates on another of Donald Trump's legal problems today, the Florida judge in his classified documents case will hold a pair of hearings. Her first public action on the case in more than a month, but rather than moving the case forward, both the hearings are to discuss motions to have the charges dismissed.
The case, the federal documents case has been delayed because of a mountain of legal questions yet to be resolved by the judge. CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz is tracking these hearings for us. Hi, Katelyn. So, what are we expecting? What are we watching for from these two hearings in the case today?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: We are watching for Judge Aileen Cannon's reaction to all of these arguments that Donald Trump and his co-defendants, Carlos De Oliveira and Walt Nauta are putting forward in her courtroom. They -- these are all part of the gradual inching toward trial. So, there is lots of requests that the defendants have made to dismiss the case, to toss out whole swaths of evidence, charges, testimony from certain witnesses like Trump's former attorney Evan Corcoran.
Judge Aileen Cannon has to look at each of those things. The way she is doing it is she is holding a series of hearings. This is one of only a couple she has on the calendar, stretching out into late July. But today, she is taking up one of the arguments that well, Nauta, the co-defendant of Trump in the obstruction conspiracy to hide the boxes, not return them to the federal government, to move them around.
He is arguing that the case should be dismissed because he was vindictively and selectively prosecuted in this case, charge. He believes that he was being retaliated against because he wouldn't provide more information to investigators as they asked him after he had already spoken to them a couple of times.
Actually, the Justice Department says, well, we charged him because he lied to us when he spoke to us the first couple of times and then he clammed up. So that is going to be the legal arguments at issue today. We are not necessarily going to hear a ruling, but how Judge Aileen Cannon is handling this case is paramount, right now, because it dictates everything, whether the case will be dismissed, whether parts of it, as Trump wants, could be cut out. And of course, how long it might take to go to trial.
WALKER: OK. So, judging from how Judge Aileen Cannon has been handling this case so far, any indication as to when we might see Trump, of course, if the case isn't dismissed, face trial?
POLANTZ: There isn't any indication right now, and there are a couple of very large things that Judge Cannon has to work through that she hasn't even set hearing dates on yet.
[08:45:00]
POLANTZ: Those include these requests from Trump, we are getting hundreds of documents as the case is moving towards trial of the legal arguments, something even just coming out this week. Trump is making major pushes to have her essentially dismiss 21 out of the 41 mishandling document charges because he says everything that was gathered in the FBI search, including 21 documents he is accused of criminally mishandling, that all should be cut out because the FBI didn't approach that search appropriately. We'll see what Judge Cannon says. That is going to be a long time for now, when we get to that hearing, and there is no trial date on the schedule and there is, on top of all the things that I'm telling you that we know about and we see the documents on, there is a whole another secret confidential battle going on over the use of classified documents in this case that is also moving very slowly and that we, the media, the public, have very little window into.
Right now, the defense is going to have to go document by document through the classified records that they've gotten as potential evidence with Judge Cannon to see if they can use them at trial. Unclear how long that will take.
WALKER: You have been so patient and so studious. CNN's Katelyn Polantz, good to see you. Thanks so much.
All right. Still to come, Japan struggles to manage an influx of tourists. The measure it is taking two ease overcrowding at world famous attractions.
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WALKER: Dangerous storms in the U.S. heartland have claimed multiple lives. Take a look at this from the State of Iowa, one of several states where a line of thunderstorms prompted tornado watches and scenes like this. Across the U.S., nearly 20 tornadoes were reported. Iowa officials say the city of Greenfield, Iowa, look at that, suffered devastating damage from one tornado which went straight through the center of town, and you can see just the damage there. Iowa's governor is set to visit Greenfield and other areas today to survey the destruction.
A Japanese city at the base of Mt. Fuji has put up a large barrier to block tourists from a popular selfie spot. A tourism boom in the country is creating traffic and other problems. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more.
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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This view, once the perfect snapshot of Japan's old and new, now has a black curtain drawn. Overwhelmed by tourists blocking roads, littering, even trespassing onto private property to take selfies, the town of Fujikawaguchiko has now erected a black curtain to block the view and deter tourists, much to the local's relief --
[08:50:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There have been many accidents involving foreign tourists recently.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): -- and to the dismay of visitors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I think put up black panel on this road is something with brute force and I think they can do better. MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO world heritage site and a Japanese icon, attracts millions of visitors annually. But post- pandemic, numbers have swelled to record levels, well beyond control local authorities say, causing human traffic jams and garbage to litter the sacred peak. The local prefecture now says it needs to charge $13 per climber and impose a daily hiker cap of 4,000 in a bid to address overtourism starting this season.
MONTGOMERY: But, as you can tell by the crowds of people around me here, one of Tokyo's biggest tourist hotspots, Mt. Fuji isn't the only victim of overtourism. It is a nationwide problem. Over 3 million people visited Japan in the month of April and though that's good news for the economy post-pandemic, it has put a strain on resources and local communities.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Earlier this year, the historic city of Kyoto had to close off some alleys to combat 'Geisha paparazzi,' a name given to visitors snapping photos of geisha without permission. While Kamakura, a seaside town just outside of Tokyo, is urging tourists to walk around instead of taking the train to ease congestion. Struggling to accommodate an unprecedented surge of in-bound visitors, many encouraged by a weak yen, local tourist spots have resorted to taking matters into their own hands, even if it means curtains for an Instagram hotspot.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
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WALKER: The world of AI has hit a milestone in Abu Dhabi, autonomous race cars facing off with a professional race car driver. Veronica Miracle has more.
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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Yas Marina Circuit, practice sessions are in full swing for the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League. Teams from eight international universities are busy coding, designing algorithms that they hope will allow artificial intelligence to drive these racing cars on the track. But, can AI compete with the skill and experience of a professional racing driver? To find out, I've come to the track to meet former Formula One Driver Daniil Kvyat.
MIRACLE: You are about to go head to head with artificial intelligence. Did you ever think this was going to happen in your life?
DANIIL KVYAT, FORMER F1 DRIVER: It is great to be part of this project. There was a lot of talks about it in the past and now, here it is actually happening for the first time.
MIRACLE (voice-over): Daniil Kvyat is no stranger to the Yas Marina Circuit, but his memories of the track are bittersweet. KVYAT: I won my Formula 3 title here, more than ten years ago already, also was my last race in Formula 1 here. So yeah, a lot of memories.
MIRACLE (voice-over): This time, the driver will come face-to-face with artificial intelligence for a test of speed.
MIRACLE: What is it like for you to see computer scientists and coders in the pit?
[08:55:00]
KVYAT: This is engineer's world. It is a perfect playground for them and my job is more to guide, to give a bit of feedback, to give perspective from the human side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is a driver. That is Daniil Kvyat in the car, the former Formula 1 driver stalking the AI.
MIRACLE (voice-over): Out on the track, the autonomous car has been taught to think and act like a racer. But after a series of laps, it is clear that the human at the wheel still has the edge and Kvyat beat his autonomous adversary to the finish line by 10.38 seconds. As autonomous tech is pushed to the limit, the hope is that the lessons learned on the track may be used to improve mobility in the future.
MIRACLE: This technology is still young, but do you think one day this car could outperform you? Will you be out of a job soon?
KVYAT: I don't think so but the progress has been incredible. But I think, again, the target is not that. The target is to bring this technology to the point where it can actually serve its purpose outside of also (ph) race track and the technology progress.
TOM MCCARTHY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASPIRE: It is still up to the machine to catch-up on the driver because when we talk about the human driving, there is so much that comes with feel (ph). What's remarkable is how close the machine is getting. It is quite astonishing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Super cool. Thanks for joining me this hour. "Connect The World" is up next.
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