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French President Emmanuel Macron To Host Biden For State Visit; Benny Gantz Could Quit Israeli War Cabinet; European Parliament Elections; Trump Fundraising In California; U.S. Jobs Blow Past Expectations; Arizona Republican Scheme Called For Fake Electors; Japan Encouraging Births; World Sports. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired June 08, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world.

I'm Anna Coren. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, U.S. President Biden pushing a new round of diplomatic efforts during a historic trip to France. What's expected from his meeting with the French president today.

Israel's war cabinet could see a shakeup in the hours ahead as we await the end of a deadline set by former defense minister Benny Gantz. What his threatened departure from the cabinet could mean for the conflict in Gaza.

Plus the U.S. jobs report is showing a mixed bag when it comes to growth and inflation. Why families and small businesses may have a less rosy perspective than what the numbers would indicate.

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COREN: The close ties between the U.S. and France will be on full display in the coming hours as U.S. President Biden continues his official state visit in Paris. French president Emmanuel Macron will welcome Mr. Biden and the first lady with a formal ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe.

There will be a parade procession to the Elysee Palace followed by a working lunch. In the evening, the Macrons will host the Bidens at the Musee d'Orsay for a state dinner.

It's coming on the heels of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. President Biden honored the Allied troops of World War II during a speech on the cliffs of Normandy on Friday. He evoked their legacy as he called on the world to defend democracies under threat today.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're not asking us to give or risk our lives but they are asking us to care for others and our country more than ourselves. They're not asking us to do their job.

They're asking us to do our job to protect freedom in our time, to defend democracy, to stand up aggression abroad and at home, to be part of something bigger than ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well for more, CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins us now live from London.

And, Nic, President Biden, he's been in France now for, for quite a few days. He'll spend the day with his host, Emmanuel Macron. It really is testament to their bond and their countries' bonds.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It is and I think it is testament to president Emmanuel Macron's desire to have a strong relationship with whomever the U.S. president is.

It was only a few years ago, it feels like now, that he was hosting at that time president Trump. And undoubtedly one can imagine the possibility. I mean, this will be put I guess in the most diplomatic terms.

But the real possibility in President Macron's mind, although President Biden will believe he's going to win the upcoming U.S. election. But in president Macron's mind, the concern that the next U.S. president that he may be greeting in France could be Donald Trump if he, if he wins the election.

And that's a concern. And I think we heard those concerns overlaid in all the conversations and speeches that President Biden has given while he's been in France.

About the importance of the United States not being isolated, the importance of the duty of unity, of the nations to support Ukraine in its fight against President Putin's Russia, which President Zelenskyy himself compared to Germany under the Nazis and Adolf Hitler.

So this is the sort of backdrop to the conversations. But the real meat of the conversations for what they'd both like to do, really those lie in the sphere of peace in the Middle East and of course, how best to support Ukraine and endure that support going forward, whomever wins the U.S. presidency.

COREN: As you say, there are differing opinions between Biden and Macron, despite their close bond.

I mean, what impact do you think this trip will have on U.S. foreign policy, in particular regarding the wars in Ukraine and Gaza?

ROBERTSON: I think President Biden is bounded by a couple of things here when it comes to how he adjusts his foreign policy for international pressure.

[05:05:00] Even from a strong ally like France. And that is the demands of domestic politics and the way that that sort of contains and constrains what he wants to do. We've seen when he apologized to President Zelenskyy for taking so long to get that $60 billion aid package for Ukraine because they got stuck, he said because of some hardline Republicans.

So he is constrained in what he can do. Macron, of course, will want to push Biden to get tougher on Israel. He supports President Biden's latest peace proposal for hostage release and a ceasefire in Gaza.

But he wants Biden to do more. And when it comes to Ukraine, he wants Biden to do more there as well and be more forward leaning and support his own initiative, Macron's initiative, to have a coalition of international military trainers, who would be inside Ukraine.

We don't have this, at least not publicly, knowledge at the moment that NATO nations have military members inside Ukraine supporting and training troops there. That's something Macron wants to, wants to do, is something President Biden is averse to doing.

Because part of the American electorate is very leery about seeing a U.S. entanglement, a military engagement on the ground inside Ukraine, something President Biden said wouldn't happen even if and when Russia invaded Ukraine.

So it's hard to see what wiggle room Biden has but that doesn't mean that President Macron isn't going to try to find that space to move things in his direction.

COREN: Nic Robertson joining us from London, good to see you. Thank you.

In Gaza, fire and destruction at Rafah's Kuwait Hospital. The director of Rafah's Kuwait Hospital says two workers there were killed and five others wounded in a strike by the Israeli military.

Last month, the Kuwait Hospital was forced to close after continuous Israeli strikes. CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment. The going hours could be crucial for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He's facing pressure from the United States to accept a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. And now a key member of his war cabinet could quit. Benny Gantz has threatened to leave the group.

Meanwhile, the United Nations is adding the Israeli military, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to a list of groups that harm children.

The U.N. secretary general's spokesman says the list will be presented to the Security Council next week. Gaza's ministry of health says more than 15,000 Palestinian children have been killed in the Israel Hamas war. Israel denies deliberately targeting civilians.

Well, CNN international correspondent Ben Wedeman joins us live from Beirut.

Let's start with the ultimatum by Benny Gantz. Word is the U.S. is trying to get him to stay.

What could this mean for the Israeli political landscape if he does leave?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the immediate short term, nothing really, because his party is not a member of the ruling coalition.

Now Benny Gantz, a former army chief of staff, former defense minister, he was the main political opponent of prime minister Netanyahu before the war. But after the war began, he joined a national unity cabinet.

He's a member of this so-called war cabinet. With him leaving, it certainly he removes somebody who was considered a somewhat moderating force on the prime minister. He's somebody who has maintained good relations with the Americans.

In fact, he's gone to Washington, D.C., since the war began on more than one occasion without the actual permission of the prime minister. So for him to leave, it means that that sort of counter balance to Netanyahu's perhaps more bellicose inclinations is gone.

And it means that it really basically opens up a vacuum into which the likes of which national security minister Ben Gvir will step in. And he's sort of the extreme of the extremists in the Israeli cabinet.

So it could definitely spell more political chaos in Israel. Now last month, Gantz did say that, on the 8th of June, today, he would resign if Netanyahu did not, in the meantime, come up with some sort of post- war plan for Gaza. Netanyahu really hasn't done that yet. But fundamentally, even on the post-war plan for Gaza.

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It's not clear what he has in mind because Gantz, like Netanyahu, is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state and he is opposed to the Palestinian Authority taking over Gaza after the war as well.

But clearly this is going to open now another gap in an already chaotic scene in Israeli politics.

COREN: Ben Wedeman, joining us from Beirut, many thanks.

The Secret Service is preparing for massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Washington, D.C., today, putting up extra fencing to protect the White House.

They've also blocked off access to the White House gates. A service agent tells CNN they're expecting up to 12,000 protesters.

The U.S. President Joe Biden will not be at the White House since he's attending the state visit in France.

Well, there's been talk of European concerns about a possible second Trump presidency but should the U.S. be equally concerned about the European Parliament elections taking place this weekend?

We'll check in with an expert.

Plus he's back on the campaign trail, newly convicted Donald Trump fundraises in California.

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COREN: Well, voters are casting their ballots in Slovakia and Latvia at this hour for elections to seat the next European Parliament. Over a four-day period, 27 European Union countries are voting in elections that will shape the bloc's political direction for the next five years.

The Czech Republic and Ireland voted on Friday. But most nations will go to the polls on Sunday, including economic powerhouses Germany and France. CNN's Barbie Nadeau has more on what's at stake.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This concludes this unique, transnational democratic exercise.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world is a very different place since European parliamentary elections were held back in 2019. A global pandemic, two major wars, including one in Europe, and the subsequent rise in energy costs.

Farmers frustrated by E.U. red tape and cheap imports, dumping manure in Brussels. A worsening climate, with activists attacking cultural gems from Paris to Venice. And a cost of living crisis are all among the issues facing Europe's 373 million eligible voters.

These elections are the second largest in the world after India and considerably bigger than the upcoming American vote.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ninety-nine amendments by the committee responsible as a bloc voters in favor.

NADEAU (voice-over): Between June 6th and 9th, voters in 27 European countries will choose the 720 lawmakers to shape an increasingly splintered Europe for the next five years.

LORENZO DE SIO, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, LUISS UNIVERSITY, ROME: European elections are important because, in E.U. member countries, nowadays, a lot of important strategic decisions are taken at the European level.

This is why the election of the European Parliament, which is the only directly elected body of Europe, is so important. Policy making in Europe is more complex and the election of the

European Parliament is only part of that.

As a result, usually we record a lower turnout than in national elections.

NADEAU (voice-over): Creating a functioning parliament when Europe is making a hard rightward shift won't be easy.

The first difficult task of the parliament is choosing the president of the European Commission, with the current president, center right German, Ursula van der Leyen leading most polls.

For the incumbent to win, she has to slalom between her center-right European Peoples Party and the increasingly popular far-right parties of Giorgia Meloni and Marine le Pen to secure the newly elected parliament's support.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are preparing to work together with the ECR with --

URSULA VAN DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: That's not what I've said. I want to be very clear. This is not what I've said.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

VAN DER LEYEN: I'm speaking about members of the European Parliament. I want to see where they group themselves and then we work with a group that are clearly, clearly pro-European, pro-Ukraine against Putin and for the rule of law.

NADEAU (voice-over): A far-right with more members could greatly influence how Europe deals with political priorities, like how to share the burden of irregular migration and what exactly to do about artificial intelligence and regulating Big Tech against a more assertive China and United States.

The European Union will need the parliament to set a clear path. But with balancing the wide-ranging needs of voters against the goals of divergent parties, approving legislation with a fractured parliament will be complex.

The stakes for Europe and beyond couldn't be higher -- Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

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COREN: Well, Natasha Lindstaedt is a professor of government at the University of Essex in Colchester, England.

Great to have you with us. With European politics so fragmented and a rise in support for right-wing parties, explain to us more what's at stake. NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: There are a lot of things at

stake with this election though the parliament isn't the most important E.U. institution when it comes to foreign policymaking.

You see that the results will reflect what the national debates are going to be about. And these national debates, of course, inform what the commission does and the council.

And we have some of the biggest issues facing Europe since World War II. By far the biggest security threat facing Europe with Russian aggression in Ukraine and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

But beyond the questions of whether or not Europe can be united in its support for Ukraine, there are questions of European enlargement of the green agenda.

And also at the heart of what the European Union is about, whether it's going to be a model for democracy and supporting human rights.

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You see with the rise of these far-right parties that don't like institutions that are -- aren't particularly supportive of democracy or human rights, very anti-immigration, they want to almost dismantle the European Union from within. So these are really big questions with -- that are coming with this particular election.

COREN: There's obviously a lot of talk about what will happen if Donald Trump becomes president again and what that would mean for Europe. But let's turn that around.

If right-wing parties perform well, what could that mean for relations with U.S.?

LINDSTAEDT: It's a really good question and I think in terms of, if it's still Joe Biden in 2024, the Biden administration has maintained that they're committed to democracy, to human rights and to working to ensure that the partnership, the transatlantic partnership, is ironclad.

And that they were working in lockstep in fighting against Russian aggression and they'll have to work with whatever partners are there.

And you see that Biden is in France right now. And though he and Macron don't agree on everything, they are showing a united effort here, that they do mostly agree on the issue of Russian aggression and in trying to strengthen the European Union.

But with a Trump presidency, I think you're going to see quite a bit of disarray and chaos. If you look at the far right, this family group is probably one of the groups that is the least united. And Trump promotes disarray, whether it be this isolationist idea that doesn't really work for institutions, particularly intergovernmental institutions.

And also the transatlantic partnership. There needs to be I guess something fighting against that rugged individualism that these far- right parties want to promote. So it would be very hard to predict what's going to happen. But what you've seen is just at least the voting of some of the far right in the European Parliament.

They vote to basically support Russia, either refusing to vote against Putin or Russia. But they've shown their true colors many times by their voting record. And this, of course, would be a big win for Putin.

COREN: Whilst Biden has been in Paris this week, he certainly has reiterated America's commitment to European security.

But is there a sense that that's ringing a little hollow given that he could be out of the White House come November?

LINDSTAEDT: Definitely.

There's a sense that Europe cannot rely on the U.S., that it is not a trustworthy partner

because even though there were decades and decades of the U.S. and Europe being incredibly united against what they perceived to be similar threats and that they had similar goals, the Trump presidency really threw everything into total disorder.

Because he has threatened to abandon NATO; of course, he left the Paris agreement at a moment's notice; left the Iran nuclear agreement; has threatened to leave the World Health Organization.

So U.S. commitment to these types of institutions appears to be wavering. And of course, France's president Emmanuel Macron has sounded the alarm on this, that Europe has to be more independent, both militarily, financially, in every single way and can't rely on the U.S.

And he's been talking about modernizing Europe's nuclear forces because the big -- the big threat is, without a united U.S. and Europe, making it very clear to Putin what they're capable of, Russia under Putin was very risk acceptant, could take huge risks.

Whether that means using nuclear weapons, whether it means attacking other NATO countries, there's a lot of unknowns there.

So there have been many voices within Europe, besides just Macron, that are saying that they cannot really count on the U.S. as a reliable partner.

COREN: You'd have to assume that Vladimir Putin is watching these elections very closely, hoping for that disarray and chaos. Natasha Lindstaedt, great to see you.

Thank you for joining us.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COREN: Well, former U.S. president Trump has been boasting of his fundraising windfall on the heels of his hush money conviction. And now he's in California to raise even more on. Here's CNN's Alayna Treene with the latest.

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ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, just a week after the former president was convicted in Manhattan, Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail and aggressively fundraising in California.

Now on Thursday, Donald Trump attended a San Francisco fundraiser at the home of Silicon Valley investor David Sacks.

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That was organized actually by JD Vance, one of Trump's top contenders to become vice president. And I was told that Vance had really spent months working on getting Sacks to endorse the former president.

They viewed that endorsement and the fundraiser as a sign of Silicon Valley starting to embrace Donald Trump. Now on Friday, Donald Trump also has a fundraiser in Beverly Hills, this one hosted by Lee Samson (ph), a very wealthy businessman, who has endorsed the former president in the past and has donated to him before.

And then on Saturday, Donald Trump will have another fundraiser in Orange County. And look, all of this comes as Donald Trump is continuing to rail against that verdict in New York.

We heard him speak about that in Thursday at a rally in Phoenix, where he called the conviction rigged, called the verdict rigged and the jury rigged and also said that, if his case did not win on an appeal, there would be no country anymore.

And we also have heard Donald Trump really escalate his rhetoric for retribution against his political opponents. Take a listen to what Trump told Dr. Phil in an interview on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Retribution is going to be through success. We're going to make it very successful. We have to bring the country together.

The word revenge is a very strong word but maybe we have revenge through success. Well, revenge does take time, I will say that.

PHIL MCGRAW, TV HOST: It does.

TRUMP: And sometimes revenge can be justified, Phil, I have to be honest.

MCGRAW: No ..

TRUMP: Sometimes it can't. (END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now what I find very interesting about that interview is that Donald Trump, over the past several days now, has done a series of what I would characterize as friendly interviews, where the hosts have really tried to get him to step away from these calls for retribution.

But as we just saw in that interview with Dr. Phil, he's refusing to do so. Instead, he's doubling, if not tripling down on his calls for revenge. And this is something we've really heard Donald Trump talk about ever since he was indicted last year.

He has called for potentially going after and prosecuting some of his political opponents. And I think we'll continue to hear that rhetoric when he speaks at a rally in Las Vegas on Sunday -- Alayna Treene, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: After the break, a former top Trump associate pleads not guilty to election interference charges.

Plus Hunter Biden's daughter takes the stand on day five of his federal gun trial.

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COREN: Welcome back to, our viewers in the United States and Canada. I'm Anna Coren and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

Surprisingly strong jobs growth in the U.S. is dashing hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates anytime soon. The U.S. economy added 272,000 jobs in May, far more than expected. And American workers are earning more with wage growth coming in stronger than expected.

Average hourly earnings are now up 4.1 percent on the year, outpacing inflation. On the flip side, unemployment rose to 4 percent for the first time in over two years.

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COREN: Ryan Patel is a senior fellow at Claremont University Drucker School of Management. He's joining us via Skype from Los Angeles.

Ryan, always good to see you.

Tell us, what do these numbers say about the U.S. economy?

RYAN PATEL, GLOBAL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE: Confusion. I guess, right? You're looking for these reports to come out and say this is the direction that the economy is going. But the numbers kind of show both pictures, where unemployment kind of continues rise, wage growth rises but jobs are actually increased as well.

So what I mean by that, what it means is we're looking at the Federal Reserve, so they can choose, to decide to decrease interest rates. But this jobs report does not help the case.

It also shows -- it painted a picture that is kind of divided on both sides. And so I don't want -- the word is confusion, I guess, for those looking from the outside, looking in.

And it means that the Fed, the Federal Reserve, will continue to hold pat on not decreasing interest rate because the numbers are not still fighting inflation as it wants to.

COREN: These 272,000 jobs added, I mean, the numbers are misleading, as you say, because of the way that the surveys are conducted. Payroll obviously focuses on large companies. But the broader household surveys suggest that unemployment is ticking up.

So why are they not aligned?

PATEL: Well, I think also there's a couple of things capturing.

Think about these surveys, how they're capturing it, where they're capturing it, at what time is it being captured?

I also think that the gig worker is not being captured in this as well. People choosing not to come back into the workforce. There's another thing.

So where do you categorize those types of folks in those?

And also companies choosing -- think about small businesses. If wages starting to go up, they're going to have less employees on W-2, which means that they're going to probably go contractor roles.

And so that gets reported differently as well. And then you think about some of these industries, where you think of that job growth out of that report.

It was health care, government, leisure and hospitality. These are consistent with the trends that are growing, where the other sectors are not.

COREN: And then there is this, I guess, confusion on the stock market. You've got the magnificent seven, these big companies outperforming, making record profits. Their hiring, obviously, remains strong, where small to medium enterprises are suffering.

PATEL: Yes, no, I think it was clear in this report, in the last couple of reports, that small businesses are struggling. I think when you mentioned the magnificent seven, you have to call out Nvidia of this, the record growth it had and it's holding the market, I would say.

And the word AI for companies or AMD and others are pulling the market up so that trend goes hot. It brings a market go up. Now mind you, when the market goes down, typically, who are those -- who are the tech stocks that are taking the town with them, is these very, very sudden that you mentioned.

So I think that's where you see the market. But I think small businesses are really feeling it because of wages are becoming more expensive, supply chain costs to goods are expensive.

And I think that's part of why I think the Biden White House is trying to, before the -- before the White House, before the November election, to do more at the consumer level or they can keep the consumer spending at a high. And so it'd be interesting to see what happens next.

COREN: Employment is strong. I mean, that suggests that the economy is in good shape. But I guess not everybody is feeling that. And then you mentioned President Biden.

I mean, this is a big problem him selling his economic performance, the strength of the economy because inflation is hurting poor people the most.

PATEL: Yes, you've got the economic fundamentals.

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You see the numbers and you look at the back end. Then when you see where prices have increased in what parts of the country, what types of demographics it turns to be, when you see these numbers, then you see your bank account.

I think the word they had been using is vibes. You don't feel that you're getting the economic benefit out of what the market is doing.

And I think for President Biden it is a uphill battle for him to face these type of vibes or feelings that people are feeling, because they're not spending as much even, though consumer spending overall has been there.

But that doesn't mean with all the different groups that are there. And even certain companies, they are sitting on the sideline and holding cash instead of investing it furthermore, because they don't -- they're still not sure where the market is.

And things are expensive because of interest rates being high. So people are not taking loans out. They are, waiting and waiting to see when that occurs. And so it does cause this buildup where you see shelter prices, rent increase and wages don't always keep up with that.

And so it is interesting the dilemma that the president, President Biden, the White House needs to be talking about the rhetoric. It has been interesting and it hasn't been really working when it comes to some of these exit polls and surveys.

COREN: Then I guess the biggest question in the markets is, when will the Fed cut rates?

And I guess that's not going to happen while employment remains strong.

PATEL: I'm with you. Now, the market, the market wants, as of today, the market thought over 60 percent of the trend or the guesses were that they -- the future market was saying that they were going to see a rate cut in September.

Well, we'll find out next week when the Fed meets, when -- what the rhetoric looks like.

But I can tell you this, I'd hard pressed to think that they're going to make a cut in September, right before election. And if they did, it's 25 basis point and it doesn't mean very much. And that would mean that they would start cutting it down.

And as of today, I don't see them doing that based on the data that we have. Things can change until September. But it seems like maybe we'll get a rate cut by the end of the year. And then going into next year, have a better plan.

But to me it doesn't look good for September, even though the market, future markets are saying it's still over 50 percent chance that occur. But I think it's still coming down that percentage when we get closer.

COREN: My money is on Ryan Patel, any day of the week. Ryan Patel, always a pleasure. Lovely to speak to you.

PATEL: Appreciate you. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, the judge who oversaw the Trump hush money trial is dealing with a social media post that claimed to know the verdict before it was even delivered.

A poster who claims to be a cousin of a juror said Trump would be convicted in a message on the court's Facebook page last month. The judge has briefed both the prosecution and Trump's defense team on the comment.

It's not clear if there is any validity to the post. Meanwhile, Judge Juan Merchan says, Trump's attorney can join the former president at his pre-sentence investigation interview. The interview will form part of the report the judge will receive ahead of Trump's sentencing next month.

Prosecutors in Hunter Biden's federal gun trial, rested their case on Friday and lawyers for the U.S. president's son say they'll decide over the weekend whether he'll testify in his own defense. On Friday, his legal team called Hunter's daughter, Naomi, to the

stand. She said she was proud to see her father in rehab in the summer of 2018 but she appeared uncomfortable when confronted with text messages that appeared to show he was somewhat erratic in October 2018.

That's the same month prosecutors claim Hunter bought and owned a firearm while addicted to drugs. Hunder Biden is accused of having a gun while abusing drugs and lying on a form about his use of the contraband.

Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is pleading not guilty to charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. He's one of 18 Trump allies charged in connection with the fake electors case in the state. CNN's Nick Watt has more.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, could you state your name, please?

MARK MEADOWS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Mark Randall Meadows.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A virtual appearance in an Arizona court this morning facing nine felony counts of conspiracy, forgery and fraudulent schemes because prosecutors say Meadows schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency.

How did he go from this chief of staff to the most powerful man on earth to this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you fail to appear for court without good cause, a warrant could issue for your arrest.

WATT (voice-over): He's indicted, along with other Trump acolytes, including Rudy Giuliani, lawyers John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Christina Bobb, as well as advisers Boris Epshteyn and Michael Roman.

Also, Arizona's 11 so-called fake electors. State lawmakers and Republican operatives who gathered in Phoenix December 14th, 2020, pledging ...

[05:40:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For President Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida.

WATT (voice-over): But Joe Biden had won the state, thus winning their state's 11 electoral votes. They also sent the fake pro-Trump electoral certificates to Washington.

Those fake electors hoped, prosecutors say, to encourage Vice President Mike Pence not to certify Biden's victory on January 6th 2021.

According to the indictment, Meadows worked with members of the Trump campaign to coordinate and implement the false Republican electors votes in Arizona and six other states and was involved in the many efforts to keep Unindicted Coconspirator 1 in power despite his defeat at the polls.

Unindicted Coconspirator 1 is, of course, Donald Trump and that broad fake elector scheme plays a significant part in the federal indictment filed against him over the January 6th capital insurrection.

The Arizona election was tight. Biden won by just about 10,000 votes. Trump's supporters filed numerous lawsuits that all came to naught and later mounted an exhaustive audit of the Maricopa County vote that found no significant fraud.

Then in 2023, a Democratic state attorney general took office in Arizona.

KRIS MAYES, ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL: I will not allow American democracy to be undermined. It's too important.

WATT (voice-over): Kris Mayes succeeded a Republican who investigated the unfounded allegations that fraud had benefited Biden but not the fake electors. The Mayes office investigation led to a grand jury indicting Meadows et al in April. And today, confirmation that Meadows will fight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Counsel, do you have a reading?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Your Honor, we do and enter a plea of not guilty.

WATT: Rudy Giuliani also indicted in Arizona, he's been a little trickier to deal with for court officials who took nearly three weeks to find him in order to serve him a summons.

They eventually tracked him through his live streams and gave him that summons, served in that summons as he was coming out of his 80th birthday party in Palm Beach, Florida.

Giuliani also called into his first court appearance about an hour late and called the case a complete embarrassment to the American legal system.

The judge actually threatened to mute him. Now Giuliani has been given 30 days to actually appear in person in Arizona for processing and to post $10,000 bond. He's got about 12 days left before that deadline expires -- Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

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COREN: Record low birth rates in Japan. We'll show you what the Japanese government plans to do to encourage births, including launching its own dating app.

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COREN: Japan's fertility rate reached another record low last year. It's been declining for years, with 2023 recording double the number of deaths compared to births. That trend is already contributing to a shrinking population. And as CNN's Hanako Montgomery reports, it's prompting the government to take action.

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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Running toward her future, Tomomi Bitoh made the decision to freeze her eggs in an effort to

achieve her goals.

TOMOMI BITOH, JAPANESE MARATHON RUNNER (through translator): I have this big dream of becoming number one in the world and I want to achieve that

first. I don't think that's something I can do 10 or 20 years from now after having a child. It's now or never.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): The 33-year-old Japanese marathon runner is working hard to be number one in the world's toughest marathon. Bitoh is

one of a growing number of Japanese women choosing to freeze their eggs for future planning.

Japan's birth rate hit an all-time low in 2023, according to the country's health ministry data released this week.

In 2023, the average number of babies born fell for an eighth consecutive year and government officials warn Japan's youth population will rapidly

shrink in the coming years. If the trend continues, this could lead to a shrinking workforce, with not enough young people to fill the gaps.

FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If this trend continues, Japan's socio economy will contract and it will become difficult

to maintain our Social Security System and our local communities. The six or seven years we have from now until we enter the 2030s will be our last

chance.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Government officials have announced various programs to tackle this issue. Japan's parliament enacted a law to expand

monthly child care allowances and parental leave policies. The Tokyo government offers to subsidize women aged 18 to 39 up to 200,000 yen to

freeze their eggs for future pregnancies. City officials also plan to launch a dating app, encouraging singles who want to get married to find

each other.

Some contributing factors behind the low birth rates include the country's high cost of living, lack of childcare support and changing attitudes

toward marriage and family. The country's number of marriages has declined in the past couple of years and the rate of divorce has increased.

BITOH (through translator): It costs a lot of money to raise children and if there was more support for that, I think people would be more optimistic

when considering raising children.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Bitoh shared her experience with egg freezing on social media, hoping more women will have access to this option.

BITOH (through translator): It's reassuring to know that I have a choice and have the possibility to get pregnant when I want to.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.

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COREN: We'll be right back after this short break.

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COREN: Well, it hasn't been the easiest of starts to a career for basketball phenomenon Caitlin Clark but Friday night was the best of her brief time in the WNBA. Joining me now is "CNN SPORT's" correspondent Carolyn Manno with more on Clark's record night.

Hey, Carolyn.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, you know, her pro debut, as you noted, has been accompanied by this very divisive undercurrent. And she's dealing with life as a very rich and a very famous rookie. That juxtaposition hasn't garnered a particularly warm welcome from some of her colleagues on the floor.

So before Friday's game, she addressed a recent off-the-ball foul that went viral involving the Chicago Sky's Kennedy Carter. She said she doesn't expect an apology for the incident, which a lot of people thought was particularly malicious. And she understands that basketball is a competitive sport.

She backed that up on the floor Friday night, Clark hit 7-3, tying a rookie record set by Crystal Robinson back in 1999. Her 30 points tying a career high in the pros as the Indiana Fever beat the winless Washington Mystics, 85- 83. It's Clark's second 30.5 rebound five as this game as she continues to make her way in the initial stages of her pro career.

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CAITLIN CLARK, NBA GUARD: If I'll go to shoot the ball, well, like I feel like even my missus were like, right there, I thought multiple were still going in. And it's nice to have a night like that.

And obviously, overall, we shot the ball well, 16 made threes but I still feel like there's so many ways that I can continue to be better. And that probably goes for our whole team. We still feel like there's so many ways for us to improve and execute, especially down the stretch and not make it as close.

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MANNO: Elsewhere, German tennis star Alexander Zverev has been playing at the French Open with a cloud over him, accused in his home country of abusing his former partner in a Friday, the two agreed to settle the case with no admission of guilt by Zverev.

On the court he was able to focus and finally get over the hump at Roland-Garros after three straight exits in the semifinals. Zverev topped reigning two-time runner-up Casper Ruud in four sets to reach a grand slam final for just the second time in his career.

On the other side of the net on Sunday will be Carlos Alcaraz, Carlito and Jannik Sinner putting on an epic performance for the crowds in Paris.

[05:55:00]

This has been projected to be the next great men's tennis rivalry. Some may say it's already there. The 21-year-old Spaniard has two major titles. The 22-year-old Italian just won his first this year at the Australian Open.

This time, Alcaraz coming out on the top, rallying from being down 1-0 to 2-1 to win a marathon four-hour five-set match. Alcaraz reaching his first French final in the year that his hero, 14 time champion Rafa Nadal might have played in his last.

Meanwhile, in about three hours' time, Iga Swiatek will try to make it a three-peat in Paris. The world number one taking on 28 -year old Italian Jasmine Paolini. Listen to this.

Before the year Paolini had never even made it out of the second round of a grand slam. And now she has a chance at one of the biggest upsets in recent memory against the undisputed best player in the world.

And lastly, for you, this morning, the puck dropping on the Stanley Cup final stateside here between the Oilers and the Panthers tonight and I can think of no better way to celebrate, Anna, than with these adorable pups.

The NHL putting on the first-ever Stanley Pup game, 16 adorable dogs all up for adoption and every one of them was named after a player. So there's Connor McDoodle, Sergei Bobruffsky, in honor of two of the stars in the Edmonton Florida series.

The MVP or the most valuable pup, as it were, award the went to Nikita Poocherov. I think I got all those right. But just adorable event.

Who doesn't love it?

COREN: Exactly. I think you'd want to take them all home absolutely. Carolyn, lovely to see you. Thank you for that.

Well, that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you so much for your company.

I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. "CNN THIS MORNING" is coming up next. Stay with CNN.