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Judge Declares Mistrial in Murder Trial of Karen Read; Activists Call for Protests in Nairobi's Business District; Families of Boeing Crash Victims Angered by DOJ Plea Deal; Ukrainian Athletes Compete for Spot on Olympic Team. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 02, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us here are some of today's top stories.

Jamaica's government has activated its disaster response ahead of Hurricane Beryl's arrival. Category 5 storm is gaining strength as it moves across the Caribbean. It's expected to hit Jamaica on Wednesday with life threatening winds storm surges and flash flooding. At least one person died after the storm struck the Wynwood Islands on Monday.

Democrats are mostly sticking by U.S. President Joe Biden in public amid the fallout from last week's debate. But there are talks behind closed doors that things could change.

One Democratic lawmaker told CNN that his colleagues would feel compelled to speak out if polling and research show that Mr. Biden's performance could cost them their House seats in November.

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to give President -- President's absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts is drawing severe condemnation. President Joe Biden slammed the ruling and warned Donald Trump would have nearly unchecked power if he wins a second term.

Donald Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon is now in a federal prison in Connecticut. Bannon reported to the facility on Monday to serve a four month sentence for defying a congressional subpoena. It was issued by the now defunct House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

Speaking to his supporters, Bannon said he quote is proud to go to prison and portrayed himself as a martyr.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE STRATEGIST: It's Nancy Pelosi and Merrick Garland that made me a martyr. Right. But martyrs die and I'm far from dead, baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The conservative podcaster is a staunch Trump ally and a vocal supporter of his presidential reelection bid. He is the second former Trump aide to be imprisoned for contempt of Congress.

A judge has declared a mistrial in the murder trial of Karen Read. The Massachusetts woman was accused of drunkenly driving into her police officer boyfriend and leaving him to die in 2022. Meanwhile, the state trooper who helped lead the investigation has been relieved of his duty. CNN's Jean Casarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is really a whodunit. Did Karen Read murder her Boston police officer boyfriend or did his own friends who are off duty police officers murder him in a private home in January of 2022? Well, the prosecution is saying that they are going to retry this case.

The defense is saying we will never stop. We will never quit fighting.

Now, the jury had sent out several notes saying that they were at an impasse, that they could not be unanimous.

[04:35:09]

I want to take you into the courtroom right here for you to listen to that judge. Read the final note from the jury and her decision after that.

BEVERLY CANNONE, NORFOLK COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE: The deep division is not due to a lack of effort or diligence, but rather a sincere adherence to our individual principles and moral convictions. To continue to deliberate would be futile and only serve to force us to compromise these deeply held beliefs. I'm not going to do that to you folks. Your service is complete. I'm declaring a mistrial in this case.

CASAREZ: Now, what you've been listening to right there, the supporters of Karen Read, they have been here every day of this trial. They wear pink. They are in unison. They have T shirts with her picture on them. Every time she comes out and enters the courthouse, they cheer. They are united, believing that this was a cover up because the defense is saying from the bottom up, it was covered up by law enforcement, by people in the home that night.

But that will be up to a new jury because the prosecution is saying not only will they retry it, but the judge has scheduled a status hearing for July 22nd right here at this courthouse in Massachusetts.

Jean Casarez, CNN Dedham, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Kenyan activists are calling for crowds to fill the streets of Nairobi today to protest against the government's corruption and demand President William Ruto step down. It comes with calls for police and government accountability for the deaths of protesters last week. Youth led demonstrations erupted over a controversial finance bill that Kenya's president ultimately threw out. CNN's Victoria Rubadiri covering all of this life for us from Nairobi. So they had a great amount of success, didn't they? This, this, you know, widespread youth group with, you know, convincing President Ruto not to go ahead with increased taxes.

Now they actually want Ruto to go as well. Who do they want to replace him?

VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN REPORTER: Well, they're not quite clear on the who, but they're very clear on the what. They want a more responsive government, one that actually listens to their needs. They also want a government that keeps its promises.

There's a huge trust deficit with this current regime, and that's what the young people are saying. If you can at least keep to the manifesto campaign promises that you made, and even some of the programs that you promised you would implement as a government that haven't yet.

That is what they're coming to the streets to protest that corruption that you talked about, Max, as well as the excesses when it comes to government spending, cut the fat in government so we could see that money put into more meaningful projects and development in the country.

FOSTER: In terms of, you know, what we're likely to see today, protests obviously planned. How's the government, how are the security forces going to respond to them? Because we saw a lot of violence last time.

RUBADIRI: We did, and the hope is that restraint would be exercised at this point. Last week, the High Court barred police from using tear gas, live ammunition, and water cannons against the protesters. However, we've seen some activity picking up here in the Central Business District.

Some tear gas has been lobbed to disperse some protesters that are trying to make their way into the Central Business District. The president also committed to not having military presence on the street. He did say if things do escalate, that would be a last resort.

So we'll be monitoring to see if they keep to the court order. However, with tear gas, they have not. Whether they will escalate their response, again, it's what we'll be monitoring in the course of the day -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Victoria Rubadiri in Nairobi, appreciate that, thank you.

An Air Europa flight makes an emergency landing in Brazil after strong turbulence. The passenger describes the terrifying experience when we come back.

And Boeing is said to be close to a plea deal over its role in two plane crashes that killed hundreds of people. What the victims' families have to say, just ahead.

[04:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Thirty passengers are recovering after injuries on their flight from Spain to Uruguay hit strong turbulence. A video from the cabin shows the damage to the Air Europa plane's interior. The flight made an emergency landing in Brazil after what passengers describe as a terrifying experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAXIMILIANO, PASSENGER (through translator): From one moment to the next, the plane destabilized and went into a dive. The people who didn't have seatbelts went up in the air and were hit the ceiling, and they got hurt. Those who had seatbelts on, not so much.

Then we landed here as an emergency. They helped us on the runway. We were on the plane for three or four hours without being able to move.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, according to FlightAware, the aircraft is a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The news comes amid a string of bad publicity for Boeing, which has recently faced a series of whistleblowers alleging safety issues at the company. There's no evidence Monday's incident had anything to do with the safety malfunction.

Boeing is though nearing an agreement with the Justice Department to potentially avoid a criminal trial. The case is tied to fatal crashes involving a 737 MAX, which killed 346 people. Under a proposed agreement, Boeing would plead guilty to criminal charges and reportedly pay a fine of around $240 million.

The company would have to agree to safety improvements and government oversight as well, but the deal will reportedly not force Boeing to admit to production problems led to the crashes.

Victims' families call the offer a, quote, sweetheart deal, and they say a trial is the only way to hold Boeing accountable. Boeing has declined to comment. The Justice Department hasn't responded to CNN's request for comment.

Now, Zipporah Kuria lost her father, Joseph, in a crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019. She was briefed with other victims' families by the DOJ on Sunday about the proposed deal.

She told CNN's Julia Chatterley on Monday why she thinks justice seems so hard to get.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZIPPORAH KURIA, DAUGHTER OF BOEING 737 CRASH VICTIM: It feels like just something that's completely utterly inhumane. 346 people died and they lost their life. The fact that we're even talking about a fraud charge and not manslaughter or negligent wrongful death.

I lost my dad. He was cut into a thousand pieces in a field in Ethiopia, far away from us, far away from our loved ones. I know parents who lost their children, they'll never see them walk, they'll never see them graduate, go to college, they'll never walk their children down the aisle.

And we're talking and discussing a fraudulent charge. It doesn't make sense to me. There is no conceivable place or reasoning behind this.

[04:45:04]

I think as an international kind of citizen, my only understanding could be maybe it's the fact that, you know, Bowen bankrolls, you know, America. I don't know what it is. Maybe because it's such a big contributor to the economy, they're less likely to charge them.

Because it's ridiculous. Had this been somebody who walked down the street and shot my dad in the head, there would have been charges. This would be murder. But unfortunately, it seems as though, for some reason, the Department of Justice is bent on, you know, prioritizing corporate interests over public safety.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR: I understand.

KURIA: Yes.

CHATTERLEY: We're showing pictures of him now. He was just 55 years old, I believe. And of course, this was now five years ago. And it's -- for some respects, it feels like the time has flown, but I'm sure for you, you're living his loss every minute of every day. And I think that loss, everybody would agree, was utterly needless. The question is, can it mean something? I think.

And at this moment, I feel like that's what you're fighting for. How do you stop that in some way feeling meaningless as well as needless?

The question is, can it mean something, I think? And at this moment, I feel like that's what you're fighting for. How do you stop that in some way feeling meaningless, as well as needless?

KURIA: I think that we, as the families, have done our best to make sure that the death of our loved ones don't feel meaningless or needless in trying to fight. But at every junction, we deal with the Department of Justice after lots of false reassurances that they're going to pursue what is a semblance of justice for us. We're then told and their death is completely invalidated again and again.

This plea deal does not acknowledge us as victim. It does not factor us in. There isn't even room for restitution in this. This is something they expect the families to continue fighting for, but they're supposed to be fighting for us. I think the only way this could be not seen as meaningless is if this doesn't happen again. But when we fail to learn from history, when we fail to hold companies like Boeing accountable, these behaviors continue, you know, costing lives.

And to be honest, I don't know if there's a way that we can make this not feel meaningless if this is how it's going to -- you know, the journey continues on with the Department of Justice, because it's to say 346 people have died, and we're just going to look the other way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: A lawyer for the victims says the families will most likely ask the judge to reject the appeal.

The Paris Olympics just a few weeks away. Ukrainian athletes are trying to secure spots on the team. An exclusive report from one of their biggest supporters just ahead.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The president of World Athletics has invited Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be his special guest at the Paris Olympics. And he's pledging to continue his support for Ukrainian athletes. CNN's Amanda Davies has our exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT (voice-over): The start of Olympics month, as you'd expect a competition scene of athletes with their eyes on the prize.

But this is Ukraine and national championships started with a moment of silence for lives lost.

As the two-time gold medal winner World Athletics president Sebastian Coe knows how hard the road to Olympic glory can be. And he's fulfilling a promise to the Ukrainian athletes, traveling to visit them at home. We were invited to join him for the journey.

DAVIES: What is the message you want to send for this trip?

SEBASTIAN COE, PRESIDENT, WORLD ATHLETICS: That we stand behind them.

DAVIES (voice-over): World Athletics are the only Olympic sports federation to have banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes from elite competition since the start of the full-scale invasion.

COE: Hello, Mr. President.

DAVIES (voice-over): First stop a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to reiterate their commitment.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Thank you for coming again and to thank you for supporting our sportsmen and Ukrainians.

DAVIES (voice-over): There had been talk of a boycott of the games by Ukraine after the International Olympic committee refused to take a tougher stance on athletes from Russia and Belarus leaving the door open for individuals to qualify as neutrals, providing they fulfill certain criteria.

COE: I did use the opportunity to make him absolutely understand that if he does make it to Paris, then he has an open invitation to watch, the number one Olympic sport.

DAVIES: This gymnasium here in Kyiv was hit by a missile in March. Incredibly, nobody was killed and it's one of 518 sporting facilities that have been damaged or destroyed over the last few years, 15 of which have been Olympic facilities.

DAVIES (voice-over): It's meant many of the country's top athletes have been forced to train abroad, sporting refugees traveling from training camp to training camp, event to event in their quest to keep their Olympic dreams on track.

No member of this team has been spared the impact of the war. 400- meter hurdler Viktoriya Tkachuk with so much more on her mind than the finish line with her brother Ivan fighting for his country on the frontline of the war against Russia.

VIKTORIYA TKACHUK, UKRAINIAN ATHLETE: I was sitting in my train already and I saw him through the window and I realized that I really don't know if I will see him again. And that would hurt.

[04:55:00]

I'm sorry.

DAVIES: I know.

DAVIES (voice-over): The most vivid of reminders of the state of play, just a stone's throw from the Lviv athletic stadium. A burial ground for soldiers killed in the conflict. Among them, several of the at least 479 athletes who've died, a number that gives a very different meaning to the phrase fighting for your country that's so often used in the sporting context. And faces and lives lost that provide all the motivation any Ukrainian athlete will need in Paris.

Amanda Davies, CNN, Lviv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Stories on the Spotlight this hour. A video gaming Italian teenager will become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint. Carlo Acutis was so renowned for using his computer skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith he earned the nickname God's Influencer. He died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of just 15.

The Pope approved his canonization on Monday. Being recognized as a saint usually takes decades but this case moved swiftly with the team developing a devoted following across the world.

A set of 19th century drawings by a young Queen Victoria will be up for auction in London next week. Three ink sketches from when the British Queen was just 14 years old and still a princess depict different figures on horseback. A fourth sketch made a year after she became Queen shows a seated woman with a crown and sash.

The album of the sketches, another royal memorabilia, expected to sell for up to 25,000 pounds or $3,100 -- 2,500 pounds, I should say. Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London.

CNN "THIS MORNING" up next after a quick break.

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