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Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire Talks Resume; Interview With Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD); Arrest Made In Connection To Matthew Perry Death; Trump Seeks Sentencing Delay In Hush Money Case. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired August 15, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:30]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer. This is a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM.

We're following major breaking news. We're also reporting live from here in Tel Aviv. Cease-fire talks for the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza are clearly under way right now. They're happening about, what, 1,400 miles or so southeast of where I am here in Tel Aviv. Those talks are happening in Doha, Qatar.

We will have the very latest on these critically important developments in just a few moments.

But, first, there's other breaking news we're following right now as well back in the United States. Former President Donald Trump now wants to delay his sentencing in the hush money case in New York until after the presidential election in November.

CNN's chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid, is joining us right now.

Paula, update our viewers. What's going on?

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So, Wolf, as you know, former President Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in Manhattan on September 18.

But in a letter obtained by CNN from his lawyers to the court, they're asking to delay that sentencing. In this letter, they tie the sentencing to the 2024 presidential race, and they argue that, in order to protect the integrity of this case and the election itself, that the sentencing needs to be pushed back.

They make many different arguments, but the most significant thing going on here is the fact that they are continuing to litigate this conviction in the wake of the Supreme Court's historic decision granting former President Trump some immunity in the January 6 federal case.

They are using that Supreme Court case also in this one. They are arguing that, under that Supreme Court ruling, that key pieces of evidence that were introduced at trial during his Manhattan trial a couple months ago, that those now need to be thrown out, because not only did the Supreme Court rule that a former president cannot be charged for official acts, but they also said you cannot use official acts as evidence to support charges related to things that you did outside of office.

So, when you look at the hush money case, they're specifically talking about conversations that he had with his then aide Hope Hicks while he was in the White House, as well as tweets that he sent out. They are arguing that, at a minimum, those should be tossed out and there should be potentially a retrial in this case.

Now, most experts, Wolf, they do not believe that this case is going to be tossed out based on the Supreme Court's ruling, but this is still in the preliminary stages of being litigated. And the judge overseeing this case, he said that he will rule on this question about two days before the sentencing.

And lawyers here for the former president, they're concerned that does not give them enough time to properly exercise the appeal rights that the former president has before his sentencing that would be two days later.

They also point out the fact that this sentencing is scheduled the same day that early voting starts in certain states. So, right now, they're asking for this sentencing to be pushed back until after the November race -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Paula Reid reporting for us.

Paula, thank you very much. We will see what happens.

And we're following another breaking story back in the U.S. right now as well. Police have made at least one arrest in connection to the death of Matthew Perry, this coming in from the Associated Press right now citing a law enforcement source. Perry's assistant found the actor face down in his hot tub back on October 28 of last year.

CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez is joining us right now.

Omar, what have you learned?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, for starters, police, it seems, will hold a news conference later this morning, at least according to the Associated Press.

But, as you mentioned, the big news here is at least one person arrested in connection with Matthew Perry's death, as a law enforcement official tells the AP. And this goes back to October, when -- October 2023, when the actor was found in his Pacific Palisades homes drowned.

And the autopsy reports showed that he died due to acute effects of ketamine and subsequent drowning as well. Now, at the time, it's our understanding that he was receiving treatment, ketamine treatment, for depression and anxiety. Ketamine infusion therapy is the official way to describe it.

But his last known treatment was a week-and-a-half prior to his death, according to the autopsy. So that would have been well beyond the time it would have still been in his treat -- in his system from the treatment, which raises the question, OK, where did this come from?

Well, back in May, the LAPD hinted or at least said that they were pursuing a criminal investigation looking into the source of the ketamine that led to the death of Matthew Perry. We know the DEA was involved as well, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service also involved in the joint investigation, though the scope of that we're still not sure of at this point.

[11:05:21]

But, of course, now you come here months later, where we learn at least one person is arrested. And we have seen cases like this before, where authorities go after the dealer or the supplier potentially of a particular drug if it ends up leading to an overdose or a death like that.

We don't know that that's the case here, but a recent case, the case of musician Mac Miller, in that one, authorities did charge the supplier of the drug that eventually led to the overdose with a federal charge, to which that person pleaded guilty.

So that will be what we will be looking for when authorities, again, as we expect them to, have a news conference later on this morning to, one, get details of how they arrived at this reported arrest, but also the scope of what they found here and whether it just involves one person or potentially more as well, Wolf.

BLITZER: Omar, good reporting. Stand by. I'm going to get back to you.

I want to bring in criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson. He's joining us on the phone right now.

Joey, what's your reaction to this arrest?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, Wolf, this is what accountability looks like. There's a place for law enforcement when it comes to the issue of causation, causation of a death.

Where did these drugs come from? And who, if anyone else, was involved in supplying it? Was it a doctor? And, certainly, I know that there was -- pursuant to Omar's very good reporting, he was undergoing therapy, that, is Matthew Perry. That's fine. But was there some other supply that he was being afforded that he should not have been that was not prescribed?

Was it a friend? Was it an associate? Who was supplying the source of what ultimately led to his death? And so, law enforcement, what they do and what we have seen is that they execute search warrants. They get their hands on devices, computers, phones and other things.

And that leads to critical information. That leads to a trail of where this ultimately came from. And so my reaction is that there's always a place for law enforcement to do this. Ultimately, they will determine who, if anyone, or any number of other persons, people, were involved in getting them in this drug.

Was it -- were they doing it legally? What particularly happened? Apparently not, because of this arrest. And I also want to know and everyone wants to know who else was involved. And so, I think that we're going to learn a lot more from the press conference. And so there will be things the police and prosecutors will reveal.

There will be things they will not reveal. But we certainly will get to, and they will get to the heart of how he was supplied this ketamine and ultimately, unfortunately, how it led to his tragic passing.

BLITZER: Very, very tragic, indeed.

Omar, I want to get back to you. You reported that there will be a scheduled news conference coming up later today in Los Angeles. What are the biggest questions you have?

JIMENEZ: Well, even in just the moments that you were talking to Joey Jackson, we have been getting some more updates, including that it's multiple arrests have been made in connection with Perry's death, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the situation.

Charges, we expect, will be announced at a 10:00 a.m. local time presser, and we do expect them to be federal charges here at this point. And that's crucial, because we mentioned that the DEA and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were involved in the investigative aspects of this.

We don't know to which -- to what degree, but, again, it does sound like we're -- we will be finding out some more details a little bit later in this morning when this press conference happens. And, as we understand from the sources, that is the moment when these details will come out.

We also talked about sort of the length of this investigation. So, to give people a timeline, he was found dead in October of 2023. Obviously, the autopsy work began shortly after. We learned a few months after that the exact nature of the acute levels of ketamine that contributed to the subsequent drowning.

Then, in May, the police department, the L.A. Police Department, announced that they were looking into any potential criminal aspects of this, but that they weren't there at this point. And then here we are in August learning that multiple arrests have been made, according to sources.

The exact relationship of these arrests to Matthew Perry or to the drugs that were supplied, we don't know those details just yet, but it is a significant update. And it will be interesting to see how significantly and closely they were potentially involved, these people, when we learn a little bit more later this morning. BLITZER: And, Omar, I just want to be precise that I heard you

correctly. We anticipate that federal charges will be filed, not state or local charges; is that right?

[11:10:07]

JIMENEZ: At least federal charges, is what we are hearing.

The LAPD could bring forward other charges. The local DA prosecutor could bring forward other state charges. We just don't know that at this point, but we do expect federal charges, based on what our sources are telling us right now at this point.

BLITZER: All right, so let me bring back Joey.

So, what does that say to you? You're a criminal defense attorney. They anticipate now federal charges will be filed. What does that say to you?

JACKSON: It says that there is some kind of transport between state lines.

Remember, when you are looking at federal charges, you are looking at issues with respect to the distribution of the drugs. You are looking at trafficking issues, which could relate to sale or something else. And so remember also that there is a place for both federal and state. It does not have to be one nor the other.

And so there could be certainly at the outset federal charges. And I would suspect that they would be in those lines, distribution and trafficking. And, thereafter, there is a place certainly, if the state wished to, for it also to have what we call concurrent jurisdiction, meaning they also could proceed with state charges if that is appropriate.

We saw state charges as it related to Conrad Murray back in the day of Michael Jackson and his death in 2009, 14 years ago. That was for involuntary manslaughter in which his doctor, his cardiologist, was ultimately convicted. You do not want to get too far field, go down too many rabbit holes.

But what I am saying is, is that there is accountability for all concerned. We will learn, were there doctors, multiple doctors, or none? Were there friends? Were there associates? What specifically did their investigation lead to that would show that there would be criminality in terms of this distribution of drugs, it getting into his hands and ultimately leading to his overdose and his death?

BLITZER: All right, Joey Jackson, thank you very much. Omar Jimenez, thanks to you as well. We will, of course, continue to stay on top of this story throughout the day.

Still ahead this hour: For the first time since President Biden dropped out of the race, he will appear alongside the woman he hopes will replace him in the White House. We have new reporting about the role President Biden might play ahead of next week's Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

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[11:17:02]

BLITZER: Happening today, President Biden sharing the stage with Vice President Kamala Harris for the first time since he bowed out of the 2024 race.

They will be in Maryland this afternoon to talk about the U.S. economy. Sources tell CNN that it will be a preview of how the Harris campaign plans to navigate President Biden's economic record going forward.

But the main focus of today's Maryland event will be lowering drug prices and the billions of dollars that could be saved on popular prescription drugs.

Joining us now is Larry Hogan. He's the Republican former governor of Maryland and is now running for the U.S. Senate from Maryland.

Governor, thank you so much for joining us.

The president and vice president, as you know, will be in your state of Maryland later today. It's the first joint appearance since Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee. Why do you think they picked your state, Maryland, for this very important event?

FMR. GOV. LARRY HOGAN (R-MD), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Well, it's just very convenient, I think, to come across the line from Washington. We're going to welcome them into the state, and I'm glad that they're going to be focused on affordability.

This is -- we actually had an event in Baltimore yesterday talking about prescription drug affordability, and having no idea that that's what they were talking about today.

But affordability -- right now, I mean, focusing on making things more affordable, both prescription drugs, the cost of food, the cost of energy, the cost of groceries, the cost of housing, these are things that I think -- I think it's important for both campaigns to focus on.

It's what I have been focused on for a long time. We have put out a five-point affordability plan a couple of months ago. We put out a drug affordability press conference yesterday. And while I was governor, we cut taxes eight years in a row to make life more affordable. We tripled the amount of affordable housing.

And we cut cost of health insurance by 30 percent per year. So I'm glad that they're focused on it. I don't know the details of what they're going to talk about, but they have got some explaining to do about the record and why we're now finally talking about these things 82 days from the election.

BLITZER: Because when I first heard, Governor, that they were doing this important event in Maryland, it immediately jumped out at me -- and I don't know if it did it you -- do you think that the Harris campaign is at all worried about how Maryland could wind up in the Electoral College in November?

It's always been pretty much, as you know a lot better than I do, a pretty Democratic state.

HOGAN: Well, no, we're arguably the bluest state in America. And I don't think that they're worried about that.

I mean, Joe Biden won Maryland by 33 points in the last election. So I don't think it's about being concerned about the state. I think it was just the availability of finding a place close by and getting out of Washington without having to travel very far.

But I'm glad that they're talking about these issues. I'm anxious to hear what they have to say. And, look, whoever's elected in November, I look forward to working with them or working across the aisle that these are very important issues.

[11:20:00]

As I'm out on the campaign trail, it's all I hear about is, the cost of everything is too much, inflation is out of control, and people can't afford to pay their bills. So I think focusing on the issues is really important, and both campaigns ought to be doing that.

BLITZER: And you're right. It's an easy drive from Washington, D.C., across into Maryland, Prince George's County, where this event is going to be taking place.

And on that last issue, that last point you were making, I want to turn to Donald Trump. His allies, as you know, many of them, have been practically begging him to avoid all the personal attacks that he's been leveling against Kamala Harris, for example, and to stay on message.

But here's what he said about Kamala Harris only yesterday, Governor. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: For nearly four years, Kamala has crackled (sic) as the American economy has burned.

What happened to her laugh? I haven't heard that laugh in about a week. That's why they keep her off the stage. That's why she's disappeared. That's the laugh of a crazy person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, Governor, what's your response to that?

HOGAN: Well, look, I'm not sure Donald Trump takes a lot of advice from me, but I have said over and over again that he ought to avoid the kind of personal attacks and focus on the issues. And on the issues, I think that they can make some pretty strong

arguments, that when he says that were people better off financially than they are now, I think the answer is going to be yes. And he does a much better job if he's focused on the issues that people care about, instead of the personal attacks.

And I said last week here on CNN that, when he was attacking Kamala Harris about her race, it was just way off-base and something that we shouldn't be hearing about. And I think it's hurting his own campaign. He's being his own worst enemy.

BLITZER: You're a Republican, and a pretty popular Republican in a very deep blue state, as you correctly point out, Maryland.

But you have been one of the Republicans' most vocal critics of Donald Trump in recent months. Will you be voting for Kamala Harris?

HOGAN: No, I said early on that I didn't really think that these are the two best candidates in America to be putting up. I don't -- I -- a lot that I disagree with both of them.

I think I'm like a lot of people in America, what I call the frustrated majority that doesn't believe that either of these two people are the best ones to lead the country. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do, but I'm probably going to make some kind of a symbolic vote that's not going to matter much in my state, where the Democratic candidate should win by 30 points.

BLITZER: We will see what happens.

Governor, thanks, as usual, for joining us. Appreciate it very much.

HOGAN: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, we're going to bring you back here to the Middle East when we come back. There are very important, dramatic developments unfolding. Top officials are trying to find an end to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

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[11:27:30]

BLITZER: Welcome back to this special edition of the CNN NEWSROOM. We're live here in Tel Aviv.

Let's turn now to the cease-fire talks involving the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Those talks are happening right now about 1,400 miles or so southeast of where I am in Tel Aviv in Doha, Qatar.

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar, they are mediating, but Hamas is not directly involved in these negotiations right now. The group says it is willing to meet with mediators afterwards. This morning, Gaza's Health Ministry reported that 40,000 Palestinians have died over the past 10 months during the course of this war. And here in Tel Aviv, the families of Israeli hostages still held in

Gaza are about to march through the streets of Tel Aviv once again. They have been doing that regularly. This is some new video of demonstrators outside of Prime Minister Netanyahu's party headquarters. And they're demanding the Israeli government do what it takes to secure the freedom of their loved ones being held hostage in Gaza.

We're covering all the angles of this unfolding story. Very dramatic developments potentially could happen today.

CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, is here with me in Tel Aviv. And our correspondent Jomana Karadsheh is live in Doha, Qatar, covering these talks.

Nic, let's begin with you. What's the level, if any, level of optimism? Because there's been so much disappointment in the past. Is there any optimism at all that the talks that are about to take place in Doha, Qatar, will result in a cease-fire that will end the war, for all practical purposes, allow the hostages to come back to Israel, and allow, of course, a lot more aid to get in to help the people of Gaza?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think there's more optimism today than there was a couple of days ago, because the talks are happening. We know that the team that's gone from Israel has an expanded mandate, that they -- the belief is that they can move the situation forward a little.

John Kirby, the White House has said today that it's got off to a promising start. But he's also said don't expect results quickly. And this is quite normal in -- for these negotiations. Typically, the mediators will meet with the Israeli delegation, and then they will have later on a separate meeting with Hamas.

That's still the formula that looks like it's going to take place today. That's certainly what John Kirby said. He was expecting it to look similar. But here's the thing. Then the message has to go from the Hamas team in Qatar back to their leaders in Gaza, who are in tunnels.

And that process of communication can take days. And, frankly, it's taken even longer at a time to get feedback from them, so no immediate results expected quickly there.