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First Humanitarian Trucks Enter Gaza As Israel-Hamas War Rages; Hamas Frees American Mother And Daughter Held Hostage In Gaza; More Anti-Israel Protests In Middle East As Anger Rises; Jim Jordan Bows Out Of Speakership Race; House Republicans To Hold Candidate For Speaker Forum Monday; Pro-Trump Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro Flips, Pleads Guilty. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired October 21, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

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[06:00:28]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, welcome to CNN This Morning. It is Saturday, October 21. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. We begin with breaking news and for the first time in weeks aid has made its way into Gaz. This morning the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and Gaza has opened but not for long. 28 trucks made it through the crossing before it was closed again. Before the trucks arrived, Hamas controlled media said the trucks were carrying medical supplies and canned food.

BLACKWELL: It has been now two weeks since Hamas launched its attack on Israel and now the IDF says it is preparing for the next stages of the war. IDF tanks are lined up near the border with Gaza where the prospect of a ground incursion is looming.

Now in Gaza, the Al-Quds Hospital says Israel has demanded the immediate evacuation of the building ahead of a possible strike. The World Health Organization says that would be impossible to carry out because the hospital currently houses around 12,000 displaced people. Plus, hundreds of patients.

Also, an American woman and her teenage daughter are free after their surprise released late last night. 17-year- old Natalie Raanan who just graduated high school and her mother Judith are from Illinois. They were visiting family at a kibbutz close to Gaza when they were taken hostage by Hamas. And a news conference the IDF spokesperson says the current priority is to return all of the hostages.

CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward is joining us now from Egypt. Clarissa, you were in the thick of it where people were waiting there on the Gaza side of the Rafah Border Crossing. It just opened momentarily this morning, walk us through what happened. And of course, I would imagine the logistics of getting this limited amount of aid to the people who desperately need it is going to be quite complicated. CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Amara. Just to clarify, we were on the Egyptian side of the Rafah Border Crossing yesterday that was when the hope was that those trucks would start to move, they didn't but about 10:00 this morning, local time those 20 trucks of aid did manage to go through. Basically, they go into this sort of no man's land, they unload the aid is loaded onto a Palestinian truck, which then goes inside Gaza.

I want to be very clear, though, before this war, before two weeks ago, approximately 455 trucks of aid would arrive in Gaza every single day. You've now had two weeks of no aid followed by one day of 20 trucks. This is a drop in the ocean. The World Food Program saying that this aid can maybe meet the needs of some 30,000 people and they need to meet the needs of 900,000 people.

So the U.N. is very emphatic about this. They are hoping that this is just the very first sign of things to come and that tomorrow or on Monday, U.N. drops because these trucks were Egyptian Red Crescent trucks, U.N. trucks from Monday will be able to start moving through that border in a sustained and continuous humanitarian corridor.

And one of the issues here or one of the several kinds of obstacles is the issue of fuel. The IDF has already said there was no fuel or petrol in these 20 trucks worth of aid. There are reservations on the Israeli side about allowing fuel in.

But from the humanitarian organization side, fuel is essential. Fuel is what's powering the generators that are keeping the hospitals functioning to the extent that they are even functioning. Without that fuel generators can't work. There's no electricity at present in Gaza. And so they're emphatic that fuel needs to be part of these aid deliveries as well as water, food and medicine.

So still, several other wrinkles to be ironed out as well. There have been some disagreements over the issue of verification. The Israelis want to have eyes on every single truck to be able to verify that there is no weaponry or anything like that in these trucks but trying to set up the mechanism to do that. Where does it happen? Who is the person to have eyes on it? What is the system in place? How can it be expedited? All of this takes time.

Time is what the people of Gaza do not have, but at least some relief some small, small piece of relief for people inside Gaza today with the arrival of those 20 trucks. Amara, Victor.

[06:05:10]

BLACKWELL: And those Israeli suspicions of potentially weapons in these trucks the need for their decision not to allow fuel in because it could reach Hamas. Is that explain why just 20 of the hundreds of trucks in queue there were allowed in I mean, what -- why just those 20?

WARD: So I think that basically the 20 was a number that Secretary of State Blinken and President Biden and various other actors who have been sort of furiously involved in this shuttle diplomacy to make this happen. 20 trucks was the sort of opening number, this sort of test or trial balloon, if you will.

Let's just get 20 trucks and let's see how it can be done. Let's see how it goes. And then let's try to broaden that and get more trucks in and ideally set up, you know, they had talked about setting up this so called humanitarian zone in the southern part of Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people could potentially take refuge.

The hat requires a huge amount of material and personnel to make that happen. So, I think the idea with the 20 was that it was just a starting point. But the U.N. when I was with them yesterday at Rafah Border Crossing, they really underscored it can't be a one off, not just because of the dire situation inside Gaza, which let's be clear, is at a critical, critical stage.

But also, just more generally speaking, the worry is if you have this drip, drip approach, whenever U.N. trucks then go in, or any aid trucks go in, you're going to have frenzied scenes, you're going to have mobs, you're going to have panics and crushes and chaos, because everyone is worried that the next truck could be the last. You need to set up an orderly and continuous humanitarian corridor in order to try to manage that and prevent that from happening.

WALKER: Right. And if this initial bash does not have fuel, that obviously would be just a very terrible sign for the hospitals that are running out of fuel to continue to generate power. Clarissa, let me ask you about the -- I think the estimate was 500 to 600 Palestinian Americans who are on the Gaza side of the Rafah Border Crossing waiting to get into Egypt and on their way back home. What do we know about the possibility of their exit?

WARD: So hundreds of Americans but also many other foreign nationals, as well have been sleeping out in areas that are close to that Rafah Border Crossing, they've been given assurances that they will be allowed to leave. But there still seems to be a holdup.

And I have to say, initially, the suspicion or the hope had been that once the aid is let in, they would also let the foreign nationals out. And yet we know from people on the scene that many of those foreign nationals were waiting there at 10:00 this morning, desperately hoping that they would be allowed out. And now it appears that there will be no evacuation of international citizens from Gaza into Egypt today.

It's not entirely Amara what the holdup is on this point. We have spoken to people who have been waiting there. You can imagine, as so many people inside Gaza are they are terrified. They are exhausted, they are hungry. They are desperate to get out. They're being given constant assurances that this will happen soon. But we don't yet have an exact timing on when that may be.

BLACKWEL: Clarissa Ward for us there with the latest from Cairo. Thank you so much.

Hamas is released to American hostages a mother and daughter nearly two weeks after they were abducted. Judith and Natalie Raanan were handed over at the Gaza border to the Israel Defense Force on Friday and currently at an Israeli military base to be reunited with their family.

WALKER: President Joe Biden spoke with Judith and Natalie and they vowed and he vowed the full support of the U.S. government as they recover. CNN's Kayla Tausche has latest now from the White House.

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KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Biden speaking by phone with the two hostages freed by Hamas, Judith and Natalie Raanan. He said that he was overjoyed at their release and told reporters that the call went well.

In his statement, he said he pledged the full support of the U.S. government and said our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days and I'm overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family who has been wracked with fear. These individuals in their family will have the full support of the United States government as they recover and heal and we should all respect their privacy in this moment.

[06:10:00]

It's a rare triumph for the administration after two weeks of violence and tensions in the Middle East. And while there is relief that these two hostages have been freed, there are still 10 American hostages who remain according to the administration, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the work to free them will continue.

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: We share in the relief that their families, friends and loved ones are feeling. But there are still 10 additional Americans who remain unaccounted for in this conflict. We know that some of them are being held hostage by Hamas, along with an estimated 200 other hostages held in Gaza. They include men, women, young boys, young girls, elderly people, from many nations. Every single one of them should be released.

TAUSCHE: Secretary Blinken thanked the Qatari government for its help in brokering this deal to free the hostages. In Qatar, several members of Hamas leadership are based there, which is why that country is a critical intermediary.

The administration has not been willing to share any more details about its involvement or its conversations to free the other hostages saying that that work continues. The President Biden says that he does support delaying Israel's ground invasion into Gaza to see if they can secure the other hostages release. Victor, Amara.

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WALKER: All right, Kayla Tausche, thank you. Joining me now is CNN military analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton and CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier, welcome to you first.

Colonel, let me first start with you regarding the humanitarian aid, just the 20 -- limited 20 trucks that just got in as we heard from Clarissa Ward from the Gaza side, from the Egyptian side into southern Gaza. First off, why just 20 trucks and do you expect a sustained humanitarian corridor to be opened? And of course, the logistics surrounding that is just going to be huge.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, it certainly will, Amara. Good morning to you. I think the reason for the 20 trucks is this was an initial foray that they wanted to make sure they could do this and that they had the logistical capability that the roads were open a in the sense that they were able to handle the volume of trucks, the weight of the trucks a some of that may be just to road construction issues, based on the strikes that the Israelis, you know, had done the airstrikes that they had done in that area.

So I think 20 trucks that very limited number, of course, but this is a test run and hopefully the test run a will follow -- be followed by a major movement of other trucks into the area.

WALKER: Kimberly, and Clarissa raised a really good point, right, in terms of the security and trying to prevent any chaos there as the humanitarian aid is being distributed. I mean, if it's just a drip, drip, and people don't know that more is coming, this could become a free for all. I mean, people can die.

I guess talk to us about, again, the logistics and also the insecurity concerns that have been expressed by Israel because they want to be able to check every single truck that's getting in to prevent any munitions or weapons from getting into the hands of Hamas.

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, they can't check every truck, they are not present at that border crossing points. So they're going to have to rely on Egypt to check the trucks coming in.

This is a border crossing point controlled by Hamas officials on one side and Egyptian on the other. But there was some Israeli airstrike damage nearby on the Gaza side. The Egyptians had sent repair crews through to repair that. So to double down on what Colonel Leighton was saying, yes, they probably had to make sure that those repairs were going to hold before they send a whole bunch of trucks through.

But the other thing that's happening is I don't think that Egypt and the other Arab countries want to reward President Biden and Israel right now, with more than 20 trucks. There is a peace summit going on today in Cairo with more than 30 countries. The European Union is going to be there.

I think at the conclusion of that summit, you're going to see a lot more trucks allowed through What's not clear is there are hundreds of people on the Palestinian side. How do you hold them back once you open that border crossing to more truck traffic.

You can presume that you know when they just let 20 through and then quickly close the gates on the Egyptian side that stopped a wave of humanity from surging across the no man's land between the two gates. But if that gate ends up open longer, you're going to have a much bigger problem with those kinds of surges.

[06:15:08]

And as you say, that's when the panic can happen. That's when crushes can happen, and people can get killed.

WALKER: Colonel, what do you say to that? How do you hold those foreign nationals who have been waiting there for days now, in southern Gaza?

LEIGHTON: This is going to be a real problem. And really, it's a potential nightmare for the Egyptian officials on the other side of the border. But more importantly, for the people themselves. There really has to be some kind of force that goes in there in terms of a peacekeeping force.

Now, I know that's, you know, a bit utopian almost in desires. But I think it's really important for there to be some kind of a humanitarian corridor that, you know, on the one side allows the logistical good for the civilian population, everything from fuel and food, you know, to other medical supplies, on the one side and then allows for the foreigners and maybe others to leave on the other.

But the Egyptians are not willing to do that. And that is going to be the real problem. You know, we're going to potentially see the need for some kind of a noncombatant evacuation if this continues.

WALKER: Kimberly, let's talk about the two hostages, the mother and daughter from Chicago, Judith and Natalie Raanan, who are now at an Israeli military base, and hopefully will soon be reunited with their families.

What was Hamas is calculus here for what they call a release on humanitarian grounds. What are they hoping to get out of this?

DOZIER: Look, it is wonderful that they're back with your families and safe and they had Israeli relatives they were visiting, and that's how they got taken. But I think Hamas is calculus is that, you know, there are 10 American hostages left roughly by releasing them perhaps by dribs and drabs and having President Biden saying that he would like the ground invasion to hold until they're all released, that delays the ground invasion, just possibly.

And it also could introduce some tension between Israel and U.S. as allies, because if all the American Israelis get released and the rest get held, well, then what does that mean in terms of, you know, who is more important, that could -- and that could inspire some bitterness on the Israeli side.

I don't think though, that the Hamas calculation on that is going to hold in terms of inspiring enmity between the two, but it could delay some sort of invasion. The ground troops are poised and ready to go. And each day they think they've found where many of the pockets of hostages are, and each day that they delay is another day that those hostages might get moved again, and they might not be able to affect their (INAUDIBLE).

WALKER: Cedric -- Colonel Cedric, we just have a few seconds here. If you weigh in and why you think these hostages were released, and this is a good sign of more releases to come.

LEIGHTON: I think what Hamas is saying is they don't want to fight with the United States at this moment in time. And you know, Kimberly's probably right today this delays the invasion. So delay the invasion don't fight with the US. Keep the fight with Israel for the moment. That's I think what Hamas is calculus is.

WALKER: Colonel Cedric Leighton and Kimberly Dozier, it was a pleasure to have you both on. Thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: Still ahead why Israel is urging its citizens in Egypt and Jordan to leave immediately. Plus, as Israel strikes on targets in Gaza escalate so to protest in countries across the Arab world. We're live in Jordan, next.

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[06:22:47]

BLACKWELL: For the first time since the Israel-Hamas wars started the Rafah Crossing finally open to allow essential humanitarian aid into Gaza. Supplies in the 20-truck convoy are provided by the Egyptian Red Crescent, the United Nations and the World Health Organization says that supplies on these trucks include medical supplies for 1,200 people and trauma bags for more than 230.

WALKER: Now this comes as conditions in Gaza are continuing to deteriorate. It's also a desperate situation for hospitals. And as we heard from Clarissa Ward, there is no fuel on these trucks, which is a bad sign for the hospitals because they are running out of fuel for the generators.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells CNN there are more than 1 million people displaced in Gaza, and over a half a million individuals sheltering in dire conditions inside U.N. shelters.

Israel is urging its citizens to leave Jordan and Egypt as tensions remain high. Anti-Israel protests have spread across the Arab world in just the past few days.

BLACKWELL: In Istanbul and Cairo and Beirut protesters have waived the Palestinian flag you see here also denounced Israel. CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now from Amman, Jordan. Tensions are high, have been high now for two days between Israel and its neighbors.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: They certainly have and there is a real sense of concern, Amara and Victor, amongst world leaders in the region that this could spill over into more of a regional conflict. And of course, that will be the focus today as the Cairo peace summit gets underway.

We know the number of world leaders and top officials, particularly those from the region as well as from Europe are in attendance, the key focus as well. Four key players including President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt, as well as King Abdullah of Jordan will be not only on focusing on solutions to bring this conflict to an end to bring an end to Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, but also, of course, to prevent this war from spilling over into Jordan into Egypt and further across the region particularly concerns around Lebanon.

[06:25:00]

But as you mentioned, tensions are running high on the popular front as well for more than a week. Now, in fact, from the outset of this war, we have seen people across the region taking to the streets in solidarity with the Palestinian people. There has been a huge amount of outrage and condemnation of the situation in Gaza, real anger being directed towards both Israel and Israel's Western allies, particularly the United States with regard to the continuation of Israel's aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Now, here in Amman, we have seen protests taking place almost every day now, certainly for the last four days, huge crowds taking to the streets every evening, near the Israeli embassy. But what we saw yesterday was an enormous march through downtown Amman. Thousands of people, families, young children draped in the traditional Palestinian flag waving the Palestinian flag draped in the traditional scarf, rather, all in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

We heard chants in solidarity, but there were also chants of anger, many calling on the Jordanian government to close down the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Amman. And as you mentioned that there has been that warning from the Israeli authorities telling Israeli nationals to leave Jordan and Egypt there is concern that these protests will continue to escalate but, you know, that feeling of anger towards the State of Israel with regards to this ongoing bombardment on Gaza is certainly not waning. Victor, Amara.

BLACKWELL: Nada Bashir for us there in Amman, Jordan. Thank you.

Now as you know, the people of Gaza and Israel they need a lot of help right now and a lot of aid. So if you want to help go to cnn.com/impact, or text relief to 707070.

WALKER: So the war between Israel and Hamas is escalating there is serious tension across the Arab world and President Biden has requested funding to help with Israel and Ukraine, but over on Capitol Hill, Republicans are back to the drawing board to find a new speaker and actually get to work. A lot held up there the latest, next.

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[06:30:00]

WALKER: It's been 18 days now with no speaker of the House of Representatives. Jim Jordan is out, losing three straight votes on the floor, and then ousted by his fellow Republicans in a secret ballot.

BLACKWELL: So Monday, house Republicans will try again with a candidate forum. CNN's Melanie Zanona has the latest from Capitol Hill. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Republicans are back at square one. For the second time in two weeks, their GOP nominee for speaker has failed to win enough support within the party. Jim Jordan tried to take another vote to the floor on Friday, he failed to win enough support to win the speakership gavel.

In fact, he bled even more support, and so after that vote, Republicans huddled behind closed doors and took a secret ballot vote, where they essentially voted to dump him as their speaker nominee. But there are serious questions about who if anyone can get the 217 votes it's going to require in order to win the speakership.

A lot of members are really upset about the situation that they find themselves in. One of those members includes Dusty Johnson; he's a more moderate-leaning member. Our Manu Raju caught up with him after that conference meeting. Let's hear what he had to say.

REP. DUSTY JOHNSON (R-SD): America has got real problems, and this is a time where we need people interested in problem-solving, not self- aggrandizement. It is time for big boys and big girls to stop with the nonsense and get back to work for the United States.

ZANONA: So now, lawmakers will go home for the weekend, they will have another candidate forum on Monday with an internal speakership election on Tuesday. So that is the earliest we could potentially see a new candidate emerge. And already, there are half a dozen Republicans who have jumped into the race, that includes Tom Emmer; he's the Majority Whip and the third-ranking highest Republican.

Byron Donalds; a Florida Republican, who is also a member of the far- right freedom caucus, and Kevin Hearn, who leads the Republican Study Committee, which is the largest conservative caucus in the house. But as of right now, it is shaping up to be a messy competitive race. These candidates have not had a head-start, so It's going to be a while before anyone is able to unify around a candidate in the party.

But as of right now, no speaker, no consensus and no ability to govern. Melanie Zanona, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Let's bring in now CNN political commentator and "Spectrum News" political anchor, Errol Louis. Errol, good morning to you. All right, so let's put the confirmed candidate for speaker back up on the screen. Former Speaker McCarthy has endorsed House Whip Tom Emmer. Does he have a better shot than, I guess, any of the other candidates thus far?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Candidates this far? Good morning, Victor. He has a bit of a shot. It's unclear what's going to happen when they have this contest, beauty contest if you want to call it that, on Monday. But look, the reality is, there's a question underlying all of this turmoil that they're going to have to answer. And whether they answer it on Monday or at any other time, they're

going to have to decide whether or not this chaos caucus is going to be what the party stands for, at least, the congressional delegation. The conference has to decide whether or not they actually want to legislate or whether or not they want leadership.

It's remarkable when you think about it. If they want leadership like Jim Jordan who's never authored a piece of legislation that actually passed, what they're really saying is legislation is not what the conference is going to be about. Now, there are a number of people there who think that, that is shockingly irresponsible, and that's a good thing.

But until they make their voices known, until they make that stance clear, I don't think they're going to get anywhere. I think, I mean, Emmer is going to be a good solid guy who has conservative credentials and so forth. But if there are people there who openly are championing the idea of chaos without legislation, that faction has got to be put off to the side.

[06:35:00]

They've got to be beaten, they've got to be pushed out of contention for leadership. Until they get that, I think we're going to see a lot of back-and-forth.

BLACKWELL: I just wonder, at what point does exhaustion enter the chat? I mean, we're now two and a half weeks into this since McCarthy was ousted. At some point, you've got to get someone, pick somebody to do the job.

LOUIS: Well, look, let's go back to January, right? It took a week and 15 ballots, you know, and I hate to tell you, this, Victor, but the record is 139 ballots over a two-month period. That was a long- long time ago, and it was shortly before the civil war, frankly. That's how divided the country was and the Congress was at the time. But things could get a lot worse before they get any better unfortunately.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and so let's say they pick one of these six candidates and there are two other potentials who were looking around and making the calls to test their viability. Whomever they pick still has to in a matter of what? Less than a month now reach a deal with the White House on passing a budget to fund the government.

So if they're going to be in the same place, having to make the same deal that elements of the party do not like, what does this two-week period, three-week, who knows how long it goes, what does it get them?

LOUIS: Yes, well, look, it does do some of what you suggested. In terms of gamesmanship, you could try and run out the clock just to put some pressure on your adversary, on your opponents. And there may be some candidates that are trying to do exactly that. It looked like Jim Jordan, in fact, frankly, was going to just try and, you know, fold his arms and just out-wait everybody. But the conference moved on beyond that strategy. I think what we're

going to see though, is some even more urgent issues are going to come up. You know, student loan repayments have resumed, Victor, we've got urgent aid requests from our allies, Israel and Ukraine. There are other issues -- you know, the package that the president put forward also included a lot of money for border security, which the border states are going to be very concerned about.

So, you know, this can't go on, but so much longer, and those who want to delay, again, as a strategy, I think are going to find that, that strategy is just not going to work. We have to have a functioning Congress.

BLACKWELL: Congressman Matt Gaetz who led the eight, who voted with Democrats to oust former Speaker McCarthy, right before that last vote on Jim Jordan's candidacy for or nomination for speaker went to some holdouts on Jim Jordan and said, OK, we will accept consequences whether you want to censor us or expel us from the conference, we will accept that, just back Jordan. That did not work.

Can an eventual speaker afford to lose or can the conference afford to lose those eight? I mean, if you hurt them in any way, you've got four or five seats here that to get anything passed. Is that realistic that there's going to be some consequence for these eight?

LOUIS: Oh, I think the -- I think there will be some consequences. Here, again, this is the chaos caucus. These are the people who are in very heavily, safe conservative districts, so they don't have to do anything in the way of compromise in order to win re-election, and they've decided for whatever reason that they're going to sort of ride that safe conservative seat on ideological grounds, not so much, but really just on personal self-advancement, you know, playing to a national conservative base, raising a lot of money, stopping anything in its tracks from actually happening.

Matt Gaetz is the poster child for that, and I think they're going to just sit there lodged as a problem. And the suggestion that Gaetz put out there, oh, you can do something to us -- well, he may get his wish, and they may, in fact, be censored or even sort of curtailed in their ability to do anything. That's probably where this is going to end up if enough people get fed up, we'll get a better sense of that when they meet again next week.

BLACKWELL: All right, Errol Louis, thank you.

WALKER: Still ahead, another lawyer who tried to help overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia pleads guilty. What all this means for former President Donald Trump.

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[06:40:00]

BLACKWELL: Another former member of Donald Trump's inner circle flips, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, and he was one of the masterminds behind the 2020 fake elector plot. He's now pleaded guilty in the Georgia elections subversion case.

WALKER: That's why Chesebro took the plea deal right as the jury selection was getting underway in his trial in Atlanta. CNN's Nick Valencia has more now on what this means for the former president and what comes next. Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara, this was a stunning development, and as part of this plea deal, Ken Chesebro has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge, a felony charged with conspiracy to commit false documents. And he has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine, a 100 hours of community service, but perhaps, most significant is that he's agreed to testify in any further or future proceedings or trials related to the remaining co-defendants, and that includes former President Donald Trump.

After he agreed to this plea deal, I spoke to his attorney Scott Grubman, and I asked him what he would say to those who say that Chesebro has turned his back on the former president and are calling him a snitch.

[06:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT GRUBMAN, KENNETH CHESEBRO'S ATTORNEY: He didn't snitch against anyone. He went in there, he accepted responsibility for what I would do as one of the minor kind of tag-on charges in the indictment, and that was that. I mean, I could absolutely tell you that, again, if he's called, he'll go testify and answer their questions, but I would disagree.

I don't think Mr. Chesebro snitched against anyone. I think he simply decided it was time for him to put this behind him and go on with his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Make no mistake about it, this is a huge win for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. When this week started, we were under the impression that jury selection would begin on Friday. We were looking at the prospect of a trial that would last between three to five months, but instead on Thursday, Sidney Powell, she pleaded guilty and took a plea deal for the Fulton County District Attorney's office.

And then it was on Friday that Ken Chesebro did the same. A huge win as I mentioned for Fani Willis because now, she not only has one, but two key witnesses against former President Trump, and she narrows her case on the former president. Victor, Amara?

WALKER: Yes, remarkable indeed. CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson is here now to talk more about these developments. So two former attorneys for President Trump pleading guilty this week in the Georgia criminal racketeering case, Joey. Kenneth Chesebro as we heard, Sidney Powell as well, and they both agreed to testify. I mean, this about-face from both of them is remarkable. What do you

think turned them and what's your reaction?

JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, good morning to you, Amara. It's certainly a significant development. The reaction is that certainly it is something that's compelling for the prosecution. I think what turned them are a number of things. Number one, the prospect of facing a significant time in jail. Number two, the prospect of facing evidence, which is certainly contrary to your narrative that you're innocent as we look there at Miss Powell, Mr. Chesebro.

And so, I think at the end of the day with the overwhelming evidence, with the motions that they submitted to the court indicating the case should be dismissed, the judge saying no, I think it was time, and I think if you're a defendant in this case, that's really the only out you would have. And so, looking forward is what this means to the president himself.

WALKER: So just to refresh their roles in the Georgia election, Chesebro, he played a central role in the fake elector scheme in Georgia. Sidney Powell, she admitted her role in the breach of these election systems -- in the election systems of rural county -- Coffee County, Georgia. I guess they accessed and copied Information from the election system in Coffee County that somehow proved that the election was rigged against Trump. Who presents a more serious threat to Trump?

JACKSON: I think really both of them do. So, you have to look at this, Amara, in tandem, and here's why. I know that Sidney Powell pled guilty to misdemeanor charges relating to, as you noted, looking to breach the system, to determine if there was any election fraud. There was not. But remember that, she certainly had access to the president in terms of the White House, a number of meetings after the election, and that's important because that breach is, as we know, the inner circle of the president.

So what were those meetings about? What was she plotting? What was the president's state of mind at that time? What did he know? What did he not? Pivoting to the issue of Mr. Chesebro and with respect to the fake electors, right? Getting these fake electors, trying to decertify the election process, certainly trying to disrupt it, and his plea to indictment count 15 implicates Giuliani, implicates another lawyer, Mr. Eastman, implicates the president himself.

And so when prosecutors try a case, it's never in isolation. It's about the collective weight of the testimony. So, when you have two presidential lawyers who were advising him, one, Mr. Eastman drafting memos with regard to the fake elector plot, and now they're trying to breach the security system, I think both in tandem certainly spelled very much trouble for the president himself who as we know was charged in this and three other cases. Amara.

WALKER: What about Jack Smith's federal election case? Both of them are unindicted co-conspirators. What kind of impact could their testimony in the Georgia case -- could there be an impact onto the federal case? JACKSON: Yes, I really do. I think that that's an important case, the

Jack Smith case dealing with this issue, right? And that is, of course, Jack Smith pared down his case, it was not the expansive case that we've seen in Georgia with the 18, right, defendants and president himself. And so, I think that you have two people here who acknowledged guilt.

Remember what this means. When you plead guilty, you're acknowledging that and you say in open court, yes, in the case of Chesebro, I attempted to place fake electors, right? That would decertify the process. I was acting in conspiracy with others who were Mr. Giuliani, who were Mr. Trump, who were Mr. Eastman. That's damning evidence as it relates to Jack Smith.

[06:50:00]

When you have the issue of breaching the security systems, right? And otherwise looking as it relates to what was Sidney Powell's guilty plea, that also helps. And so, I think that in any way you slice it, however you want to spin it from a state guilty plea perspective in Georgia or from Jack Smith's case, the testimony would be damning in a federal case against the president. These were his lawyers who were giving him advice, and obviously, as we know, that advice being unlawful and attempt to circumvent and really decertify a system of democracy.

WALKER: Yes, obviously, a huge blow to Donald Trump. Joey Jackson, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Ahead, our coverage of Israel at war continues. We are live in Egypt on the wake for more humanitarian aid to head into Gaza.

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WALKER: This week's CNN hero is focusing on the children whose families are living in limbo in shelters at the U.S.-Mexico border, waiting to enter the U.S. legally.

[06:55:00]

BLACKWELL: When Estefania Rebellon learned that some children are out of school for weeks, months or even years, this native Colombian, once a migrant child herself, decided to bring the classroom to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESTEFANIA REBELLON, TEACHES MIGRANT CHILDREN AT U.S.-MEXICO BORDER: I just kept feeling like the weight of this crisis was on my shoulders. Schools are the way to be able to help them heal. So I thought why don't we turn a bus into a mobile classroom. We currently have three mobile school buses, and we have also opened foreign school of nations along the border.

We partner with shelters to provide bilingual education of programs for migrant children and refugee children at the U.S.-Mexico border. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) And a lot of them are always very surprised that I myself was a

migrant child. I always want the kids to realize that being a migrant is not something they need to be ashamed of. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

I want our efforts to be something permanent. And when it's all said and done, that we'll be proud to look back and say that we were there when people needed us the most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, to see her work in action and learn about her journey, go to cnnheroes.com.

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