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CNN This Morning

Former Trump Attorney Michael Cohen Expected to Take the Stand Today; Putin Chooses Civilian As Defense Chief; Republicans and Democrats Push Back Against Biden's Threat of Withholding Some Weapons Shipments to Israel. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 13, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

KASIE HUNT, ANCHOR, CNN THIS MORNING: It's Monday, May 13th, right now on CNN THIS MORNING in just a few hours. The man who once described himself as Trump's thug, expected to take the stand. Ahead, how Michael Cohen could make or break the former president's hush money case.

A shakeup at the highest levels of Russia's military. Vladimir Putin choosing a civilian as his new defense minister. And both Republicans and Democrats in Congress pushing back on President Biden for threatening to withhold some weapons shipments to Israel.

All right, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington, a live look at Capitol Hill on this Monday morning. Good morning, everyone, hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend, I'm Kasie Hunt, it's wonderful to have you with us. In just a few hours, the star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial will take the stand.

Former Trump attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen. You may recall, Cohen once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now, prosecutors are hoping his testimony will close the circle for the jury by directly connecting Trump to $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, how Trump reimbursed Cohen for that payment at the heart of the trial. Joining me now, "The Hill" reporter, Julia Manchester. Julia, good morning to you --

JULIA MANCHESTER, REPORTER, THE HILL: Good morning --

HUNT: Thanks for being here. Kind of the day we've all been waiting for in this trial here with Michael Cohen. Let's kind of walk through. I mean, he is a central figure in this case.

MANCHESTER: Yes --

HUNT: He was a central figure in the Trump orbit, and he really has been all over the place in terms of how he's talked about Trump, how he's told the truth or not. What do you expect today? And what does the prosecution need to do out of the gate here to try to shore up his credibility?

MANCHESTER: Yes, well, and that point about him being all over the place, being a big supporter of Donald Trump than flipping on Donald Trump and going back and forth, this general notion of Michael Cohen being untrustworthy is something that's going to make it easy for the defense really to pounce on and to show the jury that this is not a reliable, credible person for the prosecution to be using as a witness.

So, essentially, what the prosecution needs to do is paint Michael Cohen as someone who is credible, who is telling the truth when it comes to this hush money payment, who is not necessarily out for himself, but, you know, pointing out exactly what he says happened during this payment that allegedly took place in the run-up to the election.

HUNT: So, here was Michael Cohen talking on Thursday about testifying, and again, he was admonished on Friday, the day after --

MANCHESTER: All right --

HUNT: This came out, the judge basically told the prosecution, hey, make Michael Cohen stop talking here. It's causing some problems, but here's what he had to say before that happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: I'm kind of looking forward to it, because again, can't be finished with something unless you start it, right? It's kind of like an entrepreneurial mindset, you can't be in, unless you're willing to get in it. And so, there we go. You know, sooner this thing starts, the sooner this thing finishes. And that way I can -- yes, this too shall pass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: This too shall pass.

MANCHESTER: Yes --

HUNT: This, he says.

MANCHESTER: Yes.

HUNT: Sort of an interesting acknowledgment there actually, that actually this has been a significant -- there's a lot of pressure on him.

MANCHESTER: Absolutely. And I think it's ironic that the judge is telling Michael Cohen to stop publicly talking about the case when he said the same thing to former President Trump. And I think this goes to show you how much, I guess weakness there could be, and the prosecution calling Michael Cohen, how much there is for them at stake.

You know, it's interesting talking to legal and also political experts say we'll point out that out of all of Trump's legal cases, this is the weakest one, and a lot of it has to do with Michael Cohen.

HUNT: Yes, and this picture that's on the screen here too, I mean, this is one of the reasons why --

MANCHESTER: Yes --

HUNT: He was told to stop talking. I mean, it's obviously he's not speaking about it, but it seems to show a figure of Donald Trump handcuffed --

MANCHESTER: Right --

HUNT: Behind bars. This was something that he wore in one of his recent TikTok videos. Julia, you talk to political sources here in Washington all the time to -- what would you describe as sort of the state of play in terms of how Republicans especially are looking at what's been unfolding in this trial.

[05:05:00]

And how they feel it will or won't impact whether it's their own elections or the presidential election.

MANCHESTER: Look, Republicans point to, number one, the fact that polls show that most voters are not necessarily paying attention to this the same way those of us in Washington are. You know, most voters who go to the polls are going to be thinking about the economy, crime, abortion, healthcare situation at the southern border, those kitchen table issues.

But at the same time, this is still something that is very front and center for the Trump campaign, and still a top story in the United States. So, for voters, voters going forward, I think Republicans are, you know, obviously looking at the outcome of this, whether he is convicted or not.

But once again, pointing to the fact that most legal experts say this is the weakest case and the only case that's guaranteed to finish before the November election.

HUNT: Well, and Trump, of course, was back out on the campaign trail --

MANCHESTER: Right --

HUNT: This weekend is the first time we had seen him in a little stretch of time, considering where, you know, less than six months out from the November election, and he was focused on talking about the case. Here's what he had to say about the D.A. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Carried out by radical Democrat District Attorney, you know, he is fat often, right, corrupt guy. And then we have a highly conflicted judge. He's corrupt and highly conflicted, so conflicted, there's never been a judge this more conflicted.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNT: Was Trumping. Why would New Jersey -- for those of us who grew

up along --

MANCHESTER: Yes --

HUNT: Those that are familiar with the -- with the Jersey shore, so- to-speak.

MANCHESTER: Right.

HUNT: Look, he's attacking there the only people he's allowed to attack, right? He's not allowed to attack the witnesses, et cetera. It's kind of Trump's MO. But I also think it underscores how you know, focused he is right now on this as --

MANCHESTER: Yes --

HUNT: Opposed to campaigning.

MANCHESTER: Well, and it's interesting because, you know, like I said, how Republicans say, oh, this trial isn't a top priority for voters. Well, I think Republicans are also trying to tell that to former President Trump that when he goes to campaign, he can't only focus on throwing red meat to his base by talking about this trial, he needs to talk about the economy, et cetera.

And he has a little bit, even outside of the courthouse, but instead, you know, it's grabbing headlines where voters are going to see when they hear Trump on the -- you know, on the campaign trail is this.

HUNT: Yes, right. Julia Manchester for us kicking us off this morning. Thank you Julia --

MANCHESTER: Thanks, Kasie --

HUNT: I really appreciate it. All right, coming up next here, Vladimir Putin's latest move in the war with Ukraine, putting a civilian in charge of Russia's armed forces. Plus, Donald Trump's big tease, could Doug Burgum be his running mate?

And a pilot with a big problem, the wheels would not go down. We'll show you what happened next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:10:00]

HUNT: Welcome back. Vladimir Putin has tapped a civilian as Russia's new Minister of Defense, more than two years into the country's full- scale war on Ukraine. Putin's choice is the former head of Russia's Ministry of Economic Development.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DMITRY PESKOV, SPOKESMAN, KREMLIN (through translator): Today on the battlefield, those who are more open for innovations, more open towards a quick implementation of the innovations win. That is why it's natural that on the current stage, the president has taken a decision for a civilian to be in charge of the Ministry of Defense.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, joining me now is CNN's Max Foster. Max, good morning. Always wonderful to have you. So, what's the back-story here and why is this a big deal?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Well, obviously, Putin has just won an election. Is a -- you know, there's a tradition that the whole cabinet would resign after that, and then they get reassigned -- you know, given their positions back.

And then, we've had this, you know, really high-profile role changed. So, we're trying to read into what we can about Putin's future strategy. But he's putting an economist in there. Which does suggest that, you know, bedding in almost into this process of conflict, which probably make clear, there's a chief of the defense staff who is the opera -- you know, the top soldier if you like, in the Russian military, reports directly to Putin already.

So, he's across the operational side. The Defense Minister, you could probably argue is more of an administrative role, and if we're going into a long period of war in Russia, then perhaps an economist is best placed to map that out and make best use of the money.

HUNT: So, Max, what is your sense of what happens to the outgoing defense chief here? And to your other point, I mean, is this just indicative of them like having to settle in to pay for something that is going to be a major line item for them into the future?

FOSTER: I think so. So, Shoigu is going into the security role. So, he's going into the office, part of the administration if you like. So, he hasn't been, you know, cast out in any way. This is a -- this is a shift, but it will be interesting to see, you know, how his economist changes the battle plans in Ukraine.

Because inevitably, he'll be in charge of the money and the military will have to deal with that. I think, you know, currently, if you look at defense spending in Russia, it's comparable to what it was during the cold war, so, it's high and they've got to find a way of dealing with it.

And they've got to look into the long term to find out how best to handle that. At the moment, they're spending a huge amount of money on the battlefield because they're making gains, and they want to make those gains before those American weapons arrive.

[05:15:00]

HUNT: Right, well, and that's what I was going to ask you too, Max, I mean, as you have spoken with European officials, and I know last week, we were here talking about what Putin and Xi were both doing on the world stage. Obviously, there are -- the money finally got out the door here in the U.S. from Congress to try and help Ukraine on the frontlines.

Is that being felt yet? And what is the kind of overall atmosphere in terms of thinking about this right now?

FOSTER: Well, all we can go -- you know, obviously, neither side to give me his operational details. But when you look at what's happening on the frontlines, Russia is making gains, so, isn't working yet. It does take a long time for a lot of this aid to get over there, of course, it's a complicated process for it to get into the country, then it's got to get to the frontlines.

But they may have received some stuff already, hasn't made a huge impact yet. And then, we need to see whether or not it's the appropriate equipment as well, because Russia may decide to change tactics in which case, you need a different set of kit.

But you know, certainly, it hasn't all arrived there yet, and they need as soon because Ukraine is not holding those lines at the moment.

HUNT: Yes, for sure. All right, Max Foster for us live in London. Max, thank you very much --

FOSTER: Thank you, Kasie --

HUNT: I really appreciate it. All right, just ahead here, Donald Trump and Michael Cohen face-to-face just a few hours from now in court. Plus, small explosives could solve a big problem at the Baltimore Bridge disaster site later on today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:20:00]

HUNT: All right, 20 minutes past the hour, here's your morning round- up. Today, authorities will attempt to demolish a portion of Baltimore's Key bridge. They plan to use small explosives to make cuts in the collapsed structure in order to free the container ship that of course collided with the bridge back in March.

A suspect is dead this morning after an hours-long standoff following the killing of a police officer in Ohio. Authorities identified Deshawn Vaughn as the suspect in the fatal shooting of the 23-year-old police officer responding to a disturbance call in the town of Euclid.

A tense moment in Australia as a small plane approaches the runway without its landing gear. The pilot pulls off a textbook belly landing, the craft circled the airport for hours to burn fuel before attempting to landing. And all three people aboard walked away without injuries. That's great.

All right, severe storms and flood threats continue from Texas to the Gulf Coast with residents bracing for the next round as they dig out after three tornadoes in the Tallahassee area. Our weatherman, Derek Van Dam tracking all of it for us. Derek, good morning, what are you seeing? DEREK VAN DAM, METEOROLOGIST: Yes, this is the last thing that they

need this morning across the Florida Panhandle. But this is what we're seeing. Current radar, very busy and I'm concerned about this line of storms right now, moving through southeastern sections of Mississippi.

See how it's starting to kind of make a bow-like structure, we're going to watch for that to kind of continue to bow out. So, we call this a potential Derecho, which is a straight-line wind event, hasn't quite efficiently reached that status just yet. But one thing is for sure, it's creating severe thunderstorms, and as it propagates eastward, could impact places like southern Alabama and into the Florida Panhandle.

So, this is the area that was struck by two or three tornadoes across other greater Tallahassee region on Friday, you could see the storm prediction center has enhanced the risk -- increased the risk to enhance, I should say, from the Florida Panhandle right through Louisiana and the central sections of Texas.

In fact, we have a 5 percent risk of tornadoes today, New Orleans, Lake Charles, Mobile and Tallahassee. Greatest risks though for hail really extends across southeastern sections of Texas, San Antonio to Houston, where you see that hatched shading.

And this isn't the only round of severe storms, we'll get another round tomorrow and into the day on Wednesday. So, with this multiple round of wet weather, unsettled conditions, we have flood watches in effect for this particular location, 3 to 6 inches of rain, not good news.

This is already very saturated areas, so localized flooding possible, we're going to look out for that potential at least across the Gulf Coast states. Weather prediction center has what it's called a moderate risk of excessive rainfall that could lead to flash flooding. So, we're going to keep an eye into the sky and an eye on the roads for this potential of flooding and severe weather once again today and this week, Kasie?

HUNT: All right, Derek Van Dam for us, Derek, thank you very much for that. And just hours from now, Donald Trump's former lawyer takes the stand for the prosecution. What will Michael Cohen tell the jury? Plus, President Biden facing backlash from both sides of the aisle on Israel, how might he respond?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:25:00]

HUNT: All right, 5:27 a.m. here in Washington. A live look at the Statue of Liberty on this Monday morning. Good morning, everyone, I'm Kasie Hunt, it's wonderful to have you with us. In just a few hours, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen expected to take the stand in New York.

He was once the former president's fixer. But today, he's the prosecution's star witness, and they hope he'll directly tie Trump to the $130,000 hush money payment that was made to Stormy Daniels. Cohen's credibility will, of course, be in the spotlight as Trump's lawyers aim to discredit the now-disbarred attorney who once pleaded guilty to lying to Congress and to a bank.

Joining me now, former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Katie Cherkasky. Katie, good morning to you.

KATIE CHERKASKY, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good morning.

HUNT: So, let's talk about what we're going to hear today from Michael Cohen. We're also learning that the prosecution is likely to rest this week, which means Cohen is basically the last major witness that the jury is going to hear from here.

Are you surprised at how they approach this from that perspective, that he is considering his credibility issues? One of the last people the jurors are going to be left with?

CHERKASKY: Well, I do think it is surprising, but not only that. Before the trial had started, both Michael Cohen and Alvin Bragg had suggested that Michael Cohen's testimony was not going to be the linchpin of this case, and that there was going to be other witnesses to directly tie Donald Trump to some alleged criminal scheme. But thus far, we have not heard that.

So, it does seem that it will come down to Michael Cohen attempting to directly tie Donald Trump.