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CNN This Morning
Soon: Closing Arguments In Hush Money Trial; UK PM Floats Idea Of "Military Service" For Gen Z; Death Toll Hits 23, Including 4 Kids, Due to Tornadoes and Storms. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired May 28, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:39]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Tuesday, May 28th.
Right now on CNN THIS MORNING:
Donald Trump's defense team preparing for closing argument in the hush money trial. They plan to keep attacking the prosecution's star witness.
Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have never prayed so hard in my whole life.
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HUNT: At least 23 people, including four children, killed by severe storms during a deadly holiday weekend.
And, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling an attack on Rafah that killed 45 people tragic error.
(MUSIC)
HUNT: All right, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington. A live look at Capitol Hill on this Tuesday morning.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
We are nearing the conclusion of the first criminal trial ever brought against a former U.S. president. Today, closing arguments begin in Donald Trump's historic criminal hush money trial.
Prosecutors from the Manhattan D.A.'s office will have to weave together weeks of evidence and salacious testimony as they tried to prove that Trump falsified business records in an attempt to silence a porn star during the lead up to his 2016 election victory. But first, it's the defense. CNN has learned they are expected to focus on the credibility of Michael Cohen during closing arguments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. Trump, how do you feel going into closings?
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Very good. I think we have a great case that's put on. They've not proven a case. There is no crime.
REPORTER: Why did you decide against testifying in your case? You can always take the stand.
REPORTER: Are you nervous about (INAUDIBLE)?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: The exact timeline after today's closing arguments remains up in the air, but the jury could conceivably reach a verdict by the end of this week and with delays in Trump's other criminal cases in D.C. and Florida this could be the only trial to reach a verdict before the November election.
The former president used the day before closing to send out this rant on Truth Social: Happy Memorial Day to all, including the human scum that is working so hard to destroy our once-great country. Trump then goes on to trash the New York judge that presided over a pair of civil defamation cases involving the writer E. Jean Carroll.
Joining me now to discuss, Nicholas Johnston, the publisher of "Axios".
Nick, good morning.
NICHOLAS JOHNSTON, PUBLISHER, AXIOS: Good morning.
HUNT: Good to have you.
So, historic day today. We expect these closing arguments to get underway. And look, the conversation really seems to be around. Okay, how is this going to matter at the end of the day in terms of the election in November?
There has been some reporting that Trump's team has been tracking public opinion throughout. They haven't seen it move very much. But a conviction could potentially change that an acquittal might also.
JOHNSTON: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, one of the people -- the pieces of the polling I'm looking at a lot this summer. The one number that really Trump data some New York Times-Siena polling earlier in the spring, which said that a conviction, one of these trials really would move them needle for some voters.
Now again, let, look, we've seen lots of times before, or maybe this would be the thing that really changes people's minds about Trump. And we've guessed wrong about that previously, but that is a piece of information that is kind of stuck out with me to feel, like if race is going to change very fundamentally, a conviction might be the thing to do it. But, of course, that's not a foregone conclusion. New reporting out
this morning from "The Bulwark" shows that the Trump campaign is looking at one specific juror, an older, former financial professional, who they say is reacted favorably to some of the Trump campaign's -- that Trump -- the defense's witnesses who have come in. They think he is someone who (INAUDIBLE), just one in this hung jury. President gets off.
HUNT: Yeah. And that's -- I mean, it's really fascinating. "The Wall Street Journal" put it this way, quote, a conviction would be an ignominious first for a former president, threatening Trump's standing with some voters and handing President Biden new ammunition to portray his rivals unfit for office. And then they write this, about an acquittal or even a hung jury, as you note, could be a career defining moment for Trump who likely would cast himself as having vanquished and improper political prosecution.
That really is what he is setting up to do, right?
JOHNSTON: Right. I mean, what Trump will do I think regardless is declare victory somehow. He's already demeaned the judge.
[05:05:00]
He's demeaned the prosecutors. He's been subject to gag orders on way He's talked about this trial. If he is convicted in this, he will call it illegitimate. I think he will use it its only roused up his base even more. I would expect fundraising emails to go out within mere seconds.
So, how would that really changed the dynamic? I mean, Trump already feels like he's prosecuted on all that. And then, of course, an acquittal, a hung jury, and again, vindicating all of what Trump has been saying so long that there was no case.
HUNT: Yeah. So I do want to touch on, Nick. We read a little bit from Trump's Memorial Day message. I think it's worth noting this is not unusual for him. He often takes these sorts of, I mean --
JOHNSTON: Remember one of the first Trump tweets I ever saw, I think was happy birthday -- Merry Christmas, including to all the haters and losers. So --
HUNT: Yes.
JOHNSON: -- he's done it before.
HUNT: Yes, pretty common. I do want to -- let's hear a little bit from President Biden, who did note and mark Memorial Day and those that we are all so grateful for in a different way to Donald Trump. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Gratitude to our fallen heroes, gratitude to the families left behind, and gratitude to the brave souls who continue to uphold the flame of liberty, all across our country and around the world. We'll never, ever, ever stop working for to make a more perfect union, which they lived and which they've died for.
God bless the fallen, may God bless their families, and may God protect our troops.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: And, of course, worth noting that his son Beau served in Iraq I guess.
JOHNSTON: Absolutely.
HUNT: I guess -- I've never quite understood why. I mean, this seems like a point where Donald Trump could actually mark this holiday in a more straightforward, gratitude forward way, considering that I'm sure many of his supporters would be behind that.
JOHNSTON: But isn't --
HUNT: But --
JOHNSTON: -- part of Trump's appeal is that he never does any of you things, the normal way like that. Those remarks by President Biden, that could have been a speech given by any president except for possibly President Trump in the last 50 years.
And remember, when President Trump was president, he did play along with some of these -- the formalities and sort of the things you do as part of the office. But again, a lot of the huge appeal, I think to a lot of his apportioned based so that he's different.
That he's undermining the system, that he's draining the swamp, that he doesn't do the same kind of ceremonial thing at the same follow the same rules that traditional politicians would, such as not calling people human scum on Memorial Day on social media. And I think that's a little bit of the draw, I think he leaned into that and he's not going to change.
HUNT: Well, certainly, we've learned that he does not -- does not seem on track to change anytime soon.
All right. Nick Johnston, getting us started this morning. Nick --
JOHNSTON: Great to see you.
HUNT: Thanks -- thanks for being here.
All right. Coming up next, the U.K.'s prime minister not winning over Gen-Zers with a plan that would require them to serve their country. Hmm.
Plus, four inmates escaped in Louisiana. The jail didn't notice they were gone? And Donald Trump angry about how today's closing arguments are going to go before it even begun.
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[05:12:28]
HUNT: Welcome back.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak floating the idea of national military service for 18-year-olds in a bid to bolster his reelection campaign in the U.K. Not likely, it doesn't seem to attract many Gen Z voters if the reaction on social media is any indication.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, we're not going to answer the call. We famously hated when people ring us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How I would love to but the first day, I am getting my eyelashes and nails done, the Friday, I am out with the girls, and in the Saturday, I am going to have a me day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We wouldn't be doing that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Under the plan, about 30,000 18-year-olds out of an estimated 700,000 would spend a year in the military. But the vast majority would be required to volunteer in their communities one weekend a month.
CNN's Max Foster joins us live now from London.
Max, good morning to you. Always wonderful to see you.
It strikes me that this proposal isn't actually about these young people. It's probably about appealing to people who are quite a bit older than they are.
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's what I thought. But then before I came on, I just looked on TikTok and actually he's been hitting it really hard on TikTok to try to convince young people that is a great idea.
The top comment under the main video that is put up says, I can't wait to vote Labour. So I don't think it's going down very well.
So he is trying -- I mean, it's baffling, is that you make the same assumption that I made that this will be appealing to older voters, many of them who are conservative, who believed that young people have lost their sense of public service. And this might be a good way of getting them back into that.
But young people just think it's an absolute disaster and I think that there's not a lot of faith in government, and institutions and certainly not in some of the wars that we're fighting. So, I think, you know, that he's got an issue with young voters based you seemed to think he can convince them.
HUNT: Let's hear a little bit more from Sunak talking about this plan. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Young people will gain valuable skills, make our country more secure, and build a stronger national culture. This ambition benefits our country and our young people alike.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: The music -- I'm struck by the music, underneath that video from him here.
It does seem to underscore just how tough the sledding is for him here in this election, the snap election that he's called.
FOSTER: Yeah, he's trying to come up with ideas that are going to be appealing to voters. And like many of his ideas, the bill on the lot of those conservative principles, you know, public service, for example.
[05:15:06]
But they often come out as very complex. So when he says he's going to help young people, he has actually built a scheme into that. If you -- if you join this, then you will be able to be seen as favorable to university, university will see it as a big sort of badge of honor. And therefore, look favorably on it. Also, it could fast-track people into graduate training. Chinese schemes as well.
So there are advantages to it for people who might join but its just that idea of national service and some of the language about at young people have got a huge problem with, and I think that, you know, a lot of them frankly don't think he's going to get in any way. You know, the other thing that he did, which is very unpopular hello with a lot of people was this smoking ban, which would gradually ban people from a certain age as it increases over time from smoking.
A lot of the ideas is coming up with just so feel repressive to a lot of younger people. I think that's the issue, but we'll see how he does, of course.
HUNT: I guess we will see.
Max, this is why, you know, I love talking to you every morning, but you -- I'm not really on TikTok, so its nice to have someone, someone to call and say, what are the kids?
FOSTER: Rishi's there. You need to get there, too.
HUNT: I know, right? Maybe one day. Max Foster -- Max, thank you. I really appreciate it. See you
tomorrow.
All right. Coming up next here, the pope facing criticism for allegedly using a derogatory term for gay people.
Plus, Texas and Oklahoma facing even more stores today after a devastating weekend.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think I realized magnitude of everything until you started walking out.
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[05:21:09]
HUNT: Welcome back.
Texas and Oklahoma once again, in the danger zone today as 47 million people in the Southern Plains face severe storm threats. That comes after 23 people died and storms across several states this weekend, seven were killed in Texas.
Those who survived shared their stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me and my wife and our four month old, we hopped in the tab and it just sound like a train.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We grabbed the dog and ran down to the basement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Violent storms also killed eight people in Arkansas.
The city of Rogers seeing some of the worst damage.
Our meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins us now.
Allison, what can we expect today?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: All right. So, totally different system but still impacting some of the same areas that were hit over the weekend. You can see it's that portion of the Southern Plains, that's where we have the best chance for those strong to severe thunderstorms. Other thunderstorms expected across Florida, but not really to the level that we're seeing in the southern plains. You've already got a severe thunderstorm watch an effect right here, essentially, this area south of Oklahoma City, just to the northern suburbs of Dallas. That's because it's where we already have a lot of these ongoing
thunderstorms. You can see a lot of lightning, some pretty gusty winds and the potential for some hail with some of those storms that will continue through the afternoon. You can see more of them beginning to fire up once we get past lunchtime today continuing through the evening, and then we really start to see that line form once we get close to around sunset tonight.
That line will continue to slide into Dallas by overnight hours, and then gradually into Houston by the very early portion of tomorrow morning. So again, this is going to be pretty much an all day thing as that system races across to the east. Overall, the biggest concern is actually going to be very large hail. You're talking the size of golf balls, egg maybe even, perhaps even larger than that.
Still some damaging winds? A yes, the potential for a tornado does exist and that's for Houston, Dallas over towards Midland, Amarillo and up into Oklahoma City.
And again, we've had a tremendous amount of tornadoes already this year, looking at just since the last few days, again, towards 76 tornado reports courts, almost 1,000 damaging wind reports and over 300 hail reports. Remember some of those being the size of grapefruits or even larger.
And yes, when we talk about the tornadoes, look yes, we get it, May is the peak. This is the time of year we would normally see it, but given that, this is still well above average for normal. Normally to this point, we would have maybe the about 721 tornadoes. We've had 989 and that's the preliminary total.
So keep in mind that number could actually go out. There are still serving a lot of the damage and potential tornadoes from the last few days. So that number could even go higher. And again, just comparatively speaking to other years, Kasie, when you look back, this is the highest total we've had since 2011.
HUNT: Certainly seems that way.
All right. Allison Chinchar for us -- Allison, thanks very much for that.
All right, 23 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup.
Police in Louisiana still looking for two men who escaped through a fence at a jail over the weekend, two others have already been captured. We've now learned that the jail wasn't aware the suspects had escaped until a concerned citizen called the warden.
Pope Francis is facing backlash for allegedly using a homophobic slur in a closed-door meeting last. The remarks made after the pope allegedly told Italian bishops to not allow gay men to train for the priesthood.
U.S. lawmakers in Taiwan promising the island's new president, the U.S. is moving forward with supplying his country with weapons. Chinas surrounded Taiwan with military drills last week.
And coming up next here, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling Sunday's deadly Rafah airstrike a tragic error. Did it cross President Biden's red line?
Plus, we're just hours from closing arguments in Donald Trump's hush money trial. What to expect from the former president's defense team, ahead.
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[05:29:48]
HUNT: Just before 5:30 a.m. here in Washington. A live look at New York City. Wow, look at that, on this Tuesday morning.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
In just a few hours, closing arguments there in New York will begin in Donald Trump's criminal hush money case. Jurors now on track to start deliberations as soon as tomorrow. Trump taking to Truth Social.
