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Isa Soares Tonight

Donald Trump Indicted For A Third Time; Artificial Intelligence Shows Promise In Spotting Breast Cancer; Kenya Pledges To Send A Thousand Police Officers To Haiti; Trump Facing New Charges In Court Thursday; Power Cuts In Niger Blamed On "Problem With Nigeria"; Lizzo Sued By Three Former Dancers; Snake Interrupts Cricket Game In Sri Lanka. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 02, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, Donald Trump indicted for a third time.

America is set to put a former president on trial for trying to destroy its democratic system, while that same man attempts to become president once

again. All angles on this historic story coming up. Then --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Wounded in the chest and leg by shelling, he filmed this as he lay alone bleeding. He feared

whatever fight to live he put up would not be enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Just stunning stories of survival on the Ukrainian frontlines. Our CNN team found two soldiers wounded in battle. Their fates were stuck

(INAUDIBLE). And how could A.I. could revolutionize cancer-screenings as one study shows incredible results in detecting breast cancer. What you

need to know.

But first tonight, never before in the history of the United States has a former president been indicted over efforts to block a peaceful transfer of

power. Now, the world is watching to see how America's centuries-old democracy will fare in this incredibly high stakes case. Donald Trump is

doing court tomorrow to personally and set to fall felony charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to deprive Americans

of the fundamental right to have their votes counted.

The grand jury indictment accuses Trump of knowingly spreading lies about the 2020 election he lost engaging co-conspirators to try to disenfranchise

voters and fermenting public anger that culminated, of course, in the scenes you're looking at, the January 6th insurrection. Special counsel

Jack Smith told reporters he will seek a speedy trial, and that is fueling speculation that Trump could be defending himself in court at the same

time, of course, he's running for president yet again.

Let's get more on all of this, joined now by CNN Zachary Cohen in Washington. And Zachary, I mean, this court appearance tomorrow, all eyes

will be focused on that. What can we expect and do we know if Trump is going to present himself or appear by video link to start off with?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Isa, we're expecting Donald Trump to be here tomorrow in person and present himself at the D.C. court

house, you know, and -- but you said, have to answer for these charges that were handed up by the grand jury, and that, you know, based on the

investigation by special counsel Jack Smith. And Jack Smith did not mince any words in this indictment.

He wrote very clearly that Trump was determined to remain in power, something that cuts very contrary to what the U.S. democracy is all about.

You know, he also said that he enlisted six co-conspirators who helped him, assisted him in these criminal efforts. So Jack Smith is going to have to

down the line prove and you know, and back up the charges that he is bringing in this indictment.

But we're really in uncharted waters, a former president who is now the leading frontrunner for the Republican Party to be -- run for president

again in 2024, facing his third indictment on criminal charges, and charges that really stem from allegations that he tried to upend the democratic

system completely the last time he lost an election.

SOARES: Yes, and Zachary, you've mentioned Jack Smith, I mean, he said he wanted a speedy trial. But we know from other legal cases we've been

covering here against former President Trump, that the strategy from the defense will be to delay. Will that, you think, be the same here, what are

you hearing?

COHEN: Yes, you know, if history is any indication, that will almost certainly be a part of the strategy here.

Trump's legal team knows that the closer we get to the election, the closer we get or the farther we get into the campaign season, the harder it is for

a jury to ultimately convict Donald Trump of these charges that he's being accused of. And look, you know, that is a complication for prosecutors. It

is why you heard Jack Smith yesterday say that he is pushing for a speedy trial.

But he also said the investigation remains ongoing. We mentioned those six unindicted co-conspirators. You know, it is possible that they don't remain

unindicted for long. And you know, the investigation could continue to honor new facts, we know that new witnesses are coming in to speak to the

grand jury that remains empanelled here in D.C.

[14:05:00]

So an ongoing investigation, an approaching deadline and ramping up pressure for this trial to happen quickly. But also, as you said, Trump's

team likely to try to delay that as much as possible.

SOARES: Zachary Cohen for us in Washington D.C., thanks very much, Zachary. And while this criminal indictment against Trump could be the most

consequential, it is not the first or even the second, you may remember. Trump was formally charged in New York in March in connection with alleged

hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels as you can see here.

And then he was indicted in federal court in June over the mishandling of classified documents --government documents, he has pleaded not guilty in

both of these cases here as we expect him to do tomorrow as well. But yet, another indictment may be looming, and that's the one right on that corner

as Georgia prosecutors wrap up the investigation into alleged election interference in that state.

Now, Trump says he's a victim of political witch-hunts, even using an insightful analogy to condemn the indictments against him. His campaign

issued a statement saying this, I'm going to read it out to you. "The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is

reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The former Soviet Union and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes."

Let's bring in CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig; he's a former federal and state prosecutor who is -- says -- who says the latest indictment of

Trump is remarkably persuasive. Elie, great to have you on the show. So, how is it remarkably persuasive in your view, and how did this latest

indictment compare to the other two indictments that we just outlined there?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Isa, first of all, this indictment is much broader in scope, and I think has much more consequence

for the American public, because this indictment goes to the core of our democracy, prior to indictments, one of them goes to falsification of

records around hush money payments, arguably, not all that important in the grand scheme of things.

The other case for which Donald Trump has already been indicted goes to the retention of classified documents. It's very important, but does not go to

the very core of our democracy. What strikes me about this indictment is that it's not really about the events of January 6th, it's not actually

about the people who stormed the capitol.

That's sort of the last chapter of this indictment, but really, it's about a months-long conspiracy that started from the moment Donald Trump lost the

election where he used fraud, and he used coercion to try to steal the election, not just in one felt-swoop, but over the course of many weeks

over seven states. So, this paints, I think a compelling picture of a concerted effort to use a conspiracy to steal this election.

SOARES: A compelling picture of factual legally though, Elie, is it more complicated? Do you think it can lead to a conviction here? I mean, is it a

slam dunk?

HONIG: Nothing is a slam dunk, you'll never catch me saying that. There are difficult issues here of criminal intent, Jack Smith goes out of his way to

say several dozen times in the indictment, Donald Trump knew he lost that election. He knew there was no fraud, he was advised of it many times. At

times, he acknowledged it, that's going to be the crucial intent question here.

But he will raise a First Amendment defense, he will say my words here were just heated, even false political speech which is not a crime. And he will

argue I did not cross that barrier into criminality. He also will argue, I was acting on the advice of my attorneys which can be a legal defense, but

of course, the jury would have to find that, that actually was legal advice given to him, and that it was not totally unreasonable.

The good news for prosecutors is they have a very favorable district in jury pool there. They've charged him in Washington D.C., which is where

most of the conduct occurred -- and Donald Trump, just as a point of reference in 2020 election got 5.4 percent of the vote in Washington D.C.,

meaning he got 94 points whatever percent of the vote against him. So, he's got a tough jury pool there, and I think that's going to really help

prosecutors.

SOARES: That's very important context there, Elie, and so, just for our international viewers, just talk to us about timeframe here, because Jack

Smith says he wants a speedy trial, but I'm guessing the Trump team will want to delay. How will the defense move here? What timeline are we looking

at?

HONIG: So, a speedy trial is actually not the prosecutor's right. We prosecutors always say we're ready for trial tomorrow if you need your

honor. But it's really not up to Jack Smith, the person who has the constitutional right here is the defendant, in this case Donald Trump, he

has a constitutional right to review discovery, to prepare for trial.

We've got a bit of a logjam. As it currently stands, the two trial -- the two cases that have already been indicted, one is scheduled for trial at

large, that's going to go into April, the next one is scheduled to start in May, that's going to go into June and July. So, the entirety of March

through July is currently occupied, and as Zach was saying, the closer you get to the actual election, the less likely it is that a judge will

actually hold a trial that close to an election.

We are not going to have a trial in September and October when you have an election in November. And so, if Trump's team can succeed in getting this

pushed off a certain amount, then they're looking at getting it pushed until after the election, and if Donald Trump wins the election, these

cases are going to go away one way or another --

SOARES: Yes --

[14:10:00]

And Elie, you know, you wouldn't be surprised to hear me ask you this, but the question I keep being asked on this side of the pond is, how is it

possible that a former president who is facing three indictments, criminal charges, can throw his hat in the ring for president. How is it possible

that he can run? Do you -- are you asked those questions at all?

HONIG: I was asked that question about 45 minutes ago by somebody on the street. So, yes, you're not alone in wondering that. The constitution only

gives us three qualifications for running for president. You have to be 35 years old, you have to be a natural-born citizen, and you have to have 14

years of residency in the United States.

If you get convicted of a felony in this country, you can lose your right to vote, you can lose your right to serve on a jury, you can lose your

right to possess a firearm, but you can still run for president. Maybe it's a gap in our system, our constitution is a wonderful document, but alas,

maybe it's not perfect. That's our system.

SOARES: Elie Honig, always great to get your insight, thanks, Elie, appreciate it --

HONIG: Thanks so much, all right.

SOARES: Right, do stay tuned, a little later this hour, we'll talk to the Republican, we'll look at Republican reaction of course, at this latest

indictment, and the type of rhetoric that we are hearing. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN LAURO, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: The government has had three years to investigate this, and now they want to rush this to trial in the middle

of a political season. What does that tell you? Our focus is on the fact that this is an attack on free speech and political advocacy. And there's

nothing that's more protected under the First Amendment than political speech.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And that was the attorney for Donald Trump, how it's all going to play out in 2024. Do stay with us, we'll look at that in about 20 minutes

or so right here on the show. In the meantime, Russia is ramping up efforts to prevent Ukraine from exporting grain. Overnight, Russian drones targeted

a port on the Danube River, hitting a grain storage facility.

And now, these attacks are becoming increasingly common since the Kremlin pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal, if you remember, back in July.

Turkey is pushing for a diplomatic resolution. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Vladimir Putin earlier, urging him to resume the

deal. But Putin says he will only agree if the West take steps to allow more Russian grain and fertilizer to be sold.

I want to get more on all of this from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh who is live for us this hour in Zaporizhzhia. So Nick, just bring us up to date with

that strike in Odesa. How much has this further complicated Ukraine's ability to export grain here?

WALSH: Yes, I mean, it's already pretty complicated by this attack against ports and storage facilities will add to that, but I think there's a

slightly more symbolic point to the strikes, and that they occur on the Ukrainian side of the Danube, a natural river boundary between Ukraine and

NATO essentially. The NATO member, Romania, whose president called these strikes unacceptable and a war crime.

And this is, I think part of a couple of elements we've seen over the last 24 hours with perhaps Russia rattling towards the edge of NATO members

themselves. Russia's narrative is that they are at war against the whole NATO block, that's obviously not true, but NATO is very wholeheartedly

supplying equipment and training to Ukraine.

We also saw a Polish response, a fierce one to allegations the Belarusian military helicopters had crossed into Polish airspace recently in the last

24 hours as well. So, a lot building up here that suggest Russia might be looking to at least, on the surface, appear to try and rattle NATO members.

But that's frankly because they're having a very hard time in the south.

Ukraine's counteroffensive there renewed in vigor, and we have a story based on some extraordinary footage we have been supplied about the two

very different fates of soldiers wounded in the battlefield near where I am standing. One Ukrainian soldier saved by a friendly drone, and another, a

Russian commander left, Ukrainian officials say by his troops behind injured in the trenches, but saved by the Ukrainians and somehow declared

dead in Russia. Here is the report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (voice-over): It is usually only the dead lying here in the craters of Ukraine's southern front, but sometimes, a glint of life shines. This

drone spotting a Ukrainian soldier, Serhiy, separated from his unit, wounded in the chest and leg by shelling, he filmed this as he lay alone,

bleeding. He feared, whatever fight to live he put up would not be enough. He later told CNN from his hospital bed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was ready to fight for my life, and I did, even lying there under the blazing sun. I realized I was too

close to the Russians, and you even start to look at your gun in a different way.

WALSH: But the drone operators had other plans. They attached water, medicine and a note to the drone, and sent it back. It found him again and

dropped the package. But he didn't know if it was friendly or a Russian bomb.

[14:15:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All the time I was crawling, a drone was always hovering above. We didn't realize if it was friend or foe.

It was a lottery.

WALSH: This is the moment he realizes the drone may save him. But the water and medicine kept coming, easing the pain that was visible, even from up

high, and then he crawled back to safety.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The combat medics who gave me first aid when they found me were very surprised I survived for two days with a

pierced lung.

WALSH: So, he's recovering, and talks now of a new life with greater value and purpose. "They don't want to leave anyone behind", said the drone

operator.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Every life is important to us. I could not live with myself if we just left someone behind in the field.

(GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WALSH: Probably only several miles away, salvation was uglier. Here is a Ukrainian assault by the 15th National Guard on a Russian position.

(ARTILLERY FIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WALSH: It is ferocious, and eventually forced a dozen Russian troops to pull back. Artillery had injured the Russian commander badly, and the

Russians left him behind, presuming he was dead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WALSH: But this video supplied by Ukrainian forces shows they found him alive. And he received medical treatment. We're not naming him for his

safety, but he was later awarded a posthumous medal, according to Russian media reports, left behind, and declared dead by his comrades. The

Ukrainians who found him say he may have wished he didn't survive.

"We said, don't try anything or you'll die", he says. "And he asked us to shoot him, and we offered him a chance to do it himself, but he said, he

could not do that. He's an enemy, and I had no real desire to save him, but orders are orders, and they have our guys, and we can swap prisoners."

"As a human", another says, "I was shocked that they had left him behind, but as a soldier, I know my enemy, and I know it's not an uncommon practice

for them." The opposite fates on different sides in these wide, ugly, expanses of violence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH: Now, it's often unclear exactly the level of progress Ukraine is making in that southern counteroffensive, particularly in the area we're

seeing there in those images south of Orikhiv, which seems to be the main thrust of Ukraine activity at the moment. But be in no doubt, Isa, the

losses both sides are sustaining are significant. And that certainly limits possibly how long either can put up this kind of attempts to a fight. Isa?

SOARES: Nick Paton Walsh for us in Zaporizhzhia, thanks very much, Nick. And still to come tonight, rampant gang violence rocks Haiti. What the

Bahamas -- what Bahamas is offering to do to try and quell the unrest, and we hear from a U.N. expert on Haitian human rights. That is next. Plus,

artificial intelligence could soon help doctors more effectively detect breast cancer. Both of those stories after this very short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:21:00]

SOARES: Well, the gunman who killed 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 has been sentenced to death. Robert Bowers was found

guilty in June of carrying out the deadliest ever attack on Jewish people in the United States, six others were wounded in the shooting. Today's

decision by a federal jury to impose a death penalty was unanimous.

Jurors did not find Bowers had schizophrenia, as his defense team had claimed. The Bahamas has committed 150 people as part of a multi-national

force to combat rising gun violence in Haiti. It comes after Kenya offered to send 1,000 police officers. Before that can happen, though, the U.N.

Security Council must first pass a resolution in support of the force.

Crime and unrest have hit the Caribbean nation since the assassination, you remember, of its former president in 2021. A story that we have focused a

lot here on the show. Meanwhile, it's been nearly a week since American nurse and her daughter were kidnapped from the aid organization where she

works in Haiti. Joining me now is William O'Neill; he's a humanitarian lawyer and United Nations independent expert on human rights in Haiti.

Bill, great to have you here on the show, we appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. I was reading through the notes and I saw that you were

recently on a fact-finding mission to Haiti. Just tell our viewers what you saw and heard while you were there?

WILLIAM O'NEILL, U.N. INDEPENDENT EXPERT ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN HAITI: Well, I saw a dire situation and heard many very sad and scary and awful stories

from victims of human rights violations. The insecurity is a huge problem, mostly in the capital in the region around Port-au-Prince where the gangs

exert enormous control and they can control literally who comes in and out of neighborhoods, food or medical care, medical equipment gets delivered or

not, and it's just people are living in great fear.

SOARES: And you've been -- you were there for ten days, but you're going to -- you were working on Haiti -- you've been working on Haiti as you say for

something like 30 years. How does the current crisis, the instability that you described compare with what you have seen over the years?

O'NEILL: It's much worse than any time I've ever been to Haiti. I worked in Haiti shortly after the Duvalier regime ended, after the earthquake and

periods in between, and it's never been as bad as now in my experience. Again, it's mostly due to this fear and terror that many people in the

capital have to live under.

It's a little better outside. I did go to the north to get patient for a few days, and there, there are no gangs, the police are actually doing a

very good job up there. So, you still have for Haiti, the typical problems which have plagued the country for many years, deep poverty, lack of access

to basic services, but at least, the security situation was much more manageable up there and in other parts of the country too. It's really the

capital area that's the biggest problem.

SOARES: And I want to bring down that further if you could. Just give us a sense and give our viewers a sense, when you're saying it's the gangs that

control, especially the capital. What do you mean? How is that impacting civil society? How is that impacting people day-to-day lives?

O'NEILL: Well, it affects every aspect of life. In some neighborhoods, especially the slum areas in Cite Soleil, Martissant, other sections, the

gangs really are the overlords. There is no government presence, literally. Now, the police officer, not a judicial officer, not a state official. So

they control everything so that the food is to be brought in orphan market, let's say there's a market in that neighborhood, the market women, it's

usually women have to pay a tax quote-unquote, "to the gangs".

Medical supplies are -- any vehicle coming in are stopped and checked by the gangs, usually they impose a tax again or they take what they want or

take everything. And in some cases, they will kidnap. That's been the big story now for months, but the kidnappings are really horrible and people's

families are just terrified, and they ask for enormous ransom sums which people just don't have the funds to come up with.

[14:25:00]

So that's what it's like for roughly 80 percent of the capital city of the country.

SOARES: Wow, I was reading the Human Rights Watch that said over a 1,000 people have been kidnapped so far this year. I'm sure you heard our

introduction just before we came to you, Bill, Kenya's offered to deploy thousand police officers, Bahamas also says it's sending 150 officers. Does

that go far enough in your view? What do you recommend needs to be done first and foremost here?

O'NEILL: It's a good start, it's a good start that Kenya and the Bahamas have stepped up. Jamaica in the past has promised to send troop, police and

others. I hope some other countries will come forward, I think you don't need many people not like the previous missions, I don't think you need

thousands, but I think you need 2,000 to 3,000, but more important is the quality.

What are they trained to do? And here, I think the Haitian national police will tell you -- they told me when I met with them, they need help in

intelligence gathering and assessment. They need help in operational planning, like to move against the gangs. They need more equipment, they

need all kinds of support that I hope the international police who are going to come have that experience, have that ability to work alongside the

Haitian colleagues to mount effective operations against the gangs.

But it also can't be just kinetic activities. You also have to -- as soon as it's safe in those neighborhoods, begin programs on education, on access

to clean water, access to healthcare, education because that's really the root of the problem is massive lack of development, deep poverty and

inequality, and for many of these youth in the slum areas, they have had no prospects, no future.

And that has to be changed, otherwise even if you're successful, in terms of dismantling the gangs for now, they will just pop up again a year or two

from now.

SOARES: And Bill, very briefly, I was speaking to head of an NGO in the country about six months ago. And he told me that, you know, Haiti has

become a forgotten crisis, the world has forgotten about Haiti. Why has the world forgotten do you think or has it?

O'NEILL: I think I would have spun an agreement two or three weeks ago, but I think in the last couple of weeks, there has been some momentum building

at the security council. They will get this report from the secretary general in two weeks, and you have these announcements from Kenya and from

the Bahamas. I think the reality is, there's only so much space that Ukraine and at least, Sudan, there are so many crises around the world.

Haiti sometimes does get overshadowed, but I think it is changing now. I hope there are some momentum now to have some really effective action to

help the country get out of this really catastrophic situation.

SOARES: Bill O'Neill, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us, Bill. Thank you so much.

O'NEILL: You're welcome, thank you for having me.

SOARES: And still to come tonight, what Donald Trump's indictment over the 2020 election means for the upcoming one. We'll discuss that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

[14:31:36]

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone, back now to the top story this hour.

Former U.S. president Donald Trump is to be arrested and arraigned again as a new criminal indictment. This, time it is not about hush money or

classified documents but his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The indictment mentioned six coconspirators, their identities have been withheld since they have a mean charged with any crimes. Trump is scheduled

to appear in federal court tomorrow at 4 pm Eastern time.

Well Donald Trump and his allies are reacting to this new indictment, much like they did to the previous two of course. Steve Contorno is standing by

for the very latest.

And, Steve, all eyes on this courthouse in D.C., tomorrow, where expect to see president, a former president to attend in person.

What have we heard those so far from the president, the former president?

What has been his response here?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well his response has been very similar to the previous two indictments. And it's the same response we are hearing

from his allies. It has almost become somewhat routine how they respond to this.

But what is interesting is also that his competitors for the 2024 nomination, many of them also sound like his allies. They have been far

more critical of the Biden administration, the Department of Justice and these prosecutors who are going after Trump than they have been about

Trump.

For example, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who many see as a top rival to president Trump for the nomination, he actually said it was, quote,

"unfair" to have a trial in Washington, D.C., which he calls the swamp.

Another leading contender, Tim Scott, said he was more concerned about, quote," the weaponization of Biden's Department of Justice."

This is the challenge that a lot of these Republican contenders face as they go up against Trump. He is still very popular in the party. There are

people, Republicans, who are still very upset to see him not in office, to see him facing these legal troubles.

And as a result, they don't want to see Republicans, even those who are going up against him, criticize him on this. Even though this is

potentially the most damaging thing for Trump winning back the White House in 2024.

We have seen some Republicans speak out, like former vice president Mike Pence. He said in response to this, anyone who puts himself over the

Constitution should never be President of the United States.

But Pence is trailing in the polls, he's not getting much traction for his campaign; whereas those who are coming out more forcefully against the

Department of Justice have had a better time getting some traction with Republican voters.

SOARES: Steve there for us, thank you very much, Steve. Appreciate it.

Well Donald Trump's rivals for the Republican nomination are also responding to his third indictment. Some of them attacking the Justice

Department. And a few others choosing to condemn the former president.

Among, them you heard that Mike Pence. He says this, anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United

States. Special counsel accuses Trump of illegally pressuring then vice president Pence to help him avoid the results of the 2020 election.

Even before this vote indictment came, down polls for Trump as the front- runner for the nomination and basically tied for president Joe Biden in a hypothetical rematch.

So if anything, it seems like these criminal charges have solidified Trump's standing in the polls. More on all of this from the political

commentator and well-known face on the show, Scott Jennings.

Scott, great to have you back.

[14:35:00]

SOARES: You are just the man to talk us through exactly what we expect to see in the next 24 hours. Talk to us first about this latest indictment.

I mean do you think it is going to move the needle at all with Republican voters?

How will they see this, Scott?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think that they will see it the way that they see the other indictments that Donald Trump is facing.

The documents case at Mar-a-Lago, the state case in New York, the probable indictments that are to come in Georgia.

They see all of this as a connected conspiracy by Democrats to basically stop Donald Trump from getting back to the White House.

So every time this happens, you see a little bit of a bump up for Donald Trump in his polling. Now that's Republicans.

You take a look at independent voters, swing voters, people who really decide elections in the United States, the folks who live in the suburbs

of, say, Atlanta, Georgia and another metro place, Phoenix, Arizona, they are probably not too thrilled with the idea that they might have to vote

for a convicted felon.

(LAUGHTER)

JENNINGS: By the time the election rolls around next November, so the way Republicans are processing it and the way independent swing voters, who

aren't closely aligned with either party are processing it, are two very different things.

SOARES: So then just explain the rationale for us on the side of the pond.

How is it possible then, Scott, a former president, who has been indicted for a third time, maybe even fourth if we talk about Georgia, and is facing

kind of a swarm of criminal accusations, is crushing than the Republican field here, according to the latest polls.

I will show our viewers the latest of what we have here, to compare Trump with DeSantis, Pence, Scott and Haley.

I mean why don't Republicans see criminal behavior?

JENNINGS: Because they don't trust the messengers. The first indictment that came down came from a Democrat prosecutor in New York; that was Alvin

Bragg. Republicans hated that.

They see Jack Smith, the special prosecutor who is working on Trump at the federal level, as an extension of Merrick Garland, who works with Joe

Biden, as the attorney general at the Department of Justice.

So they really do see all of this as a coordinated effort to try and drag Trump down. Trump has been extremely effective in his messaging to

Republicans, trying to convince them that all of this is a witch hunt. All of this is just a political attack on him.

He often says in his speeches, it is not about me. It is about you. They want to take away your ability to have a president that you believe in. So

Republicans have just decided, most of them, to look at all of this to a political lens instead of looking at the facts.

They would say the facts are being brought to us by imperfect messengers, we don't trust what they say.

It is actually quite troubling if you believe in institutions and the rule of law and that, eventually, in this country, for people to wholesale and

not believe this kind of stuff from our top law enforcement, it is very troubling for civil society.

SOARES: It is indeed and when you put it out, I think it is why so many of us on this side of the pond kind of tend to roll our eyes and scratch our

heads, trying to understand what has happened.

But look, Trump has a tight grip on the Republican Party, which extends all the way to Capitol Hill. I want to play this little clip. Have a listen to

this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What has happened so far, it certainly has not seemed to affect his support. You know, like I said, I think that you have got to

make sure you (INAUDIBLE) allow the justice system to work. Laws are broken.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And so these strategies to dig back as far as you can and kind of trump up some charges against him is just backfiring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People came into the Capitol that should not have but more and more, we find out about it, a lot of this was instigated through

the FBI and some other people.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The FBI is responsible for January 6th?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, nobody ran the building. I don't -- I am not saying that they were responsible. They were involved. Hopefully, in a good

way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Just some views from Senate Republicans. If you are, Scott, one of the Republican candidates facing up against Trump -- and I think and I will

ask my producer to bring up that map again that shows the polling that shows DeSantis and all of the others.

You have just seen that and you've seen the polls and you heard what we heard and seen the polls, what do you do about it?

How do you fight him?

JENNINGS: You don't. That is the thing. Everybody has sort of cast about for strategies.

What should I do?

What should I say?

The reality is there is nothing you can do about it because the vast majority of Republicans are squarely behind Donald Trump and how he sees

this. So there are a handful of these candidates and this race that are attacking Donald Trump.

They are all at like zero and 1 percent. Everybody that has got, you know, a reasonable chance of being in the top five, they have all basically lined

up behind Donald Trump ,because that is where most Republican voters are.

Their real hope is that Donald Trump just decides I am not running anymore or you, know he evaporates from this race somehow; I don't know how it will

be. They don't have the ability to impact that change. But if he does, they are saying, well, I need to show some loyalty to Trump.

[14:40:00]

JENNINGS: Because if for some reason he goes away, I will be in a position credible enough to pick up some of his voters that he leaves behind.

I am just telling you, Donald Trump is not going anywhere because winning this election might well be his best legal strategy. If he wins the White

House and he has not gone to trial by then, he can make most of this go away. Not at the state level but at the federal level, winning the White

House, he can make it all go away.

So I don't think he will get out of this race because it might be his best way out of all of this.

SOARES: Indeed, Scott Jennings, makes so much sense. Thank you very much, appreciate it, Scott.

Now artificial intelligence is making gains in the medical field. New findings suggest the use of AI In breast cancer screenings is good as two

radiologists. These AI supported screenings increase detection by 20 percent, finding more than doctors with years, of course, of experience.

There is still more research to do but the study shows both the safety and the effectiveness of using AI in breast cancer detection. And with the

shortage of radiologists across the U.S., as well as the U.K., this technology could help ease the demand.

CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell joins me now from New York. For more on these AI supported screenings.

And Meg, talk us through first what the study found here.

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, one of the important things about the study that it was the first, I believe, to actually set out to

look at this question. And they looked at 80,000 women in Sweden, half of them were separated into a group where AI would first analyze the

mammograms and then it would be sent to a radiologist.

Half done the standard way with two experienced radiologist looking at these images. What they found is that, for every thousand women screened,

the AI supported version of this found six cancers versus just five for the radiologists the standard way alone.

And what they also found is that they were not more false positives with the AI supported version as well. They weren't finding cancer that wasn't

there. Importantly, this also was shown to reduce the workload for radiologists by 44 percent.

And that is based on the fact that, in Europe, it's standard for two radiologists to look at mammograms. In the U.S., that is not standard so

that may not be a 44 percent reduction in the workload. But certainly, this is hope that it can be a helpful tool for radiologists, who have to look at

tons of these images over the course of the day.

SOARES: And will this help doctors with their jobs and, if so, is it already being employed in hospitals around the world?

TIRRELL: There are all some sort of -- not AI but some technologies that are computer assisted to try and help radiologists do this kind of work.

And so the hope is that this can really be a great tool to enable them to focus more on, you know, the important things and to reduce some of that

workload that is not something they should be spending as much of their time on.

So it is really hoped that, as there is a shortage of radiologist -- and breast cancer incidence is increasing by half a percentage point every year

in the United States and, with an aging population, we need more people to be able to do this. This could help with some of that workload.

SOARES: Yes, with the shortage of radiologists, backlogs as well that we have seen here in the U.K., this could all be very important. Thank you

very much, Meg, appreciate it.

Still to come tonight, last week's coup leads to an expat exodus in Niger. We look at how people there may already be feeling the impact of regional

sanctions.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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[14:45:53]

SOARES: Well, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie, are separating. Trudeau announced the news on his Instagram account,

saying, they made the decision after many meaningful and difficult conversations.

He went on to say, quote, "We remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue

to build."

The. couple married in 2005 and have three children.

Evacuations are underway after last week's military takeover in Niger. Among the latest France has two flights evacuating more than 500 people

from several countries. Some in Niger are angry at France and waving Russian flags are celebrating the detention of Western backed president

Mohamed Bazoum but the country faces a major crisis.

It's been hit with a growing list of sanctions and there were reports Nigeria has cut off its vital power supply. Niger is no stranger to

blackouts. But right now, even more of its people find themselves without electricity. CNN's David McKenzie is tracking developments in Niger. He

filed this report for us from Johannesburg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Foreign nationals continue to be evacuated from Niamey, the capital of Niger. It's a very

volatile situation in the country since the coup that ousted democratically elected president Bazoum.

ECOWAS, the regional bloc, and the U.S. State Department are trying to negotiate an end to the situation, return the democratically elected

president back to power. The U.S. government in particular hasn't officially announced that this is a coup because, if they do, a series of

steps need to be taken to withdraw military support from Niger.

A key ally in the fight against extremists in the Sahel region. There is a very large U.S. base in Agadez, where drones operate. It's an important

intelligence gathering operation for that wider region and beyond.

I spoke to a former CIA analyst and former U.S. government official about what happens next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON HUDSON, SENIOR ASSOCIATE, CSIS AFRICA PROGRAM: I think we've seen all of these national militaries with some kind of outside assistance,

still struggling to contain the terrorist threat.

So absent not just any old military assistance but U.S. military assistance, I think you're going to find that the Nigerien army is going to

really struggle.

MCKENZIE: The real estate as it were in the Sahel for the U.S. and France to operate is almost running out.

Where do you see this going from here?

HUDSON: I think that's also why we're seeing Secretary Blinken and others really double down on not calling this a coup. It's obviously an ongoing

coup. It's almost more of a hostage situation.

And so I think that's in part why we are seeing diplomats continue to double down on the restoration of President Bazoum and civilian rule in the

country, because they don't want to make those hard choices about where they go next and whether or not they suspend military assistance to Niger

in the near term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: The coup leaders show no sign at this stage of relenting. The worry is that that region, which is already seeing huge pressure from

extremist groups, could get even more violent if this continues -- David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Still to come, three dancers who used to work for Lizzo say she is much different than the inclusive persona she portrays in public and

accused her of creating a hostile work environment. We're following their story and their lawsuit next.

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[14:52:09]

SOARES: Well, a popular entertainer known for her uplifting messages and advocacy for body positivity is being sued by three of her former dancers.

They claim Lizzo, seen in the middle, subjected them to a hostile work environment and harassment while they were members of her dance team.

They also say they endured racial as well as religious discrimination. Her production company, a person described as a dance cast captain, were also

named in the plaintiffs' suit. Let's bring in Lisa Respers France in Atlanta. She is senior writer for CNN's entertainment team.

These are quite serious allegations. Up to speed on what is being alleged by these women here.

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: They're alleging a multitude of things, from harassment to fat shaming. One of the women says

that when the crew, cast and crew, were in Amsterdam in the red light district that Lizzo allegedly pressured her into touching the naked body of

one of the dancers there.

They say that they had these work conditions which were untenable to them and that one of the women who alleges that she was made to feel a way for

potentially gaining weight.

This is really fascinating and shocking to a lot of Lizzo's fans. Lizzo, herself, has been very open and gone on social media, at times crying and

venting about how she feels like she's been treated as a plus size Black woman.

Two out of the three dancers who were making these allegations, people know them from Lizzo's 2021 show, "Watch Out for the Big Girls," in which she

was auditioning plus size dancers to go on tour with her.

So it's been -- for someone who has had such a squeaky clean, for the most part, image for Lizzo, these allegations are incredibly negative and

surprising.

SOARES: Lisa, have we heard from Lizzo?

Has there been any fallout yet?

FRANCE: Lizzo has not spoken publicly about it as of yet. We have seen some fallout, including it appears that Beyonce, who had been shouting Lizzo out

while she was on tour in her song, "Break My Soul," to stop doing that, after this was announced.

So people are making the connection, thinking that Beyonce is potentially backing away from her support of Lizzo by not mentioning her in the song

anymore.

SOARES: Thanks very much, Lisa. We really appreciate it. Thank you.

Finally, there was a pitch invader at a Sri Lanka cricket match on Monday. Not the kind that you would expect. Thought to be a non venomous rat snake

slithered, as you can see right here, onto the field.

That is the stuff of my worst nightmares.

It interrupted play until wildlife officials could actually remove the creature and take it back to its natural habitat. The Sri Lanka Premier

League took it in stride.

[14:55:00]

SOARES: It has probably happened before. This is what they tweeted.

Tweeting, quote, "Hello, stranger.

"Where is your accreditation card?"

"Even the Sri Lanka wildlife cannot resist the action."

That does it for us for this evening. Thank you very much for your company. Do stay right here. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Richard Quest is up next.

END