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New Day Saturday
Singapore's Luxury Island Playing Host to Historic U.S.-North Korea Meeting; Mesa Police Investigate Recent Use-of-Force Incidents; Manafort and Russian Associate Charged with Obstruction; London Celebrates Queen's Elizabeth II's Birthday; Warriors Win Third NBA Title in Four Years; Justify Seeking Triple Crown in Upcoming Race; Lava Wipes Out Popular Hawaii Vacation Spot; Some Evacuees from Leilani Estates Allowed Back In; Remembering The Life And Legacy Of A Culinary Legend. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired June 09, 2018 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:00:16]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump sticking up for Russia and sticking it to allies.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Russia should be in this meeting. Why are we having a meeting without Russia being in the meeting?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is it that he's so interested in flattering one of the most brutal dictators in the world?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I would say to these European leaders is welcome to America first.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I said I've been preparing all my life. I always believe in preparation, but I've been preparing for all my life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Casinos and theme parks, President Trump may feel right at home next week on Singapore's Sentosa Island, the luxurious location of what are some are calling the meeting of the century.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: So grateful to have you with us here this morning. The eyes of the world are on a small Canadian town where in just minutes President Trump is going to be with some of America's closest allies for what could a historic and at the same time contentious meeting.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And so big questions need answers, here they are, are the world's leaders really possibly moving forward without the U.S.? Does America first now mean America alone, and how will our allies react when President Trump leaves the G7 summit early to prepare for his meeting with North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un?
CNN's Boris Sanchez is live in Quebec City this morning. Boris, what do we expect from the president today?
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Christie. If it's anything like yesterday, we won't see fireworks unexpected considering that going into this G7, we saw so much bluster and tough talk on Twitter from President Trump going after his French and Canadian counterparts in Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau calling them out by name for what he sees is unfair trade practices.
Of course, you have the French president tweeting out that if Trump wanted to isolate himself and the other six leaders of the G7 would ultimately decide to move forward without him. Despite all of that, upon arrival, President Trump was downright chummy with the other world leaders, specifically Macron and Trudeau, before departing for Quebec.
Trump actually promised that he would get together with them, and in his words, they would all fall in love again. Here's some of what he said with the two leaders yesterday --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Justin has agreed to cut all tariffs and all trade barriers between Canada and the United States, so I'm very happy.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: We're in good shape --
PRESIDENT TRUMP: We are working on it. We are actually working on it. But our relationship is very good. The United States has been under a big trade deficit with the European union, and we're working it out. And Emmanuel's been very helpful in that regard. Something's going to happen, I think it will be very positive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The president obviously with a sense of humor there. These nations haven't ironed out their trade issues, which is part of the reason the president has been so abrasive towards some of the United States' closest allies.
Today, the president is taking part in a gender equality breakfast, then the traditional scroll signing, and a working group before ultimately departing early. He's leaving at about 10:30 a.m.
There are still sessions going on that he was originally supposed to participate in, dedicated to the environment and climate change. Perhaps not a surprise that President Trump is skipping those considering that he's previously claimed that climate change is a hoax being perpetrated by the Chinese.
We should point out one other thing -- a lot of these other leaders, Trudeau, Macron, Theresa May of the U.K. or Shinzo Abe of Japan are holding press conferences, open questions with a number of press outlets there. President Trump not doing that. He's heading straight for Singapore for his historic meeting with North Korea leader, Kim Jong-un -- Victor and Christi.
BLACKWELL: All right. Boris Sanchez for us there at Quebec City. Boris, thank you.
PAUL: Breaking news overnight, Russia says Vienna is being considered as a venue for a possible President Trump-President Putin summit. Yesterday, Trump said Russia should be given their seat back at the G7 table.
BLACKWELL: Now Senator John McCain slammed the president's comment with a reminder about recent history writing, "Vladimir Putin chose to make Russia unworthy of membership by invading Ukraine and annexing Crimea. He added, "The president has inexplicably shown our adversaries the deference and esteem that should be reserved for our closest allies."
CNN's Brian Todd has more for us now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Analysts say it's the kind of endorsement the Russian Leader Vladimir Putin could only dream of getting, but now it's coming from a very powerful source, the president of the United States.
[06:05:08] PRESIDENT TRUMP: Russia should be in this meeting. Why are we having a meeting without Russia being in the meeting?
TODD: President Trump's impromptu idea to reinstate Russia into the G7, the elite group of the world's leading industrial nations, delivered on his way to the summit is exactly the type of victory critics say that Putin wants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump extending this invitation really does make Vladimir Putin's day. It's accomplishing everything Putin has set out to accomplish in dividing the United States from his closest partners.
TODD: That's because experts say Putin is facing trouble at home like a stagnant economy, and that he longs for the days of the Soviet Union when his country was considered a superpower. They say he isn't so much trying to strengthen his own hand as he is trying to destroy others. That's why analysts say Trump's public battles with his NATO allies Justin Trudeau and Emmanuel Macron play right into Putin's hands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Putin's goal is to weaken democratic institutions in the west. Whether it's informal organizations like the G7 or formal organizations like NATO, the fact that Trump is playing along for M. Putin leaves the United States in a bad place.
TODD: Some members of Trump's own party appear to agree with that assessment. Senator Ben Sass saying in a statement, "This is weak, Putin is not our friend, and he is not the president's buddy. He is a thug using Soviet-style aggression to wage a shadow war against America."
And from Senator John McCain, "The president has inexplicably shown our adversaries the deference and esteem that should be reserved for our closest allies." Russia was suspended from the G7 after Putin's 2014 annexation of Crimea, then part of Ukraine.
But since being retaliated against, Putin has doubled down on his aggression, meddling in America's elections, allowing his warplanes to buzz American ships, and allegedly poisoning his adversaries, even on foreign soil.
The president claims he has been tough on Putin, leveling hard-hitting sanctions on the Russian president and his friends.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I have been Russia's worst nightmare. If Hillary got in, I think Putin is probably going, man, I wish Hillary won.
TODD: But many analysts disagree saying Trump's appearance deference to and compliments of Putin have only fueled Putin's swagger. One example, in interviews this week, Putin said he's got no intention of handing Crimea back to Ukraine. And listen how to he raised the specter of a security threat from Ukraine to the upcoming world cup in Russia, a threat to which there seems to be no public evidence of.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I hope that there will not be provocations by Ukraine during the World Cup. If this happens, it will negatively affect Ukrainian statehood.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's on the one hand threatening Ukraine, which is an extraordinary thing to do. On the other hand, he's also already instigated war in Ukraine. The fact that he's threatening their statehood, sovereignty, is deeply problematic.
TODD (on camera): For his part, Vladimir Putin recently denied wanting to divide the European Union saying the E.U. is his biggest trading partner. Analysts say that's a disingenuous comment by Putin and a deflection from what they say he really wants to do, to divide the E.U., U.S. and them from each other. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: And what some experts say is a very clear defiance of not getting a seat at the G7 table, Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a state visit to China, holding his own huddle with Chinese President Xi Jinping and spending some downtime together at a hockey match.
BLACKWELL: All right. Joining us now, Errol Louis, CNN political commentator and political anchor for Spectrum News. Errol, good morning to you.
ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.
BLACKWELL: So, let's talk about Russia now. The president said no one has been rougher, tougher on Russia than the president has. When I heard the president say that before heading to Canada, I thought that's a surprise. It seemingly came out of nowhere. Do we know what the prompt was for the president now saying that Russia should be readmitted to the G7?
LOUIS: It's extraordinary, Victor, because it shows President Trump trying to do more for Russia than Russia is trying to do for itself. Yes, it clearly would like to be part of the G8, the former G8 once again. On the other hand, when asked about it, the Russian diplomats said that they don't want -- that this is not a high priority for them.
So, this is the president making this claim saying, gee, why aren't they here, as if it were some oversight, without reference to the violence, the flagrant violations of international law, the annexation of Crimea, the troops in Eastern Ukraine, and the abundant human rights violations that have gone along with that stuff. No mention from the president of the united states. It really is extraordinary.
BLACKWELL: And official U.S. policy, no mention of that either. I went to read the State Department's official statement on U.S.-Russia relations, and here's what it says specifically of the annexation of Crimea -- "Russia held on illegitimate, fabricated referendum in Ukraine in a futile attempt to legitimize its purported annexation of Ukrainian territory.
[06:10:07] Crimea is part of Ukraine and now Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine. Now you heard what Brian Todd's reporting was is that Russia has no intention of doing that. So, is the president flouting U.S. policy or changing it, rewriting it?
LOUIS: I think really more the latter. The president is the commander-in-chief. The president sets the policy. No matter what people might think to the contrary, he's clearly trying to change the relationship that we have.
I mean, the policies that you described, the statement that you read, that's been policy for quite a long time. It's in keeping with international norms and with longstanding U.S. policy.
I'd like to also say, Victor, that there's a filmmaker named Olegsensov who's been rotting away in a Siberian prison for a number of months now, he's on a hunger strike, and that was in connection with this illegal annexation of Crimea.
To the extent that we've got human rights violations, people on hunger strikes, people who are trying very, very hard to sort of undo the wrong that began in 2014, for the president to sweep it away and say I think they should rejoin the company of the major nations of the world, really extraordinary.
BLACKWELL: So, the president bookends the G7 Summit with the comments about readmitting Russia then leaving early to head to Singapore for the upcoming summit with Kim Jong-un. When you -- when juxtaposed to being with our allies there in Quebec and leaving early to go and prioritize Kim Jong-un, what's the impact beyond just this meeting do you think?
LOUIS: Well, look, it is a signal to the closest allies of the United States that the administration is taking a very different approach than prior administrations, Republican and Democratic.
That he's focused on this denuclearization effort which I think everybody agrees is a great thing and probably could be an extraordinary breakthrough for security in that region. On the other hand, who are you going to do this with?
Well, you know, the multilateral approach that has worked so well for the last 70 years, it's something that we can't feel it's a surprise. President Trump has always expressed a certain amount of disdain for the way diplomacy has been done.
He's going in an entirely different direction, this notion of a go-it- alone, one-on-one relationship with Russia, China, without allies at our side. I want to hope for the best. I think we all should hope for the best, but it seems a dangerous way to go about rewriting the rules of the game when it comes to international diplomacy.
BLACKWELL: All right. We'll see what comes the next few hours there as the G7 Summit continues. Errol Louis, thanks so much.
LOUIS: Thank you.
PAUL: Still to come, we have CNN's Anthony Bourdain and what he meant to people, how people are reacting. But even more so, how his curiosity, how his passion for exploring cuisine and culture did so much more than we even ever probably realized at the time. All of that straight ahead.
BLACKWELL: Plus, as we discussed, President Trump will be on his way to Singapore to meet with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un very soon. We'll take a look at the venue this historic Korea summit.
PAUL: And champagne flies on the Golden State Warriors, can claim dynasty status after winning a third NBA title in four years.
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[06:17:53]
PAUL: So many people are still trying to reconcile what has happened in the last 24 hours. Anthony Bourdain here at CNN, our colleague, died at the age of 61. He took his own life. He was found in his hotel room in France yesterday where he was working on an upcoming episode of "PARTS UNKNOWN."
This was a man who is such a talented chef, traveler, gifted storyteller. He used his books and shows to explore cuisine, but more than that, culture.
BLACKWELL: He really was a master of his craft and his award-winning series, "PARTS UNKNOWN," highlighted how much we all have in common. CNN correspondent, Polo Sandoval shows us how he really made the world seem far more accessible.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Few people know Anthony Bourdain the way Eric Ripert did. The French chef often appeared on CNN's "PARTS UNKNOWN" alongside Bourdain. He shared his grief on Friday writing, "Anthony was my best friend, an exceptional human being, so inspiring and generous. One of the great storytellers what connected with so many. I pray he is at peace from the bottom of my heart." Ripert is among many chefs worldwide shaken by the loss of this culinary legend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted to be you since the first time that I saw you. When I grow up, I want to be just like my friend, Tony --
SANDOVAL: Fellow chef and traveler, Andrew Zimmerman wrote, "A piece of my heart is truly broken. Tony was a symphony. I wish everyone could have seen all of him. A true friend."
Then there's this poignant bond with French chef (inaudible) showing this spoon tattoo he shares with Bourdain. "I am forever indebted to this passionate, great man," writes (inaudible) of his late mentor. Bourdain inspired others through the art of cooking said Chef Marc Murphy.
MARC MURPHY, CHEF: I think if all the leaders of the world could sit and eat and drink together, this world would be a better place. I think Anthony Bourdain sort of showed that, that there is no -- there was no barrier, no boundaries. Food was the universal language.
SANDOVAL: Bourdain's unique style of storytelling was unmatched, admired by fans around the world including former President Barack Obama --
[06:20:04] Obama recalled his (inaudible) noodle dinner with Bourdain writing, "This is how I remember Tony, he taught us about food but more importantly about its ability to bring us together to make us a little less afraid of the unknown."
Bourdain's reach stretched beyond the culinary world, far beyond. Astronaut Scott Kelly said he often watched Bourdain's show from space, "It made me feel more connected to the planet, its people, and cultures, and made my time there more palatable. He inspired me to see the world up close."
Among the tributes, messages of prevention, celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsey, says, "Stunned and saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain. Remember that help is a phone call away." Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: CNN's Anderson Cooper sat down with a good friend of Anthony Bourdain's, food writer, Michael Ruhlman.
PAUL: The two traveled to so many locations together on both of his travel channel shows, "No Reservations," CNN's "PARTS UNKNOWN." We want to share with you part of their conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL RUHLMAN, FRIEND OF ANTHONY BOURDAIN: He loved people, and he loved culture and food. He loved what he was doing. Here was a guy who was a drug addict and a line cook for half his life and transformed himself into award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and an extraordinarily successful tv personality, which he hated to call himself, but that's what he was. He transformed the medium of food journalism, food travel shows. He did so much and never forget how lucky he was to be where he was. He was always humble.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm going to ask a question, which I don't think there's an answer to, but I'm sure it's going to be a question that you're going to get as a friend of his a lot, do you understand what happened or why?
RUHLMAN: I do not. The last I knew, he was in love. He was happy. He said, "love abounds," some of the last words he said to me. That was a while ago. When I saw him, he looked tired, but I have no idea. I think his best friend, Eric Ripert, was with him and found him. Eric would be the only person who know, and I don't know if he knows. I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: You've heard a lot of people say there's nobody like Anthony Bourdain, and there was no show like "PARTS UNKNOWN." To that, we want to pay tribute to Anthony Bourdain, CNN, with a special night of episodes beginning tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here only on CNN.
BLACKWELL: President Trump will be on his way to Singapore to meet with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un very soon. We'll take a look at the venue of this historic summit that's coming up.
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[06:27:30]
PAUL: It's 27 minutes on this Saturday morning past 6:00. I'm Christi Paul.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good morning to you. Live pictures here of --
PAUL: Isn't that beautiful? We're here in the studio. We should have gone to cover that.
BLACKWELL: I know. (Inaudible) Quebec, beautiful location for the G7 Summit this morning. President Trump preparing for day two of the summit to meet with America's closest allies. Everything starts in a couple of minutes.
After very public sparring with leaders of France and Canada, day one had no major fireworks. Instead we heard jokes and saw photo ops with the world leaders and signs that progress possibly, possibly is coming on trade disputes.
PAUL: Now we know later today, President Trump is leaving the G7 early to head to Singapore, so he can prepare for his historic summit with Kim Jong-un. That meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
BLACKWELL: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is taking a tough stance on North Korea and the nuclear program there. Secretary Pompeo says all North Korea's nuclear weapons must go before sanctions end.
PAUL: And in just a few hours, President Trump is heading to that meeting, as I said, with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un. CNN's Will Ripley is taking a look for us at the venue for this historic summit and why it matters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): White sandy beaches, golf courses, casinos and theme parks, President Trump may feel right at home next week on Singapore's Sentosa Island, the luxurious location of what some are calling the meeting of the century.
Trump says there will be no Mar-a-Lago-style golf diplomacy when he meets North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un, trying to make a deal with a man who remains a mystery to much of the world.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, it's going to be much more than a photo op. I think it's a process.
RIPLEY: The guest list for the island's five-star hotel remains a mystery, too, as will who will foot the bill for cash-strapped North Korea at the Capella or Kim Jong-un's rumored first choice, The Fullerton, where a presidential suite can cost $6,000 a night.
The U.S. has said it won't pay for the Pyongyang delegation. What is certain, protocol will be paramount. The numbers of U.S. and North Korean delegates must be equally balanced, and do we have some clues as to who may have a seat at the table.
Trump has met Kim Jong-un's right-hand man, Kim Yong-Chol, at the White House earlier this month. That makes him a likely partner for Kim on his flight to Singapore along with his trusted younger sister, Kim Yo-Jong.
On the American side, Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, has met Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang twice.
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: There will be tough moments, there will be difficult times. I've had some difficult conversations with them as well.
RIPLEY: Or perhaps Philippine's ambassador, Kim Sung a veteran of Korea diplomacy, who set the stage for Tuesday's summit with planning meetings on the DMZ.
[06:30:00] The entire Capella Resort is on lockdown for the talks. Perhaps, only the peacocks allowed to roam freely on the pristine 30-acre grounds.
Soon, this secluded island will host two nuclear armed leaders for what promises to be a surreal, first-ever encounter between a sitting U.S. president and North Korean Supreme leader. Will Ripley, Cnn.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Special counsel Bob Mueller issues a new indictment against former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort. Is there a connection to Russian intelligence? Cnn's legal analyst joins us next to explain.
PAUL: Also, the warriors cruise into their third NBA title in four years --
BLACKWELL: Job well done --
PAUL: The question now, what's LeBron James going to do?
[06:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: We will fix this. That's the promise from police chief in Mesa, Arizona, following recent use of force incidents.
PAUL: Seven officers have been placed on administrative leave after videos raised questions about some encounters there. And as Stephanie Elam tells us, Mesa police are bringing in outside help now to investigate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAMON BATISTA, CHIEF OF POLICE, MESA POLICE DEPARTMENT: Let me be crystal clear, I'm angry and I'm deeply disappointed by what I saw in those videos. It's unacceptable and it needs to stop immediately.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN (voice-over): Videos of Mesa police officers making two separate arrests have put the department in hot water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the way down, all the way down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dude, no -- dude, they told me to get your ass out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is down, bro! This is down! This is down, bro!
ELAM: The May 23rd arrest of Robert Johnson making national headlines as the video shows the unarmed 33-year-old being kneed and punched repeatedly in the head until he is out cold.
A police sergeant and four officers are on administrative leave while the incident is investigated. The department already changing policy in response to the video. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Henceforth, any strikes are only authorized in
situations where a person is actively fighting with us, actively taking a swing at us.
ELAM: That's not enough for Johnson who wants the charges against him dropped.
ROBERT JOHNSON, MAN BEATEN BY ARIZONA POLICE: I want Mesa to be held accountable for what they have done.
ELAM: But before Johnson on May 17th, Mesa police arrested a 15-year- old male who was charged with multiple counts including armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. After he is in handcuffs, you hear the teen wail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you done talking?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you done talking, are you sure?
(WAILING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm done talking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you sure you're done talking?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me tell you, I'm an examiner(ph)! Let me tell you I'm an examiner(ph), let me tell you I'm an examiner(ph) --
(WAILING)
ELAM: Two of these officers are now also on administrative leave.
BATISTA: The level of force used by our officers was brought to my attention. And as a result, an internal investigation was initiated by the department.
ELAM: Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista taking action, announcing a trio of investigations including one led by the Washington D.C.-based police executive research forum which will examine the department's use of force over the last three years.
Former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley will conduct an internal affairs review to determine if disciplinary action is needed.
RICK ROMLEY, FORMER MARICOPA COUNTY ATTORNEY: It's going to be hard inside the Mesa Police Department.
BATISTA: My team and I will work every single day to make these -- make sure these situations don't happen again.
ELAM: Stephanie Elam, Cnn.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BLACKWELL: Special Counsel Robert Mueller hit former Trump campaign
Chairman Paul Manafort with a new indictment. This time charging him and a Russian business associate with obstruction and conspiracy charges for alleged witness tampering.
PAUL: And Manafort's attorney say that these charges are based on the, quote, "thinnest of evidence". Cnn political correspondent Sara Murray has all of the details for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN (on camera): Paul Manafort in new legal trouble as he and his business associate, a man with alleged ties to Russian intelligence are facing new criminal charges after allegedly tampering with witnesses.
According to court filings, the special counsel's team is charging Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik with obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Meaning, they allegedly worked together to try to convince witnesses to commit perjury.
It's the first time Mueller has named Kilimnik who lived in Moscow and assisted Manafort in his lobbying work for Ukrainian politicians. He's the 20th person to face charges in the Mueller investigation.
Friday's move to bring charges ramps up the pressure on President Trump's former campaign chairman to cooperate with Mueller's probe. Under house arrest for more than seven months, Manafort recently got a glimmer of hope that Mueller's team might be amenable to allowing him to be released on bail.
But then in a sudden shift, prosecutors unveiled the alleged witness tampering and requested he be sent back to jail to await trial. The obstruction of justice charges come on top of charges Manafort faces for failing to disclose his lobbying work for a foreign government and other financial crimes.
He's currently awaiting two trials and he's maintained his innocence. But if he is found guilty, the 69-year-old could be sent to prison for the rest of his life, Sara Murray, Cnn, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[06:40:00] PAUL: Sara, thank you. Cnn legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson with us now. So from a legal perspective, Joey, of course, Manafort's attorney assert that the new charges were based as we said on the "thinnest of evidence" we understand, 84-second phone call is included, there are some text messages between Manafort and two former business associates.
What has to be present in those communications to incriminate or bring these kinds of charges?
JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Christi, good morning. You know, obviously, there's an imperative on any defense attorney, including myself, to get an upper hand in terms of public relations. So you're not going to say, my goodness, my client is guilty. You
know what? They caught him red-handed, you're going to say that the evidence is thin, the evidence certainly doesn't reach any standard beyond a reasonable doubt and we will prevail, right?
The reality is this, the reality is that the special counsel is asserting and alleging that there was tampering as it relates to those witnesses. What is problematic about that is generally if they know that, they have documentary evidence in the form of text messages and other information because the government generally, when you're under indictment looks at you, watches you and follows you.
And so many clients think that they're under indictment, they could talk to whoever they want, say whatever they want, go after whoever they want, they can.
And so everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence, we remind everyone, Christi, that an indictment is an allegation, we get that, but the reality is that if the special counsel has superseded the indictment, which is what this is called and filed a new indictment including these charges that they have the goods as it relates to him and a co-conspirator trying to influence testimony.
And so in the court of law, the standard is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, we'll see whether the government gets there, but the adding of themselves certainly in and of itself is problematic, and it also, we should add could affect his liberty in as much as there's a hearing to determine whether he should be put back in until such time that there's a trial.
PAUL: Right because he is currently on --
JACKSON: I doubt(ph) that --
PAUL: On the condition of a -- yes, the condition of a pre-trial release that they want to change. I want to read to you also another argument that his attorneys are making, they say "Mr. Manafort's Sixth Amendment right to trial by an impartial jury in this district may have been irreparably damaged by the special counsel's latest very public, very specious filing of this motion."
Did, in your opinion, special counsel Mueller jeopardize a seating of an impartial jury here?
JACKSON: Well, here's what happened Christi, and to be fair to both sides, obviously from a defense perspective, you don't want to taint the jury at all. You want to preserve information and make it appear as though your client is just under allegations and certainly not guilty.
This was a very public attempt by the special counsel to bring him in compliance. But the argument from their side is going to be you brought that upon yourself.
The facts are is that in the event that the allegations are true and that you were trying to speak to witnesses and influence their testimony, that's a problem.
And the government has an obligation to address that probably by virtue of holding you accountable. The way they do that is by indicting you, indictments become public, they become a matter of public record.
Judges will remind any jury that ladies and gentlemen, an indictment is an allegation, 23 members sit, a majority of which, 12 say that there's reasonable cause to believe that a crime was committed and that Manafort committed it.
He's not guilty by any stretch, that's yet to be proven. But obviously in doing their job, it's not a secret. And so, you know, the special counsel is doing what they do, they're not leaking information, they're going to the goods.
And if you read all the documents, it looks like the allegations are somewhat strong.
PAUL: All right, Joey Jackson, always appreciate your expertise, thank you, sir.
JACKSON: Thank you Christi.
PAUL: Sure.
BLACKWELL: All right, we are smack in the middle of two major sports events, you've got the NBA finals, you've got the Belmont stakes, let's go to Andy Scholes who's covering it all. Andy?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS REPORTER: Yes, Victor, yes, the Warriors wrapping up the NBA finals last night with a sweep, we'll hear from them and from LeBron and out here in New York, justify trying to make history to become the 13th horse to win the triple crown, we'll hear from legendary trainer Bob Baffert up next in this morning's bleacher report.
PAUL: And here are some other pictures this morning live from London of the trooping -- of the trooping the color. It's the celebration of course of the queen's birthday, we'll tell you more in just a moment, stay close.
[06:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: A live look for you here at what is happening right now at Buckingham Palace. The official trooping the color underway. This is the annual birthday parade in celebration for Queen Elizabeth's birthday.
Now, listen, she turned 92 in April in all transparency here, the trooping the color parade is always held in June, I have read because she likes the weather better --
BLACKWELL: Oh --
PAUL: In June -- BLACKWELL: OK.
PAUL: U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis attending today's celebration as well.
BLACKWELL: So in less than two hours, we'll get our first look at the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, this is since she married Prince Harry, of course. She'll appear with the royal family on the palace balcony, I'll bring you those live pictures when that happens.
All right, for the third time in four years, the Warriors are NBA champions.
PAUL: Andy Scholes in New York with more on this morning's bleacher report, good morning, sir.
SCHOLES: Good morning, guys. Yes, there's no surprise in these NBA finals. The Warriors win once again and as long as this group stays together, you know, who knows how many times we will be saying that?
Kevin Durant, he was as good as it gets in this series. He was named the NBA finals MVP for the second year in a row. Game four wasn't much of a game at all, the Warriors beating the Cavs easily, 108-85, to complete the sweep, cementing themselves as one of the NBA's dynasties.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[06:50:00] KEVIN DURANT, BASKETBALL PLAYER, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Getting up every day, going to work with these guys is, you know, is amazing. The environment is incredible, it's good for you to be around guys like this, it helps you to become a better basketball player and a better man and this is a journey that's better than the destination.
You know, I'm happy I'm a part of this group.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now, was this LeBron's last game in Cleveland? That's the big question now heading into the off-season. It turns out LeBron played most of the series with a broken hand that he suffered after punching a whiteboard after the game-one loss.
He was wearing a cast in the post-game interviews and he explained what happened there and talked about his future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, BASKETBALL PLAYER, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Self-inflicted, post-game after game one, very emotional, you know, I let the emotions get the best of me and pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand.
So that's what it is. When I decide what I'm going to do with my future and my family and the folks that have been with me for the last, you know, 20 years, pretty much, we'll have a say so.
And then ultimately it will come down to me, so we'll see what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Out here at Belmont Park, we could see history today as Justify looks to become the 13th horse ever to win the Triple Crown. Now Justify is trained by Bob Baffert, he also trained American Pharaoh three years ago who ended the 37-year Triple Crown drought.
Now, I got the chance to speak with Baffert yesterday and he compared Justify to some of sport's all-time greats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB BAFFERT, HORSE TRAINER: It's a privilege to have a horse like this, and you just don't want to -- you want to stay out of their way, you know, don't mess it up.
I feel this pressure, you know, like you've got this really good athlete, you've got, you know, you've got LeBron James, you've got Michael Jordan, you know, you better win a championship, dude.
You sure added -- you know, like Alabama, you got all these good players, you better win it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: And Justify, an overwhelming favorite here today, people hoping to see history once again here at Belmont Park, the race scheduled to start at about 6:45 Eastern.
And guys, I joked with Baffert, he's a superstitious guy, he said the last thing he wants to happen for him today is for a black cat to walk in front of him because he would take that as a very bad sign in terms of his chances of winning --
PAUL: Are there a lot of black cats out there?
SCHOLES: We actually saw a cat yesterday right before the interview, but it was not black, and he was very happy to hear that.
BLACKWELL: Of all the things to be concerned about, all right, Andy Scholes, thanks so much --
PAUL: Thanks Andy.
SCHOLES: All right.
PAUL: I hate to have to tell you about another -- this is a geographical victim, let's stay, of the Kilauea volcano. There was this popular vacation in snorkeling destination that now is showing new pictures that it's turned into just lava at Hawaii's Kapoho Bay. It's just a chunk of black rock there now, we'll show you more. BLACKWELL: Plus, we're learning that hurricanes around the world are
apparently moving more slowly. Allison Chinchar, so what's the significance of that?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, METEOROLOGIST: Right, so take for example, Hurricane Harvey. We all remember the devastating floods of that. The question is, could this become the new normal? We'll talk about that coming up.
[06:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Coming up on the top of the hour this morning, a new look at the eruption of the Kilauea volcano shows us that it has literally re-shaped Hawaii's coastline.
And this was the once-beautiful Kapoho Bay, wiped out now, filled in by lava that extends a mile into the sea. Now, the USGS says lava even appears to be flowing on to the ocean floor.
PAUL: At least 600 homes now on the big island we know have been destroyed. And just yesterday, residents evacuated from part of the Leilani Estates neighborhood or had been evacuated were allowed back in, oh, to see what's left.
And hurricanes and tropical storms around the world, they're moving slowly. This is according to a new study, and there's a big problem with that because there are more potentially deadly effects from a slow mover.
BLACKWELL: All right, let's learn about those now with Allison Chinchar, she's in the Cnn Weather Center. So typically, we think that it's the speed of the wind that kills. But talk to us more about the speed of the storm.
CHINCHAR: Yes, so 70 percent of the deaths from hurricanes actually occur from flooding, not from tornadoes, not from winds, you know, making trees fall, things like that.
So, you have to understand that right out of the gate. Already, flooding is a big concern. But now as we talk about those storms slowing and they are, 10 percent decrease in forward speed between 1949 and 2016.
And over land which is where you really have the biggest impacts, you're noticing that slowing between 20 percent to 30 percent and that causes a huge problem in dealing with flooding.
So for that brought this -- forecast brought to you by Green Mountain Coffee roasters packed with goodness. But let's get more to the point here, OK? When we talk about the forward speed, take for example, this is when we're talking about a storm as well, 5 miles per hour.
In a 5 miles per hour storm, you can dump 30-plus inches, where it's a storm that's moving say about 15 to 20 miles per hour, most likely the rain is going to be less than 10 inches, that's more tolerable especially along the coastlines.
But we remember Hurricane Harvey, how it came up around Houston and into areas of Southeast, Texas, and just sat there. Because of its slow movement, it was able to rain over the same spot over and over again.
Essentially dumping in some spots 40, 50, even 60 inches of rain. So here's the issue we have with that. When you talk about the slow speed of these storms, OK? Take for example, a rain gauge, how much would you actually get in one of the rain gauges?
A fast-moving storm, it comes in and dumps maybe just a few inches of rain. Most states can tolerate that, but when you have a much slower moving storm, Victor and Christi, they can come in and rain over the same spots for hours if not even days.
