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Trump's Bond Set At $200,000 In Georgia Case; Trump To Skip First GOP Debate; President Biden Visits Maui; Now: Biden Visiting Maui Amid Ongoing Search For Missing; Storm Hilary Slams California With Floods And Fierce Winds; Trump Bond Set At $200,000 Ahead Of His Fourth Criminal Arrest. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 21, 2023 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: You may want to think twice before handing your child a phone or tablet. A new study published in by the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics found that one-year-olds who have one to four hours of screen time a day could have developmental delays in communication and problem solving by the age of two. Wow. Remember when kids weren't supposed to watch TV before two? "Situation Room" starts right now.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now, breaking news. Donald Trump's lawyers just negotiated a $200,000 bond for the former president just ahead of his expected criminal arrest this week in the Georgia election interference case. We're following all the new legal maneuvers by Trump and his co-defendants.

Also tonight, Trump's Republican primary rivals are preparing to debate without him. We're setting the stage for the first GOP face-off on Wednesday and how it will be shaped by Trump's confirmed snub of the event.

And we're also live on Maui this hour for President Biden's tour of the fire ravaged island amid the ongoing search for hundreds of missing people and questions about the administration's emergency response.

We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in "The Situation Room."

These are live pictures of the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, where Donald Trump's $200,000 bond agreement was hammered out just a short while ago. It's a critical step just ahead of Trump's surrender at the county jail, his historic fourth criminal arrest. Authorities there are now preparing to book Trump and his 18 co- defendants this week.

We have team coverage of this breaking story. Alayna Treene is standing by for us. She's near Trump's New Jersey home, but first, Evan Perez, he's here with me in "The Situation Room." What are you learning, Evan, about the terms of this bond agreement for former President Trump? EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the most

extensive of these bond agreements that we've seen so far. There are a number of defendants, there are lawyers, came to the complex there, the government complex in Atlanta, to negotiate the terms of the surrender of their clients.

In the case of the former president, we saw his lawyers there today, and his is obviously the biggest of the bond. It's $200,000. Most of them have gotten $100,000 in others' numbers. In this case, the former president has a number of conditions that he has to meet. Just take a look at a number of these that are listed in this agreement.

One of them says that the defendant shall make no direct or indirect threat of any nature against any co-defendants. Similarly, against any unindicted co-conspirators, individual one through individual 30. Also, no threats against victims. And perhaps the most interesting one, Wolf, this is the only one that we've seen like this, specify that the former president cannot make any threats of any kind on social media platforms.

Of course, that's something that we've seen him do. We saw him on the day of his indictment say something to his, to one of the witnesses, Jeff Duncan, the former lieutenant governor in Georgia, urging him not to go testify that day. So, something that obviously has caught the attention of the court, of the judges down there in Atlanta, and they've issued a warning against the former president.

We've seen, Wolf, similar warnings by judges in his other arrests, in his other bond agreements, but this is the first one that has specified no threats on social media platforms.

BLITZER: Very specific of this so-called consent bond order for defendant Donald Trump. What may happen if he violates these specific conditions?

PEREZ: Well, the worst sanction could be that he could lose his freedom while he waits to go on trial. We don't expect that would likely happen. If there is some kind of infraction, a judge will typically have a hearing, bring the defendant in, make sure that they understand the terms, and make sure that they understand that they shouldn't violate these agreements again. But certainly, that's the worst sanction that could happen.

BLITZER: And what do we know about the other bond agreements that were made today?

PEREZ: Well, we saw lawyers for John Eastman and a number of other defendants go in, and again, we do not know when those people will be will be going forward, will be showing up to turn themselves in. We know John Eastman certainly, Kenneth Chesebro, their lawyers were there negotiating their bond agreements. Again, Wolf, we're waiting for them to show up to turn themselves in to the authorities in Atlanta.

[17:04:57] BLITZER: Evan, I want you to stay with us. We have more to discuss, but right now I want to go to CNN's Alayna Treene. She's covering Trump out in New Jersey as he prepares for his Georgia arrest. Alayna, what are you hearing, first of all, from your sources about when Trump may actually surrender and be processed at the Fulton County jail?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Wolf, his team tells me that they are expecting the former president to travel to Georgia on Thursday for his surrender. That is what they are planning for and hoping for, really. They do add, though, in my conversations with them, that there's a chance his surrender could slip into Friday. But that is something that his lawyers do not want. They do not want it to appear as if they are leaving it for the last minute.

And of course, the district attorney's office has given all of the 19 defendants, including the former president, until noon on Friday to voluntary do so. So, as of now, they are planning for Thursday. But of course, this also comes as Donald Trump is skipping out on that debate on Wednesday. As his opponents are preparing to take the stage in Milwaukee for that debate, Donald Trump will be sitting down with Tucker Carlson.

And we have some new reporting, Wolf. My colleague, Kristen Holmes and I, have learned that that interview with Tucker Carlson has been pre- recorded. So, Donald Trump on Wednesday night will be remaining here in New Jersey, just nearby me, at his golf club in Bedminster. And then Thursday he will travel, likely, to Georgia for his surrender.

BLITZER: Alayna Treene reporting for us. Alayna, thank you very much. I want to bring in former Trump White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews along with CNN's Evan Perez, he's still with us, and legal experts Shan Wu and Norm Eisen. And Norm, what do you make of this $200,000 bond agreement that was negotiated today?

NORM EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Wolf, if you look at the amounts on some of the bond agreements, clearly for Mr. Smith, Mr. Hall, it's lower amounts. That's a question of what those defendants can afford and who they are. $200,000. is not a big deal to Donald Trump, but to have a court order, a condition of release, no act to intimidate co- defendants or unindicted co-conspirators, witnesses, no obstruction, no social media posts, and how close attention are they paying? No reposts.

Sometimes the former president, when he can't do it himself, likes to repost others saying these slanderous and false things about judges, witnesses, and others. That is going to be an incredibly difficult line for the former president to walk.

BLITZER: It's interesting, Shan because earlier this month, as you know, the federal special counsel, Jack Smith, argued that Trump's social media posts could have a chilling effect on witnesses and all sorts of other people. He cited this one post from Trump which said, and I'm quoting now from Trump, "If you go after me, I'm coming after you." Will Trump actually be treated like any other defendant right now? SHAN WU, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, he's not being treated like any other

defendant right now, even with these conditions, but it's getting a little bit closer to make the point.

BLITZER: Well, what happens if he breaks these rules?

WU: If he's treated like any other defendant, he could be subject to having his bail revoked and he could actually be detained. And I think a really important part of this is number six, the condition, shall not communicate in any way directly or indirectly about the facts of the case with any person known to be a witness. The indirect part could be social media postings trying to get the word out to witnesses. So, he's got to be really careful.

BLITZER: Could it also be speeches that he delivers, campaign speeches?

WU: Absolutely. Absolutely.

BLITZER: Especially if those are televised, that's indirectly a threat potentially as well. In the other three criminal cases, as you know, Evan, Trump was released on his own recognizance. Now it's a $200,000 bond.

PEREZ: Well, one of the things that the authorities in Georgia have insisted is that the former president will be treated like any other defendant. And so, this is the way they do things. This is a racketeering case. This is a very serious set of charges, 13 counts that the former president is facing. And so, you know, this is the way they've done other similar cases.

And so, they've tried to make sure that he's being treated like all of those others, including having to turn himself in at the jail, Wolf. We've seen in other cases in the federal cases and certainly in New York, you know, they tried to make it as seamless as possible for him to show up once and have everything done all at once at the courthouse to try to make sure for his own security and for the safety of everybody that he didn't have to travel multiple times. Here in Georgia, it appears they're doing it the way they do it for anybody else.

BLITZER: Sara, you think Trump will turn himself into the Fulton County jail on Thursday, as is now widely reported?

SARAH MATTHEWS, FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: I think he will and I think it's honestly a smart time for him to do it. It's obviously the day after the first Republican primary debate and so he's going to steal all the news coverage from anyone who's hoping to have a breakout moment at the debate.

BLITZER: So, you think he will do it on Thursday?

MATTHEWS: I think if I --

BLITZER: And in part for P.R. purposes? MATTHEWS: If I were advising him, I would advise him to do it on

Thursday. You're going to steal all the headlines, all the news coverage, and instead of talking about the debate and candidates and those people hoping to have a moment to shine, everyone's going to be talking about Trump.

[17:10:01]

BLITZER: Yeah. It will be a big story indeed. Norm, several of other -- of Trump's other co-defendants, as you know, they negotiated their bond agreements today as well. We got pictures of them up on the screen right now. What explains the different bond amounts? Some $10,000, some $100,000, some $200,000 for Trump.

EISEN: It's a multiple factor issue. These are negotiated with the prosecutors. Above all, the prosecutors are putting the largest amount on Trump because he's the most culpable person allegedly, let's remember, innocent until proven guilty. The former president cuts across every different part of this indictment with its 41 counts, its 18 co-defendants. So that's part of it.

He can afford a greater amount. There is supposed to be an incentive with these bonds for the defendant not to run. I think it's unlikely that the former president will flee to a jurisdiction that has no extradition with the United States. But to Evan's point, they're trying to apply the same factors as they apply elsewhere.

I do think, though, as Shan notes, that when he gets there on Thursday, which is likely. We know that because he wants to milk the ratings. This has been good for him in the short term. Personally, I think it's a sugar high. It's going to be hurtful in the long term. Thursday's a much better media day for him. But when he gets there, you're going to see special treatment a little different than others, maybe no handcuffs, maybe some of the other conditions that you showed.

PEREZ: Well, they can show it, right? I mean, we might actually see a mugshot for the former president because Georgia releases those under their law. They release those. We have not seen that in the New York case and certainly in the federal case. They didn't even take a mugshot because he is, after all, one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, right?

And so, the Marshals, the U.S. Marshals, did not take a mug shot. So, we may actually see one. And you know, as you know very well, right, his political operation wants that because they say they can use it for fundraising.

MATTHEWS: I think so. I think they would definitely put that out there on t-shirts mugs everything you name it.

PEREZ: They made a fake one I think earlier in one of the --

MATTHEWS: I believe so.

EISEN: Gives a new meaning to the term mugshot. BLITZER: Let's see what happens in that front. All right guys, everybody stand by. Coming by -- coming up, Donald trump's other norm shattering move this week, his plans to skip the first Republican presidential debate on Wednesday. We'll get a preview of that face-off minus the front runner.

And we're also following President Biden as he kicks off his tour of the catastrophic and deadly wildfires on Maui. Stay with us. You're in "The Situation Room."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:16:30]

BLITZER: We're following the breaking news, Donald Trump's bond now set at $200,000 just ahead of his fourth criminal arrest. The former president now expected to surrender at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Thursday or Friday in the Georgia election interference case. That means Trump may be booked just hours after his Republican presidential rivals appear on the debate stage in Milwaukee without him.

CNN's Eva McKend is joining us right now. Eva, how is this the lineup for Wednesday night's debate shaping up?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we know that the former president won't be on the debate stage this week. He's looking at the polls like we are, and he argues he's too far out ahead on many of these polls to show up and address Republican primary voters. Writing on social media, "The public knows who I am and what a successful presidency I had. I will therefore not be doing the debates." But his --

BLITZER: And he said debates in plural.

MCKEND: Debates in plural. So, we'll have to see if he fulfills that pledge and doesn't participate in this season. We are hearing from some of the other candidates, though, about Trump's decision to sit this one out. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON DESANTIS, GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he owes it to people. I don't think our voters, I don't think they're going to look kindly on somebody that thinks they don't have to earn it.

MIKE PENCE, GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm actually still hoping he shows up. I think every one of us that have qualified for that debate stage ought to be on the stage.

CHRIS CHRISTIE, GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's a coward. There's no other conclusion to come to that he's both afraid of me and he's afraid of defending his record.

(END VIDEO CLIIP) MCKEND: So, Wolf, the stage will still be plenty crowded. Eight candidates have qualified, among them Governor DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, as well as Senator Scott, Chris Christie, who you just heard call the former president a coward, Governor Burgum of North Dakota, as well as former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

BLITZER: And Eva, tell our viewers just how significant Trump's lead in all of these polls is right now.

MCKEND: You know, he continues to be pretty dominant in the CNN poll of polls, he's leading at 57 percent. Governor DeSantis follows by 17 percent and then Vivek Ramaswamy is at 6 percent. In the Iowa poll, and this is perhaps even more instructive because these state level polls -- ultimately this is a state-by-state contest, and it looks like the former president is at 42 percent to Governor DeSantis's 19 percent and Senator Scott's 9 percent.

But we still have five months to go, and I will say just from being on the ground in Iowa last week, you do see some of these candidates, you know, having these special moments with conservative voters there on the ground. So perhaps too soon, at least in Iowa, to count any of these other folks out yet.

BLITZER: There's still time for things to change. All right, Eva, stay with us. Don't go too far away. We're also joined by CNN political director David Chalian and political commentators Karen Finney and Alice Stewart. And David, as you know, Trump is ahead in his latest poll in Iowa by 23 points. That is, though, lower than what he's ahead in the national polls. What does that say to you?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I love that we're contextualizing what 23 percentage point lead is and that somehow is yes, it is lower than the national polls. That does tell me where the campaign is engaged the most. There is potential opportunity, but we should not fool ourselves here. That -- he has twice as much support, more than twice as much support as Ron DeSantis in Iowa right now.

[17:20:07]

So, these other candidates yes there is a clear opportunity especially if the non-Trump side of the party coalesces around one person, but the question now hovering all over these folks is, how are you going to prevent a Trump coronation from taking place here?

BLITZER: That's a good question. You know, Alice, Trump's former press secretary at the White House, Kayleigh McEnany, she called Trump's decision to skip this first Republican presidential debate, in her words, a huge political miscalculation. Is she right?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, it is a huge political insult to Republican voters for him not to participate, as well as to the Republican Party. Voters deserve to have a healthy and robust primary, hearing from all of the candidates on where they stand on the issues, how they contrast with their fellow candidates, and how their vision can help take out President Biden, and he's missing an opportunity.

That being said, with a lead like this, I can understand why his campaign is deciding for him not to do so. But it's incumbent upon the Republican Party, to David's point, to coalesce behind someone that can take out Donald Trump. He has 40 percent of Republican voters. That means 60 percent of Republican voters are looking for someone else. So, the sooner that Republicans can narrow the field and coalesce behind one person to take out Donald Trump, the greater opportunity we have for a candidate that can actually win in a general election against the president.

BLITZER: Yeah, it's interesting, Karen, because the New Hampshire governor, Chris Sununu, he released an op-ed in "The New York Times." And among other things, he called for the field to narrow, as Alice was just suggesting. And he said this, and I'm quoting him now, "Provided the field shrinks by Iowa and New Hampshire, Mr. Trump loses. He will always have his diehard base, but the majority is up for grabs." Do you think he's right?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL: COMMENTATOR: He is. I mean, if I were sitting at the RNC, sure, I would want the candidates to agree to drop out after this first debate, particularly, let's say, if you didn't qualify for the first and you can't qualify for the second as a way to try to, as David said, consolidate some power around another candidate.

Here's the problem, though. They're probably not going to do that. You wouldn't be running for president if you didn't actually want to be president, which means you have a certain level of ego that says, you know, that's going to make them stay in the race. Look, I think the challenge for these debaters is twofold. Debates are about two things.

One, likability. You got to get voters to like you. And so, to my mind, I would be sitting there trying to think about who are the people who are watching? Are any of the voters watching? People that I could start to pick off, right? Second, it's about fundraising. So, try to have a moment that, you know, and make sure you say your website because God, I haven't done plenty of debate prep. That is something we always tell people, get the website address in and have a moment that allows you to potentially raise some funds that you can talk about or have a moment that you can talk about after the debate.

BLITZER: It's interesting, Eva, because we've now learned that Trump apparently has already taped his interview with Tucker Carlson that will air counter to this Republican debate Wednesday night. Do you expect it will draw a lot of attention, a lot more, and take away viewers from the debate?

MCKEND: Well, we know that the former president is principally a showman, so we all suspected that he would try to do something like this to divert attention away from this debate. But there are still going to be millions of people watching this debate, Wolf, and there is a lot of excitement around it. I would say it's a huge opportunity for these lesser-known candidates.

I was at a candidate forum over the weekend in Georgia and Trump wasn't invited to this one, but many of the other major candidates were and it gave them the opportunity, you know, without a Trump appearance, the security, the choreography, all that comes with what happens when Trump comes and goes. They were able to have an audience with these conservative voters from across the southeast and so that's sort of on a smaller scale what opportunity these candidates will have this week in Milwaukee.

CHALIAN: You know, Wolf, listening to Karen talk about the get your website out there and try to raise money from the state. That is actually the thing that will narrow the field. That is what causes candidates to stop running for office when there's no more money in their campaign coffers. That's why Mitt Romney had called on some of these large dollar donors to stop backing candidacies that are not taking off. And so, when that money dries up, that is when candidates start bowing out.

BLITZER: As they say, money talks. Certainly does. All right, guys, everybody stand by. Up next, President Biden just touched down on fire ravaged Maui. His first visit to the Hawaiian island following the deadly blazes. We'll get a live report. Stand by for that.

Plus, a look at the mess and destruction Tropical Storm Hilary left behind in Southern California. Lots of news going on. Stay with us. You're in "The Situation Room."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:29:20]

BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following. Just moments ago, President Biden now landed on Maui. You're looking at pictures just m moments ago. The President and the First Lady coming to tour the wildfire devastation as the search for more than 800 missing people is ongoing.

CNN's Bill Weir is on the ground for us on Maui. Bill, give us the latest on the President's visit and the recovery efforts still underway.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, he is entering a zone of just seismic loss on so many levels. Children who lost their parents and parents who lost their children and community leaders who have been holding it together due to the kindness of Aloha around.

[17:30:01]

And we hear he's going to both tour front streets, you know, the burned-out areas here after taking a helicopter tour of the damage and then meeting with survivors and first responders in the big shelter in central Maui. Wolf?

BLITZER: Is there any more clarity, Bill, on how many people may have been killed in these horrible, horrible wildfires?

WEIR: That is the question that just hangs like a cloud over this island right now. According to the mayor of Maui, the FBI whittled the list of missing from more than 2,000 down to about 850. That was a big drop given the governor had told us the more recent report, previous to that was over 1,000. And we actually met a couple at our hotel who told our producer they were looking for ways to get their names off of the missing list. So hopefully there's still some confusion that can account for that 850, but a lot of people are coming to grips with the idea that because the heart of this historic beautiful town was essentially cremated that their loved ones may never be found.

BLITZER: What are you hearing Bill, what are the survivors that you're talking to, and I know you're talking to a lot of survivors on Maui, what are you hearing that they want from the President, from President Biden on this visit?

WEIR: I hear again and again that they want to talk about having local voices at the table. Traditionally over the last century or so native Hawaiians were left out of key decisions about water use and land rights. And so to hear government officials talking about we will rebuild Lahaina, that actually puts a little bit of hesitation in their minds, because given the tragic history of natives on this island, they worry that it will just be co-opted by outside corporations from the mainland and that native Hawaiians and longtime residents of this beautiful place will be squeezed out by vulture capitalists who are trying to take advantage of these big losses that will loom large.

But then for so many they just want a hand to hold and a hug and somebody to express their crushing grief to. In this moment we saw somebody, just some locals setting up a really touching display of crosses along the Lahaina bypass. They only had time to make 53. They planned to make 114 crosses. They put them up. So they wanted the President to see some indication of the loss here. But they're going to come back and also put up 850 yellow ribbons for the missing and take them down as people are found. But that just gives you a little glimpse into sort of the psychic weight, the emotional pain happening here.

BLITZER: Keyword pain. It's so awful indeed. Bill Weir on the scene for us, thank you very much.

Other news we're following right now parts of Southern California reeling from intense rainfall caused by tropical storm Hilary. Palm Springs alone saw nearly a full year's worth of rain in just 24 hours. CNN's Stephanie Elam is in the Cathedral City for us in California, right near Palm Springs. What are you seeing, Stephanie?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're still seeing a lot of mud out here. And the earth movers are out trying to clean it up here what else I can tell you. We just learned that Interstate 10 is open. However, there's a catch. You have to get off the freeway. And get back on it, whether you're going east or west. And that's what that line of semi-trucks is up there waiting for. But all in all, across Southern California, there is a lot to clean up after Hilary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (voice-over): Southern California facing unprecedented flooding. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy --

ELAM (voice-over): Violent mudslides, flash floods damaging roads and homes after bearing the brunt of tropical storm Hilary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of destruction.

ELAM (voice-over): Rivers of flash flood water taking over the streets of Cathedral City overnight, and neighborhoods in nearby Palm Springs into the early morning. Piles of thick mud left behind from floodwaters blanketing everything in sight. The mud inescapable for anyone attempting to get around.

DANIEL DESELMS, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR, CITY OF PALM SPRINGS: We're absolutely telling people if they don't have to be out to stay in their homes, one, the roads. We're still assessing the damage and the places where there's still water and mud over the roads. We don't know how safe those are.

ELAM (voice-over): Jay Bublitz spent the night into the morning rescuing drivers stuck on flooded and muddy roads.

(on camera): What kind of conditions were you seeing while you were out there?

JAY BUBLITZ, DESERT HOT SPRINGS RESIDENT: Cars floating and there was cars, that roads almost washed out.

ELAM (voice-over): He echoed authorities warnings to stay off the roads.

BUBLITZ: A lot of them are regretting that they tried to get across. Matter of fact, two had just saved over here. They have dad's car and dad doesn't know it yet, so I'm guessing they're grounded. When you see water, you don't cross it.

ELAM (voice-over): The area around Palm Springs saw nearly a year's worth of rain in just 24 hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I spend a night on the roof of my truck.

ELAM (voice-over): Disabling 911 emergency calls overnight. Downtown Los Angeles experienced the rainiest summer day on record going back more than 100 years.

[17:35:02]

PAUL KREKORIAN, LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT: Los Angeles was tested, but we came through it.

ELAM (voice-over): The Los Angeles Fire Department fielded more than 4,000 emergency calls on Sunday and responded to about 1,800 incidents. Los Angeles public schools were closed on Monday while officials surveyed facilities for damage.

SUPERINTENDENT ALBERTO CARVALHO, SUPERINTENDENT, LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: Take all those conditions into account. After careful consideration, we decided to shut down the school. It's right decision.

ELAM (voice-over): The Los Angeles Angels to play the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday postponing their home game because of the effect from the storm.

So much rain in San Diego, a tower of water was seen erupting from a manhole today. The city saw its rainiest summer day in over 170 years,. getting 10 times their average summer rainfall in just one day. The cleanup effort the top priority after the rain. With Hilary continuing to move through the west, millions will still remain under flood watches from California to Idaho.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And back out here in Cathedral City, Wolf, you just got to see how thick this mud is. Even after the water has been receding through the day, I can still sink down into it here. And that is what's encased these couple of cars here behind me. And I know that they got there now by floating in the thick of the storm. That shows you how fast the water was moving. Out there in the distance, you may hear more equipment and that's because they're digging out homes in some of these residential neighborhoods. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, terrible, terrible situation. Stephanie Elam, thank you for that report.

Just ahead, we're following breaking news. I'll speak with the key lawmaker about the latest developments in Donald Trump's criminal indictment in Fulton County, Georgia. Stay with us, you're in the Situation Room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:53]

BLITZER: More now in our breaking news that we're following, the former President Donald Trump agreeing to a $200,000 cash bond as well as other release conditions after his lawyers met with Fulton County prosecutors earlier today. Joining me now to discuss this story, Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut. He's the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. Do you think this $200,000 bond agreement former President Trump is appropriate?

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT), RANKING MEMBER, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Well, Wolf, I think what we're seeing right now is pretty standard issue stuff. I noticed that $200,000 was more of a -- significantly more than some of the other defendants that have turned themselves in Georgia. What I think is going to be really interesting, Wolf, is not so much the actual bond agreement. I don't think anybody thinks that Donald Trump is fleeing the country.

But what's really going to be interesting is the way in which the presentation of Donald Trump in Georgia is going to, you know, overshadow the Republican debate. Think about it. He's going to be fingerprinted, to my understanding, and may have a mug shot taken. That mugshot may be made public.

My understanding is that's the way it's done in Georgia for ordinary defendants. President Trump has avoided that up to date. And imagine how that's going to sort of galvanize the media and the American people at a time, of course, when lots of other Republican candidates are trying to break out and make themselves known.

BLITZER: And it's interesting because in this, what's called this consent bond order for defendant Donald John Trump, it goes through all sorts of specific requirements. He can't make direct or indirect threats against any of his conspirators or witnesses, even on social media. How revealing is that, Congressman? And do you believe Trump can actually abide by these specific terms?

HIMES: Yes, well, that was actually probably the most interesting part. Not so much the dollar number of 200,000. If you actually look at the agreement, there is a whole series of agreements that he will not threaten codefendants, he will not threaten witnesses. There is a stipulation that he will not make threats against property. I mean, it's really pretty remarkable. And much, much broader, by the way, than those stipulations in the various federal indictments in which he's had to present himself for arraignment.

So, you know, yes. I don't know if that's part of typical Georgia procedure, but this is much, much, much more specific than the restrictions that were placed on him at the federal level. And is he going to be able to resist it? I mean, I don't know. You know, Donald Trump is presumably getting a lot of advice from his attorneys on this, but this is not a guy that we know, having watched him now for six years, that is really capable of selfcontrol or of muting himself on social media.

So it's interesting to contemplate what happens if he doesn't follow those directions. Theoretically, he could be jailed.

BLITZER: You're absolutely right. I also want to get your thoughts, Congressman, while I have you on some of the breaking news, other breaking news just coming into The Situation Room that employees at the Fulton County Sheriff's Office in Georgia are facing threats to them and their homes because of the role they'll play in Trump's surrender later this week. This comes after the District Attorney Fani Willis had to beef up her own security. How serious is the threat environment around this case right now?

HIMES: Well, I mean, you're asking that question of somebody who was in the House chamber on January 6th when a mob inspired by Donald Trump and the lie that he had won the election broke into the Capitol, attacked police officers. You know, it's very, very dangerous, Wolf. And, you know, this is part and parcel of this whole process. You know, the federal judge who is presiding over the other cases has been threatened.

Brad Raffensperger, when he was perceived as disloyal, was threatened. Vice President Mike Pence, you know, when Donald Trump said he didn't do the right thing, you know, there were chance to hang the man. And in some ways, apart from the very real threat to our democracy, that is one of the most horrendous aspects of the cult like fervor that President Trump's supporters feel for him. He can do no wrong. He is always right. And when he is crossed, the answer, of course, is not legal and is not argue. It is not to debate. It is to float violent threats. And you and I both know, Wolf, that it takes a tiny percentage of President Trump's supporters to actually take the admonitions or the encouragement to violence seriously for this to be a very, very real threat.

[17:45:17]

BLITZER: Yes. It certainly is a very scary development indeed. Congressman Jim Himes, thanks so much for joining us.

HIMES: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, CNN goes in depth as we show you the personal toll the war has taken on a Ukrainian firefighter as Russia's attacks caused more casualties and more destruction in the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: At least seven people are dead and dozens more injured from a Russian missile strike on a major Ukrainian city. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, condemned the attack, which he says turned an ordinary day into a day of pain and loss. All of this as CNN's chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is getting a firsthand look at the war's toll one first responder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[17:50:14]

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The aftermath is not always easier. These are the firemen of the most bombed city on earth, Orikhiv, in the throes of the counteroffensive. And this is a normal day for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)

WALSH (voice-over): Here's the story of one we've gotten to know, Dima (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)

WALSH (voice-over): Pain here doesn't just come from the flames. Away from the front lines, Ukraine is suffering in ways we don't see. Dima (ph) has lost nearly all his family since the war began. His wife left Europe as a refugee just days after the war started with his son, and he doesn't know if they will ever come back. The emptiness of their family home is a crippling constant weight on him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)

WALSH (voice-over): The gaps between the horror harder than the horror itself. And sleep, when it comes, is sometimes worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)

WALSH (voice-over): Orikhiv has been ground to dust in the last two months. But Dima's (ph) grief here came immediately with last year's invasion. His father died in its first days, just before his wife left from a heart attack. He says because of shelling. In that chaos, Dima (ph) had to bury his father himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)

WALSH (voice-over): Now he only has his mother left. She won't leave the house where his father died and where Dima (ph) was born and where the flames may strike again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)

WALSH (voice-over): Nearly every Ukrainian home has holes in it from people who won't come back. And emotions forged in a war with no end in sight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH: That dream of Dima's (ph), the time where now, in his sleep, he sees his family again. Particularly haunting and a sign, frankly, the trauma that's going through so many Ukrainian homes right now, away from the headlines, away from the violence, and the publicly seen front lines. Ukraine got some good news today and over the weekend. It's long held please for F-16s. Americans supplied jets to protect the skies round towns and potentially assist on the front line, got a step further forwards.

[17:55:10]

Denmark saying they'd send 19 slow. The Netherlands saying they might send the best part of 42. President Zelenskyy and his tour around European countries saying in Greece today that Greece have agreed to help train pilots. We don't know the details. There none of this fast enough, though. It won't arrive until next year and in the next four months, in the summer here, Ukrainians will continue to suffer. Wolf?

BLITZER: Nick Paton Walsh reporting for us. Nick, thank you very much.

Coming up, the breaking news continues as we dig deeper into the new bond agreement struck by Donald Trump's lawyers just ahead of the former President's surrender in Georgia this week.

And just in, what we're learning about new threats directed at employees of the Fulton County Sheriff's Office.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:59:59]

BLITZER: Happening now, breaking news. Donald Trump's bond is set at $200,000, paving the way for his fourth criminal arrest.