Transcripts For CNNW CNN 20240704

Sources telling cnn Fulton County investigators now have emails and Text Messages that directly connect members of trumps legal team to the breach of a Voting System in rural coffey county. This new development coming as District Attorney fani willis prepares to present the case to a grand jury. Shes expected to seek an indictment of more than a dozen people as early asuesday. And that means this week, a former u. S. President could be facing criminal charges in four u. S. Jurisdictions. We are covering all the latest developments in this, from the legal and investigative angles to this weeks grand jury proceedings. We begin with Zachary Cohen, who helped break this reporting. Start with walking us through how significant this is, this evidence linking members of trumps legal team to the breach of a Voting System. Reporter yeah, jessica. These Text Messages really add to a growing body of evidence that links directly trumps lawyers and legal team to the breach of a Voting System in Coffee County. The county is about 200 miles south of where we are in Fulton County, georgia, where Court Proceedings will play out next week. This breach has become a central part, one of the central parts of fani willis criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and these Text Messages really lay out for us how trumps attorneys helped coordinate and were directly involved in a plan to try to recruit a local election official in Coffee County to get them to to get that official to give them access to the Voting Systems there, and they ultimately did get access to those Voting Systems, unauthorized access. That breach does date back, the planning dates back almost a week before these operatives gained access to the Voting Systems in the county on january 27th, 2021, Rudy Giuliani, trumps former personal attorney and Sidney Powell, they were integral in funding and their awareness of the planning process themselves. These texts do add another element and really do Help Prosecutors establish that link between trumps close attorneys and what happened in Coffee County on january 7th, 2021. Zach, youre there in atlanta. Take us through what the next few days of this grand jury proceeding is going to look like. Reporter yeah, were expecting early next week the District Attorney fani willis to begin presenting her case to the grand jury here. We could see indictments as soon as tuesday. We know theres multiple witnesses that havbeen called to appear before the grand jury on tuesday. And that is a signal that indictments could be coming and could be coming soon. We have to wait and see how it plays out, if the grand jury needs more time to review the evidence in the case, but the calling of witnesses and the schedule for them to appear on tuesday is the clearest indication indictments could be coming soon. Zachary cohen for us live in atlanta, thanks so much for that reporting. I want to continue the conversation now here in the studio. We have cnn legal analyst norm eisen. Hes a former white house ethics czar and served as counsel to the House Democrats during the first impeachment of donald trump. Great to have you here, especially when were getting news like this. Zach walked us through how it fits into the timeline, the narrative. Walk us through the legal implications here now that we know they have these Text Messages and emails. Well, fani willis is looking at three different areas of possible illegality. The first is the famous fake electoral certificates, the second is pressure on Georgia Election officials, thats the famous call, just find 11,780 votes, to secretary oftate brad raffensperger. And the third is the alleged intrusion on these Computer Systems in Coffee County, geo georgia. The cnn story is very important because it connects the dots. We now have evidence that go from Coffee County to Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani and as cnn reports, right into the oval office because this was discussed on December 18th in one of the very notorious meetings in the oval office, whether its possible to get access to these georgia Voting Systems and others around the country. It matters, of course, because one of the most serious crimes that we have in the 21st century is unauthorized Access Hacking of Computer Systems. So well see what fani willis does, but think of her investigation as a threelegged stool, and our new reporting has revealed details indicating just how long, how strong that third leg of the stool is. Showing kind of the thru line through all of it, and we have talked over the weekend since we got the information yesterday, that jeff duncan would be testifying, that this would be kind of happening in quick succession over the next couple days. We have been talking about how fani willis is really looking at conspiracy charges, racketeering charges, not just for trump but for so many allies. People you just named. And what has kind of struck me is that when youre doing that, when youre prosecuting that sort of case, you really need Everyone Needs to be responsible for everyone elses moves. You have to tie the story in as youre talking about. How will she do that, and does this sort of evidence, these emails, Text Messages, the phone call, the recording with trump asking for those to find the extra votes, how does that all play together . The most powerful tool we have in american law is to do that, is also one of fani willis gotos, and that is rico. The racketeering laws. Theres a federal model, but the states have also adopted it. And georgia has one of the most powerful in the country. A long list of federal crimes plus 40 Georgia State crimes can allow fani willis to charge rico. Shes done it numerous times on high profile cases in the past, and thats exactly what rico does. It pulls together those three conspiracies we were talking about, including this hacking conspiracy, into one large case that you can present to a jury where you say hey, what was the point of those fake electoral certificates, what was the point of pressing georgia officials to do the wrong thing, what was the point of the computer hacking, the same point, all of these people were working together in one, as we put it, enterprise in order for donald trump to allegedly hang on to his office when we know he had lost the election. You cant do that in american law. It is so layered, and those cases are so complicated, but it is important to note, she has tried these kinds of cases before. This is in her wheelhouse, so its not something new. What do you expect over the next couple days . We know the grand jury will meet tomorrow, monday. And then it would take a couple days, you think an indictment could come as early as tuesday . How do you expect the next 48 hours to play out . I expect that we will see some grand jury activity monday. This is a monday Tuesday Grand Jury in Fulton County. We know that the d. A. Warmed them up, likely, with another rico case, one of the grand juries brought a rico case last week, so you dont want the first rico case you give to a grand jury to involve the former president. I think that we know that two witnesses are confirmed, a journalist as well as former Lieutenant Governor jeff duncan, for tuesday. Prosecutors often she could just put an investigator on the stand. She had a Special Grand Jury that sat and produced a report. She could just give the grand jury that report. But prosecutors like to warm up a grand jury with live witnesses. So we could very well see an indictment come out of that grand jury as soon as tuesday. I have been a Criminal Defense Lawyer for over three decades. Criminal law is full of surprises. No guarantees, but right now, i would say tuesday is probably our most likely Landing Point for an indictment. Kind of keep our eye on that. One more thing i think is so different because remember, this will be the fourth indictment if it does come down. From the federal cases, especially, against the former president , is in georgia, this could be televised, right . Yes, georgia is not like the federal cour. The federal courts didnt experiment with televising trials the judges didnt like it. Georg transparency, personally i think thats a good thing. That is one of the reasons that this Fani Willis Case is so important. The American People can watch and see and learn just how serious the alleged attempt on our democracy was. All right, a lot to unpack there, but norm eisen, you always do such a great job. Thanks so much. And lets go now to back to atlanta where Security Preparations are under way ahead of those possible new charges against the former president. Cnns Isabel Rosales is live outside the Fulton County courthouse. We know that the d. A. Has had threats against her, that there are security concerns. How are officials there preparing for this week . Reporter jessica, regardless of the decision from the grand jury, it appears Fulton County is ready. You can see right behind me here, a heavier than normal police presence. In fact, i took a lap around the courthouse, and there are officers, Law Enforcement officers staked out at every corner of the building. And also these orange and blue and white barricades that are surrounding the building. Theyre also planning to control this area by closing down the streets as we head into monday and tuesday as well. And its not just the building but also safeguarding the very visible face in front of this investigation, and that is d. A. Fani willis. She has, according to a source with knowledge familiar with the movements of atlanta Law Enforcement officers, fani willis has received additional Security Protection near her home. And she has, as jessica, you mentioned, recently warned officials about staying vigilant about security threats. In an email obtained by cnn, she spoke about messages, racial and sexualized messages shes received and similar vile voice mails. The man in charge of security around this local area, that is the sheriff of Fulton County, he says that his team is prepared not only that, but hes been taking notes in other cities where trump has been indited and hes brought back those good Security Details back home here to atlanta. Listen. We understand that the microscope and everyone is watching atlanta. But it also gave us an opportunity to go to d. C. , gave us an opportunity to partner with new york and partner with miami, and understand just collectively what something of this magnitude involves. Our goal is to stay focused, and i have said this before, were ready. Reporter and trump has not kept silent about Fulton County or willis. Hes attacked willis on truth social and during campaign events. Willis has previously said that this, what trump has said, his rhetoric, has increased security concerns. Jessica. Isabel, it is unbelievable that they have had three opportunities when a former president has been indicted to prepare for what could potentially be a fourth indictment. Isabel rosales for us in atlanta. The Lahaina Fire In Hawaii is now the deadliest u. S. Fire in more than 100 years. Were live on maui where frustration is growing about the response both before and after that disaster. Plus, we have the story of one man who says he called his family to say goodbye before saving himself and others from the wildfires. Hes going to speak to us about that experience. And later, ron desantis at the Iowa State Fair, vying for the gop nomination to face president biden, but its a possible debate between the Florida Governor and a different democrat thats generating some buzz. Is it a good idea . Well discuss. Youre live in the cnn newsroom. Carvana has Hundreds Of Thousands of five star reviews and counting. The whole process was really simple and easy, and this is my third time selling to carvana. Yojust enter your License Plate or your vin, answer aew questions. Boom, you get a real off. Sell your cato carvana today. sfx ping please dont go please dont go. Please dont go please dont go dont goooooo dont go away please dont go let Innovation Refunds help with your erc tax refund so you can improve your business however you see fit. Rosie used part of her refund to build an outdoor patio. Clink dr. Marshall used part of his refund to give his practice a facelift. Emily used part of her refund to buy. I run a wax museum. Let Innovation Refunds help you get started on your erc tax refund. Stop waiting. Go to innovationrefunds. Com you really got the brows. These suits are here to make sure that anything i say is legally indisputable. Like. We got more spaces than space thats entirely incalculable. Oh, i think thats legalese for. For true apartments. Com the place to find a place. Official death toll in hawaii is now 93. That number is sadly expected to rise. And that makes the lahaina fire americas Deadliest Ipmore than a century. And with more than 2,000 structures either damaged or completely decimated, the states governor now estimates the economic toll nearing 6 billion. This morning on cnn, hawaii senator mazie hirono recounted what she saw when she toured the devastation. That recovery is going to take time. It is not going to be overnight by any means. It will take years. This is an entire town that has burned to the ground. Some 11,000 residents live there. I think that we are doing a lot in order to provide the kind of support we need, to be providing, but there will always be the call for more. And my hope and expectation is that all of that will come. Cnns Mike Vulairio is on the ground in maui. Tell us what youre hearing from residents as they return to lah lahaina. Reporter jessica, what were witnessing are these profound moments of sorrow and grief, and these moments are only just Getting Started. Now, to take you through, jessica, what we have been seeing, what we have been doing throughout our day, this behind us, this is the only checkpoint to get into the disaster zone. Before we came up on the air, we met a woman named susan. And she is going home, very emotional about that. But she wanted everybody watching, our viewers around the world, to know that maui, her home, this island here, jessica, is not just a Vacation Spot but it is the soul and identity of thousands of people who live here. And in this vulnerable moment, she spoke quite movingly about the need for respect. Listen to what she told us. When i drove through on friday, i had no clue what i was going through. I got so everything is gone, i worked at the chart house in 1991. Its flat to the ground. Theres houses i used to live in that i dont even know where they were. I lost friends in there. They were going back to get their animals. And she died. So i mean, you know, its really sad because people come over here, you know, i heard there was a Snorkeling Boat looking at lahaina town. Give them respect. Its so bad. People died here. You know, people its not just a vacation. Its not just a place for vacation. We live here. Reporter and this is what makes moments like those, jessica, so profoundly sad. This beautiful setting that we have right here, looking at the pacific ocean, back towards the mainland of the united states. This, to give you just an idea of place, getting back to how people enter lahai, into the disaster zone. Thats about 1,000 feet above the sands of the ocean. This is two lanes. This is the only way into the disaster zone. It will take you about an hour to get in. And whats happening, officers here, 12hour shifts, theyre Checking Licenses to make sure its only lahaina residents who are getting in. Now tourists, no looters. When you hear the Press Conferences and the details that human remains, as graphic as it is, are turning into dust upon the touch, this is such a sensitive area that they want to make sure that nobody accesses any place that has not been cleared because families on the other side of this checkpoint are depending on the First Responders a few miles away for answers. We are just Getting Started with the despair were witnessing. So many parts of the island at all hours of the day. It is so, so deep. Such deep despair there. All right, mike, thank you very much. Our next guest survived the deadly fires by fleeing his house and then jumping into the pacific ocean. Mike is joining me now. Mike, thanks so much for being with us. I know your wife is sitting there with you, but youre going to be the one that talks to us. I firsten want to sasay how sorry we all are and how were thinking of you. This has been hoarably traumatic for you and those you love and its been a hard time. Thanks for coming on and making time for us. We just want to talk first about kind of those moments when the fire was getting to your home, and you really thought things were dire. Thank god that i left my house to go check around the neighborhood because that was the only warning i got, was actually seeing the houses on fire. You know, seven houses down or so, wasnt too far. The second i got to that fire, immediately turned around. And i knew it was going to be bad with those winds. We could see everything being caught on fire and people running for their lives. You know, kids screaming. Babies being handed off to other people. It was something out of a volcano or like a war movie. Only thing i could do is race back to the house to save my wife and it dogs we were looking after. So scary. At that point go ahead. Go ahead. Very much at that point, we got the dogs, my wife, got in the car and we didnt know where to go. The smoke and fire was heading towards the north, so we wanted to go south, and they had road blocks preventing us from going south. We kind of got pushed into the lahaina area where its a very small town. And everybody was just stuck in traffic, and we had to abandon our car on the sidewalk, run for our life in the other direction since we saw the direction we were heading to was already on fire. To our side was on fire. And then once we noticed that the direction were now running with all these dogs is on fire, we were stuck in the middle. Only thing that we could do was jump in a van for a little bit with some of the dogs we were able to get, and when we jumped in the van, the van was actually filled with Propane Tanks. Oh, gosh. At that point, we had to throw all those Propane Tanks, get away from the seawall where we knew we had to jump, and over the course of 12 hours, we were hiding in the seawall. Jumping in and out of the water, dodging where the flames and fires were, even in the water were getting burnt and ducking under water. There were times when we thought truly we were going to die. I remember calling my mom, telling her i love her, my brother, my daughter. Thats only 4 years old. You know, telling her that i love her, that im thinking this is my last call. And right on that last call, all of those Propane Tanks went. And you know, it was intense. It was a very intense day. Yeah. I cant imagine, and just, you know, a lot of times in these moments its hard for anyone to wrap their head around what it would feel like. It sounds like it all happened quickly, and your brain is trying to connect the dots that theres fire coming, you have to get out, how do you get to your wife, your dog . Its a lot to put together. I know that we had heard that you called your family before you started helping others. And that your mom even when you made that phone call didnt think you made it. Afterward. What was the call like when you called her to say you were okay . When i called, forgive me, when i called to say i was okay, when she found out i was alive . Yeah. Im trying not to cry. She thought i was dead. She thought i was dead, from 3 30 in the afternoon until about 12 00 the next day. And you know, when i talk to her, we just both broke down crying. And shes like, where are you, where are you . And you know, she drove the back side of the island, a little more of a dangerous road to immediately come and get us. The second i got into her arms, i just wanted to collapse. You know, it was i just i couldnt stop shaking and crying with her. We just held each other for the longest time. She still doesnt want to let go of me. Every time were with each other, were holding each other because we thought we were never going to see each other again. We thought it was the end at times. Of course, and i can just see the anguish on your wifes face. And i hear it in your voice. And i, again, were all just here on the mainland, our hearts are just absolutely breaking for all of you. Of course, were glad youre okay. I think what so many people would like to know, and again, thanks again for talking about this because i know it is traumatic, is how what can they do . What do you all need . Maybe its just reminding people not to go to maui right now, that you all need time and space to start to put your life back together. And thank you for bringing that up. One of the big things is were short on housing here. You know, we live its a tourist town, a tourist island. Thats how we survive out here, is tourism. And i hate to say it, but i think they should put a hold on people coming to visit because we dont have any places for the locals to stay. Theyre going to need those hotel rooms. Theyre going to need the airbnbs, vrbos, we need them. We have houses here that have eight people in them, and many people to one room. People dont even have that. Theyre still in the shelter. Were in desperate need out here. A lot of people have nowhere to go. They have lived here their whole life, and everything is gone. Their friends, you know, they cant even stay with their friends because their friends are either dead or their houses are gone. We just went through a nightmare and were about to go through another nightmare trying to basically not stay homeless. Were going to be homeless, and a lot of people are going to be homeless if not for months, years. People are going to be moving off this island, so what we ask is just people kind of please help out as much as you can with donations. You know, we need some supplies out here that are coming in, but a lot is we need to rebuild. And you know, we started a gofundme or my mom started a gofundme for us, but there are lot of other people who lost so much more than us who need help too. You know, i recommend people going through gofundme, if you dont know anybody here in maui, go to the gofundmes. Youll see the Lahaina Flowers and theres people you can donate to, charities you can donate to. We need all the help we can get. Everyone who can help, please help us. I hope people hear that and take that to heart. I do want to ask you before i let you all go, theres been so much talk, and obviously, right now they are still putting out fires and trying to assess the situation, but theyre also trying to figure out why there wasnt any warning or a severe lack of warning. Did you feel that way . Did you feel like you were properly warned . It doesnt sound based on your story that you had ample warning . No, no, youre absolutely right. There was no warning at all. Theres not a siren, not a phone alert, nothing, not a call. The radio, youre eving hearing the radio while were trying to get out of there, and nothing on the radio for like 15 minutes. Even that didnt help, just evacuate. Its just, where do we go . Youre blocking off the roads to go south, which is the safe way. And were forced into an area where we almost lost our lives. I just this whole thing is surreal. It has to be surreal, and it came so seekingly Out Of Nowhere and destroyed so much. And were so glad you all are okay, but certainly, the trauma of what you experienced will last a very, very long time for you and your family and for your friends. So were sending you our best, and thank you again for making time. We appreciate it. Of course. Thank you for taking your time to get this out there. Yeah, you guys take care. Thanks, mike. And for more information on how you can help those hawaii wildfire victims, go to cnn. Com impact. You can also text The Word Hawaii To 707070. Well be right back. Businesses need 5g solutions today. Thats why they choose tmobile for business. Mlb partners with tmomobile to not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played. Aaa relies on tmobiles network to stay connected nationwide, so they can help get their members back on the road. And were helping pano ai innovate, to stop the spread of wildfires. Nows the time to see what americas largest 5g network can do for your business. Whats the subway series . 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Metamucil gummies the easy way to get your daily fiber. Your record label is taking off. But so is your sound engineer. You need to hire. I need indeed. Indeed you do. Indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. Visit indeed. Com hire. The 2024 president ial race for the republican nomination is ramping up. Voters in iowa lining up to get a close up of donald trump at the state fair yesterday. And a lot of those voters seemingly unphased by a possible fourth indictment looming over the current gop frontrunner. I want to bring in our Political Panel now. Cnn political commentator and democratic strategist maria cardona, and dugoug hi. Its great to see both of you. Always a good day to have both of you in the studio. Lets start first with this Fulton County investigation. Im going to take everybody back to the beginning of the show, which is what were expecting to get under way on monday with this potential fourth indictment. Maria, sources are telling us that investigators now have emails, Text Messages connecting trumps allies with the Coffee County Voting System breach. How bad do you think this is for the trump team, because theres legally and theres politically. Since were in the politics panel, lets talk about the political side. So politically, for the republican primary, i think it helps him because as we have seen, the more that he gets dinged on the legal side with another indictment, with other proof that he knew that he had lost the election, his supporters do one thing, rally stronger around him. But where i do think its going to hurt him politically is if he does make it through to become the nominee, which right now it looks like he will, but you never know. Well have to have that caveat. And doug im sure will have more to say about that, but if he does make it to the general election, i think all of this is kryptonite for him in the general election because you are not going to have independent voters, suburban women, everyone who lost, he lost in the 2020 election, now come and say, oh, he got a fourth indictment. Now i think ill support him. No. Now, thats not to say, and i always say this, this is not going to be an easy election for democrats. No matter who the nominee is, even if it is donald trump. We live in an incredibly divided country, and we have to do everything we can to mobilize our voters, to make sure that they know the difference between donald trump or frankly any republican who comes out as a nominee, and joe biden for his next four years. Focusing and touting his accomplishments and what he has been doing every single day for the American People. I do think thats such an important point about democrats. Its not a slam dunk for them by any means if its trump. That is going to be a tight race no matter what. Doug, i want to ask if you agree with marias assessment about trump politically. I do think you have to draw it to the primary and then to a general election. But as a republican, i know theres listen, Republican Voters im talking to in iowa, a lot have trump fatigue, but they want somebody who can win. I think we see a few things. An immediately term, that rallying of support that maria mentioned, the short term, which is a boost in his poll numbers and a solidifying of intensity. Part of that is all of this bizarrely reenforced Donald Trumps core message, the system is rig. Thats what he said on day one, what he continues to say. This sort of becomes evidence of that. As you have his message being reenforced by whats happening to him, you also bizarrely have it reenforced by his republican opponents who by and large arent critical of him. If you get indicted and the feel running against you in politics usually use it as something to attack them, but that gets to the long term. This is where we will see the debate, whether trump is there or not, what republicans say if theres another indictment. And about these, will they use this as an opportunity to do the normal things you do in politics which is to criticize somebody youre running against who is under water like this. Lets stay with the republicans for one second, and doug, well go back to you because there was a lot of talk that trump was there on the ground in iowa for a couple hours yesterday. Desantis, nikki haley, all these other candidates were there for many hours, shaging hands, do the more traditional, what we would traditionally see at the Iowa State Fair. Do you think that desantis specifically was able to kind of maximize that facetoface time . He had his family, hes making this kind of generational, you know, argument, comparing himself to trump and biden. Hes got this young family, kids. Do you think he was able to move the needle a little bit even though trump comes in, sucks oxygen for a while and leaves. I dont think we know yet, but desantis was smart to be there all day every day and meet as many people as he can. One, iowa voters like that. Two, donald trump doesnt have to do that. Hes a celebrity, so whatever he does, people are going to see his name on the plane. I have been in the Des Moines Airport and see the airplane pull up. Oh, hes here. I wasnt going to that event. So trump brings that in a way that nobody else can. You have to work it relentlessly. I would say the Iowa State Fair is two weeks long. Some of these candidates should go back in week two where not all the National Reporters are there but all of the voters are. Were covering it from the big picture, but this is local. We did see to that end, we saw the plane flying. There was a lot of talk about the plane that was flying that was the banner that said be likable, ron. Kind of this trolling that trump and his team are known for. But we listen, the media pays attention to that sort of thing. Do you think voters Pay Attention to that sort of thing . I think that is the kind of thing that voters perhaps not in iowa will pay more attention to than the voters in iowa, because i agree with doug. Voters in iowa and new hampshire, they like to see these candidates up front and personal. They pride themselves in being the ones that theyre going to their houses, theyre going to the coffee clutches, to the diners, going to the state fairs. And so i dont think that matters. But i do think what matters is that while the National Polls do have trump right now, again, focused on right now because you never know, a day is a lifetime in politics, as the prohibitive frontrunner, the polls in iowa are a little closer but not that much closer. Trump is still the prohibitive frontrunner in iowa. I dont see anything that is focused on a momentum for any other candidate to be able to catch up to donald trump and frankly beat him. I think what the strategy is going to be for these other candidates is to focus and try to get as much out of a second place or a third place and then focus on that going into the next state. Because right now, again, i dont really see any other way because donald trump is still focused on the divisive politics, the politics of revenge, the politics of resentment, which we know works for his base. And when you have the whole Conservative Media now who at the beginning i think were looking for a donald trump alternative, theyre now focused on defending donald trump against all of his legal woes. That doesnt help any candidate except donald trump. Okay, so to that end, those candidates are all trying to find a way to break through. And doug, we know that ron desantis and gavin newsom have gone through this thing agreeing to debate one another. Now, the Details Remain not sorted out, but they would debate each other. Do you think this is a good idea . This could end up like elon musk and Mark Zuckerberg and maybe it doesnt happen. This to me highlights that when tip oneal said all politics are local, that was true then. All politics are not local, no politics are not local. Whats a big deal in florida is a big deal in california. So its sort of not surprising now that were seeing this as we see senators and governors troll each other. What i would say is i think for ron desantis, doing this could be advantageous for him if he does well because he can show to his base, look at what a fighter i am. If theyre tuning in and seeing that, thats a good thing for him. If im the white house and gavin newsom gives a forceful hour pushing ban on somebody the left doesnt like, i wouldnt want somebody outshining my president. I completely disagree with that. You think hes amazing. I do think gavin is amazing. Theres the problem. I think he is a tremendous debater. I think he will, if he does well, and i think he will do well, and i think hes beat ron desantis, i think he will be focused on talking to an audience on fox news, talking about the president s accomplishments, talking about the huge contrast that would be another four years of joe biden with the massive job creation numbers, the tremendous accomplishments, incredible legislation that is bringing tons of money to all of local economies, lots of republicans are trying to take credit for, that voted against all of that legislation. And then you have ron desantis who, to me, this is a move of desperation, because his campaign has done nothing but spiral downward from the moment that he launched it. When youre running for president , you dont want to be on a stage with somebody who you dont think is your equal. Gavin newsom is a term limited reelected governor from california. He has nothing to lose. Ron desantis has a lot to lose here, which tells me this is a move of desperation because he knows his campaign is going down. I would like to talk more about that, but were out of time, unfortunately. So much more there. Maria and doug, thanks to both of you. Good to see you. Coming up, ukraine accuses russia of an act of piracy in the black sea. Plus, a closer look at ukraines push for training on american f16s and why its been such a challenge. Youre live in the cnn newsroom. Safelite came right to us, and we could see exactly when theyd arrive with a replacement we couldld trust. Thats service the way we want it. Singers safelite repair, safelite replace. vo Verizon Small Business days are back. From august 7th to the 13th. Get a free tech check and special offers. Like a free 5g phone. Plus, swch, keep your number, and get up to 300 off. With verizon business. Its your business. Its your verizon. You tried. Limiting when it was okay. No tech behind closed doors. But social medias algorithms of addiction always won out. Its not your fault. Alone you cant stop it. Together, we will. We have a plan. Join us. young lady who was, mid 30s, couple of kids, recently went through a divorce. She had a lot of questions when she came in. I watched my mother go through being a single mom. At the end of the day, my mom raised three children, including myself. And so once the client knew that she was heard. We were able to help her move forward. Your client wont care how much you know until they know how much you care. Ukraine is accusing moscow of piracy after a russian warship opened fire and boarded it by force earlier today in the black sea. Ukraine calling that a deliberate attack on a civilian carrier. Russia pulled Out Of The Black Sea grain deal, vowing to attack any ship headed to ukraine. Seven people were killed by Russian Shelling today. Those attacks in the kherson region killing an entire family in that region, including a 23dayold baby girl. Joining us now to discuss this is retired air force colonel, cedric layton. Always great to have you here. Thank you for being here. Lets talk first. We just walked through the current state of play. We know that ukraine has been struggling a little bit in this counteroffensive to find some momentum. Why do you think that is, and can you walk us through it . Sure, absolutely. One of the big problems is that everything kind of stayed static for about eight months in this war, so the last eight months before the ukrainians moved on their counteroffensive, the russians were able to dig into this area, right in through here. So all of this area, think of it as being heavily mined and entrenched with lots of trenches, plus, you have the dragons teeth tank traps. So think of this as not only one layer, but as a double or triple layer through this area. Extremely hard to get through and extremely difficult, because when you look at the way this frontline actually is set up, you see so many different areas where there are geographic vulnerabilities, but also every time theres Something Like this, the russians just have to step back a bit and keep the ukrainians at bay. Thats why these things are so important at this point in time. It does help to see it like that. We know that ukraine has been asking for firepower and want those f16 fighter jets. The white house is saying thats still on the table, but theyre warning about the amount of training it will take to fly these. What makes them different from what the ukrainians are used to . So what are they used to is the mig29th and su27s. Both are russian aircraft and the ones the ukrainians have are really old. The f16 can be old, too. It was basically started in the 1980s in terms of operational use. But the key difference is, look at this cockpit. Everything here is digital. This is a Heads Up Display the pilot gets so they dont have to look down if they are engaged with a target. They can see the target that theyre going after. They can get the Radar Pictures as they need them. And its fairly easy to control. But you can get used to it. Compare that to the mig29 this is what the ukrainians are flying now. This is all analog. This is like going back into the 1970s or before. And its very different to go from this to this. Totally. No, i mean, even a person like this, i can understand how very different that is. Before i let you go, i want to talk to you about drones. Those have been such a key part of this war. Russia claims theres been several Drone Attacks by ukraine sunday. And this researchers say russia is making its own version of an iranian made drone. What do you make of the use of drones in this conflict . This is one of the most revolutionary aspects of this war. Every war has Something Different added to it. Drones like this, you can say i can pick this up at a local hobby store and build Something Like this. The ukrainians are doing this and theyre creating these out of a suitcase and you can launch them fairly easily by hand and you can intercept signals from them. You can intercept pictures and do all kinds of things. So you have that, plus, you also have the ability of the ukrainians to go into the black sea, using sea born drones to attack Russian Naval bases in this year, and the ridge right here. The bridges here. All of these are vulnerable to Drone Attacks. Either airborne or sea born drones. So drones are important and will set the stage for the next chapter of this war, as well as subsequent conflicts coming up in the future. No doubt about it. The fact that theyre unmanned too is huge. One other quick thing on this, the fact that theyre unmanned is critical, because ukraine has a real disparity in population compared to russia. They need as many unmapnned platforms that they can use to achieve a force multiplying effect. Colonel, always great to see you. Thank you for being with us. Cnn has learned prosecutors have new details tonight. That story is next. Were live in the cnn newsroom. Coming up tonight, what its really like in t post pandemic restaurant world. The Food Networks bobby flay joining Anderson Cooper to see how the industry is adapting. Dont miss this episode tonight at 8 00 p. M. Eastern only on cnn. Or more. Thats why farmers new Car Replacement pays to replace i it with a new one of the same mamake and model. Get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. F farmers mnemonic this is your summer to smile. To raise your glass and reconnect. To reel in the fun and serve up great times. To help you get ready your aspen dental team is celebrating years of Affordable Care with an epic summer of smiles event. Right now, new patients without insurance get a free full exam and xrays. 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We begin with a stunning new development in the investigation into Election Interference by donald trump and his allies. Sources telling cnn, investigators now have emails and Text Messages that directly connect members of trumps legal team to the breach of a Voting System in rural Coffee County. This development coming as District Attorney fani willis is preparing to present her case to a grand jury. She is expected to seek an indictment of two dozen people. That means a former u. S. President could be facing criminal charges in four different jurisdictions around the country. Weve got you covered. We begin with Zachary Cohen on this, who helped break this exclusive reporting. Zach, this seems quite