now. actions and consequences. a hefty prison sentence today for a riser in the january 6th attack as donald trump himself continues to stay out of jail. plus on the run with nothing to lose the manhunt right now for a convicted killer and the search expanding near a major east coast city. and the supreme court justice, clarence thomas, finally disclosing fancy trips and jet rides paid for by a republican mega donor. welcome to the lead, we start with our law and justice lead, and a not guilty plea from donald trump in the sprawling election cases in georgia, the former president forced paces more than dozen charges including racketeering, for his alleged efforts to steal george's electoral votes. despite joe biden winning the state, over and over. it's unclear when trump will go on trial in this case. the district attorney has asked a judge to schedule a trial for all 19 defendants including donald trump for october 23rd of this year. today trump formally asked to separate his case from the codefendants who are asking for a speedy trial and other codefendants are trying to get their cases moved to federal court. we will get all of that in a moment but first one of the longest sentences yet for a january 6th rioter. it was handed down, joe biggs a leader of the so-called, proud boys, was sentenced to 17 years in prison. biggs plotted with other members of the far right militia to storm the u.s. capitol and he led a group of violent rioters to the u.s. capitol on january 6th. sarah, biggs was convicted on serious charges including seditious conspiracy or conspiring to overthrow the us government. >> reporter: that's why he has ended up with the second longest sentence of all the rioters, longest going to one of the leaders of the oath keepers. produce prosecutors asked for 33 years behind bars for biggs and the judge said they had to take into consideration how other rioters have been sentenced and big did make a tearful appear appeal to the court thing he wants to be able to pick his daughter up and take her to school. and the judge essentially said look, as part of the proud boys you guys were part of the group that wrote the tradition of this peaceful transfer of power and then issue a hefty sentence to go along with it. >> a lot of criminals have kids they would like to pick up at school instead of serving their sentence. turning to georgia, not only did donald trump plead not guilty today but he's asking to have his case separated from his codefendants. >> that's right, number of his codefendants have asked for a speedy trial. this is looking like it's shaping up to be october of this year. in a filing, trump's attorney said that there's no way that donald trump and their team are going to be ready to go to trial in october. they said he has another trial going on before that, and they said it would infringe on his constitutional right to force him to go to trial on that timeline. we are waiting for the judge to weigh in. we haven't really heard from the judge about how he plans to handle the other defendants in this case and it's an open question whether or not trump will go ahead with this case or whether he's going to try to move this to federal court like we've seen his former chief of staff try and do. >> i want to bring in michael moore, former u.s. attorney in georgia. there are a number of codefendants who have not waived their court appearance, or entered a plea. any benefit for them to physically go to the arraignment versus entering a plea through a court filing as so many others have done? >> i'm glad to be with you. there's really no benefit at all to going to court. the courts have gotten lax especially since covid in allowing defendants who are represented at least, to be able to wave arraignment. that's a time when defendants are told what they are being charged with, what the ramifications of the proceedings may be, given some of their rights and protection for those people that don't have a lawyer, they are told at that time they have a right to a lawyer and they usually fill out forms to have a public defender or someone else appointed to represent them. in this case, this is to the benefit of the state and that from, the state because it sort of keep some of the circuits that we saw with the surrender down, and doesn't disrupt the city and for trump, it keeps it from appearing as a defendant in a case. it's one less time that he's on camera, sort of sitting at the surrender table at a courtroom. so, i wasn't surprised to see this nor some of the motions that are going back and forth. >> trump asked to have his case separated from his codefendants who want that speedy trial. mr. trump's attorney claims they wouldn't have sufficient time to prepare for a trial at the end of october. is that a strong legal argument? >> i think it's a great argument, i don't think there's any possibility that he will be tried in october. remember the special grand jury working under the district attorney, she's been investigating this particular case for about 2.5 years, so think about the volume of material out there. and the sixth amendment to the constitution gives every defendant the right to have effective counsel, so you can't be effective if you don't have time to prepare. by lobbying this argument out there, his lawyers doing the right thing saying look, if you don't give me time to prepare i'm not effective. that sets up in appeal, should there be a conviction. as a practical matter, there's no way the judge is going to hold him and his right under the constitution to be prepared to that date, even though the court is bound now that there's been a request for a speedy trial, that case has to be heard, has to be started in october or else as a matter of law, those defendants would be acquitted if not found guilty. the losses the case has to start then and simply because 2 to 3 people may want to avail themselves of the right, that doesn't mean the constitutional rights to have more time and sufficient time to prepare would be infringed on. so i think there's no way he could be tried in october. >> republican state lawmakers call for a special session to investigate the da and her handling of the case. today the governor of georgia, republican brian kemp shot down the idea thing it might be unconstitutional. take a listen. >> the bottom line is in the state of georgia as long as i'm governor, we are going to follow the law and the constitution. regardless of who it helps or harms politically. >> if you could, what do you make of some of these actions targeting district attorney willis? >> i think the republican lawmakers have got caught on their own hook. they pass this law to where they could have this commission review, prosecutors who they claim weren't doing their job, part of what they had to do was move forward on cases where probable cause had been found, and she's done that in this case. from a political standpoint, she's doing what she is to do under the law. you are hearing a lot of pr moves by some members that the state capital, simply because they come from districts that may be eating up this red meat but the idea of stopping the process or impeding the budget funding, that would essentially freeze law enforcement. and freeze criminal prosecutions and that's just not going to happen. i think governor kemp knows that and he's right to not call the special session. i don't think it's the end of the drumbeat that we will here for some time but there's no chance that that is going forward. >> thanks so much. turning to our politics lead, today the capital physician said that senate minority leader o'connell is medically cleared to continue working. you may recall the 81-year-old had a second freezing episode yesterday. it was the second one in two months. he pause for about 30 seconds after being asked a question. it leaves to bipartisan concerns about his health. mcconnell's team is trying to reassure his allies that he is in fact fit for the job. >> this is the moment mitch mcconnell, freezing, again, that pause, opening up a new round of questions are the key one, can he continue to serve as gop leader? this after the second time after as many months, he froze in front of cameras, prompting concern to out his health. >> do you have a comment on daniel cameron? >> behind the scenes, connell is sought to reassure allies that he can continue the job he's had for 16 years, longer than any senate leader in history. today, mcconnell's office releasing a letter from brian monahan, the attending physician. it cleared him to continue with his schedule and saying, it is not uncommon to suffer occasional lightheadedness from people who suffer concussions as mcconnell did in march. sidelining him for nearly 6 weeks. his confidant believe that he will remain through next year but republican senators and aides tell cnn they are skeptical he will remain in the job in 2025 potentially opening up a leadership race between senators johnson, john cornyn and john brazeau. >> the first time he float froze in july, gop senator support him staying as leaders but many would not say if they would back him in the future. >> do you think senator mcconnell should run for leader in the new congress? >> the new congress is 18 months away. >> do you think he would get the job? >> i think that is speculation not necessary right now. >> after his event in kentucky, mcconnell called key allies and attended a fundraiser for candidate banks who told cnn that the republican leader was sharp and engaging. the question about mcconnell's health is bound to intensify when he faces his 48 gop colleagues next week for the first time since before the summer recess. >> he should tell us if something bigger is going on. >> some republicans fear the impact of mcconnell's fall in march could be worse than he has let on. >> obviously the fall he had was more damaging than most people thought. >> do you think he should stay as leader? >> all of this putting a spotlight on an aging senate, where a majority of senators are in their 60s and 70s. >> there's no way for senators who are critics of mcconnell's to force a vote to oust him from the leadership position. the next leadership election would not occur until november 2024, after the elections and jake, mitch mcconnell will face his colleagues for the first time on tuesday night in a meeting with his leadership team and the full republican conference, next wednesday. >> thanks so much. long time mcconnell ally and republican commentator scott jennings, good to see you. i know this is sensitive, nobody likes to see people go through health issues like this. you were with mcconnell at a fundraiser last night. how was he and how do you reconcile how he was last night with the video of him freezing up for 30 seconds or so? >> it was business as usual. i was here in louisville, he attended a fundraiser for jim banks who's running for senate in indiana and he made remarks about policy, politics and took a bunch of questions from the attendees, if you hadn't known something had happened earlier, you would have never have suspected it. >> how do you reconcile that with what we saw. you think mcconnell and his team need to be more transparent as some republican senators are calling for about whatever's going on? >> yeah, i mean, obviously as someone who has known him, my whole life and you see things like this, it's personally concerning. i have the benefit of being able to talk to him and i've seen him the entire month and he's been on quite a robust schedule here in kentucky. he spoke at several big events, been doing these political events, he's doing all the things you would expect him to do. in fact the day before yesterday i saw him speak at a lunch and make 15 minutes worth of remarks. it's hard to reconcile but at the same time this afternoon when i saw the letter come out from the capital physician, monahan, i knew senator mcconnell had sought the advice of a physician. i was glad to see that letter come out and i think that will give people a lot of confidence that he's okay to keep doing what he does which is be an effective leader for the republicans in the senate. >> it's interesting that mcconnell's aides, they did not seem to be surprised that this happened. do they know more than we are hearing publicly, does this happen more often than twice we've seen it publicly? >> i don't think so, actually. i'm not aware of any other instance of it. i would also note that in both instances, he started taking questions again almost immediately after and for the rest of those days, he kept up the rest of his schedule. i had a private conversation with him last night, one on one, we talked about several different things. i didn't notice any difference whatsoever following the incident yesterday. i don't think there's anything else to know, expect a couple of these things happened, apparently the physician said it's not unusual when recovering from a concussion, to have these things happen intermittently but it apparently doesn't impair him in any way and i have not detected any lack of cognitive ability, memory issues and also, his hearing has been getting better and better. i know it had given him some trouble after the concussion but i know it's been improving. >> i appreciate it. next the search for an escaped inmate, a man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend, he is now on the run. the confusion, anger, resentment as maui residents question if there nightmare could have been avoided. i will speak with nebraska's head coach and star player after the world record for attendance set at their volleyball match, stay witith u. how can i help? 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ask your rheumatologist for rinvoq. and take back what's yours. learn how abbvie could help you save. sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand for a better night sleep. so now, he wakes up feeling like himself. the reigning family room middle-weight champion. better days start with zzzquil nights. dozens of law enforcement agencies are frantically searching for a convicted murderer home police warn is extremely dangerous. danny, this escapee was just convicted of first-degree murder charges two weeks ago? >> reporter: that's right, jay, just convicted two weeks ago, those murder charges, and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole last week, now, he's on the run and now there's this multi agency manhunt for him. law enforcement says that the inmate escaped this morning at 8:15 from the chester county prison. that's about 30 miles west of where we are in philadelphia right now. he was last seen around 9:40 a.m., right around the area of the prison, wearing a white t- shirt, gray shorts and white sneakers and that's important because enforcement said it's different from the normal green prison guard that he will be wearing and i want to emphasize exactl y why law enforcement have been using such strong language when warning residents of speaking about this suspect. convicted of first-degree murder, a little over two weeks ago and he was found guilty of stabbing his girlfriend, back in 20 2138 times, in front of her children and jake the motive for the killing according to prosecutors was the girlfriend found out that he was wanted for murder in brazil as well. so that's why law enforcement really urging a lot of caution or residence around the area of that chester county prison. take a listen to what the da said about this just a few hours ago. >> his depravity knows no bounds, and this is someone who has nothing to lose, so i don't know what he's capable of doing. if he's already engaged in a murder in front of two children, there's no stopping him from doing anything more egregious. >> at this point like you said, dozens of agencies are using canines, drones, using helicopters, and we are still waiting at this point for a concrete answer to the big question of how he got out, so far, law enforcement officials, not giving us any details. >> so no details about how he got out, chester county prison, i mean, that's a tough facility. it's not easy to walk in and out, any idea how you managed to escape? >> reporter: no, listen, the acting warden of the prison came out of the press conference earlier today and said we are not going to take any questions or talk about how he got out, it's under investigation but you can bet if this manhunt certainly continues into the night and the next day, we've seen other man heads in pennsylvania that have done that, you can bet there's going be more questions about how this all happened. this just in, we are learning of an incident involving multiple stabbings at the fulton county jail in georgia. earlier images of that facility in the weeks past, that is the same jail will former president trump surrendered last week. coming up next the governor of hawaii will be here, and responding to the heartbreak and now anger and miststrust of the residents of mauaui after t devastating wildfires. our ears connect us to the moments that matter. give them the nutrients they need with lipo. it's formulated with ingredients clinically shown to protect your ears from dizziness, ear ringing, and even hearing loss. never miss a moment with lipo flavonoid. nice footwork. man, you're lucky, watching live sports never used to be this easy. now you can stream all your games like it's nothing. yes! [ cheers ] yeah! woho! running up and down that field looks tough. it's a pitch. get way more into what you're into when you stream on the xfinity 10g network. continue international leave, cnn staying focused on the damage and heartbreak caused by the wildfires in maui. hundreds of residents still unaccounted for. property losses are estimated at $6 billion and questions about the response or lack there of, who's to blame and when survivors and businesses can start to rebuild. residents are skeptical of what the government is telling them. >> it's hard, seeing all this devastation. >> even as fire survivors take stock of what's left of their historic community. >> it makes me cry. >> officials are trying to identify the bodies of those lost but it is a mystery at the moment how many are still missing. right now, they are investigating about 100 sing person reports. >> i think today is going to be a good day i'm not going to cry. all you do is cry. >> she says her lahaina home is still standing but no condition what it's in. she's with her family in temporary housing, not living, she says, just existing. >> i don't want to be angry and upset but, nothing is moving. >> the number of debt stands at 115, the number has not moved in 10 days. active search and rescue is over as federal agencies are now working to remove hazardous materials and debris to make it safe for families to return to their neighborhoods. most students have to either enroll at other schools on the island or take virtual classes, at least until mid-october. the entire survival and recovery process has surfaced long-held skepticism and resort meant -- >> i directed my team to do everything we can for as long as it takes, to help maui recover and rebuild in a way that respects and honors hawaiian traditions and cultures and the needs of the local community. we are not going to turn this into a new land grab. >> who has he really sat down with? what is it going to take. >> she questions whether this tragedy could have been prevented. residents in the county of maui are suing hawaiian electric, accusing the utility of not properly maintaining power lines that remained energized leading up to the date . they say the cause of the fire that afternoon is still unknown. and while sirens have not previously been used for wildfires on maui, new protocols will soon be shared. >> as we go forward we need to educate the public on what they need to do what a siren sounds and that includes our visitor population. >> visitors, who are currently avoiding maui, the hawaiian tourism authority said they are losing nine million dollars each day, with a steep drop in daily passenger arrivals to the island. local businesses are laying off employees. >> we've had people cancel their reservations all the way through december of this year. >> air maui has laid off seven dispatchers. island residents want taurus to stay away from burned areas, they need people to come visit the rest of maui. >> most people have two jobs to sustain themselves. so they are not going to be able to survive and pay their bills and their own mortgages on employment insurance. it won't cut it. >> you heard him mention mortgages there, there's some temporary relief in that department. the state of hawaii said borrowers with the fha or va mortgage are able to pause payments through november. interest may still accrue during the time in the payment still happen to be made up in the future. >> let's talk about it with hawaii's governor josh greene. as you heard natosha chan report, there's a lot of mistrust about what residents of hawaii are hearing from authorities. here's an opportunity for you to respond to the skeptics, what do they need to know? >> i appreciate it, jake. people are traumatized, and we are in an era of mistrust and i respect that. i come at it mor e as a physician than a politician. we have to deliver services for people. it's a tragedy beyond anything we've experienced. we already have gotten through after 23 days, the recovery phase, and we've lost 115 souls but we are starting already to look at the rebuilding. i know people can't get into their properties, as soon as it is safe, we want people in there so they can get closure. we've already put 6000 people out of the 12,000 people directly into hotel rooms or airbnb's, others are staying with family. even then of course, people rightfully, are traumatized, so that question remains. we have to build trust like with all things, so we will be building back. we want everyone to know we will only build it back when the people of lahaina's tell us how they want to do it, whether it is a memorial, housing like before, they will tell us and nothing else will suffice. i want to share with people things we don't talk about , we are doing everything we can to prevent predators from coming in and stealing people land, buying it up at pennies on the dollar while they are suffering to pay their bills. we've made it a penalty, a year in prison and up to $5000 in fines, for every time someone reaches out to try to take someone's property. and finally, and this is an important thing i'd like to emphasize nationally, i people to know i'm concerned about outside interest coming in as predators and we will do what we can to protect against that, too. not unlike we did as a country, with 9/11. we want to make sure that people who have damage are protected. we are studying onto how we can do that. again, people should ask those are questions about how they can trust but i want them to get resources to build their lives back. >> how much responsibility does the power company bear for the fire? >> it's a good question. two days in, which was on the 10th, i asked my attorney general and instructed her to do an investigation. so she's doing that right now. she's wrought in an outside investigator in that has fire expertise. she's going to find out exactly how much. we do know the early fire was sparked. i want to jump to conclusions because i don't think it's fair for me to do that but we will hold everyone accountable and we will be transparent about it. we will release all the reports. i think at the end of the day, we all have to acknowledge that this is a global problem, it was a very hot, dry, terrible storm. we are dealing with global warming. we have six total fire emergencies from 1953 to 2003 and then we had six in the first two weeks of this month. so, it's a disaster waiting to happen because it's so hot but we will get to the bottom of actual responsibility and that will contribute to how we try to bring some kind of financial closure to people for this tragedy. >> you just refer to the death toll with it standing at 115 from the fires. it's been a week since authorities in hawaii set up 388 people were unaccounted for. are you making any progress on those 388? >> a great deal of progress, the formal announcement will be tomorrow from the fbi and the group that's working on this. it dropped immediately to 300, when we were able to separate people that were for instance incarcerated or we did get people calling us immediately when the names were released. the number of people that actually filed missing reports was closer to 112 or 115, to the maui authorities and of those individuals, a substantial number more than half were immediately found either to be tragically lost to the fire or discovered and some in the hospital. think we will hear a number in the lower double digits tomorrow. hopefully, under 50. and it's not much consolation because our hearts are broken that we lost 150 people, for sure but it is something that we are grateful that's not 800 or 1000 my people were projecting earlier but tomorrow we should have a much tighter number for everybody. >> thanks for your time today. i appreciate it. >> thank you for supporting us. next finally with clarence thomas, why he said it has taken him so long to disclose those private flights papaid fo by a republican memega donor, s stay with us.how the ge and we're helping pano ai innovate, to stop the spread of wildfires. now's the time to see what america's largest 5g network can do for your business. i need it cool at night. you trying to ice me out of the bed? baby, only on game nights. you know you are retired right? am i? ya! the queen sleep number c2 smart bed is now only $999. plus free home delivery when you add a base shop now only at sleep number. inadvertently, the word is used 16 times at any nine page financial statement from supreme court justice thomas describing information that he inadvertently omitted on previous disclosure forms. both justice thomas and alito filed new disclosures today giving details about trips they took but did not have to pay for. joan, let's start with justice thomas, what have we learned? >> first of all, he came forward, disclosed officially he had taken two sets of trips at the expense of harlan crow, to texas last year and also he had gone to his very luxurious report resort in the adirondacks. it's like an adult playground with all sorts of, you know, fun things, fun expensive activities, which we had known that he had done that every summer but this was the first time that he, clarence thomas was acknowledging this set of trips that crow had provided for him in 2022. flashback to 2014, clarence thomas also acknowledged in this filing today that in 2014, harlan crow had paid for, he had bought three properties that the thomas family owned in savannah, georgia, and this was the first time that thomas was going to acknowledge that, also. >> this ignited a firestorm of criticism from conservatives about them and also criticisms from others about justice thomas, his attorneys pushing back? >> remember the context. it's the court general lack of transparency. what his lawyer said when he revealed these new filings as he said, they said that any mistakes were inadvertent and he also added a statement that reflects the tone of what's going on now, the lawyer said, the attacks on justice thomas are nothing less than ridiculous and dangerous and they set a terrible precedent for political bloodsport through federal ethics filings. you know, it goes to show, not just pushing back on the fact that he has to disclose these things but also the atmosphere that his lawyer claims that this was all coming from, political enemies going after clarence thomas but these trips and travel and private jet opportunities, other justices disclose them themselves. >> what is in justice alito form? >> he has taken several trips on the dimes of institutions. most notable, he took a trip to rome in 2022 to give a keynote speech by a conservative initiative and that is a group whose clinic will often file reefs at the court, urging religiously conservative outcomes. that's a speech that i think we even showed on the show where it was right after the dobbs ruling against roe v wade and it was a very provocative speech that justice alito had made. >> next, store-bought weapons of war. we will take you to ukraine where a team of women are learning how to fly simple dronones that are having a huge impact on the battlefield. stay with us. with tide. tide and downy are giving back with $1.5 million in scholarships. enter to win. 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(vo) football season is here. get nfl sunday ticket froman youtubetv on us. $449 value. plus, get a free samsung galaxy z flip5. only on verizon. was also the first time you heard of a town named dinosaur, colorado. we just got an order from dinosaur, colorado. start an easy to build, powerful website for free with a partner that always puts you first. start for free at godaddy.com >> woman: why did we choose safelite? >> vo: for us, driving around is the only way we can get our baby to sleep, so when our windshield cracked, we needed it fixed right. we went to safelite.com. there's no one else we'd trust. their experts replaced our windshield, and recalibrated our car's advanced safety system. they focus on our safety... so we can focus on this little guy. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ - [narrator] every day, our lives are filled with choices, both simple and life-changing. what's not a choice? addiction to opioids like fentanyl. but even with opioid use disorder, you still have a choice. by choosing treatment, you choose family, your career and your life on your terms. choose change, california, and find medically proven treatment options at choosechangeca.org. tragedy in south africa tops our world lead today. at least 12 children are among the 74 people killed in a blaze that broke out in the middle of the night in a crowded building in johannesburg. daylight brought scenes like this. shattered glass everywhere as responders recovered dozens of charred bodies. authorities say it was a, quote, hijacked building. a structure abandoned by landlords and leased to migrants illegally. which often creates incredibly unsafe and unregulated living conditions. the former mayor of johannesburg says the deaths were, quote, totally unnecessary. listen. >> this for me, it was bound to happen. now to ukraine. in the midst of grueling ground battles ukraine's military has launched an all-out assault from the skies. late tuesday into early wednesday ukraine carried out its biggest drone attack on russia to date, targeting six regions including moscow. today russia says it shot down a ukrainian drone, again, headed to russia's capital city. as cnn's christiane amanpour reports for us now, these drones come in all shapes and sizes. even the retrofitted store-bought models can destroy russian weapons worth millions. >> reporter: any support is welcome in ukraine, especially if it appears blessed by jesus, say these drone students, set up in an abandoned church, working on their simulators. and convinced their cause is just. >> we do whatever we can now to resist because russians want to kill all of us. this is genocide. >> reporter: next door in the construct and repair class yulia soliders and tweaks and teaches. this part is fairly simple and fun, she says. >> and did you study engineering? what are you in normal life? >> a writer and a film director. >> you're a writer and a film director. >> yes. >> and now you're a drone operator. >> yes. >> reporter: we're not allowed to disclose the location where yulia and the others put theory into practice. here in this innocuous-looking field with a rudimentary obstacle course this could almost be child's play, but with deadly results of course. these are all civilian drones that the ukrainians are repurposing for their current war effort. they can be bought off store shelves. but this signifies a turning point in the conduct of modern warfare. a $500 drone that's been weaponized can take out vehicles and weapons systems worth millions. software engineer ly lyuba shapovich started the victory drones initiative. >> the most advantage, it's one of the most cost-effective weapon, and it's also weapon and it could be used as reconnaissance. for reconnaissance purposes if you see the enemy you can hit enemy, you can hide your soldiers. so -- >> but an enemy can see you. >> yeah. if you don't use security measurements. >> reporter: like hiding or disguising their signals. because the russians are adapting fast. she says they're mostly crowd funded and have deals with the ukrainian military to train frontline troops. tens of thousands so far. in what's become indispensable strategy. that was just practice, dropping a water bottle full of sand. but just a few days ago the group says one of their former trainees took out this russian tank on the eastern front. they can also wipe out artillery positions and troop carriers. how long did it take to you learn to fly? >> many of these citizen soldiers are women, busting stubborn myths. and yulia of course agrees. in fact, she assembles the drones her husband flies too. >> and a lot of women have taken up this fight. >> we are all people and we are fighting for our existence. >> and christiane, we've heard conflicting reports on the status of the ukrainians' counteroffensive. western officials have privately expressed frustrations that the counteroffensive is moving slower than expected, and now ukrainian officials and even russian military bloggers say that the counteroffensive is actually making progress if gradually. what's your reporting? >> reporter: well, we're hearing the same as those ukrainian officials and the russian bloggers and others are saying. and actually, i've been talking to a lot of military analysts as well, both u.s., uk, nato types, who are all saying don't count the chickens before they hatch, this does take time, it's very, very difficult. the russians have laid incredible defenses and several layers deep. trenches, mines, all of that. and so it takes very methodical, you know, force to get through it. and that's what they are trying to do. and that's why these drones are so helpful. these obviously are the civilian drones. and the ones you mentioned at the beginning, the military-type drones which are going hundreds of miles into russian territory now and causing damage. not enough to win, but it's enough to cause definitely political -- you know, they're aiming for at least some political impact inside russia as well. >> all right. christiane amanpour in kyiv for us. thanks so much. great to see you. coming up, the defamation lawsuit that rudy giuliani forfeited. why did he choose to not even contest the case? and what the mother-daughter election workers who sued giuliani think about the judge's decision. i'm going to talk to their attorney next. so aaron's folks could help hook him up with a new ride. we'll drive you hahappy at carvana. at the alzheimer's associion walk to end alzheimer's, this is why we walk. ♪ they're why we walk. ♪ we walk in the alzheimer's association walk to end alzheimer's because we're getting closer to beating this disease. join us. your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. 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 [it's the final game, folks. this one wins the series.] struck out with the cheap seats? important things aren't worth compromising. at farmers, we offer both quality insurance and great savings. 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(farmers mnemonic) wayfair has deals so big that you might get a big head. because with savings so real... you can get your dream sofa for half the price. wayfair. it's always a big deal. ♪ wayfair, you've got just what i need ♪ when migraine strikes, do you question the tradeoffs of treating? ubrelvy is another option. it works fast to eliminate migraine pain. do not take with strong cyp3a4 inhibitors. allergic reactions to ubrelvy can happen. most common side effects were nausea and sleepiness. ask about ubrelvy. here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. welcome to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. this hour 2024 rivals make their cases. nikki haley calls out vivek ramaswamy. why she says the 38-year-old should get, quote, nowhere near the white house after comments he made about israel and iran. plus, the price tag on disaster. new damage assessments from hurricane idalia as cnn teams reach some of the areas that were hardest hit. leading this hour, however, former president trump telling the fulton county court he is not guilty on charges related to the fake electors scheme, to steal georgia's 16 electoral votes. trump's plea today avoids another media spectacle by forgoing an in-person appearance next week. today trump's legal team also formally requested to sever his case from the co-defendants who want a speedy trial. let's begin today with cnn's senior crime and justice reporter katelyn polantz, who has been all over this story. katelyn, why does trump want to split his case from the others? >> jake, he has a couple of reasons that his lawyers are now putting forward to the court. they need time, they're busy, this case is complex. the sort of things that donald