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Judge Ends Giuliani's Bankruptcy Case, Frees Creditors to Seize Assets; Rescued Israeli Hostage Details Psychological Abuse; Nearly 1 Million in Texas Without Power Four Days After Beryl; Multi-Day Wedding Celebration Kicks Off in Mumbai. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 12, 2024 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The decision paves the way for two former Georgia election workers who won a defamation claim against him to pursue and potentially take away everything the former mayor of New York owns.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: CNN's Katelyn Polantz is following this all. So Katelyn, what are you learning about this?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, they are vowing to do that. Just that. Ruby Freeman and Shea Moss's two Georgia election workers within days are going to be able to seize or attempt to seize Rudy Giuliani's personal wealth, real estate he owns and anything else.

That's because the judge in New York today has ruled that he will no longer be in bankruptcy protection. So Rudy Giuliani had filed a little bit more than six months ago after Ruby Freeman and Shea Moss won a $148 million verdict against him. And so things will move forward where they can pursue everything he has. Their lawyers say they are ready to do that.

And the sort of stuff that he has right now is worth about $10 million. It's largely a property in New York, a co-op apartment on the Upper East Side, a property in Florida, Palm Beach, and then things like a signed Joe DiMaggio shirt, three Yankees World Series rings, 26 watches, including a Rolex and a Mercedes Benz sports car.

Part of the reason that the judge reached this decision today is because Giuliani wasn't being fully transparent with his creditors. He hadn't been accurate and complete in showing the court what money he had in his net worth. And he was using companies to keep things out of the sight of the court.

So quite a day for Rudy Giuliani and just days away now of losing those properties, although his lawyers say he's going to continue to fight.

SANCHEZ: And some degree of vindication for those election workers. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much.

Coming up, why a former Israeli hostage describes the day Israeli forces rescued him last month has his third birthday. That's after more than 240 days in captivity. We'll be right back.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: An Israeli hostage is now coming forward to describe the psychological and some physical abuse he endured during months, eight months of captivity. Andrey Kozlov returned to Israel on June 8th after being rescued by Israeli commanders from an apartment in central Gaza earlier that same day.

SANCHEZ: An Kozlov was among the Israelis kidnapped by Hamas in the Nova music festival in October of last year, he's now sharing his story with CNN's Bianna Golodryga. And she joins us now live. Bianna, what did he say to you?

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Boris and Jessica, he said a lot. I spent over an hour talking to him, and it's clear he has such vivid memories of all the horrific experiences that he endured over the past eight months of his captivity. He was held with two other hostages, two other men.

It was the three of them, and they'd been moved multiple times, around six times, throughout their period in Gaza. And they talked about, he told me about the psychological abuse that they endured from day one, where one of his captors said, tomorrow I will kill you and I will film it. And that was his first 24 hours in Gaza.

They were chained. They were tied. Their hands were tied and bound for about two months.

And then they talked about hearing the bombing, the constant bombing that he heard time and time again. Every night, the IDF obviously initiating its war in Gaza. And his captors had told him and the other hostages that this was the IDF coming to kill them, that they were a problem for Israel and for the IDF, and that their families didn't care anymore.

And obviously, as you'll see from this video, that is far from the truth when they were finally rescued.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: We all saw the video of when you were reunited with your mother at the hospital. As a mother, it brought tears to my eyes to see how you fell down on your knees hugging her. Do you know how difficult, I would imagine you do, those eight months were for them?

ANDREY KOZLOV, RUSSIAN-ISRAELI CITIZEN RESCUED FROM HAMAS CAPTIVITY: I was so afraid not to see them.

GOLODRYGA You thought you'd never see them again?

KOZLOV: I was afraid. I imagined how that my mother and father and brother, they will not hear the words, I love you, anymore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA (on camera): And Andrey calls himself one of the lucky ones. He obviously was able to see his family again and tell them how much he loves them. They flew in from Russia as soon as he was rescued.

And his thoughts are constantly with the 120 other hostages that remain in Gaza. I asked him specifically if he had seen any other hostages while he was there. And he said yes, and that he couldn't say anymore. He got very emotional and said that he was worried about their safety, didn't want to give any more details. But I asked if they were in worse shape than he was, and he said yes, much worse.

So, Boris and Jessica, as there are continued hopes that perhaps this time around there will be a deal, President Biden last night said that there are gaps, but they are hopeful that there will be a deal to release these hostages.

[15:40:02]

It's clear this is a top priority for Andrey and for so many others in Israel that are constantly waiting each day for this war to end. And obviously for the Palestinians who are desperate for this war to end and more humanitarian aid to come in.

DEAN: Such an important interview. His bravery is incredible. His resilience. Bianna Golodryga, thank you so much for that. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: As Texas swelters in a summer heat wave, more than half a million people and businesses near Houston are being told they may need to wait another week before their electricity is back on.

DEAN: It's been four days now since Hurricane Beryl made landfall, crippling parts of southeast Texas. We know more than a million customers remain in the dark with no way to turn on their air conditioning or plug in a fan.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov is in Houston for us. Lucy, this is a very, very difficult, dangerous even situation. How are people coping?

[15:45:00]

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, Boris, not only is it a difficult and dangerous situation, it was just made worse.

When you and I were last on air, we talked about how there was concern about more rain. Well, in the past few hours, the skies opened up, it poured buckets, we saw streets flooded, there was thunder, there was lightning. And, of course, that forced a temporary halt to that much- needed critical work of bringing back the power to nearly a million Texans who still remain without it.

Now, no electricity and no gas, of course, means no lights, no air conditioning, no ability to keep food cold. And then it also means medical devices might not be able to function. We know at least one person died when the oxygen machine ran out of battery.

We, throughout the city this morning and afternoon, saw cooling centers as well as relief sites popping up across downtown where desperate residents were able to get some water, some food, just something to be able to get by in this intermediary period.

Hospitals have been overwhelmed. The NRG Arena, a very large facility here, has been converted into a temporary medical emergency shelter.

And Houston's school district, the largest in the state, said earlier roughly 70 campuses were still without power after damage from Hurricane Beryl.

Now, the mayor is vowing to hold the power company accountable. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JOHN WHITMIRE, HOUSTON: This team is doing everything we can to put pressure on CenterPoint, do a better job. I don't know what everyone was doing this morning at 7 a.m. I was talking to the CEO of CenterPoint, letting him know they must do better. They must communicate better.

So, yes, we're going to hold CenterPoint accountable after we do an action review. But right now the focus is get the lights on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAFANOV: And as the frustration rises, so are the temperatures. And, Jessica, Boris, as you mentioned in the introduction, the big fear is what's going to happen to the half a million Texans who are potentially looking at more days without power into early next week -- guys.

SANCHEZ: Yes, a really bad situation could potentially get worse. Lucy Kafanov, thank you so much.

So, as I recently had the opportunity to explore while reporting for CNN's "THE WHOLE STORY," there's a whole lot we don't know when it comes to sharks.

DEAN: OK, so we often think of them, I think of them, as scary predators. But some innovative educators in the Bahamas are bringing kids up close to see why the misunderstood creatures need to be protected in today's "IMPACT YOUR WORLD."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bimini Shark Lab serves as a nonprofit in the Bahamas and in the United States. We also have a major education component. That's where we bring students into the area around Bimini.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tag will go up here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The students learn about the research, all of the types of tagging that we do, all of the long history that the Shark Lab has done here. But then take them out and really so they can see it with their own eyes, appreciate them in a new way and not be scared of some of these sharks.

So, going to see the stingrays is a great introduction for the students where people can get in at their own pace and get very, very comfortable with them.

One of our favorite places to take the students to is up to the mangroves to go see the Lemon Shark Nursery Ground, the Lemon Shark Refuge, and why there's such value in making sure that those areas are protected. And then work our way up to maybe some of the larger sharks that they do have a bigger fear of.

OMARI ROLLE, STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF THE BAHAMAS: I guess I just fell in love. And I hope that my love for it can reach out to people around the world and help them understand the sharks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we see a student that changes their perception of going from one day being scared of sharks to in a couple days, super passionate, wanting to pursue this as their career, that's why we do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: They'd already been celebrating their union for months, so why not stretch it out a few more days? Yes, we're, of course, talking about the three days of wedding celebrations for the youngest son of Asia's richest man.

DEAN: Could this be the most star-studded conga line in history? Will Ripley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When the youngest son of Asia's richest man marries the daughter of a pharma tycoon, an event seen as India's wedding of the year in the Bollywood capital of Mumbai, of course, there's a red carpet. And this one is packed with some of the world's biggest stars. Anant Ambani marrying his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant.

ADITYA MOTWANEONE, WEEDING PLANNER: The big fat Indian wedding. It's just because of the scale of the people that are attending our celebrations.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The Ambani wedding, a three-day spectacle of extreme opulence and Indian tradition, says this Mumbai wedding planner.

RIPLEY: Indian weddings are grand scale. The Ambani wedding would be like interstellar scale. MOTWANEONE: It is the biggest wedding celebration ever happened on this planet. That is 100 percent.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The lavish celebration of love and luxury began back in March. This weekend's wedding finale kicks off at the Ambani- owned, more than 40,000-capacity GEO World Convention Center before moving to the family's private skyscraper, Antilia.

MOTWANEONE: It's one of the most beautiful, iconic landmarks of our country. It's where the family resides. It is a beautiful home for them. It's a home that they've always hosted people from all across the world, whether it's been presidents, prime ministers, celebrities.

[15:55:00]

RIPLEY (voice-over): The guest list, a who's who of A-listers, rich, powerful, and of course, famous. The global glitterati descending on Mumbai. Celebrating the union of two 29-year-olds who happen to be mind-blowingly wealthy and not afraid to show it.

The couple reportedly paid millions, hiring Justin Bieber and Rihanna for their pre-wedding parties. People around town have mixed feelings.

DEVANSHI ZAVERI, PRESCHOOL TEACHER: Yes, you have wealth, but yes, we get it. You have wealth.

JENICA KOTHARI, BANKER: I think it's fabulous. It's helping the economy. It's helping everyone. So I think if they have the money, they should spend it.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The massive price tag, a drop in the bucket for the Ambani's, with a fortune of well over $100 billion from the family business Reliance Industries, the energy, retail, and media giant.

This weekend's highly conspicuous consumption in stark contrast with widespread poverty across India. Critics call the Ambani's a glaring example of the growing wealth gap in the world's most populous country.

The family trying to fend off critics by throwing charity events, like this month's mass wedding for 50 underprivileged couples near Mumbai.

Will Ripley, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Jessica, sadly our invitations must have gotten mixed up.

DEAN: We weren't invited, or they got lost.

SANCHEZ: I think we were, it's just they, yes, they got scrambled.

DEAN: Next time.

SANCHEZ: Next time, yes.

DEAN: We'll be there.

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Will Ripley for that report. Stay with us. We're back in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: New today, NASA releasing this stunning new image from the James Webb Telescope.

[16:00:00]

It shows two interacting galaxies loft in the cosmic dance. It sounds poetic.

The galactic duo is nicknamed the penguin and the egg. The larger galaxy in the center is the penguin, and the brighter one is the egg on the left.

SANCHEZ: I can kind of see it if you squint.

DEAN: I guess.

SANCHEZ: Yes, NASA says their dance with one galaxy pulling on the other began millions of years ago. NASA released the image to commemorate two full years of scientific discoveries from the telescope. Some pretty cool stuff coming from outer space.

Thanks so much for joining us. Thanks so much for joining us this week Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, my pleasure.

SANCHEZ: Come back anytime. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.