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Jamaal Bowman Lost to George Latimer in the New York Democratic Congressional Primary; Julian Assange Returns Home to Australia as a Free Man. South Korea Activists Tests New Tactic on the Balloon Battle with North Korea; A Look Inside the Athletes' Village Kitchen and Food Hall in Preparation for the Olympic Summer Games in Paris. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 26, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, the CNN Presidential Debate is now just one day away. We will discuss how each candidate's stance on abortion impacts their chances in November.

Julian Assange is free for the first time in a dozen years. He's on his way home to Australia after pleading guilty in a deal with the United States.

And behind closed doors, the trial for jailed "Wall Street Journal" reporter, Evan Goshkovich is underway right now in Russia.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. And we begin this hour with a preview of the first U.S. presidential debate of the 2024 election year. CNN will host the face-off between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Thursday, right here in our Atlanta studio.

Mr. Biden and his team are busy preparing at Camp David. A source tells CNN they're holding mock debates of varying lengths and focusing on both the substance and stamina he will need for the rematch against Trump. The president is also focusing on ways to hold Trump accountable on the debate stage. A campaign official says President Biden stands up to dictators and defends freedom. Trump is a loser who's too dangerous and reckless to ever be anywhere close to the Oval Office again.

Well meantime, a lot has changed for Trump since he ran for president in 2020. He's now a four-time indicted, twice impeached convicted felon. In a recent interview, Trump says he has been preparing his whole life for the debate. And he also said, quote, "it's very hard to prepare. You've got to know this stuff from years of doing it." He also added that he thinks debating is an attitude more than anything else.

The last time Biden and Trump met on a debate stage was during the 2020 election campaign. And many crucial things have of course changed since then. CNN's Brian Todd has more.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The pressure on each man to perform Thursday is evident. But it's the profound changes in America's political climate from 2020 which could be a deciding factor in the Trump-Biden debate.

JOSH DAWSEY, POLITICAL INVESTIGATIONS REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": 2020, Biden successfully and effectively made the election a referendum on Trump's leadership. Instead, he's trying to make it a referendum on Trump again. Do you really want this guy back in office? And Trump is trying to make it a referendum on Biden's record.

TODD (voice-over): Two seismic events since the 2020 debates. The January 6th insurrection, which Donald Trump is accused of inciting and which he denies. And Trump is now a convicted felon found guilty of falsifying business records in his hush money trial. Something President Biden might be under pressure to highlight more at the debate.

AMY WALTER, PUBLISHER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "COOK POLITICAL REPORT": Thus far, the issue of his felony conviction doesn't seem to have moved voters in one direction or the other.

TODD (voice-over): In 2020, analysts say American voters were looking for a leader who could manage them out of crises, including one the likes of which they'd never seen before.

WALTER: We're in the middle of COVID and that was the centerpiece of the conversation in 2020.

TODD (voice-over): Also in 2020, the Black Lives Matter protests were raging across the country following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Unemployment in America surged at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, a dynamic that has completely turned around as we head into this debate.

But analysts say President Biden could be hounded by another economic factor that's different from 2020.

WALTER: The issue that is really plaguing him and is frustrating voters overall is the cost of stuff. Inflation has been a factor.

TODD (voice-over): Another enormous political and social sea change from 2020 stems from an event that occurred in late June of 2022.

DAWSEY: Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court by judges that former President Trump largely picked. It was a key promise of his. And that's proven to be an unpopular decision according to polling on both sides and it's hurt Republicans in a lot of different elections.

TODD (voice-over): And an evolutionary change from 2020, the steady drumbeat of voters' concerns over the candidates' ages. Joe Biden, at 81, is the oldest president in American history.

[03:05:08]

If Trump wins, he'll be the oldest president ever at a swearing-in at age 78. Both men facing escalating criticisms for memory lapses, mistaken identity references and other worrisome signs.

DAWSEY: Both sides are trying to exploit that and both sides also know, particularly on the Biden side, I feel like they understand that it's a key vulnerability that they're having to deal with.

TODD: The analysts we spoke to point out another significant difference between this debate and the ones in 2020. This Thursday's debate is the earliest one in the calendar year in the history of televised presidential debates, which will likely prompt the voting public to pay attention to the candidates, the issues and their differences for a longer period of time.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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CHURCH: And be sure to watch as CNN hosts the U.S. presidential debate. It's on Thursday, June 27th at 9 p.m. Eastern in the U.S. That's 9 a.m. Friday in Hong Kong and 2 a.m. in London.

Democratic voters in New York have made their decision in the most expensive House primary on record. CNN projects George Latimer will defeat incumbent Jamaal Bowman in the 16th congressional district. The 70-year-old Westchester County executive entered the race at the urging of pro-Israel groups. Bowman, a member of the progressive squad, has been a vocal opponent of Israel's war in Gaza. He says his opponent may have won this round, but his battle for justice and humanity will continue.

The trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich is underway in Russia. The "Wall Street Journal" reporter is accused of espionage, a charge he denies, and the U.S. government says he's wrongfully detained. No media, family or U.S. embassy personnel are being allowed in the court for the closed-door proceedings.

Let's turn to CNN's Clare Sebastian, who's reported extensively on Russia and joins me now live from London. Good morning again, Clare. So, what's expected to happen behind closed doors with Evan Gershkovich's espionage trial? Of course, how much information will we likely receive on this?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not a lot, Rosemary. In fact, those few pictures that we got this morning of him standing in that glass cage, which Russians often refer to as the aquarium in Russian courts. That may be the last we see of him for a while. So we have to sort of read the tea leaves here. And look, he looked calm. He looked composed. He had his head shaved, which is different from when we last saw him in March, when the court last extended his pretrial detention.

And look, I think after 15 months of pretrial detention in conditions that we know have been very difficult in Moscow's notoriously fortified prison, he may be somewhat relieved to get to this point because Russia seems to be making it clear that they want this legal process to play out before anything can shift to real concrete diplomatic discussions around a potential prisoner swap. The charges are very serious. Espionage.

The Russian prosecutors about 10 days ago had the charges approved by a judge. They say that the FSB has proof that he was acting on instructions from the CIA, attempting to obtain secrets about a Russian tank factory. His employer, The "Wall Street Journal," continues to strenuously deny any wrongdoing. Take a look at a part of a piece this week by "The Wall Street Journal's" editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker.

She says the trial, it will be held in secret. No evidence has been unveiled. And we already know the conclusion. This bogus accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a bogus conviction for an innocent man who would then face up to 20 years in prison for doing his job.

Less than 1 percent of criminal cases, I should note in Russia, end in acquittal. So as I say, we will have to read the tea leaves here. How long will the trial be in the case of Paul Whelan, another American also charged and now convicted of espionage? It took almost three months. But Brittany Greiner's trial several years ago on drug charges lasted just over a month. We make it a sense of how urgent this is for the Russian government.

Equally, the sentencing will be very important. The maximum is 20 years. So we'll have to see how close to that they get, given that an acquittal is not expected. But this is the first time, Rosemary, in almost 40 years that an American journalist has been charged with espionage in Russia. The last time in the Cold War, didn't even make it to trial.

So a big moment for Evan Gershkovich, but also really a touchstone moment as we watch this precipitous decline of the media environment in Russia.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Claire Sebastian for that live report from London.

And earlier, I spoke with Pjotr Sauer. He is a friend of Evan Gershkovich and also a reporter on Russian affairs for "The Guardian." He says he received a letter from Gershkovich before Russian authorities moved him for the trial. Take a listen.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PJOTR SAUER, FRIEND OF EVAN GERSHKOVICH AND RUSSIAN AFFAIRS REPORTER, "THE GUARDIAN": Well, last week I received a letter from him, which he sort of said that, you know, he's trying to keep physically and mentally strong. He's trying to read a lot, you know, doing some pushups in a tiny cell. You know, the conditions are very difficult.

And he knew he would be transferred to Yekaterinburg. So I haven't heard from him since he's been transferred.

CHURCH: And of course, Russia's espionage trial against Gershkovich is being called a sham by many, by most, in fact. Of course, we saw the limited media footage that was allowed just before the hearing got underway behind closed doors. We saw him there in what's being called the aquarium, that glass room. A verdict is not expected today. But when might a final decision be made and what do you think they will decide here?

SAUER: Yes, Rosemary, as you said, we saw him today in this aquarium with his head shaven. I think the Russian authorities are trying to make him look like a criminal. But everyone who knows Evan, everyone in the West knows, Evan is just an honest journalist.

The trial might take weeks or even months. We've seen that with previous trials, which were similar, like the trial with Paul Whelan, the U.S. Marine who's been sentenced and he's currently in Russian jail.

So, you know, we are holding our breath. You know, it could take, we're not holding our breath. It could take weeks or months. And we don't have much trust in the Russian justice system. Realistically, we believe that Russia will convict him because they, you know, they arrested him in the end because he's a bargaining chip for Moscow, for Putin to be exchanged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Our thanks to Pjotr Sauer for speaking with us there.

Well, for the first time in 12 years, Julian Assange is a free man. Just hours ago, a U.S. judge in the Northern Mariana Islands accepted his guilty plea to a single espionage-related charge. His sentence, 62 months, time already served in London's Belmarsh prison. The WikiLeaks founder is now on his way to his native Australia without ever setting foot in an American jail.

The U.S. had charged Assange with 18 felony counts for publishing hundreds of thousands of leaked U.S. military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010, revealing sensitive data on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So let's bring in journalist Alex Thomas. He's following developments for us live from Canberra, Australia. Alex, how is Australia reacting to the news that Julian Assange is now a free man and what comes next for him?

ALEX THOMAS, JOURNALIST: Well, as night falls here at Canberra airport, we're expecting Julian Assange to arrive in the next couple of hours, Rosemary. And there's not a sense of celebration here. There's no flocking of crowds to the airport to cheer Julian Assange back onto Australian soil for the first time in well over a decade as a free man.

But certainly there have been very positive noises out from the seat of government. Of course, Canberra is the capital. It's where all the politics in this country happens. And it's where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said a little bit earlier on that he thinks the vast majority of Australians will be pleased that this saga for Assange is over.

Certainly since Albanese's government came to power a few years ago, there has been a change in the diplomatic discourse. He himself brought up Assange's case with U.S. President Joe Biden on a visit to Washington last year. And Australia's Attorney General Mark Dreyfuss also raised the issue with his counterpart earlier this year.

So although the news of Assange's plea bargain came as a surprise earlier this week, it comes at the end of months and years of campaigning from the current government, from Assange's supporters across the world, and also, of course, all those that believe in the freedom of press, which has been the big talking point around this. Let's have a listen to what his lawyer had to say outside the courtroom in Saipan a little bit earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER ROBINSON, ATTORNEY FOR JULIAN ASSANGE: I hope that the fact that we've been able to free Julian Assange today against all the odds and against one of the most powerful governments in the world will give hope to all journalists and publishers who are imprisoned around the world. And we encourage everyone who stood to fight for Julian to continue that fight for him and for all of those others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS: Now, here in Australia, the opposition foreign affairs spokesperson has said that Assange is no hero, should not have a hero's welcome. He still did something wrong. And actually, if he had not tried to resist extradition to the United States so hard, his ordeal might have been shorter than it was.

Remember, he had seven years in exile in the Ecuadorian embassy in London before finally their change of government, allowing British police to come into that embassy and take him out. And he's been in a high security prison in the U.K. for five years before agreeing to this plea deal, where he had to plead guilty to one criminal count.

[03:15:08]

Those campaigners who say there should be more freedom of press say it's a dark day that a journalist doing their job has had to suffer that.

The U.S. Department of Justice has sent a statement saying that Assange will not be welcomed back on American soil without permission and saying they were right to pursue this legal action because he endangered national security and the lives of personnel.

Although the judge that finally released Assange was at pains to point out that no one in fact wanted, was injured by Assange's actions. Away from the politics of all this, of course, this is a man returning home, finally able to spend time with his wife, Stella, who he married while he was still imprisoned, and his two young children, Max and Gabriel, who are seven and five. We're going to hear from Assange later today.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Alex Thomas in Canberra with that live report.

Here in the United States, at least two people have died as severe storms and flooding hit the Midwest. More than 20 river gauges across the region remain in major flood stage, but mostly dry weather is expected for today with another chance of rainfall on Thursday.

Meanwhile, authorities in southern Minnesota say the aging Rapidan Dam is still standing. Flooding on the Blue Earth River caused part of the dam to fail on Monday and officials have warned a total failure remains a possibility.

Still to come, a deadly crackdown in the Kenyan capital. We're live with the latest on the anti-government protests.

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CHURCH: This was the scene inside Kenya's parliament on Tuesday. Crowds stormed government offices, trashing and setting fire to parliament, Nairobi City Hall and the governor's office. They've been protesting for a controversial finance bill approved by lawmakers for more than a week now.

Tuesday's protests devolved into chaos with Kenyan police shooting and killing at least five people with dozens more injured. CNN teams witnessed police beating and arresting paramedics who tried to help protesters. The events have made some of them even more determined.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNEDY SANKARA, PROTESTER: They are here brutalizing innocent citizens who are unarmed, who are only speaking, because the president has successfully captured parliament. He has successfully captured the judiciary. The only surviving sovereign power is the people. Now he's trying to brutalize us. We will demonstrate. You can't kill all of us. You can't abduct all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: CNN's Victoria Rubadiri is covering this for us live from Nairobi. So Victoria, what is the situation there right now on the streets of the capital? What are you seeing and what's expected to happen today?

VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN REPORTER: Well, Rosemary, we are right in the middle of where the action was yesterday. This was literally the epicenter of the protests. I'm standing next to the Supreme Court of Kenya, one of the key government installations that was attacked yesterday. You can see broken glass, bricks, stones on the ground. It's a massive cleanup exercise.

And this, of course, is what the president was speaking to yesterday in his address. He was very stern, very resolute, saying he will protect the interests, the lives and property of Kenyans as they deal with what he called criminal elements that infiltrated the peaceful demonstrations yesterday. Here's a bit of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: I hereby put on notice the planners, financiers, orchestrators and abettors of violence and anarchy that the security infrastructure established to protect our republic and its sovereignty will be deployed to secure the country and restore normalcy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RUBADIRI: Well, normalcy is what we are seeing coming slowly, at least into the central business district. We're seeing cars driving around, people moving around. You can still sense a lingering tear gas effect, people sneezing and coughing as they pass by us.

And of course, it's something that we're going to be monitoring. Police presence is still here, not as heavy as yesterday. They are expecting some activities with the protesters, saying their seven days of rage continues today as well. Of course, they are advocating for the perpetrators responsible for the killing of a young man in last Thursday's protest to be brought to justice. So we'll be monitoring those activities throughout the day.

Back to you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Victoria Rubadiri, joining us live from Nairobi. Many thanks for that report.

Officials in Gaza say Israeli strikes have killed at least 24 people, including family members of a key Hamas leader. The Palestinian Civil Defense said one airstrike targeted a school where displaced families were sheltering. Officials say at least eight people were killed, including five children.

And in a refugee camp west of Gaza City, officials say an airstrike killed at least 11 people, including the sister and other family members of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. In response, Haniyeh said Israel is delusional if it thinks targeting his family will change, quote, "our positions and resistance."

Well, meantime, the Israel Defense Forces say they eliminated a terrorist on Tuesday who was a key operative in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. But Doctors Without Borders says 33-year-old Fadi Al-Wadiya was their colleague and condemned the killing.

So let's go to CNN's Nada Bashir, who joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So what more are you learning about the death of a man that Medecins Sans Frontieres says was a staff member, not a terrorist, as Israel's military claims?

[03:25:02]

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli military has responded directly to Doctors Without Borders. It claims that Fadi Al- Wadiya was a key and central figure in the Islamic Jihad organization, a key figure in the organization's knowledge of what it described as chemistry and electronics and the use of that knowledge within the organization's activities. But again, this has been heavily refuted by the international medical NGO Doctors Without Borders, which says that Fadi Al-Wadiya had worked with the organization since 2018.

The organization has issued a statement, I can read you a bit from that statement, saying, we are outraged and strongly condemn the killing of our colleague Fadi Al-Wadiya. The attack killed Fadi, along with five other people, including three children, while he was cycling to work near the MSF clinic, where he was providing care. Fadi was a 33-year-old physiotherapist and father of three.

And we've also heard from Doctors Without Borders' operational manager for the Palestinian territories, who went on to describe the targeting of Fadi Al-Wadiya as cynical and abhorrent, as he was on his way to work to provide care for those wounded in Gaza.

The organization also went on to note that this is the sixth member of the organization to have been killed in Gaza since October 7th. And what we have seen over the last eight months is a rising number of medical professionals, as well as humanitarian workers, both from Palestinian organizations and international organizations, coming under attack by the Israeli military.

We have heard repeated warnings now from many humanitarian organizations, but particularly from the United Nations, about the insecurity that these humanitarian and medical workers are facing in Gaza. Take a listen to this statement from a spokesperson for the United Nations.

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STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESPERSON: Humanitarian operations have repeatedly been in the crosshairs in Gaza. And I think you know the number of humanitarian workers that have been killed. We've repeatedly talked about humanitarian convoys today. We've talked about areas that were deconflicted, that were hit, hospitals, shelters and so on. And the risks, frankly, are becoming increasingly intolerable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, the challenges that these medical workers and humanitarian workers are facing have made it near impossible for many of them to operate on the ground. We are seeing increasing obstacles, according to the UN and other humanitarian organizations, for these workers to actually gain safety guarantees and security guarantees to operate safely on the ground. And as you mentioned, Rosemary, we are continuing to see airstrikes targeting buildings and areas that should be safe, including, of course, U.N. buildings and schools, just as we saw yesterday in Gaza. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Our thanks to Nada Bashir bringing us that live report from London.

And still to come, a look at Donald Trump's debate strategy ahead of Thursday's showdown and how he's preparing, or not, after a quick break.

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone. The judge in Donald Trump's New York criminal trial has lifted parts of the gag order previously imposed on the former president. Trump is now permitted to speak about the witnesses in the trial, including former fixer Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels, but he can't discuss prosecutors, court staffers or their family members or say anything about jurors that would identify them.

Last month, the jury convicted Trump of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to those hush money payments. Sentencing is set for July 11th. The judge's order comes just before Trump is set to debate U.S. President Joe Biden right here on CNN.

Trump says he has been preparing for the upcoming debate his whole life, and after painting Joe Biden as mentally unfit in the past, Trump is now hedging against a stronger-than-expected showing by Mr Biden by saying Biden will be ready to go because he has a long history of successful debates.

More on Trump's previous debate style from CNN's Sunlen Serfaty.

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DONALD TRUMP, THEN-REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look at those hands, are they small hands?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a debate style unlike any other.

MEGYN KELLY, THEN-FOX NEWS HOST: You've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals. Your Twitter account -- TRUMP: Only Rosie O'Donnell.

SERFATY (voice-over): Donald Trump commanding the stage.

TRUMP: A lot of times-- let me talk, let me talk. Quiet.

SERFATY (voice-over): His off-the-cuff approach.

TRUMP: Oh, I know you're a tough guy, Jeb.

SERFATY (voice-over): A stark contrast to his opponent's seemingly more rehearsed and carefully crafted lines.

HILLARY CLINTON, THEN-DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country.

TRUMP: Because you'd be in jail.

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS REPORTER: Secretary Clinton.

SERFATY (voice-over): That freewheeling strategy--

TRUMP: I'd like to know, Anderson, why aren't you bringing up the emails? I'd like to know. Why aren't you getting up the emails?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We brought up the emails.

TRUMP: No, it hasn't. It hasn't. And it hasn't been finished at all.

COOPER: Tim Karpowitz has a question.

TRUMP: It's nice to one on three.

SERFATY (voice-over): -- has targeted the moderators.

TRUMP: Honestly, Megyn, if you don't like it, I'm sorry. I've very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be based on the way you have treated me.

SERFATY (voice-over): And his opponents alike.

CLINTON: My Social Security payroll contribution will go up, as will Donald's, assuming he can't figure out how to get out of it. But what we want to do is to replenish the Social Security trust fund.

TRUMP: Such a nasty one.

SERFATY (voice-over): With Trump oftentimes successfully deflecting policy questions by causing a commotion on stage.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: I have a policy question for you, sir.

MARCO RUBIO, THEN-REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's see if he answers it.

TRUMP: I will. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it, little Marco.

SERFATY (voice-over): By leveling personal biting insults.

TED CRUZ, THEN-REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You went to Manhattan and said, I'm lying to the American people. And the voters have a right to know.

TRUMP: No, you're the liar. You're the lying guy up here. You're the one. You're the one.

CRUZ: Release the tape.

TRUMP: You're the one. Now, let me just tell you. Let me just say, excuse me. I've given my answer, Lying Ted.

SERFATY (voice-over): Interrupting.

JOE BIDEN, THEN-DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The people left behind there were heroes. And I resent --

TRUMP: Are you talking about Hunter? Are you talking about Hunter?

BIDEN: I'm talking about my son, Beau Biden. You're talking about --

TRUMP: I don't know. I don't know, Beau. I know Hunter.

SERFATY (voice-over): Hammering away at his opponents.

TRUMP: Every time you see him, he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from it. He shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen.

SERFATY (voice-over): With an unrelenting cadence that oftentimes knocks even the most seasoned debater off their footing.

TRUMP: Why didn't you do it? Why didn't you do it?

CLINTON: Because I was a senator with a Republican president.

TRUMP: Oh, really?

CLINTON: I will be the president --

TRUMP: You could have done it. If you were an effective senator, you could have done it.

[03:35:02]

SERFATY (voice-over): This chaotic approach--

TRUMP: Bill Clinton was abusive to women.

SERFATY (voice-over): -- only amplified by his added theatrics.

TRUMP: Hillary Clinton attacked those same women. And attacked them viciously. Four of them here tonight. SERFATY: And one other strategy shift we've seen Trump make is for him to throw out this playbook entirely. At one of the debates in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, he showed up and was mostly disciplined, more subdued, and a total surprise when compared to the past. And that is certainly one reason that Biden's team is preparing for this eventuality that Trump could break the trend and show up more disciplined and more on message.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Mary Ziegler is a law professor at the University of California, Davis. She is also the author of "Dollars for Life: the Anti-Abortion Movement, and the Fall of the Republican Establishment." She joins me now from Sausalito in California. Appreciate you being with us.

MARY ZIEGLER, PROFESSOR OF LAW AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So abortion rights will be a key issue during Thursday night's CNN debate between former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden. And that's also the case for the upcoming November elections. Before we get to what each of them will likely say about abortion, where do the majority of voters stand on this controversial issue?

ZIEGLER: Well, polling has consistently suggested that most Americans support the idea of a right to abortion, are upset with the fact that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

And while American views on abortion get more complicated when you get into the nitty-gritty, such as, you know, how long, how late into pregnancy should abortion be available, whether some incremental restriction should be placed on abortion, in big picture terms, most Americans are opposed to the kind of criminalization we've seen in some large swaths of the United States since the fall of Roe v. Wade.

CHURCH: Yeah, and of course, the overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court changed everything for women, didn't it, in this country who had fought a very long, hard fight to get control over their own bodies.

While on the other side of the political equation, anti-abortion activists and Republicans rejoiced with Donald Trump spearheading the effort to overturn Roe v. Wade and taking the credit for it. He knows it's a delicate issue, doesn't he? So what will he likely say about it to win over voters Thursday night?

ZIEGLER: Well, I think Trump is going to try to say as little as he can about abortion. I think he's going to say, not answer questions sometimes, or promise to answer questions later and not answer them during the debate.

I think he's going to say vague things to the effect that while he's proud that Roe v. Wade is gone, the issue going forward should be left to the states. If he's asked specific questions about policies that his former administration officials and other conservatives say he's going to adopt, like enforcing this 19th century zombie law called the Comstock Act as a de facto national ban on abortion, I would expect him to dodge the question.

That's been what he's doing to date because I think answering the question could either get him in trouble with his base if he moves to the center to appeal to most American voters, or with most American voters if he tries to rev up his base. So I think as much as possible, he's going to try not to answer the question at all.

CHURCH: All right, so he'll stay quiet, presumably reasonably quiet on that issue. What all does President Biden need to say about abortion and reproductive rights more broadly to motivate voters to get out and cast their ballot come November?

ZIEGLER: Well, I think what Joe Biden has been doing so far has been essentially to say, if you're unhappy with the status quo on abortion, it's Donald Trump's fault. Donald Trump placed these people on the Supreme Court who overturned Roe v. Wade. The overturn of Roe v. Wade ushered in these bans that have been having serious negative effects not only on people seeking abortion, but on people with wanted pregnancies who have been unable to care for miscarriage and stillbirth, on even people seeking IVF who found new challenges because of this push for fetal personhood.

So I think you're likely to see Biden hammer that message that this is Donald Trump's fault. I think one of the challenges for Biden, and something that he hasn't done as much of and really should do more of, is to emphasize with voters what would change with Donald Trump in office. So in other words, it's not just that bad things that already happened are Donald Trump's responsibility. It's that new things could get worse with Donald Trump in the White House again.

So I think picking up on these points that Trump's allies and proxies have been making about what a Trump White House would mean for reproductive rights would be helpful for the Biden campaign to say, look, this isn't just about punishing Donald Trump for the past. This is about things that could change in your life going forward.

CHURCH: And of course, we know that the economy is the big issue, the main issue. But how big a role would you expect abortion rights to play in the November elections? What do your numbers tell you when you compare it to other issues?

[03:40:10]

ZIEGLER: Well, I think it depends on which part of the electorate you're talking about. The abortion issue seems to matter more obviously for Democrats than it has historically for women than it does for men. So I think, again, it's going to depend on what happens come November. Polls at the moment seem to suggest that a lot of voters are more focused on the economy and on inflation than they are on abortion. But whether that lasts or not, I think, will depend in part on what

happens in the world that these two campaigns don't control. We're expecting another decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in a matter of days on abortion.

We know that there are still cases unfolding in lower courts that could have serious effects across the country. So there may be kind of unplanned surprises that shape the campaign and the influence of abortion that neither Biden nor Trump can control.

CHURCH: Mary Ziegler, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis on this issue. I appreciate it.

ZIEGLER: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: The U.S. Surgeon General is calling for a quote, "collective commitment" to put an end to gun violence in America, which he says is an urgent public health crisis. Those comments coming in an advisory on Tuesday, marking the first time a publication from the Surgeon General's office has focused on firearm violence and its consequences.

The advisory made clear just how devastating gun violence has been in the United States. In 2022 alone, provisional data shows more than 48,000 people in the U.S. died from firearm-related injuries. The number includes homicides, suicides and unintentional deaths. Studies also show the profound impact on children and teens in the U.S. who are dying from guns more than anything else.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Gun violence is a public health crisis in America, and I've seen this for years as a doctor who's cared for patients who have struggled with the mental and physical impacts of gun violence. People have seen this in their communities. We've seen it in mass shootings as well.

But in recent years, over the last decade or two, this problem has been worsening, and we have now reached the point where gun violence is the leading cause of death among kids and teens, the leading cause of death. That is something that we should never take as the new normal.

We've experienced so many mass shootings, so many incidents of gun violence in our neighborhoods and communities that it has really pervaded the psyche of our country. It has induced fear in people about regular day-to-day activities, like going to the grocery store, going to school, going to work. The strategies that I lay out for Congress to consider are ones that I think can help us ultimately address the deaths and the mental health toll of gun violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Surgeon General's advisory calls for more gun laws and says firearms should be treated like other regulated consumer products. It also says more money needs to be used for firearms research to understand how to reduce and prevent the violence. When we return, new developments. In the Korean balloon battle, a

South Korean activist group has come up with a new high-tech way to spread its message. Back with that in just a moment.

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[03:45:00]

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CHURCH: The balloon feud over the Korean Peninsula is back. South Korea's military says it detected a new round of about 350 waste balloons sent by North Korea. Pyongyang insists it's retaliation for South Korean activists sending their own balloons into the North, carrying leaflets critical of Kim Jong-un's regime.

Meanwhile, a group of activists in South Korea is developing a smart balloon capable of automated drops.

Let's go to CNN's Mike Valerio. He's live in Seoul and he joins us now. So Mike, the North Korean defector you met actually let you borrow part of his smart balloon. What was that like?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, you know, it's pretty extraordinary to be holding this piece of hardware. This is not a rainbow technicolor camping lantern. This would actually be the payload of a smart balloon.

So what we have here, this is a speaker, Rosemary. We got the yellow speaker right here. It is attached to this rainbow parachute. So it detaches from the balloon, falls to the ground, hits the ground with this cushion, and it begins to play an anti-Kim Jong-un anthem, letting whoever finds this in North Korea know, hey, there is freedom outside of North Korea.

We're trying to send this message to you that you got to rise up. That's essentially the message that comes from here. But, Rosemary, what is different? What is the news peg here is that for years, people in South Korea and, you know, we actually had a chance to go to the workshop of this activist who is making these new smart balloons.

And they're different in this way. For years, activists in South Korea have been sending balloons north filled with flash drives, K-pop albums, scenes of freedom in the South. But what you see happening right here on the right-hand side of your screen, these are smart balloons being manufactured to control their altitude, to be tracked with GPS, to send out fires like these every couple hundred meters or every couple dozen kilometers or so.

Because a lot of these low-tech balloons, they pop, they can crash. It's unclear where their stuff is dispersed. This is much more controlled. So listen to the co-founder of this group in his own words. Listen to what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MR. CHOI, CO-FOUNDER, COMMITTEE FOR REFORMING AND OPENING NORTH KOREA (through translator): Our smart balloons are preset to start distributing the leaflets at a specific point after calculating wind speed and direction. This way, the leaflets will be distributed within the planned area. We can cover 300 to 400 kilometers this way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: So, Rosemary, we bring you this story to let everybody know that this is not going anywhere, this storyline, this tit-for-tat between North Korea and South Korea.

The man we talked to, Mr. Choi, he says he hears the criticism that the tit-for-tat has to stop. But he thinks that this is certainly striking a nerve. And he's not going to stop sending these anytime soon, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. I appreciate seeing what it looks like. Mike Valerio, joining us live from Seoul. And we'll be right back.

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[03:50:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, going for Olympic gold means burning a lot of calories and the organizers of the upcoming Paris Games think they've crafted the perfect menu with more than 500 dishes to meet the dietary needs of the world's greatest athletes.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne was there and as 200 volunteers tested out the facilities in the athletes' village.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PRODUCER: This former power plant inside the Olympic village is now an eco-conscious restaurant for the athletes.

This is just one of the many kitchens that will be fueling future gold medalists. This food hall will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And get this, they'll be serving 45,000 meals a day.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Cooking on this scale presents several challenges.

NATHALIE BELLON-SZABO, CEO, SODEXO LIVE: We have to feed 15,000 athletes for 200 nationalities. And we have to feed a judoka, or we have to feed also a gymnast, which is not the same, you know, they don't eat the same food.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Nutrition is key and chefs have come up with over 500 different dishes with a third of what's on offer being vegetable-based.

In this kitchen, there's plant-based meat, but also la moussaka and some French culinary classics, but no wine to wash it down with.

VANDOORNE: And are there fries?

VANDOORNE (voice-over): That's right, there's no deep fryer allowed inside the kitchen because of safety reasons.

[03:55:01]

VANDOORNE: Helene, when you think of athletes and you think of healthy eating, you don't necessarily think about cheesecake, tiramisu, chocolate muffins. Should the athletes be eating this?

HELENE DEFRANCE, NUTRITIONIST AND OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST: Yeah, if they're here, it's for a reason, because sometimes you have, like, a hard day. You spend a lot of energy and you want to add this to your meal, so you can cover your energy needs.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): There will be several cuisines on offer, Asian, Afro-Caribbean, French, Middle Eastern and Halal cuisine. Kosher food will also be available on demand.

VANDOORNE: So is the food any good? Let's go and ask Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet what he thinks about it. What do you think, is it any good?

TONY ESTANGUET, PARIS 2024 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Yes, it's delicious.

VANDOORNE: Paris organizers have promised the Queen of Games yet, that's why you won't find any plastic in here. You've got your cutlery, and you've got your porcelain bowls made in France.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): They've done away with plastic bottles in favor of reusable cups and these soda fountains.

VANDOORNE: Now, when the athletes are done eating, they'll come here. Now, there's a special bin for your compost, right there. There's the recycling. And of course, this is going to head straight into the dishwasher.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): 30,000 plates, 20,000 bowls and 35 people at a time just to load these massive dishwashers. When it comes to cutting waste, Paris 2024 is going for gold.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Bon appetit and thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster.

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