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Erin Burnett Outfront

The Putin & Trump Show; Trump's Cash Crunch; Princess Kate Spotted?. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired March 18, 2024 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:39]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

The Putin and Trump show. Vladimir Putin winning a sham election and echoing Trump in his victory lap. One of Putin's former officials who's now turned on him is OUITFRONT with details on what Putin is really after when it comes to Donald Trump.

And Trump has one week to come up with nearly half $1 billion. And tonight, his lawyers say he does not have the money. We'll do the math on what properties he might have to sell and how fast.

Plus, Princess Kate's reported visit to a farm now raising more questions than answers.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, Trump wins in Russia. Putin today celebrating his own when of an unprecedented fifth term. By the end of this term, Putin will have ruled Russia longer than even Joseph Stalin. Just think about that, longer than Stalin.

And as Putin claimed his victory today, he had a message for the United States about Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Can you consider it democratic to use the administrative resources in order to attack one of the presidential candidates in the U.S., using at the same time the judicial system?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Putin really word for word echoing Trump's words, returning the favor of the myriad of complements that Trump has said about Putin over the years, like these.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I'd say that's pretty smart.

Here's a guy who's very savvy. I know him very well, very, very well.

Putin respected me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, Putin does not respect the United States or the very basic freedoms that it stands for that was made clear tonight by Russian state media, which claims that Putin's entire election win is actually a victory over the West.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLGA SKABEEVA, RUSSIAN STATE TV HOST (through translator): The people showed that the attempts of Kyiv in the West to frighten us with terrorist attacks will not work. And the results of the election will allow Russia to accomplish all its set goals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Now, Putin won with 87.28 percent of the vote. Of course, there was no democracy or freedom of voting. I mean, just, just -- here's an example. Ukrainians and regions occupied by Russia, they actually were forced to vote for Putin. There were armed men in the streets as people vote.

Like in this picture which was posted by a Ukrainian official. These are images that of course are jarring to Americans, but not to the leaders of the countries that Trump has publicly praised.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Putin, very smart. President Xi is a brilliant man. How smart is Kim Jong Un?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Maybe it's not what he says. It's that he's choosing to say those things in public and in such an adulatory fashion.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un, who was mentioned there was last elected with 100 percent of his country's vote. They didn't even allow the 87.28 percent business. And he just received a luxury limousine from Putin. He said, according to his state controlled media, that the Russian vote is a quote, sign of the Russian people's firms support for Putin.

And Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was unanimously elected to his third term as president again, no. 87.28 percent there. He sent his congratulations as well. According to she's state-controlled media. He told Putin the vote, fully reflects the support of the Russian people. Support of the people, again, voting under the watch of men with guns.

Trump, of course, has yet to condemn this. He has been silent today on Putin. So what is the reality of the Putin Trump relationship? Now crucial and front and center in the U.S. election.

Matthew Chance is OUTFRONT in Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: As he basks in the glory of a fifth term, President Putin is lashing out at criticism that he's carefully choreographed reelection was neither free nor fair. Instead, taking a swing at the U.S. political system, suggesting court cases involving Donald Trump were politically motivated.

[19:05:02]

PUTIN (through translator): Can it be considered democratic to use administrative resources to attack one of the candidates for president of the United States, the use of the judicial system? This has become simply ridiculous and a disgrace in front of the whole world.

CHANCE: Officially, the Kremlin says it has no preference who's the next U.S. president.

And amid a costly war in Ukraine, Donald Trump's claims he would end the fighting quickly if elected may play into the Kremlin's hands, pressuring Ukraine and to a piece still favoring Moscow.

The idea the U.S. and the West should back off military support for Ukraine to prevent escalation is also a theme Putin is pushing, after his recent election win.

PUTIN (through translator): A conflict between Russia and NATO will be just one step away from a full-scale World War III.

TRUMP: I will prevent, and very easily, World War Three, very easily.

(APPLAUSE)

CHANCE: That overlapping rhetoric is now fueling concerns among Western officials, a repeat of the damaging Trump-Putin relationship of Trump's first term, which then President Trump backed Putin over his own intelligence services or the issue of Russian election interference.

More recently, instead of criticizing Putin for the recent death in an arctic penal colony of Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, Trump compared it to his own legal battles.

The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our country, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

And this was Putin after his election when on Sunday night, mentioning Navalny by name for the first time.

PUTIN (through translator): As for Mr. Navalny, yes, he passed away. It is always a sad event and there were other cases when people in prisons passed away. Didn't this happen in the United States? CHANCE: In a country shocked by the death and after an election

condemned by independent monitors as unfair, it's one comparison with the United States the Kremlin is happy to make.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Amazing seeing that rally, Matthew. So how focused is Putin on the U.S. election right now?

CHANCE: Well, Erin, he says not very focused, that he's made the point repeatedly that Russia doesn't care who becomes the next American president. But what he said, he will do, he's focused on rebuilding the Russian military and in pressing ahead with the special military operation, what he calls his war in Ukraine.

So whoever the next U.S. president is, is likely to have a big impact on those Russian ambitions -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Matthew Chance from Moscow, thank you.

And OUTFRONT now, Vladimir Milov, the former Russian deputy energy minister under Putin, and an advisor to Alexei Navalny.

Vladimir, I so much appreciate your time when, you know, we hear what Vladimir Putin had to say. What is his opinion of Donald Trump?

VLADIMIR MILOV, ADVISED ALEXEI NAVALNY: Well, thank you very much for having me.

Putin likes Trump. They have a lot of common in style, and I actually have to convey a message to the American people because I remember very well how Russian democracy was dismantled, when I wasn't governments more than 20 years ago. They really have a lot in common in terms of authoritarian style and disregard for institutions, rules, checks and balances.

It's only the messages like it's me and I'm the only fixer of problems. You've got to give it all to me, all the power, the authority, and dismantle everything else. That was really happening in Russia 20 years ago. So Americans should be aware.

I think he senses a lot of common things in terms of personality with Trump, he really likes him. He expressed that many times.

BURNETT: And what does that mean for the role that Putin will play or try to play in this U.S. election from here on?

Well, I think Russia's will be very cautious about directly interfering in the election like they did in 2016, because they got caught and they don't like it. They was a pretty significant aftermath.

[19:10:01]

But generally, I think it will be more like a psychological PR message to the undecided American voters pretty similar to what Putin conveyed through his interview with Tucker Carlson. He was actually saying, listen, it's complicated historical stuff that we have with Ukraine. It's no business of yours.

I mean, just let it go. But also, if you elect Donald Trump will have so much better relations and this Russia problem will disappear and will go on the background. So make your choice.

I think there will be -- Russia will focus and Putin will focus on messaging to undecided American voters with one simple line, if Trump is elected, all the Russia challenges would disappear. This is obviously false, but this is what Putin wants Americans to hear.

BURNETT: Putin did something for the first time during his victory speech, Vladimir, he said the name of Alexei Navalny, who died suddenly in a Russian penal colony last month. He said his name and you believe this was an admission of his murder. How come?

MILOV: Well, absolutely, and he specifically did so because if you look at the more general context of his victory speech, he was obviously telling the Russians that folks, it's over. Resistance is hopeless. I not only won, but I will kill you. I will trample you under food.

And this is a stark contrast because exactly this is the why he first- time mentioned the name of Alexei Navalny in public because he was attaching the message like this is over. I killed him and I will go after anyone who resist. Resistance is useless, which is the opposition obviously encourages Russia's not to listen to that crap because this is specifically targeted psychological intimidation.

But he was that was his aim. He was trying to low the morale of the people who resist Putinism and to say to them, listen, I killed Navalny, I will kill you fight is hopeless. And this is over.

BURNETT: Putin also claimed in the speech Volodymyr that he'd agreed to a prisoner swap that would have freed Navalny for some Western prisoners. Of course, Navalny died and that didn't happen. The White House houses casting doubt that such a deal was under discussion. What do you think happened?

MILOV: I personally have very strong doubts. As a matter of fact, I do not believe that Putin ever agreed and would have agreed to exchanging Navalny I think it was all some sort of a tricky game.

And I think -- and I think Putin speech yesterday and his actions and the old circumstances of the murder of Navalny. This essentially proves that Putin was trying to trick everybody and he never intended to Navalny go, which means all please story. Once again, proves that you cannot believe a single word Putin says.

He breaks his promises at will and this whole situation is a pretty grim proof of that.

BURNETT: Volodymyr, thank you so much. Really appreciate your taking the time.

MILOV: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure

BURNETT: And I want to go now to the former CIA chief of Russia operations, Steve Hall.

So, Steve, you hear Vladimir there and I know over the years, of course, you may have known him. Obviously, he was in the Russian government.

Putting now claims that he won 87 -- what I say at 87.28 or 87.38 percent of the vote. What does that mean to you, Steve?

STEVE HALL, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: The thing that continues to fascinate me, Erin, is this -- is how quickly we sort of, even though we know better, how quickly we allow ourselves to slip into this sort of democratic lingo, democracy lingo that Putin wants us to use.

I mean, the whole idea that we're talking about percentages on really something that is nothing more than a Potemkin performance on the Kremlin's part is exactly kind of what Putin is hoping for. He hopes it in the West, people say, well, you know, they did have an election and maybe we have some problems with our elections, too. So, you know, it begins to give credence to some sort of believability, which of course, it isn't.

So I agree 100 percent with Mr. Milov that these elections were not even that and really play insignificant role for Putin or Russia at this point.

BURNETT: Remember that the anecdote about Basra Al-Assad's father when he got 97 percent and his response was, give me the names of the three.

All right. So is there any challenge to Putin, Steve, now or is he truly an essential usually a king in the concept of without worry of a coup or being taken out

HALL: I think he's in a really good position right now, Erin. I mean, look, what look, what's happened, okay? So the early days of the war, I was assessing that it was, there was a likelihood that the his internal circle might turn against him because things were going so badly in Ukraine those first couple of months and the alienation of Russia worldwide where he survived that. The inside advisers didn't -- didn't attempt to coup, or he survived it.

[19:15:10]

Then you had the whole Prigozhin thing, which was a mutiny at the least --

BURNETT: He was marching on Moscow. Yes.

HALL: He got halfway there, right? And he survived that and now, Prigozhin was dead.

Navalny, the biggest political threat, also dead. I agree absolutely with your guest that this was absolutely a message to the Russian people and that's why he used Navalny's name after he had killed him is to say, look, you guys want to end up like Prigozhin, like Navalny, like any of the other guys, Litvinenko, you know, the list goes on and on, poisoned, killed, then be an oppositionists and that's what will get you there.

He has very little to fear internally. Externally, there are some concerns, but internally, he's in a pretty good place.

BURNETTT: Reminding people of the trail of dead body. And it would be challenger.

All right. Thank you so much, Steve.

And next, the half a billion dollars tonight, Trump's lawyer saying he does not have the cash to pay in his Trump work fraud case. So are his properties about to get cease. He's literally just a few days here. Major developments occurring.

And a failed state. Machete-wielding militias in Haiti, battling gangs for control of the most vulnerable country in the Western hemisphere tonight. And our David Culver is there. He is on the ground and he will be live in Port-au-Prince.

Plus, Stormy Daniels speaking out even as Trump tries to get the hush money case thrown out and keep her from testifying. A judge, tonight, saying Trump is denied.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:20:55]

BURNETT: Tonight, Donald Trump could be on the verge of being forced to sell his most prized properties or have them seized by the state of New York within days. Trump's lawyers are admitting tonight, but he does not have the $464 million bond which is due by next Monday. He is appealing the judgment of the Trump Org fraud case.

And they also say that about 30 different insurance companies, 30, said they would not help Trump back the bond unless he had the cash.

So, now, Trump's pleading with the court to get out of posting the bond until his appeal is over, claiming that being forced to sell his properties now would cause irreversible harm.

OUTFRONT now, Erik Larson, legal report from "Bloomberg News", who has covered Trump and his properties for years, Ryan Goodman, OUTFRONT legal expert, and Stephanie Grisham, who was the White House press secretary for then-President Trump.

So, Ryan, okay, they're saying he doesn't have the money. 30 insurance companies denied -- denied this. So, now, he's trying to go to the court and get some kind of a delay while the appeal plays itself out.

Is there any precedent for that? Is there any chance that that Hail Mary of delaying the whole thing via the court works?

RYAN GOODMAN, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL AT THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: So, I think if it did work, it would be unprecedented. So the court would have to abide by an exceptional circumstance that is not according to the way the system is supposed to work.

BURNETT: The way the system works, the way you'd be treated like everybody else would be -- no, sorry, pay by Monday.

GOODMAN: That's right. And if he's claiming irreparable harm from having to put up the bond, then a lot of people suffer irreparable harm in that situation. So that's why you'd be asking for something extraordinary. And that's the only way it gets out of it. So if we were to just try to predict what happens, he's not getting out of it.

BURNETT: All right. So, Erik, then the New York attorney general, Letitia James, recently had a warning for Trump if he was in a situation like this and did not pay up. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL: We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers. And yes, I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day. If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, and then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court and we will ask the judge to seize his assets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Okay. Here we are -- ask a judge to seize his assets. I look at 40 Wall Street every day. The day that this all comes due is Monday, 40 Wall Street is one of his most valuable properties in New York at $270 million estimated. And you can go down all of the others that he owns part of. And you can see all the prices there, $160 million, $175 million, $500 million, in part in some of these.

So what happens now? I mean, do you just suddenly say okay, couldn't get the bond, couldn't get the backing, court doesn't go my way. So, suddenly, I'm selling a $500 million building in five days?

ERIK LARSON, BLOOMBERG NEWS LEGAL REPORTER: Right. Well I mean, this is this is what the conundrum that he is. And if he does not post this by Monday, he can still appeal. Of course, it's just that this verdict will be enforced immediately on Monday as you just show their with Tish James, saying she's prepared to go to court and do this.

BURNETT: Literally seize a building.

LARSON: Exactly, exactly, start a new case to go after it and that she could do that in multiple well states to. It doesn't just have to be in New York where he has properties, but the writing is on the wall that if he hasn't started preparing to sell some assets by now, that it could be pretty difficult to get this process done by Monday and clearly, Letitia James is ready to go to go to court. She's been preparing for this. BURNETT: All right. So, Ryan, quickly, it gets Stephanie in here, what

happens then if he can't, he loses in court. It can't sell a building by next Monday, which he can't.

Then what?

GOODMAN: Then, Letitia James seizes his property, puts liens on all of his assets, bank accounts. And as Erik said, that doesn't -- it's not restricted to New York. So she probably at this point understands where he has different assets, in Florida, at Mar-a-Lago and elsewhere.

BURNETT: And what does that mean, he can't go in them or people can't go. What does that mean?

GOODMAN: Does mean that he would not be able to be fought out in some part in the courts. But for that period of time, its really becomes unusable. And how does he get any additional business going when these are under foreclose are being seized by the courts.

BURNETT: So, Stephanie, what does this actually mean to him? I mean, in the context of he's now publicly admitting that 30 insurance companies refused backing this bond.

[19:25:03]

STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yeah. The fact that this is now being covered by the media, this is going to be very, very hard on his ego and not just Donald Trump, but the entire family. This is going to -- this is going to hurt them. Its going to hurt their egos and I'm sure soon, it'll be tonight, maybe tomorrow, we're going to hear about the left-wing Democrats going after him, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

You know, listening to you guys talk about his properties, though, I think if it were to happen, 40 Wall Street is probably the one that he would -- I mean, he would hate it. But I think if she tried to seize Mar-a-Lago or Bedminster or Trump Tower even -- I mean, those are his babies. You've got the Sterling golf course in Virginia.

Any of the properties with golf courses, I think would absolutely devastate him. So it'll be interesting to see what she goes for.

BURNETT: And how much does she have latitude there, Ryan?

GOODMAN: She has a lot of latitude. She might just go after those that she thinks are going to be able to be enforced the quickest. And that's up to her.

BURNETT: And that's -- it would appear 40 Wall Street is going to be on that list from what she said. But it also depends with Stephanie said, a golf course or something like that.

Irreversible harm when you go through the properties he thinks suddenly having to be able to be being forced in a position to sell building worth hundreds of millions of dollars in a few days, even have such a headline around you.

LARSON: Yeah.

BURNETT: It is irreversible harm in some sense, Ryan points out that would be the case for many people having to pay a bond, right. But nobody cares. They sought to do it.

But is he right when he says irreversible harm?

LARSON: You know, he may be right because as he said in his filing today, it would be a forest fire sale. It's not a great market for selling some of the types of properties that he has like office buildings, like 40 Wall Street.

BURNETT: Yeah. So it is possible that he would take a loss -- the idea being that if you won the appeal and overturn the verdict, that even if that were to happen, he would lose whose money from the sale that he would never be able to get back from the state. So, it's just a matter of whether this appeals court has mercy on him and says that's fine.

Let's -- let you post a smaller bond or no bond at all or treat you like everyone else and make you post the full amount. But it is, as you said, an unprecedented situation is a very large bond. Most surety companies don't do bonds this large.

BURNETT: Right.

LARSON: So the courts could look at it that way as well.

BURNETT: Stephanie, I want to ask you about one other thing. Since were talking Trump and obviously this, the impact, this will have in his campaign. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., we're learning more about his search for a running mate source familiar with conversations telling me that the best-selling author and life coach Tony Robbins was among the first people Kennedy approached late last year about being is running mate. Robbins made it clear he did not believe this was the right time and that in fact, he has political differences that became clear during conversations with Kennedy.

But we have confirmed that not only it was Robbins on a short list, but Nicole Shanahan, ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin is on a shortlist. Aaron Rodgers, Mike Rowe, Jesse Ventura, former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. I mean, these are all names and some of them very celebrity like people.

Does Trump pay attention to that? Do you think looking at RFK Jr. and saying, okay, now, he's going for that celebrity star power that Trump thinks he owns?

GRISHAM: Absolutely. He's paying attention to anyone who is possibly going to challenge him in any regard, you know?

But I've got to say and maybe this is an unpopular opinion, I think that matter what that takes votes away from Biden, I think that Trumps base and the Republican Party are so behind him at this point that I honestly think anybody that Robert Kennedy Jr. would choose would take votes away from Biden, who just got -- we've got people that are going to be in the center and I just don't think they're going to go for Trump, I don't.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you all very much. I appreciate it.

And next, Haiti on the verge of collapse, violent gangs right now, choking off food and water, trapping more than 11 million people were live in Port-au-Prince on the ground. Our David Culver is there. And Donald Trump wants to get his hush money criminal case thrown out because of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STORMY DANIELS, ADULT FILM STAR: It was really about two things, trying to keep the story from coming out, so that it would not hurt my husband and my daughter and I wouldn't lose my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, the director of the new Stormy Daniels documentary will share more of those clips with us, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:33:50]

BURNETT: Tonight, Haiti on the verge of collapse, another shooting rampage today, killing at least ten people. Video into CNN showing the aftermath of bodies covered in white sheets lying in the streets. Country, of course, just hundreds of miles from the coast of Florida and is now in utter turmoil, machete wielding malicious, battling gangs for control of the capital.

The government gone food, water, fuel, cut off. More than 11 million people trapped in this hell, the border is closed. Airports closed. One flight carrying dozens of Americans was allowed to leave about 1,000 are still there.

Our David Culver is OUTFRONT. He is there in Port-au-Prince where the situation is so incredibly volatile and terrifying.

David, please just share whatever you can about what you're seeing.

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Erin.

Well, today was a perfect example of just how lawless this situation is here in Haiti's capital city. They were confrontations going on from the early morning hours between police and gangs and even as you and I are talking now, you may hear some of the pops have gunfire that we have been hearing over the past few minutes, more confrontations between the police and those gangs.

But not just the police, Erin, the community members play a huge role in this.

[19:35:03]

Folks who live here essentially have to fend for themselves. And we saw that this morning, there's some of the images that you were talking about with the aftermath of the confrontation that happened starting around 5:00 in the morning, a surprise attack on to affluent neighborhoods and the folks their experience, some of these gang members going door to door, breaking in, opening fire within one house according to one source, and ending up with several people dead.

Now, it's not clear if those individuals were suspected gang members, if they are community folks. Nonetheless, it just shows how dramatic the situations are and its terrifying for these people, Erin, because they're in their homes and you would think perhaps you'd call for emergency officials to come in.

Police don't have those resources. We went to one of the police stations. They're overworked. They're strained. They have little to no ammo.

They say the gangs have more money and resources than they do. And they even showed us there squad cars that are running out of gas. Some of them just sit empty.

So imagine having to respond to a higher elevation three two miles up. It's not going to happen. So the community members themselves have to build these barricades. They have to set up a situation that they feel is a fortified area that then they can I actually tried to fend off until help comes in.

BURNETT: I mean, it's just unbelievable. People that are then forced to leave their homes if they deem that safer than hiding, there may be getting killed, hiding. They then have nowhere to leave the country. You're talking about just completely shut down. I mean, now incredibly difficult. It was for you to even get there.

So where are these people ending up?

CULVER: This is -- this is a huge issue because you have a lot of people who are moving up elevation, if you will, because in some of the lower parts, that's where the gangs have gone through when you have multiple gangs who are going through and forcing people out of their homes.

Oftentimes, they will then just torch their homes and loot and take whatever they need and then those people have to go from place to place because they will end up in one camp. That'll be torched. They then have to go to another. We went to one location which is a school and you have to imagine this indoor, outdoor school. We have some of the images.

And the folks there have been cramming into classrooms. There's only about a dozen and they have an estimated 1,500 plus people who will have made that their makeshift home. And we spoke to one woman who he met in one of the classrooms turned home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CULVER: Where is all your stuff over here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-huh.

CULVER: And this is what you've had to take with you from place to place?

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, they have already burned their house. This is stuff that she -- that people handed out to her.

CULVER: How difficult has it been to get basics like water and food?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said, you know, they had been supported for two weeks, but it's been two weeks that they haven't received anything.

CULVER: How much longer can this go on?

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't know. Only God knows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CULVER: So, we were in touch today, Erin, with one director of a local non-profit. He's going to try to get food and water to that location. And who then reached out to say, were also going to empty the septic tanks because they're overflowing. The issue is he found out that the septic tank companies have a backlog. Their trucks are sitting full. They can't get to the dumping site because gangs have blocked off those roadways.

What does that mean? It puts those folks at greater risk for cholera, which is surging right now. So, the gangs are essentially starving people. They're also attacking and killing them. And now you can see they're doing things like essentially creating an environment for illnesses to fester and ultimately, they're losing their lives to diseases.

BURNETT: Outbreak. David Culver, thank you very much.

Fortitude and courage it took for David to be there and to share all this with the world. We thank you.

And next, we have more breaking news just coming in. A judge has just rejected Trumps request to keep Stormy Daniels from testifying against him in the hush money trial. This is she is now revealing her conversations with Trump amid their alleged affair, and that is all just coming out in a new documentary out today. The director is my guest to share these never before seen clips with you.

And Princess Kate's reported appearance at a farm, leading to more questions. So what's really going on in the royal family?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:43:38]

BURNETT: Breaking news, a big loss for Trump and the New York hush money criminal case. The judge ruling against Trump's efforts to block testimony from Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels in what is expected to be his first criminal case to go to trial.

Now that trial was scheduled to start a week from today, the judge has delayed it until at least April 15th at this time though.

But this decision comes on the same day as the release of a new documentary about Stormy Daniels. In the film, Stormy says she accepted the $130,000 payment in 2016 to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump because she was scared for her life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STORMY DANIELS, ADULT FILM STAR: My friend was like, you might actually have a problem. I don't want to scare you. But based on the things you've told me, now you're the whole Republican Party's problem. And they like to make their problems go away.

It was really about two things -- trying to keep the story from coming out so that it would not hurt my husband and my daughter. And I wouldn't lose my life, and that there'll be a paper for trail and money trial linking me to Donald Trump, so that he could not have me killed.

All I had to do is sign this piece of paper and collect $130,000.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Of course, Sarah, Trump has denied having an affair with Stormy Daniels and claims he didn't know about the $130,000 payment made by Michael Cohen.

[19:45:08]

And Sarah Gibson is OUTFRONT now, the director of "Stormy". This is her first television interview since the film's release.

And, Sarah, I just think everybody should be clear. You've been working on this for a long time. Your documentary tonight officially out for everyone to watch on Peacock. And it happens to come as we have this breaking news, when a judge in New York says Stormy Daniels is able to testify in the criminal trial for Trump. And as I said, you've worked with her for five years on this documentary.

Do you think she is eager to take the stand? Is she ready to take the stand in this case against Trump?

SARAH GIBSON, DIRECTOR: I would say absolutely. She has a real fighting spirit and she's looking forward to being able to tell her story on the court and in front of the world, what happened during 2016. BURNETT: So its clear from watching these parts of your documentary,

Sarah, that the fear and paranoia that is followed Stormy Daniels since her story first came out in 2018, you know, that that's just so present. You know, in the film, you see you confront someone following her, someone's following her and her daughter who is terrified in their car.

And then you also show us Stormy's horse shot by somebody with rubber bullets, abusing an animal after the address was leaked online. I mean, these are unbelievable things.

And I want to play another clip from the film where she describes how all of this intensified after Trump's indictment, and I do want to warn our viewers in this clip, Sarah, some of what Stormy says is graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELS: Back in 2018, that was stuff like liar, slut, gold digger. This time around, it is very different. It is direct threats.

It is, I'm going to come to your house and slit your throat. Your daughter should be euthanized. They're not even using bot accounts. They're using the real accounts.

I'm desensitized to some of it, but they've also become more violent with me. I'm more prepared with my legal knowledge, but I'm also tired like my soul is so tired. So I mean and I don't know, if I'm so much a warrior now as far as I'm out of (EXPLETIVE DELETED), man, I'm out of (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: How much of the threats against her increased. And also in there we saw her, Sarah, in a way I've never seen her before.

I've -- you know, you see her as a human being.

GIBSON: Yeah. And that gets missed a lot. She has been reduced to just a headline for so long. Porn star Stormy Daniels, a one-dimensional person. No one thinks that she might have a family, that she might have a daughter, that she has a career that she is needing to salvage and make a living for families.

So I would say that the death threats have increased tenfold since the indictment and even more so since 2018 when the news first broke, and I would say that a lot of the trolls online feel very empowered to say whatever they want to her and to threaten her and whatever way they choose.

BURNETT: Tenfold. That is something just gives me pause. I mean, she gives her most extensive description to you in this film of her meeting with Trump in 2006. That meeting is the meeting that would ultimately turn her entire world upside down. And she tells you, Sarah that you went to a hotel to have dinner with them and then he calls her up to his room and she tells you they spoke about her career as a director and he dangled out potentially having her on "Celebrity Apprentice".

And then this is what she says happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELS: He told me I reminded him of his daughter. I felt like he was being sympathetic to me. Ivanka is beautiful and she's blonde and I'm sure that she's had people assume that she's an idiot. But I felt like as the father figure who has watched his daughter be treated a certain way, could identify with me.

I thought we had this mutual respect, which is why it was so crazy when having no red flags whatsoever in a conversation, I came out of a bathroom to find myself cornered. I don't remember how I got on the beds. It was awful but I didn't say no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: She's brutally honest there. And obviously, the former president has brutally attacked her, insulted her appearance, many other insulting things.

[19:50:01]

What motivates her to keep speaking out?

GIBSON: I think Stormy is a person who fought her way out of poverty in the South growing up and worked so hard to find a life for herself a family. And she will do anything for her family and to make sure that all the work, all the hard work that she did over all those years, it was not for nothing.

And she is a person who will not hesitate to speak up and say, say the truth, even when it's really uncomfortable and really detrimental to her. And she's a very exceptionally unique person in that she really thinks about the greater good and really just wants to make sure that the truth gets out there in this trial.

BURNETT: All right. Sarah, I'm really looking forward to seeing this and thank you so much. Really appreciate your taking the time and coming on.

GIBSON: Thank you so much for having me.

BURNETT: All right. Appreciate it.

And next, a very rare at this time, really rare sighting of Princess Kate. It comes as new questions swirled about why she is not wearing her wedding ring.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Tonight, Kensington palace finally acknowledging new images of what appears to be Kate Middleton out shopping with Prince William. The images taken on Saturday were obtained by "The Sun". This is AFP, one of the world's largest news agencies is publicly saying that Kensington Palace is no longer a, quote/unquote, trusted source.

Isa Soares is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The princess of Wales was spotted near our home on Saturday, according to "The Sun's" Matt Wilkinson.

Yet, those details fueled more speculation and conspiracy theories. Another weekend, another series of fake online rumors, this time drawing a firm response from Buckingham Palace.

[19:55:05]

A royal source telling CNN that King Charles is continuing with official and private business and the British embassy in Kyiv forced to go as far as saying that online rumors about the king's death are fake.

It's all adding to an ongoing sense of crises and uncertainty facing the royals. It's been just over a week since this image of Catherine, princess of Wales, and her children was released. The family photo, which was supposed to celebrate Mother's Day in the U.K., quickly became the center of a controversy over trust and image manipulation, with Catherine issuing a personal apology saying she edited the picture herself.

Speculation also swirling about why she wasn't wearing a wedding ring. Buckingham Palace was already facing at the very least, a health crisis, with King Charles stepping back from many of his royal duties as he fights cancer, and the princess of Wales, taking an extended leave after abdominal surgery. It's meant the royal families perhaps stretch more than there's ever been, with just 11 working royals, and only Queen Camilla and Prince William as senior members representing the king.

Combine that with questions over why the princess of Wales hasn't been seen in public and calls for more details on Charles' condition, it's perhaps no surprise. It's led to such a dent in public trust.

BIDISHA MAMATA, BRITISH BROADCASTER AND ROYAL WATCHER: This is the smallest crisis that the royal family has ever faced in the past. The royal family dealt with violent death, abdication, infidelity, all sorts of sins and crimes and scandals. Making your family photos look a tiny bit better is nowhere near anything on the scale of what the royal family have had to deal with before.

SOARES: While that may be the case, the rumor mill only adds more unnecessary pressure on the princess of Wales ahead of our next public appearance expected around Easter.

Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: And OUTFRONT now, royal historian Kate Williams.

And, Kate, you know, you hear Isa's report. And of course this is the topic you cover. I mean, "The Sun's" new images of what appears to be Kate and Prince William shopping this weekend. Of course, in the context here is spread speculation whether the images are real. The palace's response, no comment after they were forced to actually comment on rumors that the king was dead, which is a stunning thing to think they've comment on.

I mean, does any of this clear anything up for you?

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Yes. This is it, Erin, the royals have been in crisis. The last time we saw Kate, this woman were used to seeing almost immediately after she's given birth, up there in makeup and high heels. We didn't -- haven't seen her since Christmas day and Internet has exploded into rumor. The Mother's Day photo was supposed to stop the rumor. It actually increased the rumors that they intensified.

And over this weekend, we've seen a flurry of activity, comments from sources saying shed be out and about soon. And then this sighting at the Windsor farm shot and now these photographs which have been published in some publications, and it does look as if there's visit to the Windsor farm shop was real, that Kate is up and about.

I do think it was to a degree set up, but a way of seeing her, but certainly the fact that now every photo that the royals has put out as being doubted really suggests that problem that they have now with trust.

BURNETT: And this is the thing. I mean, you know, we live in a world where yes, you talk about infidelities and murders and all these things, but a world of A.I. and uncertainty in Photoshop. And what is real is, what is sparking this crisis?

The photoshopped image released on Mother's Day is when all -- well, actually not all of this, but a lot of this started right? There have been a lot of speculation before what was wrong with her and why wasn't she talking about it when the king talked about his diagnosis so openly.

In this image with all the photoshopping, it appears she's not wearing her wedding ring and now all of a sudden something that was completely taboo is now front and center and everywhere, which is the state of their marriage, Stephen Colbert is out publicly resurrecting an old rumor that Prince William had an affair and that is everywhere on social media.

Here's Stephen Colbert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, TV HOST: So I think we all know who the alleged other woman is, say with me, the marchioness of Cholmondeley. What a beautiful name. Now there have been rumors, an affair between William and the marching

band of chicanery since 2019. According to tabloids, back then, when Kate supposedly confronted him about it, he laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it. Always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Kate, with all of this now getting such public airing, what is going on?

WILLIAMS: It's a disaster. It's a PR disaster. The radio silence is a PR disaster into it, conspiracy theories rushed and one of them was that marriage was in trouble.

These rumors have surfaced before. Everyone ignore them. Now they are being taken to a degree seriously and I just feel so sorry for Kate. She's been through surgery. It must have been tough.

And now really, it's very clear that they've got to do something to stop these rumors and efficient engagement. An official photo because there's all this talk about Kate about her condition, and most of all about the marriage. And that's hard.

BURNETT: That's got to be incredibly hard. Of course, as I say, these people, no matter who they are, they are human beings and people as we all are.

Thank you so much, Kate. I appreciate your time.

WILLIAMS: Thank you. Good to see you.

BURNETT: And thanks so much to all of you for being with us.

It's time for Anderson.