Return to Transcripts main page

One World with Zain Asher

Suspected Gunman And His Father Make First Court Appearance; Father Of Georgia School Shooting Suspect Appears In Court; Key Steps Today In Trump's Defamation And Hush Money Cases; Israeli Military Withdraws From Parts Of Occupied West Bank; Video Appears To Show Ukrainian Soldiers Being Executed; One Of Year's Strongest Typhoons Slams Into "China's Hawaii"; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired September 06, 2024 - 12:00:00   ET

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

[12:00:29]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: A family on trial. A father and son associated with the murder of four people appear in court for the very first time.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: ONE WORLD starts right now.

Charged as an adult. The 14-year-old suspect in the Georgia school shooting learned what his fate could be moments before his father did the same. The

district attorney says more charges are on the way.

ASHER: And one of the strongest typhoons has made landfall in China. It is the strongest one people there have faced in more than a decade.

And later, the Chiefs won the ballgame, but let's face it. Taylor was the star player. See the sweet moment that's going viral.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. This is ONE WORLD.

While a small city in Georgia mourns over a deadly school shooting, the 14- year-old suspect and his father made their first appearance in court today.

Colt Gray is charged with four counts of felony murder. Investigators say he killed four people and injured nine others at his high school Wednesday,

using an AR style rifle.

Additional charges are expected against him as new details emerge, according to the Barrow County District attorney. The teen will be tried as

an adult.

GOLODRYGA: And authorities alleged his father, Colin Gray, provided Colt with the rifle used in Wednesday shooting. Colin is charged with four

counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.

Grieving relatives of the victims wiped away tears as the suspects appeared before the judge. Law enforcement officials tell CNN that Colt Gray

confessed to the deadly shooting.

Here's the Barrow County sheriff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUD SMITH, BARROW COUNTY, GEORGIA: I saw Colt in custody with handcuffs on. He is cooperating with us as far as I know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Still talking?

SMITH: He's still talking.

He was -- he described, you know, I did it.

But the thing that goes that we're trying to figure out as a 14-year-old. Why? Why would you -- why would you do this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right. Let's bring in CNN's Rafael Romo, joins us from outside the Barrow County courthouse in Georgia.

So we heard the charges in court. Just walk us through what happens next for Colt and Colin, both the boy and his father, just from a legal

standpoint, Rafael.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Zain and Bianna, the most important thing that's going to happen next is a preliminary hearing that is going to

happen in this courthouse behind me on December 4th, where both the father and the son are going to appear at about the same time.

And in the last hour, we heard from Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith, who said even more charges against the teenage suspect are possible.

And it's really hard to wrap your head around what happened here this morning.

We're talking about back-to-back father and son court appearances for a mass shooting that has gutted this community and appalled the nation. The

families of some of the victims were in the courtroom crying at different moments during the proceedings. It was just very difficult to watch the

son.

The 14-year-old Colt Gray appeared first. His arms were shackled and he was wearing a green top and tan pants. The 14-year-old remained virtually

motionless other than shaking loose hair out of his face when he first sat down.

The younger Gray replied to questions by the judge by saying, yes, sir, in a very respectful manner, as he was informed of his rights under the law

and the charges that he faces.

Let's remember, Zain and Bianna, that he has been charged as an adult with four counts of felony murder. Some of the victims' families were attending

the hearing as well, which made the hearing even more emotional and somber.

After initially saying that the suspect faced the death penalty, Judge Currie Mingledorff corrected himself saying that he's only eligible for a

life sentence given that he is a minor.

District Attorney Smith made it clear, more charges are entirely possible. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD SMITH, BARROW COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: There will be additional charges on Colt Gray. When he was taken into custody on Wednesday, we did

not have the identities or the conditions of the other victims so we were not able to charge on those offenses.

[12:05:02]

So when the evidence comes in and they've been a chance to heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually, we will get with them and there will be

additional charges that address the other victims in the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Zain and Bianna, now, let's talk about the father, Colin Gray, who had his court appearance in the same courtroom as his son, less than an

hour later. Imagine that.

Gray, who confirmed to the court that he's 54 years old, it could face a maximum of 180 years in prison, if convicted on all 14 charges against

them, according to the judge.

Gray made -- Gray made his first appearance in a white and gray striped jail uniform. Like his son, Colin Gray did not ask for bond at his first

appearance where he was represented by a public defender.

Gray's voice trembled at times as he spoke to Judge Currie Mingledorff. And he repeatedly rocked back and forth in his seat. Both father and son. As I

said before, we'll have their preliminary hearing on December 4th here at the Barrow County courthouse. Now back to you.

ASHER: All right. Rafael Romo live for us there. Thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: Former Miami-Dade County Court Judge, Jeff Swartz, joins us now.

And it's just -- you can't overstate the tragedy upon tragedy, first thing father and son being charged with this heinous crime, the son just 14 years

old, the father buying this AR-15 style weapon for his son.

And then, of course, behind them just feet away, the family members of those victims just two days after their loved ones were taken from them.

We know Colin Gray is now the latest example of prosecutors really holding parents responsible for a school shooting. We were talking about the

novelty of this and perhaps the precedent it sets earlier last year in Michigan, where we saw Jennifer and James Crumbley being the first parents

to be convicted in a mass shooting.

What is your take, specifically given that his father bought him this gun?

JEFF SWARTZ, FORMER MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COURT JUDGE: Well, I look at these circumstances. They are considerably different in my mind, although they

are similar to the Crumbley case.

I was critical of the prosecution of the Crumbleys, just simply on the facts that were presented in that particular instance.

I also have a problem with the idea of involuntary manslaughter being charged against parents because I'm trying to find the causation, the exact

direct causational link between the parents and the ultimate result as a result of the children using these weapons.

But it seems to be that that is something we have seen a number of cases of over the last four or five years. It looks like this is something that the

community wants, that the public wants. And they want parents held responsible for the acts of their children.

I've always been concerned just how far down the criminal ladder that we're going to follow as to the responsibility of parents.

But in any case, it's tragic when you have a 14-year-old child and a 14- year-old is still a child going into a school and shooting it up and killing people. And probably just immediately saying, I did it like. This

is something he's just going to be punished for.

And it's really difficult. That's why the court, some time ago, did away with the death penalty for juveniles and did away with life without parole

for juveniles. Except in extreme circumstances where the child is basically irredeemable.

ASHER: Yes. I mean, I do want to sort of double down your point about the charges, because they are quite severe for the father.

If you look at the arrest warrant affidavit, it basically says that Colin Gray allegedly gave his son a firearm with knowledge that he was a threat

to himself and others. When you look at the charges, though, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree murder, eight counts

of cruelty to children.

I mean, just explain these charges to us because when you --

SWARTZ: Sure.

ASHER: -- compare them to the first time we saw this, as Bianna mentioned, in the Crumbley case, I mean, these are really severe charges, right? For

the father --

SWARTZ: Yes.

ASHER: -- of a mass shooter.

SWARTZ: OK. The two charges of first-degree -- of murder -- second degree murder, are based upon two of the allegations that there was abuse of a --

of a -- of a child. OK.

And as a result of which, if it happens, if in fact, a child dies as a result of abuse, then that second degree murder. So those two charges are

tied together.

The involuntary manslaughter applies to all four of the victims. And he cannot be convicted of both the involuntary manslaughter and the murder of

two of those victims. So it's going to be one or the other.

[12:10:08]

So when you start adding up the years, it isn't involuntary manslaughter and the murder of two of those victims. So it's going to be one or the

other.

So when you start adding up the years, it isn't as much as it seems it would be. The remaining charges revolve around some of the other juveniles

who were shot. And so, therefore, he has been charged with some of those.

Those other victims, those nine other victims, are all going to come back upon the juvenile cult. He's going to be charged with attempted murder or

aggravated battery of those young people, those 14-year-olds. And some of the teachers.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Jeff, it's not unprecedented, but it is extremely rare to see a 14-year-old charges an adult. Do you agree with that decision?

SWARTZ: Yes. It used to be incredibly rare. It has become not as rare as it used to be.

Some states like Florida basically have a prohibition on charging someone out of hand as an -- as an adult before they're 16 years old.

It no longer belongs in the discretion of the prosecutor. That is something that a court has to determine whether a 14-year-old can be charged.

Here in Georgia, it is in the sound discretion of the prosecutor. This is you. It's not as unique as you would think. For lesser offenses, it happens

all the time. But you're seeing it really play out on something that has national interest and people are looking at it.

I, for one, understand the reasons for it. If they can have a hearing by a court, I think that would be more appropriate to determine whether this

child is irredeemable or can be sentenced as a juvenile and redeemed and rehabilitated, but they're not going to do that. They're going to go

forward and they're going to go forward looking for life sentences. There's no issue about that. That's what they're going to do.

ASHER: Talk to us about the evidence in this case because I'm just curious what prosecutors need to prove, right? When it comes to Colin Gray giving

his son a firearm with the knowledge. This is key, with the knowledge, that he was a threat to himself and to others. How do you go about proving that?

What is the evidence that they would need to show here?

SWARTZ: Well, they have an incident from about a year ago, where apparently someone at their IP address, and we have to presume it's Colt, because I

don't think his father would have done this, made threats that there was going to be a shooting at the school, that there was going to be an

incident to school, and the police investigated it, but they couldn't prove which one of them actually did it, but they know it came off of their IP

address. That is from their home and a computer in their home. They're aware of that.

There was another incident, I think, earlier than that involving some sort of violence or threat of violence from Colt. He clearly was exhibiting

leaning towards that direction.

I think that what they're trying to claim is that he knew that Colt was a problem. And he did nothing to stop it, and in fact, exacerbated it by

giving a 14-year-old child a weapon that he legally cannot own, and that is an assault rifle.

GOLODRYGA: That is such an important point to make, that he legally cannot own as a 14-year-old, an AR-15. And despite the warning signs --

SWARTZ: Correct.

GOLODRYGA: -- and the threats that authorities had presented to his father, attributed to his son, then for him to go out and buy his son this gift is

just -- it's mindboggling.

Jeff Swartz, stick around. Go ahead.

SWARTZ: OK. I will. I wanted to say his excuse for that is the same thing I heard last night on Laura Coates' show when she was talking to, or Anderson

show, when they were talking to someone from the -- an NRA supporter saying people hunt with AR-15s all the time. They don't hunt except for to blow

things up.

You don't hunt with an AR-15, you destroy the animals. So I'm not buying that.

GOLODRYGA: There's nothing -- yes, there's nothing left with the carcass when you use an AR-15 --

SWARTZ: Exactly.

GOLODRYGA: -- for hunting. That's what rifles are for.

Again, we spent --

SWARTZ: Correct.

GOLODRYGA: -- about 10 minutes of this show talking about as we've always stated, a uniquely American problem and tragedy. Jeff, stay with us.

Donald Trump --

SWARTZ: OK.

GOLODRYGA: -- is back in court. Switching gears. Still on the legal front. We want to get your take on what Donald Trump had to say in this particular

case. We'll talk to you in just a moment.

ASHER: Yes. That's because a short time ago, Donald Trump made an appearance at a federal appeals court. Moments ago, Trump doubled down. He

is appealing the $5 million civil damages he was ordered to pay for sexual assault and defamation of E. Jean Carroll. Hearing ended without the judges

making a decision, but they seem skeptical of some of the arguments by Trump's lawyer at one point, cutting him off and telling him to regain his

focus.

GOLODRYGA: And separately, the judge in Trump's hush money case says he will decide today on sentencing date for Trump's 34 felony convictions.

[12:15:08]

Sentencing is currently scheduled for September 18th. That's less than two weeks from now, but Trump wants it pushed back after the election.

Let's bring in CNN's crime and justice reporter, Katelyn Polantz.

It's obviously we saw that press conference in which sort of Donald Trump doubled down on the fact that, you know, we shouldn't believe his take. We

shouldn't believe E. Jean Carroll. I want to get your take on that.

And also the fact that just in terms of appealing this, Donald Trump's lawyers are saying that there are certain pieces of -- pieces of evidence

that should never have been introduced in this case in the first place, including the Access Hollywood tape.

Just give us your take on that, Katelyn.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Zain and Bianna, doubling down, if not tripling or quadrupling down on what he has to say

about E. Jean Carroll. So the state of play here is that Donald Trump has lost two lawsuits that went to trial. One of them, $5 million verdict, the

other, an $83.3 million verdict against Donald Trump.

Because in 2019 and 2022, he said publicly, repeatedly, that E. Jean Carroll was lying. He had never met her. He -- she had made up a story to

sell books about him sexually abusing her in a Bergdorf Goodman's changing room in the 1990s.

He was in court today because of that, because his team is trying to throw out one of the two of those verdicts, the $5 million one by saying that

there were flaws in the way that the evidence was presented at trial to the jury that was prejudicial.

But then tripling or quadrupling down by coming out of that courthouse, we didn't see him in court. We didn't see him leaving, but we see him at a

press conference in New York just a few minutes after the hearing ends saying this again about E. Jean Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We had a trial today. It's an appeal of a ridiculous verdict of a woman I have never met. I don't

know. I have no idea who she is. She wrote a book and she made a ridiculous story up. She put it in her book. And we're now appealing the decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: Zain and Bianna, I have reached out to E. Jean Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, to ask what her response is to this. He keeps saying the

same things that he has been found to have been defamatory before. And he's saying it again even after this appeals hearing today.

In court, we don't know what the three judge panel of the Second Circuit Federal Court is going to decide here whether they will uphold that $5

million damages verdict and how the other appeals Donald Trump is bringing to the court will go.

But the arguments today, there were questions about whether the trial was properly presented. If the jury should have even heard from some witnesses

and heard the Access Hollywood tape of Donald Trump showing how he treats women or the pattern that he uses. That was the argument of E. Jean Carroll

that it's all a pattern for him.

And so now, we wait to see what happens next as far as what the appeals court does. And if there is a response from E. Jean Carroll on this.

At the same time, he also called the judges that he has faced in New York, in civil lawsuits, and in his criminal case, hostile, very hostile toward

him. He said that at his press conference, and today is the day that we will learn from Judge Juan Merchan in Donald Trump's criminal hush money

case where he's been convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records, if he will be sentenced on those charges by Judge Merchan on September

18th.

Right now, his team wants to delay that sentencing until after the election. And Judge Merchan is going to say whether that will happen.

All of this coming, Donald Trump out there speaking about these cases on a day leading up to the sentencing where he could possibly face jail time and

that there is quite a bit of consequence that hangs in the balance of the court systems in New York and in federal courts.

ASHER: Yes. And you've got to think about it. The political implications, either way, right, whether or not it happens on September 18th, whether or

not it's postponed until after the elections, the political implications, either way, are huge.

Worth noting that Donald Trump, he's -- actually live pictures. Donald Trump still speaking at his press conference. Our producers are monitoring

it and we will dip into it when the former president does indeed take questions.

Katelyn Polantz live for us there. Thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We should note, it is dizzying keeping up with all of these cases and this is, you know, what we do professionally.

I can only imagine for viewers at home, so let's get some more legal analysis with former judge, Jeff Swartz. Welcome back.

[12:20:00]

So we'll get to the defamation case -- well, I want to begin with the defamation case, the E. Jean Carroll defamation case. Because the appeals

panel is expected to respond.

We've heard from the former president now go on for about 30 minutes in defense of himself, saying that he's being attacked and wrongfully accused.

I'm wondering, in some of his statements, before we even get to how you think the appeals panel will rule, given his statements, they're saying

that he's never met E. Jean Carroll, saying that these are more ridiculous claims from her.

Is he risking more liability on this particular issue of defamation?

SWARTZ: Yes. He absolutely is. That's exactly how he ended up with an $83 million judgment. By double downing after a judgment has been entered

saying that the jury in that particular case did not believe his defense. He was never there.

They didn't put on much of a defense, and basically said that they believed E. Jean Carroll and gave her a $5 million judgment, and he goes out there

and calls her a liar again.

She files a lawsuit, gets $83 million, because now this is the second time. And then there'll probably be a third time.

You have to remember, if he loses this appeal, if this judgment stands, this was the basis of the $83 million judgment. He has no hope of reversing

the judgment.

The amount of $83 million probably was in excess of what the appellate court is going to approve of, but that judgment will also stand.

And now he's going to walk in there a third time, probably, with two findings of defamation, and the amount's just going to continue to grow.

ASHER: And the other case we're watching is, of course, the hush money case. And Judge Juan Merchan's potential ruling today, or ruling today, as

to whether or not to hold that sentencing hearing on September 18th, or to wait until after the election.

I mean, it's interesting, because no matter which way he rules, there is going to be accusations of bias, right?

If you postpone until after the election, then, of course, people will say, oh, you're doing this to favor Donald Trump.

And, of course, if you hold it before the election, then Donald Trump's supporters will, of course, say the opposite.

SWARTZ: There's a couple of outside things that are affecting this. The first thing is that the prosecutor did not object to the continuance of the

sentencing. That doesn't mean that he really does object.

It means that he's sitting back and playing politics and basically saying, I don't want anybody saying I'm doing this because of politics.

I don't want this to be denied or granted because of politics. I want Merchan to do it because he thinks it's the right thing to do whichever way

he goes.

The second thing was, it would happen yesterday in front of Judge Chutkan. She basically, again, reiterated that the delay is -- your delay -- the

delay of this is your responsibility, not the other side's responsibility.

I am not going to be ruled by an election cycle. And I think that gives Merchan just a little bit more to depend upon to say no. This has gone on

long enough. I'm going to sentence you being here on the 18th.

And if I had the five dollars to donuts, if I was the judge and in his position, I would rule, we're going forward with the sentence thing.

You know you're going to get a state of execution of sentence, but we're going to go forward with the sentencing. I think that's what we're going to

see.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We'll be closely watching.

And we should note that former President Trump just left the podium where we had expected him to be taking some questions from reporters. No, he did

not. There you just see a bunch of U.S. flags.

ASHER: Jeff knows.

GOLODRYGA: And a microphone.

ASHER: Jeff knows.

Trump did all the talking and then he stepped away.

Jeff Swartz, again, thank you so much for covering a myriad --

ASHER: Thank you, Jeff.

GOLODRYGA: -- of legal stories for us. We appreciate it.

SWARTZ: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: He said it was his pleasure. We've cut him off a bit too soon. But thanks, Jeff.

ASHER: I still to come, scenes of widespread destruction in the occupied West Bank after Israeli -- Israel, rather, pauses its military offensive.

We'll bring you reporting from the heart of the city of Jenin.

GOLODRYGA: Plus, huddling with his allies from across the globe, Ukraine's president says pledges of support are not enough. We'll bring you the

latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:03]

GOLODRYGA: An American activist has been shot and killed during a protest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This, according to Palestinian

officials.

ASHER: Yes. I went to say the Israeli military was responsible.

Meantime, funerals are being held, those killed during an Israeli incursion in the West Bank.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNSHOTS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Palestinian health officials say 39 people were killed over nine days of intense opposition. Israel has withdrawn from two cities after a

mission to root out terrorists, although one Israeli source is describing the withdrawal as a pause.

Palestinians are returning to fine streets demolished, homes destroyed, and neighborhoods without electricity or water.

Nic Robertson reports from Jenin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This is the center of Jenin, and the cleanup is just beginning.

It's hard for the city to fathom how much damage there is. You can see the water here in the road that the water pipes have been knocked around. We

spin around here, you can see this barbershop.

All the debris pushed up. I spoke to the owner there, he said it'll cost him about $20,000 to repair it.

Had that barbershop now for, he said, about 50 years. There are some things that can't be repaired here.

According to the Ministry of Health, 39 people have been killed. Eight of them, they say, children, some elderly people as well.

We were at the funerals earlier of some of the militants here. There was gunfire in the air from the group.

I spoke to one of the commanders of the militant groups, and he told me that they lost some fighters, but the Israelis should accept their own

losses too, that if the IDF comes back, then they'll be ready for them.

Plenty of guns out there, plenty of gun burn, and a very, very tense atmosphere around those funerals.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Jenin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is sounding the alarm for more military aid. The Ukrainian president is urging international allies to

speed up deliveries of promised air defenses.

During a meeting with the U.S. Defense Secretary and other allies in Germany hours ago.

Mr. Zelenskyy warned of what he calls a significant shortfall in vital military support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The number of air defense systems that have not yet been delivered is significant. This is what was agreed

upon, and this is what has not been fully implemented.

The world has enough air defense systems to ensure that Russian terror does not have results. And I urge you to be more active in this work with us on

air defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: In a world exclusive, our colleague, Christiane Amanpour, sat down with the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces. And he says his

troops have managed to stall Russian advances around the strategic city of Pokrovsk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:30:06]

OLEKSANDR SYRSKYI, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE (through translator): Indeed, over the last six days, the enemy hasn't

advanced a single meter in the Pokrovsk's direction. In other words, our strategy is working.

Of course, the enemy has concentrated their most trained units in the Pokrovsk area. But we've taken away their ability to maneuver and to deploy

their reinforcement forces from other directions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: As Ukraine's commander-in-chief supports his boss on the battlefield, mourners gathered for funeral services earlier in Lviv.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Seven people were killed there this week, including a mother and her three daughters. They died when Russian missiles hit the

western Ukrainian city.

ASHER: All right. We're also seeing some alarming exclusive drone video. It appears to show Ukrainian soldiers being executed after they've

surrendered.

GOLODRYGA: They're really disturbing news here.

As CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has the details. And a warning. Some of the footage in his reporting is extremely disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): A scene all too common on Ukraine's imperiled Eastern Front, smoke billowing,

a position overrun.

Ukrainian troops staggering out, appearing to surrender to advancing Russians. A brief close-up on Ukrainian drone video, seen here for the

first time, shows them on their knees.

The drone operators ask each other for a better view, and then, seconds later, it is too late. The three fall to the ground. Dust nearby,

suggesting gunfire, executed in cold blood.

Ukrainian official familiar with the incident, said, despite hoping to be taken prisoner by the Russians.

It is from near the besieged city of Pokrovsk in late August, the source said, the hottest spot on the front now, where Russia is persistently

advancing, and follows a horrific pattern.

Prosecutors say they're investigating a total of 28 cases, in which 62 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after surrender on the battlefield.

ANDRIY KOSTIN, PROSECUTOR GENERAL OF UKRAINE: If prisoners of war surrender, if they show that they surrender, if they are without weapons in

their hand -- in their hands, then summary execution is the war crime.

WALSH: It has worsened in the past 10 months, CNN obtaining from Ukrainian intelligence officials, a detailed list of 15 incidents most backed up by

drone video or audio intercepts.

WALSH: Now, United Nation investigators have scrutinized many of these killings. And the human investigative source said to me, quote, there are

many, there is a pattern. And the killings are war crimes individually, they said in their opinion. And together, could amount to crimes against

humanity.

WALSH (voice-over): And near (INAUDIBLE), the site of some of the fiercest fighting this year in Zaporizhzhia, another Ukrainian drone filmed in May.

These images that are upsetting to watch.

Ukrainian soldiers emerge one by one from the dugout. Ukraine's defense intelligence said they intercepted the Russian commander's order to

execute, or zero them, and gave us this transcript.

Take them (BLEEP) down. (BLEEP) zero them. Take them. Zero them, the officer says. Got it, plus, comes the reply.

Once you zero them, report back, he adds.

Once they're all out, face down, the Russians fire.

Ukrainian's we spoke to, left asking, why? To just terrify them, or is it simply sport for the Russians?

PETRO YATSENKO, UKRAINIAN COORDINATION CENTER FOR THE TREATMENT OF POWS: The main reason is to make Russian soldiers believe they -- it's very

dangerous to surrender to Ukrainian forces, because Ukrainian soldiers will kill them like Russians killing Ukrainian prisoners of war.

This force of them not to surrender, but go forward to their deaths.

WALSH (voice-over): A horror not always publicized or fully accounted for, yet being felt steadily by Ukrainians as they struggle to hold the Eastern

line.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:31]

ASHER: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.

It's undoubtedly the most high stakes moment in the U.S. presidential election so far. We are just four days away. Four days away. Vice President

Kamala Harris facing off with Donald Trump on the debate stage.

ASHER: Yes. It will not only be the first time they have met, it will also be the first time American voters hear how they respond to each other in

real time.

Both candidates are clearly hoping for a standout moment. Something Trump's running mate also appear to be aiming for on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She wants to change everything because she knows that unless she gets the rules that she

wants, unless she has a bias set-up, the American people are going to reject her.

But you know -- you know what she really wants to do? And look out for this on September the 10th. She really wants a moment where she can interrupt

Donald Trump and say, I'm speaking.

Because, you know, Kamala Harris, sometimes I think she doesn't want to be the vice president. She wants to be the vice principal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Kamala Harris' campaign says that it just had the best grassroots fundraising month in presidential election history. Her team

says they raised a whopping $361 million just in the month of August.

ASHER: Yes. That's nearly triple the amount Donald Trump's campaign managed. With just two months to go into Election Day, the Harris-Walz

campaign says it has $404 million in cash reserves, compared to $295 million announced by the Trump team.

There's so much going on in this race right now turning into a sprint with just 60 days until the election. Can you -- it just go so quick? Oh, my

gosh.

GOLODRYGA: I know. I know.

ASHER: Larry Sabato here to help us break everything down. He's the Director at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and joins

us live now from Charlottesville.

So, Larry, as you were just saying, the next inflection point here in this race is, of course, the debate. I mean, Kamala Harris, she's had this

amazing sort of honeymoon period. This is the next test, maybe the last major test.

What does success look like coming out of the debate on Tuesday for Kamala Harris? Because obviously Donald Trump's going to try to, you know, if past

is prolonged, Donald Trump is going to try to get inside her head. He's going to probably insult her. He's going to belittle her.

What does she need to do to win despite all of the noise?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, I think she has a lot of different opportunities depending on which

Donald Trump shows up, although the Donald Trump that shows up is usually unpleasant in some ways, especially when the opponent is a woman.

[12:40:02]

We all remember his debates with Hillary Clinton in 2016.

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

SABATO: She can expect that. But I think she's going to have a warmer response than Hillary Clinton was able to muster understandably in 2016,

because we're all used to Donald Trump.

She has to make sure she doesn't override him. She doesn't constantly, as J.D. Vance was suggesting, interrupt him while he's interrupting her.

But she does have to make clear she's not going to put up with his nonsense. That's critical for her because everybody wants a tough

president. The world is tough and she has to demonstrate that while also getting across her priorities and maybe making some little distinctions

between herself and Joe Biden, who's still relatively unpopular.

GOLODRYGA: Listen, for political wonks like yourself and even journalists like Zain and me, who really like to focus on a lot of the policy and

substance, you reference the debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

I can't remember much of the substance and the policy specifics that were presented, especially from Hillary Clinton at the time.

I do remember to use a word we've used a lot lately, the vibe in the room. I remember the way these two interacted with each other, especially how

Donald Trump really hovered over Hillary Clinton.

How important will be that same vibe and their interactions with each other come Tuesday night versus any substantive policy, especially out of Kamala

Harris?

SABATO: Well, remember, the big difference between this one and the ones that we saw in 2016. There will be no audience whatsoever. There's nobody

there, but a few press people reporting on it and the various technicians and so on.

So, Trump will not have an audience to play to or to play off of. That probably helps Kamala Harris.

But Trump is Trump and, of course, he's going to use the very same technique he's always using. He's going to hover around Kamala Harris,

although you're not supposed to move off your podium. You're not supposed to talk when it's not your turn. You're not supposed to do a lot of things,

but that's never stopped Trump from doing what he wants to do.

Again, I think Kamala Harris will be better off when she is relatively tolerant of him up to a point and then he'll cross the line. He always

does.

ASHER: It's interesting because in many ways, Donald Trump is really predictable, but in so many ways, he's so unpredictable.

So given that, how does Kamala Harris prepare for next Tuesday?

SABATO: She's been preparing intensively. And, of course, she's younger. She's a vigorous person. And she tends to be more positive rather than

negative.

So she's not going to argue with Trump in the same way that even a Hillary Clinton would do and certainly that a Joe Biden, when he was on a better

day than we saw in late June, would have done as well.

I think that goes over positive with the audience. You're so right when you said it's going to be impressionistic. People are not going to come away

from this debate and say, you know, I was fascinated with those small business tax credit.

Nobody even knows what they are. But they are going to say, you know, I liked her or Donald Trump really got the better of her. You could tell that

he got under her skin.

Listen, I think Kamala Harris has a good chance to get under his skin. He's in a bad mood anyway because of all the legal maneuvering surrounding him.

GOLODRYGA: This, according to "The New York Times," is Donald Trump's seventh presidential debate. I think that's a record in modern times. This

is Kamala Harris' first as the candidate.

And while we've seen her approval ratings go up over the last month, one thing you keep on hearing from voters is that they still don't know that

much about her despite the fact that she has been vice president now for three and a half years.

How important will it be for that to -- for her to continue to focus on reintroducing herself to Americans, especially on the slippery slope issue

of perhaps what some have been called flip-flopping on certain issues? She said that her core beliefs haven't changed. We know candidates evolve.

People evolve all the time.

But how important is that of a fine line for her to manage to walk? Reintroduce herself, but also defend some of the changes she's made on

policy.

SABATO: She needs to add to the introduction that she had at the Democratic Convention and in other ways. Although a debate coach that I respected a

lot once told me, never try to do too much in a single debate.

[12:45:07]

And that's absolutely true. You'll never achieve it, first of all, president of time, and you have to split it with the other candidate.

So I would say she'll -- she should add bits and pieces, let people read between the lines. Most people are pretty good at that. We have to do it at

work. We have to do it with our family and friends.

So she doesn't have to do all these things, but she does have to give some hints, some insights into herself, and as she says her values. That's the

most important thing she can do other than to make sure that Donald Trump does not dominate the debate and does not get in her head and under her

skin.

ASHER: I mean, it's such a tricky thing because when Donald Trump inevitably does attack her, you know, obviously with Donald Trump, you

don't know -- you don't know what he's going to say. I mean, is he going to say that she's not black, you know?

And the question becomes, does she rise above it? Does she attack him back? Does she actually defend herself? I mean, it's such a difficult thing to

maneuver, you know, the tactic.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. She may say what she said to Dana Bash on that specific issue.

ASHER: Next question, right? Next question.

GOLODRYGA: Same old playbook. Next question.

ASHER: OK. Larry, we do have to leave it there. I'm sorry. You do --

SABATO: OK. I was just going to say --

ASHER: Yes, go ahead.

SABATO: -- exactly what I was going to say. Look at what she did in responding to Dana Bash, let's just leave it there. I'm not going to get

into an argument about race. That was exactly right. And she should do it to Donald Trump. It will frustrate him like crazy.

ASHER: OK. OK. Larry Sabato, we'll see what happens, right, on Tuesday. Have a great weekend. Thank you so much. Appreciate you.

SABATO: Thanks.

GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us, one of the strongest storms in a decade hits a holiday island dubbed China's Hawaii. What kind of damage could

Typhoon Yagi do? We'll have a live report, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. You're looking at one of the strongest typhoons of the years. It slams into what's known as China's Hawaii, Hainan Province.

Typhoon Yagi is currently the equivalent of a category 4 hurricane and is bringing significant damage.

GOLODRYGA: And more than a million people have already been evacuated in China. The storm is expected to hit Vietnam on Saturday evening local time,

bringing with it 20 inches of rain.

So let's bring in CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar who joins us now live from Atlanta. Quite a significant storm there. What more can we expect to

see?

[12:50:02]

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, unfortunately, there is going to be more rain that impacts that area over the next several hours.

It's still going to continue to make its way across that region and then begin to make its way over towards Vietnam.

Now, one thing to note is, is it pushes into Vietnam over the next couple of days. It's expected to bring a month's worth of rain for some of these

regions just over the course of the weekend.

So we're still going to be noticing some heavy rain across portions of China, but a lot of that heavy rain is going to spread into areas of

Vietnam, as we push into the coming days, especially over the weekend. Winds, because it's going to go back over open water here for the next 24

to 36 hours. It's not really going to weaken all that much. So you're still also going to have very strong winds.

Not only still continuing to hammer areas of China, but also going to begin to spread into areas of Vietnam as we push into the weekend. Some of those

areas likely to pick up winds of around 150 kilometers per hour as we head into the weekend.

And then gradually once it makes its second landfall into portions of Vietnam, we will finally start to see some of those winds coming back down.

Back to you.

GOLODRYGA: So many people in that storm's path. Allison Chinchar we'll be following it. Thank you so much.

ASHER: All right. We have an update for you from authorities in Kenya where a fire rip through the dormitory of an elementary school.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. At least 17 students at the school, sadly, are confirmed dead. And the country's deputy president now says at least 70 children are

still unaccounted for.

The inferno began overnight Thursday in the male dormitory of the mixed private boarding school.

ASHER: A government spokesperson says more than 150 boys were at the dorm when the blaze began. The school is in Nyeri, north of the capital of

Nairobi.

Kenyan president, William Ruto, says he's instructed authorities to thoroughly investigate the tragedy and says that those responsible will be

held to account. We'll have much more news after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: All right. Cristiano Ronaldo, the 39-year-old Portuguese soccer superstar claimed the 900th goal of his career on Thursday, setting a

record milestone.

ASHER: The five time Ballon d'Or winner scored in the 34th minute of Portugal's two to one win against Croatia in the UEFA National Nations

League group stage.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, the NFL season kicked off Thursday night with a thrilling game featuring the defending Super Bowl champions.

ASHER: The Kansas City Chiefs held on to beat the Baltimore Ravens, 27 to 20. It appeared the Ravens had a score -- had scored a touchdown on the

final play, but a replay show the receiver had a toe on the line, so he was rolled out of bounds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:55:07]

PATRICK MAHOMES, CHIEF'S QUARTERBACK: Yes. I mean, obviously, it was nerve- wracking. That's a game of inches, that's what they say. And that's a great football team and they come out here and get a win in Arrowhead. It's way

to start off the season.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: But perhaps the biggest news from the game was Taylor Swift, showing up to cheer on her boyfriend, Chief's tight end, Travis Kelce.

When Kelce made his first catch of the season, he quickly pointed to Swift in the stands as she jumped around and hugged Kelce's mother.

ASHER: The couple was later spotted leaving the stadium, walking hand in hand.

By the way, the denim corset Swift was wearing is made by Versace and costs over $1,300.

GOLODRYGA: Just an outfit.

All right. That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. Happy Friday, everyone. Have a great weekend. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: I'm Zain Asher.

That was so random, that line of you.

GOLODRYGA: What, happy Friday?

ASHER: No. What Taylor Swift is wearing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END