[Church:] Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM I'm Rosemary Church we want to check the headlines for you this hour. U.S. President Donald Trump is back in Washington, after a NATO meeting in the U.K. that was heavy with confrontation. A video surfaced of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders gossiping about him, apparently mocking him behind his back. President Trump called Mr. Trudeau, two-faced. Mr. Trump later cancelled a news conference and came home early. France's transportation system is expected to be at a standstill, as thousands of workers go on strike to protest the government's plan to reform the pension system. The strike is expected to paralyze the city for days. Huawei says it's suing the U.S. government over new restrictions that further limit its business in the United States. The Chinese company says it's unlawful that American carriers are now being prohibited from using subsidies to buy Huawei equipment. Huawei denies it's a U.S. national security threat. Four constitutional scholars appeared on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, to give their expert opinions about whether President Trump should be impeached. Three of them said he should without a doubt, while the fourth argued the process was moving too quickly. Our Cyril Vanier recaps the highlights of their testimony.
[Cyril Vanier, Cnn International Anchor:] Wednesday was all about interpreting the U.S. constitution. Did Mr. Trump's conduct reach the level of impeachment? Yes or no? Three out of four of the top constitutional experts in the country say yes, and they came from the top universities, Harvard, Stanford, University of North Carolina, George Washington University. So, let's hear from them. First, Harvard law school professor, Noah Feldman, he said the words, abusive office are not mystical. And that the President has committed "impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors by corruptly abusing the office of the presidency. Then, we heard from Michael Gerhardt, professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law and he gave Democrats what for them, will be the quote of the day. He says, Mr. Trump's actions are worse than any president ever. If what we're talking about is not impeachable, he argued, then nothing is impeachable. Now, Stanford law professor, Pamela Karlan, she also gave a stinging statement. She said that the president's conduct is a cardinal reason why the constitution even has an impeachment power. She warned that this is not politics as usual, at least not in the U.S. or in any other mature democracy. One legal scholar disagreed with the others, however, George Washington University professor, Jonathan Turley, he was invited by the Republicans on the committee, while the first three were invited by the Democrats. It's worth noting that. He argued Mr. Trump should not be impeached because there isn't enough evidence. Here's the quote, if the House proceeds solely on the Ukrainian allegations, this impeachment would stand out among modern impeachments as the shortest proceeding, with the thinnest evidentiary record, and the narrowest grounds ever used to impeach a president. A shot on the arm for Republicans on Wednesday, but ultimately, Democrats got what they wanted out of the day. A strong majority of legal scholars backing impeachment. Now, based on this, they will decide whether to draft articles of impeachment and proceed with this. The safe money at this stage, is that they will. Back to you.
[Church:] Thanks so much for that. And since the impeachment inquiry began about two months ago, three different women have given some of the most forceful and memorable public testimony against the President. We get more on that from CNN's Athena Jones.
[Unidentified Male:] Do you swear or firm under penalty
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] Stanford Law School professor, Pamela Karlan, was fired up right from the start.
[Pamela Karlan, Law School Professor, Stanford:] Mr. Collins, I would like to say to you, Sir, that I read transcripts of every one of the witnesses who appeared in the live hearing.
[Jones:] Pushing back at the suggestion by the House Judiciary Committees' top Republican, that she had not followed the impeachment testimony and the evidence laid out so far.
[Karlan:] Because I would not speak about these things without reviewing the facts, so I'm insulted by the suggestion that as a law professor, I don't care about those facts.
[Jones:] Karlan, the latest in the line of women to deliver a powerful message to lawmakers. Part of a panel testifying about the constitutional grounds for impeaching President Trump. Using analogies to make the case to viewers, in plain English, that Trump abused his power.
[Karlan:] Imagine living in a part of Louisiana or Texas, that's prone to devastating hurricanes and flooding, what would you think if you live there? And your governor asked for a meeting with the President to discuss getting disaster aid that Congress has provided for. What would you think if that president said, I would like to do you I would like you to do us a favor. I'll meet with you. And I'll send the disaster also the disaster relief once you brand my opponent a criminal. Wouldn't you know in your gut that such a president had abused his office? If you conclude that, as I think the evidence to this point shows that the President is soliciting foreign involvement in our election, you need to act now to prevent foreign interference in the next election like the one we had in the past.
[Jones:] Before Karlan, it was former White House Russia expert, Fiona Hill, who turned heads, blasting the debunked conspiracy theory the President and his allies continue to promote that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election.
[Fiona Hill, Former White House Russia Expert:] This is a fictional narrative that is being perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.
[Jones:] Hill testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, on which she viewed as an irregular second channel of policy for Ukraine, led by U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland.
[Hill:] He was being involved in a domestic, political errand. And we were being involved in National Security, foreign policy, and those things had just diverged. And I did say to him, Ambassador Gordon Sondland, I think this is all going to blow up, and here we are.
[Jones:] But it was Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine and the first woman to testify in public hearings that marked one of the most memorable moments so far. A long-time diplomat known for her commitment to fighting corruption, who was suddenly recalled by the President, after a month-long smear campaign led by his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
[Marie Yovanovitch, Former U.s. Ambassador To Ukraine:] How could our system fail like this? How is it that foreign corrupt interest could manipulate our government? Which countries' interests are served when the very corrupt behavior we have been criticizing is allowed to prevail?
[Jones:] Her testimony sparking this remarkable response in real-time, from the President, on Twitter, prompting Democrats to accuse Trump of witness intimidation. Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
[Church:] And as all this is going on in Washington, the middle man, Rudy Giuliani, was in Ukraine and Hungary. The New York Times is reporting that President Trump's personal lawyer went to meet with former Ukrainian prosecutors to help defend President Trump in the impeachment inquiry. His spokesperson told CNN the trip's purpose is to prove his client's innocence. "He will prove that this latest farce is even more baseless and malicious than the first attempted coup takedown. Once all individuals have returned safely to the United States, we will reveal the significant witnesses involved. Well, meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani has been talking to a mysterious caller identified as "-1". It's raising red flags among Democrats. CNN's Rene Marsh has the details.
[Rene Marsh, Cnn Government Regulation And Transportation Correspondent:] Newly revealed phone logs show repeated calls and text messages by Rudy Giuliani to the White House and the Budget Office. But one number stands out, an obscure single digit caller noted as "- 1", on phone records.
[Unidentified Female:] Who do you think Giuliani was talking to who was number one?
[Unidentified Male:] Probably somebody in the White House.
[Marsh:] House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff points to evidence shown during the Roger Stone trial, including these phone logs, showing a call from "-1". The implication at trial, it was probably Trump. President Trump, Wednesday, brushed it off.
[Unidentified Female:] Mr. President, can you explain why your personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, would need to talk to the Budget Office?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I really don't know you have to ask him. Sounds like something that's not so complicated, frankly, but you'd have to ask him. No big deal.
[Marsh:] Giuliani took a similar tone via Tweet, the mere fact I had numerous calls with the White House does not establish any specific topic. Remember, I'm the President's attorney. And in a text message, Giuliani told CNN he didn't remember calling OMB and not about military aid. Multiple calls between Giuliani who is not a government employee, and the White House, including the Situation Room and the Budget Office, came just days before the President's first call with Ukraine's new president on April 21st, and a few days after that call. The records only showed the calls and not the content. But Giuliani speaking directly to the agency that in June, instructed the State Department and the Pentagon, to freeze military aid to Ukraine, is raising concerns.
[Rudy Giuliani, Personal Attorney Of Donald Trump:] Pay attention to Ukraine.
[Marsh:] April 12th, eight hours before this FOX News appearance, a short call from someone using the Office of Management and Budget phone number to Rudy Giuliani. Then, seconds later, another call, lasting more than 12 minutes. This time, from the mysterious "-1". After the FOX interview that night, Giuliani is back on the phone with the White House for more than five minutes.
[Giuliani:] I think it get some interesting information about Joe Biden from the Ukraine about his son, Hunter Biden.
[Marsh:] The same morning of this FOX News appearance on April 24th, records show three phone calls between Giuliani and a number associated with the Office of Management and Budget. Throughout the day, there were eight calls with someone at the White House. One of the calls between Giuliani and "-1', lasted more than eight minutes. Later the same day, the state department recalled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch over concerns from the White House. And August 8th, Giuliani text a White House number at 8:53 p.m. A little over an hour later, he misses five calls from the '-1'number, placed to both of his cellphones. Sixteen minutes later, '-1" calls him back and they talked for more than four minutes. This call came as Ukrainians were pushing U.S. diplomats for a meeting between Zelensky and Trump. Democrats say the call logs show the extent to which Giuliani was running the show on Ukraine matters, conspiracy theories and the push for investigations.
[Rep. Jim Himes:] It does tell a story of Giuliani really being the guy who is doing all of these things and driving the stuff in Ukraine. And as we know, Rudy Giuliani is not an employee of the federal government.
[Marsh:] What this phone records reveal are highly unusual. As a formal OMB official said, there is no reason the President's personal attorney should be calling people at OMB regarding budgetary matters because that's what OMB handles. Now, the Budget Office says that no one at the agency ever spoke to Giuliani. There is, though, some speculation that some of the calls may have been to Mick Mulvaney who had moved earlier that year, from OMB to the White House. A White House official is telling CNN that Mulvaney and Giuliani have not discussed Ukraine. And Mulvaney's call records show that he did not speak to the President's personal attorney by phone on the dates listed in the report. So, despite what the phone records show which, by the way, they all came directly from the phone companies, the White House and OMB says they never spoke to Giuliani. Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.
[Church:] And when we come back, Jewish gravestones defaced with swastikas at the cemetery in eastern France. How authorities are vowing to respond. And after more than a year of protest, a bishop in Buffalo, New York resigns. The allegations against him plus the Vatican report that ended his career. We're back with that in just a moment.