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Iran Vows to Boost Uranium Enrichment to Higher Levels; Boeing to Pay $100M To Families Affected By 737 Max Crashes; Hundreds Gather for Funeral of 9/11 Hero Luiz Alvarez; Pharrell Williams Promises Internships to 114 High School Grads; Meghan McCain Miserable, Feels Sabotaged by Co-Hosts. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 03, 2019 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: A new and dramatic act of defiance from Iran in its high stakes game of chicken with the United States. Today President Rouhani said Iran will begin enriching uranium at a high level than what was set forth in that 2015 Nuclear Deal. In his words the enrichment rate is "going to be as much as we want it to be."

And here's why it's troubling. Enriching uranium to a higher level of purity would bring Iran much closer to producing a nuclear weapon. CNN national security analyst, Sam Vinograd. Served on President Obama's national Security Council. So, Sam, thank you for coming on with me. You know, Iran has attacked oil tanker and shot down that U.S. drone recently. Is now threatening to up its uranium levels. What are they playing at?

SAM VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: And this is Iran's maximum pressure campaign, Brooke. And we do to an extent have to separate the different threat streams. We have the ongoing conventional risks to oil tankers and U.S. assets and allies in the region. That's been something that Iran's been doing for a very long time. It's something the Obama administration hoped to work on with Iran after we saw the Nuclear Deal, but that threat never went away.

We have a newly reintroduced threat which is Iran's nuclear program. When we signed the Iran Nuclear Deal in 2015, the idea was to extend the amount of time Iran would have to take to break out to a nuclear weapon. The idea was to take away the nuclear threat. Unfortunately when President Trump withdrew from the Iranian Nuclear Deal, he reintroduced that threat. The Iranians showed some restraint, they did not violate their JCPOA or Iran deal commitments for over a year. And now what we're seeing is they've grown impatient. They are not getting sanctions relief and they are firing on all cylinders. Their nuclear program is there trump card. It's what brought the U.S. to the negotiating table in the first place and I think is that they are hoping that it works again.

BALDWIN: They're trump card. You know so much about this because you worked on Iran policy at the White House during those early days of the secret negotiations of the Nuclear Deal. The fact is, they are now closer to a nuclear weapon today than when President Trump took office. How worried should the rest of the world be?

[15:35:00] VINOGRAD: The world should be very worried. Iran's activities with respect to its nuclear program are predictable. Again, when we withdraw, it was not unlikely that they would take this course, but they are also dangerous and illegal. We have U.N. resolution 2231 that lifted U.N. sanctions on Iran when they agreed to the Iran Nuclear Deal. Because Iran was doing things before the Iran Nuclear Deal that were illegal under international law. They were proliferating nuclear material and not following the rules. At this point if Iran continues on this course, they would be back to where it they were before the Iran Nuclear Deal, which means that they could break out to a nuclear weapon in a much quicker period of time. So we could see Iran get closer to a nuclear weapon, get closer to breaking out within a year. We could see Saudi Arabia follow suit. They've said if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, they will seek a nuclear capability too. And that's while of course, we have a nuclear North Korea as well.

BALDWIN: Speaking of North Korea, I mean, I just can't help but wonder what Iran is learning from North Korea. A country that already does have a nuclear arsenal. We saw a first time ever Presidential visit this weekend over the DMZ. He speaks of how -- Trump speaks of how he fell in love with Kim Jong-un.

And if you were Iran, Sam, and you are watching this unfold. How are you going to approach nuclear policy?

VINOGRAD: Well if you were Iran and you didn't have to worry about a domestic audience. I mean, let's be clear. Kim Jong-un isn't really worried about domestic dissent or bad headlines. He controls everything there. You would probably write President Trump a few nice letters. Say he can make a historic amount of head way and sign a historic deal with the Iranian regime. But that's the playbook that they would follow if they were following Kim Jong-un's lead.

The difference is the Iranian regime is in a much different position than Kim Jong-un. They have egg on their face based upon the fact that they signed a deal with the United States. And then the United States backed out. So the regime has to answer to the hardliners domestically, they have their own politics at play too. And it makes it less likely that they are going to kowtow to the United States and flatter President Trump which is the shortest way to get him back to the negotiating table.

BALDWIN: Sam Vinograd, thank you very much.

VINOGRAD: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, I will be joined live by one of 100 high school graduates who just got an incredible surprise. Pharrell giving them all internships.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHARRELL WILLIAMS, RAPPER, SINGER, SONGWRITER, PRODUCER: For every member of the 2019 graduating class is guaranteed an internship waiting for them, you, next summer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Two crashes, a total of 346 victims and now Boeing has promised to pay. The manufacturing giant announced today that it will pay out a total of $100 million to families affected by two 737 Max crashes. That Lion Air flight that crashed last October and Ethiopian Airlines flight that went down in March. The money will be paid over multiple years and will support education, hardship and living experiences for families as well as economic development for communities that were impacted. In a statement -- this is what we have from the Boeing CEO. "We know every person who steps aboard one of our airplanes places their trust in us. We are focused on re- earning that trust and confidence from our customers and the flying public in the months ahead."

And hundreds of people gathered in New York City this morning to honor 9/11 first responder Luis Alvarez. The former NYPD detective made headlines when he testified before Congress to call for the extension of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. He made that appearance just days before he died of cancer that was linked to his exposure to all the toxins down at ground zero. Police Commissioner O'Neal spoke of his tireless dedication.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER JAMES O'NEILL, NEW YORK POLICE: Detective First Grade Luis Alvarez was an authentic man. He let you know exactly what he thought. I think that's pretty fair to say. And while his tenacity and strength made him a leader amongst his contemporaries, he would shy away and downplay the accolades that naturally came with such actions and influence. At the end of the day, and all throughout his remarkable life, Lou, just wanted to do what's right and he desperately wanted others -- particularly those in positions of great power -- to follow suit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Alvarez's son David remembered a dad who was his hero before becoming one to so many others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ALVAREZ, LUIS ALVAREZ' SON: In his last moments before taking his last breath, I told him I love him. I love you, dad. I promise to keep walking on the brave side of the line. I promise to be the man you inspired me to be. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:45:00] BALDWIN: CNN's Miguel Marquez was at today's service. And Miguel, what a hero. What stood out to you?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, it is always so difficult to attend these things because it is such a deeply, heartfelt and emotional ritual that the NYPD and law enforcement from around the area put on hundreds of police officers lining the church and streets outside the church where Luis Alvarez was remembered and his life celebrated. His sister spoke in very emotional and intimate terms talking about how her brother was their 1044 she said jokingly, in other words, their suspicious package.

Saying that in his final days, he was not in a great mood, that he was sleeping a lot, and that he came to at one point and said that he had been walking and walking and walking. When she and the nurse asked where he was walking to, he said I was walking to find first responders to see if they needed help. His family during the funeral saying that he did not have to go through the 59 chemotherapy treatments that he ended up going through, but he did because he did not want to leave his three sons without a father.

That was the sort of sense of this individual, that his entire life both while he was living and even in his death was devoted to other people. This is a person who wanted nothing more than to see the victims' compensation fund for 9/11 workers funded fully. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader of the Senate, has promised a vote this summer. He had one of his colleagues, one of his friends give his badge to Mitch McConnell as a reminder that he wanted that vote to happen this summer.

McConnell said it would happen this summer, the police commissioner during his remarks at the funeral saying that it is time to get this done. So it seems that we are well on our way to seeing that Luis Alvarez's last wish come true. Brooke.

BALDWIN: Miguel Marquez, thank you so much. Coming up next, new details about Meghan McCain's future at "The View." What CNN has just learned about why she's thinking about leaving the show. And a source telling CNN that the Biden campaign was blindsided by the massive fundraising numbers of his opponent Pete Buttigieg. The South Bend Mayor joins CNN live in just a couple minutes.

But first the sneak peek of the new CNN original series "THE MOVIES", it explores the most pivotal moments in American films through the decades. And this Sunday's premier focuses on the '80s including the classic horror film, "The Shining."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK NICHOLSON, ACTOR: Wendy, I'm home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I play this game. All your favorite filmmakers alive or dead were opening a movie on the same day, which movie would you see first? For me it would be Stanley Kubrick because you are going to see something you never saw before. And he did that, think about it, in every genre. He's going to make a horror movie it's going to be the horror movie. Done in a way that you would not expect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me, "The Shining" isn't about horror, it is about dread. From the very first frame, something grabs your solar plexus and pulls on it. Nobody uses silence like Stanley Kubrick.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD ACTOR: Ma.

ROB ZOMBIE, DIRECTOR: It was as if I had been in the Overlook Hotel for 2 1/2 hours. He creates a pacing where it overtakes the way you're breathing and the way you're existing and you're in there. In all Kubrick films, he controls you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kubrick's Steadicam in The Shining broke new ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You can watch it all this, this Sunday when "THE MOVIES" premieres Sunday night 9:00 here on CNN.

[15:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Multi-Grammy award winner Pharrell Williams has made dozens of high school grads happy in a special kind of way. I want you to watch as the music mogul spoke at the commencement ceremony for the Promise Academy which is run by the Harlem Children's Zone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHARRELL WILLIAMS, RAPPER, SINGER, SONGWRITER, PRODUCER: So let me be clear. For every member of the 2019 graduating class is guaranteed an internship waiting for them -- you -- next summer.

The world is watching Harlem, but this renaissance will be different. And believe it or not, with respect, it is going to actually be better. And the reason why is because the new Harlem renaissance has education at its core.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: One of the those cheers you just heard came from this young woman, this graduate sitting beside me, Brionna Pope is attending Syracuse University in the fall. So nice to meet you and a massive congratulations.

BRIONNA POPE, HARLEM GRAD PROMISED INTERNSHIP FROM PHARRELL WILLIAMS: Nice to meet you too.

BALDWIN: Are you pinching yourself? Pinch, I mean this is all happening.

POPE: I was pinching myself at the moment.

[15:55:00] BALDWIN: I'm sure you were. When you were sitting out there and you were listening to Pharrell, first of all, that you had Pharrell speaking at your graduation. OK. And then secondly when he was like I'm giving all of you guys and internships after your freshman year, what were you thinking at that moment?

POPE: I was surprised and shocked. At first, I was shocked that Pharrell actually came and then when I was recording his speech, when he said that, I was like --

BALDWIN: You were sitting there with your phone.

POPE: Yes.

BALDWIN: Did you do like a -- what?

POPE: I recorded and then I flipped the camera on to me and my friend like what? Did he just say that?

BALDWIN: Do you know what the internship will entail? I mean --

POPE: No, he really just said, you get a list of A-list internships that will be ready for you next year. And we'll let you know after a while.

BALDWIN: Just a mega music industry mogul, so I think you are pretty set whatever magic he has in store for you. You come from a single- parent household, you're one of so many kids each and every year who needs to work, make money, school, books, the whole thing. What will this internship mean for you on a really personal level?

POPE: It will mean a lot. It will mean that I could pursue my dreams without settling for less because I know that I want to pursue animation.

BALDWIN: Animation.

POPE: And if I could look at a company like Dream Works, Pixar --

BALDWIN: Dream Works, Pixar -- if anyone is listening. We have a promising young woman right here. Why are you into that?

POPE: Because it's sort of like my dad, me and my dad's situation. We love to draw anime and stuff like that. Like after you pass, I promised myself that I would like keep --

BALDWIN: Keep it alive.

POPE: Yes.

BALDWIN: Can we give some love to the Harlem Children's Zone. I mean I read -- I've never met the man himself, Jeffrey Canada but this was his brainchild, right, and so they run Promise Academy's two high schools where you attended. What does Harlem's Children's Zone mean for you?

POPE: Harlem Children's Zone means family, love. Actually, one of their quotes is army of love.

BALDWIN: What does that mean?

POPE: It means that basically, is that education, they pay for things in your life like braces, dental care, eyeglass care, and if something is going on, they'll check up on you. Like at my dad's funeral they sent a bouquet of flowers and they took me off -- like the deans take care of you and teachers like that. It's like past education and what the expectations are. They care for you on a personal level.

BALDWIN: It's incredible. Just last question, if you had a minute with Pharrell, what would you say?

POPE: I would say thank you. I'm not going let you down. And you're a cool dude.

BALDWIN: You're a cool dude.

POPE: Yes.

BALDWIN: Brionna Pope. Good luck.

POPE: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Good luck. Just into CNN, CNN is learning some details about the in-fighting at ABC's "The View." Meghan McCain is apparently quote, miserable at ABC and believes her colleagues are sabotaging her. So CNN business senior media reporter Oliver Darcy is with me now. I mean we've seen some of the reports, but how serious is this?

OLIVER DARCY, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: This seems serious. It seems that Meghan's future at "The View" is uncertain at the moment. People that Brian Stelter that I talked to described her as miserable, she feels like her colleagues are not standing up for her, and she's really concerned apparently about a parade of leaks that she views as aimed at damaging to her.

You've seen a lot of stories in "The Daily Mail" for instance that portray her behind the scenes and she's not happy with the stories and she thinks that ABC is not doing enough to stand up for her. Now on the other end, ABC and a television executive I spoke with say that they've done quite a bit to stand up for her, that they've gone above and beyond what they need to do to stand up for her, and they keep giving her everything she wants -- or not that she wants but they could do for her.

That said, she's not very happy with the treatment she's got from her colleagues, and she is at the moment seriously considering leaving the show.

BALDWIN: Seriously considering leaving the show. And can you just also speak to -- I mean it really has struck me this cycle as all of the folks who are coming out and running for President. I mean it is like "The View" has become this required stop on the trail and their announcement.

DARCY: Yes. It's become one of the shows that people do watch to see these politicians go on, to see them -- people ask questions that are asked about the candidates that aren't asked sometimes in other forums, and so it is an important show in the political dynamic we have now. I should note that ABC did say to us when we asked them about the reports and what people are saying about Meghan possibly leaving the show, they did say to us that they do expect everyone to come back, and expect obviously an interesting word, it seems to imply that maybe things aren't quite in stone at the moment.

BALDWIN: OK. Oliver Darcy, thank you very much for the update with Meghan McCain and "The View". And before I let you go, check out this, Brionna. Are you afraid of sharks? Yes, I'm afraid of sharks too.

I dare you to try to look at these photos without hearing "Jaws" anyone? "Jaws" playing, you had a Florida man was flying his drone when he spotted the dark outline of a shark swimming close to a group of people. Including his three kids. Dan Wilson is the dad who took the photos. This is New Smyrna Beach, the same spot where an 18-year- old surfer was bitten by a shark last weekend.

Watson says he noticed the shark seconds after he got his drone up in the air and was able to raise the alarm in time for everyone to run to the shore safely. So there you have it. Sharks there in Florida. And the guy actually captures it on his drone with his own family members in the water. All right. Happy Fourth of July, everyone, just about.

I'll be back here tomorrow. I hope you join me. I'm back here in New York. Let's go to Washington, "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

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