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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

North California Lawmakers About To Vote On Overriding Veto Of Restrictive New Abortion Bill; New Air Raid Sirens Across Ukraine Following Strikes Targeting Kyiv And American Patriot Missile Systems; Intruder Entered Biden National Security Adviser's Home. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired May 16, 2023 - 20:00   ET

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


MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Ten long years, and guess when it happened? When those kids were little.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: It is amazing, right? It is very remarkable to hear their willingness to talk about that now, to talk so openly and you know, take the risk in doing that, the vulnerability, knowing that it would connect with so many.

Thanks so much for joining us. AC 360 begins now.

[20:00:20]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Good evening.

Tonight, we are seeing the latest frontline in the battle over abortion in America in North Carolina. We're waiting right now for Republican lawmakers in that state to reaffirm a new abortion bill that the state's Democratic governor, Roy Cooper said last night in this broadcast would turn the clock back 50 years for women.

He vetoed the Republican passed measure, which bans most abortion after 12 weeks and imposes other limitations making it harder to get even before that 12-week period.

This afternoon, the State Senate overrode his veto, so now, we're waiting to hear from the House where this all could hinge on a single vote.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is in Raleigh for us tonight.

So where does the effort to override the governor's veto stand now?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, as we speak at this moment, the North Carolina State House is currently debating over this bill, Senate Bill 20, and whether or not they will override that veto.

A little bit earlier today, after about an hour of debate in the Senate, they chose and pass that veto override on a party line 30 to 20 vote. That was the first part of this two-part process. Now, this is when it gets a little bit tricky here because it's a

numbers game. So in order to override the veto in the House, after this particular debate that is happening right now, they need to have three-fifths of the voting and present members there.

Now, if all Republicans and all Democrats are there, Republicans do have enough members if they all vote to override, but that is the key. They have such a narrow supermajority that if one member chooses to defect or chooses not to vote, then the veto override fails and this bill does not become law. If all Republicans vote together tonight, then this bill will be law.

Anderson, we expect the vote to take place sometime in the next hour or so as debate continues there on the floor.

COOPER: When I spoke to the governor last night on the program, there were a couple of lawmakers that he was sort of focusing his hopes on as maybe switching their votes or just not showing up to vote or not choosing to vote.

GALLAGHER: That's right. So, since this bill was first really introduced, and that was exactly two weeks ago tonight, it passed through both chambers in just 48 hours. We are talking about jamming this through the system, rapid warp speed here that we are operating. It has since been vetoed.

And after and leading up to the governor's veto, he was sort of crisscrossing the state trying to court constituents of these four Republican lawmakers leaning back on past comments they had made about abortion access.

Now, two of those lawmakers spoke out against the governor's sort of pressure campaign saying they didn't feel their past statements had conflicted with the current way this law is written.

One of those lawmakers, Senator Michael Lee did vote to override the veto in the Senate, but the other three members are in the House.

Now, Representative John Bradford has said that he thinks that the governor is wrong, but those other two members, Senate, excuse me, Representative Tricia Cotham and Representative Ted Davis have been quiet about this.

Ted Davis did not vote for the bill when it came up roughly two weeks ago in the House. He was absent. Trisha Cotham did vote for it. However, she, you probably remember infamously switched parties last month and when she ran as a Democrat, she ran on a pro-abortion access platform, so much so that she actually introduced, helped introduce a bill that would have codified Roe versus Wade into law in North Carolina. This session just a few months ago, Anderson, we will see how she votes tonight on this veto override.

COOPER: All right, we will be watching that. Dianne Gallagher, appreciate it. Thank you.

We'll continue to monitor what is going on in North Carolina throughout the hour. We will come back to Dianne to cover what's happening with that vote.

Coming up next, right now, Ukraine air raid sirens sounding once again tonight in Kyiv and across the country. This follows a Russian missile barrage targeting the capital and American made Patriot air defense systems.

Now, we're going to have the latest on that from our Sam Kiley and retired Army four-star General Wesley Clark in just a moment, but we've just gotten some new footage from Bakhmut in the east of Ukraine, the town that has seen that intense fighting, sometimes block by block, house by house.

We don't know much about who shot this video. You're going to hear a voice yelling that sounds British, but the video is important. It gives you a sense of what it's like fighting street to street or what the sounds are like in Bakhmut.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

[20:05:10]

COOPER: Intense fighting there. The soldiers eye view of a battle for a city that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, as well as a potential focal point for the next phase of the war.

CNN's Sam Kiley is in Ukraine for us tonight. He joins us now.

Sam, I know you've just seen that video we played as well. Based on what your sources are telling you, is that what is happening all around Bakhmut right now, or what does it look like?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've been speaking to members of the International Legion who have soldiers fighting in Bakhmut and they do describe it being exactly like that.

Now, coincidentally, that voice you can hear there is to my ear undoubtedly, English -- southern English, probably Essex or East London. So it does narrow down the type of person who is fighting there in terms of where they may come from. But clearly, it is very intense.

Now, that fighting is brutal, it is daily and they also tell me that they are frequently trying to get the Russians to invest into houses which have already been pre-booby trapped so that they can blow them up over the -- on top of the Russians' heads.

A really, really ghastly brutal campaign in stark contrast, almost antiseptic campaign going on in the air with a series now of very intensive air bombardments over Kyiv, culminating last night in very concentrated focused air bombardment. This is how it unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KILEY (voice over)" A new Russian tactic in the air assault against Kyiv, concentrated fire by missiles and drones, testing Ukraine's air defenses probing for weaknesses. Ukraine says it shot down 18 missiles, including six Kinzhal, Russia's

hypersonic weapon. It was once considered invulnerable to air defenses. Now, not so much.

YURII IHNAT, UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE COMMAND SPOKESMAN (through translator): Six of these missiles were fired in the direction of the capital. They were all destroyed by our air defense.

KILEY (voice over): Russia has been trying to overwhelm Ukraine with air attacks for months. The results though have been more pledges of air defenses from the US and especially the UK and now even Germany after months of holding back.

On the ground, the conflict grinds on in Bakhmut.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: Into the shelter. Mortar attacks from the western side.

KILEY (voice over): Wagner mercenary leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin releasing a new video purporting to show him in the city. He demonstrates uncharacteristic sympathy for an alleged American volunteer killed fighting for Ukraine.

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, WAGNER GROUP (through translator): We will hand him over to the United States of America. We will put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa, but he died at war and most likely a worthy death.

KILEY (voice over): "The Washington Post" has reported that US intelligence documents suggest that he tried to trade Russian intelligence for ceding territory around Bakhmut. Prigozhin denies the claims, Russia has said that the allegations Prigozhin offered to spy for Ukraine are a hoax.

But in the Kremlin, they might one day be considered treason, making this town perhaps a safer place than Moscow for Russia's top mercenary.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: And Sam, it is obviously remarkable if Ukraine really was able to shoot down all those Russian hypersonic missiles. Overall, how the Ukrainian Air Defense System has been faring against this latest onslaught?

KILEY: Well, first of all, the Russians claimed that they weren't firing that many hypersonic missiles and so the Ukrainians couldn't have shot them down. They were also saying that they destroyed one of the Patriot batteries and the US officials have admitted that one of the Patriot batteries was indeed damaged, but not destroyed.

So they have been vulnerable. They are the primary target, I think for many of these airstrikes, at least in the initial phases. But the contribution being made by the United States and a lot of other NATO allies, they are not just Patriot missiles, they are one of the important batteries, but there are almost dozens of different types of air defenses now operating across Ukraine that have been given by other nations that make an absolutely vital difference in this war, preventing the Russians from overwhelming the airspace and controlling it.

[20:10:30]

And that is something that from day one, the Russians were assumed that they would be able to do and now more than a year into the war, they most certainly can't, at least not yet -- Anderson.

COOPER: Sam Kiley, appreciate it. Thanks. Be careful.

Throughout the war, we've turned to retired Army four-star General Wesley Clark for insight. In addition to being a CNN military analyst, he is also a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander.

General Clark, you've seen the news out of Ukraine, what does it say to you about the effectiveness of the Patriot systems versus Russia's hypersonic missiles? Because I mean, they had been touted as being nearly impossible to intercept.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, that's what Mr. Putin said, but it turns out that the Patriot can intercept a hypersonic missile. After all, a Patriot was designed to intercept ballistic missiles that were incoming and so they're moving at much more than three or four times the speed of sound.

So the Patriot has the radar, the guidance system and the energy and the missile to be able to strike an incoming hypersonic missile.

COOPER: Do you know how large Russia's supply of these hypersonic missiles is? I mean, can it afford to keep using them in waves of attack?

CLARK: I think, it is really a logistics issue for both sides. The question is, how many Patriot missiles can Ukraine afford to fire? And as I look at it, Anderson, it is the sort of strategic calculus by the Russians to try to exhaust the Ukrainians' air defense missiles, prior to the time that Ukraine launches its main attack so that Russia can deploy its tactical aircraft and an air-to-ground roll against the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

COOPER: We saw the founder of the Wagner Group claim that an American fighter had been killed in Bakhmut. Do you think Russia has made a mistake focusing so much of its forces on Bakhmut? I mean, not only the Wagner Group, but Russia's main army as well?

CLARK: Well, it certainly seems to me like a mistake. We may never know why they did it. But it seems that it has become a symbolic objective, and the Russian High Command has obviously told its generals take Bakhmut, don't care what it costs, just get it.

And so they've thrown countless assaults in there. They've taken a lot of losses, and now, they are vulnerable to being actually encircled by the Ukrainians. And this would be a huge symbolic defeat for Russia, it might open the way to a surprise offensive that goes right through Bakhmut by the Ukrainians at the heart of the Russian positions.

COOPER: What do you think a Ukrainian offensive will hope to accomplish?

CLARK: Ideally, the Ukrainians are going to get offensive going in the south toward Crimea. But we have to be prepared to be surprised. There is going to be more than one axis of attack.

There may be one on the north, one in the east toward Bakhmut or sorry, Donetsk, and then one on the south, perhaps, Melitopol or maybe they'll go across Dnipro near Kherson. We don't really know and they're probably -- they have multiple options at this stage.

So Anderson, the counteroffensive probably underway right now. We're just not seeing it, and they are doing reconnaissance in force. They're attacking the logistics backbone of the Russians. They're trying to be able to prevent the redeployment of Russian forces by selective strikes.

We are seeing just the beginning of that with the Storm Shadow missiles that the UK has provided. So it looks to me like the opening stage of four months of counteroffensive

COOPER: General Wesley Clark, appreciate your time. Thank you.

CLARK: Thank you very much.

COOPER: Next tonight, a serious security breach involving an intruder getting into and out of the home of President Biden's national security adviser, somehow without the Secret Service agents on his round-the-clock detail even noticing. A former agent joins us next.

Also tonight, the very latest on talks to head off a possible financial calamity over the debt ceiling with former Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers helping us understand, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:18:10]

COOPER: This time last night, we were talking about the attack on two staffers at Virginia congressman, Gerry Connelly's office. Today we learned that last month, someone got into the home of national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, who receives a round-the-clock Secret Service protection. Somehow in the middle of the night, an intruder still managed to get inside his house. Jake Sullivan confronted the person, the man left also apparently without being detected by his security detail.

CNN's Evan Perez joins us now with the latest.

Evan, how did this happen?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's what the Secret Service is now investigating, Anderson. Obviously it's a very scary situation for Jake Sullivan. This happened during the weekend of the White House Correspondents' Dinner in late April. He confronted this person inside his home. Luckily, nobody was hurt. There was no threat made. He and his family were safe.

But the fact is that this intruder got into the house, despite the fact that he has a security detail, a Secret Service security detail posted outside of the home. And not only was the person not seen going in, he was not seen going out either -- Anderson.

COOPER: What is the Secret Service saying?

PEREZ: They say they take this very seriously and they are doing an investigation. I'll read you just a part of the statement that was issued today. It says that: "Modifications to the protective posture have also been made to ensure additional security layers are in place as we conduct this comprehensive review."

That signals, Anderson that they're going to take a look at the people who were there that night, that if they need additional training, if they need discipline -- disciplinary action, those things are also being looked at.

COOPER: And is it clear who this person is? I mean, I assume there's some video somewhere of this person.

PEREZ: Well, you know, it appears that Jake Sullivan knows this person or at least recognized what happened here. Somebody who was perhaps intoxicated and went to the wrong house.

[20:20:03]

But the problem is that nobody was arrested. The person was able to leave the premises or leave the home without being discussed or being talked to, rather by the security details.

So there has been no arrest, there is not going to be any prosecution because it appears, at least from what the incident was reported, it was just a mistaken identity or a mistaken home rather, that this person went into.

COOPER: But Jake Sullivan knows who the person is?

PEREZ: Well, it's not clear if he knows who it is. What we know is --

COOPER: He thought the person was -- he just thought.

PEREZ: He saw the person -- right, exactly. And he recognized that this person obviously did not belong there.

COOPER: Got it. Okay, Evan Perez, appreciate it.

Perspective now from CNN law enforcement analyst and former Secret Service agent, Jonathan Wackrow.

Obviously, this is not great for the agents involved in this. How does this happen?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, that's the underlying question here, right, and that's why the Secret Service needs to do this investigation, what they're calling a Mission Assurance Investigation, and that is looking at every single policy and procedure that's applied to protection, not just around National Security Adviser Sullivan, but across the entire enterprise of the Secret Service, ensuring that the mission of the Secret Service isn't tainted, that there are no issues.

They want to make sure that this is an isolated incident, that these two agents did not follow protocol, and reassure basically the public that the Secret Service is not facing systemic problems.

I mean, the real big issue that I see here is that these were not new agents. These are seasoned veteran agents. They are the best of the best. They are there on the President's detail. So while they were detailed to NSA Sullivan that evening, they are a member of Biden's team. So they could be at any time be protecting the president.

So this is why the Secret Service is undertaking this process to isolate was there a problem with just these agents and restore credibility back into the service.

COOPER: I mean, if -- so according to, you know, evidence reporting, Sullivan told the investigators that he believed the intruder was intoxicated, if that's the case, the idea that -- I mean, this wasn't like some ninja coming in. This was, you know, a drunk person.

WACKROW: We think.

COOPER: We think, but we don't know, but even that doesn't speak well of the agents.

WACKROW: No.

COOPER: If some drunk person is able to kind of flail around the home.

WACKROW: It is almost worse.

COOPER: Yes.

WACKROW: Right. If there was someone stumbling drunk around the neighborhood, and he got into the backyard, he got in through an unlocked door, you got into the residence, and then you went face-to- face with your protectee, that's about as bad as it gets.

There will be repercussions for this. The director will hold agents accountable if they failed in their mission. And I think that's what's really important for the director of the Secret Service right now, is transparency and accountability in this issue, make sure that the investigation moves forward and in a very open manner.

COOPER: They would obviously have had cameras. I mean, if they have agents on detail on a property, I assume they have also security cameras setup. WACKROW: I don't want to get too far into what the security protocols

are, but we live in an environment where there are cameras everywhere and so, that has got to be part of the investigation, which is one, how did this happen? And then how do you prevent it from ever happening again?

COOPER: The Secret Service, you know, that we had -- there was the incident at the Pelosi house in San Francisco, which was not -- the Secret Service were not responsible for, for protection there. But I mean, are there lessons learned from -- the federal agencies have learned from that attack, do you think?

WACKROW: Well, the lessons are usually set by the Secret Service and again, they're the best in the world at protection and they apply a protective methodology, unlike anybody else, whether it's part of the advanced process or the day-to-day physical activity of protection.

They have to understand what failed in this moment? Why were these agents at the house unaware that there was somebody on the property? It's a threat. We have to call it what it is.

It wasn't just a person stumbling around the neighborhood drunk. That is a potential threat that needs to be addressed immediately, because this could have gone a whole different direction.

COOPER: Jonathan Wackrow, appreciate it. Thanks so much.

Still ahead, we are checking in on the status -- excuse me, we're checking on the status of debt ceiling negotiations after both parties met at the White House today.

And then, former Treasury secretary, Larry Summers joins us to explain just what could happen to jobs or bank accounts or livelihoods should the US default on its debts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:28:24]

COOPER: Both President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy called today's debt ceiling negotiations at the White House "productive." If the two sides don't reach agreement on raising the amount of money that the country is allowed to borrow, the US could default on its debts as soon as June 1st.

The months' long process has led to obviously a lot of back and forth between the two parties. One Republican congressman, Ken Buck told CNN today that a brief default would not be in his words, the end of the world.

Most economists and Wall Street analysts are not so optimistic about that. Former Treasury secretary, Larry Summers joins me now.

Secretary Summers, I appreciate you joining us.

Congressman Buck tells us he didn't think it's the end of the world if the US briefly defaults, what would happen? What would be the repercussions for most Americans?

LAWRENCE SUMMERS, FORMER US TREASURY SECRETARY: This is not an experiment we want to do. It could mean that people don't get their Social Security checks and for a lot of people who are living hand-to- mouth. It could mean that we have people fighting in dangerous environments overseas, who don't get their pay on time. And at a time when we've still got people in the military on food stamps, that's got to be a serious thing.

We've already seen the spread on US bonds, the interest rate that the United States has to pay to borrow go up and that means higher taxes for all of us.

And it's got to affect our standing as a serious country in the world if people are wondering whether the United States is going to pay its debts.

So, it's an experiment but it is one of those experiments like taking a wander with your eyes closed in traffic that might turn out okay if you do it, but why would you want to try that kind of experiment?

[20:30:10]

COOPER: Are there economic consequences for coming close to a debt default? I mean, if we don't ultimately breach the debt limit?

SUMMERS: I mean, we still have a lower credit rating as a country because we came close to the debt limit and default in the 2011 period. We got downgraded, and we haven't been upgraded since. The debt that the government's issuing right now, some of it has higher interest rate than it otherwise would. Now, it's not that the interest rate is far higher.

On the other hand, when you have $30 trillion of debt, you don't really have to have much higher an interest rate for it to be pretty expensive. And look, there's another cost to all of this. Our country's got profound problems, profound challenges, whether it's what to do about Ukraine or it's how to take advantage and make it a success, the tremendous opportunity associated with artificial intelligence.

But instead, we have our policymakers all focused on just how a dance is going to play out, the conclusion of which is that the United States is going to pay its debt sooner or later. So I just think this is a foolish exercise. I hope it ends as soon as it possibly can.

COOPER: I mean, you look at the stock market, where a lot of Americans obviously have the 401(k) retirement savings tied up. There already seems to be skittishness about a default.

SUMMERS: Yes, I mean, during the period when the default was being debated in 2011, the stock market went down by a little more than 15 percent. Today, that would be in the range of $6 trillion. That's $20,000 for every American almost in wealth that at least for a time, would be destroyed. Not in part it's because of the details of what's happening with the debt, but in part because it makes people doubt our society, makes people doubt our government.

So the right thing to do is to move on with this. And look, the people who say we've got real fiscal issues in our country, they're right. But just because you've got some issue with me and you're right about your issue doesn't mean you get to hold me hostage or kidnap one of my children. And it's not really right to be kidnapping and hijacking the financial credibility of the United States to make a point about the deficit and fiscal policies.

COOPER: You said at an investor conference, I think was the end of April, that you thought the odds of a default associated with debt limit legislation over the next few months were low, about 2 percent to 3 percent if it happens to be repaired fairly quickly. I mean, or do you still think it's fairly -- it's low like that?

SUMMERS: You know, because we haven't dealt with it since that time, I think the odds are probably a little higher than that, but I think the very high likelihood is that we will not have a default on government debt in the sense that the people who are owed interest will get it. People who are owed their principal back will get it, and they'll get it on time.

Will there be some other disruptions to the government's financial affairs? I think probably not, but that's a little more likely.

COOPER: Secretary Summers, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

SUMMERS: Thank you.

COOPER: Coming up next, some potential good news on Alzheimer's. Some startling new research into Alzheimer's disease that could help scientists searching for ways to better prevent it and treat it.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:38:15]

COOPER: It's rare to get some good news related to Alzheimer's, but researchers now say they've uncovered what may be an important clue that could one day lead to better prevention and treatment. Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating form of dementia that currently affects more than 6 million U.S. adults. The CDC projects it could affect as many as 14 million Americans decades from now.

Our Chief Medical Analyst, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now. So, Sanjay, researchers were tracking a man in Colombia, from what I've read, who had a bad family history of early onset Alzheimer's. He didn't get it like most of his family did, and they discovered something in his genes. Is that right?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So this is a very well-known study in Colombia. It's been going on some 40 years. There's a family, an extended family, an extended family, some 6,000 people. And what they found is that there's this one mutation, it's called PSEN-1, presenilin 1.

If you have this mutation, you have almost 100 percent guarantee you're going to get Alzheimer's disease. So that's made this particular family very important to study. Now, what they have found is that a couple of times now, the second time it's happened, that despite having that mutation, which again, almost guarantees you're going to get Alzheimer's, there's been a couple of people who still haven't gotten it or they got it much later than otherwise expected.

And that's made them, you know, interesting to study. They're trying to figure out what's protecting them, what's making them resilient to Alzheimer's. And is there something that we can all learn from that?

COOPER: Right, because many members of this family get it like in their 40s.

GUPTA: Yes.

COOPER: This guy, I think, didn't get it until like late 60s or something or -- if I'm correct. What exactly have researchers learned about the gene change and how it helped this man live longer?

GUPTA: Yes. So first of all, you're absolutely right. Most people not only got it, again, almost 100 percent got it, but they got it in their 40s or 50s. So they developed really early onset symptoms.

[20:40:04]

This man that we're talking about, he was diagnosed officially with mild dementia, 72 years old. And then it progressed pretty rapidly. But that was, you know, a few decades after when other people with this mutation had it. What they found -- this was again part of a large study.

His brain was examined after he died, and they found evidence of another gene mutation, which was producing a particular protein that was located right here -- I'm going to show you on this model here -- right in this area of the brain. Right in an area of the brain that is responsible for memory, but also responsible for smell. It's called the entorhinal cortex.

You don't need to remember that. But what is so interesting here, Anderson, is that his brain still had a lot of amyloid plaque and tangles of tau in the brain. It was just this one area in here that was protected with this additional protein. Now, again, these are early studies. This is one case. But there could be something really important in there in terms of that protein and how it's protective of the brain.

And the sister of the man in the study also shared that same protective protein, right? And it helped her, but didn't help her as much. Her family says she began experiencing, I think, cognitive declines in her late 50s.

GUPTA: Right. So she, again, was probably a decade later than other people who had this particular gene. It's interesting. We're not sure why there's such a gender difference when it comes to Alzheimer's. About two-thirds of people who have Alzheimer's disease are women. One-third are men.

Is there a different biological process that's happening? Are women diagnosed earlier than men for some reason? They don't know. But again, the protein in this case was helpful, not as helpful. And that's going to be another important clue.

COOPER: Is it likely new therapies will be developed from the study? And how does this compare to other Alzheimer's treatments like lecanemab and the other one that's come out which --

GUPTA: Yes.

COOPER: -- do -- can eliminate plaque?

GUPTA: First of all, I got to tell you, I think this is a pretty big deal. I got a lot of calls from people about this today. I think there's a lot of excitement. It's very early. But I think, as one researcher put it, putting more of this protein in the brain in some way could be protective against the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Again, very, very early, but there could be therapies. But I think one of the most interesting findings, though, is a second point that you're making. So many of the therapies over the last couple of decades have focused on eliminating or reducing the amount of amyloid plaque in the brain. It's part of the amyloid hypothesis.

With this particular brain, this person's brain, who was pretty protected against a guaranteed diagnosis of early Alzheimer's, he still had a lot of amyloid plaque in his brain. He still had a lot of tau tangles in his brain, so more than anything, it may send a signal. Hey, look, maybe we shouldn't focus as much on those treatments as some have already suggested, but instead focus on treatments like this one --

COOPER: OK.

GUPTA: -- that could protect the brain.

COOPER: Yes. Sanjay, I appreciate it. Thank you.

GUPTA: Got it.

COOPER: I want to go back to our lead story tonight. Members of the North Carolina House have just voted on whether to override the governor's veto of a bill to restrict abortion access to the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is in the rally where the results are in. What's going on?

GALLAGHER: Yes, Anderson, you can see behind me, people who oppose this veto override are chanting shame after the North Carolina House just voted along party lines to override the veto that the governor signed on Saturday of this 12-week abortion ban, with exception. There's a lot more in this bill, and that's something that Democrats continue to try and push through over the past two weeks since this of course was introduced. I just want you to kind of see behind me all of these different people who showed up here to watch this particular vote.

If you remember, Anderson, and I'm sorry if you can't hear me very well, but if you do remember me, you can -- we talked about those four lawmakers, and then the governor talked about these members of the House, both of those House members that we had been watching, Representative Ted Davis and Representative Tricia Cotham did vote tonight to override that veto.

Republicans have the slimmest of a supermajority. They needed all 72 of their GOP members to override this veto. There were questions leading into the debate tonight, but in the end, Republicans in both the House and the Senate in North Carolina did vote to override the governor's veto. That means that many aspects of this bill will go into effect on July 1 here in North Carolina.

There was a lot of talk about bringing that deadline, that limit for abortion in North Carolina from 20 weeks to 12 weeks, with those exceptions for rape and incest and victims, and also some fetal anomalies with time limits on that. But there were also multiple other parts of this bill, Anderson, including parts that add new paperwork, new regulations, new stipulations and reporting requirements that opponents medical associations here in North Carolina say will make it difficult for some people to obtain abortions, even in that 12-week period.

[20:45:12]

Democrats have no recourse. At this point, it will be now officially law.

COOPER: Yes. Dianne Gallagher, appreciate the update. Thank you.

Still ahead, protests in San Francisco after a security guard shot and killed the suspected shoplifter at a Walgreens. Now the city's district attorney's office has released surveillance video showing the deadly incident. We'll have the latest on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: The San Francisco District Attorney's office has announced it'll not press criminal charges against a security guard who shot and killed a suspected shoplifter at a Walgreens. Its report said the guard acted in self-defense. The D.A.'s office also released surveillance videos showing the moments leading up to the shooting. Banko Brown was accused of shoplifting at the store last month.

According to a report from the D.A.'s office, the guard shot Brown tried -- or said that Brown tried to stab him, I should say, before the shooting. Police didn't find a knife in Brown's possession. The incident led to protests in San Francisco.

CNN's Kyung Lah has more.

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[20:50:02]

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The surveillance video is silent, but this clash at a Walgreens speaks volumes about the struggles in San Francisco. The person in white is homeless named Banko Brown and is accused of shoplifting.

RAMSEY ROBINSON, PARTY FOR SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION: Banko was murdered because of his crime of being hungry. We know that Banko Brown was murdered because for the crime of being homeless.

LAH (voice-over): The other person dressed in black is security guard Michael Anthony. Brown is a transgender man, but Anthony describes him as a woman in a police interview.

MICHAEL ANTHONY, WALGREENS SECURITY GUARD: The whole time we were wrestling, she was saying that she was going to stab me. And that's what really put the fear in my heart.

LAH (voice-over): That stabbing threat was repeated multiple times, says Anthony. And that's when he pulled out his gun, pointing it downwards.

ANTHONY: So by that reaction, by her turning around and advanced towards me, that's when I lifted it and then shot once.

LAH (voice-over): It was a fatal shot. Police would find Brown was unarmed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say his name.

ALL: Banko Brown.

LAH (voice-over): While protesters see a crime and Banko Brown's family attorney pledges a civil lawsuit.

JOHN BURRIS, ATTORNEY FOR BANKO BROWN'S FAMILY: What you do see is this officer being the aggressive person throughout. So that to me means there was no justification for the shooting.

LAH (voice-over): San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins declined to file charges against the security guard, saying the security guard's fear of being hurt was reasonable.

BROOKE JENKINS, SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: And in this case, we had to decide whether or not we had the sufficient evidence to prove this case to 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt. It was our conclusion that we did not have such evidence and that is why we have arrived at this decision at this time.

LAURANCE LEE, SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENT: Basically, a crucible of so many things at the same time, right? That store has seen so much theft. That store is in the middle of downtown where so many retail places are leaving.

LAH (voice-over): Laurance Lee is a lifelong San Francisco resident and small business owner. He points out this is the same neighborhood where Whole Foods close due to crime and the concentration of homelessness. While citywide data does show crime is lower now as compared to before the pandemic.

Lee says low level crime remains persistent and unavoidable for city residents.

LEE: I walked around in downtown and shopped and not felt saved and watched people do things that I would never do in terms of, you know, casually pulling stuff off the shelf. I can feel for so many different sides, and to have it happen then to have it happen to the extent of actually someone losing a life is, man, it just breaks my heart.

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LAH: The District Attorney's decision here to not charge may not be the final word on this, Anderson. The President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors tonight introduced a resolution urging a vote next week to see if the California Attorney General as well as the Department of Justice will step in this case, Anderson?

COOPER: Kyung Lah, I appreciate it.

Quick programming note, tonight on CNN Primetime, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt joined Sara Sidner as AI executives warn Congress the new technology is dangerous. That's at the top of the hour. Make sure to stick around for that.

Next for us, it was one of the most daring robberies Germany has ever seen. More than $100 million worth of jewels stolen from a museum. Today, a German court has finally convicted some of those involved. But the question is, where are the most valuable jewels? They haven't been found. Details next.

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COOPER: Tonight, five men have been convicted for taking part in a massive jewel heist more than three years ago in Germany. The man broke into the Green Vault museum in Dresden and stole $123 million worth of jewels. They were part of a well-known Berlin crime family. But some of the most valuable items are still missing. And others who took part in the robbery are going free until their sentences begin.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It's one of the most brazen heists in modern history. Robbers shattering glass cases with hammers and making off with tens of millions worth of museum artifacts in Dresden, Germany in 2019. I don't need to tell you how shocked we are also about the brutality of this break in, the museum's director said at the time. This is of invaluable art, historic and culture historic value. The gangsters first started a fire, causing a power outage in the Green Vault museum.

Then they broke in and stole 21 pieces of historic jewelry, some of the most valuable in the world, studded with more than 4,300 diamonds. The total insurance value of the loot around $130 million.

Five of the six suspects, all members of an infamous Berlin mobster clan, have now been convicted by a German court. One defendant was acquitted. The sentences range from four years and four months to a little over six years. However, some are walking free after a plea bargain with the prosecution, causing angry reaction throughout the country.

Three of the main offenders among the adults have been released today, the presiding judge said. But where are the jewels? While the robbers did tell investigators where some of the stolen artifacts were located, helping divers to retrieve them from a canal in Berlin, the most valuable pieces are still missing without a trace. The now convicts claim not to know where they are.

This means that the state of Saxony can and must claim its damages within the framework of civil lawsuits, the presiding judge said. State authorities are offering a reward of up to half a million euros for clues helping to find the missing historic jewelry. But they acknowledge some of the pieces might never be found because they've been broken into pieces.

All this as those now convicted of stealing the artifacts walked out of the courtroom and drove off, allowed to serve their sentences at a later time.

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PLEITGEN: And you know, Anderson, one of the pieces that's still missing is a very rare diamond known as the White Saxon. All this as the police in that area as the police in that area have now come out and said they're actually searching for another possible suspect whom they believe may have aided the group in the heist. Anderson?

COOPER: Fred Pleitgen, appreciate it.

The news continues. CNN Primetime with Sara Sidner starts now.