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Harry Belafonte Dies at 96; Biden Officially Launches Re- Election Campaign; U.S Deploys Two Warships Towards Port Sudan. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired April 25, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We do have breaking news. We've just learned that famous singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte has died, a legend in so many ways. He was 96. CNN's Stephanie Elam has a look at his life and legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The banana boat song Day-O put Harlem-born Harry Belafonte on the map. The son of Caribbean immigrants worked hard to pull himself out of poverty through music and education.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I and my brothers and sisters were the first to be educated.

ELAM: Belafonte's humble and sometimes rough beginnings in New York City helped shaped the man who later would have a major impact on American music and drama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to school here, drama school. My classmates were (INAUDIBLE), Sidney Poitier, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur.

ELAM: Belafonte burst on to the entertainment scene in the early 1950s. He was dubbed the king of calypso because of the Jamaican folk music he made popular. At around the same time, he won rave reviews for his role in the first movie, Carmen Jones. It was one of the first films with an all-black cast to garner box office success.

The man with the uniquely husky voices went on to make more than 40 albums, including original recordings and compilations, and starred in more than ten movies spanning more than five decades. Belafonte won several Grammy Awards for his records in the early 1960s and was one of the first black performers to win a Tony Award for the Broadway hit John Murray Anderson's Almanac.

In his later years, his big screen projects dealt with the larger societal issues of race and class, like 1955's White Man Burden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It kind of just grew up and it got away from me.

ELAM: Although Belafonte's career kept him busy, he always made time for his family. He was the father of four children from two marriages. His daughter, Shari Belafonte, followed in his footsteps to become an actress in her own right.

Although his music and movies gained him fame, Belafonte also made his mark as a political activist. In the '60s, he stood up for civil rights blacks in America and stood side-by-side with the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, both later assassinated. Two decades later, he turned his attention to the poor and powerless abroad, especially in Africa.

In 1985, Belafonte initiated the U.S. for Africa recording of We Are the World, with some of the most famous entertainers. The song raised over $63 million for African relief. And for his humanitarianism, the artist received numerous awards from the Kennedy Center, the ACLU, the American National Medal of the Arts and the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award.

Later in life, Belafonte further sealed his legacy starting his own foundation, SANKOFA, focused on social justice. In the documentary, Harry Belafonte sing your song, he come contemplated his life of accomplishment and the work that lay ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I try to envision playing out the rest of my life almost exclusively devoted to reflection. But there's just too much in the world to be done.

Social activism, things that I believe in politically. And although I took a lot of heat for what I did again, I will take the heat for some of the things that I say and do. But if history is any measure, then I probably would wind up on the right side of the equation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: And our thanks to Stephanie Elam for that report. When you read the history of the civil rights movement, it is amazing how much of it took place in Harry Belafonte's New York City apartment. And we're going to have much more on his life ahead in the show. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. Other headline that we are watching this morning and at this hour is President Biden. President Biden says he wants to finish the job. And to do that, he is now officially asking the American people for their vote and support once again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: It has been the work of my first term to fight for democracy.

There should not be a revolution.

To protect our rights, to make sure that everyone in this country is treated equally and that everyone is given a fair shot at making it.

But around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take on those bedrock freedoms, cutting social security that you have paid for your entire life while cutting taxes for the very wealthy, dictating what that health care decisions women can make, banning books and telling people who they can love, all while making it more difficult for you to be able to vote.

[10:05:05]

When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are going to battle for the soul of America, and we still are. The question that we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer. And I know what I want the answer to be and I think that you do, too. This is not a time to be complacent. That's why I am running for re-election.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Four years ago today, Joe Biden announced his 2020 presidential run. Four years later, his resume have grown and the challenges facing the country have clearly grown as well. When you add it up now, he has now spent more than 50-plus years in U.S. politics. Remember, he first became a senator in 1972. And he is now hoping for voters to help him to get four more years.

Let's get to the White House with CNN's Arlette Saenz who is standing by. Arlette, now that we have this official announcement, what do the comings hours and days are going to look like?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, President Biden officially launched his re-election bid, but that doesn't quite mean that he's going to be hitting the campaign trail just yet. Advisers say not to expect the president to be holding any type of large scale rallies in the immediate future. Instead, they believe, that one of his selling points to the American public people is simply doing his day-to-day job as president.

A bit later today, we will see him address a union conference, trying to highlight his ties to the labor union. He is also, over the course of the next two days, hosting South Korea's president here at the White House for a state visit, an effort for him to be able to highlight his efforts to try to restore relationships around the world after some relationships were eroded during the Trump administration.

But President Biden in that video laid out his record and vision for how he see the country and the way he wants to see the country move forward in the years to come. He also, as you heard him lay out there, warned of the threats that he believes America's freedoms are facing, including issues relating to abortion. And he says that they are being threatened by what he has described as those MAGA extremists.

And you saw in that video how he highlighted two specific men who he could face off against in a general election matchup, and that is former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has yet to enter the 2024 race.

Now, even as Biden is not expected to immediately hit the campaign trail, his campaign will be mobilizing their fundraising efforts in the days to come. They know they need to tap into those big dollar donors as well as grassroots supporters to help fuel this campaign in what is expected to be a very expensive race. But even as the contours of this campaign are taking shape, there are a number of challenges facing President Biden, including the majority of the American public who does not believe he should run for re- election and many raising concerns about the issue of his age. Of course, he's 80 years old, would be 86 at the end of a second term, if he were to win. These are things President Biden will have to address in the coming year-and-a-half as he tries to get voters onboard.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely, well said. Great to you, Arlette. Thank you. John?

BERMAN: All right. Thanks so much, Kate.

First on CNN, the U.S. military has just released these images showing U.S. government officials arriving in Djibouti after being evacuated from the embassy in Sudan as warring factions are fight for control there. At this moment, the U.S. is moving two warships toward Port Sudan, which is on the Red Sea Coast, as officials (INAUDIBLE) a plane to send troops to that port to help with evacuating further U.S. citizens from the country.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Sam Kiley is in Djibouti, another port of embarkation for evacuations there, Sam, the latest on the ceasefire, which will be crucial to getting people out of Sudan.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It will be crucial, particularly crucial to any effort to make it possible to get the very large numbers of people that potentially want to leave, particularly if the ceasefire doesn't hold out of the country over land.

Now, behind me, you can see the F.S. there. There's Japanese C-130, Moroccan just there, a Spanish aircraft has just taken. We've got a French cargo jet, too, all part of the multinational effort that is ongoing, using the opportunity of this ceasefire that was announced at midnight last night, John, to try to get into the country to pluck people out.

The problem is that the ceasefire, whilst it has resulted in a slight diminution of the level of violence, it does not mean that there is no violence, there is no fighting. In fact, we have been speaking to people on the ground, several different sources inside Khartoum telling us that the fighting is continuing, there is increasing shortages of water, only available from wells.

[10:10:00]

The banking system has collapsed, so communications for those that even them means that people can't reach on to their phones with credits in order to communicate. So, this is really reaching a crisis point for very large numbers of international citizens, some 16,000 Americans potentially, some 4,000 British. The British last night brought an RAF cargo plane to continue their evacuation as if the ceasefire holds.

I can see now, just show you a Norwegian C-130 which has just landed. The Norwegians have actually completed what they say was their evacuation, John, of diplomats and others. So, they may now well becoming part of a wider international effort. And at the same time, there is consideration being put into possible even seizing Port Sudan using British and American troops. That's a contingency, not a decision by any means, so they may well have to use Port Sudan as a bridgehead for further evacuations, certainly massive evacuations. John?

BERMAN: Sam Kiley, remarkable, this enormous international effort taking place literally right behind you. Please keep us posted as we monitor this ceasefire so closely. Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now to talk about all of this is Lakshmi Parthasarathy. She's a travel blogger who managed to get out of Khartoum this week and captured some of the violence in the country on video.

Lakshmi, I think we just lost her. She is joining us -- obviously a lot of problems with technology. She is in Wad Madani. But she -- do we have some of the video? Let's show some -- yes, let's some of the video of her leaving. It's terrifying when you consider what is happening in the country. Let's show a little video.

This is her here trying to hitchhike to get out of Khartoum, whereas you know violence has been constant, it's been in so many different areas, and people who are foreign nationals have been trying to get out the best they can.

And this is her as she -- listen to sound of what she was hearing before she stepped out to try to leave Khartoum. Listen to this.

So, you see her there saying, we got caught in the crossfire, she is -- lots of different sounds of explosions and gunfire, terrifying moments.

We do know that she is safe right now. We have not been able to get her, as you know, trying to talk to people in places like this can be very difficult sometimes. We will try to get her back in just a few moments.

But, first, I'm going to send it over to Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Thank you, Sara.

So, two teenagers in Chicago are accused of stealing a car and then causing a crash that killed an infant. Now, people are asking why the teenagers aren't facing stiffer charges.

Plus, after years of delays, E. Jean Carroll is getting her day in court. What to expect as her defamation suit against former President Donald Trump goes to trial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:15:00] BERMAN: On the radar this morning, jury selection is underway in E. Jean Carroll's battery and defamation trial against former President Trump. Carroll arrived to court last hour. She alleges Trump groped and raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. He denies that. Trump is not expected to appear at this trial, which could last about two weeks.

Media outlets are reporting that Anheuser-Busch has placed to executives on leave after a Bud Light sponsorship with a transgender woman sparked backlash. The campaign did receive support from trans activists but there was brouhaha online and some Anheuser-Busch facilities received threats.

And new wrong place, wrong time shooting, police say they will not file charges after a Florida man fired at an Instacart delivery worker -- workers, I should say. Police say the two people in the car were attempting to deliver groceries when they mistakenly went to the wrong address. The homeowner says he was afraid for his safety. The Instacart workers say they feared for their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're like leaving and then that's when we see like this flashlight. So, I'm like, oh, maybe that's them, like maybe that's her husband. I see him pull out the gun and he had like clicked it back. So, then I was like, let's go, like we got to go. We could have been dead, like our window was down and they're shooting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Police say that no charges should be filed, because in their words, quote, each party appears justified in their actions based on the circumstances they perceived. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Let's get back now to Sudan, because our guest, Lakshmi Parthasarathy, is here and able to connect with us now. She is a travel blogger who managed to get out of Khartoum this week.

All right, first of all, thank goodness that you are safe. Tell me how you got to Wad Madani, Sudan, which you said is about 200 kilometers from Khartoum.

LAKSHMI PARTHASARATHY, TRAVEL BLOGGER WHO ESCAPED KHARTOUM, SUDAN: Yes. So, yesterday, things got really bad in Khartoum. The situation was escalating and so there were gunshots and bomb blasts happening, and we were basically out of power, water, very little access to any money and dwindling food and supplies.

[10:20:00]

So, I decided it was time to go. Internet was also down. So, there is basically nothing left to do except leave. Crossfire was also coming on to the street where I lived, my Airbnb.

So, we hitchhiked out. Yesterday, there wasn't communication from the embassy about evacuation routes. So, it was just mayhem in the city. There were different embassies evacuating, so we saw some buses and whatnot. What we did was just hitchhike down south. So, we caught rides with a few cars to get out of the city, and then we found a truck that has been transporting people fleeing the violence to areas of safety outside of the capital.

So, we ended up on one of these trucks with a bunch of Sudanese women, children, families who are all fleeing and just kind of cramped on the truck for maybe seven, eight hours. And they took us to a roadside shelter. The locals have basically come together and organized routes for people to escape. And so they brought us to this place where we could spend the night, and everyone was so, so nice. Actually, they helped us. They gave us food, gave us a place to stay, water.

And this morning, we hitchhiked through Wad Madani. This city is safe at the moment. There hasn't been any fighting. And for first time actually in, I think, nine days now, I have not heard the sound of a gunshot. So, I'm in a good place now, I think.

SIDNER: Okay. I do want to mention you just talked about being in the back of this truck, and I see you, you were sitting in the middle with a red backpack behind your back. You were smiling, the people in the truck, but everybody is traumatized. I mean, you are a travel blogger.

I do want to ask you what you were doing in Sudan and to describe what Khartoum is like before all of this. A lot of people don't recognize what it is like before all of this and what things are like there now in comparison.

Okay. We have lost her again, but I do want to recognize she is okay. She has been able to make it out. But there are a lot of people who aren't. The violence there in Sudan continues. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right. Coming up for us, a Senate Democrat is now asking a Republican donor for details on the luxurious trips and real estate dealings involving now, and deeper questions now, involving Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. We have new reporting coming in on that.

And the prosecutor investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia is now revealing a much more specific timeline about when she could be announcing any charges. That is ahead on CNN News Central.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:25:00]

SIDNER: President Joe Biden has officially launched the re-election campaign telling Americans he wants to, quote, finish the job and asking them to give him four more years to do so.

After months of speculation, Biden announced bid with a three-minute- long campaign style video. In that video he says that he has spent his first years in office fighting for democracy and freedom and warning about extremism. Today's date is symbolic for Biden, exactly four years ago he announced his 2020 run. John? BERMAN: Thanks, Sara. So, new economic data released just moments ago. Consumer confidence, new home sales, all kinds of corporate earnings, we have it all, as we look for some signs of where this economy is headed.

CNN's Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans is here. What do these numbers tell us?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Datapalooza is what it tells us. Look, consumer confidence, I think it's no surprise that it declined a little bit. This is the first month that we have really been able to read the stress in the banking sector, and that has concerned consumers a little bit. So, you this number decline a little bit. And I don't think that is really a surprise.

But when we look at new home sales and other housing data, we are seeing some signs of life this spring.

BERMAN: Wow.

ROMANS: This is from month-to-month, new home sales of 9.6 percent, John.

I think you had rates stabilize and you have some kind of the fears in the market stabilizing a little bit at the beginning of the year. And I think it will be interesting to watch this go out because we are just in the beginning of the spring selling season. So, we will see if people have been kind of on their heels for a year or so among these higher mortgage rates and are now saying, look, I have to move, I have other reasons why I need to buy a home or sell a home, and that is going to be driving things, not necessarily financial anxiety and mortgage rates.

BERMAN: And sometimes people just need to go, and mortgage rates be damned.

A lot of layoffs on the horizon. I know Disney, because I know people there, 3M, other places.

ROMANS: This is a tough week. We learned this morning about 3M, so let me start there. 6,000 positions will be eliminated as this company tries to simplify its supply chain, reducing levels of management. I have heard that from so many different kinds of companies, not just manufacturing, media, the retail, the like, they're going to look to save up to $900 million.

And then you mentioned Disney. Folks over there are getting the pink slips already this week. It started yesterday. This has already been announced as a part of a big Bob Iger restructuring, the returning CEO there, 7,000 jobs overall. This week will be the tough test week. 4,000 jobs will be cut this week, 4,000 jobs from Monday to Thursday.

[10:30:00]

So, we will be watching that. And then there will be another round that they're hoping to have done by June of the last round of job cuts over there at Disney.