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In Connection with Paternity Dispute, Hunter Biden Anticipated in Court; Interview with Federal and White Collar Criminal Defense Attorney and Columbia Law School Lecturer in Law Caroline Polisi; Ocean Seaweed Bloom Getting Bigger; Over the Coming Months, Scientists Predict Seaweed Blooms Will Increase; Surgeon General: We need to fix loneliness in the U.S. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 01, 2023 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Welcome back to "CNN News Central." There is another huge bank failure that we are following. First Republic Bank is being bought by JPMorgan Chase. This is after a frenzy of emergency moves that happened this weekend ending with the regulators seizing First Republic Bank's $233 billion worth of assets. First Republic is now the third bank to fail in just the past seven weeks.

JPMorgan's CEO, Jamie Dimon, tried to reassure the markets, though, and quite frankly everyone else on a call this morning saying, "The American banking system is extraordinarily sound."

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: All right. Kate. Later today, President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, is expected to stand before a judge in Arkansas in a years-old paternity dispute. It centers around Biden's child support payment for his four-year-old daughter.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz with us this morning. And Katelyn, it's about child support, but it's really ballooned into more than that.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: It has, John. So, this is something that has been going on in court in Arkansas for a couple of years now. And back in 2020, Hunter Biden, essentially, started paying child support under a court's order monthly. We don't know the amount. But last year, he and his attorneys went back into court and said, you know, his income has changed. We need to readjust what that child support is going to look like monthly.

And that has opened up, basically, a pretty messy court fight now. It has allowed the mother of the child, London Roberts, she and her attorneys to pursue a lot of different questions about Hunter Biden and his finances. They're asking for things like, how is he paying for so many lawyers? We know that Hunter Biden has legal issues, not just in this Arkansas court related to this child support case, but also has been under criminal investigation in Delaware related to his taxes and other issues for several years now.

And so, she has been -- London Roberts and her attorneys have been asking for financial information. They want to know about the income that he has been generating. If he has income coming in now. How he has properties that he is living in. They also want the child to be able to take the Biden name. Right now, the child's name is undisclosed but isn't Biden. And they say that the judge should consider letting this child have the prestige that comes along with the president's last name, the child's grandfather.

And then on the other side of things, Hunter Biden and his lawyers, they do not want some of the people on London Roberts' legal team to have access to this information. They're trying to keep his finances protected. It's all moving towards trial, and that's why they're in court today. John.

BERMAN: All right. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much for explaining what's at stake here.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: All right. A deadline in one of the criminal case investigations against Former President Trump. D.A. finding, well as much respond to a lengthy motion for attorneys for Donald Trump. The former president's legal team wants to have a report by a grand jury thrown out. The report of the result of the investigation into whether he attempted to interfere in the state's 2020 presidential election. They are trying to get D.A. Willis disqualified from the case.

[10:35:00]

But the case in Georgia is just one of several legal issues, as we know, facing the former president. Joining us now is Caroline Polisi, she is a federal and white collar criminal defense attorney. She's also a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School. You do many things, ma'am. Lots of stuff. Let's start with this. Something has changed. Today was supposed to be the deadline for this. What happened?

CAROLINE POLISI, FEDERAL AND WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY AND LECTURER IN LAW, COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL: Yes, and sort of late breaking news, the judge extended that deadline to May 15th for Willis and her team to respond to these motions to disqualify her. Now, Sara, I don't say this very often because I'm a lawyer and I'd like to hedge things. This motion, really, doesn't have any chance of winning.

They are seeking to disqualify Willis, and to expunge the special grand jury report from the record entirely based on this argument that we have seen in the court of public opinion which is that this is a witch hunt, this is politically motivated. All these same arguments that Trump uses in all of his legal trouble. They work sometimes. They play to his bate -- space to the public. They don't work so well in court. However, you know, they -- the motions will play out. The judge is going to, you know, let each party brief the issue and then decide.

SIDNER: And we know that there have been -- there's been fundraising on some of this as well no matter what happened in the court. I do want to ask you, the report is not out --

POLISI: Right.

SIDNER: -- by the grand jury, but they want to get rid of it. They want it not to be part of the record. What does that tell you about what they think is in the report?

POLISI: Right. Well, portions of it have been released, it's just with a lot of reductions. So, we don't get really the meaning --

SIDNER: The meaning.

POLISI: -- of it. And you know, that -- there are reasons of that. You know, Fani Willis' team had argued not to let the public see it. There are reasons that special grand jury material should remain secret. But this is -- you know, Fani Willis has been slowly but steadily building this case. We heard from, you know, the four person of that special grand jury who gave, sort of, very candid interviews regarding what went on. It does seem highly likely that they have recommended indictments. Fani Willis has noted that she will come out with either a declination decision or a decision to move forward with those prosecutions later in the summer, July or August. I -- again, I don't think this motion is going to win.

SIDNER: To go anywhere.

POLISI: It would -- perhaps, slow things down which, again, is part of Trump's playbook. But it's moving forward.

SIDNER: It's moving forward.

POLISI: Yes.

SIDNER: OK. That is one of the bigger pressing cases, and a lot of people will be watching. But there are other cases at hand that are in the middle, we're in the middle of the trial right now. E. Jean Carroll, who accuses him of raping her in a department store. I do want to ask you about the -- this case and Trump's lawyers are, in this case, asking for a mistrial. Is there any chance of that happening?

POLISI: No. I, you know, as a criminal defense attorney, I understand you have to defend your client vigorously and with zealous advocacy. This is really a, sort of, building of the record for an appeal on Joe Tacopina's part. He's pointing out, sort of, every instance in which the court could conceivably be seen to have, you know, some sort of allegiance to E. Jean Carroll. There are a number of arguments that he's made.

But no. It's not going to win either. This case is going forward. I would note, this is a civil case even though, you know, it's a bit complicated legally. It is -- she is alleging a battery and rape, but because it is wrapped up in a defamation claim, it's a civil case, much lower standard. That -- this case -- this trial is moving apace. We should see a verdict, probably, this week.

SIDNER: Wow. That's fairly quick.

POLISI: Right.

SIDNER: But it's partly because he did not show up to court in this case --

POLISI: Yes.

SIDNER: -- which may have or may not have an impact on the jury. Thank you so much for joining us and explaining all the different complications of each of these cases. I appreciate your time.

POLISI: Thanks for having me.

SIDNER: Kate.

BOLDUAN: The ocean blob is getting bigger. Things I often think I'm not going to have to say on television, but we do. Up next, an update on that giant mass of seaweed stretching across the Atlantic and now headed towards Florida. We will be right back.

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[10:40:00]

SIDNER: You are looking at some of the damage left behind after a tornado touched down in Virginia Beach. As many as 100 homes were damaged and at least three schools are closed this morning. Fortunately, there are no injuries, at least those have not been reported. And awaiting an update at this hour from the National Weather Service on just how strong that twister was.

Russia launching a fresh round of missile attacks across Ukraine this morning. In Dnipro region, 34 people were hurt, including five children. And at least one person was killed and three others were injured in Kherson. This comes as Ukrainian officials are signaling their spring counteroffensive could start any moment.

Adidas shareholders are filing a class action lawsuit against the brand over its failed partnership with the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West. They say, Adidas didn't warn investors about West's, "Extreme behavior and antisemitism." The lawsuit also claims Adidas executive knew about his behavior and ignored it for years. Adidas tells CNN they, "Reject these unfounded claims and plan to defend themselves vigorously".

Kate.

BOLDUAN: What a mess there. There's a different type of mess we need to talk about today. This morning, scientists in Florida say that this seaweed bloom stretching from west -- the west coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico has now set a new record in the Caribbean Sea.

[10:45:00]

In Key West, the beaches typically look like this. I mean, I'd love to be there right now. People on the beach, enjoying sand, sand and surf. But right now, there are patches of brown seaweed that have washed ashore that have made it nearly impossible to find like a spare clean spot on that sand.

CNN's Leyla Santiago is in Key West this morning, taking a look at it all for us. And Leyla, this goes beyond just annoyance. What are you seeing?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. I am ready to show you and I'll describe it while you take a good look. This is what they call sargassum, this is the seaweed -- the particular seaweed that we are talking about. And listen, when we talk about annoyance, we'll talk about the smell. It does not smell great. It smells pretty awful over here. And let me show you exactly why. Come over here. This is what happens. It kind of piles up out here and then it decays and it smells, quite frankly, like a rotten egg.

So, yes, a lot of tourists are still coming out here but maybe not getting into the ocean as much, kind of trying to find a dry patch. Take a look behind me, you can still see there are tourists here, but they're having to deal with this. And this is not new. This has been coming to the Coast of Florida for years now. What is new is that it is coming earlier, and the record amounts that we are seeing. And when it is out there, when it is in the ocean, in a 5,000-mile body of seaweed headed this way, it is still growing.

One scientist said, what we are seeing here is the tip of the iceberg and this can double in size in just a matter of weeks, if not a month. So, again, tip of the iceberg that we're dealing with here. You know, we talked to one couple that came out here to celebrate a 60th birthday, and let's just say that their vacation is not going as planned. Listen.

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JASON HYTRECK, VISITING KEY WEST: It's like 75 yards of seaweed out before you even hit clear water. And it's a shame, because the Key is -- I mean, we came down here and we both never been here before.

GINNY MATTS, VISITING KEY WEST: Never been here before, yes.

HYTRECK: I grew up in Florida, and I mean, we -- this is not what we expected to see when we came in here. This much seaweed.

MATTS: It is a big disappointment as far as that goes.

HYTRECK: Yes.

MATTS: It really is. Because I'm a -- feet in the sand and, you know, like when I'm on vacation, I want to be in the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: Yes, who doesn't, right? That is what you planned for when it comes to vacation. A few things I want to mention here before I wrap up, Kate, the peak of this is expected to be June, July, of course, summertime when you do expect to see a lot of tourists. But important to note that this is not toxic. This is not something they -- that you should fear having out there. It's just that when it comes out here and it decays and it smells, that can cause breathing problems.

And here's someone who, kind of, does like having it out here, the fishermen. The fishermen say they love going out there where they see a big patch of sargassum because it brings in the fish. But on the other side of that, if their boats get caught up in that, well that can be quite a headache. Kate.

BOLDUAN: I mean, it's just -- it's amazing how big this thing is and how you said it could double in size while it's out --

SANTIAGO: Yes.

BOLDUAN: -- while it's out at sea and coming in. I mean, it's pretty remarkable. I know, yes, this happens annually. It's a thing. But it's really huge and really strange.

SANTIAGO: Yes.

BOLDUAN: All right. Great to see you, Leyla. Thank you.

John.

BERMAN: I like the way Leyla described it. It doesn't smell great, Kate.

A new warning from the surgeon general about a condition facing millions of Americans, not COVID, not drug addiction. Loneliness.

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[10:50:00]

BERMAN: So, this morning a new spotlight on a reality so many Americans face every day. Extended periods of isolation and uncertainty during the pandemic only exacerbated the loneliness so many experienced even before the pandemic. In a "New York Times" essay, Surgeon General Vivek Murphy writes, the epidemic of loneliness and isolation has fueled other problems that are killing us and threaten to rip our country apart.

CNN's Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen with us now. Elizabeth, this is something the surgeon general has focused on actually for years. It's one of his areas of expertise. But how many Americans are we talking about and who are they?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you are right. Dr. Murphy has been talking about this actually way before the pandemic and during his first term as surgeon general. It's a lot. This number actually is so disconcerting. What surveys have shown, including this one, that more than 58 percent of Americans in the survey said that they have experienced loneliness. And take a look at who is most likely to experience the loneliness, it is black people, it is Hispanic people, it is people who are of lower incomes. It is also parents, which is interesting. It is also people who are under 25.

You know, what was interesting about this essay, it was so beautifully written. But Dr. Murphy talked about his own experience with loneliness. How he felt disconnected from the people who loved him. And he talked about how loneliness and depression erodes your sense of who you are. Chips away at your very sense of self-esteem. John, he talked about the need to rebuild the infrastructure in our country so that people can get over loneliness and we can all connect with one another again. John.

BERMAN: And what can the impact of loneliness be?

COHEN: Right. So, loneliness, obviously, affects our mental health greatly. It also can affect our physical health. When you take a look at studies, what they show is that it increases the rates of all sorts of diseases like Alzheimer's and heart disease and many other diseases. How you feel has an effect on your physical health. And loneliness, of course, is just a huge determinant of how you feel.

[10:55:00]

BERMAN: And look, it's so important to focus on this. I've also heard from Former Republican Senator Ben Sasse who's written extensively about this. This is something, hopefully, people can come together on and focus on the weeks and years ahead. Elizabeth, thank you so much.

Sara.

SIDNER: Right now, hundreds of officers in Houston are going door-to- door, searching for the man accused of killing five of his neighbors, including a nine-year-old boy. We're live with the latest on the search for that suspect who is considered armed and dangerous.

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