Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) Discusses NYC Migrant Housing Crisis, House Vote Today To Refer Santos To Ethics Committee; Report: More Than 1 In 6 U.S. Adults Have Depression; FL Education Officials Could Interview Students Over Disney Movie; Ja Morant Takes "Full Accountability" For 2nd Online Gun Video. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired May 17, 2023 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY): We need to stem the flow first. Then we can deal with the other issues.
But certainly we should be looking at increasing the number of work visas, of family sponsored visas, of adding judges, as I've mentioned before.
But again, we have to stem the flow. You can't be doing one thing without the other. I think it's incredibly important that the Democrats recognize that.
I mean, the House passed our migrant bill and it's my hope that the Senate will pass something and then we can reconcile the two in a conference.
Either that or the president needs to do things via executive order, just how he, quite frankly, created this crisis at the beginning of his term via executive order.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Just to be clear, the numbers, in terms of the counters, it's not that different between the Trump and the Biden administration.
I do want to ask you about George Santos because -
MALLIOTAKIS: Honestly, look at New York City. You're going to tell me the numbers are not different between the Biden administration and the Trump administration?
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: Well, what's changed - what's changed there is not.
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: That's not coming across the border though. That's because you have governors --
(CROSSTALK)
MALLIOTAKIS: -- individuals. We have six million individuals have come into our country, six million. And 1.2 are got-aways where we don't even know where they are in our country.
And then our mayor --
(CROSSTALK)
MALLIOTAKES: -- is misinterpreting the Right to Shelter law and allowing individuals to be housed in hotels and schools. Quite frankly, that's very wrong. He should not be doing that. My mayor should be challenging that Right to Shelter law --
(CROSSTALK)
MALLIOTAKES: -- city in America doing it.
SCIUTTO: I'm not disputing the numbers. What I'm saying is what's changed is folks are getting shipped up to cities like yours that they were not in the past.
I want to ask about your colleague, George Santos because, as you know, he's been charged with multiple felonies now. You released a statement on May 9th to Axios, "The sooner he leaves, the sooner we can win the seat with someone who isn't a liar."
As you know, there's a vote coming before the House to remove him. Will you vote to remove him?
MALLIOTAKIS: Well, I want to see how that bill comes to the floor. Because my understanding is it's a vote to the Ethics Committee, not directly expelling him.
But I will say, and I stick to the words of the other days, that I do believe the better he leaves, the better it will be for this institution, the better it will be for his constituents and, quite frankly, the better it will be for our country.
We have too many problems right now, dealing with the debt crisis, dealing with this border crisis to be talking about George Santos.
SCIUTTO: But you could help make that sooner if you were to vote to remove him. Will you vote to remove him?
MALLIOTAKIS: Well, we'll have to see what the bill -- I won't comment until I see the actual bill. I'm not opposed to it. Let's put it that way.
SCIUTTO: OK, fair enough.
Congresswoman, we appreciate you having on. You're always welcome on this broadcast. And as a New Yorker, I'm particularly open to New Yorkers coming on the show. Thanks for joining us today.
MALLIOTAKIS: I appreciate your time. Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Of course.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Still ahead, depression rates reaching record levels in the United States. We have some stunning new numbers to share with you.
Plus, NBA star, Ja Morant, saying he's taking full account for his actions after a second video surfaced of him waiving a gun. We have new reaction from the league when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:37:41]
SANCHEZ: Depression is more widespread than ever in the United States. According to a new report from Gallop, about 18 percent of adults say they are depressed or receiving treatment for depression.
That's more than one in six Americans, and a jump of more than seven percentage points since 2016 when Gallop first started polling on this topic.
CNN health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, joins us now.
Jacqueline, walk us through these numbers. What do they reveal?
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Boris, I think, as a society, we have noticed this rise in depression and other mentality health concerns.
These new numbers from Gallop show that the percentage of adults who say they have ever been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives, this year that percentage reached 29 percent, up 10 percentage points.
Gallop says, Boris, this is the highest percentage it has ever measured.
We also know that rates of depression are rising the fastest among women and young adults. Rates specifically among black and Hispanic adults are rising at twice the rate as white adults.
On top of it, we know the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of the nation.
These numbers are something that mental health practitioners are watching very closely -- Boris?
SANCHEZ: Jacqueline, it may not be something that's always obvious to spot, depression. What are some of the signs and symptoms?
HOWARD: That's exactly right. Signs and symptoms need to persist for two weeks, according to the CDC, before a diagnosis is made.
Those include hopelessness, losing interest in your daily activities, and difficulty sleeping or over-sleeping. And a serious symptom is having suicidal thoughts.
Of course, anyone who is struggling can reach out for help. The 988 crisis lifeline is an important resource for people to know about.
The good news, Boris, is, as a society, we're more aware of these symptoms and we're talking about mental health concerns more.
That's great to keep the conversation going, and to always remember there is help. There's the 988 number that's a resource as well -- Boris?
[13:40:02]
SANCHEZ: Yes. Always important to keep in mind you're not alone and there is help available and assessable to you.
HOWARD: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much.
Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Coming up, why education officials in Florida reportedly wanting to interview fifth graders about a Disney movie they watched in class.
And whipping up a world record. We'll show you how a chef became an international sensation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Here's a look at some of the other headlines we're following today on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
[13:44:55]
At least eight people are dead after devastating floods and mudslides in northern Italy. Regional officials say more 13,000 people have been evacuated from their homes after torrential rains. Video captured Coast Guard crews helping rescue two elderly people trapped in the rising water.
Target says that shoppers are pulling back on discretionary spending and shifting more to household essentials. It's the latest retailer to announce a shift in consumer spending. Just yesterday, Home Depot said its revenue dropped as well.
A chef in Nigeria is trying to break a world record by cooking nonstop for 100 hours. She created more than 55 recipes, more than 100 meals. The Guinness World Record Committee will verify she cooked her way into the record books. The time for her to beat was 87 hours and 45 minutes.
It makes me feel incredibly inadequate. Brianna, I can barely make Pop-Tarts.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: How is she still standing? I don't even know.
State education officials in Florida could interview fifth graders as soon as today after a teacher showed her class the Disney animated movie "Strange World," which features a gay character.
The teacher is now under investigation over the state's law against the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identify.
One of the students' parents, who is a school board member, reported the showing of the movie.
Here's what she had to say during a recent school board meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHANNON RODRIGUEZ, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER OPPOSED TO DISNEY MOVIE SHOWN IN CLASS: It's not a teacher's job to impose their beliefs on a child. Religious, sexual orientation, gender identity, any of the above.
But allowing movies such as this assists teachers in opening a door -- and please hear me -- they assist teachers in opening a door for conversations that have no place in our classrooms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: CNN correspondent, Ryan Young, is following this story for us.
We should be clear, Ryan, this movie was not shown because there is a gay character. It was shown because it's about the environment, but certainly there's a gay character in this movie.
What are school officials saying about this and how is the teacher responding?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a great part of the question, in terms of how to move forward. I talked to teachers today who say, they're not sure how an investigation like this will move forward? What kind of questions may they want to ask their students.
And will parents who have students in that class want their children to even participate in this conversation.
There's so much gray area involved in this. Especially since the fact the teacher had signed permission slips for kids to watch P.G. movies.
She says she was unaware this movie would cause quite this sort of uproar. In fact, it wasn't on the list of movies to not be seen.
Take a listen to her talking about the defense of playing this movie and everything that's shaken out after this gotten the publicity that it's gotten.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNA BARBEE, FLORIDA TEACHER UNDER INVESTIGATION BY STATE: This was not even a topic that my students even noticed or cared about because it's already an accepted topic in the classroom.
The character in the movie is an element. And the student did not think anything you have it. I didn't think anything of it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: It's clear now at this point that Florida is making sure that some of these issues do not come into the classroom.
Moving forward, the conversation now is, school will end in two weeks. When people are focused on testing and how schools close and school safety, now there's an investigation going on.
The teacher herself said she feels like there's limbo because, obviously, with two weeks left and she's already said she's not coming back to the school, what will happen with this investigation?
And those are the sort of steps that people want to know, how to move forward with this.
When we called the Florida Department of Education today and had a conversation with them, they did confirm they had that letter and it went out to the parents.
But right now, we're not sure what the next steps are or how long this investigation will take.
KEILAR: Ironically, I'll bet this is on the students' minds now that it's become a controversy, which may not be what that parent intended.
Ryan Young, thank you so much.
Jim?
[13:48:57]
SCIUTTO: He did not say sorry, but NBA star, Ja Morant, is breaking his silence after flashing another gun in another social media post. How the league is responding now, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:53:49]
SCIUTTO: Memphis Grizzlies star, Ja Morant, says he's taking, quote, "full accountability" for his actions after this video made the rounds on social media of Morant flashing a gun while in a car.
This was just two months after the athlete was suspended for eight games after posting a similar video flashing a gun.
After Sunday's incident, Morant was suspended from all team activities.
CNN sports anchor, Patrick Snell, joins me now.
Patrick, this is twice now, right? Are we expecting any more severe action?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: It's twice, Jim. You're quite right. The world is watching what does happen next. A case of deja vu.
It was three days of waiting before we heard from Ja Morant after the second incident in as many months. I can't stress that enough. In as many months.
When it finally did come, it was less of an apology more than an acknowledgement he had let people down.
I want to get to a statement. The Grizzlies 23-year-old superstar saying, in part, "This is a journey, and I recognize there's more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I'm committed to continuing to work on myself."
[13:55:06]
That may not be enough for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who met face- to-face with Morant after the first incident. That was at a club in Denver back in March.
Here's what Silver had to say -- this was last night, Jim -- about being faced with this situation again, and so soon as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM SILVER, NBA COMMISSIONER: Frankly, most of our conversation was about how incredibly serious the first incident was, of waving, you know, a firearm, you know, on social media.
Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend that video. We're in the process of investigating it, and we'll figure out exactly what happened, to the best we can.
Again, the video is a bit grainy, and all that, but I'm assuming the worst.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Well, that being shocked, Jim, resonating. The Grizzlies' season ended a few weeks ago, so the NBA can take its time when gathering all the information it needs before making a decision.
But you can hear the hurt, and I think disappointment in Silver's voice.
Jim, look, essentially, one of the league's brightest young stars betraying his trust. It's certainly one that's got a lot of traction. We're following it every step of the way, you can be sure.
SCIUTTO: Assuming the worst. Quite a phrase to hear from the NBA commissioner.
Patrick Snell, thanks so much for covering it.
Boris?
SANCHEZ: Still ahead, a close call. Prince Harry and Meghan's team said the couple were involved in a near-catastrophic care chase involving paparazzi in New York City. We'll have the details on that in minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
