Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Prosecutors: Suspect Was Warned About Mishandling Materials; Apple Launches Voice Replication Feature Amid AI Concerns; Watchdog: Toxic Chemical Found In More Sports Bras, Activewear. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired May 18, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

BRIAN FUNG, CNN TECH REPORTER: A lot of it is still unclear. What we're about to see here is a big legal battle between TikTok, potentially, and the Montana government over this law, which TikTok and many other civil society groups say may be unconstitutional. There are really kind of two main issues here.

One, being whether this law infringes on the First Amendment rights of Montanans to access lawful information, as well as to you know simply express themselves on an internet platform. The second issue we're talking about is whether or not this law is an unconstitutional bill of attainder or essentially a law that unfairly penalizes without due process, you know, a person or a company.

And so, these two arguments, I think, are going to see a lot of play in the weeks and months before this law goes into effect in January. And you know depending on how that legal battle shakes out, it could have a really powerful effect on whether Montanans can access this app.

Now, it's not just TikTok that's affected here. This app also -- I'm sorry, this law also targets app store operators and puts them on the hook too for making the app available to Montana. And so, companies like Apple and Google could potentially face penalties under this law if they are accused of violating it.

And the penalties are steep. We're talking about $10,000 per violation per day. And that could be you know, potentially millions of dollars that TikTok or Apple or Google could have to pay you know if they're found to be violating this app and indeed, if this law survives the court, John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: But not consumers. You're not liable if you've still got it on your phone, correct?

FUNG: That's right. Individual users who are not -- who access TikTok won't be penalized under this law. That's right.

BERMAN: All right. Still a lot of unanswered questions there. Brian Fung, thanks for explaining it so well. Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: For sure. New court documents are detailing how the accused Pentagon leaker was repeatedly warned by his superiors about mishandling documents. Prosecutors say Jack Teixeira was caught by his supervisors multiple times mishandling classified information. He's been accused of leaking a slew of classified documents to people that he was connected with on the social media platform Discord.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand is at the Pentagon. She's got more details on this. Natasha, what more are you learning about his history here?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Three separate warnings, Kate, he got during his time in the Air National Guard about looking at classified intelligence when he was not supposed to. So, what we're learning is that in September of 2022, he was actually observed by his superiors taking detailed notes on classified intelligence and then putting those notes in his pocket prompting a reprimand from his superior telling him essentially not to do that again. Then in October of 2022, he attended a classified briefing in which he asked very detailed and probing questions about classified intelligence prompting yet another warning from a superior that he had been given a cease-and-desist order when it came to getting involved with this kind of classified information and to focus on his duties.

And then in January of 2023 of this year, he was observed looking at classified information yet again, in a way that did not comport with his official duties, which was essentially to act as an IT person. So, three separate warnings here. It does not appear that the third warning he was issued any kind of reprimand, Kate.

BOLDUAN: And some of his conversations that he had kind of in this Discord group if you will, in this -- in this group conversations, they were also came out in this filing. What do they show?

BERTRAND: Yes. The prosecutors who put all of this information in this court filing in an attempt to convince the judge to keep them behind bars, they wanted to show that Teixeira was really aware of what he was doing and how it was wrong. One of the people in this group chat apparently told him to continue to leak classified military documents "for their own amusement." And Teixeira in another conversation with a user on that Discord chat platform, he did say that none of this that he was revealing to them was currently public information.

And so, all of this was laid out in the filing to show that Teixeira really had a willful disregard for the national security secrets that he had sworn not to disclose as part of an NDA, as part of his position. Now, we should note that the commanders of his unit were actually suspended pending the completion of this investigation, but obviously a lot of questions about why action wasn't taken sooner, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. It's good to see you, Natasha. Great reporting, as always. Many questions now on this one.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, you've -- you said it. Speaking of questions, we're going to talk about AI in a minute. There are new advancements in artificial intelligence. Could they be a game-changer for people with vision and hearing disabilities? But there are a lot of people raising the alarm about ways that technology could be misused. We'll discuss with one lawmaker investing in education on A.I. Next.

[11:34:00]

Also, an absolutely insane video out of Iowa. A simple traffic stop turns into an intense car chase with a police officer thrown from the hood of a car. That's ahead as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: We have a new video this morning of a landslide in northern Italy. You'd see trees just getting sucked into the road there as severe flooding just devastates the region. At least 11 people have died, several others are missing, as many as 20,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes. Rivers have berthed their banks and there have been nearly 300 landslides. Just like that. Rescue operations continue today.

Beijing Police have launched an investigation into a new stand-up comedian for making a joke about the Chinese military. The comedian known by his stage name House, loosely referenced the slogan used by the military in his act over the weekend.

[11:40:11]

In response, the company that represents him issued an apology and fired him. And a subsidiary of the firm has been fined nearly two million dollars. He's canceled all his performances. The Chinese government has also detained another woman who posted a defense of the comedian online.

Four children, including an 11-month-old baby, had been found alive in Colombia 17 days after they survived the plane crash in the dense jungle near the Amazon. This is one of the most remote regions in the world. The Colombian military followed a trail of small objects, including a baby bottle and hair scrunchies that led them to the kids.

The three others besides the baby are four, nine, and 13 years old. The children had built an improvised shelter with sticks and leaves. Officials say three people were killed in that crash -- in the plane crash and bodies were found inside the wreckage. Sara, I have to say I have a million questions about this.

SIDNER: Yes.

BERMAN: This is the most intriguing story of the day. I know we're going to find much more as the day continues.

SIDNER: It is incredible. This is another one that I cannot get enough of. A new use of AI will be on your iPhone later this year.

Apple says in just 15 minutes, your iPhone could learn to replicate your voice. The new technology is actually aimed to help people with cognitive vision and hearing disabilities. But it is another advancement in artificial intelligence that many worry could be abused and misused. Joining us now is Virginia Congressman Don Beyer, who is the vice chair of the Bipartisan Congressional AI Caucus. Thank you so much for joining us on the show.

REP. DON BEYER (D-VA): Thank you, Sara. It's a real honor to be with you.

SIDNER: All right. I have to first ask you because this is something that we're all concerned about. Do members of Congress know enough about this burgeoning technology to even make meaningful decisions and regulations going forward?

BEYER: Yes and no. It -- because as we have discussed, it's happening so quickly. Almost everybody I know in Congress is trying to get smart on this really, really quickly.

We had a big presentation from two MIT professors last week. Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI was here a couple of days this week. Everywhere we go, people are trying to learn about it. And there are significant small efforts but I think we're also being pretty humble about our ability to build a big regulatory regime right away.

As you notice, Sara, there's so much upside. You mentioned about people with hearing and vision disabilities, but medical diagnosis, the ability to solve problems in science that we never could do before. It will change our lives but we're still trying to figure out how to address the downside.

SIDNER: All right, there are -- there are a lot of people worried about the downsides as well. Let me ask you this. How concerned are you about the downsides of AI? Because I understand that you yourself have taken measures to try and understand this better by going back to school.

BEYER: Yes, I'm currently trying to get a master's in artificial intelligence at our local wonderful university, George Mason University. But you know I can only take one course this semester, so it's going to take me a while. But in the meantime, it's forcing me to read everything I can with my colleagues about the downsides and how we protect. And they break out into at least half a dozen areas.

The biggest and first one is, what are the so-called existential risks. We have a bill this bipartisan, Ted Lieu, Ken Buck, and I, to make sure we don't use artificial intelligence for the nuclear launch codes, that we don't make a decision to send an ICBM to another country based on artificial intelligence. But then there are deeper things many have worried about when if AI becomes smarter than we are, whether it's conscious or not, well, it just decided to kill us all.

SIDNER: Right.

BEYER: You know all of the Terminator. Hopefully not. And then there are things that are really straightforward, which as we know, will eliminate a lot of jobs.

We don't need copy editors anymore, for example. We don't need people to write press releases. We may not need students to write essays. That's not benign. That could displace an awful lot of people.

SIDNER: Absolutely. And our copy editors are literally in tears listening to you say that.

BEYER: Yes.

SIDNER: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke to you -- spoke to a hearing yesterday there on Capitol Hill. And he proposed that companies creating AI should self-regulate. But we have seen this movie before with social media companies and where things went really wrong. Do you think self-regulation by the industry is the key or that there has to be some regulation and laws put in place by you all?

BEYER: No, there absolutely has to be. Because you know I've got a number of big companies that have AI governance divisions and heads but let's just face it. Their job is always going to be to maximize profit. So, if profit gets in the way of self-regulation, you know who's going to win.

[11:45:02]

We saw this with the automobile industry. I spent a lifetime in the automobile industry. And from 1992 through 2008, we let them self- regulate on fuel economy, and it stayed at 23 miles per gallon that entire time.

Every engineering change went into making them bigger, faster, and the like. The same thing could happen because they put profits first. That's what companies do. Congress has to step in and create some meaningful guardrails.

SIDNER: I think the paraphrase is people over profits, especially when it comes to something that could be extremely dangerous, as well as helpful. Thank you so much. I appreciate you coming on the show, Representative Don Beyer. Kate.

BOLDUAN: A traffic stop that went very wrong and ended with a chase and an officer clinging to the roof of a car. The details on that, coming up. But first, here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta with this week's "CHASING LIFE."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "CHASING LIFE" podcast.

GUPTA (voiceover): Humans have been fermenting food for thousands of years. But we're just now beginning to understand the health benefits. The thing is, before they were refrigerators, people fermented food in order to preserve it. Fermentation usually resulted in strong and slightly sour flavors. Think of pickles and pickled foods.

That fermentation process also produces lots of good bacteria or probiotics that can be helpful for your digestive tract and battle inflammation. A healthy gut then helps you digest food better, and absorb nutrients more efficiently. GUPTA: So, what are some of the foods to add to your diet?

GUPTA (voiceover): Well, you could try some yogurt, or maybe even better kefir to try that for breakfast. Kefir is a milk beverage that usually has less sugar than yogurt, contains about three times more probiotics. Kefir is also well tolerated by people who are lactose intolerant.

At lunchtime, add some sauerkraut or pickles to your sandwich, or try some kimchi or other pickled vegetables. Finally, miso soup is another fermented food you could try.

And you can hear much more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:29]

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, a consumer watchdog group is issuing a new warning that some popular workout gear can contain the toxic chemical BPA, potentially exposing people to 40 times the safe limit based on standards set by the state of California. CNN's Matt Egan. He's tracking this for us. What do people need to know, Matt? I mean, look at some of these brands.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Kate. You got to be careful what you wear at the gym. That is the message from this watchdog group that is found concerning levels of BPA in a range of clothes, everything from athletic shirts and shorts to leggings, and sports bras.

This is coming from the Center for Environmental Health. It's a nonprofit that is focused on this very issue. And they say that a growing number of brands have this BPA issue including Athleta, Champion, Kohl's, Nike, Patagonia, Sweaty Betty, Fabletics, and Adidas. Again, really popular brands.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: And their investigation is -- has found BPA only in polyester- based clothing containing spandex. Again, a popular thing that people wear at the gym.

So, what is BPA? It's an industrial chemical that's used to make plastics. It's been around since the 50s. It's common in everything from children's toys and automobile parts to water bottles.

And it is common, but it's also harmful. It's been linked in adults to diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and cancer. 11 years ago, the FDA actually banned it in both baby bottles, and in sippy cups.

BOLDUAN: Right.

EGAN: And what's concerning is that this report has found that some of these clothings have up to 40 times what is considered a safe limit to BPA. Safe limit was set by California in 1986 and they kind of regulated what is considered safe through the skin in terms of exposure. We reached out to a lot of the brands. We've only heard back from Athleta. I'll read to you what they said.

Athleta is deeply committed to ensuring all of our products are made to applicable safety standards. We believe the CEH claims have no merit and stand by our products and practices.

BOLDUAN: All right. But still, OK. It's good to see Matt, thank you.

EGAN: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: I really appreciate it. John.

BERMAN: All right. So, a dramatic newly released body cam video shows a traffic stop gone wrong in Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN (voiceover): The incident happened back in 2021 but we're just seeing the footage now. You can see Officer Patrick McCarty trying to stop a suspect from fleeing in his car. As the car starts to move, you can see McCarty there in front with his gun drawn. You also see him now up on the hood of the car, pointing his gun into the windshield, and he continues to hold on -- cling on as the car moves off at more than 50 miles per hour.

[11:55:05]

PATRICK MCCARTY, POLICE OFFICER: Stop the car, man. Stop the car. Stop the car. Stop the car. Stop the car. Stop the car. Stop the car. Stop it. Stop the car. Get off the -- (INAUDIBLE) pull the brake. Pull on the brake. Pull the brake.

BERMAN (voiceover): All right. Moments later, the officer got thrown from the hood.

MCCARTY: Jesus. Stop the car, man.

BERMAN (voiceover): So, all of it brave but apparently misguided. The police chief after all this told the local newspaper that McCarty in the heat of the moment made a lapse in judgment in an attempt to apprehend the suspect. And now, it's a training point, the chief said that is used for all officers going forward.

According to the Des Moines Register, the suspect was eventually located across state lines. He now faces five years in prison and must pay restitution to McCarty who suffered a back injury but has since recovered.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Wow. That was just terrifying watching that happen.

BERMAN: Yes.

SIDNER: And the fact that he's OK --

BERMAN: Well, good.

SIDNER: -- but hurt.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)