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DeSantis To Announce Presidential Run Tomorrow On Twitter With Elon Musk; Russian Court Extends WSJ Reporter's Detention By Three Months; Surgeon General Warns Of Social Media's Possible Impact On Kids; Trump Appears By Video At New York Hearing; LeBron James On Future: "I've Got A Lot To Think About". Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired May 23, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: This ability to not -- as he likes to say, not just be a talker but be a doer, to enact -- he has a supermajority in the Florida legislature.

Which he has used in the last many months to piece by piece enact a conservative agenda he can take out onto the campaign trail and try to sell to the Republican primary electorate first.

Remember, this is a two-step process. Ron DeSantis is looking to win the Republican primary first and then on to, he hopes, the general election.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: But voters remember things that happened a few months ago, right?

For instance, if you look at the abortion ban in Florida, that is a position that even Republicans have noted to me is one that makes it difficult or will cause problems in a general election campaign given that it's more severe than in other places.

So that is a risk for him if he were to make it to that next stage.

CHALIAN: No doubt about it. You want proof of that. He believes it may be a risk politically also.

You'll recall he signed that six-week ban at night, very hurriedly, didn't make a big splash about it. He does not tout it regularly. He does before certain audiences.

And when Donald Trump said, like you're saying, Jim, recently, that some Republicans call that too harsh, he pushed back pretty aggressively on that in defense of it.

So he doesn't shy away from it but he is aware of the political risk there. He doesn't wear it on his sleeve like he does some of the other issues that he put forth.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: A frequent criticism of Ron DeSantis very early on the campaign trail -- again, we're talking about him announcing tomorrow. He hasn't officially announced. But we've seen him in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The feedback is that he's not all that refined when it comes to retail politics, the one-on-one conversations. Could he potentially change that perception? How much does that matter going into this early primary stage?

CHALIAN: I've observed a lot of presidential candidates on the campaign trail get better at retail politics, even if they don't have an initial affinity from that.

In fact, some of the reports from his second New Hampshire trip was a marked improvement from the first New Hampshire trip on this. So we'll see.

This is part of -- members of Congress he served with in the House did not think of him as anybody that was all that collegial or friendly.

(CROSSTALK)

CHALIAN: So this is definitely something that I think observers and voters will be watching on the campaign trail. But I don't think that's not something that can't be improved.

I remember a guy named Barack Obama who wasn't all the greatest at retail politics initially but he learned and got better throughout his time on the campaign trail.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: He really did. He really did.

David Chalian, thank you so much.

And to Jessica Dean as well for her quick reporting. Thank you so much.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:36:55]

KEILAR: A district court in Moscow has just extended the detention of "Wall Street Journal" reporter, Evan Gershkovich, by three months.

Today, his parents accompanied his attorney there in Moscow.

Gershkovich last appearing in court in April when he asked that his detention be under house arrest rather than in jail. That appeal was denied.

The Biden administration has declared him wrongfully detained. And today, the U.S. embassy in Moscow said it's deeply concerned.

Gershkovich is facing up to 20 years in prison on espionage charges, which he and the U.S. government deny.

We have CNN's Jennifer Hansler following this for us. Jennifer, this extends his detention until at least August 30th. What

is the justification behind this?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Brianna, there really is no justification for this other than those Russian claims of espionage. As you noted, those claims have been fiercely disputed by the U.S. government as well as Evan himself.

However, the FSB today, which is Russia's intelligence service, asked that his detention be extended for those three months. That court outside of Moscow granted that extension.

So that means Evan will be spending another three months at least in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo Prison.

The U.S. embassy today reiterated that the charges against Evan are baseless. They called for his immediate release. The State Department said there was an embassy official there at the hearing.

As you noted, his parents were also there at the hearing. The State Department said they knew that his parents were traveling to Russia. And they did not help or arrange for that trip, but they also did not fault them for wanting to be there and see their son.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW MILLER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I will just say, personally, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to see your child detained overseas, especially to be detained wrongfully. So I'm certainly not going to criticize any parent for wanting to see their child.

But that being said, we do have a level-4 travel advisory for Russia. Just speaking generally, we do not advise that U.S. citizens to travel to Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANSLER: So as you heard there, they are not encouraging Americans to go to Russia, given the war in Ukraine and the fact that Russians are arresting Americans on baseless charges. But they did understand why Evan's parents would want to be there.

I should also note, Brianna, that the U.S. has been denied two requests to visit Evan in his prison this month by the Russians.

Today, U.S. officials have urged Russia to again meet its obligations under the law and allow them to go seen, talk to him and make sure that he is doing as well as he can under these conditions -- Brianna?

KEILAR: Jennifer, thank you for staying on this story. We appreciate it.

Boris? [14:39:40]

SANCHEZ: Still to come this afternoon, a story that all parents should hear, about the health risks of social media for kids. This warning coming from the surgeon general. We have details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: A rare new advisory today from the U.S. surgeon general has parents, including myself, frankly, taking notice. Dr. Vivek Murthy warns that social media use for children poses a, quote, "profound risk of harm to mental health."

CNN medical correspondent, Meg Tirrell, is here to break it all down.

Meg, you spoke with the surgeon general. That phrasing, "profound risk of harm," we've heard about studies, et cetera. But "profound risk" is a remarkable way to describe it.

What prompted that and what is the advisory attempting to do?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Dr. Murthy pointed out we are already in a mental health crisis for youth in this country and so he was very concerned about what is the effect of social media on kids' mental health.

[14:44:59]

And he pointed out social media has been around for a few decades but we really don't have good data showing how safe it is when it comes to kids' mental health.

This is really a call to action to try to answer those questions. And also a call for policy makers and tech companies, he says, to step up to do more.

And when you look at just the ubiquity of social media for kids, up to 95 percent of kids between 13 and 17 say that they use social media. Even though the minimum age is usually 13, they cite a study saying 40 percent of kids down to age 8 are already on social media.

While they say there are benefits, like creating communities and connecting kids to others, especially if they're marginalized, there are a lot of harms they have seen as well like the risk of depression and anxiety, loss of sleep, harassment, and even low self-esteem.

SCIUTTO: Listen, in my experience, I'm not sure that minimum 13 age holds. I've certainly heard stories.

TIRRELL: Yes.

SCIUTTO: So I wonder how social media responds to this criticism. Listen, there's been talk of this for ages, promises from social media platforms for ages to do something about it. What are they doing now? What are they saying? TIRRELL: Yes. You know, they point out they have already put a lot of

these controls in place. They have guidance for parents on their Web sites. They have sort of age-specific settings for kids.

But of course, the surgeon general says they talk with a lot of independent researchers who say the companies are not transparent enough with the data they have about the effects on health. And that's what they're calling for here.

SCIUTTO: Given that track record, I'm a parent, I want to hear what to do. What are the recommendations for what you can do rather than waiting for social media companies to act here?

TIRRELL: Yes, so immediately, the recommendations are families should talk about this, create a plan for social media. Also have times that are real tech-free zone, maybe around dinner time and especially during bedtime,

Encouraging kids to have in-person friendships as well, fostering those kinds of relationships.

Modeling responsible social media behavior is a big one for all of us. We can be reminded about that.

And also reporting cyberbullying when it happens. And just making sure kids really know about how to use technology. And working with other parents, too, creating a like-minded community around this.

SCIUTTO: An open conversation is something you hear so often from the experts. Talk about it with your children as openly as you can.

Meg Tirrell, I know this is not the last time we'll talk about this.

Thanks so much.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: Former President Donald Trump just appeared virtually by video conference before a New York judge.

Remember, nearly two months ago, Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, charged Trump with 34 counts, alleging that he falsified business records tied to that hush money payment made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign.

We want to take you now live outside the courthouse to CNN's Kara Scannell.

Kara, the judge was set to outline to Trump what he could and could not say publicly about the case. So what happened in court?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris, it was a very brief hearing. It was only about 15 minutes from start to finish.

The judge did explain to Trump, who appeared on a video screen wearing a suit, seemed to be in front of two American flags and sitting next to his attorney.

You know, the judge said, I'm not going to go line by line in this protective order, but he did explain to Trump this was not a gag order. He said, it's not my intention in any way to impede Mr. Trump's ability to campaign for president of the United States.

He said Trump is free to deny the charges, free to defend himself against the charges, and free to campaign.

Trump only spoke once in the hearing and that was when the judge asked him if he had a copy of the protective order, which does limit Trump from posting on any social media sites any materials that prosecutors turn over to his team.

Trump said yes, he did. "Yes, I do have it, Your Honor." He didn't speak the rest of the time.

His part of the screen, where he was with his attorney, was muted through most of the proceedings so we couldn't hear any of the conversations that Trump had with his attorney, though he did appear fairly animated at times.

One time where he was animated is where they discussed the trial date. And that has been set for March 25th.

I was looking at a primary calendar. It does seem to be after a number of the big primaries in some of the big states. But certainly, the primary season will still be going on when the trial gets under way.

The judge told him and everyone involved that they cannot accept any commitments or make any plans, personal or professional, that would derail the trial date and prevent them from sitting from March 25th to however long this trial will take.

The judge also warned Trump that if he does violate the protective order, there could be sanctions, including a contempt finding, which could be punishable by potentially monetary fines or anything else that the judge decided.

But essentially, they wrapped this up very quickly. Trump only spoke the one time but he did show signs of animation when they were discussing the trial date, which does come in the middle of the primary season -- Boris?

[14:50:01]

SANCHEZ: No question, this case and potentially others will have an impact on primary season.

Kara Scannell, reporting live from the Manhattan courthouse, thank you so much.

Brianna?

KEILAR: LeBron James fans, Boris -- Jim not so much. I will tell you they are asking today, will he take his talents to the retirement home after the Lakers lost last night? The living legend said he has a lot to think about. So what does that mean?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The biggest question in all of sports today, and at many office water coolers, was this moment right here, LeBron James blocked right at the rim by Eric Gordon.

The Los Angeles Lakers eliminated in the final seconds of the Western Conference finals, swept by the Denver Nuggets.

The question: Was that the last time we'll see this legendary player in an NBA uniform?

LeBron was asked about his future after the emotional loss last night. Here's what the king said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, NBA'S ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER: We'll see what happens going forward. I don't know. I don't know. I've got a lot to think about, to be honest. I've got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just me, personally, going forward with the game of basketball, I've got a lot to think about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The host of CNN's "WORLD SPORT," Don Riddell, is with us.

Don, LeBron has played 20 seasons. He is 38 years old. Any other player would be contemplating retirement. But LeBron has talked about potentially playing with his son, Bronny, in the future. He has a couple of years to go before he's eligible for the NBA.

DON RIDDELL, CNN HOST, "WORLD SPORT": Yes, really, really interesting. You say he's 38, that's true. That is young for a human being. It is old for an athlete. I think LeBron James would agree with me on that.

Really interesting to hear these comments. Because, as sports reporters, we love asking these guys questions, sometimes consequential questions in the heat of the moment. And you get great reactions. You get really, really raw emotional responses sometimes.

And that's great. But you have to ask how much stock is there really in those answers.

It's hard to imagine that LeBron James is ready to step away from the game. Of course, he's disappointed. It's no fun losing a conference final series. And certainly no fun being swept 4-0. And that is what happened to Lebron James last night.

But it's clear that he can still compete. He played every minute of that game last night. He scored 30 points in the first half, which, by the way, is something he's never done in his entire career of playoff competition. And that, by the way, is over 280 games.

[14:55:06] He scored 40 points last night. So he can compete and he still can do it.

You mentioned one of the reasons why he might keep playing. Bronny is going to college next year. He actually will be playing on the same street as LeBron just a couple of miles away.

He recently said he would move, I think the quote was, "move heaven and earth" to make sure that he got onto the same team as Bronny when he joins the NBA.

So you would imagine that LeBron would still want to stick around and do that. He's disappointed right now, of course. If the Lakers are stronger next year, they might even be more competitive next year. That's another reason why he may want to stick around.

But what he's certainly done is guarantee that this is going to be the story line for the rest of the summer. This is what everybody in the NBA will be talking about -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: No question about that. We've seen him wear number 23 before. We know he idolizes Michael Jordan, who retired twice before ultimately coming back later. Maybe he retires and does the Tom Brady and Michael Jordan and comes back to play with his son. We'll see.

Don Riddell, thank you so much for outlining that for us.

Over to Jim and LeBron Haterville.

SCIUTTO: Boris and I are going to have a conversation later in the show. Perhaps you'll want to take part.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Just asking questions.

SCIUTTO: Asking questions. All right.

All right, our lead coming up next, a 19-year-old driver facing multiple charges after ramming a security barrier near the White House. We will have all the latest and all the details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)