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Protests over New Immigration Law; Update on Iowa Building Collapse; Amazon Settles with FTC; Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired June 01, 2023 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[09:31:35]
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
Topping our headlines this hour, sources tell CNN federal prosecutors have a tape of former President Donald Trump admitting that he held on to a classified Pentagon document. On the recording the former president suggests he wanted to share the document but that he knew he had a limited ability to declassify records once he left the White House. It could be another important piece of evidence for the special counsel investigating Trump's handling of classified documents and possible obstruction of justice.
Also at this hour, as soon as today the Senate could vote on the deal to raise the debt ceiling. It won bipartisan support and passed the House yesterday. Both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, they are pushing for a speedy resolution here, but given Senate rules, any one senator can very easily slow passage down if they want to stand in its way. So stand by to stand by on that.
And also this just in, the U.S. economy is seeing a slight uptick in weekly jobless claims. It's the highest reading in four weeks, coming in at 232,000 people filing for first time unemployment insurance. That's an increase of 2,000 claims from the previous week.
John.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Kate.
Workers in at least seven states today are taking part in protests. It is being called "A Day Without Immigrants." It's happening in Florida, California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, South Carolina and Texas.
In Florida, some Latino-owned businesses will close their shops for the whole day. It is largely in response to an anti-immigration measure signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
CNN's Carlos Suarez joins us now from Immokalee, in Florida.
Carlos, what are you seeing so far? CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are expecting hundreds if
not thousands of undocumented workers to take part in a work stoppage here in Immokalee later this afternoon. We are in Immokalee. That is a farming community to the east of Fort Myers where several businesses, restaurants, even the catholic church has told us they are going to close for the day.
Yesterday we were over in West Palm Beach where we caught up with the owner of a Mexican restaurant who told us that a third of his staff, a third of his workers have quit because of this new immigration law. He said that a majority of his staff is undocumented and that the folks that quit told him they were moving out of Florida.
Here is a part of our conversation where he was a bit emotional in describing some of the extra work that him and his partners now have to pick up, but also the impact that this is having on the folks closest to him, his workers.
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VICTOR PRADO, OWNER, EL MARIACHI MEXICAN RESTAURANT: We have to do the job. We have to cook. We have to taking care of the customers. We have to do basically everything because the people is afraid about the law.
We tried to find new people to train them, but, I mean, nobody wants to work. We ask like the people that we know, we try to see they want to work and they say no because they're moving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUAREZ: These protests are taking place across the state of Florida. Last week there was an event down in Homestead, Florida, that is just south of Miami, where thousands of undocumented workers there showed up to protest this new immigration law. The video that you're taking a look at was provided to CNN by We Count. That is an immigration advocacy group that is working with a lot of these farmers and these farming communities to try to answer some of the questions surrounding this new law.
[09:35:04]
Some of the impact that we're seeing with this law involves the expansion of the E-Verify program. That is a program that employees are going to have to use to make sure that the workers that they're hiring are in the U.S. legally. Hospitals across the state of Florida are going to have to start asking their patients about their immigration status. And it is going to be a third-degree felony for someone to transport someone in the U.S. that is here illegally into Florida. John, that new law goes into effect in July.
BERMAN: All right, Carlos Suarez, keep us posted on what you see throughout the morning. Thanks so much for being with us.
Rahel.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this morning, we are expecting an update on the search for survivors in Davenport, Iowa. This follows a partial building collapse. Five people are still unaccounted for after the back portion of the six story structure collapsed Sunday afternoon. Officials believe two of those missing may still be in the building.
CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is live for us in Davenport with the latest.
Adrienne, I know you've been talking to some of the families there. What are they saying?
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rahel, they say with each new day the anxiety continues to build, especially for the family of Branden Colvin, including his 18-year-old son. He can't leave this area.
A few feet from where I'm standing is where Branden has slept overnight. He just woke up moments ago. I spoke with him and he told me he's supposed to graduate on Saturday.
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BRANDEN COLVIN, JR., SON OF MISSING MAN BRANDEN COLVIN: Like we had finals this week. I tried onto go Tuesday to school and as soon as I walked in I just broke down and I was just crying. I couldn't do it. You know, and all them people, my friends and stuff, to see me like that. So, I don't know if I'm going to be able to go to the graduation and be around all them people. I don't know if I can do it.
BROADDUS: Would you go in there and look if they allowed you?
COLVIN: Yes, I would. If they told me I could go, I'd run in there right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROADDUS: And that's what some of the other family members have said as well. They, like so many others, are waiting for answers. And we are expecting an update from city officials around 10:00 this morning.
We learned yesterday the city cited the building's owner for failure to maintain this property. That fine is about $300, including court fees.
As you also mentioned at the top of this story, at least five people are still missing, two, including Branden's father, believed to possibly be buried under the rubble.
Rahel.
SOLOMON: Adrienne, it's just so heartbreaking to see the comforter there and to understand as people, you know, just wait in agony to find out what happened to their loved ones.
Adrienne Broaddus, live for us in Davenport, thank you.
John. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A huge settlement. Amazon agrees to pay more than $30 million over violating privacy rights.
Why are Americans having fewer babies? New data on sagging birth rates.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back.
A New York man has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for a limo crash that killed 20 people. Nauman Hussain, whose family owns the limo company, was convicted of manslaughter for the 2018 accident. Prosecutors say he hired the driver, who did not have a proper license, and that he should have known the limo had mechanical and safety deficiencies. Hussain's attorney says that they have already filed paperwork for an appeal.
And in Chicago, the city council there has approved an additional $51 million in funding to help migrants arriving in the city, but not without a heated debate. One alderperson, Jeanette Taylor, got emotional as she weighed in.
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JEANETTE TAYLOR, CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL ALDERPESON: And I'm conflicted because in my heart I know what's right. I know it's right to want to help other people. Because as black people, that's what we do. But when the hell are y'all going to help us?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are 43 yeas, there are 13 nays. This matter has passed.
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SOLOMON: CNN affiliate WLS reports that more than 10,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Chicago since last August and New York City officials say that they are now caring for more than 45,000 people.
And "Sex and the City" fans listen up, big news. Kim Cattrall is apparently back. CNN has confirmed the actress filmed a scene as Samantha Jones for "And Just Like That," which is, of course, a continuation of the original hit show. It airs on Max, which does have the same parent company as CNN. But this is really big news for fans of the show, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Formidable part of my college years was spent with those wonderful women. Those wonderful women.
We're also watching this today, Amazon has now agreed to pay more than $30 million to settle claims it violated the privacy of customers. The two federal lawsuits brought by the FTC involve the Alexa voice assistant and Ring doorbell cameras.
CNN's Brian Fung has more on this for us and he's joining us now.
Brian, what are the privacy concerns here? What are you picking up that that's leading to this settlement?
BRIAN FUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, there are really two buckets here. One having do with Ring. The allegations are that employees had unfettered access to Ring video footage and, in some cases, you know, you had cameras being hacked and people being spied on inside their homes. And then, you know, the other with Ring -- excuse me, with Alexa, issues with voice recordings of children being kept, quote/unquote, indefinitely in violation of a landmark children's privacy law known as COPPA.
[09:45:01]
Now, the allegations here led to two settlements, one with Ring involving a $5.8 million payment to the FTC, the other one involving $25 million payment to the FTC. In addition, Amazon has agreed to implement a number of privacy programs surrounding Ring and Alexa to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.
And, interestingly, the FTC is also requiring that Amazon can't use the children's voice recordings from Alexa to further its AI algorithms.
In a statement Amazon is saying that while we disagree with the FTC's claims regarding both Alexa and Ring, and deny violating the law, these settlements put these matters behind us.
Now, the FTC is saying with three of the agency's commissioners in a joint statement, quote, Amazon is not alone in apparently seeking to amass data to refine its machine learning models. Today's settlement sends a message to all those companies, machine learning is no excuse to break the law.
So, Kate, we're looking here at not only a significant settlement for Amazon, but also a warning shot across the bow of the entire tech industry saying, you know, be aware of how you're collecting your data and, you know, make sure it's safe.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely. See what happens -- let's see what else happens here.
It's great to see you, Brian. Appreciate it.
John.
BERMAN: So, after a brief baby bump, forgive me, new data shows the birth rate in the U.S. was down a bit last year. And it was lower than it was before Covid.
SOLOMON: (INAUDIBLE).
BERMAN: Still laughing and that was like --
BOLDUAN: We're so proud of you, though. BERMAN: Rare success. Rare success for my dad joke.
BOLDUAN: I know, it's so good. Yes. Yes. Sorry.
BERMAN: New data from the CDC shows that nearly 3.7 million children were born in the U.S. in 2022.
CNN's Elizabeth Cohen is with us now.
I ask with some trepidation, Elizabeth, why is it that fewer babies were born last year?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: John, first of all, I want you (INAUDIBLE) --
BERMAN: A joke so good that it broke the communications between us and Elizabeth Cohen.
We'll get -- we'll get Elizabeth back in one moment. I think we're going to break. So, stay with us.
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[09:51:13]
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
One of the stars from "That '70s Show" has been found guilty of rape. A Los Angeles jury, on Wednesday, convicted actor Danny Masterson on two of the three rape charges that he faced. Now, they could not reach a verdict on the third. Masterson could face 30 years to life in prison.
CNN entertainer reporter Chloe Melas is here with more details.
So, Chloe, what happens next?
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: So, there is going to be a sentencing hearing. And like you just said, he could face 30 years to life in state prison. We haven't heard anything from Danny Masterson or his legal team, but we saw his wife, Bijou Phillips. We had a reporter in the courtroom. She was crying as he was led away in handcuffs.
We have a statement, though, from one of the women. She goes by Jane Doe 2. She says, quote, I am experiencing a complex array of emotions, relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness, knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior.
Rahel, you point on something very interesting here. I think some people forgot that he had already faced these incidents in a courtroom and it was a mistrial several years ago. And this was because the jury was hung.
Now, we saw yesterday when the verdict came down that although he was found guilty on two incidents with two women that they were hung on the third. And the district attorney's office putting out a statement saying that they're grateful that the jury has come to this decision, although they would have liked to have seen him convicted on all counts. Unclear if he is going to appeal.
And what makes --
SOLOMON: Because he hasn't responded.
MELAS: Because he hasn't responded.
But what makes this trial different from the first was that in this trial it was introduced that possibly he drugged the women. And so that was something that his team vehemently did not want addressed in the courtroom. It was not allowed the first time around. So, unclear if they're going to use that to their advantage to try to -- that they wanted to declare a mistrial. So it will be interesting to see if they do appeal.
But again this is something that we have been watching for, you know, since this began in April, and the jury deliberated for six days.
SOLOMON: Chloe Melas, thank you.
Kate.
BOLDUAN: A very rare high-altitude rescue to tell you about. The details of this were really amazing. A climber is lucky to be alive this morning after a sherpa guide was able to haul him down from below the summit of Mt. Everest. The guide was climbing with someone else up Mt. Everest when he spotted the climber in distress clinging to a rope and shivering. Temperatures in that area can droop to negative 76 degrees Fahrenheit. The sherpa wrapped the climber up, put him on his back, and carried him down, descending nearly 2,000 feet. A helicopter was then able to bring the climber back to a base camp and the rescue took about six hours. Officials say the rescues at this altitude understandably are nearly impossible. Twelve climbers have died attempting to climb Everest this season, the highest number in eight years.
John.
BERMAN: All right, thanks so much, Kate.
A dangerous and expensive salad. Officials seize more than $30 million worth of meth hidden inside a bed of leafy greens.
A popular drug for weight loss, new research said it could also help fight drug and alcohol addition.
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BOLDUAN: First on CNN, in the hands of the special counsel. A tape of former President Donald Trump admitting he took a classified Pentagon document when he left the White House, and suggesting that he wanted to share it. What it now means for the ongoing justice investigation.
SOLOMON: Also an Air Force base in Nevada has been forced to cancel a drag show scheduled for today, the first day of Pride Month. Why the Pentagon ordered the base to shut it down.
BERMAN: And could drugs used for weight loss help curb drug addictions. The promising new research out today.
This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
BOLDUAN: Let us start with this. Reporting first on CNN. In the handing of the special counsel now a tape capturing former President Donald Trump acknowledging he held on to a classified document after leaving the White House. And according to sources, the recording suggests that he wanted to share it but understood the limits of his abilities to declassify material post presidency.
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