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Biden To Announce Live Nation, Ticketmaster Will Let Consumers See All Fees Up Front; Biden Administration Sanctions Two China-Based North Korean Operatives Facilitating Missile Program; Orcas Ram & Sink Boats, Experts Debate Why. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired June 15, 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]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR: New this morning. The Biden administration is expected to announce that Ticketmaster and Live Nation will now give customers the actual price -- the actual price of their tickets before they hit purchase. So, that means that consumers and customers will be able to see all of those frustrating hidden fees upfront.

CNN's Arlette Saenz joins us now from the White House with the details. So, Arlette, what is today's announcements mean for consumers and people at home?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, this is an issue that has affected so many Americans. You go to buy a concert ticket or other type of ticket and you see a price. But then when you get to the end of final checkout, you see that there certainly have been more items and fees added to that initial cost.

And the -- what the White House is trying to do today is show that President Biden has used his bully pulpit to encourage companies to eliminate some of those hidden fees. Providing more information to consumers at the very start of the process. This afternoon, he will be hosting CEOs of major companies that have offered some commitments when it comes to disclosing pricing upfront.

Some of those commitments are coming from some major entertainment and ticketing companies. Live Nation has said that they will be presenting one clear total price to their consumers when it comes to tickets. And Ticketmaster will soon be enabling an option that allows you to see all-in pricing as you're beginning to purchase those tickets. There are other companies like SeatGeek, and Airbnb who are also participating in this meeting this afternoon.

And part of this is really the part of the Biden administration and the White House's push to focus on some kitchen table issues, especially as the economy and inflation remain top of mind for voters heading into the 2024 election. Now, all of these announcements that are coming today, they are voluntary. But the president has pushed Congress to pass a bill called the Junk Fee Protection Act, which would be aimed at addressing excessive concert fees, also airline fees, early termination fees, and destination fees. This is all a push from the White House trying to identify and address some of those issues that everyday Americans are facing that and that are hitting their pocketbooks. And so, we'll hear a little bit more from these companies in the White House later today.

SOLOMON: Arlette Saenz, thank you. Look. I think, John, a lot of people might find this welcome news just to have that sense of understanding on the front end, what something is going to cost you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This is for the rock and roll music. For the -- for the music, the kids are listening to these days.

SOLOMON: Yes, or the hip hop, R&B, or whatever going to cost it.

BERMAN: All those concerts are loud -- the music's so loud. But now, at least, you can understand how to get that.

SOLOMON: Yes, exactly.

BERMAN: Thanks so much. So new comments this morning from former President Barack Obama about the Republican Party, not that that party asked him. On The Axe Files podcast with David Axelrod, former President Obama says the party should acknowledge issues of racial inequality in the United States rather than just saying opportunities in the U.S. are already equal and fair.

CNN Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is here now. Jeff Zeleny, whom I might add, has covered Barack Obama since the beginning of time. What did you hear in these comments, Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. Not the beginning of time, but the beginning of his presidential campaign and actually, even as an Illinois state senator. So, it is interesting whenever he weighs in on matters like this.

You're right. The Republican Party is not necessarily asking for his advice in this matter. But he did say that he believes that Republicans should have an honest accounting of the past and present of racial inequality in America. But take a listen to what he says specifically about this.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If a Republican who may even be sincere in saying I want us all to live together doesn't have a plan for how do we address crippling generational poverty that is a consequence of hundreds of years of racism in this society and we need to do something about that. Now, we can't just ignore all that and pretend as if everything's equal and fair. We actually have to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, the context here, of course, is the Republican presidential campaign of South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. He has been saying that he believes that he had a chance and there is a fair and equal opportunity for all Americans.

This has been somewhat controversial. He appeared on The View and sparred with some of the hosts back and forth on this. So, this is what the former president is weighing in on now.

This is a much wide-ranging conversation that our colleague David Axelrod has on his Axe Files, but it is certainly interesting to hear the former president talk about this, specifically. Of course, he said he has not heard any of Senator Scott's campaign addresses directly. And he does believe you know that this is a moment for Republicans to more fully address racial inequality and income inequality.

So, take a listen to this podcast. It's often difficult to boil down the former president in a simple soundbite here of 30 seconds. It's a very interesting, about hour-long conversation here about our moment -- certainly in this campaign but also of race in America, John.

[11:35:09]

BERMAN: Jeff Zeleny, who has covered Barack Obama almost since the beginning of time, great to have your insight here. I really appreciate it, my friend. Rahel?

SOLOMON: All right, John, thank you. Happening now. Prosecutors are presenting their closing arguments in the Pittsburgh synagogue murder trial. The alleged gunman who's accused of killing 11 worshippers in 2018, he's pleaded not guilty to 63 federal charges including hate crimes resulting in death. Now if convicted on any of the capital charges, the trial will then move to a separate penalty phase.

CNN's Danny Freeman live outside the courthouse in Pittsburgh with the details. Danny, good morning. Bring us up to speed here.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rahel. I actually just left the courthouse where we've been watching these closing remarks. They've been incredibly powerful, incredibly intense, and the prosecution began by really contrasting an otherwise beautiful morning on October 27, 2018, at the Tree of Life synagogue here in Pittsburgh.

Saying Sylvan and Bernice Simon, they were sitting in their usual pews. Irving Younger was passing out a prayer book. Cecil Rosenthal was greeting everyone who walked in. A beautiful picture on a rainy morning.

But then the prosecution describes Robert Bowers, the defendant, turning a sacred house of worship into a hunting ground. And the prosecution was seeking to emphasize that Bowers killed Jewish people just because they were Jewish. And I got to say, the prosecution then went back and showed quite a number of the graphic, intense, horrible images of so many of the victims in that synagogue.

It was visceral. It was brutal. We also heard more of those 911 calls we've been hearing all throughout this trial so far. And I got to say the family members, we can actually see them from our vantage point sitting in the main rows in that courtroom, they were still wick, they were dead set paying attention to the prosecution as the prosecution said every word.

I got to say the prosecution also emphasize that Bowers, in their words, showed no remorse and said that they own -- he only stopped shooting because he ran out of ammunition. This is all to illustrate the point the prosecution has been proving this whole time that Bowers was there to kill Jewish people because they were Jewish.

Now, at this point, we're still waiting for the defense to bring up their closing arguments. Remember, they did not bring up a single witness, but we're interested to hear what they have to say because they're focused on potentially the next phase if Bowers is convicted, that death penalty sentencing phase. That's the latest from here. We'll bring you more as we have it, Rahel.

SOLOMON: A lot more to come. Danny Freeman, thank you for being there. John?

BERMAN: North Korea launches two ballistic missiles just after condemning the U.S. for military drills. We are live there with the latest. And not a sweet crime at all, though, maybe a bit sticky. Smugglers trying to hide $150 million dollars worth of meth in maple syrup.

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[11:42:11]

BERMAN: This morning, officials are blaming a sudden shift in weight for a deadly migrant ship disaster off the coast of Greece. At least 78 people have died but officials fear hundreds more are dead. The boat was carrying some 700 people when it sank early Wednesday morning. You can see how packed it was.

Pope Francis is expected to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow morning. He's been in a Rome hospital since having abdominal surgery last week. This morning, the pontiff visited with patients at a children's cancer ward at the hospital. The Vatican said this is the third time he has visited with patients there. It's next door to the apartment where he is recovering.

So, police in New Zealand uncovered an elaborate scheme to smuggle $150 million worth of meth into the country inside maple syrup containers. The shipment with 1500 pounds of drugs was sent from Canada. Authorities in New Zealand say this is the largest-ever attempted smuggling of meth there. Six people have been arrested. Rahel?

SOLOMON: John, just in. The Biden administration sanctioning two North Korean operatives. They're accused of facilitating North Korea's missile program.

It comes as South Korean officials say that North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into waters east of the Korean peninsula. The launch coming on the same day that national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with his counterparts from South Korea and Japan in a trilateral conference in Tokyo. His visit also coincided with the latest joint live fire drill with U.S. and South Korean forces.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us from Seoul, South Korea. So, Paula, why would North Korea feel the need to test these short-range missiles now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, it is sometimes presumptuous to try and assign a reason for why North Korea does certain things at a certain time, but this one seems fairly clear cut. We had earlier this Thursday the North Korean defense ministry saying through state-run media, they were denouncing these live fire drills between the U.S. and South Korea. And then just a matter of hours later, you have these two short-range missiles being fired off the east coast.

Now, what we have heard from North Korea is they are calling these live fire drills provocative acts. Now, these, according to the U.S. and South Korea, are the largest live fire drills they have ever carried out. They have had five days over the past month or so. And I went to one of those days and I can confirm that they are significant in scale.

And what I really noticed as well is that the scenario is very clear- cut. Usually, the scenario is they are training against an enemy. This time around, it was far more blatant messaging to North Korea. The scenario was an illegal armed invasion by North Korea. And what we saw the sheer firepower was a reaction by the U.S. and South Korea.

[11:45:03]

Now, that was not appreciated by Pyongyang, which is why we have heard this condemnation today. Also, significant today was the fact that the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was at these live-fire drills as commander in chief in South Korea. He was said to be satisfied and competent as he was watching these drills.

2500 soldiers from the U.S. and South Korea. More than 600 pieces of equipment we are told went into this. It's not just a message to North Korea, though. The fact these drills are so large at the moment is also to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korean Alliance.

But from North Korea's point of view, they have been doing these significant missile tests and weapons tests over the past year and a half. Now, they blame these joint military drills for carrying out such significant numbers of missile launches. They also say it's why they had to carry out the attempted launch of a satellite at the end of last month, which failed. Rahel.

SOLOMON: Paula Hancocks, thank you. John?

BERMAN: All right. Whale versus man. The orcas attacking boats and getting better at it. Now, experts say they may have identified a motive.

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[11:50:47]

SOLOMON: And welcome back. So, scientists are scratching their heads as to why a pod of orcas is ramming and sinking boats off the coast of Southern Spain. Take a look.

This video shows an incident where killer whales bid off both rudders from a catamaran. This was happening near Spain. It's one in a series of encounters involving orcas actually sinking boats this year and sparking debate among experts as to what's prompting all this behavior.

Spanish authorities now warning sailors to immediately leave the area if they see anything unusual in the waters. You wouldn't have to tell me twice. Let's bring in a wildlife and conservation expert Jeff Corwin, actually on a boat to help sort those facts from the fears.

Jeff, great to have you. Looks like a great shot where you are, wherever you are, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. So, it does seem like there has been an increase in these types of attacks. I mean, what is prompting this?

JEFF CORWIN, WILDLIFE & CONSERVATION EXPERT: Yes, Rahel, I can report with confidence. No orcas here. I'm safe. And all as well.

But that would not be the case in Spain. It's really incredible what we're seeing when it comes to really novel animal behavior. We've always known that orca whales are really intelligent as most of the cetaceans, the marine mammals. That includes the dolphins, the porpoises, and the whales.

But this is really unique. So, what is likely has happened is that one individual whale, a very dominant female leader of a pod, she had a negative traumatic encounter with a boat. She was probably hit or stoked by a boat.

There have been a number of accounts where anecdotally boats have hit orca whales in this part of Europe. So, she has associated this boat as danger as the enemy and so she has taken it upon herself to attack these boats when they come too close. But even more incredibly, is she's taught this behavior, this response, this defense than offense to other members of her pod.

BERMAN: Let's delve into that a little more, Jeff. And if you need to whisper so you don't you know -- you don't alarm --

SOLOMON: Disrupt.

BERMAN: -- or disrupt any of the orcas who may be lurking there. You don't want to offend any of them. Taught and learn behavior among orcas, how far can it go? Is this something that can literally be passed on from whale to whale to whale?

CORWIN: Well, that's really a great question. I don't think there'll be solving cold fusion anytime in the future of orcas, but it is amazing. They learn from their environment. They discover. They explore. Also, play is a big part of the life of an orca whale and other dolphin-like whales.

So, basically, through play, exploration, and discovery, they pick up behaviors and learn and respond in ways that allow them to adapt to their environment. So, yes, she has learned that for her, ships, specifically sailboats, they seem to be targeting sailboats, and especially catamarans. Then she teaches that behavior to other whales, then other whales teach that behavior to other members of the pod or other transient whales they may meet in the area.

This is nothing new. For example, we've seen this with hunting techniques off of the coast of South America. Orca whales can incredibly beach themselves to grab first seals and bring them into the water. They teach that behavior to their offspring.

Whales will actually cut through ice to trap seals in the Arctic, a behavior they then teach. These are very smart critters. They learn, they discover, they make those discoveries, and then share them with other members of their community.

SOLOMON: And then, Jeff, are they also very playful figures? Because one theory that I also saw floating around is that maybe some of these attacks are actually just younger orcas who are being mischievous or playful. I mean, what do you think about that theory?

CORWIN: Well, absolutely. Play is a big part of their lives. They'd like that -- they'd like to be stimulated by the environment. We've seen them actually play with sharks, with other creatures.

[11:55:00]

They'll play with seaweed, all sorts of things because they like when you have a big brain, you need a lot of stimulation going on or you get bored. So, I do believe there may be some play involved here with these whales. But I think it originates from one whale that had this negative encounter with the sailboat as she learn from that and is sharing that novel behavior onto other members of her community --

BERMAN: Jeff Corwin --

CORWIN: -- as a survival strategy.

BERMAN: -- it's amazing. And thank you so much for explaining this so well to us and joining us with your work. Tomorrow, we are -- we're going to have class outside with you. Wherever you are, it looks like a great place --

SOLOMON: Yes.

BERMAN: -- to be there and joining us today.

CORWIN: Well, I told your producer, I'm angry at CNN because I just lost a striper for this interview, so a great sacrifice was made.

BERMAN: Spoken like someone off a Cape Cod. You are speaking my language. Jeff Corwin, thank you very much for that.

CORWIN: All right.

BERMAN: And thank you all so much for joining us. This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.

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