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Yusef Salaam, Member of Central Park Five, Wins NYC Council Election; Interview with Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su; 209K New Jobs Added in June, U.S. Job Market Slowed Down; Several School Districts and Hundreds of Families Suing Social Media Tech Giants; "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper: Wired for Trouble" Airing Sunday at 8PM. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 07, 2023 - 10:30:00   ET

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

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[10:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Washington, D.C., Police are searching for four suspects who were seen running away from the scene of a shooting that killed a Lyft driver. 31-year-old Nasrat Ahmad Yar, was found shot inside his vehicle as he finished working an extra shift. He was a former Afghan interpreter who escaped the Taliban and immigrated with his family to the United States in 2021. Police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case.

The president of the Newark Fire Officers Union says, the hoses used to fight a deadly fire on a cargo ship in the Port of Newark were not nearly large enough to handle the volume of water needed for the blaze. Two experienced Newark firefighters died battle the fire. The union says, the hose caused their deaths because they cannot properly fight the fire and were trapped by the intense heat.

Yusef Salaam, who was one of the five black and Latino teens wrongfully accused and convicted in the 1989 Central Park rape trial has won the Democratic primary for New York City council seat. He spent nearly seven years in prison before DNA linked someone else to the crime. Salaam, now 49 years old, spoke to CNN about his journey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YUSEF SALAAM (D), NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE: I was 16 at the time, and I kind of buried it and say, you know -- maybe, you know, and kept wanting -- trying to make sure that I didn't succumb to the pressure of what prison was trying to turn me into, which was a monster. And of course, years later now, here I'm looking back at that journey. The journey that I've come through and I'm saying to myself, wow. All of the things that happened, every single piece, the good, the bad, the ugly, has prepared me for this moment right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Salaam is favored to win the seat in the heavily Democratic ninth district in Harlem. Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: It is fascinating, continue to follow. Thank you, John.

A new read on the U.S. economy, the June jobs report is out this morning. The economy added 209,000 jobs in June, lower than expected, but also showing that labor market remains resilient. The unemployment rate now at 3.6 percent.

Let's get some reaction to this, what the trends mean. Joining us now is the Acting Secretary of Labor, Julie Su. Thank you so much, Secretary, for coming in. After this, and the report that we see, not just this one report but the trend we have been seeing overtime. Do you think the economy, in your view, is headed for a soft landing or do you still think a recession more likely than not as many smart minds expect?

JULIE SU, ACTING SECRETARY OF LABOR: This is a good strong jobs report. It's a jobs report that indicate steady and stable growth, which is what we want, right? The president's policies have been about helping the country recover from the pandemic induced economic catastrophe, putting shots in arms, putting checks in pockets, and then creating jobs, investing in America. And we are seeing the payoff from a lot of that policy. And so, this is the jobs report that demonstrates what steady and stable growth looks like.

BOLDUAN: So, you think it good, it's strong, it's not getting busters, but for you, it's satisfactory?

SU: It's stable, it's strong. You know, combined with the 3.6 unemployment, which you've already noted, this is -- unemployment rate, 3.6 percent unemployment. The predictions were that it would not fall below four percent for years, and it has fallen below that. Not that just this time, but we've had 17 straight months of unemployment rate that is under four percent, we haven't seen that since the 1960s.

Combined with the labor force participation rate, people coming into the job market, that is also at an all-time high, especially for women for the straight month, women of prime age, 25 to 54 are in the labor market at the highest rate in 75 years, those are all signs of not just, you know, economic progress but, I think, confidence. And we will continue to do the work to build that confidence and build that economic growth.

BOLDUAN: Yes, the labor force participate rate among women, that is an interesting note and noteworthy in this report, especially.

[10:35:00]

I want to ask you about the treasury secretary in China as hard work ahead of her, trying to work and improve the relationship between the U.S and China. She out -- she spoke out his morning, Secretary, and was highly critical of how U.S. companies and being and have been treated in China. Let me play for you how she put it.

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JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: The United States does not seek a wholesale separation of our economies. We seek to diversify and not to decouple. The decoupling of the world's two largest economies would be destabilizing for the global economy and it would be virtually impossible to undertake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: On how U.S. companies have been treated, she says that she's been particularly troubled by the punitive actions that have been taken against U.S. firms in recent months. How important is China to the U.S. economy in the labor market here in your view?

SU: Well -- so, by the nomics (ph) is really about three things, right? It's about investing in American, especially in American industries so that we produce more here. It's about investing in infrastructure and manufacturing and clean energy semi-conductors. It's also about investing in American workers, making sure that workers do well. And it's about investing in -- making sure there's competition, right, to bring down prices.

Those are all parts of the policy that have created the growth that we have. And obviously, some of that is about making sure that we have strong, international relations that also respect American companies, America workers and President Biden's vision for what a strong resilient economy here looks like on the international stage.

BOLDUAN: Let me ask you something that could really affect supply chains all over the country. The labor talks between UPS and its unionized drivers, it broke -- they broke down this week, really raising the threat that a strike could be coming soon. That could have a huge impact. I was seeing numbers like six percent of U.S. GDP moves on UPS truck.

So, it goes without saying what a strike would mean for the supply chains. Both sides accuse each other of walking away from talks, Biden recently thanked you for stepping in and helping to resolve a labor dispute between two very different parties out west, having to do with port operators. Do you think you need to step in here to figure things out with UPS?

SU: Well -- so, that's a very important recognition of the role that UPS plays in our economy, of the important work that UPS workers did through the pandemic and continue to do today. I, like the president, believe in the collective bargaining process. There's a reason why the parties negotiate directly, they've stay at the table. I'm hopeful that that is what they will continue to do. We are monitoring the situation, but we really the respect the parties finding a path forward in a win-win solution.

BOLDUAN: Right now, you don't see a need to step in to try to help figure things out, like you did in California?

SU: Right. That's right. I mean, we - you know, we're going to allow the parties to do what they need to do. This is part of what it looks like, of tight labor market, right, in each worker. Have power in which there's a greater and greater demand for unionization. I think those are all core to the president's vision of what a good economy looks like. And part of that is also, you know, respecting the processes and their ability to bargain to an agreement that makes sense for the parties.

BOLDUAN: Acting Secretary, your nomination has been stalled for months. I mean, the Senate Democratic majority leader hasn't yet committed to scheduling a floor vote, which indicates that even on the Democratic side, votes are not fully locked in. In your view, how is too long to wait to see this happen?

SU: Well, I remain hopeful for confirmation. I am very honored by the president's confidence in me. He nominated me to be the U.S. labor secretary. He has continued to support me in the role, and I am here to do the job. You know, the Senate is going to choose when to schedule a vote. I'm also grateful for the support of many, many senators, as well as labor and business. And so, I think what's important is what the president has asked me to do, which is help him to finish the job, to continue the policies that we've put into place and to really make sure that they result in tangible benefits for the American people.

BOLDUAN: Julie Su, Acting Secretary of Labor, thank you so much for your time today.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Apparently, what happens in Vegas doesn't actually stay there. Singer Britney Spears filed a police report saying she was backhanded by a security for NBA first round phenom Victor Wembanyama. What the pop star says she wants and how Wembanyama is responding, that is after a quick break.

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BERMAN: New this morning, Britney Spears is speaking out about an incident involving the number one NBA draft pick that happened in Las Vegas. Spears claims a security guard hit her in the face as she tried to get the attention of Victor Wembanyama, the number one pick in the draft the other night.

CNN Entertainment Reporter Chloe Melas is here. And Chloe, here's the thing, is that for those of us who pay attention to social media and get dribs and drabs of stuff.

[10:45:00]

I saw the story and I had to look at it, like, five times. What? Like, you know, I'm a huge basketball fan.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: I know you are.

BERMAN: A huge Britney Spears fan. MELAS: Yes.

BERMAN: I can't figure out how these two things intercept.

MELAS: Good point. I was at dinner with my husband and another couple last night and this topic came up. And everybody new little bits and pieces but nobody knew the full story. So, let me break down what we know. So, Victor Wembanyana -- Wembanyama, he's in Las Vegas, Britney Spears is too. We know this much that Britney Spears approached Victor. That she's a fan. She took to social media to say, she's a big fan of his, as many people are and excited --

BERMAN: She's a big French basketball fan?

MELAS: -- excited for him to be here in the U.S. She was with her husband, Sam Asghari. She walks up to him. Here's where things get conflicting. Britney claims that she taps him on the shoulder. He claims that she grabbed from behind, that's where women security stepped in. Why don't we take a listen to what Victor told reporters yesterday in the locker room.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA, SAN ANTONIO SPURS: I didn't see what happened, because I was walking straight, and we're told don't stop. But a person grabbed me from behind, not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind and -- so, I just noticed the security pushed her away. I don't know with how much force. I thought it was no big deal. And the security of this person was Britney Spears, so I was -- first, I was like, no, you're joking. But, yes, it turns out it was Britney Spears.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELAS: So, Britney takes to Instagram to post a lengthy statement. Part of that statement says that she's aware of what Victor is claiming. But she says, I tapped him on the shoulder, it was very loud in the hotel. And, you know, I'm 5'4", he's 7'4" --

BERMAN: Can I just say, no one has ever tapped Victor Wembanyama on the shoulder --

MELAS: -- and then --

BERMAN: -- because the shoulder is, like, up (ph) on lengths.

MELAS: -- and then she says, he mentions that I grabbed him from behind but I simply tapped him on the shoulder and that's when his security guard backhanded me, slapping me in the face, causing me to almost fall. She's filed a police report against the security guard. But she's also taking issue with what Victor said since she feels like he was laughing when he addressed reporters. That this was very serious. That she wants a public apology from him and from the security guard.

But no charges have been filed, no arrests have been made. But again, it's still a developing story. But Britney is, you know, obviously, pretty upset about this.

BERMAN: I mean, look, clearly something happened there. And, you know, if she got hurt, that's a serious incident and if there's security involved. But it's still so confusing what the two of them were doing at the same place. You could pick like any famous figures. I never --

MELAS: Two of the most famous people in their respective industries, having this incident in Vegas that is really taking the internet by storm today.

BERMAN: What happens in Vegas. Chloe Melas, great to see you.

MELAS: Doesn't stay there, barely.

BERMAN: Thanks so much.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, the criminal investigation into the 2020 election has a new focus. A chaotic and wild meeting in the Oval Office.

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SIDNER: The U.S. surgeon general recently issued a warning that social media carries a profound risk of harm to the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents. Several school districts have filed suit against the tech giants. And now, hundreds of families are also suing. One of the parents suing spoke to our Audie Cornish as part of her documentary, "Wired for Trouble" on "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper". Here's a look.

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AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): What Tammy didn't know at the time was that Selena had figured out how to block her mother from seeing her online life.

TAMMY RODRIGUEZ, SELENA'S MOTHER: She had saved her fingerprint, and I didn't know she had saved it in my phone. So, like if I fall asleep or whatever, she would use her fingerprint to get in and change the settings.

DESTINY RODRIGUEZ, SELENA'S SISTER: Once the pandemic had started, she was posting more. She became more recluse. She was focused on how many likes she has. How many followers she has. How many followers she's losing. Who's messaging her.

CORNISH (voiceover): During the pandemic when Selena's school and social life moved online, she was regularly messaging with people on these apps. Some she knew, some she did not.

T. RODRIGUEZ: There were adults that would reach out, which I was not aware of, until not too long ago. Men. They knew she was a minor. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: CNN's Audie Cornish, we are lucky to say, is joining us now with more. Can you give me some sense of, for you, what really jumped out to as you were speaking to these families. It is such a huge issue, especially with those who have teenagers.

CORNISH (on camera): You're right about that. And one of the things that was very clear is that it's not easy for a parent to keep up with either their kid or the tech companies when it comes to policing this technology. The other thing is that in all of our conversation about, say, the geopolitical considerations in having TikTok or in the misinformation issues that come up, say, with Meta, and the campaigning 2016, et cetera.

What's getting lost is this dialogue about whether or not children and teenagers are, kind of, suffering in the process. Whether that be through instances of bullying, through falling into disordered eating, or even just participating in various challenges where they come to harm. There are a number of ways, there are a number of pitfalls. And it's not clear that the social media companies were really interested in taking aggressive action to deal with that, and that's where these lawsuits come into play.

SIDNER: I know at the state level that there are various lawsuits, various things happening to try and curb the influence, really, of the social media apps and how they operate. Is there any sense that you got, as you were doing this, that there might be a federal look at this and perhaps Congress makes a move here?

[10:55:00]

CORNISH: Right now, there is some interesting legislation coming from different parts of the political spectrum. Democrat Richard Blumenthal and Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee are paired on a bill called The Kids Online Safety Act. But people are not ready to go as far as some reformers have called them for, say, age verification. Where what they call age gating. Just like you can't get into an R movie, maybe you can't get into social media at a certain point, or open multiple accounts, or may adults shouldn't be able to direct message a child who has not added them as friend, et cetera, et cetera.

The Supreme Court, actually, was asked to look into some issues about how algorithmic recommendation should be treated and whether or not social medias companies can be held responsible for that. They essentially said, no. But they also admitted, they're not experts in this area. So, that's why you're seeing this come at the state level and through the legal process, because when it comes to Congress, when it comes to the Supreme Court, they're not ready to move.

SIDNER: Yes, one of the biggest things you hear parents complaining about is that the legislatures don't understand the technology and the way it works enough. Thank you so much. This is going to be a really important thing for families to watch. Audie Cornish, thank you for being here. All right. John.

BERMAN: Oh. Be sure to tune to an all-new episode of "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper", a wonderful story, a full hour. It airs Sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern and pacific only on CNN.

So, they are banned in most countries, but the Biden administration is eyeing a plan to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. How they believe this could change the fight against Russia.

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