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UAW Prepares To Strike Against Detroit's Big 3; Oklahoma Police Working To Recover New BTK "Trophies"; Cruise Ship Stuck Off Greenland, Hundreds Onboard. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired September 13, 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]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A touch higher than what we were expecting, a touch higher than the prior two months, but by and large, a continued moderation. Shelter prices, as you just saw there, shelter prices did rise and that contributed to the rise in core inflation.

Now hard to miss, shelter prices rising, food prices continuing to rise, gas prices continuing to rise. These are basic categories. These are basic necessities. So Americans are clearly still feeling the pinch. On the other hand, we saw some declines. We saw used cars and trucks, those prices declined.

If you sort of zero into the food category, you see dairy prices fell, vegetables fell, fruits fell. So we are seeing some silver linings there in the report. In terms of what this means for the Federal Reserve, there are two questions that we often ask ourselves, will the Fed pause? And when will the Fed start cutting?

In terms of a pause, the expectation is overwhelmingly that they will pause next week and they will not at least raise rates when we hear from them exactly a week from today. But when will they start cutting? Well, that's a different category altogether.

I heard you earlier, Brianna, talking about mortgage rates. Diane Swonk, the chief economist of KPMG, saying in a note this morning, the Fed needs quarters, not months, quarters not months of fundamentally cooling inflation to cut rates. So basically we got a little bit longer to go.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: We got a while. Hang in there. Hang on to that low interest mortgage rate if you have one. Rahel Solomon --

SOLOMON: Just a little bit longer, yes.

KEILAR: Yes. Just a little bit longer. Rahel, thanks so much. Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Tomorrow night, we may see 145,000 auto workers walk off the job and hit the picket lines. The deadline for the UAW and the big three U.S. automakers to reach a deal before worker contracts expire is 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Thursday night. We're told that Ford, General Motors and Stellantis are actively bargaining with the union, with proposals being exchanged at a rapid pace. Auto workers want to reverse concessions made from 2007 to 2009 when GM and Chrysler faced bankruptcy and needed federal money. Some of their demands include a 40 percent pay raise, a four-day work week, restoring cost of living increases, and restoring traditional pension plans for all workers.

A White House official tells CNN that President Biden has been deeply engaged, speaking to the UAW president on Labor Day and with the big three leaders last week. Now Ford CEO Jim Farley said last night that he's optimistic about a deal getting done before time runs out. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM FARLEY, CEO, FORD MOTOR CO.: We're absolutely ready for a strike. And I know the UAW is too, but we don't want it to come to a strike. I mean, a four-day work week is not containable. We're literally fighting for the future of automotive manufacturing in our country. But we're optimistic we'll find a way forward. We have 48 hours to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's get some perspective from the other side with Janet Osborn now. She's an auto worker and UAW member in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Janet, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. I just want to get your initial reaction to the CEO of Ford and what he said specifically about that four-day work week.

JANET OSBORN, UAW MEMBER: Specifically for the four-day work week, it's hard to say whether it's something that could be successfully pulled off or not. But in negotiations, you ask for this and you get this.

SANCHEZ: Yes. That's a good point. Are you sharing his optimism that a deal will get done before the deadline?

OSBORN: I'm positive things will work through. I have a lot of faith in my president, and I'm a GM worker, so they'll work it out. It's what they're paid to do.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Is your optimism shared by some of your coworkers, your colleagues at GM? Or are some of them perhaps skeptical?

OSBORN: I'm going to tell you, the younger ones are scared. But scared is not the same as being non-optical. So, yes, I've been through this before, and we will come out through it. It's just a matter of staying our course and letting them do their jobs.

SANCHEZ: So you mentioned that you've gone through this before. Talk to us about that experience and any perhaps preparations you might be making in case there is a strike this time around, too.

OSBORN: So I have 28 years of seniority, and I have been through the process of when we made concessions so this company could be profitable again and stay up here. And I am quickly coming up on retirement, and I have a young son that's coming through the process as a temp.

So should they have to walk that path of it being so long? We're just looking for a fair contract. So are they scared? Yes. Will we get them through this? Yes.

SANCHEZ: Well, Janet, I'm curious about that because part of the argument from the president of the UAW is that the workers made major concessions when the big automakers were hurting and you all took a hit to keep them open. But there have been several deals negotiated since then. And I'm wondering, what is it about this moment now? Why is it now that you all have decided to ask for what you say is your fair share?

[14:35:20]

OSBORN: We've asked for our fair share before, but that's how negotiations work. You ask for something and then you come to an agreement. I just think we're under new times now. They continue, our CEOs continue to make lots of money and it needs to trickle down the line so that we can be part of that process and share it with our communities also.

SANCHEZ: One last question, Janet. What do you think people watching at home may misunderstand about the auto workers and the labor that you put in to this country's auto industry?

OSBORN: Unless you've walked in these shoes? It's really hard to grasp that. As I mentioned, we'll be retiring soon. I'm retiring with permanent injuries and I walk that for the rest of my life. Hardly ever do you see someone that works in this line of work walk out of here completely as they walked in, as far as their health. We wear our bodies out for these companies and it's just part of our story, but we deserve to be compensated.

I have given almost 30 years. I'm a fourth generational worker here, so I know what to expect. And it's hard to express that to someone that's not in the auto industry or if you've not worked in a factory before. But we hurt our bodies for these companies.

SANCHEZ: That is such powerful perspective, especially given that part of the argument the workers are making is about healthcare beyond retirement. Janet Osborn, we have to leave the conversation there, but thank you so much for the time.

OSBORN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course, Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: When we come back, law enforcement is searching areas where the BTK serial killer says that he hid items that could be linked to even more victims. We're going to have the details just ahead.

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[14:41:27] KEILAR: Now to other headlines that we are watching this hour. The NFL Player Association is calling for all stadiums to use high quality natural grass on the field. This after New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a season ending Achilles injury during Monday night's game. The players association says real grass is simply safer than artificial turf. Some argue, though, there is no difference between the two when it comes to injuries. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league will rely on science to figure out the best way forward.

Also, Hurricane Lee is likely to threaten parts of New England as the storm churns northwest in the open Atlantic. Right now, you see it there it is about 400 miles southwest of Bermuda. A tropical storm warning is in effect there. Lee is expected to weaken, but wind gusts could impact portions of Connecticut and Eastern Massachusetts on Friday night. High winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, all of that could impact other parts of New England and Eastern Canada over the weekend.

And a congresswoman is mourning the loss of her husband after a plane crash in Alaska. Democrat Mary Peltola's office posted the tragic news on Twitter, formerly X, saying that Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr. had, quote, a delightful sense of humor that lightened the darkest moments. He was completely devoted to his parents, kids, siblings, extended family and friends, and he simply adored Mary. Eugene Peltola was the regional director of the Alaska Bureau of Indian Affairs for several years before he retired recently in 2022. Jim, very sad news.

SCIUTTO: No question. Our thoughts to her and her family. Well, there are new developments surrounding Dennis Rader, the notorious serial killer known as the BTK killer for the way he would bind, torture, and kill many of his victims. Investigators in Oklahoma say they are working to recover a new batch of so called trophies taken from cold case victims after receiving tips from BTK himself. The announcement comes just weeks after authorities there said they're now actively investigating potential links between Rader and various cold cases in the region.

He was arrested back in 2005, confessed to nearly a dozen brutal murders spanning from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. CNN's Jean Casarez joins us now with the latest. Jean, I mean, is the bottom line here that they expect to discover more murders tied to him?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they will go where the evidence leads them. But the Osage County, Oklahoma Sheriff Eddie Virden, in his press conference said that he has been meeting with Dennis Rader. The last meeting was on Monday of this week. And he said that Rader personally told him of locations for he and his sheriffs to go where they would find more trophies.

Now, we know there's some credibility to this because the Osage County Sheriff's Department in august did a dig on the land that used to be the home of Dennis Rader. And it's because they found in the file, I guess, no one had acted upon it. It was 2008, a letter that Dennis Rader had written to someone once he was incarcerated, saying, go where my home was, underneath where I used to have my shed, you're going to find a hole. And they found the Osage County Sheriff's Department a clearly constructed hole with, I was told, trophies that definitely belonged to females, bondage materials, including chains and C clamps, fibers and some clothing items.

Now listen to what the sheriff has just said at a press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:45:05]

SHERIFF EDDIE VIRDEN, OSAGE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA: We have locations provided to us by BTK where he says he has other trophies here. We are in the process of working to go try to recover those items. We have got five people that have come forward who claim that they were victim of BTK and were not killed. We're in the process of trying to validate and research and go through that information. Two of those people are here in Oklahoma.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And they have a lot of tips that are pouring in. If you remember, we went on about a week and a half ago with some drawings that Dennis Rader had in his journal that had never been made public. They are getting so many calls now at this point. But the sheriff also wants to temper people's expectations that this is an active criminal investigation. They don't and never have thought they have the information to arrest him on any case at this point, but they are continuing to follow all leads as they come in, because the focus is justice for any potential victims' families because many people in the Oklahoma and near the Kansas state line don't know what happened to their loved one that went missing during that time that Dennis Rader was active.

SCIUTTO: And he kept trophies, just so alarming. Jean Casarez, thanks so much for covering. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Still much more ahead on CNN News Central, including a cruise ship off the coast of Greenland stuck with hundreds of passengers on board. We have more on the scramble to get it out of that mess. And NASA's Webb telescope data showing features of an exoplanet that could support water and life. We'll take you to outer space in just a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:19]

SANCHEZ: Denmark's Joint Arctic Command says a cruise ship with more than 200 passengers and crew on board has run aground off the coast of Greenland. The ocean explorer has been stuck for A few days because high tide wasn't enough to set it free. CNN's Anna Stewart has been following this story. So, Anna, how did it get stuck and how are they going to get it unstuck?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, how it got stuck, we don't actually know at this stage, it's unclear, given all the navigational equipment on board. But we're told that the ship is sitting essentially on mud and sand at this stage. What is clear is the boat has been unable to refloat itself using high tides. And there was actually an attempt today, Boris, by a fishing research vessel in Greenland, which tried to tug the boat out, that has also failed.

Now, you're looking there at a map. You can see with the circle exactly where this cruise ship is on the east coast of Greenland. There are some other ships nearby. There's help on the way. It just might take some time. So a Danish Royal Navy ship is en route. We were told it would get there by Friday morning due to some bad weather. That now looks like Friday evening.

If there is an emergency, there is a dog sled patrol unit, it's very nearby. It's about an hour and a half away. It's been on board already to check all the passengers are OK. And we have a statement from Aurora Expeditions, which is the Australian operator of this cruise ship. They say, all passengers, the expedition team and crew on board are safe and well. Importantly, there is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel or the surrounding environment.

So hopefully that continues to be the case. This is very much an extended cruise. One can only hope they can try and enjoy some of the nice parts of this cruise ship. It has two hot tubs, a gym, a spa, several bars, everything you can expect from a $20,000 trip. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Yes, don't spend too much time in the hot tub, though. Your fingers might get fringly (ph). Anna Stewart, thank you so much. Brianna?

KEILAR: And now it has a dog sled patrol unit, which is a bonus. Possible signs of life many light years from Earth picked up by the James Webb Space Telescope. It's an amazing discovery if this pans out. The telescope capturing images of what may be water flowing on the surface of a colossal planet. An analysis of what the telescope found, revealing that the planet may have some other key features that could support life, that very important thing, the planet in question line about 120 light years from us. There is the rub. CNN's Tom Foreman as you were here to explain these findings.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is an artist depiction of this planet out here. It's called an exoplanet, meaning it's outside.

KEILAR: That looks a little familiar.

FOREMAN: It looks a little familiar. Exoplanet, meaning it's outside of our solar system. And what they're thinking is, based on some chemical compositions from this, that they were able to read through the telescope, that maybe there are oceans on this surface, and maybe it's sort of like what we would be able to live in, kind of or something could live in, not us.

Methane over there, carbon dioxide, things that would be associated with the idea that there may be some hydrogen here caused by oceans, things there. Dimethyl sulfide, the indications of this kind of sketchy right now, but that would be associated with life. The bottom line is scientists look at that and say, yes, maybe there's a lot of water here. Maybe there's actual water. Maybe there is some kind of life here. But as you point out, 120 million light years, that means if you were traveling at the speed of light right now, maybe your great grandchildren born on the spaceship would be able to step onto this planet if you can step onto it.

KEILAR: That's a big gamble.

FOREMAN: Well, we don't know, because right, this is big, right. This is roughly nine times the size of Earth, which is ballpark the size of Saturn compared to Earth in terms of the mass of these planets. So what would that mean? If you were 150 pounds here and then you went to Saturn, because of the way the math of mass works out, you'd only be about 160 pounds. You wouldn't be nine times heavier. So that would be promising about this, maybe, depending on all the specific mass involved here and how that affects, you know, your weight there.

[14:55:27]

But there's an awful lot more to know about it. The big thing is, though, we're finding more places like this where we think there could be life. Is it life with fast food and cruise ships and sporting events? Probably not yet, but no.

KEILAR: Sled dog rescue patrols teams.

FOREMAN: Sled dog rescue patrol team, you never know because it could be very cold. It also could be very hot.

KEILAR: Yes.

FOREMAN: But the fact that we keep finding out this stuff, particularly through the Webb telescope, just amazing.

KEILAR: It is. It's so interesting. And that telescope is just kind of a gift that keeps on giving. As are you, Tom Foreman, thank you for taking us through this. We appreciate it. Jim?

SCIUTTO: One party's impeachment inquiry is another party's fundraising opportunity. Details ahead on President Biden's strategy to drum up support for his reelection campaign.

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