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Biden Unveils New Office On Gun Violence Prevention; Dem Senator Bob Menendez Indicted On Bribery Charges; Private Sector Braces For Long Government Shutdown; Writers Meet With Studio Bosses For Third Day Of Talks. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired September 22, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:00:56]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: The auto strike grows. UAW workers are now walking off the job at 38 GM and Stellantis facilities. The union is not, though, expanding its strike against Ford.

Charged with bribery, investigators allege that Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat, sold his influence and connections, including sharing sensitive U.S. government information to secretly help Egypt. Prosecutors say it was in exchange for gold bars, a luxury car and stacks of cash.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, no deal with lawmakers headed home. There are just eight days left to reach a funding agreement. A government shutdown could have a major impact on your wallet. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SCIUTTO: We are now three hours into a new phase of the nationwide strike by the United Auto Workers union. At noon, eastern union members walked out of dozens of facilities owned by General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis. UAW says those two automakers failed to show enough progress in negotiating towards a new contract. Ford, they say, on the other hand, will not see the strike spread to any new facilities, stand by.

Actually, we're going to go to the White House now where President Biden is there announcing a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Let's listen in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you, Pres.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you.

BIDEN: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you.

BIDEN: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Everyone should sit, except Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad, stand up. I want everybody to see the parents of this proud, young, new congressman. You did a heck of a job.

Congressman Frost, thank you for the introduction. And you've helped power a movement that's turning a cause into reality. You're a big reason why I'm so optimistic about America's future. So many - so many engaged young people - so many engaged.

I remember when I was young. We have something in common: I got elected to the Senate when I was 29 years old. Only difference was he was eligible when he got elected to take office; I had to wait 17 days to be eligible. That was 827 years ago, but it was a while.

And folks, Vice President Harris, members of the Cabinet, and so many members of Congress who are here and the relentless leaders on this critical issue.

One of the members who couldn't be here today is a really important member: Sen. Chris Murphy. With Chris, who, together with Congressman Frost, introduced the bill that created a dedicated gun violence prevention office - he couldn't be here today.

Since the tragedy in Sandy Hook - and I remember being there. I remember that - how I met with every one of the parents who were there. I met with every member - every family member.

And what I do also remember is that - I remember as we were leaving, the state police doing the investigation asked the senator if they'd meet with me - if I could meet with them. And I said of course I would. And I think there were about 12 to 14 of them. I walked in a room, and two of them started crying. And they said, "We need help. We need help." And I looked at them; I said, "What can I do?" They said, "We need psychiatric help. We need help. We need help."

Anyone who doesn't think that these kinds of engagements have a permanent effect on young children - and, in many cases, alter their entire lives even if they've never had a bullet touch them - misunderstands.

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These were hard and tough cops asking me could I get them psychiatric help.

To all the state and local leaders and advocates from all across the country - and to the survivors and families who are with us today, many of whom Jill and I have gotten to know.

And, by the way, our losses may be different circumstances, but I know events like this are really hard to attend. You want to be here to promote the change, but it brings back all the memories as if it happened a day ago.

And I thank you, those of you who are parents, for being here - brothers, sisters for being here. It matters. You have absolute courage; you found purpose in your pain.

And because of all of you here today, all across the country, survivors, families, advocates - especially young people who demand our nation do better to protect all; who protested, organized, voted, and ran for office, and, yes, marched for their lives - I'm proud to announce the creation of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention - the first office in our history.

I created - by executive order, I determined to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me and to the country. It matters.

And here's why: After every mass shooting, we hear a simple message - the same message heard all over the country, and I've been to every mass shooting: Do something. Please do something. Do something to prevent the tragedies that leave behind survivors who will always carry the physical and emotional scars, families who will never be the same, communities overwhelmed by grief and trauma. Do something. Do something.

Well, my administration has been working relentlessly to do something.

To date, my administration has announced dozens of executive actions to reduce gun violence - more than any of my predecessors at this point in their presidencies. And they include everything from cracking down on ghost guns, breaking up gun trafficking and so much more.

And last year, with the help - your help, I signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: the most significant gun safety law in almost 30 years. It strengthens background checks, expands the use of red flag laws, improves access to mental health services and so much more.

This historic law will save lives. It's a really important first step.

And, by the way, I was the guy - along with a woman in California - who also - we once banned assault weapons and multiple magazines. We're going to do it again. We're going to do it again.

A call to action. A reason to hope. Because for so long, the conventional wisdom was we'd never get any Republicans to support gun safety legislation. But we did.

For the first time in three decades, we came together to overcome the relentless opposition from the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, and so many politicians opposing commonsense gun legislation. And we beat them.

And we did it through a bipartisan effort that included the majority of responsible gun owners.

We're not stopping here. Again, it's - I'll say it again. I'm not going to be quiet until we get it done: It's time again to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

If you need 80 shots in a magazine, you shouldn't own a gun. Because, look, last time we did it, it worked.

We also - last time, we established universal background checks and require safe storage of firearms. It's time. It's time.

Look, while we push - we push for Congress to do more, we're going to centralize, accelerate, and intensify our work to save more lives more quickly.

That's why this new White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention - it's what it's designed to do. It will drive and coordinate a government and a nationwide effort to reduce gun violence in America.

And it will be overseen by an incredible vice president, who understands this - more than any vice president has.

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No, really. That's not hyperbole. That's a fact. She's been on the frontlines of this issue her entire career as a prosecutor, as an attorney general and as a United States senator. Her deep experience will be invaluable for this office.

And Stef - where is Stef Feldman?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: She's right there.

BIDEN: Stef, I want you to stand up, please. Stef Feldman, who's been working on this issue with me since the Sandy Hook in 2012 - she was 13 years old when she joined me, but - since 2012 - will serve as director of the office.

An office - and the office will have four primary responsibilities:

First, to expedite the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the executive actions already announced. And I mean it: We're going to fully implement it.

Second, coordinate more support for survivors, families, and communities affected by gun violence, including mental health care, financial assistance - the same way FEMA responds to natural disasters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right. That's right.

BIDEN: The same way. And it helps folks recover and rebuild and alter. Look, folks, shootings are the ultimate superstorm, ripping through communities.

Third, identify new executive actions we can take within our legal authority to reduce gun violence.

And fourth, expand our coalition of partners in states and cities across America because we do have partners to get more - we need more state and local help to get these laws passed locally as well - and to strengthen our laws and give us more hope. Folks, to be clear, none of these steps alone is going to solve the entirety of the gun violence epidemic. None of them. But together, they will save lives. And it's going to help - it will help rally the nation with a sense of urgency and seriousness of purpose.

Today, guns - I never thought I'd even remotely say this in my whole career - guns are the number one killer of children in America. Guns are the number one killer of children in America - the United States of America. More than car accidents, more than cancer, more than other diseases.

In 2023 so far, our country has experienced more than 500 mass shootings and well over 30,000 deaths due to gun violence. That's just totally unacceptable. It's not who we are. And we have to act, and we have to act now.

And let me be very clear: If members of the Congress refuse to act, then we'll need to elect new members of Congress that will act. Democrat or Republican.

Look, folks, there comes a point where our voices are so loud and our determination so clear that our effort can no longer be stopped. We're reaching that point - we've reached that point today, in my view, where the safety of our kids from gun violence is on the ballot.

At the end of the day, whether they're Democrats or Republicans, we all want our families to be safe. We all want to go to school, houses of worship, grocery stores, gyms, malls, movies without constant anxiety.

We all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in school instead of duck and cover, for God's sake. And it matters.

So, let me close with this. Earlier this summer, I was in Connecticut at a summit on gun safety hosted by Sen. Murphy. Four students impacted by gun violence, who are here with us today, summoned extraordinary courage and stood and shared their stories on stage. Four of them.

They each came from different backgrounds, different parts of the country, different shootings. But they shared a common, singular message that one of them summed up in just a few words, and I quote, "the deadly and traumatic price for inaction." That's what he talked about: the deadly and traumatic price for inaction.

They made clear what all of you know too well - that price can no longer be the lives of our children and the people of our country. They spoke for an entire generation of Americans who will not be ignored, will not be shunned, and will not be silenced.

And I know progress is hard. I've been at this a long time. But we've done it before, and we can do it again. If we're here, I'm here to tell you that you - and Vice President Harris hears you as well.

You're right. You're right. We're by your side, and we're never going to get up - give up dealing with this problem.

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We're never going to forget your loved ones. We're never going to get there unless we remember.

I know we'll do this because I know you: heroes. Heroes proving that even with heavy hearts, you have unbreakable spirits. In memory of your loved ones, you're building a movement that endures.

Above all, you'll never give up on the one thing we must never lose: hope, hope, hope.

Jill and I, Kamala and Doug, our entire administration are more determined than ever to carry forward that hope, that inspiration, that light that you continue to give us all.

For the lives we have lost - for the lives we can save, we can do this. We just have to keep going. We just have to keep the faith. We just have to remember who we are.

Every time I'd walk out of my grandpop's house up in Scranton, he'd yell, for real, "Joey, keep the faith." And my grandmother would yell, "No, Joey, spread it. Spread it." That's what we have to do: spread the faith.

And remember and I mean this sincerely: We are the United States of America. There is nothing - nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. Nothing we've ever tried to solve, when we've done it together, we haven't succeeded.

May God bless you all. May God protect our troops. And may God protect our children. Thank you so very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Distinguished guests, please remain in the Rose Garden as the President and the Vice President departs.

SCIUTTO: Speaking there at the Rose Garden at the White House, announcing the establishment of a new White House Office for Gun Violence Prevention there to an audience that includes survivors of shootings as well as families who lost children and loved ones to gun violence.

He notes a simple, alarming fact, guns are the number one killer of children in this country today. He described shootings as the ultimate superstorm. That office, as we learned, speaking to the new director last hour, part of its remit to make sure that existing legislation is fully implemented. One small step, the President says, but he said at the end there, do not give up hope.

Of course, gun violence, the story will continue to follow. Boris?

SANCHEZ: I want to pivot now to another major developing story this hour. Democratic senator, Bob Menendez, chair of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee was indicted today on federal bribery charges. Prosecutors are accusing him and his wife of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars, Mercedes Benz, mortgage payments and other gifts in exchange for his influence in a wide range of corruption schemes.

The senator responded in a statement a short time ago saying he is the victim of a smear campaign.

CNN's Paula Reid joins us now live.

Paula, bring us up to speed with what you're learning about the investigation.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Boris, this is the second time the senator has faced corruption charges in just the past 10 years. Here, prosecutors allege that the senator and his wife accepted bribes in the form of a Mercedes, some gold bars, which you just referenced and stacks of cash in exchange for the senator using his influence to help certain associates and he is indeed very influential.

He's the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He has a lot of power to wield. Prosecutors allege that among the things that he did to try to help his associates, trying to influence the selection of a U.S. attorney in New Jersey to help one of his associates. They also allege that he tried to influence the Department of Agriculture to protect an associate's monopoly on the importation of halal meat.

They also allege, and perhaps most significantly, that he tried to help the government of Egypt by steering aid to that country and also sharing sensitive information with the government of Egypt. Now, earlier today, the U.S. attorney discussed this case at a press conference. Let's take a listen to what he said.

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DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: There are things that Sen. Menendez says he can do for his constituents and things that he says he cannot do for his constituents. He put it all on his Senate website.

So, for instance, it says he cannot compel an agency to act in someone's favor. It says he cannot influence matters involving a private business. It says he cannot get involved in criminal matters or cases, period.

But we allege that behind the scenes, Sen. Menendez was doing those things for certain people, the people who were bribing him and his wife.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Now, as I mentioned, the senator previously faced corruption charges after a mistrial in 2017. In 2018, a judge acquitted him on these charges. In a statement today, the senator said, "The excesses of these prosecutors is apparent. They have misrepresented the normal work of a congressional office.

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On top of that, not content with making false claims against me, they've attacked my wife for the longstanding friendship she had before she and I even met."

And they're both expected to appear in federal court next Wednesday.

SANCHEZ: And we should point out for our viewers, as we were on the air, we got some guidance about a potential sentence. If this goes to trial and he's convicted, Sen. Bob Menendez could face up to 20 years in prison.

Paula Reid, thank you so much for the reporting. Appreciate it. Jim?

SCIUTTO: Let's stay now on Capitol Hill. Although lawmakers are not staying there, they only have eight days to hammer out a deal to avert a government shutdown, but a group of Republicans blocked progress all week.

So Speaker Kevin McCarthy sent everyone home with those GOP hardliners showing no signs of standing down. The private sector is now sounding the alarm about the economic costs of a shutdown.

Let's get a sense of the stakes with CNN's Matt Egan.

Matt, corporate America would really like these politicians to get together and perform a basic function, which is keeping the government functioning. What kind of costs are they talking about?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Jim, the CEOs have a pretty simple message for Congress, it's don't shut down the government. But these business leaders, they've seen this before, so they are preparing for what they fear could be a long and chaotic government shutdown. And they say this would be just one more headache on top of inflation and worker strikes and high borrowing costs. And this would be a self- inflicted headache.

Now, the Chamber of Commerce executive, Neil Bradley, he told me, we are deeply concerned. The concern is growing almost by the day, because once we are in a shutdown, there doesn't seem to be a clear path out. Another trade executive told me that we just don't want the unpredictability that comes with a shutdown. It's just not good for business.

Now, we should note that economists say that the economy at large probably would be able to get through this relatively unscathed. Goldman Sachs sees just a tiny hit to GDP for each week that the government shut down. And history shows the stock market barely budges during shutdowns.

Still though, Jim, it feels like a shutdown is really the last thing the economy needs at this point.

SCIUTTO: So tell us, if they say it doesn't have a big effect on GDP growth, for instance, and it's not causing ripples in the stock market, what are the ground level impacts that folks at home would feel?

EGAN: Well, Jim, no doubt there would be real world negative consequences if the government shut down. For example, workers, federal workers that are deemed nonessential, they would be furloughed. Other workers, including TSA officers, air traffic controllers, they would be forced to work without pay and that could cause travel chaos across the country.

That's why the U.S. Travel Association estimates that a government shutdown would cost the travel economy up to $140 million a day. We could have delayed food inspections at the FDA, national park staffing shortages if the national parks stay open at all.

And this is interesting, economic data, including on inflation and unemployment, that would get interrupted. So that means you could have a situation where Federal Reserve officials have to make key decisions on interest rates without having a clear picture at the economy. Obviously, that is not good.

Now, publicly, business executives, they are urging Republicans and Democrats to come together, keep the government open.

Privately, though, there is growing frustration at Republicans, given all this GOP infighting we've seen in the House. Jim, hopefully, if there's a government shutdown, it's a short one or better yet, no shutdown at all.

SCIUTTO: We'll see. Wouldn't be the first time.

Matt Egan, thanks so much. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Coming up, migrant crossings at the southern border are surging, and it is straining resources, and not just in border towns. We're still going to speak to the mayor of one border town who says he feels abandoned. We'll be right back.

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SCIUTTO: Back on the picket lines, back to the bargaining table. Hollywood's striking writers are meeting with the heads of the four major studios. It's the third consecutive day of high-level talks aimed at ending a strike that has now dragged on for 144 days and is just paralyzing the film and TV industries here in the U.S.

Joining me now is Dominic Patten, he's Senior Editor at Deadline.

Dominic, good to have you on today.

DOMINIC PATTEN, SENIOR EDITOR, DEADLINE: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: So the sticking points here are big ones, because it's not just kind of short-term, how much you're getting paid issues. It's longer-term things, including how AI is impacting things. Do you have any sense right now where they're moving closer, if they're moving closer on issues?

PATTEN: Well, I think that fact they're talking for the past, this is the third day of direct talks with the so-called, what we call them, the CEO gang of four: Netflix's Ted Sarandos, Disney's Robert Iger, Universal's Donna Langley and Warner Bros. Discovery, parent company of CNN's, boss David Zaslav, their direct engagement this week has really, I think, galvanized the talks, which had gone nowhere after a brief start in August. The two sides hadn't really spoken at all, with the exception of that, since the WGA went out on strike on May 2nd.

So coming to the table like this, after what happened - what was - everyone admits was a bit of a fiasco in August, I think everyone was coming, as one source told us at Deadline to be serious about this. So a lot of issues ...

SCIUTTO: Okay.

PATTEN: ... have been talked about already through back channel. That's just the way things happen. But I think that they're moving closer. But any negotiation always results in two things, a contract eventually, as probably will happen with the UAW and others, of course, but also a lot of posturing.

And right now, I think ...

SCIUTTO: Yes.

PATTEN: .. in the room and outside the room, there's a lot of movement happening, trying to find the final details. We thought it was going to happen last night. We hope it's happening today.

SCIUTTO: So let's talk about one of those issues, it's AI. I have a good friend who's an entertainment lawyer, explained to me how one of the concerns from a time - we might already be there, where AI can write stuff, right, that people would normally write.

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