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Interview With Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL): Gas Prices Could Drop To $3.25 A Gallon By Halloween; Record Online Discounts Are Coming For The Holidays; Researchers Link Weight-Loss Drugs To Digestive Problems; Korean Companies Using A.I. To Craft The Perfect K-Pop Stars. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired October 05, 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]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: I think part of it has to do with specifically members of your party being opposed to reworking the asylum system to make it more accessible.

Is that something that you've brought up in conversations over who should become the next speaker?

REP. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-FL): It's both parties that need to educate themselves and understand what is it that we need.

It's the Democrats that need to understand that, first, for the first time, they have agreed that the border needs to be secured. And it's for the Republicans to understand that we have to secure the border.

We passed H.R.-2, which is very strong border security measures, but at the same time, we need to then understand what are we going to do with those people who have been here illegally for years and do not have a criminal record.

(CROSSTALK)

SALAZAR: And we need to continue -- we need to avoid what's happening -- what happened in the last three years, where we have six million illegals coming into the country. And that's why the mayors of major cities are up in a scream.

SANCHEZ: Congresswoman, immigration is obviously something that you're extremely passionate about. Is it something that you have discussed either with Jim Jordan or Steve Scalise, as they try to seek support in their effort to become the next House speaker?

SALAZAR: That's a very good question. I haven't had the time to do that. But I assure you that is going to be what I'm going to be talking to them about.

Because like I said, we come to Congress to pass laws that are bipartisan. That's the only way that we'll make it through the Senate and to the president's signatures.

So that's what we need to do. Let's be responsible and pass laws that will make it to be applied.

That's not what I'm trying to do. I'm not trying to posture or message. I'm trying to solve the problem. We have three problems in this country, the border, Ukraine, and spending. Those three problems, Congress can fix.

SANCHEZ: So, right now, the House is effectively frozen in its effort to address those things, because there is no speaker.

One of the things that you mentioned has been tied, potentially, in some sort of deal with border spending and that is aid for Ukraine.

Would you support, say, if Steve Scalise, or Jim Jordan, if they came to you and said, if I have your vote, the first thing I'll do is put forward a deal that not only enhances border security spending but supports aid for Ukraine.

Is that something you'd support?

SALAZAR: Of course. We cannot abandon Ukraine.

As you know, I represent the city of Miami, the heart of the Cuban exile community. We know what the Russians can do. We know what Mr. Putin does to people. He did it to the Cubans.

So, we know that, right now, not one American soldier has died in Ukraine.

Number two, only 5 percent of the military budget is dedicated to Ukraine.

And, number three, if we abandon Ukraine, we know that the war is going to be a lot bigger, and a lot wider than just the Ukrainian territory. It could touch NATO. It could touch Poland.

We know that there is no accountability for Mr. Putin. So it's time to stop him, without shedding American blood.

So, yes, we have to support Ukraine. Because if we don't, it's going to be a very big problem for all of us in the near future.

SANCHEZ: Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, thank you for the time. Appreciate it.

SALAZAR: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Thanks for staying with CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We're back in just a few minutes. Don't go anywhere now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:37:51]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: OK, get ready for a potential Halloween treat at the gas pump. Energy analysts tell CNN gas prices could tumble to $3.25 a gallon nationally by the end of this month.

CNN's Matt Egan is bringing this welcome news.

So what is behind the recent drop in oil prices that's leading to this welcome news at the gas station?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Pamela, this is welcome news. And it's being driven by a dramatic reversal in the oil market.

You know, just last week, U.S. oil prices briefly touched $95 a barrel. That's sent alarm bells to Washington and Wall Street because it meant higher gas prices and higher inflation.

But look, as you can see on that chart, things have completely reversed. We've seen U.S. oil prices drop below $83 a barrel. It's been quite the 180.

And this does mean good things for gas prices. We've seen gas prices start to move lower. The national average dropped by two pennies today, $3.77 a gallon, down seven cents over the last week.

And a veteran oil analyst tells me this is just getting started. He thinks by Halloween, we could see the national average fall as low as $3.25 a gallon. That would be huge.

I do want to caution this is just a forecast. There could always be a disruption or an OPEC move that messes with the forecast like this.

Still, Pamela, it does feel like, for the first time in a long time, drivers are getting real relief on the gas pump and more should be on the way.

BROWN: Not just gas prices, we should note. Also reporting on some online discounts coming just in time for the holiday season. Tell us about that.

EGAN: Yes, Pamela, good news for all of the parents out there. It looks like online prices are going to be falling. We're going to see record discounts, according to Adobe Analytics.

They see TV prices down by 22 percent. That's discounts off of list prices. And 24 percent for sporting goods, 25 percent for apparel, 30 percent for electronics, and up to 35 percent for toys. That will be music to the ears of my toddler.

[14:39:56]

And, you know, these discounts, they're actually coming earlier and earlier. Adobe said we could see discounts of up to 18 percent, beginning as early as next week. And, of course, it's coming as Amazon holds its second Prime Day event.

I've got to tell you, Pamela, these discounts are going to be quite helpful. Just last night, my toddler was going through a catalog, circling all of the toys that he wants for Christmas.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

EGAN: I think we can all agree, let's keep the discounts coming. It's not even Halloween.

BROWN: Talk about planning ahead, good for your toddler. My goodness.

All right, Matt Egan, with all the good news today. We appreciate it. Always welcome to hear that kind of stuff, prices falling.

Thank you, Matt.

Well, demand is soaring for popular weight loss drugs so the manufacturers are looking to expand, though there are some concerns about their safety.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:05]

SANCHEZ: A new study indicates that people who take popular drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy, for weight loss may be at a higher risk for serious digestive problems.

CNN medical correspondent, Meg Tirrell, joins us now.

Meg, what more are we learning from this new study?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris, these were things known potentially to be associated with these medicines. A group of doctors wanted to see if the risk really was higher with these drugs than with older weight-loss drugs.

So they looked at medical records for people using these drugs known as GLP-1, which is a liraglutides in Ozempic and Wegovy and using those specifically for weight loss and not diabetes.

And also an older version of medicines in this class. And compared them with a weight-loss drug that works in a different way.

They found that, indeed, there is a higher risk for some of these issues. Pancreatitis, a nine times higher risk. Inflammation of the pancreatic. Bowel obstruction, and gastroparesis, which is a stomach paralysis, about a four times higher risk for those.

It's important to note though that still the risk was rare, about 1 percent or less that they saw in the records.

Still as millions of people are starting to take these medicines, doctors say it's important to pay attention to the potential risks, particularly when using them for weight loss and not diabetes, for the risk-benefits, decisions might be a little different.

SANCHEZ: Meg, you actually recently visited one of Eli Lilly's manufacturing plants. What was that like? TIRRELL: Yes, there are so many people who wants to be on medicines

like this. Lilly makes a medicine called Mounjaro, which is in that same class of GLP-1s. It's a different drug than that looked at in this study, but same sort of mechanism of how it works.

They're investing $4 billion in two new plants in North Carolina. We got an exclusive look at those that is already starting to turn out millions of these autoinjectors of Mounjaro every year.

We talked with them about whether they can go any faster because there's a shortage of these drugs.

Here's what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDGARDO HERNANDEZ, EXECUTIVE VP & PRESIDENT, MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS, ELI LILLY: It's a massive scale what we're trying to do. I don't think we've ever done this as a company or anybody else in the country who has scaled this.

TIRRELL: Can you move any faster than you're going?

HERNANDEZ: We're going as fast as we can, but we have to follow certain controls to make sure the final product meets expectations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TIRRELL: So, Boris, these drugs aren't yet approved, or at least this specific drug not yet approved for obesity. Mounjaro is approved for diabetes but already being used off label.

Potentially, millions more people could be seeking it out if they get FDA approval for obesity as expected by the end of this year.

SANCHEZ: A really important update.

Meg Tirrell, thanks so much.

Pam?

BROWN: All right, now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

America's cancer centers say they're still facing a widespread shortage of the drugs they need to save people's lives. A new survey of some of the country's largest cancer centers found shortages of two major hemotherapy drugs.

Also, Tropical Storm Philippe is threatening to drench the northeast this weekend. The storm could make landfall in Maine on Sunday. And it's expected to make for a dreary weekend in the northeast, dumping a flood of rain on New England.

And the man who set up a smoke bomb and opened fire on a crowded New York City subway train last year is expected to be sentenced today. Fred James pled guilty to 10 counts of terrorism from January 1, one

for each victim wounded in the attack. Prosecutors are asking for 10 concurrent life sentences for the 64-year-old. The defense has argued for an 18-year sentence.

Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:53:02]

BROWN: Could K-Pop be the next victim of AI? It's an industry many were called for but few were chosen because of its grueling demands. But what if you could use A.I. to create the perfect group of singers and dancers who never age and don't need rehearsals.

CNN's Ivan Watson spoke with a company who made that possibility a reality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A K- Pop confection.

(SINGING)

WATSON: This video by girl group Eternity racked up 6.5 million views on YouTube in nine months.

But not all is as it appear here.

(on camera): My name is Ivan. What's your name?

ZAE-IN, VIRTUAL K-POP PERFORMER: My name is Zae-in.

WATSON: Can you tell me about your band?

ZAE-IN: Yes. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WATSON (voice-over): "I'm from the world's first virtual K-Pop girl group," she tells me.

Zae-in and the 10 other members of Eternity aren't real.

Techtainment company, Pulse 9, created these characters and face swaps them over human actors using artificial intelligence.

I'm speaking to an A.I. Pop Star.

(on camera): Is this the future of entertainment.

ZAE-IN (through translation): Of course, we cannot be seen in person. But if you have a device, you can communicate with us anywhere, anytime.

As a virtual group, we are not limited by location. We can broadcast anywhere. The only thing we cannot do is sign an autograph.

WATSON (voice-over): And Eternity isn't the only A.I. K-Pop creation.

(SINGING)

WATSON: MAVE is another virtual girl band with videos that have tens of millions of views.

KANG SUNG-KU, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, METAVERSE ENTERTAINMENT: We captured human performance, and then turn it into 3-D animation with AI.

WATSON: Kang Sung-Ku and Metaverse Entertainment created MAVE.

(on camera): Designers say the goal isn't to try to replace human artists like BTS or Beyonce. Instead, they want to create something like the next generation of Siri.

[14:55:05]

SIRI, VIRTUAL ASSISTANT: I'm Siri, your virtual assistant.

WATSON: But in this case, it would be an avatar that sings and dances that you actually want to talk to.

SUNG-KU: They will remember you, they will know about you. And they will talk based on that information.

WATSON (voice-over): A.I. creations would theoretically develop unique relationship with every user and be available around the clock on every device.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, everyone. This is Tyra from MAVE.

WATSON: And not limited by language.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm -- (INAUDIBLE) -- from MAVE.

WATSON: Designers are programming these A.I. pop stars to interact with fans.

(SINGING)

WATSON: The technology still has a long way to go. And some programmers concede there may need to be laws to regulate these creations.

SUNG-KU: We have to be careful, actually. If somebody evil can use it, it might be a disaster.

WATSON: Designers say, unlike human celebrities, these A.I. pop stars won't age and won't ever tire out, and can do anything they're programmed to do.

(on camera): It's like science fiction, like the robots could be taking over. (LAUGHTER)

ZAE-IN: Yes, like the robots to conquer the human world. We've appeared to conquer the pop music world to steal people's hearts.

WATSON (voice-over): This may be a glimpse of entertainment in the not-too-distant future.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)