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Source: UAW, GM Reach Tentative Deal To End Auto Strike; Landlord Accused Of Killing 6-Year-Old Muslim Boy Pleads Not Guilty To Murder, Hate Crime Charges; Russian Jewish Community Calls For Justice After Anti-Semitic Riots; U.S. State Dept: Dagestan Riots "Looked Like A Pogrom"; Police Visited Maine Gunman's Home Weeks Before Shootings. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired October 30, 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]
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: But a source telling me that this deal, this tentative agreement is on the table.
We don't know what's in this particular deal with General Motors, however, it's going to pattern or mimic the deal that we've seen announced between Ford and Stellantis.
Some of those key details are 25 percent wage increases over the life of the contract, about four and a half years.
A return to cost-of-living adjustments, something that the union gave up in 2009. They now have that back. And then, the right to strike over any plant closures.
Something interesting that we're looking for with the General Motors deal, though, is, a couple weeks ago, the union said that the company agreed to put all electric vehicle battery plants in this new contract.
Which would be new jobs added to this deal, in addition to the jobs that are being protected under these economic advancements.
Now, although 145,000 UAW members never went out of strike, it still had a very big economic impact. The total economic impact over about five weeks is $9.3 billion.
And in the sixth week -- that's last week -- that total is expected to rise to over $10 billion.
Some of the losses were to wages, $488 million in wage losses. Losses to the Big Three themselves, $4.18 billion. And then, of course, customers and dealerships feeling this as well.
But as you mentioned, Boris, this really is up to the membership, the membership from all of the Big Three automakers. And 145,000 of them are going to have the final say.
They will be voting in the next couple of weeks on whether or not they like this historic agreement that's been put on the table by all three automakers -- Guys?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Very good point. Those are some big losses.
Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you for that report.
President Biden just issued a sweeping executive order, a new one, to regulate artificial intelligence. And he is set to talk about that at any moment. We will have details on it ahead.
Plus, the landlord accused of stabbing a 6-year-old to death in an alleged anti-Muslim attack was back in court today pleading not guilty. Stay with us.
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[14:36:40]
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: A Chicago area landlord charged with fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy and seriously wounding his mother earlier this month employed not guilty to all charges in an Illinois court today.
Sources say Joseph Czuba stabbed the boy two dozen times and targeted him and his mother because they were Muslim. The Department of Justice is investigating this as a hate crime.
KEILAR: We have CNN's Whitney Wild who is following in story.
Whitney, what can you tell us about this court appearance today and the status of this hate crime investigation?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: We're told the federal hate crime investigation is continuing.
Today, in court, another painful day for this family, one of many they've already had and surely one of many more to come as the case unfolds.
Joseph Czuba pleaded not guilty today in court. This was a brief hearing.
The 6-year-old boy who was stabbed to death, stabbed more than a two dozen times, his family was in court today. His father was there as well as other close friends and family members.
It was so painful, Brianna and Boris, because they had to relive the facts. Prosecutors once again ticked through how this day happened.
That Saturday, the Saturday of this attack, began like any other day, according to his mother, who was also injured in this attack. She was stabbed around a dozen times.
Joseph Czuba, according to the mother, told police he had been growing increasingly agitated about what he saw going on in the Middle East, about the conflict in the Middle East. The Saturday that this happened, he confronted her about that. She
said let's pray for peace. And then she told police he attacked her shortly after that, just moments later.
Here in court today, again, his family was there. It was extremely painful. One woman sitting in the gallery covering her face appeared to be silently weeping.
Other family members spoke with us briefly after the hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOOD YOSIF, GRANDFATHER OF MURDERED BOY: These days, if you speak your mind, you lose your job, you lose your money, you lose your life, you lose your family. If you don't speak, you lose your life, you lose your money, your job, you lose your family.
That's a double standard in this country right now. Hopefully, something will be done about it, especially our president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: The suspect, Joseph Czuba, is still being held without bail -- Boris and Brianna?
SANCHEZ: Whitney Wild, reporting from Illinois. Thank you so much, Whitney.
[14:39:10]
Still to come, anti-Semitic rioters storming the airport in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, making it onto the tarmac after a flight lands from Tel Aviv. Much more on these pictures when we come back.
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[14:43:47]
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: The Russian Jewish community is demanding punishment for the people who took part in an anti-Semitic riot at an airport in the Russian Republic of Dagestan.
In photos and videos, verified by CNN, a mob gathered at the airport following the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv on Sunday, holding signs that said, "We are against Jewish refugees." Then the crowd forced its way onto the runway.
Our senior international correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, has been following this very disturbing story. He is joining us from Berlin right now.
What else have you learned, Fred, about this horrible incident?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Wolf. It certainly is something that is extremely troubling, certainly not just for the Jewish people in Russia, but probably around the world.
Essentially, what it appears had happened is that a protest that took place because a plane from Tel Aviv was going to land in the capital of the Dagestan region of Russia. That's in the north Caucasus, the Muslim majority region of Russia.
Because that plane was going to land, that's when the protesters showed up and they forced themselves onto the tarmac and onto the runway.
All of this essentially descended into a hunt targeting Jews. We saw some images coming out from that area of the protesters then surrounding several of the people who got off that plane.
[14:45:08]
One of them appeared to be an Uzbek man. He said, I'm Uzbek, I don't speak the Uzbek language. But they claimed that he was trying to fool them and demanded to see his passport and later demanded to see his phone as well.
There was a bus that was stopped carrying parents with several children who apparently were getting medical treatment. And they pleaded with that massive crowd to allow them to carry on.
So certainly, some extremely troubling scenes that played out inside the airport, on the tarmac, outside the airport where the protests were checking cars, but also a hotel that was apparently searched by them as well -- Wolf?
BLITZER: It's interesting, Fred, because, only moments ago, the State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, spoke about this incident.
I want you and our viewers to listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW MILLER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I would say we condemn the violent anti-Semitic events that have been reported in Russia, threatening Israelis and Jews.
I saw the video, as I'm sure all of you did. It looked like a pogrom to me.
We call on Russian authorities to condemn these violent protests and to hold anyone involved accountable, and to ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews in Russia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Fred, I thought it was important that he compared this to a "pogrom." Pogrom is what used to happen before the Holocaust in Europe when groups would gather and attack Jews throughout Europe.
Pogrom, he used that word. And I thought that was significant. What do you think? PLEITGEN: I think it's significant. And I think it's also something,
Wolf, that's being picked up inside Israel as well to describe what happened on the ground there in Makhachkala.
It's quite interesting, there was an interview earlier today with the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog. He was speaking to a German publication called "Bild."
He also said that, to him, it looked like a pogrom. And it was very troubling. He said it was very troubling to the Israelis to see that as well.
And certainly, something that had a chilling effect on folks from Israel but, of course, on Jewish folks from around the world.
One of the interesting things, Wolf, that just before we went to air that we picked up is that the Israelis have actually already reacted to all of this.
And the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Israeli National Security Council have now put the northern Caucuses region the highest travel alert for Israelis. Four out of four from there.
Obviously, after this incident, certainly, one which is having a chilling effect.
And you're absolutely right, the Israelis and the United States calling on the Russians to ensure the safety of Jews and, of course, Israelis specifically -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Very, very upsetting. I'm here in Israel. Very upsetting to the Israelis to see this. And they clearly felt it was like a pogrom that used to take place in Europe.
Fred Pleitgen, in Berlin for us, thank you very, very much.
This note to our viewers. Much more coming up from me later tonight in "THE SITUATION ROOM," 6:00 p.m. Eastern. I'm still in Tel Aviv.
Including my special conversation, a very moving conversation with two families whose loved ones have been kidnapped by Hamas. One was at the Nova Music Festival when he was kidnapped. His family did not know if he survived until an unknown phone number sent them Hamas video of him.
I also spoke to the granddaughter of an 85-year-old. She was kidnapped from her home in the Nir Oz Kibbutz and was last seen in a golf cart in Gaza surrounded by Hamas terrorists.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADVA ADAR, GRANDMOTHER KIDNAPPED: She texted us that there are terrorists in the kibbutz, that they are shooting and there are street battles and they are entering to houses and burning people and -- (CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: She texted that?
ADAR: Yes. And then we couldn't reach her anymore.
BLITZER: That was the last --
(CROSSTALK)
ADAR: That was the last conversation.
BLITZER: So sad.
ADAR: Yes. It's heartbreaking thinking that she was alone and there was no one to protect her and how scared and helpless she felt.
BLITZER: So heartbreaking to hear this --
ADAR: Yes.
BLITZER: -- that they would kidnap a beautiful 85-year-old grandma and take her to Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: We will have more of those stories later tonight in "THE SITUATION ROOM." I will join you, 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
[14:49:31]
And we will take a break. We will be right back.
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[14:53:56]
KEILAR: As Maine's Lewiston community begins to heal from last week's mass shootings, we are getting new details that are starting to emerge about the gunman's mental state.
Questions are raised whether local law enforcement could have done more after being alerted to serious red flags.
SANCHEZ: Remember, officials found the shooter's body along the river Friday with a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.
But just the previous month, the county sheriff's department made a welfare check on him at the request of a Maine National Guard.
A military statement, sent to the authorities and reviewed by CNN, says the 40-year-old shooter spent 14 days in a psychiatric hospital in July after he had a run-in with some fellow guardsmen.
After his release, he reportedly told another guardsman that he was going to shoot up a military base and other places. The statement goes on to that that same friend feared this man was
going to snap and commit a mass shooting.
Let's discuss with former FBI senior profiler, Mary Ellen O'Toole.
Mary, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.
[14:55:01]
It appears that sheriff's deputies tried to check on this shooter after several red flags were raised, but he apparently wouldn't answer the door when officers arrived. Clearly, there was an attempt to intervene, but it fell short.
MARY ELLEN O'TOOLE, FORMER FBI SENIOR PROFILER: It does sound like it did. And that, in and of itself, could have been a red flag that this person, the shooter didn't want to be contacted, he didn't want to have anything to do with law enforcement.
Because he knew what their authority was. He knew that they could do to prevent him from carrying out the shooting. So, it may have been quite purposeful for him to behave like that.
KEILAR: And, Mary Ellen, with all due respect to your expertise here, this didn't require a profiler or a whole lot of expertise. He had a fellow soldier who seemed to have him pegged just weeks before the shooting.
So, what is the takeaway there?
O'TOOLE: Well, the takeaway is really critical because there wasn't just one red flag, there were multiple.
The one red flag we've seen over and over again for the last quarter century, 25 years, is the one called "leakage."
These are statements that the individual will make to other people, whether it's a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a fellow worker, a neighbor, or a family member about what they intend to do.
And leakage has got to be taken very seriously, even if, at the end of the day, it's determined that this person doesn't have access to weapons or was just joking. That leakage is just absolutely critical.
And then you compound that with someone who does have mental health issues, and then you compound that with someone who has access to weapons, that leakage takes on far more significance.
SANCHEZ: I think one of the difficult things, Mary, is determining when someone is just expressing frustration or may just have a very dark sense of humor, perhaps.
How do you know to discern when someone is actually leaking the intent to carry out a horrible massacre and when they may just be talking?
O'TOOLE: There's no way to listen to those words and just have a magical resolution to it.
So, in threat assessment, we're trained to actually do a deep dive into every case where we see leakage. And that means going far beyond what the person has said.
So, we've got the leakage, and then you start talking to other people. He had already spent time in a mental health facility out of concerns for what his behavior might be. That was already present.
Then you have access to firearms, some of which he obtained very recently.
So, as the pieces come together, this individual becomes more and more concerning.
And that's what happens when you check out leakage and other red-flag behaviors. You start to see whether the picture falls apart or whether or not it really takes on a life of its own.
KEILAR: We need to heed these warnings for the future, certainly.
Mary Ellen O'Toole --
O'TOOLE: Yes.
KEILAR: -- thank you for being with us.
And we should also mention that we're expecting that the Maine governor is going to be speaking in a few minutes. So stay with us for that.
We'll be right back.
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