Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Harvard President Requests New Corrections For Academic Papers As House Panel Widens Investigation; Venezuela Frees 10 American Prisoners In Exchange For Maduro Ally; American Paul Whelan Says He's Being Targeted By Prison Official; Congress Punts Pressing Issues To The New Year. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 21, 2023 - 13:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:31:58]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: So, Harvard's president is requesting new corrections to her past academic work following allegations of plagiarism. Last week, Claudine Gay submitted corrections to two articles she published back in 2001 in 2017.

But a CNN review found even clearer examples of plagiarism in her earlier work, including her dissertation back in 1997.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The embattled leader's career has been under a microscope ever since her disastrous congressional testimony earlier this month about anti-Semitism on campus.

For more, let's bring in CNN's Matt Egan.

Matt, tell us what you're learning here.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Boris and Brianna, Claudine Gay remains very much in the hot seat. Her writings are under intense scrutiny.

And now Congress is cranking up the pressure here. The House Education and Workforce Committee is launching a review into these allegations over plagiarism. They're demanding answers from Harvard officials. And they're alleging that there is a double standard here.

Let me read you what a House chair, Virginia Foxx, wrote in a letter.

She said, quote, "If a university is willing to look the other way and not hold faculty accountable for engaging in academically dishonest behavior, it cheapens its mission and the value of its education."

Foxx has demanded a written response to a series of questions eight days from now.

At the same time, Harvard has announced that Claudine Gay is planning to issue corrections to her 199y PhD dissertation over what the university described as, quote, "inadequate citation."

This is clearly another embarrassing setback for Gay. Remember, this is on top of the questions that were issued just last week concerning her academic writings in the 2000s.

I would just note though that the way that this has played out, this drip, drip, drip, gradual spilling out of allegations over plagiarism has only complicated matters steel and turned up the pressure even more on Claudine Gay.

SANCHEZ: Matt, there has been some criticism towards Harvard because of that drip, drip, drip. What is the university doing now? And how has she responded?

EGAN: Harvard is basically saying that this is regrettable but it's not fireable. They are saying that, after their review, they've determined that this does not constitute what is known as research misconduct.

They point to their policy around these issues, which states that, for it to be considered misconduct, which would be a punishable offense, it has got to meet three criteria.

It has to be a significant departure from accepted practices, it must be done intentionally, knowingly or recklessly, and proven by a preponderance of the evidence. So Harvard is basically saying, this is not that.

Now, for her part, Claudine Gay issued a statement earlier this month where she said, and I'm quoting, "I stand by the integrity of my scholarship. Throughout my career, I've worked to assure my scholarship adheres to the highest academic standards."

When you think about plagiarism, it's important to point out that it really falls into two different categories. The first one is copying without attribution. The other more serious category is stealing someone else's ideas.

[13:35:05]

And what has been uncovered to date regarding Claudine's writings really falls into the former category. So, yes, sloppy citations but not idea theft.

That is why some of the experts that my colleague spoke to, they were divided over exactly what the punishment here should be for Claudine Gay, or even if there should be a punishment at all.

None of them outright called for Claudine Gay to be fired. In fact, they note that it's quite rare for academics or even students who commit plagiarism time to either be fired or expelled -- Boris and Brianna?

KEILAR: Matt, thank you for that report. We will continue to follow it.

Now, to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

Furniture giant, IKEA, is the latest retailer announcing supplies of its products could be delayed due to the rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Several of the world's biggest companies have paused shipments on that route after vessels were attacked by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The attacks are forcing a number of companies to reroute cargo around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, adding days to the trip.

And Toyota is recalling roughly one million cars in the U.S. because the front passenger airbag may not deploy properly in a crash. The recall affects several 2020 and 2021 model year Toyota and Lexus models. To see if your vehicle is part of the recall, go to toyota.com/recall.

Pardon me. Also, clowns.com being sued for allegedly failing to pay clowns and other entertainers for several hours of work despite having promised them a $25 dollar-per-hour wage.

The Web site used to book clowns and other characters for children parties. The lawsuit filed in federal court this week by a group of former clowns and entertainers accuses the company of failing to pay these workers for many of these hours that they worked.

Not funny, even though clowns are funny.

Six Americans back on U.S. soil -- we are following the story -- after a deal with Venezuela that also freed four other Americans in exchange for one high-profile Venezuelan. We will have details on this when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:41:46]

KEILAR: The Biden administration has negotiated with Venezuela to get all U.S. citizens out of their prisons.

This was last night. We were seeing this live on CNN's air. Six of the 10 released men there landing at a U.S. military base, Kelly Field, in San Antonio, Texas.

SANCHEZ: All six were classified as "wrongfully detained" by the United States government.

CNN's Ed Lavandera was there when they stepped off the plane, back home on U.S. soil. One of them actually on a stretcher. Ed joins us now live from San Antonio.

Ed, tell us about the arrival and who else was involved in the prisoner exchange.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These six Americans woke up in a Venezuelan jail cell on Wednesday and they were moved to a Caribbean island.

That is where they were told that it was going to be a meeting point. They waited up to six hours as the final details of the deal between the U.S. and Venezuela was negotiated. Then, they're put on another plane and told they were going home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The release of 10 Americans from Venezuelan custody unfolded so quickly, their families didn't arrive in time to greet them at the San Antonio airfield were six of the 10 walked off a plane with the U.S. State Department officials who negotiated their release.

SAVOL WRIGHT, RELEASED FROM VENEZUELAN PRISON: Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, free at last.

LAVANDERA: Savol Wright was one of the six American detainees who arrived in Texas. Venezuelan authorities arrested him in October. He was wrongfully imprisoned on terrorism charges and accused of conspiring with a political opposition of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Wright says he was kidnapped by Venezuelan authorities and held for ransom.

(on-camera): Did you think you were going to see this day anytime soon?

WRIGHT: I didn't know if I would ever make it out. And it's really scary to be in a place when you're used to having freedoms and you're locked into a cell. Sometimes with, with four other people, very tiny cell. And to realize, am I ever going to get out of this?

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Roger Carstens is the U.S. government's special presidential envoy for hostage affairs and was part of the extensive team involved in negotiating the prisoner release.

ROGER CARSTENS, U.S. SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR HOSTAGE AFFAIRS: We left with everyone right now. There are no more Americans left in Venezuela, that were being held in the prison facilities.

LAVANDERA: The deal also included the return of the infamously corrupt military contractor known as "Fat Leonard" Francis. He was the mastermind of the largest bribery scandal in U.S. naval history and escaped to Venezuela last year after his conviction in 2015.

In exchange, the U.S. agreed to return Alex Saab, a close ally of the Venezuelan president, who was facing prison time in the U.S. on corruption and money laundering charges.

CARSTENS: If you don't make a hard decision like this, you're basically writing these guys off, because the other side never ask for something easy.

EYVIN HERNANDEZ, RELEASED FROM VENEZUELAN PRISON: I'm incredibly, incredibly grateful. I'm sorry, I can't even speak.

LAVANDERA: Eyvin Hernandez was wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela for 630 days. He says he was held in a makeshift prison and endured psychological mistreatment. HERNANDEZ: So, they keep you there, in inhumane conditions, and they

make your life a living hell. They do everything in their power for you to lose that peace and to try and make you go crazy.

[13:45:04]

LAVANDERA: Despite this, Hernandez says he doesn't harbor any anger or hatred to those who imprisoned him. And he hopes the U.S. and Venezuela can come to discover peaceful relations.

HERNANDEZ: All you think about when you're in prison is how you didn't appreciate being free while you were free.

There's no way to understand what it's like to be imprisoned unjustly and not have any way out. And so, it's been a long time coming.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: These men were brought to San Antonio to Brooke Army Medical Center. They have a program to help people like these Americans who were wrongfully detained to ease back into normal life. And that's why they were brought here -- Brianna and Boris?

SANCHEZ: Such a moving story.

Ed Lavandera, reporting live from San Antonio, thank you so much.

That prisoner swap with Venezuela puts new focus on American, Paul Whelan, who's been sitting in a Russian prison for nearly five years.

KEILAR: Considered wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department, Whelan tells CNN that he has been targeted in prison and that he's afraid for his safety.

We have CNN's Alex Marquardt here with more on this.

Alex, talk to us a little bit about what he's saying here when he says he feels targeted.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Whelan spoke with our colleague, Jennifer Hansler. And he said, after he was attacked by a prisoner last month because of the prisoner harbored anti-American views, he complained.

And an official in the prison was actually admonished for allowing the attack to happen.

The official then, according to Whelan, went on to try to instigate other prisoners to attack Whelan to discipline him. Those other prisoners, Whelan said, demanded protection money. Specifically $1,100 dollars.

That is the exact same amount Whelan says is in his prison account. He alleges that there is no way those prisoners would know that amount were it not for this official.

He did not pay up. He did not give them any money, any of this protection money.

He says he was moved to a different barracks. He told our colleague, Jennifer, this new barracks "would expose me to criminal behavior as well as the potential of assault.

"Most people carry knives here and many use stimulants, which can make them wild and violent. A deadly combination where any sort of conflict exists, especially an incident provoked by the deputy warden."

So it's a very scary situation.

He says he's actually particularly targeted by other prisoners because they don't like the U.S.'s support for Israel in the war in Gaza.

SANCHEZ: Interesting.

Alex Marquardt. Thanks so much for the update.

Still to come on NEWS CENTRAL, Congress will have to hit the ground running in January. Lawmakers have left a mountain of unfinished business on a series of pressing issues. So will they be able to sort it all out before part of the government shuts down?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:52:31]

SANCHEZ: So Congress is already out for the holidays, punting many pressing issues to the new year. The Senate failed to make a deal to deliver aid to Ukraine and Israel and fund new border controls despite Majority Leader Chuck Schumer holding Senators an extra week for negotiations.

KEILAR: And looming over the new year is a lot.

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: It's the prospect of another spending showdown. Lawmakers have just days after returning to pass a new funding bill and to avoid a partial government shutdown.

The list is long. We have CNN's Manu Raju here to go through it.

They have a lot to do.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The question is, can they get it done? A lot of people don't think they can. Just because of the nature of the business and the complications and complexities of the issues they've punted into the new year.

That's what Congress typically does is punt it. And they did that not just on keeping the government open, and that's going to be hard because there's a difference between the House and Senate Republicans over how much money to spend for the entire federal government.

That dispute, if they go too far, that will prompt pushback from Democrats and the White House. That would raise our government shutdown fear.

Then what do they do about the pressing issue at the southern border with Mexico and try to come up with a policy of new immigration and border policy that Republicans say is essential to allowing Ukraine and Israel aid to move ahead.

But getting a deal on immigration has been so hard from a handful of Senators, let alone getting buy in for the rest of Congress, the House and Senate, which is badly divided over this intractable issue of immigration.

So perhaps that could collapse in the middle of a presidential election no less.

So, so many complicating factors, which is why a lot of people feel that when they get back, having to deal with all of this stuff, and plunge the country right back into a crisis.

SANCHEZ: That anxiety, Manu, that pessimism, isn't just because of the complexity of the issues. It's also because this was a historically unproductive Congress thus far.

RAJU: Yes, look, the big thing they did was avoiding a default this past year. Which is typically something you are supposed to do in Congress. Do not plunge the country and --

(CROSSTALK)

RAJU: -- the world into global economic catastrophe.

But when you are talking to Republicans and Democrats alike, they will tell you very clearly that they also don't believe this is a productive Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Has this been a -- has this been a productive Congress?

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): No. I've been here five years. And the biggest surprise -- the surprise up here is that I was not surprised.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:54:59]

RAJU: Look, they have passed only a couple dozen or so bills that have actually gone into law. They've fallen far off the pace of actually past Congresses, even divided Congress. But this is the nature of this badly divided Republican House.

They have kicked out one speaker, which was unprecedented the way that that went down. They had spent nearly a month to replace the speaker and the House was paralyzed. And then all of these issues continue to pile up.

The Senate Democrats said they are running the Senate. They don't believe that any bills can actually get passed. They are just confirming nomination after nomination after nomination.

Not actually passing bills on legislation, which has led to the situation that we're in now, which is, they're not doing a whole lot.

KEILAR: They did have a lot of votes.

RAJU: Yes.

KEILAR: We can say that.

RAJU: Yes --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: We know, Manu, you covered every single one.

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: Manu, thank you for that.

According to poll numbers, Donald Trump is doing just fine in his presidential campaign.

SANCHEZ: A bit of a different story in the courtroom, though. We are going to dig into why his chaotic legal future may be exactly what he wants though.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)