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Interview with Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA): Biden Aide's Testimony Raises Question About Efforts to Shield the Former President; Lawsuit: TikTok Workers Worry About Its Impact on Teens; Part of a Delta Boeing 737's Wing Breaks Off During Flight; Netflix to Curate Viewing Playlists Based on Your Zodiac Sign. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired August 21, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: He only interacted with Biden twice during his two years as a spokesperson for 20 -- from 2022 to 2024, which I will note is the time of significant decline for Biden, according to my colleague Jake Tapper and his co-author Alex Thompson in the reporting they did in their recent book.

But in 2024, for example, Sam said, quote, when I deal with him, he's sharp. He's asking tough questions.

That was part of his public defense that he gave. What questions does that raise for you, that someone who spent very little time actually in the president's presence, the former president's presence, was vouching for his mental fitness?

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): Well, as you know, the White House has a pretty large communications team, which Ian was an incredible part of. I think what's really telling here is that James Comer is still obsessed with President Biden, with his health. And the only health that James Comer and Republicans care about is Joe Biden's, not the vast majority of Americans, not the 17 million people that they're actually ripping away Medicaid from at this very moment.

James Comer is obsessed with the past. We're trying to actually focus on the future. And as you know, Ian Sams also worked in the White House counsel office.

The president had a broad team of communication folks. And James Comer is obsessed, continues to bring back former Biden administration officials because he doesn't want to focus on the real issues in front of the committee, like why we haven't received the Epstein files? Why we haven't gone against Donald Trump's corruption? Why we're not taking on, why the Trump family is enriching themselves at this very moment? Those are the issues the American public cares about.

And I wish James Comer and Republicans would actually focus on those.

KEILAR: Congressman Robert Garcia, there is so much going on. Thank you so much for being with us today. We appreciate it.

And this just into CNN, the California assembly has passed the first of three redistricting bills asking voters to set aside the state's current congressional maps. There are two more votes that the assembly must pass before this goes to the state Senate. So we will keep you updated on that.

Coming up, some newly unsealed video evidence shows TikTok employees raising concerns about how the short video app could be affecting teens. We'll have more on that just ahead.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Concern about TikTok's impact on teenagers is now back in the spotlight, and criticism is coming directly from current and former TikTok employees. Evidence in a legal case against the company suggests that some workers worried the app's popular algorithm could hurt young users' mental health.

CNN business tech writer Clare Duffy is here with more. And Clare, these details were revealed in an unsealed video showing internal company meetings. What are these employees saying?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS TECH WRITER: Yes, Boris, so this comes from a North Carolina lawsuit that was filed against TikTok last year, accusing the company of designing its app to be, quote, highly addictive for young people and misleading parents and children about the safety of the platform. A judge ruled on Tuesday that this video should be unsealed and available to the public.

And I want to play for you just a portion of these comments from current and former employees, because I think it's really striking just to hear it directly from them. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRETT PETERS, TIKTOK GLOBAL HEAD OF CREATOR ADVOCACY AND REPUTATION: We all have these really lofty goals of getting people to be on the app longer, like, literally. Like, that's, like, why we're all here is to help continue to diversify the content ecosystem to make TikTok a place where you can get so much different types of content that you never want to leave.

NICHOLAS CHNG, TIKTOK, FORMER ISSUES PROGRAM MANAGER: Unfortunately, some of the stuff that people find interesting are not always the most healthy. So I think we do have -- we do, in a way, encourage some of this content being put up.

ALLY MANN, TIKTOK, CREATOR LEAD MARKETING: We obviously wanted people to spend as much time as possible on TikTok, which is, can be in contrast to what is best for your mental health.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DUFFY: Now, it's important to note that we don't necessarily know when those conversations happened. And Boris, it's also not totally unusual for tech companies, their internal teams to be talking about how to improve their platforms. But the North Carolina attorney general tells me that he thinks this video proves the argument that they're making in their lawsuit, that the company has known more about these alleged safety risks than it has led on publicly.

SANCHEZ: It certainly seems like they're talking about it in a notable tone, I'll say. Clare, what is TikTok saying about these videos?

DUFFY: Yes, so TikTok has already been pushing back on the claims in this lawsuit, and it's doing the same when it comes to how the North Carolina attorney general is characterizing this video.

A spokesperson told me, The AG's sizzle reel is a shameful attempt to distort an open internal conversation about making the platform safer when TikTok was just beginning five years ago. This manipulation relies on conversations taken out of context with the sole purpose of misleading the public and grandstanding.

The spokesperson also pointed to some of these youth safety features that TikTok has rolled out in recent years, everything from parental oversight tools to a new meditation feature that aims to get kids scrolling less on the platform.

But I do think it's going to be interesting to see how this video plays in both to this lawsuit, but a number of other similar lawsuits that have been filed against the company in other states -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Clare Duffy, thank you so much for that reporting.

[15:40:00]

So an investigation is underway after part of the wing of a Delta Airlines jet broke off the plane as it was preparing to land. A scary looking moment there.

Pete Muntean is going to break it down for us when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: All right, here's something that you definitely don't want to see while you were flying. It is a piece of the plane's flap just dangling behind the wing. This happened on a Delta flight from Orlando, Florida to Austin, Texas yesterday.

And one of the passengers took this video after feeling some bad turbulence and the plane shaking. Thankfully, the plane landed safely. No one was hurt here.

We have CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean with us now. The FAA investigating this, Pete. No big deal for you, I suppose. But, you know --

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It was a flap. Yes, it was a flap. You got it right.

[15:45:00]

KEILAR: -- the average person looking at that is worried.

MUNTEAN: And investigators will have a lot to look at here with all of this video and all these cameras pointed out the window as this was happening. This was on this Delta flight from Orlando to Austin on Tuesday. And you could see that part of the trailing edge flap that's on the very back of the wing.

They come out during takeoff and landing, add lift to the wing. It essentially changes the shape of the wing. They call it the camber of the wing.

And that part clearly came bending out and up, which is exactly what it's not supposed to do. The wing flap goes out and down. Kind of unclear right now if the pilots even noticed this.

We went back and looked at the air traffic control audio. They didn't mention any of this to air traffic control. They didn't declare an emergency.

We saw them make one little turn before landing there in Austin. So it was an uneventful landing. Aside from this, investigators will really have to figure out now, though, what caused this.

Was this a maintenance-induced problem? Was there recent maintenance on the plane? It looks like it was flying a few times prior in the day.

Was this pilot-induced? You know, flaps have a limit on them. You can put them down at too fast of a speed. Or was this just wear and tear the age of the airplane? This is a 25-year-old Boeing 737-800. So it may be a combination of all those things.

They're just going to have to figure this out now. Thankfully, all is well that ends well. And it was a pretty empty flight, all told. About 70 people on board. So they got back to the gate OK. No harm, no foul.

KEILAR: Could have been worse. There are worse parts of the wing, I can say in my expert opinion, that I would not want to see dangling. But that's pretty scary. OK.

MUNTEAN: After that.

KEILAR: I want to ask you about this group of passengers that is suing Delta and United because they're saying that they paid that, basically, that up charge for a window. This, we know this window seat.

MUNTEAN: Yes, the dreaded seat. A team window seat.

KEILAR: You're like, oh, yes, I've got the window seat. You get on there and you're like, what is going on?

MUNTEAN: I feel like we've all had this happen.

KEILAR: It's like the basement apartment.

MUNTEAN: It feels like a Seinfeld bit. Like, I got a window seat, but I didn't get it.

KEILAR: It's terrible.

MUNTEAN: That was my, there you go.

KEILAR: I mean, you kind of understand why they're suing. They say other companies are clear about that.

MUNTEAN: Alaska and American, they say, are more transparent about this. But this is a suit brought in the Eastern District of New York, U.S. District Court, essentially alleging this happens millions of times on Delta and on United. And so this is a class action suit.

We'll see if other people glom onto this. Everyone sort of has this story. And this is the example that they put in the suit.

This is seat 11A on a Boeing 737 on United Airlines. You think you're going to get a window? It's exactly what you end up with. The blank space there, the dreaded no window window seat.

So we'll see if this suit really takes off. It is something that so many people have a story about. And it is really something that aggravates so many. We'll see. I mean, I feel bad for my airline friends. They aren't commenting right now. United and Delta, both not commenting about this. But it is something, it's definitely a talker. And people have all experienced this before.

KEILAR: That's like my nightmare. Because if I sometimes need to see the horizon so I don't get a little woozy.

MUNTEAN: And this is kind of the point that they make in the suit, is that there are plenty of valid reasons to have a window seat. You want sort of the entertainment value or just to be able to see outside. You might get airsick. You might have a kid with you who wants to see outside.

KEILAR: You want to see the flap. If the flap is flapping off, you want to be able to see it.

MUNTEAN: Fittingly, yes. If you want to be able to get good video of it, yes.

KEILAR: That's right. All good reasons. Pete, thank you so much as always.

MUNTEAN: You bet.

KEILAR: Appreciate it.

Ahead, why the next show that you stream might be inspired by your Zodiac sign.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: The weekend is almost here. And if watching a show on Netflix is on your agenda, you may want to consider your birthday for viewing inspiration.

KEILAR: Naturally, right? The streamer is curating suggested playlists based on your Zodiac sign. And for all of you Virgos out there, this is an early birthday treat.

Because the list drops this weekend when Virgo season starts. Which just happens to be when Netflix first launched.

CNN Entertainment reporter Lisa Respers France is here with more.

That list is going to be super organized, that Virgo list. I can tell you that. How will this work? Did Netflix consult an astrologist for this?

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, you know, these days, Brianna, you can just go on TikTok and become an astrologist yourself. There's so much information out there.

But the good folks over at Netflix explained to us, these people who curate these lists, that they were really inspired by Mercury being in retrograde around the time that they were about to drop Black Mirror, a new season of Black Mirror, which is a tech-heavy show, sci-fi show.

And of course, Mercury in retrograde has an effect on tech. Now, while it didn't affect Black Mirror, it absolutely encouraged that group to try to come up with some ideas of, you know, Zodiac signs and how they could curate the list to match up with what we think of the Zodiac sign.

So for instance, if you're a Virgo, such as yourself, that list -- and we have a couple of examples -- that list has some great things on it.

Like it was two of my all-time favorites, "Queen's Gambit" and "Beef," as well as "The Great Heist." Now, I personally am not a Virgo.

And then when you go to the Aquarius list, they also have like some really fun stuff, including "Stranger Things" and "Rebel Moon."

And then I am a Sagittarius. So according to this list, I am actually supposed to be watching "One Piece," "The Witcher," "Red Notice," or "The Last Airbender." So they worked really, really hard to try to match up what we know about, you know, what is supposed to be the Zodiac signs and how they act and how we think and feel with some, you know, potential content.

So there's no way that you can say there's nothing for you to watch. People always try to say they run out of content to watch. Like, come on. It's written in the stars, people. It's written in the stars.

SANCHEZ: It's true. It's true. I don't feel like I run out of content to watch.

[15:55:00] I just sit there and watch like a minute of everything and then ultimately fall asleep before we decide what we're going to watch.

KEILAR: I get glued to it. I will vouch for that "One Piece," though. You should try that out. I was surprised by that. It's based on, I think, like a manga or something. But I ended up watching it and I was totally into it. It was so fun.

FRANCE: I'll say from Boris's response, he's got to be a Scorpio.

SANCHEZ: You might have Googled that. I got to say, I am disappointed. I am disappointed in Netflix.

They took off one of my favorite films this month. The "Wedding Planner" with J-Lo and Matthew McConaughey.

KEILAR: You do love that one.

SANCHEZ: Love that movie. Lisa Respers France, thank you so much.

FRANCE: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Stay with CNN. We'll read the stars when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Next week will mark 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, and a new four-part CNN original series is taking a look back at the disaster's impact on the city, how it responded, and how it recovered.

SANCHEZ: And part one looks at the Superdome, the home of the New Orleans Saints, where tens of thousands found shelter in the storm's aftermath. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Katrina hit the Superdome, it was the site of devastation.

[16:00:00]

When the Saints came back into that building, and we all saw each other for the first time in a long time, and we had the glorious Saints there, that's the moment where we knew we were going to survive.

It was a big -- I'm still crying -- it was a big moment for us. And people, people in New Orleans remember that very moment. And the Saints gave us that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: I still remember that block punt, the first play of the game, it was huge. New Orleans, first drive of the game, I should say. "NEW ORLEANS, SOUL OF A CITY, REBIRTH OF THE SUPERDOME", It premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

Thanks so much for joining us today. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END