Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

R. Kelly Found Guilty of Racketeering and Sex Trafficking; FBI Report Says U.S. Murder Rate Jumped Almost 30 Percent in 2020; DHS Has Made 31 Repatriation Flights to Haiti Since Sept. 19; U.S. Oil Prices To $75, the Highest Level in Nearly Three Years. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 27, 2021 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Areva, tell us again now that we know that he's being convicted of these sex trafficking and racketeering -- he's 54 years old I believe, how much time is he looking at in prison?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, he's looking at a minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in prison. And again, as I said, Alisyn, this is just in this one case. There are other jurisdictions that are also going to try him.

I think it's also interesting to note, Alisyn, the defense in this case was primarily that these women were all liars. That they were gold diggers, that they purposely associated themselves with R. Kelly because they were trying to advance their music careers and that they were voluntary participants in sexual acts. And I think at one point, the lawyer even said, you know, it's not a crime to like kinky sex. He kept making reference to the fact that these were consenting adults. And the jurors obviously rejected, unequivocally rejecting those claims by his defense attorney, and found that these were consenting adults, that these were children, that these were violent acts, these were criminal acts, and they're holding R. Kelly accountable.

CAMEROTA: Areva, one more question on that, because of the echoes of Bill Cosby. Same thing, you know, the old he said, she said, no. She said, she said, she said, as we've learned.

And, you know, the arguments that this was consensual, it's absurd. But isn't it interesting that this is the verdict now because 13 years ago R. Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges at a state trial, so you know, obviously there's been a sea change.

MARTIN: A major sea change, Alisyn, in the way that we listen to, the way that we believe and the way that we receive claims that are made by women that have been sexually assaulted. And as you know, for many years, women that would come forward and tell of sexual violence were not believed. They were actually maligned by their jobs, by their employers, and even in the media. But since that time there's more understanding, there's more empathy, and there's a greater understanding that there are lots of reasons why women don't always come forward right after they are sexually assaulted.

We understand that better now. And the public, I think, by sending a strong message in this case, fed up, enough is enough. And men who engage in this kind of conduct are going to be held accountable, and that accountability is going to look like long prison sentences, so not surprised by this verdict. And I don't think anyone that's been following this trial is surprised because the nature of the evidence presented by the prosecution was so compelling.

CAMEROTA: Areva Martin, Jean Casarez, thank you very much for helping us understand all of this breaking news.

OK, now to this, the FBI releases worrying statistics, really alarming statistics about violent crime. The murder rate had the largest single year increase in half a century. So next, we're going to figure out why the rise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:00]

CAMEROTA: Today, the FBI releasing alarming statistics on crime in the U.S. in 2020, murder rate jumped almost 30 percent. That's the largest single year increase since the federal government began tracking these numbers in the 1960s. CNN's senior justice correspondent Evan Perez is here with us. So, Evan, what else did we learn about violent crime in the U.S.?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, violent crime overall is up according to these FBI statistics that go back, again, to 2020. Compared to 2019, violent crime in general is up 5 percent, and as you mentioned, murder, homicides are up nearly 30 percent compared to 2019. In total, 21,500 murders were recorded according to the FBI, and look, the overall picture is that crime overall is down.

There's a lot of hand ringing by people in the Biden administration and Congress as well as in local governments as to exactly what is going on here. If you look at the overall picture, I think we have some statistics that shows a wider picture over the years. The numbers, however, are still down compared to the 1990s. If you remember those years when murder in places like Washington, D.C., and New York were way, way higher than they are right now.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I remember those years vividly but I don't want to go back to them. Did the report give any reason for the spike? I mean, what's going on?

PEREZ: One of the things that the FBI report talks about is, you know, obviously there's a lot of gun crime, and that appears to be, if you talk to people who study this area, that appears to be the big driver, the fact that shootings are up in a lot of places in the country. If you talk to the politicians, they give other examples. They say that in some cases, because of the protests last summer, and some of the efforts to police the police that there are some stand downs by police.

That is not supported, necessarily by any of the data that we're seeing. So that's one of the reasons why that argument still continues -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Evan Perez, thank you very much.

Thousands of Haitian migrants have been expelled from Del Rio, Texas, back to Haiti. Many of them are returning to the country, and again facing abject poverty and violent crime, the very conditions that made them to leave in the first place. So now what? We're live on the ground in Haiti.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:00]

CAMEROTA: The port of entry in Del Rio, Texas, has reopened after that crisis that saw thousands of migrants arriving there, most from Haiti. This past weekend, one thousand more Haitian migrants were expelled by the U.S. and returned to the country that they tried to escape.

The Department of Homeland Security says it has conducted 31 repatriation flights to Haiti see since September 19th. Those repatriated once again face danger and poverty.

CNN's Melissa Bell joins us now from Haiti's capital of Port-au- Prince. So, Melissa, what are the conditions like on the ground and how can the deportees break this cycle? What are they telling you?

[15:45:00]

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's very difficult to imagine how they can get out of this cycle of not just poverty, Alisyn, I think it's important to explain that at this stage, what Haitians are fleeing is not just the abject poverty that you can see around me now, that is a blight on the capital here of Port-au-Prince. But the danger as well.

Just up the street a few moments ago what we are hearing from people, they said there's been yet another kidnapping, someone picked up off the street, taken by gangs who now control more than half of this city, and held for ransom. It's been happening increasingly often.

You mentioned those 31 flights. There's another 6 planned today. That bridge at Del Rio may now have been cleared, it has come at the cost of bringing three and half thousand Haitians so far, more to come back to a situation that they say is so dangerous that their only aim is to get as far away from the country once again as they possibly can.

We put up over the weekend with a woman who heads a human rights watchdog. This is what she had to say about those kidnappings and that huge spike that we've seen over the course last weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIE YOLENE GILLES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FJKL, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHDOG GROUP (through translator): Now the gangs are able to kidnap people day and night in these middle-class neighborhoods. They move around on motorcycles or cars with impunity. The police and the army are mostly passive and have remained very inactive in responding to the actions of these armed gangs which operate with much more intelligence. There's no response. The police did not respond to the insecurity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL (on camera): And just speaking off that, Alisyn, that event happening at the top of that street right now, what we're hearing is that because the police haven't intervened so far, it is ordinary citizens that are trying to block off the road in protest at the impunity, at the fact that these kidnappings can take place day or night in almost any neighborhood and affect every social class.

There's a great deal of anger here in Haiti at the situation on the ground but also at the fact that these deportations given that lack of security -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Melissa, thank you for that clarification. You're so right, poverty is one thing, kidnappings are an entirely different thing. Thank you for explaining what's happening on the ground.

Back here, gas prices are on the rise as major retailers warn of product shortages. Ahead what you can expect to pay in the weeks ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00]

CAMEROTA: And just into CNN, President Biden is not the only political leader who got his COVID booster shot today. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell just announced on the Senate floor that he received his third dose of Pfizer just a few minutes ago. He said it was an easy decision for him to make because he was a survivor of childhood polio, and he says he will always be a champion of vaccinations.

You do not have to be an almost octogenarian though to get the booster. You can get one if you received the second dose of Pfizer at least six months ago, if you are older than 65 or have a chronic health condition or if you work in a high-risk occupation.

Well, the Delta variant continues it take a toll on the U.S. economy. The National Association for Business Economists now expects U.S. GDP growth to be 5.6 percent. That's relatively strong but it's down from the 6.7 percent increase they anticipated in May. CNN business reporter Matt Egan joins me now. So Matt, is this all based on the Delta variant?

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes, a lot of this is based on the Delta variant. You know, we know that all of these rising COVID concerns it's impacted air travel which has slowed down, and business travel is really depressed. Hotel, restaurant reservations, they've have gotten weaker and offices, they've delayed their back to work plans.

Goldman Sachs reports that just one-third of offices in major U.S. cities are occupied right now. That's terrible for the bars and restaurants and dry cleaners that rely on officer workers.

So that's why economists -- these business economists have downgraded their outlook. They're now calling for 2021 growth of 5.6 percent. That's still pretty solid but it's down from 6.7 percent previously. And in the third quarter they're now calling for annual growth of 4 percent, that's down from 6.6 percent.

Their upgrading their inflation view, though. They are saying that we're have more of this sticker shock and we're going to have to see how long that lasts.

CAMEROTA: I don't know if people are ever coming back to full office space. I mean, that's just a tough one to predict. Tell us about oil prices. What's happening with that?

EGAN: OK, oil prices up, $75 oil is here. $90 could be around the corner. U.S. oil closed at the highest level in nearly three years today. That suggests that, you know, prices at the pump are going to stay elevated. The national average is at $3.19 a gallon. That's up from $2.19 a year ago. Some states like Colorado, Pennsylvania, they're above $3.30.

Here's the problem. Demand for energy has recovered rapidly during COVID. But supply is having a really hard time catching up. The U.S. oil producers, they slashed production as the pandemic erupted. They have been very slow to return barrels.

OPEC is -- they're restraining production. And that's despite the fact the White House has called on OPEC and its allies to ramp up production because they are worried about high energy prices.

Goldman Sachs put out a report today and they say that $90 oil could be here by the end of the year. I mean. Alisyn, all of this suggests that you know the high cost of living that Americans are dealing with could get worse before it gets better.

CAMEROTA: OK. Matt Egan, thank you very much.

[15:55:00]

EGAN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: All right. It's a make-or-break week on Capitol Hill with the President's domestic agenda on the line. More next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Instagram is pressing pause on its plans to develop a version of its app for kids under 13 years old. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has been facing criticism from lawmakers and parents and new questions about research that shows the negative impact it has on teenage girls.

This week, the Senate is set to hold a hearing on the pressure that kids face on sites like that.

Thanks so much for watching today. And "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

[16:00:00]