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U.S. Boost Military Presence In The Philippines To Counter China; Nikki Haley Expected To Announce Presidential Run This Month; ChatGPT Passes Prestigious Medical Licensing Practice Exam; Green Comet Swings By Earth For The First Time In 50,000 Years. Aired 2:30- 3p ET

Aired February 02, 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]

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Obviously, several people killed the night before. So certainly a lot of carnage there in the center of town as we do see some of those population centers really right now under attack from those missiles launched from the Russian side.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Very close call for our team. Fred Pleitgen, thanks so much.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Well, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announcing a deal today to increase America's presence in the Philippines. This gives the U.S. access to four more military sites and creates the largest American military presence in the region in decades.

BLACKWELL: Now the decision comes as tensions between China and Taiwan continue to escalate and, of course, there are fears of a potential Chinese invasion.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is at the Pentagon. So, Oren, what more are you learning or hearing from the Pentagon on this?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTENTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Alisyn, this is part of an expansion of military relations between the U.S. and the Philippines access for the U.S. military to more bases in the Philippines. And from China's perspective, that means perhaps a greater U.S. military presence close to China and crucially close to Taiwan.

Take a look at this map. This is where the U.S. currently has access to military bases. This Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in the Philippines where the agreement was reached. This is the map where the U.S. currently has access to military bases in the Philippines. This will expand to four more bases. Now, neither the U.S. nor the Philippines will name those bases. But we know from a few months ago that the US was interested in bases in the north that is closer to Taiwan, as well as on in the western Philippines, close to the South China Sea there and close to militarized Chinese islands. And that's why China has accused the U.S., perhaps, of having a selfish agenda and blamed the Washington for being the one that was responsible for regional instability.

This is all part of a force posture shift towards China and towards the Indo-Pacific region. It's the expanded military access in the Philippines. It's a revamped marine unit in Okinawa, again, fairly close to Taiwan on the northern side there that will have advanced capabilities, advanced weaponry like anti-ship missiles, and a newly opened Marine Corps Base on Guam, so just east of the Philippines there.

All of that is an effort to shift the Pentagon's focus to China with growing concerns over China's intent towards Taiwan and fears over a potential invasion of Taiwan in the coming years.

Victor and Alisyn, there's also a bigger picture perspective here. The former Philippine's president had shifted the Philippines towards Beijing, even threatening to kick out U.S. military forces. The current president, although he was walking very carefully with Beijing, is clearly realigning the Philippines back towards the U.S. and that has angered China.

CAMEROTA: Really interesting. Oren Liebermann, thank you.

Well, some GOP presidential hopefuls are already committing to backing the eventual nominee, but someone who won't, you guessed it, former President Trump. We're going to talk 2024 fields, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:09]

CAMEROTA: Former South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley, is expected to announce her run for president this month. She would be the first Republican to get in the race besides Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, the former Maryland Governor is clarifying his comments on supporting an eventual GOP nominee writing on Twitter that he will not commit to supporting Donald Trump because Donald Trump will not commit to backing a GOP candidate if it is not him.

Joining us now is another Republican, considering a 2024 bid. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu. Hi, Governor.

GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): Hey. How are you?

CAMEROTA: I'm doing well. So we know that you are actively considering a presidential run. Former Governor Nikki Haley is expected to make it official in the next two weeks. Does that change your calculation?

SUNUNU: Oh, no, not at all. Look, let me say I think Nikki is great. And I think she could be a great president. What I'm really trying to do is not just consider the run, that's obviously a big question, but I'm trying to bridge the gap what I see between kind of the traditional Republicans and the next generation. And I'm trying to make sure we broaden our base, make sure we stay positive, we stay excited, we were uplifting, we show the results. People want not just somebody that can win a nomination, but there's no doubt -- you know, the most important thing is that we elect a conservative -- the best conservative that can win in '24 and get results in '25.

And so by showing that New Hampshire model, and some of the successes we brought here, we're hoping to kind of broaden that base and get people excited. So to make sure that we really hit the ground running with wherever the election may take us.

CAMEROTA: But is it Nikki Haley also the next generation?

SUNUNU: Oh, absolutely. But look, whether it's her, whether it's myself or others, we all. It's not just a one-person mission as a team. We really have to be broadening ourselves and understanding, what are the priorities of that next generation of Republican? What's going on with the independents that are going to be coming out and ultimately deciding this election in November of '24?

So I think all of us have that responsibility, not just to stay in our lane and what is the political point we're going to make today, but really using some of our experiences and hopefully our successes to broaden the base.

CAMEROTA: Well, it's interesting, Jim Geraghty of the National Review, has written an editorial. And he is imploring you not to run, though he says you are an appealing candidate. But here's his rationale. Basically, he fears that a crowded field will splinter the field to the advantage of Donald Trump. He writes, "There's already one clear non-Trump alternative, Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis. If Sununu is serious, he'll need to present a compelling case for why he's a better non-Trump alternative than the guy who is already beating Trump in some early polls among Republicans and has not even declared himself as a candidate yet."

So, what's your response to that?

SUNUNU: Well, that's not news to anybody. So everybody knows that a crowded field could potentially be problematic and handed to Donald Trump with, you know, maybe 25 percent of the voters, something like that. Nobody wants to see that but understand there is a long way to go there's a year to go before even the first of the nation primary right here in New Hampshire and there's a lot of politics to be played out.

[14:40:11]

And so there's -- I don't mind who gets in the race, but we all definitely need to agree with him. We need the discipline to get out of the race, if it's not happening. So the idea that, you know, DeSantis is definitely doing well, I think he would do well in New Hampshire if the election were today, but it's not, right? There's a lot of -- a lot of politics to play to say that we're just going -- everyone's just going to take a backseat without making sure that not only are we kind of presenting our case, but we're presenting case, again, to the Republican Party, where the party is going to go, what we're going to be about.

And, you know, I agree with Ron and a lot of things we differ and others we definitely different style, but did say that we're just going to hand it over a year before the first primary doesn't really make any sense.

CAMEROTA: Do you commit to supporting the GOP nominee, whoever it is?

SUNUNU: Yes, absolutely. I'm a Republican. I'm going to support the Republican nominee because I can guarantee you they're better than any of the Democrats that would likely sit in that presidential seat.

CAMEROTA: Even if it's Donald Trump?

SUNUNU: Yes. I don't think it's going to be Donald Trump. But yes, I'm going to support the Republican nominee to be sure.

CAMEROTA: Because I mean, I think that you did at a dinner call Donald Trump effing crazy.

SUNUNU: Yes, that was funny. It was a roast. It was a funny joke. Look, a couple of things. Let's take a step back. First, I don't think Joe Biden is going to be the only nominee on the Democrat side, there's no doubt the left wing isn't going to just hand over the next six years in the White House to that guy.

There's going to be challenges, it's going to happen. There's going to be a lot of politics to be played out. And, yes, again, just if you're saying that I wouldn't support the nominee because I made a joke and roast, it was -- it was a good joke. I take -- I take pride in that. I got a lot of laughs.

CAMEROTA: No, it is a funny joke. But I mean, sometimes there's a germ of truth to jokes. And it's what -- if it's what you feel, then why would you support him?

SUNUNU: Well, look, I made a lot of jokes about my own family about other Republicans about, you know, Joe Biden, about Jen Psaki, who's sitting right there. I made jokes about everybody.

Look, this job is not -- the fact that you have so many politicians in this world that take themselves so seriously, everyone has lost his sense of humor, there's no sense of self-deprecation, there's no sense of lightening the mood a little bit. We have very serious jobs, but believe me, that job is a lot bigger than ourselves. OK?

And so the fact that someone, you know, might make it some say something humorous or whatever, doesn't qualify or disqualify them from anything. Like I said, there's a lot of politics to be played out. I think people are going to look at not just who can win, but who can actually get stuff done, right? Who's going to bring the results to the table? I'm incredibly proud.

People want me to run -- talking to me about running for president, because of the results we've gotten here in New Hampshire, we have no sales tax, we have no income tax, the lowest poverty rate, the most efficient government, number one and individual liberties.

You know, we are very proud of that record, and 49 other states would love that to come to the rest of the country. So we can be a model for that and I can shepherd that through. So be it.

CAMEROTA: It's also generous of you to say that you would support Donald Trump because he did not extend that same courtesy to you or to any other candidate today. He said that, no, he would not commit to doing that.

SUNUNU: Were you surprised? Are we shocked by that? Right? Donald Trump is about Donald Trump. I don't think anybody should be shocked by that statement.

CAMEROTA: Back to Ron DeSantis for a minute. I mean, basically, what the point was in that editorial was that there's already a Trump alternative who has had great success in his own state. How would you differ from Ron DeSantis?

SUNUNU: Are you saying I haven't had great success in my state? Are you saying that --

CAMEROTA: No, I'm saying that that's -- no, no, no. To be honest, you have, but that was your case. I mean, you're making the case. I've had great success in my state. And Ron DeSantis, I think could say the same thing. So what does distinguish you?

SUNUNU: Well, a couple things. Look, first, it's -- you have to -- as a leader, I always have to be willing to fight -- to fight for what we believe in strong, but you cannot be an individual that is only defined by the fight, right?

Ron and I differ a little bit and that I believe as much as anybody that's woke cancel culture nonsense is absolutely destroying our communities, but I don't believe government is the solution. If you're a private business, I might disagree with what your private business is doing. But that doesn't mean I'm going to use government to penalize you because we disagree politically on something. I'm going to lead by example. Right?

I am -- so there's just a variety of ways. I think we're going to differ ourselves. Nikki is going to do it. Vice President Pence is going to do it. A lot of candidates are going to potentially get in the race, they're going to differentiate themselves. But at the end of the day, the voters have a long time here to figure it all out and decide who again can not only win the nomination, that's not the hard part, but who can close the deal in '24 and actually then work with Congress, work with both sides of the aisle to actually get stuff done. Because if we're not getting stuff done, then what's the point of all this?

CAMEROTA: So where do you think Governor DeSantis is overreaching on the woke cultural stuff? SUNUNU: Well, again, you know, he just has a -- I would say a different style and different approach in terms of using his position. I try to -- where -- I'm from the live free or die state. I very much believe and cherish and local control and individual responsibility. And that doesn't discern itself amongst your politics. I don't care what your politics are.

[14:45:10]

As an individual, my job is to set up doors of opportunity and let you walk through them. I'm a -- I'm a principled free market conservative. I mean, that's really what I'm about here. So we just have different sounds. I think he's a -- he's a good governor. He handled the hurricane very well. I think he will do very well in New Hampshire. If the election is today, he probably wins in New Hampshire.

And so he would do great. I'm not trying to take a take a knock at Ron at all, but we have very different styles, very different approaches. And over time, if I decided to get in the race, he -- him and Trump are really in the race. But if I were to decide to get in or other candidates, we'll all kind of have our opportunities to kind of have that out, hopefully in a positive constructive way. See who comes out on the job.

CAMEROTA: OK. Governor Chris Sununu, thanks. Great to talk to you. We appreciate your time.

SUNUNU: You bet.

BLACKWELL: The use of AI chatbot, ChatGPT is sparking some serious concerns across several industries. And now that includes the medical field, what we're learning. Next.

And before we head to break, live pictures from the White House where former President Bill Clinton has joined President Biden and the Vice President to mark the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

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[14:50:45]

CAMEROTA: Perhaps you've heard how the artificial intelligence tool, ChatGPT, is passing law school exams and writing college essays? Well, now there's evidence that it can even answer advanced medical questions, the same ones used for medical licensing exams.

BLACKWELL: CNN's health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, joins us now to break this down. This is scary.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BLACKWELL: So what's this mean? Explain what's happening here.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Right. And it's kind of creepy, but it does show that ChatGPT can be a reliable tool for the medical field. And what was found in one study that the chatbot was able to answer practice questions that are used for the U.S. medical licensing exam. And it got those questions right more than half of the time.

So the study found that it had a greater than 50 percent accuracy across all practice questions. And it exceeded 60 percent in most cases. And that 60 percent is the threshold that researchers use to assess whether it hypothetically passed the exam. And it appeared to do so in most cases.

So this really shows that it could be a reliable tool for possibly writing reports, writing medical studies, possibly making diagnoses or helping with developing treatment plans. So that's kind of the takeaway here.

Will it be a future doctor? Probably not in our lifetimes, but it shows that it could be a reliable tool in a way.

CAMEROTA: I don't know. It's all -- it all feels so space age, so brand-new world. I mean, basically, Jacqueline --

BLACKWELL: I don't like it.

CAMEROTA: Not me. So bots, of course, like ChatGPT, they can't feel empathy --

HOWARD: Right.

CAMEROTA: Like human doctors, but -- and we have heard, actually, about how medicine is becoming more personalized in the future. So which one's going to win?

HOWARD: Right. You know, we do need that human approach to make personalized medical decisions for patients, like you said, Alisyn.

So we see that this technology could possibly help with the decision making process. But, of course, your doctor still needs to have that empathy, still needs to have that nuance to be able to develop personalized decisions.

But this technology could help translate the medical jargon in a way that's easy for the patient to understand. So it can help write pamphlets for public health messaging. It could help write your treatment plan for you so you can kind of understand what your doctor's plan is. So that's maybe where we see this technology heading in the future. But we'll wait and see Victor and Alisyn.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we will. Jacqueline Howard, thanks so much.

CAMEROTA: OK. It's your last chance to see a cosmic fly by. Tens of thousands of years in the making. We explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:55:56] BLACKWELL: For the first time in 50,000 years, a green comet flew past Earth, it happened last night. And if you missed it, maybe there's one more shot for you to see one tonight.

CAMEROTA: OK. Well, CNN space and defense correspondent, Kristin Fisher, joins us now.

So, Kristin, this has not happened since the Stone Age?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's been a while, Victor and Alisyn. You know, the first question most people have when they hear about the green comet is, what gives it this green hue? And the answer is it has to do with the way a certain molecule inside the comet interacts with ultraviolet or UV light coming from the sun, that reaction creates this very unusual green hue that you can see there.

And, you know, when you think about comets, these are really just balls of freezing gas and dust traveling through our solar system. A lot of astronomers like to think of them as dirty snowballs. That's kind of the way that they're often described.

And so this dirty snowball making its closest approach to Earth yesterday and today. And, you know, the other big question that people have, Victor and Alisyn, is, how can I see it? Well, the answer to that is your best bet is to really just get somewhere away from a city, get out of New York City, get out of Washington, D.C., wherever you are, find some dark skies, preferably skies with no clouds.

And a lot of folks are having luck simply seeing this comet with their naked eye, if you know where to look. But it's really advised that if you can get your hands on binoculars or an amateur telescope, that is really going to help your chances of seeing it and it really is such a rare sight to see.

I mean, think about this. This is a visitor from the icy outer reaches of our solar system. It only comes here, you know, every 50,000 years or so. The last time during the Stone Age. I mean, just think how much has happened to this planet and this world in the time since it last made its close approach. Victor and Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: And so what time on the East Coast should we look for it?

FISHER: Anytime it's dark out really. You know, a lot of times they say -- it just matters that it's dark, as dark as possible so not when the sun is coming up or down.

BLACKWELL: All right. And if ever I buy race horse. Name of that horse?

CAMEROTA: Green comet?

BLACKWELL: Dirty snowball.

CAMEROTA: OK. I like it.

FISHER: You like dirty snowball?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BLACKWELL: I appreciate that. Thank you so much.

CAMEROTA: Kristin Fisher, thank you.