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Biden To Visit Poland As Anniversary Of Ukraine War Near; Hometown Braces For News Of 98-Year-Old Former President Carter; Woman Escapes Abductor In Locked Gas Station; Series Of Shootings Across America; Nikki Haley Dodges Questions About Trump; Deepfakes Being Used To Target And Harass Women Online; Team Giannis Versus Team LeBron Face Off At All-Star Game. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 19, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:28]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

We begin this afternoon with the U.S. making clear where it stands on Ukraine to Moscow, Kyiv, Beijing and the rest of the world. Tomorrow night, President Biden goes on a trip to Poland to deliver that message himself. His visit comes on the heels of the Munich Security Conference where the U.S. staked out some hardnosed positions on several fronts, accusing Russia of crimes against humanity and warning China not to provide lethal aid to Russian troops in Ukraine.

Let's go to the White House, CNN's Priscilla Alvarez.

Priscilla, tell us about the new emergency funds for earthquake relief first before we get to what's been happening on the foreign policy front.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Secretary of State Blinken announced that they are going to provide $100 million in disaster relief aid to Turkey and Syria, which have been devastated by the earthquake. That money is going to be split between emergency response, as well as humanitarian assistance.

Now, Secretary Blinken was able to survey the damage himself, and he said the efforts to recovery are very -- quote, "very, very challenging." But, again, the U.S. is bringing more aid into this country. It would bring it to a total of $185 million that the U.S. has provided so far -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And back to the president's trip. What is he hoping to accomplish? What do we think we might hear from the president? And is there any chance he might go to Ukraine?

ALVAREZ: Well, in that question, for now, White House officials say no, he is not planning to go to Ukraine. But, look, this is an opportunity for President Biden to reinforce support among allies for Ukraine. And that is what White House officials say his remark will be dedicated to when he is in Poland. He's speaking to exactly that unity among allies, standing by Ukraine, and making clear to Russia that that is what they plan to do and that they will double down on Russia, as well.

Now, while he's in Poland, he is going to meet with the Polish president and he is also going to meet with a group of eastern planked NATO allies. Now we've heard from the Polish prime minister in terms of what he is expecting from President Biden. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI, PRIME MINISTER OF POLAND: He'll have to change the paradigm and he'll have to say Ukraine must win, and Russia must be defeated. And I believe that the words of President Biden will reassure all Europe that the United States is with us in this fight for freedom and peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now the U.S. has set the tone to some degree ahead of this visit, with Vice President Kamala Harris saying yesterday that Russia has committed crimes against humanity. Now that is a step further than war crimes. And of course, administration officials have been speaking to the atrocities in Ukraine and now again saying that they have committed crimes against humanity.

Urgency, Jim, is very important here with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy saying that allies need to speed it up. They can't afford a delay. So we expect to hear more on all of that from President Biden on his trip starting tomorrow.

ACOSTA: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much.

Joining us now, CNN military analyst and retired lieutenant general, Mark Hertling.

General Hertling, great to see you. Let's start with the president's trip to Poland. How high are the stakes, do you think? And you know, I asked Priscilla about this. She said no, the White House is saying no, he's not going to make this trip over to Ukraine. How big of a message would that send if he were to do that? I know we tend to ask these questions and it drives the White House crazy when we asked it. But he's going to be in the neighborhood.

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Jim. I would suspect there is going to be probably if not a trip into Ukraine, there's going to be a meeting with the Ukrainian leaders. But even just the trip to Poland, because Poland is such a close NATO ally, and it's neighbors with both Russia and Ukraine, and has been a critical supporter of Ukraine over the past year. They have provided I think it's close to $4 billion in military aid and they've taken on 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees into Poland.

Jim, when I was in U.S. Army Europe, Poland was the place I went the most, because they are such a critical ally and they are becoming one of the leaders of the European Union, as well as NATO.

ACOSTA: Yes. When I covered the president, you know, we took trips to Poland. It is a key U.S. ally, no question about it. And, you know, the war in Ukraine is about to enter its second year since this full- blown invasion from Vladimir Putin.

[16:05:02]

As CNN has previously reported, there are signs that Beijing wants to provide lethal aid to Russia. You know, President Biden has staked so much on this position that the Ukrainians must be defended almost at all costs. And this complication of China entering the picture, your thoughts on that? Because it really does make this much more complicated and potentially very, very serious.

HERTLING: Yes, it does, Jim. Before I do that, though, can I say one more thing I forgot about Poland? It's critical.

ACOSTA: Sure.

HERTLING: He's probably going to visit the close to 10,000 U.S. soldiers that are inside of Poland, contributing to the passage of aid from the United States into Ukraine, as well. So that will be part of the agenda, as well.

ACOSTA: Right.

HERTLING: But going to China, you know, I think it's of interest of China to see the U.S. continuing to support Ukraine. They certainly -- they're trying to further expand -- China is trying to further expand their strategic reach in many areas beyond the border, while continuing to address their own challenges. But they're also seeing their competitors, both the U.S. and Russia, distracted while they do this.

So I think it's going to be critical to watch China, as so many people are talking about today, and have been in the past in terms of what they might do, and the potential for further actions against China, whether they be sanctions or some other type of actions, probably at the forefront of the president and the secretary of state's minds right now.

ACOSTA: Is it feasible to stop China from supporting the Russians, do you think?

HERTLING: Yes, it's going to be tough, Jim. It certainly would be feasible to slow them down, but to completely stop them, I don't think so. They are going to support and they said they will support their ally Russia. But the fact of the matter is, they are competitors with Russia, as well. Like I said, they would like see a continued distraction of both the United States and Russia in this fight in Ukraine so they can do the kinds of things that they wanted to do while also addressing things within their border.

But I certainly think Secretary Blinken at the Munich Security Conference sent a very firm message, probably in a nuance way saying we're reading the intelligence, we know what you're doing, and you better knock it off.

ACOSTA: Well, and consider what the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. told us earlier today. Let's listen to that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: If there are any thoughts and efforts by the Chinese and others to provide lethal support to the Russians in their brutal attack against Ukraine, that is unacceptable. Again, that would be a red line. We made clear to the Chinese that there will be consequences should they make that unfortunate decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes, General Hertling, what do you make of that use of the phrase the red line? I mean, I covered President Obama's second term when he took a lot of heat for not enforcing his own red line with Syria. You recall that episode. What do you make of that? I mean, that is as close to really just -- I mean, it is drawing a line. It is just very clearly drawing a line for the Chinese here.

HERTLING: It is, Jim. I'm a military guy, not a politician. But I know that that red line phrase has caused problems in the past. But what I also see in the U.N. ambassador's comments just now reinforces what I said just a minute ago. We are reading their mail. We know what China is doing or is potentially doing. And I think it's sending a very strong message.

I personally wouldn't use any term like red line, but I guess they do have some things in the hopper that they might use against China if they continue to support or start to support Russia in their mission in Ukraine.

ACOSTA: All right. It's certainly a storyline we're going to be watching as the days move on here.

General Hertling, great to see you as always. Thanks so much.

HERTLING: Always a pleasure, Jim. Thank you.

ACOSTA: Thank you.

And turning to Georgia now where for now former President Jimmy Carter remains at home in Plains. Yesterday, the Carter Center released a statement on the 98-year-old former president saying he has chosen to enter home hospice care and refuse further medical treatment.

CNN's Isabel Rosales is in Carter's hometown of Plains where so many Americans have made -- I should say -- I can't say it. Yes, journey, sojourns to the Plains over the years to see the former president teach Sunday school and so on. Pilgrimages, excuse me. I've been off for a week.

Isabel, what more can you tell us?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jim, totally get it. Grab the coffee there. So we are hearing now for the first time directly from President Biden.

[16:10:01]

We were told by an official that he had been informed of Carter's declining health and the fact that he chose to seek hospice care. But now we are hearing directly from President Biden via tweet. And here's what he wrote. "To our friends, Jimmy and Rosalynn and to their family, Jill and I are with you in prayer and send you our love. We admire you for the strength and humility that you have shown in difficult times. May you continue your journey with grace and dignity, and God grant you peace."

And there's a special connection there, Jim, between Biden and Carter. You'll remember that Biden was one of the first U.S. senators who actually endorsed Carter for his presidential bid back in '76. And President Biden and Jill Biden actually came here to Plains, Georgia, on the 100th day of Biden's presidency to visit Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn.

So right now, Jim, I am standing nearby main street and anywhere that you really turn to, you're going to see piece of Jimmy Carter history. Right beyond these streets over here, his high school where he got in his public education, learned about American history without even knowing probably that he would become number 39. And then just beyond these train tracks, if you keep going down that road, you're going to find the home that he built back in 1961, the home that he lives in today.

Several miles beyond that, his childhood farmland where he grew up. And look right over here, this train depot, this is, as you can read right here, his presidential campaign headquarters where thousands of people would show up by the day to see how it is that a peanut farmer wanted to become president of the United States.

Carter strongly identifies with his southern roots, with Georgia, his family have been here, Jim, since the 1700s. And it is clear that the community here loves the Carter family very much. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIP KURLAND, OWNER OF PLAINS TRADING POST: But if you're in need, they would help you. I've never known someone that lives their faith so well. When he said in his presidency, I'll never lie to you, at the time, I figured, yes, right. A politician that says that. After living here, I believe it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Jim, it's really an unbelievable connection between the people here in Plains and the Carter family. And now look at this, this tweet by Jason Carter, Jimmy's grandson, he was a one-time Democratic state senator here in Georgia who said he visited his grandparents on Friday and he wrote, quote, "They are at peace, and as always, their home is full of love." Jim?

ACOSTA: A lot of Americans thinking about the Carter family tonight.

Isabel Rosales, thank you very much. In the meantime, Hollywood is mourning a beloved comedian and actor,

Richard Belzer has died. Belzer is known best for playing detective John Munch on several crime shows including "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Law and Order SVU." His long-time manager Eric Gardner confirmed that Belzer passed away peacefully earlier this morning at his home in France.

A long-time friend of the actor said that he had dealt with, quote, "lots of health issues." Richard Belzer, just a classic American actor and a very funny comedian, was 78 years old.

A shocking scene caught on a gas station security camera. A woman says she was abducted, taken across the country and assaulted. But then she made a daring escape.

Plus, former President Trump and Nikki Haley have the GOP spotlight. But not for long. Who else could be throwing their hat into the presidential ring? And this week, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could reshape the internet. I'll talk to one father for whom this case is very personal after his daughter's death was streamed online for the world to see. More on that ahead.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:17:52]

ACOSTA: A deadbolt lock provided the key to a dramatic escape for a kidnapped woman, ending what police described as a year-long nightmare at the hands of her captor. It happened at a gas station in New Jersey where a woman saw an opportunity to break free and bravely took it.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joins me now.

Polo, dramatic stuff. What can you tell us?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we don't know the identity, Jim, of the woman. It's been withheld, and that's understandable given just the traumatic incident that she experienced for nearly a year. That's 12 months since she finally saw an opportunity to escape and she seized it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL (voice-over): It was a dramatic end to what police describe as a nearly yearlong cross-country kidnapping. The woman seen running into this New Jersey service station in early February is escaping her suspected captor who is close behind, a man later identified as James Perillo, Jr. The yearlong ordeal started in New Mexico where the couple first met last February. The woman says she agreed to give Perillo a ride to Arizona.

They eventually made their way to California, where she says the relationship took a violent turn. That's where police say Perillo physically assaulted the woman, taking away her phone and debit cards. Eventually, the pair made their way cross-country in what New Jersey state police describe as a yearlong nightmare. Cameras inside the store captured the moment the barefooted woman deadbolts the door, preventing her alleged kidnapper from entering.

BOBBY MADAAN, GAS STATION OWNER: All you could hear her screaming like, I've been kidnapped.

SANDOVAL: Bobby Madaan is the owner of the service station. He remembers the frantic look of the woman desperate to get away.

MADAAN: The lady was really scared. Like she was really scared. She's looking at the back wall in the office thinking that he's going to come through the backdoor or break the wall to come in. So I told -- I just reassured her that you're fine, you're safe. This door is locked. Nobody is coming in. And the police is on their way. And she just kept repeating that, you know, he's kept me against my will. And eventually the state troopers get there.

SANDOVAL: New Jersey state police are looking into the possibility that Perillo may have held other women against their will in the past. He's already been charged with kidnapping and aggravated assault in connection with what police say was a heroic escape.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[16:20:06]

SANDOVAL: And this hour New Jersey investigators are still working with their counterparts in other jurisdictions. This is, Jim, from California all the way to the north east tried to identify people who may have actually known this individual. By the way, we did reach out to Perillo's attorney, we have not yet heard back -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you very much.

An 18-year-old has been charged with murder in a Saturday night shooting that killed an off-duty Temple University police officer. Authorities in Philadelphia say Officer Chris Fitzgerald was responding to an incident on the edge of campus when he was shot.

It's just one of several shootings happening across the country this weekend. Our national correspondent Camila Bernal is tracking this wave of weekend violence.

Camila, what more can you tell us?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jim. Yes, unfortunately, shootings from coast to coast, some of them deadly, others involving children. And so there are just so many of them that police continue to investigate at the moment.

I'll start with the latest one happening in Memphis, Tennessee. We know that authorities responded to a lounge at around 12:45 this morning. They say two shootings that they believe are connected left at least one person killed and 10 injured. They are still looking for the person responsible for this shooting. I want to go to another shocking one. That is nine children injured

because of a shooting in Columbus, Georgia. Authorities say there was a party, and some of these minors had an altercation, they went to a gas station nearby, and that resulted in these nine children injured, ages 5 to 17. Here is what the mayor in Columbus, Georgia, is saying about all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR SKIP HENDERSON, COLUMBUS, GEORGIA: I just get tired of seeing folks when they have a disagreement or an argument or maybe even a fistfight. They think they have to reach for a gun and go to deadly force. That's just got to stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And police there are still trying to figure out exactly who shot who, and what happened.

Now another shooting that you mentioned is the one involving the Temple University police officer in Philadelphia. We know that this police officer was trying to stop a robbery. He was shot and killed, and in this case, police did arrest the person they believe is responsible for all of this.

And then finally, I want to move on to another shocking shooting, and this one here in Los Angeles, the community here mourning the loss of a Catholic bishop. He was shot and killed at a home here in Los Angeles, and the archbishop saying that the bishop who was killed, David O'Connell, had served this community for about 45 years. He said he was a man of prayer, someone who cared deeply about the poor and about the immigrant community in this area.

So a lot of questions still in regards to this shooting because the suspect has not been named. There has not been an arrest so a lot of questions in this shooting as the Catholic community here in Los Angeles is mourning and in shock and confused about what happens here -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, absolutely horrific. Camila Bernal, thank you.

Another Republican may be considering a run for president. It's not Ron DeSantis. We'll break down the race as it stands and where it might end up. That's coming up next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:27:55]

ACOSTA: Might we see another Republican contender in the race for the White House? Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina heads to Iowa on Wednesday. This is fueling speculation he's weighing a White House bid as Iowa is the first state in the GOP presidential nomination process.

Last week, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced she's running, becoming the first official challenger to former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination. This morning, she dodged questions about how her policies would differ from the former president's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where do you two differ?

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't focus on President Trump. And it's amazing that the media wants to talk about that so much because I just spoke --

SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: But you will have to get through the GOP primary. You will have to focus on him and Governor DeSantis or anybody else who gets in. To get to President Trump, you will have to get through that field.

HALEY: Shannon, my announcement was to a few thousand people in South Carolina. I just had packed rooms in New Hampshire. Not one person asked me about President Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Joining me now to talk about this, "Vanity Fair" special correspondent Molly Jong-Fast, and CNN commentator and Republican strategist Alice Stewart.

Ladies, thanks so much for being on this afternoon. Appreciate it so much.

Molly, let me start with you first. I mean, that comment from former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley essentially, you know, dodging this question about where she differs when it comes to policy positions with the former president. This is going to be a recurring problem, it sounds for the GOP field overall, it seems.

MOLLY JONG-FAST, VANITY FAIR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And I mean, the whole thing is going to be a primary now. So Nikki Haley has survived by ignoring Trump and being, you know, very sort of passive and complimentary towards him. Now he's going to have to go against -- you know, she's going to have to go against him and she's going to have to woo primary voters.

And these primary voters are sort of addicted to Trump and this kind of authoritarian strongman thing. So I don't know how she manages to ignore the guy who basically has sort of a spell on these primary voters.

[16:30:02]

ACOSTA: Alice, what do you think of that? And also South Carolina, another South Carolina Republican politician, Senator Tim Scott heading to Iowa this week. That's intriguing.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It is. He's going to listen to the people of Iowa on a listening tour, and usually when you listen, you're beginning the wooing phase of a relationship with voters. And look, I think it's really important. Molly is 100 percent correct that there is -- many of Trump's supporters are extremely all in on Donald Trump, and they will continue to support him.

But that's just a portion of the primary voters. Many of them are looking elsewhere. Many of them are saying it's time to turn the page on Donald Trump. It's time to find someone who will espouse his policies on the Republican Party supports, which is focusing on the economy and inflation and security and education. Focus on those policies but do so in a less toxic tone and a more positive way.

And I think what we saw with Nikki Haley and her announcement speech, she has a more positive tone. She wants a generational change for this country, and not just in terms of age, but in tactic. And we're also going to see a similar tone from Tim Scott, a senator also from South Carolina, as he goes out there and connects with the people.

Look, to be quite honest, the general primary voter is looking for the policies at this point. And many of these candidates share the same policies. But the real test will be, can they convey what they do on television or in a donor meeting, can they convey that to the voters? Are they able to go out to Iowa and connect with the voters and let the voters think they really understand what they're going through?

And, Jim, you know how it works. And Molly, you do as well. You have to be able to go to the Iowa State Fair, you have to be able to go to the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester and really connect with the voters.

ACOSTA: Yes.

STEWART: And that's the key test for all of these candidates.

ACOSTA: There's a lot of pizza ranges between now and the Iowa caucuses for these politicians.

STEWART: That's right.

ACOSTA: You know, Molly, one of the, you know, calling cards of a Donald Trump campaign are these personal attacks on his opponents. And the larger the field, the more mud that we're going to be watching getting thrown around. He saved almost all of his zingers these days for Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who is widely suspected to be interested in throwing his hat in the ring as well.

He's told his supporters, Trump has, that he will no longer refer to the Florida governor as, quote, "Meatball Ron." That was his latest insult. I mean, this is -- it's pretty early on for the nicknames, but this is what Trump does.

JONG-FAST: Yes. I mean, I think Ron DeSantis is a tremendously appealing to these Trump supporters, and he's kind of promised the donor class Trumpism without Trump, which is kind of their dream, right? None of the unforced errors of Trumpism.

I mean, in my mind, the candidacies of a Nikki Haley and, you know, the more normal Republicans are something of this sort of 2004s, you know, before the Republican Party took this much more right-leaning, you know, move. So, I mean, I think it'll be interesting to see. But I think Trump is right. He knows his biggest competition is Ron DeSantis.

ACOSTA: And Alice, what do you think? I mean, there's also some CNN reporting that some conservatives are worried that DeSantis has maybe gone a little too far in his fight against, quote-unquote, "wokeness," that his approach is heavy handed as he goes on the attack against Disney, on what teachers can say in the classroom, this recent fight over the college board, AP courses in Florida.

And you know, in these cases, it's DeSantis using the government of the state of Florida to go after some of these targets that he wants to go after. And that makes some conservatives a little nervous. What do you think?

STEWART: It does. And I'm hearing exactly that. And Molly has a great piece on DeSantis in "Vanity Fair," I encourage folks to go read that because it really breaks down this aspect of can someone engage in Trumpism and not be Trump. And the reality is you can't. And look, Ron DeSantis has increasing name I.D. He is virtually neck and neck with Donald Trump in some of these key states and he has been able to win over the large donor class.

But that's not going to win him an Iowa caucus or certainly primaries in these early states. He has to be able to roll up his sleeves and really make a genuine connection with these people. That remains to be seen if he can do so. Look, also it's important to focus again on the policies that appeal to middle America. Again that is the economic issues that is security for our families, that is inflation and securing the border.

[16:35:00]

I do think it's a good idea to dial back on some of the wokism that has made him very popular and been successful in the state of Florida. I don't think that is going to really connect with the people in these early primary states. So that would be my suggestion, is focus more on the principal Republican policies and dial back on the wokism.

ACOSTA: You know, Molly, Nikki Haley I noticed in the last couple of days has gone after Ron DeSantis on this issue of going after these, quote-unquote, "woke targets" which, you know, that expression in and of itself, we can talk about that all night. You know, that's kind of a loaded term. But it does sound as though DeSantis is kind of making the debate on the Republican side on his terms unlike what Trump is successful at doing, which is making it all about him.

JONG-FAST: Yes. I mean, I think what Alice said is a good point, though. You know, with these early primaries, I mean, think about all the people we thought would, you know, sweep in and snag the nomination. I mean, you know, he's not -- you know, he still has to prove himself on the stump. And we saw DeSantis do a pretty miserable job during the debates with Charlie Crist. So I do think that he may just not be as good a retail politician. He hasn't really had to do that in Florida. He's kind of been -- you

know, the Democratic Party in Florida is pretty weak. So I do think it is possible that, you know, we just have to see how he does. And I think Alice really has a good point. There are like months and months and months of, you know, pressing the flash and people talking to each other and trying to woo voters.

And I do think Nikki Haley, you know, while she will have a very hard time winning the primary, she would be a much more appealing candidate in the general, and I think ultimately Republicans are really going to have a hard time because the person who wins the primary is probably going to be too conservative to win a general.

ACOSTA: All right. Molly and Alice, we'll leave it there. We'll come back to this again I'm sure soon enough. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

All right. A woman who streams games online was horrified to see herself depicted in a pornographic video because she never took part in it. How women are being targeted by a new kind of deepfakes. That's next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:41:33]

ACOSTA: It's becoming much more difficult to tell what's real and what's not as deep fake videos become more popular. The increasing use of artificial intelligence makes it almost impossible.

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan spoke to one woman who discovered her face was being used in deep fake porn videos without her knowledge or consent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

"SWEET ANITA", TWITCH STREAMER: It's very, very surreal to watch yourself do something you've never done.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Streamer Sweet Anita has almost two million followers on Twitch where she plays video games and openly talks about having Tourette syndrome.

SWEET ANITA: I tend to say something inappropriate but I don't mean to. And I'm not thinking.

O'SULLIVAN: She was horrified when she found out her face was being used in so-called deepfake Porn.

SWEET ANITA: Well, I watched some of one of them, like a few seconds, and I was like, no, I can't do this. I can't watch through all of these like, this is too much. It's often hardcore pornography, but it's also usually degrading or aggressive sex acts.

SAMANTHA COLE, REPORTER OF VICE MOTHERBOARD: It's extremely traumatic when this kind of thing happens.

O'SULLIVAN: Samantha Cole was one of the first people to report on deepfakes.

COLE: Deepfakes actually comes from the username of someone on Reddit, who was taking people's faces and putting them on performers' bodies using AI algorithms.

SWEET ANITA: It's so hyper realistic, it's genuinely scary.

O'SULLIVAN: Deepfakes are made using artificial intelligence technology.

HANY FARID, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY: These days there are apps on your phone, you can go to and upload either a single image and AI technology will re-render that image with the person without their clothes.

O'SULLIVAN: When deepfakes first came on the scene around 2017, there was concern they would be used to make it look like politician said or did something they didn't do. Like this deepfake demonstration of former President Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're entering an era in which our enemies can make it look like anyone is saying anything at any point in time.

O'SULLIVAN: But so far this technology has primarily been used against women.

COLE: From the very beginning, the person who created deepfakes was using it to make pornography of women without their consent.

O'SULLIVAN: First the focus was on female celebrities.

COLE: And that's kind of how it spread, how it became huge, because everyone wanted to see basically a fake sex tape of their favorite celebrity.

O'SULLIVAN: But now it's moved beyond movie stars.

SWEET ANITA: There are people who just want to see someone be humiliated that they personally know. And that's the market for it. This could just flip around and be found by your students, if you teach, or like some patients if you're a nurse or a doctor, like this can affect you're standing.

COLE: They are using women's images as if they're, you know, stock images of fruits. That's how like detached they are from the reality of there are people behind these pictures.

SWEET ANITA: For the people who create this, I feel like a lot of them dehumanize us and don't actually realize we're real people who live in the consequences.

O'SULLIVAN: Some lawmakers have sought to crack down on nonconsensual, deepfake porn, but AI is developing at breakneck speed.

FARID: We haven't even solved the problems of the technology sector from 10, 20 years ago. And this field is moving much, much faster than the original technology revolution.

O'SULLIVAN: This is an issue that goes beyond the halls of Congress and Silicon Valley.

COLE: I don't know what the actual solution is other than getting to that fundamental problem of disrespect and not consent.

SWEET ANITA: I want to push for a world where there are more consequences for the perpetrator than for the victim. No one knows him.

[16:45:01]

He created this and he created all these consequences for all of these women. And now he's just, poof, gone. No one knows.

O'SULLIVAN: Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: As we know, inflation is driving grocery prices higher. The impact it's having on people's finances, next.

You're live in CNN NEWSROOM.

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ACOSTA: Tonight the best of the best in the NBA hit the hardwood for the all-star game. Team Giannis and Team LeBron will be squaring off. Excuse me, Giannis, I should say, not Giannis. If the game is anything like what we saw in last night's slam dunk contest, we'll be in for a treat.

CNN's Andy Scholes joins us live from Salt Lake City. It's going to be fun tonight.

[16:50:06]

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Certainly will be, Jim. We're just hours away from the big all-star game. Right now we're at the big Bleacher Report event in Salt Lake City. So much fun things for the fans to do including this game right behind me. It's called Lunar Launch. It's like basketball meets ski ball meets top golf, and some lucky fan is actually going to win tickets to go to the all-star game by playing this game.

So they're certainly in for a treat, but this year's game, it's going to do something for the first time ever. They're going to draft the two teams right before tipoff. LeBron and Giannis will be making the picks and to avoid any embarrassment they're actually going to pick the reserves first then pick the starters, but I still went around and I asked all the all-stars, are any of them a little concerned about being last pick on national TV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TYRESE HALIBURTON, INDIANA PACERS GUARD: I always prepare for the worse. So in my head right now, I'm like, I'm going to be the last pick. Hopefully I'm not. But if I am, let's just hoop, I don't care.

JAYSON TATUM, BOSTON CELTICS FORWARD: Somebody going to have to get picked last but at the end of the day you're still an all-star. So, you know, have a little fun with it.

DOMANTAS SABONIS, SACRAMENTO KINGS CENTER: First year I was third to last. Second year I was second to last. I hope I'm not the last. So we'll see.

BAM ADEBAYO, MIAMI HEAT CENTER: I don't think it's awkward. I just think you got picked last. No hard feelings.

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SCHOLES: Yes, so the draft certainly will be fun. All the coverage starts on our sister station TNT beginning at 6:00 Eastern.

Now last night, you know, we weren't expecting a great dunk contest on paper, but we ended up with an all-time performance because of Mac McClung, the first-ever G leaguer invited to participate in the dunk contest and what a show he put on. He's been a YouTube sensation since high school growing up in Gate City, Virginia. A town of just 2,000 people.

And McClung just impressing everyone with his gravity-defying dunk. He got three perfect scores. Won the competition with an incredible spinning dunk that had just the whole arena going bunkers. And I caught up with McClung afterwards and asked him, how does it feel to be the 2023 Slam Dunk Champion?

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MAC MCCLUNG, 2023 NBA SLAM DUNK CHAMPION: It's really cool, man. I mean, I'll be able to tell my kids and brag about it one day. But yes, the goal is to play in the NBA. I'm going to keep working every day. I'm very hungry and I'm resilient so I'm going to keep working.

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SCHOLES: And, Jim, McClung, just an incredible story. I mean, he's only played two games ever in the NBA. He's trying to make a name for himself now. He's certainly has done that as people is always going to remember that performance that he put on last night. And he said, hey, if he's invited back next year, he's happy to come try to defend that title.

ACOSTA: Yes. And Andy, I mean, I'm just looking this up. Is this correct, that Mac McClung is 6'2"? I mean, out there on the court when he's dunking like that he looks like maybe he's like a spud web 5'6", something like that. But he's actually 6'2", which, you know, is slightly taller than yours truly, but in the NBA that is not exactly, you know, tall. It's pretty short.

SCHOLES: Yes. You know, he's, you know, 6'2" might be a little generous.

ACOSTA: I was going to say. OK.

SCHOLES: But, Jim, but, you know, he's not the guy you'd expect to win the slam dunk contest. And that's what makes it so special. He's like the underdog you want to root for. You know, he just got signed by the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the week so, you know, he's certainly hoping that this is a springboard for the rest of his career.

ACOSTA: Yes. This reminds me of my old high school football programs, it listed me as 6'2". And I was like, no, you know, I'm not. But maybe we just did that pad the stats a little bit to scare the other team. I don't know. But Mac McClung does not look 6'2".

All right, Andy Scholes, great stuff. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

If you've been grocery shopping lately you know prices have gone way up in January. Grocery prices were up more than 11 percent over a year ago according to the Labor Department. Breakfast foods are getting hit by some of the biggest price hikes and CNN Business reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn joins us now to talk about this.

Nathaniel, people have been complaining about eggs, they've gotten very expensive. What else are we talking about here in terms of these high prices?

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right, Jim. So we are getting sticker shock when we're shopping for breakfast especially. Egg prices up about 70 percent annually. That has to do with this deadly Avian flu that killed millions of birds. We're also seeing higher prices for biscuits and muffins, up about 16 percent. Cereals are also up about 16 percent. And not much relief when we're looking for drinks either. Juices up 13 percent and coffee is up about 13 percent as well. So maybe we might have to skip breakfast.

ACOSTA: Yes. Let's not do that. I mean, we can't -- that's the most important meal of the day, as my mother used to say.

Inflation is pushing Americans to eat at inexpensive fast-food chains? Tell us about that.

MEYERSOHN: Right. So people have to make trade-offs when we see these higher prices, and one of the ways that low-income families in particular are doing that is they're buying more fast food.

[16:55:04]

And we see these really strong results from fast-food chains during the last quarter. Taco Bell sales up about 11 percent from a year ago. McDonald's up 10 percent. And strong numbers from Wendy's and Burger King as well. And this is really concerning from a health standpoint, if folks are trading healthier foods for fast food.

ACOSTA: And also, with inflation, 32 states are slashing food stamp benefits next month? How is that? MEYERSOHN: So these were emergency food stamp benefits passed at the

beginning of the pandemic. They're set to expire at the end of the month. About 41 million Americans rely on food stamp benefits. And these cuts are going to impact about 30 million of them, and it's going to mean about $90 less a month for folks. So hunger advocates are really concerned about this drop, and food banks are bracing for more demand. Food banks have been strained during the pandemic, and this is just going to be the latest blow.

ACOSTA: All right. Nathaniel Meyersohn, thank you very much.

President Biden is about to head to Poland where he plans to send a clear message about the war in Ukraine. A live report from the White House next.

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