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Virginia Hospital Workers Charges In Man's Death; TikTok CEO On App Sale; Selfie Effect And Mental Health; Furman And Princeton Stuns In March Madness; College Athletes Strike Endorsements. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired March 17, 2023 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:37]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, three hospital workers in Virginia are now facing murder charges after a 28-year-old man died in police custody at a mental health facility last week.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Now, these charges come after seven deputies were charged earlier in Irvo Otieno's death. Prosecutors say they fatally smothered him, holding him down for as long as 12 minutes. Yesterday, Otieno's family was shown surveillance video of the moments leading up to his death.

CNN's Brian Todd is live this morning outside the county courthouse in Virginia.

So, Brian, there are these new charges. Also the fact that the family saw that video. Are there plans to release it to the public?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, Jim, there are no plans right now to release that video to the public. That's according to the prosecutor here. But that could change in the days ahead.

As you mentioned, that family has now had a chance to view the security footage of Irvo Otieno's death. And even though it's not been released to the public, they did give us some jarring details of what they saw in it. And they said it was just horrific to watch.

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TODD (voice over): Three more people charged with second-degree murder in the death of 28-year-old Irvo Otieno in custody. All three are employees of the central state hospital mental health facility in Virginia where Otieno was taken on March 6th. That's in addition to seven sheriff's deputies already charged with second-degree murder.

CAROLINE OUKU, MOTHER OF IRVO OTIENO: He was smothered. They smothered the breath out of my baby. They murdered my baby.

TODD: His family has now seen video of the fatal incident.

LEON OCHIENG, BROTHER OF IRVO OTIENO: At what point do we stop preserving life? At what point do we consider mental illness a crime?

TODD: Prosecutors say Otieno died of asphyxiation after being held down for 11 or 12 minutes.

BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR OTIENO FAMILY: Restrained so brutally with knee on his neck, the weight of seven individuals on his body, while he's face down, handcuffed, with leg irons.

TODD: Otieno was arrested on March 3rd after police say they responded to a burglary call next door to his home and took him to the hospital for evaluation where he became, quote, physically assaultive. His mother says she pleaded with the police.

OUKU: They pulled him off treatments, took him to jail, didn't take him down there without any medicine.

TODD: After a weekend in jail, where prosecutors say video shows Otieno was pepper sprayed, punched and mistreated, he was brought to the central state mental facility on March 6th where authorities allege he became combative.

CRUMP: And the videos are never confrontational with them. He is not posing a threat to them. He is not violent or aggressive with them.

TODD: In court this week, an early glimpse of the deputy's potential defense, one lawyer citing this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ongoing issues that he had been -- that they had been having with this individual with regards to his disorderly conduct, with regards to his aggression, with regards to his resistance.

TODD: But his family says what he needed was help.

TODD (on camera): What do you want to see happen to these deputies, either of you?

OUKU: Justice. I would like them put away, if you ask me, for life. That they don't see the light of day again. What they did to my son was horrific. Horrific.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: We've reached out to the central state hospital mental health facility for their response to the charging of three of their employees with second-degree murder. We have not heard back.

We have also reached out to all of the attorneys identified so far for the seven deputies that were charged. We've only heard in detail from the attorney for one of them, Deputy Bradley Disse. That attorney telling us that his client looks forward to being vindicated in court.

Erica. Jim.

SCIUTTO: Ten people charged now. Remarkable.

Brian Todd, in Virginia, thanks so much.

Coming up next, selfies, you may have heard of them, are all over social media, but the so-called selfie effect is having an impact on our teenagers' mental health.

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[09:39:11]

HILL: TikTok's CEO is pushing back on the Biden administration's demand that the Chinese-owned parent company either sell its stake in the U.S. version of the app or be banned.

SCIUTTO: There's a remarkable movement here about banning TikTok. The CEO tells "The Wall Street Journal" that selling the company does nothing to solve the administration's security concerns about the platform. CNN tech reporter Brian Fung has been following this.

Brian, I mean it's kind of a remarkable thing for the CEO to say, but what is he saying about the vulnerability of user data?

BRIAN FUNG, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes, Jim, Erica, Shouzi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, is saying basically that TikTok's data will be safe under a number of technical and organizational changes the company has made and is making to meet some of the security concerns that U.S. officials have raised.

[09:39:58]

Now, the CEO here is basically sticking to his guns on a line that the company has been, you know, saying for months now, arguing that the Project Texas, which is an initiative that the company rolled out to make these changes will basically insulate U.S. user data on servers controlled by Oracle, the U.S. technology giant, and TikTok's data practices will be overseen and audited by Oracle with transparency also provided to the U.S. government.

Here is what Chew is telling "The Wall Street Journal," the idea behind Project Texas is it won't matter what the Chinese law or any law says because we're taking U.S. user data and we're putting it out of their reach.

Now, we're obviously seeing here that the U.S. government, in trying to push TikTok to spin off from its Chinese owners, you know, U.S. officials are plainly unconvinced by this argument and that's why we've seen the U.S. government, as well as more than half of U.S. states imposing restrictions on TikTok on government devices.

And we've also seen similar restrictions imposed throughout the world with the U.K., New Zealand, the EU and Canada also imposing many similar bans on TikTok on government devices as well.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

FUNG: So, this is overall western governments appear to be largely united and unconvinced by what TikTok is selling here. Jim and Erica.

SCIUTTO: It's a huge, huge international move away from the platform. Remarkable.

HILL: Yes, Brian Fung, appreciate it. Thank you.

Well, not TikTok, let's be realistic here, there are plenty of other social media sites, social media apps out there where many of us spend a lot more time than we should aimlessly scrolling through posts.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HILL: And we're learning more -

SCIUTTO: I feel like you're looking at me, Erica, when you say that. Are you looking -

HILL: I am looking directly at you, Sciutto. This is for you.

There is more and more, though, that we're learning about how that time spent on these apps -

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HILL: Specifically looking at these seemingly picture-perfect images, the impact that that can have on your mood and on your overall psychological health.

SCIUTTO: Yes, there's some real effects here. It's known as the selfie effect.

CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, he's been digging into it for the latest episode of his podcast.

So, tell us -- there are a lot of parents watching, I'm a parent here -- tell us what we know about this phenomenon.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This is fascinating. And I've got to tell you, I've learned so much working on this podcast season. As you both know, I have three teenage daughters. So, part of this was a very personal sort of reporting mission as well.

But it's exactly what you said, it's called the selfie effect. This is a term that was coined by Professor Sinclair-McBride, who basically was looking at this idea of people scrolling through oftentimes heavily filtered photoshopped images of unfathomable looking people, unrealistic-looking people, and then in real-time compare them to your own selfies. And what that does to one's brain, what that does to a developing brain, the feelings of inadequacy that sort of come up as a result of that, that's sort of the real selfie effect. And it's real, not only in terms of how people feel, but also, again, what is happening in their brains.

What was interesting is that, you know, people are aware that the images they're looking at on social media are often not real in the sense that they are filtered, photoshopped, et cetera. But it doesn't really insulate them from comparing those images still to their own images in real-time. And that's what's happening more and more as more and more selfies are out there and they're paired with these other images, you get that selfie impact, selfie effect, which can be a negative impact.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HILL: Well, it makes me think - now I'm going to really date all of us, frankly, because I know you can -- you know what I'm talking about when I say this. This makes me think of when I was the same age as your daughters, as my kids, when I would look through a magazine and you ultimately compare yourself to an image there that you know is photoshopped as well.

GUPTA: Yes.

HILL: How is that different, Sanjay, from now the social media generation looking at those images?

GUPTA: I think it's two words, it's abundance and persistence. And what I mean by that is, you know, that magazines in the past, I know exactly what you're talking about. You might read it and then eventually it was a disposable sort of commodity. Now you're walking around with these images on your phone and there's tons of them and they're just persistent. They're there all the time.

And people, even though they may not realize it, they're oftentimes now, again, in real-time comparing themselves to those images. That's the part that was sort of stunning.

You know, when I spoke to Professor Sinclair-McBride about this, I asked specifically like, look, if you're going to ask the tech companies, as Brian Fung was just talking about, if you're going to ask them to do something with regard to this selfie effect, with regard to filters specifically, what would you do? And here's what she said.

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KENEISHA SINCLAIR-MCBRIDE, CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST AT BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: A lot of filters kind of have a very Eurocentric lens.

[09:45:02]

So, it would be great if they did not make people's skin colors lighter or change the shape of their noses or change how big their eyes are or do things that make them towards a certain standard of beauty that may not be from the cultural background that they're from, right? Like, I think that would be really clutch. Like, it would be nice if like when you put a filter on it said, you're beautiful as you are, but you can play with this if you want, right? Like, it's just a tool. It's just a thing that is here. But also, this picture of you without the filter is also really cool.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: I had never really realized that until she pointed it out. If you look at these filters, they do push these images towards a more conformist sort of look, lighter skin, changing the morphology of the face.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

GUPTA: We don't realize it sometimes because we're so inundated with it, but these are the sorts of things that these psychologists and tech companies are increasingly paying attention to.

SCIUTTO: Yes, no question. Listen, it has an enormous effect on kids.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.

GUPTA: You got it.

SCIUTTO: Please don't miss the CNN podcast "Chasing Life" with Dr. Gupta, anywhere you get your podcasts.

HILL: Just ahead here, Furman and Princeton breaking brackets and hearts everywhere.

I do love those moments, though, even if my bracket is totally busted.

The drama we all love and the games you may want to watch today for a little bit more of the madness.

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[09:50:27]

HILL: Just like that, brackets busted nationwide.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HILL: Tears streaming down faces. And then tears of joy as well for Furman and Princeton Universities, who both delivered stunning upsets. I did not pick either one. But stunning upsets with their unexpected wins.

Jim, what about you? Did you have either of them?

SCIUTTO: Yes, I actually - I said I picked Furman and Princeton yesterday. Someone believed me on the team. Of course, I did not. I picked neither of them.

HILL: I didn't believe you.

SCIUTTO: And I'm one of the crying folks. The nation, of course, waiting to see how far these Cinderella stories go.

CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes joins us now with more.

Andy, man, it happens every year. And we're always surprised when it happens, when you have upsets like this first round.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes.

SCIUTTO: I guess the question is like what the upsets are going to be.

SCHOLES: Yes. And, you know, you're feeling really poor today if you were one of the people, like President Biden, who had Arizona going all of the way and winning it all.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

SCHOLES: So, I mean, this is what President Biden's bracket looks like.

SCIUTTO: He's done.

SCHOLES: He's got a bunch of big old red x's all over. Yes, President Biden is long - and with everyone else who had Arizona, they have no chance of winning any pool or competition they are in right now.

But we did see a lot of surprises yesterday. And, you know, it's impossible to get a perfect bracket, right? And there was tens of millions of brackets filled out. And according to ncaa.com, that's it, 787 is the only brackets that are remaining. By the end of today, that number is going to be in the single digits probably. Probably even zero if we get any more stunning upsets.

But it all got started yesterday with the second game of the day when the Furman Palatines pulled off an all-timer.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clark gets it in. Gets it back with 10. Clark, double teamed alone the baseline. Throws it up the floor. Intercepted by Hien, Pegues for three. And the win. He got it! With 2.2 to go.

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SCHOLES: Yes, and Virginia fans were just shocked at what they just witnessed. And check out this Furman fan. She was praying every single prayer she knew hoping that they would hold on and pull off the upset. And they did. Stunning Virginia 68-67. Furman, the smallest school in the tournament. Less than 2,700 students. The Cavaliers have now been knocked out in the last three of the four tournaments in the first round. The Palatines, though, from Greenville, South Carolina, making the most of their first trip to March Madness in 43 years.

But that was not even the biggest upset of the day. Fifteen seed Princeton taking the lead against two seed Arizona with two minutes to go. And Arizona could not buy a basket at the end of this game. They went the last four minutes, 45 seconds without scoring. The Tigers pulling off that massive upset, winning 59 to 55.

And the action, it gets going again today at 12:15 Eastern. Here's some games that you might want to keep your eye on. So, you've got Michigan State/USC. That one's expected to be a nail-biter. And then remember, guys, I told you earlier in the week, since 2010, 11 seeds have a winning record against six seeds. Both of these games, Iowa State/Pitt and Kentucky/Providence, those are expected to be close.

And, look at this, this is a 5/12 seed between Miami and Drake. The oddsmakers have it as just - Miami as just a two-point favorite.

SCIUTTO: Wow.

SCHOLES: So that could be a really exciting one to watch later on tonight.

SCIUTTO: To be clear, I'm not above saying prayers for important bracket games. I don't know about Erica, though. She's probably better than me at that.

HILL: Remember how I pick mine. I throw darts.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HILL: And maybe I have a connection. I listen to Andy's 11/6 seed matchup and, yes, and then I just go with - I go with where I think there could be a nice story. It's very scientific.

SCHOLES: Well, good luck.

SCIUTTO: Andy Scholes.

SCHOLES: I heard you picked Indiana, Erica. So, I'm - good luck with that.

HILL: I did. I'm married to a Hoosier. And even he was like, really, you picked IU? So, clearly, yes. It's going to go great. It's going to be great.

SCIUTTO: Well, guys, thanks so much.

HILL: Thanks, Andy.

SCHOLES: All right.

SCIUTTO: This March Madness season also looks a little different now that the Supreme Court has opened the door for college athletes to receive paid endorsements. And the amount of money out there is just insane already.

HILL: Yes. And that's why you may see more college basketball stars, like Gonzaga's forward Drew Timme here hawking some similar - some familiar brands. Check out the stash on that can of pringles. He's featured in the Pringles March Mustache collection, along with a couple of other players.

CNN business reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn tracking this trend.

And this is, as Jim pointed out, there's a lot of money here.

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes. HILL: This is not just a little extra spending money. It's not your beer money on the college campus.

MEYERSOHN: It's not your beer money, Erica.

So, college athletes have been saying for years that they should be able to be compensated and receive endorsement deals from brands just like the pros. And in 2021, for the first time, the Supreme Court paved the way for college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, known as NIL deals.

[09:55:09]

And the value of these NIL deals have soared as more brands test this market. They've grown 24 percent in the past year, expected to hit more than a billion dollars this year. And ahead of March Madness, more brands, they're sponsoring college athletes. You look at some of the players with the top NIL valuations this year. Trace Jackson Davis from Indiana with about an $887,000 valuation.

HILL: Wow.

MEYERSOHN: Zach Edey from Purdue, $821,000. Zach Edey's 7'4". Go Boilermakers. And some other - some other players this year, Drew Timme from Gonzaga, who has about a $626,000 valuation. Timme, this is his - he's a fifth-year senior. We saw him in the Pringles ad. He's also being sponsored by Beats by Dre, the wireless headphone company. And then we see fashion brand Express, they're sponsoring a few players. So more - more college athletes being sponsored by brands this year.

HILL: Yes, it's pretty wild.

MEYERSOHN: Yes.

HILL: I like the first two you named. Those are the two teams I have in the final for the way - by the way. So, I went all in on my Indiana final there.

Nathaniel, thank you.

Next week, two of the world's most powerful leaders, the Russian and Chinese presidents, set to meet in Moscow. And a face-to-face interaction that could have major implications for the war in Ukraine. We'll tell you what we learned about their agenda for that meeting.

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