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"King Charles" To Debut On CNN This Fall; Supreme Court Protects Access To Common Abortion Pill For Now; Sudan's Army Agrees To Help Evacuate Some Foreign Nationals; Amazon Will Charge Customers A Fee For Some UPS Store Returns; Container With $15M In Gold, Other Items Stolen From Toronto Airport; Biden Announces New "Environmental Justice" Initiatives. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired April 22, 2023 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GAYLE KING, HOST, CNN'S "KING CHARLES": Go ahead.
CHARLES BARKLEY, FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER: But we were like, all I want this people, even if I disagree with them, I want them to be honest with me. I don't want them saying things to get clickbait. That -- that's what drives me crazy about our -- people in our profession right now. We're not trying to get people to click on. I know she's going to be going to be fair and honest. And, you know, I'm going to do the same thing.
KING: I feel that about him too. And I think, you know, you just want a civil conversation. I like too that it's no holds barred. You know, I'm very aware of people are watching. I don't think that I can just go on and say anything. I don't know how you feel about that. But I, you know, I think that, you know, decorum and courtesy and kindness always works. But everybody I know has an opinion about something.
I just think we have to figure out a way to have a good conversation without tearing each other down. And I think that we can do that.
KENNY SMITH, AMERICAN SPORTS COMMENTATOR: Yeah.
BARKLEY: I have a question.
SMITH: If today was the first day of the show, what's going on in the world, what's going on in sports, what's going on? What would be the topic today? Today?
BARKLEY: Well, I think that thing -- me and Ernie actually touched on it on the podcast the other day. I don't want to be the person that like, every time we want to have one of these mass shootings be like, oh, another mass shooting happened. Let's get to the next story. Like no, man. We've had three mass shootings in the last week. The one in Alabama, the young black kid who got shot by knocking on the wrong door.
KING: The girl who is in the driveway. BARKLEY: The girl in the driveway who got -- went to the wrong house and got (INAUDIBLE) just went to the wrong house. And you had to cheerleader thing down in Texas with her.
KING: In her cheerleading uniforms.
BARKLEY: Yes. She accidentally opened the wrong door and like --
KING: Step we've all done.
BARKLEY: Yes. And we -- like -- and people just like we need to talk about it, man. And I can say, I'm not -- you guys know, I'm a pro-gun guy. But it should not be easy to get guns. We got to start doing better. So that to me is a great question.
KING: I know. Kenny, I would want to say what is wrong with us? America. You know, I was traveling overseas and they said, you know, you're from New York and you're scared to be here? You know.
SMITH: Oh yes. For sure.
KING: The image that people have of us around the world right now it's not so good. I know, friends who are thinking about leaving America because their children are about to go to school. Just the fact that I spoke in Las Vegas last night at a teacher's convention. I was speaking that they're now having, as we all know, gun shooting drills. But I think that there's a lot to talk about. It doesn't always have to be so heavy.
SMITH: Yes.
KING: You know, I think Charles and I both like to eat. I'm hoping that food will be incorporated some way. I love pop culture. What are you laughing --
(CROSSTALK)
BARKLEY: I got -- I got a question for Kenny. I got a question for Kenny. Your young, beautiful daughter is here. Have you talked to her about going to school? Like -- because like these conversations, yes, you got some young kids too, right?
SMITH: Yes. I think, the -- yes, I have. I think the one thing that we talked about is protocol. You know, who should you look for to trust. Because there's always going to be an emergency at some point when you're as a parent, not there. My always the biggest dilemma is, I make sure that my children understood who they can trust. And so, it might not be 100 percent accurate all the time.
But if you're in the 90 percentile of the people that you could trust and look for that as a person you can trust. That is a person you can't trust in that moment. You make it trust him later, but not in that moment. And so, it's about teaching in the right point.
KING: Kenny, these are very heavy topics. But I want people to tune in to see what our Charles and Gayle going to do. I love the fact that it's King Charles. I like, you know, people said, God, Gayle, your name isn't even in it. I said, well, I think King is sort of my name. But playing off of Sir Charles, playing off there is a real King Charles. I actually think that that's very clever. I think that it'll be fun to watch the dynamic between the two of us.
BARKLEY: Because I like her a lot. I've known her for --
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I do too.
SMITH: How can you not trust her?
BARKLEY: No, but I'm saying I've known her --
KING: I actually like him.
BARKLEY: Yes. We we've known each other for a really long time. And I said -- and I says, Chris, hell yeah, Gayle.
KING: That would be Chris --
(CROSSTALK)
BARKLEY: Yes. Chris --
(CROSSTALK)
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, AMERICAN FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER: Girl, just keep in mind he will cut you off. He will repeat himself. He's very moody. And if you want to get them on Krispy Kreme.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Krispy Kreme. Well, you know what, Shaq, that's my good side too. With the jelly donut. And -- but we both have other jobs. I'm not leaving CBS. You're not leaving your job.
BARKLEY: I'm not leaving Turner.
KING: Yes, yes.
O'NEAL: Don't leave.
ERNIE JOHNSON JR., AMERICAN SPORTS COMMENTATOR: Excuse me. To think about. When I heard -- when I heard the title, King Charles, you know what I thought?
KING: What?
JOHNSON: I thought back to when we were doing the movie -- the movie reviews.
BARKLEY: Oh, right, right.
JOHNSON: In Sir Charles theater. And it was a royal setting right here. And look at -- look at the Chuckster. Just being scared out of his shoes by --
KING: Ernie, is that your suggestion for a graphic?
JOHNSON: Oh, yes. That's King Charles.
KING: Oh god. I like that.
BARKLEY: Hey, Kenny, you guys (INAUDIBLE)
KING: I like that too.
BARKLEY: Wow. Alex upstairs doing it.
KING: He is not at court, Justin. Take that back.
[13:05:04]
BARKLEY: I just think it's hilarious that people didn't know you're not like -- it wasn't -- the show's not King Charles. It's called King, Charles.
KING: Right.
BARKLEY: You fools at home. OK.
JOHNSON: It's all in how you say it.
BARKLEY: King, Charles.
KING: We're going to have a lot of fun.
JOHNSON: Or King, Charles.
KING: But this is the thing. Charles, I said to Ernie. I'm going to give 110 percent and I think you feel the same. And Ernie said you can't give 110 percent.
JOHNSON: Not -- it's not possible.
BARKLEY: Yes. I've been hearing that my whole life, man.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: And you've never given 110 percent anyway.
KING: Thank you for having me on. Thank you, guys.
BARKLEY: No question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: So, the key is facing the names King, Charles. Will be a weekly discussion of the events and people shaping our culture. And the live show will feature top newsmakers and personalities at the center of the most interesting stories of the week. And we're excited to welcome our new colleagues, Gayle King and Charles Barkley to CNN. That's "King Charles." Wednesday nights, launching this fall right here on CNN.
All right. Hello again, everyone. And welcome. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And we begin with the U.S. Supreme Court issuing a critical 11th hour ruling. Protecting access to a common abortion drug, at least for now. The High Court freezing a lower court's ruling on the drug Mifepristone, which had placed debilitating restrictions on its usage. The drug is the predominant method for ending pregnancies in the U.S. Widely used for decades taken by millions of women.
The decision sets up the most consequential abortion-related disputes since the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. A new appeals process must now play out. A process that could take between weeks or even months to be resolved. CNN's Supreme Court Reporter Ariane de Vogue has more. Ariane?
ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER (on camera): Fredricka, the Biden administration is relieved. Lower courts had put significant restrictions on this key abortion drug. The government and manufacturers had raced to the Supreme Court asking the justices to put those rulings on hold while the appeals process plays out which could take months. The Supreme Court agreed to do so.
So that means that this abortion drug will remain unavailable in the states that allow it and all the moves that the FDA has made recently to ease access to the drug will also remain in place. That means that the generic version is available. That women can receive it up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, and they can obtain it by mail. It would have taken five justices to grant this stay as we call it. And we're not sure exactly how all the Conservatives voted.
All we know is Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas dissented. Alito was the only one who explained his thinking. He did not buy into the government's argument that patients would be harmed while the appeals process played out if the restrictions remained in place. Of course, all this comes about a year since the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. The issue now goes back to the federal appeals court.
Many people believe that after that court rules, it will come back to the Supreme Court and the justices will once again weigh into the issue on whether or not the FDA had the authority 20 years ago to approve this drug. But for now, it is available in the states that allow abortion. Fredricka?
Ariane de Vogue, thank you so much. All right. So many questions still about how this will impact access to abortions nationwide. CNN's Isabel Rosales is here with more on this. So, despite the ruling, there are a lot of other restrictions already in place depending on what state and jurisdiction you're in.
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Right. And what this all proves is that the fight over abortion access is not going anywhere. Really since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we have seen on the ground, a manifestation of a patchwork system where abortion policy is largely left up to the states. In blue states, we've seen protections come about to protect abortion access. In the red states, restrictions or outright bans against abortion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSALES (voice over): Summer of 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson. The Supreme Court reverses the constitutional right to an abortion upheld for nearly a half century. Across the nation, intense backlash and scrutiny follows.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Abortion bans are illegitimate. Forced motherhood is illegitimate.
ROSALES: Justice Samuel Alito writing for the court majority called the original 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling egregiously wrong. Rebels from the Dobbs decision or felt across the country. A so-called trigger laws take effect in about a dozen states. Banning or severely limiting abortion in states like Mississippi Texas and Oklahoma.
[13:10:03]
Republican-controlled state legislatures race to outlaw the procedure. Legal fights commence over abortion access. Some state Supreme Courts like in South Carolina step in and block abortion bans. In other states, the highest courts rule the bans comply with their state constitutions. Meanwhile, others like South Dakota, widen the scope, passing a law prohibiting the use of telemedicine to administer medication abortion.
Midterm elections.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to have to make it a federal right.
ROSALES: Voters in many states reject the most extreme versions of abortion bans. In California, Michigan and Vermont voters enshrine the right to abortion in their state constitutions. State Legislatures returned to session. Some states move forward on more restrictive measures. Just this month in a first of its kind law, Idaho criminalizes out of state abortions for minors without parental consent, calling it abortion trafficking.
And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last week signed into law a ban against most abortions after six weeks. Opponents argue that's before many women know they're pregnant.
Nearly a year since overturning Roe v. Wade another major decision on abortion access from the nation's highest court. The conservative majority court protecting access to a widely use abortion drug, Mifepristone by freezing lower court rulings that place restrictions on medication abortion. The order means that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of the drug will remain in place while appeals play out potentially for months to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROSALES: And Fred, this is a common procedure. According to studies by the Guttmacher Institute, one in four women, one in four, 25 percent of the women that we have out there will have an abortion by the age of 45. I want you guys now to take a look at this map from the Guttmacher Institute where you can see that the blue states right there, those blue states, they have taken steps to protect abortion access.
But look at all of that orange and red. 12 states have a near total ban on abortion in effect right now. 15 states restrict access to medication abortion. In one state, Arizona bans mailing pills. So, that's medication abortion, which -- we're going to keep an eye on this and see if that even comes back to the Supreme Court once more.
WHITFIELD: Right The first -- the layer through the Fifth Circuit and who knows how long that will take.
ROSALES: Weeks or months.
WHITFIELD: Right. All right. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much. All right. And new data from the Association of American Medical Colleges shows that after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, medical school graduates were less likely to apply for residency in states with abortion bans. CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard has more.
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER (on camera): We're seeing a growing concern among young doctors about how abortion restrictions could impact their training and the care they provide to their patients. An analysis released this month from the Association of American Medical Colleges finds that the number of medical school graduates who applied to residencies in obstetrics and gynecology has seen a notable drop in the most recent application cycle following the Dobbs decision.
Applications in that specialty dropped five percent in states without abortion restrictions, but the drop was about twice as much. 10.5 percent in states where abortion is banned. And when you look at Med School graduates across all specialties, the data shows applications to residency training programs ticked down overall last year by two percent from the previous year.
But applications specifically to programs and states with abortion bans dropped the most by three percent. One student based in New York, Sarah McNeilly has seen this firsthand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH MCNEILLY, STUDENT, ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Abortion restrictions really affect all different kinds of specialties and not just reproductive health care providers. So, when you restrict medications that are used for abortion or medications that can cause for example, birth defects. This really starts to impact other specialties from dermatology to rheumatology to oncology.
And so, I think that it's sort of becoming a factor for a lot more physicians than just those who plan to become abortion providers themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOWARD: Now, the Association of American Medical Colleges says despite these declines, there are still enough applicants for states with abortion bans to fill their residency programs. But the group also says it will be important to keep an eye on this, especially when it comes to the future of the nation's physician workforce. Back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much. And new today. Chief Justice John Roberts is declining to directly respond to alleged ethics lapses by Justice Clarence Thomas. The Senate Judiciary Committee had asked Roberts to testify to his committee following reports that Thomas had taken multiple luxury trips at the invitation fill up a Republican megadonor.
[13:15:02]
Those trips were not disclosed on Thomas's public financial filings. Thomas contends that current ethics guidelines do not require such disclosures. Instead, Chief Justice Roberts has referred the matter to the Judicial Conference which serves as the policymaking body of the federal courts.
All right. Straight ahead. In Sudan, rival forces say they are ready to help evacuate some foreign nationals as fierce fighting continues despite a 72-hour ceasefire. We'll have a live report next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Fighting is raging today in Sudan despite the declaration of a three-day ceasefire. The U.N. says the death toll has risen to 427 in just a week of battles as two of Sudan's top generals fight for power.
Meantime, the country's army says it will help facilitate the evacuation of diplomats from a number of countries including the U.S., U.K. France and China.
[13:20:03]
The Pentagon says it is now deploying additional troops near Sudan to assist with any evacuation. The U.S. has warned whoever that private American citizens should not expect to be evacuated.
CNN's Larry Madowo is in Nairobi, Kenya. So, Larry, where do things stand right now?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Right now, Fred, a number of countries that are evacuating the citizens out of Sudan as well as the diplomatic staff, we've seen at least three ships arrive in Saudi Arabia. The port of Jeddah from the Port of -- Port Sudan. That's the east of the country. A little far away from Khartoum in the capitol where some of the worst fighting has been seen.
We're supposed to be halfway through a three-day ceasefire that should have began yesterday at 6:00 a.m. local. But even though it's been quieter than any of the last eight days, there's still been fighting reported in parts of Khartoum and other parts of the country. Some of the worst of this fighting has been around the presidential palace and the General Command Headquarters. That is where the army is based.
This conflict at the heart of it is a power struggle between two of Sudan's most powerful generals over who will get to control the country. And that is one of the sticking points around a full return to civilian rule in Sudan, which has been under military rule since at least October of 2021. Right now, though, the U.S. saying private U.S. citizens should not expect to be evacuated out of Sudan. Listen to the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: When it comes to Sudan, this is a warning a level four warning that we provided to them many months ago, basically telling Americans who were there to leave, if they could, and also not to travel -- Americans not to travel to Sudan. So, we've been very clear on that. Again, it's not our standard procedure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: The U.S. says this is long standing practice, and it did not evacuate private U.S. citizens out of Libya or Yemen or Syria when those governments were collapsing. But this -- additional capabilities as the Pentagon describe it that are being sent to the region will largely be concentrated in Djibouti, where the U.S. maintains a permanent military base at Camp Lemonier.
So, we're talking a couple of 100 marines base there, but also extra aircraft that can bring into Sudan. Ground unit that can secure the embassy and make sure that there's a safe and orderly evacuation of embassy staff there. But the State Department and the Khartoum embassy today warning citizens that they should shelter in place, and that is too dangerous to coordinate is the word they used, to coordinate an evacuation of private U.S. citizens.
But also, some people have been making a long journey in a convoy to Port Sudan in the east and they say if you go in that convoy, it's at your own risk, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, high risk on all levels. All right. Larry Madowo, thank you so much.
Alright. Still to come. Eight people including a 12-year-old girl, victims and back-to-back shootings in Washington, D.C. Witnesses say they saw a car driving through the area indiscriminately firing at people. Details straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:27:06]
WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. A pair of back-to-back shootings in our nation's capital has left eight people injured including a 12- year-old girl. The shootings unfolded Friday night and police are investigating the incident as potentially connected. When police arrived at the first scene, they found seven men with non-life- threatening gunshot wounds. Police say most of the wounded took themselves to a local hospital.
While investigating that shooting, police received a call about a second incident nearby. And when officers arrived, they discovered a 12-year-old girl who had been shot. The girl is reportedly in stable condition and her injuries also non-life threatening. That shooting comes at the end of a violent 10 days of deadly encounters across the country involving tragic wrong place, wrong time shootings.
It started on April 13 in Kansas City when Ralph Yarl, a black teen knocked on the wrong door to pick up his siblings. He was shot twice but thankfully survived. Two days later, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis who was White was shot and killed after she and friends turned into the wrong driveway looking for another friend's house in rural upstate New York. And then on Tuesday of this week, two teen cheerleaders were shot in a grocery store parking lot after one accidentally tried to get into the wrong car.
Jennifer Mascia is a CNN contributor and a writer for Trace. An independent, nonpartisan nonprofit newsroom dedicated to shining a light on America's gun violence crisis. So good to see you, Jennifer. Jennifer Mascia, I'm sorry. I mispronounced your name. So, you study a gun violence. Different circumstances with some commonalities in all of these shootings. Meaning they all seem pretty senseless, right? So, what is most striking to you?
JENNIFER MASCIA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (on camera): What's striking to me is we see people opening fire on their neighbors out of fear. And really, it's not that surprising. I mean, gun production is up 152 percent in the last 15 years. And at the same time, the gun lobby and conservative media has been repeatedly forwarding these messages that we are not safe without guns. There are bad guys lurking around every corner.
And when you push A Guns Everywhere at All Time mentality, people are going to see threats that aren't there. And the pandemic only reinforced that. We had people who were hunkered down in their homes. Siloed with nothing but the internet inundated with these messages that the government can't be trusted. Wokeness is going to cost you your place in society. Immigrants are going to take your jobs. So, all of this together.
You know the man who shot Ralph Yarl reportedly blasted Fox News at full volume. So sadly, this isn't really surprising that we're seeing this happening.
WHITFIELD: Yes. That according to one of his grandkids who said, you know, he --
MASCIA: Right.
WHITFIELD: Yes. He just seemed to be in this space where he would just absorb whatever information he could on that one channel.
[13:30:08]
So you're underscoring that there's a level of paranoia that's at the root here. And people are fearful for whatever reasons, ignorance, right, fearful for whatever reasons and feel like they can take matters into their own hands.
But then, these cases have to be prosecuted. And do you feel, because of those elements of a paranoia or fear, that these are going to start to be prosecuted differently?
MASCIA: Well, it depends what state you're in. And also it depends how much media coverage the shooting gets.
I see a lot of shootings that don't rise to the level of national media coverage where you have somebody who said they feared for their lives, and they ended up not being prosecuted or acquitted, as we saw in a --
WHITFIELD: In a Stand Your Ground case.
MASCIA: Exactly. And Stand Your Ground laws are something that have been -- in the last 15 years, it started in Florida. And it's only strengthened where the burden of proof just got higher for prosecutors to prove that somebody had malicious intent.
Saying that you fear for your life in certain states where gun laws have been eroded could possibly, as we've seen, get you acquitted.
The positive step forward here is that we are shining more of a light on these cases. We're learning about these as they're happening. And the visibility is uncomfortable, I think, for law enforcement and prosecutors.
And even when there is a delay in an arrest, which we've seen, like with Ahmaud Arbery, you know, eventually, you know, justice is served, some kind of prosecution happens.
But when people think that they're losing power in society, guns have been shown as -- as you know, messaging, you know, has shown that that is a way that people can feel they're taking that power back.
Unfortunately, lives are at the other end of that equation.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And do you see that it is more elevated or is it that it is perhaps rising to a greater consciousness of Americans? Because people have more outlets of information. They're hearing more about what is happening?
MASCIA: They are. But I'll tell you something. This is nothing new. Around 30 years ago, there was a very famous case that got global coverage.
A Japanese exchange student named Yoshi Hattori was on his way to a Halloween party in Louisiana, and he knocked on the wrong door and he was killed, and the gunman was white. And the news coverage at the time focused very much on the racial elements.
The incident shocked the nation. He was acquitted. But that -- his family and also the host family, the American host family from Louisiana, got together and you know, they pushed for the Brady Bill to be passed.
That momentum of Yoshi's family and the host family coming together provided that final momentum for background checks in this country. And then the next year, assault weapon ban.
So this has happened before. But now we're seeing them every week. And there are also instances where family members kill their own family members thinking they're intruders, and those are devastating. And that happens several dozen times a year.
WHITFIELD: Horrible.
All right, Jennifer, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Let's hope it gets just to be safer for everybody. Right?
MASCIA: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Just come on.
All right. Thank you.
All right, coming up, Amazon adjusting its return policy. Customers will now have to pay for some returns. But they are not the only one. What other companies are doing to make it harder for you to return online orders, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:37:54]
WHITFIELD: All right, here's a warning. The next time you return something you bought on Amazon it may not be free.
CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn joins us now.
And, Nathaniel, what do people need to know before placing their orders the next time?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Right, Fredricka. So all of those online orders, they're expensive for stores, and they don't want us to keep returning all these products for free. That they have to pay for us to ship them back, and then they have to restock them.
So Amazon is making some tweaks to its return policies. It's going to start charging customers a dollar for every time they return products to the UPS store when there's a Whole Foods or an Amazon fresh grocery store or a Kohl's closer to their homes.
This means that they don't have to pay UPS to return the products. They just can go through Whole Foods for free.
They're also starting to flag frequently returned products on their Web site. And that's a way for us to so that that we're not returning all of these orders.
WHITFIELD: So Amazon apparently is not the only company adjusting their return policies. What are the other companies that are cracking down?
MEYERSOHN: Right. So we're much likelier to return stuff that we buy online than in stores. You think it's the wrong size shoe or the color isn't quite right.
And so companies are making it harder for us to return online orders. Some companies or even adding a fee for online returns.
So Uniglo Zara, H&M, J Crew and Abercrombie, they're all starting to charge up to $7 for online returns.
So this era of online return -- free online returns that we've all gotten so used to, it's starting to come to an end.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. And all those stores, that means, you know, you've got to rely on the accuracy of your fitting. You better know what you're getting. Otherwise, you're going to pay more for it ultimately.
All right. Nathaniel Meyersohn, thanks so much.
MEYERSOHN: Thank you.
[13:39:54]
WHITFIELD: All right coming up, President Biden's new executive order makes environmental justice a central mission of federal agencies. What it means and the impact it could have on the fight against climate change, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, right now seven miles of public beaches in southern California are closed after 250,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Los Angeles river.
Sanitation officials say an equipment malfunction caused a blockage that led to an overflow of sewage. And that sewage eventually reached the city of Long Beach, prompting the closures.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't enjoy the water. You can't jump in. You can't swim in here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[13:45:00]
WHITFIELD: Crews say they finished their first round of cleanup yesterday along the beaches and officials have not said when the beaches will reopen.
And police in Utah are looking for the person responsible for vandalizing a state Senator's home. The Republican Mike Kennedy posted this photo of the damage on Facebook Friday morning. Police say he was targeted and it was likely retaliation for a recent
piece of legislation that he sponsored on banning gender transitioning surgical procedures for minors.
And this week, on "SEARCHING FOR MEXICO," Eva Longoria visits Jalisco, where much of what is seen as quintessentially Mexican originated, like mariachi bands and tequila.
But she discovers that it's also a place of innovation with some of the country's most cutting-edge restaurants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVA LONGORIA, ACTRESS: I've done this work before, and it is hard. It is not easy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to tap in.
LONGORIA: Ola.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
LONGORIA: I don't know. How does he not have gloves?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
LONGORIA: I see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
LONGORIA: The calluses. Wow.
Tequila?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
LONGORIA: That's commitment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Watch as Eva Longoria explores Jalisco. A new "SEARCHING FOR MEXICO" airs tomorrow night, 9:00 Eastern on CNN.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:51:23]
WHITFIELD: All right, a rare heist at Toronto's Pearson Airport. Police say daring thieves made off with about $15 million worth of gold and other valuables stored in a cargo container that was taken illegally from an airport holding facility.
Let's bring in now CNN's Paula Newton live for us in Ottawa, Canada.
So tell us what happened. And why this kind of theft is so rare. I mean, this is very unusual and happening at Pearson Airport.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, incredibly unusual, Fred, for a couple of reasons. One is, you just said it right, $15 million.
You'd think you'd have something electronic, like even an electronic tracking device, if not good, old-fashioned security tailing this cargo container, which is about five feet squared at this point from, you know debt from destination, right, from departure to destination.
That didn't happen. It was unloaded Monday night at Toronto Pearson Airport, big international airport. Then offloaded into a holding warehouse. From there, as you said, police said it went missing.
What is such a mystery here is that police weren't willing to say anything, Fred, of who was -- who owns the container, exactly what was in it besides some gold, who -- which was the airline that was responsible for the cargo?
Absolutely no information. And police weren't going to the public asking for help here. They, in fact, said that they felt that the more details that they disclose the more it might jeopardize the investigation.
As you know, at this point in time, though, you'd have to think this is supposed to be, Fred, one of the most secure places, right, anywhere. It is an airport.
And for that reason, it is puzzling to say the least as to why there are still no leads about what happened here and why they aren't disclosing more information. And quite a sum, right, $15 million.
Not just what the police themselves said was a very isolated incident and rare -- Fred?
WHITFIELD: Are they at least - I realize they're not giving you leads. But are they at least saying that they detect or suspect that some sort of inside job? I mean, who would know what's inside that container, except those who know what's inside the container?
NEWTON: Exactly. Absolutely. And they would not say. Again, they were asked directly, do you think this is a professional job, an inside job? They didn't say.
What was so telling, though, Fred, is that they said, look, we don't even know if these valuable goods are still in the country, if they're still in Canada.
And that lets you know exactly how much they don't know about this Hollywood script of a heist. WHITFIELD: All right, it's fascinating. Keep us posted as you get
info.
Paula Newton, thank you.
All right, and on the eve of today's Earth Day, President Biden is pledging his administration's push for environmental justice. That means addressing higher pollution burdens often faced by communities of color.
The White House announced a series of new environmental action plans Friday that would demand federal agencies work more cohesively and alert communities when they are at risk of environmental hazards.
Let me bring in now Dominique Browning, the director and co-founder of Moms Clean Air Force.
So good to see you.
So how important is this that the White House has made a commitment to tackle environmental justice?
DOMINIQUE BROWNING, DIRECTOR & CEO, MOMS CLEAN AIR FORCE: It's so good to see you. Thank you for having me.
I'm here on behalf of a million and a half moms across the country who are fighting air pollution and climate pollution and toxic chemicals.
This executive order is really serious and really important. For generations, we've been dumping toxic chemicals and air pollution on neighborhoods that people thought voices wouldn't be heard. And they are being heard.
[13:55:07]
You remember the terrible train derailment in East Palestine. That train was carrying chemicals from the gulf coast, from Louisiana and Texas, and those chemicals were going to make vinyl flooring.
And these are the kinds of things happening in the petrochemical industry that are impacting generations of neighborhoods.
So this environmental justice executive order is underscoring President Biden and Administrator Regan's insistence that this be taken care of.
And I was struck, too, by the interagency effort. What that means is it's not just EPA that is responsible for cleaning up environmental injustice, but it's also the Department of Transportation, the Department of Defense, the Department of Treasury, the Department of Justice.
And they're going to create a scorecard to see how people are doing so they can be held accountable. That's big.
WHITFIELD: Yes. How do you see that this kind of data sharing between agencies is an answer?
I mean, is that part of the deficit that agencies were not talking to one another and somehow, you know, the polluting of groundwater in a predominantly black neighborhood is going overlooked and, you know, underserved that, at the root of that, is because agencies weren't talking to one another?
BROWNING: That's part of the problem, and that's a huge problem, lack of interconnection between these agencies and between officials who have the authority and power to do something.
The other thing that's a big problem is that there often isn't even any data and there's not enough monitoring going on.
And so one of the things that will happen because of this order is that there will be more of a focus on hearing from communities about what is happening and what the health impacts are as well.
WHITFIELD: And is there I guess an urgency in these agencies developing better relationships with some of the community communities that they serve? I mean, you know, camp communities of color of indigenous people.
I mean, because many will say and have a history of being able to say there's no one has asked us what's going on. And you know, there's a lack of trust issue, too.
BROWNING: You know, there is urgency. That urgency is part of the larger urgency of dealing with our climate and air pollution. We are at a turning point.
The Biden administration and Administrator Regan have enormous plans to tackle climate pollution. But none of these solutions can happen by dumping more problems on neighborhoods and communities that are already bearing a terrible burden.
So it's really important that we're all in this together and that we find solutions that are fair and equitable.
WHITFIELD: Maybe this is a start.
Dominique Browning, thank you so much. Glad you could be with us.
BROWNING: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And it's official, "KING CHARLES," not King Charles, but "KING CHARLES," a brand-new show hosted by award winning journalist, Gayle King, and NBA superstar, Charles Barkley.
It'll be debuting on Wednesday nights right here on CNN this fall. And they made the announcement just moments ago on TNT's NBA tip off.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES BARKLEY, CNN CO-HOST, "KING CHARLES": I know she's going to be a straight shooter. And, you know, I'm going to be a straight shooter.
And when we got together for lunch, we just started talking about random things, and it was really curious that we had different opinions, which is fine. Like we weren't --
GAYLE KING, CO-HOST, "KING CHARLES": I was correct. It was wrong.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Continue, dear. Go ahead.
BARKLEY: But we were like, all I want is people, even if I disagree with them, I want them to be honest with me. I don't want them saying things to get clickbait.
That -- that's what drives me crazy about our people in our profession right now. We're not trying to get people to click on.
KING: Right.
BARKLEY: I know she's going to be fair and honest. And I -- you know, I'm going to do the same thing.
KING: I feel that about him, too. And I think, you know, you just want a civil conversation. I like, too, that it's no holds barred. You know, I'm very aware of people are watching. I don't think that I can just go on and say anything. I don't know how you feel about that.
But I -- you know, I think that, you know, decorum and courtesy and kindness always works.
But everybody I know has an opinion about something. I just think we have to figure out a way to have a good conversation without tearing each other down. And I think that we can do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[13:59:48]
WHITFIELD: "KING CHARLES" will be a weekly discussion of the events and people shaping our culture. The live show will feature top newsmakers and personalities at the center of the most interesting stories of the week.
And we're excited to welcome our new colleagues, Gayle King and Charles Barkley, to CNN. That's "KING CHARLES," Wednesday nights. I've got to get used to seeing it that way.
