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President Biden Set To Meet With Zelenskyy At Japan Summit; Key Attorney In Mar-a-Lago Docs Case Leaves Trump's Legal Team; DeSantis Expected To Announce White House Run Next Week; Home Prices Drop, But Sales Still Down Amid High Mortgage Rates; CEO Urges Lawmakers To Regulate Artificial Intelligence; One-On-One With Ringo Starr. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired May 20, 2023 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:02]

PAULA REID, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paul Reid in Washington. Jim Acosta has the day off.

We're just hours from President Biden sit-down, a face to face meeting with Ukraine's president. President Zelenskyy is making a dramatic appearance at the G7 summit in Japan. He is asking world leaders for more help in a war against Russia.

And the group responded saying, quote, "We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine as long as it takes."

Phil Mattingly joins us from this gathering of world leaders. Phil, what do we expect to come out of President Biden's meeting with the Zelenskyy, which is just hours from now?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Just hours from now, obviously, the symbolism is quite strong. And it's the first face-to-face meeting President Biden and President Zelenskyy have had since President Biden surprised not just U.S. officials of the world by showing up in Kyiv, a few months ago.

The two components of this that I think are really important are, first, obviously I the deliverable side of things, that U.S. is preparing roughly $300 million defense assistance package. It's really flowing the types of munitions that Ukraine needs as it prepares to launch its counter offensive that has been a focal point of U.S. assistance over the course of the last several months. And once again will be today.

But the other element here, and this is a critical one, it's not just from the bilateral meeting with President Biden, it's what President Zelenskyy can do while he's here. And not just with G7 leaders. The G7 has been steadfast in its support.

And with a degree of durability that I think even surprises some of its staunchest boosters, it's the other leaders that have been invited non-G7 countries that have been invited here, that have been more neutral, maybe more on defense as it pertains to Ukraine and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the ability for Zelenskyy to sit down with them, to talk to them, to share his views and press more importantly try and talk about a diplomatic pathway out of this with those leaders, if not, to try and peel them away from Russia entirely, but perhaps move them a little bit closer to Ukraine in this conflict that is important.

So all of this kind of feeding into a really critical moment in a conflict and a critical moment for both President Zelenskyy and G7 leaders.

REID: Phil, all right, stay with us, because joining you there in Hiroshima is CNN political and national security analyst, David Sanger. He is also a correspondent for The New York Times.

David, what is at stake during this meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy?

DAVID SANGER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: You know, as Phil pointed out, we really are at a critical moment. I think we're at a critical moment for two or three reasons. Obviously, the counter offensive is about to begin. And I think in the next six weeks or so, we may know whether the -- whether or not the Ukrainians have made enough progress that it may change a force -- a forced change in Putin's calculus, in other words, that he may decide that he really does need to get into a negotiated way out of this war and somehow spin it to his people.

I think the second big change is we're seeing a big crackdown now on sanctions evasion. And having India here, having Brazil here, some of the other non-members of the G7. And it's a little harder when Zelenskyy is sitting right in front of you instead of on a TV screen and making the case for why they should at least not be aiding the Russian effort.

I think the third reason that this is really critical at this particular moment is that Zelenskyy himself fears, rightly so, that there is aid fatigue setting in, in Europe, in the United States. You're seeing it at the extreme ends of both the Democratic and Republican parties with people saying, why are we spending all of this money on a faraway war?

And so he's got to make the case of why this is a battle about freedom that has implications here in Asia, particularly for Taiwan, but not just for Taiwan and elsewhere in the world.

REID: And, David, Biden has agreed to allow Western allies to supply Ukraine with U.S. made F-16 fighter jets. The Ukraine has long requested these and Biden has long refused. So why the reversal?

SANGER: Well, in in this particular case, the F-16 is a weapon that President Biden has made the argument has no use in the current phase of the war. There is no question that it could be a significant deterrent if Ukraine gets past this stage and gets to the moment where it needs to actually defend itself over a period of years from angry sanctioned Russia.

But there's also something else going on, which is a change in the way the administration is thinking about its risk calculus for escalation. At first, they didn't want to send missiles to Ukraine last year for fear that that might to escalate the war forced Putin to think about or threaten using nuclear weapons, then they got concerned about tanks and now the F-16s.

[19:05:09]

And with each one of them, I think the administration has come to the conclusion that they can push the envelope further than they thought before. The question is, is there a red line out there over which they should not step? And if so, we don't know yet where it is.

REID: And, Phil, what was the reaction among world leaders to this news about the F-16 fighter jets?

MATTINGLY: You know, what's interesting, Paula, and I think David hits at a really great point in terms of the almost evolutionary aspect of President Biden and his top national security officials on seemingly weapons system, after weapons system, after weapon system. And oftentimes, that is driven by allies who are further out in front of where the United States wants to be.

Certainly, with the push from President Zelenskyy and his top advisors, often, Republicans and Democrats unifying on these issues on Capitol Hill. And so I think what you heard from world leaders is, one, they were ready, if the U.S. was willing to move into some type of system where they would help train pilots.

They have already telegraphed to several countries that if the U.S. would clear the exports of these F-16s, they were willing to those who actually have F-16s in their stocks, it's not a ton of them out there, but who are willing to transfer them over.

And so I think it was appreciation, acceptance, but I also think a recognition of kind of what it means, right? David makes a great point. These aren't necessarily fighter jets that are going to be on the battlefield or over the battlefield in the near term, but the symbolism of the willingness to move forward on this following Patriot missile systems, following M1 Abrams tanks, that's important too at a moment where, as David was laying out, they need momentum, they need to keep this moving forward, given the fact that there's no real end in sight here and a very grinding war.

REID: And, Phil, of course, President Zelenskyy is not only shoring up his continued support from allies, but he's also lobbying those leaders who have remained neutral. So how essential is that, especially with the war grinding on in a Ukrainian counter offensive that could get underway at any time?

MATTINGLY: You know, I think there's kind of the micro and macro view of this. The micro is when you're talking to Prime Minister Modi in a sit-down, as David alluded to. And Prime Minister Modi and India has contributed heavily to maintaining the energy revenue, the gas and oil revenue that Russia has been able to have, despite the oil cap, pushed by the G7 and agreed to by the G7. It's despite the most sweeping sanctions regime that I think a Western coalition has ever put together. That has an effect, if you're able to start moving them away from that issue, or if you're able to get Modi perhaps placing phone calls to leaders in China or perhaps President Putin and trying to make an argument, not maybe explicitly not coming out in a very forward manner.

I think the more macro basis here is, you know, this is a very real moment where the U.S. and the Western alliance, Russia and China, it is a multipolar world at this point in time. And there's a battle going on.

And I think global south countries, along with kind of the key players that you've seen that are not G7 members, but have their leaders here, there's a fight over who has the most influence with them at this moment.

And I think Zelenskyy's ability to play a role in western efforts, in some cases to catch up with what China has been able to do with where Russia is on these things, I think it's important. It's certainly an element of it.

REID: And, David, of course, every leader at the G7 is significant, but is there any meeting in particular, that Zelenskyy really had to prioritize? Is there any leader that is especially significant in these discussions?

SANGER: Well, Zelenskyy's priorities at this moment have to really be on the counter offensive, right? And this is -- this is really make or break for him. If he gets to a point where the United States has poured everything in this, that the allies have poured everything in this, they've given them, the missiles, the tanks, the equipment, and most importantly the intelligence.

And it's pretty remarkable to watch these Ukrainian targeters [ph] sort of sitting right next to Western military people, looking at the same day that coming up with a strategy.

If he does all that and he still can't move the needle here, then there's going to have to be a recalculate. So he knows that making some big progress in the counter offensive is going to be the most -- the single most effective thing he can do to keep the aid flowing.

If he can't do that after six weeks, if this looks like a stalemate at the end of the summer, then it's a different measure about how you will deal with Putin going forward. And Putin, of course, is betting that will grow tired of this. That, you know, history shows that democracies get very enthusiastic about being into a conflict like this for a year or two and then the costs settle in and they begin to think about other ways to spend the money.

REID: And your last question shifting gears to the looming debt crisis. Of course, a U.S. debt default, David, could impact economies around the world. How have those concerns been playing out at the G7?

[19:10:13] SANGER: You know, I've been asking administration officials about this, as they have come out of some of these meetings. They say it's come up at a number of points, but usually come up in sort of a sympathetic way that President Biden like, you know, gee, I can't believe you've got a system where you spend the money, and then you have to go get approval to go pay your bill at the end of it.

None of them have a system quite like this. We never had a system like this until a few decades ago. And so I think that, you know, in the -- in public and even in private with President Biden, they've been somewhat sympathetic.

They're clearly worried about it, but they've been through this so long that they wonder whether there was a big element of theater to what's going on right now. I don't think there is much of a sense of urgency right now that the U.S. is going to default, and that it would affect that. So it would be a big surprise to them, if in fact, the president gets back home and can't work this out.

REID: Phil Mattingly and David Sanger, thank you.

Still ahead, my conversation with former Trump attorney, Tim Parlatore, who played a key role in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation. How he answered questions about what president Trump knew of classified documents taken from the White House.

And a South Carolina Senator is getting in the presidential race. But Florida's governor reportedly thinks it'll come down to him on President Biden. Do either Republicans have a chance?

And later, CNN sits down with Ringo Starr. What the former Beatle says about being back on tour. It's all coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:03]

REID: Tim Parlatore, one of Donald Trump's key attorneys announced this week he is leaving the Trump legal team. Besides working on the January 6th investigation, Parlatore played a key role in the Mar-a- Lago documents probe.

I spoke with Tim earlier this evening. And during our conversation, I asked him about a letter his firm sent to Congress discussing what then president Trump knew about documents taken from the White House. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID: So the letter says that he wasn't really aware of these documents being placed because it was chaotic. They all were shipped down to Mar-a-Lago. How can you declassify something with your mind if you don't know that it's in one of these boxes?

TIMOTHY PARLATORE, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: These are two unrelated concepts. So there's the issue of classification or declassification, which is separate and apart from the issue of document management and what goes into boxes.

And one of the things that we were trying to explain there is that the processes that are in play in the White House, in the Oval Office, they don't match the same level of, you know, care, if you will, that are done in the intelligence agencies and in the military.

And so marked documents, whether classified or declassified, and unclassified documents get mixed in. And now, this is not just about when packed up to leave. This is about the four years while they're in office.

Now, since we've submitted this letter, we found out that the archivist has testified that every administration, going back to Reagan, has had the exact same issue. That's really what we were talking about there. So the procedures for declassification is a separate issue from how these boxes were packed and how the documents were kept during that four years.

REID: There has been a lot of talk, and in this letter, you mentioned this certification that was done by the Trump legal team about the extent to which they search for documents. A lot of questions about whether it was accurate.

But in this letter, you said, quote, the certification stated that a search -- a search was conducted and all responsive documents found were provided. Not that the search turned up all possible materials. Why that phrasing?

PARLATORE: Evan Corcoran used a standard form certification at the time. And this is what happens, when you get a subpoena. You do your search, you send back the certification saying all responsive documents that were found, you know, were attached.

In my opinion, it probably could have been a little bit more clear to say all that were found. If I were writing it, I'm a little bit more of a smart guy. And, you know, I would probably have said, you know, dear DOJ, since you didn't give me as much time as I wanted, we did as complete of a searches as we could have. And this is all we found within that limited period of time. You want to give me more time?

REID: But was there any concern that the client may have been retaining additional classified documents and that's why they got to be careful?

PARLATORE: No. Not at all. That's standard language. You know, he took it from a standard form certification and that is what is used. So it's not, you know, an attempt to hide that there's additional things and nor is it intended to be a blanket statement that nothing else remains, you know, if a lawyer were going to write that, they would actually put in, nothing else remains.

REID: As a lawyer, what was it like watching that town hall with your client under multiple criminal investigations?

PARLATORE: It's -- look, it's different when you have a client that is talking. You know, most of my clients when the criminal investigation is going on, that is the only most important thing in their life and they don't talk to anybody except for me and their spouse. So it's always a little nerve wracking, especially when you know that he's going to be asked questions about it.

You know, but ultimately, I didn't think that he said anything too terrible in there. Yes, maybe some in artful things like that, but ultimately, nothing that really changes the tenor of the investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:20:07]

REID: Tim said that he left the Trump legal team because of infighting among various advisors, specifically signaling -- singling out Boris Epshteyn saying that, in fact, he even tried to allegedly prevent Tim and others from doing some searches for additional documents.

Now in the statement, the former president's spokesman says, quote, Mr. Parlatore is no longer a member of the legal team. His statements regarding current members of the legal team are unfounded and categorically false.

And still ahead, call it the Mickey Mouse trap. Disney scraps its plan for a billion dollar complex that would have brought thousands of jobs to Florida just days before Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to announce a presidential run. Will it have an impact? We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:25:09]

REID: As Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, gets closer to officially announcing a White House run, his skirmishes with Disney continue to make headlines. This week, the company canceled a billion dollar project that would have brought 2,000 high-paying jobs to Florida. On a campaign stop in New Hampshire, DeSantis responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): [inaudible] exempt from the law is not this policy, is not free market economics. And it's not something that our case is going to be involved in. And so we will not change from that. And so they can do whatever they want. I know people try to chirp and say this or that, the chance of us backing down from that is zero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, joins us now. Ron, thanks for joining us. All right.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be here in person

REID: I know. Great to see you alive and in person.

BROWNSTEIN: Exactly.

REID: Is the mouse -- the mouse house actually going to hurt DeSantis' chances? Or is this not going to matter at all?

BROWNSTEIN: I think it does matter. I think it's reflective of the way he has chosen to run, right? If you go you go back to November, the morning after the election, DeSantis had a lot of altitude. He had won in a landslide. And all of Trump's handpicked endorsed candidates had lost in the five states, flipped from Trump in '16, divide in '20 and decided the presidency would likely -- decided again in '24.

DeSantis has lost a lot of altitude since then. And I think one of the reasons is there are more Republicans, strategists and donors, both, were kind of questioning his judgment and the way he's positioning himself. He is choosing to try to squeeze to the right of Trump, which threatens his biggest asset, which is the belief in the party that he is more electable in a general election than Trump.

And so, yes, fighting with Disney may not be a big cost in a Republican primary, but if you're a big Republican donor, who is beginning to wonder whether DeSantis has kind of the gyroscope to win back the suburbs of Milwaukee and Madison and Atlanta, a long fight with Mickey Mouse, kind of a death match with Mickey Mouse, which I think exacerbate those concerns.

REID: A death match with Mickey Mouse. American politics just keeps bringing us --

BROWNSTEIN: It does.

REID: -- new things this year. The New York Times says that DeSantis is telling donors that this really is a race between him and Biden. What do you make of that?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, he's getting to the argument that he has to get to. I mean, part of the problem that all the other Republicans have is that, by and large, the opinion of the general public might be very different. But, by and large, inside the Republican electorate, they're satisfied with the Trump presidency. Right?

I mean, you still have 70 percent of Republicans say that he won. And, by and large, they were happy with the kinds of policies that he pursued. So the best argument against him is if you want these policies, you as a Republican, you got to nominate someone else, because this guy is not going to win, and therefore he's going to be in no position to really deliver on them.

And as I say, DeSantis is trying to get to that argument, as you see on things like that call, but the unsteadiness, the kind of lurching on Ukraine, when he originally said it was a territorial dispute, the six-week abortion ban, the extended fight with Disney, that he can't find a way out of, all of that, I think, kind of undermine that claim and cause people who would say, yes, well, I'm kind of dubious that Trump can win, but is he going to be any more competitive?

Having said that, I think DeSantis is probably at a low ebb right now. The stock is probably a little undervalued. There still are a lot of Republicans who don't want Trump as the nominee, even though he's the dominant figure in the party, and no one else has really filled the vacuum while DeSantis has been struggling. So you got to think that eventually the current may roll at least a little back toward him.

REID: So Donald Trump is way ahead in the polls. The field is getting a little crowded.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

REID: Let's take a look. The debate stage already has Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, and Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott, the latest to file to run for president.

So what kind of appeal would Scott potentially have for the party?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. That's a wildcard, I think. It's not really clear entirely where he may appeal. In some ways, he has a more positive, optimistic message than the other Republicans, certainly not as confrontational a persona as either Trump or DeSantis.

But he is running as a staunch social conservative. He's made clear he will sign, for example, the toughest, the harshest national abortion ban that can pass through Congress.

The basic, Paula, in the Trump era, in the Republican Party, are between Republicans with a college degree and Republicans without a degree.

In 2016, Trump lost two-thirds of the college plus Republicans, two- thirds of them voted against him, but they never unified behind anyone else. And his dominance of the non-college side allowed him to overcome that and win.

The challenge that a Scott presents is, I would think his appeal is going to be more toward that college side. And the question is whether you get into a repeat of the '16 situation where the college side is, by and large, resistant to Trump, but has a lot of different choices, Haley that it might like, Scott, there'll be a piece for DeSantis.

[19:29:59]

Meanwhile, Trump is winning 45 to 55 percent of the non-college side of the party, and the other side is resistant to him splinters, that gives them an advantage, especially since that non-college side may be getting bigger as a share of the Republican vote as the Trump phenomenon drives away some of those white collar economic conservatives who used to reliably vote Republican.

REID: It's going to be a fascinating one to watch. As always, thank you so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

REID: And today, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made her first commencement address since joining the Supreme Court, an advice to American University Law School graduates, the courts newest justice revealed she gets inspiration from an unlikely place, a reality TV show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, US SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE: I am a "Survivor" superfan. I have seen every episode since the second season and I watch it with my husband and my daughters even now, which I will admit it's not easy to do with the demands of my day job.

But you have to set priorities, people.

If you make the most of the resources you have, use your strengths to make your mark and play the long game in your interactions with others.

You will not only survive, you will thrive and not only now at the start of your career, but for the rest of your professional lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: A justice and a "Survivor" superfan. Who knew?

On Sunday, the justice will deliver the commencement address at Boston University's Law School.

And still ahead, US home prices down by the most we've seen in 11 years, yet sales are also down.

Why aren't people buying? Well, we'll ask a real estate expert.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:35:49]

REID: It is the second jewel in the Triple Crown of horse racing, and just moments ago, the winner crossed the finish line in Baltimore.

National Treasure is the winner of the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes. It was a duel down to the final stretch with National Treasure nosing out Blazing Sevens. Trainer, Bob Baffert wins his eighth Preakness, that's a record.

Earlier in the day, we learned though, that one of Baffert horses in an undercard race had to be euthanized.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB BAFFERT, TRAINER, NATIONAL TREASURE: To win, and losing that horse today really hurt, but I'm happy for Johnny. He got the win. I have a great team. I've got my boy, and I'm sorry, but it's been a very emotional day.

(END VIDEO CLIP) REID: Kentucky Derby winner, Mage, came in third place in today's race.

And for home shoppers, the market hasn't been this tough in quite some time. Interest rates are up and the selection of homes on the market is down even though some home prices showed their biggest drop since 2012 last month.

Sales of existing homes were down 23 percent from a year ago according to the National Association of Realtors. With mortgage rates hovering around six percent, current homeowners aren't looking to give up their two to three percent mortgage rates they locked in five years ago.

Still homes that do go up for sale typically sell pretty quickly given the low selection that buyers have to choose from.

Daryl Fairweather joins us now. She is the chief economist for Redfin. All right, Daryl, are the Fed's interest rate hikes the driving force behind the challenging housing market or are there other factors at play here that make it so rough out there?

DARYL FAIRWEATHER, CHIEF ECONOMIST, REDFIN: Mortgage rate hikes the housing market (AUDIO GAP) during the pandemic when there was so much competition for homes.

Now high mortgage rates have made home (AUDIO GAP) competition. Still really tough, it is lack of selection, a lot of homeowners (AUDIO GAP) right now because they were able to lock in really low mortgage rates just last year.

REID: And with so many people clinging to their low interest rate mortgages, fewer homeowners are looking to trade up. So how does that impact the rest of the market especially for people who are just looking for smaller starter homes.

FAIRWEATHER: It's like the market is clogged right now because those homeowners who would normally be selling and then buying again, aren't moving through the market.

So homebuyers, the only option they have is to buy a new construction or hopefully look out and find a homeowner who is willing to move maybe because they retiring, they are downsizing, there is a new job across the country. You really have to have a big reason to sell in a market like this.

REID: Let's talk about the ripple effect on other facets of the housing industry, for example, construction, appraisers, realtors, how are they being impacted by what you've described as this clog?

FAIRWEATHER: Well, the housing market sector of the economy is essentially already in a recession. Realtors aren't making a lot of money, neither are title companies or loan officers. Builders are having a bit of an easier time. They actually had an improvement in starts and that's good news because we need more new homes built because those homes end up being recycled into the market for years to come. REID: And the COVID pandemic was recently declared over, but it had such a major impact on the housing market as it sort of scrambled the real estate landscape. So, do you see all of this helping get the market back to normal after such a tumultuous past few years?

FAIRWEATHER: Well, it's a good thing that the Fed is raising interest rates because we were at the beginning of a bubble in 2022. People were rushing to take advantage of low interest rates and they were willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars over asking price to do it and that kind of turned into a very unhealthy market.

So this return to Earth is good for the housing market in the long run. When it comes back though, when the Fed eventually does moderate on its interest rate hikes and mortgage rates come down, we're going to see a lot more demand and it'll start to look unhealthy again.

[19:40:14]

REID: Daryl Fairweather, thank you so much.

And a threat or a tool? Congress holds a hearing on artificial intelligence. Is there momentum to regulate the tech that so many people are both impressed and a little scared of.

We will discuss.

And tomorrow night on CNN, Shimon Prokupecz returns to Uvalde, Texas, where the community is still seeking answers and families have turned to CNN for the footage of the Texas authorities that they have refused to release. It's a new episode of "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper tomorrow at 8:00 PM here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:45:20]

REID: Lawmakers are taking note of a suggestion for regulation from the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. He urged Congress this week to create a new federal agency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM ALTMAN, CEO, OPENAI: I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong and we want to be vocal about that. We want to work with the government to prevent that from happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Well, lawmakers are not wasting any time. On Thursday, Colorado Democratic senator, Michael Bennet unveiled an updated version of his legislation that would establish a Federal Digital Platform Commission.

The host of CNN's "Nightcap," Jon Sarlin joins us now to talk about this. Jon, what would this commission do? JON SARLIN, CNN PRODUCER: So Senator Bennet likens it to what food is for the FDA or aviation for the FAA. This new agency would be that but for tech and AI, this is a bill that Senator Bennet previously proposed, but now clarifies to focus on AI.

Now this comes on the heels of the AI hearing that we saw last week where Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI said that he wants the Senate to step up and regulate his own industry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY MARCUS, AUTHOR, "REBOOTING AI": The Senate, as somebody pointed out, one of the senators pointed out makes enduring laws. It shouldn't be there saying GPT5 is different from GPT4 and we would need these different rules that you'd be building an agency that understands the technical details, has the expertise, and can put that regulation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SARLIN: So that was Gary Marcus, an NYU professor who has become one of the critics of the rush to AI technology. He testified in front of Congress earlier this week, saying that a federal agency needs to be built.

Now Michael Bennet has proposed just that.

REID: Are there concerns about the use of this technology to create fake videos or audio? Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal demonstrated that during the hearing. Let's take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): And now for some introductory remarks:

AI VOICE OF RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: Too often, we have seen what happens when technology outpaces regulation. The unbridled exploitation of personal data, the proliferation of disinformation, and the deepening of societal inequalities.

BLUMENTHAL: If you were listening from home, you might have thought that voice was mine and the words from me, but in fact, that voice was not mine. The words were not mine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: What do you make of that, especially with a big election coming up?

SARLIN: Right, so that was AI. That was not Richard Blumenthal. It was -- he fed his voice into it and it output it and you know we have an election coming up and this technology is rapidly improving. And one of the big concerns about AI is that it is better at creating things than it is at identifying what is AI, right?

It can create text, it can create photos, but creating a software that perfectly detects whether something AI is just not something that exists. That's come up a lot in schools, right, as ChatGPT has spread. There has been a huge debate over students using it in class.

Well, teachers don't really have an effective way of taking that work and identifying whether it was actually generated by AI. Now, that is school, but when it comes to elections and disinformation when you have photos and potentially video in the future, the tech isn't exactly there now, but it is trending towards that.

Once you have these photo and audio that could be created and not identified as specific AI, then there's concerns about flooding the zone with disinformation, but then also real images are put against that and a politician who gets caught with an embarrassing photo or audio can say it wasn't me, it was the AI.

REID: Thank you so much.

And check out Jon's show "Nightcap" on cnn.com. New episodes drop every Thursday at 4:00 PM Eastern.

And terrifying new video shows smoke then flames and then the moment an e-scooter exploded while charging inside a London home. Within a matter of seconds the entire kitchen area is engulfed in flames.

The clip was released by the London Fire Brigade to raise awareness around the dangers of charging lithium batteries indoors.

Authorities have investigated 48 e-bike fires and 12 e-scooter fires in the British capital so far this year.

And still ahead, one-on-one with Ringo Star what he says about going back on tour after postponing shows due to COVID and how to help the world celebrate a birthday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RINGO STARR, SINGER-SONGWRITER: I don't know where it came from. I just said, I'd like everybody at noon to go peace and love and millions of people are doing it now. How great is that?

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REID: Before we go tonight, let's get you caught up on tonight's top stories.

A few hours from now, President Biden will hold a press conference after meeting with world leaders at the G7 in Japan. The talks are wrapping up after a surprise appearance from Ukrainian president, Zelenskyy earlier today.

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Zelenskyy reportedly urged Western leaders to remain united behind Ukraine amid concerns of political fatigue.

An update on those fraught negotiations also on the debt ceiling. The latest proposal from the Biden administration to increase the debt limit was rejected outright by House Republicans. That move brought swift condemnation by the administration.

The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre is calling that rejection a big step back and criticizing extremely partisan demands.

A deadline is as close as 12 days away with potentially catastrophic consequences for both the US and global economy.

And finally, tonight after canceling tour dates last year, due to COVID, Beatles drummer, Ringo Starr is back on tour with his All-Star Band.

CNN's Chloe Melas caught up with him to talk about his music, his lifelong friendship with Paul McCartney, and more.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Paula, I got a chance to catch up with Ringo Starr and this guy, he is not slowing down. He is 82 years young and he is currently on tour with his Ringo Starr and the All-Star Band and he spoke to me about why he loves still getting up on that stage to perform.

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STARR: You know what I mean? That they come out, you know -- I mean, I've been doing this All-Star band since '89 and we're still doing it, and they got a chance to see, you know, other great players, too. Everybody has had hits. So we all have a lot of fun.

And usually most people can relate to two or three songs, and all of mine. Yes, but it's what I do. You know, I mean, I love to play, you know, as a drummer, it's pretty awkward to go out just on your stage on your own. And so you need a few guitars with that. And I call old friends.

I mean, a lot of the band members I know, like the very first band was in those days a phonebook. And I just thought, I made a decision to do it and I just called Joe W, Joe Walsh and he said, yes, and Dr. John said, yes. Billy Preston.

I mean, it was just Levon, It was like, I actually stopped calling people, otherwise we'd be like an orchestra.

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MELAS: We also spoke about his decades' long friendship with Sir Paul McCartney, and why he thinks the Beatles had that special spark.

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STARR: Paul called me the other day because The Beatles channel we're doing a 14-minute piece on "Good Night." The song John wrote and had him doing the guide, of course because he wrote it and then, it had George, Paul and I do and the backend singing and singing the song.

And like me, he said, I don't remember any of that. I said, well, neither do I. It was like, just pass up the day.

So, yes.

MELAS: After 60-something years, you still are close friends with Paul.

STARR: Yes. Oh, yes. Well, of course, we are close friends. We are brothers. And, you know, for me, it was great, because there is -- I am an only child and suddenly I had three brothers who I could love, I could rely on, I could help out. You know, it was a great moment for me.

MELAS: When you look back at the massive amount of success that you've had, right, and just your fan base alone, what do you think it is that magic that has propelled you all for so many decades?

STARR: Well, the spark was between the four of us. We understood each other and we -- the music was important. And you know, it didn't matter if we were having a row or whatever or a laugh, if anyone counted it in, we all gave our best.

No one said oh, sod it. I'm just going to like sit through it. We all gave our best for it. The music, I mean to this day, every generation has a listen to us, which is so great, because you know, when we went to work, which we did to make records, we worked hard.

And occasionally we get a little merry and do some stuff and we're like, yes, great and then we'd all take it home and come back the next day.

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MELAS: Now, Paula he has a birthday coming up on July 7th and He simply has one wish. He wants his fans all over the world to post at noon their time on social media, peace and love -- how fitting.

REID: I think he will definitely get that wish.

Thanks to Chloe for bringing us that great interview.

And thanks to you for joining me. I'm Paula Reid. Jim Acosta is back tomorrow night.

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