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Visiting Family Hit By Floodwaters In Pennsylvania; More Than 80 Million In The U.S. Under Heat Alerts; Georgia Suspect Killed, Officers Injured In Shootout; American Kidnapped In Mexico Returning To The U.S.; Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal Calls Israel A "Racist State"; Interview With Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) About Israel, Climate Change And Joe Manchin; Russia's War On Ukraine; Actors Join In Historic Strike Against Studios; New Film Examines Youtube's Impact On Society; Lionel Messi To Be Presented As Inter Miami Player. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired July 16, 2023 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:17]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Good evening.

We begin this hour with a chaotic day of extreme weather across the U.S. and two corners in particular from scorching temperatures out west to flooding -- deadly flooding in the northeast. All the rainfall in central New Hampshire streaming down this mountainside and into town, where the water shut down roads and damaged cars.

The downpours in Pennsylvania taking especially tragic toll as authorities north of Philadelphia say flash floods have now killed at least five people, including members of a family visiting from South Carolina whose car was swept away.

The storms also put major airports in New York and Boston under ground stops. Earlier this afternoon, the conditions have forced airlines to cancel about 1400 flights nationwide.

Our Polo Sandoval joins us now from New York.

It has just been a very messy weekend weather-wise, Polo. What else are you hearing about the weather's impact on air travel?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, it has been troublesome for potentially millions of Americans that are trying to get somewhere over the weekend. Here in New York really largely spared any potential severe weather today fortunately. But you don't have to drive too far to encounter some of the floodwaters that were experienced just today alone. You mentioned that situation in Pennsylvania.

Sadly one family affected, losing at least one member of their family. They were from Charleston, South Carolina, according to what we heard officials say earlier today. On Saturday evening, they were driving to a barbecue. They were going to be gathering with friends and family when sadly they were caught in some rising floodwaters. Several of them swept away. According to officials at least one member of the family, female member, her body recovered, And now the search is on for at least two children who were members of that family.

I want you to hear directly from officials in the state of Pennsylvania as they offered an update on the latest situation in Pennsylvania.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TIM BREWER, UPPER MAKEFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA FIRE: As they tried to escape the fierce floodwaters, dad took his 4-year-old son while the mother and the grandmother grabbed the two additional children, ages 9 months and 2 years. Miraculously, dad and his son were able to get safely. However, the grandmother, the mother, and the two children were swept away by the floodwaters. And we have recovered the mother, and she is one of the deceased.

All right. She was found deceased. Also, the two children that we are looking for to bring home, we are continuing all efforts to find them. We cannot even begin to imagine what the family is going through with two beautiful children gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Yes, you can imagine there first responders, emergency officials still hanging on to hope, but that hope certainly dwindling by the hour.

Now in terms of sort of the wider picture here and the wider impact, we do know that there were ground stops, for example, here in New York City at JFK. Also in Boston. Those were weather-related. However, with the potential weather clearing out, then the situation could potentially continue to improve for those folks who are trying to get their travel done today.

ACOSTA: All right. Absolutely. Let's hope they get home safe.

Polo Sandoval, thank you very much on a wild weather weekend.

Meantime, much of the rest of the country is coping with extreme heat. Right now the worst of it in the southwest, where a persistent heat dome has been pushing temperatures past 100 degrees in many places. Look at that map right there. Death Valley in California may come close to breaking its own record as the hottest temperature ever measured on earth, a reading of 134 degrees back on July 10th, 1913.

The chance to experience record-breaking heat has some tourists flocking, though, to Death Valley, where even nighttime temperatures are expected to be over 90 degrees.

CNN's Rafael Romo is at another popular tourist attraction, Hoover Dam, where the heat is just brutal right now.

Rafael, I can see on our monitor right now the temperature is around 113 degrees where you are right now. That is just incredible.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Jim. I would totally agree with you when you say brutal. That's a great way to describe it. And Jim, it's so hot here that we've been forced to find a place to cool down and rehydrate between live shots. And that's not only for our own safety but also because our broadcast equipment was overheating and failing. And let me tell you, that has only happened to me during another instance of extreme weather covering hurricanes.

The National Weather Service says this heat wave is not typical desert heat due to its long duration, extreme daytime temperatures, and warm nights. They also say that everyone, everyone needs to take this heat seriously, including those who live in the desert.

[19:05:07]

Earlier I spoke with a ranger at Death Valley National Park in California, also known as the hottest place on earth, and he told us that what worries them is that this extreme weather seems to be a trend instead of a single occurrence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT LAMAR, DEATH VALLEY PARK RANGER: What we're seeing here in Death Valley is certainly that things are getting hotter. Seven of our 10 hottest summers have come in the last 10 years. And that's, you know, obviously a global trend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Jim, in spite all this, the extreme temperatures here at Hoover Dam are not stopping tourists from visiting this marvel of engineering. Earlier, I spoke with two tourists from St. Louis who shared with us what they were doing to cope with the heat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAT TAYLOR, TOURIST: Feels like you're actually on fire after you're out here for a while, and we've just been -- I just slammed about two bottles of water at lunch. This is definitely like touching surfaces. Not used to burning myself on concrete.

JACK GUSE, TOURIST: It's just harder to breathe like without the moisture in the air. It just kind of hard to breathe, you know, so makes things a little difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: We spent the last couple of days in Las Vegas where people were wondering if the all-time record of 117 degrees was going to be broken today officially. The temperature rose so far anyway to 115 degrees. So it fell short, but not by much. It may go up to 116 degrees, so one degree shy.

Jim, back to you.

ACOSTA: My goodness. Those are -- I mean, when it's just one degree between 116 degrees and 117 degrees, who's counting at that point? That is dangerously high heat.

Rafael Romo, thanks so much. Get back inside the live truck. Stay cool. Thanks so much, my friend. Really appreciate it.

We have some breaking news to tell you about out of Georgia where a suspect in a two-day manhunt has been shot and killed and several officers injured as authorities closed in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF REGINALD SCANDRETT, HENRY COUNTY, GEORGIA: The monster is dead. By utilizing collective investigative measures, we were able to track this suspect over to 138 in Mount Zion Parkway. We engaged the suspect. The suspect returned fire and hit the ground running. We gave chase, re-engaged the suspect. He produced a handgun again, shots and fired, gunfire was exchanged, and the suspect was neutralized.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Police say 40-year-old Andre Longmore, who you see there, shot three men and one woman just south of Atlanta yesterday morning. We've just learned that all four were in their 60s, and two of the victims were husband and wife. The motive is unclear. However, police did say the shooter stole a vehicle from one of the victims.

To a long-awaited homecoming now. American Monica de Leon Barba is coming back to California after she was kidnapped in Mexico eight months ago. The FBI put out a statement this morning also noting that the investigation remains ongoing with no arrests being made just yet.

And CNN's Mike Valerio joins us now from Los Angeles.

Mike, what do we know about the circumstances surrounding her release? It is good news she's coming home.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it's fantastic news. And the question about how this release came about, Jim, is so important. It was the result of 227 days of the FBI, DHS, and State Department working together. But in terms of who made an agreement with whom, what the FBI did to find Monica, that is still something that we don't know the answer to. But we're working on it here in the L.A. bureau as is our fantastic colleague and FBI veteran Josh Campbell.

So watch this space in terms of us finding out how exactly Monica came home to us here in California. But in terms of the human dimension, the face behind the missing photograph and flyer that you're seeing right there, Monica, you should know, is a talented photographer. She takes a job over the summer last year in Mexico to lend her talents to a couple projects down there.

And then a couple days after Thanksgiving last year, she is walking her dog in the middle of the street in this idyllic town of Tepatitlan and she is confronted by no fewer than five people. Three vehicles come up towards her in the security video that you're seeing. It's a little hard to make out, but in the left-hand corner, those are the last images that we saw of her up until essentially today. New Facebook photos show her reunited with her family. But if you can just imagine, this is the last that you would see of your daughter, of your friend. I mean arresting for this family in the Bay Area.

Up until this weekend, Jim, when the FBI releases a statement saying that after those 227 days of her in captivity from this targeted kidnapping, she is freed. The leader of the FBI in San Francisco writing in part, quote, "Our relief and joy at the safe return of Monica is profound.

[19:10:02]

The FBI investigation is far from over, but we can now work this case knowing an innocent victim is reunited with her family."

So what the FBI is going to be working on in the days and weeks to come is to try to identify who took off with her, who her captors are, and there have been no arrests made in this case. So that is the unresolved tributary of this case right here. But she is back home in the Bay Area right now. She has been reunited with her family members as well as the dog she was walking on that day in November when she was kidnapped. So certainly wonderful news that we can report from here in California -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Mike Valerio in L.A., thanks very much.

Coming up, an appearance tomorrow by Senator Joe Manchin in an early voting state sparking Democratic concerns of a third-party challenge to Joe Biden. I'll ask one of the president's top supporters, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, if she's concerned about that.

Plus, signs of new tension between Russia's president and the leader of the mercenary group that marched toward Moscow before backing down. What we're learning about Putin's proposal for a new Wagner leader.

And actor and filmmaker Alex Winter joins us live as screen actors join writers in a historic strike against studios. How he sees it all ending. We'll also talk about one of his projects that is hitting the big screen.

That's coming up here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:31]

ACOSTA: Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is facing backlash tonight over recent comments she'd made about Israel. At an event in Chicago yesterday the Progressive Caucus leader told a group of protesters that, quote, "Israel is a racist state." Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Guys, can I say something? Can I say something as somebody that's been in the streets and has participated in a lot of demonstrations? I think I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy, that the dream -- that the dream of a two-state solution is slipping away from us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is joining us now.

Priscilla, what are you learning about this?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, just moments ago we saw Representative Jayapal put out a statement where she apologized for her remarks. Let me read you some of that statement. It says, quote, "At a conference, I attempted to defuse a tense situation during a panel where fellow members of Congress were being protested. Words do matter, and so it is important that I clarify my statement. I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist."

She went on to say these are not easy conversations to have, and she offered her apologies. As you mentioned there, this happened when pro- Palestinian protesters interrupted a panel discussion at a conference over the weekend. Now Jayapal, the top progressive Democrat and the caucus -- she leads the House Progressive Caucus, they have been vocal about opposition to Israeli settlements in the West Bank as well as the U.S. sponsorship of Israel's Iron Dome defense system.

But all of this is likely to come to a head this week when the Israeli president visits the White House and addresses a joint meeting of Congress. All of this scheduled for this week. And on that front, we also heard from Congresswoman Jayapal just on Friday that she was unsure if she would attend, criticizing in part Israel's human rights record. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAYAPAL: The violence, settler violence that's happening in Israel, in the West Bank. The annexation of settlements that have been happening over the last several years. Netanyahu's collaboration with extreme- right elements of Israel. And the fact that we are getting further and further away from the ability to actually legitimately talk about a two-state solution with security for and self-determination for both Palestinian people and the Israeli people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now she is not alone in this position. In her caucus, several progressives have already said they will not be attending the joint meeting this week.

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

Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz joins us now with more on this and other topics here in Washington.

Congresswoman, your colleague, as we're just mentioning a few moments ago, has now issued an apology for her remarks. She does -- she says that she does believe that Israel's government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has engaged in discriminatory and racist politics.

Let me get your reaction to what the congresswoman had to say.

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): Well, I'm glad that -- and thanks for having me, Jim. But I'm glad that Congresswoman Jayapal retracted and apologized for her extremely deeply hurtful remarks. They were inappropriate. We have to be careful about what we say, especially when we're making in-the-moment statements like that one was.

Israel is a pluralistic society among -- in that region among un- democratic states. She is a democratic state, one that has Arab Israeli citizens serving in the Knesset, that has the most significant LGBTQ Plus policies in the region and among the world. Her statement was not only hurtful and harmful, it was wholly inaccurate and insensitive.

I'm thankful that she retracted it. It still deserves criticism, and that's why a number of us issued a statement doing just that.

ACOSTA: And I want to ask you a couple other questions about other matters. But just to follow up on that very quickly, do you think Congresswoman Jayapal should call colleagues like yourself, other Jewish American colleagues in the House to apologize?

[19:20:04]

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: There have been a number of members, Jewish members, who have spoken with her today, and that is in part, I think, what resulted in the retraction and apology. And so we're appreciative of that. We need to make sure we continue to work together. But we all have to be careful about what we say in the heat of the moment. And I think she learned that the hard way.

ACOSTA: Let me shift to presidential politics. We've been talking today about this No Labels political group. And as you know, West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is headlining an event for them tomorrow. How much could a Manchin third-party candidacy hurt Joe Biden's chances in 2024? Speaking of calling colleagues, I mean, do you think that Democrats need to start calling Joe Manchin and say knock this off essentially?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: No, I think Joe Manchin is a great U.S. senator and someone who is best suited to remain there. But I'll tell you, look, Jim, I just came from the supermarket to shop for my family's Sunday night family dinner. And I was struck by the thought that you wouldn't walk into a supermarket and buy a product that had no labels. Why? Because you wouldn't know anything about it.

You wouldn't know the ingredients. You wouldn't know what it was made of. It would be suspect. And that's essentially what No Labels is. No Labels includes -- we really don't know what they stand for. They're not a political party. They're essentially a dark money, opaque, nontransparent organization. They certainly aren't structured to qualify candidates for -- to run for president. They have to be able to report their FEC finances, so that's the last

thing we need to do is have someone run on a ticket that makes it harder to understand what the candidate stands for rather than easier.

ACOSTA: And, Congresswoman, I'm sure you're aware, another self- described Democrat, RFK Jr., Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made some bizarre antisemitic comments in recent days with respect to COVID-19 vaccines. I'm not going to get into the specifics of what he said because they're just so bonkers. But what do you have to say to RFK Jr. about those comments, and what should the Democratic Party do about him?

He seems to be hanging around, continuing to run in this race against Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination. Obviously he's not going to win, but he's going to continue to generate these kinds of headlines, it seems.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, he's certainly not someone that I think represents any of the values of the Democratic Party. What I think is really critical for this week is that the Republican Party, Jim Jordan, Speaker McCarthy, and the Weaponization Select Subcommittee that I sit on actually invited Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify about the so-called weaponization of government in front of our subcommittee on Thursday.

That invitation should never have been issued, but now it should be rescinded. He has absolutely no credibility, and beyond that, because he has made these vile, xenophobic, dangerous statements, he should not be allowed to come in front of a congressional committee and make matters worse and even more dangerous. So they need to rescind his invitation. He should be nowhere near the U.S. Capitol.

ACOSTA: And let me ask you about the extreme weather which is hitting, I mean, just about every part of the country. And I know you're used to it being hot down in South Florida during the summertime. But Miami has already seen, what, 36 consecutive days of 100-degree temperatures or more when you factor in the heat index. I mean that is just extraordinary stuff.

How concerned are you about whether or not the country is doing enough to combat climate change with this oppressive heat that the country is dealing with this summer?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You know, we're really in trouble with the extreme MAGA Republican agenda that refuses to even acknowledge climate change, never mind address it. Thankfully we were able to pass the Inflation Reduction Act last year, President Biden's significant legislation that's now law that was the most significant climate change policy we've had in years.

I mean down here in South Florida, Jim, yes, it's normally very, very hot down here in the summer. But our ocean temperatures are usually in the mid-80s. They're in the mid-90s. I mean they've had to reconfigure the hurricane forecasts. We're expecting extreme coral reef bleaching, which is very dangerous, you know, in terms of our sea life. We have to get a handle on this and come together and make sure that we can focus on addressing global warming and climate change and sea level rise by the way.

It is hot as blazes all over the country, Arizona and Nevada. This is a result of climate change. I can't believe that anybody would shrink back from addressing this because we are going to pay and are already paying a serious price, not the least of which is in Florida.

[19:25:10]

Our property insurance rates have gone sky high, and Ron DeSantis has done absolutely nothing that has moved the needle at all because he's in the pocket of the insurance industry rather than standing up for our property owners.

ACOSTA: All right. Well, we'll see if Governor DeSantis addresses that. He's got an interview on CNN in a couple of days. We'll be looking for that as well.

Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: My pleasure as always. Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Thank you.

Coming up, Russia's Vladimir Putin proposes new leadership for the Wagner mercenary group as the fallout builds after its brief insurrection attempt.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:14]

ACOSTA: New developments tonight in the war in Ukraine. The Biden administration says it will now allow European countries to train Ukrainian pilots on US made F-16 fighter jets. The move comes as Ukraine looks to counter Russia's air superiority.

Meantime, the clock is ticking on a crucial food export agreement between Ukraine and Russia. The Black Sea Grain Deal as it is known is set to expire tomorrow, unless Russia agrees to an extension. The UN- backed agreement allows the safe transport of grain and other food items from Ukraine during the war.

Joining us now to talk about this and other matters in the war in Ukraine and Russia is a Yale professor, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. His latest piece is titled "The Feckless 400," the companies still doing business in Russia and funding Putin's war, more on that in just a little bit.

But Jeffrey, great to see you. What do you make of Putin's end game right now and playing games, it seems with this Grain Deal.

Once again, it seems like he is trying to find these pressure points to create as much suffering as possible for the Ukrainians. JEFFREY SONNENFELD, PROFESSOR, YALE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: You're absolutely right. He is trying to certainly weaken the resolve and the resources of Ukraine. They need to export that grain, but the world needs that grain, too, especially in Africa, and as we've seen some food insecurity problems that were abated last year, because Turkey and other nations prevailed and pressed Russia to keep the Black Sea open to try to force a confrontation now would be foolish.

It is hard to imagine they could hurt their diplomacy more, but they could by this kind of an action. I don't know if you'd have NATO escorts or Turkey escorts to get Ukrainian ships out, but you know, when we talked, was it two weeks ago, Jim, about the situation, there are a lot of forecasts flying around.

And it is almost that you heard a lot of dire forecast that this was the end of Putin. We said I don't know, his armor is pierced, but he is not quite there yet. Then we see that he has survived, but he is weakened on every single front -- military, economic, diplomatic, domestic.

ACOSTA: Well, I was going to -- and I was going to ask you, just a few weeks ago, we were talking about this, the mutiny attempt in Russia by the Wagner mercenary group, and I'm just wondering what you make of that episode a few weeks later, because first you know, Wagner and Prigozhin are supposed to be banished off to Belarus, and then Prigozhin we are told by reports, in Russia. He can kind of go around as he sees fit.

What is going on with that whole situation, do you think?

SONNENFELD: Well, the forecasters were wrong. I think we heard when we were on air together, we heard some people, even some former ambassadors were telling us that is Sergei Shoigu, who is the basically the Secretary Austin of, if you will of Russia, and Valery Gerasimov who is basically the General Milley of Russia that they were going to be removed.

Well, they're still there, but they are weakened. We've seen a number of generals who are in key roles either speak out, be strangely killed or just go on strange vacations. One shot in the back as a major submarine commander; Sergey Surovikin, who is a leader of the forces for Russia and Ukraine, he has disappeared. Ivan Popov, he popped off in smoke up and we don't see him around anymore. We see disarray there, which is quite a problem.

And then the Wagner leader who is supposed to step in for promotion threw a stone, he dented the armor, but he didn't take down the emperor. The emperor is weakened and Prigozhin is probably gone, too. We don't know. But he is certainly there in a dramatically weakened state and disarray.

ACOSTA: And you've been tracking the presence -- this is important -- of American businesses still in Russia since the beginning of the war more than a year ago. You've been outspoken in calling out these US companies to stop doing business there. What is going on with that? Are any of these companies being responsive since you put out this list? Or are they just sort of thumbing their nose at this?

SONNENFELD: There has extraordinary response. You know, we, we've had the experts give us the wrong forecast what was going to happen militarily, that the Russians were much weaker, that the Ukrainians were much stronger than we expected. We didn't expect the resolve of the Europeans to come together. We didn't expect that diplomatically, where things would be.

But on the economic front, what we have is sanctions. One of the rare times in history where we have governmental sanctions matched by private sector business decisions. The high watermark until now was that 200 companies had pulled out of South Africa in 1988 which is very important.

[19:35:06]

It tells the average citizen that they are pariahs in the world, and not just the victims of governmental sanctions' intrigue. So we had over a thousand, a thousand and fifty companies pulled out, which is a third of Russia's economy. It was crushing to them, but there are still around 400 that remain.

Those 400, we just shouted out this week to make sure we draw attention to some companies like Unilever and Heineken. Some companies who said they were pulling out and then reneged, and it is really quite disappointing.

So we've seen just in the last 24 hours, a few of them are contacting us that they are reconsidering. We had some companies like Carlsberg that reneged, and then flipped back again and did pull out.

But it matters a lot, because this is a symbolic statement as well as substantive statement as it was in South Africa it is symbolic and substantive, that it shows they're not endorsing this bloody regime and incredibly important.

So when we saw of course, the economy collapsing, where we have our oil, which is the energy in general, their largest export down, you know, it's two-thirds of energy, it is down by half. This is a country that's in great distress, economically.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. And please keep us posted as things develop with that list. It sounds like a very important list to keep track of, indeed.

The great Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, great to talk to you, as always. Thanks so much. We'll have you back again soon. Thanks for your time.

SONNENFELD: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right, coming up, Hollywood on strike. Actors joining writers in voicing their concerns about the future of the industry.

Actor and filmmaker, Alex Winter, you might remember him, he joins us live next to share his perspective on what happens next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. There he is. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:40:50]

ACOSTA: Tinseltown as effectively shutting down for the first time in more than 60 years. Hollywood is on an industry wide strike. More than 150,000 television and movie actors have walked off the job, joining writers on the picket line after negotiations with major studios collapsed.

George Clooney is the latest celebrity to back the strike telling CNN in a statement: "This is an inflection point in our industry. Actors and writers in large numbers have lost their ability to make a living. For our industry to survive, that has to change."

Joining us now to talk about this is filmmaker and actor, Alex Winter. You may recognize him as one of the stars of the movie "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." He is also the director of the new documentary, "The YouTube Effect" that examines the video platform's impact on society.

Alex, great to have you on. As a Gen Xer, I have to say, it is excellent to have you with us. Forgive me for saying that.

ALEX WINTER, ACTOR AND DIRECTOR: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: That's a terrible and bad joke, but thanks for doing it. But let's talk about these strikes. Help us understand it. Where do you stand on all of this? What are your thoughts?

WINTER: I think very simply, this is a -- what we're looking at as a national labor crisis and I think a lot of it has been brought on by the swift rise of technology, and the lack of ability for equitable pay and other issues related to workers' rights to catch up to these new technologies, which have disrupted almost every industry, not just ours.

So I think, what we are really looking at is something that everybody in this country faces and in other countries in the world, but here at home, we are striking because of the same issues that are affecting regular workers all over the country.

ACOSTA: And one of the interesting aspects of this is the role of artificial intelligence. Actors have these concerns with AI, they don't want their likeness copied and then being used by the studios over and over again, without being paid for it. Isn't that basically it?

WINTER: Yes, it doesn't just affect actors. It affects writers and directors, but again, I would say that what we're looking at is large corporations using new technology, which include AI, to cut corners and save costs and reduce the workforce by doing that. So you end up with a worse product, but you end up with people who can't afford to live anymore, they can't afford their health benefits and so that's a crisis. And I think it is a valid one, even where we sit right now with these technologies.

ACOSTA: And viewers at home, maybe wondering if they're crossing the picket line by watching shows and movies produced by these major studios and streamers that you're striking against. What do you do about that? Strange things afoot at the Circ Okay, I guess.

WINTER: Look, I think, yes, there are very strange things happening. I think we all have to work together.

ACOSTA: Okay.

WINTER: Look, I'm a member of a coalition, a union solidarity coalition that's working to get money to crew -- rank and file crew to pay for their health care benefits.

I think we all have to work together. I think that it's a solidarity issue. And I think that we have to deal with unequitable pay and lack of benefits, the lack of a workforce that's shrinking.

And I don't think there isn't any way to get around that other than everyone banding together, and I think that means we have to use the tools at our disposal.

ACOSTA: Alex, let's talk about your new movie, "The YouTube Effect." It's a serious subject.

WINTER: Sure.

ACOSTA: You know, I've talked to Andy Parker a number of times. He is the father of a young lady who was murdered on camera. We've talked about this many times. And he has been highly disturbed by the fact that you can't get it off the internet. And part of the problem is companies like YouTube.

What inspired you to make this film? What's the message you're trying to get across about what's been taking place and on these social media sites?

WINTER: Look, a lot of good, enormous good has come from the rise of technologies and the handful, really three monopoly tech companies, one of which is Google, that are basically controlling all of these new technologies that have changed the world. And I've been wanting to look at YouTube for a while, which is really, Google's media front end.

It is owned by Google, and by far -- by far, by far the largest media platform on the planet, far larger than in terms of users connecting to this content than a lot of the platforms that we hear about Twitter, to a degree, Meta, TikTok.

[19:45:13]

So that has huge implications. A lot of them are good, but there are also harms, and these harms involve the spread of disinformation, which threaten our democracy. These harms include a lot of information and content that are causing real world harms and violence, including content that could be taken down that isn't, as in the case of Andy Parker's daughter, Alison, who was murdered, and her video was proliferate on YouTube to this day, despite an enormous effort to get this content removed.

ACOSTA: Yes, and one of the interesting aspects of this and disturbing aspects of this, and I just bring this back to you, my own family, young folks in the family, and even senior citizens, like my dad, watch a lot of YouTube.

It is one of those sites that is just accessible to just about every generation, any age type, anybody out there, and it is so user friendly, but it's also just a dumpster fire of content in many ways.

WINTER: Yes, and I think that while I respect and understand Google's claims that they can't -- that content moderation is difficult, it is, it's difficult. However, there are very obvious things that they can do that they don't do, which tells us that they can turn this stuff off if they want to.

Until very recently, there were de-platforming, meaning they were taking down content that pushed to Stop the Steal lie, which was causing disinformation, and really a lot of harm as we head into an election year. Recently, as of about 10 days ago, they made a statement saying they were no longer going to remove that content, which means there are switches that can get turned off, and there are switches that can get turned on.

So it is really, I think -- I think it's important we stopped thinking of these issues is algorithmic issues, which just confuses people and makes them shut down. These are business decisions. It's about monetizing eyeballs and selling ads. That's what drives the revenue to these companies.

And as long as they are making a lot of money off of selling ads off this content, they won't de-platform.

ACOSTA: Yes. Well, Alex Winter, I want to make sure I get in a plug, apparently, "The YouTube Effect" is now on its streaming and it is going to be in theaters coming up in August. Is that right?

WINTER: It's the other way around. You're close. It is in theaters now here and all over the world and will be streaming as of August 8th worldwide.

ACOSTA: That's it. Perfect. Okay.

Alex Winter, thank you very much. I appreciate that. We like to be factchecked, even ourselves. So that's great.

Great to talk to you. Thanks so much. And please forgive the Gen X dad jokes. It's a thrill to talk to you as well. I have fond memories of the movie you made so many years ago. I know you get asked about it from time to time, but really appreciate your time.

WINTER: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Alex, thanks so much. Best of luck.

WINTER: Here and there. Yes.

ACOSTA: Exactly. All right. Thanks a lot.

All right, tonight Miami meets Messi. What to expect at the superstar's unveiling tonight as he joins Major League Soccer. It is going to be a big moment down in Miami. We'll talk about it next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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ACOSTA: In Miami right now, the hype train is about to leave the station. Lionel Messi, the man considered by many to be the world's greatest soccer player will walk into a South Florida stadium full of his new fans. Messi officially committed to Inter Miami last night and tonight the city will get to show its enthusiasm in person.

CNN's sports producer, Raul Saenz joins us now.

Raul, just how much excitement has been generated around this that you're picking up on. I can tell you, I was down in Miami just a few days ago and everybody is talking about Messi.

RAUL SAENZ, CNN SPORTS PRODUCER: The bus is great, Jim. It is incredible how much the expectations have grown in this city for the world's greatest soccer player, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, Lionel Messi, who is about to debut with this team in a few days, and today he is going to have his official presentation at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

And like you said, for days, this city has been buzzing for his presence, and today is finally the day where the fans can get to see him in person and saying a few words for the fans, before the loyal fans of Inter Miami Heat here in the city.

ACOSTA: A big deal for Miami, but how big of a deal is this with US soccer?

SAENZ: Yes, a huge deal, and let me tell you, back in the 70s, I don't remember this, you know, I will assume you remember this. Back in the 70s, Pele started playing soccer here in the United States with the now defunct, NASL. This is supposed to be expected to be a bigger deal.

Lionel Messi just came from winning the World Cup seven months ago with the Argentinian national team. And now he's about to bring his quality of soccer -- he is still considered the best player in the world, perhaps the greatest player of all time, and he is going to be joining a team that's currently in last place in Major League Soccer.

So they're hoping that his presence, his talent will be able to lift this team up and at the same time, bring more visibility to the United States to US soccer. And you also have got to keep in mind that in 2024, the US will be hosting Copa America, which is the biggest tournament in the continent, in North and South America and in 2026, they will be co- hosting the World Cup, the FIFA World Cup with Mexico and Canada.

So it's a huge deal for not only soccer in Miami, but also soccer in the United States.

ACOSTA: Yes, is he going to help Miami? I mean, that's the -- I mean, he can only help them I suppose.

SAENZ: No, for sure, for sure. But he's not the only one that is coming to reinforce his team. They also have his former team in Barcelona, Sergio Busquets is also a great player and they also brought in Gerardo "Tata" Martino, who used to coach Atlanta United, led them to a title in Major League Soccer a few years ago, and he also has a lot of experience also coaching Barcelona with Messi.

So, they are reinforcing the team hoping they can improve, maybe not this season, but hopefully for next season, they will be able to be a full force and be able to be a factor in Major League Soccer.

[19:55:06]

ACOSTA: Everybody in Miami is going to be on Messi watch from here on out. It's going to be did you see Messi at the supermarket? Did you see him at this restaurant? That's going to be everywhere.

All right, Raul Saenz, they already have enough celebrities down there. They've got one more. Thanks so much. We appreciate it.

We'll be right back.

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ACOSTA: The huge Powerball jackpot is still unclaimed and it just keeps growing. Nobody won last night's drawing, the 37th consecutive drawing without a declared winner.

That means the prize for tomorrow's drawing is now at an estimated $900 million, making it the third largest Powerball prize ever.

That's the news. Reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. Thanks for joining me this evening. If I win the Powerball, I might not be here next weekend, but considering that's not going to happen, I'll see you here next weekend.

Up next, CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" takes an in-depth look at immigration, the border, the politics, the economy, and the fascinating history of immigration, a story that is intertwined with America's most contentious issue of race.

"Immigration Breakdown," a Fareed Zakaria special starts in just a few moments. You're not going to want to miss it.

Fareed is a good friend of the program, always has great insights. This is going to be a terrific program to watch.

It starts right now. Have a good night have a good week.

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