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CNN International: Federal Prosecutors Urge Court to Uphold Trump Gag Order; Young Voters; Biden Must Deliver on More of His Pledges; U.N. Report: World's Emissions Goals Wildly Off Track; Zanzibar, Famous for Spices, Makes Foray into Skincare; Scientists Develop Robots that Can Study Ocean Depths. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired November 15, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And to push for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The mother of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin pressing for action.

RACHEL GOLDBERG, SON WAS KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: Why is the world accepting that 240 human beings from almost 30 countries have been stolen and buried alive?

TODD (voice-over): Shaked Haran has seven family members who have been kidnapped, including a 3-year-old niece.

SHAKED HARAN, SEVEN FAMILY MEMBERS KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: I don't know if anyone is holding her hand, is keeping her warm. We don't know anything.

TODD (voice-over): She came here from Israel, worried that the public's attention is focusing elsewhere.

HARAN: People are talking about a cease-fire, about a pause. But they're not talking about the hostages.

TODD (voice-over): The rally also focused on countering antisemitism amid a spike in incidents at college campuses and elsewhere.

TOVAH FELDSHUH, ACTRESS: College and university presidents, if you remain weak, if you remain silent, you are complicit.

TODD (voice-over): Political graffiti against Israel was found at the rally site on Tuesday morning.

ARI MOSKOWITZ, RALLY ATTENDEE: What scares me now is what I'm seeing. The antisemitism I'm seeing in the U.S. Seeing that out in the open is really terrifying. So it's also good to be here with people in solidarity.

TODD (voice-over): At the rally, calls for action against hate.

DEBRA MESSING, ACTRESS: Like our ancestors who for 3,000 years looked hate straight in the eyes. We too will prevail.

TODD (voice-over): Tight security in D.C. with roadblocks and checkpoints, with rallies to support Israel dueling with rallies to support Palestinians in a battle to win over public opinion.

MOSKOWITZ: I support everybody's right to protest. I just wish that people would come at it from a perspective of peace and coexistence.

TODD: Several people we spoke to here said they hoped there was an understanding that a rally in support of Israel was not a rally against Palestinians. One of the speakers, Alana Zaitchik (ph), who's related to six hostages being held by Hamas, told the crowd that the simple fact is that you don't have to choose. That you can abhor the suffering of Palestinian families and abhor the suffering of Israeli families like hers.

Brian, Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: In Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorney now says she expects a trial in the state's election subversion case against Donald Trump and his allies to be ongoing during next year's election. And Fannie Willis says it may not conclude until early 2025.

Meanwhile, in the federal election subversion criminal case, prosecutors are urging an appeals court to uphold a gag order against Trump. CNN's Paula Reid has the details from Washington.

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PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: On Monday, an appeals court here in Washington will hear arguments from Trump lawyers and the special counsel about whether former President Trump should be forced to abide by a limited gag order that has been put in place by the judge overseeing his January 6th case.

Now, according to the special counsel, this is necessary because, they say Trump has a pattern going back years of publicly identifying people and opening them up to threats and harassment. They point to the fact that in this case they say just days after he was indicted, he issued this threat.

He said, quote: If you go after me, I'm coming after you.

He then proceeded to attack the court, the special counsel and trial witnesses who could potentially give negative testimony. Then there were repercussions, for example, prosecutors note how the judge overseeing this case had someone call and threaten her to kill her and her family if Trump was not elected in 2024.

Now, even as recently as this past weekend, Trump was calling out special counsel Jack Smith -- him and his family. Now the gag order is currently on hold, so that is not technically a violation. Prosecutors say that is exactly why they need a gag order. Trump's lawyers have insisted that this gag order violates his First

Amendment, inhibits his ability to campaign for the presidency. But prosecutors rebut that by saying, look, there's never been a defendant who's been able to just go out there and malign the courts and prosecutors and witnesses. And the judge in this case has previously said that his First Amendment must yield to the orderly administration of justice.

Now the question as to whether he will have to be bound by this gag order, that goes before a three-judge panel in the Court of Appeals on Monday.

Paula Reed, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Donald Trump's ongoing legal troubles are colliding with his campaigning efforts, and in the months ahead, he's expected to face several trials. Former U.S. attorney Michael Moore weighed in on who is making the decisions on which cases actually come first?

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MICHAEL MOORE, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: It's going to be sort of a gaggle of judges who are making their own trial calendars. You've got -- you've got the case down in Florida that's been scheduled now for about the middle of next year. And that that is going to block out a lot of time for the calendar in the state court. Typically, federal cases take priority over state cases. So this state case would be in limbo a little bit as they're waiting on when that federal trial will go.

[04:35:00]

But it's you -- you've also got all of these defendants in this RICO case in Georgia, and I think it's still unlikely that the judge tries all of these people together. So I think you're going to see sort of two waves, and it'll depend on which one he decides to put first. If Trump's in the first wave or a second wave or potentially even a third wave as they go forward. So the judge sets the calendar and is the charge of the courtroom. But again, we're going to have issues with appeals courts. We're going to have matters that are taken up. And that's going to delay the case as well.

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FOSTER: Former U.S. Attorney Michael Moore there with his perspective.

Now the U.S. House Ethics Committee is expected to release its findings from an investigation into Republican Congressman George Santos on Thursday. That's according to a Republican source. The investigation is looking into a number of charges, including whether Santos may have engaged in unlawful activity related to his congressional campaign last year. He says he's not spoken to the committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GEORGE SANTOS (R-NY): It's the process. I'm just waiting and let it happen and I'm not really commenting on the on-going investigation as we've well recorded and documented that already.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, heavy talk to them since we talked?

SANTOS: No. And again, not at this time. But I appreciate you following up.

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FOSTER: So adding to pressure on the congressman, on Tuesday, a former fundraiser for Santos pleaded guilty to a federal charge of wire fraud for impersonating a senior aide to then House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

In the race for the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden is facing an uphill battle with a key group that helped put him into office. CNN's Jeff Zeleny talks to young voters about the 2024 presidential election and their feelings on the candidates.

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KERRY SINGLETON, STUDENT, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: People may not vote, because they will all say, well, this happened under the Biden-Harris administration.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Kerry Singleton looks ahead to the next presidential election, he's thinking back to the promises he heard President Biden and Vice President Harris deliver on a visit to Atlanta.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Pass the Freedom to Vote Act! Pass it now!

ZELENY (voice-over): On that winter day, the president was closing in on his first year in office. Hopes were high for Singleton, and other students on the grounds of Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College.

Since then, voting rights legislation stalled, the Supreme Court rejected a student loan forgiveness plan, and high prices from food to housing, are fueling economic anxieties.

SINGLETON: I do think that everyone is willing to hold the administration accountable for some of those promises that were made. And if they don't happen, I think it's going to be a scary election.

ZELENY (voice-over): For all of the warning signs facing the president, a year before the election, the skepticism and apathy of young voters rank high.

NABILAH ISLAM PARKES, GEORGIA STATE SENATE DEMOCRAT: Folks just feel poorer right now that they did two years ago. There is going to have to be a lot of conversations about how we feel like our issues are being heard.

ZELENY (voice-over): Nabilah Islam Parkes is the youngest woman to win a seat in the Georgia Senate. In 2020, she went door to door in the Atlanta suburbs, building a coalition to help Biden turned the state blue. That coalition, she said, could fracture by the president's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

PARKES: I think that young voters recognize you can't bomb your way to peace and security. And so, we do feel uncomfortable with that.

ZELENY (voice-over): Rachel Carroll's (ph) first vote for president went to Biden. She says she doesn't regret, it given the alternative, but finds herself disappointed by some priorities of the White House.

RACHEL CARROLL: If they can fund a war, they can fund the money to pay off our student loans.

ZELENY (voice-over): Young voters were a critical component of the president's victory, particularly here in Georgia, where Biden defeated Donald Trump by only 11,779 votes, out of nearly 5 million cast. Exit polls in 2020 show that voters 18 to 29 made up 20 percent of the Georgia electorate, the only state of the top six battlegrounds where the percentage of young voters exceeded the national share of 17 percent.

Biden won young Georgia voters by 13 points, according to exit polls. But now, a year before the 2024 election, surveys show a far closer race, with voters under the age of 30 here in Georgia split 46 percent for Trump, and 44 percent for Biden -- according to a "New York Times"/Siena College poll.

AYLON GIPSON, STUDENT, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: The excitement is not as high as it was last time around.

ZELENY (voice-over): Aylon Gipson and some of his classmates wish they had more inspirational and generational choices.

GIPSON: We have to pick between two different people who are very, very old, and up in age.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would like to see Biden pass the baton.

ZELENY (voice-over): The vice president, whose college tour brought her back on campus this fall, resonates more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she sparks that inner energy. She's like, when she came to Morehouse, it was fun. I feel her passion.

ZELENY (voice-over): But with Biden at the top of the ticket, potentially facing a rematch of the 2024 race, voters say the burden rests on him to deliver on his promises and not take their support for granted.

SINGLETON: Just as we hold Trump accountable, you know, we have to hold Biden accountable.

[04:40:02]

ZELENY: Our conversations with young voters indicated that the economy is one of the central concerns. Of course, student loans and the war between Israel and Hamas as well. But there's no question that enthusiasm is now a central challenge for the Biden campaign. A senior adviser to the president tells me that they will go after young voters where they are and try and make this a contrast election, should that be between Donald Trump or another Republican nominee. But there is no doubt young voters make up a critical piece of the coalition that sent Biden to the White House in 2020. The question is, will they help do it again?

Jeff Zeleny, CNN Atlanta.

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FOSTER: A new U.N. report says the world is wildly off track in its goals at reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change. We'll have details on that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: A new U.N. report says the world is not doing nearly enough or moving quickly enough to keep a life-threatening level of climate change at bay. The report finds that even if countries act quickly or stick quickly -- stick exactly to their climate pledges, in 2030, we'll still see nine percent more planet heating pollution than in 2010. It says the current goals are not nearly enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

And the U.S. has just given its own assessment. A sweeping new report warns that even though the U.S. is slowly decreasing its planet warming pollution, it's not happening quickly enough to meet the country's targets. And it says the effects of climate change are visible in every part of the country. President Biden says it's time to act fast.

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BIDEN: This assessment shows us, in clear scientific terms, that climate change is impacting all regions, all sectors of the United States, not just some, all. It shows that communities across America are taking more action than ever to reduce climate risk. It warns that more action is still badly needed. We can't be complacent. Let me say that again. We can't be complacent. I'm at risk. It warns that more action is still badly needed. We can't be complacent. Let me say that again. We can't be complacent. We have to keep going.

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FOSTER: To the U.K. Supreme Court now, where a decision is being announced on the lawfulness of a plan to deport refugees from Britain to Rwanda. As we've been reporting, this is an issue for the former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman. She strongly advocated for it, raising it in her letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday. The hugely controversial policy has been under legal review for about 18 months now. The first planned deportations, set for last year, were stopped, last minute, with lawyers citing a breach of human right law.

Zanzibar is a popular tourist attraction, famous around the world for its natural beauty and its spices. But now it's a rather different product that's grabbing the attention of local entrepreneurs. CNN's Eleni Giokos has that story.

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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In terms of natural beauty, Zanzibar has a lot going for it. But when it comes to developing businesses, it can be a more challenging environment.

When you take a stroll through the streets, the smell of spices reminds you why these islands first became such an important location for traders. Now there's a new natural, homegrown resource that is attracting the attention of local entrepreneurs. Andrew Anthony and Klaartje Schade are the cofounders of Juani Zanzibar, which they believe is the first and largest producer of seaweed skin care products on the islands.

GIOKOS: Zanzibar is known for incredible spices and its exports. it's known for tourism. Should it also be known for its seaweed? As you say, it's one of the biggest exports out of the country.

ANDREW ANTHONY, COFOUNDER, MWANI ZANZIBAR: Yes, it is the largest export out of the country. However, there is no product or local processing from it. So we're the first company to produce skin care out of it and we produce various different products from it and the impact is with the women.

KLAARTJE SCHADE, COFOUNDER, MWANI ZANZIBAR: Yes, thereby all the values created outside of Zanzibar. And what we wanted to do is change that narrative. We wanted the women to create all the value here and reap the benefits of that.

GIOKOS (voice-over): The factory where the products are created is filled with enticing odors.

GIOKOS: Take me through these little soaps. Because these are darker than the other ones -- yes.

SCHADE: Yes, so these are actually also turmeric soaps and the other ones are mixed with cinnamon, yes. And of course, here we've got a whole range of other types of soaps that are being produced. These are lemongrass with four different types of seaweed in them. So these are very specific and very beautiful soaps.

GIOKOS (voice-over): But it's when you take a walk to the ocean to watch the seaweed being harvested that you really appreciate the beautiful environment behind this business.

GIOKOS: What makes it different?

SCHADE: It's the methodologies, the way that the tide comes out and the way that the women lay out their farms is very specific to here. More and more, it's becoming sort of an iconic image of Zanzibar watching these women out in the ocean farming. It's absolutely beautiful.

[04:50:00]

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FOSTER: We'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Scientists at Stanford University have made a breakthrough in deep sea exploration by developing humanoid robots that can study the depths of our planet's oceans. In a new series called "BOLD PURSUITS," Will Ripley is meeting researchers who are pursuing major innovations in robotics technology.

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OUSSAMA KHATIB, DIRECTOR STANFORD ROBOTICS CENTER, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: I'm Oussama Khatib from Stanford University. Ocean One is one-of-a-kind of course by its ability to physically interact with the world.

RIPLEY (voice-over): With its human-like features, Ocean One has been developed to dive deeper than humans.

KHATIB: Deep ocean is not 100 meters, 200 meters. It's in the thousands. And the first Ocean One that we designed was capable of going to 200 meters and the new one that we call Ocean One K for kilometers is capable of going to 1,000 meters.

RIPLEY (voice-over): It's been designed to carry out research into shipwrecks, inspections of critical infrastructure and spot environmental damage.

KHATIB: A lot of accidents are happening underwater. Having the ability to quickly intervene could save a lot of lives, could also prevent disasters in the environment.

RIPLEY (voice-over): With cutting edge technology, it has cameras for eyes using haptic technology, its operator can touch and feel everything the robot comes into contact with.

KHATIB: The idea is to create not a diver, but really an avatar of a diver where the real diver is able to interact with that avatar through an interface. The hands are going to touch the environment and the haptic device will reflect that to the hands of the operator.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The haptic technology is a major breakthrough.

KHATIB: From any point on the planet, from any continent, we will be able to reach this robot at a distance and operate them at a distance. This can also be something of education, where universities, even high school students, can connect and study and perform operations underwater.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Underwater operations, Oussama hopes, will begin to unlock the unexplored potential of our oceans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And now to development that has implications for everyone from climate scientists to simply people planning their weekends.

[04:55:00]

Well, Google says it created weather forecasting technology using AI that offers a faster and more accurate way to predict the weather. In a study published in the journal "Science," Google's graph cast, the AI model was found to give more accurate day-to-day forecast and better predictions of severe conditions like hurricanes. The model even outdid an industry gold standard simulation system.

Now for stories in the spotlight. For those in the U.S. watching their budgets, it might be time to skip the take away meals and head to the supermarket instead. Because in the 12 months through October, restaurant menu prices were up almost 5 1/2 percent, according to newly released inflation data. While grocery prices only rose about 2 percent.

Now as many sports stars have pregame rituals as well, or superstitions. And then there's this. NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, says he's worn the same pair of red underwear every game day for his entire NFL career. Mahomes entered the league in 2017, and for those of you wondering, he says he only washes them when his team loses. And as many football fans will tell you, the Chiefs have not lost many games with Mahomes on the field.

Now, Andre 3000 is set to release his first solo album on Friday. He's an acclaimed rapper, part of the Grammy winning rap duo Outcast. But his "New Blue Sun" won't have any words at all. It'll be entirely instrumental and centered around woodwind instruments -- would you believe. The album's first track is 12 minutes long and it's called, "I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A "Rap" Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time."

Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London, early start with Kasie is up next.

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