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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Travels to Israel Again; U.S. Senate Struggling on a Deal on Immigration Reform and Ukraine/Israel Aid Deal; Donald Trump Ramps Up Negative Rhetoric During Campaign; Jimmy Lai Goes to Trial in Hong Kong; Afghan Doctors: Rise in Suicides Under Taliban Rule; Pro-Palestinian Group Pickets Outside Restaurant; Growing Push to Make Malibu Highway Safer; Experts: Bias in A.I. Due to Flawed, Racist, Sexist Data. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 18, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to all our viewers joining us here in the United States, around the world and streaming on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is set to arrive in Israel soon as the U.S. presses for a strategy shift from Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAS: They come from prisons, they come from mental institutions and insane asylums.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Donald Trump doubles down on his controversial comments about immigrants, what it could signal for the rest of the 2024 campaign.

And we're live in Hong Kong as one of the city's most prominent pro- democracy activists goes on trial.

Thanks for joining us. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be sitting down with Israeli officials in the hours ahead on his second trip to the country since the October 7th attack by Hamas. Austin's visit comes after a stop in Bahrain and once in Israel, a U.S. official says he will get updates on the war.

But he's also expected to press Israeli officials to define specific operational milestones and work to drill down on efforts to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza. His visit comes as the Israel Defense Forces says it's uncovered the biggest Hamas tunnel in Gaza, wide enough to drive a large vehicle through. That tunnel, which the IDF says was secured a few weeks ago, was made public on Sunday.

One IDF spokesperson described the Hamas tunnel system as a quote, "underground terror city." Elliott Gotkine is following developments and joins me live from London. Good morning to you, Elliot. So, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin will meet with Israeli officials in the coming hours amid increasing pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to define the next phase of this war and to make a deal with Hamas to get more hostages released. How far might Israel go on all of this?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Rosemary, the U.S. is Israel's most important ally, and it knows that certainly as President Biden was noting, as some in the international community are perhaps wavering in terms of its support of Israel's war with Hamas, that Israel needs to make sure that it still has the U.S. on side. So, I think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be very respectful and listen, but probably won't waver from his position, which is that this war will continue until Hamas is destroyed militarily and no longer poses a threat to Israel and, of course, getting all of those hostages back.

But of course, within that scope, there are many details to be discussed. And as you mentioned, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin keen to get more details from Prime Minister Netanyahu, also Israel's defense minister, Yoav Galant, and also members of the war cabinet, such as Benny Gantz, to get a real sense of where Israel is in its operations against Hamas and to define those milestones, those metrics that it needs to meet, when it's going to meet them in order to transition to the next phase of its war against Hamas, perhaps a lower intensity phase.

The other two main issues, I suppose, is the civilian and humanitarian issues and perhaps more broadly speaking, regional security. In terms of civilian issues, again, pushing Israel to allow to ensure that more humanitarian aid gets into the Gaza Strip. It's still running at about half the level that it was before October the 7th, but the humanitarian situation inside the enclave is that much more desperate now.

It will be seen as a step in the right direction that the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza is now allowing aid to go directly into the Gaza Strip, but Israel will be pressed to do more. And on top of that, of course, and we heard those warnings from President Biden about Israel's, in his words, indiscriminate bombing, Israel needs to take much greater care to minimize civilian deaths. Rosemary?

CHURCH: And Elliott, meantime the IDF claims to have found the biggest Hamas tunnel in Gaza and has released video on that. What more can you tell us about that tunnel?

GOTKINE: Rosemary, quite startling images. I mean we've heard all about the Metro as it's called and Israel's tunnel network and you know these kinds of smallish shafts where fighters take shelter or come out to attack Israeli soldiers.

[02:05:01]

But this one is on a different scale. It extends to just 400 meters away from the Erez crossing with Israel.

As you said in your introduction, it's big enough to drive a car through. It was described by some who have been down there as akin to a subway, almost like a pedestrian underpass, and could not have been constructed without heavy mechanical equipment.

It's got ventilation pipes. It's got electricity. It is, you know, there to provide shelter for Hamas's fighters and also, we know the tunnel network is also used to hide some of those hostages that it is still hiding that it abducted on October the 7th. It's not believed to actually have been used for offensive purposes on October the 7th, more for fighters returning from Israel after Hamas' massacre of October the 7th to take shelter in that tunnel.

And they reckon that it extends something several kilometers, something like four kilometers away under Beit Hanoun in Northern Gaza. And according to the IDF, also has shafts going off it into mosques, schools and hospitals and the like as well, Rosemary. Quite a discovery the IDF feels.

CHURCH: Alright. Our thanks to Elliott Gotkine joining us live from London. Appreciate it.

The World Health Organization says Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital is completely overwhelmed and is barely functional. WHO staff are visiting the facility, participating in a joint U.N. mission to deliver medicine, anesthesia materials and surgical supplies. They describe a dire situation, calling the emergency department a quote, "bloodbath."

They say patients with trauma injuries are unable to receive pain management and are being treated on the floor, and new patients are arriving every minute. Here's more now from a WHO official.

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SEAN CASEY, EMERGENCY MEDICAL TEAMS COORDINATOR FOR WHO IN GAZA: This largest referral hospital here in Gaza has become a trauma stabilization point. They can only provide the most basic care for people with very serious injuries and very serious illnesses. There are women delivering in these common spaces that are just absolutely packed to the brim. Most patients are on the floor, a few are in beds and stretchers behind me. The emergency department is just covered in blood and there are very few staff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza grows, CNN has gathered a list of vetted organizations that are on the ground responding. And you can find details on how you can help on our website, cnn.com/impact.

U.S. aid for Israel and Ukraine is on the line as Senators struggle to reach a deal on immigration reform. They are tied together in a package that was introduced in October. But it still stalled in the U.S. Congress. Democrats are hoping to have a vote this week before the holidays, but many Republicans say that's probably not going to happen.

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SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): From our Republican and Democrat negotiators who are really diligent doing a great job and then basically with the White House involved committed to getting this border under control. That's what I'm really very hopeful for and I think we're going to see something next week and we'll stay there until we get it done.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): The bottom line here is we feel like we're being jammed. We're not anywhere close to a deal. It'll go into next year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Republicans are insisting on border policy changes before releasing any more money for Israel or Ukraine. Fifteen Republican senators are demanding a special conference meeting in January to discuss the negotiations.

Donald Trump is vowing a harsh crackdown on illegal immigration if he's re-elected as U.S. president. He made his case to voters in New Hampshire and Nevada over the weekend and he doubled down on his criticism of undocumented immigrants, emphasizing plans for what he called the largest deportation in American history. CNN's Alayna Treene has details.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Former President Donald Trump ramped up his anti-immigration rhetoric during remarks in Nevada on Sunday. He shared stories about violent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants here in the United States and vowed to devote unprecedented resources to the southern border if he were to be reelected in 2024. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Given the unprecedented millions of Biden illegal aliens who are invading our country, it is only common sense that when I'm re- elected, we will begin, and we have no choice, the largest deportation operation in American history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, this is some of the most explicit language yet that we have heard from Donald Trump to preview his potential second term plans on immigration here on the campaign trail.

[02:09:55]

And I can tell you, my colleagues at CNN and I have reported extensively on Donald Trump's potential second term plans on immigration. They include rounding up undocumented immigrants here in the United States and placing them in detention camps while they await to be deported.

And I think it's important to point out the context of these remarks. They came here in Nevada, a state that is a large migrant population. And they also come as Donald Trump has been increasingly ramping up his violent rhetoric when it comes to immigration over the weekend. On Saturday, we heard Donald Trump repeat language that immigrants are quote, "poisoning the blood of our country," rhetoric that is closely associated with white supremacy.

And we did hear the Biden campaign immediately criticize Donald Trump for those remarks. They argued that such language parroted that of Adolf Hitler. The former president also received a lot of criticism over the weekend for praising authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin to argue that President Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. He used that same language again on Sunday, however, did not do so in such an explicit way. Alayna Treene, CNN, Reno, Nevada.

CHURCH: CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, joins me now from Los Angeles. Great to have you with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, the White House is sounding the alarm, calling language used by Donald Trump dangerous and fascist rhetoric. Let's just listen to what he had to say about immigrants on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done. They poisoned mental institutions and prisons all over the world, not just in South America, not just the three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world. They're coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world. They're pouring into our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: So, Ron, he has of course said this before, but he's now ramping up that language while applauding Russia's President Putin and praising the leaders of North Korea and Hungary. Why aren't more Republicans speaking out against his remarks and what might all this signal about Trump's plans for a second term if he should win?

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, really good questions. I mean, first of all, he's not only ramping up the authoritarian and racist language and making it more explicit. There's a policy agenda behind it as well. I mean, he is running on a much more militant agenda than he ran on, certainly as president in 2020, when he focused more on the economy, or even in 2016.

I mean, you know, behind the polls or behind the language like that about poisoning the blood of our country or vermin are a variety of ideas to weaponize control of the federal government, undermine the civil service protections, deploy federal force into blue cities and states, mass deportation, internment camps, the use of the Insurrection Act potentially to use the military to put down protests.

So, all of this is much more explicit and confrontational than even what we have seen from Trump in the past. And the answer on Republicans is that, you know, he learned a long time ago, there is no line he can cross that would compel a meaningful number of them to oppose him.

CHURCH: And meantime, as Trump forges ahead in the GOP presidential race, latest polls from New Hampshire show the gap between the former president and his rival Nikki Haley is closing for that particular primary vote. She's now in second place, but Haley's still very cautious about criticizing Trump, isn't she? What's going on here? And does she have any real chance of beating him in New Hampshire or anywhere else should, say, Chris Christie drops out?

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. Well, first of all, you know clearly, I think Haley is in a better position than Ron DeSantis to emerge as the last standing alternative to Trump. Haley does have I think a pathway to a stronger showing in New Hampshire where she's putting most of her chips than DeSantis does in Iowa where he has invested and, of course, he is dealing with utter chaos in this campaign with their basically implosion of the Super PAC designed to support him.

Haley does have an opportunity in New Hampshire, but the coalition that is allowing her to be competitive there isn't broad enough to win, you know, the nomination overall. She can run well in New Hampshire by consolidating independent voters who can participate in New Hampshire, moderates, college-educated voters. But to beat Trump, she's going to have to cut into his constituency.

CHURCH: And Ron, I do want to turn to another critical issue, President Biden's battle to get more military aid for Ukraine by striking a compromise deal with Republicans on border security. Where do those talks stand right now? And what would a compromise deal look like if both sides are able to get there?

[02:14:59]

BROWNSTEIN: You remember during the Obama presidency that Barak -- that Rahm Emanuel, who was then the chief of staff in the White House, famously said, you know, you should never let a good crisis go to waste. And I think what we are watching is Biden using the need, the genuine need to pass aid to Ukraine and Israel to try to execute a repositioning of himself on border issues, where he gets some of his lowest marks from the public, and which have become a genuine source of stress within the Democratic coalition as the Republican effort to ship undocumented migrants to blue cities has largely worked at dividing Democrats.

So, Biden is a very motivated dealmaker at this point. And I think the question is whether congressional Republicans can take yes for an answer. By any historical measure, in any earlier era, I think it's pretty clear that Biden is willing to give them what would be considered a significantly policy victory in terms of changing the asylum process in ways that makes it tougher for those seeking asylum to stay in the U.S. or to have their claims approved.

But he's not in all likelihood going to be able to give them everything they want and I suspect that among senate Republicans, there's enough desire to find in fact aid to Ukraine and Israel that they would be willing to make a reasonable deal. I'm not sure that's the case in the House. I mean the House Republicans may simply not want to make any deal because it's kind of (inaudible). They leave Biden exposed on the border and it denies the aid to Ukraine that many of them have grown skeptical of and they know that Donald Trump will be out there to condemn any possible deal as a capitulation.

CHURCH: All right, Ron Brownstein, appreciate your analysis on all things political. Thanks for being with us.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: And still to come, after years in government custody, Hong Kong pro-democracy supporter Jimmy Lai gets his day in court. We are live outside the courthouse with more on the landmark trial.

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[02:20:00]

CHURCH: A trial is now underway in Hong Kong to decide the fate of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a supporter of the city's pro-democracy movement and founder of the now-shuttered "Apple Daily" newspaper. Lai's anti-Beijing newspaper was forced to shut down in 2021 following his detention in 2020. He's being tried under Hong Kong's sweeping national security law, facing multiple charges of colluding with foreign forces and a separate charge of sedition. The maximum penalty is life in prison.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is following the story from outside the court in Hong Kong. She joins us now. Good to see you, Kristie. So, this high-profile trial is putting a spotlight on China's clampdown on Hong Kong. So, what more can you tell us about this case?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, here in Hong Kong I'm standing outside the West Kowloon Magistrates Court on the very first day of the national security trial of the media mogul and high-profile China critic Jimmy Lai. Outside the courtroom, security has been tightened, authorities have warned against any disruption.

Inside the courtroom, we have seen Jimmy Lai appear dressed in a gray suit. He appears calm. He is surrounded by at least four corrections officers who are guarding him. And he was also seen in court waving to and smiling to supporters who are also in the room. A number of people here in Hong Kong and Asia and all around the world are watching this trial very closely because it is seen as a test, a test of Hong Kong's freedoms that may remain after the imposition of the national security law by Beijing on the territory in 2020. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT (voice-over): Considered by many as a father figure to Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, Jimmy Lai always knew his actions might attract the ire of authorities, but he didn't let it faze him.

JIMMY LAI, FORMER CHAIRMAN & FOUNDER, NEXT DIGITAL: I think it's a good idea anytime, any situation that you are in to fight for your freedom, because without freedom, you have nothing left. LU STOUT (voice-over): In a recent media briefing, China's Ministry

of Foreign Affairs not holding back in their criticism of Lai, calling him quote, "one of the most notorious anti-China elements bent on destabilizing Hong Kong." After numerous delays, the former media mogul returning to court to finally face trial under Hong Kong's sweeping national security law.

Since that legislation was imposed by Beijing in response to massive social unrest and anti-government protests, authorities have cracked down on dissent. Today, most of Hong Kong's political opposition are either in prison, like Lai, or have fled the territory.

As the founder of the "Apple Daily," once Hong Kong's largest pro- democracy newspaper, which regularly challenged the government, Lai is the most high-profile critic of Beijing charged under the national security law. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on multiple counts of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security as well as a single charge of sedition under a law that dates back to Hong Kong's colonial past.

Seventy-six-year-old Lai has been in custody for the last three years and his son is concerned that incarceration is taking its toll.

SEBASTIEN LAI, JIMMY LAI'S SON: I think psychologically he's very strong but there always is that element. There's nobody escapes the gravity of age. And at his age, he is at a tremendous amount of risk being in maximum security.

LU STOUT (voice-over): For its part, the Hong Kong government says that all cases concerning offenses that endanger national security, including lies, are handled in a fair and timely manner. In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson said, quote, "Without commenting on individual cases, the Hong Kong SAR law enforcement agencies have been taking law enforcement actions based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law in respect of the acts of the persons or entities concerned."

[02:25:04]

Lai was a fixture at the student-led pro-democracy and anti-government demonstrations that brought central Hong Kong to a standstill in 2014. When millions of people took to the streets in 2019, Lai was there once again. Just months later, Lai was marched out of his own newsroom when more than 200 police officers raided the "Apple Daily's" headquarters.

A year on, Lai's printing presses fell silent as the paper shuttered, a blow to media freedom in Hong Kong. Lai's legal challenges have mounted ever since, his lengthy rap sheet worn as a badge of honor after a lifetime of demanding democratic reform.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(On Camera): And Rosemary, the governments of the United States, the U.K., as well as the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, have criticized the trial. They're calling for Jimmy Lai's immediate release. And a statement that was released by the Asia coordinator of CPJ called the trial, quote, "a dark stain on Hong Kong's rule of law and doing a disservice to the government's efforts to restore investor confidence."

The Hong Kong government has repeatedly said that freedom of speech and press freedom are enshrined in the basic law here in Hong Kong. It's the mini constitution of the territory and are not at risk. Back to you.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong for that live report. And still to come, the heartbreaking story of an Afghan girl whose life now hangs in the balance after the Taliban's crackdown on women's rights robbed her of her dreams and drove her to attempt suicide.

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[02:30:48]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A troubling story out of Afghanistan, where young girls, once full of dreams and ambitions, are struggling to find the will to live after the Taliban's draconian crackdown on women's rights and access to education.

CNN's Anna Coren brings us the story of one of those girls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a small, dimly lit room in the outer suburbs of Karachi, Pakistan, a 15-year-old girl will call Azer (ph) lays on a cot. With eyes closed, she slowly inhales. Her skeletal frame rises slightly, an action causing pain and an enormous amount of effort.

Don't worry, you'll be fine, says her brother, kissing her hand, we are with you always.

Her older siblings, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, smuggled her in from neighboring Afghanistan five months ago following a series of events that would irrevocably change the course of their lives.

We don't try to force her to remember what happened, he says, but once I asked her and she replied, crying, that she was tired and had given up all hope.

But Azer didn't always feel this way. Seen here in pink dancing on cell phone footage, the teenager was happy, studious, and had big dreams to one day become a doctor. But that all changed in August 2021 when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal following its 20-year war.

And one of the first edicts the Taliban enforced was a ban on female secondary education. She would say, I hope we move from this place, explains her sister, I don't want to be here, there is no education. Over the following months, her mood darkened, but nothing that alarmed her family, until one day in July this year.

She came into the room, and I saw her eyes were abnormal, she says. I asked her what had happened, and she said she'd drunk acid. I didn't believe her, so I put my fingers in her mouth, and she vomited up blood.

Azer's sister said she had drunk battery acid in their home in an attempted suicide, a trend that is spiking amongst teenage girls across Afghanistan, according to health professionals and human rights groups.

An Afghan doctor who spoke to us anonymously, fearing retribution from the Taliban, tells CNN he's seen a 50 percent rise in the number of mental health cases among girls at his clinic who have considered suicide in the past two years. Of these cases, at least 10 percent have taken their own lives, drinking chemicals, overdosing on pain medication, even consuming rat poison. He believes this is the direct result of the education ban and other draconian restrictions that are being placed on girls.

AFGHAN DOCTOR (through translator): I try to give them hope that education will start again, but I don't see any good future for anyone in this country. Everything is in a very dark situation.

COREN: From her home in a remote Afghan province, Azer was rushed to a clinic, but doctors said there was nothing they could do. So, in a desperate attempt to save her life, her family decided to smuggle her into Pakistan. Azer has since had three operations at a private hospital in Karachi. As doctors try to repair her severely damaged esophagus and stomach, but so far, it's not working.

Weighing a mere 25 kilograms, or 55 pounds, Azer is slowly wasting away. She's fed a nutritional drink and separately juiced four times a day via a tube in her stomach, but she's not gaining weight, which may jeopardize her next operation scheduled in a matter of weeks.

Adding to the family's worries the Pakistan's recent decision to expel Afghans living illegally in their country.

[02:35:02]

Her siblings fear if they're forced to return to Afghanistan, Azer will die. I don't cry in front of her, but when I kiss her at night while she's sleeping, I will cry, he says. I'm so worried for her future, her treatment, and if she will be able to survive.

A daily anguish for these siblings doing everything they can with what little means they have to keep their sister alive.

Anna Coren, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

North Korea has launched a long-range ballistic missile. The South Korean military says it was fired Monday from the Pyongyang area with a flight range of about 1,000 kilometers. Japan's Coast Guard believes the missile fell into the waters west of Okushiri Island in the Hokkaido region. Just a day earlier, North Korea fired a short range ballistic missile that flew about 570 kilometers before falling into the water. Pyongyang says the launch was partly in response to a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arriving in South Korea.

Well, voters in Chile have rejected a new draft constitution to replace the existing one, a holdover from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Electoral officials say with nearly 100 percent of the votes counted, more than 55 percent oppose the change. Around 44 percent voted in favor. Chile had already rejected a proposed constitution last year written by a left-leaning convention. The new proposal was even more conservative than the existing constitution. Chile's president says there will be no third vote.

[02:40:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GABRIEL BORIC, CHILEAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our country will keep its current constitution, because after two referendums on two constitution drafts, none of them was able to represent nor unite Chile's beautiful diversity. The country was polarized. It was divided. On the sidelines of this clear result, the constitutional process did not channel the hopes of having a new Constitution that was written for everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Critics say the latest proposal would have limited women's reproductive rights and enabled the expulsion of many immigrants.

The official results are yet to come in but Serbia's president is claiming a party victory in the snap parliamentary election. President Alexander Vucic declared victory for the Serbian progressive party in Sunday's election. Polls looked like they were in favor of the president's party, though he was not on the ballot himself. It will allow the party to expand their reach in parliament after failing to take a majority in 2022.

The vote comes after a difficult year in Serbia with back-to-back mass shootings spawning anti-government protests. Parliament must meet within two weeks of the official results being announced with just 60 days to form a new government.

I want to thank you for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next. And for our viewers in the United States and Canada, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.

Do stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:39]

CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers in North America. I'm Rosemary Church.

Police have arrested a man in Washington after he allegedly sprayed an unknown substance at two people while shouting an antisemitic phrase. The 33-year-old suspect appears to have been arrested near the Kesher Israel congregation synagogue. Washington police have confirmed to CNN that multiple synagogues in the city have received threatening emails, but there's currently no credible threat.

Well, meantime, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside a restaurant in Detroit chanting slogans directed at the restaurant group's Jewish CEO.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, all indication is this was an incident-free demonstration, albeit one that gained extra attention. Detroit police saying that anywhere from 100 to 150 demonstrators, some with Palestinian flags, gathered outside of a downtown Detroit restaurant. Their chants specifically directed at the head of the restaurant group that owns and operates that establishment.

His name is Jeremy Sasson. He's previously and publicly expressed support for Israel. Some of the chants in question here include, "Jeremy, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide," as well as, "Jeremy what do you say, how many kids did you kill today?" end of quote.

An online flyer for the rally calling on a boycott for other of Sasson's restaurants. In 2021, Sasson told "The Detroit Free Press" that he has been not only previously targeted with antisemitism but by many negative reviews of his establishment, given his support for Israel. CNN did reach out to Heirloom Hospitality, the restaurant group involved here. A representative for the company declined to comment, adding it did not want to increase already heightened tensions. That's really the overarching theme here in terms what was we've seen in the U.S., given the conflict in the Middle East.

Recently, just a few weeks, it was a Philadelphia restaurant that what we saw similar scenes play out. In fact, an identical chant there. The governor of Pennsylvania, as well as the White House, condemning that demonstration, calling it antisemitism. And then over the weekend, a Cleveland Palestinian teahouse told CNN affiliate WOIO that it, too, has been targeted by hate, including anti-Palestinian banners.

That really speaks to the greater issue here, the anger, the frustration that the conflict in the Middle East has unleashed in the United States.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Right now, more than 58 million Americans are under flood watches from North Carolina to Maine. A storm system out of the Gulf brought heavy rain and severe weather to Florida on Sunday. That system is now sprinting along the eastern seaboard dumping lots of rain in the Carolinas, mid-Atlantic, and the Northeast. There's a slight risk of excessive rainfall up and down the East Coast before daybreak eastern time. New England will get the heaviest rains and strongest winds on Monday.

California's iconic Pacific Coast Highway is often regarded as one of the most scenic roads in the world, but it's also proven to be quite dangerous and deadly in recent years, prompting a push to make the highway safer.

CNN's Camila Bernal reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Malibu, California -- the beauty, the beaches, the celebrities.

BRIDGET THOMPSON, PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY STUDENT: It looks beautiful, but it doesn't sound beautiful.

BERNAL: For Bridget Thompson (ph), the beauty of Malibu was taken by this.

REPORTER: Four young women, students, were killed in a violent crash Tuesday night.

BERNAL: Prosecutors say a driver going more than 100 miles an hour on this Malibu highway slammed into parked cars, before hitting and killing four Pepperdine University students.

THOMPSON: It feels like four huge holes in my heart.

Deslyn was my first friend at Pepperdine, lit up every room she walked into. Niamh was my roommate, and we grew super, super close. She was kind of like my other half. Asha was so wise, so wise behind her years. Peyton was the most selfless person I've ever met, so generous.

At least 58 people have died on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu since 2010.

[02:50:03]

Bridget says she could be dead, too. She was supposed to be with her friends that night, but had a late cheer practice. She's now among those demanding safety changes to the PCH.

THOMPSON: If change isn't made, personally, I will feel unheard, and I will feel like they are unseen, undervalued.

MICHEL SHANE, FILM PRODUCER: My heart was breaking for those families.

BERNAL: Film producer Michel Shane knows what the Pepperdine families are going through. He lost his own daughter, Emily, on the PCH in 2010. A claustrophobic tourist Mecca of million dollar homes, beaches, and fast cars.

SHANE: You are six, eight inches away from a two-lane freeway going north or south. And that is scary.

BERNAL: Emily Shane died at the intersection, now named in her honor. Her father was minutes away from picking her up.

SHANE: Probably about 10 or 15 minutes later that came out and told me that she had died.

BERNAL: Sobbing, Michel called his wife Ellen.

SHANE: And Ellen thought I was having -- because she knew what was going on, figured that I had handed her the phone, because I was crying. And I said, no, Ellen, it's me. And then I had to tell her what happened.

BERNAL: Shane made a documentary pushing for change to the dangerous 21-mile section of PCH in Malibu.

SHANE: Fifty-eight people in 13 years. It's unbelievable, and the fact that we're complacent about it is outrageous.

BERNAL: Synchronized stoplights and added patrols are among official's latest steps, but some want speed cameras, and the highway train turned into a slow boulevard. CalTrans told CNN that its top priority is safety, and that changes being studied include bike lanes and whether it can legally lower speed limits.

Bridget Thompson just wants to spare someone else the pain she'll live with forever.

THOMPSON: I just really don't want them to die in vain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): And the driver of the car that hit those girls is a 22-year-old man from Malibu. He's now charged with four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter. He's pleaded not guilty.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

CHURCH: Police departments across the U.S. are using A.I. facial recognition software to identify crime suspects. In some states, the technology can compare faces on surveillance footage by tapping into millions of driver's license photos.

CNN's Isabel Rosales spoke to experts about this, and they warn A.I. makes more mistakes with people of color and those mistakes lead to real-life consequences. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It started with a loud knock on the door of a Detroit house.

PORTIA WOODRUFF, HOMEOWNER: I'm like, whoa, wait a minute, that's loud.

ROSALES: Portia Woodruff (ph), the homeowner. Portia spent 11 hours in jail for a crime she didn't do. It ended with a $25 million lawsuit.

WOODRUFF: It was police officers at the door.

ROSALES: They told her she was under arrest for carjacking and robbery.

WOODRUFF: Who am I going to car jack? I'm pregnant.

ROSALES: They frisked and handcuffed her as her children watched.

WOODRUFF: That was an experience that they should have never went through.

ROSALES: She later found out A.I. played a role in her arrest. According to the lawsuit, facial recognition software mistakenly matched her mugshot from an arrest years ago to this video of a suspect.

Defending the technology, the Detroit police chief blames his officers for the error.

JAMES WHITE, DETROIT POLICE CHIEF: The investigator did shoddy investigative work.

ROSALES: A.I. is the life work of Georgia tech professor and researcher Matthew Gombolay.

MATTHEW GOMBOLAY, GEORGIA TECH PROFESSOR: It's not ready for deployment. It's not a product yet.

ROSALES: So, do you think it should be used by police departments?

GOMBOLAY: Certainly not.

ROSALES: A report by Georgetown Law estimates as of 2016, 1 in 2 American adult is in a law enforcement face recognition network. It can happen without your consent or knowledge.

GOMBOLAY: This technology is not accurate for the way it's being used. When you ask a question like, is this person's face matched up with a fugitive? You can have a 99.7 accuracy rate --

ROSALES: That sounds really good.

GOMBOLAY: Sounds good but what if you ask that same question 300 million times? You deploy these things as scale at a population level, you're going to get a tremendous number of false positives.

ROSALES: Depending on your race, that accuracy drops even more.

A 2019 U.S. government study of 200 facial recognition algorithms found some of them, up to 100 times more likely to misidentify people of color compared to white people.

Calvin Lawrence has specialized in A.I.s since the '90s. He's helped build some of the very technologies police departments use today.

The technology is not fair to everyone?

CALVIN LAWRENCE, DEVELOPED FACIAL RECOGNIATION TECHNOLOGY: Absolutely. Yeah, I stand by that.

ROSALES: At what moment did that click for you?

LAWRENCE: To be quite transparent, most recently.

[02:55:03]

I think -- I wrote the book basically out of guilt.

ROSALES: That guilt and that book came after the police killing of George Floyd. It explores how A.I. can deepen systemic racism. Where in this process does it go wrong?

LAWRENCE: It goes wrong at the data layer.

ROSALES: That data biased because Black people are heavily overrepresented in mugshot databases, which according to Lawrence means the software is more likely to identify as a person as a suspect if that person is Black.

And the mostly white developers tend to use white faces when training the algorithms, so the technology becomes highly skilled at matching white faces but gets it wrong significantly more often with Black faces.

In building the algorithm, you can teach the A.I. to be racist?

GOMBOLAY: Yes. You can absolutely teach the algorithms to be racist. The algorithm doesn't care. The algorithm just wants to do a good job at the task you've given it. In this case --

ROSALES: You're telling it that if you're Black, you're more likely to have committed the crime?

GOMBOLAY: Yes. That's the data that you fed in.

ROSALES: And a price of getting it wrong is costly.

WOODRUFF: It's destroying lives. It could have possibly completely destroyed mine.

ROSALES: Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art says it will return more than a dozen ancient artworks to Cambodia and Thailand. One of the artifacts is a 10th century sandstone statue of a goddess from Cambodia. Another is a statue of a Buddha's head from the 7th century that will be returned to Thailand. The works were linked to a British art dealer accused of trafficking artifacts looted from South Asia.

Thank you for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Do stay with us.