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DOJ to File Antitrust Suit Against Live Nation; Biden Hosts Kenyan President at White House for State Visit; Soon, Head of Turks and Caicos Speaks About Americans Arrested. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired May 23, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. You are live in the CNN newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. There is a lot going on this morning.

Right now, up on Capitol Hill, university presidents are getting grilled by lawmakers in the wake of those pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.

In the Turks and Caicos, the head of the government there is addressing the arrest of five Americans for allegedly bringing live ammunition onto the islands, more on that in a moment.

And we're watching the arrival right now. We're going to show you live at the White House, watching the arrival of the Kenyan president and first lady at the White House. It's the first official state visit for an African leader to the United States to the White House since 2008. And we'll have more on those pictures in just a moment.

But first, we begin with the trouble on tap for Ticketmaster. The Justice Department is expected to announce a major lawsuit at any moment against Ticketmaster's owner Live Nation, accusing the concert giant of operating a monopoly. The government alleges Live Nation have used its industry dominance for years to stifle competition and rip off fans.

That issue was on full display in 2022 when Ticketmaster glitches, blocked millions from purchasing tickets, you remember this, to Taylor Swift's Eras tour. As Swift might say, karma is a congressional hearing. That fiasco led lawmakers to grill company executives up on Capitol Hill last year.

And CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz joins me now. And, Katelyn, that's further evidence that I don't write all the scripts when they work in the Taylor Swift pun there. But this is a big deal and it affects millions of Americans who are just really frustrated with buying concert tickets these days and other live events,

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, the dominant provider of tickets for concerts across the United States, Live Nation and their subsidiary, Ticketmaster, they are not out of the woods, Jim. In this situation, they are expecting. There is a very large expectation of the Justice Department and several states are going to be filing a lawsuit against them, essentially accusing the company having a monopoly, monopolizing the sales of tickets to consumers, having a situation where consumers are paying too much, paying in service fees and also that musicians and venues end up in this endless cycle, locked in to using Ticketmaster as their ticket provider.

Now, there was quite a lot of blowback both political and in the public sphere after there were glitches when the Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets went on sale last year for that tour. That was quite a significant situation, but we have been looking, expecting a lawsuit like this for some time by the Justice Department.

Now, we have also, Jim, heard from Live Nation leadership in the past about how they have defended their pricing models, how they operate and sell tickets that they do it in all-in, and that they are often allowing prices to be set by artists and the teams around them and that they are very proud that they've been able to cut out scalpers from the process, but that ticket sales and the way that the resale business for Ticketmaster also works, all of that, Jim, it could be leading in the process. It could be leading in the process. It's a very important component in this lawsuit to quite a bit for this company of trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble.

ACOSTA: Yes, a lot of trouble, very good. All right, Katelyn Polantz, thank you very much over at the Justice Department. We're all about the Taylor Swift puns here, Katelyn. Thanks so much.

Coming up in about 30 minutes, Senator Amy Klobuchar has been leading the charge against Live Nation up on Capitol Hill. She will join me to talk about that in just a short while from now. So, stay tuned for that.

Now, to the White House, as we were just showing you just a few moments ago, President Joe Biden and the FIRST LADY, Jill Biden, are welcoming the Kenyan President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto. Their official state visit marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Kenya. You can see the pomp and circumstance on the South Lawn of the White House as we speak, as they're striking up the band there.

And with me now to talk about this, Amanka Anku, she is the Africa practice head for the Eurasia Group, and CNN White House Correspondent Priscilla Alvarez from the South Lawn of the White House for us.

Priscilla, I hope you can hear me tossing to you over all that racket there in the background. But what are we expecting from today's visit?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, and, Jim, notably, this is the first official state visit of an African leader since 2008. Now, looming over the pomp and circumstance around me is China's influence in Africa. This factor in scheduling this visit has been China's influence in the region as the U.S. and China jockey for economic and geopolitical influence. [10:05:07]

Now, they are going to discuss a range of issues in their meetings today. That includes elevating Kenya from a regional to a global partner, as well as private sector investments and the importance of democracy.

And they're also going to announce a spate of commitments to that end, including unveiling a document known as the Nairobi Washington visit, which caught vision, I should say, which calls on creditors to help and alleviate the financial burden of African countries, but also designating Kenya as a major non-NATO ally.

So, clearly, the two countries trying to strengthen their alliance here today, and, of course, Jim, in 2022, President Biden said that he was, quote, all in on Africa, but he hasn't been able to visit like he committed to do as he has also had to grapple with multiple foreign conflicts. So, today, the two will continue their discussions during this three-day visit, including a state dinner this evening. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right, very good, Priscilla. Good timing there as the music fired up again there over at the White House.

And, Amaka, you're with me here in the studio. I did want to ask you about this. This is the first state visit, as we were saying, by an African leader since 2008. The other thing that is going on with Kenya, obviously, a very important U.S. partner, I was there with Barack Obama when he visited the country when he was in office, but Kenya is devoting peacekeepers to the situation in Haiti right now. So they're an important partner.

AMAKA ANKU, PRACTICE HEAD, AFRICA AND THE EURASIA GROUP: So, I think, okay, important to lay the context here for this, right? 49 countries, if you take out North Africa. That could be a big chunk of U.N. votes. And I think the U.S. was surprised when the Russia-Ukraine conflict started, there weren't that many -- there was some sort of countries that didn't explicitly align with the U.S. And I think that has set off a concerted effort to show the region that the U.S. really cares. And, of course, you know, China is lurking in the background. So that's the context for this.

Now, why Kenya? The bigger countries, economies in the region, South Africa and Nigeria, are a little bit more problem children right now, right? So, South Africa has been very clear about disagreeing with the U.S. on Ukraine, on Israel, and on Iran. Nigeria had an election where the president won with just 37 percent of the votes. Lots of Nigerians will be kind of screaming at the U.S. on social media. So, Kenya is a safe choice.

ACOSTA: Yes. And we're watching some of the pomp and circumstance, as Priscilla was calling it a few moments ago. They're on the South Lawn. These visits are always so remarkable to watch with the choreography and the music. I mean, when I was there at the White House, whenever they did this, it was just a sight to behold.

But just to underline what you were saying there a few moments ago, Amaka, Africa is a pretty critical battleground right now. Russia, China, both trying to bolster their influence in that part of the world. And the U.S. has been criticized for not doing enough, not meeting that challenge.

ANKU: Yes. And like I said, that's a part of the context for this, right? A part of what a lot of African partners have been saying is that the U.S. hasn't put economic transformation front and center in its relationship. It's been a lot more value promotion, and that's where China was starting to gain an upper hand because it was funding more infrastructure projects, and people saw it more as an economic partner.

And this is an attempt to say, look, you know, you'll see a lot of what Ruto is doing on this trip has been, you know, he went to visit Coca-Cola office. There's been announcements of a 1 billion investment from Microsoft and UAE. So, there's, there's a lot of focus on economic cooperation.

ACOSTA: Right.

ANKU: We can talk about them, Haiti as well.

ACOSTA: Yes, no, that's very important. Yes.

Priscilla Alvarez. I mean, that was -- you know, we're all old enough to remember when Haiti flared up in recent months, and it was a prickly problem for the president, for this administration. And if they're enlisting the help of Kenya, other African countries, other partners around the world in trying to stabilize that very troubled nation right now, that obviously is going to be a huge help to the president during a re-election campaign. What more can you tell us about what you're observing on your end?

ALVAREZ: That's exactly right. And, in fact, the president just came out behind me. Now, to your point, they have looked to Kenya to help stabilize the situation in Haiti, which has been spiraling, especially as they try to avoid putting U.S. troops on the ground there.

And to your point about reelection, when you think about Haiti and potential migration to the United States, which they have had to grapple with before, it could feed into those concerns about immigration and that political vulnerability. But all the same, that is just one, again, of many issues, that you also have to think about Israel in this context, as the U.S. has become sort of isolated from the world on this issue in its support of Israel, including among some African nations.

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And so it's also trying to continue that relationship with Kenya and solidify that cooperation in the region. So, of course, all of this is going to be discussed. You can see images there of the president greeting the Kenyan president as well as the first lady, and the two of them setting up for a photo there. So, we'll hear about more of this over the course of the day. And, again, this is a three day visit, so multiple opportunities for the two to discuss these issues.

ACOSTA: Yes. We see the president there and the first lady with Mr. and Mrs. Ruto, the president of Kenya, also greeting Vice President Kamala Harris, the second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, secretary of state, secretary of defense. I mean, this is rolling out the red carpet figuratively and literally, the Biden administration doing this for this very key African partner.

Amaka Anku and Priscilla Alvarez, thanks to both of you very much, very important discussion. I really appreciate it.

All right, still to come, we'll speak with a congressman who just came back from the Turks and Caicos as five Americans remain detained there. His warning about those Americans and their fate, that's coming up in just a few moments.

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[10:15:00]

ACOSTA: Right now up on Capitol Hill, the heads of several major universities are facing tough questions over anti-Semitism on college campuses and who should be held accountable. Presidents from UCLA, Rutgers and Northwestern are testifying before the House Education and the Workforce Committee following protests and rampant reports of discrimination.

This is the same committee that blasted university leaders from Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT for failing to condemn anti-Semitism as well as harassment and bullying on their campuses. Penn President Liz Magill, you'll recall, stepped down just days after that hearing. We'll continue to monitor the hearing and bring you any headlines as they happen.

Also happening this morning, the leader of the Turks and Caicos is speaking out as five Americans face stiff prison sentences for allegedly bringing ammunition onto the islands. In case you were not aware of this, bringing ammo to the Turks and Caicos is strictly forbidden and tourists who violate the law could face up to 12 years in prison. And several Americans have been caught up in this.

Let's discuss now with Republican Congressman Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma. He's part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers who recently traveled to the Turks and Caicos to push for the release of those Americans. Congressman, thank you very much for being with us.

Very important story, what's your reaction to what the Turks and Caicos leadership is saying right now? What do you want to see done?

REP. JOSH BRECHEEN (R-OK): Well, I want to see justice, Jim. And that's what every American needs to be paying attention to, justice. Does the punishment match the infraction? And they passed a law where it's a no tolerance policy. And when you use the word, ammunition, I see on the visual Ryan Watson from Oklahoma, my home state, Senator Mullin's, home state. When Senator Mullin began to dig into this and begin to reach out to the State Department and try to intercede, I called him and thanked him for doing that. And then he said, you know, would you be interested in a trip potentially? I said, absolutely. Justice for these families has to occur.

And I'll take Sharitta Grier for a moment, African-American grandmother from Florida, a surprise Mother's Day gift from her from her daughter. So, she has five grandkids. She's never even fired a firearm. She packs this bag that I guess held the firearm and some bullets. And she runs for a quick trip with to celebrate Mother's Day.

I mean, this woman is almost in tears. ABC's reporting on the conditions that she's, you know, dealt with. And it's astounding. She's never even fired a firearm, didn't know the bullets were in there. And when we use the word, ammunition, let's make sure we're clear. These are a few shells. In one case, it's two bullets, facing a 12-year minimum sentence, incarceration. By the way, their prison system is sanctioned by the United Nations. That's of note for humanitarian conditions.

ACOSTA: And so what are the leaders in the Turks and Caicos say when you bring all of this up? And I guess the other question that stands out is, why didn't the TSA detect some of these bags that had the guns and ammo in them? What happened there?

BRECHEEN: Well, in regards to what Turks and Caicos is saying, they've got a 12-year minimum sentence. They say that there's prosecutorial discretion, but as we're setting in front of the governor, setting in front of the premier, be like the speaker of the House in the United States and also the attorney general, I asked the attorney general and the chief investigator, the chief of police, if you have prosecutorial discretion, what are we missing here? There's no criminal history on these people. There's no intent. In the case of Tyler from Virginia, he had bullets, bullets, a couple of bullets that fell through the seam in the lining of his bag.

Unless you have an X-ray machine, you're not going to know this. And so Tyler is facing 12 years incarceration. They're saying, well, you know, we've got prosecutorial discretion. And I'm asking, well, why did he even get charged? Why has he been detained for months on end? And why did you even move forward with this if you have prosecutorial discretion? And then their second follow-up is, well, give us the opportunity for special circumstances for a judge to, to bring forth justice. The problem with that, Jim, is we have a U.S. citizen just a few months ago for the same type of infraction who spent five months in that prison that's been sanctioned by the U.N.

And so our, our contention is, and I said this to them, my goal was to step on their toes without messing up their shine, understanding they have a sovereign entity as a province to the U.K. And we were speaking the truth and doing it diplomatically. But I reminded them 65 percent of their GDP is dependent upon tourism, of which 80 percent is from the United States, 75 percent of the investment of the hotels and villas is from the United States.

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And I said to them, 15 years ago, my wife and I celebrated our honeymoon two weeks here in your country. But if I was to tell my wife, based upon the story I heard from Tyler, a couple of bullets slipping through a seam that he never would have known about, that we would come back over here for an anniversary, I said, my message to my wife is I don't know that we could pass that test. Unless -- it's just amazing.

ACOSTA: Yes, and it's certainly not good publicity for Turks and Caicos' tourism, I mean, what's been happening right now. But, Congressman, please keep us posted on how this develops and what happens with these Americans. Hopefully, they can get home. It's very --

BRECHEEN: Jim, you know, it's going to be a telling thing what happens with sentencing coming up for the gentleman from Pennsylvania. John Fetterman was on the trip. But let me just say this. If justice doesn't occur, then the Americans have to also respond. And we've said that diplomatically to Turks and Caicos. Every tool in our economic toolbox ought to be on the table here to make sure justice occurs.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman, thanks very much for your time. We appreciate it.

BRECHEEN: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, we're following breaking news out of the Supreme Court right now. An opinion just came down involving the South Carolina congressional map.

CNN's Jessica Schneider joins me now. Jessica this is a very important story. What can you tell us?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim. So, that congressional map that's been disputed for several years in South Carolina, it will remain in place. It was upheld by the Supreme Court. This was a 6-3 decision written by Justice Samuel Alito.

And, basically, this was a case where the lines had to be redrawn in South Carolina. This involves districts one and six of the congressional districts down in South Carolina. It's a coastal region near Charleston. And there was a dispute that a race had factored too much into the mapmaking process.

When this went to trial, it was said that no race didn't factor in, they were mostly looking at politics, Republican verse Democrat. And today the Supreme Court says that that reasoning stands, that there's no reason to believe that race was the factor for redrawing these lines.

Now, interestingly, this ruling centers on the congressional seat held by Republican Nancy Mace. So, this really, at least for right now, dashes the hopes of Democrats to pick up potentially another seat in South Carolina. I will note that even though the Supreme Court is upholding this map and it will be in effect for the 2024 election, they are allowing the legal challenges to continue on this, not on the race part of it, but another claim that these black voters had made.

So, there's still the potential that this congressional map could get blown up. But for now, this congressional map that was disputed as disadvantaging black voters, Jim, it will stay in place for the 2024 election, potentially beyond in a 6-3 decision from the Supreme Court. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right, fascinating development. Obviously, there will be a lot of these battles around the country as the balance of power in Washington up on Capitol Hill is going to hinge perhaps on some of these kinds of cases.

All right, Jessica Schneider, thank you very much. We'll be right back.

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ACOSTA: -- at the state visit for the president of Kenya, President Ruto, let's listen in.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Ladies and gentlemen, that new democracy, that new democracy is endearing and enduring. It was a moment that forever connected our two nations. For a while, we may have been divided by distance, we were united by the same democratic values.

I saw this during my first trip to Kenya as a young Senator at the height of the Cold War and watched our governments stand as one and prevail against communism. I saw it when I returned years later as vice president and spoke to students committed to upholding the principles of transparency, justice and accountability that lie at the heart of our democracies. And I see it every day as president, as our two proud democracies continue to draw from the power of the people and the strength of our diversity to write the next chapter in our partnership.

[10:25:00]

Together, the United States and Kenya are working to deliver on the challenges that matter most to people's lives, health security, economic security, cyber security, and climate security.

Mr. President, your bold leadership on this front has been important and significantly impactful. 90 percent of Kenya's electricity comes from clean energy, 90 percent.

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That's worth an applause. Over 1 million homes are powered by wind energy alone. That's worth an applause, too.

(APPLAUSE) A historic Africa green industrialization initiative, which we launched last year, is poised to create similar results in so many other nations, particularly in the continent. Across the region, Kenya and America are driving a race to the top with investments that we have and high standards for workers, technology and environment. And we're working to ensure debt doesn't leave these critical investments and crucial investments out of reach for low and middle income countries.

Around the world, Kenya and America are also standing united against the terror of ISIS and al-Shabaab perpetrate in East Africa -- that they continue to perpetrate in East Africa, the aggression that Russia is inflicting on Ukraine, the violence that has toppled too many democracies across both our regions.

And today, as we begin the next decade of our partnership, we've launched a new initiative to bring our countries, companies and communities closer together because the --

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BIDEN: -- our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. That's President Biden at the White House with the state visit for the president of Kenya. We will take a quick break. We'll be right back.

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