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Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) On McCarthy's Meeting With Taiwan's President On U.S. Soil Despite China's Threats; Cash App Founder Bob Lee Killed In San Francisco Stabbing Attack; Biden Says Artificial Intelligence "Could Be" Dangerous. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired April 06, 2023 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): Obviously, Taiwan wants to strengthen its defenses but they also recognize there's a piece for economic deterrents. They recognize that having stronger relationships through trade not just with the United States but with all our allies in the Pacific, that helps deterrence as well.
You know, we have to admit that as well as the war in Ukraine is going deterrence in Europe failed. We weren't able to prevent the war with Ukraine. Vladimir Putin just went ahead and invaded. I think he's been surprised by how united America has been with its allies.
We want to make it clear to Xi Jinping and China that he's going to face a united front. There's not just going to be Taiwan and the United States, there are a lot of nations very concerned about his provocative actions in the Pacific.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: On that point of deterrence, which is far beyond military deterrence, I was struck by what you told The New York Times, which essentially was the president of Taiwan thinks that economic and trade partnerships are a bigger deterrent even than military deterrents.
And she's been speaking around the United States over the past few days and said in this closed-door meeting that was reported in The Washington Post that "I think the Chinese have this belief the best way to win the war is without war."
How can the U.S. do more to help Taiwan non-militarily?
MOULTON: Well, frankly, having this meeting yesterday is an example of the kind of ongoing diplomacy that's quite routine between the United States and all of our allies and quite routine with Taiwan. I think this is the sixth meeting that President Tsai has had or visiting the United States since she's been in office.
But strengthening that relationship and showing that we have strong economic ties with Taiwan and that they are investing in the United States and we're investing in Taiwan, and our other allies in the Pacific are united in that economic partnership -- ultimately, that shows Xi Jinping that he's not just going to have to face a Taiwanese military challenge if he tries to invade and take over the island, he's going to face a united economic front.
Remember, it's the economic sanctions that have been so punishing to Putin since his illegal invasion of Ukraine. We want to make it clear to Xi Jinping before he starts -- before he tries to cross the --
HARLOW: Yes.
MOULTON: -- Taiwan Strait that this is the kind of united front he's going to face.
HARLOW: Well, that -- and that's obviously part of why members of your committee met with the biggest, sort of, business leaders out in California yesterday, like Disney CEO Bob Iger, Apple's Tim Cook, et cetera.
Congressman Moulton, we appreciate your time. Thanks very much.
MOULTON: Absolutely. Good to see you.
HARLOW: Back to you guys.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Just such a rare moment of bipartisanship on Taiwan.
LEMON: Yes.
HARLOW: Yes.
LEMON: Very rare.
HARLOW: Literally (PH).
COLLINS: You don't see that on Capitol Hill these days.
All right, Poppy, great interview there. Really notable to see what he is saying. We'll wait to hear from other members of Congress since we know there's that bipartisan delegation on the ground there now.
In the meantime, we are tracking a stabbing that startled the tech hub of the U.S. Questions about safety in San Francisco after the stabbing death of the tech executive and founder of Cash App, Bob Lee. He was just 43 years old.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:37:10]
COLLINS: All right, a disturbing story out of San Francisco this morning where police are searching for answers after the stabbing death of the Cash App founder, Bob Lee. They say that the investigation into the death of the 30 -- 43-year-old tech executive is still in the early stages. No arrests have been made.
The city has been grappling with an uptick in crime as it is attempting to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Elon Musk tweeting, quote, "Violent crime in San Francisco is horrific and even if the attackers are caught, they are often released immediately."
Joining us now for perspective on all of this, CNN anchor and senior national correspondent, Sara Sidner. And for our upcoming new Sunday show, "THE WHOLE STORY" with Anderson Cooper," she went to San Francisco to actually uncover what's going on in the city. You lived there also, so you know -- you have a good perspective on this.
Is this an anomaly? Is this something that people should be concerned about?
SARA SIDNER, CNN NEWS CENTRAL ANCHOR, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Two things could be true at once. When I lived in San Francisco things are very different from back then between 2004 and 2008 to where we are now. It -- there's a marked difference. That is not a surprise.
The one thing everyone says to you when you go into that city is watch where you park your car because almost inevitably, your car is going to get broken into. If there is anything visible it is going to get broken into at some point in time.
But when you hear comments like that from Elon Musk, he is referring to the former district attorney who was recalled -- Chesa Boudin -- because the city decided they didn't want somebody who was going to be in a position of sort of being softer if you will on crime, for lack of a better word, and being more lenient.
And so they decided that this was such a big issue in the city that, by the way, is very small in space -- seven-by-seven square miles. So you see things in that city. You're forced to because everything is compressed, right?
But when you hear Elon Musk saying something like violent crime is out of control, here are the numbers -- and that's not what the numbers show.
In 2020 -- that's the most recent FBI data -- San Francisco police reported 544 violent crimes per 100,000 people in the city. Houston is double that. More than double that per 100,000. So there are about 1,200 violent crimes in the city.
So people need to understand that some of this is coming from San Francisco wasn't like this a few years ago and it has gotten worse. The mayor there, Mayor Breed, is fed up. I mean, she said, and I'm quoting her, "We've got to do something about this BS," but she said the whole word.
Let me let you listen to her. And you're seeing some of the video that went viral of people going into the stores, smashing and grabbing.
COLLINS: Yes.
SIDNER: Everyone has seen this and so people think oh my gosh, San Francisco is like this all the time. It is in some ways because of the car break-ins and the petty crime. But when it comes to violent crime it's actually lower than a lot of cities of its size.
[07:40:02]
Let's listen to what London Breed told me as I talked to her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR LONDON BREED, (D) SAN FRANCISCO: But we need to enforce the law because public safety isn't only about taking care of our residents. It's also about taking care of our economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: That was when she was speaking to a group -- I apologize. But you heard her say we need to enforce the law.
When she first came into office everyone thought of her as someone that wanted to remove money from certain parts of policing and put it somewhere else, so the defund the police --
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The public funding.
SIDNER: -- monicker --
LEMON: Yes.
SIDNER: Right.
I asked her if she changed and she said I've gone back to my roots. When I was a young girl living in the city -- she lived in the area that was public housing -- she said she was afraid sometimes coming and going home.
LEMON: Yes.
SIDNER: And she doesn't want anyone to live like that. And so she's like I'm going back to my roots, and we've got to fix this. And she's called for help from the federal government.
LEMON: You know, it's similar to big cities all over the country. Even as you were reading the stats here, in New York City -- if you look at New York City per capita, right, for the number of people it's not as high as some smaller states -- some smaller cities across the country. So it's the whole idea. What is real? Perception or the real -- the reality of it, yes.
SIDNER: But it does happen to so many people.
LEMON: It does.
COLLINS: The perception can become the reality.
SIDNER: Absolutely.
COLLINS: Like, does it affect -- I mean, she's got to be worried about it affecting tourism and things like that --
SIDNER: She is.
COLLINS: -- because you hear these stories. Our Kyung Lah --
SIDNER: Yes.
COLLINS: -- this happened to her. They had security while they were on a --
SIDNER: Yes.
COLLINS: -- a shoot in San Francisco and still got robbed.
SIDNER: The thieves are aggressive and they don't care. They will fight you and try to take your stuff, so you have to be very careful. Plus, the Asian population has been very significant in pushing for it --
LEMON: Anti-Asian hate.
SIDNER: -- because there have been so many attacks on, particularly, the elderly Asian population.
LEMON: And Bob Lee -- the Cash App founder, Bob Lee. Of course, a family without their loved one this morning --
COLLINS: Yes.
LEMON: -- and we're thinking about him.
Thank you, Sara. We'll be watching in just a couple of hours on "NEWS CENTRAL."
SIDNER: Thank you, guys.
HARLOW: Sara, I cannot wait to see that and see you on your new show.
Also ahead for us here, Hugh Jackman, right, the actor -- the star -- revealing a scare with skin cancer and issuing this warning.
HUGH JACKMAN, ACTOR: Put some sunscreen on. You'll still have an incredible time out there, all right? Please be safe.
LEMON: And later, a dramatic mix-up at a Boston hotel. An FBI training exercise gone wrong that had a hotel guest mistakenly detained. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:46:40]
HARLOW: Well, a health scare for actor Hugh Jackman and he's sharing a really important message with his fans -- watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JACKMAN: I've just had two biopsies done and she just saw little things could be or could not be basal cell, in her opinion. She doesn't know. I'll find out in two or three days and as soon as I know I'll let you know.
If I can just take this opportunity to remind you summer is coming for those of us here in the northern hemisphere. Please wear sunscreen. It is just not worth it. This is all stuff that happened 25 years ago and it's coming out now. Put some sunscreen on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Listen to your parents. Put sunscreen on.
Jackman is referring to basal cell carcinoma, which is a common form of skin cancer. He told fans he'll give updates when they're in, so that should be in just a few days.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us now. I say listen to our parents because that was the refrain as I was stupidly going to, like, tan as a teenager -- wear your sunscreen. And he is reminding us all how important that is.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, even if you grew up in Minnesota, right, Poppy? I mean, you've got to wear your sunscreen --
HARLOW: They have sun, Sanjay.
GUPTA: -- wherever you are.
HARLOW: For three months of the year the sun does shine.
GUPTA: Absolutely, and you -- and you needed to wear your sunscreen not only then but even on days when it's potentially cloudy out there. And I think the point that Hugh Jackman made there as well is that 25 years ago is when he probably suffered some of this sun damage and it's sort of affecting him now. So you've got to do this from a very young age.
It's a big deal. I mean, we don't pay enough attention to skin cancers and to what we can do to prevent it.
If you look at the numbers overall -- and this is just in the United States -- you're talking about the numbers of these basal cell or squamous cell-type cancers. About 5 1/2 million are diagnosed every year. Eight out of 10 -- 80 percent -- are the ones that Hugh Jackman was talking about -- the basal cell carcinomas.
Death is uncommon -- very uncommon -- but they can spread. They can lead to the necessity for procedures as you just saw there.
Let me just give you a quick primer here, Poppy. I think this graphic of what your skin looks like is really important.
The epidermis -- that's the outer layer of your skin -- it's basically a thickness of like a credit card. And you're seeing that in this image here where these cells are specifically -- the squamous cells and the basal cells -- they lie there in that epidermis. That's what can be affected by sun. They can be mutated and they can turn into cancer even years later.
You also have another type of cell known as melanocytes. If they become mutated that can turn into melanoma. Much less common but potentially far more serious.
So that is why you were sunscreen, Poppy.
HARLOW: I just had a family member have a little bit of like a skin cancer scare as well. They're fine but it sort of brought it to our minds.
How often should people be going in --
GUPTA: Yes.
HARLOW: -- for screenings? And what -- like, what should prompt that?
GUPTA: Yes. So right now, if you've not had a problem, then they really suggest that you sort of monitor your own -- your own skin. If you've had a history of skin cancer you should go in and get regular screenings. But you can -- you can monitor things pretty closely yourself.
[07:50:00]
In medicine, we like to keep things pretty simply so there's these acronyms to just sort of remember. In this case, ABCDE. If you have an unusual lesion on your skin here are the things you need to pay attention to.
A -- is that lesion of mole asymmetric? Is it -- is it different on one side versus the others. Are the borders -- that's B -- irregular in some way? Is the color changing? That's the C. And then diameter is D. Is it growing in size? And E, evolving -- meaning, is it changing in some way?
Just keep an eye on these things. Take a picture if you need to. Have someone else take a look at it if it's a hard place to see -- your back, for example. But that's basically it. If it's staying the same you don't need to worry about it as much.
HARLOW: Look for changes. Look on your back. Have your family look on your back.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.
GUPTA: You got it.
LEMON: And as we all know, I spend -- we all spend a lot of time -- I spend so much time in the sun in the summer. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen, which I don't always do. But lately -- I mean, I have a hat that is this big because -- COLLINS: I need to see that.
LEMON: You know, I mean, we need it. Yes, we need it.
COLLINS: Yes.
All right. Thank you, Sanjay. Thank you, Poppy.
Also this morning, President Biden is weighing in on the artificial intelligence debate. The areas where he also agrees it could be dangerous.
LEMON: And we have this just into CNN. Protesters storming the BlackRock investment building in Paris in the 11th day of nationwide protests. We're going to go there live for you. We'll take you there.
(COMMERCIAL)
LEMON: AI, AI. Everything is about AI now. President Biden weighing in on the potential threat from artificial intelligence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you think AI is dangerous?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It remains to be seen. It could be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So he made that remark on Tuesday during a meeting with his council of advisers on science and technology, which includes executives from Google and Microsoft.
[07:55:00]
The president said, "AI can help deal with some very difficult challenges like disease and climate change, but we also have to address the potential risks to our society, to our economy, to our national security."
This comes after Elon Musk and other type tech minds signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on AI experiments.
So joining us now is the futurist tech entrepreneur, Sinead Bovell. She is the founder of the Weekly Advice for Young Entrepreneurs on WAYE, right? W-A -- WAYE.
SINEAD BOVELL, FUTURIST TECH ENTREPRENEUR, FOUNDER, WEEKLY ADVICE FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS (WAYE): Correct, yes.
LEMON: Thank you. Good to see you this morning. So -- and thank you for joining us.
As a tech entrepreneur, what does this mean that President Biden is bringing this up now? What's going on here? BOVELL: I think this is an important statement for a few reasons. Clearly, there's a lot of excitement but also a fair bit of fear right now about the state of artificial intelligence and the pace things are evolving at. So this statement calls attention to the important conversations we need to have at a national level and the conversations we can expect to have at a national level.
But I think it's important to point out that President Biden mentions both benefits and risks of the technology. To me, that's a nod to tech companies that the administration isn't here to just regulate innovation away. They know AI comes with a lot of benefit and they expect to capitalize on that.
At the same time, this can't be the Wild West. These systems come with potential danger, potential harm, and those need to be addressed as well.
COLLINS: Yes. I mean, color me skeptical though that Washington is going to be able to do anything about this. They can barely get their hands around TikTok and the dramas there or the name image likeness --
LEMON: Tick Tack.
COLLINS: -- stuff when it comes to college sports. I mean, they're not exactly always ahead of the curve on this stuff.
But it is interesting to me that he's talking about the companies making sure that they're safe. But we're hearing from the companies in this amazing letter that came out last week basically saying they don't even know what the risks are. People like Elon Musk signing on to it.
BOVELL: Right. So clearly, there is a bit of a conflict of interest when the only people that can really assess the safety of these systems and where they are in their evolution are the companies themselves.
So what could a solution look like? We need to establish more independent bodies and independent researchers that can assess these systems, that can put in safeguards, and that do some form of testing before these systems get deployed into the market.
I think that the call from researchers and some companies that AI presents a lot of danger -- some of that was a little bit more Hollywood-esque, but there are real dangers in the limitations that we need to be mitigating against.
LEMON: Sinead, I want to put up this Max video that we're going to show. AI -- it can create videos just by using text prompts. This is from an app called Runway. I mean, this video was created simply by typing in the prompt 'aerial drone footage of a mountain range'. And then this one was created by typing 'late afternoon sun peaking through the window of a New York City loft'. This is fascinating.
BOVELL: This is quite remarkable.
LEMON: There's another one -- a mountain video generated from mountain video as well that they just put in the prompt.
BOVELL: Yes. This is -- this is quite remarkable. So these are AI video generators. So just using a short description -- a few words -- AI will generate a video in an instant.
Right now, the videos are quite short with Runway. They are about four seconds and the quality is pretty good.
But we can expect the pipeline of this technology to evolve where we can generate long-form, realistic videos from a simple description. This is going to have a lot of implications for the workforce, for filmmakers, for creators. It's an exciting time.
COLLINS: It is. We were talking about everyone is pretty aware of the risks. I mean, you watch a Hollywood movie and you're like oh my God, this is what AI is going to look like. But I was telling you in the commercial I was listening to a podcast, Hard Fork, the other day about the benefits of AI and how it can actually be used in everyday life. But there is a lot of potential here, not just all scare and fearmongering about what AI can do.
BOVELL: Absolutely. So these generative AI systems are going to transform the workforce in terms of productivity. We're putting creative tools in the hands of essentially everyone. So we can imagine the filmmaking process, the editing process to get a lot faster. We're going to see new entrance into the creative field utilizing these tools and they're incredibly easy to use. So a big misconception with AI is that you need all of this technical skill.
COLLINS: Yes.
BOVELL: This just requires a few short words and you have --
COLLINS: Emailing, grocery lists -- things like that that it's going to change.
LEMON: Yes. Before we let you go, all this computer-generated AI stuff -- should there be a watermark so we can know what's real and what's not?
BOVELL: I think if we do want to protect our information ecosystems --
LEMON: Yes.
BOVELL: -- that is something we should certainly consider. Not in a way that it ruins the quality of these outputs.
LEMON: Right.
BOVELL: But at this point in time, misinformation and disinformation just got a lot easier, faster, and more scaled with these systems.
COLLINS: Yes.
LEMON: Thank you, Sinead Bovell. COLLINS: OK.
LEMON: It's so good to see you.
BOVELL: Thank you for having me.
LEMON: Be well.
CNN THIS MORNING continues right now.
COLLINS: All right, good morning, everyone. Welcome to 8:00 hour --
LEMON: Poppy?
COLLINS: -- of CNN THIS MORNING. Don and I are here in New York.
[08:00:00]
