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CNN This Morning

storm Sweeps Through Beyonce Concert; Fran Drescher is Interviewed about the Strike; Future of Hybrid and Work from Home; Dominique Dawes is Interviewed about Simone Biles. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 07, 2023 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: The high temperatures and how packed people were in the concourse. One person was taken to the hospital.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Her performance was then paused as rain swept through FedEx Field. Her tour did cover the $100,000 it cost to keep the D.C. Metro running for an extra hour after the show. And our friend and CNN anchor Abby Phillip was there at the show and joins us now on the phone.

This is really dangerous. People were treated for heat exhaustion. Super crowded, Abby. We're looking at these photos. What was it like to actually be there?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR (via telephone): Yes. Hey, guys, good morning.

It was very uncomfortable. I mean it was pouring rain for a while and there was lightning in the air, so they didn't want to let anyone in. And, obviously, the concert wasn't going to start. But it was really chaotic. And I think that was kind of the experience that I and so many other people had. The chaos and the crowds and the rain and the heat.

You know, someone not far from me fainted and, you know, paramedics rushed over. There was a little girl in front of me and the crowd was -- everyone was so frustrated after all these hours of waiting and the confusion, the crowd was just kind of pushing forward. And a little girl was in front of me and I think we were all just trying to kind of create like a zone around her so that people didn't really push her to the ground.

So, I mean, it was one of those moments where it was a great concert, but that experience was a little bit scary. I mean, the weather just causing not only delays, but a lot of confusion at the venue, which was frustrating for me personally. And I'm here talking to you guys, but -- because I - I just think it's - it's so important for these concerts to be as safe as possible for all of the people who -- and the fans who want to come out and do it safely.

BLACKWELL: As an attendee there, did this feel like a plan that had gone awry, or that there was no plan? PHILLIP: It kind of felt like there was no plan. I have to be honest.

I mean the people working there were confused. The fans were confused. No one seemed to really know what the plan should be. And the crowds were so large. And people were being told contradictory things. It's, to me, like a rain plan should be kind of standard for these venues in terms of understanding what they want people to do. And that was not the experience that I and a lot of other people that I talked to who were there last night had at that venue.

And, again, I mean, it's a safety thing. I mean, obviously, people waited in the rain and - and if you're a Beyonce fan, you're willing to wait in the rain. But when it started to get dangerous, I think that's when people, you know, started to get really frustrated.

HARLOW: Yes, of course.

BLACKWELL: Well, I'm glad you're safe. I hope the show was great.

PHILLIP: Yes, it was - it was awesome.

BLACKWELL: OK.

PHILLIP: I mean, it's - it's Beyonce. So --

HARLOW: Oh, look at you, Abby!

BLACKWELL: Uh-oh!

HARLOW: There's -

BLACKWELL: Uh-oh!

HARLOW: There's hot Abby alert. We're showing you picture.

PHILLIP: She put on an amazing show. It was an amazing show. And she was just fantastic. Her dancers are amazing. She sang in the rain. She danced in the rain. We danced in the rain. We had a great time. And because everybody waited for so long, the energy was extraordinary in the stadium. So, I'm -- I'm - I'm - I'm willing to withstand it all for Beyonce.

BLACKWELL: Abby said, y'all also going to get this renaissance fit. I haven't put all this time into this. Y'all going to see this outfit after the rain.

Abby Phillip, good to talk to you early this morning. Thanks for sharing it with us.

PHILLIP: Great talking to you guys.

HARLOW: Thanks, Abby.

PHILLIP: Have a good show.

HARLOW: This is - have you planned your outfit for this weekend yet?

BLACKWELL: I'm still thinking through shoes, but I can't really get into that.

The Hollywood strike is grinding on. When is it going to end? The Writer's Guild says recent talks with studios were, quote, "insulting." Actress and president of the Screen Actors Guild, Fran Drescher, joins us live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:37:08]

HARLOW: This morning, Hollywood remains on hold. Writers and studios failing to reach an agreement Friday on resuming negotiations. The meeting, sought by the studios, was seen as a first potential sign of a thaw between the two sides. And there are no talks planned yet with SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 actors. They went on strike last month. The actor's union has historically been more willing to negotiate, but according to this "New York Times" reporting, studios have been reconsidering their strategy. The primary reason, Fran Drescher. "The Times" reports, quote, "when Fran Drescher took a hard line as its leader, executives shifted their focus to the other striking guild." Drescher, former star of the 1990s sitcom "The Nanny," and, by the way, creator and executive producer, has sharply criticized studio executives, calling them "greed-driven" and "disrespectful people." That's a quote. While we may think of Hollywood actors as high-paid celebrities, some of them are. But the reality is, many of them are not. The average salary -- this is the average -- $65,000, according to one analysis of labor data. On Thursday, Drescher visited picketers right here in New York, urged them to keep up their morale.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRAN DRESCHER, PRESIDENT, SAG-AFTRA: In it to win it! And our new hashtag is, yieldtoourdeal.

Yield to our deal!

CROWD: Yield to our deal! Yield to our deal!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Spokesman for the studios, I should note, says, "we remain committed to finding a path to mutually beneficial deals with both unions."

Joining us now in studio, Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA.

Good morning.

FRAN DRESCHER, PRESIDENT, SAG-AFTRA: Good morning. How are you both?

HARLOW: Good to have you.

DRESCHER: Thank you.

HARLOW: No progress? DRESCHER: No. No. They're not speaking to us. So, I don't know what

that comment was that they want to seek a deal when you have to be able to negotiate and talk to the opposition to make a deal.

BLACKWELL: What do you make of the characterization that Poppy just read in "The New York Times" reporting that you are the reason that they've shifted from negotiating with SAG-AFTRA to focusing on the writer's strike and WGA?

DRESCHER: I can't really comment on that. I mean, I'm -- I actually feel like this is an inflection point. This is not something that will be resolved with incremental changes. This is a holistic shift in contract that must occur because the business model has been changed so dramatically. And they have to understand that that's what it's going to take.

And I just want to correct, you know, when we say that average is $65,000 -

HARLOW: Yes.

DRESCHER: That actually probably includes all the top --

HARLOW: It does, the highest paid.

DRESCHER: Yes, very highest paid. So, it --

HARLOW: So, what would you say is most actors make what?

DRESCHER: I can tell you that 86 percent of our members cannot meet the $26,500 a year threshold to get their medical benefits.

[08:40:06]

That's 86 percent cannot make $26,500. In the real world, that's a part-time job.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

DRESCHER: So, you know, that's what we're -- that's who we're fighting for, workers.

BLACKWELL: Eighty-six percent of the union's 160,000 make less than that $26,500.

You told NBC that you are all are prepared for this to go for six months.

DRESCHER: At least.

BLACKWELL: But if they don't make -- if 86 percent of the members make less than $26,500, how can they last for six months?

DRESCHER: Well, first of all, they're the ones that wanted it. We had unprecedented strike authorization vote of 97.91 percent. So, they're at the breaking point. They're -- it's like, you know, we -- this is do or die. So, that's their attitude. That's why we're also supporting interim agreements so that the journeymen performer and crew can find work. And the longer that they can sustain their rents and pay for food on the table, the more we can hold firm on our resolve.

HARLOW: OK. I want to dig into that a little bit more because I had thought that all -- actors that were part of the union were striking, but there are some that are allowed to continue on with their work. Some productions are still going on with some big names, like Anne Hathaway, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson.

Sarah Silverman took big issue -- takes big issue with this. I want to play what she said and get your thoughts on the other side.

Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH SILVERMAN, COMEDIAN: The strike is supposed to be -- especially -- when SAG joined the strike, it's - it's movie stars aren't making movies for you anymore. Now what are you going to do? Well, they're making movies. What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED)?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Is she wrong?

DRESCHER: Oh, yes, she's wrong. And I talked to her about it and she understands that she was uninformed. And I think that from union leaders -

HARLOW: Oh, she did - wait, she took that back to you?

DRESCHER: Yes.

HARLOW: Privately?

DRESCHER: Yes. And she also publicly did as well.

I think that as leadership we needed to get our communication put forward in a better way so that people wouldn't start talking amongst themselves without the correct information.

But this is a very smart and strategic plan so that we can get journeymen performers and crew working. Also, it shows that we, as a union, are being equitable and fair in what our proposals are because there are independents that are willing to do it. They're completely vetted. They have no association with the AMPTP. And if down the road they decide that they can take this and try and do it, the AMPTP essentially would be agreeing to exactly what they refused to agree to.

So, it's everything that we were at the table with, these independents must agree to. So, anybody that's going back to work right now is actually making more money than they've ever made. And it's showing, it's proving that we -- all we want is a fair deal. BLACKWELL: The AMPTP, that is the Alliance of Motion Picture

Television Producers, they say that what they've offered is worth more than $1 billion in wage increases, improvements on residuals, and health care contributions over three years.

Is there a way to qualify, put a dollar amount on how far apart you are, if that number is accurate? If that $1 billion is the right number they put on their deal?

DRESCHER: Well, let me put it into perspective for you. They want to offer us their like bottom line was a 5 percent increase on the base pay of performers. That, in real money, would be less than what we were making in 2020 because it doesn't catch us up to inflation. And they want us to accept a deal that in real money is less than what we made in 2020, and take us through 2026? I'm sorry, but that's unacceptable.

And they have presented us with a business model that essentially squeezes us out of our residuals. Now, I don't know whether they thought, oh, goody, this business model is going to save us a lot of money on residuals, or they didn't think of us at all. But either way, it's a shameful stance to take as a company, especially when dealing with foundational contributors to their entire business.

HARLOW: Fran Drescher, so many more questions. Please come back, OK?

[08:45:01]

DRESCHER: I will. Thank you.

HARLOW: Maybe you'll get a resolution. Come back then. But if you also don't have one, come back.

BLACKWELL: Twenty-four days in. Thanks so much.

HARLOW: Yes.

BLACKWELL: The company that made it manageable to work from home, Zoom, is now telling employees, you've got to come back to the office. Harry Enten is here with morning's number, and that dance.

HARLOW: What does that memo read like?

BLACKWELL: What is this dance?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: So, Zoom made it possible for a lot of people to work from home, right? Well, now the company says its own employees have to get back into the office. Zoom tells CNN in a statement that a structured hybrid approach is the most effective route for them. Plus, the White House is telling its cabinet secretaries to aggressively execute a return to work policy for federal employees.

Joining us now with this morning's number, CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten. All right, what's the number?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: All right, this morning's number is 5 percent, because staff positions since June of 2022 have risen 5 percent at firms allowing remote or hybrid work.

[08:50:06]

Well, it's up just 2.6 percent for those firms that allow only in- person. But, of course, Victor, you were talking about the difference between, say, a hybrid or remote approach. And I want to note here, this is U.S. worker arrangements for full-time employees.

Look, remote work only, it's up since pre-pandemic but it's still just 15 percent. Hybrid is up to 28 percent. Here, but I'll also note, even though in-person only is down from 75 to 57 percent, that's still the majority of the folks are going full-time into the office.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

HARLOW: I assume employers sentiment about this and employees differs.

ENTEN: Yes, I would say it definitely differs.

So, the average remote work per week, employers want 1.6 days that the employees can be remote. Look at the workers' hopes, though, nearly a day higher at 2.3 days per week. So, obviously, workers want to be home more often than employers want them to be home. But why do they want remote work? The number one reason is they don't want to have to commute, 48 percent, child care is easier, 14 percent, better able to focus, at 13 percent. But it really is not having to commute. That's why people don't want to come in.

BLACKWELL: Yes, that drive, the train can be a beast.

ENTEN: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Harry Enten, thanks.

ENTEN: Thank you.

HARLOW: Thank you, friend.

BLACKWELL: All right.

HARLOW: She's back. Simone Biles making a dazzling return to competitive gymnastics. How'd she do it and where does she go from here? Three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:55:31]

HARLOW: After a two year break, seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles is back. Over the weekend, at the Core Hydration Classic in Illinois, the 26-year-old marked her return to competitive gymnastics in a winning fashion, finishing first in the all-around, the vault, the floor and the balance beam. She placed third in the uneven bars. There was Biles' first competition since the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games where she withdrew from several competition to protect her physical and mental health.

And joining us now is Dominique Dawes. She is a three-time Olympian, member of the Magnificent Seven, the first American team to win gold in the Olympics, she'll never forget that, in 1996. She joins us this morning.

It is great to see you. And this is our favorite story of the day, week maybe, because she just was beaming.

DOMINIQUE DAWES, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL GYMNAST: She was.

HARLOW: And not only did she send such an important message about take care of yourself first and the rest will follow, but now she has showed us that.

DAWES: Very much so. And I love how the clip that you guys highlighted and started this off with was her celebrating her amazing performance on the vault. And I will say, that's really what struck me as a 46- year-old mom of four kids, I want my kids to be confident, I want my kids to be happy, and I want them to be willing to celebrate their successes. And Simone Biles did just that. And that was something that, as you had mentioned, me being a part of the 1996 gold medal winning team, we couldn't do that. We were -- our joy was stolen from us from our coaches. And so I loved the fact that she's such a role model and showing how proud she is of her achievements.

BLACKWELL: Yes, she sent the message that it is OK to take a break. That it is OK to focus on your mental health.

To perform at this level, to come back after two years, and to do what she did over the weekend, what does that take?

DAWES: It takes a lot of grit. It takes a lot of talent and a lot of hard work. And you are right that she took a break. And she didn't quit, though, because while she spent some time during the last Olympic games on the sideline cheering on her teammates, (INAUDIBLE) the message that many people and adults can take away from Simone Biles is, then you can get back into the game. You don't just step away and (INAUDIBLE) the sideline, you can still step up and have you're a-game performance.

And I am amazed at what she's doing at 26 years old. I was 23 years old at my third Olympic games. And she's going to be, what, maybe 27 at the Paris Olympic games. She's not going to have trouble getting there and possibly even winning it all. It's pretty impressive.

HARLOW: You mentioned your coaches and the fact that they stole your joy after you guys had such a truly magnificent win. And I mean it just was such - like a huge part of my childhood watching you guys shining like that.

BLACKWELL: Yes. HARLOW: Is it - is it - is it markedly different now? Are people like Simone speaking up, not only about mental health, but all she and her teammates testifying against what happened to them as survivors of Larry Nassar, for example. Is it different now?

DAWES: It is changing. It's definitely changing. You have the likes of, you mentioned, Simone Biles. You have Ali Raisman, Gabby Douglas, so many athletes that have spoken up, and they are defending the sport of gymnastics and really taking back their control.

Back in the - the older generation in the '90s we were little robots and it was hard for us to be proud of ourselves because we were made to feel that we couldn't be proud of ourselves. And the fact that Simone is celebrating on a podium after she did an amazing double pike (INAUDIBLE) vault, I think is, you know, a message to our young people that you need to be proud of your hard work and your achievements.

BLACKWELL: Simone is not committed to competing in the Paris Olympics next year, but she says that things are going in the right direction. Do you expect she will be there and any advice?

DAWES: Yes, she's a competitor. We don't just show up and go through the motions. We have end results and goals that we want to accomplish. But, again, Simone Biles is taking it probably one practice at a time, one competition at a time. I expect to see her at the 2024 Paris Olympic games on that floor. And I bet you it's going to be a bit of a redemption opportunity for her because in 2021, in Tokyo, she didn't want to step away but she did because of mental health reasons. This is her time to come back and shine and prove to everyone that she's capable of doing it all.

And, honestly, I don't want to put it out there, but do you even see a fourth Olympic games for this young lady, 2028 in L.A.? I mean she's that talented. She's that good. She won by five points. Five points.

HARLOW: Yes.

DAWES: And what I love also about Simone is she's got a full life.

[09:00:01]

She's a wife. She's a business owner. She's an entrepreneur. And she's loving every step in this journey of hers.

HARLOW: Yes. I love that, too. Great point.

Dominique Dawes, thank you so much.

DAWES: Great. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: It is fantastic to see her, you know, on social media. You see the fuller Simone Biles life.

HARLOW: You're so right.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

HARLOW: You're so right.

BLACKWELL: Beyond gymnastics. So -

HARLOW: You can be many things.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

HARLOW: Thanks, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Good to start the week with you.

HARLOW: See you tomorrow.

Thanks for being with us. We'll see you right here tomorrow.

"CNN NEWS CENTRAL" is now.

[09:00:00]