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CNN This Morning
Biden And Trump Trade Jabs At Dueling Rallies In Georgia; Biden Tries To Make His Age An Asset In New General Election Ad; Biden Says There Is No Red Line On Supplying Weapons To Israel; Laken Riley's Tragic Killing Sparks Immigration Debate In Georgia; Multiple Legal Battles Loom Over Trump As His Campaign Moves Forward; Multiple Legal Battles Loom Over Trump As His Campaign Moves Forward; Former President Trump Posts Nearly $92 Million Bond In Defamation Case; D.A. Fani Willis Facing Two Challengers In Her Reelection Bid. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired March 10, 2024 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[06:00:42]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Sunday, March 10th. I'm Victor Blackwell.
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Isabel Rosales in for Amara Walker. Thanks for joining us this morning with one less hour of sleep for us.
BLACKWELL: I'm feeling it.
ROSALES: Are you feeling it?
BLACKWELL: I feel it. Do you?
ROSALES: Like a train hit. This is a lot of makeup, guys.
BLACKWELL: Well, we will make it through together.
ROSALES: All right. Here's what we're watching for you. President Biden and Donald Trump rallied supporters in Georgia yesterday as both campaigns focus on the general election. How Biden is tackling questions about his age head on and Trump's invitation to Democrats.
BLACKWELL: As the campaign kicks in to high gear Trump is also juggling several legal cases. The big one this week his effort to get the special counsel's classified documents case dismissed.
ROSALES: An investigation is underway after two commercial airline pilots both fell asleep mid-flight. What we're learning about the incident and what may have played a part leading up to it.
BLACKWELL: And Duchess Meghan is talking about what she calls cruel online bullying and abuse during her pregnancies. You'll hear from her just ahead on CNN THIS MORNING.
President Biden and former President Trump they traded jabs Saturday at dueling rallies in Georgia with both presumptive party nominees. Giving us a glimpse in what the sequel to their 2024 election will look like. Spoiler alert, this race will sound a lot like the old one.
ROSALES: Biden kicked off his battleground state swing in Atlanta where he acknowledged his rival's rally just 60 miles off the road in Rome, Georgia. And Trump did not hold back in his attacks on Biden, calling Biden's State of the Union address an angry -- quote -- "dark, hate-filled rant." While Biden slammed Trump on who he keeps company with, pointing to Trump holding his rally with far-right Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ' JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here's a guy who's kicking off his general election campaign on the road up with Marjorie Taylor Greene. It can tell you a lot about a person who he keeps company with.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What a presidency. What a president. The most incompetent president we've ever had. The worst president, the most incompetent, and the most corrupt. Other than that, I think he's doing actually quite a good job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)'
BLACKWELL: President Biden is also confronting two of his biggest political vulnerabilities. In a newly released ad, he tackles questions about his age head on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Look, I'm not a young guy. That's no secret. But here's the deal, I understand how to get things done for the American people.
Look, I'm very young, energetic and handsome. What the hell am I doing this for?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Another potential issue the Biden campaign is working on here his stance on Israel. CNN White House correspondent Camila DeChalus is joining us now from Wilmington, Delaware. Camila, good morning to you. The president spoke about his Israel policy in an interview that was broadcast yesterday. What are the big headlines?
CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Victor, Isabel, good morning. Some of the things that Biden said and one of the biggest things that sticked out is that he still believes that it's possible for a temporary ceasefire deal to be brokered between Israel and Hamas. But right now, so far for CNN's reporting those talks have stalled. He also was very vocal about Israel putting more steps and procedures in place to protect civilian lives in Gaza as it carries out its military operations. But he still said that he's going to remain firm and still supporting Israel. Take a quick listen on what he said in the interview. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: It is a red line, but I'm never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. So, there's no red line -- I'm going to cut off all weapons so they don't have the Iron Dome to protect them. They don't have -- but there's red lines that if he crosses them -- cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DECHALUS: Now, Biden is facing sharp criticism over his handling of the Israel and Hamas conflict. And he still as he hits the campaign trail being met with protesters calling him to support a permanent ceasefire. So, it's shaping to be a really big issue that Biden will have to face as he continues hitting the campaign trail and it could potentially impact his reelection efforts, Victor, Isabel.
[06:05:07]
BLACKWELL: Camila DeChalus for us in Wilmington, thanks so much. Now, Trump's first rally since emerging as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee he wasted no time criticizing Biden's State of the Union address calling it partisan and angry.
ROSALES: And Trump also attacked Biden's response to the murder of 22- year-old nursing student Laken Riley. Trump met with Riley's parents backstage before his rally. CNN's Steve Contorno is in Rome, Georgia with more.
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Former President Donald Trump held a rally Saturday in Rome, Georgia, his first as becoming the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. He wasted little time in his remarks going after Joe Biden. In fact, he also made fun of Biden's delivery of his speech at the State of the Union.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Two nights ago, we all heard crooked Joe's angry, dark, hate- filled rant of a State of the Union address. Wasn't it -- didn't it bring us together? (INAUDIBLE) bring the country together.
Joe Biden should not be shouting angrily at America. America should be shouting angrily at Joe Biden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)'
CONTORNO: A major focus of Trump's remarks was on the situation at the U.S.-southern border. And ahead of his remarks he met with the family of Laken Riley. That is the 22-year-old nursing student who was killed in Georgia allegedly by an undocumented man. Trump also criticized President Biden for saying that he shouldn't have used the word illegal to describe that individual.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And I say he was an illegal alien. He was an illegal immigrant. He was an illegal migrant and he shouldn't have been in our country and he never would have been under the Trump policy. Biden should be apologizing for -- apologizing to this killer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CONTORNO: Trump's visit to Georgia is the first of many expected in the coming months. The Peach State is going to be one of the top battlegrounds in the 2024 election. It's one Trump lost by less than 12,000 votes four years ago. And his team knows it's going to be close this go around. Steve Contorno, Rome, Georgia, CNN.
ROSALES: All right. Let's bring in congressional reporter for Punchbowl News, Max Cohen. Max, thank you for joining us this morning. The Peach State is a tough battleground state for 2024. Trump lost Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes back in 2020. How effective was the messaging of each candidate and their attempts to win over Georgians?
MAX COHEN, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Yes. I think at this stage of the race we have to remember it's only March. I would like to say most regular voters, most low information voters aren't even tuning in to politics this far out from the November elections. So, the way I see it is both candidates trying to rally their base, encourage their die-hard supporters to come out for them at this early rally. But at the end of the day look what dominated both of the talks. It was immigration and Republicans really think if the border, immigration and undocumented migrants are top of mind for voters that's going to be a good policy set for the GOP to run on in November.
So, Biden thinks he can try to contrast this. We saw it in the State of the Union. He said, look, it was Republicans who killed the border deal or Republicans writ large and this is a good issue for them.
ROSALES: All right. And then 2020 Trump became the first GOP presidential candidate to actually lose Georgia in 24 years, I think, since Bill Clinton. How does he really hope to change that around? Does he think things will be different this time around?
COHEN: Well, as you mentioned it was that incredibly slim margin of 12,000 votes that Trump lost Georgia by. But if you listen to what he's telling his supporters he keeps repeating this false statement, this lie that he didn't lose Georgia, that he won Georgia. And I think that's one thing the Biden campaign is going to, you know, repeat over and over again and say, Trump will not concede the 2020 election. He's still repeating this rigged conspiracy theory. You know, that those ongoing cases in Fulton County against Trump and his associates. But at the end of the day Trump's going to hope that some Biden voters who switched -- who might have voted Republican in the past and voted for Biden in 2020 stay home. Trump runs up his base and again these marginal elections just a little bit of voter turnout swing in the direction can help the Republican (INAUDIBLE).
ROSALES: Right. And President Biden is hitting television airwaves this week with a minute long ad immediately addressing one of his biggest political vulnerabilities, his age. This is the first time him and his team have actually cut a commercial addressing this issue. What does that tell you?
COHEN: It tells me that they know this is a big problem for Joe Biden's reelection. For a long time now Joe Biden's response to questions about his age has simply been -- quote -- "watch me." And at this point in time his team is seeing the polling where the majority of Americans are saying they think he's too old to serve another term. And a line the Biden campaign likes to use is, you know, listen, I might not be the youngest guy but my ideas are forward thinking.
[06:10:04]
My ideas are young. My opponent Donald Trump his ideas might take us back. You know, the Biden campaign is very pleased with that messaging. They think that can appeal to younger voters who might recognize, look, Biden might not be my first choice but Donald Trump as the alternative his ideas especially on abortion, they claim, is going to take this country back to an earlier era.
ROSALES: And the killing of Laken Riley at the University of Georgia that's struck a nerve and -- because this was allegedly done by an undocumented migrant. So, now we're seeing this issue front and center in the immigration debate. And during an interview with MSNBC Saturday Biden said he had regrets about using a peculiar word during the State of the Union address. Let's take a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: An undocumented person. And I shouldn't have used illegal, it's undocumented. And look, when I spoke about the difference between Trump and me, one of the of things I talked about in the border was that his -- the way he talks about vermin, the way he talks about these people polluting the blood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSALES: And, of course, while in Georgia Trump met with Riley's family. How are both candidates fairing in this major campaign issue? And, Max, can it be enough? The single issue can it be enough to cost them the election if they don't play their cards right?
COHEN: Well, I think you saw Joe Biden addresses directly during his State of the Union speech on Thursday night. And I there in the chamber in the U.S. House and it was actually striking because this was not something we expected him to talk about. And as he was walking up to give his speech he was handed a pin by a Republican -- House Republicans for the week leading up to the State Union said say, her name. How come Joe Biden has not addressed the killing of Laken Riley? And he did it on stage. And I think that was an attempt to show, look, I'm taking this issue seriously to Republicans and others maybe independent voters who think Biden is maybe too soft on the border. But as you mentioned in that comment when he described the killer as -- quote -- "an illegal" it made a lot of Democrats, a lot of progressives, a lot of Latinos in the House and Senate very upset. And I think he's recognizing that, look, I have to show the voters that I care about immigration as a crisis but you can't -- as Democrats saying to Biden, you can't, you know, delve into the rhetoric of Republicans. That's simply letting the GOP win on this issue.
ROSALES: And the location of each rally, Max, that was very telling. We saw Trump in Rome, Georgia, in Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's district. Biden rallying close to the Fulton County jail where we saw that infamous mug shot of Trump last summer in the case against him and his allies for election interference. Now, when it comes to Nikki Haley's supporters, because they will be crucial here, do you see either of them making a compelling argument?
COHEN: Well, Donald Trump has continued to derive Nikki Haley and Joe Biden's campaign after she dropped out released a pretty gracious statement saying, we respect what she stood for and we want her voters in the fold. The thing I'm most carries about honestly is whether most of the Nikki Haley voters who came out in these Republican primaries against Trump if they were already going to be Biden supporters. Anyway, they might have already been Biden 2020 supporters because the reason Biden won Georgia in 2020 is because not only did it turn out Democrats and independents, he got many disaffected Republicans in a state that as you mentioned as lean GOP for the past couple of decades. So, I think there's going to be a lot of focus on a Nikki Haley support but I would say most of those Nikki Haley voters who came out and cast an anti-Trump protest vote might already be in the bag for Biden. So, I'd be more focused on the Biden campaign on voters who might not turn out any way. Those low information voters who may be leaning towards Trump but definitely did not vote in a Republican presidential primary.
ROSALES: Max Cohen, thank you.
BLACKWELL: It's a pivotal week ahead and two of former President Trump's trials E. Jean Carroll's decision that could impact the $91 million bond the former President posted. Plus, when we could find out if Fulton County DA Fani Willis is staying on the Georgia election's interference case. That's ahead.
Plus, it is a major win off the court for the Dartmouth College men's basketball team. How that team's historic vote to unionize could change college basketball forever. That's a little later.
And this is really not something you hear about every day. The Maker of a popular drug being used for weight loss is telling some people, do not take it. We'll explain ahead on CNN THIS MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:19:10]
BLACKWELL: Some really big and potentially expensive decisions are looming in several of Donald Trump's legal battles. Writer E. Jean Carroll has until close of business tomorrow to object to the $91 million bond Trump posted in the defamation case against him. Trump plans to appeal the decision in that case.
That is just one of several big dates on the calendar. Also, this week there will be a hearing to argue Trump's motion to dismiss the classified documents case against him. The former President also has to post bond in the New York civil fraud case later this month.
Let's get in all of this with former Manhattan prosecutor Jeremy Saland. Jeremy, good morning to you. Let's start with E. Jean Carroll's decision. She has until the end of business tomorrow to object to the $91.6 million bond posted. What are the credible reasons that would justify an objection to that bond?
[06:20:08]
JEREMY SALAND, FORMER MANHATTAN PROSECUTOR: Well, you know, if I were E. Jean Carroll's attorneys, I'd be concern whether or not the insurance company or the bonding company was a legitimate and valid company, and had the means to have enough in that bond. And the answer to that question is, we have Chubb. Chubb is renowned. And there really is no issue. Moreover, they put in an additional 10 percent to cover the interest.
So, E. Jean Carroll is protected. I don't expect and I don't see a reason why they would do anything with this because if the president defaults or if there's an issue or if the President has to pay Chubb comes in and does it. So, it's all secured.
BLACKWELL: So, after the $83.3 million dollar verdict Carroll said that that she is more than willing to sue Trump again if another case arises. Well, last night the former President is rallying in Rome, Georgia, said this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I just posted a $91 million bond, 91 million on a fake story, totally made-up story. Think of it, 91 million. I could say things about what it would cost normally. Ninety-one million based on false accusations made about me by a woman that I knew nothing about, didn't know, never heard of. I know nothing about her.
She wrote a book. She said things. And when I denied it, I said, it's so crazy, it's false. I got sued for defamation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And he keeps talking about it after having to pay up $91 million. Is this a potential case?
SALAND: He cannot get out of his own way. It is shocking. But maybe we should stop being shocked and realize this is the reality of Donald Trump.
The door is open. It seems like it's always ajar. And, you know, keep in mind he may want to say that this prior verdict was against the weight of the evidence or the damage were too excessive, $91 million. The point of those dollars is that so someone like Trump and in the case of Trump you need that kind of money to say do not continue on this trajectory, do not continue defaming this woman. Evidently and maybe so it's not enough because he's starting out it again.
So, he's just keeping that door ajar. He's not closing and moving on. BLACKWELL: Ninety-one million dollars is really walking around money when you consider what Trump has to post within the next two weeks. Nearly a half billion dollars after the ruling in the New York State civil fraud case. The state attorney general there, Letitia James, says that if he does not do that, she's going to start moving on seizing some properties. How quickly could that happen if Trump didn't put that money up?
SALAND: Before you finish that sentence, if that were the case, she'd be going at it again. I mean, she -- like that. She's ready to go.
But the whole purpose of that bond, Victor, is to stay in this process. And if you post that bond then that process is stayed and then the A.G. has up to 20 years for enforcement. So, you know -- it's 10 years and 20 years. We're not getting into the weeds here but this will happen -- this will happen immediately and she'll start putting (INAUDIBLE) on those properties.
BLACKWELL: So, let's talk now about the classified documents case. There's a hearing this week on Trump's motions to dismiss that case. One of the arguments that Trump's team is making is that the former President declared the documents personal while he was still president. Therefore, he cannot be charged because while he was president he said, these aren't classified. Walk us through the credibility and, I guess, the credulity of that.
SALAND: Again, kind of like we snapped our fingers before --
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: Deep sigh is what I heard from you, Jeremy. Deep sigh.
SALAND: Yes. And rightfully so. I mean, we think about this and say there really isn't. The Presidential Records Act doesn't say carte blanche, I just turn around and say, it's personal. I can take it with me, I can do what I want.
These are confidential before. They're confidential after. They're confidential, period. No asterisk.
So, I don't think that really holds water just as the selective prosecution argument doesn't hold water. Just to saying that the attorney general doesn't have the authority to point a special prosecutor to pursuing him. It doesn't hold water. So, none of this really holds water to me even if he has a judge that is favorable to him unlike Chutkan who is less favorable to him out of D.C.
I don't think it holds water, Victor. It's just -- I used this term before, it's a leaky colander. A colander's leak as a matter of their build regardless. It's not a good argument.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and that is -- that is one of the interesting variables here is that Judge Aileen Cannon has been criticized especially during the special master phase of this -- of being, I guess, peculiarly, if that's a word, favorable toward Trump.
[06:25:04]
And we'll see if any of that happens as these hearings happen this week. Jeremy Saland, thanks so much.
ROSALES: Prosecutor Fani Willis is facing her own political fight outside of the Trump election interference case. The Fulton County district attorney is being challenged by two opponents in her reelection bid. Willis is facing a progressive Democrat who ran against her in 2020 and a Republican Trump supporter. CNN national correspondent Rafael Romo has more.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Isabel, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is currently overseeing multiple high-profile cases in Atlanta including a racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and allies. She faces the prospect of being disqualified from the case and she's also being investigated by a Georgia senate committee. And now it's become clear that she is going to face at least two challengers in her quest to win reelection in November.
Christian Wise Smith, a former Fulton County prosecutor and Atlanta solicitor, announced Friday that he plans to challenge the incumbent in the Democratic primary to be held on May 21st. Smith is a progressive Democrat. Smith says he's not fully committed to running yet but has already filed paperwork to be able to run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIAN WISE SMITH (D), FORMER FULTON PROSECUTOR: Right now, we're just weighing our options, man. And this was a necessary step, you know, to put our hat in the rain shall we decide to do that. And then, you know, you all will be the first to know once we make that call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: On the Republican side Courtney Kramer, who served in the office of the White House council during the Trump administration, criticized the way Willis has run the office of the Fulton County district attorney. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COURTNEY KRAMER (R), ATTORNEY, FORMER TRUMP INTERN: What I've seen happen right now in the office of the District Attorney under Fani Willis has been a complete disgrace. It's been a mockery of a legal profession.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: A judge is expected to rule within the next week whether Fani Willis should be removed from prosecuting the racketeering case against Trump due to allegations of a conflict of interest from her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, both deny any wrongdoing. Whoever wins the election in November has their work cut out for them. The next Fulton County district attorney may also have to take to completion the sprawling racketeering case against Trump and more than a dozen of his allies stemming from their actions following the 2020 election in Georgia.
Elected in 2020, Fani Willis inherited a backlog of more than 16,000 cases from the previous district attorney due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Victor and Isabel, back to you.
ROSALES: A scary moment on a flight in Southeast Asia. Officials say a pilot and the co-pilot both fell asleep mid-flight. What we're learning about this very dangerous situation, that's next.
[06:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSALES: Taking a look at headlines this morning. Kensington Palace has released its first picture of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, since undergoing abdominal surgery. In an Instagram post, the Princess of Wales thanked the public for their messages of support.
It's Mother's Day in the U.K. And in the post you can see the princess with her three children. She has been out of the public eye since January the 16th. The palace has said she will not return to public duties until at least Easter.
BLACKWELL: A U.S. Army logistics boat left Virginia yesterday, headed for the Eastern Mediterranean. It's carrying the first equipment necessary to build a temporary floating pier for delivering aid to Gaza. It was promised by President Biden in his State of the Union speech. The Pentagon says the pier and causeway will take up to 1,000 people, at least a month to build.
ROSALES: Indonesia is transport ministry is launching an investigation after two pilots were asleep at the same time midflight. The jet went on an incorrect flight path while they slept. A preliminary report found the pilot had asked to rest while the copilot was in command. But about 90 minutes later, the second in command fell asleep too. According to the report, one of the pilots had newborn twins at home he was helping to take care for. They were able to make a safe landing and nobody was hurt.
More than six million people are under winter weather alerts this morning with parts of the northeast preparing for up to a foot of snow.
BLACKWELL: Meteorologist Elise Raffa is following this for us this morning. Elisa, what are we look at.
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Winter coming back for some places in the northeast with some of that snow. You can see here on satellite and radar where we've got some of that snow falling in parts of Upstate, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire there. The storm intensifying where you have some of these lightning strikes there right offshore.
Let's take a look at some of the warnings that we've got for this snow. You can see we're looking at seven to 14 inches and parts of Upstate, New York there and total is really up to a foot, even going into me. Now, this is also packing a punch with wind. Look at these wind advisories that stretch from Maine all the way down even into the Carolinas, where we're looking at gusts up to 40 to 50 to 60 miles per hour.
So, if we time this out, you're going to see that we have the snow that really pumps as we go through the day today. But even as the storm exits, we'll start to find that colder air coming in behind it, and the lake effect snow could pump across Lake Erie and Ontario. All of this coming with the gusty winds.
We take a look at the winds. You can see where they really flourished. Look at all of these gusts going through today and tomorrow, up to 30 to 40 miles per hour. Theres that flourish there of some of those gusts, 44 mile per hour gusts there in Albany. Snow totals, again, could be up to a foot in spots, so definitely a shovelable, plowable snow.
We do have a warm air that will also be a thing this week in the plains, and that's going to fuel that fire danger in Texas. Guys?
[06:35:05]
BLACKWELL: All right, March is always a mixed bag, so we'll certainly get it. Elise, thank you so much.
All right, breaking news we're following out of Haiti. The State Department says it is evacuating non-essential personnel from the U.S. embassy there because of the heightened gang violence.
ROSALES: CNN's Patrick Oppmann is joining us live on the phone with more information. Patrick, what can you tell us?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, good morning. Yes, it appears overnight that the U.S. military sent a helicopter on what would have been a very dangerous mission to go and take -- remove some -- we don't know how many of U.S. diplomats and essentially have been sequestered in the embassy and the residences and Port-Au-Prince, Haiti as that country deals with worsening gang violence that has closed, the airport there, for the better part of a week.
You had gang members shooting at planes, actually hitting one plane. And that led to the airport being closed. Essentially, you cannot fly in or out of Haiti right now. The security situation continues to deteriorate. So, the U.S. embassy, while it remains open, while there are diplomats there continuing to serve despite of the danger, the U.S. government, U.S. State Department taking decision to evacuate personnel that they can, U.S. diplomats if they can. And the U.S. military undertaking this dangerous mission to fly in a helicopter in the dead of night and evacuated some embassy personnel.
We don't know how many nonessential personnel is -- how they've been described from the embassy. The State Department says the embassy remains open and that only embassy personnel were being evacuated.
ROSALES: Patrick, any idea on the timeline here? How quickly they're doing this?
OPPMANN: Well, it happened though overnight. It happened last night. Of course, it was not advertised at the time. That we would have been something they needed to keep secret just because of the danger involved here.
We've seen attacks on the Haitian National Palace, essentially their White House. We've seen that the Canadian Embassy experience an attack. We're thankful nobody was hurt, but you know, the area where the embassies are located in Port-Au-Princes usually one of the more secure areas in the city, in a city that has a lot of gang violence. Its usually one of the safest areas. And it just speaks to how badly the security situation is deteriorating that U.S. State Department no longer feels a bit safe for diplomats, our diplomats to be there. And that's why they've taken a decision last night to evacuate as many as they put -- while leaving, essentially a skeleton staff to continue to run the embassy despite the ongoing danger.
BLACKWELL: The gang leaders there have threatened a potential genocide in Haiti if the Prime Minister Ariel Henry does not step down. The Prime Minister at last check is in Puerto Rico, unable to return to Haiti.
Patrick Oppmann with the breaking news, thank you so much. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:42:48]
ROSALES: Welcome back. A group of college basketball players made history when they became the first NCAA team to vote to unionize. Last week, members of Dartmouth Colleges Men's Team voted 13 to two in favor, clearing the way for them to potentially earn salaries and have access to workers compensation. The current NCAA model bars players from being considered employees, but the National Labor Relations Board disagreed. Dartmouth is appealing and that process could go all the way up to the Supreme Court in a case that could reshape the landscape for college sports.
All right, let's discuss this with CNN Sports Analyst Christine Brennan. Christine, thank you so much for joining us. Good morning. Let's set the stage currently as things run. What do student-athletes get compensated for or not?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Well, as you know, Isabel, now there his name, image, and likeness, NIL. People heard about that over the last couple of years. And athletes can absolutely make money on their name, their image, and likeness. This is a huge change. That itself has really changed the landscape in college sports. Of course, Division One Sports.
And that's why someone like Caitlin Clark has had a decision to make because she's making so much at Iowa, the question would be in terms of endorsements and commercials, did she -- did she want to go pro. She turned out that she's made that decision to go to the WNBA. But that's where athletes are now, they are not employees as of now. They are not paid salaries as of now.
And this whole conversation has been going on now for quite some time, but its reaching a crescendo in large part because everyone looks at the huge money, the T.V. dollars, millions of dollars coming in to leagues and conferences and teams. Football, men's basketball, and now women's basketball and other sports as well. And also, the fact that the coaches have salaries. The multi-million-dollar coaches salaries, especially in men's basketball and football and the imbalance and the questions have come in there about what our athletes, student athletes are getting. What do they deserve?
And these are the questions, more questions than answers right now. But it is a real change in the college sports landscape. over the last several years.
ROSALES: And this topic has certainly struck a nerve. You see so many people talking about it specially on social media. On this question of whether they can become a union, there was a time when the NLRB blocked the sort of thing from happening. Back in 2014, 2015, there was an effort with football to organize it at Northwestern University. Why is it that the agency this time around is saying that these student-athletes are employees and should get paid?
[06:45:24]
BRENNAN: It's a change in the entire thinking of college sports. It's the change in the landscape and it shows just how far this conversation has moved. I mean, there have been people, there have been violations, NCAA rules violations athletes losing, in one case a Heisman Trophy, because of money or improper inducements, recruiting. You know, the old days of not being able to give a kid $50 or $100 to go to his or her mom's or grandmother's funeral.
You know, those kinds of stories were out there. That's gone. And I think because of that they're looking at it really through a new set of eyes or glasses, a new prism, and that's where we see it. But you made a great point. There is an appeal here. This is not happening overnight. The Duke -- the Dartmouth Men's Basketball Team is not going to be unionized tomorrow. It is a -- it's a long process. It's grueling. It may well go to the Supreme Court which is also hearing other case -- sort one other case at least and we'll certainly hear more over this on this issue.
And the Supreme Court has shown that it really is for giving athletes more leeway to receive money. And so, we'll see how that moves forward. But -- and also of course women's sports. We cannot forget, are we going to unionize men's but not women's? I can't see that, you know, lasting in our country.
So, there are lots of issues especially involving Title 9 and what we want for our female athletes, our daughters, and our nieces as well as our sons and nephews. You know, there's a lot yet to be determined if this is just going to be men's sports or women's sports and how our country will react if women are not part of the equation.
ROSALES: Hey, a lot to keep an eye on with deep implications. Christine, thank you.
BRENNAN: Thank you very much.
BLACKWELL: All right, so you'll be watching the Oscars, red carpet, and looking at the stars, like oh, she's trim, he's in shape, a little thin. Coming up though, why Eli Lilly is out with a new ad calling out the celebrities who were taking these diabetes drugs to lose weight.
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ROSALES: Welcome back. Many people have leaned into this new wave of diabetes and obesity drugs to lose a few extra pounds in the past year. Now, pharma giant Eli Lily known for the blockbuster diabetes drug Mounjaro also taken for weight loss has released a new commercial just ahead of the Oscars.
BLACKWELL: So, the ad appears to warn people on the red carpet about using the drug for vanity and not health reasons. CNN's Meg Tirrell has more.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, guys, when you think about pharmaceutical ads you see on television, you're usually used to hearing the name of the drug, you're used to hearing a litany of side effects the drug companies have to include in these things when they talk about these medications. And of course, you're usually hearing something like talk to your doctor about whether this drug is right for you.
This ad has none of those elements to it. Take a look at a clip.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some people have been using medicine never meant for them, for the smaller dress or tuck, for a big night, for vanity. But that's not the point. People whose health is affected by obesity are the reason we work on these medications.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TIRRELL: Of course, as we approach the Oscar ceremony, Lilly says they don't know if this ad will actually air during the ceremony itself but they have launched it this weekend thinking back to of course the mention at the Oscars last year by host Jimmy Kimmel. A lot of speculation already building into this year's ceremony around Ozempic use and people who might be attending this ceremony.
We talked with Eli Lilly CEO about why they put this ad together. He said there were really three reasons. One is that the steady population that they looked at did not include use for cosmetic weight loss. They only tested this in folks with Type 2 Diabetes or in people with obesity or health rated our weight-related health conditions. Another thing that they're focusing on here is the fact that these
drugs have been in shortage. They cannot make enough to satisfy all of the demand that's out there. And that has led to difficulty for patients with Type 2 Diabetes accessing these medications. A third reason is that health insurance coverage is really bad for these drugs. They're very pricey. They cost more than $1,000 per month without insurance coverage.
And Lilly's CEO told us that half of Americans who could qualify for them don't have health insurance coverage. So, he told us about how they're trying to sort of capitalize on this moment and this attention around this ceremony coming up to draw attention to these issues. Here's what he said.
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DAVID A. RICKS, CEO, ELI LILLY: This is a serious condition with a serious medication. And yes, the media attention drawn on that from last year and might be drawn this year, we're taking a point of view on that. That these medicines were invented for people with serious health condition, they're not invented, you know, just to have someone who's famous look a little bit better.
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TIRRELL: Guys, it really speaks to the kind of cultural significance these medications have taken on, that a drug company would actually be out there with an ad saying don't take these medicines. Whether or not this will actually change the dynamics of who gets access and how these drugs are paid for is a bigger question.
[06:55:03]
BLACKWELL: Meg Tirrell, thank you.
Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, is opening up about the dangers of social media. Coming up, how she says she keeps away from the bullying and abuse she experienced while pregnant.
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ROSALES: Welcome back, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, is opening up about the online bullying that she experienced the bulk of which she says took place during her two pregnancies. The woman spoke -- Meghan spoke at the annual South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas on Friday.
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MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: But the bulk of the bullying and abuse that I was experiencing in social media and online was when I was pregnant with Archie and with Lily and with our newborn, with each of them. And you just think about that and you -- to really wrap your head around why people would be so hateful. It's not caddy, it's cruel.
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BLACKWELL: She said she distanced herself from social media after those incidents. The Duchess gave birth to son, Archie, you see there with their husband Prince Harry in May of 2019. The couple then welcomed daughter Lilibet two years later.
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