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Connect the World
U.S. Promising more Military Aid to Ukraine; Blinken to Travel to China this Weekend; State Funeral held for Former Italian PM; Markets Anticipate Federal Reserve Decision; Trump Co-Defendant Nauta's Arraignment Delayed; Carboni: Failure to Act will have Dire Consequences. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 14, 2023 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Hello and welcome to "Connect the World". I'm Lynda Kinkade in for Becky Anderson. This hour it is good
to have you with us. Well, Russia again is launching multiple missile and drone strikes in Ukraine overnight as Kyiv claims partial success in its
offensive.
At least 78 people have died after a bow carrying migrants sank off the coast of Greece. The Greek Coast Guard has managed to rescue more than
hundred people so far, but hundreds of others remain missing. And Former U.S. President Donald Trump remains defiant after pleading not guilty to
all 37 felony charges.
"Partial Success" those are the words Ukraine is using today to describe intense ground fighting in the opening phase of its summer
counteroffensive. Advances are reported in Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhia by all accounts fighting has been intense. And these battles are happening amid
increasing air attacks by Russia.
Ukraine says missile strikes killed three people in Odessa and three others in the Donetsk region. I want to bring in our Senior International
Correspondent Sam Kiley joins us now live from Kyiv. Good to have you with us Sam. So let's start with this summer counteroffensive certainly
underway. Talk to us about where the efforts are focused right now.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the main new effort, if you like is on that frontline in Zaporizhzhia basically
about halfway between Zaporizhzhia City and Donetsk city, the latter, of course held by Russian backed separatists since 2014/15.
So in that context, this is a very important frontline indeed from the Russian perspective, because it is the defensive line against possible
Ukrainian advances towards relief of the Crimean Peninsula. It's also captured by Russia back in 2014.
But the Ukrainians initially began with their assaults there in a rather low level, a series of reconnaissance raids reconnaissance by force as it's
known in the military trade. Now it's stepped up its actions in a significant way.
It's still not a kind of blitzkrieg; it's not the massive assault that many people were anticipating they're still making very small incremental gains
here and there. They are taking significant casualties. At the scale of those casualties, of course, remain a military secret. But we have seen
evidence that they've lost some of the NATO equipment inevitably that they were going that they were given to use in this counter offensive.
But Lynda at the same time, they are enjoying success and gaining momentum in a salient of territory south of the city of Bakhmut now that puts the
Russian troops that have been battling there for more than a year in a very, very brutal and ongoing struggle on the back foot. That is an
important development because of the way it will split the pressure on the Russians making it difficult for the Russian commanders to decide quite
where to invest their troops.
But they do still have the advantage the Russians in terms of troop numbers in terms of the fact that they can dominate the skies above all, and it's
for that reason that the Ukrainians are continuing to make international pleas for that help with particularly F-16 Aircraft.
There are a number of countries that are currently agreeing to -- have agreed to or even began training of pilots on fourth generation fighter
jets. But they've yet to be seen any of those jets given a much less deployed here in Ukraine, Lynda.
KINKADE: And Sam speaking about additional military aid, the U.S. has indicated that more aid is coming in the form of additional armored
vehicles. And this of course, comes as the Head of Russia's private military companies indicated that his forces will return to the frontlines
in August. What more can you tell us?
KLILEY: Well, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Mercurial Leader of the Wagner Mercenary Group has indeed, as you rightly say, said that his troops will
be returning to the frontline in August they were fighting in Bakhmut indeed, it was their rotation out and the rotation of other regular army
groups in that coincided with this Ukrainian push and advances.
But crucially, he has said that he will not allow his troops as others have agreed to do in other militias and other private military companies to sign
contracts with Russia's Ministry of Defense.
[11:05:00]
An organization that he has very loud and very public contempt for how that resolves itself I think we'll see play out over the next few weeks? But he
has said he would return to the fray, so that I suppose from the Russian perspective might be a good thing, although his men and his behavior often
undermines the leadership structures there for Ukraine. Lynda.
KINKADE: Sam Kiley, for us in Kyiv, Ukraine, good to have you across all those developments. Thank you so much. Well CNN's Frederik Pleitgen and his
crew followed Ukrainian troops on the frontlines in Southeastern Ukraine, and he shows us what they're facing now and why they're confident of
victory.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Ukrainian forces firing at Russian troops holed up in -- in South Ukraine.
This video the brigade says shows the Russians making a final stand here, much of the area near the frontlines deeply scarred by combat.
PLEITGEN (on camera): This is the area of Ukraine where the heaviest fighting is currently taking place. And you can see what it's done to a lot
of the buildings in the cities and villages around this area. And that fighting is set to get even worse.
PLEITGEN (voice over): We're with the 68 Jager Brigades, which has been making important, gains here, the soldiers confident and grateful for U.S.
supply gear. A lot of the times it saved my life he says it saves our life from shrapnel, shelling and bullets. But some of the vehicles have already
been lost and the Russians continue to fire back constant artillery shelling and even air strikes too close for comfort as our crew had to duck
for cover.
Still, the Deputy Brigade Commander says his soldiers are just getting started. Our counter attack will definitely be successful he says we
believe in victory. We are moving forward towards our goal we are advancing. On this part of the front line the Ukrainians believe they have
the gear, the manpower and the determination to advance far into Russian held territory Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Donald Trump is now the first Former U.S. President to be charged and arraign for alleged federal crimes. He pleaded not guilty to 37
charges relating to his handling of classified documents Tuesday inside a Miami courtroom. That hearing kick starts what will likely be a year's long
legal process happening as Trump campaigns for President in the 2024 election. CNN's Sara Murray reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former President Donald Trump maintaining his innocence in the face of 37 federal charges related to his
alleged mishandling of classified documents.
DONALD TRUMP, 45TH U.S. PRESIDENT: I hadn't had a chance to go through all the boxes. It's a long tedious job takes a long time, which I was prepared
to do, but I have a very busy life.
MURRAY (voice over): Trump speaking before a crowd of supporters at his Bedminster Golf Club, capping a historic day that included the first
federal arraignment of a former president.
REP. DON BACON (R-NE): We can't just deny what President Trump did was wrong. I mean, it's clear as day wrong.
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): And I don't care whether you are a Trump supporter or a Trump opposes you have to take this seriously.
MURRAY (voice over): Trump surrendered at a federal courthouse in Miami Tuesday afternoon. His attorney telling the court on Trump's behalf we most
certainly enter a plea of not guilty. In the courtroom Trump sat with his arms crossed at a table flanked by his two lawyers.
Trump did not address the court also seated at that table, his aide and co- defendant Walt Nada. Nada could not enter a plea because he did not have a Florida lawyer present. Of the 37 counts Trump faces some are for
obstruction, but most are for the willful retention of National Defense Information.
TRUMP: Threatening me with 400 years in prison for possessing my own presidential papers, which just about every other president has done is one
of the most outrageous and vicious legal theories ever put forward in an American court of law.
MURRAY (voice over): The judge presiding over the arraignment did not impose any travel restrictions, but told Trump he could not speak to any of
the potential witnesses in the case. Trump's attorney objected, insisting many of the witnesses in this case are people employed by the Former
President.
The judge clarified that Trump could not speak about the facts of the case with any of the witnesses including Nauta, and asked prosecutors to provide
a list of the witnesses in the case.
[11:10:00]
Also present in the courtroom Special Counsel Jack Smith, though he did not speak during the hearing. Trump was greeted by a crowd as his motorcade
left the courthouse. He made an unannounced stop at the famous Cuban Restaurant Versailles in Miami's Little Havana, where he was met by dozens
of supporters. He entered the restaurant with Nauta by his side and spoke to religious leaders.
After the indictment Trump's Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke about the charges after previously urging the Justice Department not to indict
the Former President.
MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: And I have had the opportunity to read the indictment that was filed. I can't defend what's alleged. These
are serious allegations in the handling of classified materials, as I learned in my years as Vice President and my years on the Foreign Affairs
Committee is a very serious matter that bears upon the national security of the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Thanks to Sara Murray reporting there. Well, I want to bring in CNN's Katelyn Polantz who joins us from Miami. Good to see you again
Katelyn. So Trump of course making history as the first Former U.S. President to be criminally charged twice. Just take us through the
restrictions facing the Former President right now.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME JUSTICE REPORTER: Well Lynda, Donald Trump is now in the criminal justice system. He has agreed that he will do
what the court says now that he has been arrested and he is progressing to trial. So we entered that not guilty plea yesterday.
And there were some formalities put in place. Those included a prohibition on him speaking to other people related to the case, potentially witnesses,
as well as his Co-Defendant Walt Nauta about the details of the case; they are not allowed to talk about details of the case.
The Justice Department has to provide a list of which those people will be ultimately, but it was something that Trump's lawyers really did not want
to be put in place over the Former President. They were saying in court that everything about his life is this case; it is witnesses that are part
of his protective detail in the Secret Service.
There are witnesses who still work for him, his Co-Defendant, Walt Nauta travels with him every single day, even was with him at campaign stops
after the proceeding yesterday, and then later on and so all of this will come together.
And it will be a situation where the Justice Department is watching. And the court is watching what Donald Trump says and does. From now on, he also
has to make sure he shows up for the case again, though he doesn't have any travel restrictions.
Sometimes they take away your passport, make it so you really can't travel much he is allowed to travel freely both inside the country, as well as
over overseas, abroad. And so that is where the restrictions are.
But now there's also a legal process that will happen. There is going to be information turned over to his defense team. And there's going to be lots
of criminal arguments legal defense arguments that both his team and the Justice Department will raise with the judge.
KINKADE: And of course, Katelyn, just a week ago, Trump lost two of his attorneys who quit the case. Talk to us about who's representing the Former
U.S. President now.
POLANTZ: Well, there are two attorneys that have -- that are not unfamiliar with Donald Trump and the people around him. So the lead attorney yesterday
in court is a man named Todd Blanch, who previously was quite successful representing others in Donald Trump's political circles.
He got Paul Manafort, his 2016 Campaign Chairman out of a prosecution in New York State and had been representing others very close to Trump in
related investigations like the January 6th criminal investigations.
So Blanche has come in and he is taking the lead in representing Trump now though he may need to get up to speed a little bit on this case. There's
also a man named Chris, who came into this case much earlier, back whenever Trump was challenging some things after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago last
August.
And Chris he was in court yesterday as well. The reason he was in court is because he's based in Florida, and in order for Donald Trump to appear in
court in Florida and speak to the judge he does need to have a lawyer in the State of Florida.
KINKADE: All right, Katelyn Polantz for us in Miami staying across all those developments there. Thanks so much. U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken is headed to Beijing this weekend during a period of increased tensions. He is said to me with his Chinese counterpart to discuss
maintaining open lines of communication.
Well, as the visuals say they'll also talk about the war in Ukraine. Blinken was supposed to make the trip in February but it was delayed due to
the surveillance balloon incident. A boat with hundreds of migrants has sunk off the Coast of Greece, how many may have been on board and we'll
have the latest on the search and rescue operations.
[11:15:00]
And applause from crowds in Milan as mourners gathered for the State Funeral of Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. We look at his
controversial influence on Italian culture, and politics when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back! Search and rescue operations continue after a boat carrying hundreds of migrants sank off the coast of Greece. Nearly 80
people have been confirmed dead so far, more than 100 have been rescued.
And NGO says it may have been as many as 750 migrants on that fishing vessel. The Coast Guard says no one on board was wearing a life vest. CNN's
Barbie Nadeau joins us now. Barbie just give us a sense of the rescue operations underway right now.
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, you know the search and rescue people are doing what they can to find any more survivors. But it's looking very,
very much like those 104 people that survived this are probably going to be it. You know, right now they're trying to figure out how many people were
on those boat reports of up to 750.
But of course, there are no passenger lists on smuggler ships. So they're never maybe didn't even know how many people were there. But they're also
trying to understand the dynamic now, are there people locked in the bottom of that boat when the boat went down?
Are they still in that boat? That's the kind of the sort of scenario we're so often to seeing on these big migrant ships, especially the larger ones
where the smugglers in order to keep the boat from tipping over, they lock people in various sections of the boat to keep it balanced. They don't want
people moving around.
It's really just another tragedy that comes on the backdrop of European leaders trying to negotiate with Tunisia and Libya to try to get the boats
to stop. But until and unless they do, these boats keep coming in evermore increasingly difficult conditions and results as we're seeing Lynda.
KINKADE: And Barbie, I understand from our producer, we're just getting some vision in of some of the migrants rescued, lying as you can see in
some sort of warehouse there, obviously. I imagine pretty exhausted and worn out after such a devastating accident.
What more do we know about the migrants who were on board that vessel? And what were the indications of what caused this boat to sink because I
understand there were reports that are the vessels in the area had tried to give the migrants on board, some food and water?
NADEAU: That's right. You know this boat was first flagged by an NGO alarm phone 24 hours ago they had called this NGO and -- NGO acts as sort of a
switchboard and trying to get local authorities competent authorities which would be Malta or Italy or in this case the boat drifted into Greece to try
to get them to react.
[11:20:00]
In the meantime, there are NGO boats and vessels out there. The last thing you want, we see, you know, terrible results of this is a giant merchant
ship trying to aid one of these very, very delicate operations.
They don't have the equipment, they don't have the experience and trying to get so many people Oh, you know, if there were 700 people, even if there
were 400 off of a boat made for a far fewer number than that.
It becomes a very, very dangerous situation. We don't know we won't know exactly what caused this boat to go down. But as soon as a lot of people
start moving around on a boat like that these boats aren't very safe. There are a lot of them are decommissioned ship of the fishing vessels, that
that, you know, aren't sea worthy.
But what you've got right now, as we understand it, all the survivors were men. And so many times you see on the dynamic and the hierarchy of these
migrant boats, that the women and children are locked in the bottom levels. And then the survivors, you know, are those that were on the top level of
the ship. There is going to be no happy ending in this story.
The results are going to continue to be very, very disturbing as they do their research or do their search and rescue not no longer rescue, I should
say, and try to understand whose left on that boat. Who they were, how many women, how many children, how many pregnant women, how many unaccompanied
minors all of those sorts of things will be part of the, you know the dynamic of this, the latest terrible tragedy in the Mediterranean, Lynda?
KINKADE: Yes, it certainly is such a tragedy. Barbie Nadeau for us in Rome, thank you. Well, it's an officially a national day of mourning in Italy,
where former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is being laid to rest. We've got these pictures from his funeral service in Milan, which ended in the
last hour.
Now the flamboyant billionaire died on Monday at the age of 86. He was described by allies as a fighter. His long political career, of course is
marked by scandals. Let's go now to Rome now. And Francesco Galietti, the Founder and CEO of Policy Sonar, which looks at political risks and public
policy joins us now live. Thanks for joining us.
FRANCESCO GALIETTI, FOUNDER AND CEO, POLICY SONAR: Lynda, hello, and thanks for having me on.
KINKADE: So we've been watching these images coming to us at this state funeral this national day of mourning. Thousands of people are bidding
farewell to this, the former Italian prime minister. Just give us a sense of the feeling in Italy, as the country bids farewell to this huge, huge
polarizing figure out from Italian politics.
GALIETTI: Yes, but it was going to be it's been around in Italian politics for over 20 years. This means that he's dominated a long cycle in Italian
politics. Inevitably, he will by leaving the scene, he leaves behind a great mess because there are many questions being asked what will happen
next.
This is because of his personality, but it's also because of his record and he's been prime minister several times. And again, he was prime minister
not for 20 full years, but people of my generation have been confronted for with Berlusconi for all their life virtually.
KINKADE: And of course, you know, he was polarizing. He had endless brushes with the law he had these notorious "Bunga Bunga parties", and over his
lifetime, he faced dozens and dozens of charges. He was only convicted once over tax fraud and embezzlement and eventually banned from politics. What
is his legacy? How will he be remembered?
GALIETTI: He's a very used to be a very divisive figure. And I guess, that will live on even after his death. He will remain hugely divisive. People
will, some will love him and keep him in the haunts and others will hate him as they hated him when he was alive.
KINKADE: And of course, politics in Italy or political life rather is on pause right now since his death on Monday and all parliamentary work
stopped for seven days, some opposition figures that are criticizing this response. We heard from Brando, the leader of the Democrats in Europe
saying a state funeral is duty.
But the proclamation of national mourning appears instead to be a political choice. We also heard from a member of the Democratic Party questioning the
decision to freeze Parliament saying there are numerous dossiers waiting to response. So even in death, Berlusconi and the reaction to him appears
quite divisive.
[11:25:00]
GALIETTI: Yes, it is. And the funny thing is that the type of mourning that he is being given is normally given to heads of state. Now if there's one
thing Berlusconi never was and never became that it is head of state. He wanted it. He wanted it badly, but he never made it to head of state. And
so, and the irony is that now that he's no longer alive, but he's getting a head of state funeral.
KINKADE: And its interesting looking at those who came to the funeral today in terms of international gas and world leaders, Hungary's leader Viktor
Orban was there, the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair was not there. And we saw tributes coming in from the likes of the Russian
President Vladimir Putin, who described Berlusconi as a dear friend, saying he was charged by his incredible vitality, his optimism, his sense of
humor.
And not surprising, I guess hearing that that glowing tribute from Putin given that just early this year of Berlusconi was blaming Ukraine for
Russia's war. Talk to us about how Berlusconi shaped foreign policy for Italy.
GALIETTI: Here's the thing. Berlusconi was a believer in the importance of foreign policy, which is quite uncommon in Italian politics. And Berlusconi
trying to frame issues from a geopolitical standpoint and for a while, he was convinced that through his personal charm, he would be able to go where
no one dance, and he considered the practical -- the summit of practical demand in 2003 is his masterpiece.
That was a moment when he was able to have George Bush shake hands with Vladimir Putin. And Erdogan was attending too. But that was a short lived
illusion. What happened after that is that the relations between Russia and the West soured. And Berlusconi is an ever closer embrace with Putin made
him a pariah. So this relation, these close ties that he always cultivated with Vladimir Putin were extremely toxic and ultimately doomed him.
KINKADE: And of course, it's interesting noting his rise in politics, his rise to becoming this billionaire media mogul. He started out as a former
vacuum cleaner salesman, right?
GALIETTI: Yes, I mean, he was an entrepreneur and he always for all his life, he kept his entrepreneurial spirit. He wasn't a manager. He was the
quintessential entrepreneur. He saw opportunities where very few others did. And he kept doing that his life.
KINKADE: Francesco Galietti, good to have you on the program. We share that perspective with us on what is the funeral the national day of mourning for
the four times Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, thanks very much.
GALIETTI: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still to come here on "Connect the World", the release of U.S. inflation data spells good news for Investors and consumers ahead of a
key Federal Reserve decision this afternoon. We'll have analysis when we come back, plus regulating artificial intelligence, the new draft rules
approved today by the EU.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back to "Connect the World" with me Lynda Kinkade. Here are your headlines this hour. For the 12th time Lebanon's parliament has
failed to elect a president. Will make us held a session early to try to pick replacement for former President Michel Aoun, seen here in pitches he
has turned ended back in October.
The country's political deadlock adds to Lebanon's ongoing financial crisis. In Sudan, increasing levels of ethnic violence in West Darfur is
worse than it's been 20 years. That's according to a human rights observer there who says it's clear that ethnic cleansing is taking place by groups
backed by the RSF.
The United Nations issued a warning saying attacks conducted by the RSF and backed groups could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. And
in Nigeria, a tragic boat crash along the Niger River has claimed more than 100 lives. Authorities say a boat carrying hundreds of wedding guests
overturned when it hit a tree, a tree trunk rather on Monday.
Witnesses say the boat split into two and the water carried passengers away. Search operations have rescued at least 144 passengers. Investors
around the world are holding their breath. The U.S. Federal Reserve will announce at 2 p.m. Eastern this afternoon whether it will raise interest
rates again or hold them steady.
Ahead of that decision, some welcome news on inflation. A key gauge fell sharply in May. The Producer Price Index is showing that the annual price
increase seen by producers has dropped sharply to just 1.1 percent. That's below the pre-pandemic average. And here is a look at the markets ahead of
the Fed decision.
You can see it's pretty mid, NASDAQ up just -- the DOW Jones down almost point three of a percent and the S&P 500 up almost half a percent, 0.42.
Well joining me now is CNN Business Reporter, Matt Egan. So Matt, after 10 consecutive interest rate rises, will the Fed pause when we hear from them
this afternoon?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Lynda, it does increasingly look like the Fed is going to keep interest rates steady. At last check markets are pricing in a
99 percent chance that the Fed does nothing at all today after as you mentioned 10 consecutive interest rate hikes. Now, one of the reasons why
Marcus are so confident about this is because we keep getting indicators that inflation is cooling off and today's report is on producer prices.
This is wholesale inflation on prices before they reach American consumers. But it shows inflation that's in the pipeline. And as you can see on that
chart, this metric has really come down dramatically a 1.1 percent increase year-over-year in May. That is down from a peak of nearly 12 percent in
March of 2022.
We were miles and miles away from that cooling off 11 months in a row. A lot of this has been driven by the plunging gasoline prices and also
cooling off food prices. Month-over-month, producer prices actually fell, we are seeing outright deflation there dipping 0.3 percent.
And as you can see on that chart, three of the last four months have actually been negative, prices there, that is encouraging. So if you add
this report with yesterday's report on consumer prices, that's the green chart there, you can see consumer prices have also come down although not
quite as dramatically.
These both of these indicators show that the feds tough inflation fighting medicine does seem to be working. Inflation is not back to normal. It's not
quite at healthy levels yet. But things are certainly trending in the right direction, Lynda.
[11:35:00]
KINKADE: Yes, that is good to see. So that obviously inflation continuing to cool, cheaper energy, obviously helping, but we are still seeing some
gains in the housing market, right.
EGAN: Yes, you know, housing is one of the reasons why inflation is still uncomfortably high. The cost of housing, rental rates, that those have
really been painful to consumers. And that has proven to be a lot stickier. It's been very stubborn.
And that is something that we should hear today from Fed Chair Jerome Powell talk about the impact of shelter costs. I think in today's decision,
which is coming up in just about two and a half hours, I think we really have to be looking for three things, right, assuming the Fed does what
everyone expects, which is keeping interest rates steady.
I'm most interested in hearing one, whether or not the Fed statement changes significantly to acknowledge the improving inflation situation. And
by the way, the strengthening jobs market, too. We're also going to get the new economic projections and the dot plot from the Fed where Fed officials
they pencil in how many more interest rate hikes they see coming in, when they see interest rates coming down.
That is something that markets look at very, very closely. And then the last thing is at 2:30 New York, time, Fed Chair Jerome Powell will be
taking questions from reporters. We have to listen very carefully to what he says, as far as whether or not the Fed can actually go ahead and raise
interest rates again, come July, which is what a lot of economists in the market is starting to price in.
And how many more interest rates does he see coming. So Fed Chair Jerome Powell was really going to help set the tone here for what's going to
happen next in this economy.
KINKADE: All right, so that Federal Reserve decision is expected at 2 p.m. Eastern in just a couple of hours from now. Matt Egan for us in New York,
thanks very much. Well, the EU is taking steps to clamp down on the potentially dangerous use of artificial intelligence. European Parliament
members agreed to create global standards for AI use, including impact assessments on high risk projects.
The parliament will now negotiate with EU member states to turn those rules into law. Meantime, U.S. Senators received a briefing Tuesday on the use of
artificial intelligence. CNN Technology Reporter Brian Fung joins me now from Washington. Good to have you with us, Brian.
So the EU Parliament want these global standards on EU, they have approved to this landmark AI Act. What are the details? And how do they hope it will
challenge the tech giants?
BRIAN FUNG, CNN TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: Yes, Lynda, this is a pretty unprecedented bill. We haven't seen anything like this before regulating AI
for the first time, you know, anywhere in the world. This bill would erect bans for specific high risk initiatives like, you know, the use of AI for
predictive policing, or the creation of social credit scores, kind of like what you see in countries like China.
And then for other, you know, sensitive applications of AI, it would create, you know, more targeted limit hate and limitations. And, and, and
that would, you know, restrict potential uses of AI for, you know, making certain decision makings in healthcare, or in banking and finance, all of
which is designed to keep artificial intelligence from getting out of control or creating, you know, undue harms to society.
And this is important, because, you know, the EU has really been a leader on artificial intelligence and technology regulation more generally and you
know, whether that's on any trust or on social media. And it really sets the EU apart, in terms of challenging large tech platforms like Google,
Open AI, Meta, and others, that have really poured billions of dollars into this technology and really think that it could change the face of society.
You know, even as many, in even in some of these companies have said, look, these technologies need regulation so that, you know, you prevent them from
getting out of hand and potentially even causing, you know, the end of humanity writ large.
But that also just highlights how far the EU is ahead of many other countries, including the United States on this, where, you know, many
lawmakers in the United States are still just getting up to speed on this technology, what it does, its risks and its benefits.
And, you know, as part of this legislative process, now, the EU is going to be moving ahead towards implementing it, you know, through this tri log
process where there's going to be a negotiation between EU member States, the EU Parliament and the European Commission with a view towards, you
know, hammering out a final deal, potentially by the end of this year with implementation not long after that.
You know again a huge contrast with other jurisdictions particularly the United States where tech giants have been you know, pouring billions of
dollars in investment in research and development in this technology.
[11:40:00]
And the United States is basically nowhere to be found in this regulatory space. So Lynda, you know, very big step by the EU today, and we're just
going to have to see whether this legislation can move forward.
KINKADE: All right, Brian Fung for us in Washington, DC, plenty more to discuss. We'll save that for next time. Thanks for joining us. Well, we
have already seen the astounding ability of AI to create stories and songs seemingly out of thin air.
Well, now you can credit or maybe blame artificial intelligence for what Paul McCartney says will be the final Beatle song. He tells BBC Radio 4
that AI was used to recreate the voices of John Lennon and George Harrison to complete a decade's old -- track.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL MCCARTNEY, MUSICIAN: So when we came to make what will be the last Beatles record, it was a demo that John had that we worked on, and we've
just finished it up. It'll be released this year. We were able to take John's voice and get it pure through this AI. So then, then we could mix
the record as you would normally do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Quite incredible. We are expected to hear that song later this year. McCartney says there's a good side and a scary side to AI, we'll just
have to see where it leads. Well Still to come, funds are dwindling, but needs are growing for the people of Syria. I'm going to speak with the Red
Cross director for the region when we return. Stay with us, you're watching "Connect the World".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. A reminder one of our top stories we're covering here on CNN. Former U.S. President Donald Trump is celebrating his 77th
birthday today after an unprecedented court appearance in Miami Tuesday.
He pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to allege mishandling of classified documents, making him the first former U.S. president to be
charged and arraigned for alleged federal crimes. Trump told supporters after that court hearing the charges are fake and fabricated.
CNN Chief Legal Analyst Laura Coates spoke to CNN's Poppy Harlow about what legal steps are next, as Donald Trump's case plays out in federal court.
LAURA COATES, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: The number one thing that's next is well, not as arraignment it might feel a little bit like deja vu because of
course, we were supposed to have that portion happen yesterday, but he does not have local counsel. He actually has a rotation but not actually local
counsel.
So we'll come back facing those six charges outlined in the indictment. That is the co-defendant on the conspiracy and obstruction related
offenses. His attorney fees are being paid for by the Save America pack, but he will be back in court on June 27. Trump should not appear with him
at that point in time.
[11:45:00]
Also with next, of course, is discovering. The DOJ normally would have that 14 days to turn over everything to say, here's what you have in preparation
for a fair trial, obviously, to have both exculpatory information available and everything else. But this is going to be massaged a great deal because
of course, you've got delays possible due to classified documents.
You've got to get security clearances to see the documents and issue here. It doesn't say anything about what's going to happen eventually, for a jury
to actually look at those documents. Summation probably happened already, you're talking about the grand jury. But now it's time to figure out what
you have and when you can give it. This will be a very big determinant in terms of when the next trial date will be.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: When Trump's attorneys and prosecutors start to engage in this, what will they engage in next? What will they argue wrestle
over in terms of --
COATES: The biggest things are going to be the pretrial motions poppy.
HARLOW: Right.
COATES: The idea of figuring out what is going to happen in the sense of are we going to dismiss or try to exclude evidence, you can bet your bottom
dollar. But Evan Corcoran's notes and audio tapes that form the part of the indictment that suggests look, here's what was said to me, an audio
recorded contemporaneously, discussions about wanting to shield documents, discussions about sort of the plucking motion that took place in that point
in time.
That'll be the part of the pre-trial motions. It's not unheard of to have these motions. It's quite standard to talk about what's going to come in,
what's going to be excluded. We're talking about a jury, of course, the court of public opinion will probably hear a lot more than actually a court
of law jury and paneled people will do.
But the number one question is going to be the schedule. It's a big question mark. We know that they have a lot of time against them for the
prosecution, but we don't actually have a set schedule in terms of a trial date, most importantly, of course.
The speedy trial says within 70 day that's puts you about August, around the time that it's likely not going to happen. But the reason there's a
question is because these are co-defendants. And unless once arraigned, unless both are arraigned, you don't have a chance to set a full schedule.
KINKADE: Thanks to Laura Coates and Poppy Harlow there, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. The UN's World Food Program says it will cut assistance to more than 2 million Syrians to rely on the agency citing an
unprecedented funding crisis. It comes as an EU conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region takes place in Brussels, Belgium.
In a statement published Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross called on donor states to take immediate action to address the
situation in Syria. The ICRC's Regional Director for Near and Middle East Fabrizio Carboni said quote, "The international community must confront the
harsh reality that the current situation in Syria is untenable. And failure to act will have dire consequences for all. Those involved and of course,
hinder any prospects for a sustainable recovery. We cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people in Syria".
For more on the urgent needs in Syria, Mr. Carboni joins us now from Russell's where he is representing the ICRC at the conference thanks so
much for joining us today.
[11:50:00]
FABRIZIO CARBONI, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: Hi.
KINKADE: So just give us a sense of just how dire the situation is in Syria right now, because they understand about 15 million people out of a
population of about 22 million are in need of humanitarian aid.
CARBONI: Yes, this is the dramatic situation we've seen today in Syria. And it's obviously the effect of 12 years of conflict. But it's also the impact
of the COVID crisis, the earthquake we had a couple of months ago. And so you have a country, and especially Syrian population, which is stuck in
this rush, vicious circle, which, which just made their life every day more and more complicated and highly dependent on humanitarian support and
action.
KINKADE: And funding simply so dire right now that the UN World Food Program says that by October, they might cut assistance by about half from
about 5.5 million Syrians that currently giving food to 2.5 million. What impact could that have?
CARBONI: Massive because probably 90 percent of the Syrian population is dependent on humanitarian action. And I think the problem is Syria is just
illustrating a more important challenge we face today is that there are many crisis around the world today, requiring a lot of effort from our
traditional donors.
And so we want them obviously to, to grow and to keep on doing this humanitarian effort, because it's just life-saving. But at the same time,
we want also other states, other donors to join and shoulder this this humanitarian challenge. So it's, it's dire, it's worrying. And in the short
term, if there is no injection of funds, I see a very difficult future for the Syrian population.
KINKADE: Just talk to us about how sanctions are impacting the delivery of humanitarian aid, because I understand your organization, the International
Committee for the Red Cross is calling for humanitarian exemptions to be carved into the sanctions currently facing the regime.
CARBONI: I think the sanction as such is a political act. You know, it's a tool states are using and search as you may tell an actor we don't comment
on whether or not sanctions are necessary. This being said, we always say that sanctions cannot impact, you may turn work and shouldn't impact the
civilian population.
And within this, this framework, we've engage many states to have you, you maintain carve out, you maintain an exemption within the sanction regime
thing in the U.S. we had a very successful dialogue. In order to have this you may turn exemptions.
There are other regime, other sanction regime which are also having those exemptions, but we want them to be way more permanent and predictable. So
sanction is a political act with humanitarian consequences, and you may turn actors should be in a position to work without being impacted by those
sanctions.
KINKADE: Your organization, the International Committee for the Red Cross has warned about the failure to act. Explain for us what are the risks if
Syria doesn't get this funding if humanitarian groups don't get the funding that's needed?
CARBONI: Look, that different dimension first, you know, after 12 years of conflict, the essential infrastructure I'm talking about water, provision
of power supply, health, education, sewage system are on the verge of collapse, I mean, many have already are not working anymore.
And if there is no funding to keep and maintain those essential infrastructures, the impact on public health and the impact on the Syrian
population would be devastating. We had the situation in November, where we had an epidemic of cholera. And cholera is an expression of this essential
service, basic services collapsing. Then you have also many people who are dependent on food assistance.
[11:55:00]
If this is discontinued, I don't know how the Syrian population will be in a position to, to keep on living. And most probably they will try to find
other alternative, or leave maybe the country to find a better place to just survive.
And at the time, where we're talking about return of refugees to Syria, I think the fact that you might -- financing is decreasing and therefore
making the life of Syrians way more difficult in Syria, obviously makes this return an even more remote possibility than what it is today.
KINKADE: Fabrizio Carboni, from the International Committee for the Red Cross, we appreciate your time today and wish you all the best with your
efforts in Syria. Thanks very much.
CARBONI: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, that was "Connect the World", I'm Lynda Kinkade, thanks so much for joining me today. "One World" with Julia Chatterley is up next,
stay with us, you're watching CNN.
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[12:00:00]
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