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Connect the World
Trump: China "Totally Violated" Trade Agreement; U.S.: May Step Back from Peace Talks if Russian Attacks Continue; Capital Jewish Museum Opens Doors a Week After Deadly Shooting; Appeals Court Temporarily Reinstates Trump's Tariffs; Massive Seal Makes Surprise Visit to Town. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired May 30, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: All right, this is the scene in Washington where U.S. President Donald Trump, is blasting China. He says
for violating an agreement to roll back the massive tariffs he slapped on China. It is 09:00 a.m. in Washington, D.C. It is also 09:00 am here, where
I am in New York. I'm Zain Asher, you are watching "Connect the World".
Also coming up, Israel agrees to a U.S. plan for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, but Hamas pushes back with new demands. And Russia bombards targets
across Ukraine, including a town close to NATO's eastern border, while Kyiv says it's still waiting for Moscow's response before peace talks resume
next week.
We're going to start with Donald Trump's latest comments, taking on China, essentially in a social media post just moments ago, he accused Beijing of
violating an agreement that rolled back the tariffs he slapped on Beijing to allow for negotiations. Those negotiations, according to the treasury
secretary, are not going well.
The key line on President Donald Trump's post China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, has totally violated its agreement with us so much
for being Mr. Nice Guy. Whether that means an end to negotiations or an immediate return to the highest tariff rate on China, that is, of course,
the million-dollar question.
Let's bring in Matt Egan to discuss this now from New York. So Matt, he's saying essentially that China has completely violated an agreement. He
didn't really give much details, but walk us through it more we know at this point.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, Zain, listen, this roller coaster Trade War continues. It feels like every day the situation changes, and the latest is
these signs of significant increase in tensions between the United States and China. Remember, the U.S. had the 145 percent tariffs on China, and was
able to lower dramatically those tariffs to just 30 percent after that breakthrough in Geneva earlier this month, that really eased a lot of the
concerns among investors and economists.
But now we have this Truth Social post from the president, where he says that, in his view, China has, quote, totally violated the agreement. And he
also went on to say so much for being Mr. Nice Guy, suggesting that maybe he is willing to go back to raising tariffs on China, perhaps not up to 145
percent but still to a higher level than there is right now.
Now it's not 100 percent clear from this post exactly what triggered the president's displeasure here, but we do know from our reporting that
there's a number of things that the administration had been anticipating after that meeting in Geneva, including U.S. officials had expected that
China was going to ease export restrictions on rare earth minerals.
Now those are those critical minerals that go into everything from iPhones and electric vehicles to fighter jets and missile systems. And according to
U.S. officials speaking to our colleagues, that has not happened, and that has upset the administration, and you see, investors are reacting to this
latest development in the trade war.
U.S. stock futures were little changed earlier this morning, and have moved solidly into the red, not dramatically lower, but significantly in the red
after this post came out. And Zain, as you mentioned, this also comes after last night, the treasury secretary acknowledged that the talks between the
U.S. and China are a bit stalled.
ASHER: Yeah, it's interesting looking at market futures right now. I mean, obviously the markets open about half an hour or so from now. As you point
out, the DOW, for example, is lower up, but it's not significantly lower. It is more or less flat, obviously a little bit to the downside.
But I'm wondering whether investors sort of see this move or this post by President Trump as just some kind of negotiating tactic. I mean, we've seen
him try to scare countries in the past in order to bring them to the negotiation table. Is that what investors are anticipating this time, Matt?
EGAN: I think that's what investors are hoping, and that is what we saw a month ago. I'm sorry, a week ago, right? Exactly a week ago, markets were
down because the president had also come out with a Truth Social post, signaling a ratcheting up of tensions, except that was with the European
Union.
Remember, the president said he'd put a 50 percent tariff on the EU within days, and that initially concerned investors. But then the president walked
that back, right? He said he had a very good talk with a top EU official, and he ended up delaying when those 50 percent tariffs would go into
effect, saying that's not something that would happen until July.
So, I do think that there's going to be hope among investors that a similar situation is playing out here, that the president is voicing his
displeasure.
[09:05:00]
Hinting at potentially higher tariffs, but hoping that he's not going to actually have to go there. But look, there's a lot at stake here, because
so much of the market rebound, this historic rebound over the last six or seven weeks, has been driven by the fact that the trade war has been de-
escalating, that tariffs have been calming down.
And so, anything that would unwind that and reverse that trend, I think would be unnerving to investors and also to economists who are concerned
about what all of this is going to do in terms of growth and inflation.
ASHER: Right. Matt Egan, live for us there. Thank you so much.
EGAN: Thank you.
ASHER: As you point out, the U.S. has a lot to lose if this trade will go south. Thank you so much, Matt. An Israeli official tells CNN that the
country has accepted the new U.S. plan for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. The official says the latest proposal from U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff calls for
the release of 10 living and 18 deceased hostages.
Hamas says the latest framework does not meet its core demands, and it has issued a counter proposal based around three points. It wants U.S.
assurances that the fighting will not resume after the 60-day truce. It also wants humanitarian assistance carried out through UN channels, and
it's also demanding the IDF pull back to positions it held on March 2 before Israel relaunched its military operations.
Let's get over to CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem. So, this idea of the war not continuing, essentially the war stopping a permanent ceasefire,
something that Hamas has really been pushing for. Just walk us through what the major sticking points are here, Jeremy.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. I mean, it's clear that there are still some major differences here between the
Israeli position and Hamas' position. But at the same time, it's also important to acknowledge some of the progress that clearly has been made in
getting these two sides closer together. You know, while Hamas and its statements publicly is still insisting on an end to the war.
They are, it seems willing to go for a temporary ceasefire and the release of about half of the living and deceased hostages. But what they want is
that they want assurances that this temporary ceasefire won't simply end after 60 days, meaning, if negotiations are still happening between the two
sides to try and reach a deal to end the war, that ceasefire will effectively continue as long as the two sides are still talking.
And one of the reasons why Hamas is seeking those assurances is because we saw that during the last ceasefire. That's exactly what was supposed to
have happened. But instead, Israel did not engage in serious negotiations over an end of the war, and then at a certain point, very rapidly, decided
to resume its military operations in Gaza, accusing Hamas of not releasing additional hostages.
So, you know, we'll see if they can actually bridge that gap, but that certainly seems to be the kind of central sticking point at this time.
Meaning, you know, Hamas willing to go for a temporary ceasefire, Israel as well. The question being, you know, what kind of guarantees will there be
that both sides will engage in good faith negotiations to actually reach a permanent ceasefire and the release of all of the remaining hostages held
in Gaza.
ASHER: And we've seen throughout this week just really chaotic scenes when it comes to the distribution of aid in Gaza, the UN is essentially accusing
Israel of really only letting a fraction of the amount of aid that is needed to get into the enclave. Just walk us through the situation on the
ground there, Jeremy.
DIAMOND: Yeah, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has one of its sites operational today. According to that organization yesterday, they had three
and so clearly, this is an operation that is going in kind of fits and starts, and we've seen scenes of chaos around this newly established aid
mechanism, which is existing because the Israelis don't want to allow aid in through the traditional humanitarian channels.
They have, you know, effectively been forced to do so in limited quantities over the course of the last week, allowing, in parallel with this new Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation, for the United Nations to also bring in its own trucks. But the idea ultimately is to end that altogether and to have the
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, with the secure distribution sites that are secured by private American military contractors, to be the only avenue for
aid available to the people of Gaza.
And it's also important to know that the aid that is getting in right now via those traditional humanitarian channels, primarily run by the United
Nations. You know, trucks are getting into Gaza. They're being brought to a depot across from the Kerem Shalom crossing.
[09:10:00]
But the United Nations is having enormous difficulties being able to go up and pick up that aid and then the distribute it throughout the Gaza Strip
because, they say, of a lack of secure routes being provided by the Israelis for them to actually move those trucks without running the risk of
being struck by these very active and intensifying Israeli military operations at the same time.
So, you know, we are seeing some aid get into Gaza, but the reason why we're still seeing these very chaotic scenes, these scenes of desperation
and hunger in Gaza, is because it simply has not been enough aid yet, and not enough aid is actually reaching the people in need. And so, for the
moment, that hunger crisis in Gaza still has not been alleviated.
ASHER: All right, Jeremy Diamond live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, let's connect you to the conflict in Ukraine. Take a look at this.
You're looking at emergency crews essentially dealing with the impact of a Russian strike on Kharkiv last night.
Authorities say that seven civilians were killed as several cities came under fire in the south. An official says that one drone strike was less
than five kilometers from the border with Romania on NATO's Eastern frontier. Kyiv says is still waiting on a memo from Russia outlining
Moscow's position as the two sides repair for more peace talks in Turkey next week.
Nic Robertson is following developments for us from London. So, the key issue for Ukraine, just in terms of attending these peace talks in
Istanbul, is whether or not they actually truly believe that Russia is serious about wanting peace.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, Ukraine has asked for the memorandum that Russia says it will submit outlining their plans
for what a peace deal could look like. Ukraine has asked for it in advance of those talks, and they're indicating that if that isn't handed over, it
doesn't show good faith on the Russian part.
And it tends to show what they believe, that Russia is prevaricating and playing for time, because they say there's no reason it couldn't be given.
We've just heard from the Russian Foreign Ministry, and they have said that their delegation will be in Istanbul on the second of June, on Tuesday, and
they will be bringing their memorandum with them.
So, the message coming from Russia now is very clear that doesn't appear that they're about to give advance sight of that memorandum to the
Ukrainians. Ukraine said very clearly that they were expecting the understanding had been that not only they would receive the memorandum in
advance of these talks, but also the United States would.
And Ukraine's position at the moment is ambiguous. It is not saying that it will attend those talks. It is rather pointing up that they don't have this
memorandum yet.
ASHER: And just in terms of the U.S.'s perspective, and obviously, President Trump has made it very clear that he is quite upset, to put it
lightly with Vladimir Putin for not taking these peace talks more seriously. The U.S. has a lot of leverage over Russia. Just walk us through
how it may if Trump decides to use that leverage?
ROBERTSON: Yeah, it's very interesting when you listen to the language that was used by the U.S. Representative at the UN Security Council last night,
outlining the U.S. position, saying that if Russia didn't show that it was willing to commit towards peace and stop attacking Ukrainians, then the
United States would withdraw from its position of being a mediator in all of this.
They said, if Russia does what the U.S. is asking for, if both parties are amenable to trying to find a path to peace, then the United States is quite
happy to engage with both of them, with the UN and with European partners as well. But the language that was also used, or the words that were also
used by their representative to the UN spoke about, you know, what was on offer, if you will to Russia that that you know the United States is
talking about, not just a ceasefire deal for Russia, but also some economic avenues endless as well.
So, the leverage that the Ukraine and its Western backers in Europe at least believe the United States has, is United States could put additional
sanctions on Russia could toughen. The enforcement of existing sanctions, such as on the, you know, on the shadow fleet that Russia manages to
illegally under international law, export oil that is under sanction.
So, the belief of those who stand in opposition to what Russia is doing, is that United States can exert greater financial leverage. And of course, the
other thing that the United States is able to do is to put its finger on the balance of the military balance inside of Ukraine, and that is by
continuing to supply much needed air defense equipment and much needed military equipment for the battlefield, as well as key intelligence.
[09:15:00]
So, this is what the U.S. has at its disposal to leverage against Russia, but that wasn't the way quite that it was being framed by the United States
Representative at the UN last night.
ASHER: Right. Nic Robertson, thank you so much. A military veteran turned poster child for Russia's war in Ukraine is the victim of an apparent
assassination at home. CNN's Matthew Chance has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Excel for Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine, the Kremlin might call you a
hero. He could also mark you out as a target for assassination by the other side. These are the final moments of the latest Russian war hero killed in
a mysterious explosion.
34-year-old Zaur Gurtsiev had only recently been made Deputy Mayor of Stavropol in Southern Russia, but the former soldier distinguished himself
here in Mariupol, where he led a Russian airborne unit in one of the most brutal sieges of the Ukraine war.
Kremlin even made a promotional video about him called Time of Heroes, highlighting his exploits and family. A model veteran to be given priority
in Putin's new Russia being forged in the Ukraine war.
LATE ZAUR ALEKSANDROVICH GURTSIEV, A RUSSIAN DEPUTY MAYOR: I could bring my experience to public administration as a person who has gone from a cadet
to a commander, from a person to whom ready made decisions are communicated to a person who makes those very decisions.
CHANCE (voice-over): But becoming a face of Russia's war potentially paints a target on your back. Russia enduring a spate of assassinations of pro
Kremlin bloggers, propagandists and military figures. All reminders that in the brutal calculus of what Russia calls its special military operation,
there are only rewards at the price of considerable risk. Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, coming up a look at Thursday's Harvard Commencement Ceremony amid the university's growing legal battle with the White House.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: A federal judge in Boston says that she will block the White House from ending Harvard's ability to enroll international students. The order
will indefinitely bar the Trump Administration from forcing any changes to the school's enrollment policy that would extend the temporary ban the same
judge imposed last week.
She made it clear a court order was necessary, despite Thursday's attempt by the government to defuse the situation by giving Harvard 30 days to
respond to its demands. The judge's ruling comes as the school held its commencement ceremony on Thursday. CNN's Danny Freeman, was there.
[09:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An emphatic show of support at Harvard University for the school's president at graduation. As the
historic Ivy League University continues to battle with the Trump Administration over federal funding antisemitism and now enrolling
international students.
ALAN GARBER, PRESIDENT OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Members of the class of 2025 from down the street across the country and around the world. Around the
world, just as it should be.
FREEMAN (voice-over): Despite a federal judge halting the effort to ban Harvard from enrolling international students, the administration is now
threatening to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students across the country, while some Chinese students on campus were hesitant to speak to
CNN today, a master student from China made a plea for empathy during the commencement ceremony.
YURONG "LUANNA" JIANG, 2025 HARVARD GRADUATE FROM CHINA: When I met my 77 classmates from 32 different countries. The countries I knew only as
colorful shapes on our map turned into real people with laughter, dreams.
FREEMAN (voice-over): Though the tumultuous school year is now finally over, fears about the future linger at Harvard for international students.
LEO GERDEN, HARVARD GRADUATING SENIOR FROM SWEDEN: It's all of these crazy things that people are thinking about in this moment. Can I transfer to
another institution? Is it worth doing it in the U.S., because what if Trump goes after that university next?
FREEMAN (voice-over): And fears linger for researchers whose federal funding is still frozen or canceled.
MARC WEISSKOPF, PROFESSOR OF HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: How to protect your brain as you're aging and stay keep your quality of life so
you're not heading into dementia or not getting cancer or not getting cardiovascular disease, those advances take time to develop, and so we are
putting that off, if not stopping them.
WALTER WILLETT, PROFESSOR OF HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: If we -- I got from under our research, we're going to miss a huge opportunity
that no amount of money can buy.
FREEMAN (voice-over): But today, Harvard's graduating class set the stage for tomorrow's fight.
THOR REIMANN, 2025 SENIOR ENGLISH ORATOR AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Now look, our university is certainly imperfect, but I am proud to stand today
alongside our graduating class, our faculty and our president, with the shared conviction that this ongoing project of Veritas is one worth
defending.
FREEMAN (on camera): Now, one thing that also struck me while being on campus this week is perhaps the unlikely amount of unity that really has
grown at Harvard University, after this battle with the Trump Administration, remember, this university that's been very divided in
recent years.
The former president had to resign last year, there's been a lot of back and forth and division over accusations of antisemitism and many protests
on campus. But on this issue, you have administrators, faculty members, even students, all coming together to defend the university. Danny Freeman,
CNN, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. A man has appeared in court in the English City of
Liverpool after a car rammed into a crowd of people on Monday. Paul Doyle is charged with seven offenses, including causing grievous bodily harm and
dangerous driving.
The incident happened as football fans were celebrating Liverpool's Premier League win. British comedian and YouTuber Russell Brand pleaded not guilty
for charges of rape and sexual assault in a London court today. In April, the British actor was charged on five different counts related to four
separate women.
He has denied any wrongdoing. And British prosecutors say they've authorized 21 charges against the misogynist influences Andrew and Tristan
Tate, including rape and human trafficking. Lawyers representing the brothers accused the British authorities of refusing to engage with them
saying they potentially have information that undermines the allegations.
The men who have denied wrongdoing also face charges in Romania relating to human trafficking and organized criminal activity. A state of emergency has
been declared in the Canadian province of Manitoba, where wildfires have forced more than 17,000 people out of their homes.
Manitoba's Premier, says the military is being deployed to help with the evacuation. And the capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. reopened to
visitors on Thursday, one week after a gunman shot and killed two Israeli embassy employees, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, had been attending
an event at the museum and were actually about to get engaged.
As John Doran, CNN Affiliate WUSA reports they were honored during an emotional ceremony before the reopening.
[09:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DORAN, CNN WUSA REPORTER (voice-over): Hopeful hymns accompanied messages of grief and healing.
CHRIS WOLF, BOARD PRESIDENT AT CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM: The memory of Yaron and Sarah will not be a cause for retreat, but rather a powerful
inspiration to redouble our efforts. Their dedication to peace will fuel our resolve.
DORAN (voice-over): The capital Jewish Museum is open eight days after Lischinsky and Milgrim were gunned down outside while attending an event
here.
MURIEL BOWSER, WASHINGTON, D.C. MAYOR: While I am saddened by the circumstances, outraged actually that bring us together today, I am
grateful to look around and see the values of our city represented here and the resiliency that we heard described in getting open.
GARY FREED, MUSEUM VISITOR: I felt like I needed to be here today to just see how it felt and pay my respects.
DORAN (voice-over): Gary Freed from Alpharetta, Georgia, was one of the museum's first visitors Thursday.
FREED: We need to have a sort of a solidarity amongst us towards what's going on with the antisemitism. This is a really tragic situation, and it
hits home.
DORAN (voice-over): To visitors and D.C. Jewish leaders.
SUE STOLOV, PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE WASHINGTON: That an attack could happen like this in our nation's capital is truly a wakeup
call.
DORAN (voice-over): The Jewish community's guard is up. They're determined to press on in the memory of two young lives lost.
DR. BEATRICE GURWITZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM: Last week's antisemitic attack cannot be our last chapter, so we reopen today,
and we dedicate ourselves to honor Yaron and Sarah and their commitment to repairing the world and building bridges.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: You are watching "Connect the World". Much more news ahead, including the opening bell on Wall Street this Friday. How investors are
reacting after Donald Trump's latest social media post saying so much for Mr. Nice Guy on China tariffs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
ASHER: All right, and with that opening bell ringing on Wall Street, the markets are officially now open. Investors are of course, going to be very
much focused on Donald Trump's latest social media post, essentially attacking China and accusing China of violating the agreement that actually
led to a pause in those 145 percent tariffs.
We don't actually know what Donald Trump is referring to specifically. He didn't give much details, but the markets are squarely going to be reacting
to that, although they are pretty much flat, obviously slightly down, but more or less flat for the time being. We're obviously going to wait to see
what actual policy comes from that Truth Social post.
But he did say, no more Mr. Nice Guy, which obviously sounds quite ominous. Let's look at the legal whirlwind as well these rulings that are first
upended and then restored, at least for now, the bulk of President Donald Trump's tariffs, a federal appeals court put a temporary pause on one of
the lower court rulings while it considers the administration's appeal.
So, for now, the president's reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries, his 10 percent universal tariffs and higher tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada
for the fentanyl emergency he declared, can continue the court's rule. The president exceeded his authority by invoking emergency powers to impose the
tariffs.
He's vowing to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary. Vice President J.D. Vance says that the administration will ultimately prevail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think the judge is wrong, and I think we're going to win this case on appeal. The
president has very broad discretions to engage in foreign policy, to actually protect American consumers from foreign predators, from people who
are trying to access our markets, dump into our markets, destroy American industries. The president has a lot of power to prevent that stuff from
happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The president blasted the rulings and complained about what he calls radical left judges who he says are destroying America. It should be noted
that one of the judges on the three-judge panel that made the initial ruling is actually a Trump appointee. Another was appointed by Republican
President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us live now. So just to sum this up for our audience, Katelyn, the appeals court, essentially is pausing the tariff
ban, so that means these tariffs can actually still go into effect. For now, walk us through what happens next year.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Zain, for now the tariffs are going into effect, but we are seeing the courts responding
very quickly to businesses that are coming to court and saying, hey, we are facing exorbitant costs for this year that we hadn't budgeted for because
of these tariffs.
So, what's happening and what's going to happen in the next couple of weeks is there is a federal appeals court, the court below the Supreme Court,
called the court the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, and that court is going to determine whether these tariffs can go into effect, or whether
they're going to put sign off on what other courts are looking at.
What the courts have to answer are basically two questions. There are other questions too. But the two real questions are, does Trump, as the
president, have the power to put these tariffs across businesses, across the economy, on many different countries, or is there more congressional
oversight needed here?
The second question is, is the way Trump is doing it, saying that we're in a national emergency because of the border crisis, because of drug
trafficking coming into the United States because of immigration? Is that enough to be able to allow him to put tariffs across the country on
business?
The Court of International Trade yesterday, they decided they looked at this in full, and they decided nope and nope. Trump shouldn't have the
power, and this is not a national emergency situation right now. The appeals courts are going to look at those questions as well as they take
this up, but right now, they're just deciding up or down.
Do we let the tariffs go into effect, or do we not? One thing to also note is there were two toy companies in a separate lawsuit yesterday who got a
ruling in their favor from a totally different court. Those toy companies were told that they could be exempt from these tariffs as of now under the
court's ruling, because they are so small that it wouldn't affect the national economy to exempt them for the tariffs they had sued.
That ruling is paused for two weeks, so a lot still needs to be sorted out in court. It's a long road ahead, but some really big legal questions here
on the power of the presidency and the time that this nation is currently in, Zain.
[09:35:00]
ASHER: Yeah. I mean, it's interesting, because the administration is essentially also arguing that the initial decision from the International
Trade Court essentially undermines presidential power. So, we'll see which one of those two sides ends up prevailing in the end. Katelyn Polantz, live
for us there. Thank you so much.
All right, a prominent AI insider is raising the alarm about the technology's potential impact on jobs. Dario Amodei is the CEO of the
cutting-edge AI company Anthropic. He says that artificial intelligence could deliver massive benefits to society, but he also expects it could
eliminate half of entry-level white-collar jobs in the very near future, driving unemployment here in the U.S. to around 10 to 20 percent. Amodei
spoke with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARIO AMODIE, CEO OF ANTHROPIC: I really worry, particularly at the entry level, that the AI models are very much at the center of what an entry
level human worker would do. And so, it's hard to estimate, you know, exactly what the impact would be. And you know, there's always this
question of adaptation.
And you know, these technology changes, have happened before. But I think what is striking to me about this AI boom, is that it's bigger and it's
broader, and it's moving faster than anything has before. And so compared to previous technology changes, I'm a little bit more worried about the
labor impact, simply because it's happening so fast that, yes, people will adapt, but they may not adapt fast enough, and so they're, you know, there
may be an adjustment period.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: I do want to read something that Sam Altman, your former boss at OpenAI, said in September, he was saying that AI can
cause significant, in his words, significant change in labor markets, good and bad. He went on to say most jobs will change more slowly than most
people think.
And then he said this, and I want to just read it, word for word. He said, many of the jobs we do today would have looked like trifling waste of time
to people a few 100 years ago, but nobody is looking back at the past, wishing they were a lamplighter. If a lamplighter could see the world
today, he would think the prosperity all around him was unimaginable.
And if we could fast forward a hundred years from today, the prosperity all around us would feel just as unimaginable. For younger people, I should say
lamplighters was actually a job. People went around lighting lamps on the streets. I think a lot of people may not even know what a lamplighter is,
but do you think Sam Altman is wrong?
AMODIE: Yeah. So, you know, I think there are some things I agree with about that, and then there are some things that I think are too optimistic.
So, you know, I definitely agree that, you know, AI, if we succeeded, it can grow the pie great, right?
You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you know economic growth is much higher than it is today as a macroscopic phenomenon, right? That AI allows
society as a whole to be more productive. So -- I think --
COOPER: -- let me just say, because you've, previously, in the past, said you're the -- you've described a future where cancer is cured. The economy
grows at 10 percent a year. The budget is balanced, and 20 percent of people don't have jobs.
AMODIE: That's exactly what I was getting to, right where I agree with all the positive potential. I think that isn't wrong, but, you know, I think
the quote that you know, the quote you just flashed, is maybe too optimistic, maybe too sanguine about the ability for people to adapt.
You know, people have adapted to past technological changes, but I'll say again, everyone I've talked to has said this technological change looks
different. It looks faster. It looks harder to adapt to. It's broader. The pace of progress keeps catching people off guard.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And next we've got a clash of the titans to look forward to this weekend at the Champions League final, bringing together PSG and into
Milan. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
ASHER: Residents in Cape Town, South Africa were in for a surprise when an elephant seal decided to skip the beach day and head into town. Look at
that. The large seal, nicknamed Gordy, made his way from the coast onto a suburban isn't that incredible. Onto a suburban street, there he is, like
literally on a car there.
He was spotted lounging pretty far inland, stopping traffic as residents got a peek at their visitor. Good thing, he didn't bring an overnight back.
It took about nine hours, but rescuers were actually able to bring the seal back home to the coast where he belongs. All right, they may have lost
Kylian Mbappe, but Paris Saint Germain thinks they can actually go all the way this season and capture the European Champions League title for the
first time.
The French side take on into Milan tomorrow. Andy Scholes joins us live now. And Andy the Italian certainly will not be a pushover, right? They're
aiming for actually their fourth win, their fourth win in this major tournament.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and they lost a couple years ago to Man City. So, their fans, would, you know, would love to avenge that
loss and end up hosting the trophy this time around, Zain, but you mentioned PSG, and you know, they couldn't win with the likes of Mbappe,
Neymar, Messi.
Now this time around, they've got another chance. And I -- you know, all these guys would be heroes if they're able to bring them their first
Champions League title. Will be previewing the game coming up here on "World Sport". Amanda Davies is on the ground there in Munich here's hoping
we get an epic one tomorrow there in the final.
ASHER: Andy Scholes live for us there. Thank you so much. We'll have much more after this short break. Don't go away.
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