Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Restoring Havana's Historic Neon Glow; Yellen To Visit Beijing This Week; Supreme Court Ruling Limits LGBTQ Protections. Aired 5:30- 6a ET

Aired July 03, 2023 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: West Bank -- on the occupied West Bank this way is something that has not been seen since the days of the Second Intifada. Bulldozers were also used to tear up streets.

This could possibly be related to IEDs because in that other Israeli military raid in Jenin just a few weeks ago several very powerful IEDs placed by militants blew up several Israeli armored military vehicles, injuring several soldiers. And the Israeli military saying after that operation they were going to change their methods. And it appears as though what we've seen overnight is how they are changing these methods, utilizing more airstrikes.

Now, in terms of the death toll we have seen it rise to seven Palestinians killed. That could rise even further, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says, because of several critical injuries. At least 27 people have been injured. We have not yet heard from militant groups claiming any of those killed or injured as their members.

The Israeli military saying that at least three of the deaths were as a result of the Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli military saying one of their soldiers were -- was lightly injured, possibly from an Israeli grenade.

Now, this is still an ongoing situation. And Rahel, the big question is will this turn into something even bigger, both from the side of the militants but also from the Israeli military. They say this is a focused operation. They don't want this to turn into something bigger. But day by day, we're seeing more and more signs that it's indicating were are potentially seeing the same situation as to what we saw during the Second Intifada, and that can be very, very concerning -- Rahel.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Very volatile, indeed.

Hadas Gold live for us in Jerusalem. Hadas, thank you.

Quick hits around the globe right now.

At least 51 people are dead and dozens more injured a horrific traffic accident in western Kenya. Officials say a truck veered off the road and plowed into several vehicles and pedestrians. The Dutch king has apologized for his country's role in the slave

trade. Remarks came in a ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, including its colonies in the Caribbean.

And President Biden heads to Europe next week. The White House says that he will meet with King Charles and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the U.K., and he will also attend the NATO and U.S. Nordic leaders summits.

In 1950s Havana, hotels, casinos, and cabarets were pulsing with art deco neon signs. Well, those lights went dark after the Cuban Revolution -- but now, a group is working to turn the lights back on.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA-BASED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Throwing a party with 20 musicians for a neon sign may seem like overkill but repairing and relighting this pre-Revolution ice cream shop storefront has been a long time coming.

Before Fidel Castro took power, Havana was a sea of neon. After his 1959 Revolution, the government seized all private businesses, and as replacement parts became scarce the signs began to go dark.

ADOLFO NODAL, HAVANA LIGHT + SIGNS: Cuba was an early adopter of neon. It rivaled Paris and New York in terms of the amount of neon.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Enter Adolfo Nodal. He co-founded a small band of mostly U.S. and Cuban neon enthusiasts who have made it their unlikely mission to rescue as many of the signs as possible.

NODAL: It helps to see the city in a new way. It brings back a lot of the memories of the city. People remember these signs from the '30s and the '40s in Havana as well.

OPPMANN (voice-over): The artisans who search out and repair the signs -- it's a labor of love that can take months.

LISSET ALONSO CORNTE: (Speaking foreign language).

OPPMANN (voice-over): "It depends on the complexity of the metal structure -- if it's in good condition," she says. "If we have to make new parts, it depends on the availability of the raw materials. Unfortunately, none of these items you can find in this country and they have to be imported."

Repairing Havana's neon signs can seem like a quixotic pursuit in a city where aging buildings collapse every day. And even when they are restored the signs often stay dark during the regular power cuts here.

OPPMANN (on camera): The sign restorationists say that fixing up the sign is just the beginning of a transformation. The people are more likely to walk down a well-lit street and less likely to throw trash on the ground. And that what they're hoping with Cubans is not just a restored sign but a little bit of hope as well.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Nodal says the signs are his small gift to the homeland he left at a young age.

NODAL: I'm Cuban-American and I wanted to come back and make a contribution to my country. And I'm a neon guy, so I figured that neon would be a wonderful thing to do and it goes in keeping with the history of Havana.

OPPMANN (voice-over): His team's dream as they slowly bring the lights back is that neon signs are not just part of the city's past but also its future.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: And coming up, U.S. Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen about to head to China.

[05:35:00]

And the Major League Baseball All-Star roster is announced. We'll tell you who's in and we'll tell you who's out. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL)

SOLOMON: U.S. Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen will travel to China later this week. She will become the latest high-level U.S. official to head there to try to repair relations between Washington and Beijing. It comes just two weeks after Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit and after President Biden compared China's leader to a dictator.

CNN's Anna Coren joins us live from Hong Kong. Anna -- so, what type of economic diplomacy might Yellen be trying to achieve with this visit?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, definitely, a diplomacy. But look, Janet Yellen will be continuing the dialogue that Antony Blinken began. She is expected to meet with her Chinese counterparts and other high-ranking officials for what we hear will be constructive and frank conversations. But like with Blinken's trip, officials say they're not expecting any significant breakthroughs. She is not expected to meet with the Chinese President Xi Jinping.

[05:40:02]

Yellen has long signaled the Biden administration's desire to improve communications with the Chinese and really lower the temperature between the world's two largest economies which, as we know, are deeply entwined.

Back in April while giving testimony before Congress she stressed the importance of maintaining ties with China and said that decoupling would be a big mistake. And then last month at the Paris Finance Summit, on stage with the Chinese Premiere Li, she said -- and let me read it to you -- "As the world's two largest economies we also have a responsibility to work together on global issues. It is something the world expects of us."

Now, Yellen's trip comes at a time of really heightened uncertainty for the global economy. China, as we know, struggling to reboot its economy post-COVID following a slew of poor economic data, while the U.S. is trying to contain inflation and avoid a recession.

Global challenges and mutual areas of concern will no doubt be on the agenda, but the airing of grievances will also be a top priority.

The U.S. has imposed sweeping restrictions on China's access to advanced technology, specifically semiconductor technology, citing national security threats to the U.S. This has very much upset the Chinese.

And then, the U.S. is concerned about the scope of China's new counterespionage law and the challenges that it could present for foreign companies. We know that Yellen will be meeting with American companies operating in China during her visit.

Obviously, there will be a lot to discuss on her three-day trip. But at the end of the day, Rahel, these are two superpowers that share $700 billion in trade each year and at the end of the day, they both need each other.

SOLOMON: Hugely important. And, Anna, you just touched on this but that semiconductor -- those semi-chip restrictions -- there was reporting last week that the U.S. may even be expanding those restrictions. I can't imagine that the Chinese will like that. So a lot to discuss needless to say.

COREN: Absolutely, a testy conversation.

SOLOMON: Anna Coren live -- absolutely -- live for us in Hong Kong. Thank you.

COREN: Thanks.

SOLOMON: All right. Back here stateside, the stars are out as Major League Baseball announces its full All-Star lineups.

Carolyn Manno has this morning's Bleacher Report. Good morning.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Good to be with you, Rahel.

SOLOMON: Likewise.

MANNO: Yes. Happy holidays to you.

So the roster is out -- 64-man roster. The lineup was released yesterday. The game is just over a week away in Seattle.

No surprise to see two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani securing his third All-Star nomination, as well as a pitcher and a hitter -- the only one to ever do it. He has had a phenomenal year.

But it is the league-leading Atlanta Braves who will send the most representatives with eight total nominations, the most in franchise history.

Ronald Acuna Jr. led the way, receiving the most votes in the National League. He's going to be joined by the Braves' entire starting infield, including Ozzie Albies and Orlando Arcia, who have both had big weekends of their own. Albies and Arcia both notching home runs yesterday as the Braves swept the Marlins to extend that win streak to eight games. So the Braves racking up a franchise record 11 home runs in the three-game sweep, continuing to just absolutely burn up the summer.

Rickie Fowler is hoping to start a streak of his own. The 34-year-old PGA Tour favorite -- he has been hunting for a win for the first time since 2019, finally snapping that 1,610-day drought on Sunday. He clinched the Rocket Morgan -- excuse me, Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit with a massive overtime performance in his first in four years, but also his first since starting a family. He's a dad now. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICKIE FOWLER, 2023 ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC CHAMPION: I knew it was just a matter of time with how I've been playing. And yes, I've had a couple of tough weekends where I've had a chance and -- you know, in the U.S. Open -- and didn't get it done. But at the end of the day, getting to hold her and hang with Maya and my wife -- yes, winning is great but there's a lot more to life than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: It's been a long time coming for Rickie Fowler.

From Detroit to the Windy City and the first NASCAR Chicago Street Race. Lots of hype leading up to this event with the course passing through the iconic sites in the heart of downtown. Unfortunately, not the weather that fans were hoping for. Severe storms shortening the race by 25 laps.

But 75 was just what New Zealand newcomer Shane van Gisbergen needed to take a late lead and secure a win in his debut NASCAR Cup Series race. He is the first to complete that feat in over a century. A big surprise there.

And the biggest NBA news lately has been Damian Lillard's trade request from the Portland Trailblazers. Everybody's talking about the seven-time all-star. He has been a crowd favorite there since he was drafted by the Blazers back in 2012.

News of this trade has hit Blazer's Nation very, very hard. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: I don't know. I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: I don't know if I can be a Blazer fan.

[05:45:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: Are they cooking something up? Like, is there any chance that they figure something out and Dame has to stay? Is anyone behind you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: There is one person behind me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: OK. Well, then I'll take your order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: So, at a drive-thru window this is the topic du jour.

SOLOMON: Fair to say everybody's talking about it.

MANNO: Everybody's talking about it.

SOLOMON: What's the plan?

MANNO: I hope there was nobody behind him. He's like, come on, man -- move forward in the line. But, yes --

SOLOMON: We have some important stuff to discuss here.

MANNO: I know. I know. Funny stuff.

SOLOMON: Carolyn, good to have you. Thank you.

And coming up on "CNN THIS MORNING" an exclusive interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the front lines.

And next, a popular rollercoaster now closed. We'll show you why.

(COMMERCIAL)

SOLOMON: Today, a team of state inspectors will look at a rollercoaster that was forced to close in North Carolina. Jeremy Wagner was visiting the Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte. That's when he noticed this crack on a pillar at the Fury 325. He says he saw the crack even move. He quickly took video and notified park officials and the Charlotte Fire Department.

[05:50:14]

Really scary stuff there.

Well, the Supreme Court may be done for the summer but all of the discussion around these recent decisions -- well, that's just beginning.

The court ruled in favor of the Christian web designer who refused to create sites for same-sex weddings out of religious objections. But questions are now being asked after a man, cited as requesting her services for a same-sex wedding, said he never requested it and that he's actually a straight married man. And we should say that this specific request was not the basis for the lawsuit.

Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg spoke about the case on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: There is no evidence that this web designer was ever even approached by anyone asking for a website for same-sex weddings. Matter of fact, it appears this web designer only went into the wedding business for the purpose of provoking a case like this.

And in that sense, I think there's something in common between this Supreme Court ruling and what we're seeing happening in state legislatures across the country, which is kind of a solution looking for a problem. In other words, sending these kinds of things to the courts and sending these kinds of things to state legislatures for the clear purpose of chipping away at the equality and the rights that have so recently been won in the LGBTQ+ community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Let's bring in the state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, Dave Aronberg. Dave, welcome to the program. Good morning.

So, just first, what's your reaction to what you just heard from the Transportation secretary?

DAVE ARONBERG, STATE ATTORNEY, PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA (via Webex by Cisco): Good morning, Rahel.

I agree with Mayor Pete -- Mr. Secretary -- that this does seem like a solution in search of a problem. But I also have to say that this fake customer issue did not impact the plaintiff's standing to sue and, thus, it didn't have an impact on the outcome here.

Plaintiffs are normally allowed to sue in First Amendment free speech cases before there's an enforcement action. They're allowed to claim that the law imposed a chilling effect upon their speech even if there's no actual customer here.

And if standing were really an issue in this case, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who wrote a very passionate dissent, would have mentioned it. She didn't mention it once. And the lower courts in this case, which ruled for the state of Colorado -- they did address the issue of standing and said that the plaintiff had standing in this case.

So look, I think there are good reasons to disagree with this ruling but I think a lack of standing is not one of them. SOLOMON: I think nonetheless, it is a bit of a head-scratcher for

most people outside of the legal community -- but we'll take your legal basis as is.

Dave, what does this ruling mean for private businesses and their ability to refuse customers going forward because, of course, as you know, there have -- there have been a lot of questions about what this means for other protected classes?

ARONBERG: Yes. The majority opinion here said this was about protecting the rights of businesses that sell expressive services not to be forced to say things it finds objectionable. The court said that it wasn't allowing businesses to refuse to work with gay couples but, in effect, it is using the First Amendment to sanction discrimination.

The court permitted this company to post a notice that says no wedding websites will be sold if they are used for gay marriages. And the business here said that well, we'll still work with gay couples. But look, it's only to allow them to buy websites for their straight friends.

So I agree with Justice Sotomayor's dissent here that this marks the first time in Supreme Court history that they've given a business that's opened to the public the right to refuse service to members of a protected class.

SOLOMON: Switching over to the student loan decision. We know, obviously, that the basis for the president's student loan forgiveness program was the Hero's Act. On the other side of this ruling, how does that impact any future actions the administration might try to take to essentially get to the same effect?

ARONBERG: Oh, yes. Well, what you had here was judicial activism. I'm old enough to remember, Rahel, when conservatives used to blast activist judges, but I guess activist judges are just judges you disagree with. This -- the kind of judicial activism that conservatives once slammed.

But first, here, the court had to accept a questionable claim that the state of Missouri had standing to sue the federal government over this program. This is the case where standing should have been rejected. And then after accepting it, they acted like a super-legislature to toss President Biden's plan.

Compare this to 2018 where a conservative Supreme Court upheld Trump's Muslim ban -- an extreme act of deference to the executive branch. But apparently, extreme deference to the executive branch only applies to certain presidents and not others.

That's why the Supreme Court now, sadly, is viewed as a political body regardless of Chief Justice Roberts' protestations.

[05:55:01]

SOLOMON: Yes, a lot more we can discuss but unfortunately, we have to leave it here. Dave Aronberg, thanks for being on the program today. Thank you.

And just ahead, Mike Pence says he felt no pressure from Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election results.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL)

SOLOMON: All right, top of the morning and the top movies at the box office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Clip from Lucasfilm's "Indiana Jones and the Dial Of Destiny."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" is number one with an underwhelming $60 million opening weekend. The movie reportedly cost $300 million to make.

[06:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Clip from Sony Pictures Entertainment "Spider-Man: Across the Spider- Verse."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" remains in second place in its fifth weekend in theaters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Clip from Disney and Pixar's "Elemental."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Disney and Pixar's "Elemental" came in third.

And that's it for us. Thanks for joining. I'm Rahel Solomon. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.