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Trump Appeals To Blacks, Hispanics In Bronx Campaign Stop; Actors Sue AI Company, Claiming Their Voices Were Stolen; Uvalde Marks Two Years Since Robb Elementary School Massacre. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired May 24, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Aides have told us that they, so far, do not expect any formal prep to be part of things and if it is, that it will probably be more meetings and conversations than, again, standing at a podium and the sorts of things that we think of from TV shows and the movies.

So, two very different approaches to debating. And, of course, this is the first time in history that two presidents have debated like this and neither of them have debated anyone for four years, since the last time they debated each other.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And are you getting a sense of which issues any of these candidates, Biden or Trump, will be trying to hammer home or what kind of lines of attacks they may be taking?

DOVERE: Sure. Look, for the Trump campaign, it's been very clear they want to focus on the economy, on inflation, on immigration, on the feeling that Joe Biden is just not up to the job.

For the Biden campaign, they have laid out a pretty extensive list of things that they are going to be talking about over the course of the next couple of months -- abortion, democracy. All sorts of things related to gun control. All these core issues.

And what they say -- and you see this in a new ad they have out this morning that's narrated by Rober DeNiro -- they feel like they can put this to Donald Trump and say how do you answer for your positions on these things? And really, what the Biden campaign tells me is that they feel like there's not any kind of answer that Donald Trump can give to these questions that the American voters are going to agree with. We'll see if that's true.

We've got, obviously, a month leading up to this for this to all keep going on and I'm sure we'll have more from both the campaigns of what they are expecting into it.

WALKER: Isaac Dovere, thanks so much -- John.

DOVERE: Thank you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a surprise guest at the state dinner overnight. It is time for the big reveal. I guess that was the big reveal.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez at the White House this morning. So who are we looking at? Who showed up?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Former President Barack Obama, of course, John. He -- if you recall, his father was born in Kenya and so this was a brief appearance that he made at the state dinner last night. It was brief. He didn't stay for the seated portion of the dinner, but he had met with the Kenyan leader earlier in the day at Blair House where an official described their conversations as "productive."

But, John, this was a glamorous night here at the White House. The White House rolled out the red carpet for hundreds of guests to honor the Kenyan leader. Of course, a state dinner is one of the highest diplomatic tools that the White House can employ to honor a top U.S. ally. And that's exactly what they were doing last night in this transparent pavilion on the south lawn that, according to the first lady's office, was adorned with over 1,000 candles.

Now, the guests enjoyed a three-course dinner and entertainment headlined by Brad Paisley, as well as the Howard Gospel Choir, both to honor the Kenyan president's interest in both country music and gospel music.

And it was also a way to end what has been a pretty momentous state visit. This was the first state visit of an African leader since 2008. And over the course of the day and the visit, the president -- the two presidents had much to discuss. A broad range of issues going from economic cooperation to the importance of democracy, as well as the spiraling situation in Haiti where Kenya has helped -- or is trying to help with -- manage that situation.

And so, this was a moment, really -- you're seeing there the president giving his toast -- to mark their 60-year relationship after a day of meetings. And so, from now, the president says that he's all in on Africa. He says he'll visit Africa at some point, suggesting that he would win a second term.

But, glitzy night here at the White House, John.

BERMAN: Yeah. I heard him say he would visit in February. Kind of a little hidden meeting there.

Priscilla Alvarez, great to see you this morning. Thank you very much -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump took his campaign to the deep- blue Bronx yesterday, trying to make inroads with Black and Hispanic voters and leaning into this fearmongering rhetoric that has become traditional in his campaign to do so.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: African Americans are getting slaughtered. Hispanic Americans are getting slaughtered. And these millions and millions of people that are coming into our country -- the biggest impact and the biggest negative impact is against our Black population and our Hispanic population who are losing their jobs, losing their housing, losing everything they can lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Donald Trump also using very different rhetoric now when it comes to his former Republican rival, Nikki Haley.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I think she's going to be on our team because we have a lot of the same ideas and the same thoughts. I appreciated what she said. You know, we had a nasty campaign. It was pretty nasty. But she's a very capable person and I'm sure she's going to be on our team in some form, absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now is CNN political commentator Karen Finney. She's also a former spokesperson for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. And Bryan Lanza, former deputy communications director for Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. It's good to see you, guys.

[07:35:00]

Bryan, Nikki Haley as VP -- perfect fit or super fraught -- go.

BRYAN LANZA, FORMER DEPUTY COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR, TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN: First of all, thank you for having me.

Yeah. Listen, if you've got to put the politics aside, it would be a perfect fit. It would just cause a huge commotion with a certain part of the base starting with Don Jr. But I think it's probably survivable.

BOLDUAN: Of the names, Karen, that are being talked about as top contenders for Donald Trump's running mate this time around, would she be the worst nightmare for the Biden-Harris ticket as I have seen some Republicans describing it?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR HILLARY CLINTON'S 2016 CAMPAIGN: No, I don't think so.

Look, she's going to have to overcome a big hurdle in terms of she basically was on the campaign trail for months saying that he was too chaotic, a danger to the country. So she's going to have to -- if she were on the ticket, I think there's going to be a big credibility gap that she'd have to overcome, quite frankly.

And I have every confidence, particularly in a debate, that Vice President Harris would absolutely come out the winner in that kind of a matchup.

BOLDUAN: Bryan, I want to read for you some new reporting we also have in from Michael Bender. Under -- this is the headline: "Trump's VP Pageant Has an Unexpectedly Strong Contender: Tom Cotton."

And he writes this -- that, "The former president has said privately that he views Mr. Cotton as reliable and effective communicator in cable news interviews. Mr. Trump has also praised Mr. Cotton's Army service, which included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the fac that he is a fellow Ivy League graduate."

Cotton was on the show -- it was late last week -- and I know that he has said in the past the classic line of I'm not focused here. I'm focused on pushing Donald Trump's priorities and agenda.

But what do you think -- for me, this crystalizes the question of what do you think Donald Trump needs in a running mate this time?

LANZA: You know, listen, I've always said this -- and first of all, I think Tom Cotton would be a strong contender -- but I think the biggest sort of lens on what -- who is going to become the VP nominee for President Trump is the ability not to outshine President Trump. I've said this before. He's sort of the -- he is the star of his own show, he's the director, he's the executive producer. So I just find it hard to believe he's going to bring somebody that just sort of brings a tremendous amount of star power that will take attention away from him.

And I think Cotton very much fits that sort of similar Mike Pence model who is strong on the policy, who is strong with certain parts of the base, but does not have the ability to outshine him. And I think that he'd be a strong candidate.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. Tom Cotton also one of the most -- more disciplined politicians you can come across in quite a while.

Karen, what do -- a different --

LANZA: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: A different take also on polling because I know you love when I ask you about polling. When I was sitting there at the last conversation I was like John --

FINNEY: You know me so well.

BOLDUAN: No. John actually brought this up this morning of this analysis he saw in The New York Times. And I was like this has to be perfect for Karen today because this is what this analysis in The New York Times says. The backstory is Karen doesn't believe polling.

The New York Times has an analysis out this morning and it's saying that Trump's lead that we have seen consistently in the polling -- a narrow lead in places -- is "...built on gains among voters who aren't paying close attention to politics, who don't follow traditional news, and who don't regularly vote." Disengaged voters.

And that President Biden, in this analysis, has actually led in the last three times Sienna national polls among those who voted in the 2020 election, even as he's trailed among registered voters overall. Does that make you feel better about Biden's path? Does that -- what does that say to you, skeptic of polling, about polling?

FINNEY: Yes. You know what that says to me? It's -- you know -- as you know, I am a little skeptical about polling. At the same time, that says to me that the Biden campaign and their cash advantage, which means they're opening more field offices and have more money to actually communicate with voters -- those are voters they've got to be talking to.

Because again, we've been having this conversation also about how some voters have sort of forgotten the chaos of the Trump years. That may be true with those voters. So I'd want to understand what is it for those voters who haven't really been paying attention that appeals about Trump that you might be able to communication with them and move them to the Biden column? That would be what I would want to know.

BOLDUAN: And now, combine these two things, Bryan, with the appeal that Donald Trump was trying -- the inroads he's trying to make with Black and Hispanic voters. You saw that in his campaign event rally in the Bronx yesterday. He's not going to win the Bronx -- very unlikely -- but he -- either he is showing signs, and these are the areas where he's making gains.

And what do you -- what does that tell you with this analysis about disengaged voters about what the Trump campaign needs to be doing from here?

LANZA: You know, it's focus. I think if you date back to 2016 and during his presidency, he focused a lot on the African American community -- sort of record funding for historical Black colleges. Record -- you know, record entrepreneurship in Black communities. And I think he's going back on that economic message.

[07:40:04]

I mean, let's be clear. The communities that have suffered the most are -- in President Biden's administration has been communities of color, whether it's the Latino community or whether it's the Black community. They've suffered tremendously under inflation. They've maxed out their credit cards. They've burned out their savings. And truthfully, they don't see a lot of hope going forward.

And I think what the Black community sees in President Trump and Latino communities -- what we see in him is sort of a hopeful, optimistic sort of look of the economy -- what it looks like. Because we remember what it looked like during the four years of Trump, and we compare it to three years of Biden. And the tale of the tape is not pretty good for Joe Biden in any of these communities.

FINNEY: You know --

BOLDUAN: And it's the - it's the big -- go ahead. Go ahead, Karen.

FINNEY: Very quickly, obviously, I disagree. And the African Americans and Latinos were suffering under Donald Trump during COVID as well and not getting a lot of relief. And actually, we're seeing --

LANZA: The whole world was suffering that.

FINNEY: -- the numbers go up for African Americans and Latinos in terms of unemployment down, entrepreneurship up, and similar historic investments in HBCUs.

At the same time, though, here is the problem that Donald Trump has. He cannot control himself when he starts talking about poisoning the blood of our country. Guess what? That Naziesque language -- that actually came from Jim Crow, an African Americans -- because the Nazis actually studied Jim Crow. So African Americans understand what that kind of language really means.

LANZA: No.

FINNEY: And I also want us to remember, going back to polling real quick, President Trump only needs to get two or so more percent here and there to make those gains. Whereas, the challenge for President Biden is he's got to get the coalition he got in 2020.

BOLDUAN: Look, I may -- I have won the day. I made Karen Finney believe in polling today in just a matter of minutes.

FINNEY: (Laughing).

BOLDUAN: It's great to see you both. Thank you for coming in, guys -- Amara.

WALKER: Two voice actors are suing an AI firm for what they claim -- stealing their voices without their permission.

Let's compare AI to the real thing. We're going to play part of an ad that used AI for the voiceover. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIDEO FROM LOVO: Introducing Genny by LOVO. Artificial intelligence that makes it fast and easy to create voiceovers for marketing, e- learning, documentaries, animations, games, audiobooks, and more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: All right. Now listen to voice actor Paul Skye Lehrman reading the same script.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL SKYE LEHRMAN, VOICE ACTOR: Introducing Genny by LOVO. Artificial intelligence that makes it fast and easy to create voiceovers for marketing, e-learning, documentaries, animations, games, audiobooks, and more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: It's pretty remarkable. It sounds identical to me. CNN business technology reporter Clare Duffy has more. Clare, what did

these actors tell you?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: Yeah, Amara. These two actors, Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage, say that they were hired in 2019 and 2020. And they didn't know exactly who the client was, but they asked repeatedly how their voice samples were used and were told they would be internal only for academic research purposes and test radio ads.

Then, a few years later, they come across -- Paul first comes across his -- what sounds like his voice narrating a YouTube video. Then they were driving in the car listening to a podcast about the dangers of artificial intelligence and the host was having a communication with a chatbot and it sounds a lot like Paul.

They say that they then traced that back to this company LOVO, which is -- sells AI-generated voices for marketing, commercials, online trainings. They are now suing that company for what they say is stealing their voices without permission and creating these AI- generated clones that they then sold to clients.

Now, I asked Paul what this has meant for his career and his life. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEHRMAN: It's still infuriating not just because of the implications for my career but because of the violation of me -- of my individuality, my likeness, my voice are saying these words that I did not agree to say. I gave no consent nor was there any proper compensation. And I no longer have control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUFFY: And, you know, viewers will notice that this sounds a lot like the claims from actress Scarlett Johannson this week, who has alleged that OpenAI created a ChatGTP voice that was meant to resemble hers. OpenAI has denied those claims.

But what is really at the heart of all of this is these real anxieties from actors, from authors, from writers that these big AI firms could be using their work and something so intrinsic to them as their voice and training their AI models and profiting from them without ever actually crediting or compensating them, Amara.

WALKER: Oh, remarkable stuff.

Clare Duffy, thank you so much for your reporting -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, she is in the fight of her life and she's also, at the same time, fighting to get back on stage. And now, Celine Dion is giving a new look at her very long journey along the way. Watch this.

[07:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CELINE DION, SINGER, "I AM: CELINE DION": I have been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder and I wasn't ready to say anything before, but I'm ready now.

Singing: "It's All Coming Back to Me Now."

I see my life and I love every piece of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Those were some of the scenes from a new trailer for the documentary on the life of Celine Dion.

CNN's Lisa Respers France is here. It's great to see you. You -- tell us more about what we're all going to see in this documentary. I mean, Celine Dion is so loved and this diagnosis so tragic.

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: It really is. And, you know, Kate, she is such a dynamic performer. People are so used to seeing her in Las Vegas and on stage.

And what we're going to see in this documentary is really her battle with this rare neurological syndrome. And she's been so missed. Her presence has been so missed because she's been off the scene dealing with this. And it turns out that feeling is very mutual for Celine as well.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DION: I'm working hard every day, but I have to admit it's been a struggle. I miss it so much -- the people. If I can't walk -- if I can't walk, I'll crawl. I won't stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCE: As you can see, she's not giving up. She's battling this really rare neurological disorder, which causes stiffness. It causes muscle spasms. It can cause pain. It affects the nervous system.

So, of course, the concern is how can she perform? How can she sing? But we learn from this documentary that she is very much fighting to get her way back to the fans because she wants to be able to take the stage again. She wants to be able to tour. To be able to sing with that tremendous voice.

And this is also why people were so excited back in February when she turned out to be a presenter at the Grammys. She presented the Album of the Year to Taylor Swift, which was amazing because she had won it decades before. And also, Taylor ended up breaking a record with her fourth win for Album of the Year. So people were super excited to see Celine Dion there.

And it's just indicative of the strength that she has. And we're going to get an opportunity to see that strength when the documentary airs on June 25.

BOLDUAN: And she's such a -- I mean, not that I've had the chance to meet her, but she's such a beautiful soul. And not only her voice and her talent, but she just seems like such a wonderful person.

Lisa, it's great to see you. Thank you -- John.

BERMAN: So are you set up for big holiday weekend plans? Find out if the weather is about to ruin them all.

And the sequel 36 years in the making. A first glimpse of Michael Keaton in "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice."

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:52:25]

BERMAN: This morning, a U.S. soldier held in Russia was denied bail by a Russian court. Staff Sgt. Gordon Black was arrested earlier this month on theft charges. He will remain in detention until at least July 2. Staff Sgt. Black is stationed in South Korea. He was not authorized to travel to Russia.

This morning, officials are searching through the rubble for survivors after a restaurant collapsed at a popular Spanish resort that left at least four people dead and more than a dozen injured. According to the City Hall on Mallorca, all the injured are Dutch nationals who were vacationing on the Spanish island.

A brand-new trailer just released for "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," a sequel to the beloved 1988 Tim Burton hit. Michael Keaton is back. Now, I'm told that Michael Keaton was actually only in 17 minutes of the original. He's back with some of the main co-stars from 1988. Also, some familiar faces you may recognize -- watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINONO RYDER, ACTRESS, "BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE": Don't ever say that name.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beetlejuice.

RYDER: I am serious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you say his name three times he will appear. Beetlejuice.

MICHAEL KEATON, ACTOR, "BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE": The juice is loose. I am going to make you so happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: What is truly shocking is some of our producers who sit right up there, including Mallory Leonard, have not seen the original film.

BOLDUAN: Fireable offenses. BERMAN: Yes, yes. Action will be taken -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: OK, so here's a question. Are you excited about a sequel of "Beetlejuice?" I am a yes even though it's going to be hard to stand up to the awesomeness of numero uno.

BERMAN: If there's a senior special, I'm there. I'm excited.

BOLDUAN: You are so --

BERMAN: I'll watch anything for a discount -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: You see what I have to deal with all the time. No fun.

How about this? Gird your loins, friends, if you are traveling for Memorial Day weekend. Not only will you be contending with traffic and busy airports, there's also a continued threat of severe weather that -- across big portions of the country, especially the Central Plains. And we're talking about potential tornadoes and, in some places, record-breaking heat.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is tracking it all. The bearer of bad news. What are you watching right now, Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm watching John getting excited about having to use his AARP discount this weekend, so there's that.

(LAUGHTER)

All right. We are tracking a line of severe storms right now, so this is happening as we speak. A new severe thunderstorm watch that was issued across portions of northern Illinois, including Chicago.

[07:55:00]

But let's focus in on the storms that are about to impact Davenport, Iowa because there is a tornado-warned thunderstorm that is quickly approaching with this -- what we call a bow echo. You see how it's kind of bowing out in the front of it? That's where we find, sometimes, these spin-up tornadoes. Very powerful winds associated with that.

But look at what's downstream. We've got Davenport and, yeah, that's not far away from being impacted by this line of thunderstorms that's got several hundred lightning strikes associated with it over the past couple of minutes.

This is part of a broader system that's brought over 70 tornadoes since the beginning of the week. And this is our severe weather threat for the day today, including Chicago, stretching further south all the way to Dallas -- 80 million Americans. It's part of a multi-day severe weather setup that's, of course, coinciding with our Memorial weekend forecast.

Check this out. Here is the forecast for tomorrow. Already an enhanced risk across the southern Plains and then that shifts toward the lower Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys for the day on Sunday -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right, Derek. Thank you so much for that update. Everyone is going to be watching this very closely -- Amara.

WALKER: Well, today marks two years since 19 children and two teachers lost their lives after a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Tonight, the community will come together to remember and honor their lives during a candlelight vigil.

Their families have agreed to a $2 million settlement with the city, but they are still fighting for any kind of accountability and announced a new $500 million lawsuit against the school district and nearly 100 police officers.

Joining me now is Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez. I really appreciate your time.

Tonight, I know that you're going to be with the families of the 19 students and two teachers who were massacred two years ago for this candlelight vigil. How do you comfort these families who are still looking for accountability -- I mean, two years later?

ROLAND GUTIERREZ, (D) TEXAS STATE SENATE (via Webex by Cisco): Uh, yeah, Amara. It doesn't really get -- thank you for your time, by the way. It doesn't get easier for these families. You would think that time heals all wounds but as I talk to my friends in Uvalde, they -- it just doesn't get easier.

You have to understand loss and understand that this is different. It's not like you're losing your parent. You've lost your child -- 19 of them -- in such a tragic way.

Every holiday is a remembrance. Every holiday that a kid loves is a remembrance. And certainly, these anniversaries are harder and harder.

I had a parent yesterday say can you send us some help because we want to get out of Uvalde for the day? And so, that was one of the children that had survived the tragedy. So we also have to remember those children that witnessed all of that horror and torture for 77 minutes.

WALKER: Let's not forget nearly 400 law enforcement officers -- state and at the federal level -- they responded to the scene that day. And it still took over an hour -- 77 minutes -- before anything was done. Before they breached those doors and killed this 18-year-old gunman.

We were mentioning this $2 million law -- settlement that was announced yesterday that was reached between the city and the families. They're also suing 92 officers of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the school district, individual employees.

I want you to listen to what one father said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAVIER CAZARES, FATHER OF UVALDE SHOOTING VICTIM: It's been an unbearable two years. We all know who took our children's lives but there was an obvious systemic failure out there on May 24. The whole world saw that. No amount of money is worth the children's -- the lives of our children. Justice and accountability has always been my main concern. We've been let down so many times. The time has come to do the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: They have been let down so many times.

The decision to file criminal charges against any of the first responders hasn't yet been made. Are you confident that those responsible will be brought to justice?

GUTIERREZ: Yeah. You know -- I mean, we've got a district attorney who has been dragging her feet for going on two years now. Finally announced some kind of criminal investigation this last December and yet, no indictments have forth -- have been forthcoming. I doubt that any of them will be.

She has been -- you know, the families have been working desperately advocating for their children. This isn't about money. They settled for the policy limits of the city that the city should have tendered two years ago. They didn't want to -- they don't want to break the city. They want police officers to be fired. Not one has been fired other than Pete Arredondo.

The DPS trooper that we told -- that we're told were fired was asked to retire. And the other guy that they fired has -- is still on the payroll with the Department of Public Safety.

The state of Texas screwed up more than anybody in its officers. We had 95 officers on scene and none of them were able to do the right thing here.