Epstein's Accusers Speak To Court As Case Dismissal Is Expected; Former Google Executive Has Been Arrested For Theft
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin, you're watching CNN, thank you so much for being with me. We are covering three major court cases today involving big names from Washington, D.C. to Hollywood. Actress Lori Loughlin is in court soon in the whole college admissions scam, and a deadline involving the President's tax returns hits in less than two hours. But we want to begin this hour with the hearing for the survivors of serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a multi- millionaire financier who killed himself 17 days ago inside his Manhattan jail cell. So today's hearing was scheduled after prosecutors told the judge that they are seeking to have Epstein's indictment dismissed. But that judge wanted to give all of these women, all of these accusers, at least a dozen of them there today a chance to speak on the record about what Epstein allegedly did to them. And at least one was thankful for the chance not only to be heard, but to also hear from others who survived as well.</s>JENNIFER ARAOZ, EPSTEIN ACCUSER: I just wanted to thank everybody for constant support during this really difficult time. It was so powerful in there hearing all the other victims and very similar stories that I have endured. I want to thank the judge for letting us speak. Having some closure. It's still going to be a rough road. But I also wanted to thank all the survivors that had reached out to me as well, and telling me their stories. It really means a lot. I'm here for anyone that went through something similar. I thank everybody.</s>BALDWIN: Melissa Murray is a Professor at NYU Law School, also with a CNN Senior Reporter, Vicky Ward. So ladies, thank you for being here. And I mean, to me, this story is about the women. Right? Vicky, starting with you. I heard one description inside the courtroom that they filled up three and a half of the benches.</s>VICKY WARD, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes.</s>BALDWIN: The seats in this courtroom because they wanted their voices heard. What does that say to you? And what did they say?</s>WARD: Well, I think, you know, Judge Berman really made this about the victims. He did not have to do this today. It was a very sort of controversial and unprecedented in many ways decision. He was very clear at the outset that this was a moment, this was the day for the victims to be heard. They deserve to be heard. And you know, I think they went in there and they told stories that have been out there and should have been told in some cases a long, long time ago. Terrible stories of abuse by a man who is now dead.</s>BALDWIN: I want to just play a little bit more. This is Chauntae Davies, who says Epstein raped her on his island. She told the courtroom today she has suffered job loss, damaged relationships and that Epstein has won. She said, "He won in death. I have found my voice now and I will not stop fighting. I will not be silenced anymore." And then Melissa, just to Vicky's point, you know that the judge could have signed an order dismissing the indictment and just put an end to it. But he chose today, this is what he said, he said, "His office remains committed to doing its utmost to stand up for the victims who have already come forward, as well as for the many others who have yet to do so."</s>MELISSA MURRAY, PROFESSOR, NYU LAW SCHOOL: The fact that Judge Berman decided to have a public hearing and open court and he even moved this hearing to a larger courtroom than his typical courtroom speaks to the public interest in this case and to the broader interest in having these victims have their day in court. And they were uniform in their commitment to seeing this prosecution through even though Jeffrey Epstein has passed away. They want the prosecutors to continue prosecuting this case, and to bring his associates and enablers to justice.</s>BALDWIN: So what happens now?</s>MURRAY: Well, this is all in the Southern District of New York and in the U.S. Attorney's court, so the prosecutors are building a case and apparently, they have built a case, the cases against Jeffrey Epstein, but he wasn't functioning alone. So now, the ball is in the prosecutor's court to do more and bring the rest of these associates to justice.</s>BALDWIN: Also the fact -- I was reading this morning, Vicky, about how his will was filed in the Virgin Islands. Right? And so that is where he maintained a home. So might that make it more difficult for his accusers who would like to collect damages?</s>WARD: Yes, and the trust -- two layers -- the trust and being in the Virgin Islands deliberately making it just that bit harder for the victims to get any sort of forms of restitution.</s>BALDWIN: And why is that?</s>WARD: You know, this is a man who has sort of played a game of chess his entire life, always being one step away, really from receiving justice. And you know, even in his death, right? It's a similar pattern. He seems like he was playing chess. I mean, that's the way some that knew him well described him -- playing chess.</s>BALDWIN: Up until the very end. Okay. Vicky and Melissa, thank you, ladies very much on Epstein here. We are also following breaking news this afternoon. A law enforcement official tells CNN that a former Google executive has been arrested for theft. This high ranking Google employee is now indicted on 33 counts of stealing self-driving car technology. CNN's Dan Simon is following these developments for us.</s>BALDWIN: I never thought I'd see the day. I mean, tell me more about this arrest and the charges.</s>DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Brooke. No doubt this is a story that will be the talk of Silicon Valley. It involves the alleged theft of trade secrets from one of the world's biggest and most well-known companies, Google, specifically, it involves the former lead engineer of Google's self-driving unit Anthony Levandowski. It is alleged that towards the end of 2015, Levandowski used his personal laptop and downloaded thousands and thousands of files from Google servers. He then allegedly took that information, formed a new company, which was then acquired by Uber. Well, today, the U.S. Attorney announced that they are charging Levandowski with 33 counts for stealing trade secrets. Levandowski turned himself in peacefully. His attorneys just gave a press conference. I want to read to you a brief part of that statement. It says, "For more than a decade, Anthony Levandowski has been an industry leading innovator in self-driving technologies. He didn't steal anything from anyone." The bottom line is what the U.S. attorney is saying is that these trade secrets that are the hallmark of the technologies involved in Silicon Valley that they're taking all of this very seriously that if you're going to go work for another company, you can't steal anything when you're out the door -- Brooke.</s>BALDWIN: And just quickly, so I'm clear when you see trade secrets and the hallmark of this technology, what really does that mean?</s>SIMON: What it means is that when these companies are, you know, spending and investing millions of dollars to develop these various technologies, all of that information ultimately gets stored on servers. It's the backbone, the blueprints to create these amazing technologies that they have, specifically with self-driving cars, lot of engineering, a lot of work. Countless hours goes into creating that kind of technology, and it is alleged that Levandowski took the blueprints for that type of technology, and then ultimately took it to Uber -- Brooke.</s>BALDWIN: Got it. Got it. Dan Simon, thank you very much on that Google executive there. Also just in, an executive at home improvement store, Lowe's is caught on video making offensive remarks about Hispanics and what's even worse, it is a corporate video that was broadcast company-wide to all the employees. CNN Business Correspondent, Alison Kosik is following these breaking details, and we understand this guy is now apologizing.</s>ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is coming from "The Washington Post." So let me back up and talk to you about this video that you said, you know, of this internal video. Apparently, this is a weekly internal video that Lowe's Hardware puts on. It sort of highlights one of their big products for the week. And this week, it was all about the $99.00 DeWalt 12-volt cordless drill and --</s>BALDWIN: We have it. We're told we have it.</s>KOSIK: Yes, Joe McFarland, Lowe's Executive Vice President of Stores is talking about that product. And here's a clip of that.</s>JOE MCFARLAND, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF STORES, LOWE'S: I want to say something. I want to say something.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to do 99 bucks.</s>MCFARLAND: Wow, how about that? We should sell like 22 of those a week then.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope so.</s>MCFARLAND: At ninety nine bucks.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll start with -- we'll try five per store per week.</s>MCFARLAND: Five, all right. Yes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then for the rest of the quarter.</s>MCFARLAND: Not a week, but the DeWalt name, name number one power tool for the pros, right? And the thing is compact, it fits anywhere. Small hands, right? So those customers that really had the affinity towards Mikita, some of our Hispanic pros with smaller hands. This is perfect for them. Lifetime warranty on this thing, like what else could you want?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a great product to demo. Great product to demo.</s>KOSIK: Okay, so I'm highlighting here. The remark -- that was the insensitive remark, "Is some of our Hispanic pros with smaller hands. This is perfect for them." So clearly insensitive. But the thing is this video is usually put on their internal website, you can go back and watch it. This one wasn't. Of course employees were outraged.</s>BALDWIN: Yes.</s>KOSIK: Then comes today where this apology comes out. Where John McFarland says, "I am sorry for a careless and ignorant comment I made during an associate broadcast yesterday." He goes on to say, "Our associates shared how my statement was harmful and inappropriate. This is a key reflection moment for me and I take full responsibility for my comment. I will be spending time in the coming days and weeks with our associates, customers and business leaders to learn and grow from this moment." "The Washington Post" had an interesting comment from an unnamed Assistant Manager in the Pacific Northwest who said -- immediately afterwards happened, this associate said, "Everybody was like, 'Whoa, why would he say that?'"</s>BALDWIN: Yes, I think a lot of people --</s>KOSIK: It is the first thing that you think, why would he say that?</s>BALDWIN: See the video and wonder the same thing.</s>BALDWIN: He is apologizing. Presumably there will be all kinds of follow up fallout which we will continue to cover. Keep us posted on where this thing goes.</s>KOSIK: Keep in mind, this is a high level executive who pulls in $3.7 million, at least pulled that in the last year.</s>BALDWIN: Wow. Wow. Alison, thank you very much. Alison Kosik. We are keeping a close eye on Puerto Rico right now as well. Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to be near hurricane strength when it reaches the three million Americans who live there. Plus, President Trump continues to heap praise on President Vladimir Putin while trashing a former U.S. President on U.S. soil and he is not giving up his fight to get Russia back into the G8. And we'll talk to a voter who has done his homework and has already made up his mind. What Senator Elizabeth Warren did to seal the deal for him? You are watching CNN on this Tuesday. We'll be right back.