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Feinstein's Office Contradicts Senator, Confirms Health Complications; Officials Believe They Found Footprints Of Missing Children; Smoke From Canada Fires Pours Into Midwestern U.S.; Study: New York City Sinking Under Weight Of Skyscrapers; Understaffed FAA Contributed To Summer Flight Delays; World's Richest Man Weighs Which Of His Kids Will Take Over Empire. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired May 19, 2023 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So it's a tough diagnosis. It can be very hard to bounce back from, especially someone who is older.
The fever and headache may go away, but some of the other symptoms, like the memory difficulties, they may linger for a longer period of time.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEWS CENTRAL HOST: So those can be longer lasting.
But what about Ramsey-Hunt Syndrome?
GUPTA: So a lot of people know what shingles is. If you had chickenpox, the virus that causes that is often times can lay dormant in the body and then, for whatever reason, be reactivated when you're an adult.
That can happen anywhere in the body. You can get a rash and it's usually quite painful.
As you can see in the image on the screen, sometimes that virus can affect specifically the facial nerve, the nerve that you see outlined there. That can cause weakness or even paralysis of the face, you can get those lesions on the face, in the eye, ear, mouth even. Again it's quite painful.
What people most notice, Brianna, is that the face looks frozen. It's just not moving as well as, for example, the other side of the face.
A lot of people know what Bell's Palsy is. It's similar to Bell's Palsy. Although Ramsey-Hunt is typically something that is -- it's more severe and takes longer to recover from.
KEILAR: All right, it's really tough. We can see what she has been dealing with here. And we're hearing now from her office something different than what she was saying.
Sanjay, thank you so much for taking us through that. We do appreciate it. GUPTA: You got it.
KEILAR: Jim?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NEWS CENTRAL HOST: A story we've been following closely. New clues for the four missing children lost in the middle of the Colombian jungle. Members of the local armed forces say they believe they have found footprints, there, circled in the mud. They believe those belong to children. These were found near a small river.
It's yet another hint that the kids could still be alive after weeks alone in the Amazon. And that's after they survived a plane crash.
Officers previously found a shelter the kids appeared to have made, and also have scissors and hair ties inside, other clues they've been collecting.
CNN's Stefano Pozzebon joins us now from Colombia.
Stefano, I wonder, it's been a few days. They have hope. They've seen these footprints and they've seen other signs.
What's the status of that search? And do the searchers remain confident that they're alive and well?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN JOURNALIST: Well, Jim, of course, until a breakthrough is announced, hope is still alive.
Just a few hours ago, the Colombian Air Force released a new statement saying they're bringing in 50 more special forces soldiers to the area to help track down the kids and that the search continues and hope is still alive.
It's an entire nation that's frankly holding its breath until -- it seems at least Wednesday, when the president had announced a breakthrough had been reached, and then had to retract his comments and apologize for creating false expectations.
Now, we're all waiting for this final outcome of the search.
But at the same time, new details have emerged over this flight and aircraft itself. We have learned that the same aircraft, a Cessna 206, crashed in a very close-by situation, a very similar situation just two years ago.
You probably see the images on the screen. That is from 2021 when the same Cessna 206 crashed. It was later repaired, the engine and the propeller were changed, and deemed fit to fly again.
Then on May 1st, it crashed again very, very close by -- Jim?
SCIUTTO: Remarkable. The same plane, same area, something to explore further.
Stefano Pozzebon, thanks so much.
Boris?
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN NEWS CENTRAL HOST: Here's a look at some of the other headlines we're following this hour.
The South Carolina groom whose bride was killed in a car crash on their wedding night is suing the alleged drunk driver and a number of bars she is believed to have visited before getting behind the wheel.
A toxicology report shows the suspect had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit when she slammed into a modified golf cart carrying the newlyweds and two others.
Aric Hutchinson spoke to "Good Morning, America" today about his late wife, Samantha. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIC HUTCHINSON, WIDOWED GROOM: She's an amazing human being that should not have been taken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Also today, "Avengers" actor, Jeremy Renner, displaying some of his superhero credentials. Renner posted video showing himself jogging for the first time since his accident on New Year's Day when he was nearly crushed to death by a 14,000-pound snowplow. He says, for him, pain is progress.
And she's back. Fans will get a chance to watch Phoenix Mercury star, Brittney Griner, tonight in Los Angeles.
The eight-time WNBA all-star is set to compete for the first time since being unlawfully detained in Russia last year. Remember, she was held for 10 months. The Mercury tip off against the Sparks at 11:00 p.m. tonight.
[13:35:07]
Jim?
SCIUTTO: All right, coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, wildfires in Canada sending a massive cloud of dangerous smoke here into the U.S.
Plus, big troubles for the Big Apple. Experts say that New York is slowly sinking due to all the skyscrapers. That's a problem. That's my hometown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Heavy smoke from wildfires in Canada is moving into parts of the Midwest, particularly Nebraska. The smoke could linger for days. There's around 200 fires still burning across western Canada.
[13:40:04]
And the National Weather Service is issuing alerts of unhealthy air quality in some areas. They're also warning of low visibility.
Let's go to CNN meteorologist, Allison Chinchar.
Allison, when we look at this picture, the first time I saw it, I thought it was a bad smog day in Los Angeles. This is crazy-looking.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right. When you think about how poor the visibility is when you're just looking at some of this orange-reddish hue.
And remember you're breathing that same stuff into your lungs. It's no wonder they have a lot of air quality alerts issued.
This is video coming from Calgary, Canada. But really all across Alberta it's a very similar scene, and even some other provinces across Canada.
This is where you have the poor air quality alerts due to the wildfires in the areas. And the wind, weather patterns shifting all of that smoke and bringing it down not only into Canada but also other parts of the U.S.
We're starting to see a big shift taking it farther south and farther east in the coming days. And the same way, we tell, even as we go through the next few days.
This was a look at St. Paul, Minnesota, what should be the skyline in the background is very difficult to see due to the smoke and haze in the sky.
It's not just Minneapolis. We're starting to see some improvement here in the upper Midwest, as a lot of it begins to shift farther south.
So places like Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis starting to see more air quality alerts tick up.
This is also the cold front that will spread. It will take a lot of that smoke and push it south and east as we head into the weekend.
KEILAR: This is the type of air where you're thinking about what activity you should not be doing as you have that hanging out.
All right, Allison, thank you for that.
Boris?
SANCHEZ: No wonder the penthouse suite is more expensive. A new geological study says that New York City is sinking closer to sea level, partially due to the weight of the estimated one million buildings, which, in total, weigh about 1.7 trillion pounds.
The Army Corps of Engineers is working on ways to prevent the city from being submerged during future natural disasters.
Let's bring in CNN chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir.
Bill, New York City sinking sounds apocalyptic.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It doesn't have to be, Boris. It doesn't have to be with planning and wisdom. Knowledge is power.
This is a really fascinating study. The geological survey, who thought, I wonder if we should factor how much New York City weighs and if it is affected by sea level rise (INAUDIBLE) happening in coastal cities around the world.
And you Manhattan in the distance, beyond the Brooklyn Bridge.
To hammer this home in terms of real-world implications, you see the carousel over there? Remember (INAUDIBLE) the waves completely surrounded that carousel? That flood (INAUDIBLE).
The result you're seeing now, nine years later (INAUDIBLE)
SANCHEZ: Oh, Bill, I hate to do this, but it seems like the weight of New York City may also be affecting the signal on your live shot. We'll hopefully get that figured out and get you back online with us.
Bill Weir, roughing it out there in New York City.
Over to you, Jim?
SCIUTTO: Yes, we can't let New York City sink.
Well, a massive meltdown at airports across the country that unfolded last year. You may remember the Biden administration pointed the finger at the airlines for the widespread delays and cancellations.
But while airlines were largely to blame, new CNN reporting found that a lack of controllers at one key FAA facility in Florida was behind nearly 5,000 of those delays.
An internal email shows the FAA knew it was responsible for some of the problems.
CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean, joins us.
I'm curious what percentage of those delays those 5,000 were? How big of a piece of that larger picture? And what was behind this?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: In the seven-week period that we learned about in these new documents, hundreds of pages we were able to get under the Freedom of Information Act, CNN learned that that was responsible for about one in every 10 flight delays nationwide.
This is so interesting. You have to think back to last year, the summer of the air travel meltdown. There were 55,000 cancellations in total, about a half million delays.
So the blame game was interesting here. The Biden administration, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the head of the FAA, Bill Nolen, were trying to slough off the blame on the airlines, saying it was mostly shortages of flight crews and other workers causing delays and cancellations.
But really, really, we have uncovered that this was partially, at least, to blame on the FAA, and the shortage you mentioned at this aircraft facility.
It's relatively little known. Called Jacksonville Center. But it's a linchpin, where all flights coming into and out of Florida. We're talking like 210,000 square miles of airspace.
[13:45:09]
And they were short staffed 200 shifts, 4,600 delays. It was a really big impact here.
SCIUTTO: So the transportation secretary, on this program as well -- we spoke to him a couple weeks ago -- they're trying to fill these slots, right?
MUNTEAN: Yes.
SCIUTTO: They're trying to train these people up, in effect. Is that underway to get these empty controller slots filled?
MUNTEAN: This is why the new reporting is so critical and comes right now. The FAA is scrambling not only to fill the slots but also get the money to fill the slots.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
MUNTEAN: That is a real key problem. The FAA is going through the reauthorization period to get the money from Congress so it can pay for these workers.
But there's one more layer to this, too. The issue is there was a whistleblower complaint, where they said simply the way to fix this, according to the FAA, was overwork controllers.
The FAA is saying, well, we replaced the management of this key facility. Things are changing here.
They're, of course, rushing to hire 3,300 employees in the next two years. But some are saying that's a short-term fix to a long-term problem. The FAA has short-staffed for a long time, but now it's come to a head.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
MUNTEAN: And the FAA is saying this could get even worse at some other facilities and they're trying to come clean about it this time around, saying we had this this summer in New York, too.
SCIUTTO: And in one way you'll have no money, that is, if the government shuts down.
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: -- debt ceiling --
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: Pete Muntean, thanks so much.
His report is going to air tonight on "A.C. 360."
Thanks so much, Pete.
Brianna?
KEILAR: Coming up, one of the richest men in the world is deciding which of his five kids will take over the business. It's a real-life "Succession" saga, when CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:51:28]
KEILAR: A powerful rich man deciding which of his children will take over his huge company. No, I'm not talking about the hit HBO series "Succession," but the real-life story of the world's richest man, Bernard Arnault, who his looking to one his five kids to run his $500 billion luxury empire.
Here's CNN's Melissa Bell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Explain what he's doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's moseying, terrifyingly moseying. It's like if Santa Claus was a hit man.
I love you, but you are not people.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A magnate and patriarch --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, but you are not serious people.
BELL: -- preparing his succession as carefully as he built his empire. Not Logan Roy but the real world's richest man, 74-year- old Bernard Arnault, worth more than $230 billion having built the world's biggest luxury goods company.
All the while, very personally raising, educating and evaluating his five potential successors.
BERNARD ARNAULT, CHAIRMAN & CEO, LVMH MOET HENNESSY: I think my group is controlled my own family. So instead of looking every day at the stock market, I look for the next 10 years.
BELL: All five Arnault children work for their father, 48-year-old Delphine, the chair of Christian Dior, her brother, 45-year-old Antoine, who is CEO of the holding company of Christian Dior.
And the three children from Arnault's second marriage, 31-year-old Alexandre, who's an executive vice president of Tiffany's, 28-year-old Frederic, who runs TAG Heuer, and the youngest, 24-year-old Jean, the director of Development and Marketing at Louis Vuitton's Watches Division.
RAPHAELLE BACQUE, AUTHOR (through translation): He is at once an attentive father, a good father, but also a merciless boss, so the children had to work hard.
He has a fairly clear idea of their qualities and their weaknesses. And when the moment comes, we'll be able to choose.
BELL: The $500 billion-dollar LVMH dominates the world of fashion with some of its biggest names, like Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton.
(SHOUTING)
BELL: It was built through ruthless acquisition, and like Waystar, is diverse with vineyards, hotels, restaurants and newspapers.
(SHOUTING)
BELL: But it isn't a treatment of their children, that the fictional and real characters diverge. Far from fostering discord, Arnault ensured harmony, but with a cold eye on business nonetheless.
The stakes are huge, the value of the company, but also the power that it brings.
Like Logan Roy, Bernard Arnault has cultivated his relationships with the powerful, acquiring a vast media empire --
(SHOUTING)
BELL: -- and making LVMH a symbol in France. Its headquarters stormed by protesters only last month.
But while Arnault has sought to protect his children, he's also made it clear what he expects of them.
ANTOINE ARNAULT, CEO, CHRISTIAN DIOR: Of course, we understand the level of responsibility that is ours. The way we see things is that my father is super healthy and going to work 10, 15, 20, 25 years.
His five children are now working together in different parts of the group, but we're very close.
(APPLAUSE)
BELL: An empire carefully built and ultimately soon up for grabs but so far without the family drama.
[13:55:05]
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Thanks to Melissa for that report.
A Florida free-for-all. As Governor DeSantis gets ready to announce a White House run, Disney cancels a billion-dollar project that would have brought 2,000 high-paying jobs to the Sunshine State.
An update on this story and more when we come back on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:00:07]
SCIUTTO: A united front against Russia.
