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CNN News Central
John Kirby Gives Briefing On Chinese Warship Harassing U.S. Naval Destroyer & War In Ukraine; NTSB At Virginia Site Of Small Plane Crash; FDA To Allow Cancer Drug Imports From China; Apple Unveils Mixed Virtual, Augmented Reality Headset. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired June 05, 2023 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: I can tell you the Ukrainians have spoken to some of these, quote, unquote, "raids," and have denied participation in them. I will let them speak to that.
What I can say, Kelly, and we've said this before, we don't encourage, we don't enable, and we don't support strikes or attacks inside Russia.
Our effort -- and we've been competingly plain about this with Ukraine. Our effort is to support them in their self-defense, in defending their territory, their sovereignty.
That's what's been violated by Mr. Putin and Russia. That's what we're helping them get back, their independence, their territorial integrity. And that's where the focus is.
And I'm not telling you anything that we haven't said pride privately to the Ukrainians in terms of expressing our concerns about that. They know our concerns. They have provided us, all the way up to President Zelenskyy, assurances they will respect those concerns.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We have been listening to National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby discussing a number of international headlines, talking about Ukraine, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, as well as India.
Perhaps the biggest headline today, a direct message to China, quote, "make better decisions."
Kirby calling out China after recent indents in the South China Sea, including an intercept, a Chinese warship intercepting a U.S. vessel over the weekend.
And a few weeks ago, a Chinese fighter jet cutting right in front of a U.S. surveillance plane.
Kirby saying that the United States plans to continue to operate where international law allows, saying we're going to stay there, referring to the South China Sea. And also confirming the United States intends to maintain open
communication with China so that an escalation, a terrible incident doesn't occur.
Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We'll be right back.
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[14:36:29]
SANCHEZ: Right now, federal investigators are probing the crash of a private plane in rural Virginia that killed four people. The plane was a Cessna Citation.
Just before Sunday's crash, F-16 fighter jets intercepted the Cessna over Washington, D.C., airspace. It was headed from Tennessee to Long Island, New York, but instead of landing, it actually turned around and started flying south, entering D.C.'s restricted air space, and it crashed soon afterward.
The plane's erratic path had authorities putting the Capitol Complex on elevated alert. Fighter jets were scrambled. They were authorized to hit supersonic speeds, causing a massive sonic boom heard over the region.
Officials said they tried to make contact but the pilot of the Cessna was unresponsive. Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: November 611, Victor Golf, Washington Center is looking for you, 133.Niner7.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you hear this transmission, contact us.
(END AUDIO FEED)
SANCHEZ: Let's take you live to the crash site in Vesuvius, Virginia, with CNN's Brian Todd.
Brian, what have investigators discovered close to where you are right now?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris, we just got an update from the sheriff that said FAA and NTSB investigators are now at the site of the crash. It's several miles into the terrain behind us.
This is very steep terrain, very drastic terrain, extremely different to get to a crash site. It takes several hours to get in and back out.
We may not get an update for several hours or possibly even until tomorrow after the FAA and NTSB investigators get back from the site.
What we have been told is that, from first responders, when they got to the site last night -- and again it took hours and several of them almost got injured getting there. That's how difficult the trek is. When they got there, they spotted what was four or five recognizable
pieces of a plane, but one of these told me, quote, "It was no bigger than your arm." There were also human remains at the site, they said.
They said the plane left a sizable crater in the ground. From what they saw, that crater, the contours and everything else there, they believe the plane impacted the mountains at a very steep angle, Boris.
A very dramatic and horrible scene deep into the mountains where NTSB investigators are liking at that site now.
One thing they were looking for is to see whether the plane had any black box, cockpit voice recorder or flight recorder. We are told this particular private jet was not required to have black boxes, so it may not have anything in there.
But some of these planes are outfitted with the boxes nonetheless and they'll look to see if they can pull some of those out if they're there -- Boris?
SANCHEZ: It could be a significant piece of evidence in this investigation.
Brian Todd, from Vesuvius, Virginia, thank you.
I want to turn to CNN transportation analyst, Mary Schiavo.
Mary, thank you for being with us.
Historically, when you see accidents similar to this one, where a pilot is unresponsive, flying a long distance away from where it's supposed to be, what are some of the causes you have seen create this kind of scenario?
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: Surprisingly, we've seen these many times in the past. Usually, it's what's called a decompression of the aircraft. It could be a rapid depression where, for example, a door or window blows out.
[14:40:07]
There was one case where a valve failed of another plane or an antenna.
Or it can be what's called insidious decompression, where the pilots don't realize it is happening until it is too late, until they're incapacitated or make bad decisions.
Now, in other flights when jets have been scrambled to try to arouse the pilots, there have been cases, even on commercial passenger jets, where both pilots have fallen asleep.
In that case, when the fighter jets were scrambled, they woke up the pilots and the plane and flight proceeded and ended safely.
Usually, it's a hypoxia event, meaning low pressure and no oxygen, or pilots incapacitated for other reasons, such as sleeping, et cetera.
But in those cases, sometimes there's a -- (INAUDIBLE).
SANCHEZ: Mary, you mentioned jets that were scrambled in response to this plane. I'm wondering what the protocol is when a vessel like that enters restricted airspace.
SCHIAVO: Exactly what happened here. The protocol when an aircraft, any aircraft, an incapacitated pilot situation or just a pilot who is confused, on the wrong path, or someone intending ill intent, that's what the United States and other countries have been trained to do.
They try to make contact with the pilot. But also, they can get close enough to literally look in and see, what's the condition of the pilots? Are they slumped over? Are the windows fogged over with ice, et cetera?
In other cases, they can see into the cabin windows to see the condition of the passengers on board.
The scrambled fighter jets play an important role, sometimes, in the case of sleeping pilots.
There were two flights last year, commercial aviation flights, where both pilots fell asleep. One was an Ethiopian airline; one was over Italy. In Italy, there were met with fighter jets and they woke them up.
So it's an important role for these fighter jets. And in this case, they did exactly what they were supposed to do.
SANCHEZ: Sadly with a tragic ending. No survivors on this flight. We look forward to getting more information from investigators soon.
Mary Schiavo, we hope you'll come back and help us walk through the evidence.
SCHIAVO: Certainly.
SANCHEZ: Brianna?
KEILAR: Still to come, what the FDA is doing to address a shortage of critical cancer drugs. We'll have those details next.
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[13:46:58]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: The FDA is now working with a Chinese drug maker to import a much-needed cancer drug amid what is being called a critical shortage. The chemotherapy medication is one of several in short supply in the U.S. right now.
CNN medical correspondent, Meg Tirrell, joins us now.
Meg, tell us about this particular drug, what it's used for, and why it's in such short supply.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, it's baffling. We hear the stories over and over again with cancer drugs and other medicines.
This is called Cisplatin, and it's incredibly important for chemotherapy regiments for a number of cancers, from lung cancer to bladder cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and testicular cancer, where it can be curative for many patients.
The National Cancer Institute estimates it's used in between 10 percent to 20 percent of all cancer patients. So the fact this was in shortage since February, it has caused a ton of problems for doctors and patients.
They've to delay treatments, substitute other medicines and, in some cases, ration care for the people most likely to be cured. So it's a terrible situation.
The FDA is now saying it will allow the temporary importation of a version of this drug from a Chinese drug maker.
The FDA commissioner tweeting on late Friday night, quote, "The agency recognizes the importance of a stable, safe supply of critical drugs used in oncology, especially those in potentially curative or life- extending situations."
They say they have taken steps for temporary application of certain approved versions of Cisplatin products from FDA-registered facilities. So, Jim, the ordering of this should start tomorrow.
SCIUTTO: Any reason to have concerns about the quality of drugs? Or are there international standards, so people can be comfortable?
TIRRELL: There are standards. The FDA says it can assure the safety. This plant has other FDA-approved medicines. This one just is not approved in the U.S.
SCIUTTO: Understood. We'll continue to follow it closely.
Meg Tirrell, thanks so much.
Boris?
[14:48:59]
SANCHEZ: So Apple just dropped its first major new product in nearly a decade, and it goes on your face. What the CEO Tim Cook just revealed, straight ahead.
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[14:53:37]
KEILAR: Apple unveils its first major product in nearly 10 years. So was it worth the wait? CNN's Jon Sarlin is there at the Apple campus for the big reveal.
What do you think? What are they showing off here?
JON SARLIN, CNN DIGITAL PRODUCER & CNN BUSINESS HOST, "NIGHTCAP": Brianna, this is Apple's biggest product probably since the iPad. Vision Pro, Apple's new augmented reality headset, AR.
So virtual reality, a screen in front of you. This is augmented reality. Apple says that this blends the real world and the virtual world.
They're banking that you're going to shell a lot of money for an Apple computer that you'll be placing on top of your head.
It's got two hours of battery life, 4K video, and they teased how it will be used. And they suggested you can use it for work, showing how someone can have multiple screens up in front of them.
They show a home cinema of a TV of any size. And also a collaboration with Disney. Bob Iger came on stage and showed how Baby Yoda might one day soon appear on Apple's Vision Pro.
KEILAR: Sorry, I thought we would have the moment, a chance to see it.
But the look of it is kind of classically Apple, even compared to some of the other VRs we see, this thing is streamlined. It's kind of beautiful. I'll say it.
[14:55:02]
I guess the question is going to be, will the function match that. What do you think?
SARLIN: That's the big question, right? Because, you know, it's been predicted for a long time that there might be this future with VR, with AR.
But the problem is people haven't wanted to put these computers on top of their heads. You might remember Google Glass was going to be the future of computers in 2013. Well, it was a huge failure, one of the big tech failures of the last decade.
But Apple is banking that the technology has developed and that their design team has created a product that consumers will want to spend a lot of money.
The price has not been announced yet but it's rumored to be in the thousands of dollars.
KEILAR: All right. I still want to see Baby Yoda, Jon, I'll tell you that.
Thank you so much. I think we'll see more of this to come.
We do appreciate the update. Boris?
SANCHEZ: Coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, India says that train lines have been restored following Friday's massive crash. But it's created a horrific site for passengers forced to pass by mangled cars and victims' belongings still littering the trackside. We'll take you live to India in just moments.
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