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Giuliani Interviewed In Election Interference Probe; Titan Submersible Wreckage Unloaded From Ship; Rash Of Rip Current Deaths Along Gulf Coast; Biden Has Begun Using CPAP Machine For Sleep Apnea. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired June 28, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The special counsel probe into former President Trump's plan to overturn the 2020 election is ramping up. And CNN has exclusively learned that investigators recently interviewed Rudy Giuliani. He was of course one of Trump's key operatives in the aftermath of his defeat and one of the most vocal proponents of baseless election conspiracy theories. CNN's Katelyn Polantz is here for us. Katelyn, obviously, Giuliani was a very big player. One of the biggest players. What do they want to know from him?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: What wouldn't they want to know from him, right? Giuliani was there orchestrating these court cases. He was orchestrating the fake electors. He was trying to reach out to state legislatures. And so, this is a really intriguing development in the special counsel's investigation into January 6th, Donald Trump and the top people around him.

They've interviewed many, many people. They've brought lots of people into the grand jury. They had subpoenaed Giuliani actually several months ago, for at the very least, documents. And then it seemed to be put on hold. The special counsel's office came in. Now he's coming in, sitting for this voluntary interview. The circumstances of that are really atypical.

What is the reason that they want to talk to him and that he would be willing to at this stage of the game? What would he even have to say that he hasn't said publicly on television or in press conferences before. So, a really interesting development. And how it fits into this, it could be quite a notable thing for the special counsel investigation.

KEILAR: How intriguing, right? How intriguing here. Today, the special counsel's team also speaking with Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger. One of the targets of course his Trump's pressure campaigns after the election. That phone call that we've all heard.

[15:35:00]

POLANTZ: Right. So, Brad Raffensperger is a just anybody, he's the Secretary of State whom Donald Trump called and was recorded saying, I want you to find those votes in Georgia for me to win the state, which was impossible. That was not something that could be done. He didn't win the state. And then afterwards, Raffensperger wrote about this in his book. He said I felt then and still believe today that this was a threat coming from Donald Trump.

The very sort of thing he might want to be telling the special counsel's office sitting down with him and all of this comes at the same time where we know there's quite a focus on what was happening in individual states. The battleground states Trump wanted to declare that he won, even when he hadn't. And there's been a lot of investigation, not just around the fake electors, but other parts of what was happening in those states. So how this all comes together, there could be some sort of developments soon.

KEILAR: Yes, really important moves and the importance of which we may be finding out soon. Katelyn, thank you for the great reporting -- Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: She is already the most decorated American gymnast of all time and she may be making a comeback. Is Simone Biles returning to competition? We have new details on that.

And first it was Netflix. Now Costco says it is cracking down on membership sharing. We are going to tell you why when CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns.

[15:40:00]

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Now to some of the headlines we're following yet this hour.

Can we call to come back? Olympic gold medalist, Simone Biles, just signed up for a gymnastics competition. Will she actually compete? The 26-year-old newlywed is listed as an entrant for the U.S. classic. That takes place this August. But her registration is not a guarantee that she will end up participating. Biles of course famously withdrew from some events during the Tokyo Olympics because she was suffering from a mental block where she lost track of her position midair.

Also, SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood actors' union was just put on notice by some A-list stars who warn they're prepared to go on strike if they don't get the contract, they say they deserve. More than 300 actors, including Oscar winner Meryl Streep and Golden Globe winner Quinta Brunson signed a letter to the Screen Actor's Guild leadership urging them not to settle with studio executives. Members have already voted to authorize a strike if a new deal is not reached before their current one expires just two days from now.

And Costco says, if you do not have a membership card, don't use someone else's. Get your own or shop somewhere else. The retailer will now ask for a photo ID at checkout to make sure customers are not sharing membership cards. The company said it noticed that non-members have been sneaking in to use cards that don't belong to them and then paying in at self-checkout lanes. Boris, a page from Netflix maybe? SANCHEZ: Please send me that password when you get a chance. So a

multinational investigation is currently underway to find out what exactly led to that catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible. Today, we got a new look at images showing the debris recovered from the bottom of the North Atlantic ocean. Workers actually unloaded pieces of tarped panels off the Horizon Atlantic, which is the craft that was on that mission. CNN's Bianna Golodryga is in for Jake Tapper on "THE LEAD" today. And Bianna, you're going to be speaking to one of the engineers that was warning about potential problems on the Titan submersible.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, and this is where the investigation sadly begins, Boris, as people and experts like this engineer I'll be speaking start to assess and dig through what in fact went wrong here. And these are some of the same people that did warn OceanGate back in 2018 that this could very well result from the expedition that these submersibles were going on had they not stuck to proper protocols and regulations. Which they said they were skirting.

In fact, let me read to you what Bart Kepner, who was the forensic engineer I'll be interviewing said at the time. And he said that they were avoiding U.S. regulations by deploying the vessel in international waters and thus by circumventing Coast Guard rules where these regulations would have been enforced. Here's what he said to the "New York Times," at the time. He said this letter that dozens of experts had signed was basically asking them to please do what the other submarines do, especially the passenger ones.

And that's what really stands out. That there's always risks that go with these types of expeditions but the fact there were passengers, that there were civilians that were going along with these expeditions is why so many experts in the field were concerned. And voiced their alarm with the heads of the company that they should actually be doing more to stick to the regulations that their competitors were doing.

SANCHEZ: It will make for a great conversation. Bianna Golodryga, thank you so much. We're going to be watching for that at the top of the hour on "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper -- Brianna.

KEILAR: A former NFL quarterback, Ryan Mallett, tragically passed away in an apparent drowning as rip currents claimed the lives of nearly a dozen people here in just two weeks along the Gulf Coast. Ahead, urgent warnings from officials as the beach season is ramping up.

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SCIUTTO: There are new public warnings about rip curbs or riptides after a former NFL quarterback drowned off of a beach in Florida just yesterday. Dustin authorities say former New England Patriot Ryan Mallet went under water and was not breathing when lifeguards managed to pull him out. This comes as the currents are claiming lives up and down the Florida Gulf Coast. CNN's Nick Valencia joins us from Fort Myers Beach. In Nick, it's been a spate of these in the last couple of weeks. Do authorities have as theory as to why or is it just more people in the water?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's just a very active season so far. And the death of Ryan Mallett really underscores the dangers and just how deadly this season has been. With the message from Florida state officials being if could happen to a former professional athlete, it could happen to anyone.

And despite popular belief, rip currents don't actually pull you under, rather they pull you further out to shore in deeper water.

[15:50:00]

And are formed as waves disperse along the beach, water gets trapped between the sand bar and the beach creating these river-like streams that travel at a high rate of speed. And they could really be a challenge for even the most accomplished swimmer. I mentioned just how deadly it's been already. 11 deaths this season with seven of them happening in Panama City Beach in the last weeks of June. And to give you a sense of what officials are dealing with, just in the last ten days they've received 70 calls for distressed swimmers, half of them happened on Saturday. And there are county officials that really are not taking any chances when it comes to this warning to the public.

The Bay County Sheriff's Office releasing these photos that we want to show you, to illustrate the power of these rip currents. They form dredges under water, deep in the sand, just showing how powerful these rip currents are and have been this season.

Look guys, it's that time of the year. People come out with their family, their friends, by themselves to enjoy these beautiful days like we're having here in Fort Myers. The bottom line though here, Jim, from Florida officials, is that they want you to be aware of the dangers of rip currents this season -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Nick, thanks so much. And be aware of what is the right thing to do. I've been caught in one with my kids. You don't swim against it, you swim out and down the beach, not against it. It exhausts everyone. That's something for all of us to keep in mind this summer -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, it really is.

Just in to CNN, President Biden has started using a CPAP machine to treat his sleep apnea. The White House revealing this after reporters asked about strap marks that they saw on both sides of his face today. And if you use a CPAP, you know someone who does, you know exactly what we're talking about here. A spokesperson says, quote, since 2008 the president has disclosed his

history with sleep apnea in thorough medical reports. He used a CPAP machine last night which is common for people with that history.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen is joining us live on this story. This is something that a lot of people struggle with and this is something that certainly could improve the health of people with this condition.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It can. In fact, it might be even more of a story if President Biden wasn't using a CPAP machine. If you have sleep apnea, which we've known about for many years now, a CPAP machine -- continuous positive airway pressure -- is a great way to treat it. What it does is it pushes air in to keep those airways open. Brianna, it's really not great that 30 million Americans have sleep apnea is estimated. But only about 6 million have been diagnosed with the condition. So is a good thing to treat it. Sleep apnea could sometimes be really a silent problem. People don't realize that they have it and it could cause big, big problems -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, I mean, we're talking about people who are waking up dozens and dozens of times per minute, right Elizabeth?

COHEN: Sometimes, I mean is not always that bad. But yes, that could absolutely happen and that could mess with your heart, that could mess with your blood pressure. It could be really terrible. People need to be evaluated. They need to see if they need a CPAP machine or need to see if they need some other treatment. But it really does need to be treated. So again, I think in many ways it would be a bigger story that the president wasn't using a CPAP machine given that he has sleep apnea.

KEILAR: Yes, and look, this sleep, good sleep -- and were learning is more and more I think -- it just undergirds good health so much more than we can fully understand. But I think we're starting to. You could talk about some of the issues that people who just have sleep apnea or having terrible sleep, might be more likely to face if they are not getting treatment?

COHEN: Right. So there's sort of a double issue with sleep apnea. So not only are you not getting enough sleep -- and that could cause terrible problems for your heart, that could cause, you know, increased incidents of all sorts of heart issues or potentially stroke. It's just not getting enough sleep is bad for your mental health. It is just bad for pretty much every system in your body.

But in addition, they're not taking in enough air. So it's, you know, there is quite obvious, if you're not getting in enough oxygen, that is bad. When you're awake you might be able to do something about it, but when you're asleep, instead you will just wake up. So it puts people at a higher risk for all sorts of heart issues. It puts them at a higher risk for all sorts of other issues, for breathing issues, for respiratory issues. So sleep apnea, if indeed you have it, it needs to be treated.

KEILAR: Yes, it's good he's getting treated. And maybe it'll make some people think, hey, do I need to be treated which could be wonderful as you mentioned how many people are not getting treatment that needed. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: This morning more than 50 million people in South Korea woke up a year younger. We'll explain how when we come back.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: It's a wish that so many of us share. Hoping to wake up a few years younger. For people in South Korea, that is exactly what happened. And it's not some new Kay beauty trend. Today a new law went into effect in South Korea officially adopting the international age system that is used by most of the world. That system refers to age as the number of years since a person was born. But up until now, South Korea had been using Korean age. They were counting babies a year old on the day they were born and then adding a year every January 1st after that.

Some South Koreans use calendar age which is kind of a mashup of the two. So for example, "Gangnan Style" singer Psy was born on December 31st, 1977. He's considered 45 by international age, 46 by calendar year age and 47 by Korean age. So now he is technically 45 and we used Psy simply as a excuse for Brianna to show off her "Gangnan Style." Let's see it.

[16:00:02]

KEILAR: Right, yes, there I'm doing it.

SANCHEZ: It's like --

SCIUTTO: I'm not going to tell you what my international age is.

KEILAR: Mine is always 29.

SCIUTTO: That's what my mom always said that she was 29. That's a good one to go with. Show the dance again.

KEILAR: No. You show me the dance.

SCIUTTO: For another time. "THE LEAD" starts right now.