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Marine Questioned After Missing Teen Girl Found At Base; North Korea Threatens To Shoot Down U.S. Spy Planes; Special Counsel Accuses Trump Co-Defendant Of "Unnecessary" Delay In Classified Documents Case; New HIV Case Linked To "Vampire Facial" At NM Spa. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 10, 2023 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:33:49:]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: An investigation is underway at California's Camp Pendleton, and a Marine is in custody and being questioned after a 14-year-old girl was found on the base in the barracks.

She was reported missing in early June and turned up two weeks later at that sprawling military complex.

Let's get to CNN national correspondent, Camila Bernal, who is outside Camp Pendleton with more on the investigation.

Camila, what's the latest?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Boris. So we know it was actually military police that found this 14-year-old girl at base here at the barracks.

And they say that after they found that 14-year-old girl, that Marine was taken into custody for questioning. This happened on June 28th, according to a statement from the Marine Corps.

I want to read part of that statement. Here's what they're saying, "This command takes this matter and all allegations very seriously. The incident is under investigation and we will continue to cooperate with NCIS and appropriate authorities."

The NCIS is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We did reach out to them but they declined to comment out of respect of the investigation and the process there.

[13:34:59]

But we did get information from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. They gave us sort of a timeline of what happened before authorities found this 14-year-old girl.

What they're saying is that her grandmother reported her missing on June 13th. And the grandmother said she ran away from home on June 9th. She said this was not the first time that she ran away from home and usually returned home quickly.

That was not the case this time. So they entered her name into a number of missing persons data bases. And it wasn't until the 28th that the military police found her here at base.

She was questioned by detectives and she was reunited with his grandmother -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: Camila Bernal, thank you so much for that update.

Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Overseas now. North Korea has issued a new and alarming threat against the U.S. today. Pyongyang said it will shoot down U.S. surveillance planes that violate its air space.

This comes amid already heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the U.S. and South Korea have been solidifying their defense alliance.

CNN senior international correspondent, Will Ripley, joins us now from Taiwan.

Will, I wonder, if this was a manned flight, that would be seen by the U.S. as an act of war. Does the U.S. consider this threat from North Korea genuine? And how are they responding?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they have shot down U.S. reconnaissance planes before. It happened in 1969 in April.

It was a U.S. Navy plane. It was the largest loss of life during the Cold War when it comes to U.S. air crew. Thirty-one Americans died. So this does have historical precedent.

And we are at a moment in time where, despite the fact that the eyes of the world are focused on China, focused on Ukraine, yet the tensions on the North Korean Peninsula and the militarization of the North Korean Peninsula is at an extraordinary level.

I mean, you think about the fact that North Korea has tested about 100 missiles since January of last year.

And now you have this. North Korea's leader's sister, the second most- powerful person probably in North Korea, she basically says that North Korean war planes repelled these U.S. spy planes that she accused without evidence of crossing into the North Korean Exclusive Economic Zone.

The area within 200 nautical miles of their coast where they also control the natural resources. North Korea saying this happened just before 9:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

And she's warning of what she said would be shocking consequences and decisive action, in her words, if the U.S. reconnaissance planes were crossed into the exclusive check zone.

And she also said, if U.S. spy planes stay out of that area, they're not going to attack them.

But still, this is incredibly concerning. You have North Korea responding to certain steps by the United States and South Korea in recent months.

You had the announcement in April that for the first time since the 1980s, the U.S. is sending nuclear ballistic missile submarines to visit the Korean Peninsula. That is very angering to the North Koreans.

These B-52 strategic bombers, which participated in South Korea and the United States military drills and you had the B-52 actually flown up, Jim, in response to the satellite launch. It was a failed launch but North Korea has vowed to put a satellite in space.

Of course, you know, that has been accused for a long time of being a ballistic missile program in disguise. So certainly lots to be concerned about right now.

SCIUTTO: And the more of these close encounters that you have, or threats of close encounters, the more opportunity for potential escalation and that, of course, concern from the U.S. side, no question.

Will Ripley, in Taipei, thanks so much.

Boris?

[13:38:43]

SANCHEZ: Still to come, an urgent manhunt in Ohio for a suspect in the Cleveland shooting of nine people. That and much more just ahead.

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[13:43:19]

SCIUTTO: Now to some of the other headlines we are watching this hour.

An urgent search is underway in Cleveland, Ohio, for a suspect in a mass shooting that wounded at least nine people there. Police say a gunman opened fire as bars and restaurants were closing in the city's popular warehouse district.

There have now been at least 365 mass shootings so far this year in this country. This, according to the Gun Violence Archive. What a year.

Also, former U.S. gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, was stabbed multiple times at a federal prison in Florida. The head of the local Corrections Officer Union tells CNN Nassar was stabbed twice in the neck, twice in the back, six times in the chest. He did survive. He is now hospitalized.

He is serving decades in prison on state and federal charges. More than 150 women and girls said in court that he sexually abused them, including Olympic medalists. He admitted to criminal sexual contact and separately pleaded guilty of possessing child pornography.

And former AT&T executive, Randall Stevenson, has resigned from his position on the PGA tour's influential policy board.

A source familiar with his resignation says that Stevenson wrote that he has quote, "serious concerns about the tour's controversial partnership with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf."

This comes as PGA Tour officials are set to testify tomorrow on that very topic to a key Senate subcommittee.

SANCHEZ: This just into CNN. Pushback to the pushback in Donald Trump's classified documents case. Special counsel, Jack Smith, is accusing the Trump aide and co-defendant, Walt Nauta, of, quote, "unnecessary" delay.

[13:45:02]

CNN's Paula Reid is here to walk us through these latest filings.

Paula, what is going on?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Walt Nauta and his attorney, they want to delay a hearing that is currently scheduled for Friday. And, Boris, we know, in this case, timing is a real point of tension between the two sides.

The special counsel, Jack Smith, said he wants to have a, quote, "speedy trial." He wants to move this along as quickly as possible. Former President Trump and his associate, Walt Nauta, have every incentive to want to delay this at least until after the election.

That happens in ways both large and small. Here, right, this may feel incremental. Well, what is a few extra days, a few extra weeks? We saw, with his arraignment, it took a month for Walt Nauta to be arraigned.

And all of these delays over time add up. The special counsel knows that, which is why we're seeing this rare pushback in this request.

Saying, look, no, this is not in the public interest to delay this. You understood what was at stake. This hearing is about how classified materials will be handled. You need to get your lawyers and their clearances all in order. That is not a "me" problem. That's a "you" problem.

It will be very interesting to see how the judge decides on this. Because everybody is watching Judge Cannon. She is a Trump appointee.

And we have always known this would be one of the big things she would have to contend with. Trump is famous for delaying and drawing things out. Will she put limits on that, guardrails? Boris, we'll see what she says.

SANCHEZ: And there was significant criticism over her decision over putting a special counsel on to review some of those documents, a decision that was reversed on appeal.

I found it notable in this story that Nauta apparently raised that his defense team doesn't yet have security clearances, and Jack Smith's team fought back saying that his D.C.-based lawyer hasn't even filled out the form that's required in order to get security clearances.

REID: Exactly. Security clearances, that's one of the things they've been contending with over the past few weeks. But your lawyer can't get the security clearance, right, if you don't know who the lawyer is.

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REID: He does now have an attorney, one attorney in south Florida who can help him get through these different hearings.

You have to have someone who is licensed in this particular district. That was the issue. But, Boris, we know that the state of Florida is full of defense attorneys.

We know, from talking to our sources, that there were several people willing to help him and his D.C.-based attorney, Stan Woodward, get through these proceedings, but it took, again, a month. It's all part of the strategy.

But there is someone here calling balls and strikes and that's the judge. Let's see what she says about Friday's hearing. I think this will be a preview of how she handles the rest of probably the most high-profile case in the country.

SANCHEZ: Yes. It shows every incremental step in this case will be fought tooth and nail.

Paula Reid, we know you'll keep an eye on it. Thanks so much.

Jim?

SCIUTTO: Still ahead, an urgent warning regarding so-called "vampire facials." While health officials in New Mexico are concerned about clients of an Albuquerque spa that shut down five years ago, alarming events there. We'll have the details straight ahead.

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[13:52:36]

SCIUTTO: Health officials in New Mexico are urging people who have gotten what is known as a "vampire facial" to now get tested for HIV after a case of the virus was linked to that procedure.

The case in question concerns the VIP Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was actually shut down in 2018. Its owner pleaded guilty last year to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license.

CNN health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, joins us now with more. Jacquelyn, I mean, how would one get HIV from this procedure? And are

they convinced that it was just one case or are there possibilities of more?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Well, Jim, we know that there have been a cluster of cases tied to this VIP Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

And if safety protocols are followed and a licensed medical professional is performing the procedure, then we really shouldn't see these kinds of cases happening.

But what the vampire facial is, I will break it down into three steps. It involves, number one, having your blood drawn. Number two, having platelet-rich plasma extracted from your blood. And number three, having that plasma then reinjected into your skin using micro-needling pins on your face.

So that's how the procedure is performed. And at any point during that process, if blood-related waste is mishandled or if sanitation is not happening in between clients, that can raise the risk bloodborne infections like HIV spreading.

And in New Mexico, health officials are urging any former client at the VIP Spa who has had an injection-related procedure, whether that's the vampire facial or whether it's Botox, that former client should get tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

Health officials say that free testing is available at the Health Department in Albuquerque for patients, at South Valley Public Health office, to really, really track and diagnose any potential cases that might be related to that spa -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: All right. That sounds to me like a fairly risky procedure. Do doctors think this is a good idea?

HOWARD: Well, that's the thing, as I mentioned, if a licensed professional is performing this procedure, wearing gloves, disposing of blood-related waste, then this risk should be minimal.

[13:55:00]

And the reason why this is popular, even celebrities like Kim Kardashian have spoken about getting facials like this and it does have benefits for the skin, like it can reduce wrinkles, scarring, things like that.

But, Jim, bottom line, anyone who wants to get this procedure, make sure the professional is licensed to do so.

SCIUTTO: Yes, seems like a necessary basic step.

HOWARD: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Jacqueline Howard, thanks so much.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: Still ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, Larry Nassar, the former Team USA gymnastics doctor who sexually abused girls for decades, attacked in prison, stabbed 10 times. The latest on that incident when we come back.

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