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Crew Abandons Ship After Houthi Attack Early Monday; Two Found Fatally Shot In Univ. Of Colorado Dorm Room; Standing Ovation For Michael J. Fox At British Film Awards. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 19, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, we just learned this morning that the U.S. is now investigating what happened to an unmanned U.S. drone. U.S. officials are saying it crashed in Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis claimed to have shot it down.

We've also just learned a crew aboard a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, there in Yemen, has been forced to abandon ship. This is after it was attacked last night by the Houthis.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand has more on all of this from the Pentagon. Natasha, there's a lot going on. What are you hearing about these latest attacks?

[11:35:02]

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate. So, we're learning that the vessel that was attacked today in the Gulf of Aden, the crew actually had to abandon that ship because of an attack by the Houthis, which the Houthis said was carried out because this ship was linked to the UK. Now, in fact, it is a vessel that was registered to the UK. But this really goes to show that the Houthis had been targeting really any and all vessels in that commercial waterway that they believe have any links whatsoever to the U.S., to Israel, to the West because they say that they're launching these attacks in retaliation for Israel's war inside Gaza.

And now we know this also comes just a few days after the U.S. hit a number of Houthi anti crew -- anti-ship ballistic missiles that were preparing to launch, according to U.S. Central Command. As well as a new capability that Houthi have not employed before, which is essentially an underwater drone. A sea drone, that of course, is very dangerous and capable of inflicting a lot of damage on the ships transiting this waterway.

Now, I can tell you that last week when I was on board these ships that are responding to these Houthi attacks, the personnel onboard there, they were very concerned about these ongoing attacks. And it is all the more concerning because the U.S. does not have a great understanding of just how much of the Houthi's capabilities actually remain. They have been carrying out these strikes on Houthi targets inside Yemen repeatedly over the last few months. But the Houthi still have quite a bit stockpiled including a lot of weaponry that is underground at this point.

So, it's a very dangerous environment for the U.S. military that they're operating in there. And they don't have a good sense of just how much longer they're going to have to keep up this fight, Kate.

BOLDUAN: And to that point, I mean, putting those capabilities now on display with this underwater drone. It's great to see you. Thank you so much for the reporting. Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Joining us now. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and founder of Renew America together, General Wesley Clark. General, thank you so much for being here.

I wanted to start with a Washington Post headline, which talks about what is happening with Iran. And Iran, according to their reporting, is telling its proxies to -- basically to knock it off to try to lessen these attacks, worried that this will start an actual fight between the U.S. and Iran. What are your thoughts on hearing that?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET), U.S. ARMY: Well, I think it's a tactical pause by the Iranian government if it's -- if it's -- if it's correct, in the sense that they've got assets, they don't want to lose inside Iran. They're getting very close to a nuclear capability. And they don't want to give the United States or Israel any pretext for going after that capability.

So, maybe, you know, we're going to pause in the action. But that remains to be seen. Israel remains convinced that it has an existential threat to the north and to the south. And so, this is a long way from being played out, no matter what Iran says.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about what is happening in Ukraine and Russia. We have been gotten word today that the Russian authorities will not be releasing Alexey Navalny, the opposition -- the lead opposition -- most famous opposition to Putin, his body, he died in prison, for the next couple of weeks. There has been some response in Russia. Do you think this will be enough of a distraction to have some impact on Russia's war in Ukraine or do you think this is something that they can completely keep separate, basically?

CLARK: Well, I think inside Russia, it may not have very much impact. But I think it will have an impact on the West. Because it's very clear that the Navalny was poisoned or some other -- some other means was used to kill him. And this is why the bodies being held. They want to prevent the autopsy and more adverse publicity.

So, this is a kind of event that stirs up especially our European allies -- (INAUDIBLE) can confront the reality of who Vladimir Putin is, what his regime is, and the serious nature of the threat. And so, in that respect, it will have an impact. Will it change the voting? Will people come out in tens of thousands and demonstrate? No.

But I do have to commend the courage of his widow who's speaking out now and says she's going to pick up the mantle. And I hope that it will continue to mobilize opinion in the West because we're the ones who have to help the people in Russia. They can't help themselves.

SIDNER: We have certainly seen this before with other opposition leaders being poisoned. People falling out of windows at hospitals. I do want to ask you about Avdiivka in Ukraine, which the Russia now claims to have full control of. The last time I think we saw this happen with Bakhmut in 2023. Can you give us some sense of what this particular area means, and how bad it is for Ukraine?

CLARK: Well, Avdiivka was protecting a series of road junctions that held a Eastern Front together for the Ukrainians. And so, when it falls and there's no easily defensible ground to the west of Avdiivka, it opens a hole in the Ukrainian defenses.

[11:40:05]

Now, they have been putting in defenses in depth, whether they've been sufficient, whether they're in this location or not, we don't know. We're just going to have to see. There's some confusion on the battlefield.

The Russians are saying they captured a lot. It was disorganized. The Ukrainians are saying most of their people got out. It wasn't disorganized.

If the Russians had the strength, they would blow through and try to go all the way to the Dnipro River if they could at this point. Apparently, that's not happening. They probably expanded and culminated their offensive with Avdiivka, at least for now. But that's a very important issue that we have to continue to watch, Sara, because this could open a hole in the eastern flank of the defense.

And if the Russians had the strength, and now they've got -- they're using their airpower much more effectively in the Avdiivka battle than they have in the past, they could initiate a war of movement east of Dnipro River. They could move many, many miles and seriously dislocated defenses that are protecting Kharkiv and even Kyiv itself. So, it's a very dangerous time in the war.

SIDNER: General Wesley Clark, always great to have you on with your analysis there. Thank you so much. Fred?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks, Sara. Still ahead. Two people fatally shot inside a dorm room at the University of Colorado. Police say it doesn't appear to be a murder-suicide. What we know about the victims and the investigation?

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[11:46:05]

WHITFIELD: Police in Colorado Springs are investigating a double homicide after two people were found shot in a dorm at the University of Colorado on Friday. The official cause of death is still under investigation, but police discovered each victim with at least one gunshot wound. CNN's Lucy Kafanov is in Denver for us. So, Lucy, what can you tell us about the investigation? LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, unfortunately, still has more questions than answers. Police are certainly keeping their cards close to their chest. We do you know that this is a double homicide, the identities of the two young victims now revealed, and we also know according to police that while the suspect has not been arrested or identified they don't believe there's a threat to the public. In fact, they say in a statement issued last night, "this was an isolated incident between parties that were known to one another and not a random attack against the school or other students at the university."

Now, ask for these victims. There was 26-year-old Celie Rain Montgomery of Pueblo, Colorado. She was not a student at this university, but she was found dead in that dorm room. The young man who was killed, 24-year-old Sam Knopp of Parker, Colorado.

Now, he was a registered student at UCCS. The school describing Sam as a senior who was studying music. I believe we actually have footage from the UCCS music program showing Sam performing at one of the concerts there. He played guitar.

The school also saying that he was a beloved member of the visual and performing arts department, an accomplished guitar player, and an extremely talented musician. Friends who were obviously shocked by this, describe him as an outgoing, bubbly person who can talk to anyone and everyone for hours. They are grieving the sudden unexplained loss.

And, yes, that's basically what we have so far. Classes remain closed. But the University is open for people to process their grief. There are counselors on site. There's going to be a march today, as well as therapy dogs, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Sara.

SIDNER: We're back in just a moment. But first, here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta with this week's "CHASING LIFE."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "CHASING LIFE" podcast.

GUPTA (voiceover): These days, it feels like multitasking is a mandatory way of modern life. We're in the middle of one thing and then a text and you pivot to another thing. But here's the truth.

We're not as good at multitasking as we think we are. In fact, multitasking is actually a misnomer. Most brains aren't actually structured to simultaneously do two things that require active attention at once.

So, when you multitask, your brain is actually switching focus back and forth between each task. And studies show that often leads to mistakes. Completely focusing on a single task at a time can improve performance, improve memory, all while also reducing feelings of stress and anxiety, and impulsiveness. GUPTA: I personally find joy in focusing on one thing at a time. So, join me and challenge yourself to single tasks. Just because you can do multiple things at once, doesn't mean you should.

GUPTA (voiceover): And you can hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[11:54:29]

BOLDUAN: Also "ON OUR RADAR" this hour. Nearly the entire state of California is under flood alerts this morning as it's getting hit with more storms this week. Some parts could face up to five inches of rain by Wednesday. There's even the possibility that the Sacramento Valley could see tornadoes this afternoon. A rare event in California.

The most prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar is about to get underway. The Daytona 500, it was pushed a day to today after rain forced NASCAR officials to postpone yesterday's start. It's a 200-lap, 500-mile race with the winning prize of more than $20 million.

[11:55:05]

The NBA's biggest stars did not appoint -- disappoint during All-Star Weekend. For the first time in the league's history, the winning team, the East, scored more than 200 points. Is that a statement about the West's defense?

Final score was 211 to 186. Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks scored 39 of those 200-plus points, and he was named All-Star MVP. The first year he's been in the Eastern Conference, I am now learning.

It was a beautiful tribute to actor Michael J. Fox at last night's British Film Awards. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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BOLDUAN: Michael J. Fox, he was the surprise presenter for the best film category and the audience as you can see, gave him a very long ovation. Bringing people to tears. He entered the stage in a wheelchair -- in a wheelchair and he walked the final few steps to the podium. As you will know, Fox was bravely -- has bravely battled and lived with Parkinson's since 1991. His life -- his journey captured in an award-winning documentary still.

SIDNER: More than 30 years he's had Parkinson's and he's still -- I saw him at a game -- at a basketball.

BOLDUAN: And he put so much money into trying to fight Parkinson's.

SIDNER: Yes. it's -- WHITFIELD: Yes.

SIDNER: It's actually a beautiful thing. Thank you for being here.

WHITFIELD: It's beautiful. And I love that he had heart, do you know? He just put his heart there.

SIDNER: Yes. And everybody was --

(CROSSTALK)

SIDNER: All right, we can all cry together.

WHITFIELD: I know.

SIDNER: And I'm glad to see you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you.

SIDNER: Our John Berman was cheating on us, but we'll talk about that later in another show again.

BOLDUAN: We're back. And better than ever wearing flats too.

WHITFIELD: A little girl power.

SIDNER: Noted.

WHITFIELD: We like that.

SIDNER: Thank you, guys, so much for joining us. "INSIDE POLITICS," coming up next.

WHITFIELD: All right.

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