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Biden Speaks Of Importance Of Defending Democracy On 80th Anniversary Of D-Day In Normandy; Biden: Democracy More At Risk Now Than It Has Been Since End Of WWII; Biden Emphasizes "America First" In D-Day Speech; Biden: Democracy Not Guaranteed; Every Generation Must Fight For It; SpaceX Starship Set To Launch Unmanned Spacecraft; SpaceX Launches Unmanned Starship Spacecraft. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired June 06, 2024 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: And he will be walking through the cemetery himself. We will be watching that. That is going to be -- that is going to be (inaudible) is very close with Vice President -- with Joe Biden, and often an advisor on his speeches. Let me bring in Christiane Amanpour as we're watching this. Christiane, just reflecting on that entire ceremony, what we just saw?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNNINT HOST: Well, it is so incredibly relevant. I mean, you imagine that they are celebrating, commemorating, and thanking the veterans from 80 years ago today, as both the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States, and the President of France, turned to those veterans and said, thank you, you saved the world.

And they have all, though, cast their speeches and cast the atmosphere of today's, and this year's commemoration and celebration, in terms of what we face in Europe and in the world right now, which is a soaring and a searing rise in authoritarianism.

Democracy is on the backfoot. The far right is poised to win in the upcoming European elections, which are happening just this weekend, while President Biden remains in Europe on this state visit.

And so, the stakes are huge. President Biden framed it in talking about how this alliance has simply grown NATO, the greatest military alliance in history, as he called it, has grown over these last 80 years, and including the newest members, Sweden and Finland.

He talked about Vladimir Putin as being a tyrant. He used that word. He said, bent on domination. He talked about not forgetting and not letting Ukraine fight its war alone. And remember, these are all really important words, but actions must be louder than words, because Ukraine is very, very much suffering from the delay in American aid that took some seven months, saw for the first time in these three, now nearly three years of war, Russia take advantage of that gap in weaponry and that gap in ability to fight them off, and started to come through the Ukrainian frontier towards Kharkiv. And these -- this has really concentrated the alliance minds and have made them realize that actually Europe and the United States, the entire alliance, needs to do so much more to step-up to this moment, that is testing this alliance, and the entire world order that the United States put in place after World War II.

And so, this is going to be the theme, presumably, going forth from these days. The moments of -- of -- of such poignancy, with President Macron, and President Biden going up to at least 11 of the American Veterans conferring on them from the French side, the (inaudible), and from Biden, you saw him press a presidential coin into each of their hands as well.

And they are really the heroes. And as you said, John, the watch is so poignant, celebrating and thanking their forebears and passing the baton to this generation and to future generations, whose job it will be, to -- to save and to defend what these people died saving and defending.

And I think that, that is just so incredible to really contemplate and digest. And then, the last thing I suppose, is to remember that in the horror and the chaos, and the destruction of World War II, it was America, again, with the Marshall Plan that invested in building back the enemy's, building by Germany into one of the greatest democracies in the world, building back, and helping Japan, the enemy from the Pacific into a solid Asian democracy.

And that makes this alliance so huge. He's -- he's right, Biden, that is the biggest military alliance in the world, because it spans the entire length and breadth from the American continent to the Pacific. And so, this is all what they're remembering, what they're commemorating, and what we all have to be up to -- to actually preserve for the future, because the challenges are not just -- not over. They are as dangerous as ever right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Because as the President noted, dark forces he said, never fade. Democracy, he said, is not guaranteed. Christiane, thank you so much. I want to bring in, Retired General, James Spider Marks who has been watching all of this, and I know James, Spider, for you in particular, this has got to be pretty emotional. This is how you've lived your life standing up, like those men did some 80 years ago.

MAJOR GENERAL (RETIRED) SPIDER MARKS, HEAD OF GEOPOLITICAL STRATEGY AND ACADEMY SECURITIES' SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER: Yeah, it's quite phenomenal. I mean, just to acknowledge that I had the great honor of living in their shadow, and trying every day not to disappoint. What this really is about is continuity, kind of two things. One is, continuity.

[08:35:00]

This notion of this -- this gripping of hands across generations to ensure that, what those men and women were able to achieve, we will be able to sustain, and we see that laid out in front of us today. I mean ceremonies like this are just quite phenomenal, very, very emotional. And then, the second thing, remember that during this war, during World War II, we had a war department. And then, afterwards, it became a Defense Department. And I think Lloyd Austin said it best, and that, these men and women built this Democracy, they saved the world and built these democracies.

Democracy has been able to flourish. We now are in a position to make sure that we defend it. And I think that's the very poignant place we are today when you look at all the challenges that we're confronted with.

BOLDUAN: And Kayla, just focusing in on the President's speech specifically, you talked about kind of their dual goals, and missions going in, and talk about what you heard then from the President coming out.

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I took note of his baton passing to the future generation acknowledging that the veterans who were here 80 years ago, and are also here today that their time is coming to an end, but that it rests on the future generation to carry that mission forward, he said, let us be the generation, that history is written about our time, 10 20, 50 years from now.

We met the moment. Our alliances were made stronger. We saved democracy, and our time as well. Of course, he is issuing that challenge to a generation that has seen the political fabric in the United States, and across western capitals, be fraying in recent years as some populist forces have been on the rise.

Certainly, Biden is trying to pledge his unbreakable assistance and commitment to the NATO Alliance, which he notes was created in the wake of World War II, and is stronger than ever today in his words, but there is a cost associated with that commitment. And it is a cost that European leaders are attempting to step up to the plate with, we know that more leaders are trying to meet that two percentage points of, 2 percent of GDP defense spending target by the NATO Summit next month.

And we also know that President Biden has been seeking more money from European leaders to fund the war in Ukraine. Christiane mentioned the Marshall Plan, which in today's dollars, would have cost $171 billion. The U.S. already has pledged $175 billion in military and financial aid to Ukraine.

So, the numbers are staggering at this point. And the President really needs to rally our western allies to -- essentially pledge their share of that fight as well, in addition to, you know, passing this baton to the future generations, and very forceful words, against a very somber backdrop on a very emotional and humbling day here in Normandy.

BERMAN: You know, it is so interesting. There's two things that I did notice, just picking up on what you said. Number one, as far as that investment goes, President Biden said, it's not just altruism, it's self-interest. It never has been just altruism. Fighting for freedom is in the self-interest. He made that point, relating it back to 1944. And today, and just the framing and looking toward the future, Kayla, and thank you very much. President Biden actually began the speech on January 5, 1944, poised, looking forward to the events on D-Day and ended it, I think, on the eve of this new fight for democracy around the world, poised to how the United States in the world will make decisions looking forward.

I want to bring in Tim Naftali, who's been watching this, along with us right now. And these moments in history, Tim, are very important not just to mark what happened, but to mark where we are.

TIMOTHY NAFTALI, AMERICAN HISTORIAN: They're very important. And especially now, as you -- as we looked at those faces, of the few remaining veterans of D-Day, who made the trek back to France. We are reminded of the fact that in a few short years, there won't be anyone who was there that day to tell their children and grandchildren, and great grandchildren, about why they did it.

You know, there was a deep divide in America in 1941, over what to do about dictators, and about half the country said, that's not our problem. And there was an organization called America First. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, America first, on its own, disbanded.

And from December 1941, until recently, America First was understood to mean America needed to take care of itself through its alliances, to maintain stability around the world to be there when dictators challenged regional freedom.

[08:40:00]

That was a consensus view, that was an understanding, Americans disagreed over Vietnam. But, on the larger point, that in many ways, we remain the indispensable nation to help other nations stay free. That was something Americans understood, and it brought Americans together.

But, in 2015, the very last veterans of World War II left Congress, and in the 10 years since, or nine years since, the understanding of America's need to be part of a web of alliances, not just for our own security at home, but because we benefit from security around the world, that understanding has begun to dissolve.

And so, on this 80th Anniversary, the most critical moment on the Western Front, it's extraordinarily important to remake this argument, not only to thank those remaining among us who did fight as hard as possible.

And whose -- and members of whose band of brothers gave the ultimate sacrifice, but also to talk to ourselves, and to remind people that there are important things in the world, that are beyond politics, that should be beyond partisanship.

That should be understood, not because a leader tells you, one way or the other, but because you know through your own family history, the consequences of taking Democracy for granted. If you need a stark reminder of that, look at those crosses, and -- and those Stars of David, which will be there forever, on the shores of a land, those young men didn't know at all. Those are a reminder of the huge costs of taking Democracy for granted.

And so, the President's words and not just his words, the very vigil, the very testament of those old men standing there, receiving their medals, that should be for a lot of Americans, a learning moment, a teachable moment, a reminder that some things really matter, and will continue to matter.

BOLDUAN: And Jim, as Tim's talking about, a need and an opportunity here on the world stage to remake that argument, it also, in the remarks of President Biden, seemed an attempt to refocus the nation's attention on the idea of shared sacrifice, which is so lacking and lost, and gone, in so much today.

JIM SCIUTTO, CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST AND ANCHOR, CNN: Do you know what I think, Kate, were the most important in telling lines of Biden speech, just then, among many powerful lines was this one; the fact that they were heroes, speaking of the D-Day, veterans and those who lost their lives, does not absolve us of what we must do today.

The U.S. is very good at ceremony. We're very good at memorializing the great events of our history, both at official ceremonies like this one, but in the movies, I mean, there's a World War II movie or two or three every year, that celebrates that victory, and celebrates that test met.

Biden is making the argument and he's not alone in this, that, the U.S. and its allies are being tested, again, in Ukraine, and with threats from Russia, beyond Ukraine, and from China to Taiwan, and beyond. And he said, just before that line, isolationism was not the answer 80 years ago, and it is not the answer today, in effect, saying it is good to celebrate those great moments, great tests met from the past.

But, we're being tested again. And the challenge now is to meet that test. And to Tim Naftali's point, that was not a certain answer in 1939, or 1941, or 1944. There were many in this country, quite powerful people who argued much as we're hearing argue today, that the sacrifice was too great, that the war in Europe was not America's war, much as you hear today about Ukraine or about Taiwan.

They could have won the argument, right? It was not certain that the U.S. was going to join this war. FDR fought for years. It was Pearl Harbor that led to that ultimate decision. So, Biden's point, in effect, is while you're celebrating that moment 80 years ago, you have to, in his view, make the same decision today to stand up.

BERMAN: Democracy is not guaranteed. Jim Sciutto, thank you so much to everyone who has helped us observe this moment, this commemoration, some 80 years in the making, 80 years since the allied invasion of Normandy. Thank you all for being with us to see it.

BOLDUAN: It's wonderful to take just take the time. And here is where the focus then turns as these live events will continue to, President Biden will be walking through the cemetery to honor those who lost their lives in those days.

Got a lot of breaking news that we are also following. In addition to following these live events, we are learning that breaking overnight, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft is now leaking helium as it makes its way to the International Space Station.

[08:45:00]

Questions now of what that means for astronauts on board, and what you're looking at here is this -- is the SpaceX Starship, about to lift off on its fourth flight test from Texas. The SpaceX says, right now, weather conditions are looking good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:00]

BOLDUAN: All right. So, any moment -- I'll take a look at that, any moment of the starship from SpaceX is set to lift off its fourth flight test from Boca Chica Texas, where SpaceX says, weather conditions right now, even though, from the shot, it looks actually poor, but weather conditions they say --

BERMAN: That need to be whether, that might be some kind of smoke.

BOLDUAN: It's COVID created environment. Weather conditions apparently are great. And again, live pictures, it's a 400-foot long rocket unmanned, let's get over to CNN's Kristen Fisher from one launch to the other, bring us up to speed.

KRISTEN FISHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, guys, we are in terminal account right now, T minus 5,4,3,2,1, engine ignition, you guys want to just watch this play out? Let's listen, the most powerful rocket ever built, lifting off from Boca Chica, Texas, right now, fourth flight attempt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vehicle's pitching downrange.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alright, 30 seconds into the flight, the rumbles are still building here in the rafters nests. We're seeing 32 out of 33 engines lit on the super heavy right now. Coming up shortly, it's going to be Max Q, maximum aerodynamic pressure as we go up hill on the vehicle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Max Q. All right, we just passed through Max Q. So, we're going to continue on up. We still have about a minute and 30 seconds until we get to stage separation. Starship now flying faster than the speed of sound.

Alright, so you got a couple of views. You got some ground trackers in your top camera there. You're looking down from the top of the booster in the bottom left, and then, a camera in the top flap of the ship, looking back in the bottom right, so we're getting a couple of different looks as starship heads up hill.

Once we get the hot staging, a lot of things happen all at once simultaneously. We're going to light the engines on the ship, starting with (inaudible) first, and then, the three-center sea-level engines before we're separated, all of that exhaust gets bloomed out the side of the hot stage. And then, the ship will separate itself.

All, but the three-center engines are going to shut down. So, the booster never stops its thrust while we go through this hot stage maneuver. After that, the booster is going to do its flip, start heading back. And then, the ship will be on its own power, on its way to space. So, that should be coming up in just about 30 seconds from now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: It is continuing to go, as of now, at least on plan. Kristen Fisher, just explained to us where we are in the Starliner progression here? This is the fourth launch of this vehicle, and the other three had varying degrees of, frankly, not success.

FISHER: Well, two slight corrections there, if I may, John, this is actually called starship.

BERMAN: Sorry, confused with the yesterday's live. Yeah, OK.

FISHER: Details, details. It's a (CROSSTALK) mistake to make.

BOLDUAN: Cut him some slack.

FISHER: Star -- right, Starliner Starship, I've been making that mistake. Yesterday's launch was a Boeing's Starliner. This is SpaceX's Starship. This is the rocket that is designed to land American NASA astronauts on the surface of the moon for the first time since the end of the Apollo program back in 1972.

Someday, it is also hopefully going to be used to allow humanity to colonize Mars or that is at least Elon Musk's dream. So, what you're watching right now is the fourth flight test of this vehicle. The first two ended in rather early explosions. But, the last flight test, flight test three, which we saw just about two and a half months ago, was a resounding success.

Yes, both the booster and the spaceship ended in an explosion. But, you have to remember, this is a flight test. The goal of that test was just to see if it could get into orbit. And it did that. And it gave us some incredible live images along the way for about an hour long.

This flight test, the goal is to go one step further. They want to get starship into orbit. But, the key thing here, is they want to see if it can survive those extremely high temperatures on re-entry. So, what we're going to see, hopefully, is first, if the booster can splash down safely somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. The booster is the thing that propels starship into space.

[08:55:00] And then, after about an hour, we're going to see if starship can actually do a controlled re-entry into the Earth, back into the Earth's atmosphere, survive those high temperatures, do a little belly flip, and then, land a very controlled landing in the water, both vehicles would be lost.

But, in the end, the idea is that these would someday be completely reusable rockets, something that would make spaceflight much easier, much faster, and much cheaper, frankly. So, that's what we're watching here. I believe you have the booster on the left, and starship on the right, John and Kate.

BOLDUAN: And Kristen, as we're talking -- this is not just a project that Elon Musk cares about. We've heard over and over again, from NASA Administrator, Bill Nelson, how important this is for NASA as well.

FISHER: This is the linchpin for NASA's Artemis program. They cannot land on the surface of the moon without this spacecraft. And look at what China did just a few days ago. China just became the first country to take a sample from the surface of the moon, on the far side of the moon, and collect that sample, and bring it -- they're trying now to bring it back to Earth.

That's something that no other country has done. The U.S. has, of course, done it, on the other side of the moon, but not the far side. That's a much higher degree of difficulty.

And China wants to build a base on the south pole of the moon, in the exact same place that the United States does, with NASA astronauts, both essentially perhaps someday competing for those valuable resources like water in the form of ice on the south pole of the moon.

So, that's what's at stake here. But yes, this is Elon Musk's baby, it is his pet project, his favorite project, because he hopes it will achieve his own personal goal of making humanity multiplanetary. Kate and John?

BERMAN: Kristen, I did get my spaceships confused. I apologize for that. And we are watching the SpaceX Starship, but allow me, if you will, to ask a question about the Starlink, the one that launched yesterday, the Boeing aircraft, well, I understand there are at least --

FISHER: Starliner.

BERMAN: Starliner, Starlink, you know, Star Alliance (CROSSTALK). There are some astronauts, some living astronauts in space right now, in a craft that's leaking helium. What's going on there?

FISHER: Yeah, so it's the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. And this is, remember, the first test flight of this Boeing spacecraft. You have NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore onboard, enroute to the International Space Station.

And we knew when they lifted off yesterday, that they were dealing with a small helium leak. But, Boeing and NASA decided that was within the normal parameters and margin, and that they could go ahead and fly with it. And I am not sure what we're seeing right there on the screen, a re-entry of something.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: It seems like a rise of booster.

FISHER: That is the booster, one second, coming back down, making a controlled landing over the water or what will be a controlled splashdown.

BOLDUAN: It looks crazy.

FISHER: You can hear the cheering. Listen to this. I mean, this is exactly what SpaceX was hoping to do. Wow, look at those flames in the water. Big cheers in Hawthorne, Texas, that's SpaceX's headquarters, all the SpaceX employees jumping up and down. Look, listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was absolutely incredible. The first successful splashdown of the super heavy booster, love seeing it just tip over in to the water before losing that footage. Now, the next milestone is coming up in about under a minute, the ship is going to shut off its raptor engines, which we see right there.

As we mentioned before, today's test flight is not an orbital flight, but rather one that demonstrates ship, the starship's orbital capability. So right now, we are under power with just the three- center raptor engines, expecting those and just barely you could see that those are also successful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FTS is saved.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What an incredible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's great news there, the call out, we were hoping to hear. Amazing views once again from starship. We have our second starship in space, these live views being --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Well, I will continue to watch these live pictures, I mean, I'm still just always bored every time we see that we can watch this stuff live crazy, crazy, crazy pants, that we can. Kristen, thank you so much. We're going to continue watching this.

At the same time, we have more breaking news coming in, and you are seeing a new central starts now.

[09:00:00]