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FAA Investigating Southwest Flight; Israel Disbands War Cabinet; Fighting Between Israel and Hezbollah Intensifies; Princess Kate Makes Appearance; Warning Label on Social Media Apps; American Hiker Disappears in Greece. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired June 17, 2024 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:30:47]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, an investigation underway after a Southwest flight plunged to nearly 400 feet above the ocean off the coast of Hawaii. That's close. The incident only came to light last week.

CNN aviation correspond Pete Muntean has all the details.

Pete, what are you learning this morning?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, this happened two months ago, John, back on April 11th. This Southwest 737 Max 8 coming into land in Lahaina after departing from Honolulu. Typically only about a 20-minute flight, but the data paints a really scary tale here. The weather very bad at the time. Low visibility and rain. The pilot set up to come in to land at Lahaina, but decided to abort the landing according to the data. It's known to be an especially busy time in the cockpit of a large airliner. Typically, you bring the airplane down close to the ground and then climb again. But the data shows the plane, instead of climbing, dropping at a rate of about 4,000 feet per minute. Pretty high. While only about 600 feet above sea level. And then ultimately came down to about 400 feet above sea level before climbing rapidly again.

The question here will be the cause. And investigators really have their work cut out for them.

"Bloomberg" reported a memo that indicated that it was a newer first officer flying the plane at the time who may have inadvertently pushed forward on the yoke, the control column, of the 737.

Now, Southwest says in a statement, quote, "nothing is more important to Southwest than safety. Through our robust safety management system, the event was addressed appropriately as we always strive for continuous improvement."

Remember, this is similar to an incident on a United Airlines flight back in December of 2022. The National Transportation Safety Board found significant miscommunication in the cockpit of that incident. Lot of people might be asking if this is a Boeing problem. It is not. Likely pilot error here. Pilots simply outclassed by the problem that was unfolding in front of them. Although the FAA is investigating here. We will wait to hear of the NTSB also throws its weight behind this investigation. That seems likely, John.

BERMAN: Yes, that could not have been a comfortable flight to say the least. Pete, keep us posted on what you learn here. Thank you very much.

New this morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disbands his war cabinet. So, what signal does this send going forward?

And then breaking overnight, the surgeon general calls for a warning label for social media, like cigarettes.

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[08:36:55]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has disbanded the country's war cabinet. He did it just a week after opposition leader Benny Gantz decided to leave the group. Fighting in southern Gaza remains paused (ph) as well this morning to allow critical aid into the region. But that does not mean, of course, an end to the war. No ceasefire has been agreed to as of yet.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is live for us in Beirut.

You've spent decades in the region, Ben. You know it better than anybody. Is this a move that people were expecting from Benjamin Netanyahu, to disband his cabinet - his war cabinet?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes, it wasn't a surprise, Sara. There were five people in the war cabinet, Netanyahu, the minister of defense, one seasoned politician but not a military man, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot. Eisenkot and Gantz left, leaving just three. There really wasn't much purpose for the war cabinet after that.

The war cabinet was formed five days after the beginning of the war in Gaza to have sort of a smaller group to focus on the decisions required to conduct the war. Now, matters relating to the war are going to be disgust and decided in what's known as the security cabinet, a - which includes more ministers.

Among those ministers, however, is Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, both hardliners, and I mean real hardliners. These men basically categorically refuse any ceasefire agreement until Hamas is completely destroyed. They want this war to continue until Hamas is absolutely obliterated, which means that it's going to be ever more difficult for Prime Minister Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire. A ceasefire which at this point after efforts made by President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken doesn't actually seem to be going anywhere anyway.

Sara. SIDNER: Yes, it is a huge disappointment and certainly the fear in

Gaza growing by the minute.

Thank you so much there, Ben Wedeman. Appreciate your reported there from Beirut.

John.

BERMAN: With us now, retired General Wesley Clark, former NATO supreme allied commander and founder of Renew America Together.

And, General, Ben Wedeman was standing in Beirut, in Lebanon. There is renewed concern over the fighting between Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Shia militia there, and Israel with an intensified exchange of fire over the border there. There's a U.S. representative now traveling to the region and try to help mitigate this.

I guess my question is, why do you believe Hezbollah has not launched a full-scale operation against Israel to date. What has kept them from making this an even more intense confrontation?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Well, I think two or three things, John, might be looked at here.

[08:40:04]

First of all, they're cooking the frog slowly. So, they're letting Israel struggle in Gaza as they gradually check out how Israel's going to respond, put the pressure on Israel, gradually escalate. It's a - it's a cautious strategy, but it's a strategy that they are pursuing because there's no restraint on them and so they can get away with this. They'll take a few hits. Reports are they now have anti-aircraft weapons. They do have drones. They have more electronic warfare. So they're going to school on the Israeli responses, number one.

Number two, they're tied closely to Iran. And I believe Iran either has nuclear weapons now or will have them shortly. And I think Iran's view on this is, don't mess with Israel yet. Let us fix our nuclear posture and then we've got deterrence against Israel in the region. So, I think it's connected to the broader issue of Iran's nuclear posture.

BERMAN: General, again, over the weekend the Israel military announced - and I use that word because it really did, they came out and said there was going to be what they call a tactical pause around Rafah during daylight hours to allow aid in. And then ever since that announcement they've been sort of explaining it away, trying to say, oh, this is not a ceasefire. Oh, you know, this is only to let limited amounts of aid in but the fighting will continue here.

How do you explain what this actually means and the difficulty they've had explaining it?

CLARK: Well, I hope it does mean that more aid comes in. But I think it is a political move to get the pressure off from the United States. The boat ramp, the ship ramp is not working that well. We've had to move it again. We know there were reports of imminent starvation. So, politically, Israel wants to do something to get the pressure off. But at the same time, the reason they're walking it back is, there's a lot of pressure from the right wing and Israel says, just finish the job. Get these - get rid of these people. We don't care about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. It's a war. They started it.

And so the Israeli government, its military sort of balancing between these two forces. You can't really alienate the United States because the United States is providing military assistance. And President Biden's been fully in support of Israel.

But on the other hand, President Biden as his own political considerations to worry about. And Israel, in one way or another, is trying to be somewhat sensitive to those.

BERMAN: General, what attainable military success over the coming weeks do you think the Israeli military could have in Gaza that would possibly change the status of peace negotiations? In other words, they say they're going. They continue to pressure Hamas. But what could they achieve that would change things?

CLARK: It's really hard to make that assessment without actually seeing the intelligence picture, knowing what's being collected, knowing what the gaps might be, and knowing what other resources might be brought to bear. If you could eliminate the Hamas military leadership, which some people have jokingly said, or maybe it's not a joke, is ten stories underground somewhere in the Rafah area, then you could perhaps say that you had been successful in this, and that would move things forward. Otherwise, what you're going to do is you're going to continue to put troops in, you're going to continue to respond to intelligence that you've got an enemy force here, you've got Hamas there. Put some forces in there and see if you can bring them to the surface. Mass fires against them. Yes, there are going to be civilian casualties, but you've got to move the war on. And that's not a very successful recipe. It hasn't proved successful yet.

So it's really about getting the right intelligence to take out the leadership of Hamas. That's what's going to be required to really move it toward a ceasefire, in my view, John.

BERMAN: General Wesley Clark, great to see you this morning. Thank you very much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.

Catherine, the princess of Wales, stepped out this weekend for her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis. Princess Kate has been away from her royal duties since the start of the year. She joined the rest of the family to celebrate King Charles' birthday, who is also dealing with cancer.

Let's get right to CNN's Max Foster, who is joining us now from London this morning. You know, we see these pictures, and it's really great to see them

together, both looking well. They are still struggling with this terrible disease. But should we expect Princess Kate to sort of be at some of her normal royal engagements from now forward?

[08:45:02]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I know the king was delighted that she was there. Obviously, they're going through a shared experience right now. And they're taking each day as it comes.

It wasn't a guarantee that she would show up even though she was intending to because, as she said on Friday, she has good days, she has bad days. She's not out of the woods yet. So, they are taking each event as it comes.

So, there are plans for more appearances over the summer. We're not told which they are. We will be told nearer the time. But with the same caveat really that if she doesn't feel well enough, she won't actually show up and we shouldn't read too much into that. That's to be expected. It's not like a sudden pullout, it's just the up and downs of her treatment, which she told us is going on for months.

So, we don't know when she's going to be back to a full schedule. It'll be sometime towards the end of the year, hopefully. But certainly she looked really well. The kids were on fine form. Louis got a lot of headlines with his dancing on the balcony at one point.

SIDNER: As he does.

FOSTER: But I think, Sara, you're probably in a better position really to relate to how she looked and how she must have felt.

SIDNER: Look, I just - I don't care how she looks. The fact that she is able to go out there and be with the family and, you know, signal to the public that she is doing well on this day is remarkable. And I think it's actually a really good example to people to say, look, I have good days and bad days. It lets everyone else that is dealing with this, you know, say, yes, that - she's definitely telling the truth. And if it comes time that she doesn't feel well enough to do it, then she's given herself permission and told the public, hey, I'm not going to be there if it's going to impact my health. I think it's a really, really good message, Max Foster. And it's always enjoyable to talk to you and to see the antics of Louis. We all love a little - a little slightly naughty boy because all of us can relate to that as well.

Thank you so much, Max.

John.

BERMAN: All right, the first presidential debate is just ten days away. We're getting our first look at a new Biden campaign ad that for the first time goes right after Donald Trump's criminal conviction.

And then strong winds just - just going right after our correspondent has a fast moving wildfire does continue to make gains near Los Angeles. Evacuations are underway.

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[08:51:53]

SIDNER: Breaking news for you. According to Russian state media, Russian President Vladimir Putin will now travel to North Korea for a two-day visit tomorrow. It will be Putin's first visit to the country in more than 20 years. And a sign of a deepening alignment between the two leaders. Kim Jong-un has not hosted another world leader in Pyongyang since the pandemic.

All right, American journalist Evan Gershkovich will stand trial in Russia behind closed doors beginning next week on June 26th. The United States saying he's wrongfully detained more than a year ago, accused of spying for the CIA. But Gershkovich, the U.S. government, "The Wall Street Journal," his employer, all denying what they say are completely trumped up charges.

All right, this morning, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay saying he is very fortunate and urging cyclist to take safety precautions after he suffered what he calls a really bad bicycle accident. On Instagram Ramsay showed fans how severe his injuries are.

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GORDON RAMSAY: Honestly, you've got to wear a helmet. I don't care how short the journey is. I don't care, you know, the fact that these helmets cost money, but they're crucial. Even with the kids, a short journey, they've got to wear a helmet.

Now, I'm lucky to be standing here. I am in pain. It's been a brutal week. And I'm sort of getting through it. But I cannot tell you the importance of wearing a helmet.

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SIDNER: Oh, John and I - that doesn't even look real. That is awful.

He says the accident happened while he was riding his bike in Connecticut. He thanked medical staff for helping him treat his injuries. Wow.

A big opening for Disney's "Inside Out 2." I know a lot of youngsters looking forward to this, and adults too. Analyst estimates domestic sales hit $155 million. It is the strongest opening for any movie this year, and the biggest since, you'll remember it, "Barbie."

John.

BERMAN: I'm still trying to -

SIDNER: I'm still freaking out. Me too.

BERMAN: I'm still trying to focus on Gordon Ramsay's, like, I think that's going to leave a mark on Gordon Ramsay. SIDNER: Oh, I -

BERMAN: I think that might scar a little bit right there, but I'm glad he's doing OK.

SIDNER: Oh, awful.

BERMAN: All right, breaking this morning, the U.S. surgeon general is calling for warning labels on social media. In a "New York Times" op- eds, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says urgent action is needed to fight the threat that he says social media poses to children.

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VIVEK MURTHY, SURGEON GENERAL: Not only have companies not demonstrated that their platforms are safe for kids, but there is growing evidence of harm.

So that's deeply concerning to me, not just as surgeon general, but as a parent myself. Now a warning label would help parents to understand these risks. Many parents don't know that those risks exist.

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BERMAN: CNN's Meg Tirrell is with us now.

When you think of a warning label, Meg, you think - you think cigarettes.

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. I mean that cigarette warning was put into effect in 1965 after a landmark surgeon general report on the risks of smoking. And we have seen an impact over the decades to declining use of cigarettes.

[08:55:03]

Now, of course, the surgeon general has been warning about the potential risks of social media to children's mental health for a while. He put out an advisory last year. But this morning calling for even stronger efforts, including from Congress to implement this warning, citing data in this opinion piece including that adolescents on average are using social media almost five hours per day as of data from last summer, according to Gallup. He cited additional data from JAMA, the "Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry," saying adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems, including symptoms resembling depression and anxiety. He cited another study showing almost half of adolescents say that social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.

So, in this opinion piece this morning in "The New York Times," he says, quote, "it's time to require a surgeon general's warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents." He says, "a surgeon general's warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe."

He's also calling for additional legislation from Congress on social media companies, including requiring these companies to provide data on the health effects for children, making that public, and having more oversight from independent scientists.

John.

BERMAN: It's important to note, just because he's calling for it doesn't mean it happens immediately or automatically. There needs to be legislation here, Meg. But what can parents do in the meantime?

TIRRELL: Yes, who he's calling on, schools, parents, doctors, everybody really to jump in on this in the meantime because these things do take time. He says tips for parents right now include things like creating phone free zones around bedtime, dinner time, time for socialization, waiting until after middle school to introduce social media to allow kids to start using it, and also to band together with other parents because it can be really difficult for families to go this alone. So, sort of coming together with others in your community to create a kind of shared rules with other families so that kids don't feel like their, you know, families are the only ones being strict about this. And our colleague, Sanjay Gupta, has done a lot on this in his podcast also with the surgeon general. So, that's worth listening to in "Chasing Life."

BERMAN: It is. This is not an easy thing, I can tell you from experience.

Meg Tirrell, thank you very much for being with us.

Sara.

SIDNER: I would like phone free time around bedtime. I mean I -

BERMAN: I do it.

SIDNER: But I - you do it?

BERMAN: Sure. I just - I just hit sleep. And then they can't bother me.

SIDNER: Interesting.

BERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) can't bother me. Try it.

SIDNER: Now I know why you haven't answered my calls.

BERMAN: Try it.

SIDNER: Nice. Good job, John.

All right, right now, authorities in Greece are looking for an American who disappeared while on a hike. Fifty-nine-year-old Albert Calibet has been missing since June 11th. His disappearance is one of several investigations involving tourists in Greece. Tourists have been going missing there. And then you have this added issue with the heat rate. A brutal heatwave gripping Greece and much of Europe, where some tourists have died.

CNN's Clare Sebastian joining us now from London.

Greece is such a beautiful country. Lots of folks love to go and visit there. What do we know about this investigation into this man who went missing a couple of - or, wait, a week - almost a week ago.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, last Tuesday was the last time he was seen. As you say, Sara, Albert Calibet. He is a retired sheriff's deputy from California. Police telling us the search still ongoing this morning. He's said to have gone on a solo hike in very hot weather, around 104 degrees police say was the temperature when he went hiking.

He - they are now sort of narrowing down the search. This is an island called Amorgos of Greece, and they're narrowing it down. They say they're searching in one part of the island, focusing on sort of combing 15 different hiking routes.

He is not the only person missing. As you say, there's been a sort of string of these incidents involving tourists. Two French female tourists are currently also missing on a different island. One of them apparently sent a distress signal to the guesthouse where she was staying, and they have also been missing for a number of days.

And of course, extra urgency here because this follows a string of deaths. Another American was found on a remote rocky beach on Sunday, on an island just to the northwest of Corfu. He has been identified, authorities say, although not named as of yet. He was 55-years-old.

And this follows several other deaths, including British TV presenter Michael Mosley, who was found dead last Sunday. Those temperatures, as you say, have been extremely high. And it looks like they could continue. Athens, this week, set to be peaking at around 96 or 97. So, this is something that authorities are certainly warning about.

SIDNER: Clare Sebastian, thank you so much for that reporting. Appreciate you.

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A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.