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Russian Soldiers Heard Condemning North Korean Recruits; Chinese Hackers Targeted Trump and Vance's Phone Data; Beyonce to Join Harris at Houston Rally; What Polaris Dawn Crew Can Teach Us About Space Travel. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired October 25, 2024 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSSIAN SOLDIER (through translated text): He's standing there talking to the mother f***r about the "K Battalion." He was just talking about the "K Battalion." I asked, "Who gets the weapons, the ammo for them? We did get f***ing rations. And from what I hear, the f***ing brigade gets it." And he's like, "why the f***ing brigade? You receive everything."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN HOST: I want to bring in CNN military analyst, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. Cedric, thanks so much for being with us. This is just a remarkable moment in this conflict, and the Ukrainians have gotten very good at intercepting these Russian conversations, and it is clear from all those beeps, even if you don't speak Russian, that they are not happy about these North Korean troops.

Let me ask you, first of all, how do you think, how cohesive a force can a, you know, joint army like this with these thousands of North Korean troops joining these Russian forces in Ukraine, how effective can that be?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.) AND CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, it's going to be quite a mess, Alex, and I think as these intercepts show, there is absolutely nothing in place within the Russian army to accept the North Koreans. What they've done is they've set up a system where they'll have senior officers, three per battalion, showing up along with an interpreter, and, you know, the translation between Korean and Russian is not an easy thing. Those are, you know, not related languages.

Russians would be much better off if they put Belarusian soldiers in as opposed to North Korean soldiers.

So it's going to be a command and control nightmare, it's going to be a supply nightmare, and it's also going to, I think, diminish the effectiveness of the Russian forces because they're pulling commanders from active duty units that are on the front lines and putting them into battalions with Koreans in them. That's going to diminish their capacity to lead, it's going to diminish their capacity to conduct military operations.

MARQUARDT: I mean, the Russian side is already a mess. The reason that they've been able to do as well as they have is essentially because they have so many men. They have such mass.

What do you think is going through Vladimir Putin's head? Why is he asking the North Koreans to send these troops? What can they add?

LEIGHTON: Well, there's several factors, I think, in play here. One of them is that Vladimir Putin does not want to call up the reserves in the major cities. He doesn't want to institute a draft or conscription of any type or do a mobilization.

And it's a political reason in the sense that he doesn't want to diminish any type of loyalty toward him. And that loyalty is really dependent on him not deploying a mass of urban Russians into the fight. And so he's trying to do a stopgap, put the North Koreans in place.

The North Koreans may get something in exchange for this, but those soldiers are basically cannon fodder.

MARQUARDT: Yes, what they would probably get is some kind of expertise about the rocket program, about the nuclear program. I mean, the North Koreans have already been helping the Russians in Ukraine, mainly with ammunition. And a lot of it has been defective, whether we're talking about short-term ballistic missiles or artillery. And if you extend that to the kinds of troops that they're sending, I mean, what do we know about how good North Korean forces actually are?

LEIGHTON: Well, we know some things, but we don't know if the units that are elite units, such as the special operations units that perform special operations missions against South Korea, we don't know if any of those are a part of this contingent. I suspect they are not.

Also, the presidential guard in North Korea, that is a very elite unit. That could potentially be used for elite uses, for commando raids and things like that. But that is not what we're seeing here. It looks very much like a standard infantry battalion that was sent over there.

And that is the kind of thing that we're probably going to be dealing with here. And those forces are basically conscripts. They are trained, but they're not trained to the same standards as the Russians.

And they're going to be -- it's going to be a huge challenge for the Russians to even start to use them effectively in a combat situation. And it's going to be very interesting to see what happens if they actually make contact with the Ukrainians in the form of combat.

MARQUARDT: Very interesting and very hard to see how this goes well for the Russians. And it sounds like the Russian soldiers already know it, and they haven't even gone into battle yet together.

Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you very much. Appreciate it. LEIGHTON: You bet. You bet, Alex.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We have breaking news into CNN. Chinese government-linked hackers have targeted the phone communications of former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential nominee, Senator J.D. Vance. This is according to two sources.

MARQUARDT: Our Sean Lyngaas is joining us now. Sean, what do we know about how successful these hackers actually were at getting inside?

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Alex, that's a tough question to answer because we have limited visibility into this right now. But what we do know is that this is a very sophisticated Chinese government-linked hacking group. They've been going after U.S. telecommunications companies, big companies. We previously reported that they targeted AT&T and Verizon.

[15:35:00]

And so once they have access to that backbone of telecommunications data, they can look for specific targets. And in this case, they're going, you know, to the highest U.S. officials in the land, both in the Biden administration. We know that they're targeting senior Biden administration officials, but also, as we're reporting now, former President Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance.

So it's really a cyber-espionage operation aimed at collecting intelligence. As you know, phone data, who's talking to who and at what point and where they're talking, geolocation data can be very helpful for intelligence services in piecing together what U.S. government officials might be doing and how they're doing it.

So it's a very serious national security issue. The FBI released a statement this afternoon, just a few minutes ago, saying that they've been investigating this and quickly trying to remediate it. But it's very much an ongoing investigation. U.S. officials still don't know how far into the telecommunications systems the Chinese hackers got -- Alex.

MARQUARDT: Yes, these hackers are not just working around the edges. They're going right to the center there. Sean Lyngaas, we know that you'll stay all over this. Thanks very much for that early reporting.

Still ahead, Kamala Harris is speaking about reproductive rights with a Texas-sized backdrop and none other than Beyonce by her side. We'll be talking about the Beyonce factor and whether the music icon will be helping -- well, will help -- Harris win the White House.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Some star power on the campaign trail today. Beyonce will join Vice President Kamala Harris's rally in the superstar's hometown of Houston. Harris is set to give a speech on reproductive freedom in the deep red state that has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country.

I want to talk to the Beyonce reporter for Gannett USA Today Network, Cache McClay. Kashe, thank you so much for being with us. What should we expect from tonight's rally in Houston?

CACHE MCCLAY, BEYONCE REPORTER, GANNETT/USA TODAY NETWORK: Well, Beyonce tends to have a track record of letting her art and her actions speak for themselves. And today seems to be no different. While this is a huge, huge deal, it's certainly not surprising.

Beyonce has shown her support for the Kamala Harris campaign in so many different ways. I mean, we know immediately after Vice President Harris announced her bid to be the next U.S. president, Beyonce has kept clear of her 2016 song Freedom to use on the campaign trail.

So this is a huge deal. We're in Beyonce's hometown of Houston, and we're in the final days ahead of Election Day. And it seems that she's using her platform to encourage those to get out and vote.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I'm wondering what you make of the fact that this is happening in Houston, in Texas, not exactly a battleground state. It's not expected to be competitive there. So why focus on that area and not, say, one of the other battleground -- or one of the battleground states, one of the blue wall states in Michigan or Pennsylvania?

MCCLAY: Well, Beyonce tends to do things in her own way, I mean, in her own time. And that feels genuine to her. And this seems to be no different. It seems fitting that we're in her hometown. And, you know, Beyonce's voice, she has a huge platform no matter where she is. And I think people tend to listen.

SANCHEZ: And when it comes to the issues that have motivated her to support Vice President Harris, what do you think is driving her?

MCCLAY: As I mentioned, it's not too surprising that Beyonce is yet again showing her support for Kamala Harris ahead of Election Day. I mean, she has cleared her song. Her mom has been a loud voice, a loud supporter of Kamala Harris on her bid to be the next U.S. president. Beyonce has yet to overtly state her thoughts on reproductive rights and certain issues, but she is using this moment to support Kamala Harris, who has been very vocal.

SANCHEZ: Yes, do you think we should expect any additional collaborations between Harris and Beyonce before Election Day?

MCCLAY: It's hard to say what we should expect. I mean, Beyonce has a track record of doing things on her own time. And so even today has been a big deal.

But I think it's fair to see that constant support that we've seen. And Beyonce has a track record of using her voice to support and endorse political candidates and campaigns. And today seems to be no different that she's showing her support for Kamala.

SANCHEZ: There was a lot of speculation about whether Beyonce would appear during the DNC, the will she, won't she. Could you potentially settle that for us? Was she ever supposed to be at the DNC?

MCCLAY: I mean, her publicist Yvette Noel-Schure has come out and spoken on that. But, you know, I think I would say Beyonce, there's a lot of anticipation for when she'll speak and what she'll say and where she'll point her support. And today we're seeing that.

And, you know, being such a big name, I think she's very aware about sharing her platform when she does come out and the impact of that. And the DNC seems to be about President -- Vice President Kamala Harris. And tonight we're seeing that excitement around Beyonce as well.

SANCHEZ: Cache McClay, thank you so much for the time.

MCCLAY: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Still to come, how space travel affects the human body. An exclusive look at the health checks the four astronauts on SpaceX's Polaris Dawn crew underwent right after returning to Earth. Stay with us.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: New today, the CDC is reporting 26 new cases of E. coli linked to McDonald's quarter pounders. That brings the total to 75 cases across 13 states, now including Michigan, New Mexico and Washington.

MARQUARDT: And health officials are racing to confirm the source, focusing on slivered onions and certain beef patties. The McDonald's supplier, Taylor Farms, said that they've recalled yellow onions out of an abundance of caution.

SANCHEZ: And right now, a NASA astronaut is in the hospital after returning to Earth on a SpaceX capsule. NASA says the astronaut is in stable condition following this morning's splashdown off of Pensacola, Florida.

[15:50:00]

You're looking at video of it now. They aren't releasing much more information citing privacy issues.

The rest of the crew, two NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut, have been cleared to return to Houston following medical checks after spending 235 days in space.

MARQUARDT: Imagine that, 235 days.

In the meantime, we are learning more about the impact of space travel on the human body. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores new findings from the SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Engine ignition and liftoff of the Polaris Dawn mission on the Falcon 9 rocket.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In September, the four crew members of the Polaris Dawn mission made history --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to orbit.

GUPTA (voice-over): -- by going to the highest levels of orbit in nearly 60 years and performing the first all-civilian spacewalk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Commander Jared Isaacman now emerging.

GUPTA: Jared, is commercial space travel a looming reality for most people?

[Speaker 29] JARED ISAACMAN, POLARIS DAWN MISSION COMMANDER: I certainly think so. A great proof point is while we were in orbit, there were 19 people in orbit at once, which was a record. And three years ago, when I went to space for the first time, the record was 14.

Now, these may seem like small numbers, but they're steps in the right direction.

GUPTA (voice-over): But to keep moving in the right direction, there is still so much to overcome.

ANNA MENON, POLARIS DAWN MEDICAL OFFICER: About 60 percent of people flying to space are afflicted by space motion sickness. This really hits you for the first few days.

GUPTA (voice-over): Anna Menon was the mission's medical officer.

GUPTA: Can you give us some details? What did you experience?

MENON: There can be a whole spectrum of experience from, you know, lightheadedness, nausea, all the way to vomiting. I experienced really the whole gamut.

GUPTA (voice-over): It's because of the lack of gravity that messaging to our brains can go awry. And that can result in motion sickness like side effects. But you should also know that the brain physically changes during space travel.

Look here. It shifts up ever so slightly in the skull, and the fluids surrounding and protecting the brain expand.

SCOTT POTEET, POLARIS DAWN MISSION PILOT: It's a very austere environment. We're all going to be susceptible to something. For me, it was kind of this mild headache that I had to deal with that was perpetual for a majority of the mission.

GUPTA (voice-over): Scott Poteet was the mission's pilot. What he noticed were changes in his vision.

POTEET: More or less, my vision acuity started to deteriorate those first few days, but immediately came back once I came back to Earth.

DR. DONNA ROBERTS, DEPUTY CHIEF SCIENTIST INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION: Fifty to 70 percent of astronauts, after spending periods of time on the International Space Station, have degradation in their vision.

GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Donna Roberts has spent more than 20 years with NASA trying to understand why symptoms like that occur.

ROBERTS: We've been analyzing MRI brain scans of astronauts that were obtained before they went into space and then sometime after they landed back on Earth.

GUPTA (voice-over): What you're seeing is an exclusive look at the post-flight health data collection the Polaris team underwent, testing everything from their balance and their vision, as well as the imaging of their brains.

ROBERTS: One of the unique aspects of this mission is that astronauts went deeper into space than astronauts have been since the Apollo days and more exposure to radiation. And so the question could have been, was there any evidence of radiation injury? And we're not seeing that on the initial look at these images. So that's a really good thing.

GUPTA: Do you think we're getting to the point where humans could reliably live on a space station or even a different planet?

SARAH GILLIS, POLARIS MISSION SPECIALIST: There's so much that changes when you're actually in microgravity. That's not how we evolved. But I think that really just underscores the importance to me of the research we are doing, the data we're collecting that can then feed into how do we solve some of these challenges?

How do we enable so many more people to get to space?

GUPTA (voice-over): It's that sort of research and data that might lead to another giant leap for mankind.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Sanjay Gupta for that report.

I mean, that's fascinating. At the same time, it is hard to imagine going through everything they do between the launch and then being up there for five days and it not affecting you somehow.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and I didn't realize that your brain changed. And then --

MARQUARDT: Basically floats in there.

SANCHEZ: Right. One of our producers sent us a note about Scott Kelly, brother of Senator Mark Kelly, who spent a ton of time in space.

Yes, his DNA changed, which is fascinating. I also worry sometimes about the psychological ramifications of that. It seems like coming back to Earth and like the problems that we have here like a major letdown after going out there and just experiencing the expanse of the universe.

Also, Suni and Butch, the poor folks that have been stuck up there for months. They were told they're going to be there a few weeks. They're going to miss the holidays --

MARQUARDT: Found vacations on so many levels.

SANCHEZ: What a drag.

MARQUARDT: But we should note Scott and Mark Kelly still technically identical twins.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

[15:55:00]

MARQUARDT: Coming up, this European country has embraced working shorter hours and a four day workweek. Now their economy is booming and workers say that their well-being has increased dramatically. We'll have those details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: If you're looking for a shorter work week, you may want to tell your boss about what's happening in Iceland.

MARQUARDT: Go on.

SANCHEZ: New research shows Iceland's economy has boomed since the country introduced a four-day work week with no loss in pay.

MARQUARDT: The data found that between 2020 and 2022, more than half of workers had accepted the offer of working shorter hours.

[16:00:00]

And a year later, Iceland logged faster economic growth than most other European countries. And not only that, its unemployment rate is now one of the lowest in all of Europe.

I really, really hope our bosses are watching.

SANCHEZ: Are you considering a potential move? The new CNN Iceland correspondent?

MARQUARDT: I would love it. It'd be fantastic. It is such a beautiful country. I can't imagine anything better.

SANCHEZ: I couldn't deal with the cold or the fermented shark that apparently is part of the natural cuisine. Alex, thanks for being with us today. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper

starts right now.

END