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242 Passengers And Crew On Air India Flight That Crashed In Ahmedabad; U.S. Withdraws Some Diplomats And Military Families from Middle East Amid Iran Tensions; Disney, Universal Sue AI Firm For Copyright Infringement. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired June 12, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're also tracking new reporting in the Middle East. A new evacuation plan is in place for some U.S. embassies in the Middle East. What the State Department says now about the need to move nonessential employees.

(COMMERCIAL)

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we are back to our breaking news out of India this morning. We have some new video showing the moment that Air India passenger plane went down in Ahmedabad. About 242 people on board.

It is deeply disturbing to look at these pictures. Take a look. You can see the plane crashing into the building below. As you're watching it there it just sort of lowers itself down and then suddenly a huge blast there coming up from that plane, knowing that plane was filled with fuel.

[07:35:05]

Now we are learning from our Salma Abdelaziz that a senior police officer is telling reporters the plane actually hit a doctor's hostel. The crash happened just outside the airport in Ahmedabad. Two hundred forty-two passengers and crew, as I mentioned, on board.

There is a lot of concern about not only whether or not anyone survived or could survive that but what happened on the ground to those on the ground and in that hostel.

A chilling scene left behind. Charred debris spread out all over the place and what appears to be those residential buildings on fire as authorities are now looking for potential survivors.

Joining us now CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. Salma, what can you tell us? These images are just breathtakingly terrible, and you're seeing sort of the effort to try and put out fires still after this plane smashed into buildings.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And now that we've also seen those images of what appears to be the actual plane crash taking place -- those social media images -- it is like seeing this entire crash from takeoff to the accident, to the impact in real time almost, Sara. You're looking at that epicenter where this accident took place and it's hard not to notice, of course, the scorched earth, the burned buildings, the fires being put out by those emergency crews.

This is a crash that took place upon departure -- less than a minute after takeoff. The plane, according to flight radar, never getting above 625 feet of altitude before it crashed at rate of 475 feet per minute causing a huge and fiery explosion that could have potentially harmed others not on the plane.

You can see the devastation in what looks to be a residential area. This is, of course, very close to that international airport in Ahmedabad. It happened right in the middle of the day, of course, attracting crowds of people as it would, but potentially making it more difficult for those emergency crews on the ground.

There is a multilayered effort going on right now. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken already about this saying how saddened he is. How he will continue to provide support for those families.

We've heard, of course, from Air India which is the owner of this airliner, and its owner, the Tata Group who have set up an emergency services center -- essentially, a help desk for those families. You have to remember 242 souls from four different countries -- Portugal, Canada, Britain, India. So you have this global effort now taking place.

Of course, for us, many are asking what happened. But for the families, the question is: is my loved one alive? Have they made it out? And we are waiting to find out the answer to that question.

SIDNER: Yeah, and that is the most important question to be answered at this time.

And just reiterating what we're looking at here is a very tight picture of the plane burrowed, if you will, into a building. Just the -- it looks like the back end of the plane after this crash. Just horrific pictures this morning.

Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much for your great reporting on all of this -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Let's bring back in CNN transportation analyst Mary Schiavo on this.

And let's pull that new video that we're getting in just up of what seems to be a closer-up view -- much closer-up view of where the plane ended. The crash -- it crashed into this building.

If you can -- Mary, what are we seeing here?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: (Audio gap) tail end of the plane. And what's interesting there is there aren't any char marks on that. So that will give investigators clues, of course. It looks like the plane hit this building -- that part of the plane -- the tail broke off before then the rest of the plane exploded into the fireball because I don't see any char marks on that. So that part of the plane had not burned when it hit that part of the building.

And so that, in conjunction with the other video that we saw -- the plane literally sinking before it crashed -- do provide a lot of -- a lot of clues.

And then that other clip. You know, as we were looking at that just a few minutes ago you can see additional clues there we hadn't mentioned. It looks to me -- and it's not the clearest video in the world, but it looks like the gear is down -- landing gear is still down, but the flaps -- the part of the wing that help give you lift -- are up. Usually, it's the other way around. Usually, you put the gear up and then stow the flaps.

There could be reasons why you'd want to do something differently but that looks -- you can see the gear down and I don't see any flaps deployed. And so that will be another important clue. That video taken by a bystander will actually be helpful to investigators.

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

[07:40:00]

The fireball that you see in that video is just enormous. And one thing that seems obvious but contributes to this conversation the fact that it had just taken off and it was heading to London. This plane was full of fuel, Mary.

SCHIAVO: Completely full of fuel. I mean, loaded, heavy, et cetera -- which, again, is why we -- you know, a few minutes earlier we mentioned that they're also going to be looking at the runway, the takeoff. How much of the runway they used. The configuration there because yeah, this was a very, very full and heavy plane.

And, you know, years ago -- oh boy, this was back in about 1997 a TWA 800. You know, there was a lot of discussion about doing to the fuel tanks something called "inerting" so when the plane crashed there would not be this fireball. And that was a huge discussion after that accident and others. And the FAA did not order that improvement.

But when we see these big fireballs -- I mean, you can only think back to other accidents where you've had the same thing. And eliminating a fire on a crash often makes a difference between survivability -- a survivable crash and a not survivable crash.

And we've seen some recently where -- you know, the one in Toronto, for example, just a few -- a couple of months ago where everyone survived because there was no fire.

So that fireball -- I mean, it's just -- you know, just horrific. And with that much fuel it probably will be deemed not a survivable crash.

BOLDUAN: Mary, thank you. As this --

SCHIAVO: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: Your knowledge is so valuable as we get each little piece of information coming in, and we're staying on top of this. Thank you so much, Mary, again -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We should learn much more as we get new video and new information in from India.

In the meantime, this morning, is President Trump's legislative agenda in jeopardy? A new poll out finds that support for his huge tax and spending bill is neither big nor beautiful. Fifty-three percent oppose the legislation. Just 27 percent support it.

These new numbers come as some Republican senators are balking at the sweeping changes it would make even as the president is pushing Congress to pass it before July 4.

With us - with us now, former White House deputy cabinet secretary under President Biden, Daniel Koh. And former Trump administration official, Matt Mowers.

Matt, this is underwater. His big bill is underwater by almost two to one.

Is this what an uphill battle looks like?

MATT MOWERS, FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No. I wouldn't be concerned about one single poll. And if you actually break down what is in the bill -- and I do think that's going to be they key thing for the White House and others is to message exactly what's in this bill once it gets passed. Because if you actually break it down individually it's overwhelmingly popular.

You're keeping one of the largest tax cuts in American history that if this bill doesn't pass will result in a large tax increase for working-class Americans. But if it passes will actually keep tax rates lower for working-class Americans. That includes child tax credits.

It includes immigration funding that as we're seeing right now with what's been happening in California the last few days and what we've seen in our communities throughout the last few years need -- we desperately need that type of border funding and additional support for ICE and CPB. That is all in this bill.

And when you actually break it down individually it's overwhelmingly popular. It's going to be on the president, the White House, and members of Congress to go and sell that once the final bill is passed.

BERMAN: I will tell you; I don't have the numbers here in front of me but in this one poll where they break down parts of it it's even more unpopular when you talk about Medicaid cuts. Medicaid cuts or lack of increases in Medicaid spending are underwater by even more than the bill is.

MOWERS: If I could say one thing on that, John, because -- BERMAN: Go ahead.

MOWERS: John, but that's because they word it as cuts. That's not what this bill does. What it does is it puts work requirements to ensure that those who are able-bodied individuals are not receiving taxpayer funded Medicaid dollars and the Medicaid dollars are actually going to those who truly need it.

So it really comes down to how you word the question. And if it was worded that way, which I believe it was, it's actually very misleading.

BERMAN: I understand what you're saying here in this and a lot hangs on how the White House and Republicans sell this.

Daniel, how can Democrats use these next few weeks to try to sink this bill?

DANIEL KOH, FORMER WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, FORMER SENIOR AIDE IN BIDEN WHITE HOUSE: Well, to your point, the poll clearly shows 47 percent of people think that Medicaid spending should increase. Only 10 percent think it should decrease.

And so the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says that 11 million people will lose their health insurance with this kind of proposal, and it will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit. I think that's pretty unpopular with the American people.

And I think that everybody should be concerned about what is being proposed as work requirements saying that people need to do more to deserve the health care that they deserve is actually not true. Ninety percent of people who are on Medicaid are either working, or preparing to work, or training to work. That's the truth about what Americans need.

[07:45:00]

And people are realizing now what this bill could do for their families and for their health care. And I think it's incredibly unpopular as you see in the numbers.

BERMAN: I will say I phrased that question incorrectly because I'm not sure the Democrats have much to do here. This is all on the Republican side. Whether the Republicans can get all the votes that they need to pass this. That means enough Republican votes in the Senate.

And they've got one guy who is wavering and angry, and that's Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul who apparently, according to him, got disinvited to a White House picnic and ain't happy about it. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): I think I'm the first senator in the history of the United States to be uninvited to the White House picnic. Just the level of immaturity is beyond words. They've decided they want to declare war on my family and exclude us from the White House, and I just think it's incredibly petty. It really makes me lose a lot of respect I once had for Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So Dan, you just came from the White House basically and the Biden administration had some issues with Democratic senators at times, including the likes of Joe Manchin and others.

What's the best way to get a reluctant senator on board? Disinviting him?

KOH: Look, I think it's really important that no matter what your party is and no matter what ideology that you reach not only just across the aisle but within your own party to bring people to yes.

I mean, we all saw very publicly the original BBB, the Build Back Better bill, had a lot of struggles in part because Sen. Manchin couldn't get on board. But instead of alienating him or mocking him, President Biden reached to him, worked together, and we were able to pass one of the most successful climate legislations in the history of America.

And so I think that is the kind of collaboration that Americans are really yearning for. I mean, the one thing that this poll really shows is just how divided people are right now if you look at the difference between what Republicans or Democrats are favoring. And so I think people are itching for a little leadership right now that shows that even if you disagree you're going to come together and figure out a way to yes.

BERMAN: Matt, I grew up reading about Lyndon Johnson literally leaning on senators. Literally leaning on them and grabbing them by lapels to get votes passed.

So, you know, there's a place for hardball politics here but only if it works, right? Is this working, do you think?

MOWERS: Well, we'll see. I don't think you're going to change Rand Paul's mind. I don't think there's much you can do to change Rand Paul's mind. I mean, anyone who has followed him knows that he kind of gets stuck in his way for better or for worse.

And the shame of it is that clearly, if you look at even his polling and you extrapolate it, I've got to imagine that you go to voters in Kentucky and say do you want your sitting U.S. senator to oppose Donald Trump's bill which is going to encapsulate the agenda he campaigned on, that ain't going to be very popular for Rand Paul.

And at the end of the day that's going to be -- if he votes for this bill that's going to be the reason why. It's because his constituents are going to be overwhelmingly for it and he's going to be concerned about the political implications if not.

I do just want to touch on one thing Dan said actually about the Medicaid piece. Dan even said 90 percent of recipients are deserving of it. That means there's 10 percent of fraud, and that's exactly what this bill does. It addresses the 10 percent of fraud that we're seeing in the Medicaid system. And short of those, 90 percent who do earn it actually can -- we can afford to give them those benefits.

So I think we're actually saying the same thing maybe a little bit of a different way.

BERMAN: Matt Mowers, Dan Koh, great to see both of you today. You can both come to my picnic. The invitations stand -- Sara.

SIDNER: He never invites me but that's cool.

All right. New this morning President Trump says the U.S. is pulling some diplomats and miliary families out of the Middle East because, as he put it, it could be a dangerous place. We're learning the State and Defense departments will move out nonessential personnel from spots around the region amid the Israel-Iran tensions.

CNN senior reporter Katie Bo Lillis joining us now. The president saying it could be a dangerous place is a very vague reason. Is there any indication that there is a more specific threat here?

KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, Sara. Where we are right now is that we don't know whether or not this move was prompted by specific intelligence that suggested a specific risk or whether this was done out of an abundance of caution.

We do know that this is happening against the backdrop of a moment of profound tension in between Iran, Israel, and the United States. The U.S., of course, is engaged in ongoing negotiations with Iran over trying to create a new nuclear deal to prevent Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. Those talks have really struggled to make progress in large part because the two sides are divided over whether Iran should be able to conduct any enrichment of uranium even for, as Iran claims, civil purposes. For civil nuclear power purposes.

As those talks have sort of struggled along in the background we have reported in the past that Israel really sees this as a generational opportunity to strike Iran's nuclear capabilities. Iran's air defenses were severely weakened by the kind of tit-for-tat attacks back and forth between Iran and Israel last year. And Israel believes that now is potentially the moment to strike Iran's nuclear capabilities and potentially destroy them once and for all.

[07:50:10]

Now, President Trump, here in the United States, has been urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow negotiations to go forward. To not take this step. But U.S. intelligence officials believe, as we have reported, that it's possible that Israel could act without the permission of the United States.

And so really just a moment of profound uncertainty and profound tension, and that is really kind of the backdrop to the -- to this move that you are seeing right now as we try to obtain more information about what has sparked this specific movement being the withdrawals of nonessential personnel from diplomatic posts across the region.

The risk here, Sara, of course, is that if there is some kind of conflagration in between Israel and Iran that it could spiral into a broader regional conflict that could endanger U.S. personnel across the region.

SIDNER: And many, many, many more people.

Thank you so much, Katie Bo Lillis. Appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: All right, the breaking news. This Air India flight that crashed in western India. We're getting brand new video in of the crash. And again, this crashed into a neighborhood, including we are told, a doctors' hostel. Two hundred forty-two people on board. We don't have word yet on what possible injuries or casualties on the ground and all the video coming in of the crash itself.

Stay with us for much more on that.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:56:15]

BOLDUAN: A new warning from the CEO of JPMorgan Chase today. Jamie Dimon saying now that the U.S. economy could "deteriorate soon" because of President Trump's global trade war and the on again-off again tariffs on countries around the world.

Dimon told an audience at a conference in New York that the U.S. economy still hasn't seen the full effect of the tariffs, saying, "Maybe in July, August, September, October, you'll start to see, did it have an effect? My guess is it did, hopefully not dramatic."

The most recent economic data shows both job growth and inflation slowed in May. Dimon added that while the impact of tariffs might disrupt the economy, he doesn't think that they will make -- the way he put it is "the ship go down."

Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much, Kate.

This morning Disney and Universal are teaming up to sue an AI image generator called Midjourney over copyright infringement, calling it "a bottomless pit of plagiarism."

The lawsuit sets up the first huge legal battle between major Hollywood studios and an AI firm. The outcome could transform the entertainment industry.

See for yourself. On the left the image there -- AI-generated image of Elsa -- you know, from "Frozen" -- created using Midjourney. Of course, that's Disney's copyright there. On the right is the original character from the movie.

CNN's Clare Duffy joining us now. Those images very, very close. What are you learning?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah, they are very close. This, as you said, is the first lawsuit that we're seeing between major Hollywood studios and an AI company, although of course we have seen suits from individual actors, artists, and other types of creatives. But this could have a big impact going forward on how copyright law is applied to these AI image generators.

Midjourney is one of the most popular AI image generators. You type in a text prompt, and it pops up an image in just seconds. According to this lawsuit, it has about 21 million subscribers.

And the court allegation here is that Midjourney violated copyright law by training its AI model on Disney and Universal's works and then by reproducing those works when you ask for them.

And just to illustrate this a bit further I think we can pull up a few more of these examples. You've got an AI image-generated of Shrek. I think we can pull that up. We see the Midjourney image and the Universal character there. There's also an AI-generated image of the Minions. Again, you see it's pretty -- it's pretty accurate, the AI- generated image, compared to the original version.

And these companies did not mince words in this lawsuit. They say, "Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology it does not make it any less infringing."

Disney and Universal are seeking $150,000 for every infringed work, so damages in this case could top $20 million. This would be really significant.

Midjourney has not responded to this lawsuit, but what they've said to similar lawsuits in the past is essentially that they're just getting inspired the way that any other artist would get inspired by other works. And they're pushing back on the idea that this is copyright infringement.

SIDNER: This is going to be a big battle that could have repercussions that trickle throughout not just with these big companies but for regular users as well.

DUFFY: Absolutely, individual creatives --

SIDNER: Yeah.

DUFFY: -- who are really worried about AI using their work --

SIDNER: Right.

DUFFY: -- to train and then replacing them.

SIDNER: Yep, that is the big worry.

Thank you so much, Clare Duffy. SIDNER: Thank you.

SIDNER: Appreciate it.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BERMAN: And the breaking news this morning, we're just getting new details about the Air India plane that crashed less than a minute after taking off from an airport in western India. The plane had just left the Ahmedabad Airport heading to London Gatwick with 242 passengers and crew on board.