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CNN International: U.S. Authorities Investigating Two American Airlines Fires; Washington State Lawmakers Pass Ban on AR-15 Sales; What It's Like Being a Palestinian Reporter for Israeli TV; Some Blue Check Marks Reappear After Last Week's Purge on Twitter. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired April 24, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ben Nines, a resident of Columbus, Ohio, speaking to CNN, said on Sunday morning he left his home headed out for a jog. He looked up and he saw and heard this. That there is American Airlines flight 1958 as it made us safe return to the airport in Columbus, Ohio, early Sunday morning. Not long after taking off Nines -- a plane enthusiast -- describing to CNN that pulsing sound that made him look up. Almost sounded like a jet ski -- according to what he told CNN.

The airline confirming the Boeing 737 experienced a bird strike, causing a mechanical issue. The flight landed normally and then taxed safely back to the gate, according to the airline, which was as of Sunday afternoon was affording an additional flight to get the passengers to their final destination in Phoenix.

Video from a separate incident, this one on Thursday evening, showing some really scary moments aboard American Airlines flight 2288 with service from Charlotte Douglas Airport to Dallas, Texas. This flight never even got off the ground. One passenger aboard that flight, using her phone captured some of the smoke, some of the flames that were spewing from the wing of the aircraft. This is how she described the situation for our affiliate WSOC.

FRANKIE LEGGINGTON, PASSENGER: Nobody knows what's happening. So, it's the first instinct if the plane is going to blow. So, everyone's grabbing their bags, trying to run up and run in the aisle.

SANDOVAL: The Federal Aviation Administration continues investigating these two separate incidents, which so far don't appear to be related.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Panic broke out at a basketball game in Texas on Sunday after someone said they heard gunfire. It thankfully turned out to be a false alarm. But here's the chaos that ensued.

UNIDENTIFIED MALES: Get down! Come here. Come here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A shooter, an active shooter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go to he back door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on. Come on, get up and come on. Get up and come on. Come on. Come on. Come on this one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. Really, really love you too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: The incident happened after a parent and the opposing coach were asked to leave the game. One grabbed a gun out of their car in the parking lot. Police have since determined that no shots were fired and no one was injured. What sounds like a gunshot in the video is actually a man tripping over a table trying to escape and this matter is still under investigation.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Doesn't it say so much that their automatic response to hearing that bang was that it was an active shooter.

NOBILO: Well, I think that's only natural given how often we're reporting on it, how everyone in America seeing on local and national news.

FOSTER: Also in Texas, nine teenagers were wounded in a shooting at an after prom party. It happened in the small town of Jasper. None of the injuries were said to be life threatening. Police say they are questioning people of interest. Gun violence is now the number one cause of death for American children, surpassing even car accidents.

And Washington state has moved a step closer to doing something about it as well. The legislature has passed a ban on the sale, manufacture and import of assault style weapons, including all forms of the AR-15. The governor says he will sign it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAY INSLEE (D-WA): We know this policy works. I'm super glad that we've been able to pass it. But I do want to point out, it's not the only thing we're doing. We know that inaction is unacceptable in the face of this scourge. So, we have been assault weapons. But we also have another important bill, which is to require safety training for anyone to purchase a firearm and have a 10 day waiting period. Both of these things in combination in states that have done this have had significant reductions of gun violence. And a third bill that will hold manufacturers liable if they don't comply with their legal obligations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Once the bill is signed into law, Washington will become the 10th state to ban the weapons.

NOBILO: Families in Nashville, Tennessee, face a grim anniversary this week. They'll be marking one month since a gunman killed three adults and three children at a local elementary school. Tennessee's Republican governor is calling for a special legislative session on gun reform after state lawmakers adjourned last week without taking actions.

Among those pushing for immediate change. The state Democrats dubbed the "Tennessee Three" after they were punished for standing with gun reform demonstrators. They're heading to the White House in the coming hours to meet President Joe Biden and strategize about how to create change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:35:00]

JUSTIN JONES (D) TENNESSEE STATE REPRESENTATIVE: I'm going to lift up the names of Akilah DaSilva, of Michael Hill, of these children whose lives were taken in Nashville and ask for the president to declare a public health emergency when it comes to gun violence. I think that we need emergency response, that we're facing a crisis situation. And that it states like ours, we need help from our national leaders.

JUSTIN J. PEARSON (D) TENNESSEE STATE REPRESENTATIVE: I think there's a really holistic approach that has to be taken that isn't just addressing guns, but it's addressing how we prevent gun violence and how we support communities that are suffering. Because of the inaction of people like the Republican Party in Tennessee.

GLORIA JOHNSON (D) TENNESSEE STATE REPRESENTATIVE: And the reality is in my district because I'm a teacher, taught for 27 years, I was in a school that had a school shooting. Gun violence has always been a big issue for me. And I have read --run red flag laws in the past. But we've hold in my district in red, Knox County, and overwhelmingly the majority of Republicans in my district support red flag laws.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Tennessee Governor -- Tennessee -- this governor of Tennessee says he wants state lawmakers to pass legislation strengthening gun laws, specifically a measure blocking gun access to those who are a danger to themselves or others.

Still ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he'll meet Florida's governor when he travels to Israel.

FOSTER: Plus, a Palestinian reporter working for Israeli TV describes his professional journey and the complicated nature this job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOSTER: Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is in Japan right now. The trip is officially part of the four countries trade mission. But it comes amid anticipation that DeSantis will announce his plans to run for president next year. How many times have we said that?

NOBILO: We've said that a lot. I wonder how long will keep saying it. Earlier today he met with the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. But DeSantis told reporters that he is not a candidate for the White House -- yet.

FOSTER: Later this week, DeSantis will visit Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces backlash for his proposal to overhaul the country's judicial system. Here's what Netanyahu had to say about DeSantis' visit.

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[04:40:03]

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Of course, I'll meet with everyone. Why not? I meet with Republican governors and Democratic governors. I'm not avoiding the question, and actually, I'm rushing right into it. I meet with every American representative, governor, Senator, members of Congress, and I think it's my job. And I think it's important for Israel's bipartisan support in the United States. I make a point of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Mr. Netanyahu also says that he will not withdraw his government's proposal for judicial reform and called it an internal matter.

FOSTER: The controversial plan has sparked weeks of protest in Israel. Here's more of what the Israeli Prime Minister said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU: I've actually said that I will not accept a blanket ability of the Parliament to overcome judicial Supreme Court decisions, just as we don't accept that the Supreme Court can abrogate any decision by the Parliament or the government. Both sides -- both of these extremes actually hinder the balance between the three branches of government, which is exactly what we're trying to bring into balance now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Meantime, a Palestinian reporter is breaking the mold working as a political correspondent for Israeli TV, just a few years after learning Hebrew. He says it's not easy and has even received death threats from both sides.

For more, let's go to CNN's Hadas Gold live in Jerusalem. Hadas, this sounds like an incredible story and person.

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: It is an incredible story, because so often when you think about Israelis and Palestinians in this region, you think of them as separate entities, who only come into contact with one another in conflict. Now of course, the reality on the ground is much different. People live in intertwined ways side by side, and it is complicated.

But where there is the divide still is very much in the media. Part of that, of course, is the language. And that's why this reporter for an Israeli television channel really caught my eye. Not only because of his personal story, but how he is breaking barriers while also facing some pretty significant challenges for himself. Take a look. :

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOLD (voice-over) Nearly every evening on Israeli news channel Kan 11, one of the top reporter's speaks Hebrew with a very slight accent. Suleiman Maswadeh is a rare entity in Israeli media. One of very few Palestinians reporting in Hebrew and not just on Arab issues.

GOLD: How do you identify yourself?

SULEIMAN MASWADEH, KAN 11 CORRESPONDENT: I don't know, because I was born in east Jerusalem to Palestinian family, to a Palestinian culture, and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm Arab Palestinian. But I also live in Israel. I also feel Israeli in some ways. I don't know, I just say I come from Jerusalem and I'm a journalist, and that's two most important things of my identity.

GOLD (voice-over): Maswadeh grew up in the old city of Jerusalem, playing soccer in the al-Aqsa mosque compound attending a strict Islamic boy's school. Though he now reports the news in fluent Hebrew. He did not learn the language until he was 20 years old, which is just seven years ago.

GOLD: What prompted you to want to become a reporter?

MASWADEH: Back in the second intifada, I lived in Ulster in Jerusalem. And you remember that, the explosions and the buses in Jerusalem and I didn't know what's happening. You know, I didn't speak Hebrew. I would just look at the TV and I felt that I wanted to be there. Like I want to report. I want to do something.

GOLD (voice-over): His journey to journalism was not a straight one. Working at a hotel, studying accounting at a Palestinian university and then learning Hebrew before attending an Israeli college. Maswadeh landed an internship with the Israeli public broadcaster, Kan Arabic channel. And after it jumped to the network's main Hebrew channel, he became a Jerusalem correspondent where he's covered everything from clashes between police and Palestinians in refugee camps, to Israeli politics.

His first major scoop put the spotlight on his constant internal dilemma. How to balance pressure from his community versus the story. In 2020, Maswadeh showed how COVID restrictions were being violated at the al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, one of the holiest sites in Islam. The backlash was swift. MASWADEH: And I remember that my grandfather calling me and telling me

that everyone there is, you know, talking to him and telling him that what his grandson did was a shame to the community.

GOLD (voice-over): Maswadeh says he feels like he is an important voice for Palestinians in the NEWSROOM. Here, he breaks the Ramadan fast this year with dates at his desk, teaching his colleagues the blessing.

Though he says his family is proud of him, he also says they want him to quit. When he visits them in Shuafat refugee camp, he does so only late at night for his own protection.

GOLD: You said you received death threats. Do these come from Israelis, from Palestinians, and how do you deal with that?

[04:45:00]

MASWADEH: I get this -- I got the threats from both sides. But it was mainly from Palestinians who I don't like the fact that I work for Israeli TV. My answer to that is this is where you make things different. Like I can make effect on people's lives were in Israeli TV. I feel that that I'm, you know, given a message for Jewish people that if you kill all the people -- the citizens of east Jerusalem a chance like I got, everyone can be like me.

GOLD (voice-over): Last month, Maswadeh was promoted to be a political correspondent and is even anchoring, vowing to continue breaking barriers with every report.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLD (on camera): And Suleiman is also moving from his hometown of Jerusalem to the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv as part of this promotion. Quite an incredible rise when you think about the fact that just seven years ago, he did not even speak the language. He's now anchoring in -- guys.

Hadas Gold in Jerusalem, thank you so much. That really is incredible. You just can't quantify the influence of somebody that decides to do something like that.

FOSTER: Yes, and how it must be constantly explaining where he sits and why he's done what he's done.

Twitter is facing backlash after its blue verification check mark disappeared and then reappeared again, for some accounts -- not ours. The impact it could have on the platform's credibility. That's coming up next.

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[04:50:00]

FOSTER: Twitter's blue checkmark chaos is getting even more complicated. After Elon Musk removed the verifications last week, they started popping up again on some accounts over the weekend and with it a note saying those users brought -- had bought Twitter blue, but there's one problem many hadn't actually bought it. Even accounts of people like Pele or Kobe Bryant claim they purchase Twitter blue, even though they passed away long before its inception. And earlier CNN spoke with Kara Swisher, a contributing opinion writer with "the New York Times." She explains the concern over imposters buying the blue check marks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SWISHER, CONTRIBUTING OPINION WRITER, NEW YORK TIMES: Well, that was the initial problem of taking off all the verification, which has been in place for years and years and years. And you know, a lot of people didn't want them taken off because they were verified, and it's really helpful to other users if you know that's the person you're talking to. It's a very it shouldn't be paid for. It's a feature that keeps it safe and usable for people.

But then he took them off. And then he put them back on which is even more confusing. And you know, it wasn't just reporters. It was like actors like Ian McAllen was like, I don't know what this is? Like that kind of stuff or Stephen King or many others are just confused about what happened. And so, you know, what it does is create chaos in the system. And what's really irritating as this is a guy who said he was going to -- he was going to get rid of lords and ladies, and he wasn't going to have this random picking of elites. And that's just what he just did, you know, after taking them off.

And at the bottom line of this, he can't sell these things. Nobody wants to buy his pancakes or whatever -- his blue checks. I don't know what to say. No one wants to buy what he's selling, and that's the problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And she says it pretty well, doesn't she? Twitter has also removed the state affiliated media labels for accounts belonging to China's Xinhua and Russia's RT as well.

NOBILO: The CEO of NBCUniversal is out after an investigation into an inappropriate relationship. Parent company Comcast announced Sunday that Jeff Shell was stepping down as CEO immediately following an inquiry into an improper conduct complaint.

In a statement, Shell said that he was leaving after, quote, an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company. CNN has reached out to Comcast and NBCUniversal for comment.

FOSTER: Bed and beyond is the latest U.S. retailer to file for bankruptcy. The company posted on their website Sunday that they will begin winding down operations. It said it would seek to sell some or all of its business if it was able to find a buyer. But if it can't do that, the company will be liquidated entirely and go out of business. The fate of those 14,000 employees also depends on what happens next.

NOBILO: A grim trip on a cruise ship has one family filing a lawsuit. Robert Jones died of a heart problem while traveling on the Celebrity Equinox last summer. His family says that instead of the ship's morgue, Celebrity stored his body in a beverage cooler for six days. That led to decomposition because the temperature wasn't low enough for storing bodies. The family has filed a lawsuit in Florida seeking $1 million in damages. CNN has contacted Celebrity Cruises and we're still waiting for a response.

FOSTER: In the NBA playoffs, the defending champion Golden State Warriors overcame a blunder late in Sunday's game to even their series with the Sacramento Kings with less than 45 seconds ago. Warriors star Steph Curry called a time out but the team had none left. Meaning Golden State lost the ball and was assessed a technical foul. Still the Warriors held on 126-125 to win game four of their first round series. Game five is Wednesday night in Sacramento.

NOBILO: In other playoff action, the New York Knicks have now a 3-1 lead in their first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Boston Celtics are also up 3 to 1 in this series with the Atlanta Hawks. And in Sunday's late game, the Minnesota Timberwolves avoided elimination with a 114 to 108 overtime victory against the Denver Nuggets. The top-seeded Nuggets will try to close things out Tuesday night in Denver.

FOSTER: A new record has been set here in London at the marathon. 23- year-old Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum finished the course in two hours, one minute and 25 seconds. He collapsed after crossing the finish line, saying he was happy and grateful.

NOBILO: Dutch middle-distance athlete, Sifan Hassan, won her debut marathon, and she said that she hopes to compete in next year's Paris Olympics.

And Switzerland's Marcel Hug won the elite men's wheelchair race just one week after winning the Boston Marathon.

FOSTER: Disneyland fans in California got quite a scare on Saturday. The fun kind either.

[04:55:49]

A mechanical dragon caught fire during the night's performance of Fantasmic! A show with water features and pyrotechnics set to music from Disney movies. But the flames soon spread to the entire body of the creature. Firefighters say all performers and guests were evacuated from the area and nearby rides as well. They had to be shut down due to the smoke and the wind. What a disaster.

NOBILO: I once got stuck upside down on a Thunder Mountain.

FOSTER: Did you?

NOBILO: Yes.

FOSTER: Excuse me together.

NOBILO: You should get that. Oscar winning actor Jamie Foxx is said to be improving but remains

hospitalist nearly two weeks after surviving a medical complication. His daughter had revealed on Instagram that her father experienced a health-related incident on April the 11th and that she didn't specify what happened. She did say that he was on his way to recovery. And just a few days ago, friend Martin Lawrence said Fox is doing better.

FOSTER: And now take a look at this astonishing video from a falling skier's helmet camera. It shows a member and expert skiing team tumbling into a deep crevice in the French Alps. Incredibly the skier was unhurt. His team told CNN, they were able to get him out in five minutes, thanks to the right equipment. But this happened last year, the team said it's posting the video now to remind other skaters to take proper precautions. I don't think regular skiers will be warned.

NOBILO: I think it should achieve that. No. Do you ski?

FOSTER: Yes, I'm going next year, but I wouldn't. I'm not, you know.

NOBILO: Won't be attempting that.

FOSTER: No, please. Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Max Foster.

NOBILO: And I'm Nobilo. Lovely being with you. "EARLY START" is next right here on CNN.

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