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CNN International: NTSB to Begin Recovery of Wreckage Today; Apple Unveils New Mixed Reality Headset for $3,500; D-Day's 79th Anniversary Marked in Normandy; One-On-One with Top U.S. General Mark Milley. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired June 06, 2023 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, airlines are finally bouncing back from the pandemic. How much money they're expected to bring in this year when we return?
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NOBILO: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo. If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories.
Officials in southern Ukraine are urging residents near the Dnipro River to evacuate after a major dam in the Kherson Region was destroyed. It's unclear who caused the strike at the dam at this point, but Ukraine's military intelligence claim Russian forces blew up the dam in a panic.
And sources tell CNN, that investigators are looking into an employee at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort who drained the pool causing a room which held surveillance footage to get flooded. It's unclear if this was intentional, but prosecutors say the timing of the incident just two months after the raid on Mar-a-Lago is suspicious.
In the coming hours, a National Transportation and Safety team is set to begin recovery of the wreckage from this weekend's mysterious plane crash in Virginia. We've learned that on Sunday the FAA lost contact with the private jet just 15 minutes after it took off from Tennessee. CNN's Brian Todd has more on the details of this investigation.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New details on the crash of that private jet in Virginia that prompted an emergency fighter jet response.
A source tells CNN the pilot of the Cessna Citation was observed unresponsive and slumped over in his seat.
The NTSB is now on site in central Virginia going through what's left of the wreckage with another source saying investigators are now most interested in hypoxia, lack of oxygen as a possible cause of the crash.
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The twin engine jet went hundreds of miles off course, including passing over the D.C. area into restricted airspace. Investigators describe highly fragmented wreckage in very mountainous terrain.
ADAM GERHARDT, SENIOR AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATOR, NTSB: The engines, the weather conditions, pilot qualifications, the maintenance records, all aspects will be of course, items that we routinely look at.
TODD (voice-over): The flight path shows a takeoff from Tennessee at its destination on New York's Long Island. The plane turns but doesn't land. Instead, it keeps flying at 34,000 feet right into highly restrictive airspace near Washington, D.C. The Capitol briefly placed on an elevated alert and Air National Guard pilots scrambled to intercept, causing a sonic boom heard around the beltway.
But NORAD says the pilot's got no response to flybys, flares, or radio calls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Air National Guard fighter on guard. If you hear this transmission, contact us.
TODD (voice-over): Authorities say the plane was not shot down, but if it appeared to be a threat --
MAJ. GEN. SCOTT CLANCY (RET.), FORMER NORAD DEPUTY COMMANDER: They do have the ability to shoot down a civilian aircraft if that is required.
TODD (voice-over): The plane was tracked until it crashed into the mountains of central Virginia. There were four people on board. How might a lack of oxygen cause a crash?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Some sort of depressurization event likely, rapid or maybe slow which caused the pilot to be incapacitated and also render the passengers unconscious.
TODD (voice-over): First responders telling CNN there were no survivors, just a crater and small debris fragments and signs of human remains.
CHIEF GREG SCHACHT, AUGUSTA COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE: Very hard to get to. A lot of overgrowth and they had areas where they actually had to get on their hands and knees and crawl to get under the brush to get into it.
PETER GOELZ, FORMER NTSB MANAGING DIRECTOR: It's going to be very difficult to recover. Certainly, any avionics or any important wreckage information. And for the victims on the plane, we won't be able to tell whether they had any signs of oxygen deprivation.
TODD: Investigators at the crash site are looking to see if the plane had a black box with a cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. We're told this particular jet is not required to have a black box but some are outfitted with them anyway. Discovery of a black box would of course provide invaluable information in this investigation.
Brian Todd, CNN, Vesuvius, Virginia.
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NOBILO: U.S. federal regulators have sued Binance the world's largest crypto exchange and CEO Changpeng Zhao. Authorities allege the company was running an illegal exchange in the U.S., mixing billions of dollars worth of customer funds and diverting some of it to an entity controlled by Zhao. Officials have filed 13 charges against the company. But Binance spokesperson says that the accusations are unjustified.
And global airlines could make nearly $10 billion in profit this year after bouncing back from pandemic lows. That is according to a new forecast from the International Air Transport Association. The group's director general says despite economic uncertainties, people are returning to the skies to reconnect, explore and do business. The forecast is more than double the original projection from December.
And for a fourth day, dockworkers at West Coast ports in the United States are disrupting international trade, that's according to the Pacific Maritime Association. Two of the six marine terminals at the port of Long Beach remain closed during the day shift Monday. Groups representing the more than 20,000 dock workers have been negotiating a new contract since May of last year.
And Apple is done "Ducking" around. The company will make it easy to get out your frustration by using everyone's favorite four-letter word in texts.
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CRAIG FEDERIGHI, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, APPLE: Autocorrect is also getting more capable with a refreshed design to better support you as you type. And in those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the key board will learn it too.
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NOBILO: The announcement came as part of the developer's event on Monday while the feature is supposed to correct spelling, autocorrect has become notorious for changing the meaning of text messages with its substitutions and curse words have long been autocorrects biggest offender. You can also turn off autocorrect to text whatever you want. Thank duck for that.
Apple has also unveiled its new mixed reality headset called Apple Vision Pro and it will cost $3,500 and will be available early next year. The device blends virtual reality and augmented reality which allows users to overlay virtual images on live video of the real world around them. CNN's John Sarlin has the details for you.
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JOHN SARLIN, CNN DIGITAL PRODUCER: A big day here in Cupertino, California where Tim Cook and Apple has unveiled Apple's biggest new device since the Apple Watch in 2015. Vision Pro, a mixed reality headset sits on top your head like a ski goggle.
Now you might know virtual reality, a full screen that blocks everything out. This is mixed reality.
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A combination of the real world and virtual world overlaid on one another that Apple is banking on being the future of computing.
Now, what does it do? That is the big question. Apple showed a video which had a desk with different workstations with different screens that you can adjust. They showed a home cinema with a TV screen as big as you want. But the big question though is, will people spend $3,500 on it? Especially when its closest competitor, Meta's Oculus is only around $300.
Well, Tim Cook and Apple say that they have cracked the code on a device that they're calling historic. It will be available in stores early next year.
John Sarlin, CNN, Cupertino, California.
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NOBILO: Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has just arrived at the court in central London where he will be taking to the witness stand and facing cross-examination today. CNN will be bringing you live updates.
Just ahead, world leaders and veterans are gathering to celebrate the anniversary of D-day. We'll have a live report for you from Normandy.
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NOBILO: 79 years after operation Over-Lord, American, British and French officials are gathering in Normandy for the anniversary of D- Day. French President Emmanuel Macron will also be there. All along with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley.
For more on this story I am joined by CNN Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann who is in Normandy for two days ceremony. Oren, always good to see you. So, the leaders are meeting today to commemorate D-Day confronted with the tragic fact -- especially for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect the security of Europe -- that there is war on the continent once again.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: And that is certainly on everybody's mind here, that connection between what is happening now and what happened 79 years ago here.
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived just a few minutes ago, General Mark Milley showing up right before him. They stepped into the building right behind me for a quick meeting here. And then they will walk down this path towards the Normandy American Cemetery. A short time ago we saw World War II veterans who had come. Some of whom had participated in the D-Day invasion, waited here before they were led down this path where the ceremony begins. There will be ceremonies and commemorations all along the beaches at different points here. A number of speeches, so we'll be here for all that as we listen to this powerful moment remembering what happened here 79 years ago.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
LIEBERMANN (voiceover): General Mark Milley in Normandy marking the beginning of the largest counteroffensive in modern European history. As the world waits for another counteroffensive in Ukraine.
MARK MILLEY, UNITED STATES CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: I think the Ukrainians are very well prepared, as you know very well, the United States and other allied countries in Europe and really around the world have provided training and ammunition and advice and intelligence, et cetera to the Ukrainians, who are supporting them. They are in a war that's an existential threat for the very survival of Ukraine and has greater meaning to the rest of the world.
LIEBERMANN: Ukraine at its agents have carried out a number of attacks inside Russia, including a drone attack in Moscow. U.S. officials have exclusively told CNN was part of a complex network of saboteurs inside Russia.
MILLEY: In any war this risk is always risk. There's risk of escalation clearly in this particular case. So, we'll have to watch that very, very carefully. If Russia escalates against Ukraine, then that's part of the give and take of war.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Milley also spoke about the tension with China just days after a Chinese warship cut off a U.S. Navy vessel in the Taiwan Strait at a distance of 150 yards, dangerously close.
MILLEY: Both countries are significant powers, great powers if you want to call it that. In the world today both countries have significant amounts of nuclear weapons, they've got large and capable militaries. So, a conflict between great powers arguably we're in for sure we're in competition. And arguably, we're in confrontation, but we're not yet in conflict.
LIEBERMANN (voiceover): Milley says communication with Beijing is key to avoid conflict.
MILLEY: And I personally don't think that war between China and the United States is inevitable. I don't think it's imminent, but it needs to stay in a status of competition. In order to do that, countries have to talk to each other. And in times of crisis, it's necessary to de-escalate.
LIEBERMANN (voiceover): But at a defense conference in Singapore last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin only shook hands with his Chinese counterpart, who refused a formal meeting. Milly hasn't spoken to his counterpart in nearly eight months.
MILLEY: I have not had an opportunity to talk to my counterpart. I talked to my previous counterpart. We've sent out messages and they've sent messages back and forth. So, there are some communications going back and forth. But we would like to have an opportunity to talk and I think they would like to have an opportunity to talk.
LIEBERMANN (voiceover): Back in Washington, Milley says he spoke with Senator Tommy Tuberville, over a one-man blockade of the nomination of more than 200 general officers. A number that could triple by the end of summer and affect military readiness.
MILLEY: It's a large number and then you figure that each one is to replace somebody else and somebody's going to replace them, so, you multiply it by three. So, you're really looking at potentially somewhere between 1,000, 2,000 officers are impacted, then most of them married. So, now you're looking at about another 4,000 family members.
LIEBERMANN: This could be a backup of the whole system it sounds like.
MILLEY: It will be a backup of the whole system. It is becoming a backup of the whole system.
LIEBERMANN (voiceover): In congressional hearings, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs has repeatedly defended the department against accusations of being too woke. An issue he says is exaggerated.
MILLEY: For about fighting and winning on battlefields. And we're all about readiness. We're all about readiness now and readiness in the future and modernization. I think the accusations of woke are grossly over exaggerated.
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LIEBERMANN (on camera): Part of the message we expect to hear today in Normandy and a message we've heard throughout the commemorations in the events of D-Day over the last few days is one of unity. The unity that was critical to the success of D-Day nearly eight decades ago between the U.S., the U.K., France and others, Canada for example.
And the unity that is still important today, whether it comes to dealing with the war in Ukraine, that unity of the West, or dealing with China on the other side of the world, the unity between the U.S., South Korea, Japan and others. It is one of the foundational messages here and we'll bring that to you as we go through the speeches and the events today.
NOBILO: Oren Liebermann live for us in Normandy, thank you so much. And you are looking at live pictures of the world leaders arriving. There is French President Emmanuel Macron. And the U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace among other key figures from European nations. As well as a strong presence from armed services themselves.
And still to come, what happens when a 10-year-old boy steals his mother's car and drives it on a highway? Those details coming up.
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NOBILO: The Vegas Golden Knights crushed the Florida Panthers in game two of the Stanley Cup finals. The star Jonathan Marchessault netted two of the Knights seven goals. Now they're up 2-0 in the series. And the Knights broke an NHL record for most different goal scorers in the first two games of the final with nine different players finding the back of the net. Game three is Thursday in Florida.
The U.S. president welcomed the Super Bowl winners to the White House on Monday. He praised the Kansas City Chiefs performance on and off the field citing their efforts to promote racial justice and help schools. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes called the visit surreal and really cool and he helped president -- he helped present Joe Biden with a team jersey even though the president admitted that his wife Jill is a diehard Philly fan. The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl 38-35.
Some stories in the spotlight this hour. In Michigan, a car chase right out of a Hollywood movie. A 10-year-old boy stole his mother's car and took it on a highway leading police on a car chase. Authorities say that the child took the car from a relative's home where he was staying. When officers tried to pull the car over, the young driver wouldn't stop. So the OnStar navigation service was used to disable the vehicle. It hit a guardrail before coming to a complete stop. The boy attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended and later arraigned.
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The 10-year-old told police that he wanted to visit his mom in Detroit.
A mysterious species carved symbols and even buried their dead an estimated 100,000 years before humans. The brains belonging to the species were believed to be an one third the size of a modern human brain. These revelations could change the understanding of human evolution and that's because behaviors like these were only associated with larger brain Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Findings are slated to be published in the journal eLife. Very interesting.
NASA has narrowed down the date to launch a new mission to explore a metallic asteroid. It's been called the Psyche mission and it was originally meant to launch last year. But a software issue caused NASA to miss the launch window. The mission will now blast off in October, complete with a specially designed spacecraft. NASA says the ship will reach the asteroid by 2029 and orbit for 26 months.
And that does it here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. "EARLY START" with Christine Romans is coming up for you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on "EARLY START," a crucial dam just blown up in Ukraine's warzone, what both sides are saying about it.
Plus, a flood of question after pool water soaks the surveillance records at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
And right now live in Normandy, France war veterans return to mark 79 years since the D-Day invasion that led to the Nazis defeat ...
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