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Trump Slams Federal Indictment In Return To Campaign Trail; Miami Beefs Up Security Ahead Of Trump's Court Appearance Tuesday; Fire Forces Collapse Of Interstate In Philadelphia; Interview With Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) About I-95 Collapse; Former Scottish Leader Arrested And Released Related To Probe Over Party's Finances; British Prime Minister On Ukraine War And President Biden; Police Respond To Calls Of Green Light And Possible Aliens In Las Vegas. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired June 11, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:11]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we're closing in on an unprecedented moment in U.S. history. Less than 48 hours from now, Donald Trump is set to appear in a federal court in Miami. The former president is facing 37 counts of mishandling classified documents and obstructing an investigation after he left office. That did not stop Trump from hitting the campaign trail this weekend, where he lashed out against the indictment, calling it a political hit job and calling Special Counsel Jack Smith deranged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration's weaponized department of injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country. This vicious persecution is a travesty of justice. You're watching Joe Biden try to jail his leading political opponent. Think of it. This is like third world country stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Katelyn Polantz is in Miami for us.

Katelyn, Trump may be, you know, downplaying this indictment, calling the charges a joke, but his former U.S. attorney general has a different take. What is he saying?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right. So Bill Barr, the attorney general for the back half of the Trump administration, a man who had defended Donald Trump while he was in office and even afterward against various investigations around him, is pretty strongly condemning the behavior of the former president after he left office resulting in this indictment that has an incredible level of detail, Fred. The level of detail of photos showing boxes apparently containing

classified documents around Mar-a-Lago, kept in a bathroom, spilled on the floor, in a storage room. And so Bill Barr is saying that in this investigation, it has not gone to a jury yet, it has not gone through the court system, but as of what we know now from this indictment, Barr is saying that the government acted responsibly and it is Donald Trump who is acting recklessly keeping documents like these in his possession.

Here's a little bit more from Bill Barr on FOX News today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BARR, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL UNDER TRUMP: And this idea of presenting Trump as a victim here, a victim of a witch hunt is ridiculous. Yes, he's been a victim in the past, yes, his adversaries have obsessively pursued him with phony claims, and I've been at his side defending against them when he is a victim, but this is much different. He's not a victim here. He was totally wrong that he had the right to have those documents.

Those documents are among the most sensitive secrets that the country has. They have to be in the custody of the archivist. He had no right to maintain them and retain them, and he kept them in a way at Mar-a- Lago that anyone who really cares about national security, their stomach would turn at it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: Now, Fred, in the coming weeks and months there's going to be quite a bit of discussion of the strength of the evidence in this case that the Justice Department has presented and already taken through the approval of a grand jury, but first, it starts off about 48 hours from now. That's when Donald Trump was set to be appearing before a federal judge for the first time to respond to these charges.

He is going to be entering a not guilty plea at that time and that process then will move toward a trial eventually where a jury will get to weigh the charges, but in the next couple of days here is how it's going to play out. Donald Trump is going to travel to Miami tomorrow and then he's going to stay just around the city in his own resort. He's going to be talking to his lawyers at that time preparing for what's to come.

And then on Tuesday he'll be in the federal courthouse here in Miami downtown and then after that he's going to leave the state, fly the whole way back up to New Jersey, Bedminster. That is another club of his. And that's where he expects, Fred, to deliver a speech.

WHITFIELD: All right. Katelyn Polantz, thanks so much in Miami.

Let's talk more about all this and the road ahead. With me right now is Juliette Kayyem. She is a CNN national security analyst and a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security.

All right, Juliette, so how concerned are you about, you know, Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail particularly attacking the special counsel and claiming the indictment is a political hit job? Do you think this type of, you know, heated talk is potentially dangerous?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes. So I want to be clear here. Most of Trump's supporters are not violent and most of the people who might oppose the indictments are not going to go to arms, right?

[16:05:02]

So we know that is a truth. We also can't view incitement as an on-off switch. It's not like, you know, everyone is calm and then everyone is incited. The problem that we're facing, the security problem that we're facing is that there is lawful protest, people who support Trump may want to go out and they are permitted to do that, no matter how much we may disagree with them.

But that what Trump's language and not just Donald Trump's, it's of course his proxies, Congressman Kari Lake, others, who are using language of incitement, that the likelihood that someone may view that as license for violence is greater. It's just the probability is greater. And that's the challenge for law enforcement is that sort of balance.

Ideally this kind of language would not be out there, that there wouldn't be Trump and his supporters using violence or the hint and the luring and the flirtation with violence as an extension of the political and legal debate but that's certainly what they're doing.

WHITFIELD: So here are some examples of that. I mean, Congressman Andy Biggs tweeting, "We have now reached a war phase, eye for an eye."

KAYYEM: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Trump adviser, wrote in an Instagram post that retribution is coming. And failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake spoke at the Georgia Republican convention on Friday and had this ominous warning saying, quote, "If you want to get to President Trump, you're going to have to go through me and you're going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me."

I mean, Juliette, are people forgetting about January 6th, the prelude to it, and that people are still being convicted and sentenced?

KAYYEM: Right. So January 6th is sort of a good marker. I mean, this is why, you know, my threat level, my personal sort of concern is more along sort of an individual, maybe even someone not in Miami, sort of just -- you know, one of these people who listens to the people like Kari Lake or the girlfriend of one of the Trump sons, that they listen to them and then they go to arms, because obviously the guns are real, right?

This is not -- there is a heavily armed group of people who have shown themselves to be willing to use arms as a means of expressing their political beliefs. So that's the bad news. Here's the good news. Donald Trump's no longer in power. He cannot direct law enforcement or military in any way to protect himself. The January 6th prosecutions have meant that within the sort of cesspool of hate that some of us follow, that there is no -- that there's a lot of skepticism about him and there's a lot of skepticism about their ability to be granted a get out of jail free card.

Remember when he's president, he was basically promising them pardons. They all know that not to be true. Finally the right-wing extremist groups are turning on each other, the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, they are turning on each other and they are also turning on each other internally. All of those are good news in terms of, have we been able to at least put eyes and ears on what potentially could happen and stop it before it does.

But I never, never would say it's perfectly safe and ideally in this environment, you'd have responsible GOP leaders putting their foot down on this kind of language.

WHITFIELD: So even though you said --

KAYYEM: Ideally.

WHITFIELD: Yes, ideally. And you know, you said some of these groups are turning, you know, against one another. Sometimes there are promises that some members of any number of these groups are planning to, you know, travel to south Florida, show up, whether it's outside of, you know, the federal courthouse in Miami or somewhere around Mar- a-Lago.

What are the precautions? What are the concerns that law enforcement might have? I mean, what do they do to respond even if nothing except the people gathering, you know, is happening?

KAYYEM: Yes. So there's a couple of things. First of all, we know there's a press conference tomorrow in Miami about what the security apparatus will look like. You've got the Secret Service sort of managing the president and his entourage, and of course the facility, the federal -- it's a federal court now is governed by the U.S. Marshal Service who will work in coordination with the Secret Service obviously.

But you are going to have a local law enforcement challenge. It's going to be traffic. It is going to be lots of crowds. It's, you know, ideally it's like 8-1 reporters to protesters, right? And then you're going to have -- you're not going to be as worried. But they're going to have to close down parts of Miami for this to protect the president and to protect those who peacefully protest, whatever we think about their beliefs.

And so this is a huge challenge. We'll learn more about the deployment of resources but parts of Miami will be shut down on Tuesday. And that's how you prepare.

[16:10:02]

It's not linked to the particular threat. It's just you've got to do this. The bigger concern is this language, say, out in Arizona incites someone to go to a -- you know, to go to a facility and that's where -- that is where honestly, Fred, you know, it's like you can wish for it. At least it's worth me saying it. It's just like everyone should just be responsible at this stage. You can hate the indictment, you can love Donald Trump, but we know what this language does and they know what this language does, and they cannot hide behind plausible deniability.

WHITFIELD: And it's still a big maybe in terms of crowds because similar to Miami, similar to New York during those proceedings, there was an expectation there would be a whole lot of people. But it, too, downtown Miami is fairly congested and they are taking these measures. And so the proximity of whether people gather or not to be able to get to where they want to be outside that federal court, it may not be as possible similar to what we saw in New York.

KAYYEM: Exactly. Yes. Fred, the one difference would just be the pool is different, the pool of people likely to be able to show up is just more conservative in Florida.

WHITFIELD: And that too.

KAYYEM: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right, Juliette Kayyem, thank you so much.

KAYYEM: Thanks. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, a traffic nightmare in the northeast after a section of Interstate-95 collapses in flames in Philadelphia. Authorities are warning drivers to avoid that area. Plus, a CNN exclusive. Our Kaitlan Collins sits down with the British prime minister during his U.S. visit this week. What he had to say about President Biden's age.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:40]

WHITFIELD: All right. New video out of Philadelphia shows plumes of smoke rising into the air after a tanker truck burst into flames causing a portion of the highway to collapse. The driver who shared this with CNN says he was picking up his son from the airport driving southbound at the time.

And this is the view from his dashcam. Right now the right now the highway remains closed to both directions around the area. And we're also learning President Biden has been briefed on the collapse and has reached out to Pennsylvania's governor and the mayor's office to offer assistance.

Let's bring in CNN's Danny Freeman right now there in Philadelphia.

So, Danny, city and state officials plan to hold a news conference soon to give an update on the situation? DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Fred. Just in the

past few minutes we got that official word that at 5:00 we're going to hear from Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, as well as other state and local officials to just give the latest information on this real tragedy that happened behind us after this collapse. And this is about 11 hours after it happened at around 6:30 earlier this morning.

I just want to talk, though, to that video, Fred, and then show you a little bit of what we're seeing here. I actually spoke to the man who filmed that video. His name is Mark Fusetti. He said he was driving to the airport, normal day really, normal Sunday morning, and then he saw this huge plume of smoke. He thought it might have been a brushfire initially but then as you saw he hit that bump right behind me, that southbound bump, and that's when he realized something was going on. And then by the time he got home, he realized how extreme it had been.

Now I know you're looking at some footage right here of the overhead, the northbound lane of I-95, that is what at this point suffered the majority of the damage. That's one that collapsed. The southbound, though, as this point still compromised. That's in the word of city officials. And basically city officials are saying this all started because a tanker truck was underneath this overpass where we're standing just here on Cottman Avenue, the on-ramp actually on to I-95, and that tanker truck caught fire. That fire got intensely hot and then part of the highway here collapsed.

I just got to say, Fred, it's been a bit of a chaotic morning. We saw manhole covers start to explode because there may have been compromised gas lines underneath. We also heard from the Coast Guard that they're looking to see if 8500 gallons of gasoline may have leaked into some of the water areas. The Delaware just on the other side of this highway.

But take a listen to what one official said when thinking about how long it may take to clean all of this up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINICK MIRELES, DIRECTOR, PHILADELPHIA OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Today's going to be a long day and obviously with 95 northbound, it's gone, you know, and southbound questionable, it's going to be even longer than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: So at this point, Fred, again, as you said, the president has been briefed. The Transportation Secretary Buttigieg has been briefed. We're going to hear from the governor, from the mayor in just about an hour. And of course when we hear from them, we'll bring that to you. Just a wild day and an intense scene behind us here. Still active in Philadelphia -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wild day indeed. All right, Danny Freeman, thanks so much.

All right, joining me on the phone right now is Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan Boyle. He represents the state's Second Congressional District where that collapse happened.

Congressman, glad you could be with us. So what are you hearing from authorities about the investigation?

REP. BRENDAN BOYLE (D-PA): Well, your reporter did a wonderful job of summing it up. From my perspective, and I've been on the phone since early this morning with Secretary Buttigieg, with the White House, with our governor as well as in communication with our mayor just to make sure that we have all the federal resources that we need possible because the rebuilding of I-95 is going to be a massive project. And until that happens, you are literally going to have millions of people in what is one of the largest population centers in the country impacted in a significant way.

WHITFIELD: I've driven through that on 95 lots of times and I'm trying to figure out how any alternative routes are going to be able to accommodate the number of commuters. What do you think is going to happen?

BOYLE: Well, it's funny you say that because I am in fact one of those commuters and I myself am attempting to figure out how I will get to 30th Street Station tomorrow so I can come down to D.C. for session. This is going to be a major issue not just for those of us who happen to live in Philadelphia but really from New York City, only about 70 miles to the north, all the way south to Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area.

[16:20:07]

And the initial projections are that it will take months to rebuild. So what I have urged the White House and transportation secretary to do is to immediately release the $100 million that they can do as early as tomorrow. We need to expedite the reconstruction of I-95. We know we have to fully replace the northbound lanes. We may possibly have to replace the southbound lanes pending the full analysis of structural engineers.

WHITFIELD: So even with that $100 million that you're requesting, I mean, repairing roads and bridges, you know, has been underway across the country, you know, ever since that infrastructure, you know, bill passed. But then I'm wondering, for all of the new construction particularly in and around Pennsylvania, how is this repair and response going to be a setback to fortifying other projects already under way?

BOYLE: Just to be clear, the $100 million is certainly not going to be the total price tag. That figure is what can be immediately released in an emergency situation like this through the Federal Highway Administration. That is what I'm going to be pushing for and in effect already am pushing for, and I fully expect that we will receive the help that we need from the federal government.

They understand, the White House that is, and Transportation Department, just what a significant area that we're talking about. Now, in terms of impact to future plans, I want to make sure that there is none. There shouldn't be. We have money set aside for emergencies. It's been used in Minneapolis as well as the Pacific northwest. Well, now we need to be able to tap into those resources and I'm going to make sure that they are there for us now that we need it.

WHITFIELD: What are the environmental impact concerns you might have?

BOYLE: It's a bit too early to say. What I just want to stress, though, is that the people of Philadelphia and the surrounding area need full transparency. I want to make sure this is not one of these situations in which people are told something in the immediate aftermath and then we find out months and years later that in fact the full story wasn't told. So in terms of what the full environmental impact is, I will allow for the experts to be able to tell us what they are. But I'm going to be pushing for full transparency in this situation. That is what is absolutely required.

The last point I would make is a point of good news. Thus far, according to the city's water department, our nearby Delaware River, while it was impacted, our water supply has not been impacted. So that is at least a positive piece of news in an otherwise very negative situation.

WHITFIELD: Well, that is good news. And I haven't heard anything, Congressman, about the tanker truck driver or any other drivers or passengers who were in the area at the time of the fire.

BOYLE: I have not -- I mean, initial reports were that there were no casualties. That is still the reporting as I understand it, but we have been completely left in the dark in terms of who exactly -- I mean where was this truck from and who was driving. We are still awaiting those details ourselves.

WHITFIELD: OK. Congressman Brendan Boyle, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it and good luck to you and all the other commuters who are going to have to try and figure out how they're going to get around, like starting now for tomorrow's rush hour. All the best.

BOYLE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. A family in Las Vegas says they saw something out of this world in their backyard. We'll show you the body cam video from police officers who responded and who also saw some kind of mysterious streaking light in the sky.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:28:37]

WHITFIELD: Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been released without being charged after she was arrested by police earlier today. Sturgeon is the most high-profile official yet to be questioned in the probe into financial irregularities in the Scottish National Party.

CNN's Scott McLean is following the developments from London.

Scott, did this arrest come as a surprise to everyone?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, on the one hand, Fredricka, of course it is a surprise any time you have a former leader of a mainstream political party being arrested, especially in the U.K. On the other hand, this did not actually come entirely out of the blue because back in April, Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell, was arrested by police, questioned for more than 11 hours and then released without charges pending further investigation.

And at that time Sturgeon and Murrell's home in Glasgow was searched by police. They even set up a tent in front of the house. Not long after that the party's then treasurer was also arrested, questioned, and released by police and then the party headquarters in Edinburgh was also raided by police.

Now Sturgeon's arrest is also in relation to this same investigation which has to do with the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party, the SNP. And specifically 600,000 pounds which had been earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning according to the British Press Association.

[16:30:09]

So Sturgeon's arrest followed a similar pattern to the others. She was arrested earlier this morning. She was questioned and held by police for more than seven hours and then she was released without any charges pending further investigation.

A spokesperson for Sturgeon said earlier today that she went voluntarily for this questioning and she intends to continue to cooperate with the police investigation. We've now also heard directly from Sturgeon herself who has said precious little about this since her husband's arrest back in April. So she said this in part, "To find myself in the situation I did today when I am certain I have committed no offense is both a shock and deeply distressing. Innocence is not just a presumption I am entitled to in law, I know beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing."

She also went on to say that she will continue to sit as a member of the Scottish parliament. She actually stepped down as party leader back in February, citing the brutality of frontline politics and her waning ability to give that job her full energy. And at that time this was a shock to British politics because since she took over the party after the failed Scottish independence referendum in 2014, she has been a political force in this country, one of the most effective and one of the most politically or electorally successful party leaders in this country over the past eight years.

Now incidentally, she actually started the weekend by posting the results of a test that she took to get her driver's license. She passed that test with flying colors. Now she has another test. She's ending her weekend, well, suddenly finding herself at the center of a police investigation -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: A pretty bizarre sequence of events. All right, Scott McLean, thank you so much. All right, still ahead, the British prime minister talks to CNN's

Kaitlan Collins about the war in Ukraine and his relationship with President Joe Biden. His interview next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:36:18]

WHITFIELD: President Joe Biden welcoming U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to the White House this week. Both men spoke about their countries' close relationship and their shared views on Ukraine.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins sat down for an exclusive interview with the British leader.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for being here. The war in Ukraine, what's happening right now and that everyone is tracking so closely is this dam on the frontlines that has collapsed. Does your government believe that Russia is behind that?

RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think it's too early to definitively say and our military and security services are working through that as are the U.S. But if it does prove to be an intentional attack by the Russians, it would fit a pattern of behavior that we've seen throughout this war, which is Russia's deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure.

COLLINS: If you determine it is Russia, will there be repercussions?

SUNAK: Well, we are already supporting efforts to hold those responsible for war crimes accountable. And the U.K. working together with other allies is putting resources, funding, gathering evidence. And it's right that those who commit these appalling crimes are brought to justice and held accountable. We'll play our part in doing that. But also just continuing to support Ukraine in a way that we are proud to have played a leadership role on, providing the military support alongside the U.S. who have obviously played a very significant role.

You know, that's what we should be doing because these values are universal and it's right that we stand up to unprovoked illegal aggression. We do it together. That's what the U.S. and the U.K. do.

COLLINS: And a lot of what that -- what the U.S. and the U.K. have provided in addition to other countries is to help with the counteroffensive that is expected. Do you believe this counteroffensive is Ukraine's best shot at winning this war?

SUNAK: You know, I think the first thing to say is in one sense Ukraine has been engaged in a counteroffensive for over a year. And remember, the thing about a year, people thought this would be over in days or weeks. But I think Russia completely miscalculated and the Ukrainians have been incredible in their bravery, their resilience. They've now recaptured almost half the territory that Russia originally seized.

They've been given an enormous amount of support by the U.K., the U.S. and other allies in the form of heavy tanks, long range weapons, training of the soldiers. All of the is going to help.

COLLINS: You mentioned those long-range missiles. Your country is the first one to give them to Ukraine. How effective do you think they've been so far and are you concerned about how Putin will respond if Ukraine uses them to strike into Russia?

SUNAK: I think what we've provided are called Storm Shadow. They're a longer-range weapon. And that's because the battlefield has evolved and it's important that Ukraine has the resources it needs to defend itself and to make sure that counteroffensive is successful. And I think they can make a difference and they are making a difference on the battlefield. And when it comes to retaliation and we have to remember, nothing that Ukraine or the West or NATO did that caused this war. This war was just an act of unprovoked illegal aggression on Russia's part.

COLLINS: So would it be appropriate then if Ukraine use those long- range missiles to strike into Russia since Russia is striking into Ukraine?

SUNAK: No. I mean, I think what Ukraine is first and foremost interested in doing is recapturing territory that is theirs. It's their own country that has been invaded by Russia and it's that territory that rightfully belongs to Ukraine, and they are going about trying to liberate it. I think that's entirely right and proper, and it's important that we support them in that quest.

COLLINS: And you've just met with President Biden. The two of you were standing side by side. President Biden was talking about how important Ukraine is in funding Ukraine. The Republican frontrunner here, of course we're in the middle of an election season in the U.S., has not even said if he believes Ukraine should win this war.

Does that make you as a world leader who may be working with him potentially uncomfortable?

[16:40:03]

SUNAK: Obviously it wouldn't be right for me to comment on domestic politics here, but I did spend a good amount of time in Congress yesterday talking to leaders from both parties and I think there is strong support for the efforts that America is putting in to support Ukraine. I think there's an acknowledgement as I said that the values that we're fighting for are universal, the values that America has always stood up for which is democracy, freedom, the rule of law.

But I think it's entirely reasonable for people to ask, is everybody doing their bit? I'm proud to say the U.K. is. You know, behind the U.S. we're the next largest contributors to the effort to support Ukraine, and more broadly when it comes to defense spending, we're one of the few countries that invest 2 percent of our GDP in defense. That is a NATO commitment that we've made that we've adhered to, and I think it's reasonable and right that we expect other countries in the NATO alliance to increase defense spending up to those levels, and that's something that I speak to other leaders about as well.

COLLINS: One of the people that you met with on Capitol Hill -- while you were here was House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Did he offer you assurances that Republicans will continue to back funding for Ukraine?

SUNAK: I think we had a very constructive conversation about support for Ukraine. I think what everyone, you know, wants to know is that money that we're all spending is going to be used well and I think that's where I'd say I'm confident that Ukraine can succeed.

COLLINS: But there's some fierce resistance from some Republicans here on funding Ukraine. Are you confident that you can still count on the U.S. to continue to do so?

SUNAK: I think the U.S. has a long track record of making a difference in matters like this and, you know, I continue to believe that it will do so.

COLLINS: At 43 you are the youngest leader in the G-7. At 80 President Biden is the oldest. Are there generational differences I guess I should say in the way that each of you lead?

SUNAK: Look, you know, I'm really fortunate to enjoy a close relationship with President Biden. And through circumstance, we just happen to have seen each other quite a lot and that's not always the case for leaders. It actually allows us I think to build a close relationship, go through issues --

COLLINS: But are there differences in how you lead because of your age difference?

SUNAK: You know, it's hard for me to say, commenting on the outside. But what I'm -- look, I find that President Biden's experience is incredibly helpful, particularly on issues like China. I think there are, you know, few leaders anywhere who have spent as much time talking to President Xi as President Biden has over the years. So, you know, at a time where China poses the particular challenge that it does, I think we're lucky to have President Biden's perspective on President Xi.

I found that particularly valuable to me as someone who is newer to this, and, you know, certainly having the relationship that he and I have is delivering real benefits for our people, in America and the U.K.

COLLINS: Last question, given the big picture, you know, what you often hear from President Biden on the world stage is he says America is back. Making a clear reference to his predecessor, former President Donald Trump who as I mentioned earlier is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. If he does succeed and you are working alongside him, what do you envision a Trump-Sunak relationship would look like?

SUNAK: You know, I think the great thing about the U.K. and the U.S. is that the strength and partnership between our countries has endured for decades, you know, regardless of almost who is sitting in these various jobs. And that's because the values between our two countries are so aligned that we see the world instinctively in the same way. Our two countries have stood together all the major times of crisis, we've come together, we've shed blood together, we've fought for peace together. Those bonds are incredibly strong.

But, look, we can't dwell on history is my view. We have an incredible history together, our two countries, but we've got to reimagine our relationship to make sure it's relevant for now, that it's dealing with the particular opportunities and challenges that we face today. And that's why the declaration that President Biden and I announced today, that close partnership between our two countries are so important.

It's the first type of agreement like that that either of us have reached and it speaks to making sure that we are ready for the future. And that's what I'm excited about. And our values are enduring, the strength between our two countries is evident for everyone to see. It's delivered incredible benefits, I think, not just for our two countries but for the world, and I think that will always be the case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks to our Kaitlan Collins. For more on the prime minister's U.S. visit, head to CNN.com.

All right, still ahead, a strange green light in the sky and reports of a 10-foot-tall creature have police in Vegas scratching their heads.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. I'm so nervous right now. I have butterflies, bro. I really thought a shooting star then these people say there's aliens in our backyard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:49:06]

WHITFIELD: All right. In a city of unusual sites, this one sticks out. Check out what was spotted over the skies of Las Vegas a few weeks ago.

All right, check it out, right there you could see that green light kind of streaking down toward earth and it's moving pretty fast there. Just a short time after that light is seen, police responded to a 911 call about a, quote, "non-human visitor in a local back yard."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you see?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like a big creature.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A big creature?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Like around 10 feet tall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to BS you guys. One of my partners said they saw something fall out of the sky, too. So that's why I'm kind of curious. Did you see anything land in your backyard?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They see like a big fellow. They say they see like a big something with light.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. I'm so nervous right now. I have butterflies, bro. I really thought a shooting star, then these people say there's aliens in our backyard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:50:01]

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, officers did investigate but found no sign of that creature, that 10-foot-tall creature. Later the officer joked to the family if the creatures come back, they need to call someone else for help.

All right. To discuss we're joined by Adam Frank. He's a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester and author of "Light of the Stars, Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth." And also the upcoming "The Little Book of Aliens."

Those folks in Las Vegas probably wished they had that little book of aliens, Professor. OK. So what do you think? I mean, that video, the green streak, that's unusual, but that very ominous description of creatures, what do you think is going on here?

ADAM FRANK, PROFESSOR OF ASTROPHYSICS, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER: Well, you know, when I was a kid my parents used to tell me when we went camping they'd tell me ghost stories, right? And it would make the hairs on the back of my neck raise up and that's basically what this is, right? Because that light you see in the sky, it's a meteor and it fades exactly the way I would expect a meteor to fade. And so, you know, for whatever reasons, I don't know if it was a big dog, I just don't know people have this story.

WHITFIELD: A 10-foot-tall dog? Ten foot.

FRANK: Really? Ten feet tall?

WHITFIELD: Well, it's what they say.

FRANK: What's important about this kind of thing is that this is like the whole histories of UFOs, right? I mean, right, in one story, right? Somebody sees something and then you get a story, but there's never anything to do -- you know, there's never any real evidence. There's never anything that lasts. There's never anything that science which allows us to have this amazing conversation over these wires can do anything with. And so like right here is the entire history of UFOs. It's like the skeptics will say one thing, the believers will say the other thing, but you're not left with anything to answer this incredible question of, is there life in the universe?

WHITFIELD: Interesting. OK. Well, back to your premise of your look, "The Little Book of Aliens." So you do believe there is something out there. There can be something out there, right, for you to have a book like that. So, you know, for people to see -- well, now you're saying it's probably a meteor. You know, I don't know. What do you -- what do you say to people especially the people in that backyard who are pretty certain they saw something? I mean, what's the best explanation as to why their eyes are playing tricks on them?

FRANK: Well, for something like this, there's nothing I can say to them, right? I wasn't there. They can't give me any hard evidence. They can't give me anything that science can work with. You know, the main premise of my book is trying to tell people the extraordinary progress science is making in finding life in the universe, but not here on earth, on distant planets, like the James Webb space telescopes can see into the atmospheres of worlds that are 10 lightyears away, right?

That's how we're going to answer this question because there's nothing I can do when someone tells me a story. It's not I'm going to tell them they're lying. I don't know. I wasn't there. But the question is, this amazing method we have called science, which gives us cell phones and airplanes and we turn to every time there's a crisis, this method is a way of talking to the world that can give us answers back. It's a way to be in dialogue with the world. And if we want to know about life in the universe, that's the only way we can answer the question.

WHITFIELD: So if it happens again, whether it'd be those, you know, folks in Las Vegas who see something green, don't necessarily -- their instinct doesn't say it's a meteor, I mean, who are you going to call? Who should they call?

FRANK: Call the police. I mean, call the dog pound.

WHITFIELD: Just call the police?

FRANK: Call the very large dog pound.

(LAUGHTER)

FRANK: I mean, I don't know. I don't know, but it's not -- you know, take pictures, but always what you see, right, it's always fuzzy blobs. We've got people talking about UFOs for 50 years and it's always fuzzy blobs. Look at the picture that pilot took of the Chinese spy balloon, right? It's a selfie with him holding it up, and you can see exquisite detail, you can see the balloon, you can the cargo package underneath it. With UFOs it's always a fuzzy blob. You know?

WHITFIELD: Well, Adam, I always love talking to you. I was really looking forward to this, but I've got to admit I'm kind of bummed. I thought you're going to give us something -- you know, I don't know, a little bit more interesting to allow us to all believe and think that, yes, there is a 10-foot creature out there that comes with these.

FRANK: Fred, what I can tell you is science, science is boring, but it has to be boring. It's long and it's slow, but it's the only way that you get to know truly amazing things and the amazing things are right outside your door.

WHITFIELD: That's true. We love science.

FRANK: They're the ant colony, they're the leaves, but science is a way, and you just have to, you know, listen to the process. Follow the process.

WHITFIELD: All right --

FRANK: And wonders will be removed.

WHITFIELD: You help keep it interesting. Adam Frank, great to see you. Thanks so much.

FRANK: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. The state of Oregon, well, it's facing a crisis. Its homeless population has gone up by more than 20 percent in the last few years, and it has the country's highest percentage of unsheltered families with children living in tents, cars or on the streets.

[16:55:03]

This week's CNN Hero has dedicated her life to helping homeless families in Portland. Meet Brandi Tuck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDI TUCK, CNN HERO: All of my friends were going on these community service spring break trips, and I thought nobody's going to go to the beach with me? So I reluctantly signed up. We volunteered for the whole week at different homeless shelters, and I realized that these women are just like my mom and that completely changed my life.

Path Home empowers homeless families with children to get back into housing and stay there. We have the first shelter in Oregon with trauma-informed design and architecture, and it helps them heal from that trauma of homelessness.

When a family gets their keys for the first time it's just an amazing feeling. We then stay with them for as long as they need us. When I see families succeed, that's all that I need to continue doing this work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And to see more, go to CNNHeroes.com.

At any moment now officials in Philadelphia are set to give an update on the interstate collapse. We'll take you there live when it starts. Thanks so much for being with me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta in a moment.

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