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Greek Response To Migrant Ship Criticized; Ukraine's Counteroffensive Has Been Underwhelming So Far; Australia Blocks New Canberra Site Over Spying Risk; Boris Johnson Dismisses Critical Report On His Conduct As A Charade; Trump's Legal Trouble; Annual Human Trafficking Report; Questions Surround Deaths of Tourists in Mexico; Israeli Forces Failed to Stop Settlers' Rampage; At least 15 Dead after Bus and Truck Collide; Travelers Face Higher Costs, Fewer Perks; Justice Department to Investigate New Golf Merger; Deaf Americans Climb Mt. Everest, Make History. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 16, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:26]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN Newsroom. It may have been one of the biggest search and rescue operations in Greek history, but it was still too little, too late to prevent one of the worst migrant tragedies in years.
Kyiv is using the wreckage of Russia and missiles and drones to build better and smarter air defenses. And the perfect storm of air traveled misery. A downgrade apocalypse hits ahead of what could be one of the busiest summer season travels ever in the US.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thanks for joining us here on CNN Newsroom. Greek authorities say nine arrests have been made for an overcrowded migrant boats sank on Wednesday. All of those detained are Egyptian nationals are being held on suspicion of people smuggling.
In the hours before the bootleg down the Greek Coast Guard took this aerial photograph. What is clear to anyone is the vessel looks better than dangerously overloaded with no one on the upper or lower outer decks appearing to be wearing a life jacket.
It's hard to see any women and children in this photo. Most are believed to have been traveling in the cargo hold.
The UN says at least 40 children were on board, either before or after the photograph was taken the captain abandoned ship. Then hours later the entrance I believe to have stalled in high seas, the boat capsized and sank.
Before that the Greek Coast Guard shadowed this fishing vessel for hours and Greek authorities say attempts to render assistance were rebuffed by those on board. And because they're in international waters, they say, there was little they could actually do.
But that just doesn't ring true to many maritime legal experts who point out that such search and rescues do not require consent, knowing the boat was unsafe. The Greek Coast Guard was legally required under maritime law to attempt a rescue regardless of what the passengers did or did not want.
As many as 750 people on that boat, 104 survive. Right now they're being kept in a dockside warehouse will eventually be transferred to a facility in Athens. Many are in shock. They're traumatized. They're asking about their children.
The leader of the Greek opposition blamed Europe's immigration policies causing so much needless hearty and death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXIS TSIPRAS, GREEK OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): I want to say that unfortunately, in this Europe where great ideas and great values of enlightenment were born, human life does not have the same worth for everyone. I want to say there are huge political responsibilities with the migration policy that Europe has been following for years, a migration policy that turns Mediterranean our seas into watery grave. And I think that it is time to speak the truth because this policy has to change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Melissa Bell is in the Greek port city of Kalamata and follow this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's the biggest rescue operation they've ever undertaken, say Greek authorities. But far too little far too late, say several of the NGOs who patrol the Mediterranean Sea now the deadliest migrant crossing in the world.
The boat here hours before it sank, the Greek Coast Guard says refused help. Greek authorities say it took just 10 to 15 minutes for it to sink. Only 104 people survived.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): More women died or children died. Because women stay all in one room so impossible they would survive, impossible, so difficult. All women and their children died.
BELL: Those who did make it out alive say the boat may have carried up to 750 people only 78 body so far have been found. Among the missing the young wife and brother in law of Kassem Abu Zeed, a Syrian who's lived in Germany for seven years.
His friend says they pay $5,000 per person to be smuggled to Europe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $5,000 for a quick death.
BELL: At least 40 children were on the vessel The UN says and as the search for bodies continues, there are questions about how long it took to send help. The boat started out from Libya heading towards Italy and called for assistance Tuesday afternoon, one charity said. It claims the authorities had hours to reach the vessel. But a rescue operation was quote, not launched until it was too late.
[01:05:00]
GIORGIA LINARDI, SPOKESPERSON, SEA-WATCH ITALY: This intervention did not result in a rescue. And this is the point. Even if authorities went to check on the vessel as a matter of fact, a rescue operation was not carried out. And this is a clear duty of search and rescue authorities under international laws.
BELL: Countries like Greece and Italy have long been calling for harder borders. Last week, the E.U. took another step towards a long elusive compromise that goes in their direction. But so far, the signals that Europe's borders are closing have done nothing to dissuade those willing to risk death in the name of life. Melissa, Bell CNN, Kalamata in Greece
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Ukraine says its counterfeits have continued to liberate Russian occupied villages, and it's moving forward, albeit slowly. Rushing commanders report more than 100 square kilometers in the Zaporizhzhia region have been retaken over the last week.
Russian forces reportedly pushing back up to one kilometer near the city of Vuhledar. In Bakkhmut, Ukraine says Russia is bringing in reinforcements after Ukrainian troops advanced three kilometers over the past 10 days, says Russia is putting up stiff resistance across the front lines even trying to mount offensive in some parts.
Meantime, Ukraine will receive hundreds more missiles for its air defenses. NATO allies who met in Brussels on Thursday decided on sending the extra military hardware. The U.S. Defense Secretary says helping Ukraine remains a long term commitment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Ukraine's fight is a marathon and not a sprint. So we will continue to provide Ukraine with the urgent capabilities that it needs to meet this moment, as well as what it needs to keep itself secure for the long term from Russian aggression. And make no mistake. we will stand with Ukraine for the long haul.
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VAUSE: David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst as well as White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. Good to see you.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be with you, John. VAUSE: OK, so depending on the day of the week, this Ukrainian counteroffensive, it's either going gangbusters or it's slow and steady or has suffered some early setbacks, with the Russians proudly displaying captured and destroyed U.S. hardware. And on that he's the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUSTIN: I think the Russians have shown us that same fire vehicles about 1,000 times from 10 different angles. But quite frankly, the Ukrainians have -- still have a lot of combat capability, combat power.
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VAUSE: And the power keeps flowing. For these initial reports they're rarely as good or as bad as they initially sound. And would you say this sort of early confusion is fairly typical?
SANGER: Well, it's hard to tell because nothing in this war has been typical, right? I mean, we started this war thinking with Europeans thinking wasn't going to happen, then taking the Russians would win in five days, then, you know, the war shifting right back down to the south and east.
So, I'm not quite sure what to compare it to John, but I would say this, that counter offensive is across a pretty broad area. And we knew that the opening days and weeks of it would involve the Ukrainians testing to see where the Russians are weakest. And I think we're seeing some of that. They're going to lose some equipment as they did.
The big risk I think for the Ukrainians is really a political one here, in addition to the risks of the lives course not to be diminished at all of those who are fighting and all this, but the political risk is that having given them all of this equipment, all this training, if that doesn't look like it's punching through, it may be difficult in the United States, in Europe to sustain these levels of support.
VAUSE: For the Ukraine say a lack of air cover and air defense is slowing to advance on the ground. And Thursday, NATO moves one step closer teams to getting to the point of maybe supplying Ukraine with fighter jets. Listen to this.
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OLEKSII REZNIKOV, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: Today, we got the commitment of our partners that training courses will start and we will build up together construction of this consortium of fighter jets. It's full started with the F-16 with the Netherlands and Denmark as the leaders and other countries will join.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: One issue with the F-16 and Ukraine is there's a lack of airfields in Ukraine and scenes which can actually handle the F-16.
SANGER: Right.
VAUSE: Besides that, I want to give you a few FCS (ph) so bear with me. If the Ukrainian counteroffensive (INAUDIBLE) or if the ratings continue to defy expectations and learn how to handle this equipment much faster than first thought as they've done so far with pretty much everything. If NATO allies could deliver F-16s and if the counter offensive as many predicted drags on for a few more months and months.
[01:10:02]
Could we see Ukrainian pilots in F-16, providing air cover for this counteroffensive?
SANGER: Well, I imagine you could. You know, in the United States and F-16 pilot is, you know, a year or two training. But it's not just a pilot's you have to go train. You have to train all the people who are going to be servicing these planes, getting them back in shape, repairing them, getting the spare parts in. So there's a whole stack of issues that come along with flying an F-16.
As one person in Defense Department put it to me a few weeks ago, it's a little bit like you've had a Ford truck sitting in your driveway. And all of a sudden, you're supposed to go maintain a fleet of Ferraris. So that's going to be I think the gating issue.
VAUSE: Now for something completely different. And by this, I mean totally different, delegation of leaders from African nations from Senegal, Uganda, Egypt, Republic of Congo, Zambia, and South Africa, expected in Kyiv, later Friday, and then St. Petersburg on Saturday. They're presenting this peace initiative.
So apart from good intentions, do they have any leverage here to try and get concessions from either side to try and get them to sit down and begin talking?
SANGER: They don't have leverage. The fundamental problem here is not simply that you need peace agreements, but that President Zelenskyy has to make a fundamental decision about whether he is going to declare out right as he has so far, that no peace agreement can be reached as long as Russians are on his territory.
Now, Russians were on his territory before the invasion as well. But -- and the question is, does he include Crimea, you know, in that definition, as well as the areas that have been attacked since February of last year.
So, it's not just, oh, let's propose a peace agreement. It's what do those terms look alike? And frankly, while the counteroffensive is underway, I don't see a motivation for either side, John, to want to necessarily come to the bargaining table.
VAUSE: Good point to end on, David. It's always great to have you with us. Really appreciate it.
SANGER: Great to be with you, John.
VAUSE: Ukraine officials in Kyiv for the 140 missiles and counterfeiting drones have been fired on Ukraine in the past two weeks, was three out of four Russian cruise missiles, but 60 percent of the attack drones have reportedly been shut down. And CNN's Sam Kiley reports the debris and wreckage though, is an intelligence windfall for Ukrainian military experts.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): A graveyard of Russian missiles fired at Ukraine, creating misery and mayhem. They're stored and analyzed here in Kyiv, where authorities are determined that Russia will pay for its evil ingenuity.
Here in Kryvyi (ph) the latest mass destruction by a Russian cruise missile, adding to a mounting civilian toll, this strike the result of Russia's determination to overwhelm and distract Ukraine's defenses.
KILEY (on camera): Alexander (ph) is telling me that these two missiles enormous and complex though they are actually decoys. They're used by the Russians to fire over enormous ranges, trying to distract the Ukrainian air defenses so that other more dangerous missiles can get through.
KILEY (voiceover): Alexander's ministry is tracing, cataloguing and costing the results of Russia's missile attacks. Each type of weapon has its own local history, like Estoishka (ph) that carry half a ton of explosives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These munitions are designed to kill people, solider and lightly armored vehicle. So they knew where they were aiming for.
KILEY (on camera): This is the sort of missile that hit the Kramatorsk railway station killing more than 50 people.
KILEY (voiceover): Five of the dead with children and scores were injured or waiting for a train to escape the war.
The latest official estimates suggest that Russia's destruction of Ukraine will cost $441 billion. But the human cost is incalculable help with air defense has therefore been vital.
KILEY (on camera): This is what remains of what Russia says is its most potent missile that Kinzhal is supposedly a hypersonic, traveling up to 10 times the speed of sound. And Alexander is very pleased to point out that this is where it was hit by the Ukrainian counter missile batteries because top of their list is the U.S. may patriot.
KILEY (voiceover): But among the most troublesome Russian weapons is this Iranian Shahed drone.
KILEY (on camera): Look at that. That is the engine of a Shahed. Cheap, sounds like a lawnmower because it basically is a lawnmower engine or something very similar. [01:15:00]
KILEY (voiceover): Alexander and colleagues dismantle the drones, analyze their computers and navigation systems and time and again find foreign made parts inside, despite sanctions on Iran and Russia.
KILEY (on camera): Aircraft has 40 kilograms of high explosives on board. Down here at the end in Russia there's a play on words. On one flap it says, Do not touch but by removing one letter translates into not brothers. A message to the Ukrainians.
KILEY (voiceover): One that's often delivered loud and all too clearly. Sam Kiley, CNN in Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Australia has blocked the construction of a new Russian Embassy in the capital Canberra. The Kremlin says the decision is unfriendly and Russophobic. But the Australian Prime Minister says it's just a matter of national security.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The government has received very clear security advice as to the risk presented by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament House. We're acting quickly to ensure the lease site does not become a formal diplomatic presence. The government condemns Russians Russia's illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine. To be clear, today's decision is one taken in the national security interests of Australia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Land directly adjacent to Parliament House have been set aside for the new Russian embassy that now will not be built.
The U.S. is assessing the damage from a cyberattack Thursday that impacted several government agencies. The breach is blamed on Russian hackers known for extorting ransom from their victims. CNN's Natasha Bertrand has details reporting in from Washington.
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NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER (on camera): Several U.S. federal government agencies have been hit in a global cyberattack in which hackers have managed to exploit a flaw in a widely used software. The U.S. cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency told CNN on Thursday that it is quote providing support to several federal agencies that have experienced intrusions affecting the MOVEit applications and is quote working urgently to understand impacts and ensure timely remediation.
Now MOVEit is a widely used file transfer software that hackers appeared to have found a vulnerability in earlier this year and began exploiting in late May. Progress the U.S. firm that owns the MOVEit software has now urged victims to update their software packages and has issued security advice.
Now so far the U.S. Department of Energy is the only federal agency to confirm publicly that it was hit, saying in a statement that records from two of its entities were compromised and that the department is investigating the incident.
But look, the hackers have used the vulnerability to target not only federal agencies but also state governments and academic institutions, including Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Georgia statewide university system.
In terms of who is behind the hack a Russian speaking ransomware group, known as Clop. Last week claimed credit for some of the cyberattacks which have also affected employees of the BBC, British Airways, oil giant Shell and state governments in Minnesota and Illinois, among others.
But while the Russian hackers were the first to exploit the vulnerability, experts say that other groups may now have access to software code that is needed to conduct attacks and are simply taking advantage of it. So broadly, the new hacking campaign really shows the widespread impact that a single software flaw can have if it's exploited by these skilled criminals, and it's putting new pressure on federal officials who have pledged to combat the ransomware attacks that have hobbled schools, hospitals and local governments across the US. Natasha Bertrand, CNN, Washington.
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VAUSE: A small Texas town took a direct hit from a dangerous tornado Thursday afternoon, causing extensive damage. Fire, law enforcement and emergency crews from surrounding areas have been deployed to help with recovery imperative not far from the border with Oklahoma.
And official from a nearby county calls it a possible mass casualty event. The Perryton fire chief tells CNN at least three people were killed. One hospital which is operating on generators right now is treating up to 100 people injured by the storm.
At least 22 people have been hurt after a tropical cyclone Biparjoy battered parts of Northwest India and Pakistan. The storm uprooted trees brought down power lines, literally leaving nearly 1,000 villages in the dark and left many homes without roofs. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOLOGIST (on camera): What once was a very powerful storm for a time down here in the warm water now is down to 100 kilometer per hour storm making its way on shore so the storm surge is not so great. The wind speeds are not so great. The real threat from Biparjoy is when this moves onshore and into the very dry land that's there with very heavy rainfall.
Some spots will pick up 250 to 500 millimeters of rainfall, that's anywhere between eight and maybe even up to 16 inches of rain. [01:20:00]
There's the storm where it was a meandering little storm didn't want to come on shore finally did. The good news is because it took its sweet old time, that this thing grabbed so much dry air from the deserts to the north, that lost a lot of intensity, a hurricane, cyclone, typhoon, they all want to be in warm water and they want to have humid air around them.
Well, it didn't have the humid air. It was dry air that truly weakened the storm significantly. It is going to continue to move and continue to weaken as it moves through kind of the hilly areas here. And that's part of the problem. It's the hilly areas that will collect the rainfall in one or two spots and then all run downhill.
So if you see this 250 to 500 millimeter rainfall totals here, here's some back over here that's almost 12 inches of rainfall expected here in that white zone. That's where the fresh water, the flash flood water will be collecting and also of course running off that's the greatest risk right now.
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VAUSE: A damning new report has just been dropped it finds Boris Johnson lied about those illegal lockdown parties during the COVID crisis. When we come back though it seems there'll be few consequences for the man they call Bozo.
Also, ahead this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's bugging me. Oh, it's bugging me.
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VAUSE: Sign of the apocalypse downright biblical. Insect invasion has one town in the United States praying, praying for relief.
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VAUSE: Pope Francis is expected to be discharged by Rome hospitals soon. These are the first photos of the pontiff released by the Vatican since his abdominal surgery last week.
During a visit to the children's cancer ward at his hospital, he greeted patients, parents, medical staff. Vatican says this was the third time Pope Francis visited the ward.
Britain's disgraced former prime minister has described a parliamentary committee as a kangaroo court after its investigation found he'd lied about partygate. The report says Boris Johnson knowingly deceived lawmakers when asked about Downing Street parties which violated his own government's COVID lockdown rules.
The committee is mostly made up of members of Johnson's own Conservative Party. Despite that, Johnson called the report rubbish no charade. CNN's Scott McLean has details.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This Committee was specifically looking at the question of whether or not Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament when he made statements like the one that he did in December of 2021 when he was asked by the Leader of the Opposition about a Christmas party that had taken place about a year earlier. Here's that.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: As millions of people will look down last year was a Christmas party thrown in Downing Street for dozens of people on December the 18th.
[01:25:00]
BORIS JOHNSON, THEN-BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Ms. Speaker, what I could tell the right Honorable gentleman is that all guidance was followed completely during Number 10.
MCLEAN: The report is more than 100 pages long and it looks at in painstaking detail what Boris Johnson said and what he knew at the time. The Committee is made up of seven people, four of them were actually from Boris Johnson's own party and they looked at six events or gatherings in particular, some of them were leaving drinks. Boris Johnson's birthday party, one of them had 200 odd people invited to it and they were told to bring their own booze.
Ultimately, the report concludes that Boris Johnson did mislead the House when he gave in the words of the report unsustainable interpretations of the rules that he helped to write. For example, he insisted and in some cases continues to insist that some of these gatherings were essential for work purposes.
So in its conclusion, the report found in part, quote, we came to the view that some of Mr. Johnson's denials and explanations were so disingenuous that they were by their very nature deliberate attempts to mislead the Committee and the House while others demonstrated deliberation because of the frequency with which he closed his mind to the truth.
Now, Johnson released his own scathing statement in response, which read in part for the committee now to say that all such events thank yous and birthdays were intrinsically illegal is ludicrous contrary to the intentions of those who made the rules, including me and contrary to the findings of the Met, and above all, I did not for one moment think they were elicit at the time or when I spoke to the comments.
The report ultimately recommends the Boris Johnson be suspended as an MP for 90 days, which would likely trigger a by election for his own seat. All of that, though, is very much a moot point considering that Boris Johnson resigned his seat in the House of Commons last week in anticipation of this report. Scott McLean, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, two o American tourists mysteriously die at a resort in Mexico. We have the very latest on the investigation in a moment.
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VAUSE: The judge presiding over the Trump classified documents trial has issued her first order giving attorneys five days to comply with all required security clearances. A totally routine order and one which is seen as timely, but this judge is the already widely criticized Trump appointed Eileen Cannon. CNN senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid has details reporting in from Washington.
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PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): This is the first order from Judge Eileen Cannon since former President Trump was arraigned earlier this week.
[01:30:05]
In this order, she is urging the lawyers from both sides to make sure they have their security clearances in place as this goes forward. She asked the Trump lawyers to be in touch with DOJ by Friday and then gives them five days before they have to give her an update on their progress.
That's a pretty tight timeline and it's still significant because here, one of the main tensions between the prosecution and the defense is how quickly this is all going to move.
The special counsel has said he wants a, quote, "speedy trial". But the Trump lawyers have every reason to want to delay this at least until after the 2024 election.
And the judge here has considerable power over how quickly that moves. And that comes, in part, from all these little decision that she makes about how quickly things should happen here.
So, it's interesting that her first scheduling order is a pretty tight timeline. But ultimately, the Trump legal team is not finalized yet. So there, could be additional lawyers who still need to get their clearances that will drag this out.
And while these all seem like kind of small, trivial matters in the grand scheme of things, the fact is that days or weeks that this gets dragged out -- those add up and could make the difference in terms of whether this trial happens before or after the 2024 election.
Paula Reid, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Human traffickers are using cyber scams like never before to trap people into forced labor. The U.S. State Department says this has become a rapidly growing and troubling trend, adding that traffickers have capitalized on pandemic-related hardships, high levels of global unemployment and travel restrictions to exploit thousands of adults as well as children.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Trafficking harms our societies, weakening the rule of law, corrupting supply chains, exploiting workers, fueling violence. And it disproportionately impacts traditionally marginalized groups -- women, LGBTQI plus individuals, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The State Department's Annual Human Trafficking Report identifies which governments are meeting the minimum standards to combat human trafficking. Those tier one countries are here in green; tier three in red shows countries failing to meet minimum standards and are not really trying to improve at all. They include Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, Syria, China and Cuba.
Authorities in Mexico are investigating the deaths of two tourists from California. Relatives say when they spoke with the couple early this week, they said they thought they had food poisoning. Days later, they were dead.
CNN's Josh Campbell has the latest on the investigation.
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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Authorities in Mexico are investigating the death of two American citizens, a man and a woman, who were found dead Tuesday at a hotel in the resort village of El Pescadero.
Now authorities in Mexico say that they had been in the hotel, likely dead for about 10 to 11 hours. An autopsy that was done indicated that the cause of death was some type of poison.
Authorities did not indicate if we are talking about drugs, possible carbon monoxide exposure. We know in recent years there have been a high-profile incidents of American families dying in carbon monoxide poisoning incidents.
Now, as that investigation continues, the hotel issued a statement, saying, "Local authorities are still actively investigating the situation and the safety and security of our guests and colleagues remains a top priority, as always. We can confirm there was no evidence of violence related to the situation. And we are not aware of any threat to guest safety or well-being."
Now, the U.S. State Department confirmed on Thursday that these were American citizens. I spoke to a law enforcement source who said at this point, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation -- they have not yet gotten involved. It appears at this time that there is no indication of any kind of foul play. Of course, the investigation in Mexico continues.
Josh Campbell, CNN -- Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A months' long CNN investigation is shedding new light on the actions of Israeli Forces. The settlers attacked a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank.
CNN's investigation and an inquiry by the Israeli Defense Forces found out enough soldiers were deployed to prevent the violent rampage in Huwara (ph) -- that happened in February.
CNN's Hadas Gold reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After those two Israeli brothers were killed in the village of Huwara in the occupied West Bank in February, hundreds of Israeli settlers went on revenge attacks against Palestinians that (INAUDIBLE) with locals, leading to one death. The violence was so brutal that an Israeli military leader even called it a pogrom.
But while the Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff Herzi Halevi has acknowledged that their forces were not sufficiently prepared and that it should not have happened, CNN investigation, which included testimony from a soldier who was there that night, shows that Israeli forces not only failed to stop the riots in Huwara, they did not protect Palestinian residents as settlers attacked and at some points even blocked emergency vehicles by telling them it was too dangerous to enter the town.
[01:34:56]
GOLD: Israeli forces also fired tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinians, including some who were reacting to settlers by throwing rocks at them, according to CNN's investigation.
The IDF said they fired at both sides to separate them, although CNN did not see evidence of the IDF firing at Israeli settlers.
Now, that soldier who was there that night told his story exclusively to CNN, with the activist's group breaking the silence.
He said dozens of forces there were aware of the threats that were (INAUDIBLE) but did nothing to intervene. He said the army generally quote, "doesn't know how to deal with settler terrorism.
He said soldiers did nothing at the first sight of groups of settlers, some of them even masked, coming towards the town.
And it's not that no one knew these attacks were going to happen, that little West Bank group or even some right wing members of the Israeli Parliament are members, have called for settlers to march towards Huwara and quote, heap revenge for the deaths of the Israeli brothers. But the Israeli soldiers said that the biggest failure of the Israeli
forces is actually their inability to protect and let in fire trucks to prevent the extensive damage to property.
Videos and testimony from witnesses show that emergency vehicles were blocked either by settler attacks or by Israeli soldiers telling them it was not safe to enter.
Eventually some of them did go in after being told they were doing so at their own risk. Now, since that night in February, there have been several more violent and sometimes deadly incidents between Palestinians and Israelis in and around Huwara.
Israeli soldiers remain in the town to reinforce the area, the IDF has said, and Palestinians say that in practice, that sometimes means the soldiers force them to close their shops.
The IDF chief of staff told CNN they have learned from the rampage in February and now they say rapidly reinforced security forces in a given area when suspicion arises of the development of a similarly severe incident.
But Palestinian residents in Huwara remain unconvinced. And with settler leaders now in positions of power in this government, they say they are fearful of what is to come.
Hadas Gold, CNN -- Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Fighting broke out in April between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
In an exclusive report, CNN's Nima Elbagir reveals how the notorious Russian mercenary group Wager in involved in the conflict in Sudan. And here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The fighting on the streets of Sudan is relentless. Cease fire after cease fire has not helped.
The (INAUDIBLE) key ally, the notorious Russian mercenary group Wagner has been sustaining their fight and providing the impetus to slaughter innocent people by supplying arms.
We are going to show you how.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Nima's full report airs later Friday at 3:00 p.m. in London, that's 4:00 p.m. in Khartoum. You will see it only here on CNN.
When we come back, a downgrade apocalypse. Airlines have been slashing perks for frequent flyers and dramatically increasing the number of miles needed to travel, especially international. Why? Because they can.
[01:38:11]
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VAUSE: And least 15 people are dead, 10 injured after a semi trailer collided with a bus carrying senior citizens at the local crossing in rural Canada. Police in Manitoba say it is one of the worst traffic accidents ever in the province.
And CNN's Paula Newton has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police officials were clear to say this was no local accident. In fact, they say that so many people are still reeling from what has become now a national tragedy.
What we know: we know that a group of seniors, about 25 of them, were traveling about a two hour drive on a bus to go to a casino in Manitoba. That casino, Sand Hills, confirms to CNN that they were supposed to be there throughout the afternoon.
That bus approached a four lane highway, and in attempting to cross it was hit by a large tractor trailer, a large truck. Apparently the accident scene for miles, there was smoke billowing, flames, people rushed to the scene, and attempted to help those who are there.
But people described a very grim scene with so many people having to be triaging there by the side of the highway.
I want you to listen now to the police official describing what it is going to take now to try and figure out exactly why this happened. Listen.
SUPERINTENDENT ROB LASSON, MANITOBA RCMP: So this is new for us and our investigators, and it's very emotionally draining for them as well. As I mentioned, this is a very complex, large investigation with lots of things we have to unfold and unpack.
NEWTON: Now police say a forensic reconstruction team will be on the scene to try and figure out what happened. We have to remember witnesses say that the skies were blue, the road was dry, there really is not an explanation so far.
They also said a couple of other interesting things. They say that perhaps there was a stop sign missing there at the intersection. Police wouldn't speculate but say it's something that they are investigating.
And also crucially, that the two drivers had survived and while they are injured, a police will speak to them when it is time.
In fact, hospital officials say that they still do not have a status report on those injured.
Paula Newton, CNN -- Ottawa.
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VAUSE: Across the globe, the first 11 days of June are the highest temperatures on record for this time of year. It wasn't even close. That is according to the E.U.'s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
It's also the first time in June that global surface air temperatures surpassed pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Other new research from the group Climate Central shows the near record heat forecast in much of Texas and Mexico has been made at least five times more likely by human caused climate change. Triple digit Fahrenheit temperatures are forecast from now until next week and that's over 40 degrees Celsius. It's not even summer yet here in the northern hemisphere.
There's something truly unique, truly awful in the shared misery for anyone who travels in the U.S. during the summer months. Even before the long lines at airport check-ins, epic waits at security checks, before the screaming child on every flight, before the disappearing in-flight service -- that is, if your flight is not delayed or canceled, there is the price of travel, which has soared and not just in dollar terms.
Airlines are demanding more frequent flyer miles, especially for international travel, than ever before. And then there is the downgrade apocalypse. About 20 million members of U.S. loyalty programs reportedly had their status downgraded during the first quarter of the year.
Add to that, expectations the coming months will potentially see a return to pre-pandemic levels and then some. It will be a summer of discontent.
Joining us now from New Hope, Pennsylvania Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy and expert on travel and loyalty programs. I'm really happy to speak to you about this. Good for you to be with us. We appreciate it.
BRIAN KELLY, FOUNDER, THE POINTS GUY: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Ok. Let's start with a frequent flyer points. What's going on there? Because they certainly do not come close beginning with what you used to get once in almost every respect -- from destinations, perks on board, access to airport lounges.
It all just feels kind of low rent right now. What's going on with that?
KELLY: So what you are talking about is inflation. And while that has hit pretty much every part of our economy, it really has, as well, frequent flyer miles. The airlines make a huge amount of profit from these loyalty programs.
So what happens is they sell billions of dollars worth of frequent flyer miles to credit card partners and then it is brilliant. They get to just increase the amount of miles needed for tickets.
[01:44:53]
KELLY: You know, United Airlines just did it the other day. Overnight, they will just start charging 20 or 30 percent more. And simply, it goes straight to their bottom line.
And there are so many miles out there that they can, frankly, do it.
VAUSE: And there's no incentive to improve this obviously? There is no real competition here?
KELLY: Exactly. But what I will advise people -- so while the big three American airlines are increasing the amount of points and miles needed per flight, you can transfer your credit card points -- you know, if you have American Express points, you can transfer to a partner like Virgin Atlantic. And they are now charging 15,000 or 20,000 miles one way from the U.S. to London. And Delta is ten times that for the same exact flight.
So what I urge people is, if you've got credit card points, just because you fly a certain airline like Delta, it doesn't mean you need to put all your miles in one basket.
Use credit card points and then transfer to foreign frequent flyer programs, which have not had the same level of inflation in terms of miles.
VAUSE: That is the best thing I have heard all month. Thank you.
U.S. Travel Association president is predicting this. The summer's travel demand will be as strong as we have ever seen before the pandemic, and potentially the strongest ever.
That kind of demand in a system that is woefully underfunded and understaffed is likely to create substantial frustrations among travelers because there wasn't already enough frustration. But is this simply at the core of most of the problems here? Too many people, not enough perks to go around?
KELLY: Basically, you know, It's a pretty grim situation in the U.S. The major airlines are canceling flights due to air traffic control shortages.
You know, our air traffic control system is wildly outdated, needs a multi billion dollar investment. And it's still very people-heavy and they simply cannot find enough qualified people who want to be air traffic controllers, which is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and pretty low paid.
So yes, you know, across Europe there are strikes happening all summer long, every weekend at Heathrow. Security guards are going to be striking, causing chaos.
So across the board there are a lot of reasons for travel chaos. But still, understaffing is one of them. In general, we are at about 80 percent staffing pre-pandemic. But now
pretty much at pre-pandemic levels.
VAUSE: And then there's also this sort of fast-tracked blame situation for security. You have CLEAR (ph), which is about $200 a year, that's meant to fix that problem. But here's a tweet from one traveler. And this has happened to me a lot. At Dulles Airport, tweeting out this photo, and said this. "Consistently long lines at the CLEAR pre-check lane at Dulles. Staffer advising people it's faster to go through standard lines. Remind me why our family pays for this service.
Exactly. So why do we pay for that service? Because that happens a lot.
KELLY: Yes, especially at airports like Atlanta, where there are lots and lots of CLEAR members. Look, it just depends. In general I do find CLEAR -- it actually gets me to the front of the pre-check lane in airports like Newark. It's pretty good. But you know, it's hit-or- miss.
What I highly recommend to people -- any traveler, get Global Entry. It's $100 so it's cheaper than CLEAR and that's for five years, Global Entry gets you pre-check. And a lot of credit cards will actually give you Global Entry for free.
So, it takes a little bit of time to apply, and it can take a while to get an interview for Global Entry.
But here is the trick. Whenever you travel abroad, you can, once you go through Customs on the way home, and Immigration, you can interview on the spot. They call it enrollment on arrival. You don't even need to schedule an appointment. You tell the immigration officer, I'm conditionally approved, and they will approve you on the spot for your Global Entry.
VAUSE: You are good at this. Brian, thank you so much. Brian Kelly, the font of all knowledge of all things travel. Thank you, sir.
KELLY: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Pleasure.
An historic climb on Mt. Everest. Just ahead, meet the extraordinary couple who completed the climb, for them -- obstacles -- what obstacles? Find out.
[01:48:56]
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VAUSE: A proposed merger between the PGA Tour in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf has already angered fans, outraged families of 9/11 victims, thrown royal golf professionals under the bus, sparked two U.S. Senate investigations, and now the "Wall Street Journal" is reporting a U.S. Justice Department investigation might just scuttle the whole deal.
CNN's Brian Todd has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a controversial sports mega deal from the get-go, and now it could soon be the subject of a Department of Justice investigation. The "Wall Street Journal" reports Justice has notified the PGA Tour that it will investigate the tour's planned merger with Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The Journal says Justice officials will be looking at antitrust concerns.
SHAN WU, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It's the idea that if you have within one industry major players that merge together, there's no longer any competition.
I mean, the whole point of the economy under our system is for people to be able to compete. So if you have the two major entities merging with each other, they're going to suck all the oxygen out of the free competition.
TODD: According to the Journal, antitrust lawyers have cited comments like this from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, who discussed why the merger would be good for the tour.
JAY MONAHAN, PGA TOUR COMMISSIONER: Ultimately to take the competitor off of the board to have them exist as a partner, not an owner.
TODD (voice-over): Last year, LIV Golf succeeded in luring away top PGA players like Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson. It reportedly offered superstar Tiger Woods between $700 million and $800 million to join, which Woods turned down.
The PGA Tour fought tooth and nail to stem LIV Golf's momentum, barring defecting players from competing in some PGA Tour events, engaging in legal disputes with the Saudi-backed tour. What changed?
DAN RAPAPORT, GOLF JOURNALIST, BARSTOOL SPORTS: The money went out in the end. The Saudis had way more money than PGA Tour. The PGA Tour, I guess, came to a conclusion that they couldn't continue to fight this fight. They just didn't have the resources to continue.
TODD: The surprise announcement of the merger last week outraged critics, who pointed out that one of America's most iconic sports entities was now teaming up with a tour backed by a wealth fund chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. The man who U.S. intelligence said approved the operation which led to the murder and dismemberment of "Washington Post" columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, which bin Salman has denied.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Basically, the headline is, never mind. Everything we talked about, the outrage of the PGA tour, how they spoke about the 9/11 families and their concern about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi -- that's all out the window.
The PGA Tour has wimped out, let's just say what it is.
TODD: Could a Justice Department investigation kill the potential merger?
WU: Yes, a DOJ investigation like this could stop the merger. DOJ could not approve it and say this is going to violate antitrust laws.
TODD: CNN has reached out to the Department of Justice, to the PGA Tour, and to LIV Golf seeking comment on "The Wall Street Journal" report of an investigation. We haven't heard back.
This comes just days after two entities in the U.S. Senate, the Finance Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations announced their own investigations into the merger.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Two deaf American mountain climbers are the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Here's CNN's Anna Coren with an amazing story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the moment Scott Leahmann and Shayna Unger reached the top of the tallest peak on the planet. In doing so, they became the first deaf Americans to summit Mt. Everest. Shayna also made history as the first deaf women in the world to successfully complete the climb.
SHAYNA UNGER, FIRST DEAF WOMAN TO CLIMB MT. EVEREST: When we got to the top, we felt like we defeated all the odds. We were really proud of ourselves.
SCOTT LEAHMANN, FIRST DEAF MAN TO CLIMB MT. EVEREST: It proves that with the right attitude and the right adjustments, that space is available for deaf and hard of hearing people.
COREN: Unfortunately, their triumph was later tinge with sadness as they learned that Muhammad (INAUDIBLE) a deaf climber from Malaysia, who they had befriended on the mountain, had gone missing after his successful ascent on May 18th. A search and rescue operation has failed to find him.
[01:55:01]
COREN: While summiting Everest is an impressive achievement in itself, Scott and Shayna had even loftier ambitions. The couple are aiming to be the first deaf individuals to climb the highest mountain on each continent, known as the Seven Summits.
Their Everest expedition puts them over halfway to reaching that goal.
UNGER: We are still processing Everest. But for sure next, will be one of the three 7 summits. Which one, we are not sure.
COREN: The educators from the Washington D.C. area were both born profoundly deaf. Due to a lack of accessibility for the deaf community and outdoor education, Scott and Shayna learned many of their mountaineering skills from YouTube videos.
In turn, they have been sharing their experiences online, documenting everything from life at Everest base camp to the specific challenges they faced on their expeditions.
Scott and Shayna use social media to explain how they manage logistics on mountain routes, and navigate common misconceptions about their abilities as deaf climbers.
The duo are committed to making mountain climbing more accessible to people for marginalized communities, especially deaf and hard of hearing youth.
UNGER: I want all kids to dream bigger.
COREN: A mission that will be top of mind when they scale their next summit.
Anna Coren, CNN -- Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Now for something which seemed straight out of the Bible. A little plague for you. One Nevada town is dealing with its own plague of crickets. The swarms of migrating Mormon crickets, as they are called, have taken up every space in Elko. Apparently they don't bite people, but they do bite crops, a lot of them.
At first residents of the town (INAUDIBLE) were curious. Now, they want them to go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLETTE REYNOLDS, ELKO NEVADA RESIDENT: When we looked out here, the whole wall was just covered. That really, really, really freaked me out.
STEPHANIE GARRETT, ELKO, NEVADA RESIDENT: You could see that they're moving and crawling and the whole road crawling and it just makes your skin crawl. It's so gross.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So gross, it's creepy.
Well, it seems apocalyptic, this type of swarm is not unusual. The state's entomologist says it's just more noticeable when it happens in populated areas. It is kind of nasty.
I'm John Vause.
Kim Brunhuber picks up our coverage in just a moment after a short break here on CNN NEWSROOM.
See you right back here next week.
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