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Search Mission Underway For Missing Titanic Tour Submersible; 30 Million People Across The South Are At Risk As Severe Weather Batters The Region; U.K. Parliament Backs Report That Boris Johnson Lied Over Partygate. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 20, 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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[01:00:38]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead on CNN Newsroom, a race against time, rescuers work desperately to track down a civilian sub that went missing during a voyage to the Titanic wreckage.

High winds, hail and tornadoes rip across the southern United States with more storms in the forecast on Tuesday, and the U.S. and China trying to get their relationship back on track in Beijing, but fall short of at least one key goal.

And we begin with a search and rescue mission happening right now in the North Atlantic Ocean for a missing submersible, carrying five people to see the wreckage of the Titanic. The sub belongs to the commercial underwater exploration company OceanGate, which lost contact with a vessel an hour and 45 minutes into its descent on Sunday.

According to an archived version of OceanGate's website, the Titan submersible has room for five people, a pilot, a content expert and three paying passengers.

Now one of the people on board the sub for this expedition is Hamish Harding, the founder and chair of Action Aviation. In an Instagram post on Saturday, he said this mission would likely be the only manned mission to the Titanic this year, and that there were a lot of preparations to do before the dive. More now on the search from CNN's Paula Newton.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The U.S. Coast Guard is taking the lead on the search and rescue mission. And they confirm in fact that this is a very challenging mission. The reason is that they say this area in the North Atlantic is very remote if you can imagine, not only do they have to search such a large area and perhaps challenging weather we do know now that fog has rolled in.

But the fact that they have to search perhaps an area of the seabed as far as nearly two and a half miles down. That is where the Titanic wreck is. And that is when presumably they lost contact with this submersible. It's only 21 feet long. And so this will continue to be a challenge as the hours roll on here.

I want you to listen now to the U.S. Coast Guard.

REAR ADM. JOHN MAUGER, COMMANDER, U.S. COAST GUARD FIRST DISTRICT: To make sure that we're looking on both the surface using aerial and surface vessels, but then expanding into underwater search as well. Right now our capability is limited to sonar buoys and listening for sounds. But you know, we're working very hard to increase the capability.

NEWTON: Now the rear admiral there is confirming the fact that they are going on what they know from the company, OceanGate expeditions that they have 96 hours or thereabouts in total of emergency life support that would include fuel and oxygen. They continue to ask for more resources to go to the region. The Canadian Armed Forces tells me that they will continue to cycle fixed wing aircraft through that area in order to help with the search but they're also calling on commercial vessels to go to the area as they continue to try and locate the submersible really when they lost contact with it on Sunday afternoon.

They still have had zero communication and therefore it makes it much more difficult to even pinpoint a search location. Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And late last year, OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush showed a CBS team the inside of the Titan submersible used for the company's Titanic expeditions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STOCKTON RUSH, FOUNDER AND CEO, OCEANGATE: Take your shoes off that's customary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Wow. Inside the sub has about as much room as a minivan.

RUSH: So this is not your grandfather's submersible. We only have one button. That's it. It should be like an elevator. You know, it shouldn't take a lot of skill. We run the whole thing with this game controller.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:05:00]

CHURCH: We're joined by David Gallo. He is a Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives with RMS Titanic, Inc., the company that owns the exclusive salvage rights to the Titanic wreck site. Thank you so much for talking with us.

DAVID GALLO, SENIOR ADVISOR FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES WITH RMS TITANIC, INC.: My pleasure.

CHURCH: Now, this search and rescue effort is a desperate race against the clock, of course, to find the submersible and its crew before those oxygen supplies run out. What are your main concerns right now?

GALLO: Well, I've been in this business for about four decades, and this is the tension I've ever seen the community and the community. It is a race against time you're fighting oxygen levels, they should have a day or two more left of oxygen, also fighting the cold if the sub is still in the bottom, because the deep ocean is just above freezing cold. So hypothermia is an issue.

I think that was the biggest thing is where is it? Is it on the bottom? Is it floating? Is it midwater? And that's something that hasn't been determined yet. Hopefully, with all the help that coming to bear, it will be found fairly quickly. But that's a dangerous thing to say, because I don't know if that means a day or two days or three weeks. And we'll have to wait and see and hope for the best.

CHURCH: And of course, once the submersible is located, it then has to be rescued. How complicated will that process be given the deep waters around the wreckage of the Titanic?

GALLO: Complicated because and you said it the waters very deep two miles plus, and it's like a visit to another planet. It's not what people think it is. It's a son that's forever cold environment, high pressure.

And so yes, it's one thing is to get there. Second thing is to understand the situation about what the problem is with the sub and then go to work and trying to extricate it from that.

The good news is, is that the technology to do that, and the techniques and the talent to do that is all there. And if anyone can get that done that group if things fall in the right place can do that.

CHURCH: Yes. And of course, as you mentioned, the hardest part right now is finding this sub. How do rescuers locate a small submersible like this in such deep and expensive waters?

GALLO: It's very different from something like Air France or Malaysian Air in that. The surface ship should have a pretty good idea where the sub was less known, it's less known position. A sub won't go very far. If it's gotten into trouble on the surface, it may drift a bit, but on the bottom motoring, two miles an hour or something like that.

So the search area should be small. That doesn't mean it'll be easy to find. But it means that you can focus on a very tight area and bring your sonars in and cameras in and whatever you need to do into that area to try to locate the sub satellite looking for a huge area of the seafloor. It's a fairly small area. CHURCH: And I have to ask you just how safe are these Titanic sub voyages? And could this particular incident change or perhaps even end these types of submarine expeditions do you think?

GALLO: Yes, well, this is the third year for OceanGate. And they had two successful seasons. This one obviously not successful to this point. And we're still hoping for the best. It's going to change things for sure. And I think it has to change things. Because when this all began, it was only a few people that could go as deep as Titanic. But now pretty much anyone that's got the resources $1 billion or maybe less can build a submarine and attempt to go to Titanic and so there needs to be some restriction on that kind of thing. Yes.

CHURCH: David Gallo, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it.

GALLO: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Storms have battered the U.S. South in some of these same places already devastated by tornadoes over the past few days. More than 30 million people across the region are under a severe weather threat Tuesday into Wednesday.

And take a look at this video of a possible tornado in Moss Point, Mississippi. The storm ripped through the area leveling several homes and businesses in its path. At least one person was killed and nearly two dozen injured when a powerful twister swept through the Mississippi town of Lewin Sunday night. The National Weather Service gave it a preliminary rating of F three. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has more on the dangerous weather impacting the country.

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CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Quite a few severe weather reports all the way from Virginia all the way down to the Gulf Coast. The most severe along the Gulf Coast itself with tornadoes reported down there, some hitting some towns with damage down there. Also another event very, very heavy rainfall, six to 10 inches of rain fell in a short period of time with flash flood emergencies in effect.

[01:10:08]

Now here we go. This is what the computer thinks the rainfall is going to look like throughout the day on Tuesday, taking you all the way to Wednesday. Notice what happens Tuesday afternoon, big storms could be rolling right through New Orleans. This is kind of the biggest threat that I see here. Some of those storms could also be severe with heavy rainfall, wind and even some hail.

So if it falls on the same places that already saw the heavy rainfall, there could be more flash flooding in the forecast. And also that rainfall will be heading up the east coast up into Charlotte, up the hills, up the Appalachian chain and that all the rainfall will be here along in east of that upslope flow of that mountain their area and also some heavy rainfall across parts of Texas. And of course New Orleans where I showed you those storms will be

something else that's going on to the west of there is this record breaking heat more than 60 places will likely break record highs with excessive heat warnings in effect and a heat index to 122 in the afternoon in some places that's in the shade.

So these are the temperatures on the thermometer without the heat kind of added in and humidity added in. The temperatures are going to be hot already. You add in the humidity and it's going to feel much warmer in places -- it's going to feel like 120 degrees. It did in Corpus Christi on Monday. It felt for a time 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

One more thing going on tropical storm Brett. It was named Brett at 5pm on Monday, and it's out here in the Atlantic way out there. But it is forecast to move to the west toward the islands. And if you notice here the numbers forecast to become a hurricane. Not until probably Wednesday or Thursday, but this storm will likely intensify and move to some populated islands and possibly even into the Gulf of Mexico next week.

We'll have to watch that. This track is still way too far out to figure out where this thing is going to go just yet.

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CHURCH: In India, a blistering heatwave is scorching parts of the country. Officials in the state of Bihar say at least 44 people have died in recent days due to the high temperatures. The Indian Meteorological Office issued a red alert after some districts in Bihar recorded temperatures above 113 degrees Fahrenheit or 45 degrees Celsius. But temperatures are expected to cool in the coming days.

Well, coming up next. The U.S. Secretary of State wraps up his trip to China with a key meeting what both sides are saying about the progress made during his visit. Plus, more bad news for Boris Johnson after British lawmakers approved a report that found the former Prime Minister lied to them while in office. We'll have that more in just a moment. Stay with us.

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[01:16:32]

CHURCH: The U.S. Secretary of State is touting progress after two days of talks with top Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping. But key issues between the U.S. and China remain unresolved. CNN's Ivan Watson has details.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Is this enough to stop the downward spiral. Antony Blinken, the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit the Chinese capital in five years, shaking hands with Xi Jinping, China's leader for life the most powerful since Mao. Xi positioned himself as the dominant figure at the head of the table, but also recognizes the need to stabilize ties between the world's two most powerful nations.

XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT (through translator): The two sides have also made progress and reached agreement on some specific issues. This is very good.

WATSON: Relations between China and the U.S. sharply deteriorated at the end of the Trump administration.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: China has been taking advantage of the United States for a long time.

WATSON: Since then, they've only gotten worse the biggest Flashpoint the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own. Beijing regularly deploys war planes and warships around Taiwan, while accusing Washington of stoking the fires of the islands independence.

In November, President Biden met with Xi in Bali to rescue this vital relationship.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're going to compete vigorously, but I'm not looking for conflict. I'm looking to manage his competition responsibly.

WATSON: But any goodwill generated quickly shattered by the appearance of a giant Chinese surveillance balloon over the U.S. in February, U.S. warplanes shut it down. Meanwhile, Beijing claims us moves like a ban on the sale of semiconductors are aimed at constraining China's rise.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY FO STATE: What this is about, again, is not trying to cut off, eliminate hinder economic relations. On the contrary, we think that they should be strengthened, but in a way that looks out for our workers.

We can, we will and we must take steps necessary to protect our national security. If the shoe were on the other foot, I have no doubt that China would do exactly the same thing.

WATSON (on camera): In Beijing, Blinken succeeded at achieving his stated goal of reestablishing communication with China. China's Foreign Minister accepted an invitation to visit Washington, and both governments agreed to expand person to person exchanges and increased commercial passenger flight.

WATSON (voiceover): But when it comes to communication between the U.S. and Chinese militaries, and their dangerously close encounters in the Indo Pacific, there's been no progress.

BLINKEN: I think it's absolutely vital that we have these kinds of communications, military to military at this moment. China has not agreed to move forward with that. I think that's an issue that we have to keep working on.

WATSON: Despite friction, U.S.-Chinese trade reached record highs last year, perhaps the world's two largest economies can't afford further confrontation. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now Bobby Ghosh is a columnist and editorial board member at Bloomberg opinion. Appreciate you being with us.

[01:20:02]

CHURCH: So U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says progress was made during his visit to China, and during his 35-minute meeting with President Xi Jinping. But big picture, what overall concrete progress was really made in resetting this chance relationship between the world's two largest economies and of course, establishing some level of stability.

BOBBY GHOSH, COLUMNIST AND EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER, BLOOMBERG: Well, concrete progress is very hard to define, given the nature of diplomacy. All we've all that both sides have said is that they will keep talking, which I suppose you could say that is the ultimate goal of any diplomatic initiative, as long as two parties keep talking.

And in this case, the two most powerful countries, two most powerful militaries in the world, keep talking, that's a good thing for them. That's a good thing for everybody.

So, I think Blinken, the Biden administration were very careful to manage expectations ahead of time. They did signal that no concrete results should be expected from this visit. But, he got to see Xi Jinping face to face. This was the first visit of a Secretary of State to the -- to China in five years, these are not small things.

And there's talk of more American officials engaging with their Chinese counterparts in the months ahead, possibly even a Xi Jinping- Biden meeting, during or after the U.N. General Assembly in the fall. So in some talks about more talks, but that's not a bad thing.

CHURCH: No military to military communication channels or so was set up between the two superpowers, so which is of course, crucial, given some recent close calls that we've seen. But progress was made on the issue of fentanyl with the plans to set up a working group on the deadly drug.

But Taiwan still remains the toughest challenge for both nations, doesn't it? What needs to happen on that issue? Is it even solvable? Given both sides are pretty much the opposite ends?

GHOSH: I don't think is a solution that neatly ties up all the issues into a bowl is conceivable or possible. You pointed out the failure of -- the failure of any progress on military to military communications. This is very important in the context of China. Because there's a lot of military activity around Taiwan, the Taiwan Straits, the Chinese navy, the Chinese Air Force, Taiwanese defense forces and American ships and aircraft not far away from that area.

There's always a risk of something going wrong. Two planes flying too close together, ships miscommunicating and something going off. That is the nightmare scenario for military planners everywhere. This is the sort of thing we used to worry about at the height of the

Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. But there was communications between Moscow and Washington at that time, just to prevent any kind of sudden an untoward incident. That kind of communication is not taking place between China and the United States right now. That's something we should all be concerned about.

CHURCH: Right. The U.S. wants it. But China doesn't. But do you see that that could change, perhaps as these talks between the two nations continue?

GHOSH: Well, it's a little hard to gauge that. The Chinese think that the United States is in irreconcilably hostile towards them. The U.S. feels that the Chinese are making hostile gestures of their own. They've not agreed to a timetable when they might resume military to military conversation communications.

So it's a little hard to predict if that might come off. There was hope that Blinken visits to lock that particular conundrum that hasn't happened.

CHURCH: And in his press conference, Secretary Blinken said that better communication and engagement with China will happen going forward. What is your assessment of that? And how long and delicate my thought process proved to be do you think?

GHOSH: Well, it's it -- if it happens, that's wonderful. If Blinken is coming away, genuinely optimistic, and this is not just diplomat ease, then that's something we should all be relieved and happy about. I think it will be very delicate. I think it will go on for a very long time. I don't think the two countries are going to be good friends.

If they can just keep talking and use communications channels to prevent more antagonism to try and solve individual areas of miscommunication or disagreement that would be good enough, that would be progressive enough. And we could all say that Blinken has had an excellent trip.

[01:25:09]

CHURCH: Bobby Ghosh, good to talk with you. Many thanks.

British lawmakers have overwhelmingly voted to uphold a report claiming former Prime Minister Boris Johnson lied to Parliament multiple times over the party gate scandal. Johnson has dodged some of the consequences already but can't avoid all of the fallout. CNN's Nada Bashir has more now from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (on camera): While the report was backed by an overwhelming majority of MPs, 354 members of Parliament who is in their approval, with just seven MPs on the opposing side, and it was a damning report for Boris Johnson. It's findings describing the former prime minister as having repeatedly and deliberately misled parliament over parties and social gatherings, which took place under his watch at a time when the country was facing strict lockdown restrictions.

Now typically allegations as serious as this would warrant the suspension of an MP for 90 days, the duration of which could in turn trigger a by election, with Boris Johnson officially standing down from his post as an MP just over a week ago, those parliamentary sanctions will not apply. He will however, be stripped of his access to the Palace of Westminster.

Now, Boris Johnson has previously rejected the committee's findings describing it as a charade and accusing the community of twisting the truth in order to suit their purposes. But of course, the allegations against Boris Johnson are serious and there continues to be widespread anger and distrust towards the government over the party gets scandal, a scandal which is still very much in the headlines. Take a look at this video released over the weekend by U.K. tabloid paper The Mirror.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you filming this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Er, it's for party.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as we don't stream that we're like, bending the rules.

BASHIR: Now those featured in the video include former aides of Boris Johnson taking part in a celebration over the Christmas period in 2020, while the country was still under strict lockdown restrictions.

At this stage, London's Metropolitan Police says it is aware of the footage and is considering it and as we've seen in the past, those involved could face financial penalties. But this is of course, a hugely damning piece of evidence for the former prime minister who is no stranger to scandals. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Just ahead. The U.S. presidential election is almost a year and a half away but a new poll shows how President Biden would fare in a head to head matchup with Donald Trump. Plus, Russia says it has a new battlefield tactic, claiming it can use a tank as a bomb. We will bring you the latest on the war in Ukraine. Back with that more in just a moment.

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[01:31:57]

CHURCH: Just in to CNN, we have learned a Pakistani father and son are among the five crew members of the submersible that has gone missing on a dive to the Titanic wreckage. Their family has identified them as Shahzada Dawood and his son Sulaiman. The father is on the board of trustees at the SETI institute in California, a nonprofit research organization.

These are live pictures overlooking St. John's harbor where search efforts are based. The family statement says, as of now, contact has been lost with the submersible craft and there is limited information available.

We will of course, continue to follow this story.

Well, a U.S. magistrate is barring Donald Trump and his co-defendant from disclosing any information handed over to their attorneys in the classified documents case.

Special counsel Jack Smith asked for the ban. Trump went on Fox News Monday and offered his latest explanation for not handing over boxes of documents to government investigators.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've got a lot of things in there. I will go through those boxes. I have to go through those boxes. I take out personal things.

As far as the levels and all, everything was declassified because I had the right to declassify.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS CHIEF POLITICAL ANCHOR: Why not just hand them over then?

TRUMP: Because I had boxes. I want to go through the boxes and get all my personal things out. I do not want to hand that over to NARA. I was very busy, as you've sort of seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Pictures from the special counsel's indictment show boxes of material stored in a ballroom and a bathroom at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. He has pleaded not guilty to 37 counts of illegally retaining national defense information and obstructing the Justice Department investigation.

Well new polling shows Donald Trump's two indictments are not making a dent in his support with Republican voters.

CNN's Jessica Dean has our report.

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JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As former president Donald Trump sorts through all of his legal battles, we are getting some fresh insight, thanks to recent polling by Quinnipiac University as to how this is all playing out politically for the former president.

And if you take a look at the Republican field for the 2024 nomination, you can see his support really is not eroded away at all in the wake of this recent indictment, the second, of course, this year and a potential third one under way out of Georgia.

You see him there with 53 percent of support from Republican voters or those who lean Republican, and then 23 percent for Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis. That's the next closest competitor there. Everybody else in the single digits. A couple of things to keep in mind, it is of course very early still

and this is a national poll. This is not done in the states that will really determine so much of the outcome of those early voting states at the beginning part of 2024.

[01:34:51]

DEAN: Quinnipiac also doing a potential and hypothetical head to head match up between the current President Joe Biden and then former president Trump. Biden leading there with 48 percent to Trump's 44 percent.

And while all of the actual voting in the 2024 race continues to be pretty far away, that does not mean that we are not seeing the candidates out on the trail.

We're seeing President Biden in northern California where he is doing some fundraising and also talking about one of the key issues that we are told will be central to his campaign and that is climate change.

He is talking about climate resiliency, talking about money that will be going to a lot of these coastal areas to put climate resiliency practices into place. That is part of the Inflation Reduction Act, some of his signature legislation that passed with Democrat-only support out of Congress last August.

On the other side we see Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis there. He is also doing some fundraising but talking about very different messaging where he is really seeking to contrast himself to blue states led by Democrats.

And he is really seeking that contrast between himself and California's Governor Gavin Newsom. We saw his team putting out a video today really slamming Newsom and his policies there in California.

We also know that he was fundraising to those smaller donors off of text messages, that sort of thing on being in California and really taking on these Democratically-led states.

And then of course, the ultimate Democrat President Joe Biden who continues to try to laser focus in on when he is on the stump. When 0he's off the stump, that is when we see him take on his chief rival in the GOP contest, that is the former president, Donald Trump.

Jessica Dean, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: More now on President Biden's visit to California where he is touting his record on fighting climate change as he makes his case for reelection. Mr. Biden visited a nature preserve in California on Monday, less than a week after four major environmental groups endorsed him.

The president says he has taken the most aggressive climate action ever while Republicans have tried to block it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I think of climate, I think of jobs. When I think of climate, I think of innovation. When I think of climate, I think of turning peril into progress. That is why I am so optimistic about the future, I really am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The president also announced funding to modernize California's electrical grid and to host the first ever White House Climate Resilience Summit. He is also appearing at several fund-raisers during this three-day trip.

And coming up next on CNN NEWSROOM, Russia's most prominent opposition figure says he is going to turn Russians against the war in Ukraine even as he faces another trial. We will explain.

[01:37:36]

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CHURCH: A new trial has begun for jailed Kremlin critic, Alexei Navalny. This time on so-called extremism charges, which he and his supporters say are absurd and politically motivated. Navalny appeared in court on Monday at a penal colony east of Moscow. Journalists were not allowed inside the courtroom and neither were Navalny's parents who he had requested be allowed inside.

But even behind bars, facing health problems and new charges, Navalny is still fighting for change in Russia. He is starting a new campaign to turn Russians against the war in Ukraine and to fight what he called Putin's lies and Kremlin hypocrisy.

His press secretary explains how they plan to do it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRA YARMYSH, ALEXEI NAVALNY'S PRESS SECRETARY: Everyone in Russia has someone, or they know someone who mobilized during the war or even died during the war. So I mean it is difficult to cover the truth.

But still, it is very difficult as well to get actual resources of information. So this is what we are trying -- what we're hoping to do. We would like to use call centers, social networks, and messengers and try to persuade Russians that the war is something that is ruining not only their neighbor country, but their own country as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russia is launching fresh air attacks across Ukraine, targeting cities as far away as Lviv in the west and Zaporizhzhia in the east in a massive overnight assault. Ukrainians say they identified and destroyed about two dozen drones around the capital Kyiv. All this as Ukraine's battle to claw back its own territory from Russian control intensifies.

Ben Wedeman has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russian forces have laid dense minefields and deployed a significant number of reserves along the southern front. This, according to the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi -- underscoring just how difficult Ukraine's counteroffensive still in its opening phases, is proving to be.

On Monday morning the Ukrainian deputy defense minister announced that Kyiv's forces had managed to retake eight settlements and 113 square kilometers, or about 44 square miles of territory.

But by the afternoon, it was not at all clear which side, if any, was in control of one of those eight settlements, the town of Pyatykhatky (ph) south of Zaporizhzhia.

Now the Ukrainian counteroffensive is less than two weeks old and it is widely believed that Ukrainians have yet to commit the bulk of their forces to the fight.

This, as the Russians seem to have unveiled a new tactic, cramming old Soviet-era T54 tanks with tons of explosives and driving it unmanned towards Ukrainian lines.

[01:44:59]

WEDEMAN: Now, the Russian defense ministry has put out a video showing that tank going up in a massive explosion, just 300 yards from the Ukrainian lines, but it is not clear if the blast caused any casualties.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN -- reporting from Zaporizhzhia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: In the West Bank, five Palestinians are dead, more than 90 others are wounded and at least eight Israeli forces are injured as well. The result of an Israeli raid on Monday in the city of Jenin.

As CNN's Hadas Gold shows us, it escalated into a ferocious battle into which both sides brought in new weapons and new tactics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: What was supposed to be an arrest operation to arrest two wanted suspects by Israeli forces turned into a much bigger situation that turned actually into an 11- hour operation that is taking place in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, which has long been a flash point (INAUDIBLE) for both militant activity and Israeli military raids.

But what happened showed new tactics and different levels of force than we have seen here in recent months in the two years or so since we have seen escalating levels of violence.

Now, the militants we saw then using a very powerful IED, a roadside bombs that exploded while a convoy of Israeli military vehicles were going through, the Israeli military one of their Panther command vehicles was hit by this roadside bomb.

We see some rather dramatic video of that explosion taking place, and the Israeli military saying it essentially took out the underside of this Panther command vehicle and some of the Israeli forces who were injured were in that vehicle.

In fact, five other Israeli military vehicles were rendered inoperable as a result of the heavy fire fights. And it took several hours to extract some Israeli soldiers out of Jenin.

Now, while the Israeli military was trying to extract some of the injuries and some of the soldiers out of the situation, they used something -- Israeli military used something that has not been seen since the days of the Second Intifada, since the early 2000s. And that is the use of an Apache helicopter firing over Jenin to provide cover for the soldiers as they're trying to leave.

The Israeli military saying they fired towards open areas as far as we understand there had been no injuries specifically ascribed to the helicopter firing.

But to see the use of an Apache helicopter over a dense urban area, again this is not something that we have seen in decades.

Now, five Palestinians were killed as a result of this operation, three of them have been claimed by the Islamic Jihad militant group as their members. 90 others were injured as a result of these fierce clashes, but among the dead we do know is a 15 year old boy and among the injured is a freelancer photojournalist who was covering the raid as it happened.

Hadas Gold, CNN -- Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A courageous World War II Marine Corps veteran celebrates his 100th birthday, but he still waits for the one recognition that he wants from the Pentagon. We will bring you his story in just a moment.

[01:48:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back.

Well, Lee Newby Jr. was one of the first black Marines in the U.S. military. He fought both the enemy and discrimination during World War II and he is the recipient of a congressional gold medal on his 100th birthday.

There is only one thing Newby asking for. A medal that, so far, the Pentagon has denied him.

CNN's Jason Carroll has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 1923, the year of the Charleston, time before televisions, FM radio, before scientists had discovered penicillin. The year Lee Vernon Newby Jr. was born in Jackson, Tennessee, 100 years ago.

LEE NEWBY JR., WORLD WAR II VETERAN: Generally, I've live a pretty quiet life. Hey, hey, how you doing?

CARROLL: Not so quiet. In 1942, at the onset of America's entry into World War II, Newby made history. He was drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps when he was 18 years old, making him one of the first African- American Marines.

NEWBY JR.: I was nervous.

CARROLL: Yes.

NEWBY JR.: Yes. I didn't know what I was getting into. But I wanted to save my country.

CARROLL: Did you feel extra pressure because you were one of a few?

NEWBY JR.: Yes, it did. But I was thankful, you know, for the opportunity.

CARROLL: Newby was assigned to the Montford Point Marines, a segregated Negro unit in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Not long after, he headed to the South Pacific to the Battle of Guadalcanal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is time for America to take the offensive.

CARROLL: To fight an enemy overseas while still coping with racial barriers from home.

NEWBY JR.: The blacks over here and the white was over there.

CARROLL: So they kept you segregated.

NEWBY JR.: It was segregated. Yes.

CARROLL: It was that mission in the Solomon Islands where Newby was badly injured during an accident when gasoline exploded in a hole.

NEWBY JR.: All of a sudden something hit me right in my chest. When I hit the deck and got up you know all the skin just laying out you know down. I prayed I said Lord I want to come back but I want a family.

CARROLL: Burns covered more than sixty percent of Newby's body. He was hospitalized for several weeks. Then his family says the Marines sent him back into action.

ELLENA D. NEWBY-BANNETTE, DAUGHTER OF LEE NEWBY JR.: He was ordered to go back into the war. He wasn't a hundred percent healed.

NEWBY JR.: Well that's as me when I was getting married and so forth.

CARROLL: I don't want to ask you what year that was.

Newby received an honorable discharge in 1946, but was not treated as a war veteran back home, where he struggled dealing with racism and Jim Crow laws. He eventually found work as a janitor and chauffeur and raised a family. Years later, he received recognition for his service and longevity.

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CARROLL; Local news covered his birthday in April. He took us to his room at a senior living facility outside Detroit where he showed us his medals, including the Congressional Gold Medal.

And this is presented by President Obama.

NEWBY JR.: Yes.

CARROLL (voice-over): And a framed birthday letter from President Joe Biden. He says he's grateful for all of it. But it is this letter that's causing him so much pain these days.

It came last month informing Newby he's not eligible to receive the Purple Heart, something he had been hoping for. The letter concluded, "Since you were not wounded at the hands of the enemy, you are not entitled to the Purple Heart."

NEWBY JR.: It makes me feel not good because the government, the United States government, you know, we are in the years that the year has been passed by with the Black we've been getting a short deal.

CARROLL: His family heartbroken but planning to appeal the decision.

JANNISSE M. NEWBY, DAUGHTER OF LEE NEWBY JR.: He's a hundred years old and he should have that and that's what he's still fighting for and hoping for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I want is for the Pentagon to really recognize just to respect, you know, his sacrifices.

CARROLL: Purple Heart or not Newby has already earned his place in history.

NEWBY JR.: I still love America. I still say America, maybe someday I hope that it will be better for my race as a whole.

CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN -- Detroit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be right back with more CNN NEWSROOM. Do stay with us.

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