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Titanic Submersible Search Intensifies With Just Hours To Save Missing People; Israeli Settlers Rampage Through Palestinian Village After Hamas Shooting; Dozens Injured In Central Paris After Gas Explosion; Ukrainian Counteroffensive Seeing Notable Success On Southern Front. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 22, 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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[01:00:28]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN Newsroom, with oxygen supplies on board the missing Titan submersibles dwindling, the surge soon in the Atlantic now doubles in size.
For the first time in almost two decades, an Israeli airstrike targets a car in the West Bank, killing three Palestinians accused by Israel are being terrorists.
And from lab to table, what's known as cultivated meat now on the menu at two U.S. restaurants, but questions remain over upscaling production to bring down costs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thanks for joining us with the latest down search efforts from the Titan submersible and the five people on board are intensifying with more high tech equipment and ships heading to the area where bagging sounds were heard over the past two days.
The U.S. Coast Guard says it's not entirely clear what those noises are. But they are the only indication of possible signs of life, maybe from the vessel, which has been missing now for almost four days. A deep sea French robot has been rushed to the safe.
The Victor 6000 is one of the few vessels capable of operating at a depth of 20,000 feet. The Titan was heading for the wreckage of the Titanic, lying on the ocean floor 12,500 feet down. The victim 6,000 is remotely controlled. And while it's not able to lift the Titan to the surface, it could hook a cable from his own support ship and pull the submersible to safety.
Contact with the Titan was lost early Sunday, less than two hours into its descent to the wreck of the Titanic. Each trip begins with 96 hours of oxygen, meaning a key deadline for finding this up is now just hours away. More details down from CNN Miguel Marquez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAPT. JAMIE FREDERICK, U.S. CAOST GUARD: This is a search and rescue mission. 100 percent.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Rescuers clinging to every sliver of hope indistinct sounds from the ocean depths could be assigned the sign of life.
FREDERICK: The noises were heard by a Canadian P3. And that was this morning and some yesterday.
MARQUEZ: The noise described as banging sounds at regular intervals in the Department of Homeland Security briefing are now described as less specific than that, but still the focus of the search.
FREDERICK: We need to have hope, right? But I don't -- I can't tell you what the noises are. But what I can tell you is and I think this is the most important point. We're searching where the noises are. And that's all we can do at this point.
MARQUEZ: The sounds picked up by buoys like this one dropped from planes then listening for any signs of life from the Titan submersible.
CARL HARTSFIELD, WOODS HOLE OCEANGRAPHIC INSTITUION This team has multiple sensors, they're in the area. They're sending data back expeditiously to the best in the world.
MARQUEZ: It takes about a day for ships from St. John's the closest land to the Titanic wreck site to arrive at the search area. That search area enormous two times the size of Connecticut. A grid pattern provided by the U.S. Coast Guard indicates the meticulous nature of the search and how it's expanded.
The commercial ship Horizon Arctic left this morning with equipment and gear from three U.S. military C-17 cargo planes and another Canadian Coast Guard ship the Terry Fox left St John's today and is on the way. They will join eight other ships either already at the search area or in route.
The submersible made of carbon fiber and titanium no hatch, it's five person crew bolted into the 21 foot craft stirred controversy during its development and testing.
In 2018, the Marine Technology Society a volunteer group that offers technical advice to the industry express concerns to OceanGate about quote, the current experimental approach adopted by OceanGate could result in negative outcomes from minor to catastrophic that would have serious consequences for everyone in the industry. Unquote.
The industry group wanted OceanGate to submit to comprehensive testing and certification standards. It's not clear what steps ocean gate undertook to test and adhere to those standards. Its founder Stockton Rush who is on the missing sub expressed his take on research and testing this way when asked by one of his previous passengers. STOCKTON RUSH, FOUNDER AND CEO, OCEANGATE: I broken some rules to make
this. I think got broken with logic and good engineering behind me the carbon fiber and titanium there's a rule you don't do that. Well I did.
MARQUEZ: Later in 2018, two employees separately expressed concerns about the thickness of the carbon fiber hole. One employee was fired.
[01:05:00]
He sued for wrongful termination. The other resign. The lawsuit was settled out of court and OceanGate says eat conducted further testing on the sub to ensure functionality and safety.
MARQUEZ (on camera): Spoke to one man here in St. John's today that did that trip with OceanGate down to the Titanic wreckage he took his son on that trip last year. He says that they both have great confidence in the company. They went through tons of training on both rescues and emergencies and even learning lots about the capsule itself. He says that they trust the technology and the design of that submersible. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Tom Dettweiler is an ocean explorer who played a key role in the discovery of the wreckage of the Titanic. It's also a close friend of Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who is on board the missing submersible. So Tom, thank you so much for being with us. This must be quite the anxious time for you right now.
TOM DETTWEILER, OCEAN EXPLORER: Yes, it is, John, thank you for having me.
VAUSE: Yes, there's not a lot of people who know this part of the ocean floor like you do. So from what you know, and from what you know about deep sea exploration, what do you make of those banging noises and the other sounds which have been detected?
DETTWEILER: Well, the interesting thing about the banging noises is the fact that they are described as bagging. And also the fact that they follow a pattern. And that's exactly what somebody like PH, with his extensive background in submersibles would probably be doing to try to get the attention of any potential rescuers.
But, you know, I've spent lots of year listening to the ocean, through various sonar systems. And there's lots of noise in the ocean. And noise can also travel very far in the ocean, though. Water is unfortunately a very good conductor of noise.
So you know, you really can't draw a positive conclusion from it. But it's really the only piece of evidence that we've got that says they might still be there. And it's the reason to carry on with the rescue effort.
VAUSE: Absolutely. With that in mind, he's a little more now on how the search efforts are being refocused from the U.S. Coast Guard. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERICK: What I can tell you is we're searching in the area where the noises were detected, and we'll continue to do so. And we hope that when we're able to get additional ROVs, which will be there in the morning, the intent will be to continue to search in those areas where the noise were detected. If they're continuing to be detected, and then put additional ROVs down in the last known position where the search was originally taking place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Do you have any concerns with the timeline here about how long it's taking to get all this additional high tech equipment in place, it seems to be coming very close down to the wire.
DETTWEILER: Well, on the other hand, though, it's a tremendous effort to move this equipment. It's all very large, very heavy. It had to be flown up and in cargo airplanes. And thanks to the Air Force for getting the U.S. Navy stuff up there.
Then it's got to be secured to the ship, you know, this massive machinery has to be lifted on board and secured the deck, so it doesn't shift while the ship is rolling out at sea. So, it's a massive effort, it's really been done quite quickly. And I've seen this happen before. It's absolutely amazing how the community draws together and helps each other in episodes like this.
So, you know, it's really -- it's been done pretty much as fast as it could be done. It's just we're dealing with a long distance and, you know, difficult conditions. And if you think about it's very much very much like the original sinking of the Titanic where the rescuers just couldn't get to it in time.
VAUSE: And according to company's website, it takes the Titan submersible about two hours to make the descent to the wreckage of the Titanic, reaching a depth of more than 12,500 feet. They normally would spend about four hours there and then head to the surface.
That trip back to the surface usually takes about two hours. They lost contact about an hour and a half into that four-hour trip. How quickly could the Titan resurface in an emergency? Is it possible to resupply the submersible with oxygen at a depth of 12,500 feet?
DETTWEILER: No, there's really no way to get oxygen into it at that depth. There's no penetration or anything like that, that allows oxygen to be input to the summary. The thing to do would be to bring it up as quickly as possible and then open the hatch and get to the people.
Unfortunately, it can't be brought up all that quickly when it's on the end of a cable and dependent on the speed of the winch to bring it up. You're still talking about hours potentially to get it up.
VAUSE: Tom, thank you so much. Our thoughts are with you and with everybody on board and thank you very much for talking with us.
DETTWEILER: Thank you. Appreciate it.
VAUSE: Violence continues to escalate between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank.
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On Wednesday an Israeli attack drone destroyed a car, which is what I said was carrying a terrorist cell. Last time an Israeli air strike was used for a targeted killing of the West Bank was during the Second Intifada. Islamic Jihad says three Palestinian militants were killed with that strike.
Follows a night of violence by Israeli settlers who rampage through several Palestinian towns in the West Bank, attacking residents throwing rocks at homes and shops and setting farm fields and vehicles on fire.
Some Palestinians complained Israeli soldiers did nothing to prevent the violence and simply stood by and watched. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday acts of violence by anyone would not be tolerated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I give full backing to the Israeli police and the security forces and their action to control law and order. We will not accept any provocations to the police or the security forces in these places or anywhere else. We are a country of law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: When Palestinian was killed in the rampage, and hundreds turned out on Wednesday for his funeral. Palestinian television identified him as a 27-year-old man, Omar Qatin.
With us now is Yaakov Katz, a senior columnist and former editor of the Jerusalem Post. Tanks for being with us, Yaakov.
KAAJOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST, THE JERUSALEM POST: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: So with the extended firefight in Jenin between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants went for like eight hours on Tuesday, or Monday rather, needing Apache helicopters to track troops, home as a Palestinian militants being demolished. Now an Israeli airstrike on a car carrying suspected Palestinian gunmen of the West Bank. To me this is looking more and more like how the Second Intifada played out. Are we heading towards the third intifada or was it already started?
KATZ: Well, John, we also had the attack on Tuesday, outside of settlement at a restaurant to place that you know, people were sitting and having some hummus and pita bread at lunchtime and a couple Palestinians came in opened fire and killed four Israelis and injured another few.
So we've really had, as you said, three days of severe violence Monday the incursion by the IDF into Jenin that lasted a number of hours where the troops also they came under heavy gunfire but they also encountered a roadside bomb explosive devices.
The likes of which I've heard from commanders they haven't seen since the days that they were operating deeper inside Lebanon or definitely inside the Gaza Strip. These aren't the types of rocks or bomb, sorry, that you would expect to see in the West Bank.
And I'll just give you another example of how things have escalated. On that day in when the IDF was operating in Jenin, they had to put up a helicopter, a gunship to provide some cover for those soldiers and the gunship was shooting off flares.
Now, you know, John, why do you shoot off flares because someone on the ground might be shooting a heat seeking missile at you. So that means that the Air Force is concerned that Palestinians in Jenin might have heat seeking missiles.
This is a significant escalation, and Israel is going to have to crack down. We saw as you mentioned the targeted killing on Wednesday nights by a drone of that car with the Islamic Jihad terrorists. Also near Jeanine, they have just carried out a shooting attack.
I don't know that we're at a third intifada yet. Let's remember. And you know, this, John, the Second Intifada was an institutional operation, it included the security forces of the Palestinian Authority. This is still just terrorist groups. I don't want to say just but that's -- that's who's operating. It's not the Palestinian Authority itself.
So therefore, I think the IDF will continue to be precise and pinpointed in its operations to try to stop this.
VAUSE: Where are the varieties (ph) coming from that have the ability to damage Israeli armored vehicles as well as potentially heat seeking rockets, as you say the Apache was fairly off countermeasures, which indicates there was a concern, is this coming from Iran? Is it homegrown? Where's the knowledge coming from if you want?
KATZ: Look, there are a lot of weapons that flow throughout this region, as we know. You know, you have Lebanon with Hezbollah, and they can try to smuggle some stuff across the border. It was just a couple months ago that a Lebanese operative who had infiltrated into Israel with a large explosive device was caught by the Israeli police and Israeli security forces. So it could be that others have gotten through over the time that we just don't know that they made it across.
You also have weapons that have come from Egypt into Israel, as well as into the Gaza Strip and you have homegrown. They have their own domestic industry. They're able to create and manufacture these weapons on their own. It was just a couple weeks ago that Israel security service. The Shabbat announced that it had stopped the assembly line production of rockets in the West Bank that so we know we have rockets from Gaza. We have rockets in the north and Lebanon.
Now they're trying to create a rocket capability in the West Bank on those mountains of the Sumerian mountains that could then rain down on the coastal area where you have Tel Aviv, Herzliya and some of these other Israeli cities. There's a big escalation going on. This violence is not going away and sadly what this means when this continues is we're going to continue to see clashes.
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So very quickly how to the rampages by Israeli settlers through Palestinians towns, torching cars and homes, that kind of thing? How does that dynamic play into all of this now? What is the sort of complications does that bring?
KATZ: Look, that's terrible. And it's, you know, it's a completely condemned across the board by most of the Israeli government, I would say, and definitely Israeli society, that this is something that should not be tolerated. And these people need to be stopped arrested and put on trial.
Because these are terrorists who, unfortunately, who are going into people's homes and burning their cars or burning their homes, that something that Israel should never allow. At the same time though, we have to remember that there are Palestinians who are trying to murder Jews every single day. And unfortunately, that is something that is at the core of this conflict that needs to be stopped for this entire battle to come to an end.
VAUSE: That's one of the big differences. Israel puts those people on trial whereas the Palestinian militant groups hold them up as heroes. Yaakov Katz as always, sir, thank you.
KATZ: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Investigations are underway to the cause or powerful gas explosion which rocked Paris Wednesday. At least 37 people were hurt in the blast, four critically. At least two people are believed to be missing in the rubble. CNN's Melissa Bell has more now reporting in from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): An entire part of the left bank of Paris entirely cordoned off. The results say local officials have a gas explosion that took place just before 5:00 p.m. Paris time. What the eyewitnesses say is that it was so loud such a great explosion. It sounded and felt like an earthquake but the walls of local departments shaking.
You can see behind me the relief operations still going on some 270 firemen sent to the scene to try and put out the fires that were set off in the nearby buildings and arrange for some time. An inquiry has been opened into exactly what went on.
But again, local officials speaking of a gas explosion, the local Paris Mayor came here earlier speaking of the thoughts and prayers that were now for the victims and their families. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Artillery battles are raging and newly liberated parts of Ukraine. Coming up on CNN, we traveled to a village free from Russian troops, but still in their crosshairs.
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VAUSE: The slow grinding Ukrainian counteroffensive is making noticeable gains in the south according to Ukrainian officials. This video was posted on social media to back up that claim. Officials say it's from the Tavria front in the south, where they say Ukrainian forces continue to advance after destroying the equivalent of three Russian companies over the last day.
There's a very different view from the Kremlin though with Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming the Ukrainian offensive is on hold because of serious losses. CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman reports now from a recently liberated village in southern Ukraine, which is still taking Russian artillery fire and a warning some which is in Ben's report a graphic.
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BED WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): An unknown Russian soldier lost his life here on a dirt road in the small village of Neskuchne. He was killed in Ukraine's counteroffensive, which has, at best so far put a small dent in Russian lines, hardly the turning point so many had hoped for.
WEDEMAN (on camera): This is one of the villages that was liberated by the Ukrainians this one on the 10th of June. And clearly the Russians were in a hurry, they left behind this blood soaked stretcher.
WEDEMAN (voiceover): It's still too dangerous for civilians to return to these ones tranquil farming communities, and there isn't much left for them to return to.
The mortar crew of the 35th Ukrainian marine brigade has moved into a house recently vacated by Russian troops. This afternoon they're busy piling up newly arrived American made shells far better than the old Soviet ammunition says Anvey (ph). They're amazing. They're just great he says. They hit the bullseye, my favorite.
Throughout the day shelling echoes around them. The Russians may have left the village yet they're still nearby. Yuri's (ph) mortar training in Britain didn't prepare him for the front. This is only his third day in the line of fire.
There are moments when I want to hide, he says. But I have to stay put and wait. Unit Commander Alexandre (ph) takes coordinates from headquarters. His
men make the adjustments and prepare the rounds.
WEDEMAN (on camera): They're firing these rounds in Russian lines which are four kilometers or two miles away.
WEDEMAN (voiceover): It's going to be a long, hot summer. Ben Wedeman CNN, Ukraine southern front.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Ukraine is securing promises for billions of dollars in recovery aid and investment, not just from Allied governments but from private investors as well. More than 400 global companies are pledging support at a conference in London.
Ukraine needs major investments in infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, agriculture and information technology to rebuild immediately after the war and also to secure its long term future.
With new promises coming in from the U.K., the United States and from the World Bank, even though U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says responsibility will ultimately lie with Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Even as we come together here in London, committed to supporting Ukraine's build up, Russia continues to try to burn it down. So let's be clear. Russia is causing Ukraine's destruction. And Russia will eventually bear the cost of Ukraine's reconstruction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Earlier, I spoke with Matthew Schmidt, Associate Professor of National Security at the University of New Haven. He's also an expert on Defense Security, Russia and Ukraine. I asked him about that $400 billion, the World Bank says is needed for reconstruction. And if anyone really has a clue how much it's actually going to cost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN.: That is the reality. The World Bank report is several months old that they're reporting. And the fact is that number changes every day, every time a Russian rocket hits, you know, or there's a major battle.
I think it's important to keep in mind here that Vladimir Putin is not in Ukraine, to stop NATO. He's in Ukraine because Ukrainian economic and political development is a threat to his philosophy of political rule. And so if he can stop that economic development, even after the fighting stops, right, in a sense, he can win, right, or Ukraine can win the battle, but lose the reconstruction. And that's what's at stake here.
VAUSE: There is agreement on who should pay for all this. Here's Ukraine's Prime Minister.
DENYS SHMYHAL, UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER: One of the key questions we are constantly facing is who will pay the hundreds of billions for the recovery. First and foremost, Russia must pay for what it has destroyed.
VAUSE: In just using that World Bank number, which you said is months old, it's $400 billion. That's about a quarter of Russia's GDP. So is it possible first of all to force Russia to pay up? And secondly, is Russia capable of paying up without causing economic chaos and misery on Ukraine's border across Russia?
SCHMIDT: It's important that Ukraine continue to make the case for Russian reparations. It's important that the West support Ukraine's case that the aggressor country should be doing this but the reality again, is that Russia will not do it and could to not do it.
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And so that money has to come from elsewhere. It has to come from donor states and it has to come from direct investment from companies who think they can make money during the reconstruction will doing in good there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Our thanks there to Michael Schmidt in New Haven, Connecticut. Right now jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is only allowed to correspond with his lawyers, no one else. But next hour Russia Supreme Court is set to rule on whether to allow the Kremlin critic to communicate with the outside world or not. Navalny is expected to attend that decision via video link.
This is separate from the Navalany's U.S. legal battle. Monday he appeared in court. Russia charged him with extremism. If convicted, he could face another 30 years in prison. On top of the Seven Seas already serving. That trial is taking place behind closed doors.
Now the journalist nor members of the Navalny's family are allowed to attend like his father, who was denied access.
And about three hours Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will go to court in Moscow to fight his detention in Russia. He's expected appearance would follow a recent ruling to keep him behind bars until his trial on August 30.
Gershkovich was arrested in March on spying charges. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The Wall Street Journal denies all of those allegations on his behalf. A U.S. State Department spokesperson called the entire process what it is, and that's a sham.
India's Prime Minister on a state visit to the U.S. with Washington looking at a New Delhi as a key ally to counter China's growing influence in the region. Details ahead on how the White House is pulling out all the stops.
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VAUSE: Updating our top story now, search and rescue crews are intensifying their efforts to find Titan the high tech deep water submersible, which went missing Sunday during the sightseeing dive to the Titanic shipwreck.
Multiple agencies across multiple countries are working frantically to find the sub, which has not been heard from now for in almost four days.
France is sending a state of the art deep diving vessel to assist but the search grid is huge are doubling to twice the size of the state of Connecticut. And time is running out.
Canadian surveillance planes picked up unspecified banging noises Tuesday and early Wednesday. But nothing has been reported since. Still U.S. Coast Guard says the search goes on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERICK: We need to have hope, right? But I don't -- I can't tell you what the noises are. But what I can tell you is and I think this is the most important point. We're searching where the noises are. And that's all we can do at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Five people are on board the sub including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, whose company designed and built the submersible.
More questions continue to emerge about Titan's construction At seaworthiness. CNN's Brian Todd breaks down what we know about the sub both inside and out.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New accounts from those who have been inside the missing Titan submersible depict a vessel that is alluring and surprisingly rudimentary.
DAVID POGUE, CBS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, take your shoes off. That is customary.
CBS correspondent David Pogue, was on board the Titan last year. He climbed into the vessel with Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, and a pilot of the Titan.
Pogue's report described the inside as having about as much space as a mini van. There are no chairs or seats. Passengers sit cross-legged on the floor. There's just one button on the wall, one video screen, and only a single porthole. And maybe the most surprising feature that Rush showed David Pogue --
STOCKTON RUSH, CEO, OCEANGATE EXPEDITIONS: We run the whole thing with this game control, game controller.
POGUE: Come on.
TODD: A handheld controller that looks like a gaming console.
POGUE: I didn't know at that point that you drive the thing with an XBox game controller. I didn't know that the ballast was used construction pipes.
You get there and then you start seeing this stuff, and now your mood crashes and you get a little worried. Like, is this the level of polish and sophistication we are talking about?
TODD: Adventurer Mike Reiss (ph), who traveled to the Titanic on the Titan last year, also spoke about the gaming console and other components.
MIKE REISS, ADVENTURER: Once you reach the ground, the ship is sort of piloted by two things that just looks like a fan you would have on your desk, very simple. And it is controlled by a joystick from a gaming console, so that even I was able to steer and navigate the submarine for a while.
TODD: According to an OceanGate Web page that is no longer available online, there is one small toilet in the front of the vessel, which, quote, "doubles as the best seat in the house". It says, "When the toilet is being used, they put up a privacy curtain and turn the music up loud." The Web site recommends that passengers restrict their diet before and during the dive, to reduce the chances of having to use the toilet.
Mike Reiss says he fell asleep during the two and a half hour trip down to the Titanic.
Pogue mentioned another feature that he had some trepidation about.
POGUE: We were bolted in from the outside. There are 18 bolts in a circle around the hatch. And, by the way, they only fastened 17 of them. The 18th one is way up high. They say there's really no mathematical difference.
TODD: Reiss says the sense of what he was getting into was evident early on.
REISS: Before you even get on, you sign this long, long waiver that mentions possible death three times on the first page. When I stepped onto the sub, I just knew part of my mind was going, well, this could be the end.
TODD: Mike Reiss says he took four different types on OceanGate's submersible -- one trip to the Titanic on board Titan, the other three in the waters off New York City. He says communication was lost at least briefly every single time.
But he says he doesn't blame the submarine as much as the deep water.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Washington for his first state visit. The White House is rolling out the red carpet. U.S. President Joe Biden and the first lady hosted Mr. Modi for a private dinner Wednesday night.
In the coming hours, the Indian prime minister will address Congress then hold a rare news conference with President Biden. After that comes the state dinner.
The visit comes as U.S. looks to strengthen its ties with New Delhi amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing.
CNN's Ivan Watson covering all the developments from Hong Kong.
Clearly, you know, this is the full court press for the Indian prime minister.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL. CORRESPONDENT: It is. I mean this is a rare honor to extend to a foreign leader. I believe this is only the third time in his presidency that Joe Biden has invited a foreign leader for a state visit.
So again, it is important here, and we are expecting a number of technology and defense deals to be signed by the two leaders.
But some observers are questioning whether Biden, who talks up the need to promote democracy around the world, whether his values do actually correspond with Narendra Modi, who leads the BJP Party and government, full of Hindu nationalists, who have had a crackdown on press freedoms and been accused of discriminating against the country's Muslim minority.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: The leaders of India and the U.S. in a warm embrace. President Joe Biden has called this a defining relationship of the 21st century.
"We are natural partners," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at this meeting last year, adding the new momentum in relations between two democracies that are the world's largest and oldest would have been hard to imagine even a decade ago.
[01:35:01]
WATSON: This year, the U.S. became India's largest trading partner. The world's most populous country buying hundreds of American made planes and for the first time, Apple opening a store in Mumbai.
But its not just business that is bringing the two countries together.
SUSHANT SINGH, CENTER FOR POLICY RESEARCH: China is the one big glue which is holding India and the United States together.
WATSON: High in the Himalayas, India is locked in a tense face-off with China.
SINGH: India is the only country which is militarily deployed against China in an active mode, where across the 2,000 mile border -- disputed border, 50,000 -- 60,000 Indian soldiers and an equal number of Chinese soldiers are deployed in an eyeball to eyeball state.
WATSON: In 2020, a deadly skirmish like this left at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers dead.
SINGH: India does not want China to be the -- hegemonic power in Asia and the United States for its own reason does not want China to be the hegemonic power there. So the interests are very well aligned, they're very much shared.
WATSON: Shared interests that have led to growing military partnerships like the Quad which includes India, the U.S., Japan and Australia.
India has long been described as the world's largest democracy, but critics argue that basic democratic freedoms have come under fire during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nine years in office.
A wide spread crackdown on dissent, arresting protesters in the streets, and jailing reporters and rating news organizations that criticize the government.
SIDDHARTH VARDARAJAN, FOUNDING EDITOR, THE WIRE: We have been raided once. We've had cases filed against us over the past few years. But the way in which the Modi government has been operating has been one of targeting or punishing journalists and media platforms that are trying to do their job.
WATSON: The U.S. State Department reports serious human rights issues in India, ranging from the unjustified prosecution of journalists to allegations of attacks against members of religious minorities. Delhi says the reports are based on misinformation and flawed understanding.
Despite these differences, India's intensely popular yet polarizing prime minister has been invited to address the U.S. Congress on Thursday, a rare honor and a sign of deepening ties between the U.S. and this south Asian giants.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Now John, before Narendra Modi became -- was elected prime minister back in 2005, he was actually denied a U.S. visa because he was chief minister at the time of the state of Gujarat. And in that state, there was terrible ethnic, religious violence. More than a thousand people killed, mostly Muslims. Modi was subsequently cleared of charges by the Indian supreme court.
A lot has changed since then. Now, the red carpet is being rolled out for him. And certainly, the tensions that both India and the U.S. share with China has contributed again to this growing rapprochement. Back to you.
VAUSE: Geopolitics. Ivan, thank you. Ivan Watson reporting live from Hong Kong.
Now to new tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's defense ministry says a Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through the area Wednesday remaining west of the median line dividing mainland China and Taiwan.
The tensions come amid growing concerns that Beijing could try to take control of the self-governing island by force.
CNN's Jim Sciutto reports on Taiwan's military preparations should that day ever come.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Commanders of a Taiwanese mechanized infantry combat team lay out their battle plan. Today's mission: defending the Penghu Island situated right in the middle of the Taiwan Strait from a Chinese paratrooper assault.
In rapid succession, infantry units storm a captured airfield. A column of tanks quickly follows. This maneuver is just a training exercise, but with a very serious goal of readying these forces to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion.
COL. CHANG CHI-MING, TAIWAN CHIEF OF OPERATIONS, FIRST COMBAT ZONE: In the event of a paratrooper assault from the Magong Airbase, our troops will be able to respond instantly and defend the territory.
SCIUTTO: Exercises like this one are almost daily events on Taiwan's Penghu Island. Less than a hundred miles from Mainland China, they are a first line of defense for Taiwan against a Chinese invasion, home to Taiwanese army, air force, and naval bases.
Not all operations for these forces are simulations. In fact, as I visited Penghu, four PLA air force fighter jets entered Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone. Taiwanese air force fighters from Magong Airbase scrambled to respond.
[01:39:58]
SCIUTTO: Before they fly, they are armed with live ammunition for combat. Lieutenant Colonel Bi Shi Quan, call sign "Big", commands the Coyote Squadron.
LT. COL. BI SHI QUAN, TAIWAN AIR FORCE (through translator): Sometimes it's reconnaissance. Sometimes it is training. Although we are performing combat-readiness missions here, the training has never stopped.
SCIUTTO: Taiwanese navy ships based here have had close calls of their own. And they sail with an array of anti ship and anti-air missiles to do their part in defending against an invasion.
The Taiwanese military here in Penghu is engaged not just in drills and training but in genuine operations responding to Chinese military operations in the Taiwan Strait. And commanders in the navy, the air force and the army tell me their mission is to prepare to defend their country.
Taiwan buys billions of dollars in weapons from the U.S., but its defense plan depends in large part on developing and manufacturing many of its own weapons. It's indigenous fighter jets and many of its navy frigates and APCs and tanks are all Taiwan built.
CAPT. CHUNG-HSIAO PENG, TAIWAN NAVY: (INAUDIBLE) We won't allow other countries to sail through that water without permission.
SCIUTTO: On Penghu, Taiwanese military units are widely dispersed for force protection, to make them more difficult targets for any invading force. There is a saying here, one commander told me, if you want to take Taiwan you have to take Penghu first. These forces are training to make sure that never happens.
Jim Sciutto, CNN -- the Penghu Islands, Taiwan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Coming up here on CNN, how a conservationist is trying to save a rare lizard from extinction.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: All this week, "Call to Earth" is looking at species facing the threat of extinction. Our guest editor, Gerardo Garcia has worked with some of the biggest and most ferocious reptiles on the planet. Today we see the work he is doing to protect one of earth's most secretive lizards.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Bermuda skink is one of the world's rarest and most elusive lizards. When Gerardo Garci first took the species on at Chester Zoo, almost nothing was known about their biology, their habitats, or even the difference between male and female.
The solution was to set up a Big Brother style camera system in the zoo, closely monitoring every movement of the skink and breeding them for reintroduction in Bermuda.
GERARDO GARCIA, HEAD OF ECTOTHERMS, CHESTER ZOO: When we were looking for this female (INAUDIBLE), are they breeding, every single time we lift the rock, we see a female curling around the eggs.
This hasn't been seen in the wild. These animals leave them in their limestone (ph), under the crevices. You don't see clusters of eggs.
[01:44:54]
GARCIA: So only when you have animals here, in a very intensive care at the zoo we're able to really understand that all these gaps of understanding of the biology of the species which is (INAUDIBLE) back to how to monitor the species back in the wild.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rats, cats, and other invasive species have nearly wiped out the skink population on the mainland.
But on several of the smaller satellite islands, a tiny population of around 1,500 individuals remains.
GARCIA: There are hundreds of near shore islands that for this satellite chain around the main islands. They have really become our life rafts for species that are becoming threatened in ways that we can't control on the main island.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gerardo and his colleague Mark (INAUDIBLE) are setting traps across the coastal (ph) harbor island with the hope of verifying the signs of the surviving skink population.
GARCIA: What we aim to do is set the jar at a good 45 degree angle so that when the skinks come to the edge, and actually commit to going in, when the time comes for them to leave, they can't get back out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One hour later and it is time to check on the traps.
GARCIA: Two there, one there, one there -- oh yes, we got one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We found one, chief?
GARCIA: Good, good, good -- very nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a lovely one.
GARCIA: It's an adult.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is.
GARCIA: It has been six years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has. Since the last skink surfaced (ph) in six years. That's right.
GARCIA: Six years and the population is still here. That's good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
GARCIA: Have a quick look and take us some measures.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
They're all very nice, very good.
There's the tail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. No scarring.
GARCIA: No scarring. No bites. Looks like it's got all its fingers and toes.
(CROSSTALK)
GARCIA: It has no loss of tale, no mutilation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Over on (INAUDIBLE) island, two more skinks, including a juvenile, an encouraging sign that the colony is continuing to reproduce.
GARCIA: I don't think anyone can really ever retire and feel like, phew, I don't have to worry about these animals anymore. I think, you know, they are always going to be fragile. It is just the degree of fragility.
I think as long as you can feel that you are a helpful contributing factor to their slow progression away from the wall of extinction, maybe they are just now near threatened. That is good enough. These creatures deserve to be here certainly as much as we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Tune into the full documentary, "CALL TO EARTH: THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION", airing this weekend on CNN.
We'll be right back.
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[01:50:01]
VAUSE: Move over, farm to table; lab to table has arrived with the U.S. now the second country to approve the sale of what's called cultivated meat. That's meat grown from live animal cells and cultivated with nutrients and amino acids in a giant vat. Kind of like you find in a brewery.
Supporters say it will help fight climate change be reducing the need for traditional animal agriculture like cows which emit greenhouse gases which warm the planet.
But hey, how does it taste?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UMA VALETI, FOUNDER/CEO, UPSIDE FOODS: It will taste exactly as you would expect a chicken to taste. So the part that's remarkable about it is we didn't have to raise and slaughter chicken to get real chicken meat out of it.
And the part that's unremarkable is that it tastes like chicken. It is what we have been used to eating for thousands of years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It tastes like chicken because it comes from a chicken. Apparently cows are more complicated to grow.
Two companies plan to sell (INAUDIBLE) chicken to restaurants in Washington and San Francisco, kind of like a soft launch if you like. With us now from Washington is Bruce Friedlich, CEO of the Good Food
Institute, a non profit organization which promotes plant and cell- based alternatives to animal product.
Bruce, thank you for being with us.
BRUCE FRIEDLICH, CEO, GOOD FOOD INSTITUTE: Thanks for having me. I'm glad to be here.
VAUSE: I want to talk about the cost of this, you know, lab grown meat if you like. It has been doable now for a decade or longer. But it has always been very costly.
Back in 2019, for example, Bloomberg these $50 chicken nuggets were grown in a lab. That was $50 each nugget, down from a thousand (INAUDIBLE). More recently, a restaurant in Singapore offered lab grown chicken and waffles on one plate and chicken on a Chinese steamed bon on the other. The cost of $23 Singapore about $17 U.S.
Given that they cultivated chicken will be available in the United States in a few select restaurants, what will be the cost point here. How much will it cost and will that cover the cost of production? Will it come anywhere close to the break even point?
FRIEDLICH: Well, it is going to be offered in Jose Andres in Washington D.C. It's going to have another one (INAUDIBLE) I think this girl will have it in one of her restaurants.
So my guess is that it won't be comparatively priced with the other items on those restaurants but those items are already priced fairly highly.
Will the companies break even? I don't know if they're going to break even. They will probably come close to breaking even. It might be a little bit of a lost leader early on.
But I think this is probably going to be up to the restaurants and where the restaurants are willing to price it because, no matter what cost they price it at, there will be lines around the block and very long waiting lists from people who are enthusiastic about the idea of eating meat that was grown without these live animals.
VAUSE: Yes. Now, the CEO of Upside Foods which is one of the two companies given approval by regulators, she says -- he shed some light on the production process. This was back in January. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VALETI: The Cultivated meat is MEAT, like I said, it is not a meat alternative. It is meat that's grown from real animal cells. So what we do is we take really high quality animal cells from like say a cow or a pig or a chicken or a lobster and we look for cells that can continue to grow outside the animal in a very robust and healthy way.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: But a study published in the "Biotechnology and Bioengineering Journal", this is back 2021, looked at scaling up bulk cell production which is crucial to this whole process and when it becomes cost- effective.
The study found low growth rate, metabolic inefficiency, catabolite inhibition and shear- induced cell damage will all limit practical bio-reactive volume and attainable cell density."
In other words, the conclusion is that at this point it is not possible to reach the level of production which is needed to lower the costs so that lab grown meat can compete with traditional meat product. Have we moved on from that point?
FRIEDLICH: I mean we've moved on from that point. But it is a little bit like asking who is going to buy an electric car 15 years ago and saying the fact that there are you know, charging stations now means there will never be charging stations. The fact that battery range is low now means there will never be a reasonable battery range.
It is a real lack of imagination that takes a current technology and says the technology is never going to get better so it is not going to be cost-competitive.
VAUSE: There was a study done by MIT and this was, I think back in 2021 and it basically that the meat consumption the world were on track to set a new record for global meat consumption. That was the big headline. And all 350 billion kilograms of meat being eaten around the world.
[01:54:59]
VAUSE: And you know, as you mentioned, the meat industry produces carbon dioxide or carbon pollution than transportation. So alternative meat or lab grown meat will be a crucial part of solving the climate crisis.
FRIEDLICH: Yes. I mean it is a huge part of solving the climate crisis. It requires a 20th of the land, causes about a tenth of the direct emissions, doesn't require antimicrobials in production, doesn't contribute to the pandemic risk at all. Things like bird flu and pig flu have a significant likelihood of jumping the species barrier and becoming the next global pandemic. So it solves a lot of problems.
VAUSE: There are also the ethical issues of eating meat. Good Meat advertises its products as mate without slaughter. Good meat is real meat they say made without tearing down a forest or taking a life.
You know, pigs, for example, have the same level of intelligence and cognitive skills of a three-year-old child. Kind of tough to sit down and eat the flesh of an animal that is capable of learning, likes to explore, enjoys playing, and shows (INAUDIBLE).
FRIEDLICH: Yes. And I think there are a lot of different reasons that people might choose to be uncomfortable with current production practices for conventional meat.
And the reality is that we have been making meat in the same way for 12,000 years. It is antiquated. It's inefficient and what cultivated meat does is it allows consumers to eat the meat they love but it is produced in a way that doesn't have the contribution to animal cruelty. It doesn't have the contribution to antimicrobial resistance, to climate change, to biodiversity loss.
And the very thing about today is that the FDA and the USDA which have the highest regulatory standards for food safety of any bodies in the world and they are saying this is a safe and trusted way that consumers can get the meat they love but without the harm.
VAUSE: Bruce, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate it. And this is -- you know, it's a big day in so many ways. It is good to have you with us. Thank you.
FRIEDLICH: Absolutely, my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Wednesday marked the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere. And as they have done for thousands of years, people flocked to Stonehenge for the sunrise.
Very loud noisy people. They ancient structure has long been associate with both the summer and winter solstice because of the stone's alignment with sunrise and sunset on those days.
This year's festivities attracted thousands from all around the world. There they are. The second time that gatherings have been allowed since the end of the pandemic.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church, after a very short break.
Hope to see you right back here tomorrow.
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