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CNN International: Leaders from Japan, China and South Korea Held Trilateral Summit; 12 Injured During Turbulence on Qatar Airways Flight; Self-Governing Taiwan Developing Starlink-Like Scheme; Massachusetts Police Say Stabbing Attacks Likely Connected; Grayson Murray Dies After Withdrawing From PGA Tour Event. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired May 27, 2024 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN News. I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, here are some of today's top stories.
The death toll from last week's massive landslide in Papua New Guinea now appears far worse than initially feared. An emergency official says up to 2,000 people were buried alive under mud and debris. Rescue efforts are ongoing in the remote region where the landslide occurred.
More than 120 million people across the U.S. face the threat of severe weather in the coming hours. This follows an outbreak of deadly tornadoes over the weekend.
And U.S. President Joe Biden will take part in several Memorial Day ceremonies throughout the day. That includes laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Sunday. The six Congress members are set to meet with Taiwan's new president, who was inaugurated last week. Lai Ching-te has been rebuked as a dangerous separatist by Beijing. His election triggered the largest military exercises in more than a year around the self-governing island. China, saying that show of force was designed to test its ability to seize power.
Leaders from China, Japan and South Korea wrapped up their trilateral summit in the last few hours. Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held talks in Seoul aimed at boosting dialogue, trade and mutual cooperation. The three nations haven't held this kind of meeting in more than four years.
CNN's Mike Valerio has been following developments and joins us live from Hong Kong. And you've been noting how positive, actually, the messages were coming out of this meeting.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Max, that's right. I think that all the three leaders here are certainly trying to strike an optimistic chord. You know, since the last time we talked to you, Max, over the past hour, we've been reading through the joint statement issued by all three countries.
And I'm struck by how they want to have this summit on the reg. They want to make this a regular occurrence in the name of promoting stability when tensions here in Asia are so high. And that, really, Max, is the point of this summit here, to minimize the chances of miscommunication, to minimize the chances of misunderstanding or any sort of escalator -- escalatory incident that could unfold through a confrontation from any of these three nations.
So, you know, it's certainly striking that the leaders of all three nations, President Yoon Sun Yeol from South Korea, Prime Minister Kishida from Japan and Premier Qiang from China, think that they need to speak at a senior level. And certainly testing that and the need for cooperation was North Korea. As soon as this summit started, Max, North Korea signaled that it would be launching what it calls a new satellite between now and next Tuesday.
So on that front, here is the Japanese Prime Minister Kishida speaking about that. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Fumio KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Last night, North Korea once again gave notice of its intention to launch another satellite. But even if it were to successfully launch it, it would be a breach of United Nations resolutions. And we strongly urge North Korea to cancel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: So I know that, you know, diplomatic summits, Max, are certainly hard to read. But in terms of the deliverables, already China and South Korea are scheduling high level diplomatic talks and security talks for the middle of next June. That certainly is a concrete step in terms of regional stability.
The country is also agreeing to strengthen free trade and to come up with a new free trade framework between South Korea, China and Japan. So it's little steps, Max, that hopefully can lead to something bigger. No real policy reversals or breakthroughs, but certainly encouraging again, when tensions are so high.
FOSTER: And the very sensitive issue of Taiwan, did that come up?
VALERIO: Yes, it did. You know, the Japanese Prime Minister brought it up specifically with the premier of China. And they talked about it late last night.
The Japanese government said that no country can unilaterally challenge the status quo. So that, of course, is squarely aimed at China as we have this U.S. delegation that we're talking about a few minutes visiting the island. So again, the name of the game here is stability, keeping the status quo, bringing tensions down. That certainly seems to be what Japan is conveying here -- Max.
FOSTER: OK, Mike in Hong Kong. Really appreciate that. Thank you. Qatar Airways says it'll investigate a turbulence incident on a flight from Doha to Dublin, which injured a dozen people. Eight were taken to hospital when they landed in the Irish capital on Sunday. The flights ran into turbulence over Turkey, but it's unclear exactly what caused it.
This comes less than a week after more than 100 passengers were injured and a man died of a suspected heart attack when a Singapore Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence.
Seb has been looking at this from Berlin. First of all, just explain what happened here.
[04:35:00]
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, Max, it's not uncommon for airplanes to encounter turbulence. What is more rare is the fact that two incidents like this have happened in the space of a week. That first flight, where over 100 people were injured and one person died between London and Singapore, had to be diverted to Bangkok.
This new incident, a Qatar Airways flight, this time between Doha and Dublin, had far fewer injuries, but nevertheless injuries all the same. 12 people in total, eight of them had to be hospitalized. But this flight didn't divert. It landed pretty much on schedule, actually.
But what was interesting is having heard from the people who were on board that flight is that it happened very suddenly and it didn't last that long. We're talking between 15 to 25 seconds. And it happened somewhere over Turkey. And that was around four hours before the flight was due to land.
And it appeared to happen during a meal service where you may expect people not to be wearing their seatbelts as vociferously as they would be, you know, on takeoff or landing. And you know, appears to be, if you have encountered turbulence like that, you know, not wearing your seatbelt is going to affect you more than other times.
But also, Max, you know, this appears to be a more common trend. A study done by a university in the U.K. suggested that with global warming increasingly becoming an issue that we're seeing in our day- to-day lives, turbulence may well become a more common phenomenon that we start to feel in airline travel. It may increase by two to three times to what we're already experiencing, which poses a dilemma to the airlines themselves.
You know, how do they keep their passengers comfortable on these journeys, short haul or long haul? And how do they counteract it? There is almost no way to counter clear air turbulence unless the plane in front of you tells you about it. And often the fluctuations in airflow and their pressure, you can't tell when that's going to hit. It's very different to flying through a cloud, for example, where you may expect there to be turbulence.
But what it is doing is whether you are an anxious flyer or not, it does create now seeping into the psyche of what is this turbulence going to do and what is going to happen. And it creates a degree of uncertainty for travelers.
I was on a flight yesterday and there were a few lumps and bumps. And you know that moment where your stomach lurches into your chest is an unpleasant one, but it creates -- it does create a little feeling of anxiousness amongst flyers -- Max.
FOSTER: Yes, absolutely. Seb in Berlin, thank you.
Taiwan working on an ambitious plan to create a new satellite system to keep people online in case of a disaster. The self-governing island currently relies on a series of vulnerable undersea cables for its communications. Senior international correspondent Will Ripley has more on the problem and Taiwan's proposed solution.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Deep beneath the waters around Taiwan, a fragile digital lifeline, some call shockingly vulnerable to a Chinese attack. 15 undersea internet cables connecting Taiwan to the rest of the world, vital strategic assets and potential military targets. Cut the cables, you cut off the internet, plunging 24 million people into digital darkness, leaving this island democracy dangerously exposed.
Elon Musk spent years and billions developing Starlink using low orbit communication satellites to provide high speed internet.
RIPLEY: Here in Taiwan, people have plenty of reasons to doubt the reliability of Starlink. Elon Musk controls it and he has deep business ties with China.
RIPLEY (voice-over): In September, Musk made comments seen as siding with Beijing over Taipei.
ELON MUSK, CEO, SPACEX: Their policy has been to reunite Taiwan with China. From this standpoint, you know, maybe it's analogous to like Hawaii.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Taiwan's foreign minister quickly fired back, posting on Musk's X platform.
Listen up, Taiwan is not part of People's Republic of China and certainly not for sale.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three, two, one.
RIPLEY (voice-over): To protect itself, Taiwan is turning to space, investing billions to develop and launch its own low orbit communication satellites to ensure uninterrupted internet connectivity in times of crisis. A program spearheaded by Wu Jong-shinn, director general of TASA, Taiwan's space agency.
WU JONG-SHINN, DIRECTOR GENERAL, TAIWAN SPACE AGENCY: The communication satellite is very important for our communication resilience during urgent periods.
[04:40:00]
RIPLEY (voice-over): Starlink, developed by SpaceX, crucial in conflict zones like Ukraine and Gaza. TASA is racing to develop a similar system in space.
RIPLEY: The satellite you're developing, if the internet or the communication lines were cut, Taiwan could go into the dark right now without this.
JONG-SHINN Yes, I think so. So that's very important for us. Yes. And we take it very, very seriously.
RIPLEY (voice-over): A chilling case study of Taiwan's digital vulnerability on its outlying Matsu Islands last year. Taipei accused two Chinese ships of severing underwater cables without providing direct evidence. The only backup, sluggish microwave radio transmission. Calls dropped. Texting took hours. Online videos unwatchable.
Taiwan is cooperating with NASA in the U.S., accelerating its space program in the face of rising threats.
JONG-SHINN: China is rising up in space tech. For example, you know, Taiwan has this political difficulty internationally, as you know. But in space, there's no country division or there's no boundary.
RIPLEY (voice-over): And back on Earth, rising cross-strait tensions, adding urgency to Taiwan's space race.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: A former soap opera star is murdered in Los Angeles whilst trying to stop thieves. Details on the fatal attack after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: An actor best known for his role in daytime soap opera General Hospital was fatally shot in Los Angeles on Saturday. 37-year-old Johnny Wactor died after interrupting thieves who were trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car.
His mother told CNN affiliate KABC her son was leaving work when he saw what he thought was his car being towed. He approached one of the suspects who opened fire. The three suspects drove off. Wactor was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
[04:45:00]
Our affiliate reports that police haven't yet arrested anyone.
Six people were stabbed in separate attacks in Massachusetts and police say they're likely connected. Four young girls were attacked at a movie theater before two other people were stabbed at a McDonald's. CNN's Polo Sandoval has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this weekend, police releasing limited information about this series of stabbings, but still enough to help us build a timeline, albeit a disturbing one, that paints a clearer picture of the events from Saturday.
Police say that it all started at 6 p.m. on Saturday when a suspect without a ticket walked into a movie theater in the town of Braintree, Massachusetts, which is about 13 miles south of Boston. Police say he proceeded to stab four young females, their ages ranging from 9 to 17 years old. Their injuries, non-life threatening, so they're expected to survive here.
Police say that this seemed to be an unprovoked attack that without saying anything, without any warning, that the suspect then started stabbing these young women and then fled.
It was a short time later that police say that he made his way to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he stabbed two additional individuals, a man and a woman, each in their 20s. They also suffered non-life threatening injuries, and then he tried to flee. The suspect did. Police then engaged that suspect in a chase, which ended in a crash, and ultimately they were able to detain that suspect.
I should mention, though, that there is no specific word on any possible motive. They are still investigating.
We should also mention that police in Deep River, Connecticut, on Saturday, also investigating a homicide after they located a body while responding to a call of a disturbance. Police there in Connecticut will only say that their suspect was arrested in Massachusetts, but they stopped short of directly linking it to those two other stabbings.
So still a lot of information here that should be coming up, coming forward from investigators, but at least we do have enough to understand that series of events of two unprovoked stabbings at a movie theatre, and also at a fast food restaurant over the holiday weekend.
Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The parents of pro golfer Grayson Murray have confirmed their son died by suicide. The PGA Tour announced Murray's death on Saturday after he withdrew from a tournament in Texas. Don Riddell has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: They were trying to play golf on the PGA Tour in Dallas this weekend, but it was so very difficult after the news that one of the men who had been playing in the tournament had taken his own life. On Sunday, Grayson Murray's parents, Eric and Terry, released a
statement through the PGA Tour, and their shock and heartbreak was just palpable.
They said, quote: We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone. It's surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It's a nightmare. Life wasn't always easy for Grayson, they went on, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now. Please honor Grayson by being kind to one another. If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else.
Grayson Murray was just 30 years old, a talented golfer who publicly battled his demons. When he was 22, he earned his PGA Tour card and quickly won his first PGA Tour event just a few weeks later. He later said that such a rapid success was both a blessing and a curse. Despite his phenomenal talent, he struggled both on and off the course with anxiety, mental health issues and alcohol abuse, but he never tried to hide his challenges from the world.
GRAYSON MURRAY, PRO GOLFER: Everyone has their battles. And sometimes people are able to hide them and function, and sometimes you're not. And, you know, I think our society now is getting better about accepting that, you know, it's OK to not be OK type deal. And I've embraced that type mentality. And I'm not ashamed that I go through depression, anxiety. And, you know, I know I've helped people out in the past just through my social media DMs, people messaging me.
And, you know, and that's, I think, part of -- I can use my platform to continue to help with things like that.
RIDDELL: In recent times, Grayson seemed to be getting better. He returned to the PGA Tour this year, and in January, he won again at the Sony Open in Hawaii. His sudden death has absolutely stunned the whole golf community.
And one of his playing partners in Dallas, Peter Malnati, tried to find the words to describe how so many are feeling.
PETER MALNATI, PLAYED WITH GRAYSON MURRAY ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY: It's so funny. We get so worked up out here about, you know, bad break here or good break there. Look --
[04:50:00]
RIDDELL: It's so hard to imagine how anybody could play on after something like this. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monaghan says that grief counsellors were made available to the players and staff. And many of the players on Sunday wore red and black ribbons to remember Grayson. Those are the colors he used to wear on Sundays because of his love of the Carolina Hurricanes ice hockey team.
It's surely going to be some time before they can all process and make sense of such an utterly sad and tragic loss. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FOSTER: Well, if you know someone considering suicide or is in crisis, please do seek out some help. Many countries have lifelines and resources available for that. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: It was a hometown win for one driver at Formula One's crown jewel in Monte Carlo. Charles Leclerc finally grabbed his first victory at the Monaco Grand Prix after beginning the race in pole position in two previous editions. The Ferrari driver led by, led from the start really, and finished more than seven seconds ahead of second place Oscar Piastri.
[04:55:02]
Leclerc gave a emotional tribute to his late father after the race, saying he gave him everything. And that allowed him to be there.
And in NASCAR news, Christopher Bell was named the winner of NASCAR's rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.
Last night's race was called early with just over 150 laps to go to inclement weather and high humidity and NASCAR set. This marks Bell's second victory of the season and the eighth of his career.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attended the race. North Carolina could be a key state in this year's presidential election.
And the Indianapolis 500 may have started late, but the ending was no less thrilling. Joseph Newgarden won the prestigious race on Sunday for the second straight year. He made a stunning pass on the final lap to take the victory by about three-tenths of a second. The start of the race was delayed by four hours due to extreme weather.
Organizers had to pause the pre-race festivities and evacuate fans until the rain passed and the track could be dried as well.
The PBS National Memorial Day concert took place on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday night. A host of performers and celebrities took part in the annual event, which bills itself as a National Night of Remembrance.
The concert honors U.S. service members, their families, and all those who gave their lives for their country.
Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. CNN "THIS MORNING" is up after the break.
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