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NASA Scrubs Attempt To Launch Boeing's Starliner Flight Test After Automatic Hold Triggered Right Before Launch; Forum in Singapore Attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Ukraine May Begin Launching Strikes Inside Russia As War Continues; Donald Trump Vows To Appeal Felony Convictions In Hush Money Criminal Trial; Some Voters Say They Will Support Trump Despite Felony Convictions; Officials From U.S., Israel, And Egypt to Meet In Cairo To Discuss Reopening Of Rafah Border Crossing To Allow Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza; Experts Expect More Than Average Number Of Severe Summer Storms; CIA And FBI Gathering Intelligence From Russian Sources Disaffected By Russia's Ongoing War In Ukraine. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 01, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

[14:00:27]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Alisyn Camerota in for Fredricka Whitfield today.

We have breaking news out of Florida. NASA scrubbing its second attempt, or third, to launch Boeing's Starliner flight test after an automatic hold was triggered with less than four minutes until launch. The computer that launches the rocket stopped the countdown clock, and now officials are racing to learn why. Both astronauts are now back at crew quarters after leaving the capsule a short time ago.

Joining us now from the Kennedy Space Center is CNN space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher. So, Kristin, obviously this is not the news that NASA or Boeing wanted today. What happened?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN ANCHOR: We just don't know yet. And we're going to find out hopefully quite a bit more during a press conference that NASA, Boeing, and the United Launch Alliance have called, which is set to start in exactly one hour now. All we know right now is that there was an issue with the ground launch sequencer, and that is the computer that's responsible for launching this rocket. It's essentially an automated process once you get down that close to liftoff, and there was some kind of problem with it.

We just got a new line here that I'm kind of reading through and dissecting for further meaning. NASA says the system was unsuccessful in verifying the sequencers necessary redundancy. So hopefully we'll learn a bit more about what that means at this 3:00 p.m. presser. But it sounds like this was not a NASA issue. It sounds like it was not a Boeing issue. It sounds like it wasn't even an issue with the weather. Most likely it was United Launch Alliance issue. And that's an important distinction given all the scrutiny that's been facing Boeing leading up to this launch.

For those that don't know, this is the vehicle that was supposed to be launching today. This tiny capsule on top, that's all Boeing is responsible for, the United -- the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. This is the Atlas rocket which propels the Starliner spacecraft into space. It's operated by the United Launch Alliance, which is all to why they're responsible for this ground launch sequencer, which is where problem was today.

But yes, Alisyn, definitely a bit of a bummer for Boeing, NASA, the astronauts that were inside, everybody involved. But really important to remember that scrubs are so common in spaceflight. I can't tell you how many launches I've been to that are scrubs, especially for a first crewed test flight. The mantra at NASA is we don't launch until we're ready. And so this is fairly routine, I'm sad to say.

But what -- that does not underscore, or undermine all the many issues and challenges that Boeing has faced leading up to this moment. It had so many technical issues and so many engineering problems with this spacecraft, so much so that its competitors, SpaceX, has been able to launch 13 crewed missions to outer space in that four-year span that Boeing hasn't been able to fly. So the pressure really on Boeing to prove that it's spacecraft can finally fly in space and carry astronauts on board for the very first time. But Alisyn, today just was not their day.

And so when will the next attempt be? It could be as soon as tomorrow at noon. We should find that out at this press conference in one hour. If not then, then they have the next back backup launch attempts are next week, June 5th and June 6th. So hopefully we'll learn more in one hour, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, keep us posted, Kristin. Thanks so much for being there on the ground.

All right, now, to a key security summit with significant implications for Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is there. He is scheduled to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to talk about U.S. support of Ukraine and its fight against Russia. CNN's Natasha Bertrand has more on what happened at the summit today.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Secretary Austin addressed the Shangri-La forum here in Singapore earlier today in a major speech that focused on the idea of convergence of the United States and its Indo-pacific allies here in favor of security and the rule of law, a thinly veiled message to China, which of course the United States has accused of flouting international a lot, especially when it comes to freedom of navigation in the seas and in the air.

Now, Secretary Austin also emphasized the importance, though, of military-to-military communications with the Chinese remaining ongoing, saying that that is what responsible nations do, and there's no substitute so that kind of direct dialogue between the U.S. and they're Chinese counterparts. [14:05:11]

To that end, the secretary did in fact meet face-to-face just the other day with his Chinese counterpart for the first time since 2022. And importantly, Secretary Austin reiterated to the Chinese that there are going to be consequences not only for their actions potentially in the South China Sea and in the region around Taiwan, but also for their support and their ongoing support for Russia's defense sector and how that is fueling the war in Ukraine. Secretary Austin said that if China continues provide that kind of support for the Russians, then the U.S. and its allies will be forced to take further measures.

Now, that is undoubtedly going to be on the agenda for Secretary Austin's meeting with a surprise guest here at the Shangri-La forum, which is President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. He showed up earlier on Saturday night, and he's expected to meet on Sunday with Secretary Austin alongside his defense minister Umerov. And they are expected to talk about the battlefield situation in Ukraine, as well as what Ukraine needs to defend itself against the Russians right now. And so expect that meeting to be very significant, of course, for Austin and for the Ukrainian leader here at a moment when the Chinese, of course, are here as well, and they have continued to provide very significant support for Russia's defense sector.

Natasha Bertrand, CNN in Singapore.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CAMEROTA: OK, let's bring in retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who served as a top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council. Colonel, thanks so much for being here. So what's the most urgent thing that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Defense Secretary Austin need to discuss tomorrow?

LT. COL. ALEXANDER VINDMAN (RET), FORMER EUROPEAN AFFAIRS DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: I think the fact is that the west and the U.S. haven't necessarily played the same role in terms of fulsome support to Ukraine that you now see you kind of China orienting, trying to really fundamentally floating the Russian war economy.

We're more iterative. We had a long suspension in terms of our military support. That was a six-month gap in which the Ukrainians had to do more on their own. The Europeans stepped up in a big way. I think the biggest thing is, do we make that final commitment for Ukraine to win? That's still yet unclear.

I do appreciate Secretary Austin using the word "convergence" of our allies in the Pacific. That is a very powerful notion. It's a debate amongst policymakers and strategist whether we recognize that the authoritarian world, whether the Chinas and Russias and Irans of the world and North Koreas of the world, that they're converging. Does as the democratic world converge in the same way to secure our own interests? Ukraine being one of the most important and the currently the principal battlefield.

CAMEROTA: So Colonel, what about this new policy, allowing Ukraine to carry out limited strikes within Russia using U.S. weapons, would that make a difference in the war efforts?

VINDMAN: It is significant change. The fact is that for a long time, I would argue for probably the past 30 years, we've been highly deferential to Russia, seeking in all cases to avoid any real significant risks on the fear of escalation, devolution in the relationship. This is a meaningful change in that we're not allowing that kind of same mentality to creep in in the same way. It's still quite limited. It's oriented around a specific region, around Kharkiv, around Russia's ability to use offensive forces, artillery strikes from across the border. It is not the typical standard fare of we provide military resources to an ally, and then they're entirely unencumbered in defending themselves. We don't restrict in the same way. If this was another country, we would not see any of these types of restrictions on striking cross into the aggressor state's territory.

But this is meaningful. This is a shift in the right direction. It is likely to be a test. If the administration and the west don't see a significant blowback, which I wouldn't expect any significant blowback from the Russians, I think that would enable a broader approach to reducing these constraints on how the Ukrainians defend themselves. So it's an important step, but it's still a toe in the water.

CAMEROTA: But why wouldn't Russia retaliate against the U.S.?

VINDMAN: Because the U.S. isn't a cobelligerent. We provide -- imagine a scenario in which throughout decades, we're talking about throughout the entirety of the cold war, you would see Russian weapons employed, or Soviet weapons deployed in every corner of the world to attack U.S. interests. It was Russian weaponry that was present in Vietnam. It was Russian weaponry that was present in Korea.

[14:10:05]

And the Russians were supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan during our wars, recent wars. We did not consider the Russians as cobelligerents because they were providing resources, the same way that the Russians don't consider us as cobelligerents in providing resources. It's really the rules of the game. We are not directly involved in the war. We're supporting a sovereign independent state operating under the U.N. charter defending itself, and they could either buy or obtain weaponry from where they want. And that doesn't make the provisioning state one of the combatants. It's just that simple.

CAMEROTA: You were in Ukraine in April. So how are things different now than when the war began?

VINDMAN: So it's quite different even now than it was in April in certain regards, because I was there just at the tail end right before we pass the Ukraine aid bill. And I'd say morale was really quite low. The Ukrainians were seeing pressure from Russia in a bunch of different places, especially in the Donbas. They're worn out in a lot of ways because they don't have enough combat troops. The Ukrainians hadn't mobilized, or still haven't mobilized sufficient force is to start rotating folks off of the front lines, giving them a break. But now what's significantly changes that we passed a $61 billion

Ukraine assistance package. The Europeans continue to step up. That weaponry has reached the front lines. You could see that in the way the Ukrainians are more effectively repelling Russian forces around Kharkiv. And I think that I am pretty optimistic that the Russians will likely make some additional gains really, meters, kilometers, but they're not going to do anything substantial. They're not going to change the orientation of this war over the next several months.

And the senior policymakers I talked to in Ukraine when I was there were concerned about June and July Russian offensive, and whether they're forces could weather them. I think that that's going to be -- that's going to turn out OK. There will be small setbacks. And in the meantime, the Ukrainians are going to build resources for a counterpunch, probably not this year, but next year. They'll weather the Russian attacks and then start building towards next year and an offensive.

CAMEROTA: Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, thank you for all the information. Great to have you.

VINDMAN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Former President Trump promises to appeal his felony conviction, and many legal minds say he has a good chance. We'll dig into that and more after the break.

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[14:17:20]

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump is already capitalizing on his criminal conviction. The former president's campaign says they raised close to 53 million in the 24 hours since you was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York. He's vowing to appeal the verdict. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11th.

With me now, former federal prosecutor and senior writer for "Politico" magazine Ankush Khardori. Also, we have white-collar criminal attorney and an adjunct law professor at American University Jeffrey Jacobovitz. Gentlemen, thank you very much for being here. Ankush, does Trump have a good case for appeal?

ANKUSH KHARDORI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I don't know if it's a good case on appeal. I mean, there are some issues that I think are live issues on appeal that are litigable and that could at the end of the day break his way, including, I think most notably, as I see it, the sort of importation of federal campaign finance law into a state prosecution about falsifying business records was legitimately unique, and it is something that I think some courts might be interested in taking a closer look at.

CAMEROTA: Professor, do you agree?

JEFFREY JACOBOVITZ, ADJUNCT LAW PROFESSOR, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: I actually agree. And I don't think it's very easy to win on appeal, particularly in New York. There are two levels of review. And then if Trump loses at both of those levels, he would try to bring the Supreme Court into it. And in order for the Supreme Court to really take cert on this case and listen to it, there would have to be a federal issue that they would be interested in. And very rarely will the Supreme Court take a state criminal case.

CAMEROTA: But professor, just so I understand, you think he does have a case, that there were fundamental flaws, in other words, in the prosecution of this case, or at least in the charging -- the predicate for charging, but you don't necessarily think that the New York appeals court will take it up? Is that your position?

JACOBOVITZ: Well, the New York appeals court will take it up. I'm not sure the Supreme Court will take it up. And I think he has an argument to make. But I think Judge Merchan was very careful in his jury instructions. There are also some waiver issues as well, and he followed what the New York state law was in putting together his jury instructions. And I think the argument will be on unanimity, and also the use of the federal law and whether the federal law could be used in the state case. But it's not clear that the Supreme Court would even listen to this.

CAMEROTA: Ankush, what President Trump's former President Trump's supporters say, and were railing about yesterday, is just what you both have touched on, that the charges, particularly the felony charges, are so unique as to be rendered kind of custom made for him.

[14:20:10]

Basically, that the falsification of business records is a misdemeanor in New York, unless it's attached to, as I understand it, another crime or a felony. But that other crime of violating New York election law is also a misdemeanor. And so isn't that something that the appeals court would find sketchy somehow?

KHARDORI: I do think the overall architecture of the case, as you laid it out, would attract their attention. I don't know if it is not sketchy per se. I mean, they're going to need something to really potently argue in front of the court, because it is true that this is a unique case. But a unique case does not necessarily mean it's a bad one, or that it will be overturned. There are novel fact patterns that require novel charging theories.

Now, there's a whole debate, obviously, about whether or not this case should have been brought. But I want to set that to the side for these purposes, because now the case has been brought and there is a verdict. So that sort of discretionary component is out the window now. And I think that this is now down to legal brass tacks. You are going to need narrow, tight arguments that they could actually try to prevail upon. And I share the assessment that it is unlikely that they will prevail on appeal.

JACOBOVITZ: And Alisyn, also the --

CAMEROTA: Yes, go ahead. JACOBOVITZ: Excuse me, the tax law counts and the federal election

counts are felonies. And so it raised it up to a felony. And it's not that unusual a case in New York. I mean, Alvin Bragg got up and talked about how many cases the D.A. brings in falsifying business records. I know what the Trumps supporters are saying in terms of how unique it is. This is unique to the extent that it's a former president and it involved the election, and that's why it's very unique. But in terms of the case law, it may not be that unique.

CAMEROTA: Ankush, another -- well, both of you gentlemen, something quite disturbing. There's a development today, that the jurors whose identities were kept anonymous because the judge and jurors feared that Donald Trump's supporters might go after them. Surprise, online that's happening. And in fact, on some online sites where Donald Trump supporters are known to frequent, they are putting out addresses that they claim are the jurors addresses and demanding retribution. Ankush, is there any recourse for the jurors? Do they get any protection? What happens when this happens?

KHARDORI: This is a very unfortunate situation, because, unfortunately, I think merely sort of discussing what their identities might be, I don't think that runs afoul of any laws. I mean, what happened here, frankly, is that the D.A.'s office and the judge, in my estimation, bungled the voir dire process, particularly the early days where they allowed public disclosures of where the perspective and some of the current jurors currently worked and used to work. And so that information is public. And if people are using public information to identify these people, I don't know that there's going to be a recourse.

If they cross the line into doing things like Swatting these jurors or potentially actionable death threats, then they'd have the same recourse everyone else does, which is to go to the police. But as you know, the Internet is a hard place to police these sorts of things given anonymity issues on the Internet.

CAMEROTA: Jeffrey, your thoughts?

JACOBOVITZ: Well, 18 U.S. code 1503 precludes, or the FBI would enforce that statute to really go after anyone who is doxing and threatening these jurors, or Swatting. And the potential penalties are over 10 years if you're caught doing it. But it doesn't appear to be precluding these people from doing it. And it's very scary. The judge's life has been threatened. His daughter's life has been threatened. The jurors were very brave because they probably figured out this could be coming, and it's a very sad situation.

CAMEROTA: Yes, absolutely. Ankush Khardori, Jeffrey Jacobovitz -- sorry about that, professor -- thank you both very much, really appreciate the conversation.

JACOBOVITZ: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: The critical question beyond what's happening in the courtroom is what's happening on the campaign trail. How are voters reacting to this verdict? CNN's Nick Valencia spoke with people in the battleground state of Georgia.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MILLICENT ABBEY, LIFELONG DEMOCRAT WHO NOW SUPPORTS TRUMP: Trump for 24. Go Trump!

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millicent Abbey gets emotional when talking about Donald Trump.

ABBEY: I love you, Trump.

VALENCIA: When you look at that flag, what do you think? What do you see? What do you feel?

ABBEY: Well, I just -- I just feel he's coming back.

VALENCIA: The 64-year-old grandmother was right here at her home in Atlanta when the guilty verdict came down.

[14:25:02]

She wasn't watching. Her husband, who is a Democrat, was, but Abbey says she made up her mind a long time ago.

ABBEY: Sometime we'd be adding a little bit, because they say, well, Trump this, Trump that, he's going to jail, this and that. Who cares? Who cares? We don't care.

VALENCIA: You don't care at all that he's a convicted felon now?

ABBEY: No, we don't. No.

VALENCIA: Do you understand that some people would say, you know, the justice system worked here? He is --

ABBEY: What justice system?

VALENCIA: Out on the trail of Atlanta's belt line, the heart of the city's liberal enclave, voters were shocked anyone could still support Trump after the guilty verdict.

JADEN HUCKABY, FIRST TIME VOTER: I just think it's crazy. I think somebody who doesn't know your name doesn't care about you at all, having that kind of loyalty to somebody who would throw you to the dirt for nothing is insane.

JOSHUA HUCKABY, LIBERAL LEANING VOTER: I think that Trump is kind of put himself in this position where he is seen as almost a religious figure by a lot of his supporters. And they are willing to follow him regardless of what he does. And that is -- that is a scary thing.

GINA WAOTA, LIBERAL LEANING VOTER: I'm kind of upset that he could still so ran for president and being a felon. But that's how it is.

DEB KAHN, WILL VOTE FOR BIEN SO TRUMP WON'T WIN: He's clearly just the most despicable person who's ever run in this country. VALENCIA: And the guilty verdict?

KAHN: Oh, I mean, I'm not surprised.

VALENCIA: Twenty miles north, in Cobb County, voters here weren't surprised either. In this populace Atlanta suburb crucial to Biden flipping Georgia four years ago, people we spoke to watched the case closely. For more than a dozen voters we spoke to, the verdict reaffirmed the way they were already leaning.

Do you think that he got a fair shake?

JAMES HENLY, COBB COUNTY VOTER: I think so. Yes, I think so. I mean, it was a jury of 12, and that's how we've always done in his country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every man knows he did. You know, he's guilty.

MELODY RICHESON, INDEPENDENT WHO WON'T VOTE FOR TRUMP: I think everything happens for a reason. And I think that when you do bad, that God sees what you do, and he punishes you as he sees fit.

VALENCIA: Do you wish that Trump could be president forever?

ABBEY: Yes, I would.

VALENCIA: As for Millicent Abbey, she says nothing would stop her from voting for Trump in November.

So he could literally go on Fifth Avenue and shoot someone as he says --

ABBEY: I'd support him.

VALENCIA: -- and you would support him?

ABBEY: Yes, I would.

VALENCIA: Some of you may be wondering how we met Millicent Abbey. Well, I was driving through in town Atlanta earlier this week, and I saw Trump flag, which is sort of a rarity for a deeply held blue county. When I knocked on the door, though, I don't think I expected to see who came to the door, but Abbey tells me that she is such a hardcore Trump supporter to the bone, that this lifelong Democrat says she would go back to voting for the Democrats if Trump switched parties, because she says he is such a good person.

But every other voter that we spoke to was not as convinced. In fact, one of the voters that you heard from in that piece says that she is only reluctantly voting for Joe Biden because she says that Trump has been proven to be such a bad person. And in a state like Georgia, which is crucial to winning the 2024 presidential election, she would hate to hand the win over to President Trump.

Nick Valencia, CNN, Marietta, Georgia.

(END VIDEO TAPE) CAMEROTA: Nick, fascinating to hear from voters.

All right, new plans for reopening the Rafah border crossing to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. We go live to Tel Aviv next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:32:28]

CAMEROTA: Officials from the U.S., Israel, and Egypt set to meet in Cairo tomorrow to discuss reopening the Rafah border crossing. It's been nearly a month since Israel seized control and Egypt stopped the flow of humanitarian aid through that crossing. Since then, food has been left to rot on the Egyptian side.

Journalist Elliott Gotkine joins me live from Tel Aviv. Elliott, remind us how vital this crossing is.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN JOURNALIST: Alisyn, it's the second most important crossing for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip after Kerem Shalom, which is between Israel and Gaza in the southernmost parts of the Gaza Strip.

And as you say, ever since Israel took control of the border or the so-called Philadelphi Corridor between Israel and -- I'm sorry, excuse me, between Gaza and Egypt, Egypt has stopped the flow of humanitarian aid. Now, it says it's done so because it cannot guarantee the safety of the drivers of the humanitarian aid trucks, because now that Israel is in control, that would make it a target for Hamas militants. And case in point being, that there have been rocket attacks on the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, which has also caused that crossing to be closed at times over the past few weeks.

So it's incredibly important that the Rafah crossing be reopened. And this is what these talks in Cairo do to resolve, because the Egyptians have been blaming Israel. They said they cannot let these trucks go through until Israel withdraws its forces from these border crossings. Israel has said no, Egypt just simply needs to open the border. So they're going to try to resolve this issue right now. One imagines trying to clear the air as well, and try to find some kind of mechanism to ensure that the flow of humanitarian aid resumes.

But let's not forget that even the aid that was getting through the Rafah crossing before it was closed was not enough. Now that that aid has been stopped, they are even further short of the amount of humanitarian aid, food, medicine, fuel, and the likes, going into Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip than is necessary. So these talks designed to resolve that, to try to get aid flowing once again to the people, the Palestinians in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Elliott, as you know, President Biden had a press conference yesterday about the ongoing war. Any reaction from Israel?

GOTKINE: Plenty of reaction. In fact, it all the time I've been covering the news from this country, I haven't heard the prime minister to put out not just one, but two press statements on the Jewish sabbath.

[14:35:00]

We had two from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coming out today, insisting not that the deal that Biden is referring to that Israel has agreed to, that now Hamas has said it views positively but still needs to agree to, not saying that that is not a deal that Israel has signed up for, but simply saying that the wording of this still in contrast to what President Biden seems to be portraying does not mean that Israel will need to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip until such time as it can say that it has done the job of destroying Hamas militarily.

So I think one of the nuances here to watch for is President Biden saying, look, Hamas no longer has the military capability of carrying out another atrocity on the scale of what Hamas did on October the 7th. Does that qualify as destroying, quote-unquote, Hamas? Well, that's obviously open to interpretation. And if that is something perhaps that Prime Minister Netanyahu can be convinced off, to tell people, yes, we've achieved, we've done this, we've destroyed Hamas militarily because it can no longer carry out an atrocity on the scale of October the 7th, then perhaps that will be easier for him to sell to the rightwing members of his coalition.

But as I say, Netanyahu putting out these statements on the Jewish Sabbath, the far right ministers in his coalition, particularly Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir would not put statements out on the sabbath, one imagines. I would expect that we'd be getting reaction now from them. And they have been pretty consistent all along, which seems to be implying that no deal really is good enough for them until such time as Hamas has been completely destroyed.

And so, although we seem to have a deal on paper that Hamas is now reviewing, the rhetoric that's coming out from the Israeli government, from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and one imagines the rhetoric that we will be getting out from Hamas, may suggest otherwise. So perhaps it will ultimately be open to interpretation, but certainly there are cause not just from the United States, from Canada, from the French, from the British, from the European Union, and other countries around the world, saying that, look, this is the deal that needs to be done. Hamas needs to accept it so the hostages can be freed, so that more humanitarian aid can go in, Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails, and that there can be a ceasefire of at least six weeks, which will then pave the way for a permanent ceasefire and a total cessation of hostilities. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Elliott, while you've been speaking, I've been told that Netanyahu has now accepted the invitation, which was issued yesterday, to address Congress here in the U.S. So we'll see what develops on that and bring that to our viewers. Elliott Gotkine, thank you very much for all the reporting.

All right, a potentially busy hurricane season starts today. We have a preview of what to expect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:42:22]

CAMEROTA: Today is the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters predict this storm season could be one of the most active on record.

Elisa Raffa is here. Elisa, what are forecasters saying about this?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: It's going to be a busy season. We are absolutely confident it will be an above average season. NOAA's official forecast calls for up to 25 named storms. Average would be 14. Of those 25 named storms, 13 of them could be hurricanes. Average is seven. So again, incredibly active, much above average, and that's the forecast from multiple outlets.

I find this stat remarkable. We have 85 percent confidence that this will be in above-normal season. The chance that it's below average will only be about five percent. So virtually impossible that this will go the other way and be a lackluster season.

Part of the reason is we have a La Nina. La Nina, is that cooler ocean circulation in the Pacific, and sometimes it could do a dance with our jet stream, or the path of storminess. What it can do is the La Nina can send that jet stream, or the path of storminess, to the north. That opens up this area to less wind energy, or windshear. Hurricanes hate wind energy. They don't like when the winds change speed and direction with height. So if we get more of this out of the way, keep that clear of the wind energy, this will open up a path for more storms to develop.

On top of this, another big factor is we have really warm ocean temperatures. Ocean temperatures so far this season have already been about three to five degrees above average. They've already been closer to August normals than typical for May or early June. So we're already off to the races with a very warm start for the ocean temperatures.

And this is the climate change factor. This is climate change. Our oceans track 90 percent of our heat from our greenhouse gas emissions. Warmer water is more fuel for stronger storms. Hurricanes love warm ocean temperatures. The warm ocean temperatures can also fuel more moisture into this storm, that's heavier rain. You have higher storm surge as well with sea level rise. So we're talking about more intense storms with climate change, and that could be the factor this season.

When the storms are wetter, more intense, they can get farther inland with the damage. We're talking about more costs, more billion-dollar storms. And that increases your insurance costs to, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: And, I mean, all of that is so alarming, obviously, and those graphics are really stirring. What about the temperatures that -- I understand that we're expecting some triple digit temperatures?

[14:45:00]

RAFFA: Yes, we're looking at some heat, as we, today is also the first day of meteorological summer, right, June 1st. And we're already off to the races with the heat as well. We have excessive heat watches for parts of California and Nevada, including Las Vegas. This goes into effect by Tuesday where we're looking at triple digit temperatures already for Phoenix, Vegas. And Vegas, yes, it gets hot there, but your average is 95 degrees this time of year. We're talking about temperatures already getting to 105 as we go into the workweek.

So again, Tuesday, looking at temperatures at 105 degrees in Sacramento, nearing 107, that's 20 degrees above average by Wednesday. So again, yes, it gets hot in these places, but not this hot this early. Even temperatures in the 90s already in Denver by the middle of the week, this means, again, heat sickness early in the season. So check kids, elderly pets. We're just not acclimated to this yet, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes Elisa, thank you for the warning.

All right, there's a new five-part CNN original series that explores the science behind natural phenomenon. The episodes showed the increasingly frequent and harrowing climate events around our planet, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and wildfires. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm coming, honey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really is a terrifying experience.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is the stuff of nightmares.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm thinking I'm going to die, and I thought that was it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't see it. But it's there looming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You cannot outswim this. You cannot outrun it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The sirens are going off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was chewing up everything in its path.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tornado hit. You could hear it and feel it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My eyes and my throat were burning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You've got to be up high enough. That is your only escape.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is all the color you've held.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard to unimaginable of Mother Nature.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not ready. We're very far from being ready.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have so much technology. We have the ability to control so much in our lives. You still can't control Mother Nature. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Violent Earth" with Liev Schreiber, premiers tomorrow with 9:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:52:02]

CAMEROTA: When you think of Russia, one of the words that springs to mind is "spying." Espionage has long been a key part of Russia's relationship with the west, from the cold war to Putin's recent invasion of Ukraine. Now the FBI and CIA are collecting valuable intelligence from Russian insiders who are furious over the Ukraine war. CNN's Josh Campbell explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid Russia's brutal ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a rare opening for U.S. intelligence to recruit Russian insiders furious at the handling of the war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disaffection creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us at CIA. We're very much open for business.

DAVID MCCLOSKEY, FORMER CIA OFFICER: That business is the exchange of information that the asset or agent would provide for something that they want. We want people who have some sense of what those leaders' priorities are, what they're trying to accomplish.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): The recruitment effort is far from a state secret. America's spy handlers have publicly taken to social media, releasing videos appealing to the patriotism of disaffected Russians.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an absolutely brilliant ploy by the CIA.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): But while the technology is new, spying has underpinned and undermined U.S.-Russian relations for decades. That secret battle between intelligence services now the focus of a new CNN/BBC documentary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I spent 10 years as an illegal undercover agent for the KGB in the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): This is the unseen story of the Cold War, fought not by politicians but by secret agents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was complete misunderstanding on either side.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): With interviews and never before heard audio from spies and the traitors who sealed their fate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aldrich Ames put some of those names to death by sharing them with his KGB case officer. BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SECURITY GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Not only was the CIA and its intelligence sources in the Soviet Union completely compromised, he also was in a compromised position.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): For each side, espionage was used to gain strategic advantage. The ultimate cost of discovery, the highest form of punishment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you do to officers who betray their own motherland? You execute them.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): In the new modern-day shadow war, espionage remains a vital tool.

MCCLOSKEY: The backbone of our understanding about Putin, the people around him, the basis for all of that will be sources inside Russia.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): And the lessons of the Cold War could very well determine future global stability.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to know your enemy. If you don't, you can scare your enemy into doing something that neither of you want to see happen.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Josh Campbell, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: And you can turn into the all new CNN original series "Secrets and Spies, A Nuclear Game," premiering tomorrow at 10:00 p.m.

[14:55:04]

All right, minutes from now, we expect NASA and Boeing to give us our first update on why they scrubbed the launch of Boeing's first ever crewed space flight minutes before takeoff today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: President Biden is offering his condolences after the passing of Marian Robinson. The mother of former first lady Michelle Obama passed away on Friday. In a statement, President Biden says, "We knew Mrs. Marian Robinson as a devoted mother and grandmother with a fierce and unconditional love of her family.