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CNN International: Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un Sign a Strategic Partnership Pact; Extreme Heat, Wildfires & a Tropical Storm Threaten Midwest and Northeast United States; Israel Warns Hezbollah of Possible All-out War; Heavy Seas Force Temporary Dismantling of U.S. Pier in Gaza; Ukraine's NATO Membership to Be Discussed at July Summit; Cyril Ramaphosa Sworn in for Second Term as President in South Africa; Boeing CEO Blasted for Safety Record at Senate Hearing; Justin Timberlake Charged With Driving While Intoxicated; Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays Had Died at 93. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired June 19, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:10]
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hi, everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I am Amara Walker. This is "CNN Newsroom." Just ahead, a red carpet welcome for Russia's leader. North Korea's Kim Jong Un pulls out all the stops for Russian President Vladimir Putin, while their new alliance is causing concern in the West. Plus, from huge fires to record heat, millions of Americans struggling with extreme weather. We are live in New Mexico where the battle is on against massive wildfires. And we take you along on one CNN anchor's emotional journey to uncover a family history of both slavery and freedom.
Vladimir Putin is wrapping up his whirlwind visit to North Korea at this hour. Earlier in the day, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un rolled out the red carpet for Putin with a grand ceremony with North Koreans chanting 'Welcome Putin'. After the pomp and circumstance, it was down to business. The two signed a partnership pact that replaced the several previous agreements. Putin says the deal includes a mutual defense provision and he adds the agreement will bring the allies even closer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, we held substantive negotiations on a whole range of practical cooperation. This includes political, trade, investment, cultural spheres, and the security sphere as well. I agree that this is truly a breakthrough document, reflecting the desire of both countries not to stop at their achievements, but to raise our achievements at a qualitative new level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Now for his part, Kim Jong Un promised his country's full support and solidarity with Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM JONG UN, NORTH KOREAN LEADER (through translator): The great Democratic People's Republic Of Korea-Russia alliance which will become a watershed moment in the development of this bilateral relations, finally raised its anchor in history and announced this solemn departure here today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: We are covering Putin's visit from Seoul with her Mike Valerio and from London with our Clare Sebastian. We will begin with Mike. Mike, it seems that both countries now pledging to potentially come to each other's defense in the event that they are attacked. Do we have any more details about this partnership agreement and what exactly this means?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have very few details, Amara. The dust, I cannot stress far enough is still settling here across the Korean Peninsula with this historic visit. So it is just as you said, for days Amara, we've been talking about North Korea and Russia entered this strategic partnership right back in September of last year. So, we were wondering what they were going to do during this meeting to elevate that strategic partnership and they both seem prepared as they have relayed in their comments at the end of this summit, to potentially come to the aid of each other's militaries if both countries or if either country comes under any sort of aggression or under attack.
Now, we were looking back, Amara, to 1961, a treaty signed by the U.S.S.R. Khrushchev and North Korea Kim Il Sung by the leader then, the founder of North Korea, where the language was very strong. It said that if either country came under attack in the '60s, that the other country shall immediately spring into action with military assistance. Vladimir Putin, I have the quote right here -- he said that this agreement just has the provision of mutual assistance in the event of aggression.
But, what kind of assistance are we talking about? Is that military assistance? Is that sending food? Is that sending supplies? So, the problem here, Amara, is that we don't have a written document that has been sent out by the regimes of these two authoritarian leaders for us to get more clarity on what exactly this new "alliance and mutual defense pact" truly means. Is it military? And in that vein, Vladimir Putin also said, "The Russian federation does not rule out the development of military grade cooperation." So, does not rule out the cooperation. If you sense a theme, Amara, there a lot of platitudes, a lot of vagaries here, but they are still very concerning. So as our friends in Washington, D.C., at the Pentagon begin to wake up as more of the Western military alliances and personnel and leaders begin to take in what exactly this means, it will be fascinating to see what, if any, postures are potentially adjusted based on this historic meeting that just wrapped up.
[08:05:12]
WALKER: Big picture is that it does make sense, right, to see Putin and Kim getting closer in terms of ties. They're both geopolitical pariahs and they both hold hostilities towards the West.
Clare, you're covering the Russian angle of all of this today. What will President Putin be thinking about regarding this visit in terms of how this would be a win for him?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it is clear both from the optics and the not very subtle rhetoric, Amara, that this fits with really the overarching theme of all Russian foreign policy, and that is confronting the West. The optics obviously, a lot of pomp and circumstance, massive crowds, children waving Russian flags, Putin's picture emblazoned across one side of Kim Il Sung Square. All of this smacks of the Russian attempt to show that it is not only not isolated by the war in Ukraine, but that Putin's patronage is actually prized in some parts of the world, and certainly here in this relationship, unlike the relationship that he has with China.
No one can accuse Putin of being the junior partner, so those optics that they know the West is watching, the rhetoric as well also not very subtle. At one point, President Putin thanks Kim Jong Un for supporting all Russian policies and then goes on to clarify and lest we were in any doubt that he means confronting, what he calls, the imperialist policy of the United States and its satellites.
I think, look, Mike is right, the pact, this comprehensive strategic agreement that they have reached, it does raise a lot of questions, but it also looks very much like a counter to NATO's Article 5, that defensive pact in NATO that calls for an attack on one ally to be seen as an attack on all. And this, of course, coming as Russia watches, as Western weapons are starting to make their way to the frontlines in Ukraine, those long-awaited U.S. supplies, as restrictions are being lifted on using some of those supplies to hit Russia.
And this is way to send a message, I think, by cozying up to North Korea that Russia is not to be trifled with in this was. So, very clear messaging, very clear that the audience here is in large part at least the collective West, as Russia call it.
WALKER: Clare Sebastian and Mike Valerio, thank you both. And later this hour, I will speak to an expert on North Korea about the visit and what Kim Jong Un will be hoping to gain from his new alliance. That is coming up in about 20 minutes from now.
All right. Happening right now, millions of Americans are grappling with a triple weather threat, deadly wildfires, extreme heat and the first possible named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. A heat wave is sending temperatures soaring across the Midwest and Northeast. In New England, the National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine has issued its first-ever excessive heat warning, plus the Texas Coast is under a tropical storm warning. The system is expected to bring heavy rain, high winds, and flash flooding over the next several days.
And then you move out farther west, crews there in California are making some headway battling wildfires. LA counties, post fire is now 31 percent contained, but a state of emergency remains in place in New Mexico as fast growing wildfires burn thousands of hectares. You can see the plumes of smoke there. One person has now died as thousands flee the flames.
I want to check in with Rosa Flores, standing by for us in Corpus Christi, Texas where they are already experiencing tropical storm conditions. Rosa, what are you seeing? What are local residents and officials saying?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara, good morning. Let me show you behind me because this is Corpus Christi Bay, but you can see that it looks more like the ocean. You can see the waves crashing onto those parking meters. And this is pretty much the scene all along Coastal Texas here along the Gulf Coast. The ocean is going to rise a bit depending on where you are. You are going to see flooding conditions all in these areas. So it is not just Corpus Christi.
Now, we have a map from the National Weather Service that really shows the conditions. You can see that the area that is highlighted it in yellow, that is north of us. That is in the Galveston, Houston area. They are expecting higher surge levels between two and four feet, but as you follow the blue along the Gulf Coast, that's where I am in Corpus Christi, Texas. You can see that the surge here where I am, that is expected at about one to three feet. Now, that goes all the way south to the mouth of the Rio Grande in Brownsville, Texas. That's the Rio Grande Valley.
[08:10:00]
I was just there covering a story about farmers there praying for rain. Well, they will be getting some rain. Take a look at these rain totals. This other map from the National Weather Service shows that there in South Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, they are expecting between four to six inches of rain. That is what farmers and citrus growers were praying for just days ago when I was there. They are going to be getting some rain, but of course, the officials are concerned about flooding in low-lying areas there.
But back live here where I am, you can see that there is some flooding in this street where I am. You can see that the parking meters are underwater. Normally, this would be a street that you would see here behind me. And these are the conditions that officials here are expecting. Now, Amara, they tell me that they are of course, preparing for the worst, but this is not a Hurricane Harvey, this is not a major hurricane. And at least here in the Gulf Coast of Texas, the storm is going to be hundreds of miles from where we are.
But officials are preparing, they have pre-positioned assets in strategic locations and these are high-water vehicles, rescue boats, barricades, just to make sure that they are prepared. But from talking to them, they do not appear very concerned. Now, let me finish with this. You can see that there is water here where I am, but you can see that that water level has receded. You can see the water line here with some of the debris. And as of now, Amara, we've seen some bands of rain, but right now, you can see it is not raining. We are just seeing some of the wins.
But from talking to locals, I can tell you that on a normal day, sustained winds here in Corpus Christi can sustain up to 30 miles an hour. So, people here are used to this type of winds. So, we are just going to have to see what conditions are. But again, the entire Texas Gulf Coast could be experiencing coastal flooding, some winds, and we are going to be here telling you all about it. Amara, back to you.
WALKER: I know you will be there, Rosa Flores. Thank you so much for your hard work as always. Thanks for that. CNN's Ed Lavandera is standing by for us in Ruidoso, New Mexico where wildfires are proving a huge challenge. A very different scene where you are, it looks like there is a lot of smoke in your area. What is the situation there?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This is an area in Ruidoso, New Mexico, mountain city where about 8,000 people or so have evacuated in the last 48 hours and the remnants of the existence of this fire, wildfires continue. It is actually two different wildfires surrounding this area which have burned up to about 20,000 acres in all. So very dangerous situations and the terrain, obviously, mountainous and very difficult for firefighters to work in, but we are surrounded by these wildfires and that is why you are seeing all of the smoke. And obviously, a great deal of roads that are impassable at this point because it is just too dangerous.
This road takes you out kind of to the northern edge of Ruidoso, New Mexico and we believe those are neighborhoods that have been some of the hardest hit. In all about 1,400 structures in this area have been destroyed or damaged by the wildfires since they first erupted Monday morning. And we've spoken with a number of residents, many people who have fled, obviously, a great deal of uncertainty and trying to figure out exactly the status of people's homes. Many people having to leave very quickly Monday night, into Tuesday as well. Some other areas that -- where the wildfire flared up yesterday afternoon, we saw evacuations ongoing throughout there. So, all of this continues to remain a very volatile situation.
But, Amara, there is a sliver of good news possibly coming later today. Weather forecasts show so that it could start raining after three o'clock mountain time here in the United States, in this particular area, which could help speed up the relief and help the firefighters to extinguish these fires much quickly because, right now, the fires are barely contained in any kind of way. So, firefighters still trying to get the situation under control, but rain showers later today could help them do that much more quickly. Amara?
WALKER: Looking at the situation behind you, you can see there is a thick layer of smoke there over that neighborhood where you are and a few things come to mind. Obviously, the health concerns for people in terms of what they are breathing in. Have officials, I guess, said anything about that? And also, when it comes to visibility for the firefighters, is that an issue?
LAVANDERA: Well, there is no question, as we can't get to the frontlines of where these firefighters are closest to the flames and where all of that is unfolding. These roadblocks kind of prevent that from happening.
[08:15:00] But the visibility as you get closer and closer is much more difficult and we also heard from residents who were trying to escape from this area just how quickly the visibility had diminished as they were trying to evacuate this area. We spoke with one gentleman, his name is Michael Scott who evacuated to about an hour south of here. We found him at a motel in the city of Alamogordo and he is trying to figure out if his house is still standing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL SCOTT, RUIDOSO RESIDENT: We reached a point where it was just a solid blackout. We've never seen anything like it, but the thing that kind of startled me more than anything, my truck was being hit with chunks of ash. I can feel them hitting the hood and the gray, it was almost like big gray rain hitting my truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: So, Amara, if you know, you look around here, just the thickness of the smoke that is still enveloping the city of Ruidoso, many residents hopeful to get back and to kind of assess the damage here within the next day or so, but really that kind of depends on the weather conditions and what kind of progress firefighters are able to make in putting out these wildfires in this mountainous area of New Mexico.
WALKER: Hopefully, they make a lot of progress soon. Thank you so much, Ed Lavandera in New Mexico for us. Also, a dangerous heat wave is also bearing down across southern Europe leading to high temperature alerts in a number of countries and warnings to stay indoors. Barbie Nadeau has more.
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: It is only June and southern Europe is already baking under a deadly heat wave. In Greece, several tourists died after hiking in extreme temperatures. One deputy mayor had a dire warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPYROS ARGYROS, MATHRAKI DEPUTY MAYOR: We have a lot of footpaths here and we often see people come here to go walking. Often couples will come in groups, but we also see people alone on the foot paths. Unfortunately, during some days in the summer, we have heat waves and we see them walking on the footpaths without supplies, without water, without a towel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NADEAU: In Italy and in the Balkans, temperatures are expected to be between five and ten degrees higher than average. In Rome, authorities have put up trees at bus stops in order to provide much needed shade for those waiting in the hot sun. Authorities across the region warn the elderly and the frail to try to stay indoors during the hottest time of the day. They are also urging people to exercise caution in areas that are prone to wildfires.
If last summer was the hottest summer on record, so far this summer doesn't look like it is going to be any better.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.
WALKER: Still to come, efforts to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza via sea have hit another setback, a U.S.-built pier is out of service once again, the details are ahead. Plus the U.S. and its allies are weighing how much to push for Ukraine's membership in NATO ahead of a key summit, a live report from Washington is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:20:10]
WALKER: The White House has canceled a high-level meeting with Israel about Iran. That is according to a CNN analyst, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the U.S. was withholding military aid in this new video.
Now, in it, Mr. Netanyahu says "It is inconceivable that the U.S. has been withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel." And the White House took issue with those claims. Separately, Israel is warning Hezbollah that there could potentially be an all-out war after the Iran-backed militant group published a video appearing to show military and civilian sites in Israel. This comes as the Israeli military approves operational plans for a potential offensive against Hezbollah and Lebanon.
Meantime, a mobile pier constructed by the U.S. to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza is out of service once again due to bad weather and heavy seas. Officials say sea conditions will only worsen as fall and winter approach, raising questions about the pier's lifespan. CNN's Oren Liebermann has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the waters off southern Israel, these U.S. army vessels wait for work. They are part of the operation for the U.S. built temporary pier to Gaza. But the pier is here some 30 miles from the war-torn strip in the Israeli port city of Ashdod, tucked behind this power plant. From these satellite images, you can see it is sheltering at the port, unable once again to operate in heavy seas. The pier began with a major promise from President Joe Biden.
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean. A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.
(APPLAUSE)
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Two months after the State of the Union, the pier known as JLOTS did begin delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. U.S. aid said this nautical option would one day be able to feed 0.5 million people a month as critical supplies on the grounds stalled at checkpoints and airdrops could only do so much. But a week after it began operations in May, the pier broke in heavy seas. Repairs took more than a week, and the small army vessels that are part of the system also needed work after four of them ran aground in high waves and winds. The Pentagon said a rare weather pattern knocked the $230 million pier out of commission.
SABRINA SINGH, DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: What happened was something that was quite unprecedented. It was the high sea states and then that storm that changed direction and created an untenable environment for JLOTS to operate in.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The last time the pier was used operationally was the Haiti earthquake in 2010. Since then, it has repeatedly struggled in exercises with rough weather. The pier was back up and running again on June 8th, but soon hit another snag when there was no one to handle aid coming off the pier.
CINDY MCCAIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: Well, right now, we are paused.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): An Israeli rescue mission which freed four hostages and killed scores of Palestinians, forced the world food programme to pause its distribution effort and re-evaluate the safety of the area.
MCCAIN: So, we have to step back just for the moment to make sure that we are on safe terms and on safe ground.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Aid still came off the pier, but it didn't get to the people who needed it. Without the U.N.'s World Food Programme to lead distribution, it is unclear how viable the pier is in the future.
SINGH: The good news is, is that it is on the beach, so it is a step closer to getting to the people who need it most. But I just don't have an update on when that will be further distributed.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): But even the latest effort didn't last long. The pier which can only handle three-foot seas, was knocked out of commission once again, moved back to Ashdod out of an abundance of caution to wait for calmer seas.
Oren Liebermann, CNN in Ashdod, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: The U.S. and several key allies are debating how strongly to commit to Ukraine's membership in NATO, ahead of the 75th anniversary summit in Washington next month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is keen to get a timeline for membership. U.S. and German officials have proposed the alliance offer Ukraine a bridge to membership, but other countries want to use stronger language. For more now, let's bring in CNN's Natasha Bertrand who is joining us now from Washington, D.C. Hi there, Natasha, so tell us more about what is happening here.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Amara. So this has been very painstakingly debated ahead of the NATO summit next month and the reason why the language is so important here is not necessarily because it is binding, but because it is deeply symbolic and it really is going to message to the world, including specifically Russia, just how Ukraine's path to NATO membership is going to be laid out here.
[08:25:00]
And so, what we are told is that the U.S. and Germany, they are particularly in favor of saying that Ukraine has a bridge to NATO membership, which is a little bit vaguer, a little bit softer than what the U.K. and some other central and eastern European nations want, which is to say that Ukraine's path to NATO membership is "irreversible." That is obviously stronger language, something that Ukraine, of course, would want to see and it signals that no matter what, Ukraine's path to NATO membership to becoming a full NATO member really cannot be up for debate at this point.
But the U.S. is reluctant to go that far because they say that it is unclear that that would get the backing of the entire alliance and importantly, Ukraine has not actually fulfilled all of the commitments that it needs to in terms of Democratic reforms, anti-corruption reforms, before it is actually eligible for full NATO membership. So putting that word in there, 'irreversible', it kind of would tie the hands of the alliance in terms of moving forward with Ukraine's NATO membership. But still, you know, this is all being debated ahead of the summit.
Nothing has been finalized yet, but it really underscores here the tensions that remain in terms of the path being laid out for Ukraine to become a member of this alliance, which of course, it has been pushing for decades amid this very serious threat that Russia has continued to pose for years and years. And so the question now is, how is Vladimir Putin going to react to this? The Russian president has said quite explicitly that peace talks with Ukraine will not begin unless Ukraine completely gives up its NATO aspirations. That according to Ukraine, according to NATO is simply not going to happen. But of course, he will be watching this summit very closely to see what the allies come up with.
WALKER: Yeah, give us more context here because, obviously, Putin sees NATO as an existential threat to Russia.
BERTRAND: Exactly right, and that is why he says he moved forward, or at least a big part of why he move forward with this invasion of Ukraine because he does not want to see Ukraine become a member of NATO because of course, if you remember of NATO, then when one member is attacked, then that means the entire alliance has to come to that member's defense. So of course, Ukraine wants to be a part of that pact because Russia has posed such a big threat to it for so many years.
But Russian President Putin, he said just last week that the moment that Ukraine drops those NATO goals officially, those NATO aspirations, that he will be at the table willing to talk about a ceasefire. Now, of course, it is unlikely that that is actually true --
WALKER: Yeah.
BERTRAND: -- but that is the position that he has taken here.
WALKER: Yeah, very explicitly. Natasha Bertrand, good to have you. Thanks so much.
Cyril Ramaphosa has been sworn in for a second term as South Africa's president. But the leader of the African National Congress Party has a difficult task as he seeks to hold together the first coalition government in modern South African history. The ANC failed to secure a majority in parliament for the first time in 30 years in national elections. That (inaudible). The country now looks to the coalition to deal with the poverty, unemployment, and rising crime that are plaguing South Africa.
Still ahead, close friends are getting even closer. We will go deeper into this new agreement between Russia and North Korea, and find out what it could mean for the war in Ukraine. And angry words on Capitol Hill as Senators demand answers from the CEO of Boeing about why his planes keep on having safety issues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:50]
WALKER: All right. Let's dig deeper now into our top story. Russian President Vladimir Putin thanking North Korea's Kim Jong Un for his unwavering support in Pyongyang.
Mr. Putin received a hero's welcome with crowds lining streets, chanting 'Welcome Putin,' 24 years after his last visit to Kim Jong Un's father, the two signed a strategic partnership pact, which they said will bring the two countries closer. Kim expressed his solidarity with Russia and its "special military operation in Ukraine." Putin meanwhile, invited Kim to visit Russia.
Let's get some perspective on this meeting and we are joined now by Ellen Kim. She is the Deputy Director of the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and she's also a Senior Fellow there. Ellen, good to have you. Thank you so much for joining us.
ELLEN KIM, DEPUTY DIRECTOR & SENIOR FELLOW OF KOREA CHAIR, CSIS: Thank you.
WALKER: So, this new partnership that was signed between the two leaders pledged to help each other if either nation is attacked. Putin is calling it a breakthrough agreement. We don't have many details at all about what this exactly means. What is your take?
KIM: So, as you said, we just learned about it. So there's nothing much to get the details yet. And I think that both countries have not really, actually released the text of it. But there is -- it was expected that both countries were going to sign their company strategic partnership. And now, this composite partnership is going to include -- actually revive their old alliance treaty obligation, the friendship agreement the two countries signed in 2000 did not have clause on automatic military intervention.
But this time, if I thinks that -- it looks like that they actually include that clause which is a huge -- raising a huge alarm in Washington, Seoul and-- (inaudible) security implication on the Korean Peninsula.
WALKER: What kind of implications? I mean, potential boots on the ground by North Korean troops in Ukraine and vice versa?
KIM: I don't think that that is the case yet, but I think that it means that North Korea has China and Russia as a security partner, and not to mention that they have nuclear weapons. I do not think that North Korea is going to send its army to the Russia to fight Russia's war in Ukraine. I don't think that we are there yet. But today, with the agreement that they both countries reached, I think this is a huge big win for North Korean leader.
WALKER: More so than for Putin? So, who wins bigger here?
KIM: Well, I think it goes both ways. This is Putin's -- I mean, as you said, this is Putin's first time to visit North Korea in 24 years and that really indicates a huge importance that Putin places on his relation with North Korean leader. Because of the war in Ukraine, Putin wants to have more missiles and ammunitions support from North Korea. So this is something that Putin really needs right now. And I think that this might have happened between the two leaders when they met.
WALKER: The reporting has been that North Korea has been sending munitions to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, although that has been denied by both North Korea and Russia. So, we know Putin is there, obviously to ask for more military assistance in terms of hardware from North Korea. What is North Korea then getting out of this, besides -- I mean, Kim Jong Un must feel so lonely. He hasn't had a foreign leader visit him in many years since the pandemic. Is the concern that Russia will transfer military technology to North Korea and how likely is that?
KIM: So, first of all, this bilateral relationship, cooperation between North Korea and Russia has not been a one-way street. North Korea -- I mean, Russia has been reciprocating North Korea's military support by sending food and oil to North Korea that the country needs so desperately.
[08:35:00]
At the U.N. Security Council, Russia has been defending North Korea whenever North Korea carried out missile test in violation, multiple U.N. Security Council resolution. So the point is that there is a mutually beneficial relationship between these two countries and we are seeing that with the Putin's visit today and there is a huge concern right now in Seoul and Washington about Russia's possible transfer of the arms -- advanced military technology such as nuclear submarine or satellites or ICBMs that could accelerate North Korea's weapons program.
WALKER: So to wrap things up, then the biggest concern as the world is watching is it that it will -- this trip, this new alliance, this strengthening in military ties between Putin and Kim, this will just embolden the North Korean regime, especially when it comes to its nuclear ambitions?
KIM: Of course, this is definitely going to embolden Kim Jong Un even more after the Russia's invasion of Ukraine, actually Putin's threat of using nuclear weapons to deter NATO intervention in Ukraine actually emboldened Kim Jong Un john to do more. Actually, he increased threats of tactical nuclear weapons against South Korea. And so, I expect that this is going to even embolden Kim Jong Un even more and this growing ties between Russia and North Korea is going to pose multiple challenges and their military cooperation are not only affecting the security in both Asia and Europe, complicating U.S. security efforts in both regions, also there are significantly undermining international non-proliferation norms and putting global sanctions regime at risk.
WALKER: Yeah, potentially violating many U.N. sanctions. Ellen Kim, good to have you. Thank you very much.
KIM: Thank you.
WALKER: Well, there are very few topics that Democrats and Republicans would agree upon in Washington these days, but Senators from both sides of the aisle were united on Tuesday in blasting Boeing for its safety record. The company's CEO testified before a Senate Committee that include lawmakers who say Boeing should face criminal prosecution. Let's get more now from CNN's Pete Muntean.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The head of Boeing says he is responsible for the company's repeat failures spanning years. It is the major admission from a relentless blasting by Senators. The first public hearings since January's dramatic door plug blowout brought Boeing quality control into question.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): This hearing is a moment of reckoning.
SEN. JOSH HAWLEY, (R-MO): You don't recognize the Boeing that has airplanes falling out of the sky?
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Boeing's CEO Dave Calhoun walked into a hearing room at capacity with critics. In the audience, families of those killed in the two 737 MAX 8 crashes held signs saying the company has blood on its hands.
DAVID CALHOUN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BOEING: I would like to apologize on behalf of all of our Boeing associates spread throughout the world.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): It is the newest acknowledgment by Boeing of its faults, from the certification of its planes to a problem on factory floors.
BLUMENTHAL: These are chilling allegation.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): The bombshell here from Committee Chair Richard Blumenthal, a new whistleblower account that Boeing hid substandard parts from the FAA and still put them on airplanes. Blumenthal says the worker spoke up but was told to shut up.
BLUMENTHAL: How many of your employees have been fired for retaliating against whistleblowers?
CALHOUN: Senator, I don't have that number on the tip of my tongue, but I know it happens.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): The account in this hearing makes more than a dozen Boeing whistleblowers to speak to the Committee. Here, Senators from both parties pressed Calhoun on quality control. He outlined an overhaul plan.
CALHOUN: Our culture is far from perfect, but we are taking action and we are making progress.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Though his promises did little to settle critics.
HAWLEY: Why haven't you resigned?
CALHOUN: Senator, I'm sticking this through. I'm proud of having taken the job. I'm proud of our --
HAWLEY: Proud of this record?
CALHOUN: -- safety record. And I am very proud of our Boeing people.
HAWLEY: You are proud of the safety record?
CALHOUN: I am proud of every action we have taken.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Calhoun is staying on as Boeing's CEO until the end of the year. Samya Stumo was killed in the 2019 737 MAX 8 crash. Here, her mother said she has no faith in a Boeing turnaround.
NADIA MILLERON, DAUGHTER KILLED IN BOEING PLANE CRASH: When they get pressed for time and they need to produce a lot of planes quickly, they throw all of their safety rubrics out the window.
MUNTEAN: Here is what is next for Boeing, a decision from the Justice Department about whether or not the company will face criminal charges for the fatal 737 MAX 8 crashes. Senator Blumenthal is a former federal prosecutor and here he left no doubt about where he stands. He says he wants to see accountability and families do too.
Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[08:40:00]
WALKER: Still to come, the newest U.S. holiday, a day of reflection and celebration. We will join a CNN anchor as his family discovers their remarkable roots as part of Juneteenth celebrations in the U.S. And later, a pop superstar under arrest, what Justin Timberlake says happened to cause police to pull him over and then arrest him for driving while intoxicated.
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WALKER: Today, June 19th is the day America celebrates the end of slavery in this country. Now, Juneteenth only became a federal holiday in 2021, but its roots go way back to the 1860s when Black communities in Texas would gather to recognize the anniversary of the day they were set free. And for many black Americans, it is a day of reflection to look back on their roots and the courage it took to fight for their freedom.
This is what CNN Anchor Victor Blackwell has been doing with the help of the International African American Museum. Here is his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: It's been one year since my family learned of our astonishing history that brought me to tears.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): This is -- I was covering the opening of the International African-American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. And through the genealogists in its Center for Family History, I learned that in the late 18th century, an enslaved woman in Northumberland County, Virginia named Sarah, my seven times great grandmother sued her enslaver for her freedom and the freedom of her descendants and won. Dr. Shelley Murphy is the Center's Director.
DR. SHELLEY MURPHY, HEAD GENEALOGIST, INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: Your line started out enslaved and became free to up until where you're at right now.
MURPHY: Hi, how are you?
V. BLACKWELL: Good to see you.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): Recently, I invited Dr. Murphy to Baltimore to meet my mother and my cousins, all overwhelmed by the discovery.
VANESSA GIBSON, VICTOR BLACKWELLL'S MOTHER: (Inaudible).
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): All beneficiaries of Sarah's groundbreaking lawsuit.
TONY BLACKWELL, VICTOR BLACKWELLL'S COUSIN: To have a woman step up and speak out about their freedom back then, it was just incredible.
MURPHY: That threat of being killed or sold unbelievable, unbelievable. And that's something that should go generations. ZELDA MARSHALL, VICTOR BLACKWELLL'S COUSIN: That just blew me away, that this was in our bloodline, you know, sometimes you don't think it, but you are -- we are powerful.
GIBSON: And you know, as said (ph) that our parents, especially our fathers --
MARSHALL: Yeah.
GIBSON: -- who were Blackwells are not here --
MARSHALL: Not here to see it.
MURPHY: Right.
GIBSON: -- and didn't know it, it would have been a story that they we would have been so proud and would have passed it on to us had they known.
V. BLACKWELL: Yeah.
MARSHALL: Yeah, had they known.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): And last summer, my mother and our cousins drove to the county where Sarah won her freedom to pass that story on.
[08:45:00]
GIBSON: Well, we took a trip them down to Northumberland County.
MARSHALL: Yeah.
GIBSON: -- last summer for the Blackwell Reunion. We didn't know how the (inaudible).
MARSHALL: Right.
GIBSON: (Inaudible) met families (ph).
T. BLACKWELL: I'm longing to find out more about the Blackwells. Unfortunately, we didn't know much about our side of the family growing up.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): That journey begins here in Montgomery, Alabama with Bryan Stevenson. He's the Executive Director of The Equal Justice Initiative, and its new massive National Monument to Freedom.
BRYAN STEVENSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: It is created by reviewing the 1870 census and the 1870 census in the United States was the first time that formerly enslaved people had an opportunity to claim a surname that the government would recognize.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): More than 122,000 surnames on this wall, front and back, about four stories tall and about half the length of a football field. STEVENSON: Yes, we want to tell the story about the hours and the
degradation and the violence of slavery. But we also want to tell the other story about the resilience of enslaved people, about the courage, the strength, the perseverance. There you are, just jumped out at --
V. BLACKWELL: There it is.
STEVENSON: Yes, it is.
V. BLACKWELL: How about that -- wow, to see that name with the about 122,000 others?
STEVENSON: Yeah.
V. BLACKWELL: It is both humbling but also gives my family place.
STEVENSON: Yes. That's right. 40 percent of the people who were enslaved claimed names that were associated with enslavers, not to honor the enslaver, but they were just trying to create kinship and community with brothers and sisters and parents. They didn't want to give up on that, so they adopted those names.
V. BLACKWELL: So, when sold off or traded off --
STEVENSON: Who have been sold off -- exactly.
MURPHY: The Blackwell line came in to the Virginia colonies in 1636. Joseph Blackwell up in to Northumberland.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): Dr. Murphy and other genealogists traced three Blackwell family lines coming into the colonies. But Murphy was only able to connect my line to the start of the 19th century.
MURPHY: There's a Mishack Blackwell and a Mishack Junior Blackwell. And the first one was born about 1810.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): My great, great, great, great grandfather.
MURPHY: Just because of the area, Virginia, nine times out of ten, he would have been enslaved.
T. BLACKWELL: I've never really heard much about the Blackwell family, so to hear this and to get information on this is -- I'm 65 years old.
MURPHY: It's there.
T. BLACKWELL: That feels good.
MURPHY: Yes.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): There are so many more questions to be answered, but the more we look, the more we learn, the more we appreciate our ancestors and their will to persevere.
STEVENSON: I think to know that you are the heir of people who found a way to survive, who found a way to overcome all of the hardship is something that should generate pride.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: That is a beautiful monument and what a moving story by CNN's Victor Blackwell. Make sure to watch the CNN special event, "Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom and Legacy." It airs at 10:00 p.m. tonight, right here on CNN International, and you can also stream it on CNN Max.
Still to come, remembering one of the greatest athletes of all time, a look at the life and legacy of a legend, Willie Mays.
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[08:50:00]
WALKER: Music superstar Justin Timberlake has been released from jail after being arrested early on Tuesday. The pop star was charged with driving while intoxicated after being pulled over by the police in the Hamptons, which has an upscale community on Long Island, New York. Now, an officer said Timberlake's eyes were bloodshot and glassy and that there was a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Timberlake told police he had one drink with friends and was following them home.
CNN's Brynn Gingras is tracking the story for us. Hi there, Brynn. So tell us, what are we learning about what happened here?
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Amara, well, so far we haven't heard from Justin Timberlake or his locally based attorney here in Sag Harbor. We are not really sure if we will get a comment after that charge of one count of DWI, but there you have it. You just said that. At 12:30 in the morning about, Monday morning, Justin Timberlake left allegedly police say a hotel in this downtown area of town and drove away.
And there's actually a video camera footage capturing him driving down the street and police say he blew through a stop sign and then kept driving about six more blocks, swerving over the lanes and then he got pulled over. And according to the police officer, who was actually wearing body camera footage, he says that like you said, Timberlake had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He had slurred speech and when he was grabbing his vehicle registration, he had bloodshot eyes and then they performed a field sobriety test.
And according to the court paperwork, Justin Timberlake failed that field sobriety test, not able to really be steady on his footing. When they took them back to the local jail, he apparently refused a breathalyzer three times, and so he was booked. He spent the night in jail, ahead of his arraignment where he pled not guilty to that single charge and he was released on his own recognizance. Now, this is all happening in the midst of Justin Timberlake on a world tour. He was in town, expected though to still perform this weekend in Chicago, but he then coming back to New York to perform at Madison Square Garden.
He does have another court date for this charge. It is not until July 26th. He actually doesn't need to come back here. It's going to be a virtual court hearing and that on that date, Amara, he is actually going to be in Poland with another concert date. So we'll see how he responds to all of this, again, no comment just yet, but we'll also see how this could affect possibly his tour.
WALKER: All right, Brynn Gingras, thank you very much. And finally, this hour, remembering one of the biggest names in baseball, Giants Legend, Willie Mays has died. He was 93. The Giants made the announcement on social media Tuesday night. The Hall of Famer played in the old Negro Leagues and was among the first generation of African-American players in major league baseball. CNN's Andy Scholes looks back on his amazing career and legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS REPORTER (voice-over): From the time he set foot in the major leagues as a 20-year-old rookie for the New York Giants in 1951 to his last days with the Mets 22 years later, no one played like Willie Mays. Born in Alabama, he earned the nickname, the "Say Hey Kid" for his enthusiasm towards baseball. He played in 24 All-Star Games, was twice voted National League MVP and slammed 660 home runs to rank sixth on the all-time lists.
WILLIE MAYS, AMERICAN BASEBALL CENTER FIELDER: When I got to first hit (inaudible) New York was like my family. They embraced me like my mother and dad says. And my dad says, when you go to New York and if they slap you, you turn the other cheek, because if you don't, they are going to shoot you.
(LAUGH)
SCHOLES (voice-over): Mays was as dominant in the field as he was at the plate, winning 12 Gold Gloves in game one of the 1954 World Series, his over-the-shoulder catch was considered the key point in the Giants' shocking sweep of the Indians and has gone down in history as one of the game's most memorable catches.
MAYS: People talk about the catch and I don't understand why, because I did many things other than just catch a ball. But when you find something like that in a world series, they had to pick a highlight and they picked, I guess, that one for the highlight.
SCHOLES (voice-over): In 1958, Mays made the move out west with the Giants and batted a career-high 347. Seven years later, Mays had one of his best seasons, clubbing 52 home runs, winning a second MVP award. During the 1972 season, the 41-year-old was dealt back to New York to play for the Mets and what became the last at bat of his career, Mays hit a game-winning single in the 12th inning of game two of the 1973 World Series, putting an exclamation point on a one of a kind career. But perhaps even greater than his performance on the field was the legacy he left off it, playing his first major league game just four years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, Mays helped to carry the torch for future black baseball players and athletes, and he inspired his community for generations to come.
[08:55:00] BARACK OBAMA, (D) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A few years ago, Willie rode with me on Air Force One. I told him then what I'll tell all of you now. It is because of Giants like Willie that someone like me could even think about running for president.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: A remarkable life. That was CNN's Andy Scholes reporting.
Thank you for joining me here on "CNN Newsroom." It is my time. I'm Amara Walker. "Connect The World" with Becky Anderson is next.
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[09:00:00]
