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CNN This Morning
U.S. Shoots Down 3 Mysterious Flying Objects in 3 Days; Pressure Growing on White House to Reveal More about Downed Balloon; Kansas City Chiefs Defeat Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl; Thousands Protest Outside Israeli Parliament Against Judicial Reforms; Death Toll Rises to 36,000+ as Rescue Efforts Intensify. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired February 13, 2023 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[06:00:17]
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR/CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Wow. Game of a lifetime. She even took some pictures with the NBA legend.
All right. Thanks for joining me. I'm Christine Romans. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- rushes come (ph). Going to throw it as far as his arm can take it, which is 1-0 short. And the Kansas City Chiefs have won Super Bowl LVII!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: That was pretty amazing. It's kind of a lackluster finish, like you expected it to end on, like, a score.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Never want it to end on, like, a field goal.
LEMON: It's just, like, right down the middle of the field. But I mean, it was great. Congratulations, Kansas City. We're excited. Poppy's so excited that she's on assignment. She just couldn't handle it; it was so much.
It was a thrilling Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs are champs again. Ahead, we're going to have the top highlights from the historic face-off. That is in just a moment.
And Rihanna, breaking the Internet. I kept thinking, like, Oh, my God, please don't fall, Rihanna. Please don't fall.
COLLINS: I know.
LEMON: Her stunning performance. Big news that she revealed during the halftime show. She didn't really say it. But --
COLLINS: She showed it.
LEMON: Yes.
COLLINS: Also this morning, the U.S. has shot down a fourth flying object over North America, raising only more questions about why so many objects are being spotted now. Ahead, NORAD's former deputy commander who oversees the North American skies, they're going to join us as crews are still working to recover the wreckage.
LEMON: Yes. Spotted or just being shot down? Well, we'll tell you about that.
Also, more than 160 hours later, survivors are still being found under the rubble, but the death toll in Turkey and Syria now surpassing 36,000. We're live in Turkey, straight ahead.
We're going to begin with three mysterious flying objects shot down in just three days by U.S. fighter jets. And we still don't have a clear explanation from the White House or the Pentagon about what they are or where they actually came from. They were all different shapes and sizes.
The latest flying object was shot down yesterday -- yesterday afternoon near Lake Huron in Michigan, and we're told it was shaped like an an octagon with strings hanging off of it. We'll explain that a little bit more. It was only 20,000 feet up in the sky. That's lower than the cruising altitude of a commercial airliner, and about half as high as the other objects shot down in Alaska and Canada on Friday and Saturday.
The suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew across the United States about a week ago was also flying much higher, around 60,000 feet. The Pentagon says it will sort through all the wreckage of the different objects to figure out what they are exactly. People want to know.
And we should -- let's bring in now CNN national security reporter, Natasha Bertrand. Natasha, good morning to you. What is going on? Is it just more of them? Are they just shooting them down now because of the first one? What's happening here?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, the U.S. military did say yesterday that they have changed their detection filters and made it easier to detect these kinds off objects that are traveling above a certain altitude and at a certain speed.
But, look, this is just an unprecedented series of events, and the military does not know what these objects actually are.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERTRAND (voice-over): The U.S. on edge, dispatching fighter jets to shoot down yet another mysterious object near Michigan's Lake Huron on Sunday. The incident is the third time in as many days that the U.S. military has shot down an unidentified object that was assessed to pose a risk to civilian aircraft, an unprecedented series of events.
GEN. GLEN VANHERCK, COMMANDER OFF NORAD AND USNORTHCOM (via phone): I believe this is the first time within the United States or America airspace that NORAD or the United States Northern Command has taken kinetic action against an airborne object.
BERTRAND (voice-over): On Friday and Saturday, U.S. jets shot down two more objects near Alaska and over Northern Canada. Those objects were flying at around 40,000 feet and have balloon-like features, with a small metal cylinder underneath, officials said.
Sunday's object over Lake Huron was flying at around 20,000 feet, and it was described by officials as octagonal with potential surveillance capabilities.
The incidents have sparked confusion and prompted bipartisan criticism from lawmakers.
REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): I have real concerns about why the administration is not being more forthcoming with everything that it knows. But part of the problem here is that the -- both of the second and the third objects were shot down in very remote areas. So my guess is that there's just not a lot of information out there yet to share.
BERTRAND (voice-over): After a Chinese spy balloon transited the U.S. earlier this month and was also shot down, the North American Space Defense Command re-adjusted filters to better spot slow-moving targets operating above a certain altitude, officials said, which may be leading to more detections.
[06:05:03]
But officials say they won't know more about the objects until they can recover and analyze all of the debris.
The incidents have also raised questions about whether similar also raised questions about whether similar objects have simply gone undetected in the past and whether shooting each one down is the right response.
REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): What's become clear in the public discussion is that we don't really have adequate radar systems. We certainly don't have an integrated missile defense system. We're going to have to begin to look at the United States airspace as one that we need to defend and that we need to have appropriate sensors to do so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERTRAND: So, Don, the Pentagon faced a lot of questions last night about whether this is the new norm. About whether the U.S. military is going to be shooting down every one of these objects as it detects them. They said that they're going to adjudicate this on a case by case moving forward.
LEMON: All right. Natasha Bertrand, thank you very much.
COLLIN: We're also still waiting for the White House or the Pentagon to explain what they know about these flying objects; what they've learned; whether or not Chica is potentially responsible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEALE: Mr. President, have you been briefed on Montana?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That's President Biden on Saturday night, ignoring reporters shouting questions as he was hosting governors at the White House.
Our senior White House correspondent, M.J. Lee, is covering the story for us this morning. M.J., I think the big question is what is the White House saying about this this morning?
M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, Kaitlan, it is pretty remarkable that we didn't hear the president on any of this over the weekend, given that we're talking about three object that's were shot down at his direction in as many days. You know, Pentagon and other administration officials have given some information after each incident.
But what the American people have not gotten yet so far is sort of a fulsome explanation from the president on what to make of all of this. Should people be concerned? Is there reason for alarm?
You know, one Democratic congressman I was speaking to just last night, he was saying to me that the silence, frankly, is odd. Especially given that people genuinely are freaked out right now by the headlines.
But as of this morning, as of right now, we don't have any indication from the White House that the president is going to deliver remarks. There is nothing on his public schedule. The pressure is mounting for him to address the situation in a bigger picture way as these incidents and these headlines come out.
COLLINS: Is part of it because they don't have the answers themselves? Is that why we're not hearing a more fulsome explanation from the White House?
LEE: Yes. Absolutely. That is a likely explanation for why we have not heard from the president in this way.
You know, as of this weekend, as Natasha talked about, folks are still trying to get a better handle on what exactly these objects are, where did they originate from and is there reason for real concern?
You know, there is a real risk, according to people that we have been speaking to, of putting the president behind the podium and asking him to sort of address the situation that he doesn't have a complete picture of yet. There is reticence to do that.
But that's why also there is a growing urgency here on the recovery efforts as they try to figure out and get the debris and analyze the situation and figure out what these objects are so that the White House can hopefully communicate better on what exactly is going on here.
COLLINS: All right. M.J. Lee, we'll wait to see if we do hear from the White House on this. Thank you.
Ahead, we are going to also speak to NORAD's former deputy commander, Major General Scott Clancy. What he says about why these objects have been missed before and what it could mean now? Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC: "WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I'm kind of wondering what Philadelphia looked like last night and this morning. But anyway, I digress.
Kansas City Chief fans, there you see right there, celebrating victory in Super Bowl LVII, their second championship win in four years. Their star quarterback and NFL MVP, Patrick Mahomes, threw three touchdown passes and even rallied after reaggravating an ankle injury.
Did you see that? I saw it. It was unbelievable. He led his team to a defeat of the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35. Coy Wire, with the plum assignment live in Glendale, Arizona, with more.
So what did you think?
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: What a game? This was one of the most evenly matched Super Bowls we've ever seen, featuring two of the most talented, best coached teams in the league. A dang shame, Don, that one of them had to lose.
There were stunning running touchdowns, passing touchdowns, a defensive touchdown and a superstar hovering high like a diamond in the sky at halftime. This game had it all.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE (voice-over): History made at Super Bowl LVII. The Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and the Eagles' Jalen Hurts shining in one of the highest-scoring Super Bowls ever, and one featuring two black starting quarterbacks for the first time. The grass was an issue at times. Players losing footing repeatedly in the first half.
And Mahomes would get his ankle rolled up on. Same one he injured a few weeks ago. The MVP writhing in pain.
As for the slippery grass, it would have no effect on the halftime show.
(MUSIC: RIHANNA "RUN THIS TOWN")
WIRE (voice-over): Nine months after becoming a mom, floating on a platform high above the field, Rihanna pulling off her first performance in seven years and doing it with another baby on the way.
A rep for the star confirming to "The Hollywood Reporter" that she's pregnant during this comeback performance. Speaking of comebacks, the Chiefs and Mahomes come out on fire in the
second half with three consecutive touchdown drives.
And with the game on the line, Mahomes took off on his sore ankle, grinding out a long run deep into Eagles territory, and then the play Eagles fans won't soon forget. A defensive holding call on James Bradbury.
JAMES BRADBURY, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES PLAYER: I was hoping he would let it go, but off course, you know, he's a ref. It was a big game, and it was a hold.
WIRE (voice-over): That was all the Chiefs needed, Harrison Butker then kicking the game-winning field goal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the second time in four seasons, the Lombardi trophy has a red and gold reflection!
WIRE (voice-over): Mahomes being named Super Bowl MVP for the second time in his career.
WIRE: How do you put all of this into perspective?
PATRICK MAHOMES, SUPER BOWL MVP: It's hard, man. It hasn't even sank in, I don't think, even -- to go from a team that wasn't -- I wouldn't say majority picked to win the AFC West to win the Super Bowl. That speaks to the guys we have in the locker room.
WIRE: How do you describe to us just how tough Patrick Mahomes is?
ANDY REID, COACH, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: I mean, he wants to be the greatest player ever. That's what he wants to do.
TRAVIS KELCE, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Toughest son of a gun you ever -- you ever met, man. That Texas gunslinger ain't going to let nothing get in the way.
CHRIS JONES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Pat is once in a generation lifetime type of player, man. And sometimes he just does things so special that it becomes normality for him. And we just got to appreciate Pat, man.
WIRE (voice-over): Head Coach Andy Rei d further cementing himself as one of the best ever and was overcome with joy after the victory.
REID: It means a lot. I could kiss you right now, but I'm not going to do that.
KELCE: Being at the tip with my brothers and my teammates is -- is the best feeling in the world.
ISAIAH PACHECO, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS RUNNING BACK: We're the best!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're the best!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Oh, man. Coy, I mean, you know, I love Jalen Hurts. And so this is hard for me to see him go down like this. He had such a good game yesterday, though. And I loved what he said. He said, "You either win or you learn."
WIRE: Yes. He always talked about formative experiences when I spoke to him earlier in this week that have helped him become who he is. Kaitlan, dating back even to his high school days and before he got to Alabama there, your alma mater.
And Patrick Mahomes, listening to him talk after the game, he said, you know, if the Eagles had won that game, Jalen Hurts would have been the Super Bowl MVP, not me. So so much respect from Patrick Mahomes.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have so much to be proud of and a bright future ahead of them, no doubt.
LEMON: When he -- That ankle injury, or when they, you know, when they re- -- whatever you want to call it reignited or exacerbated the situation, everyone -- I was watching was like oh, my gosh. Oh, no.
And I went oh, yes. Because then he's going to fight through it, and he's going to become a winner fighting through the pain and this superhero guy. And that's exactly what happened, Coy. It was fascinating to watch.
WIRE: Yes. The strongest steel is burned in the hottest coals. And we see greatness, you know, come out of those moments like you're -- of which you're speaking, Don.
It was really sweet afterwards. I reminded Patrick that it was ten years ago as a teenager that he tweeted how cool would it be to win the Super Bowl and say that you're going to Disney World?
Well, now he's won his second Super Bowl. And he told me, this is great. Because the first time I went to Disney World. Now I'm going to Disneyland. He's headed there later this morning with his wife and his two children to have a good time and to celebrate a heck of a win.
LEMON: It's great. And I love the relationship between him and Kelce. Like, every time he's being interviewed, they jump into each other's shot, and they start screaming. It's really great camaraderie.
COLLINS: He's once in a generation.
LEMON: Yes. Thank you, Coy. Appreciate it. We'll see you soon.
COLLINS: Coy must have not have slept at all.
LEMON: I didn't sleep much either. I stayed up and watched the after, after, after game. Crazy.
COLLINS: Yes, it's took good. It's hard to look away.
All right. Also happening right now, we're tracking another international development. Thousands of Israelis are now protesting outside Parliament this morning, against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his controversial judicial reform plan.
It aims to give lawmakers way more control over the Supreme Court. And as this move is inching towards approval, you're seeing a lot of the fear about the legislative branch, that it's going to potentially have unchecked authority.
CNN's Hadas Gold is among the protestors. She's tracking the story for us. Her live shot is a little touch and go.
[06:15:00]
But Hadas, since you're with us right now, what you are hearing from these people? What are their main concerns?
HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, Kaitlan, for weeks, tens of thousands have been protesting in Tel Aviv, which is largely seen as the more liberal city in Israel.
But today on a Monday, many thousands have -- have gone on strike from work and have decided to come here to Jerusalem to the backyard of the legislators, of the Parliament. Because that bill, those judicial reforms went through its first committee hearing today, and essentially this would allow the Israeli Parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority.
I want to show you just the thousands of people that are out here on the street. This is the road that leads down past the Supreme Court and towards the Israeli Parliament. I'll have my camera zoom in, just so you can see just the amount of people.
We have a sea of of LGBTQ flags. We've heard lots of chants not only against this judicial reform but also against the occupation. We've seen chants about Palestinians.
So this is clearly capturing not just a mood about the judicial reform but a mood about this government and about Benjamin Netanyahu in general -- Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Hadas Gold in Jerusalem. We'll stay with you as you get more updates. Thank you so much.
Also this morning, outrage is growing as the humanitarian catastrophe that we are seeing is deepening across Turkey and Syria. The latest numbers over the weekend: More than 36,000 people have now been confirmed dead. We're going to take a look at the intense backlash that is now building in Turkey.
LEMON: Thirty-six thousand people. My goodness. And the latest rescues, the survivors who are defying the odds there, including a baby who survived more than four days beneath that rubble.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:20:21] COLLINS: The devasting earthquake in Turkey and Syria has now taken more than 36,000 lives. It's hard to even digest that number.
But as the aid and rescue efforts are intensifying in the region, we're only learning more about the recovery effort.
Here, a man was found after 167 hours underneath the rubble, one of the latest in a series of harrowing stories of survival that we are seeing come out of this.
This baby was also rescued, despite being hungry for 108 hours when he was finally discovered. Officials say he is in good health. He's doing well so far.
But this comes as anger is building among some of the survivors over the government and Turkish President Erdogan's handling of the crisis. Even Erdogan himself acknowledging that the government's initial response was slow.
CNN's Sara Sidner is in Southern Turkey. Sara, I mean, it's kind of hard to even see what is behind you. What are these recovery efforts looking like, you know, this many days after it?
SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Kaitlan, it's a really good question. Because we are now in -- going into day eight since the earthquake happened.
And this is just one area in one city. We're in Adiyaman, and this is a city that did not see a lot of help in the beginning. It's way, way up. And it was hard for people to get here.
Now they are here, but they are facing this kind of destruction. This is actually two separate buildings that collapsed. Now, we are told by the people who were here when it happened that the first building collapsed. They called that the bad building. One that didn't seem to be built properly to withstand the kind of shaking that these two earthquakes actually brought to this area.
And the second building, it was actually collapsed upon by the first building. So you have this horrible effect. There are about 200 or so people living in these buildings.
And I want to show you something. Because now the heavy equipment has come. And they're starting to try to dig out. They do believe yesterday that they heard, potentially, someone alive in this incredible amount of concrete and rebar.
And what you are seeing, if you take over to the right -- Byron is taking these pictures -- you see people standing there. Some of these people are here to try and do some work. And some people on the other side -- and let's swing the camera over here, if you look along the street, if you come with me -- and we're going to try to be careful of the work that's going on.
But if you look along the street and standing along here, these are family members. These are people that are simply hoping beyond hope that their loved one is found. Some people are hoping that they're found alive. But many people are hoping that they can at least see a body here so that they can bury their loved ones properly.
We have seen mass grave sites already, because there are simply too many people. We're talking more than 30,000 people now who have died in this earthquake.
But every day, even eight days on, every single day, we are hearing of rescues. We have seen one ourselves. We were able to speak to a child that was rescued after seven days in the rubble. And here, they have pulled someone out just today. And they hear signs of life in another part of this city.
But I mean, the destruction cannot be underestimated. It is all over the place. You can drive for miles and miles, and suddenly, you're seeing more and more piles of rubble.
Now you'll notice that there are buildings standing. But most of them cannot be occupied, because if we were to take you up, there are cracks all throughout that building. And no one feels safe enough to stay in them. They are not safe to be occupied. So people are in the streets.
I want to mention one more thing that a lot of people don't think about, because their hearts are so broken. All they want to do is see their family members who are stuck in this rubble. But I don't know if you've noticed all of this dust all over the place. The reason I had a mask on, is I'm trying to wear that, because there's asbestos in the air. There's all sorts of chemicals. There's a ton of -- (AUDIO GAP)
COLLINS: All right, Sara. Obviously, having some trouble with her camera work there. There's not a ton of service on the ground. We are going to stay with her.
We're going to focus on some of the human aspect of this, because you saw those families there. They are waiting for news about their loved ones. We're going to check back in with Sara in the 8 a.m. hour.
Also this morning, we are following another major story. Three more objects have been shot down over the United States and Canada in just the last three days alone. It's hard to believe. A lot of questions. The former director of operations at NORAD, who tracks all of this, is going to join us live to help us break it all down, next.
[06:25:09]
LEMON: Yes. Lots of questions for him, I'm sure. He's a very famous guy right now.
And this. The House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, turning to the "five families" of his conference as he tries to raise the debt ceiling, as it cuts spending. His chances at securing enough votes, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I mean this is, like, a fascination for everyone. Because everyone is wondering what is going on over the skies of North America? Three more objects shot down in that last three days. That makes a total of four.
So are there more things floating up there, or are we just being more vigilant now? The Air Force general in charge of NORAD -- that is the North American Aerospace Defense Command -- says that we have a lot to learn. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. GLEN VANHERCK, COMMANDER OF NORAD (via phone): I would be hesitant to -- and urge you not to attribute it to any specific country. We don't know. That's why it's so critical to get our hands on these so that we can further assess and analyze what they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. We want to get as much information as possible. So let's discuss now with retired Major General Scott Clancy of NORAD.
[06:30:00]
