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CNN This Morning

John Fetterman Hospitalized for Depression; Biden: Latest Downed Objects Likely Unrelated to Chinese Spying; Georgia Grand Jury: Perjury May Have Been Committed in Trump Probe; Zelenskyy: Russia Has Launched New Offensive in Ukraine; Video Shows Wheel Overheating Before Derailment; Family of Unarmed Black Man Sue Police Officer Who Killed Him. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired February 17, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A movie revival starred Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson back in 2004. I missed that one. "The Hollywood Reporter" says a new version would have two female leads, Sasha Starsky and Nicole Hutchinson. No word if they'll drive a red Ford Gran Torino.

[06:00:19]

Thanks for joining me this Friday. I'm Christine Romans. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys have been great to me for 25 years.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: They are calling --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On today's -- on today's episode, you give the B.S. answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS: I have serious FOMO from that interview that Poppy did. Poppy is at NBA all-stars weekend. And it's going to be so good. We have so many good moments from that, including that whole interview there.

Good morning, everyone. Audie Cornish is here at the desk with us this morning. Don has the day off. Poppy, as you can see, is in Utah for the NBA all-star game. So we'll get to much more of that in a moment.

But this morning, we're also learning more about the three objects that were shot down from the sky. Not aliens, not even China, according to the White House. Who does President Biden say is likely responsible?

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: At this hour, Senator John Fetterman is in the hospital for clinical depression, his second hospitalization this month. Why his team says his mental health issues became severe in recent weeks.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, NBA HALL OF FAMER: What do people do when you walk in the bank?

CHARLES BARKLEY, NBA HALL OF FAMER: They better run to me. When I walk in the bank, if that manager is sitting there when I get there, you better meet me at the door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Those names need no introductions. Poppy Harlow hanging out with Shaq, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, all ahead of the NBA all- star game. She's going to join us soon here for that conversation.

And in the 8 a.m. hour, she's going to interview the Utah Jazz owner and the WNBA commissioners. We have a full show of what's happening in Utah.

We're going to start this morning in Washington, because Senator John Fetterman is now at the center of a national conversation about mental health.

This morning he is being treated at Walter Reid Medical Center after checking himself in for clinical depression. Fetterman's chief of staff says that it became severe in recent weeks, that he suffered with depression on and off throughout his life.

There has been a complete outpouring of support for Fetterman from his colleagues on the Hill, as they are praising him for getting help and speaking publicly.

Fetterman, as you know, flipped Pennsylvania's crucial Senate seat for Democrats last year after he had that stroke on the campaign trail. And he has still been recovering from it, something that is clear and his office speaks candidly about it.

Our CNN congressional correspondent, Lauren Fox, is on Capitol Hill.

Lauren, you have covered Capitol Hill for a long time. We often see lawmakers who don't disclose their health problems, who cover them up, who downplay them. It's pretty astonishing to see a senator speak so frankly about his mental health issues.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, his office being very forthcoming about this. And it really does set a different tone than what we have seen in the past.

It isn't that senators or lawmakers up here on Capitol Hill don't experience mental health issues. It's that often they don't talk about them, Kaitlan. Obviously, Fetterman charting a different course here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOX (voice-over): Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voluntarily checked himself into Walter Reid National Military Medical Center to, quote, "receive treatment for clinical depression," according to a statement from the senator's office.

The statement also says that Senator Fetterman has experienced depression off and on throughout his life but that it only became severe in recent weeks.

And "After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reid told us that John is getting the care he needs and will soon be back to himself."

On Twitter, his wife, Gisele, said that she is "so proud of him for asking for help" and getting the care he needs.

Last May, Fetterman suffered a serious stroke while campaigning.

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Let's also talk about the elephant in the room. I had a stroke.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And raise your right hand.

FOX (voice-over): And just a few months later, he was elected to the Senate.

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, DEPUTY DEAN OF PUBLIC HEALTH, BROWN UNIVERSITY: We know that Senator Fetterman pushed himself so hard in those weeks after the stroke when, in an ideal world, he would have been recovering.

FOX (voice-over): Emergency physician Dr. Mean Ranney says while there is no indication that depression is related to a stroke --

RANNEY: People who have a prior history of depression are at highest risk of a relapse of depression after a major medical challenge like a stroke.

FOX (voice-over): The American Stroke Association says depression is common among stroke survivors, impacting a third of them.

RANNEY: It's very normal for people who go through an acute medical illness or an acute trauma to have trouble with coping afterwards. Sometimes people can have symptoms that are similar to post-traumatic stress. Sometimes they can get anxiety or depressive symptoms.

[06:05:09]

I'm proud of him for recognizing them and getting treatment, which not everyone knows to do.

FOX (voice-over): It was just last week when Fetterman checked into George Washington University Hospital after feeling lightheaded. He was discharged two days later.

And according to his office, the test results revealed no new stroke. Over on Capitol Hill, there is bipartisan support behind the freshman senator. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he's happy to hear the

senator is getting the help he needs, while Republican Senator Ted Cruz echoed the statement, saying, "Mental illness is real and serious."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOX: And just shortly after this news broke, I talked to Republican Whip John Thune. And I asked him, you know, why is this moment so different? Why do you think Fetterman is coming forward and talking about this?

And he said, after the pandemic, the conversation in this country really changed around mental health. And he said he hopes that by Fetterman being public, it encourages others to seek the help and treatment that they need -- Kaitlan.

COLLINS: It absolutely does. It's something to admire. Lauren Fox, thank you.

CORNISH: Now it wasn't aliens, and apparently, or China either.

President Biden discussing the mysterious flying objects recently shot down over the U.S. and Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We don't know yet exactly what these three objects were. But nothing -- nothing right now suggests they were related to China's spy balloon program or that they were surveillance vehicles from other -- any other country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: To talk more about this, we have CNN's Natasha Bertrand. And good morning to you.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Audie.

Yes. So this is coming, of course, after a lot of speculation about what these objects might actually be given that the U.S. did shoot down a Chinese suspected Chinese spy balloon just a few days before these three objects kind of appeared in U.S. airspace and he sent fire jets up to shoot them down.

The president now saying that the U.S. intelligence community's current assessment is that these are likely just objects that are being used for research or recreational reasons or even scientific reasons and that they had no obvious ties to any other country's surveillance program.

So clearly, the president trying to tamp down here on any speculation that these objects, of course, could be extraterrestrial, which the White House has actually gone out of its way to shoot down.

And also saying that this -- these objects were shot down out of an abundance of caution, because they were flying at an altitude that could have been dangerous to aircraft.

But ultimately, you know, the U.S. public, writ large, is going to have a lot of questions about why the U.S. sent up fighter jets to shoot down objects that were potentially for recreational purposes with very expensive missiles, Audie.

CORNISH: All right. You can see we're very high on alert. There's also an amateur balloonists group called the Northern Illinois Bottle Cap Balloon Brigade. And yes, that's a reference to the movie "Up."

They say a small balloon of theirs last reported over Alaska is, quote, "missing in action." That's according to their website.

So this is the balloon that's missing, a 32-inch silver orb from Balloons Online. It costs $13. Could this be one of the objects shot down?

FOX: So we should note that the group is taking pains here to not point the finger at the U.S. government. But they are raising questions about whether their balloon might have been the one shot out of the sky.

Because the last time that they apparently got a transmission from this balloon was the exact same day that the fighter jets shot down that one over Alaska. Their balloon, too, was also off the coast of Alaska when they last heard from it, guys.

CORNISH: All right. Thanks so much., Natasha Bertrand.

COLLINS: Also this morning, we are learning that witnesses in Georgia's special grand jury investigation might have lied under oath.

Yesterday the Fulton County judge released parts of that highly- anticipated report that was looking into former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.

The panel heard from 75 witnesses in this months-long investigation. They concluded that perjury, quote, "may have been committed by one or more witnesses testifying before it."

The grand jury recommends that the district attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling.

Let's bring in CNN's senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid. No evidence of voter fraud. But they do believe some people lied under oath.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And the question is who may have lied under oath? Because we know this grand jury heard evidence from around 75 witnesses over the course of seven months.

These witnesses included Governor Brian Kemp, included Rudy Giuliani, Senator Lindsey Graham, and most of the evidence that they got was from in-person testimony. But what we received yesterday was just portions of their final

report. And it did not specify who may have lied and, of course, we're not going to speculate.

COLLINS: And so I guess one big question is what happens next?

REID: That is the big question. Look, if you talk to the president, the former president's lawyers, as you and I both do, they'll tell you, they wouldn't be surprised if he is charged down in Georgia. But they are confident that they could successfully defend him. That they couldn't prove any of these charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

[06:10:10]

But in the immediate future, the next step is for the D.A., Fani Willis, to decide whether she wants to go before a different grand jury to pursue indictments. And she has said that her decision there is imminent.

COLLINS: Well, imminent means, well, we'll be waiting to see what that decision actually is. I know Trump and his orbit are also watching this closely, Paula.

But the special grand jury, though, is also looking into and unanimously concluded no widespread voter fraud, as I mentioned, in Georgia in 2020.

That matters, because Trump's efforts to overturn the election there, you know, it was a legitimate election. And so clearly, it shows you know, once and for all that that effort was futile.

Is it damaging, though, for him as he's embarking on this third presidential run?

REID: Absolutely. The court of public opinion that does not help his consistent claim that the election was stolen. But legally, immediately in the state of Georgia, it also matters when you're making a charging decision.

Because this grand jury established that there was no election -- there was no election fraud here here. So if you can establish he was trying to interfere with a legitimate election outcome, that really factors into the ultimate charging decision.

And, again, they're not just looking at the former president. It's also this question of whether there was a broader conspiracy to interfere in Georgia.

COLLINS: Yes. So not the exoneration that he framed it as yesterday. Paula Reid, thank you for those very important updates.

CORNISH: So Ukraine's president says his country will not concede any land to Moscow if there is a deal for peace. Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the BBC, if that happened, Russia would just keep coming back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Any territorial compromises," he told me, "are

only going to weaken our country. So it's not about compromise. We make millions of compromises every day. But the question is with Putin, no, because we don't trust Putin."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Now Zelenskyy also said Russia launched a new offensive. on the ground at least five people died in Russian strikes near the city of Bakhmut.

CNN's Sam Kiley joins us live now from Ukraine.

And Sam, those Leopard tanks, they can't come soon enough, right? I mean, what does the spring offensive look like?

SAM KILEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at the moment, I think the best we can say of what President Zelenskyy is talking about, the beginning of the Russian offensive is really shaping operations. No real offensive has begun in any meaningful way.

They are probing. They are increasing artillery attacks. There are several people killed in Kherson. But the bombing bombardment of Kherson in the South is pretty routine. There has been an increase in attacks across the border in the North of the country and here in the East. Of course, there very, very heavy fighting around Bakhmut.

In terms of the Leopard tanks and other material of that nature, that is not strategic. It's barely tactical. Really a gesture coming from the Western allies.

President Zelenskyy is insisting that he needs weapons such as jets, helicopters, long-range missiles to take on this military that he hopes is very much past its prime.

CORNISH: Sam Kiley, thank you for your reporting.

COLLINS: Up next, CNN has obtained new videos that show the Ohio train less than an hour before the disaster happened. Could these sparks that you see here in this video, flying from the wheels, be a crucial clue for investigators?

And should the residents of East Palestine be afraid to drink the water or breathe the air? CNN sat down with a head of the EPA to talk about this.

CORNISH: Plus, dramatic new body cam video of an unarmed black man shot and killed by police in Louisiana. Officers begging him to stay alive as he lay dying in front of him. Now there are criminal charges.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are getting sick. We -- we should not have been let back into town until all of this was done. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: This morning people in East Palestine, Ohio, scared the toxic chemicals from a massive train derailment are putting their lives at risk.

CNN has obtained new videos of the train before the crash. And they're helping us piece together a time line.

So let's check out some of this. First you see videos from along the train tracks. This is in Alliance, Ohio. And you see the train passing. This is on the right side of your screen.

This was about 15 -- this was about 57 minutes before the crash. You can ese there are no sparks. But the train keeps heading down the tracks.

And by 8:12 p.m., it's in Salem. Now you can see sparks from an apparent wheel bearing overheating.

Here is another surveillance camera. Same time, same town.

The train keeps going for 20 miles after that point, headed for East Palestine. And that is where it derails at 8:55, a full 43 minutes after we saw those sparks in Salem.

CNN's Jason Carroll is live in East Palestine.

And Jason, we just want to start with what the NTSB is saying about the video and the investigation.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is clearly going to be a key part of the investigation into what exactly went wrong out here.

And according to the NTSB, that surveillance video that you just referenced there -- and I'm going to quote here -- appears to show a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure, moments before the derailment.

Now, of course, that wheel bearing is a key component. It helps to connect the wheel to the axel. The parts in question have all been collected. They've been examined. They're going to be taken now to Washington, D.C., where they will be examined by investigators there at laboratory with the NTSB.

We should also tell you, Audie, that the NTSB has also collected the locomotive event recorder. That is also going to be key to the investigation going forward in -- in terms of trying to determine exactly what went wrong.

CORNISH: Now the EPA administrator actually was visiting East Palestine, and you got to speak with him. What did he tell you?

CARROLL: It was a short conversation but an important conversation. The EPA administrator, Michael Regan, made it very clear that he knows that people are scared, that they are very worried about their health.

He also said that he knows that people do not trust the government when they say that the air and the water is safe. Here's more of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: You've heard some of the stories that are coming in, people talking about having rashes. There are pets getting sick, things like that.

MICHAEL S. REGAN, EPA ADMINISTRATOR: What I would say is if anyone is experiencing any kind of adverse symptom, have their pets -- go to the veterinarian. They should seek medical attention. We need for this information to get to the state health department so that we can coordinate and be sure that people are getting the help that they need.

CARROLL: Can you help us clear up what specifically you're testing for? Is it just for vinyl chloride?

REGAN: We are testing for the full breadth of toxic chemicals that were on that train that were spilled. We have the capability to detect every single adverse impact that would result from that spill. And that's what we're doing.

We will be here for as long as it takes to see this process through. I want to assure the people --

CARROLL: I just want to say, when you say as long as it takes, I think the question is, long term? Is someone going to be here a year from now, two years now from now to come back and test the water, test the soil?

REGAN: I'm very clear when I say, as long as it takes. We will go through this process with -- with the citizens of East Palestine for as long as it takes. The federal government will be here for as long as it takes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: So again, you heard it there, Audie. The EPA administrator says as long as it takes, whatever that ends up being.

Also want to tell that you Ohio's governor has asked the CDC to get involved. He wants CDC experts here on the ground to examine people who say they are having symptoms -- Audie.

CORNISH: Jason Carroll, thank you for your reporting.

COLLINS: We're also tracking new developments out of Louisiana this morning in the fatal police shooting of an unarmed man there. The family of Alonzo Bagley is now suing the officer for wrongful death after this body cam video showed what happened to him the night that he was killed. The Shreveport officer involved has been charged with negligent

homicide. But despite those charges, Bagley's brother says he's still angry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XAVIER SUDDS, ALONZO BAGLEY'S BROTHER: My immediate response was OK, that's fine. But it doesn't stop there. It can't stop there. We have to -- we have to make sure that my brother's death is not in vain. We have to make sure that we have, like Ron said, transparency to make sure that we have justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: CNN's Ryan Young is live in Shreveport, Louisiana. Ryan, you can hear the frustration in his brother's voice.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kaitlan, we talked to the brother a few times yesterday. We actually talked to him right after they watched that video in a one-on-one conversation.

He basically said he was happy that LSP had opened this investigation and that they were being so transparent. But obviously, the video you're about to see is graphic, and we want to warn you before you watch it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YOUNG (voice-over): Two officers arrive at the home of Alonzo Bagley, responding to a 911 call regarding a domestic disturbance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name?

ALONZO BAGLEY, KILLED BY POLICE: Alonzo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you step out for us?

BAGLEY: No. What do you need? I have dogs.

Let me put my dogs up. Let me put my dogs up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down. Sit down.

Let her -- hey, come here. Come here.

BAGLEY: I'm putting my dogs up. I'm putting my dogs up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She can put the dog up.

YOUNG (voice-over): The first officer follows Bagley down the hallway as his wife continues to yell in the background.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey!

YOUNG (voice-over): The officer realizes Bagley is heading out the door of a balcony. He sees him jump from the second floor to the ground below.

He then turns back to run through and out of the apartment down stairs to chase after Bagley. Once outside, you hear one officer yell to the other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He went that way.

YOUNG (voice-over): About five seconds later, you hear a single gunshot.

(GUNSHOT)

YOUNG (voice-over): It's been one minute and 25 seconds since officers first knocked on the door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dispatch to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) right now. Shot fired. Shot fired.

YOUNG (voice-over): For the next two minutes, you hear the officers distraught and administering CPR.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, you're good. Keep breathing. Keep breathing. Keep breathing. Keep breathing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay with me, man. Stay with me. (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep breathing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep breathing. Keep breathing, dude. Keep breathing. Keep breathing. Keep breathing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED), dude.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go to the front of the building. Go to the front of the building. Wave them down. Wave them down with your flashlight. Come on. Run, run, run, run, run.

Hey, dude. You're going to be all right. You're going to be all right. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Hey. Wake up. Wake up! Look at me. Look at me. Hey! Respond. Come on. Come on! Come on! Wake up! Respond!

[06:25:16]

YOUNG (voice-over): Bagley was unarmed during the encounter, according to Louisiana State Police.

The officer who fired the shot, Alexander Tyler, has been charged with negligent homicide.

In court Thursday, a Louisiana State Police investigator told the judge in the split second after the shot is fired, you can see the body camera footage Bagley's hands are up. On cross-examination, the investigator acknowledged the view from the

body camera is obstructed by the way the officers turn in the moment the shot is fired.

DHU THOMPSON, ATTORNEY FOR OFFICER ALEXANDER TYLER: Officers are always faced on a day-to-day basis with dangerous situations like that and at times where they have to make split-second decisions where they're in a potential life-threatening situation.

The mere fact that an argument is being made by the investigator in court that he was unarmed does not necessarily mean he's not a threat to the officer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YOUNG: Kaitlan, this video was hard to watch and listen to. Because you can hear Mr. Bagley's last breath.

I can tell you the officer received a $25,000 bond. And there are so many people in this community just asking questions about how they move forward, especially with the rising crime rate -- Kaitlan.

COLLINS: It's absolutely horrific to watch. Ryan Young, I know you'll keep reporting from that community. We'll check back in with you. Thank you.

Also this morning, we're getting new developments learning about Bruce Willis. He has now been diagnosed with dementia. His family is opening up. They're sharing an update on his health. We'll tell you more about what they've learned. That's next.

CORNISH: Plus, Tesla issues a recall on cars equipped with full self- driving. The safety risk the software is causing up ahead.

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