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CNN This Morning

Man Found Alive After Crash in India; China and U.S. Warship Nearly Collide; Apple Unveiling Mixed Reality Headsets; Heat Rally Past Nuggets. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired June 05, 2023 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Recent troubling trend, guns in the hands of children. In recent weeks, at least nine teens arrested for bringing guns on campus, including a Phoenix student arrested with an AR-15.

DR. NICOLE WEBB, CALIFORNIA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: The most helpful thing anyone can do is store their weapons securely. Your child may be comfortable around the gun. It may even be something that you purchased as a gift. It may be something that's really important to your family. They have a bad day at school. They're feeling down and, you know, they make a decision that they can't recover from.

CAMPBELL: But even basic evidence based safety efforts have drawn the ire of America's gun lobby.

CAMPBELL (on camera): The NRA said in this tweet that someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. How do you respond to that?

WEBB: The only lane that matters is safety. Every American citizen should be free to live their life without the fear that they might be shot to death.

CAMPBELL: You are anti-gun?

WEBB: No, I'm not. Anyone who's actually really interested in what is going to keep a majority of people safe is not going to take that approach.

CAMPBELL (voice over): And while major national reforms remain stalled, the killing continues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Well, coming up for us, trains are back on the track in India this morning, days after 275 people lost their lives. It's one of the deadliest railway crashes in India. Coming up, we are live on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: he disaster zone runs as far as the eye can see here with railroad cars scattered on the side of the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:42]

HARLOW: Welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING.

New this morning, the U.S. government announcing a plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to try to fix really dangerous intersections where trains and cars cross. The Biden administration will spend $570 million in infrastructure money. They'll replace, improve or study the so-called grade crossings in an effort to reduce the approximately 2,000 collisions that happened here each year. It's also going to reduce congestion, they hope, where trains block traffic. Nearly 26,000 of those blocking incidents were reported to the Department of Transportation this just the last year.

SOLOMON: All right, Poppy, thank you. Also new this morning, a young man has been found alive two days after that deadly train crash in India. The crash killed at least 275 people. It injured more than 1,000. This all happened in the state of Odisha. And according to a CNN affiliate, the man was discovered unconscious and severely injured just a short distance from the accident site. Rescue efforts have ended as anger now grows over safety issues. That's after India's railways minister said that the crash was caused by a signal failure.

CNN's Ivan Watson, live for us in eastern India.

Ivan, look, incredible that this man even survived. What more do we know about this signal failure?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. I'm sorry, the police have asked us to move away from the location we were at. So, we're just stepping back.

The fact of the matter is that these trains are huge, and they were moving at high speed, 80 miles per hour. So, if you get a signal malfunction, an entire train can get moved on to another track as is believed to have happen here, and slam into something like a parked cargo train with devastating results.

Take a look at this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON (voice over): Working on the railroad. An army of labors laying new rail by hand, racing to reopen this transport route after one of the deadliest train disasters India has seen in its modern history.

WATSON (on camera): On Friday night, three trains collided in this area. And everywhere on the side of the tracks in this rural part of eastern India, there are massive railroad cars that were, as can you see, severely damaged in this collision.

This vehicle here, this car, was reserved for people with disabilities. You can still see people's personal belongings down below right outside.

WATSON (voice over): It began with a passenger train moving at 128 kilometers, or 80 miles, per hour, slamming into a parked freight train, colliding after dark in this rural area. Villagers rescued passengers by the light of their cell phones.

WATSON (on camera): Did you actually, as volunteers, pull survivors from the train wagons?

DEEPAK BEHERA, RETIRED ARMY TECHNICIAN: Yes. Yes. One that (INAUDIBLE) train wagon where I -- I told the other guys to hold the mobile light. I entered into it. It was no space literally because it was so inclined (ph) that everybody was, male, female, everyone was dumped (ph) out of place (ph). So we had to pull them very carefully. We pulled them out. Few were alive. We just separated them. Few were dead. So we had to - don't have to waste the time (ph).

WALSH (voice over): Crowds of volunteers gather outside local hospitals. Local reporters interviewing a crash survivor being transferred for treatment.

Among the crowd here, a worried mother. She's still searching for her missing son, who was a passenger on the train. Inside the hospital, some of the more than 1,000 injured in the crash. The road to recovery may not be easy.

This 52-year-old farmer in so much pain he can't lie down.

I'm blessed to have another chance at life, says Manto Kumar. The 32- year-old said the collision felt like an earthquake.

Afterwards, I took my shirt and wrapped it around my head and started looking for my friends, he says.

[06:40:00]

Kumar says he shared an ambulance with his friend who lost both legs and later died.

The Indian government launched an investigation into this disaster and vows to punish anyone responsible. The pressure is on to ensure a catastrophe like this never happens again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Now, the fact is, is just this last weekend the Indian prime minister was supposed to be inaugurating the launch of a brand new high speed train. But I think as this devastating accidents has demonstrated, there's still a tremendous amount of work to be done to ensure the safety of the existing aging trains that operate and carry, you know, millions of Indians around this country every day.

Back to you.

SOLOMON: That's a great point.

Ivan, you've been out there all weekend for us really just doing incredible reporting, bringing us these pictures. We know a lot is happening around the scene there, so we thank you for being there and bringing these details to us and all of our viewers.

Thank you.

HARLOW: It's so devastating because India had done so much, especially under this prime minister, to try to improve safety.

SOLOMON: Exactly. Right. So now there are a lot of questions sort of about what was prioritized. And so there are going to be a lot of questions moving forward.

HARLOW: Amazing reporting by Ivan and his team.

All right, now to China. Tension rising after a Chinese warship crossed within 150 yards of an American missile destroyer. This happened in the Taiwan straits. The U.S. vessel was taking part in a joint exercise with the Canadian navy but forced to slow down in order to avoid a collision. And now China's accusing the U.S. of starting a provocation.

Our Anna Coren joins us live in Hong Kong with more.

Ana, what can you tell us?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy, there is genuine concern that near misses like this one could turn into a crisis. And this is something the U.S. says it desperately wants to avoid.

Let's talk through what happened on Saturday. The USS Chung-Hoon and Canada's HMCS Montreal, they were transiting through the Taiwan Strait as part of a joint exercise when a Chinese vessel cut in front of the U.S. destroyer carrying out what U.S. officials say was a, quote, unsafe maneuver within 150 yards. The U.S. destroyer was forced to slow down to avoid a collision, as you can see in this video released by the U.S. Navy.

It is no surprise, Poppy, that China is blaming the U.S. for what took place. Within hours of the incident, China's defense minister accused the U.S. of provocation and creating chaos in the region.

Now, a short time ago we heard from the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs. Let me read to you some of what was said.

He said the truth is that the United States is provoking trouble first and China is dealing with it in accordance with laws and regulations. The actions taken by the Chinese military and necessary measures to deal with the provocations of certain countries and they are reasonable, legal, safe, and professional.

Now, Poppy, some analysts believe it is the first time that such a close encounter has occurred during a U.S. Navy transit of the Taiwan Strait. You know, as we know, Taiwan is a very sensitive bilateral issue for the United States and China. And it is the most, you know, dangerous potential military flash point.

The backdrop to all this was the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore where it was hoped that the U.S. defense secretary and his Chinese counterpart would meet and perhaps ease rising tensions. But an awkward handshake was as good as it got after the Chinese rejected a private meeting.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had firm words for China, saying that Washington would not accept coercion and bullying of allies and partners and cautioned the Chinese military against, quote, unprofessional intercepts by warplanes over the South China Sea following that encounter just a few weeks ago.

But despite all this, Poppy, you know, the Biden administration remains hopeful that there will be a meeting of minds between the two countries and that President Biden and President Xi Jinping will meet sometime in the future.

HARLOW: Yes, that was interesting, after this non-meeting, just that awkward handshake, as you said, that happened between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart. The fact that Jake Sullivan said yesterday, in fact, Xi Jinping and Biden will meet. We just don't know when. So, we'll watch very closely.

COREN: Yes.

HARLOW: Anna, thanks for the reporting.

SOLOMON: More to come there and more to come here.

We are just hours away from a big announcement from Apple. What they plan to unveil today and how much it will set you back.

HARLOW: Also, a deal has been reached to avoid a second Hollywood strike. We'll tell you which group this is and the clause interestingly about artificial intelligence in the agreement. Those details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:49:17]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

And today Apple is set to announce its biggest product launch in years. It's a mixed reality headset. So the headset is expected to offer both virtual and augmented reality.

HARLOW: We'll talk about what the difference is between those things in a moment. Technology that can lay virtual images on top of live, real-world video.

Our chief business correspondent Christine Romans joins us now. So this is being touted as, by all the techies, the biggest thing since the Apple Watch.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Since the watch.

You know, a lot of times Apple has these developer conferences and they get all this attention, and maybe sometimes it's not really warranted. There's just some upgrades. But this is really something people have been looking forward to for a long time. So there's a lot of buzz and it's pretty highly anticipated.

And the cost here, $3,000 is expected to be the price tag.

[06:50:03]

And so we can talk about whether the economy can withstand something like that.

HARLOW: Pair (ph) a match (ph).

ROMANS: But for people who are really big into this, they want it. It's dubbed a mixed reality headset. So it's virtual reality but also augmented reality. You're going to be able to have access to like Facetime and Safari and messages. And so you'll be able to have apps for gaming and fitness and meditation. And then the look of it - I don't know if you've seen the Oculus and some of the other headsets that are out there.

HARLOW: Yes, but the Oculus is big.

ROMANS: It's bit and it's just like - it looks like a robot.

HARLOW: Yes.

ROMANS: You know, robot goggles. This is going to have, like, features so it looks as if you're interacting with other people.

This is what the buzz is. We haven't seen it yet. We will see it at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 on the West Coast. But a lot of people have been really eagerly anticipating this.

And I think there's going to be some software upgrades. So for the rest of us who just use the plain vanilla Apple products, you know, there will be some software upgrades. I think there are operating system upgrades that will be important.

And what will they say about AI? I mean Silicon Valley is in an arms race right now over artificial intelligence.

HARLOW: Right.

ROMANS: So, I'm going to really be looking to see what Apple says about AI and where Apple is in that race.

HARLOW: What Tim Cook says. Yes. SOLOMON: A lot of people have been anticipating this, but do we think a lot of people are actually going to spend $3,000 to wear this headset?

ROMANS: So -

HARLOW: I'm not.

ROMANS: I know. I mean --

HARLOW: This is not like my jam.

ROMANS: Poppy still has, you know, like mixed tapes and a cassette in her car.

HARLOW: That is so not true.

SOLOMON: You may not be their target market. Eight tracks.

HARLOW: Perhaps.

ROMANS: You are not the target market.

But I will say that I've been looking at the economy. People spend money when they want to spend money. I mean air travel is going to soar this year. People may trade down for the cut of meat at Costco, but then they turn around and they buy something really expensive. An expensive piece of technology.

So, I mean, we've been call it, what, the discretionary recession. We're not in a recession but people are being careful about what they pay for.

I think for the people who are fans, Apple fans, and for people who really want this ARVR experience, I think $3,000, I think they'll pay it.

SOLOMON: We shall see. We know that the luxury brands have been doing well. So, you're right, people will certainly spend where they want. We'll see. And a lot more to learn later today.

ROMANS: Yes. I'll be watching. I'll let you know tomorrow.

SOLOMON: Christine Romans, thank you.

HARLOW: All right, so the union that represents film and TV directors, they have struck a deal, a tentative deal, with studios according to - avoiding, I should say, a second Hollywood strike. This agreement comes as the writers, though, enter their sixth week of striking with no deal in sight. A group representing the studios says that they agreed to increase pay and streaming residuals for directors.

This deal also limits the use of artificial intelligence and bans live ammunition on TV and film sets, of course, after the tragedy on the "Rust" set. Of course that is after Alec Baldwin fired off a prop gun and live ammunition hit and killed that film cinematographer. Now, the Writer's Guild is also demanding pay increases and AI limits in any deal they may reach with the studios, but some writers say their strike could last through the end of the summer. That could put more films and shows on hold.

But the directors -- there was real concern that directors and the writers were going to strike at the same time.

SOLOMON: Yes.

HARLOW: And what would that mean?

SOLOMON: Shall we talk sports?

HARLOW: You can talk sports.

SOLOMON: Maybe? Yes.

HARLOW: I'll just going to smile, as I usually do.

SOLOMON: OK.

HARLOW: I know nothing about this series.

SOLOMON: I think a lot of people will be talking sports today because the Miami Heat slamming down talk of getting swept by the Denver Nuggets. Coming up next, highlights of game two of the NBA finals. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:57:43]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Denver does have a timeout, but they're not using it. Four seconds. Martin (ph), step back, three pointer, won't go. Fight for the rebound. Martin. And it's over! The Miami Heat have tied the NBA finals. What a comeback here on the road for the Heat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: The NBA finals heading to Miami after the Heat tied up the series in a tight game two last night.

Our Coy Wire, CNN sports anchor, is with us.

And you made it almost -- almost to the end of the game, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, I was up yesterday early morning here in Atlanta with Rahel.

HARLOW: I know.

SOLOMON: Uh-huh. WIRE: And then I tried staying awake all night. I don't know how she's staying awake right now. But, yes, this game was awesome. It took all heart, all gas, no brakes by the Heat. And epic fourth quarter rally back in game two.

The Nuggets, though, stealing the show in the first half on a 33-9 run. Watch Max Strus whack Jamal Murray in the head. But he still throws down. He gets up and tells Strus to get on up out of here.

And how about Nikola Jokic? Like a seven-foot, 285 pound runaway freight train, on his way to 41 points, joining LeBron and Larry Byrd as the only player with 500 points, 200 rebounds and 150 assists in a single postseason.

But here comes the Heat. They're unlikely heroes rising again. Duncan Robinson, (INAUDIBLE), scoring all ten of his points in the fourth. And then bam (ph) out of bio (ph). After their game one loss, Jimmy Butler said they needed to pressure the rim, attack more. Enough said.

But the Nuggets, they had a chance to tie with 15 seconds left. They don't call a time-out. Murray's shot does not drop. Miami scored 36 in the fourth to win 111-108, pulling off their seventh double digit comeback this postseason. And it ties them for the most in any single playoffs in the last quarter century.

Here's Butler.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY BUTLER, MIAMI HEAT FORWARD: We're not worried about what anybody thinks. We're so focused in on what we do well and who we are as a group that, at the end of the day, that's what we fall back on. Make or miss shots. We're going to be who we are because we're not worried about anybody else. That's how it's been all year long. And that's not going to change. So, that's what I think it is. I think it's the I don't give a damn factor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Well, damn, Jimmy.

How about the other Miami area team? Can they even up their play-off series at one apiece?

[07:00:01]

The Florida Panthers down 0-1 to Vegas, who got stellar performance in the net from goalie Adin Hill in game one.