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CNN This Morning
Ukrainian Drone Strikes; Cost of Childcare Hits $10,000; Jonathan Wachtel is Interviewed about China. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired June 16, 2023 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:32:29]
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: There is so much focus on what is happening in Ukraine. Right now Ukraine's military says they're experiencing partial success against Russian forces, including in the hard-fought eastern regions of Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhia. Moscow, though, for its part, claims it is repelling Ukrainian troops.
Meantime, new overnight, explosions heard again in the capital of Kyiv. Several heads of state from African nations arriving there at the time.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is live this morning in southern Ukraine.
So, Fred, what are you seeing on the ground?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Erica.
Well, first of all, you're absolutely right, the battles here are extremely tough in southeastern Ukraine and in southern Ukraine. And the Russians have really dug in is what the Ukrainians are saying. They're trying to advance but the defenses are really strong.
However, what the Ukrainians say they have and what they believe, one of their main advantages is, is elite drone units that go in the middle of the night to hit high value Russian positions to try and take those out and help the Ukrainians advance.
We were able to go along on a mission of one of these crews, and here's what we witnessed.
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PLEITGEN (voice over): A 3-D printed stabilizer fin, some plumbing tubing, lots of glue and the bomb is ready. Then it's night vision goggles on, lights off, and full speed ahead to the front line.
We're with an elite drone unit of Ukraine's security service, the SBU, and the patrol police, looking to take out a key Russian anti-tank position with a precision strike.
We found this target only recently, a team leader says. It was discovered literally today, and today it will be destroyed.
PLEITGEN (on camera): So, we're going to the drone launch site right now. It's obviously extremely dangerous and we have to watch out that the Russians don't see us.
PLEITGEN (voice over): Speed and precision are essential. The drone, a quadrocopter (ph) on steroids, able to carry a massive payload up to 45 pounds. In this case, a mortar shell the Ukrainians say they got form retreating Russian forces elsewhere and are now using to hit Putin's army.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now we finish our preparing.
PLEITGEN (on camera): OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bomb is ready. And we're ready to go.
PLEITGEN: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready, steady and go.
PLEITGEN (voice over): It's big, it's loud, and it's heading straight to the Russian position.
We need to hide. Out here, the hunters quickly become the hunted.
PLEITGEN (on camera): So, for the Russians, the drone crews are also a high value target.
[06:35:00]
So, obviously, the Russians want nothing more than to kill these guys.
PLEITGEN (voice over): Unfazed by the shelling around us, the pilot flies straight to the target and releases the bomb.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This moment we call, from Ukraine is (ph) love.
PLEITGEN (on camera): So you just dropped the bomb?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
PLEITGEN (voice over): This is what the blast looks like from the drone's camera, pitch black. The strike, fully automated. It's not until daylight that a reconnaissance flight proves they've hit and destroyed the target. Not clear how many Russians were killed and wounded here.
This will allow the defense forces of Ukraine to move forward and continue the offensive, he says. With minimal losses we'll inflict maximum losses on the enemy for the victory of Ukraine.
But it's not over. As the UAV flies back, intercepted text messages show the Russians have heard the drone and are targeting.
Enemy bird spotted, a Russian text. Understood, another answers. They launch flares to spot the drone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, now you can see.
PLEITGEN (on camera): Oh, yes, back there. You see it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
PLEITGEN: Are they shooting those up to see the drone or why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because they cannot see the drone but the shoot towards the sound.
PLEITGEN (voice over): Finally, the drone makes it back. They need to get out of here fast.
PLEITGEN (on camera): And we follow you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, let's go home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, come on, come on, come on.
PLEITGEN (voice over): After what they say was a successful mission, the drone warriors leave exactly the way they came.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: And, you know, Erica, those units, they operate in a really stealthy way and they are, obviously, most of the time, very successful. But, of course, they're also extremely vulnerable when they are on the ground there if the Russians discover them and, for instance, shoot artillery at them. And I asked these guys whether or not they had ever been discovered. And they said, yes, it does happen quite frequently. They said that they've had people wounded but have never had anybody killed.
HILL: Wow.
PLEITGEN: Of course, they want that to stay that way. But they also say they're not going to back down and try to make this offensive a success, Erica.
HILL: It is - it is remarkable access and insight into what is happening there in Ukraine.
Fred, really appreciate it. Thank you.
New data shows something that many of you may know firsthand, families really struggling to meet the skyrocketing cost of childcare. That's, of course, if you can find childcare. We'll take a look at where parents are being forced to pay the most.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, I cannot believe I'm saying this, but someone official is saying that Beyonce is at fault for inflation in Sweden. Come on. One economist says, yes. Why he's now blaming her for sending prices soaring.
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[06:41:50]
HARLOW: So, this morning, a new report underscoring something Erica and I know very well, just how expensive childcare is in America. But listen to these numbers from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The average cost per year for a single toddler is $10,600. The report found people in Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Connecticut pay the most for childcare centers. In D.C., An average of more than $24,000 for one child for one year. Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, the least expensive. But all things are relative. Mississippi's average cost, just under $4,000 -- $4,400, I should say.
Our chief business correspondent Christine Romans is here.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Cute but expensive.
HARLOW: Kids?
HILL: Super expensive. And, again, if you can find it.
ROMANS: Look, in 34 states and D.C. it costs more to send your kid to daycare for childcare than it does to send them for in-state public college tuition.
HILL: Wow.
ROMANS: I mean, just think about that.
HARLOW: A lot more.
ROMANS: The cost of college is more - more affordable than childcare.
One of the problems here is just inflation in this sector, 220 percent prices have risen since 1990. So it is, for many families, the largest expense they have. And it's - part of the problem here is the workforce behind the workforce. It's a low paid workforce and we've lost a lot of these jobs. I mean this report says that the childcare system in America was broken before Covid and then Covid made it worse. We are down 50,000 childcare jobs since the pandemic.
And look at the pay. To work in this sector you have to have licensing in some cases, you have to have - there are requirements. The pay is about $13 an hour. You can make more in a restaurant, on the floor of a big box store, and basically it's half of what - what is the typical pay of all other - of all other categories. So, it's just a real problem in this country right now and it's a big burden for a lot of families.
HILL: Yes, it certainly is.
We also want to get your take on this next one, which is the talker of the morning here at CNN THIS MORNING. HARLOW: Is it our favorite story this morning.
HILL: Beyonce is being blamed by an official in Sweden for jacking up inflation in that country. Is he just ticked off because he couldn't get a ticket or what's going on here?
ROMANS: He's actually not ticked off. He's more gobsmacked at the -- that Beyonce could move the economic needle of a country. Look, she had two sold-out shows in Stockholm and they'd seen Swedish inflation had been declining. And it suddenly didn't. And then they realized, this economist realized, oh, wait, it's the Beyonce effect. All these people came from all over the world, filled into these hotels, drove up all these prices and so there was this blip. Inflation wasn't falling for a hot minute because Beyonce came to town.
There is no one else in the world who could move the economic needle like Beyonce.
HARLOW: No.
ROMANS: And I think it's -- it's not like -- he's not really blaming her, it's more like, wow.
HILL: Wow.
ROMANS: And he was asked by CNN, well, Bruce Springsteen's coming. Is - is he going to - is he going to hurt inflation? No, Beyonce is just a special category all her own.
HILL: That's why she's the queen. That is why she is the queen.
ROMANS: Isn't that cool.
So, you can expect Swedish inflation to continue to climb once Beyonce leaves town.
HARLOW: OK, good to know. Whew.
Thanks.
HILL: Thanks, Christine.
HARLOW: Also this, Secretary of State Antony Blinken heading to Beijing today on a mission to try to reset U.S. relations with China. What to expect from that.
Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKOLA JOKIC, 2023 NBA FINALS MVP: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, TRANSLATOR: Thursday.
JOKIC: No. I need to go home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[06:45:01]
HILL: Well, he needed to go home but then he decided he needed to stay. The NBA finals MVP said he wasn't going to the Denver Nuggets championship parade until he actually did. So, why did he change his mind? You'll just have to stay with us to find out.
HARLOW: Look at his kid. It's my favorite picture of him with his little -
HILL: It's so cute.
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HILL: This morning, Secretary Antony Blinken is embarking on a high stakes trip to Beijing. The State Department says he'll be meeting with senior Chinese officials to discuss a variety of issues, all of them aimed at easing tensions between the U.S. and China.
Now, Blinken had originally, of course, planned to visit China in February. That trip was postponed after the suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over the U.S.
HARLOW: Blinken will be the first secretary of state to visit China since 2018. The first Biden cabinet official to travel to the country.
Joining us now is global affairs analyst Jonathan Wachtel. He's the former director of communications and spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations under then Ambassador Nikki Haley.
[06:50:01]
It's great to have you. Good morning.
JONATHAN WACHTEL, FORMER SPOKESMAN, U.S. MISSION TO U.N.: Hi. Good morning.
HARLOW: It's been clear from the administration that they want to lower the temperature, that they need to open those lines of communication, especially with Lloyd Austin, the defense secretary's counterpart in China. Those really haven't been open since the whole spy balloon fiasco.
What can Blinken -- before we get to the criticism, what can Blinken accomplish there?
WACHTEL: What Blinken can accomplish there is say that the United States is a very powerful country and we take what's happening with China very seriously and we're not going to tolerate it. That we're here to have dialogue. That we're here to have conversations and try to bring the temperature down a bit. But don't be under any false illusion that I'm coming out here, you know, Blinken, coming out here to kiss someone's ring. I'm coming out here to have dialogue and to try to, you know, underscore the seriousness of what's been going on and try to figure out a way forward for our two countries because we have aspirations that are in conflict with one another and it's no good.
HILL: So, if he comes out strong, if those are the words that we hear from Secretary Blinken, that would be a success, potentially, of this visit in your mind. But there is sharp criticism about this visit to begin with and concerns over whether he should be going at all. Should this be a trip for Secretary Blinken or should it be a lower level official at this point because of the tensions?
WACHTEL: Well, we had a lower-level visit just recently. We had the CIA director over there talking and trying to figure out things.
HARLOW: That's right.
WACHTEL: Trying to cool the temperature a bit. But, yes, you're absolutely right, Erica, it's a strange time. I mean, you know, one of the problems that - that we have in the United States is a short-term memory about things. The balloon craziness that happened, that was just February. Do you just brush that aside and pretend like nothing happened? There was a balloon flying over our country snooping on us in a - in a very egregious way. Do you forget that?
So, I think some of the criticism of the secretary going over there is really warranted and there's a lot of concern that if he goes over there and pretends as if there's no big issue here and doesn't speak to some of the core issues that we're upset about, there's a problem. He needs to be very measured in how he handles himself over there. And we'll be watching to see what happens. If he - if he does manage to meet Xi, that's a big deal because that's China really trying to change things up a bit. So, let's see if that happens as well.
HARLOW: You know who Xi Jinping is meeting with is a bunch of powerful American CEOs. Right now Jamie Dimon was just there meeting with him, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, the new CEO of Starbucks, sort of showing how important China is in terms of markets. But they and Blinken face not just the balloon issue, the threat against Taiwan, the support of Russia, the continuing human rights abuses in Xinjiang province. That is quite a tight rope to walk.
WACHTEL: It's a very tight rope to walk. And, you know, Poppy, them meeting Xi says a lot. Follow the money. You know, China's growth and ascendancy in the world is based on manufacturing and all the economic power that they've been able to gain as a result of their relationship with these corporations and businesses.
HARLOW: But do you think, though, just to put the other side out there, it is more than just follow the money. For sure it's important for their bottom lines, but what I've heard from these CEOs often is, why punish the people of China, the workers in China, that are part of our growing companies, when these aren't their policies, per se, they're the government's policies? Do you see a distinction?
WACHTEL: Yes, I do. Of course you don't - you know, the Chinese people are people, just like we're people. I mean why - why would you want to punish people. It's crazy. But, you know, when you have piracy going on, when you have unfair trade practices going on, when you have currency manipulation going on, it's not the people but it's policies, and - and you have to - you have to curb that stuff somehow, so steps have to be taken in some regard to work something out. And, of course, mindful that you don't want to hurt the Chinese people. Who wants to hurt the Chinese people?
HILL: Yes. There's a lot -- a lot to look for in this.
HARLOW: Yes.
HILL: Be interested to talk to you on the other side of the visit actually.
WACHTEL: Absolutely.
HARLOW: And we'll see if he does meets with President Xi.
Thank you, Jonathan.
WACHTEL: OK. A pleasure.
HILL: Coming up here --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A tornado just went in town. A tornado - a tornado just went through town!
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HILL: We are following that news out of Texas where, as you just heard there, a devastating tornado went through town. Three people are dead. Dozens more injured. We're going to be live on the ground there for you in Perryton as the sun is coming up. Stay with us.
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[06:59:08]
HARLOW: Thousands of fans lined the streets in Denver to celebrate the Nuggets' first NBA championship. Check out MVP Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray riding in a SWAT vehicle. The rest of the team made it to city hall on firetrucks. Jokic had this to say after the big win though.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKOLA JOKIC, NBA FINALS MVP: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thursday.
JOKIC: No. I need to go home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Well, he needed to go home but then he maybe delayed that a little bit. A little change of heart. And now he says he is glad he stuck around for the championship parade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKOLA JOKIC: You know that I told that I don't want to stay on parade, but I (EXPLETIVE DELETED) want to stay on parade. This is the best (EXPLETIVE DELETED) life (ph). Yes, this is - this is amazing. This is - we're all going to remember this our whole lives.
[07:00:02]
And then to see you guys that came out on the streets and actually this one is for you. We love you, Denver. This one is for you.
