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CNN This Morning

Jannicke Mikkelsen is Interviewed about Hamish Harding; Durham to Meet with House Intel; Storm Threat in Atlantic; RFK Jr. Chips Away Biden Voters. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired June 20, 2023 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:30:22]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: This morning a master interagency search is underway for the titan vessel. That's the tourist sub with five people onboard that disappeared on a trip to view wreckage of the Titanic. One of those five passengers was British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding. He owns a company called Action Aviation. And he was also aboard Blue Origins' June 2022 space launch.

Joining us now to discuss is Hamish's friend Jannicke Mikkelsen.

Jannicke, thank you for being with us.

I can only imagine, as we watch the clock, what you are feeling. Tell us first about Hamish. What do we need to know about him?

JANNICKE MIKKELSEN, FRIEND OF HAMISH HARDING: Hamish is larger than life. He lives exploration. He is an explorer to the core of his soul. He has been to the bottom of planet earth in the Mariana Trench to challenge the deep (ph). He's even been in space. We circumnavigated the planet tougher over the North and South Pole and set world speed record. He has been to the South Pole and the North Pole and now recently the Titanic.

HARLOW: I know he inspired your exploration career, right?

MIKKELSEN: Hamish - Hamish was the one who believed in me and actually gave me the opportunity to be a commercial payload specialist on board the flight mission One More Orbit. We were an eight-man crew of aviators, cosmonauts, and astronauts, and I was the only civilian.

BLACKWELL: You know, Poppy and I were talking about how we would feel waiting there.

HARLOW: Yes.

BLACKWELL: But Hamish, you describe as an explorer, right? He knows the risks there. What do you imagine he is feeling, that he is prepared for this moment as crews are searching for him?

MIKKELSEN: Hamish is an inspiration. He has taught me a lot in exploration. He will be calm and collected. He will work through the emergency procedures together with the crew. He also - he is also an experienced submersible pilot from going down to the Mariana Trench with Victor Riskobo (ph). So, he will be a valuable asset to the crew and helping motivate the crew as well if morale is low.

HARLOW: One of the things that Hamish posted on Facebook before he went is about the weather situation and just sort of how it's been all year. And he said, due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023.

Since you know him so well, he doesn't sound like someone who would have taken this if there were bad weather, if he had any hesitation. Is that right?

MIKKELSEN: Hamish would have taken the risk. I mean there's many times you go place and the weather prevents you from achieving your goal. This was actually a lucky weather window and the opportunity was clear and I believe the staff saw it as safe. I don't think we're facing a weather issue.

HARLOW: Well -

MIKKELSEN: I think maybe it's a mechanical issue.

BLACKWELL: What is your biggest concern, Jannicke?

MIKKELSEN: My biggest concern is that Hamish and the rest of the crew aboard are (INAUDIBLE) trapped in a metal can at the bottom of the ocean where the atmospheric pressure is 400 times that of here at ground level. There is no way we could possibly have a manned rescue at that sort of depth. My fear is that they cannot self-rescue and appear to the surface by themselves.

HARLOW: Because of the conditions that deep.

We just - we just asked the rear admiral of the Coast Guard who's leading this search, what's the plan if you find it, and he essentially said we're not - you know, we're not there yet. Is there any way you know of that something this deep could be brought to the surface if you can't do a manned rescue?

MIKKELSEN: So, this submersible, as I understood it from what Hamish told me, is that it is a self-rescue vessel. It is built with seven different systems of unloading its ballast so it can drop weight and therefore then ascend to the surface by itself. The only way it couldn't do that is if it was trapped, for instance, in the wreck of Titanic, or maybe something as simple as a fishing net. I hope it's something simple so an ROV could come and rescue them and, therefore, they'd be able to self-rescue and ascend on their own.

[08:35:00]

HARLOW: Wow.

BLACKWELL: Sounds like you spoke with Hamish specifically about this exploration, this trip. Did he express any concern about safety?

MIKKELSEN: We did not speak about this trip because it was seen as a smaller expedition. The Mariana Trench we went through in detail. That is an eight-hour ascend and then an eight-hour descent. It's a far more dangerous mission. And also his space exploration as well where actually the rocket blew up on the platform on the next launch.

The Titanic doesn't seem anywhere near as dangerous. So, we'd only gone through the submersible of the Mariana Trench dive in great detail and the same rules will apply for the Titanic dive.

HARLOW: Jannicke Mikkelsen, you've helped us understand this so much better, but also helped us get to know your very good friend Hamish as well. We all hope to be able to get to hear from him very soon. We're hoping for the best, and thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right, happening today, special counsel John Durham will meet behind closed doors with the House Intel Committee after last month's report suggesting the FBI should not have launch a full probe into the Trump campaign and Russia. We'll discuss the significance ahead.

HARLOW: But before we go to break, NASA's Juno spacecraft captured a stunning photo of Jupiter struck by a neon green lightning bolt shining through the planet's thick clouds. This epic image was taken on Juno - on the 31st fly-by at nearby 20 miles. Scientists are trying to understand the many facets of Jupiter, including its massive storms and exactly how lightning events even occur there.

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[08:40:48]

HARLOW: Happening today, special counsel John Durham will meet with members of the House Intelligence Committee. This meeting will happen behind closed doors. Of course it comes after his report was released earlier this month arguing the FBI should never have launched a full investigation into connections between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.

Zachary Cohen joins us now.

It's great to have you. You know this inside and out. This report was years in the making. Now he's going to talk to the House Intel Committee before he speaks publicly about it?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, that's right, Poppy. It's important to remember that John Durham was appointed by Trump's then attorney general four years ago to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation. And it wasn't only - it wasn't until last month that he put out this report that was really critical of the FBI but it wasn't really full of the bombshells that Republicans and Trump himself have been promising while the investigation was ongoing.

Now, today is the first opportunity that lawmakers are going to have to sit down with Durham and discuss his report, as well as a classified appendix. It's why this meeting is happening behind closed doors.

And, you know, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Turner, told some reporters the other day that he wants to go through some possible recommendations for reforming the FBI with Durham today. It will be interesting to see what Democrats want to ask Durham given the two very different interpretations of his report.

But, yes, it's the first time that lawmakers are really going to have to question Durham directly since he put out his report.

BLACKWELL: And he's scheduled to testify publicly tomorrow. What's the influence potentially of what happens today on that public testimony on Wednesday?

COHEN: Yes, Victor. Well, the House Intelligence Committee has been preaching bipartisanship since they formed. The House Judiciary Committee, which Durham will testify in front of tomorrow, is a little bit more politicized and it's led by Chairman Jim Jordan, who has really been a key ally for former President Donald Trump in going -- basically trying to relitigate a lot of his investigations, try to investigate the investigators. So, potentially some political fireworks tomorrow when Durham testifies publicly after his closed door meeting today.

HARLOW: OK, Zachary Cohen, thank you very much for the reporting.

BLACKWELL: Tropical Storm Bret, the second named storm of this early Atlantic hurricane season, is churning in the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. Forecasters say it could become a hurricane as soon as tomorrow as it pushes closer to the Windward Islands.

Let's bring in meteorologist Derek Van Dam in the CNN Weather Center.

Third week of June. This is early, Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS CERTIFIED BROADCAST METEOROLOGIST: Yes, this is not your average season. This is not your average satellite loop that you would normally see in the middle of June. This is something we would normally see, let's say August and September, closing in on the peak hurricane season. We've got not only Tropical Storm Bret, which you can see there. Another disturbance waiting behind it. That's expected to develop here in the coming hours and days as well.

But let's focus on the more immediate threat, Tropical Storm Bret, 40 miles per hour wind. You can see both disturbance, the one behind Bret is going to curves to the north. We're going to focus to on Bret as it heads towards the Windward Islands.

And this is incredible because look at the water temperatures here. They're running about 3 to 5 degrees above average where you see that shading of orange. And because the water temperatures are so warm, we're seeing this early season development, hence the not so typical start to the hurricane season. This is the forecast track. The National Hurricane Center does have

this becoming a minimal category one hurricane by Thursday morning. But then you start to notice some weakening in this storm system. And that is because it is going to be forced into a lot of sheer and dry air. So what that's going do is help kind of de-strengthen the storm as we head into the second half of the workweek. But, nonetheless, it will still pose a threat to the eastern Caribbean going forward.

The other major story we are following is the excessive heat that is going to yet again challenging the power company across the deep south, particularly into Texas. Excessive heat warnings. This was pretty astounding. Yesterday in San Angelo they had a temperature of 111. That ties the hottest temperature that San Angelo has ever recorded in the state's history. That is just incredible.

And 120 degrees for Corpus Christi. That is what it will feel like today. That is the heat indices. So, extremely warm temperatures, especially when you factor in the humidity. And the relief really comes to the second half of the workweek. That's when we start to see some rain settle in. You can see temperatures dropping to a cool and balmy 93 in Houston.

Victor. Poppy.

HARLOW: Geez.

[08:45:00]

Wow, dangerous temperatures for sure.

VAN DAM: Yes.

HARLOW: Thank you, Derek.

VAN DAM: All right. OK.

BLACKWELL: All right, this next story is going to bring a little crawl to your skin, a little crunch under your sneaker. Swarms of Mormon crickets are invading the community of Elko, Nevada. Locals say the cricket migration is really a rite of passage this time of year, but it has never been this intense.

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COLETTE REYNOLDS, ELKO RESIDENT: When we looked out here, the whole wall was just covered. That really, really, really freaked me out.

It causes depression, anxiety. You feel super violated. You -- when you're inside the house it sounds like it's raining because they just randomly let go of wherever they're hanging onto and drop.

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BLACKWELL: Oh, that's fun. They just jump off the wall.

The crickets don't bite. They don't sting. But they do destroy crops and other vegetation. They also create a driving hazard because -- here's the detail you want with your cereal -- as their bodies are crushed by car tires, they make the road slippery. A state - we got an ewe from the other side of the studio. The state entomologist says they won't be going away soon as they seem to be adapting to Elko's natural habitat. Friends for life. They've also been reported in Idaho and Oregon. So y'all get ready.

HARLOW: Do you have a particular aversion to crickets?

BLACKWELL: No, I don't have an aversion to crickets. I don't like the things that don't - I can get flying. I get that. I can follow a path. But if they just jump off the wall?

HARLOW: Jump.

BLACKWELL: That's a problem.

HARLOW: I don't blame you. I do not blame you.

Also, the big fish didn't get away but the big prize did. The crew of the boat Sensation pulled in a 619-pound blue marlin at a tournament off the coast of North Carolina. It took more than six hours to reel it in and they thought they'd reeled in a more than $3 million prize, but tournament officials disqualified this whopper because a shark had chomped part of its underside, you know, of the tail. Apparently your marlin can't be maimed or mutilated. Seriously? The winning catch went to another boat crew. Their marlin weighed a mere 484 pounds.

BLACKWELL: So, I lose points because I don't have all of the 619-pound marlin?

HARLOW: I don't understand it but I don't understand a lot about fishing tournaments.

BLACKWELL: All right, environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is challenging President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination. What are his chances? Harry Enten is here with this morning's number.

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[08:51:41]

HARLOW: Does Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have a chance of beating President Biden in the primaries? He has been posting fairly strong poll numbers. It looks like he may have hit a plateau, we'll see, or ceiling, with Democratic voters.

Our senior data reporter Harry Enten is here with this morning's number.

Good morning.

This has been really fascinating, I think, to follow because he has a remarkable amount of support and his supporters are incredibly enthusiastic for him. HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, they are. You know, this

morning's number is 20 percent, because that's what Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s support was in our last CNN poll of potential Democratic primary voters. And I think a lot of us, when we saw that 20 percent, along with some other polls that showed Kennedy's support between basically 15, 20 percent, were really surprised at how high it was.

HARLOW: Right.

ENTEN: So, you know, I think it's important to understand why his support is that high. And I've broken this down -- OK, this is the top choices for Democratic nominee, and we're going to look at those who approve of and have a favorable view of the current president, Joe Biden. And look at this, it's not a close race here. Joe Biden gets 73 percent of those voters. Kennedy gets just 12 percent.

But then look at all of the other Dem voters. Those who either don't approve of Joe Biden or don't have a favorable view of him. This is where Kennedy's support really comes into focus. Look at this. He actually leads Joe Biden among this group with 40 percent to Joe Biden's 24 percent. So, the fact is, Kennedy's support is overwhelmingly from those who either don't like Biden or don't approve of him.

BLACKWELL: So, to get him over that 20 percent, he's got to win some of these people here?

ENTEN: That's exactly right. And that, to me, is going to be very, very difficult because, take a look at this, Democratic voters like Joe Biden, 79 percent approve of the job he is doing as president, 78 percent have a favorable view of him. So, all of a sudden, he's going to have to start winning voters that he isn't winning right now.

And you know what, here's the real issue. Look here. Look at news of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Among Democrats his favorable rating is just 25 percent. His unfavorable beats that at 39 percent. Where Kennedy's base really is, is in the other party. Look at this, favorable rating, 4 percent. Unfavorable, 18 percent. The fact is he's picking up a lot of voters who don't like Joe Biden right now but they make up just a small portion of the Democratic electorate.

BLACKWELL: All right, Harry Enten, thank you so much.

HARLOW: Thank you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

HARLOW: Appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: All right, just in, CNN has learned that former President Trump's trial in the Mar-a-Lago documents has an initial date in mid- August, but that date will very likely change. Judge Aileen Cannon, who set that date, said parties could ask to push back the trial date because of the complexities of the case. Cannon also says the trial will take place in Ft. Pierce, Florida, according to court records. Trump pleaded not guilty in 37 felony charges in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

HARLOW: Well, coming up, one of the awesome performances from CNN's special Juneteenth concert last night as American's celebrated the holiday across the country.

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[08:59:14]

BLACKWELL: Time now for your "Morning Moment."

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.

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BLACKWELL: A look at the fraternities and sororities that are members of the Divine 9 who took the stage at CNN's "Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom Concert."

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HARLOW: And the Divine 9, of course, refers to a group of nine historically black Greek letter organizations, four sororities, five fraternities. It worked to be a catalyst for change on college campuses and beyond.

[09:00:04]

BLACKWELL: Yes, several of them founded at my alma mater, Howard University.

HARLOW: That's right.

Victor asked me in the break if I was Greek.

BLACKWELL: And she -

HARLOW: And I said, what, Poppy?

BLACKWELL: And I said, not your name, if you were a member of a Greek letter organization.

HARLOW: I don't think I'm cool enough for that trend.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Yes.

HARLOW: But that was an amazing concert to see last night.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it was.

HARLOW: I'm so glad CNN did that. And I'm so glad you were with us this morning. We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

"CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts now.

Thank you, guys.