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CNN This Morning

Britney Spears Alleges Assault; Economy Adds 209,000 Jobs; Dr. Suzanne Bell is Interviewed about NASA's Mars-Like Habitat; Increased Shark Patrols on Long Island. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 07, 2023 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: He brought his family to the U.S. in 2021 after the Afghan government collapsed. The GoFundMe says that he was the sole provider for his wife and four young children. No suspects have been named in his killing, but police have released this video of four people running away from the scene shortly after he was shot. There's the video of those four people who are running.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Tragic.

Also this. It has been 100 days since "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia. He faces 20 years in prison on espionage charges. Charges he vehemently denies. In April, the U.S. State Department officially designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained but still he remains behind bars in Russia and appeal after appeal has been denied, including, most recently, in this June 22nd hearing where his parents were in attendance. Surprisingly, this time the judge allowed them to talk to their son. This was through, though, that clear glass. "The Journal" interviewed his family, sat down with them to talk about how they're coping, how they're getting through this, and they said they're happy that they were able to talk to Evan, laugh with him, in the courtroom. But when it ended, reality quickly set in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLA GERSHKOVICH, EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S MOTHER: It's even harder now to leave him there than it was the first time.

MIKHAIL GERSHKOVICH, EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S FATHER: I try not to think about anything. It's just very hard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't want your mind to go there?

M. GERSHKOVICH: I don't want my mind to go anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The conviction rate in Russia is nearly 100 percent.

E. GERSHKOVICH: Exactly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any -- E. GERSHKOVICH: Especially in cases like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anything about this case that gives you hope?

E. GERSHKOVICH: No. No. I rely on President Biden's promise to do whatever it takes to bring Evan back. I rely on his team, on their expertise.

DANIELLE GERSHKOVICH, EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S SISTER: Just knowing that our government is doing everything in their power right now and just everyone wants to help and is thinking about him. And I just know that we're not alone in this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And, of course, we, too, are thinking about Evan and his family.

Now let's talk about this odd incident out of Las Vegas. So, it investigators Britney Spears and NBA rookie Victor Wembanyama. Now, Spears has filed a police report. She alleges battery after she was struck in the face by one of the 19-year-old's security guards. Now, she says that she was trying to get his attention by tapping him on the shoulder. And here's what the 7'4" Wembanyama says happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA, SAN ANTONIO SPURS: I didn't see - I didn't see what happened because I was walking straight and went to a bus stop. But a person grabbed me from behind. Not on the shoulder. She grabbed me from behind. And so I - I just know that the security push her away. I don't know with how - with how much force. I thought it was no big deal. And - and the security of this person (INAUDIBLE) was Britney Spears. So I was -- at first I was like, no, you're joking. But, yes, it turns - it turns out it was Britney Spears.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right, CNN's Chloe Melas is with us now.

What? How - how does this happen?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yes, look, a lot to unpack here. And Britney Spears taking to social media yesterday to tell her side of the story.

She says she was in Las Vegas with her husband, Sam, when she saw Victor. And she's a big fan of his she says. And she walked up to him to get his attention. She says it was very loud in the hotel. And she tapped him on the shoulder is what she claims.

Now Victor, you just heard, says that she grabbed him from behind. Brittney says that the security guard backhanded her, causing her to almost fall to the ground, slapping her in the face. Now, she takes issue with what he told reporters, saying that she -- it feels like he was laughing when he spoke to that pool of reporters, that this is no laughing matter. That she's 5'4". You know, h e's seven feet -- over seven feet, like you said. An that she says that she has not received a public apology from him, from the security.

So, a police report was filed. We have contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department who say, obviously, no arrests have been made, no charges have been filed. But Britney Spears, we showed you that full screen a moment ago, saying that the - that this story is super embarrassing to share. You know, she doesn't want to be talking about this. And, obviously, Britney makes a lot of headlines for especially her conservatorship over the last couple of years. But she says that she thinks it's important to share the story to urge people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect.

And then her husband sharing pictures of Britney and video of her when fans approach her. She says when she was in Vegas that she was approached by over 20 fans and that, you know, her security isn't slapping anybody.

So, again, this story is still developing and perhaps Victor and the Spurs and others will say more.

BLACKWELL: All right. We'll see -- look out for that.

Chloe Melas, thanks.

MELAS: Thank you.

HARLOW: Just into CNN, the Labor Department out with the June jobs report. The U.S. economy added 209,000 new jobs last month.

Let's get straight to CNN business correspondent Rahel Solomon here with the numbers.

[08:35:00]

Another strong report.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Another strong report, but this is the first time in I want to say 15 months that this number actually came in softer than what most economists were expecting. So, to put this in context, economists were expecting something closer to 225,000. And 209,000 jobs were added. This is, however, the 30th month of job growth. So yet another month. Unemployment rate came in at 3.6 percent. That was what we were expecting. Ticked down quite a bit, slightly, rather, down from 3.7 percent.

Guys, if we can pull up where we're seeing some of the strongest job gains. Some of this is a continuation of some of what we've already seen. We can pull up the sectors for you. But we know that construction added jobs. We know that health care added jobs. And we'll try to get these sectors pulled up for you. Health care also adding 40,000 jobs. So, in some of these sectors, including health care, this is an industry that still has struggled to rehire workers coming out of the pandemic, right? So, you're starting to see that there. They're just still adding jobs there.

Here's what the Fed has been watching really closely. Wages. Wages not so great in this report. So this came in slightly higher than what economists were expecting. So wages, on a monthly basis, guys, that came in at 0.4 percent. The expectation was closer to 0.3 percent. On an annual basis, also ticking up to 4.4 percent. So -

HARLOW: Because of the inflation concerns?

HARLOW: Exactly. So that's an important point.

So, the reason why the Fed watches this really closely is not necessarily that policymakers want people to make less money, it's that they are concerned, because of inflation, that higher wages could be feed into inflation. And so they had been hoping that those numbers would moderate. It has been but this last month ticking up a little bit in a way that perhaps they didn't want to see.

BLACKWELL: All right, Rahel, thank you.

SOLOMON: Yes.

HARLOW: Yes, thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right, let's check the clock. We started it 12 minutes ago with a text that said, hey big head (ph).

HARLOW: Wait, you didn't get my text yet?

SOLOMON: (INAUDIBLE). What?

HARLOW: This is a whole thing I had to have explained to me in the break.

BLACKWELL: See. All right. Yes, have somebody explain it to you in the break at home. How much time it could take for a message from earth to be received on mars, up to 22 minutes.

HARLOW: That's right. Four scientists were just locked in a simulated Mars habitat. They're going to stay there for 366 more days. And if problems arise during their test, they may have to take a page from Mark Watney, "The Martian." I loved this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT DAMON, ACTOR" THE MARTIAN": In the face of overwhelming odds, I'm left with only one option. I'm going to have to science the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [08:40:09]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT DAMON, ACTOR, "THE MARTIAN": Look, I mean, I don't mean to sound arrogant or anything, but I am the greatest botanist on this planet.

They say that once you grow crops somewhere, you've officially colonized it.

So, technically, I colonized Mars.

In your face, Neil Armstrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: A stranded Matt Damon had to figure out how to grow food on Mars to fly -- on the fly, I should say. Luckily for the NASA scientists preparing for the real thing, they have a little more time than Damon did to plan their stay. Four researchers entered a sealed habitat at Johnson Space Center in Houston last week. They'll be simulating a Mars mission inside the 1,700 square foot base for 378 days, taking part in simulated activities and science experiments. And, like Damon, they will also grow vegetables using a hydroponic system. The crew now has only, you know, a mere 366 days left.

Joining us now to talk about all of this is the lead for NASA's Behavioral Health Performance Lab, Dr. Suzanne Bell.

It is great to have you here. We should note, we couldn't have the researchers join you because, well, it takes 22 minutes for them just to hear a question. So we'll - I'm going to let Victor ask you about the 22 minutes in a moment because he is obsessed with this.

BLACKWELL: Yes, absolutely.

HARLOW: Or just do it now.

BLACKWELL: No. Oh, OK, we'll let's do it now.

So, I just find this to be the fascinating part of this, that it would take 22 minutes to get, what, a text message, a call there? Explain why this is taking so long.

DR. SUZANNE BELL, LEAD FOR NASA'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE LAB: Well, it's really one of the extreme challenges of having a habitat on Mars, is that Mars is different distances from earth at any given time. And so with that comes a communication delay where they won't necessarily receive messages real time. In fact, the further a crew gets to going towards Mars, the longer the delay. And the delay can be up to 22 minutes each way. So, just as you're talking about imagine mission control sending a message to the crew. They receive it 22 minutes later. And then make a response back, which is another 22 minutes before mission control on earth would receive it. Completely different paradigm than what we see in the International Space Station today where mission control really helps the astronauts real time execute a variety of really complicated tasks.

HARLOW: One of your areas of expertise is behavioral health and the psychology behind all of this. You're going in there locked with four people. You better like them. How do you put together a successful team so the dynamic works?

BELL: Yes, that's a really important part is sending a crew that can work well together. But in this circumstance, it's not about just working well together, it's about living well together, too. So, these are not only people that you're going to do a complex task with only three other people, but normally you get mission control support and hundreds of people in the background helping.

But, in this case, they're your roommates. So, looking at people who can emotion regulate, conflict manage, get along well together, it's not only important to have someone who works well as a team, but really to have that dynamic where the dynamics of the four people can get along well.

BLACKWELL: The stressors of not just the travel, but living and working on Mars, what are at the top of the list and how do you replicate those in this environment?

BELL: There is several challenges. One would be the extreme isolation confinement. So, if you think about it, in a typical day you might exercise and swim laps or go have a coffee or go on a walk or talk with friends real time. All of those things don't really exist when you go to Mars. So, you are now in a restricted, hostile environment. You go out. You're doing extra vehicular activities in a suit. You're limited to what you have for exercise and just a little bit of equipment that's sent with you. Restricted food. So right now we resupply our food to the astronauts on the ISS on a regular basis. But for Mars we'll have to pre-position food ahead of time.

So, there's so many resource restrictions that we're so used to both on earth and the International Space Station that just won't be possible on a Mars mission.

HARLOW: What do you expect to be answered, the biggest question you think could be answered, from these 378 days in simulation?

BELL: Well, we will learn from it for sure. And I might change my answer after the mission. But I think what's really important here is to understand how to help humans survive and thrive in this extreme resource-restricted environment. And so what we're really doing is informing future risk and resource trades.

[08:45:03]

Payloads and what we can send somewhere, such as Mars, will always be limited. So, we have to prioritize. Do you send more variety of food? How do we have communication back to not only mission control but family and friends so that they can stay connected over a two and a half-year mission some day for Mars.

And what we prioritize, even something like the communication delay that you're very interested in, is, you know, the bandwidth of sending messages, at what point do you put the family and friends messages above what mission control is trying to tell them? And at what point, you know, is it more important that mission control get that first bit of bandwidth. So there's constant risk and resource trades going on. And really what I hope to learn and what our team hopes to learn is, is how do we best inform those and make those trades that can survive and thrive on Mars.

BLACKWELL: Well, Dr. Suzanne Bell, this has been a fascinating conversation. I think the experiment is fascinating and we thank you for spending some time with us.

Speaking of time, still about 40 seconds left in the 22 minutes since I sent my hey big head message.

BELL: It's amazing.

BLACKWELL: And I have likely, 22 minutes, have fallen asleep.

Thank you.

HARLOW: We could never fall asleep listening to you, though.

BLACKWELL: Not to you, though. Thank you so much, Dr. Suzanne Bell.

HARLOW: Appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: Five suspected shark attacks in 24 hours. We'll tell you live - we'll take you live, rather, to Long Island, New York, where officials now have eyes in the sky to prevent more shark bites from happening.

HARLOW: And 2022 CNN Hero Tyrique Glasgow lost two loved one in the mass shooting in Philadelphia just this week. How this latest tragedy is strengthening his mission for positive change in his community, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:54]

HARLOW: Well, beach goers right here in New York on high alert after a series of possible shark attacks. Take a look. This is live drone video from Robert Moses State Park, it's on Long Island, where officials are ramping up patrols after five people were bitten in a 24-hour period this week. Police are urging swimmers to enjoy the water but be very careful.

Polo Sandoval joins us from Long Island with more.

I don't know, I was just out there and everyone was diving in. What about now?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, they're not letting people get into the water right now. Actually no people getting into the water right now, but a lot of that, obviously, it's still quite chilly this morning. Also it may have something to do with the discovery that was made yesterday as a drone operator specifically at this state park actually located about a 10-foot thresher (ph) shark just off the coast. The lifeguards here on duty asking people to get out of the water for just a few minutes as they allowed it to go about and eventually make it out to sea. But that plus a series of these non- fatal shark encounters that we saw here on Long Island this week, a reminder of why officials will be out in full force this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have more surveillance, more lifeguards out there than we've ever had in the past.

SANDOVAL (voice over): Five suspected shark attacks within 24 hours, leading officials to ramp up shark patrols along New York's coast.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's their territory and we're invading their territory.

SANDOVAL: The incidents happened at five different locations on Long Island beaches. On July 3rd, officials say a 15-year-old girl was bitten while swimming at Robert Moses State Park. And a 15-year-old boy says he was bit at Kismet Beach.

PETER BANCULLI, SHARK ATTACK VICTIM: My first reaction to when the shark grabbed my foot was to immediately get out of the water and get help.

SANDOVAL: And on July 4th, three more incidents, this time all involving adults at three separate locations. All five swimmers had nonlife-threatening injuries.

CNN obtained this drone footage from Robert Moses State Park Beach on July 4th of what was initially described as sand sharks, deciding to delay the beaches opening but state park officials now say the animals were likely another species of fish according to "The New York Times."

GEORGE GORMAN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, NEW YORK STATE PARKS: What we're hearing from the shark experts is that these bites are undoubtedly a mistake. They think -- the sharks think they're feeding on bait fish or bunker fish and that's why these are bites.

SANDOVAL: That's why park officials say having an eye in the sky is a critical asset.

LT. ALEX GOODMAN, NEW YORK STATE PARKS: The drones much more inexpensive to fly. They can be deployed very rapidly. We are entering the natural habitat of these animals and there's always the potential for risk, but with all the assets and manpower that we have employed here, the idea is to keep people as safe as possible.

SANDOVAL: And it's not just the northeast that's on heightened alert. This was a scene Monday in Pensacola Beach, Florida, where a shark was spotted swimming near the shore. And while it may seem like we're seeing more shark encounters, experts say that isn't necessarily the case. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot more documentation occurs because everybody's got a cellphone, so we see more of these things. So they come into our living rooms really quickly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And, statistically, you know, we still see more lightning- related deaths in the U.S. every year than any sort of shark incidents. But like lightning-related deaths, Victor, there are still also things that swimmers can do to try to even further decrease their chances of having an encounter in the water, for example, swimming in groups, try to stay close to shore and avoid bait fish. You just heard from that expert, Victor, a little while ago that a lot of them being drawn - and a lot of the sharks being drawn in closer to the coast because of those little bait fish.

BLACKWELL: All right, all good information.

Polo Sandoval, a beautiful day out there. Thanks so much.

A man killed five people in another mass shooting in Philadelphia on Monday. And for one anti-violence advocate who survived multiple shootings, it hit close to home. 2022 CNN hero Tyrique Glasgow has been working for a decade to make his south Philly neighborhood safer, building bridges with police and providing critical support for hundreds of neighbors. But on Monday, he lost more family members in that mass shooting, making him even more determined to keep pushing for positive change.

[08:55:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYRIQUE GLASGOW: The reality of, you know, just hearing gunshots is normal in our community. The family members and friends that I've lost is countless.

I knew two of the victims, my cousin, he always looked out for me growing up. And Dajuan (ph) is was what our organization is about. He wasn't a young man out here selling drugs, carrying guns. He was one of the young men who wanted to do right. And to have, you know, him taken away senselessly, it -- I was hurt.

We need to provide a table of resources instead of having this table of grief. Today we start our summer camp and working with the kids, having a safe place for our children.

What's your favorite color?

That's where we try to do our best.

Our community engagement center helps us, you know, really provide those essential quality of life resources. They're small acts that really change a community's trajectory. I believe that that's how we grow as a community, lifting each other up. It allows me to keep going forward. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: You can find more about Tyreke's work and nominate your own hero at cnnheroes.com. Nominations close July 31st.

CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts after this break.

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