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CNN This Morning
Four Hurt On Bump Air Allegiant Flight To Florida; Sen. Angus King (I-ME) Discusses NATO Summit; Arizona Man Targeted By January 6 Conspiracy Theorists Sues Fox News For Defamation. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired July 13, 2023 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, new this morning, still no deal on the contract talks between the SAF-AFTRA actors union and the Hollywood studios after their latest midnight deadline came and went. Now, SAG-AFTRA says its national board will vote later today on authorizing a strike. Now, a yes vote -- that would pave the way for the 160,000 members of the union to join the already striking writers on Hollywood picket lines.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, two passengers and two flight attendants were injured after an Air Allegiant flight encounters what's being called extreme turbulence, and it happened on the jetliner's way to the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport from North Carolina.
CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean joins us now. This is frightening. What's going on here?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: You know, this is really incredible because it feels like this keeps happening --
BROWN: Yes.
MUNTEAN: -- all the time and I feel like I'm thrust into reporting on these turbulence incidents.
What's so interesting about this is that we have heard from Allegiant. They confirm that two passengers and two flight attendants were hurt. But they've also confirmed, at least through air traffic control audio -- and this was initially radioed in by the flight crew -- that there were head injuries on board and somebody suffered from a broken ankle.
MATTINGLY: Wow.
MUNTEAN: And we know that paramedics met the flight at the gate in St. Pete-Clearwater.
This was an Airbus A320, Allegiant flight 227. It was going from Asheville, North Carolina to St. Pete-Clearwater at 36,000 feet. But we know from the flight tracking data that it came down to 13,000 feet.
And I've looked back at the radar. There were some thunderstorms in the area at the time of this incident. Turbulence is caused not only by extreme weather, like thunderstorms, but also it can happen in clear air simply because of shifting layers of air.
Regardless of the cause -- and that will be investigated by the FAA and potentially, the NTSB -- passengers describe a real terrifying scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA SPRIGGS, FLIGHT PASSENGER: More than halfway through descending and all of a sudden, we hit a small turbulence and the stewardess beside us fell to the ground. And then we hit a major turbulence, which was petrifying. And she was literally, like, Matrix. I watched her go up in the air and just land straight down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN: Like the Matrix.
Now, the National Transportation Safety Board has said it is monitoring this incident. It is not yet investigating it just yet. But the NTSB has looked into this on commercial airlines for years and it says turbulence is the top cause of injuries on commercial airliners. And it says, thankfully, airlines are getting better at forecasting this.
BROWN: Yes.
MUNTEAN: But the big warning is that as climate change increases and we see these extreme weather events around the world -- we're seeing it across the planet right now -- that these may happen with more regularity. Hot air rises, it cause more turbulence, and that leads to these incidents.
The big thing to underscore -- and this is what the NTSB says -- is always follow the instructions of the crew. Wear your seatbelt even if the seatbelt sign is off. That's the big thing, although it's flight attendants who are often in the line of injuries here because they are the ones up and walking around and they can't protect themselves nearly as well as you can in your seat.
BROWN: Yes, and the predictability aspect is interesting, too.
MUNTEAN: Yes.
BROWN: I've been on recent flights where they said we're expecting turbulence --
MUNTEAN: Yes.
BROWN: -- in 10 minutes from now, and so forth. But it is so frightening and -- wow.
Pete, thank you so much.
MUNTEAN: Any time. MATTINGLY: All right. Well, right now, President Biden is meeting with other heads of state in Helsinki, Finland. We'll talk about the president's high-profile diplomatic trip with Sen. Angus King. He attended the NATO summit. He's going to join us live, next.
BROWN: But before we go to break, an ambitious sea otter in Santa Cruz, California caught on video wrestling a board away from a surfer. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife now working to capture and relocate that otter, citing an increasing public safety risk. The 5-year-old female has gained a reputation over the past several years for accosting surfers, stealing their boards, and hanging 10. Yes, otters do have 10 toes.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:38:26]
MATTINGLY: Well, right now, President Biden is participating in a summit with Nordic leaders. We'll continue to monitor that throughout the course of the morning.
And that summit comes a day after NATO leaders offered a substantial show of support for Ukraine. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, still doesn't have a definitive roadmap to reach his goal of NATO membership for his country.
Joining us now is Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine. He's a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees. He was also part of the bipartisan delegation that attended the NATO summit in Lithuania. Senator, thanks for joining us.
I was struck -- when you look at the entirety of the summit, White House officials feel very good. But President Zelenskyy's tweet on his way there really kind of threw things off for a day.
How do you think it ended overall?
SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): I think it ended very positively all around. NATO has never been more unified in 50 years and -- plus, two new members, including doubling the border with Russia when you have Finland and Sweden. I think it was an extraordinary diplomatic success.
Now, you know, put yourself in Zelenskyy's shoes. He's fighting a war. He's got people being killed on his -- on his home turf so he wants to get as much as he can get and as strong as he can be. But I think in the end, he realized that what's really important is the aid that's coming -- the military -- the weapons, the material, the support -- humanitarian support rather than what are in the documents of NATO. So I think that's why he went away somewhat mollified.
MATTINGLY: The issue of cluster munitions -- President Biden signed off on them shortly before heading over to the NATO summit. Our Wolf Blitzer was asking Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about them. He defended the decision and rationalized the decision as well.
[07:40:06]
What's your sense of the necessity of them at this moment?
KING: Well, I've got to first say that my initial reaction was negative because of the history of cluster munitions. The danger of cluster munitions is -- think of an artillery shell that shoots hand grenades. It's not one big explosion, it's all these things that go out. And so, the danger is unexploded ordnance that a child might walk over years later.
However, here's number one. The Russians are using them big-time and it's a very dangerous and destructive weapon of war. So the idea of no cluster munitions on the ground in Ukraine -- that's gone by. The Russians are using them.
Secondly, we're trying to dislodge the Russians. This is a very important weapon.
Finally, the Ukrainians, themselves, are the ones that will suffer whatever negative consequences and they want them because to them -- and I think one of the Ukrainian generals said this -- the danger of cluster munitions is much less than the danger of the Russians and what they're doing to our people.
So I came away convinced after talking to a number of military people.
And the final point is the danger of cluster munitions is the dud rate -- how many don't go off.
MATTINGLY: Right.
KING: It's classified but the dud rate of what they're being supplied is very low, so the risk is diminished. Plus, the Ukrainians have gotten very good at demining and finding these things. They have -- they have groups that are going out every day to deal with land mines, which the Russians have planted, in addition to any issues of cluster munitions.
So that's a long way of saying tough decision but I think the right one given the fact that the Ukrainians, themselves, said we need these to defend our self.
MATTINGLY: Some of your colleagues have concerns related to the U.S. sending -- selling F-16s to Turkey. Do you believe those concerns will be mollified?
KING: I do, and I think -- I think that's also an important and a difficult decision. These aren't -- these aren't easy decisions.
On the other hand, Turkey is now agreeing to the admission of Sweden to NATO, which is a very important step and one that very few of us predicted going into this weekend. I was flying to Vilnius and that was the major discussion on the airplane is what is Turkey going to do? Well, President Biden pulled it off along with Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO. And I'm sure the F-16s were part of that agreement. Erdogan is a transactional kind of guy. MATTINGLY: I do want to ask you -- we have news over the course of
the last several days about a suspected Chinese hack of U.S. government email systems, including targeting Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. You are very integral in the discussions of -- related to cyber. You're on the Intelligence Committee.
What's your understanding of the scale and extent of the attack?
KING: Well, again, I've got to be careful about classified information. But it appears to be, number one, state-sponsored by the PLA, the People's Liberation Army of the Chinese Communist Party. Number two, it appears to be extensive. Number three, it certainly is deliberate. If all of those are true, China's got to pay a price.
One of the problems with our cyber response over the years has been that there's been no response. Remember the Sony hack?
MATTINGLY: Right.
KING: Nothing ever happened.
And I believe we have to be resilient. We have to defend ourselves. But ultimately, state actors and others who will attack us in cyberspace have to pay a price. There has to be a --
MATTINGLY: Have you talked to White House officials or administration officials about --
KING: In this --
MATTINGLY: -- in this specific case. I know --
KING: Not about this. No, not about this specific case. But I can assure you they know very well about my concern about it. Essentially, it's deterrence.
MATTINGLY: Right.
KING: And when you get an attack like this that's a failure of deterrence. That means they're not really worried about getting a response.
We have to demonstrate to them that we have the capability to mess with them in a way that will cost them, and that's what's going to ultimately make them decide not to do it. I want in the Politburo or the Chinese Communist Party somebody to say hey, boss, maybe we better not do this because they can whack us in cyberspace. And so, I think that's -- I'm looking for a response from the administration on this.
MATTINGLY: I do want to -- we don't have much time left but I do want to ask you what breaks the logjam with Sen. Tommy Tuberville and his blockade related to military promotions.
KING: I don't know because you don't go --
MATTINGLY: So you don't see an end here? KING: I don't because people are talking about it. We had a meeting of the Armed Services Committee. We talked about the issues that he's concerned about. There were votes on the issue that he's concerned about. I don't know -- I don't know how we -- how we break that but it's really harming our readiness.
I interviewed a general yesterday who is going to be the chief of staff for the Army, we hope. And I said is this compromising national security? And you know what he said? Yes.
[07:45:00]
And so, I just wish Sen. Tuberville -- he's backed himself into a corner but I wish he'd find an off-ramp. People are trying to find an off-ramp. But we can't give into this what amounts to hostage-taking.
MATTINGLY: Senator Angus King, Independent of Maine, thanks for your time, sir -- appreciate it.
KING: Thank you, Phil.
BROWN: Well, he says he was a loyal Fox News viewer and went to the Capitol on January 6 because he was persuaded to. Now he is suing the network because they, quote, "turned on one of their own." The details of this new lawsuit, up next.
(COMMERCIAL)
BROWN: Well, Fox is facing yet another lawsuit with echoes of the Dominion case. This one, from Ray Epps, the Arizona man targeted by conspiracy theorists who falsely claimed he led an FBI plot to orchestrate the January 6 insurrection. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson often naming Epps on his show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, THEN-FOX NEWS HOST: "On January 6, 2021, the defendants directed, mobilized, and led members of the crowds onto the Capitol grounds and into the Capitol" -- end quote.
Again, that's what you just saw Ray Epps try to do. But here's the difference. Others who have done that are in prison or facing long terms in prison, but no charges have ever been filed against Ray Epps despite the fact there's no question he did it because once more, it's on tape. That's very strange.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Well, now, Epps is suing the channel and Carlson for defamation.
[05:50:00]
The lawsuit alleges, quote, "In the aftermath of the events of January 6th, Fox News searched for a scapegoat to blame other than Donald Trump or the Republican Party. Eventually, they turned on one of their own."
MATTINGLY: Epps says he was an avid and loyal Fox News viewer and even a fan of Tucker Carlson. Here was Epps on CBS's "60 MINUTES" in April.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY EPPS, TARGET OF JANUARY 6 CONSPIRACY THEORY, SUING FOX NEWS: He's obsessed with me. He's going to any means possible to destroy my life and our lives.
BILL WHITAKER, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Why?
EPPS: To shift blame on somebody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: Well, Epps' lawyer spoke with our own Anderson Cooper last night who asked him if there's anything that he thinks would put the claims about his client to rest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL TETER, ATTORNEY FOR RAY EPPS: I think that perhaps finally having a jury find that the lies were told about Ray Epps that -- and then -- or any damages might finally put an end to it. But the truth is that lies haven't mattered to Fox or its viewers for quite some time. They put profits over people. They put fraud over facts. They put lies over legitimacy. And so, I hope that will spell an end to it but at the very least, they need to be held accountable for their -- for their lies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: Joining us now is CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy. Oliver, for those who haven't necessarily been paying super close attention to this, remind people what we know about Ray Epps and his involvement in the attack on the Capitol and how this all kind of ties together.
OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: Yes, Phil, this is so interesting. Fox News continues to learn that its election lies come with some serious legal consequences and this from Ray Epps who, as you said, was a loyal Fox News viewer.
And his lawsuit is actually really interesting because he says he was at the U.S. Capitol that day because he believed the election lies that were being peddled on Fox News. And then after he appeared at the Capitol he became smeared by Fox News as they looked for a scapegoat to pin a lot of the January 6 rioting on.
Of course, he said he was not working -- he was not working with the government as was alleged by people like Carlson and others on the far right, but that really hasn't stopped any of these conspiracy theories. And at this point, he's suing the network because he asked for an on-
air retraction or correction a few months ago. They never delivered that. And so he, I guess, is saying that he has no other option but to sue to hopefully clear his name.
Now I should also note that this does come after a number of election- related lawsuits for Fox News. Of course, there is the historic Dominion lawsuit but there have been others. A Venezuelan businessman settled with the network earlier this year for election-related lies. Abby Grossberg, a former producer -- she just settled with the network. And so they've really had to pony up a lot of money to untangle themselves from the election lies that they told in the aftermath of that 2020 election.
BROWN: All right, Oliver Darcy. Thanks so much.
MATTINGLY: And just ahead, more of Wolf Blitzer's interview with Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin. What he has to say about Tommy Tuberville's blockade of military promotions.
BROWN: Plus, we're learning U.S. cluster munitions are already in Ukraine and a commander there says they could change the game on the battlefield. We're going to go there live.
MATTINGLY: But first, in a historically white, male-dominated profession, a group of Black women scientists are knocking down barriers. A marine biologist on a mission to promote diversity and inclusion in shark sciences. Their story is today's Impact Your World.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASMIN GRAHAM, CO-FOUNDER, MINORITIES IN SHARK SCIENCES: I'm a shark scientist. I very quickly became aware that there's not a lot of people like me in the field. We had this sort of movement on Twitter of Black scientists with the hashtag #BlackInNature. When we started talking, we said well, we should start a club.
Minorities in Shark Sciences' mission is to change the culture so that people from historically excluded groups participate in marine science. We have programs like our Gill Guardians, which is curriculum that lives online to help educate people about sharks and move them from fear to fascination.
We have camps for our kids, Science at the Sea, where we bring kids out to the ocean. And then we have Science on the Move for those kids that can't get to the ocean and we can bring the ocean to them.
We also have professional development so people can get very specific skills that they need to be successful in this field and help connect people with other people that are doing research.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And this has opened a lot of doors that I didn't think were feasible being 45 years old and pursuing my degree later in life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This reminds me that anything I want to do is possible.
GRAHAM: What I hope is that one day Minorities in Shark Sciences doesn't need to exist because barriers are eliminated.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: Well, to learn more about organizations helping with shark conservation visit cnn.com/impact or text FINS to 707070 to donate.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:59:16]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, NBA ALL-STAR: The day I can't give the game everything on the floor is the day I'll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: LeBron James revealing his big decision. That's not a reveal. Come on --
BROWN: Come on. Come on.
MATTING: -- we knew he was going to play.
Good morning, everyone. We are also sticking around. I'm Phil Mattingly with Pamela Brown in Washington, D.C.
Now, LeBron's announcement happened at last night's ESPY Awards where Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin honored the training staff that saved his life when his heart stopped in the middle of a game. More on that ahead.
BROWN: And first, President Biden is making one final stop on his crucial European trip as NATO rallies behind Ukraine.
MATTINGLY: And House Democrats are calling on Republicans to investigate their own so-called whistleblower after he was charged with arms trafficking and working as an agent for China.
[08:00:00]
