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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Six People Missing after Baltimore Bridge Collapse; U.S. Defense Secretary Hosts Israeli Counterpart; Israel Rejects U.N. Resolution; China Denies Allegations of Cyber Hacking; Trump Media Goes Public; Trump's Truth Rallies In NASDAQ Debut; NIO Planning Global Expansion; Baltimore Bridge Collapse; U.S. Supreme Cour Hears Arguments On Abortion Pill; U.S. Supreme Court Hears Major New Abortion Case; RFK Jr.'s VEEP Pick. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired March 26, 2024 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:00:30]
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's 6:00 a.m. here in Hong Kong, 6:00 p.m. in New York, and 9:00 a m. in Sydney. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in for
Julia Chatterley. And wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."
A warm welcome to "First Move." And here is what you need to know. Now, rescuers search for six people still unaccounted for after a bridge
collapses in the Baltimore area. It was hit by a container ship. We have the latest.
U.S. Supreme Court justices heard arguments about the rights and wrongs of an abortion drug with most sounding skeptical of moves to limit it.
And the truth hits Wall Street, why Donald Trump's media platform has an eye-popping valuation of around $11 billion.
But first, at least six people are missing after a cargo ship collided with a bridge in the Baltimore area and the ship, which was headed to Sri Lanka,
reportedly lost power before crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge early on Tuesday morning.
A construction crew was on the bridge when it collapsed. Two people were initially rescued from the water below. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke
earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're going to send all the federal resources they need as we respond to this emergency. I mean, all the federal
resources. And we're going to rebuild that port together. Everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident. At this time, we have no other
indication, no other reason to believe there's any intentional act here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: The governor of Maryland says the ship issued a mayday call prior to the crash, giving officials time to stop traffic, likely saving lives.
Our Kristin Fisher is at the scene. She joins us now live. And Kristin, families, they are desperate for answers. What is the latest on the search
and rescue?
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So far, no answers for those desperate families, Kristie. I mean, we're about 17 hours in now, and
officials still describe this as an active search and rescue operation.
And, you know, keep in mind what these divers have been having to contend with all day long. They've been having to contend with these really cold,
deep waters with strong current. And they're also trying to find these six construction workers in this mess of really mangled metal from the bridge
after it fell into the water.
And so, those six construction workers we now know were actually on top of the bridge at the time of impact, not doing anything related to the
structural integrity of the bridge, they were just up there filling potholes. And now, the Coast Guard is trying to find them and those
families waiting for any kind of word.
This search and rescue operation has been such a focus, Kristie, that the NTSB, which is taking the lead on the investigation, decided to take a step
back today and not board the vessel.
I mean, keep in mind the crew is actually still on that shipping container. Everything has just been redirected to focus on the search and rescue
efforts. And so, the NTSB says that when they actually do board the vessel, one of the first things they're going to be looking for is that Voyage Data
Recorder. It's essentially the black box of these types of ships.
And when they do get that information, they're hopefully going to be able to confirm that mayday call that the crew made to officials on the surface
saying that they were suffering from -- the ship was suffering from some kind of power outage or power issue. So, the NTSB says they still need to
confirm that.
The NTSB is also going to be examining the structural integrity of the bridge itself, even though earlier today the governor of Maryland said that
this bridge, the Francis Scott Key Bridge, was up to code. So, that's still another aspect of this ongoing investigation.
And then, you have to talk about rebuilding this thing, because this is a key interstate, a major thoroughfare, not just around the City of
Baltimore, but for this whole region. This interstate, President Biden says, is going to take quite some time to rebuild, but he pledges that the
federal government will pay to rebuild this bridge.
[18:05:00]
But you also have to think about just how much time, how long that's going to take, and also the economic impact that this is going to have on the
Boston -- the Baltimore Harbor and this entire state because this is one of the biggest most busy harbors in the entire United States and it's going
potentially a real significant issue on supply chain issues and on all of that traffic that goes in and out of this harbor, because right now it is
totally stopped. These big ships cannot get in or out. Kristie.
STOUT: Yes, this is a very busy industrial area. The economic impact is going to be very, very significant on shipping, on supply chain as well.
But a question for you about the investigation. Have there been any new details about this ship, about the container ship that collided into this
bridge?
FISHER: Not a whole lot yet. I mean, right now, those kinds of details -- people obviously want a lot more information on those details. But right
now, every press conference, every chance that reporters have had to really press officials, everything has been focused on the six people that are
unaccounted for. Everything focused in these search and rescue operations.
And you know, at some point you have to wonder when this becomes a recovery operation because I mean, like I said, it's -- we're going on what, 17
hours now. It's cold standing outside. You can only imagine what it would be like in these very frigid waters for that extended period of time.
But as of now, not a whole lot of information on the ship itself, except for the fact that, you know, the crew saying -- and you could see those
lights flickering on this ship shortly before impact. We know that mayday call came sometimes shortly after that saying that there was some kind of
power issue.
So, the flickering lights certainly would indicate that there were some kinds of power issue. But again, the NTSB says they can't just take the
crew's word for it, they've got to investigate that. And hopefully, that's what they will be able to discern from those -- the Voyage Data Recorder or
the black boxes once they are able to finally board this vessel behind me.
Oh, and Kristie, one more thing I should actually point out. We've been watching over the last few minutes a crane on a barge that has made its way
up along the river and up towards where the container ship is. So, we don't know exactly what that specific crane is going to be used for, but you can
imagine it might be use to pull out cars that are submerged in the water or perhaps even start moving the pieces of the bridge, the steel itself, that
are now covering the top front of this container ship. Kristie.
STOUT: You know, this was such a dramatic and tragic accident. Our thoughts go out to everyone. The community affected. Kristin Fisher, we
thank you for your reporting. Take care.
Our CNN's Pete Muntean has more on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The investigators have new questions about the final moments before the crippled container ship Dali
veered off course and into Baltimore's Key Bridge. The 911 calls to stop traffic, frantic as steel and concrete plunged into the Patapsco River
below.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The entire Key Bridge is in the harbor. I advise hold all traffic from coming to the bridge. I advise again, the entire Key
Bridge has fallen into the harbor.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Officials say the Dali set sail at 12:28 a.m. under the command of a port of Baltimore pilot who boards large ships as they
navigate the 700-foot-wide channel. Security video shows minutes before the impact the lights on board the Dali shut off twice. Then the bow swung
right. Briefed by the coast guard, Maryland Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger says the crew experienced power issues and a loss of propulsion with alarms
on the bridge blaring.
WES MOORE, MARYLAND GOVERNOR: The preliminary investigation points to an accident. We haven't seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Key to investigators will be the ship's black box mandated by international law. A Voyage Data Recorder captures parameters
like heading, speed, and water depth, as well as the condition of the engines, thrusters, and rudder. The recorder also captures crew
conversations on the bridge, key to investigations probing what caused the crew to apparently lose control.
JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: It will be critical. It's a critical piece of our investigation, which is why
we have a recorder's team here.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): The latest data shows the Dali was traveling at a speed of eight knots, roughly nine miles per hour, fast enough to trigger a
disaster that could have been much worse.
MARY SCHIAVO, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, USDOT: Undoubtedly, that mayday call from the ship saved countless lives. I mean, there have be collapses
of bridges in the United States where there wasn't a mayday call, and obviously many vehicles went into the water.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Pete Muntean, CNN, Dundalk, Maryland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: And we will have more from Maryland later in the program, and the impact of closing such a crucial bridge to the local economy.
[18:10:00]
Turning now to an urgent new call by the U.S. to get more aid into Gaza. And speaking after hosting Israeli counterpart at the Pentagon, the U.S.
defense secretary called on Israel to take greater action to avoid famine in the besieged enclave.
In a sign of just how dire things are, paramedics are telling CNN that at least 12 people drowned as they tried to retrieve airdropped aid that had
landed in the sea.
Now, this comes after Israel rejected a resolution by the U.N. Security Council that called for an immediate ceasefire as well as the release of
all hostages by Hamas. Our Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem with the latest.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, in the 24 hours since the United Nations Security Council passed that resolution demanding an
immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages, the Israeli military is continuing its military campaign in Gaza and Hamas, showing no signs of
releasing the hostages. This war very much still ongoing as 81 people were killed over the past 24 hours, 18 of those were in Israeli strikes in
Rafah, according to Palestinian health officials.
The Israel military, for its part, says that it is continue to operate in Khan Younis and that it carried out strikes on about 60 targets over the
past day. Palestinian health officials also say that the Israeli military is now surrounding the Al Amal Hospital in western Khan Younis, putting it
out of service. And the Israel military also acknowledging that is continuing to carry out a significant military operation at Al-Shifa
Hospital, which it says has been used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad militants. Hundreds of those, the Israeli military says, they have
since detained as this operation now stretches more than a week.
Amid all of this, the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, was in Washington where his American counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin,
urged him to dramatically and urgently ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying that far too many civilians have been dying in Gaza and not
enough humanitarian aid has been getting in.
But at the same time, one U.S. defense official says that more aid does appear to be getting in, 200 trucks per day now getting into Gaza, a
significant increase from the month of February when the number of trucks really, really dramatically decreased.
But of course, much more aid is still needed to avert a famine in Northern Gaza where, once again, we have seen scenes of utter desperation. On
Monday, as humanitarian aid shipments fell into the sea, Gazans rushing in to go after it. Some of those found themselves washed up on the shore.
People tried to perform CPR, but 12 Gazan's drowned, according to paramedics. Kristie.
STOUT: You're watching "First Move," coming to you live from Hong Kong.
And China is hitting back after U.S. and British officials impose sanctions for alleged state-backed cyberattacks. And earlier this week, U.S.-British
officials filed charges and levied sanctions against Chinese-linked hackers. They alleged the groups targeted the data of millions of people,
including lawmakers from Washington to Westminster.
Now, the British government says one of the hackers conducted a cyberattack on Britain's electoral watchdog. This is what we heard from the FBI
Director Christopher Wray. On Monday, he said that the indictment "exposes China's continuous and brash efforts to undermine our nation's
cybersecurity and target Americans and our innovation."
Now, China has responded. It has dismissed the allegations. We heard this response from its foreign ministry just yesterday, saying this "sufficient
and objective evidence are required when investigating a cyber incident and coming to a conclusion as opposed to smearing other countries without facts
or politicizing cybersecurity."
Well, call it the moment of truth for Donald Trump's Truth Social. The parent company behind the former U.S. president's social media platform
went public on the NASDAQ Tuesday. And shares soared right out of the starting gate, but finished well off their intraday highs, closing up 16
percent. A solid market debut to be sure. But a lot of questions about the stock's long-term potential. Matt Egan has more.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Kristie, this is a stock that is not trading on fundamentals. It's all momentum and emotion. But look, those can powerful
forces, clearly.
Now, Trump Media started its life as a public company with a bang this morning. Share spiked 56 percent of the open. It was so hot. The trading
was briefly paused. The stock has skyrocketed so far this year. Spiking in January when Donald Trump won a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses.
[18:15:00]
Now, remember, the higher the stock price goes, the wealthier Trump is, at least on paper. Now, of course, it's important to remember that lock-up
restrictions likely prevent Trump and other insiders from selling or even borrowing against that stake anytime soon.
Still, experts tell me that the multi-billion-dollar price tag on Trump Media, it defies logic. That's because Truth Social is tiny. We're talking
about less than half a million monthly active users on iOS and Android in the United States. For comparison, X, a company formerly known as Twitter,
it has 75 million users. Even Instagram's threads is 10 times bigger than Truth Social. Not only that, but True Social is shrinking. Monthly active
users are down by 51 percent year-over-year in February.
Let's also take a look at how Truth Social's price tag stacks up against that of another social media company that just went public last week,
Reddit. Now, Reddit was valued at $6.4 billion when it went public. That was based on annual revenue of $800 million.
Well, look at this, Truth Social valued at more than twice that when it started trading today. And that's despite the fact that Trump Media and
Truth Social have just a tiny fraction of the revenue.
Now, I think all of this explains why one professor told me that this stock is "clearly a bubble." Another said it's totally divorced from fundamentals
and compared it to a meme stock. Of course, history shows that stocks trading purely on momentum, they can keep going higher and higher. And it's
very hard to pinpoint exactly when they'll come back to earth.
So, fasten your seatbelts because this one, it looks like it will be a wild ride. Kristie.
STOUT: Thank you, Matt. You're watching "First Move." And up next, we got your up to the minute weather update.
Plus, the U.S. presidential VEEP steaks. Independent Candidate Robert F. Kennedy. Jr. just announcing his unconventional running mate.
And China's electric vehicle charge. We'll take you to the factory of the EV maker, NIO, as it plans a global expansion. Keep it here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STOUT: Welcome back to "First Move." And to all of our viewers in the U.S., U.K., and Latin America, we hope you're having a great Tuesday
evening. And a good Wednesday morning if you are just like us waking up right here in Asia.
[18:20:00]
Now, in today's "Money Move," a third straight session of losses for the Dow and S&P, with Wall Street turning lower in the last hour of trade,
shares of Visa and MasterCard ending the day little changed, the two credit card giants settling, U.S. antitrust case accusing them of high processing
fees. Now, shoppers and U.S. retailers could save tens of billions of dollars as a result.
Now, Tesla was a Tuesday winner. It was up almost 3 percent, amid word that influential investor Cathie Wood has bought more than $28 million worth of
shares out Tesla. However, continuing to see intense competition from EV makers in China.
Now, BYD, which now outsells Tesla in China, reporting on Tuesday that its net profit soared more than 80 percent this past year. Xiaomi, that's the
Chinese firm better known for its smartphones, it unveils its very first EV on Thursday.
Now, another Chinese EV firm that is all charged up is NIO, a so-called smart electric vehicle firm with innovative battery technology already
sells cars in Europe and it hopes to enter the U.S. market in the next few years. Our Marc Stewart reports from NIO's factory in Hefei, China.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Frames glide like ghosts as robots work in unison. This is home for Chinese EV maker,
NIO.
STOUT: This has rare access. We are the first American television crew allowed inside.
STEWART (voice-over): It's one of more than 270 companies in China making new energy vehicles. The likes of which are helping China to cement the
title of global EV leader.
CEO William Li is already a celebrity among NIO-buyers. Now, the task is not just winning over customers in China, but worldwide.
STEWART: What can you offer that these established brands in Asia cannot?
WILLIAM LI, CEO NIO (through translator): Today's cars should be called smart EVs. It's not a vehicle, just like if we talk about phones today,
they evolved from mobile phones to smart phones.
STEWART (voice-over): As part of that evolution, NIO is betting big on the concept of battery swapping
STEWART: So, as I drive along, I realized that the battery is low. So, it's time to get a charge and we have two options here, we can either go to
a traditional plug-in or we can go do a battery swap. And the whole process is automated.
STEWART (voice-over): In a matter of minutes the old battery has swapped out for a new one and then charge for the next driver.
STEWART: And that was very easy.
LI (through translator): If you live in an apartment, it's often difficult to install charges. And people may not have designated parking spaces.
STEWART (voice-over): Innovation aside, NIO and other Chinese brands face some big bumps on the road. The company has yet to turn a profit and has
relied on funding to move forward.
But market share isn't NIO's only struggle. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently raised the risks of Chinese EVs and their potential to
collect and send data to Beijing. And with China surpassing Japan as the world's largest auto exporter, the flood of cheaper Chinese vehicles has
triggered trade tensions with some countries.
STEWART: Do you think your product is good enough to rise above any kind of negative perception?
LI (through translator): If we think about the story of Japanese cars in the United States in the 1980s, they also overcame challenges. In the end,
if a company wants to succeed it must return to its foundation, product, service, and quality.
STEWART (voice-over): Lee says it may take a decade or two to enter the global market, but they work to stay ahead of the curve in an industry
whose future lies in a fast transition.
Marc Stewart, CNN, Hefei, China.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Now, back to our top story, six people are still unaccounted for after a Baltimore Bridge collapsed and rescuers are having to contend with
cold and windy weather.
Now, joining us now is Chad Myers. He joins us from the CNN World Weather Center to look at the conditions that the rescuers are facing. And, Chad,
you know, time is of the essence here. So, what are they up against?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, right now, we have 48 degrees Fahrenheit. And Taylor, go ahead and move my graphics forward here for me.
So, this is the area we're talking about where the bridge has collapsed. The water is 48.
Now, that doesn't leave a long time when we talk about the survival time in the water. Likely only about one to three hours, and now we're, what, 17
hours from when this actually happened. So, we do know that people were likely in water, there was a higher tide than normal because of some east
winds that pushed some water on up into the Chesapeake Bay.
[18:25:00]
And so, we are now up and down on the tidal cycle. The tide's only about one foot up and down, so one-third of a meter. But we're back into the
rising tide, which means that we have water pushed back into Baltimore Harbor.
So, in that point where you saw where the ship had crashed into the pillar, the water is now pushing from -- basically, from the front to the back,
from bow to stern, back in toward Baltimore Harbor itself.
For a while today, we were in very good shape. We have what's called a slack tide where the tide doesn't move whatsoever and the water is just
sitting there, an opportune time for divers to get down there and not get pushed around. But so far, we don't know of anyone that has been found
here.
13 degrees Celsius, probably somewhere in the neighborhood of around 53, 54 degrees out there right now. And rain is on the way. But so is some wind,
probably 10 to 15 miles per hour, 25 to 30 kilometers per hour, and that will cause some chop on water as well. It won't really disturb the diving.
But later on tonight and into tomorrow, there's a potential for some thunderstorms. You don't want to be on the water with lightning dancing all
around you here. So, that could cause some problems as well. So, yes, a lot going on here. A lot of moving parts. The unbelievable part, I think, in
America is that there were only really six people on this bridge where 30,000 cars go over that bridge every single day.
There's the rain across parts of Shanghai into parts of Kyushu as well. Some of this rain will be heavy at times, even just south of, I would say,
Tokyo, you could pick up a hundred millimeters of rainfall. So, this is kind of a significant storm here. Even some snow if you get north of Seoul
on up into North Korea.
Temperatures though are in the teens. Even with the rain, it'll still be 13 in Tokyo for today. Warmer day, warmer weekend in Shanghai all the way to
the middle 20s.
Yes, and it's going to be warm here as well, where you are, 27. How does that feel? We're still stuck here in the teens and even in a single digits
in a lot of spots here in the U.S. and you're already climbing to 27. Pollen must be in the air.
STOUT: Yes, that plus the humidity, Chad, it feels like a steam room. That's what it feels like, my friend.
MYERS: Oh, not already.
STOUT: Good to see you, Chad.
MYERS: Good see you, Kristie.
STOUT: Thank you so much. Take care. You're watching "First Move." And coming up right after the break, we're going to have more details on how,
when, and exactly why the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed the way it did. That's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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STOUT: Welcome back to "First Move." And a look at more of the international headlines this hour.
Julian Assange has avoided extradition to the U.S. for now. The U.K. High Court is asking for the U.S. government for more assurances before they
allow the WikiLeaks founder to be extradited. That includes Assange's right to free speech and that he would not face the death penalty in the States.
If the U.S. fails to give the requested assurances in three weeks, Assange will be allowed to appeal his extradition. Now, the U.S. wants Assange on
espionage charges, saying that he put lives at risk by publishing classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010.
Now, the judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York has imposed a gag order on the former president. It's aimed at limiting
statements about potential witnesses, attorneys, court staff, or prosecutors' family members. Now, the criminal trial is scheduled to begin
next month.
And new developments into CNN, a lawyer for the music superstar Sean Diddy Combs has given the first public statement since authorities searched his
homes in Miami and Los Angeles. Now, his attorney says that there was a "gross overuse of military level force as search warrants were executed,"
and denies wrongdoing.
Our source says Combs is the target of an investigation carried out by a Homeland Security team specializing in human trafficking.
Now, back to one of our top stories this hour, the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Baltimore area. Six people are still
missing as search and rescue efforts continue. This disaster took place early on Tuesday morning, when part of bridge fell into the river after a
large cargo ship hit a support column.
And just hours ago, the U.S. president, Joe Biden, said the federal government will provide all the support and resources needed to rebuild.
Our CNN's Katie Polglase lays out exactly how and when all this happened.
KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, Kristie, for this investigation, we looked through online videos on social media as well as
live streams to see exactly what had happened in those fateful moments. And live streams were really important because they were already up and running
before the incident unfolded, and it showed very clearly that there was a power outage as the ship was heading towards the bridge.
It became very clear that this was part of the incident that caused it to veer off course. Have a look at what we found so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE (voice-over): This is the shocking moment the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses after being hit by a huge container ship.
As videos emerge online from live streams and passersby, CNN has looked into exactly what happened. The ship in question is Dali, a 984-foot
Singaporean container ship that was heading to Colombo, Sri Lanka, with two pilots on board, the ship's management company says.
Using marine traffic, a public ship tracking platform, we identified Dali, the ship, as it set off at 12:50 a.m. in the morning. It follows a straight
path towards the bridge until 1:26 a.m. when it starts veering off course. Shortly after it crashes, rescue boats can be seen rushing to the scene.
We match this route to what we see in the live stream. Shortly before it veers off course at 1:24 a.m., we see here the ship's lights going out
before coming back on seconds later. At 1:25 a.m., we see large plumes of smoke coming from the ship. Then the lights go out again at 1:26 a.m. It
indicates a power failure. The crew on board did notify authorities of a power issue, according to the governor of Maryland.
Just before the bridge collapses, vehicles can be seen on the bridge, but as the mayday call goes out, luckily the traffic stops before further
tragedy hits. Still, as the search for survivors continues, Baltimore City Fire Department have since confirmed that their sonar have detected
vehicles in the water.
The ship had, in fact, crashed before. The Port of Antwerp in Belgium tells CNN back in 2016 when it was maneuvering out of a port it crashed. The
report said it suffered damages in the stern and transom. Now, with official investigations beginning, the question will be whether mechanical
or human error caused this terrible tragedy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:35:00]
POLGLASE (on camera): Now, while we don't know what caused that power outage yet, what we do know from aftermath footage is that it's very clear
the crew on board did try to stop the ship as it was heading into the bridge.
You can see from photos that they tried to drop an anchor. The chain of that anchor is visible as the ship is seen in some of this aftermath
footage. Clearly, they were trying to halt its progress as it started to collide with the bridge. Of course, that was unsuccessful.
There's many questions yet to be answered. But clearly, the cause of that power outage is going to be crucial. Kristie.
STOUT: Now, there are many questions and questions abound about how a bridge, which has stood for decades, could collapse so quickly and so
disastrously. Now, joining us now with some answers is Oscar Barton. He is the Dean of the Mitchell School of Engineering at Morgan State University.
And he joins us now live. Sir, thank you so much for joining us here on "First Move."
This was a tragic accident. Many, many families are waiting for answers. How could something like this happen?
OSCAR BARTON JR., DEAN, MITCHELL SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: Well, thank you for having me. And let me first say that in
such a tragic event, our minds first turned to those most impacted and we share prayers and best wishes for their recovery and understanding what
happened.
Well, we've got a massive vehicle weighing hundreds of tons moving at roughly eight miles per hour and we have a stationary item, and that energy
has to go somewhere. And so, the momentum transferred from the cargo ship to the bridge is what caused the energy to be dissipated in the bridge.
Design criteria back in '77 or '72, when the Key Bridge was designed, have changed. And so, more futuristically, we would probably have a better
design bridge to impact risk and stronger loads or higher loads.
STOUT: Yes, one would hope so, absolutely. And could you -- in regards to this collapse, could you break it down for us? You know, there are many
types of collisions. There are also many potential causes. It's still very early on, but what should the investigators be focusing on right now?
BARTON JR.: Well, so you're right. There are many types of collisions. There are side impact with vessels, there are bow to stern impacts, there
are rear impacts. And this is what we looked at today, what's called a lesion, where a vessel impacts a fixed object or a bridge, or could be a
pier.
The causes of which, I think, might be documented well in some of the video clips that we've seen, that we see lights flickering on and off. So, the
loss of power could come from one or two sources, either there's a loss of power generation on the vessel or loss of power distribution.
Despite either one, there should have been backup systems to kick in to provide backup power to a supply the needed and critical infrastructure of
the ship so it can remain maneuverable.
STOUT: Yes, let's talk more about the sudden lack of power on this ship. You know, how is power usually generated on board a cargo ship of this
size? And should cargo ships have an emergency power source or an emergency generator on board?
BARTON JR.: I think there is a requirement for an emergency backup generator. And so, the power typically is generated via diesel engines and
that those engines power generators, those generators tied to the patchwork of an electrical network, which distributes the power throughout the system
and throughout the vessel.
So, if the main power generator or diesel generator goes out, the backup system should kick in supplying needed power to the critical elements of
the ship, mostly steering, mostly communication, so that we can avoid a potential catastrophe that -- which happened today.
STOUT: And we also want to get your thoughts about the economic impact of this tragic event. You know, this happened in a very busy area, an
industrial area. So, what are the ramifications here for shipping and for the U.S. supply chain?
BARTON JR.: Huge. The harbor and the Patapsco River is the supply chain for literally 15,000 jobs or more. Income for those folks are on the order
of $3.3 billion annually. It transports vessels up and down the Patapsco, roughly $80 billion.
So, having the river out of service, the bridge out of service, it's going to impact our economic viability for some time until we can get those
things back up and running.
[18:40:00]
STOUT: Yes, and we also heard from the U.S. president on rebuilding. President Biden, he pledged federal money for the effort. But how long is
it going to take to not just rebuild the bridge, but to build it better?
BARTON JR.: So, that's an answer -- a question yet to be answered. I think we will likely want to embed the best in the latest technology, the best in
the latest in terms of materials, so that the bridge structure itself will be able to withstand higher lows and crushing forces.
Honestly, it's a tall order because we can't design for any situation that is -- that's -- we cannot design for anything that can happen in that
sense. So, probabilistically, something may happen in the future. We could probably design for a one in a lifetime kind of event in the life of the
bridge.
But I think one thing that will be advantageous to us is as we start to gain more technology, the advent of A.I., quantum computing, we will be --
we will start looking at digital twins of our infrastructure. And the failure of the bridge -- the failure of the cargo ship power system, if it
comes out to be that and direct of either generation or distribution, the digital twin of the ship would have predicted that and said to the
operator, you should ensure that these elements are replaced before your next venture.
So, from a safety perspective and from a futuristic perspective, I think we will have the technology to avoid these kinds of incidents in the future.
STOUT: Thank you so much, sir, for your insight and for providing some, you know, very crucial answers about what could happen next in the wake of
this collision. Thank you for joining us, and take care.
Now, you're watching "First Move." And up Next, a new case on abortion that's being heard by America's highest court. We look at what discussions
around a key drug could mean for women across the U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STOUT: Welcome back. Now, U.S. Supreme Court justices seem mostly skeptical about banning or limiting access to a drug use for abortions.
[18:45:00]
They were hearing arguments in the court's first abortion rights case since overturning Roe v. Wade. That ruling in 2022 had left abortion rights a
matter for individual states to decide. Our Jessica Schneider says this case involved abortion medication and how it's regulated.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, it does appear that a majority of the justices could vote to toss this case out, and that would
be a win for the FDA and the drug manufacturer. And it could be on the grounds that the doctors who brought this case just didn't have the
standing or the legal right to actually bring this lawsuit.
Now, the basis of the doctor's argument in this case is that they might, at some point, have to treat a woman who comes to their emergency room with
complications from mifepristone, this abortion pill, and that these doctors might have to that woman when they disagree with abortion. But the
government and the drug manufacturer, they've argued that this type of injury is just far too removed, far too hypothetical to prove the basis of
a lawsuit.
Now, the lower courts disagreed. They let the lawsuit move forward. They even ruled in favor of the doctors. The lower court's blocking certain
aspects of the pill, making it harder to obtain. Those have been actually on a hold, though, so it's been status quo for the pills while the Supreme
Court considers this.
But it does seem that the Supreme Court might just toss this case out, not even get to the heart of the issue, which is, did the FDA follow proper
procedure when it made the abortion pill easier to obtain in recent years?
We did see some pushback from conservative Justice Samuel Alito, though, and he asked if maybe there could be a way to find that these doctors or
anyone else had standing. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMUEL ALITO, JUSTICE: Could you provide a more specific answer to the first question that Justice Thomas asked you, is there anybody who could
challenge in court the lawfulness of what the FDA did here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In this particular case, I think the answer is no.
ALITO: Well, that wasn't my question. Is there anybody who can do that? Let's start with the states that intervened below.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: So, Justice Alito not loving that answer. But this case is yet another flashpoint in the abortion debate. It's happening two years after
the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade. So, the court is being pulled back in to the abortion issue with this case. And once again, they'll issue a
decision in an election year, likely by late June.
And it's a particularly fraught subject, obviously, because more than half of abortions are administered medically with the use of this abortion pill,
mifepristone. And this pill has been available to women all over the country, but particularly those who live in states that have outlawed
abortions. And it's still available because right now this pill can be shipped by mail. So, if the Supreme Court were to rule that it can't be as
easy to obtain, it would really reverberate around the country.
Again, though, does seem likely that the Supreme Court won't rule -- go that far, that the justices may just toss this case out on standing grounds
that would effectively hand a win to the FDA, the federal government and the drug manufacturer, and really keep things status quo for this this
bill.
So, we'll see. Kristie.
STOUT: And CNN's Jessica Schneider reporting just then. Now, joining us now is CNN Health Correspondent Meg Tirrell for more on the story. And,
Meg, look, the Supreme Court, it seems skeptical about limiting access to the abortion pill. But if the court upholds the ruling, what would that
mean for access this drug there in America?
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this medication regimen, which is actually two medicines, mifepristone and misoprostol, these
account for 63 percent of abortions in the United States in 2023. There were more than a million abortions in that year. So, that means more than
600,000 people accessed abortion through these two medications.
Now, in a way the Supreme Court was hearing the case, it probably wouldn't remove the drug from the market completely because of the Appellate Court
decision. What it might do, if it agreed with that lower Appellate Court, would be to roll back the regulations around how this can be used to where
they essentially stood before 2016, when the FDA started to expand how the drug could be use.
Through 2016 and 2021, they essentially made the drugs available through telehealth. So, in 2021 they said it could be delivered by mail, and they
sort of solidified that through 2023. So, the concern is that if the Supreme Court does agree with the Appellate Court, that it could be much
more difficult for people to access this form of abortion, which is, as you see from the numbers, an increasingly important way that patients access
this kind of abortion.
STOUT: And your thoughts on the impact on the pharmaceutical industry, you know, could this decision weaken the authority of the FDA and also the way
new drugs are developed?
TIRRELL: That is a huge concern that we've heard from doctors, as well as legal scholars and people in the pharmaceutical history. We even saw an
Americus brief, a friend of the court brief filed by former FDA commissioners warning about the weakening of FDA authority, and the
arguments that were coming from the FDA commissioners and from the drug industry were, you know, in this one sort of instance, which you don't
often see, really in agreement.
[18:50:00]
The concerns here is that if this opens this sort of legal pathway for judicial challenge to FDA's decision-making, could this then open up all
sorts of other drugs and medical products to challenges from basically anybody on ideological grounds? And some of the legal scholars I've been
talking with have mentioned things like vaccines, for example. Could that weaken the FDA's authority there and bring potential challenges?
They also say it could sort of destabilize the entire investment landscape for drug companies and therefore chill the amount of investment dollars
they want to put into this space. So, there are a lot of concerns about that.
But what we heard from Jessica Schneider really does seem to be the way people are taking away from this is that maybe the standing question will
get this case tossed out even before the legal questions are addressed. But some folks I'm talking about say they would like the legal questions
addressed so they put those questions about FDA's authority and judicial challenges to bed.
STOUT: Yes, of course, because there are huge ramifications here for regulation, for innovation, and of course, for women's health. Meg Tirrell
reporting for us live. Meg, thank you.
You're watching "First Move." And we will have more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STOUT: Welcome back. Now, in the U.S. presidential race, it seems that the world's only ever talking about Donald Trump versus Joe Biden. But there
are still a number of third-party and independent candidates keeping their hats in the ring.
Our independent presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his pick for vice president on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., U.S. INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, that is why I'm so proud to introduce to you the next vice president of the
United States, my fellow lawyer, a brilliant scientist, technologist, a fierce warrior mom, Nicole Shanahan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Nicole Shanahan is a wealthy California attorney and the ex-wife of a Google co-founder. Having a running mate on the ballot will help
Kennedy's campaign. Almost half of all U.S. states require one before a presidential candidate can get on the ballot.
And finally, on "First Move," the infamous "Titanic" door that has sparked decades of cinematic debate has been auctioned for more than $700,000. Now,
you'll remember this moment, one that made many of us question whether both Jack and Rose could have survived if it wasn't for the size of the floating
door.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE WINSLET, ACTRESS, "TITANIC": Come back. I'll never let go. I promise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:55:00]
STOUT: I'm bringing out the tissues here. Now, to test whether Jack's sacrifice was in vain, "Titanic's" director James Cameron conducted an
experiment. And contrary to the beliefs of passionate movie fanatics, science proved that Jack had to let go. Now, the lucky auction winner will
be able to challenge this theory if they wish.
And before I go, talk about a sweet way to end the program. Donut maker Krispy Kreme and fast-food mainstay McDonald's, they are joining forces in
hopes of, you guessed it, wait for it, making more dough.
Now Krispy Kreme will begin selling three different kinds of donuts at McDonalds restaurants in the U.S. later this year. And the news made Krispy
Kreme investors very happy, sending shares up almost 40 percent. Oh, gosh, that looks so good.
Now, hopefully, the two companies will expand their partnership to Asia soon as well. And that just wraps the show for now.
Thank you so much for joining us. Julia is back tomorrow. Take care.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END