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California Braces for Blackouts; Alastair Graham is Interviewed about the Doomsday Glacier; Russia Buying from North Korea; New Video of Titanic Wreckage; Frances Tiafoe Shocks Nadal; "Don't Worry Darling" Debuts at Venice. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired September 06, 2022 - 06:30   ET

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

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: California is bracing for mass power outages during this late record-setting heat weave as the demand on the power grid is expected to reach all-time record levels.

Let's go to meteorologist Chad Myers with an eye on what's happening there.

Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Just record-breaking heat, Brianna. Even 115 in Fresno, 114, Sacramento. It is going to be another hot day. And 104 in Salt Lake City. Now, I was bumped off a flight when it was 100 in Salt Lake City a couple of years ago because the plane couldn't take off full. So, keep that in mind if you're flying through the west today.

This weather brought to you by Safelite, your vehicle glass and recalibration experts.

Millions of people under this heat advisory. The Fairview Fire last night near Hemet, California, killed two people. It went to 2,000 acres in just a matter of a few hours. And 150 record highs expected across the southwest just over the next couple of days.

Now, in the east, we've had our share of flooding. Providence. Right now New Haven, Connecticut, you're under a flash flood warning with very heavy rain coming up across parts of Long Island and into Connecticut. We're going to continue to watch flooding in Providence, also into Cranston. A lot of rainfall still to come. There is a lot more weather today where this came from, I know the area needs the rain, but you don't need 9 inches like Providence got yesterday.

Brianna.

KEILAR: No.

All right, Chad, thank you so much for that. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is called the Doomsday Glacier and a new

study says it is holding on by its fingernail. I bet you didn't know glaciers had fingernails.

The British Antarctic survey says the huge Thwaites Glacier has the potential to rapidly retreat in the company years, potentially raising sea levels by several feet.

With me now is the lead author of this study, and associate professor of geological oceanology at the University of South Florida, Alastair Graham.

Professor, thank you so much for being with us.

What's this glacier? Where is it and what's happening to it?

ALASTAIR GRAHAM, AUTHOR OF STUDY, GEOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA: Yes, good morning, John.

This glacier in the west Antarctica. It's about the most remote part of the planet you can think of. It's a ten-day sail. If you go to the tip of southern Chile and you get on a ship there, it's about ten days before you actually get to the glacier itself. But it's the biggest worry in terms of climate science in Antarctica right now.

This thing is losing about 50 billion tons of ice to the ocean per year. We've been worried about this for several decades. But we're even more worried about it right now because of this new studied we've just conducted, which has looking into the past of this glacier, what it's done in the last 200 years. And what we're finding by using underwater robots, they're mapping the seabed around the edge of Thwaites Glacier, is that there's been times in the past where the glacier has actually been melting, at least twice as fast as it is right - even right now.

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So this is - this is causing us some concern to say the least.

BERMAN: When you say hanging on by its fingernails, that seems to imply it's at some kind of possible tipping point. What does that mean?

GRAHAM: Right. So, the glacier is - it's actually sat - it's got a floating portion of the - of the glacier that sits on the sea floor. It's holding on the edge of the sea bed. And that part of the glacier is actually losing contact with the sea floor right now. And we - we're concerned for the future because when it does come off of that seabed ridge, it's a (INAUDIBLE) on the sea floor, then it loses a bit of its kind of strength. It - it's -- that's what's kind of holding some of the ice behind it from flowing out into the ocean.

BERMAN: You can -

GRAHAM: And so when that happens -

BERMAN: Yes. (INAUDIBLE).

GRAHAM: Then we're looking at more sea level rise. That is the ultimate destination where this ice is going to hit.

BERMAN: It can literally lose its grip on the sea floor. And that in and of itself can be a problem.

How much sea level rise are you talking about here, potentially?

GRAHAM: That's a good question. The glacier itself is about the size of Florida and it locks up enough ice to commit around two feet, just over two feet of sea level rise globally. So that's - that's taking every square inch of the ocean around the earth and raising it by two feet. That's just sort of the -- the best case scenario. If you actually lose most of Thwaites, you draw down lots of its neighboring sister glacier as well. And you're looking anywhere from between three to 10 feet of sea level rise globally if you do actually take away Thwaites.

BERMAN: And that would be devastating. It goes without saying.

Alastair Graham, Professor, thank you so much for helping us understand what you're seeing. Appreciate it.

GRAHAM: You're welcome, John.

BERMAN: Sources say Russia is buying millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea to use in Ukraine. We have new CNN reporting ahead.

KEILAR: Plus, why Sean Penn and Ben Stiller were just personally sanctioned by Russia.

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KEILAR: Russia is adding 25 names to its list of sanctioned Americans who are permanently barred from entering the country. The sanctioned Americans include actors Sean Penn and Ben Stiller, as well Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, and Republican Senators Kevin Cramer, Michael Rounds, Rick Scott and Patrick Toomey. Both Stiller and Penn have be outspoken critics of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The foreign minister says it is a response to U.S. sanctions against numerous Russian citizens.

BERMAN: We have new CNN reporting this morning that Russia is buying millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea to use in Ukraine. A U.S. official says it's a sign that Russian troops are having severe supply shortages there.

CNN's Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon for us this morning.

Barbara, what have you learned on this front?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, John. The administration now very open about what it sees going on with

Russia making these munitions purchases. We received a statement a short time ago from a senior defense official. Let me read it to you. And the official says, and I quote, the Russian Ministry of Defense is in the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea for use on the battlefield in Ukraine. This purchase indicates that the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine due in part to export controls and sanctions. We expect Russia could try to purchase additional North Korean military equipment going forward.

So, here's where we understand. The Ukrainians are making progress, of course, in that eastern area of Ukraine, especially around the Kherson area. The Russians know the Ukrainians, obviously, are making progress, so they are trying to reinforce with these munitions, millions of rounds.

But there's going to be challenges for the Russians. It's going to take a while for it all to get there. They are going to have to go it into Ukraine with the troops and equipment that will make it possible for them to actually use the munitions inside Ukraine.

And they're buying them from North Korea, which is pretty interesting. The North Koreans not known for their advance methods of storing their military equipment. So, we'll have to see how effective these munitions are, whether they actually work, and if the Russians are going to, in fact, be able to even get them there.

John.

BERMAN: And, Barbara, that was my question, does North Korea have this type of an arsenal to sell? And will it be effective for the Russians to use on the battlefield?

STARR: Well, you know, it's so interesting, the North Koreans have a huge inventory. I think there's little question about that. But, of course, we've always been led to believe the Russians have a huge inventory. That they still have a long way to go before they really make a dip, shall we say, into their weapons stock. So, why they now need this? Why they are not able to mobilize their forces and their munitions from across Russia and move it into Ukraine is a very interesting question.

North Korea is a long distance away. Even if you're going to fly it by cargo plane. It's a lot of flights into Russia. And then again, trying to get it into Ukraine.

BERMAN: Yes, I think, as you say, the most surprising thing here is the Russians don't have the equipment on their own.

Barbara Starr, thank you for your reporting.

STARR: Sure.

BERMAN: So, a true miracle at sea. A fisherman survives 11 days on the ocean surrounded by sharks. How did he do it? Floating in a freezer. KEILAR: Amazing.

Plus, the Titanic shipwreck like you've never seen it before. The 8K resolution video of the wreckage, next.

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KEILAR: This morning, a Brazilian man is alive after floating in a freezer in the Atlantic Ocean for 11 days. Romualdo Rodrigues is a fisherman who planned a three-day fishing trip last month. But when his boat sank off the coast of northern Brazil, he jumped into that floating cooler to stay alive. And he says he didn't sleep during the almost two weeks out to sea. He was scared because sharks were surrounding the freezer he said. Finally, though, as you can see here, a group of fishermen pulled him to safety. So, what got him through this? Rodrigues says it was thinking about family that gave him strength and hope.

BERMAN: Oh, my God.

All right, the Titanic as it has never been seen before in full 8K resolution. The new footage reveals an unprecedented level of detail and color.

And CNN's Polo Sandoval joins us now.

First, Polo, what is 8K? Secondly, what are we looking at here?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, it is beyond the comprehension of your TV and my TV, basically. So it's going to be very difficult for people to actually appreciate this incredible resolution here because it is the Titanic, unlike anything we've ever seen before of the 110-year-old shipwreck. This monitor trying to keep up with it right now.

The new footage, twice as clear as a 4K TV. The footage record by OceanGate Expeditions., which visited the site earlier this year. The company carries out dives to the wreck with experts, historians, scientists and those who can afford a $250,000 opportunity.

There is hope that this new footage that was released will help scientists better understand and determine the liner's current rate of decay with future expeditions providing more footage that can then be compared with what was gathered this year, the ultra-high rez images, they revealed details that we have not been able to see before.

Experts, they have been hoping to learn as much as they can as the ocean, also the intense pressure down there, it has been (INAUDIBLE) away at the wreck.

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Some estimates even seem to think that we could see the wreck vanish entirely in the next few decades. So, that's certainly interesting here.

Spots already open for the next OceanGate expedition. It launches in May of next year, John. All you need is 10 days and, oh, yes, $250,000 as well.

BERMAN: Never let go.

Polo Sandoval, thank you very much for that.

SANDOVAL: You bet.

BERMAN: Pure, unadulterated joy. Look at this. What a moment for American Frances Tiafoe after his huge upset at the U.S. Open.

KEILAR: You might say he's the king the world, right?

And Tom Cruise does it again.

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TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: OK, I'll see you at the movies.

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BERMAN: You want drama? What a moment at the U.S. Open as American Frances Tiafoe knocks out 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal. This was just unbelievable.

Coy Wire with this morning's "Bleacher Report."

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: So great to see, John. The 24- year-old from Maryland is the youngest American man to get this far in the U.S. Open since Andy Roddick back in 2006.

Now, snapping Nadal's 22-match grand slam win streak in four sets, incredible achievements, right? But Tiafoe's backstory makes it even sweeter. Parents immigrated from Sierra Leone. Frances grew up sleeping on the floor next to his twin brother and his father at a prestigious tennis club where dad made just $21,000 a year. The junior tennis program there cost $27,000 a year. But Frances loved the game, so he watched the instructors give lessons to the older boys. He practiced on empty courts. By the time he was 14, Frances was the top- ranked kid in the nation in his age group. And now, the last American in the men's draw is three wins away from winning his first major after beating one of the greatest players of all time, Rafael Nadal.

Here he is after the match.

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FRANCES TIAFOE, RANKED WORLD NO. 26: Look, I felt like the world stopped. I couldn't hear anything for a minute. I was like - I was like, oh, my God. Like, even shaking his hand, I didn't even know what I said to him. Like, I was just like -- it was such a blur. And like I was already - I was already tearing. So, like, I could barely see him and like my team. I was like -- everyone was up. And it was - it was just wild.

Like, my heart's going a thousand miles an hour, I was so excited. I was like, let me sit down. But, yes, it was - I've never felt something like that in my life, honestly.

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WIRE: It's a great smile and hopefully we see it more.

Up next for Tiafoe is a ninth seeded Russian Andrey Rublev. And that's tomorrow, John.

BERMAN: Also, what a forearm. He's got a cannon.

All right, Coy Wire, thank you very much.

KEILAR: All right, "Don't Worry Darling" taking center stage as it made its debut at the Venice Film Festival. It's being distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures, which is, of course, owned by CNN's parent company.

Here's a look at it.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the Victory Project. We're all here because we believe in the mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are we doing?

CROWD: Changing the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are we doing?

CROWD: Changing the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think they're really doing out there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you mean?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The one thing they ask of us is to stay here. Where it's safe.

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KEILAR: All right, so this is a psychological thriller directed by Olivia Wilde. And it's also making a lot of headlines for what's going on behind the scenes.

Joining us now is HLN entertainment correspondent Melissa Knowles. We could talk about what's going on behind the scenes, but then we'd

need about like an hour, maybe an hour and a half to delve through all of it, Melissa. But what do you think about this film and tell us a little more about it?

MELISSA KNOWLES, HLN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: OK. So, so far, here's what we're reading about the film. "Don't Worry Darling," which, by the way, should be in theater September 23rd, so just a few weeks from now and we get to make our own decisions about what we think about the film, is that it's a "Twilight Zone" meets "The Stepford Wives." If you've seen either of those, then you kind of get an idea of what I mean here.

So, the film is focused on the main characters, Harry Styles, who, of course, is the main draw, Florence Pugh, and then, of course, Olivia Wilde is in it, but she is the director of the film. And this is a utopian society that was created. They're in their own little bubble. But something strange is going on. And little leaks start to happen. Little problems start o occur where Florence Pugh's character becomes aware that something sinister is happening, something insidious, if you will. And so she starts to kind of look into that, and that's when things go awry. I don't want to give you any spoilers there.

BERMAN: Yes, and a whole lot of drama surrounding the film itself, not just what's on the screen but behind the scenes. That's a discussion for another time.

Meanwhile, leak footage of Tom Cruise standing on a biplane, flying over a canyon in South Africa.

Look at this.

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TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Hey, (INAUDIBLE) have a great summer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And action.

CRUISE: We'll see you at the movies.

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BERMAN: Now, I thought he was banned from flying after killing Goose in "Top Gun." But what's up - what's up -

KEILAR: Stop it. Stop it, Berman.

BERMAN: What's up with this footage?

KNOWLES: First of all, I can't believe you just gave that away for people who have not seen the original "Top Gun," by the way. But for those of us who have, no, I agree with you.

Here's the thing, Tom Cruise is the stunt man of stunt men. He is 60 years old. He celebrated his 60th birthday over the summer. And Tom Cruise is still proving to somebody out there that he does his own stunts. He's really here -- he was filming this while he was doing "Mission: Impossible," but now talking about - or, excuse me, filming this while he was doing "Top Gun: Maverick," and talking about "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning 2," which is the next film that's coming out later this year.

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