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One World with Zain Asher
Historical Ceremonies Unfold To Commemorate The 80th D-Day Anniversary; Calls Continue For Hamas To Agree To A Ceasefire And Hostage Release Deal; Starliner Faces Other Issues While En Route; A Federal Judge Orders Steve Bannon To Report To Prison By July 1st; Hunter Biden's Trial Continues In Federal Court In Delaware For A Third Day. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired June 06, 2024 - 12:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:00:42]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. And
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. You are indeed watching "ONE WORLD". This is really a pivotal moment in history with lessons that certainly still
resonate today, given everything that's happening in the world, maybe now more than ever.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Wow. Salute to ordinary men who did extraordinary things. Eighty years ago, global leaders wrapping up their visit to
Normandy, France, to commemorate the D-Day invasion that changed the course of World War II. It was a scene filled with emotion, remembrance, and
reverence.
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Normandy's American cemetery and laid a wreath at the gravestone of a soldier who had
lived in Mr. Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. Earlier, the President spoke to the crowd and drew parallels between 1944 and the
present day, making a reference to the rise of authoritarianism around the world.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: In their hour of trial, the Allied forces of D- Day did their duty. Now, the question for us is, in our hour of trial, will we do ours? We're living in a time when democracy is more at risk across
the world than any point since the end of World War II, since these beaches were stormed.
ASHER (voice-over): Just incredible seeing the air show there. And obviously, you see President Biden looking incredibly proud, raising his
fist in the air there. One of his one of the key aspects of his message today is really that some things really are worth fighting for. Some things
really are worth sacrificing for. The ceremonies included a 21-gun salute and a flyover, as you just saw there.
But the focus wasn't on the dignitaries in attendance, but the men who put their lives on the line so many years ago. French President Emmanuel Macron
bestowed his country's highest honor on 11 of the D-Day veterans who helped defeat Nazi Germany in the pursuit of freedom. For many of those veterans
in attendance, most of them aged 100 and older, it will be their last reunion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: There's also plenty of symbolism in the list of world leaders invited to and excluded from the D-Day ceremonies today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER (voice-over): On the invite list, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Russian invasion of his country is the first full-scale war
on European soil since World War II ended. You see him there greeting veterans. Western allies have given Ukraine permission to begin carrying
out limited attacks now on Russian soil.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): It's quite something to see Volodymyr Zelenskyy there honoring those veterans. Someone who's not there, you see him right
there, Vladimir Putin, not invited to join in the ceremonies, even though he has attended past D-Day commemorations. Yesterday he warned that if the
West keeps on supplying weapons to Ukraine, he will arm the enemies of the U.S. and its allies.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour joins us now live from the American Cemetery in Normandy. Christiane, these are images we saw hours ago and you still get
emotional watching them again. We saw President Biden address the 180 surviving veterans as he was standing just feet away from where nearly
10,000 of their brothers in arms are buried, not surviving that day.
[12:05:02]
That really changed the course of World War II. And as President Biden likes to say, his words were not just hyperbole today, talking about what
they fought for 80 years ago, also acknowledging what is happening on European soil, just 200 -- 300 miles to the east of where they are right
now, the largest land war on European soil since World War II.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Absolutely. And the speeches were all wrapped up in that symbolism. You know, the gratitude and
the, you know, lionizing, really, in the true sense of the word, of these people, so many of whom are buried in this cemetery -- the American
Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
And what we also know is that, as you saw, you know, President Macron and Biden, they both greeted about two dozen of the American D-Day vets, the
surviving vets, and they all thanked them for saving the world. I mean, literally, that's what they said, "You saved the world. You changed the
course of history." And their gratitude knew no bounds.
And it just reminds me of what I was reading, because on the day itself, General Eisenhower, who was in charge of Operation Overlord, as it was
called, the biggest ever amphibious landing -- amphibious invasion in history before or after, basically sent out a broadcast to the rest of
occupied Europe, saying, and I'm paraphrasing, that even though our forces have not come to all your countries yet, liberating France will be the
beginning of the liberation and of the rest of Europe and getting -- getting the forces of tyranny and authoritarianism out.
And so, I spoke to this wonderful veteran, 101-year-old Jake Larson from the United States. He had even lied about his age when he first signed up
for the Army in order to be able to join. He was 15.
He pretended he was 18. Anyway, he came here and survived D-Day. And when I asked him about the heroism of it all, he had a really humbling response.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: Today, it's 80 years since what you all did so heroically.
JAKE LARSON, D-DAY VETERAN: I don't think I was a hero. I was just like anybody else. We were all in this together. I'm not a -- I'm not a hero.
People keep calling me hero. I changed that word. I took the O off of a hero. I added T-O there. And people say, well, what's a hereto?
I say, I'm here to tell you that heroes are up there. They gave their life. They gave their life so that I could make it. My God, I got a wife. I got
children. I got two boys and a girl. I got nine grandchildren. I got 11 great-grandchildren. I've got a grandson that's a grandfather. And I'm
still going. Crazy.
AMANPOUR: Will you come back again?
LARSON: Oh, God, yes, I'd come back again. Just to honor all those who gave their life so that I could be here.
AMANPOUR: Jake Larson, thank you.
LARSON: Well, thank you, Christiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: So sharp as attack and in very human and personal terms, he laid out what this was all about and what the leaders today tried to evoke. He
said that what his comrades had done was basically provide him and all of us an ordinary free life, living in a democracy, not a dictatorship. And he
talked about being able to raise a family.
Well, now, of course, you have all these leaders telling us the very real fact is that all of our ordinary, free, democratic lives are at risk by the
current war raging in Europe, the war in Ukraine, which they have again vowed to stick with Ukraine and make sure that it succeeds, that it wins.
It's very difficult at the moment to see it, but they seem to have given yet another, you know, full-throated defense of continuing to support
Ukraine.
ASHER: And Christiane, let's just talk about the role the Soviet Union played in D-Day and, obviously, modern-day Russia, just the fact that
Vladimir Putin is absent now. You think about the grand alliance that the U.S., the U.K., and the Soviet Union formed, and that was really key to
victory here, especially the Soviet Union's role in holding down the fort on the Eastern Front. And you contrast that to 80 years later, Vladimir
Putin completely absent.
[12:10:01]
Obviously, he's attended D-Days in the past. Just explain to us the differences from the Russia perspective between now and then.
AMANPOUR: Well, to be honest and to be fair, he's only ever been once, and that was in 2014. That was the 70th anniversary of D-Day. And we remember
that that D-Day happened some three months after Putin had annexed Crimea and had started this invasion of eastern Ukraine and had, you know, started
to occupy that. And he was invited.
And one of the reasons was that people like Angela Merkel, who was chancellor of Germany at the time, it was Francois, sorry, it was President
Hollande of France, President Obama of the United States, and they thought that they would be able to try to get Putin aside and obviously thank the
Russians for the heroic sacrifice they met, they committed also in World War II, but also try to get him into some kind of peace negotiation, peace
deal to end the war in Ukraine.
And, you know, there was a lot of talk. There were these fancy dinners they had on the sidelines. But, of course, it never worked. And so, this has
been something that's been very, very, you know, difficult because Russia did lose 20 million people during the Second World War. And so, they really
did contribute a lot, but they have not been invited back since. And, in fact, I think Putin may have attended twice, but certainly not since 2014.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, in some sort of bizarre and twisted way, Putin is still living as if World War II was still ongoing and obviously fighting with
some crazy demons, once again calling Ukrainians Nazis. But, yes, many Russians, including my grandfather, Soviets, did sacrifice a lot in
fighting.
And it's quite sad to see that history and years later, relations between East and West are probably at their lowest in many, many years. Christiane,
though, if we can just end on a positive note. Jake Larson, I mean, God bless him. His grandson is a grandfather.
ASHER: "I have a grandson who's a grandfather." That is literally my favorite line.
GOLODRYGA: It is incredible, incredible. Anyone who wants to follow more of him can watch his interview with Christiane in the next hour, and you'll
talk more about his TikTok account.
AMANPOUR: Right, I was going to say, watch him on TikTok because that's an extraordinary success story where he's done it specifically to tell young
people the stories of the war, authentic eyewitness stories to teach them and hopefully to inspire them never to allow that kind of thing to go
unopposed.
GOLODRYGA: Amazing. Just love everything he had to say to you. Christiane, thanks so much. It's been phenomenal watching you report out there today.
ASHER: Thank you, Christiane. All right, King Charles and Queen Camilla also took part in the D-Day commemorations, as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): They attended the British Memorial Ceremony in Ver-sur-Mer. It's the king's first overseas trip since being diagnosed with
cancer. During a speech to veterans, he stressed the importance of unity and urged allies to recall the lessons that, quote, "come to us again and
again". And he said the world has an obligation not to forget the sacrifice made by those who took part in the invasion, which marked a pivotal turning
point in the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES, UNITED KINGDOM: The haunting sight and sound of thousands of bemuddled figures proudly marching past into a French sunset on these
beaches. Our ability to learn from their stories at first hand diminishes, but our obligation to remember them, what they stood for and what they
achieved for us all can never diminish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Max Foster joins us live now outside Buckingham Palace. You know, Max, it was quite a moving speech. He urged us all to never forget
and to remember what we owe to this great generation, all these men who sacrificed their lives for us 80 years ago today. Just in terms of
referencing Vladimir Putin, he used the word tyranny, which was obviously a veiled reference to Vladimir Putin. Just take us through a bit more of what
King Charles talked about today.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, so it's difficult to say, isn't it? But he certainly spoke about tyranny. And then we heard President Biden speak
about tyranny in direct relation to Ukraine and Russia.
[12:15:03]
So, the two inevitably tie together, which, you know, is quite a thing for the king to do. But he has spoken about Ukraine in the past in quite fierce
terms, much more fierce than he would have we would have seen from his mother. So, it's a slightly different monarchy we're seeing at the moment
today. He was there very much representing the UK. And it was fascinating seeing the setting where he actually spoke, because this is a new memorial
for the British veterans or war heroes who died on that beach.
And I was actually there 10 years ago at the 70th anniversary. And you'll know my colleague, Zain, you know, counterpart, as it were, at the BBC,
Nick Whitchell, who I remember him meeting a veteran at the time saying there isn't a memorial for the British soldiers who died here. And ever
since then, Nick has worked with him and the veteran eventually died, sadly.
But Nick has been working towards this moment to buy the land, to get the permission to build the memorial. And today all the veterans were able to
return back to it. So, it was quite an extraordinary setting. And I think what lots of people say about that memorial is the most poignant part of it
really is when you look at the names, you also look at the ages and how young so many of them were.
And combine that with the fact that the veterans that were actually able to attend today were the youngest of those soldiers, many of them down to 17 -
- 16. It's extraordinary to think back to. But also with reference today and the big question about whether or not young people today would ever do
such a thing.
ASHER: Yeah, more than 20,000 British troops lost their lives at Normandy. So, of course, hugely important for them to be honored and remembered and
commemorated in that way. Max Foster, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right, still to come. Overnight, Israeli strike kills dozens of Palestinians in central Gaza. And for a second time, a CNN analysis finds
U.S. made weapons were used. We'll have a live report for you on the Israel Hamas war when we come back.
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GOLODRYGA: Now, to the war in Gaza, where a ceasefire is so far proving once again to be elusive. The U.S. and 16 other countries whose citizens
were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th are set to release a joint statement calling on Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and hostage
release deal.
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ASHER: The statement also points to the proposal outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday as the necessary starting point to bring the
conflict to a close. Hamas said Wednesday that the latest proposal brought by mediators does not match the one presented by Mr. Biden.
GOLODRYGA: As negotiators try to revive peace talks for Palestinians, it was another deadly night. The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 40 people
were killed in Israeli airstrikes at a U.N.-run school in central Gaza. Thousands of displaced civilians were sheltering in the school and the
surrounding area. Israel's military says it was targeting some 20 to 30 militants inside the school.
GOLODRYGA: CNN analysis of the video from the scene and a review by an explosive expert found that U.S.-made munitions were used in the strike,
and it's the second time in two weeks that U.S. weapons, believed to be more precise weapons, had been used in a strike on Gaza.
ASHER: For more on these developments, I want to bring in Jeremy Diamond, joining us live now from Jerusalem. So, Jeremy, just talk to us a bit more
about this strike at this U.N.-run school. We know that about 6000 Palestinians had been sheltering there.
We also know that the Israelis didn't necessarily provide any warning prior to this strike. Just walk us through what happened in terms of the number
of people killed and whether Israel provided any evidence about the militants that they say were sheltering there.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, we should note that this is not the first U.N. facility to be targeted by the Israeli
military over the course of this eight-month war, and not even the only one this week alone. This is one of 180 UNRWA facilities, so not all of the
U.N., but just that main U.N. agency in Gaza, UNRWA facilities that have been targeted since the beginning of the war, according to Philippe
Lazzarini, the head of that agency.
And in this strike, the Israeli military says that it targeted this U.N. building, which was a school converted into a makeshift shelter for
thousands of displaced Palestinians. The Israeli military says they targeted this building because 20 to 30 Palestinian militants, both Hamas
and Islamic Jihad, they say were sheltering in this facility and planning attacks against Israeli troops.
Now, they haven't provided any verifiable evidence for us on that front. It's not the first time, of course, that they have made this claim. What we
can verify to a certain extent is the claim by the Israeli military that they are unaware of any civilian casualties in this strike. And indeed, in
this case, we have seen women and children among the dead and the injured in this strike.
And according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital's records of the dead who were brought in here, a majority, actually, of those who were killed were women
and children, 14 children, with the youngest being four years old, and nine women were killed among the 40 people who were killed in this strike.
You can see in the remnants of this strike, not only are there mattresses covered in blood torn apart in the aftermath of this strike, but we also
saw the remnants of an American-made munition, the GBU-39 small-diameter bomb, according to munitions experts who reviewed our footage.
And this is not the first time the Israeli military has used this type of weaponry. In fact, it was the same type of weaponry that was used in that
strike in Rafah that killed 45 people in another camp for displaced Palestinians.
ASHER: All right, Jeremy Diamond, live for us there. Thank you so much. We'll be right back with more coverage of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Don't go away.
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ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "ONE WORLD". I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. As we've been mentioning this hour, world leaders and a small group of World War II veterans were on hand in
Normandy, France, to commemorate the D-Day invasion.
ASHER: Yeah. On this day, more than 150,000 allied troops stormed the beaches there to turn the tide of the war and eventually topple Adolf
Hitler's Nazi regime. U.S. President Joe Biden was among those who traveled to France to honor those who fought. He and his wife, Jill, laid a wreath
at the American cemetery there.
GOLODRYGA: However, the day was all about the veterans still healthy enough to make the trip. President Biden greeted some of the service
members in attendance. Many of them became emotional as Taps was played. Those attending also heard stories of D-Day from the veterans themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: We had no idea what we were going to do or where it would happen. But it was the beginning.
UNKNOWN: It was a very decisive battle for us because our mission was to establish ourselves on the beach.
UNKNOWN: And then we were on that boat, on the beacon boat.
UNKNOWN: Everybody talked about the same thing, helping each other and not getting killed. We started up this sandy area and there were hundreds of
men inside.
UNKNOWN: My father jumped about 1.30 in the morning on June 6th.
UNKNOWN: The plane was too low. It was too fast. The fire coming up was so thick. It was like a good war time.
UNKNOWN: It was something that we had never seen before in all of our training.
UNKNOWN: I always have said that it was the power of my mother's prayers that saved me that day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Melissa Bell joins us now from Normandy. And Melissa, it's unfortunate that we don't hear these stories every day. And not just
once a year, annually, as we commemorate these heroes that really, on this event, as they stormed the beaches there, as we now know, a real turning
point in the war as the Western Alliance there saved and liberated the continent from tyranny. Went on to save millions of Jews who had been put
in concentration camps. Many of them killed later on in this war.
Yesterday, you had such an amazing live shot there on that jeep. We saw you earlier today on the jeep as well. Talk to us about what you've heard, what
you've experienced, and what these past two days have been for you.
[12:30:00]
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, very much what you just said, Bianna, has been expressed here on Gold Beach, where we've been on this
amphibious vehicle for much of the day, in amongst these crowds, that what we mark, what we commemorate today, should be thought of, remembered,
brought to the attention, especially of the young, much more often than it is annually.
Still, you can look at the remarkable crowds that have turned up here on Gold Beach, and similar scenes are playing out over on Juneau and on Omaha
now that the international ceremony is over and wrapped up. Ordinary people who've come to pay their respects, pay their tribute, you've had that
extraordinary solemnity and emotion that you just heard at the heart of the ceremonies that were held up at the cemeteries, at the heart of the
speeches by the leaders of the Allied nations.
But down here, what you have over the course of the day is a great deal of joy, celebration almost, of what was achieved. Remember that 80 years ago
today, it was a country that had been occupied for four years, that was liberated against the odds.
And I think as the Allied soldiers came in with this equipment that you can see out here today, the jeeps that have been so carefully and lovingly
maintained, amphibious vehicles like this duck that we're on, that we've been going in and out of the water and that helped resupply the troops in
those crucial days after D-Day, allowing this extraordinary military victory that seems so improbable as the first men took their first steps
onto the beach.
For the people here in France, seeing those soldiers come in, little by little, reconquering inch after inch of French countryside in the end, in
the face of the improbable German collapse, partly, of course, thanks to that heart of that strategy that was at the very center of Operation
Overlord, to trick the enemy into thinking that these Normandy landings were just a small part of a much greater invasion that was going to happen
elsewhere.
Such careful coordination over the course of a year involving so many millions of troops from such a wide variety of Allied nations in the end
leading to the defeat of the Nazis. For the people on these shores, the French who'd been living under Nazi occupation for four years, it would
have been something of a miracle to see suddenly Allied soldiers come in in the name of their liberation.
And that's very much what's at the heart of these celebrations here today. French people, the Dutch -- we've seen people from Poland, Italians, all
kinds of different European nations, people who've come from across the continent to pay their tributes to what was achieved for them 80 years ago.
And that continues to resonate because, of course, what we've seen is the presence of President Zelenskyy here today and very much at the heart of
the messages of the Allied leaders and President Biden, mainly, that the extraordinary bravery that was seen on these beaches 80 years ago today,
the fight for freedom that was at the heart of this Operation Overlord, ultimately so successful, as improbable as that success may have seemed
initially, is also at the heart of what's playing out in Ukraine today.
And that's something that we've seen out of the more solemn and official ceremonies here, as I say, just a great deal of excitement and joy at being
here. And they've come with their vehicles. They've dressed in period costumes. The music of the time is playing. And for the French who've
gathered here, an important moment to remember what was done for them 80 years ago. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: So well laid out there, Melissa Bell, who, incidentally, has won the live shot lottery this week. Just incredible to watch you. Thank
you.
ASHER: Thanks, Melissa. All right. Time now for The Exchange. We're joined live now by a historian who specializes in the Second World War and has
produced a series that looks at the complexity and brutality of the D-Day invasion. James Holland joins us live now from Gold Beach, where the
British Army landed in Normandy on D-Day. James, thank you so much for being with us.
JAMES HOLLAND, WORLD WAR II HISTORIAN: My pleasure.
ASHER: What should my grandchildren know about how pivotal D-Day was in terms of altering the course of world history? We're talking about the
largest amphibious invasion in warfare history. We're talking about naval, air and land assault.
Just the sheer fact that opening the second front relieved pressure on the Soviets from the eastern front. And it really sort of convinced the Germans
that it was game over, right? That they had to surrender. It was done. Their time was up. Just talk to us about how pivotal this day was.
HOLLAND: Well, four years earlier, France had surrendered. France, which was one of the kind of superpowers by today's standards in 1940. Britain's
army scuttled back across the channel. And it looked like the Nazis were completely unstoppable. Scandinavia was in their hands. Poland was in their
hands. France was in their hands. Czechoslovakia.
[12:35:00]
Most of those eastern European states had come over onto the Nazi side. And really, it looked like the Nazis were completely unstoppable. Just four
years later, this vast armada, this vast force of 12,500 aircraft, nearly 7000 vessels including 4127 assault craft and 1213 warships crossed the
channel and deposited 150,000 men either by air or by -- by landing craft. It was a huge, huge enterprise.
And the stakes couldn't possibly have been higher. Because if they failed, what would have happened? What would have happened was tyranny and an evil
regime would have continued in Europe for a little bit longer. And although it's likely that the Germans would have would have crumbled eventually, the
rest of Europe would then have been overrun by the Russians and communism. And the Iron Curtain wouldn't have been in Eastern Europe, it would have
been along the Atlantic coast.
So, that was the price of failure. The price of victory meant a return to the sunlit uplands. And it meant that just a few months later, in May 1945,
the vast swathe of Northwest Europe and Western Europe would once again return to democracy, to freedom, liberty and the 80 years of peace we've
enjoyed ever since.
GOLODRYGA: James, to paraphrase Mark Twain, history doesn't repeat itself, but -- but it does rhyme. And we look at these veterans who are being
honored today. And sadly, in a way, I can say we've probably let many of them down, given the fact that there is the largest war on European land
since World War Two happening right this minute.
Hundreds of miles away there to the east of where you're located right now. We heard from President Biden today as he was honoring these veterans who -
- who came and he said, "We know the dark forces that these heroes fought against 80 years ago. They never fade. Aggression and greed and the desire
to dominate and control to change borders by force. These are perennial."
I'm just curious, from your perspective, what lessons can commanders today in Ukraine and Americans who are providing the Ukrainians with arms, with
training, what can they learn from these veterans and their commanders some 80 years ago?
HOLLAND: Well, you can learn that if you don't get organized in the first place, you end up it ends up taking you four years to get to a position
where you have got yourself organized. And you've got a huge army's armed forces that can actually take on the autocrats. And you don't want to have
to go through that. You know, we're to a certain extent.
We're kind of living through 1938 again, where everyone knows that the storm clouds are brewing, but no one's actually doing a huge amount about
it. I mean, the United States is punching massively above its weight with Ukraine. But where's the rest of Europe? I mean, Poland's doing its bit.
Finland's doing its bit as a proportion of its size and its population.
But what's Britain doing? I mean, our Prime Minister just announced that we're going to have an increase in GDP and defense budget of three percent
-- 2.5 percent, rather, of GDP by 2030. Well, we're all supposed to be excited about that. I mean, it's absolutely ridiculous. It's a complete
joke. We all need to be doing between five and seven percent right now.
And one of the lessons from the Second World War is that quantity really, really counts. You know, people have been arguing ever since, for example,
about the virtues of the Tiger tank versus the completely brilliant U.S.- built Sherman tank.
Well, the Tiger tank was incredibly complex, constantly breaking down, was very expensive, very heavy. And yes, it had a big gun and lots of armor,
but that didn't count for a hill of beans when it was coming up against 49,000 Shermans, 1347 Tigers built, 49,000 Sherman tanks, 84,000 Soviet T-
34s.
You know, quantity has a value of all its own. And what needs to happen now is that we need to get those factories going and start building artillery
pieces and more tanks and getting those planes out of the mothballs and recruiting and putting up the wages of the honest, lowest, lowest squad in
the chain and get going and kept moving fast now.
Because if there's one lesson from D-Day, it's that it is the ultimate apogee of coalition warfare, of coalition, of coordination, of cooperation.
And it shows what Western democracies can do when they're fully focused, pulling together against the conflict, you know, towards a common goal,
towards a common crusade, frankly. And, you know, everyone needs to pull their finger out now and in very quick order.
ASHER: I love --
HOLLAND: And we haven't let our veterans down yet, but we're in danger of doing so if we don't move fast.
ASHER: I loved what you said, James, about the fact that quantity matters. I mean, it matters today, but it certainly mattered on D-Day when you're
talking about 5000 ships, 150,000 troops landing across five beaches in Normandy.
[12:40:00]
That made the difference. It was quantity that was key to that victory there. James Holland, we have to leave it there. Thank you so much for your
passion.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you. Yes.
ASHER: You were amazing to talk to. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Come back.
HOLLAND: My pleasure. Greetings from Normandy.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you. Well, now, let's turn to CNN Military Analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton. He joins us from Washington. First of all, I'm
just wondering your response to what you just heard there from the historian. Really an impassioned, really plea for the Western countries
that really stood up for democracy 80 years ago on this day turning the tide in this war to wake up to what we're seeing happening on Ukraine right
now.
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CORONEL, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Absolutely, Bianna. And, you know, James Holland is absolutely right. In essence, we want to be
Churchill's, not Chamberlain's. And that's really what the lesson is.
ASHER: That was good. That was good. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: You're two historians.
ASHER: From a Brit listening to that.
LEIGHTON: Well, thank you. What's really interesting, Zain and Bianna, is that there are so many aspects where we seem to be relearning the history
all the time. And yet the lessons are pretty clear. You know, as James was mentioning, you have to be organized.
And when you think about all of the different things that Eisenhower and his staff and, yes, General Montgomery and Field Marshal Montgomery, excuse
me, and everyone else was doing at that particular point in time, they were dealing with a highly organized enemy, but an enemy that had limited
resources. And they knew that. They also had a big intelligence advantage.
And one of the most interesting things, I think, about D-Day was the fact that our intelligence was really, really ironclad as to what the Germans
had, how many units they had. They had about 50,000 troops in the area where the Normandy invasions took place, the beach landings took place. We
did that with, you know, over 150,000, in some counts 170,000 Allied troops, 73,000 of those were Americans.
And that really made a big, big difference because Eisenhower was a very meticulous planner, but he also knew that one of the key things about
combat was that the first thing that you put in the trash bin is the plan that you actually worked with once you made contact with the enemy.
Because the planning is important, you put all those things together because you've planned something, but you know that once you make contact
with the enemy, you're going to have to adapt, you're going to have to overcome, you're going to have to respond to what that enemy is doing.
And what the Allied forces were able to do 80 years ago was really a textbook case of being able to actually make these things happen. They were
able to improvise, they were able to move from the hedgerows to the roads and then go into areas where they eventually, you know, several months or a
month and a half or so later were able to get into Paris. That was a major thing that they did and I think the key thing here is that when you put
this in a modern context is we have to be so adaptable.
We have to understand that sometimes our enemies are fighting a war against us and we're not even recognizing that it's a war. And we have to
understand their point of view in order to properly respond to it. It doesn't necessarily mean that we go full bore after them in terms of the
weapon systems that we bring in or things like that, but it does mean that we are prepared for whatever they might do next.
ASHER: Yeah, I really think the lesson is, you know, just the importance of making sure that the sacrifices weren't in vain and that we really do
have to carry the torch forward. As you point out, we can't be sort of passive appeasers in reference to Chamberlain. And so, yeah, we really have
to make sure that it wasn't all in vain. Cedric Leighton --
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
ASHER: We have to leave it there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Just a reminder that we're so fortunate in the U.S. not only to live in a democracy, but also to have a volunteer army. That wasn't the
case in World War II, obviously. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: We want to bring you these two stories just into CNN. First, an update on Boeing's Starliner attempts to dock at the International Space
Station. It has missed the 12.15 P.M. Eastern window to dock and will then attempt once again at 1:30 P.M. According to NASA, four of the system
thrusters failed, but they were able to get two thrusters firing again.
Starliner has faced other issues while en route. NASA says that they detected several helium leaks late Wednesday, and as of Thursday morning,
two of the three leaks had been corrected. But now this new issue with the thrusters is causing the planned docking to be delayed, as we said, now
rescheduled for 45 minutes from now.
ASHER: And this also just in CNN. A federal judge has ordered Steve Bannon, a former Donald Trump adviser, to report to prison by July 1st. He
was in a courtroom earlier challenging his 2022 contempt of Congress conviction. It all stems from Bannon refusing to comply with a subpoena
from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack. He was sentenced to four months in prison.
All right, now to another legal matter with political implications. The gun trial of Joe Biden's son, Hunter, Hallie Biden, the widow of Hunter's
brother Beau, has been on the stand today. She's also the ex-girlfriend of Hunter Biden himself.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, she told jurors about Hunter's extensive drug use, including times they smoked crack cocaine together. She also spoke about
finding the gun that is at the center of this case and being worried that Hunter might hurt himself. Prosecutors say they may rest their case soon
after Hallie Biden finishes testifying.
ASHER: Today's testimony comes after the jury had extensive details about Hunter Biden's drug addiction on Wednesday, as well.
GOLODRYGA: Proving that Biden knew he was addicted is central to the prosecution's case, as we hear now more from CNN's Paula Reid.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hunter Biden's trial continued in federal court in Delaware for a third day, marked by salacious
testimony about his past drug use. His stepmother, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, again attending for moral support. In court, the jury listened
attentively as two of Hunter's former romantic partners described what they witnessed of his addiction.
His ex-wife testified briefly that she first learned of his drug use in 2015, saying, I found a crack pipe on an ashtray on the side porch of our
home. She also described searching his car for drugs. When my daughters would use his car, I would check to make sure there were no drugs in it.
But when asked if she ever saw Hunter use drugs, she said she had not.
Next up was an ex-girlfriend who he first met at a gentleman's club in Manhattan where she worked in late 2017. And the two spent long stretches
together in hotels in 2018 where she observed his drug use. "He would smoke every 20 minutes or so, "and "He would want to smoke as soon as he woke
up." She also testified that Hunter's demeanor never changed even after he smoked crack. "He was super charming. Everybody loved him."
She testified that she saw Hunter doing drugs as late as mid-September 2018, several weeks before he bought the gun at the heart of the case. But
under cross-examination, she said she had no idea what Hunter was doing between September and November, which covers the month Hunter bought the
firearm.
[12:50:05]
Gordon Cleveland, the gun shop employee who sold Hunter Biden the gun, took the stand next and testified how Hunter came into the store looking for a
firearm. He testified that he told Hunter to read the ATF background form carefully and saw him check "no" next to the question about whether he was
an addict or used illegal drugs, the alleged lie at the center of the case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Paula Reid for that report. And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Actor Tom Hanks is in France this week to pay his respects to the living veterans and men killed in action on D-Day 80 years
ago today. Hanks worked with director Steven Spielberg, of course, on the film "Saving Private Ryan".
GOLODRYGA: Hard to believe that film came out 26 years ago. Well, earlier today, CNN's Christiane Amanpour spoke with Hanks about the film and other
projects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HANKS, ACTOR: I remember when we were shooting, and by the way, this is one of the reasons Steven Spielberg wanted to make the movie. He said,
finally, I'll be able to do with film technology, I'll actually be able to capture what happened on Omaha Beach, and here's how I'm going to do it.
First, it's going to take three weeks. And secondly, it's going to be every single day. And third, we're going to have all kinds of stuff going off.
And fourth, in between there, we'll make some sort of movie. At the same time, we're trying to load it up with as much authentic, and I wanted to
use the word again, verisimilitude, as we can. Okay, that's our job as filmmakers. It's also our job as lay historians, because for good or for
bad, that movie is a document that has to accurately reflect the tenor of that day.
And I'd like to think that we did it.
AMANPOUR: Yeah.
HANKS: And hearing it from a number of people who said, as confusing as that is, well, multiply that by, we did not have the smell of cordite or
burning flesh or, you know, blood on the sand. But we did have some version of that, whatever you can get out of a motion picture. I think we captured
it. And to Steven's credit, and I will also go along with the audience's credit, as well.
They were willing to suspend whatever disbelief of it and say, I've always, if you've ever wondered what it was like, that's as close as somebody in
Davenport, Iowa or Oakland, California or Minneapolis, Minnesota was going to get to that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[12:55:02]
GOLODRYGA: As we were just talking about in the break, what a treasure he is, as an entertainer, as an American.
ASHER: He defined the '90s.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, of course.
ASHER: Who could forget that film?
GOLODRYGA: Well, watch more of Christiane's interview with Tom Hanks in the next hour.
ASHER: All right. As nations gather in France today to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, it is important to note that women also played a
crucial role in the war effort, as well.
GOLODRYGA: You may recall "Rosie the Riveter", the cultural icon here in the U.S. who represented all of the women who worked in factories and other
places to produce critical military items like tanks, planes, ships and munitions.
ASHER: Here is a real life Rosie the Riveter, Mae Krier. She worked at a Boeing aircraft, a Boeing aircraft, rather, during World War II in Seattle.
The 98-year-old has been a leader promoting women for years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAE KRIER, CONSIDERED A "ROSIE THE RIVETER": I go out there and promote women all the time. It's not a man's world anymore. Women are just as
capable as men, sometimes more. Don't tell them that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Phenomenal. We should thank our booker, Maeva --
ASHER: Yes, thank you, Maeva.
GOLODRYGA: -- who suggested this idea of honoring the women.
ASHER: Thank you, Maeva.
GOLODRYGA: -- from 80 years ago, as well. Well, that does it for this hour of "ONE WORLD". Very special.
ASHER: It was a special hour.
GOLODRYGA: Special hour.
ASHER: And we gave our viewers a history lesson, too, in terms of what happened 80 years ago. I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "AMANPOUR"
is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
