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Video Shows Fire Damage on Newest U.S. Aircraft Carrier; Ex-CIA Officer Accused of Stealing $40M in Gold Bars in Court; Countdown to the Obama Presidential Center. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired June 05, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: -- up to life in prison if convicted of murder. And leaders at the Kennedy Center here in Washington are ordering staff to remove President Trump's name from the building. He added it as part of an effort to take over the Performing Arts Center. But a federal judge recently ruled that only Congress can change the center's name. That ruling also paused plans to temporarily close the center.

And unleash the Legos. The company is dropping its largest set ever. It's a replica of a massive Catholic basilica in Spain. The set includes just over 12,000 pieces, and it'll run you about $800, so you may want to save up for it brick by brick.

And now, to a CNN exclusive. New video shows the extent and the severity of the fire damage on the world's largest aircraft carrier. The fire on the USS Gerald Ford happened in March while it took part in the war with Iran, and it was so severe that one sailor on board told CNN they thought they would lose the ship. CNN's Brian Todd explains.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): New video exclusively obtained by CNN shows the extensive damage to a section onboard America's newest and most expensive aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Bunk beds charred, wires hanging from the ceiling, twisted metal, and piles of ashes. This is what was left behind after a fire tore through the ship's laundry area in March during its mission fighting the Iran war.

HUNTER STIRES, FORMER MARITIME STRATEGIST TO SECRETARY OF THE NAVY: Fire and flooding are the two greatest dangers aboard any ship.

TODD (voiceover): This damage was more severe than what the Navy initially suggested at the time when it said the fire had been "contained" and that two sailors received non-life-threatening injuries. One sailor onboard the ship who helped put the fire out told CNN, quote, "I seriously though we were going to lose the ship." Their mindset while battling the blaze, quote, "It's either fight or die." That sailor and a senior U.S. official familiar with the incident tell CNN the Ford's fire suppression system failed to activate, leaving the sailors scrambling.

STIRES: If you have a failure of the fire suppression system, that is going to make putting the fire out -- it's going to make it harder. And ultimately, that brings it back to ultimately, it's about the people. It is about our sailors. It is about their preparation.

TODD (voiceover): It took the Ford's crew about 30 hours to put out the fire and roughly 600 sailors lost their bunks because of it. Asked about the extent of the blaze and about the fire control system's failure to function, a Navy spokesperson told CNN, the investigation of the fire is ongoing. We spoke to the chief of naval operations about it when the Ford returned to port in May.

ADM. DARYL CAUDLE, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS: Big fires are always a challenge, and this was significant, laundry and dryer-based fire. The crew handled it so well and they fought it brilliantly and courageously and basically was back in the fight within a matter of days.

TODD (voiceover): The fire wasn't the only problem onboard the $13 billion carrier. The ship's toilets were repeatedly clogged, the sailor told CNN. Other video obtained by CNN shows human waste filled to the brim of toilet after toilet. The sailor said, quote, "If you were in the forward section of the ship, you'd have to walk all the way to the aft section just to find a toilet that worked."

CAUDLE: The sanitation systems onboard any ship -- submarine, destroyer, cruiser, carrier -- all have challenges. It's not whether or not if that happens, it's when it does how do we attack it, fix it, and get it back online. And the team on Ford, you know, is very good at that.

TODD: Another huge hurdle for the Ford's crew. The sheer length of this deployment -- 11 months at seas -- the longest deployment of any U.S. carrier group since the Vietnam War.

Admiral Daryl Caudle, the Chief of Naval Operations, told us he does not want this to be a precedent. He said these deployments are supposed to last about seven months tops.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)'

BLITZER: And thanks to Brian for that report. Important information indeed. And we're following other breaking news right now about the former CIA officer charged with stealing about $40 million worth of gold bars and currency from the very agency he worked for. David Rush was in federal court this morning in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, for a detention hearing. The FBI says Rush became a senior executive government employee with top secret security clearances by repeatedly lying on applications about his military service and his education. He worked for the CIA, CIA for 17 years. He has not yet entered a plea, and a federal judge just ruled that Rush will remain behind bars pending trial. Joining us now is retired FBI special agent Daniel Brunner. Daniel, thanks very much for joining us. Court documents do not clarify why the CIA failed to detect these false claims about Rush's background and his qualifications before hiring and then promoting him repeatedly. How surprising is that, and, and just how damaging is this for the Intelligence Community?

DANIEL BRUNNER, PRESIDENT, BRUNNER SIERRA GROUP LLC AND RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, I think for the Intelligence Community as a whole, it really is going to be, require to look over the entire system on how this is being conducted.

[11:35:00]

At the FBI, we had background checks every five years to make sure everything was still in line, everything, nothing had gone astray. This individual had been an employee with the CIA for all, you know, a long time, but his initial application, he applied three times and each time on the application, he had a different story as to his education.

Each one of those was a different -- that should have been a red flag that each time he applied, there was a change in the story. There was an inaccuracy. And then when you had to fill out the background check, which is what's called the SF 86, which is an extensive background check. Each one of those things should have been looked at. You're looked at all the way back to your high school years. They want to verify that everything is correct. Everything is accurate. And then you have to submit yourself to a polygraph.

So, there are a number of problems here. And I think this is really going to look at to become a, a very big investigation into the failures of the background check, his vetting, his process and what access he had to what information. And then looking at that at a broader scope of where else there were failures.

BLITZER: Yes. They got to learn from those failures and make sure it doesn't happen again. Now, Daniel, three sources told CNN earlier this week that the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, the FBI director, Kash Patel, and the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche briefed lawmakers on the so-called Gang of Eight. They briefed lawmakers on this committee called the Gang of Eight about this case, considering that how much of a possible national security risk could this situation potentially pose for the U.S.?

BRUNNER: Well, I think that this is going to be much bigger investigation than we have right now, because there is the question of how much did he lie throughout his career? Because this isn't just an isolated incident where he just lied about his college application, his military time. There is going to be -- I think they're going to uncover a vast trove of lies. Those are two isolated incidents, his application, and then, obviously, the investigation into these gold bars, where were they going? What was that money being used to? How did he purchase these 35 Rolex, you know, high watches? And why are -- you know, where did the $2 million in cash come from? All of that is going to be part of the investigation. But there's 17 years, I think, of lies that are going to be uncovered. I think that this is going to be a massive investigation that the FBI and the CIA are working together to really find. Could this be the level of Robert Hansen, an, you know, FBI employee who is one of the largest, you know, spies in U.S. history? I don't know. Anything is possible. We have to look at all the possibilities. They're going to work together, hopefully, and uncover the truth and find out how bad it gets.

BLITZER: The sources have told CNN that the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, as I said, and other top officials were briefed on all of this. Given your experience, is there any legitimate, non-suspicious reason why a CIA officer would possess items like this, like these gold bars, these Rolex watches in his home?

BRUNNER: I think we're going to see -- obviously, the investigation has to have time. Obviously, I can't think of any good reason why anyone would have all these gold bars, 303 gold bars that he requested for operational purposes, and keep them at their home. There's no -- there's zero justification for that.

If you need it for operational purposes, they are kept in the safe house where the CIA was attempting to conduct the inventory, and they weren't there. That's what triggered this investigation, because those gold bars were not where they were supposed to be. And then that, subsequently, the FBI conducted a search warrant and discovered the gold bars. I think that this is going to unravel something much, much bigger.

I don't know how much we are going to -- as the public, I don't know how much we are going to get advised of this. The fact that the Gang of Eight had to be briefed on very high level per the investigation, I think a lot of it is going to have to be kept because of national security reasons. But I think that the FBI agents who are conducting this investigation are going to uncover quite a bit of malfeasance over the last -- his entire career.

These are -- like I said, these are two incidents we're talking about, the gold bars, and his application process, and his Navy leave time. But I think that there's 17 years. It's going to be -- it's going to take a long time to dissect everything this individual touched, everything this individual was involved in, and looking for any problems or, you know, vulnerabilities that he may have caused to the United States national security. So, there is definitely a big need for concern.

BLITZER: Retired FBI Special Agent Daniel Bruner, thanks very much for joining us.

BRUNNER: My pleasure, Wolf.

[11:40:00]

BLITZER: And coming up, A.I. is already making its way into every aspect of movies and television right now, and that has a lot of actors deeply worried about their future. Sean Astin, the Hollywood veteran and president of the Actors Union, standing by to join us live. We'll discuss.

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BLITZER: Now, to our Situation Room series, Decoding A.I. We are diving into the good and the bad of artificial intelligence and how it will change our world today. And we're exploring the role of A.I. in movies and TV series right now.

In just a few days, a fully generated film will premiere. A.I. film, I should say, in the Tribeca Film Festival. It's called "Dreams of Violets" and depicts violent protests in Tehran earlier this year. Watch this.

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[11:45:00]

BLITZER: And as I said, this is a new A.I.-generated film. Joining us now is the president of SAG-AFTRA, Sean Astin. Sean, thanks very much for joining us. I know you played a myriad of iconic roles such as Mikey Walsh in "The Goonies," Sam in "Lord of the Rings," and Bob Newby in "Stranger Things."

But before we begin, I do want to note that I am also a member of SAG- AFTRA, the creator of "Dreams of Violets," says it would be, quote, "100 percent impossible to film traditionally a film like this because of the cost and the risk associated with Iranian protests. So, what are your thoughts of an A.I. film like this?

SEAN ASTIN, ACTOR AND PRESIDENT, SAG-AFTRA: Well, it's simply not true that it's not possible. It's been done for as long as the, you know, film mediums have been around. But I certainly understand the filmmaker wanting to move quickly in this age. This kind of news moment and wanting to take advantage of whatever technology is available to, I don't know if filmmaker is the right word, but this storyteller.

Yes. So, I understand that the subject matter looks very important. And it clearly is impressive use of the technology.

BLITZER: I don't know if you know this, but Martin Scorsese is now joining an A.I. firm as an advisor in a statement. The Oscar-winning director says, and I'm quoting him now, "We have to be open to how cinema can evolve." Even "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson compares A.I. to, quote, "a special effect." But here's Guillermo del Toro's take. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUILLERMO DEL TORO, DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER: They tell us everything is useless to resist, that art can be done with a f-ing app.

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BLITZER: So, where do you fall?

ASTIN: Well, I think that it's not correct to say that it's just a tool. The people using this technology to tell their stories are standing on the shoulders of billion-dollar companies that are training their models with ill-gotten -- often ill-gotten information, stuff that's copyrighted, that's -- they're not getting permission, they're not compensating, they're just scraping the world of, you know, information, and to include probably things that people wittingly or unwittingly, you know, participated with in their social media accounts, their Facebook and Instagram and whatever, all those images are being pulled.

So, you know, I think that I appreciate that, you know, world-class filmmakers want to avail themselves of anything that can help them tell their story, but my responsibility as an entertainment labor union leader, president of SAG-AFTRA, is to look at what happens when these scales and to protect the interests, the lives, the health, the welfare of our members.

BLITZER: Yes, good point. Yesterday, television and movie actors voted to ratify a four-year contract with studios and streaming services. The contract addresses A.I. head-on, saying that A.I. must bring, and I'm quoting now, "significant additional value to a project." Are there specific examples of when you think A.I. would do that in a film or a series?

ASTIN: One thought is that if a synthetic creation is being depicted as a synthetic creation, maybe. But the standard we have in the contract is, that includes their assertion, the company's assertion, and we're talking about the largest streamers and networks and studios, that human creativity, human-centered creativity, human beings are at the center of their business.

And then they also -- I don't know if the audience understands the distinction between a digital replica and fully synthetic outputs, but there is a distinction. And the replicas include the use of identifiable performers who can grant or withhold consent and can negotiate for compensation and so forth. So, yes. I mean, I -- yes.

BLITZER: All right. Sean Astin, thanks very much for joining us.

ASTIN: Thanks, Wolf, I appreciate it.

BLITZER: And coming up, ask and you shall receive. Now, a months-long campaign finally paid off for a group of graduating high schoolers who wanted one specific guest really, really badly.

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[11:50:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, the nation's latest presidential library is now just two weeks from its public debut. The Barack Obama Presidential Center, the library in Chicago, features this museum as its centerpiece. The 19-acre campus also has art installations, a public library, a fruit and vegetable garden, and even a basketball court. CNN's Sara Sidner and I will bring you live coverage from the grand opening of this library, the Obama Library in Chicago, on June 18th. The center opens to the public the next day on Juneteenth.

[11:55:00]

And speaking of the Obamas, one senior class is marking the end of their high school era with a very special message from Michelle Obama. The students launched a social media campaign to try and get the former first lady to speak at their graduation ceremonies. Here's one of those videos. Watch this.

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BLITZER: And it worked. She saw their efforts and granted their wish by supporting them with a very, very special video message on their big day. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY: I know how hard you worked to make it to this day, studying late into the night, throwing yourselves into your activities, and somehow still finding the time to tag me in a number of outrageous videos online.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us now here in the Situation Room is one of those students, Noah Grossberg. Noah, you and your classmates spent months and months trying to convince Michelle Obama to speak at your graduation. What gave you the idea to do this?

NOAH GROSBERG, BETHESDA CHEVY CHASE HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF 2026: Well, it all started one day in a student government meeting at lunch, and we didn't really know what the process was for graduation speaker. So, we just decided to shoot for someone big, and really the first person that came to mind was Mrs. Obama.

I had recently watched her documentary "Becoming" on Netflix, and she's just such a proponent for youth advocacy, and we were just honored to have her as a graduation speaker, and it was amazing, and it turned out awesome.

BLITZER: You know, it started off as an idea, then it became viral. Give us a little sense of how you did this.

GROSBERG: Well, we just made the first video at lunch. I just said day one of asking Michelle Obama to be our graduation speaker, and that video just really blew up, and then we just wanted to come up with different fun, interactive ideas that really got the whole community involved. So, we just started doing that, and everybody really liked it a lot, and it was just so amazing to see really the whole BCC community rally behind this idea.

BLITZER: And so, you pushed and pushed and kept asking and saying, and eventually she said yes, but it was very confidential. How did you break the news?

GROSBERG: Well, we broke the news at graduation. I did a little introduction speech, and then we introduced the message there, but it was definitely hard. A lot of people would come up and say, you know, is Michelle Obama coming to your graduation? And we just kind of have to deflect for a lot of the time.

BLITZER: It was really amazing, and I remember watching it. I was the commencement speaker at Churchill High School in Potomac, Maryland, which is competition for Bethesda Chevy Chase, as you well know, and I remember seeing yours, and I said, wow, that Noah, he must be amazing that he could get this done.

GROSBERG: Thank you.

BLITZER: It wasn't just you, but you had a team.

GROSBERG: It was a whole team effort, everyone from the SGA. Ms. Fishel (ph), who was an SGA sponsor, was really great in communicating with the team, and really just the whole school got behind it and made everything really easy to work with, and it was just a really good community effort.

BLITZER: So, what do you think other young people who may be watching you right now should take away from this if they want to do something like this?

GROSBERG: I would just say to always dream big and to persevere because at the beginning of this, it started as something that was probably not going to happen, but we just kept persisting and we kept pushing, and so it shows that our voices do matter, and I think that's just something everyone can take away from this, that if you keep persisting and you keep pushing, your voice can make a difference.

BLITZER: So, I need some advice from you for our Situation Room team. I'm going to be anchoring the opening of the Obama Library in Chicago, and I want Michelle Obama and Barack Obama, for that matter, to join me as a guest. What do I need to do?

GROSBERG: What do you need to do? Just be persistent. Keep asking. That's what I'd say. I mean, yes, be persistent, and I think things will work out.

BLITZER: Can we hire you?

GROSBERG: Of course, if you need.

BLITZER: You're going to be going to the University of Michigan, right?

GROSBERG: I will, yes.

BLITZER: I see. You're obviously a very smart guy.

GROSBERG: Thank you.

BLITZER: Any specific advice you have for me?

GROSBERG: For you? Let me think. I don't know. Just be persistent, as I said before. But I feel like you got it.

BLITZER: My dad used to say, if you don't ask, you don't get.

GROSBERG: Exactly.

BLITZER: So, keep asking.

GROSBERG: Keep asking.

BLITZER: Is that what you're saying?

GROSBERG: Yes.

BLITZER: All right. Noah Grosberg, congratulations.

GROSBERG: Thank you so much.

BLITZER: You did a good job. Congratulations on the graduation. Good luck in Michigan.

GROSBERG: Thank you so much.

BLITZER: Appreciate it very, very much. Noah Grosberg, helping us appreciate what's going on.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning, Inside Politics, with our friend and colleague, Dana Bash, starts right now.

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