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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Today: DOJ Interviews Georgia Secretary of State; Trump Sues E. Jean Carroll for Defamation; Pieces of Sub Wreckage Retrieved from Ocean Floor; WSJ: Prigozhin Plotted to Capture Russian Military Leaders; Putin Greets Supporters in Rare Surprise Appearance; Gulf Coast Rip Currents to Blame for At Least 11 Deaths; More Than 7,000 Flights Cancelled Since Saturday. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired June 28, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:04]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: I'm not going to tell you what my international age is.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: No?

(LAUGHTER)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Mine is always 29.

SCIUTTO: That is what my mom always said. That is a good one to go with.

Show the dance again?

KEILAR: No, you show me the dance.

SCIUTTO: For another time.

THE LEAD starts right now.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: A rare event in Russia. Putin taking on the crowds.

THE LEAD starts right now.

This video just in. Vladimir Putin is greeted by a swarm of supporters during a rare surprise crowd appearance. This comes hours after the reported target of Yevgeny Prigozhin's failed Russian revolt is revealed.

And CNN's Erin Burnett visits troops training near the front lines in southern Ukraine. She's live from the ground.

Then, we're getting our first look at pieces of the destroyed Titan submersible. The giant sections of debris from the sub that imploded near the site of the Titanic wreckage are now above the surface. What those pieces could tell investigators about what went wrong more than two miles under water. Plus, an invisible danger in the water as people head to the ocean.

What has killed 11 people in the last two weeks at Gulf Coast beaches, including a former NFL quarterback?

(MUSIC)

GOLODRYGA: Welcome to THE LEAD, everyone. I'm Bianna Golodryga, in for Jake Tapper.

We start today with our law and justice lead, and two major developments in the special counsel investigation into Donald Trump's attempts to over turn the 2020 election. Investigators from the special counsel's office are in Atlanta today interviewing Georgia's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger.

You might remember this call from January of 2021 when Trump pushed him to find the votes needed to flip Georgia from Biden to Trump.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: So, look, all I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Today's interview in Georgia comes hours after CNN exclusively reported that federal investigators have already spoken to former Trump Attorney Rudy Giuliani, who pushed baseless claims of voter fraud.

CNN's Sara Murray starts off our coverage today.

Sara, let's start with the interview down in Georgia. What exactly are investigators hoping to learn from Brad Raffensperger?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know exactly what they want to talk to Brad Raffensperger about. But you played the call. He was a very public figure that Donald Trump pressured to try to overturn the results of 2020 election. so, you know, you learn a lot by talking to him not only about Donald Trump's direct efforts to try to overturn the election results, but also just frankly the aftermath that was playing out in Georgia around efforts by Donald Trump and his allies, you know, threats he and his family faced, threats election workers faced, those could be issues that investigators focus on with him.

The secretary of state office has been tight lipped about the interview today. They haven't even acknowledged whether it has wrapped up. They did put out a statement, though, saying, Georgia is a national leader in election security integrity and access. Failed candidates and their enablers have peddled false narratives about our elections for personal gain for a long time and the voters of Georgia aren't buying it.

GOLODRYGA: Sara, while I have you, you were part of the team that broke this exclusive Rudy Giuliani news as well. What do we know about his sit-down with federal investigators?

MURRAY: Yeah, that's right. My colleague Paula Reid and I learned that Rudy Giuliani recently sat for an interview with federal investigators. And again, we don't know exactly what the topic of that interview was. We know that recently prosecutors have asked other witnesses questions about the attorneys around Trump after the 2020 election, including Giuliani, who were spreading these false claims of election fraud, months and months ago, Giuliani had been subpoenaed for documents related to payments he got around 2020.

And, of course, we know the feds have also been looking into this kind of fake elector scheme and Rudy Giuliani was someone who helped to oversee that across seven battleground states.

Now, a political adviser for him said it was a voluntary interview and it was conducted in a professional manner. But again, the exact topic investigators focused on we still don't know.

GOLODRYGA: And you'll keep us posted on anything that you do learn about this interview. Sara Murray, thank you.

MURRAY: Thanks.

GOLODRYGA: Also in our law and justice lead, Donald Trump is suing former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll after a jury found he sexually abused and defamed her.

CNN's Sara Scannell joins me live for more on this.

So, Kara, what exactly is Trump claiming in this lawsuit?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bianna.

Yeah. So, Trump is suing Carroll for defamation. It all relates to the statements she made on CNN the morning after the jury awarded her $5 million and found that Trump has sexual abused her and defamed her when he said that he didn't rape her, she wasn't his type and that he didn't know who she was.

[16:00:05]

So when she sat down on "CNN THIS MORNING", Poppy Harlow had asked her about the jury finding, not that Trump had raped but that he had sexually abused her. Here's what Carroll said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: This jury found that Trump did not rape you. What about that moment?

E. JEAN CARROLL, COLUMNIST: Robbie could explain the legal.

HARLOW: Sure. And I want you to. But I just wonder what went through your head when you heard that?

CARROLL: Well, I immediately said in my head, oh, yes he did. Oh, yes, he did. See? That's my respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCANNELL: So, Trump is saying that because Carroll said yes, he did, saying that was a defamatory statement, one made in malice. Now, Carroll's lawyers have issued a statement saying in part that Donald Trump again argues contrary to both logic and fact that he was exonerated by a jury that found he sexually abused E. Jean Carroll.

And you remember that this judge is allowing E. Jean Carroll to amend her original lawsuit to include statements that Trump made at the CNN town hall just a few days after this verdict where he doubled down on these statements the jury found to be defamatory, saying that he didn't rape her and he didn't know who she was. So, Carroll is seeking $10 million in punitive damages in that lawsuit, and the judge has set the trial for that for January -- Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Kara Scannell, thank you.

For more on this, I want to bring in CNN senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid and former federal prosecutor Shan Wu.

Good to see you both.

Shan, let me start with you. Do you think Trump has a case here?

SHAN WU, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: No. That's a frivolous lawsuit and it's surprising his lawyers would advise him or let him do that. I mean, it is a very silly distinction.

I mean, it's the equivalent of saying the jury found that I was dumb. She's calling me stupid. I'm not stupid. They said I was dumb. That is a meaningless distinction.

Also, it's simply opening him up to relitigate the entire sexual abuse issue. And frankly, with the statements he's probably going to make to support this, probably opens him up to more defamation claims, too.

GOLODRYGA: And yet another case as well, because, Paula, Trump and his allies are already under investigation in Georgia by the Fulton County district attorney. How could her investigation overlap with the special counsel's probe?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's definitely some overlap here because in Georgia, the district attorney Fani Willis is looking into efforts by the former president and his allies to try to overturn the election results in that state. That same question is just one of the many elements of the special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the events in and around January 6.

The federal investigation is far more broad, looking at a much wider cast of characters. Now, there's definitely some overlap in terms of the witnesses. For example, Brad Raffensperger and other state officials have testified now or spoken to investigators in both investigations. One key difference, though, is if former president or any of his allies are charged at the state level, state convictions are outside of the scope of any possible presidential pardons.

GOLODRYGA: Shan, we know how powerful for a prosecutors that the tool of having audio tape can be. We've talked about it given CNN's exclusive recording and access to the audio tape of the president two years ago in New Jersey with regards to his documents. But in this case, we already know prosecutors have that recording of Trump and Raffensperger. What other possible questions could they have?

WU: I think they could be asking him about what his impression was of the leverage, there is I think reporting that he felt threatened about it. And what the context was.

I mean, he obviously feels that their election security was perfectly fine. And I think they want to understand to try to get to Trump's state of mind about this. I mean he's very much of a no-brainer witness for Smith's team to talk to and it is good that they're talking to him.

It does, again, I think highlight how late DOJ generally has been. No fault of Smith but they are just off to a very late start.

GOLODRYGA: And, Paula, a lot of news that we've been breaking today and that includes what we learned about Rudy Giuliani also being interviewed. Is he facing any potential legal problems himself?

REID: Look, he certainly has potential exposure here. We know he was at the center of former President Trump's efforts to try to overturn the election right. He was filing a lot of things in court and making public statements in this effort to undermine the credibility of the election and try to flip it in Donald Trump's favor.

What's so interesting about this, though, is he was originally subpoenaed late last year in November, before Jack Smith was even appointed. And that then once Jack Smith took over the investigation, Giuliani hadn't heard anything for about six months and for most people in a criminal investigation, if you haven't heard from investigators this far into an investigation, that suggests you could be a target and not just a potential witness.

So, the fact that he has now sat down for a voluntary interview with investigators is notable and at this point, though, it's unclear if he will be charged.

[16:10:06]

GOLODRYGA: Shan, do you think Giuliani should be worried about any potential charges?

WU: He certainly should be, and I'm sure that he is. And his team is very aware of that. I think it is interesting that they're saying it is a voluntary interview, there's an argument that no interviews with the Justice Department are truly voluntary. They really needing to come in and certainly his lawyers would ask if he's a target. DOJ wouldn't want to commit to that right now.

But they're probably hoping that he could essentially explain and talk his way out of it. It doesn't have to be a cooperation deal, but they're hoping that by him talking about this, being cooperative, that he'll avoid any real jeopardy.

GOLODRYGA: So, Paula, there are a number of investigations that we've covered here. So I do want to ask you specifically about the investigation into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Where exactly is special counsel Jack Smith on this front?

REID: So, we always knew this investigation would take longer. Then the other special counsel investigation into the documents down at Mar-a-Lago, because this is far more complicated. There are other far more potential crimes here, more potential targets and far more witnesses in a much broader scope of time.

So, it does appear though in the past few weeks, we've seen an uptick in activity, a flurry of activity that suggests to us based on our very close reporting on this investigation that a charging decision could be coming soon.

GOLODRYGA: Likely be a very busy summer. Paula, Shan, thank you so much for breaking it all down for us.

Well, for the first time, the world is seeing large pieces of the Titan sub wreckage after the deadly implosion near the Titanic. What it could tell investigators. That's next.

Plus, several city skylines obscured by once again that thick smoky haze. Chicago and Detroit now are home to some of the worst air quality in the world due to those wildfires in Canada.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:52]

GOLODRYGA: Pieces of the Titan submersible that imploded with five people on board has been retrieved from the ocean floor. This is more than a week since the sub's ill-fated voyage to the Titanic wreck in the North Atlantic.

CNN's Paula Newton is in Ottawa for us.

Paula, tell us more about the pieces that were brought in today and what else officials are looking at as this investigation continues?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so these pieces of debris you see, Bianna, are from Pelagic Research and they are the ones that operated the remote operated vehicle near the Titanic wreck. They had first mapped out the debris field and then what is extraordinary here, Bianna, is that they brought up such large pieces of Titan. You could actually see the dome and the view port and if you compare what they brought up today to the submersible when it was intact, a lot to go by there.

We had been told by the U.S. Coast Guard when they first announced this tragedy that in their term the area was unforgiving, and a very challenging and remote area in which to recover debris. But here we are, we do see quite a few pieces of it.

I have to say, obviously, it was with some disquiet. This is the resting place for five people who tragically lost their lives, and I'm sure while the family members are glad to see there will be clues in the investigation, it's obviously causing so much grief again to see all of this play out.

I will say, though, this investigation is very important to many people and many countries. Right here in Canada, the Transportation Safety Board trying to determine exactly what went on. They've conducted many interviews and they refused to say to me today where those pieces of debris are headed. But they will be headed to labs either in the United States or in Canada to be examined further.

And I will mention as well, Bianna, that obviously, the RCMP, the national police force here, is determining whether or not a criminal investigation needs to be opened. And again, the more that they can salvage from the deep see, the more that they'll have answers because the last thing anyone wants here is for this to be a guessing game. So this recovery is an important operation -- Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, I'm sure as painful as this may be for families, I'm sure they would like to see some of this evidence as well and see where this investigation leads.

Paula Newton, thank you.

Well, joining us now is Bart Kemper. He's an engineer and was one of the dozen experts in the submersible craft industry who actually raised concerns in 2018 about how OceanGate's Titan vessel was made. He warned back then that the company's experiment approach could result in catastrophic consequences and, of course, we did see that exact thing play out.

Bart, what do you make of the size of the pieces that have been recovered thus far?

BART KEMPER, WARNED OF POTENTIAL TITAN SUB ISSUES IN 2018: This is consistent with an implosion. Don't forget, an implosion is a collapse in on itself. It's not an explosion. So to have the living quarters, which is the only part at one atmosphere or the normal what we breathe atmosphere, it will collapse inwards on that.

But rest of the items are what we call implodable volumes or that are not part of living space which could be the batteries, lights, the gas cylinders, those aren't part of the one atmosphere place where the crew would be. So, that -- those would still be intact as would be the framework holding it altogether. So I'm not surprised to see large pieces come out. It is just a question of which pieces are coming up and, of course, what the investigation leads us to.

GOLODRYGA: So, if you were doing reverse engineering here, as we're seeing and learning more about these pieces, what are some of the questions that you'll be asking?

KEMPER: I would want to know the thickness and composition of the carbon fiber composite. It's not just a question of the thickness, because it is not one solid piece. It is a composite for multiple layers of different materials and different orientations. That would give it the strength in compression.

The reason why I say compression is because it's external pressuring pushing in on it. If it was an internal pressure like a medical hyperbaric chamber, it would implode outwards.

[16:20:02]

The other thing I similarly would want to look at the dimensions of the window, which is made out of acrylic, as well as the dimension and the thickness of the titanium end caps.

Another critical part would be how everything comes together because where the joints come together will be a potential point of failure. So you want to have a good examination of that.

So, hopefully, some of these components are still connected to where they are supposed to be so the investigators to probably assess what was the failure modes and what was the actual cause of the collapse.

GOLODRYGA: I know you had warned OceanGate to comply with some of the U.S. regulations for this industry. What kind of changes or safety features need to be made so that this doesn't happen again, or is it as simple as perhaps complying with U.S. regulation could have avoided this from happening?

KEMPER: Well, more to the point with this, this is out in international waters. So, this is the IMO, or the International Marine Organization. That's where the rules would be. However, you are correct that this was an experimental, not a tourist sub, no the a research sub, but a experimental item that has not been built to an existing code and standard such as pressure vessels for human occupancy published in the United States or any of the classifications society such as American Bureau of Shipping or DMV.

Those -- that's how these other submarines are done. And it is, as been mentioned before, there are nine or ten other submarines nongovernmental ones that could reach this depth and will not have a problem.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Bart Kemper, thank you so much. We appreciate your time.

KEMPER: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, now, we want to go to CNN's Erin Burnett who is in Eastern Ukraine.

Erin, a lot continues on the war front there. What are you seeing on ground today?

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: All right. Well, Bianna, tonight, we're live in Dnipro. And today, we just visited Ukrainian troops. They are cycling in and out of the front lines here, training near the frontlines in southern Ukraine.

And we are just getting in tonight some rare video of the Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting a crowd of supporters. He took a surprise stop today far from Moscow. Not his usual. And it comes just days after that failed Russian revolt led by Yevgeny Prigozhin failed.

Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:26:54]

BURNETT: I'm Erin Burnett live in Dnipro, Ukraine, tonight.

A European intelligence official tells CNN that Russia's own security services known as the FSB may have clued in to Wagner's short-lived mutiny before it actually happened and perhaps, and this is the crucial part, perhaps even wanted it to succeed.

This after "The Wall Street Journal" reported that the Wagner boss and war lord Yevgeny Prigozhin originally plotted to capture two of Russia's top military officials.

Our chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is here in Ukraine as well in Kyiv tonight.

Nick, could you tell me more about your reporting on this and what it reveals? Because it seems like it could have some implications for Putin's grip on power.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, it is really unclear at this stage. And that's something echoed by the Europe intelligence official I spoke to. They're still dealing with a fog. But in their assessment so far, there are hints that part of the Russian military or security establishment may have had prior knowledge of what happened over the weekend, perhaps they waned to see how it turned out or perhaps wanted it to succeed. And indeed, they do point out how Putin's prestige has taken a significant dent since this occurred and perhaps that is to the liking of some factions in the sprawling Moscow elite who fight amongst themselves.

The source went on to say how, well, they haven't seen a perch as of yet, there are indications that turmoil within the elite will continue to roll on. And that sort of tallies with some of the reporting we've been hearing from "The New York Times" who have suggested that a key figure in the military elite, Sergei Surovikin, he ran the Ukraine campaign for a while, was kicked out of it, and now runs the air force. He was seen in a video on Friday telling everybody to go home in the early stages of the armed rebellion. It looked a little uncomfortable. Hasn't been seen in public since that.

The suggestion by "The New York Times" was he actually -- he had prior knowledge of the rebellion. That's early stage information even "The New York Times" admit, the "Wall Street Journal," they've added to that saying there were indications that, yes, the Russian security services knew about this in advance but also, too, that Prigozhin wants to capture the Russian defense minister and the chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, during Prigozhin's initial move, and that did tally that we knew Shoigu was in Rostov as the start of Friday, but a lot of this early information needs to be leaked out -- Erin.

BURNETT: Fascinating, Nick. I mean, just as we -- we try to get the -- peel layers back of this onion, and that is so crucial for everyone.

I know that you're also learning more about the victims of this horrific strike in Kramatorsk, right, that crowded pizza restaurant, crowded with family and children and civilians, we know 11 people were killed, twin girls aged 14 among them and we're now learning, Nick, this is -- this is really interesting, that a Russian spy may have scouted the pizzeria before the strike?

WALSH: Yeah, the human face of this repeat Russian indiscriminate attacks it almost seems in a civilian area in Kramatorsk.

[16:30:02]

Yulia and Anna Aksenchenko, 14-year-old twin sisters, who were seen in the picture holding up a sign which talks about the anniversary of the school where they were in Kramatorsk. Increasingly horrifying details frankly of just how innocent so many people were in the pizza restaurant when the missiles rained down.

And now, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine coming forward and confirming what we heard from Ukrainian security services earlier that they believe a traitor was passing a video off that pizza restaurant to Russian services. I'm sure that would have provided some possible details as to the location, maybe who was there.

We know off duty service men went there as well sometimes, but still, this is part of Russia's playbook, frankly, in this war, firing heavy weapons into civilian areas, sometimes they think they hit what they want. Most of the time they don't really care who they hit provided they terrify those who live there -- Erin.

BURNETT: Yeah. Certainly seems in this case it may have been quite purposeful indeed. Thank you very much, Nick.

And let's go now to Russia, inside of Moscow where our correspondent Matthew Chance is tonight.

And, Matthew, the Kremlin put out a video tonight of Putin among a crowd of cheering supporters. This is the video that they put out, but it is him out and about in some way. It seems unusual.

How unusual is it?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, he's down south in Dagestan, in the Caucasus where he's been visiting today. I mean, it is highly unusual. They're treating him like a rock star. Look at it.

It is incredible, that all of these people have turned out. They're all crammed together in there, sort of screaming at him trying to get a selfie with him and trying to shake his hand, trying to touch him like he's a rock star, which is extraordinary, given the fact that Vladimir Putin has been the leader of Russia for the past 23 years, you know? So, you know, people are very, very used to him.

And you can't help but thinking that there is a passing similarity to the scenes of jubilation and the cheers that were witnessed on Sunday in the city of Rostov-on-Don, when the Wagner leader Prigozhin was seen driving out to the cheers of people as they sort of like waved at Wagner soldiers who were taking control of that Russian city. And it is pretty clear that the Kremlin was absolutely stunned by those images of Russian citizens basically cheering on and getting selfies with this rebel group at that point. And this may be the Kremlin's way of sort of pulling back some of its authority and popularity.

BURNETT: So, Matthew, we also understand that Russian authorities are finally now confirming that there were Russian military casuals from Saturday's revolt. This wasn't some sort of bloodless thing. What are they saying?

CHANCE: Well, I mean, that confirmation has been around for a couple of days in the sense that just yesterday, Vladimir Putin remember at a very formal military ceremony in the Kremlin held a minute of silence for those who have been killed by Wagner forces as they attempted that military uprising.

But today, the governor of the Ivanova region in Russia confirmed that two aircraft had been brought down by Wagner forces during that military uprising, an attack helicopter and a Ilyushin 22 sort of transport signals plane. Didn't confirm how many people were on board. But it is the first time the number of aircraft have been confirmed.

Of course, what the Ukrainians say and what is military bloggers say is that Wagner shot down far more planes. That been so far, the Kremlin hasn't confirmed it.

BURNETT: Matthew, thank you very much.

Of course, inside Russia tonight and begin the reported plans by Prigozhin for that takeover, so what is the thinking from those now close to the Kremlin? We're going to get potential insight from Russia's former minister of foreign affairs, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:38:13]

BURNETT: I'm Erin Burnett and we're back with our world lead from eastern Ukraine tonight.

And this new video that we're seeing of Putin greeting crowds of supporters in Russia.

Now with me now is Andrei Kozyrev. He is the foreign minister or minister of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation. He's also the author of the "Firebird: The Elusive Fate of Russian Democracy". And I really appreciate your time. I want to just start with this new

video, right? This is Putin making a surprise appearance to greet Russian people. Understandably, right, he wanted this video, this is video they're putting out and all of this is true, but still when is the last time you saw Putin do something like this?

ANDREI KOZYREV, FORMER MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, RUSSIAN FEDERATION: When I saw him is when he's in trouble. Either he wants to show that he has popular support before, of course, false elections but he needs kind of voting, and he needs kind of a legitimacy from that voting. So that is when he recalls that there are people there.

And when he is scared, he has been scared by the events there, but those events now are going, you know, into the history and it was not an uprising, it was not a poach (ph), it was just a brawl between the mafia members for the higher position in the organization. But, that was scary because one of those, Wagner, not quite an army.

[16:40:02]

BURNETT: So, Andrei, the "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that Prigozhin actually planned to capture top Russian military officials and that was his goal. And the way they write is this, they say, quote, Western officials said they believe the original plot had a good chance of success but failed after the conspiracy was leaked, forcing Prigozhin to improvise an alternative plan.

Andrei, do you think Prigozhin's plan would have succeeded if he was going to go in and kidnap or take senior Russian military leaders, do you think that would have worked if he had -- if it didn't leak and he had gone ahead with it?

KOZYREV: Why not? I mean, yes. As I said, look at the mafia or other criminal organizations, which they are in Russia, the whole government. They are fighting for their piece of pie and they always want to be on top, and there was quite a blow between Prigozhin and the leadership of the ministry of defense, and I believe that many, many military people in Russia are very upset of the war and very upset of the Ukrainian resistance.

And they don't respect the elites of the ministry. But that does not mean that he or they are ready to overthrow Putin because of his foes yet existing legitimacy in the eyes of many.

BURNETT: Do you think that Prigozhin is now safe and when we see others, a father, his daughter drew a picture of the Ukrainian flag and he was sentenced to two years in a penal colony. A Kremlin critic, Ilya Yashin, 8 1/2 years, because he had a live stream where he -- on the Internet live called Putin the worst butcher in this war. But Vladimir Kara-Murza, the prominent journalist, 25 years after Russia say he spread fake news about the military.

But Prigozhin for now is free. He didn't just criticize Putin's military, day in and day out for past eight months in unbelievable terms, he led an armed rebellion. So is he just going to go free? KOZYREV: Yes. Prigozhin is one of the -- of the organization. He

criticized somebody inside of the mafia for being -- for not being effective enough. But he never kind of called it seriously, he kind of hinted on various things, but everybody knew that he was not challenging a political line or challenging in serious terms the war itself. It was war criminals of his and they would call themself.

So that's different. Those people could be killed, could be poisoned and still -- it is not the end of the story. But in jail, there are people who you named and Navalny, of course, those are political opponents of the whole organization of the criminal element.

BURNETT: Yes.

KOZYREV: They want real change. They are more democracy forces and that is the opposition and that is why they are in jail.

BURNETT: All right. Andrei, thank you very much. We appreciate your time.

And earlier today, I visited Ukrainian troops who are preparing for warfare close to the frontlines in the south. In the dense forest, they basically when their off the front lines for two or three days, they train to fight in close quarters combat and then they go back to the front lines for a few days, they come back to this training right off the front lines.

The troops showed us how they camouflage grenades and the trip wires that were just littering the forest near those front lines. They were talking, showing the grenades as smoke bombs and even the sniper skills that they're working on. You'll see our whole story close to the frontlines tonight at 7:00 Eastern "OUTFRONT."

And now, Bianna, back to you in New York.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, fascinating watch. Many of those troops trained by Western allies in militaries at that.

Erin, thank you.

BURNETT: Yeah.

GOLODRYGA: Well, coming up, the danger you can't see that has claimed the lives of 11 beach-goers on the Gulf Coast, including a former NFL player.

Plus, the reasons why the skies are not very friendly for travelers as we head into a busy holiday weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:49:30]

GOLODRYGA: If you're breathing air in the U.S., chances are the quality is not so great. More than 120 million people can blame smoke from the Canadian wildfires that has traveled down. Air quality alerts have been issued for Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Delaware, and Maryland. This is officially Canada's worst fire season on record.

Also in our national lead today, former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett is dead in an apparent drowning in Destin, Florida. Officials say the 35-year-old was with a group caught in a rip current when he went under.

CNN's Nick Valencia is in Florida with more on this very sad story.

So, Nick, Mallet is just the latest in a string of deaths along the gulf.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It has been a particularly deadly season when it comes to rip currents here in the gulf coast of Florida. Eleven deaths already this year, Bianna, seven of them happening in the last two weeks of June alone, with Panama City Beach seeing really the most tragedies, and give you a sense of how overwhelmed they are there in Panama City Beach, just in the last ten days, they've received 70 calls for distressed swimmers, more than half of them happening on Saturday alone.

It was the Bay County sheriff's office that is not taking any chances when it comes to awareness and public awareness, illustrating the impacts of the rip current, releasing these aerial photo, creating dredges deep underwater in the sand.

We know this is the time of year that a lot of people come out to beach, families with their friends, you know, loved ones, people coming out to enjoy the beautiful days. The bottom line is Florida officials want you to know it has been a particularly deadly season when it comes to rip current, and they want you to be aware of that danger before you get in the water -- Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, heed the local news there, that is for sure.

Nick Valencia in Fort Myers, Florida -- thank you.

VALENCIA: Yeah.

GOLODRYGA: Well, extreme weather conditions have been one factor in this week's ongoing nationwide travel fiasco that has left hundreds of thousands of airline customers stranded. But as CNN's Pete Muntean reports, weather isn't the only reason for the chaos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flight cancellation fallout is only just beginning, with airlines still recovering after leaving countless passengers in the lurch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the worst travel experience in my lifetime.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks like an apocalypse. It really does.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's certainly been a test of patience.

MUNTEAN: The latest numbers from FlightAware show airlines in the U.S. have canceled more than 7,000 flights since Saturday. Tuesday night, thunders storms led to ground stops, halting flights to all three of New York's main airports.

At La Guardia, the Federal Aviation Administration warned of gridlock on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're literally, you know, trying to work you out of here with 45 airplanes waiting.

MUNTEAN: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who had his own flight canceled Tuesday, said airlines are improving over last summer when they canceled more than 50,000 flights in total.

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: What's different this year compared the a year ago is that there is more cushion. We're seeing more of the staffing that there needs to be. But clearly there is a long way to go.

MUNTEAN: But United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is putting the blame on the federal government, facing shortages of air traffic controllers. The FAA frankly failed us this weekend, Kirby said in a Monday memo, citing an impact on 150,000 customers.

United remains in the top spot for cancellations nationwide for the fifth straight day. Tuesday, the carrier called for its own ground stop for its flights bound to its hub in Newark.

SARA NELSON, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: It is ridiculous to say that this is only the FAA.

MUNTEAN: Sara Nelson of the Association of Flight Attendants insists United needs to look at its own problems. Flight attendants have waited on hold with the airline for hours to get their flight assignments.

NELSON: United could have planned for over a year to avoid this chaos that we're seeing right now.

MUNTEAN: Now the worry is whether airlines can handle the July 4th holiday rush with the threat of more storms looming. The Transportation Security Administration is expecting 2.8 million people at airports nationwide this Friday, the highest number since 2019.

ANDY GROSS, AAA SPOKESMAN: Expect delays. Expect cancellations. Get to the airport early.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MUNTEAN (on camera): We're also hearing from passengers who have been waiting on hold for hours to try and find a new flight. Some have not been able to find a seat until Monday. It has been a really taxing run for passengers nationwide. Making matters worse today, in Charlotte, a delta flight landed with

the nose landing gear up. Thankfully, nobody on board that flight was hurt, but one of four runways in Charlotte will stay closed until tomorrow afternoon while crews work to clear that plane -- Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Oh, boy, just adding to the nationwide nightmare there for travelers.

Pete Muntean, thank you.

Coming up, Madonna forced to postpone her world tour because of a health scare. We'll tell you what landed her in the ICU.

But, first, Wolf Blitzer is here with a look at what's coming up next in "THE SITUATION ROOM".

I know you're going to continue to focus on what's happening in Russia and Ukraine.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, THE SITUATION ROOM: Among other things, we certainly are, Bianna.

I'll be joined, by the way, by two guests with very important insight into the Russia mutiny, its impact on the Kremlin, and the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova and retired U.S. Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, he's a veteran of the National Security Council with expertise on Ukraine and Russia.

All that and more right at the top of the hour right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:59:28]

GOLODRYGA: In our pop lead, Madonna is taking a break from her world tour that was scheduled to start next month, due to a serious health care. In a Instagram post, Madonna's long-time manager confirmed that the pop singer is recovering from a serious bacterial infection which landed her in the intensive care unit for several days. The post goes on to say that Madonna's health is improving, and she is expected to make a full recovery, but she is still under the care of doctors.

The 64-year-old Grammy winner was due to launch her celebration tour, traveling to 43 cities around the world. And we do wish her a speedy recovery.

Thank you so much for watching, everyone. I'm Bianna Golodryga in for Jake Tapper.

Our coverage continues now with Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM".