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Hezbollah Threatens To Attack European Island Of Cyprus; Astronauts Stuck In Space For At Least Another Week; Swimmer Simone Manuel Caps Emotional Comeback With Olympic Spot. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired June 20, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

MICHAEL OREN, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Rocket and drone fire. And about -- the equivalent of about 10,000 football fields of cultivable land has been set on fire by Hezbollah. The Israeli people and the Israeli government too. And I'm not a spokesman for that government. But I think that they're under tremendous pressure to do something and do something very robust very, very soon.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: I was just about to ask you, what are the chances that we might see things really escalate between Israel and Hezbollah?

OREN: Well, we're in this very difficult predicament that Hezbollah says it won't agree to a ceasefire, less Hamas agrees to a ceasefire. And Hamas has rejected all the offers for a ceasefire. So, one way to end this would be, say to let Israel continue putting pressure on Hamas. And hopefully, Mr. Sinwar, the head of Hamas will agree to a ceasefire deal in exchange for hostages and some release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. That would open the possibility of a ceasefire in the North.

America and France are trying to negotiate some type of diplomatic solution there. I can't tell you what the -- what the chances for that. I was in Washington for the last few days. And I didn't hear a tremendous amount of optimism about that, what leverage the United States could bring to bear on Hezbollah to get it to withdraw under Israeli fire back to the Lithuania River.

It's about 13 miles from the northern border. And according to a U.N. resolution back in 2006, Hezbollah was supposed to have withdrawn. But of course, it never did.

A very explosive situation, indeed. And it's important that people in the United States understand that this is a -- this is a conflict, which is much, much bigger than the conflict in Gaza. Hamas -- it has about -- have about 15,000 rockets, about 30,000 terrorists.

Hezbollah has 150,000 to 170,000 rockets. They're bigger. They're longer range.

They're heavier rockets. They're very accurate. And Hezbollah, military forces at least 100,000 strong, and they've been massacring Syrians for the last decade. So, they're very adept at committing these atrocities.

So, it is an extremely explosive situation with regional complications -- implications because Iran could get involved. And pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, Syria, and even the Houthi rebels could get involved. Israel can be hit by rockets from Yemen -- on all sides. So, it's a much, much bigger conflict.

ACOSTA: And could something be done on the diplomatic front to try to head this off?

OREN: Well, the efforts to convince Hezbollah to once -- to now finally abide by the resolution 1701 of the Security Council from 2006, going back almost 20 years. And I'd hoped that that would work. The other venue is to fly increasing pressure on Hamas to accept that ceasefire because that seems to be the key. This is the sort of de- escalating the entire situation.

That won't solve all the problems. Many -- (INAUDIBLE) won't go back to their homes in the north, knowing that his butler remains on the other side of the fence because they saw what happened in the south, with Hamas on the other side of the fence. So there has to be a fundamental change in that status quo ante. But certainly, the first step would get Hamas to agree to the ceasefire. And then Hezbollah maybe, maybe would agree to a ceasefire as well.

ACOSTA: All right. Ambassador Michael Oren, thanks as always for your time this morning. We really appreciate it.

Still ahead. "It's Miami." That is the M.I.A. Coco rapper Travis Scott just gave to police after being arrested in Florida. The detail is next.

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[11:38:04]

ACOSTA: Today, Boeing engineers are racing to fix a series of issues on the Starliner aircraft temporarily stranding two astronauts on the International Space Station. Boeing now says Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore won't be able to come home until at least Wednesday of next week.

CNN Aerospace Analyst Miles O'Brien joins me now. Miles, you know, I saw this and I was a little concerned that maybe we're not covering this enough. What's going on here? Does this jump out at you as being something pretty significant? Should we be worried about these two astronauts?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AEROSPACE ANALYST (on the phone): Well, there's no reason to worry in the short term, Jim. They're fine. They're in a relatively -- you know if you can say being in space is safe, they're in a safe spot on the International Space Station.

ACOSTA: Yes.

O'BRIEN: And there's no particular concern that they're going to run into danger anytime soon. They are up there. There's plenty of food and provisions and everything else and a crew to support them.

However, this Starliner Spacecraft is really star-crossed. It's had all kinds of problems. Its first mission in 2019 was a complete failure.

They did a redo, unmanned, and that did OK. And this latest one has been beset with all kinds of troubles. Most importantly, these helium leaks.

The helium on the craft is used to pressurize the tanks filled with the rocket propellant that guides it through space. It's --so, in the absence of gravity, they have to do something to keep the fuel from sloshing around. And so, the helium is actually very important for the safe function of the propellant system and the propulsion system.

And so that -- those leaks have continued. And mysteriously on docking, the propulsion system just kind of shut down. They were able to reboot it, and they were able to dock.

But -- so there's like this stacked up series of open questions, which has NASA and Boeing saying, you know, let's leave them up there a little bit longer until we figure this out. And so, we'll go from there.

[11:40:02]

ACOSTA: And, Miles, you're the expert on this so forgive me if I'm butchering the question here. But there were some issues before the launch, and they did the launch anyway. Isn't that right? What does that tell us?

O'BRIEN: Yes. No, you got that right, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, OK.

O'BRIEN: They convinced themselves that they -- the helium leak that existed on the launch pad was within, you know, the safe margins in order to launch. If they -- if they decided to fix it, it would have severely delayed the launch because they would have had to roll it -- to roll it back off the launch pad and into the hangar. And that takes a lot of -- a lot of time.

They're still saying there's enough helium to get them home, or at least that was the last word we had. But as these leaks persist, they want to be doubly sure of that. Because if there's a failure of those thrusters on the way down, that could put the crew in great jeopardy.

ACOSTA: And, Miles, also forgive me for this question, too. But I mean, the word Boeing is jumping out at me -- should it be jumping out at me, given everything we've been hearing with the civilian aviation that's been going on in this country? Is this in any way related or connected, or maybe I'm just off base there?

O'BRIEN: Well, I -- you know, I think, Jim, these are questions that are reasonable. This is a separate division of Boeing. The space people have their own operations separate from the commercial airliner business.

But ultimately, you know, the buck stops at the guy we saw in front of Congress the other day getting grilled. And you have to ask the question about Boeing, whether that push to maximize profits across the board has somehow manifested itself and cutting corners in the space division. I can't say that for certain. I can't connect the dots myself. But it's something that we should take a long, hard look at. Has this -- the woes of this troubled company extended beyond what is happening in North -- in Seattle?

ACOSTA: Fascinating. All right. Well, we hope for the safe return of those astronauts. As you were saying that they are safe where they are right now. But they're stuck in space for at least another several days. Miles O'Brien, thanks so much for your expertise. As always, we appreciate it.

O'BRIEN: You're welcome, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to talk to you. Right now, we are learning more details about the arrest of Travis Scott, the rapper who was booked into the Miami Dade County Jail following an incident at a marina.

Carlos Suarez is in Miami with the latest. Carlos, what's the latest? What happened?

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, we know that the 33-year- old -- he spent the night in jail and that he was released this morning on $650 bond on charges of trespassing and disorderly intoxication. So according to the Miami Beach Police Department, Scott was on a charter yacht last night when he was involved in some sort of dispute with the crew. Now, when the charter yacht gets back to the marina, we're told that police were called out and that Scott is asked by officers to leave.

Now the arrest report does note that officers said it was pretty clear that Scott had been drinking. The rapper, we're told, at some point gets into a car and he leaves only to return a second time. And then he makes his way toward the yacht again. It's at that point, that police stopped them and said, look, if you don't leave, we're going to arrest you. Scott, he refuses to go. And so he is taken into custody.

Now, according to the arrest form, and we're counting what happened, police wrote that the defendant "later admitted that he had been drinking alcohol and stated, it's Miami." A source close to the rapper noted about this entire ordeal that there was no physical altercation, but there was no additional comment from his team. Scott, he scored his Tenth Grammy nomination last year with the release of UTOPIA. And if you recall back in 2021, he was in the news as well when 10 people were killed at his Astroworld Festival when the crowd surged toward a stage there. Scott himself wasn't charged with wrongdoing, but he and several other organizers have faced a number of wrongful death lawsuits and settled all of them.

Again, Jim, the 33-year-old spent the night in jail. He has since been released on a $650 bond. Another incident involving a celebrity and alcohol. This time though, it was on board a chartered yacht.

ACOSTA: All right. Carlos Suarez in Miami for us. Thanks so much, Carlos.

This morning as well that we're -- something else we're following. An American ballerina accused of committing treason appeared in court in Russia behind closed doors earlier this year. The Los Angeles resident was detained while visiting her grandparents. Now, she stands accused of allegedly fundraising for the Ukrainian military and faces 20 years in prison if convicted.

CNN Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance joins us live from Moscow. Matthew, what happened in court today?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, Ksenia Karelina is a name. She's 33 years old. She's from Los Angeles.

[11:45:01]

She was detained earlier this year, in January or February. It's not clear. And charged with treason.

Her crime? She donated just over $50 -- 50 bucks to a U.S.-based charity which you know gave money to humanitarian assistance inside Ukraine. It's a sign that Russia is cracking down hard on any kind of dissent.

Remember, this woman is a joint U.S.-Russian citizen. And so, she's being arrested as a Russian. That's why she's being charged with treason and not espionage.

It's a sign of how hard the Russians are cracking down on dissent when it comes to what it calls its special military operation, its conflict in Ukraine. The fact that she's a joint U.S. citizen as well, I mean, it can't be helping. Given that the relationship between Moscow and Washington is deteriorated to such a very large extent.

In fact, critics of the Kremlin have accused it of gathering American citizens to use as bargaining chips in the future for a possible prisoner swap or for concessions from Washington. But you know, even though a substantial deal, according to U.S. officials on the table, nothing yet has been agreed to get Americans out of jail.

ACOSTA: Yes. And, Matthew, did I hear you correctly? This is based on her contributing $50?

CHANCE: I know. It's astonishing, isn't it? Yes.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CHANCE: I mean, she -- we just had a statement from her boyfriend who's in Los Angeles and said that she was just somebody who cares about humanity. She gave, I think, it was $51 and a few cents.

ACOSTA: Wow. CHANCE: That she gave to this charity. And that is the basis for a convict -- well, if she's convicted, up to -- well, up to life imprisonment she could get. But we'll see.

ACOSTA: And I suppose this is yet another example as to why Americans, they just have to be very careful. If you have an American citizenship, be very careful going into Russia. You probably shouldn't do it.

CHANCE: Yes. Well, that's -- well, you know the U.S. State Department has been warning for some time.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CHANCE: Warning of the dangers facing people from the United States. Of course, you've got Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter. Paul Whelan, a former Marine. He's in prison for espionage as well. It is a dangerous place to be if you're associated in Russia with the United States.

ACOSTA: All right. Matthew Chance in Moscow. Matthew, thanks as always. We appreciate it.

Coming up. How one American swimmer is making an emotional comeback and punching her ticket to the Paris Olympics?

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[11:51:47]

ACOSTA: Environmental protesters spray-painted one of the world's most famous prehistoric monuments. Stonehenge in England was covered in orange paintings. You see the video right there yesterday by two activists from the group called Just Stop Oil. Both were arrested. And the spray paint we should note has now been removed.

It comes as huge crowds are expected at the monument for the northern summer solstice. Just Stop Oil wants the UK Government to phase out fossil fuels by 2030. The group also made headlines last month when protesters smashed the glass protecting the Magna Carta at the British Museum in London. Good to know that Stonehenge has had that spray paint removed though, since all of that occurred.

Now, to an incredible comeback at the U.S. Olympic trials. Swimmer Simone Manuel qualified for her third Olympics after being diagnosed with overtraining syndrome in 2021. Now, she will be going to Paris with a spot on the relay team.

And CNN's Coy Wire joins us now. Coy, Simone facing significant challenges coming into these trials. What can you tell us?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Yes. and, Jim, every day of these U.S. swimming trials, a record has been broken. And every day we seem to have another great story like Simone Manuel's punching their ticket to Paris. Simone touching the wall in fourth place in an absolutely stacked women's 100-meter freestyle final last night. But it was good enough to clinch a spot on the four-by-one relay team.

For her third trip to the Olympics, Manuel described Wednesday as a healing night. Her performance capped off this incredible comeback that you mentioned. She was diagnosed with that overtraining syndrome in 2021. That condition came with overwhelming exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. The five-time Olympic medalist said making the Team USA this time around means everything.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMONE MANUEL, WILL COMPETE IN HER THIRD OLYMPICS: When I really think about how far I've come and the mountain I really had to climb, I think that I -- it's really important for me to look back and be proud of myself for continuing to fight through this process and believe in myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Another one of these great stories. A 17-year-old pool prodigy Thomas Heilman also headed to the city of lights in the men's 200- meter butterfly. The Virginia native finished first in the final and will make his Olympic debut.

He turned 17 in February. He's the youngest male swimmer to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team since 2000. That's when 15-year-old Michael Phelps and 17-year-old Aaron Peirsol competed in the Sydney games.

All right. Meantime, Katie Ledecky dominating in her signature event the 1500-meter free. In the final had the 19th fastest time in history, Jim. The only 18 faster times than that, all Ledecky.

By the end of the race, she had a 20-second advantage over second- place finisher Katie Grimes. Ledecky already finished on top and Indy in the 200 free and 400 free. The Stanford grad will look to add to her collection of Olympic golds in Paris. She won one in London, four in Rio, and added two more in Tokyo.

Those swimming trials in India there -- they'll run through Sunday gym. The track and field trials starting tomorrow. And then the highly anticipated and high-flying gymnastics trials starting one week from today. The Olympics is just 36 days away. I'm going to try not to make you jealous as I report from there with a big old chocolate croissant in my hand.

[11:55:10]

ACOSTA: Yes, Coy, I'm jealous. I mean this is -- this is not fair. The steak fried. The red wine would be flowing if I were over there.

Let me tell you something. What do you -- I mean, what's going to be most exciting to you covering the games?

WIRE: I mean, the gymnastics are always the crown jewel if you know --

ACOSTA: Yes. WIRE: For me personally. And then you have Simone Biles. After that episode of the twisties, she -- they were called back at the last Olympic games in Tokyo.

ACOSTA: Right.

WIRE: She's going to make a phenomenal comeback. So, that's what I'm most looking forward to.

ACOSTA: All right. We're all going to be cheering on the Americans. Team USA. They're going to be doing great this time around. I'm sure of it, Coy.

WIRE: That's true.

ACOSTA: I know you'll be there for it with croissant in hand as always. Maybe a little champagne too. All right.

WIRE: Maybe, a little.

ACOSTA: Maybe, a little. All right. Thanks, Coy. Appreciate it.

WIRE: Yes.

ACOSTA: And thank you for joining me in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta. Stay with CNN. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Manu Raju today starts after a short break. Have a great day.

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