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The Return of Space Tourism; Red Lobster Files for Bankruptcy. Aired 4-4:10a ET

Aired May 21, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: What`s up, everybody? It`s your boy, Coy, here. Time to fuel our minds this terrific Tuesday, but man, what a bittersweet

week. Summertime is almost upon us, and that is awesome, but it`s also the last week of the show before summer break. Definitely have some things

planned for us over the summer, though. Some more on that to come.

All right, let`s get to your news. In Iran, the country`s army chief is ordering an investigation into a deadly helicopter crash that has shaken

the nation. Iran`s president, Ebrahim Raisi, and several other officials were killed after their helicopter crashed in a remote mountain region in

the northwestern part of the country.

There was heavy fog in the area at the time of the crash. Raisi was a political hardliner. He was voted into power in 2021, easily beating his

competition, the former president, Hassan Rouhani, who was more of a moderate. Raisi earned 18 million of the nearly 29 million votes that were

cast.

Iran is considered an Islamic republic or a theocracy, meaning that a religious figure runs the country. In Iran`s case, that religious leader is

supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei an Islamic fundamentalist.

Raisi, as president, was second in command. His death comes at a tense moment for the entire Middle East. It was only weeks ago that Iran launched

a full-scale drone and missile attack on Israel. That was retaliation, they said, for an Israeli strike on a diplomatic complex in Syria that killed

several Iranian officials.

CNN`s Ivan Watson shows us how the people of Iran are reacting and what`s next for the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iran in a state of mourning, commemorating the shocking death of Iranian President

Ebrahim Raisi. He was killed along with the Foreign Minister and seven other officials and crew members when their helicopter crashed in remote

mountains Sunday in the northwest of the country.

During the frantic hours when rescuers searched for the missing president, the most powerful figure in the Iranian political system, Supreme Leader

Ayatollah Khamenei, declared the government stable and strong.

ALI KHAMENEI, IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER (through translator): Dear people, whether you are sitting here or will hear my speech later, do not worry.

There will be no disruption in the country`s work.

WATSON: Inside Iran, highly polarized reactions to the sudden death of a leader.

ARASH AZIZI, CONTRIBUTOR, THE ATLANTIC: Ebrahim Raisi has been a face of repression in Iran for a very long time. I`m not surprised that many will

celebrate.

ALI VAEZ, SENIOR ADVISER, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: I see more continuity than change, regardless of what happens next.

WATSON: According to the Iranian constitution, the little-known vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, has now become interim president, paving the

way for elections to be held within 50 days.

VAEZ: This is a system that has managed this kind of turmoil in the past. So in the short run, it can certainly manage choppy waters, but in the

longer run, it`s a system that is ideologically bankrupt.

WATSON: Messages of condolence are pouring in from longtime allies like Syria, as well as Russia, which launches Iranian Shahed drones against

cities in Ukraine.

Also publicly mourning Raisi`s loss, Iranian-backed militant groups such as Yemen`s Houthis, Hamas, and Lebanon`s Hezbollah. Meanwhile, few tears

likely to be shed by Iran`s sworn enemy, Israel. The two countries` long- simmering shadow war exploded into direct, tit-for-tat, long-range strikes just last month.

AZIZI: I don`t think it will shift anything in the region or in terms of Iran`s relationship with its neighbors or neighboring powers. That`s

because most of the power in Iran lies with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who is still in power, and he`s the one who is cutting all the shots.

WATSON: How the Islamic Republic deals with this deadly crash may set the stage for a much bigger future challenge, the question of succession for

Ayatollah Khamenei, the country`s 85-year-old supreme leader. Ivan Watson, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Next, we head to Maryland, where the busy port of Baltimore is a step closer to reopening. Almost two months ago, the Dali cargo ship collided

with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, killing six construction workers.

On Monday, the ship was finally dragged away from the crash site. Several tugboats pulled the massive 106,000-ton vessel, traveling only one mile per

hour. Dali is now docked at Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore.

CNN`s Amy Kiley has more about Dali`s removal and what will happen now to the crew of workers who have remained on board the ship ever since it

crashed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMY KILEY, CNN NEWSOURCE & REPORTER (voice-over): Recent demolition work is what gave the Dali cargo ship a path to freedom. It`s been stuck under the

wreckage of Baltimore`s Francis Scott Key Bridge since it hit the structure and caused its collapse in March.

COL. ESTEE PINCHASIN, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: We`re very lucky that the hull was never damaged at all during the event.

KILEY: Officials say transporting the Dali takes up to five tugboats.

GOV. WES MOORE, (D) MARYLAND: I mean, we have a ship that`s the size of three football fields.

KILEY: But freeing the ship doesn`t mean freeing its crew members. Regulations have them stuck on board where they`ve been since the crash.

The law requires a ship like the Dali to have a crew at all times.

Now, the workers` visas have expired. The union representative says they`re waiting for immigration officials to tell them when they can go home.

Further complicating matters is the ongoing investigation.

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: Without the propeller turning, the rudder was less effective. They were essentially

drifting.

KILEY: The union says the FBI confiscated crew members` cell phones last month and they feel disconnected from family. The company that manages the

Dali says it hopes authorities will let the workers disembark soon. As for the channel, the Army Corps of Engineers says soon.

PINCHASIN: We`re going to be able to bring anything through the port of Baltimore, anything that would have come through before.

KILEY: I`m Amy Kiley reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Next, let`s go to Arizona where a wildfire there is growing. Officials say the so-called Wildcat Fire more than doubled in size over the

weekend and is 0% contained. So far, it has scorched more than 12,000 acres of the Tonto National Forest.

Tonto is Arizona`s biggest national forest at more than 2.9 million total acres. As fire officials try to get the wildfire under control, they`re

pleading with drone operators to stop flying near the fire. They say the drones interfere with firefighting efforts and could cause mid-air

collisions.

Pop quiz, hot shots.

Which of these sea critters is the most expensive seafood? Lobster, bluefin tuna, puffer fish or caviar?

Bet you said caviar, didn`t you? Don`t go fishing for compliments if you did because bluefin tuna is your answer. Bluefin is so expensive because

it`s on the endangered list.

In 2019, a sushi restaurant tour paid more than 3 million bucks for a 612- pound bluefin tuna. Talk about expensive taste. Personally, I`m on a seafood diet. I eat whatever food I see. But for those of us that actually

like seafood, there will be fewer Red Lobster restaurants to attack. The world`s largest seafood restaurant chain just filed for bankruptcy.

The company has more than $1 billion in debt and less than $30 million in cash. Bankruptcy doesn`t mean Red Lobster is going out of business

completely. Instead, it plans to sell the company to its lenders. But it will definitely be closing many of its restaurants in the meantime.

For today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, we have liftoff. Finally, after a nearly two-year hiatus, Blue Origin, the tourism rocket company founded by

billionaire Jeff Bezos, has once again launched passengers into the outer regions of our atmosphere to check out the incredible view from the edge of

space.

Among those folks torpedoing into the sky was Ed Dwight, a 90 years young, retired U.S. Air Force captain. Back in 1961, Mr. Dwight was selected by

then President John F. Kennedy to be the first black astronaut candidate in U.S. history.

Despite receiving all the astronaut training he needed and getting a recommendation from the Air Force, Mr. Dwight was not ultimately selected

to actually become an astronaut, so he never made it to space, that is, until Blue Origin came knocking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ED DWIGHT, RETIRED US AIR FORCE CAPTAIN: I thought I really did need this in my life, but now I need it in my life. This is fabulous, thank you so

much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Congratulations to you, Mr. Ed Dwight. We salute you and thank you for your service. Rise up.

Now it`s time to reach for our stars. That`s you. This shout out goes to Mr. E`s and Mr. T`s class at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Public School in

Patterson, New Jersey. Kind of fitting to have Mr. E.T. getting shouted out after our space story. Thank you for being you.

Next, we shout out Mrs. Bagley`s class at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We see you and thank you for being with us this year.

Let`s keep shining, keep nurturing those dreams. Almost anything is possible, if you believe.

We`ll see you tomorrow, everybody. I`m Coy, and we are CNN 10.

END