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Severe Turbulence Injures Russian Airline Passengers; Bernanke: 3, 4 Percent Growth Unlikely; Trump Invites Philippines' Duterte to White House; Trump's Response to N. Korea's Threat of More Nuclear Weapons & Missile Launches; Documentary Highlights Deadly Opioid Epidemic Hitting U.S. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired May 1, 2017 - 11:30   ET

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


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[11:32:22] KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: 10 terrifying seconds, it's every traveler's nightmare. A plane on approach after a long flight and hits sudden, violent turbulence, so severe, passengers are thrown around the cabin. Well, that is what happened yesterday to a flight from Moscow to Bangkok. 15 passengers are still in the hospital recovering from injuries, like broken bones.

Let's get more from Richard Quest, of "CNN Eyes," "Quest Means Business," and so much more.

QuestY, what happened here? These pictures are really scary.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, CNN EYES & CNN HOST, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Yes, and it's exactly what you would expect to see if an aircraft hits severe turbulence and passengers aren't strapped in. Look, it's the oldest thing in the book. Effectively -- and this I've said a million times to you and others -- a passenger, a human being is nothing more than a fragile egg in a metal tube, and if the plane suddenly drops, well, you stay where you are because the plane's dropping faster, and you hit your head on the roof.

This plane obviously hit some very serious turbulence, air pockets. It might have been a bout of low pressure. It could have been from the jet stream. It might just have been where air currents were colliding or there were some storms.

But, Kate, the reality is, why weren't they strapped in? If they had been strapped in, if they had had their seatbelts fastened, the number of casualties would have been far lower.

Now, from the airline's point of view, from Aeroflot's point of view, which is a very well-run airline, there will obviously have to be an inquiry as to what the weather radar was showing, what other aircraft in the area were reporting. Should the pilots have known there was going to be turbulence of a heavy nature and should they have had the seatbelt sign on?

BOLDUAN: Richard, I'm going to ask you something else. You're at the stock exchange. As we have talked about many a time, Donald Trump, during the campaign, promised 3 percent growth, maybe 4 percent economic growth if he were to become president. They're talking about that now, of course, in relation to what they want to see in terms of tax cuts and tax reform.

The former Fed chief just was asked about that on CNBC, and he doesn't think it's likely. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can you get growth over 3 percent in this country?

BEN BERNANKE, FORMER CHIEF, FEDERAL RESERVE: On a sustained basis it's certainly possible but probably not that likely. I think if there's a big tax cut, for example, that lowers tax rates, you might have a bump, because the increased demand, increased consumer spending.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: That gets you over 3 percent?

BERNANKE: Probably not. I would take the under on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So, he's going to take the under on that. What do you think? What are you hearing?

QUEST: Well, look, is it realistic to get growth to -- well, 4 percent is what Donald Trump wants.

BOLDUAN: Right.

[11:34:58] QUEST: 3 percent is perhaps what others are saying. The answer is, yes, you can do it, if you put the economy on steroids. But if you do that, you will have other problems elsewhere, not least of which is inflation, which will cause the Fed to raise interest rates to slow things down again. So, you've got to be careful you don't end up in a vicious cycle. We're in a low-growth international- global environment, and that's really the problem here. Yes, the U.S. remains the fastest engine of growth, and it is growing, and it is growing sustainably, 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent, but to get it to up 3 percent to 4 percent, you're going to have to juice it up. And the truth of the matter -- look, Ben Bernanke knows this better than anybody -- to get the sort of oomph -- that's the word you want, Kate, oomph! To get that oomph, to get it up to 3 percent to 4 percent will be very difficult and probably shouldn't happen when nobody else in the world of similar economic development is growing of similar size.

BOLDUAN: OK, well, then what does that mean for what the logic, reasoning, planning for this effort towards tax reform and these tax cuts? Because the vice president himself is even touting, we need the tax cuts, we need to get 3 percent, and when we get to 3 percent growth or plus, that's going to pay for the tax cuts, thus, it's not going to add to the deficit, like, it's -- you know?

QUEST: Look, no sensible, serious academic economist believes that simply by having tax cuts, you're going to make up the difference from the lack in revenues. It's not going to happen. Now, don't get me -- now, before -- I can feel all the --

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Coming at you!

QUEST: -- from the Trump -- they're coming at me. There are legitimate reasons why you would want to have tax cuts. They could be public policy, lower tax regimes. You do want to stimulate corporate development, you do want to encourage companies to bring money back, you do want to have an enterprise culture. All valid reasons for moving to a low-tax environment. And the philosophical reason: Why should the government take more of my money than I keep for myself? But do not try and conflate that with an economic reason, which says you're going to make up the shortfall from lack of economic revenues. You're not. It's not going to happen. And I'll buy you a meal at any restaurant you like if they manage to close the deficit gap as a result of having lower tax cuts.

BOLDUAN: I'm still just was thing for you to take me to tea. I'm really that cheap of a date.

So, anyway, Richard, great to see you. Thank you so very much.

(CROSSTALK)

QUEST: Fasten your seatbelt! Fasten your seatbelt and keep it fastened. It is the only moral of this story on Aeroflot.

BOLDUAN: And when it comes to the economy and the tax reform debate, just fasten your seatbelt. I think it applies equally.

Great to see you, Richard. Thank you.

He said he'd be happy to slaughter drug addicts in his country, and President Trump just invited him to the White House. The move shocking members of President Trump's own team. Hear what the reports are. Details, ahead.

Plus, a cryptic warning or is it something else? President Trump says we will find out soon whether he will use military action to contain the threat from North Korea. That's next.

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[11:42:33] RODRIGO DUTERTE, PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT (through translation): Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there is three million, what is it, three million drug addicts, there are. And I'd be happy to slaughter them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That man compared them to Hitler and called President Obama a whore. That is the leader who President Trump extended an invite to the White House. President Trump surprising even his own State Department, according to "The New York Times," with that invitation to the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte.

To hear more on this, CNN's diplomatic correspondent, Michelle Kosinski, is tracking this all from the State Department.

Michelle, what are you hearing about this?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN DIPLOMATIC CORRESPODNENT: Hi, Kate. Well, you have the reaction to this, you know, stunned lawmakers, especially Democrats, human rights watch saying that you run the risk of putting an American stamp of approval on thousands of extrajudicial killings in president Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. You threaten the U.S.'s commitment to human rights by welcoming somebody like this to the White House. But then you have the White House's take, saying, well, this relationship is necessary to try to counter the North Korean threat. There's a lot of dispute over that, though. I mean, it's usually the U.S. helping out the Philippines -- not the Philippines helping out the U.S. in an effort like that.

But, remember, this is the leader, the populist that he's often called a fire brand leader of the Philippines, that President Obama wouldn't even sit down and meet with because of the many things he said. It's somebody who, you know, when you try to go back and think of all of the controversial things Duterte said, there's too many. It's just one after the other after the other.

BOLDUAN: Like when he stands up to the microphone.

KOSINSKI: Right. And it's like the next thing he says is more shocking than the last one. This is how he gets headlines and gets a lot of attention, and it has worked for him in a limited way. I mean, he is the leader of the Philippines.

But the fact that President Trump is now saying we had a very friendly conversation, we're going to sit down with him, it's raising the same kinds of eyebrows that were raised for a number of things, for example, starting with President Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, his recent congratulations of Turkish President Erdogan, his welcoming to the White House of Egyptian President el Sisi, who by the way, was also banned from coming by the Obama administration.

[11:45:02] BOLDUAN: Are you getting any response from the State Department? Was this coordinated? Was there an element that they were surprised?

KOSINSKI: I mean, they're not going to want to say that, but of course, that's what we're working on.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, of course.

KOSINSKI: And there are reports out there that this took some people by surprise. That would not be a surprise, because we've seen some of this before where the messaging is a little different or someone isn't happy with what was coming out of this agency or from the White House. So, it wouldn't be a surprise there. Sometimes the wording in the beginning seems pretty stunning, but then things change down the road. So, there's that element, too. We're going to have to see how this all plays out. But just when you look at what's been happening in the Philippines and the thought of the U.S. now welcoming this person with very friendly language and open arms, sure, in many views, that could cause problems.

BOLDUAN: Great to see you, Michelle. Thank you so much.

KOSINSKI: You, too.

BOLDUAN: So, North Korea -- let's turn there right now -- indicating this morning that it will test more nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles after another missile launched over the weekend. President Trump was asked how he plans to respond. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (IAUDIBLE QUESTION)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You will soon find out, won't you?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Does that mean military action?

TRUMP: You'll soon find out.

I didn't say they were testing the system. He has to do what he wants to do.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You say not happy? What does that mean?

TRUMP: I will not be happy if he does a nuclear test. I will not be happy. And also, I don't believe the president of China, who is a very respected man, will be happy, either.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Not happy, meaning military action?

TRUMP: I don't know. I mean, we'll see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining me now, Sue Mi Terry, a former analyst for the CIA, also advised former Presidents Bush and Obama on east Asia issues.

Great to have you back. What do you think "I will not be happy" means with regards to North Korea right now? What do you think?

SUE MI TERRY, FORMER CIA ANALYST: That he won't be happy, that he will be displeased, but there's not much that the U.S. can do aside from what we're already doing, which is trying to put maximum pressure on China and North Korea and probably pursuing enhanced sanctions and even secondary sanctions against Chinese entities and banks if China does not come through. But that is -- so, just because Mr. Trump said he's not going to be happy, it doesn't mean we are going to take military action.

BOLDUAN: I also want your take on what else the president is saying, this time about North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-Un. Listen to this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: He's dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others, and at a very young age he was able to assume power. A lot of people, I'm sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was able to do it. So, obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I mean, from all of your analysis, I mean, how does Kim Jong-Un interpret or take a comment like that? I mean, does it change anything?

TERRY: I don't think it changes anything. I think Trump probably tried to sweet talk him to some degree, I don't know, but it doesn't really change anything. Maybe Trump meant to say Kim Jong-Un is very shred and calculating and ruthless. It's really hard for me to understand the words smart cookie. I mean, maybe Kim Jong-Un is shrewd. Maybe that's what Mr. Trump meant by that.

BOLDUAN: All right, we'll see.

Great to see you, Sue Mi. Thanks for coming on.

TERRY: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: I really appreciate it.

Right now, May Day protests are erupting across the country, taking place across the nation right now. Moments ago, in New York City, things get a little tense as protesters confront police standing there. We'll have more details on that ahead.

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[11:52:36] BOLDUAN: Drug overdoses doubled in recent years. Heroin overdoses have more than tripled. A new sobering document, and it's called "Warning, This Drug May Kill You," offers an unflinching look at the deadly opioid epidemic hitting the United States.

Here's just a preview of the doc, a look at how many of these devastating addictions begin. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I ran now, I would just pretend like I didn't know what was wrong with me so I could get more. Faking pain to go to the hospital to get painkiller. I mean, anything from Oxycontin to Vicodin to Norco. It went from taking the prescribed dose, like, one every six hours to taking, like 20 Norcos a day. I'm going through a month's prescription in two days. And I called my mom, crying, saying I won't know what's wrong with me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mom, I can't stop taking these because when I stop taking them I don't feel good. I said, well, we need to talk to your doctor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he wrote me another prescription for Percocet, which was stronger than the Norco I had been taking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: A month's prescription in two days.

Joining me now is Perri Peltz, the director of this documentary.

Perri, thank you so much for coming in and --

PERRI PELTZ, FILM DIRECTOR: Oh, thank you so much.

BOLDUAN: -- and shining a light on this. I mean, I was struck by so many things. All four of the people, the families that you highlight, all of their addictions started with legitimate prescriptions. That is startling. But maybe it shouldn't be surprising.

PELTZ: That's exactly right. That's really one of the reasons that we made this documentary in the first place. I think for too long the narrative has been that this epidemic is about bad people abusing good drugs that were meant for pain patients. It just isn't the case. This is good people struggling with the disease of addiction and we've got to change that narrative. Everybody in this film started with a prescription. It doesn't mean that's where they stayed.

BOLDUAN: In this journey, do you see a fix? The government, the president wants to put more -- is asking for more money to put at it, but is more money the answer?

PELTZ: That is such a good question and you're right. The president said he wants to do everything he can to bring this under control. But more law enforcement to deal with the problem is likely not the answer. We need to start to control prescribing and we need to make sure that the millions of people across this country who are addicted can get access to treatment and that's what our concern is about, the Affordable Care Act right now.

[11:55:09] BOLDUAN: So many people are talking about this. What surprised you most as you kind of entered this world from beginning to end?

PELTZ: I think what's most surprising to us is the stigma around this disease. If we don't change the conversation, it's at our peril. As long as we think it can happen to everybody else but it won't happen to us, that changes the way we respond. The truth is it happens around us. To us, our fam leerily, our loved ones.

BOLDUAN: It's brutal in the best sense of the word and how you look at this epidemic.

Thank you so much for bringing it to us.

PELTZ: Thank you so much for having me.

BOLDUAN: We really appreciate it.

Everyone, just so you know -- Perri, thank you -- that you can catch it tonight. It airs at 10:00 on HBO.

Coming up for, President Trump raising eyebrows with a new interview, asking why was there an American civil war? That's what the conversation is today. We'll discuss it.

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