Return to Transcripts main page

CNN 10

A U.S. Controversy Involving an FBI Informant; China`s Developing Moon Mission; A Blood Donor Who Has Helped Millions of Australians

Aired May 23, 2018 - 04:00   ET

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


CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN 10, where we explain events happening around the world and sometimes beyond it. I`m Carl Azuz.

And the first story we`re delving into this Wednesday involves a storm that`s brewing in Washington, D.C. This is related to special counsel

investigation that`s trying to find out if members of President Donald Trump`s political team colluded, secretly worked with Russia during Trump`s

campaign for president.

Multiple reports came out recently saying that in 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation sent an informant to speak with Trump campaign advisors.

Here`s where this gets controversial. The FBI is allowed to use informants to speak to people and get information. But it`s not allowed to do this

for political purposes. So, what happened in this case, we don`t know yet.

President Trump has said that if the FBI used the informant to spy on his campaign, it would be illegal and a disgrace to the United States. He`s

also suggested, according to "The Hill" political Website that this might have been done by members of the Obama administration to decrease Trump`s

chances of winning the election.

But "The New York Times" reports that while the informant interacted with members of Trump`s campaign, it was not for illegal, political purposes,

and critics say the president is using the news of the informant to discredit the ongoing investigation involving Russia.

So, what are the next steps in all this? The White House and the Justice Department, which the FBI is part of, have agreed to investigate how the

informant was used. The results of that could indicate whether or not any laws were broken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:

Which of these moons is smallest?

Earth`s moon, Saturn`s Titan, Jupiter`s Callisto, or Jupiter`s Ganymede?

Earth`s Moon is not the smallest in our solar system, but it is the smallest on this list, with a diameter of around 2,000 miles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Of course, our moon has a dark side, that`s not a bad thing. It`s just the part we never see. And China is planning to send a spacecraft to

it later this year.

There`s a big challenge to that, though. There`d be no way to communicate with the craft. The rest of the moon would be in the way, cutting off any

signals from earth.

So, China took a step toward addressing that this week. It launched a satellite that has a unique mission. It will hang out in the moon`s orbit,

if all goes according to plan, and act like a relay station that would allow scientists on earth to communicate with the spacecraft on the far

side of the moon.

Of course, the satellite has to find its sweet spot first and then the actual lunar lander has to go there afterwards. So, while this is a step

toward accomplishing the goal, the mission`s project manager says a number of challenges remain.

The ultimate aim, according to an official with the China National Space Administration, is to set up a permanent base on the moon that`s run by

robots.

A company founded in 2015 is helping blind and visually impaired people get clear details of the world around them. It utilizes glasses, which are

free, but then adds subscription fees of between $89 and $329 per month, so affordability maybe one concern. Another could be, what happens if the

connection is lost?

Still, it`s a solution based on natural intelligence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMAN KANUGANTI, FOUNDER & CEO, AIRA: Welcome to Aira.

AI stands for artificial intelligence and RA stands for remote assistance. Together, it`s Aira.

I`m Suman Kanuganti. I`m the founder and CEO.

Aira is a platform for blind and low vision people to seek information anytime, anywhere that they want. All of our Aira agents are distributed

throughout the country.

I came up with the idea when I was having a conversation with a friend of mine. At the age of 34, he`d been legally blind.

These glasses, they look like a pair of sunglasses, but the difference is they are equipped with a camera that is mounted right on the right hand-

side frame of these glasses.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Juan (ph). Thanks for calling Aira and this is Erin. How can I help you today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Erin. Can you direct me to the mailroom downstairs?

KANUGANTI: When the session has started, an explorer provides what is there (INAUDIBLE) activity of their interest, and they are talking. It`s a

two-way conversation. An agent is providing what we call instant information that is needed for the explorer to do and complete the

particular activity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you continue forward will head into the mailroom here. And it looks like the mail side is just ahead towards one o`clock.

It`s about head high. So, it`s a large silver metal rectangle. Just slightly to the right.

KANUGANTI: So, it`s one human providing that information and another human using the information, and together, they`re acting as one individual, and

I think that`s very powerful.

One of the my field stories that I would like to tell is a father that calls in every night to read bedtime stories for his 60-year-old daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And makes them into crowns and play king of the forest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And makes them into crowns and play king of the forest.

KANUGANTI: From the explorer`s perspective, they either put the glasses on, or used the phone, to call in to our agent. It is a simple one push

button and within less than five seconds, our agents pick up the call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, you take me to Regent`s Pizza.

KANUGANTI: An explorer`s activity could be as simple as navigation, traveling on foot, reading, experiencing a concert, experiencing a game, or

even assisting with the workplace related activities.

Our agents will not provide any opinionated answers, but they provide exactly the detailed description of the particular item to our explorers.

So, in short, we call it description of life.

Aira is the description of life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Last story is about a blood donor named James Harrison. The Australian Red Cross says he had major chest surgery when he was 14, and

needed the blood of others to save his life. So, Harrison promised he`d donate his own blood when he was old enough and he`s kept that promise more

than 1,100 times. That`s a great thing because his blood has something most people`s doesn`t.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUBTITLE: This baby might not be alive today were it not for life-saving blood donations from this man.

James Harrison, known as "The Man with The Golden Arm," has donated blood nearly every week for 60 years.

His blood has saved the lives of over 2.4 million Australian babies.

Now, at age 81, Harrison is giving his last donation.

Because of the age limit restriction for donors in Australia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we were here at the beginning.

JAMES HARRISON: I didn`t want to retire at all. I think it was the rules that once you turned 81 in (INAUDIBLE) your blood is not worth bottling

(ph).

SUBTITLE: Harrison`s blood has unique, disease-fighting antibodies that have been used to develop an injection called Anti-D.

JEMMA FALKENMIRE, AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICE: In Australia, up until about 1967, there were literally thousands of babies dying each year,

and doctors didn`t know why, and it was awful. Women were having numerous miscarriages and babies were being born with brain damage. Researchers

discovered Anti-D, and then James was discovered to have this antibody in his blood, which is amazing.

SUBTITLE: Anti-D is given to moms whose blood is at risk of attacking the blood cells of their unborn babies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many Anti-D injections did you have?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had three.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

SUBTITLE: Harrison is one of no more than 50 people in Australia known to have the antibodies used to make Anti-D.

Anti-D made from Harrison`s blood was even used on his own daughter when she was pregnant.

HARRISON: My own daughter getting an inject that produced my grandson. That was probably where I said, oh, wow. It was great.

SUBTITLE: Over the years, Harrison has donated blood 1,173 times.

HARRISON: Maybe it was more ego, I would go about 800, and I say, I wouldn`t care for a thousand. And then it got a thousand. And then I

said, well, I might have (INAUDIBLE), it doesn`t hurt.

KRISTY PASTOR, MOTHER: They just said, you needed the vaccine. I didn`t think about it any further. And then looking into it more obviously, I

found out about James and how amazing he is and how many donations he`s and that was all because of him

HARRISON: It`s good to know that my Anti-D is doing the right thing and making a lot of mothers and a lot of fathers very happy.

FALKENMIRE: Every batch of Anti-D that has ever been made in Australia has come from James` blood, and more than 17 percent of women in Australia are

at risk. So, James has helped save a lot of lives.

SUBTITLE: Mothers who were treated with the injection gathered at his last donation to say thank you.

HARRISON: I had no wish to give up. In fact, I didn`t want to give up this week, but it`s my last and I should -- the last chance to have to put

something out there to be used in the future.

I was hoping the next person in the line steps up and breaks my record. That would be great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

END