[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
COY WIRE: Hello, everyone.
It's Thursday, so Happy Friday Eve.
I'm Coy Wire, and I'm giving a salute to all the teachers
out there today, like Mr. Sallies at Pine Valley
Central School in South Deighton,
New York, who I met recently.
All of you keep uplifting, guiding,
and inspiring, helping us make sense
of this world in which we live.
Students go on and give your teachers some hard hands today,
and let them know you appreciate them for being the best
that they can be for you.
Now, we start today with news from the Black Sea, where
a Russian fighter jet forced down
a US Air Force drone this week after damaging the propeller.
The US drone and two Russian aircrafts
were flying over the Black Sea, when one of the Russian jets
intentionally flew in front of and dumped
fuel on the unmanned American drone several times.
According to US officials, the Russian aircraft then
hit the propeller of the drone, prompting US forces to bring
the drone down to the water.
The incident marks the first time Russian and US
military aircrafts have come into direct physical contact
since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine
just over a year ago.
And the incident, this week, is likely to increase tensions
between the two nations.
The US called Russia's actions reckless, environmentally
unsound, and unprofessional.
But the Russian Ministry of Defense
denies that the Russian jet made contact with the drone at all.
This is a potentially dangerous escalation
at a critical time in the current conflict
between Russia and Ukraine.
We'll hear now from CNN Pentagon correspondent
Oren Liebermann, who has more.
OREN LIEBERMANN: All of this plays out early Tuesday
morning in international airspace over the Black Sea,
when the US says its MQ-9 reaper drone
was intercepted by two Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets.
That part is not that uncommon.
These sorts of intercepts have happened in the past.
What is extremely rare is what happened
as this played out over the course of 30 to 40 minutes.
The Russian fighter jets, according to the Pentagon,
repeatedly flew around and in front of the US drone,
dumped jet fuel in front of it, and even collided with it,
damaging the propeller and forcing
the US to take down its own drone in international waters
in the Black Sea.
Now, the National Security Council's coordinator
for Strategic Communications, John Kirby,
told CNN that the US took steps to protect its equities,
but it's unclear exactly what that is,
whether that was some self-destruct or
some other step to protect it.
Now, the drone has not been recovered, partially
because, at least, there is no US Naval asset in the Black Sea
to have carried out such a recovery.
So the US took some step to protect
its own equities this MQ-9 reaper drone,
but, again, unclear what that is.
Much of the response, so far, has
been in the diplomatic lane-- the US
summoning the Russian ambassador to the US
and carrying out at least a 30-minute conversation
at the State Department, Russia giving
an entirely different version of events,
saying there was no collision.
There was no Russian jets firing at that US drone,
but Russia saying it does not want confrontations.
COY WIRE: 10-second trivia.
Which of these US states is nicknamed the gem state--
Oregon, Idaho, Arkansas, or Delaware?
Idaho.
The gem state is the 14th largest,
and it's bordered by Montana, Wyoming, Utah,
Nevada, Washington, and Oregon.
We'll travel to Oregon now, where some residents are
pushing to move the state line so
that they can join their neighboring State of Idaho.
The movement, known as Move Oregon's Border for a Greater
idaho, is looking to redraw the border between Oregon and Idaho
so that about 20 rural conservative Oregon
counties can, instead, become part of Idaho.
These counties say that they want
to do this because they want a Republican-led government.
Oregon's state government is currently controlled
by Democrats, while Idaho's state government
is controlled by Republicans.
Critics of the idea have called the plan bad for America
and have stated that the US political system
works best when there's a balance
of different viewpoints.
But members of the group, pushing for change,
have said, rural Oregon is politically
outnumbered in its state and that their voices
have been ignored for years.
The group believes their livelihoods, industries,
and freedoms are hurt by the policies of a government that
doesn't share their values.
Still, those opposed to the idea believe dividing America
into politically like-minded people
is the opposite of a healthy country.
We'll hear now from CNN National Correspondent Kyung Lah,
looking at both sides of this debate.
SANDIE GILSON: It's extremely frustrating.
The rules and regulations that they're
making that make sense in the city don't make sense out here.
KYUNG LAH: Out here, in Eastern Oregon,
the expansive rural region and Sandie Gilson's home, where
we're walking, is a world away from the urban cities
of the state.
Do you have anything in common with Portland?
SANDIE GILSON: Oh, sure.
We're all people.
KYUNG LAH: But she says, that's about it.
And the signs dotting the East tell you
what many people here want, known
as the Greater Idaho Movement.
Redraw the state line, so liberal Portland
and the other Democratic cities are Oregon,
and Eastern Oregon, overwhelmingly Republican,
joins largely conservative Idaho.
Nearly all of Oregon's 17 Eastern County governments
have approved plans to leave and form a larger Idaho, resembling
the logo on Sandy Gilson's hat.
Is this about politics or differences?
SANDIE GILSON: Both.
We are very different people.
I don't believe that the Oregon government,
as a whole and the supermajority that
has been in power there for many decades,
is listening to Eastern Oregon at all.
It just overwhelmingly hit me, this makes sense.
KYUNG LAH: So much so that Idaho State Representative Barbara
Ehardt, a Republican, co-sponsored a bill
to begin dialogue with Oregon.
SANDIE GILSON: This is where all the big decisions are
made for the Idaho legislature.
SANDIE GILSON: The bill passed the Idaho house
and is now before the Senate.
Idaho's government is officially on a path
to redraw its state line for the first time since 1864.
The country is so torn apart right now by ideology.
BARBARA EHARDT: Yes.
SANDIE GILSON: Is this your vision of peace?
BARBARA EHARDT: It is one of the solutions, yes.
ILANA RUBEL: Are we going to carve Georgia out of Atlanta?
Are we going to carve Austin out of Texas?
Are we going to slice Michigan?
It's a ridiculous road to start to go down.
KYUNG LAH: State representative Ilana
Rubel knows all about being a political minority.
She's a Democrat in Ruby Red, Idaho,
and voted against the state bill.
Are you surprised that it has already gotten this far?
ILANA RUBEL: I'm saddened, but I'm not surprised.
We are in a time, I think, of unprecedented partisanship
and hostility.
Portland's changed.
Salem's changed.
Eugene has changed.
KYUNG LAH: What do you say when the people of those cities
say that they're changing with the times,
and that's the America of today?
ILANA RUBEL: They say it's more progressive to have
government tell you what to do, but the people
here haven't changed.
KYUNG LAH: If these two states do
agree to redraw the state lines, and Congress
has to get involved, and Congress has
to approve this entire measure.
But how would this work?
If they do all of this.
This is Oregon on that side of the river.
That is Idaho.
Oregon, where I am standing, would
become Idaho, just like 250 miles to my north, to the west,
and to the south.
It would form one of the largest states in the entire country.
A new Idaho, organizers say, it would be approximately
the size of Montana.
COY WIRE: I love shoes.
So if you're a sneakerhead like I am, we might be solemates,
and you're going to love today's story getting a 10-out-of-10.
An exorbitant price tag for some shoes.
A pair of Air Jordan 13's are expected
to shatter auction records with a high estimate of $4 million.
Worn by the legend Michael Jordan himself
in the 1998 NBA Finals, the last Championship Series,
by the way.
He won with the Chicago Bulls.
The current record is another pair
of Jordan's game-worn shoes, which went for 1.47 million,
two years ago.
Open bidding is set to take place online starting April 3.
Shoe-la-la, oui, oui.
Those are sweet.
All right, so many great Your Word
Wednesday submissions yesterday on my @CoyWire social accounts.
Thanks to today's winner @BradyEEllison for exorbitant.
Did you hear it?
It's an adjective, meaning unreasonably high,
when talking about a price or amount charged.
Our special shout out today is going to Redwood Collegiate
Academy in Ukiah, California.
Big love for the third biggest state in America.
Do you remember which state is the largest in the country?
It was on yesterday's show.
I'll ask somebody.
See you tomorrow, lovely people.
It'll be Friday, and we can't wait.
I'm Coy Wire, and we are "CNN 10."