MELISSA?
MELISSA: THANK YOU FOR THAT,
JENNIFER.
JOINING TO US GET HIS TAKE ON
ALL OF THIS IS RETIRED ARMY
GENERAL JACK KEANE.
HE IS A FOX NEWS SENIOR
STRATEGIC ANALYST.
GENERAL, THANK YOU FOR JOINING
US.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS
EXPLOSION?
>> WELL, THE RUSSIANS ARE
NOTORIOUS FOR HAVING BELOW
STANDARDS IN TERMS OF SAFETY AND
MAINTENANCE.
AND THEY CLEARLY HAVE GREAT
SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS, AND
THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO
DEVELOP ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
SYSTEMS, AND THAT'S CLEARLY WHAT
THEY ARE TRYING TO DO HERE, BUT
THEY'VE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS
SYSTEM IN THE PAST, AND FOR OUR
VIEWERS TO UNDERSTAND, IF YOU
CAN PUT A SMALL NUCLEAR REACTOR
IN A CRUISE MISSILE, THEN YOU
HAVE ACTUALLY TAKEN AWAY THE
RESTRICTION OF RANGE, AND IT CAN
CIRCUMNAVIGATE ANY PLACE ON THE
GLOBE, AND IT PROVIDES A HUGE
ADVANTAGE TO SOMEBODY WHO OWNS
THAT WEAPONS SYSTEM.
SO THAT'S WHAT IS AT STAKE HERE.
MOST OF OUR SCIENTISTS AND
ENGINEERS ARE QUITE SKEPTICAL
ABOUT THE ABILITY TO ACHIEVE
THIS KIND OF NEW TECHNOLOGY
BREAKTHROUGH.
MELISSA: YEAH, I MEAN, THEY PUT
OUT A VIDEO EARLIER THAT WE
LATER DETERMINED WAS DOCTORED
SAYING THEY HAD THIS TECHNOLOGY,
AND AT THE TIME, YOU KNOW, FOLKS
WERE SKEPTICAL.
WHAT DOES THIS EXPLOSION TELL
YOU ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY
EVER HAD THAT WEAPONS CAPABILITY
OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES IT MEAN
IN THAT SENSE?
>> WELL, THEY NEVER HAD THE
CAPABILITY.
THAT WAS A COMPUTER-GENERATED
VIDEO, HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH
ACTUAL REALITY, AND IT WAS
ASPIRATIONAL TO BE SURE, AND IT
WAS DONE IN CONCERT WITH PUTIN'S
STATE OF THE UNION, AND
INTERESTING ENOUGH, AS THIS
MISSILE WAS CIRCUMNAVIGATING
PART OF THE GLOBE, IT FOUND
ITSELF INTO FLORIDA AS ITS
ULTIMATE DESTINATION.
THERE'S A LOT OF HUBRIS
SURROUNDING ALL OF THAT.
I THINK PUTIN CLEARLY
OVERSELLING THE TECHNOLOGY THAT
IS STILL IN ITS ASPIRATIONAL
STAGES.
MELISSA: A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK
WHEN THEY HEAR OF THIS ACCIDENT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE FALLOUT
OF THIS?
>> THEY HAVE HAD PROBLEMS
BEFORE.
RECENTLY ONE OF THE MUNITIONS
PLANT BLEW UP.
THEY LOST ONE PERSON, 14, 15
OTHERS EVACUATED.
THIS WAS A WEEK OR SO AGO AND
16,000 PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED AND
THEN LAST MONTH, THEY HAD A FIRE
ON A NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINE
AND 14 SAILORS WERE KILLED.
BACK IN 2000, WE KNOW THEY LOST
NUCLEAR POWER TO AN UNDERWATER
EXPLOSION AND THE ENTIRE CREW
HAS PERISHED.
THEY HAVE ISSUES.
AS YOU MENTIONED, THERE ARE
NOTABLE ONES.
THEY DON'T ABIDE BY
INTERNATIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS.
THE UNITED STATES SETS THE
STANDARD WHEN IT COMES TO
NUCLEAR POWER SAFETY STANDARDS.
MELISSA: CAN I ASK YOU REAL
QUICK BEFORE WE RUN OUT OF TIME.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE PROTESTS
THAT WE'RE SEEING THAT ARE GOING
ON IN RUSSIA?
YOU KNOW, DOES PUTIN HAVE THE
IRON GRIP THAT WE THINK HE DOES?
WE'RE SHOWING SOME VIDEO OF IT
RIGHT HERE NOW.
HE CELEBRATED 20 YEARS IN POWER
LAST WEEK.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
PROTESTS?
BIG DEAL OR NOT A BIG DEAL?
>> I THINK IT IS A VERY BIG
DEAL.
OBVIOUSLY PUTIN IS AN
AUTHORITARIAN.
HE RUNS A REPRESSIVE REGIME.
HE CONDUCTS A MASSIVE
INFORMATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST HIS
OWN PEOPLE, TRYING TO MAKE --
APPEAR THAT LIFE IS BETTER THAN
WHAT IT IS, BLAMING THE UNITED
STATES FOR EVERY PROBLEM THAT
THEY HAVE, AND HERE WHAT THESE
PEOPLE ARE UPSET ABOUT IS HE'S
DENYING OPPOSITION POLITICIANS
THE RIGHT TO RUN FOR THE CITY
COUNCIL IN MOSCOW.
AS HE HAS DONE IN OTHER LOCAL
AND STATE GOVERNMENTS.
THERE'S BEEN PROTESTS ALSO IN
OTHER CITIES IN SUPPORT OF THIS,
AND THIS IS THE FIFTH PROTEST
THAT'S TAKEN PLACE IN MOSCOW.
WHAT THEY HAVE DONE, AND WE
DON'T HAVE A LOT OF VIDEO ON IT,
IS THEY HAVE VICIOUSLY BEAT BACK
THESE PROTESTS.
THEY HAVE THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF POLICE IN MASS WITH
BATONS BEATING BACK THESE
PROTESTERS.
THEY'RE ALSO GOING INTO THEIR
HOMES AND ARRESTING THEM.
THEY'VE GOT HUNDREDS OF THEM IN
THE JAILHOUSES, AND THEYRE
GAVING THEM IN SOME CASES
EIGHT-YEAR SENTENCES FOR
CONDUCTING -- GIVING THEM IN
SOME CASES EIGHT-YEAR SENTENCES
FOR CONDUCTING WHATEVER WHO HAS
OBSERVED IT HAS SAID IT'S BEEN A
PEACEFUL CIVIL PROTEST ON THE
PART OF THE DEMONSTRATORS.
MELISSA: WOW, SOMETHING TO WATCH
FOR SURE.