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An Israeli Airstrike Hits Central Beirut For The First Time In Nearly A Year Of Conflict; Former Netanyahu Rival Gideon Sa'ar Joins Israeli Cabinet; At Least 95 Dead After Southeastern U.S. Ravaged By Helene; Harris Seeks To Bolster Latino Support Amid Trump Attacks; Chemical Plant Fire Forces Evacuations Near Atlanta; Two Years Since Russia's Illegal Annexation Of Ukrainian Land; Lebanese Officials Estimate A Million People Displaced By Attacks; How Citizen Science Is Helping Protect A Philippine Forest; Singer-Songwriter Kris Kristofferson Dies At 88 Years Old. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired September 30, 2024 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:28]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. Coming up here on CNN, newsroom, Israel's widening war, airstrikes hit Lebanon's capital as Israeli attacks killed hundreds and displaced thousands across the country.

Dozens dead, over 1,000 missing, many more without power, food or water. The U.S. southeast is left reeling from the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene.

And two years ago today, Vladimir Putin signed the accession treaties, formalizing its illegal annexation of Ukrainian land. A look at Russia's campaign in eastern Ukraine as the war shows no signs in slowing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: The Israeli military has conducted air strikes in the city of Beirut, the first inside the capital city limits since the start of Israel's war with Hezbollah.

The video here showing the damage from an attack near Beirut's Kola bridge, a major intersection. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. This following an intense barrage of strikes in Lebanon that began about a week ago. Lebanon's health ministry says the attacks on Sunday alone killed more than 100 people and wounded more than 350 others. The toll from the start of the campaign over 1,000.

Meanwhile, Israel confirms it also carried out air strikes more than 2,000 kilometers away in Yemen on Sunday. This video showing the aftermath of a strike on a power station. Houthi run television, saying at least four people were killed and 45 others wounded. Israel's defense minister saying the strikes in Yemen show that for Israel, quote, no place is too far.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is live in Abu Dhabi for us, with more on all of this. Paula, Israeli attacks now inside the Beirut city limits, bring us up to date on what's been happening.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, this certainly feels like a step up in the capabilities and what Israel is trying to achieve at this point. Over recent days, we have seen strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and this is a Hezbollah stronghold. We've seen a number of Hezbollah commanders being targeted, including, of course, Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah.

But this is within the city limits, so this is something different that we're seeing now. It's near, as you say, near the Kola intersection, a very busy main intersection within the city itself. And from the images that we can see, there was one apartment appearing to be targeted. We saw firefighters fighting ablaze within that that apartment in the early hours of Monday morning, and you can see debris and chaos on the streets themselves.

Now we have heard from a Palestinian group, the PFLP, the Palestine Front for the, sorry, Popular Front for the palace -- the Liberation of Palestine, they say that three of their members were killed when an apartment in this area was targeted.

So what we're seeing now, of course, is concern in Beirut that the reach of Israel is reaching further to the central areas. And bear in mind, you have hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians that are in these areas as well. According to Relief International, one of the humanitarian aid groups, they say about 1 million people are displaced.

At this point, we saw a mass exodus from southern Lebanon, where much of the activity had been taking place. Many of these Israeli airstrikes had been targeting coming up to the capital in the hope that that would be a safer area. Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Paula Hancocks live in Abu Dhabi. Appreciate it. Thanks, Paula.

Michael Eisenstadt is director of the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute. He joins me now from Washington, and thanks for doing so. How does Nasrallah's death, along with the other hits on Hezbollah, the crippling of Hamas in Gaza, the assassination of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. How does all of this weaken Iran's reach or influence? Regionally, is it humiliating for them?

[01:05:01]

MICHAEL EISENSTADT, DIRECTOR, MILITARY AND SECURITY STUDIES PROGRAM, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE: This is a disaster for Tehran. Their preferred way of war is to operate through proxies, and Hezbollah was always the diamond in their crown, and it played a major role both in their struggle against Israel and their efforts to create kind of, what they call the Axis of Resistance in the region. Hezbollah was a key facilitator, trainer and exemplar for all these

other organizations, and the fact that Hezbollah now is on the ropes. They've suffered grievous losses in the current war against Israel. This will 00 this is a setback that may take many years, if not decades, to recover from.

HOLMES: Ayatollah Khamenei says Nasrallah's blood will not go unavenged. He didn't mention, importantly, I think Iran doing the avenging. How will Iran's next move? How will it be weighing its next moves, and how does it look if they do nothing?

EISENSTADT: Yes, it's going to be very difficult for them to do nothing. On the other hand, look, you could go through a whole list of times in which in the past, they've abandoned allies to their fate. In 1991 after the Gulf War, when the Shiites interact, rose up, they didn't intervene in Afghanistan. In 1997 when the Hazaras were massacred by the Taliban, they didn't do anything except to help some proxies there.

I mean, Lebanon in 2006 they didn't intervene. And likewise, in Bahrain in 2011 when there was an uprising that was put down of large Shiites that was put down by the government there, they didn't intervene.

So in the past, they've let -- they've left Shia communities to their fate. This will be very difficult to them, for them, though, to step back from. And we did see in April, they did respond to the killing of two of their generals in Damascus with a large missile and drone strike. It's possible to try again.

But look, the Americans now are having their second carrier coming to the region, and they're in a very vulnerable place that their main proxies for prosecuting a conflict with Israel or the United States are on the road. So I think they'll probably be very careful going forward.

HOLMES: Right. You mentioned the U.S., and where are they in all of this in terms of influence? I mean, the Americans have called for and proposed ceasefires. They've called for restraint deescalation. Either Netanyahu effectively ignores the U.S., or perhaps, could the U.S. be saying one thing publicly, but under the table, be giving the nod to Israel to continue?

EISENSTADT: I suspect the administration is divided on this issue, but I think the President, on the one hand, he sent signals that he would like to deescalate, and this is a constant theme in this administration. On the other hand, they're providing the arms that are necessary for Israel in order to achieve its own goals, which also serve American interests.

So I -- and also keep in mind, this is the election season, and the Democratic Party is divided on this issue.

HOLMES: Yes.

EISENSTADT: So the President has to take a public posture of, you know, kind of advising caution and trying to achieve ceasefires, although, let me just mention, it takes two to have a ceasefire. There's no indication that there's a willingness on the other side to do so at this point. And the Israelis have what they consider to be a once, perhaps in a lifetime, opportunity to land death blows to Hezbollah.

HOLMES: To do something they wanted to do for years. In fact, I only got a couple of minutes left, but I wanted to ask you about the Jordanian Foreign Minister had strong words at the U.N. after Israel said it was surrounded by enemies. He said Arab nations guaranteed Israel's security in exchange for a two-state solution for Palestinians, but Israel is the one killing the chances of peace and that they had no plan. That was his words.

What do you think Israel's Netanyahu plan is long term?

EISENSTADT: Well, I think his main focus is on dealing with Iran, which has a nuclear program that is making progress. Right now, he's dealing with Iran's army of proxies, and very effectively, I should mention. Let me just say, also with regard to the Jordanians, their security and their survival is bound up in their security and survival of Israel, no matter what the Jordanian Foreign Minister says publicly.

And the Iranians have been trying to undermine and subvert Jordan. It needs it as a base of operations in the West Bank and the Israelis and the Jordanians operate very, very well and very closely under the table quietly on this issue. So, you know, there's a public posture, but there's also the reality, you know, on the ground.

HOLMES: Yes, exactly. Fascinating. Great to speak with you. Michael Eisenstadt, thank you.

EISENSTADT: Thank you. Thank you.

HOLMES: Benjamin Netanyahu adding a former rival to his cabinet, Gideon Sa'ar, will become a minister without appointment. Analysts say Netanyahu is bringing on the veteran right-wing politician to shore up his base and to protect his government from ultra-orthodox opposition.

[01:10:03]

Before Israel's escalation in Lebanon, Netanyahu had intended to replace defense minister Yoav Gallant and give Sa'ar that position. Sa'ar insists that he would have been qualified for it despite his lack of national security experience, but now says he will not take the post. Netanyahu explained why he chose to appoint a former adversary.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Now it's no secret that there were differences between us in the past, but since October 7, we both put behind us all that has happened. That's what happened when Gideon Sa'ar joined the government in October, and that's how it is going to be when Gideon is returning to the government and the security cabinet today. We will work together shoulder to shoulder, and I intend to use his help in the forums that influence the conduct of the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: U.S. President Joe Biden plans to visit communities devastated by Hurricane Helene this week, at least 95 people are dead after high winds, torrential rain and flash flooding ripped through the southeastern US. Even more are missing or unaccounted for, largely due to breakdowns in communication. Groups like the Florida National Guard are working quickly to rescue residents and animals alike and have made more than 300 rescues so far.

The most pressing concern for residents in cities like Asheville, North Carolina, is to find dwindling supplies. Catastrophic flooding is still a major issue there, with much of the city completely swamped. One Community Director became emotional telling CNN about the toll the storm has taken there.

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MICHELLE COLEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASHVILLE DREAM CENTER: This is the most devastating thing I've ever seen the whole city. I think, the loss of life, the fact that if you don't have cash, you can't get anything. We've gone to stores, waters out, ice is out. People slept overnight at gas stations like I feel like we've never seen this before, and I know that we don't really truly know the numbers of the loss of life here. It's been devastating.

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HOLMES: CNN's Rafael Romo is in North Carolina with more on the destruction wrought by Helene.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Buncombe County officials announced the sad news on Sunday, saying that at least 30 people have died in this county alone, which means that the figure at the state level is now 36 and officials say that in the southeast, the states that were hit by the hurricane and the subsequent storm are now more than 90. And what we have seen in Asheville here, where we are, is many streets like this one behind me, covered in mud. There's debris everywhere, and people trying to cope, because it's been very difficult for officials to deliver the aid that is badly needed by people.

Governor Roy Cooper from North Carolina said that they're trying to get to those communities, not only here, but communities in the mountains, around here, some of them are inaccessible because the roads are impassable. And one alternative, and this is what the governor is, says that they've been doing is airlifting water and food and basic necessities to those people. And so they have developed a system by which they bring all the supplies here, and from here they distribute those things.

Now we have been talking to people here that tell us that for the time being, they're OK, but as time goes on, is going to be more and more difficult to find food. There are many gas stations. There's one right next to where we are, that are not operational. There are others that are running out of fuel, and many people desperate, going to different places try to get the fuel.

And the reality is that these people it's going to take a while to get running water. Officials say that they're trying their best to bring the water system back up and running, but they were trying to fix water main breaks before they can stabilize the pressure -- the water pressure in the system, and then the third step would be to actually turn the system back on.

Also power remains a problem for most of the population, and we have learned that at least two cell phone carriers are bringing satellite trucks that are going to provide relief because people are unable to communicate with loved ones who live in other parts of the country and other states to let them know that they're OK.

Just to give you an idea, the governor said that more than 1000 reports of missing people. That's what authorities have received in the last few days alone. Rafael Romo, CNN, Asheville, North Carolina.

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HOLMES: While some North Carolina residents have complained about the local government response, the state's governor, Roy Cooper, told CNN's Kaitlan Collins, his main concern is helping those in need.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY COOPER, NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: Our number one priority right now is getting people out and getting supplies in. There are search and rescue teams from 19 states, from the federal government, from our National Guard, from our state and local teams who are out there rescuing people as we speak.

The biggest problem is getting to them, because more than 280 roads are closed. Many counties and areas where people are our land lock. Cell phones and internet service is down. So we know there are a lot of families and friends that are worried about people, and there have been about 1,000 requests for that dial 211, to report if you are looking for someone.

But we've been pushing the cell phone companies, and they've been working very hard. We've been finding ways to help them get in to get cell phone service back up, that is beginning to make progress in coming back. The more of the cell phones come back, the more we will know where people are and what the situation is. The same with power.

In the meantime, food and water is critical, because people are cut off, and it's very difficult, and if not impossible, to get trucks into some of these places. So we're having to do it by air. There is a massive effort underway to coordinate and make sure that we're getting supplies and water to people, because it's a life and death situation here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The governor acknowledged the death toll could rise further with rescue operations still ongoing.

Now, we are just weeks away from the U.S. presidential election, and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is trying to strengthen support among Latino voters in the state of Nevada. The visit comes on the heels of new polling from NBC News, Telemundo and CNBC of registered Latino voters, throwing Harris ahead of former U.S. President Donald Trump. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, with more from Las Vegas.

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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Kamala Harris making a stop in the critical swing state of Nevada. Now, in her remarks at her rally today, she spoke about the two different visions that she presents compared to that of her Republican rival Donald Trump.

Now she has been trying to shore up support among Latinos a growing electorate, and one where she has a lead over her Republican rival Trump, but also one where, when the numbers are broken down, she has an advantage with women, Hispanic women, but it is even with Hispanic men. So the vice president tweaking her message here in Nevada to also speak to Latino voters going through issues like the economy, where she mentioned Latina small business owners, also housing affordability, health care and immigration, especially underscoring an approach that is both border security and comprehensive immigration reform, and also talking about reproductive rights.

The Vice President, when she was concluding her remarks, also talking about early voting and mobilizing voters to make sure that they get their ballots in as soon as they can.

Now, the Vice President also looking ahead this week to that vice presidential debate with her vice presidential nominee Tim Walz as well as J.D. Vance, and there she said, quote, their debate should not be the last word again, needling for President Donald Trump to debate again, something that Trump has not yet committed to, but the vice president saying that she would cheer on who she calls Coach Walz. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now during his Pennsylvania rally, Donald Trump spent much of his time railing against the U.S. Vice President on immigration issues, again, stoking fears about migrants, but he also took time to again question Kamala Harris's mental state. Here's CNN's Jeff Zeleny with more on that.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: With five weeks to go in the presidential election, former President Donald Trump campaigned in Pennsylvania on Sunday, talking about a return visit next week to Butler, Pennsylvania, of course, that was the site of the assassination attempt earlier this summer. That certainly changed him and the campaign.

He talked about that assassination attempt at a rally in Erie on Sunday afternoon as he delivered an excoriating recitation of Kamala Harris, talking very little about his own policies, but repeatedly questioning her mental acuity.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Crooked Joe Biden became mentally impaired. Said, but Lying Kamala Harris, honestly, I believe she was born that way. There's something. Nothing wrong with Kamala.

[01:20:00]

And I just don't know what it is, but there is definitely something missing. And you know what? Everybody knows it knows it.

ZELENY: Now many Republicans would prefer the former president focus on the economy, focus on immigration, rather than personally going after Kamala Harris. That was not what Donald Trump did today. There is no question that the base of his party enjoys those types of attacks. The larger question is, what does it do for persuadable voters in the middle.

Now Erie, Pennsylvania, is a fascinating place to campaign. Certainly one will be watching as the election goes forward, and indeed, on election night. Barack Obama won this county twice in 2008 and 2012. Donald Trump carried it in 2016. Joe Biden won it in 2020. It is indeed a swing county inside a battleground state. That is why Donald Trump was campaigning here on Sunday. There is no doubt the vice presidential debate is coming up on Tuesday in New York, and then one month remains until the election. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Erie, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A rooftop fire at a chemical plant here in Georgia has forced evacuations and road closures. Officials say water from a faulty sprinkler head came in contact with a water reactive chemical causing what you see there that massive plume of smoke. Crews managed to get the fire under control, but the smoke could be visible for miles and miles around the exact cause of the fire and the chemicals involved remain unknown.

Still to come on the program, Ukraine's president says Russia's daily strikes are evidence that Kyiv needs to be able to use long range weapons on Russian targets. We'll discuss how the U.S. is responding to the issue.

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[01:25:20]

HOLMES: Two years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty declaring the accession of four Russian occupied territories in Ukraine. It followed a sham referendum in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk denounced by Ukraine and much of the international community.

Today, Moscow still controls parts of those regions, and the war rages on along Ukraine's eastern front lines and in the skies. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says at least 14 people were injured Sunday by a Russian strike on a residential building in Zaporizhzhia.

Mick Ryan is a retired Australian Army Major General, also the former commander of the Australian Defense College and author of the book "War Transformed." He joins me from Brisbane. Always good to see you, Mick.

So the second anniversary of Putin's signing of these treaties, formalizing the annexation of these regions illegally. It was seen as a major escalation as that anniversary hits. How do you evaluate the battlefield, especially as the Russians seem to have momentum in the east?

MAJ. GEN. MICK RYAN, AUSTRALIAN ARMY (RET.): Yes. Good day, Michael. It's clear that Putin is continuing to focus on these for blasts to ensure that whatever happens in the next six months or so, he's able to meet his minimalist objectives for this war, which is securing the Donbas. He's even eschewed large scale redeployments to curse to ensure he can take as much ground as possible in eastern Ukraine.

HOLMES: Yes, no decision yet from the Biden administration on permission for Ukraine to use those longer range weapons to hit targets deeper inside Russian territory. How is that impacting momentum? How crucial is that permission as winter approaches?

RYAN: Well, it has a significant impact on several parts of the Eastern battlefield. Firstly, it means the Ukrainians can't go deep into Russia to destroy airfield where the aircraft launch these glide bombs and where they store these glide bombs from they are having a really decisive impact on the east, and it just means they're not able to get in and destroy many other Russian assets that would help the Ukrainians.

HOLMES: Winter does usually create a digging in, a stalemate effect. What do you see happening or not happening over those winter months?

RYAN: Well, certainly the Russians appear to have stepped up their tempo in the last two months to try and grab as much territory as possible before the winter this year, I expect that the tempo of the war will slow down as it has in the last couple of winters. It won't stop entirely. We'll continue to see Russian attacks on Ukraine. We'll continue to see battle on the ground, but it won't be at the same intensity that we're currently seeing in the east, or indeed in Kursk.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. We've been talking about this for two years you and me. With winter, of course, two comes November and the U.S. presidential election. How worried would Volodymyr Zelenskyy be about Donald Trump, who keeps saying he has, you know, a magical plan that he's yet to outline to end the war, no doubt, to Russia's advantage. How worried would Zelenskyy be about November?

RYAN: Well, I think he'd be very worried, not just standing the meeting they had last week, which I think was very smart of Zelenskyy to do. I think Trump, in that meetings, you know, indicated that he wants to negotiate a fair deal. I think there are unfortunate words and an unfortunate mindset. Russia is the aggressor here. They don't deserve a fair deal.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. He gives, He gives no detail. Of course, he never does. What was your take on Putin's announcement about changes in Russia's nuclear doctrine? I mean, as you've written, I was reading a piece you did it would, in essence, mean Russia might target non- nuclear nations who are supported by a nuclear armed country. What is your take on that bluster or genuine threat something to be worried about.

RYAN: I'm not sure this really changes Russia's nuclear stance in any great way. What it really does is demonstrate that Putin continues to manipulate decision makers, particularly in Washington, DC. He is been very good at this throughout the war, and he's ensured that for some avoiding World War III and a nuclear exchange is the preeminent aim, rather than helping Ukraine win. This is just more of that.

HOLMES: Always great analysis from you. Mick Ryan, thanks so much. Good to see you.

RYAN: Thanks, Michael.

HOLMES: Still to come here on the program, an estimated 1 million people. That's about 20 percent of the population displaced in Lebanon as Israel continues to launch attacks against Hezbollah.

[01:30:05]

But humanitarian groups are warning things could get even worse.

We will discuss after the break.

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HOLMES: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM with me, Michael Holmes.

Now, we're following the developments, of course, in the Middle East where Israel continues to escalate attacks across the Lebanon border. Israeli airstrikes hitting within the city limits of Beirut Sunday for the first time since Israels war with Hamas began last year.

Videos showing the chaos and fear unfolding for Lebanese civilians in the capital following the attack on Monday morning. It comes after days, of course of intensifying strikes which Lebanese officials say killed more than 100 people on Sunday alone, and more than a thousand since the strikes began.

The World Food Programme warning that quote, "Lebanon is at breaking point" with a million people displaced by Israel's attacks. Some families sleeping in the streets struggling to find food or clean water.

Pope Francis calling for an immediate ceasefire.

[01:34:51]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, LEADER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Defense always has to be proportionate to the attack. When there is something disproportionate you can see a tendency to dominate that goes beyond morality.

A country that with its force does these things -- any country, I mean, that does these things in such an exaggerated way, they are immoral actions. Even in war, there is a morality to respect. War is immoral, but the rules of war indicates some morality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right.

Rula amin is a senior communications adviser for the U.N. Refugee Agency in the Middle East and North Africa, also a former CNN correspondent. She joins me now from Amman in Jordan.

It's good to see you, my friend.

Israel says its operation is about getting 60,000 displaced Israelis back to their homes in the north. But the numbers of displaced people in Lebanon are staggering -- a million people.

That's 20 percent of the population already more than in the 2006 war. Where are they? What are they experiencing?

RULA AMIN, SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER, UNHCR: It's a totally tragic situation, Michael because with every day where Israel expands the areas, it's targeting, that means for the people who are fleeing the areas that they can decide are safe or considered safe to run to are shrinking very fast. There is nowhere to run to.

Every time they move, they have to move again as the areas that are being targeted are expanding.

Now, it's not just the people who are moving, on the move, but it's also the people who are killed. In one day more than 550 Lebanese were killed and including Syrians and refugees.

So for now, the government says about a million people. U.N. numbers may differ a little bit, but we have thousands and thousands of people who were forced to flee their homes. They have been moving from one place to another.

They need all kinds of basic necessities. They need shelter, they need food, they need water, they need medical care, and most important, they need to be protected. They want to feel safe to be able to protect their children.

HOLMES: Yes. And to that point, what resources are available, what more is needed, how is UNHCR helping?

AMIN: So UNHCR has been on the ground in Lebanon for years and decades. Since this crisis started in October, we have been supporting all those who have been displaced.

Now in the past week, the numbers have really jumped up in a way where the needs are exceeding the resources in such a staggering way.

So we are on the ground providing some kind of shelter, support, helping people with blankets, mats, sleeping mats, mattresses, with solar lamps. Other agencies are bringing in food, water, but it's not enough because every day there are more people who are running away, every day that are less shelters available.

The government has established more than 700 shelters so far, these are schools and (INAUDIBLE), but it's not enough. So many people in Beirut are sleeping in the open air. You remember Beirut, you know, the corniche, one of the musical spots in Lebanon now is filled with all these displaced families, trying to stay safe, trying to run away from the bombings.

HOLMES: Yes. I've known you for many years. You've lived in the region. You had a storied career reporting from CNN, from the Middle East, including our Beirut and Jerusalem bureaus as well. You covered the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.

I mean, given your vast experience watching and reporting from the region, how concerned are you about what could be unfolding and what could be to come?

AMIN: We have not seen anything like this before, even in 2006. I was in Beirut and I was on the ground. But it was never like this.

Now we have to remember this, the amount, the intensity of the bombings, the areas pocketed, the (INAUDIBLE) -- there's a huge loss of civilian, of lives especially amongst civilians.

And we have to remember that Lebanon was suffering from a deep economic crisis that was affecting Lebanese and refugees in the country. Lebanon is hosting 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Many of them now trying to not only they fled Syria to run away from the bombs and the conflict, they came to Lebanon for safety. Now they have to live through that experience again.

There are -- many of them are choosing to go back to Syria now. our colleagues are on the Lebanese-Syrian border on the Syrian side.

Every day, thousands of people cross Lebanese and Syrians, fleeing the violence and the bombings in Lebanon, trying to find a safe corner. They don't know what is the plan for tomorrow. All they know is that they have to run.

And the situation in Syria is also difficult. There is a very deep economic crisis.

[01:39:46] AMIN: So there are no resources, not within the people's hand, so that they can rent and pay for rented apartments and not even a humanitarian agency like UNHCR, where there are so many conflicts in the world, the resources are shrinking.

So even for us to be able to meet the needs of all these people our abilities are really crippled by the lack of resources. My colleagues are on the Syrian-Lebanese border. People are driving exhausted, traumatized and panicking.

We have giving them water, food, putting rubber hose for them to stay but this is the day they arrive. But then they move on. The Lebanese go some kind of makeshift shelters. They can go to stay with friends.

Some of the Syrians who are crossing are going back to villages and towns that are totally destroyed. They may not have homes.

We are on the ground in Syria. Which have community centers, more than 114. But we know that is not enough. And they need more resources.

HOLMES: I mean the humanitarian side is getting lost in this conflict, the middle of the politics and the rest. 20 percent of the nation's population being displaced is staggering.

Rula, we've got to leave it there. Terrific reporter, doing great work now in the humanitarian sphere.

Rula Amin, thank you. Good to see you, my friend.

AMIN: Thank you very much, Michael. Thanks for highlighting this tragic situation.

HOLMES: Important yes.

All right. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, how a small team of conservationists in the Philippines is using citizen science to justify the legal protection of a critically-important forested area.

We'll be right back.

[01:41:28]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Today on "Call to Earth", we continue with a spotlight on the Philippines and an organization working to conserve the country's last remaining pristine rainforest.

Winning critical habitat protection for a forested area known as Cleopatra's Needle gave the team at the center for sustainability their first big win in Palawan, that now they've turned their attention to a new project on the southern half of the island.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KM REYES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER, CENTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY: So we're in the barangay hall of Barangay Princess Urduja which is one of three of our barangays or villages that make up the area that we're trying to protect for the proposed Sultan Peak critical habitat.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: According to KM Reyes, Sultan Peak, also known as Kunsa (ph) to the indigenous, is part of the only mountain range in Palawan that has no formal protection.

REYES: The area that we're trying to protect is about 8,000 hectares, pristine rainforest. Also, this incredible watershed system and its completely unstudied.

WEIR: The region is also rich in nickel, a highly coveted mineral, essential to clean energy technologies like electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels.

REYES: The barangay is about to release a public official statement that they openly and strongly oppose mining operations happening in their village. They would like for those rights at the indigenous as well as the local government unit to be recognized.

WEIR: Just like they did with Cleopatra's Needle, the Cs s team is exploring this wild, unstudied area to document its flora and fauna, which will help justify its protection.

REYES: We live for the fieldwork. I think it's also the secret sauce at CS because if you don't have that connection to nature then you kind of yes, forget what your North Star is.

WEIR: This excursion is focused on training a local field guy who signed up for a long-term research project led by staff member and wildlife biologist Aubrey Jayne Padilla. One of her jobs is to simply take pictures, lots and lots of pictures.

AUBREY JAYNE PADILLA, WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST: We take and document everything that we see on the trail particularly flowering plants. So flowering plants is very specific season and we don't know when we'll ever see them again.

WEIR: The images will eventually be uploaded to a database on the iNaturalist platform, an open-source tool that helps identify plants and animals. But also generates data for science and conservation.

PADILLA: So now we have this one that I don't know, so we're taking a photo especially the flowers and arrangement of the leaf so we'll have it on record.

WEIR: In this beautiful landscape, the hard part is staying focused on the task at hand because even the most inconspicuous speck of green can be a significant find.

PADILLA: So we just found blood wart, which is a carnivorous plant that we see here. What is exciting about it is that it is a possible bioindicator of water quality. So for us at CS, we like to note it down. And it's part of the work that we do later on to kind of prove, yes, what's important about the area. Why it needs protecting.

WEIR: With agriculture supporting the majority of families on this part of the island. The water coming off of Sultan Peak is critical for protection.

KM and the Center for Sustainability team hope they can protect Sultan Peak within three years, one year faster, than what they pulled off with cleopatra's Needle.

REYES: It's so urgent to protect our last remaining wild places. We all have the power to change the course of history. And of course history can just be in your own backyard. It doesn't mean that you're going to be recognized globally for the work that you do or the changes that you make.

But I think we all have the power to change what's happening in the world. And I think CS is a living example of that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And watch the full half-hour special on CNN.com search "Call to Earth Conservation Rises".

We'll be right back.

[01:49:46]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The legendary songwriter Kris Kristofferson has died at the age of 88. His family said Kristofferson passed away peacefully Saturday at his home on Maui in Hawaii.

He was a musician, an actor and so much more.

Stephanie Elam looks back at the life of a true renaissance man.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Looking back, it's a pretty amazing ride.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kris Kristofferson was a Golden Gloves boxer, a Rhodes scholar, and an army helicopter pilot before giving up his military career to pursue his dream of being a country music songwriter.

KRISTOFFERSON: It was shocking to most people because I was a captain in the army. And I was on my way to teach English at West Point.

When I went to Nashville, I was a dancer for a couple of years and bartender and did a lot of menial jobs.

ELAM: But Kristofferson persevered and eventually artists like Johnny Cash and Janis Joplin were taking his songs to the top of the charts. KRISTOFFERSON: I wouldn't have been doing any of the other things performing if I weren't a writer. They wouldn't have hired me for my voice.

[01:54:49]

ELAM: Despite whatever misgivings he had about his singing voice, Kristofferson parlayed his songwriting into a recording career. He became successful artist in his own right, scoring a string of popular country albums and songs.

He captured Hollywood's eye as well. "Pat Garrett" and "Billy the Kid", "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore".

KRISTOFFERSON: Just waiting there.

ELAM: "Convoy" and "Blade" were highlights in a decades' long-acting career. But perhaps his biggest film was the 1976 remake of "A Star is Born".

Kristofferson played a hard drinking, self-destructive rockstar opposite Barbara Streisand. He saw a lot of himself in the role.

KRISTOFFERSON: I was certainly going through all the emotions that that character was doing. In the mid-80s, Kristofferson teamed up with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, to form the country supergroup, The Highwaymen. They released a trio of albums and performed together for over a decade.

In later years, he received some of music's top honors including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Looking back, he had no regrets about embarking on his artistic journey all those years ago.

KRISTOFFERSON: I think I loved the whole creative process.

ELAM: Kristofferson once said he wanted the opening lines of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire" to be engraved on his tombstone. "Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir, I've tried in my way to be free."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A life well lived.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me watching CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Michael Holmes.

Stick around, our coverage continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church and Becky Anderson after the break.

[01:56:51]

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