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Mideast on Edge as Fighting Rages on Multiples Fronts; IDF on High Alert Ahead of October 7th Anniversary; Trump Returns to Site of First Assassination Attempt; Florida Braces for Another Hurricane, Potential Cat. 3 Storm; Ukrainian Woman's Journey from Finance to Front Lines. Aired 5-6 am ET
Aired October 06, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:00:34]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
Israel strikes Lebanon's capital as Hezbollah targets northern Israel with its own rockets. We're live in Beirut with the latest.
Donald Trump returned to the site of his first assassination attempt alongside the world's richest man. What he and Elon Musk told the crowd.
Plus, even as communities assess the toll from Hurricane Helene, a new storm is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. We'll go to the CNN Weather Center for details.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: And we begin in the Middle East where fighting is raging on multiple fronts and fears of a bigger war are growing just as Israel prepares to mark the anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7th.
Israel's military says the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza is now surrounded and anti-Hamas operations are underway. The statement says Hamas was detected in the area trying to rebuild its operational capacities. The IDF says it's working to stop that from happening.
We're also getting word of an Israeli strike on a mosque in Gaza overnight which reportedly killed at least 21 people.
In Beirut, CNN crews reported near constant explosions this morning as Israeli strikes pounded the city. Israel's military says it struck Hezbollah weapons facilities overnight and suggested more is coming, but Hezbollah is firing back.
Israel says about 30 projectiles crossed into Israel this morning on top of about 130 that came in on Saturday. Some of them were shot down, but others got through. That's happening as the IDF is on high alert for tomorrow's anniversary of the October 7th attack. And as the region braces for the IDF's expected retaliation against Iran for its strikes on Israel this week, Israel's Prime Minister says his country has no intention of backing down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Today, Israel is defending itself on seven fronts against the enemies of civilization. For in defending ourselves against this barbarism, Israel is defending civilizations against those who seek to impose a dark age of fanaticism on all of us. Rest assured, Israel will fight until the battle is won, for our sake and for the sake of the peace and security of the entire world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: All right, for more, Ben Wedeman joins us now from Beirut. So Ben, looking at your shot there, we can see in the distance smoke behind you. Take us through what's been happening there.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, just a few minutes ago, Kim, we saw yet another Israeli strike on the southern suburbs. In fact, I'm just going to step out of the way so Sharbel (ph), our cameraman, can zoom in. You know, the rest of the city, it looks normal. But the southern suburbs, we see this pall of smoke.
What we saw overnight was perhaps some of the most intense strikes on Beirut so far, some of them very close to the old airport road. And nonetheless, despite all these strikes coming in overnight, also leaving and arriving at Beirut International Airport, which is just adjacent to the southern suburbs, were more planes coming in and out. Oddly enough, the airport is still functioning.
Now, overnight, some of these strikes, we did see there were secondary explosions, many secondary explosions, suggesting that, indeed, some of these sites were, in fact, places where perhaps Hezbollah was storing weapons of some sort.
Now, normally, strikes are preceded by a few warnings from the Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military. There were three separate warnings to seven buildings in different parts of the southern suburbs. But what the number of strikes far exceeded that.
Now, it's worth noting that, for instance, residents in the southern part of Beirut are very unnerved by the sound of the airplanes, civilian airplanes, coming in and coming out, because, for them in that area, they don't sound much different from the Israeli warplanes as well.
[05:05:03]
So, really, it was a very difficult night for the residents of the southern part of the city. I think I just heard another thud. But, yes, back to you, Kim. BRUNHUBER: All right, Ben, with Iran still anticipating an attack by Israel, everything is literally going on behind you there. I mean, tension in the region is so high, as this cycle of escalation seems to have no off-ramp?
WEDEMAN: Well, there could be an off-ramp if the United States were more actively engaged. But, certainly, what we've seen is, as the country is, in a sense, utterly distracted by this presidential election campaign, perhaps a lame-duck president in all but name, the feeling is the United States just has decided not to do anything. I mean, for instance, we did see yesterday the United States announced $157 million in aid to Lebanon, but it's not lost on anybody here in Lebanon or anywhere else in the region.
The same country that's providing aid for civilians is also providing Israel with billions of dollars to conduct this military campaign here in Lebanon and in Gaza. There just doesn't seem to be a foot on the brakes. I've covered many of these conflicts before, between Israel and Gaza, between Lebanon and Israel, and we've always seen that either Democratic or Republican administrations did what they could to bring the fighting to an end.
What we've seen is statements coming from American officials, but they're not using the leverage they have to stop this conflict. And the worry is that after a year of this war, in which tens of thousands of people have been killed, there just doesn't seem to be the political will to do what needs to be done to bring it to an end.
Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Exactly. Ben Wedeman in Beirut, thank you so much. Appreciate that.
Well, U.S. President Joe Biden says the White House is working closely with Israel to prevent a disproportionate retaliation against Iran. Our Arlette Saenz has more.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Senior administration officials remain in constant contact with their Israeli counterparts as they try to assess what the next steps will be in Israel's response to Iran's ballistic missile attack earlier this week.
Now, U.S. officials do not know exactly when Israel will make their final decision or when they might plan to enact that. One state's senior State Department official telling CNN that it's hard to tell whether they might try to use the October 7th anniversary of Hamas's attack against Israel to retaliate. But President Biden has said he doesn't believe that that decision is imminent. Take a listen.
BIDEN: The Israelis have not concluded how they're -- what they're going to do in terms of a strike. If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields.
SAENZ: That last portion comes just a few days after President Biden had left open the possibility that Israel could target Iran's oil reserves as a response. But now he's saying that he does think that they should pursue alternative options instead. The president has also ruled out the possibility or said that he opposes Israel trying to target Iran's nuclear facilities.
But a senior State Department official says that the U.S. has not received any assurances from Israel that they won't go down that route. Officials have been speaking with their counterparts in Israel around the clock, trying to ensure about their response, hoping that ultimately the decision of how to respond will be a measured one. But this all comes as a at a very complicated moment, as the anniversary of Hamas's attack against Israel approaches on Monday.
And President Biden is now dealing with this conflict on multiple fronts. He has tried to seek a diplomatic solution to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza for a year now. But so far, that has not come to fruition.
And at times, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has really gone against some of the advice that the U.S. has offered. Now they are also dealing with this conflict in the Middle East, really opening on two fronts between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as Israel and Iran. It comes as President Biden has really tried to spend the last year trying to prevent this conflict from spreading to a wider regional war. And it's something that he's still keen on trying to prevent in these coming days as Israel is assessing their response to Iran.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the President in South Bend, Indiana.
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BRUNHUBER: Thousands around the world joined demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza ahead of the October 7th anniversary.
In Rome, clashes broke out between police and some 5,000 protesters on Saturday, prompting officers to fire back with tear gas and water cannons.
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One demonstrator spoke on the importance of these protests, despite a ban from the interior ministry.
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RIM BOUGHANMI, PROTESTER (through translator): We came here to say no to war, to say no to genocide in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen. No more war and no more support from the Italian state. Even with the ban on this demonstration, we have the right to express ourselves. That's all. No to war. No to genocide. Long live Palestine. Long live Lebanon. Long live the whole world, the whole Arab world.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: In Cape Town, thousands joined a march to Parliament. They delivered a memorandum calling on the government to implement the National International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.
And in the Philippines, activists clashed with anti-riot police in the capital on Saturday after they were blocked from holding a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
Donald Trump held a rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he survived an assassination attempt in July. He honored the victims of the shooting. But he also suggested that his political rivals may have tried to kill him without providing any evidence.
CNN's Alayna Treene reports.
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ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, exactly 12 weeks after that first assassination attempt on his life in July.
Now, one thing of note is, they held it in the exact same rally as it was back in July, but some things were different. There was definitely heightened security. You could see more agents on the ground. But the rally on Saturday was really about honoring the victims, especially the man who had died in July. His name was Corey Comperatore, and Donald Trump spoke at length about him on stage.
He actually paused his remarks at 6.11 p.m., the exact time, 12 weeks earlier, that the gunmen had fired those shots for a moment of silence. Donald Trump also spoke about the victims who were injured that day and thanked local law enforcement on the ground.
However, part of the speech in Butler actually reminded me of the speech Donald Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention just days after that assassination attempt, when he had promised a message of unity and gave one for roughly 30 minutes, but then segued into kind of the typical Donald Trump we know, by using harsh rhetoric and attacking his political opponents.
He did the same thing on Saturday, as did his running mate, J.D. Vance. Let's take a listen.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Over the past eight years, those who want to stop us from achieving this future have slandered me, impeached me, indicted me, tried to throw me off the ballot, and who knows, maybe even tried to kill me.
J.D. VANCE (R-OH) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First, they tried to silence him. When that didn't work, they tried to bankrupt him. When that didn't work, they tried to jail him. And with all the hatred they have spewed at President Trump, it was only a matter of time before somebody tried to kill him.
TREENE: Now, both Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have in the past tried to claim that perhaps Democrats and their rhetoric, arguing that he is a threat to democracy, could have been responsible for the assassination attempt. Of course, there is no evidence to suggest that that is true.
And just one other moment of note on Saturday is that Donald Trump called up Elon Musk to the stage. This is the first time we have seen Musk not only at a rally, but to get up on stage and speak at one.
Also worth noting, Musk first endorsed Donald Trump just moments after the assassination attempt in Butler on July 13, so kind of a full- circle moment there. And, of course, Musk has become really a top surrogate for Donald Trump. On Saturday, he argued that this is going to be the most important election of Americans' lifetimes.
Alayna Treene, CNN, Butler, Pennsylvania.
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BRUNHUBER: So, as Alayna mentioned, Trump invited Elon Musk to speak during the rally. The billionaire cast Democrats as a threat to democracy, claiming they want to get rid of free speech and guns. He also praised Trump for his bravery and courage. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, CEO, SPACEX AND TESLA MOTORS: The true test of someone's character is how they behave under fire. And we had one president who couldn't climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist pumping after getting shot. Fight, fight, fight, blood coming down the face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Kamala Harris traveled to North Carolina Saturday, where Hurricane Helene had its deadliest impact. Large areas were washed away by the storm, devastating local communities. At last count, at least 227 people had been killed across six states, including 113 in North Carolina.
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Harris came to see for herself what federal resources were needed to aid the recovery process and get help to the people who need it. She thanked members of the Air National Guard and the many other employees and volunteers for the work they were doing in disaster relief. Here she is.
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KAMALA HARRIS, (D) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: These moments of crisis bring out some of the best of who we can be and who we are. I've been seeing and hearing the stories from here in North Carolina about strangers who are helping each other out, giving people assistance in every way that they need, including shelter, food, and friendship and fellowship. And so I thank everyone for all the work that they've been doing, those who are in the room and those who are out there. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: So as we saw, Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance spoke at Trump's rally, saying both Harris and President Joe Biden aren't doing enough to help relief efforts. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: But what started out as a natural disaster is becoming a man- made disaster. When Appalachia was underwater, remember, President Biden was sitting on a beach and Kamala Harris was at a San Francisco fundraiser. That is not leadership. That is a disgrace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: He also said while he's encouraged by FEMA's ground response, he's disturbed by, quote, "bureaucratic incompetence," delaying the delivery of needed aid. Vance and other conservatives have been criticized for promoting false statements about the flow of help. The White House has denied the allegations, and some Republican governors have praised the Biden administration's efforts. Some political observers worry that misinformation will increase in the weeks leading up to the election next month.
While politicians debate the federal government's hurricane response, millions of people in Appalachia are picking up the pieces of their lives.
Still ahead, how the cleanup efforts are actually going.
Plus, Florida just can't catch a break. We'll have the latest on Tropical Storm Milton forecast to rapidly intensify into a hurricane before making landfall in Florida this week.
And tensions are close to the boiling point in the Middle East amid fierce Israel's retaliation against Iran could push the region over the edge. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. Transportation Department is sending $100 million in emergency funds to North Carolina. The money targets the immediate work required to rebuild roads and bridges decimated by flooding from Hurricane Helene. Rescue and recovery work has been severely hampered by lack of accessibility because of washouts, including parts of Interstate 40 in a number of locations. Alternate means of access have often been required for relief, including by air, all-terrain vehicle, horseback, or on foot.
Now, volunteers from throughout the U.S. have come to flood-stricken areas. In difficult circumstances, they're making great effort to provide relief and some sense of security. This is how David Howell, Supply Director of Cajun Navy Relief, described the situation.
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DAVID HOWELL, SUPPLY DIRECTOR, CAJUN NAVY RELIEF: What we're looking at is a lot of these communities are very rural. They are not able to be accessed right now except by ATV, horseback, or helicopter. In your normal flood, the water comes up over hundreds of miles. Right here, we're looking at where it is very concentrated and wiping out infrastructure on the ground, starting at the headwaters and moving out into the other areas.
Our main distribution points are taking ATVs and wheelers, random cars that are showing up, bringing in supplies. We're then looting them onto ATVs, four-wheelers, some into backpacks, and we're hiking and driving and taking horseback into these people, getting them the help that they need, making sure that they have the supplies to survive until we can get roads cut into them.
Right now, our immediate needs are being met, but we're looking at some of these communities are going to be needing supplies. They're going to be needing clothes through the winter. Temperatures are going to be dropping into the 30s here soon, and we're going to have to find a way to make sure that they stay warm enough through the winter that we can look at what they're going to need in the spring to start rebuilding.
They understand, you know, that we're coming in and that we're their one lifeline at that moment. We're bringing news of what's going on out in these communities. We're bringing them the supplies. It is so powerful to be able to sit there and have a conversation with somebody who has not seen another person in 10 days or whatever the case may be because they are cut off from the real world.
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BRUNHUBER: Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, the state is bracing for yet another hurricane, potentially a major Category 3 storm. Tropical Storm Milton formed in the western Gulf on Saturday. It's expected to quickly intensify and bring life- threatening conditions to parts of Florida's west coast around midweek. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in advance for 35 counties on Saturday.
So I want to go straight now to CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar. So, Allison, another storm. Could this one really impact the same communities that were hit by Helene?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, yes, Kim. I mean, even if landfall is not exactly in the same location as Helene, you're still going to have those widespread impacts, storm surge, flooding, damaging winds. All of these things are possible with this particular storm.
Now, it still has sustained winds of only 50 miles per hour right now, but it's expected to intensify rather quickly here over the next 48 hours. It's going to get up to at least a Category 3 hurricane. That makes it a major hurricane. Expecting that to kind of happen maybe sometime around Tuesday and then continuing on its eastward trek, making landfall somewhere along the west coast of the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday. So not much after it reaches that Category 3 strength.
Now, when we look at the waters, one of the reasons it's expected to intensify so quickly is because of how warm the Gulf of Mexico is. That's fuel for storms like this to develop, especially very quickly. And this is a smaller storm in size. That also allows these storms to increase rather quickly compared to the larger ones.
[05:25:01]
When you look at all the spaghetti plots, all these different lines that you see here, these represent one possibility of where the storm could go. So you see almost all of them have a landfall somewhere along the west coast.
Now, they vary by point. Some, you know, maybe say down towards Naples, others over Tampa. Some may be up a little bit farther north towards Cedar Key, which was devastated by Helene. But all of these right now are a possibility. And we really won't see those tighten up here until at least another 48 hours. That's when we'll get a much better take on exactly where this storm is expected to go.
You've got some watches in place already in Mexico. More watches are expected for Florida today. That will include hurricane watches and also some storm surge watches are expected to go into effect.
But regardless of where this makes landfall, look at these rainfall totals. You are talking widespread, essentially from Gainesville, Florida, all the way down to Key West. You're looking at three to five inches. And that's on the low end. I need to emphasize that a lot of these areas will start at five inches and continue to go up perhaps as high as a foot of rain before this system finally exits out on the other side into the Atlantic Ocean.
So you've got these flood watches in effect, although that's a twofold. It's not just for the flooding that Milton is expected to bring, but also there's some rain expected in some areas today, tomorrow and Tuesday. So out even ahead of the system, there's going to be other rain and that's going to saturate that ground, much like we saw with some areas with Helene, how they had rain out ahead of it. It's called a PRA, a precursor rain event for some of those areas saturating the ground. And that means once Milton finally arrives, it's going to cause flooding to occur a little bit faster than it normally would if the ground was already dry.
Now, one thing to note to the timing here, you can see some of that pre rain there even on Monday morning, Monday afternoon starting to take effect. But then the storm itself gets much closer to these areas. By Tuesday, you're starting to see storm surge levels come up. You're starting to see the very heavy rain bands, perhaps even some tornadoes and water spouts as early as Tuesday also. And then once we get to Wednesday, that's when we're expecting this thing to make landfall. That's when you're really going to start to see a lot of those really damaging winds.
And Kim, the other thing to note, too, some people just now starting to get their power back on and may lose it all over again in just a few days from now.
BRUNHUBER: Unbelievable. Really hard-hit communities there. And we'll know more, I guess, in the next 48 hours.
Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
Well, searchers are still trying to locate dozens of people reported missing in the wake of floods in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. Torrential rain led to landslides in a region southwest of the capital of Sarajevo. Reports say at least 21 people have died.
The landslides became even more deadly when granite debris from a nearby rock quarry was swept away when an elderly resident lost four family members.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALKA GLUSIC, LOST FOUR FAMILY MEMBERS (through translator): And how should I feel losing four, having no one anymore? My house is completely destroyed. There is no one, no one. What can I tell you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And the floods follow a summer of extreme drought, which has impacted agriculture and water supplies in the Balkans and much of Europe. And meteorologists blame the extreme weather on climate change.
All right, coming up, Israel is preparing to mark the anniversary of the October 7th attacks, which kicked off a year of war, death and humanitarian calamities across the Middle East.
Plus, New York has increased security near synagogues after several bomb threats targeted the houses of worship. And why they're taking those extra precautions. That's when we come back soon.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
A quick update on our developing story in the Middle East. The Israeli military says its troops have surrounded the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, saying Hamas is trying to rebuild its operations there. The statement says the troops will stay there until the Hamas infrastructure is dismantled.
Dozens of families fled northern Gaza because of the operation. CNN crews also reported near constant explosions in Beirut this morning as Israeli strikes keep pounding the city. This video shows a massive blast on the eastern side of Beirut.
We're also getting word of an Israeli strike on a mosque in Gaza overnight which reportedly left at least 21 people dead. Israel itself is also taking fire.
The IDF says about 30 projectiles came from Lebanon this morning on top of more than 130 launched yesterday. The IDF says it's on high alert but is prepared to face any possible attack that may come as Israelis mark the anniversary of the October 7th massacre.
Protesters gathered in cities across Israel Saturday ahead of that painful anniversary. Huge crowds rallied in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other cities blocking traffic and handing out ribbons to motorists. Their demanding Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, act quickly and decisively to free those still held captive in Gaza. Protesters blame him for letting an entire year go by without securing the release of all the hostages.
All right, for more, we're joined by Salma Abdelaziz from London. So, Salma, as we look ahead to October 7th, there's so much heightened emotion obviously around the sadness, anger, and fear, too, about the possibility of another high-profile terror attack.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a dark day indeed, October 7th, and one that's consequences continue to play out across the region, of course, Kim. I'll begin outside of the Middle East. We saw over the weekend these huge pro-Palestinian demonstrations in cities and towns across the world from Sydney to Rome where tear gas was fired to here in London.
You can continue to expect to see those demonstrations potentially in Western capitals, Western cities across the world heading into that anniversary. The United States and the U.S., of course, they're preparing for these rallies as well. The FBI has issued a statement warning of the need for heightened security.
It warns -- the FBI warns, that both Muslim and Jewish religious sites could become potential targets on the anniversary already. Several cities, New York, Miami, others, have increased their police presence in response to this. And, of course, into Israel now, where you mentioned those rallies that were happening just yesterday on behalf of the hostages, the calls to bring some 100 people, an estimated 100 people still held captive inside Gaza to bring those individuals home. You can expect to see those rallies on Monday as well.
[05:30:09]
But they will be limited in number, in scope, and that is because organizers, Kim, are concerned about any potential projectiles or missiles being fired from Hezbollah towards these areas. And that brings me to the larger region here.
Of course, just in the last few weeks, Israel has expanded its fight. Prime Minister Netanyahu has launched that ground offensive into Lebanon, Beirut, facing heavy airstrikes this morning. So very much an anniversary that will continue to play out across the region where there are calls for ceasefires, calls for mediation efforts. But this is also an opportunity, this anniversary, for Prime Minister Netanyahu, as we have seen in the past, to essentially reject those calls for a ceasefire, continue to double down on what he says is necessary to ensure that on October 7th doesn't happen again. It comes at the cost of many, many lives, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, appreciate that. Salma Abdelaziz in London. Thanks so much.
New York City is also on high alert following multiple bomb threats targeting synagogues. None were deemed credible. CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ed, and it's important to emphasize that we heard from New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday after several synagogues across the state received these bomb threats. None of the threats were deemed credible. But as a result of the upcoming Jewish holidays, as well as the first-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks, the governor said that she was deploying state police to partner with local law enforcement agencies to make sure that communities across the state are safe.
Now, we are here in front of Temple Emanu-El in New York City, one of the biggest temples in the city and a really important symbol for Jewish people here in New York, but also outside of the city.
New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, and we heard from the FBI as well as the Department of Homeland Security last week that the combination of the upcoming October 7th anniversary as well as the ongoing tensions in the Middle East could be a reason for extremists to commit acts of violence.
Again, important to highlight that there have been no credible threats at this time, but the NYPD will continue their presence here and at other houses of worship across the city for the next two weeks as we approach the anniversary of October 7th on Monday but also the Jewish holidays later in the week.
Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And stay with us. We'll be right back.
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[05:41:00]
BRUNHUBER: Well, in one sense, autumn in Ukraine is beginning much as the summer did with the country working to mobilize its population to bring support and relief to front lines stretched dangerously thin.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 in April. In May, further changes required men under 60 to renew their personal data at draft offices or online.
Many troops are desperate to be replaced after more than two years of service with no clear date yet on when they will need to be demobilized.
One woman who answered the call without being asked is Viktoriia Honcharuk. She had a life that most young people would dream about. She had a job working with Morgan Stanley in Manhattan. She'd been accepted at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Well, Viktoriia put that part of her life on hold for this, to become a combat medic on the front line of the war that had already destroyed parts of her homeland.
And Viktoriia Honcharuk joins me now from the front line in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, I mean, it's an incredible story. You were working on Wall Street. You were accepted to Harvard. The war started. You literally went from hosting a big event for your bank clients and got on a plane to Ukraine the next morning. I mean, why did you decide to sacrifice your education and a promising career to join the war effort?
VIKTORIIA HONCHARUK, UKRAINIAN COMBAT MEDIC: First, thank you so much for having me here. It's an honor to be here talking to you. I guess it is a dream life for a lot of people, and it was my dream life. I always wanted to work in investment banking, and I wanted to go do my Master's of Engineering at Harvard. This was everything I wanted.
But the war that Russia started against my homeland, my country, is existential. Russia does not want Ukraine and its people to exist. And we're fighting for the very own idea of Ukraine. You know, when I saw this, living my best life in Manhattan, and I see my family, my homeland, my memories, my culture, my language, everything trying to be destroyed, I couldn't stand back.
This was too much for me. So I found the bravery in myself to say, hey, everything I'm doing right now is not as important as long as my history, my home, and my people are being tortured and killed.
BRUNHUBER: I mean --
HONCHARUK: You just being who they are.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah.
HONCHARUK: I want to do (inaudible).
BRUNHUBER: You say you were just living your best life, going from living your best life to going to some of the most dangerous areas of the war, Bakhmut, Avdiivka. I mean, sometimes you'd be right at the contact zone in an unarmored vehicle. I mean, that must have been terrifying.
HONCHARUK: It is. I'm not going to lie. War is terrifying. But we understand here in Ukraine that surrender is not an option, that if we want to survive as a nation, if I want to be able to speak my language, have my memories, have my family here, because all my family actually joined the war efforts in the beginning of this. My sister, my mom, my dad, everyone I knew and loved, they all became part of the resistance. We understand that if we don't do this now, then the next generation of Ukrainians is not going to exist.
BRUNHUBER: What's been the most difficult moment for you so far?
HONCHARUK: As probably anybody who served in the army, it's to lose the close ones. Because when I came back to Ukraine, I created my own little family in the army. And four of those family members have passed away since then. They were killed by the Russian war. And all of them were very young, 24, 21 and 27-year-olds, who haven't had families, who, you know, had big dreams. And they were all intelligent young people, who dreamed of having a better future for Ukraine. And all of them were killed by Russia, for just being who they are and wanting best for their families, which was the hardest part for me.
[05:45:05]
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I can imagine. I can see the pain. I can hear it in your voice. How do you handle the stress?
HONCHARUK: That's a good question. I guess I learned a lot from the people who were part of my family who were killed is I try to cook whenever I can, even in the worst conditions, I tried to have something that will make my mood a little bit better. I started doing a lot of sports, again, whenever I can.
And this also passed to me from my friends who were killed, who were really into sports. And now I try to do that, to do stress management. And it kind of helped me a lot. The people who are still here with me, just being around the people who are giving up everything that they have, and had, and are willing to give their lives every single day, is inspiring. It is very inspiring. And you understand you're part of a big historical resistance. You're part of a big historical movement. And it is inspiring. And it helps me to cope with all the stress.
BRUNHUBER: Your story as well is inspiring. The fact that you chose to give up so much and volunteer to join. And certainly many others have given up a lot to join the war effort as well. But certainly there are others who have been avoiding mobilization. What would your message be to them?
HONCHARUK: My message to them is, while you're waiting, the war just comes closer and closer to you. And it will eventually touch you and your families. And then you will regret that you didn't come sooner, as simple as that.
BRUNHUBER: Obviously, we all hope the war will end as soon as possible, when it eventually does. I mean, what happens then? Will you go back to the United States and resume your career? I mean, how hard will that be after everything that you've been through, everything you've seen?
HONCHARUK: Obviously life after war is not going to be easy for anybody who survives the war and who lives to see those days. I try not to plan for any of the future. I really cannot say what my mindset will be like after the war. If I decide to go back, I don't think it'll be that difficult to get the career on track. And if not, I mean, there's always a lot of stuff to do in Ukraine after the war. I mean, our political system is -- we wish that it could be better. And if we wish it could be better, then we should be a part of making it better. So I don't -- I might see myself in political scene in Ukraine afterwards, but that's for the future.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting. Well, you still have so much ahead of you. We certainly wish that you stay safe out there. An inspiring story. Viktoriia Honcharuk on the front lines of Eastern Ukraine. Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.
HONCHARUK: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Please stay with CNN Newsroom. We will be right back.
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[05:51:57]
BRUNHUBER: U.S. national security officials are on high alert after discovering a highly skilled group of Chinese government-linked hackers have infiltrated multiple U.S. telecommunications firms in the last several months. Multiple sources tell CNN it's believed the hackers were likely searching for sensitive information regarding national security and could have accessed wiretap warrant requests. The hack is the latest targeting U.S. federal agencies that investigators have linked to China.
The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment. The Chinese embassy in Washington denied the claims, calling it, quote, a distortion of facts.
A fire broke out underneath a Frontier Airlines flight as it landed in Las Vegas on Saturday. A witness captured this terrifying video. Frontier says the pilots detected smoke as the plane arrived from San Diego. They declared an emergency. During the hard landing, the jet's tires blew. Fire and rescue officials on the ground managed to contain and extinguish the flames.
Luckily, no one was injured. All 197 passengers and crew on board evacuated safely via air stairs, and the incident is under investigation.
All right, in sports, after perhaps the greatest season in baseball history, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani proved Saturday night that no stage is too big for him.
Speaking of no stage too big, CNN Sports Correspondent Coy Wire joins me now. Coy, clearly no jitters in his playoff debut.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: No, good to see you, Kim. It's a new stage, but same old Shohei. Leading up to the game, Ohtani said that playing on this stage was something he dreamed of as a kid, well, in game one of the NLDS against the Padres. After seven years in the majors, that dream came true. Gone. The ball leaving the stadium fast like it was trying to beat LA traffic.
Second inning, a two-run shot. Ohtani's first career postseason hit, home run tying the game at three. And he wasn't done. Fourth inning, LA trailing again. Ohtani gets another knock, this time a single. And then check this out, three batters later, Teoscar Hernandez bringing him home on what would end up being the game-winning hit as the Dodgers hold on to win 7-5.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHOHEI OHTANI, LOS ANGELES DODGERS DESIGNATED HITTER (through translator): The stadium was electric, and I was just really able to enjoy the game today. It's really hard to play loose in the first game of a playoff series, and I'm sure Yoshinobu, you know, wasn't satisfied with his outing today, but I think we played a really good game against a really good opponent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Meanwhile, the Mets stealing home field advantage right out of the gate in Philadelphia against the Phillies. After being held scoreless for the first seven innings, New York exploding for five runs in the eighth, and they kind of nickel and dimed their way there. They had five hits in the inning, all of them singles, but it was more than enough, taking game one, 6-2.
Over in the American League, the Yankees getting all they could handle from the Royals, the Pinstripes trailing on three separate occasions. Each time they took the lead, Kansas City would answer right back before Austin Wells put the Yanks up for good, driving home Alex Verdugo in the seventh as New York wins the opener 6-5.
[05:55:14]
No such drama in Cleveland. The city looking to end the second-longest title drought in North American sport, 76 years since they won the World Series. So you know fans were already hyped. Then Lane Thomas did this, launching a three-run shot to left field, capping off a five-run outburst in the first. Guardians rout the Tigers 7-0.
Now, it was upset Saturday in college football in the U.S., five of the top 11 ranked teams getting upset, the biggest of them all, number one Alabama, going down at unranked Vanderbilt 40-35. Bama was favored by 22.5 points. The Commodores ending a 40-year drought against Bama. Quarterback Diego Pavia completed 16 of his 20 passes for 252 yards.
But, Kim, it was absolute pandemonium in Nashville afterwards. Fans rushed to field, first win over a top five team in Vanderbilt's history, let alone a number one. And the students not only tore the goalposts down, they took those goalposts on quite the journey, parading them nearly three miles down Broadway, which is typically where bachelor parties are pulled off and people are probably wondering what is happening here. Those goalposts ended up in the Cumberland River. Members of Nashville Fire Department eventually fished them out of that river. But I'm sure they probably didn't sleep at all there on campus.
Now, for the 16th time, Kim, in 17 years, the NFL's back in London today. And it's a good one. Undefeated Minnesota Vikings, 4-0, facing Aaron Rodgers, the future Hall of Famer, in his up-and-down New York Jets who are 2-2. And the fans in the UK are getting spoiled this month.
This is actually the first of three straight Sundays with NFL games there. And it's kind of like, you know, Christmas come early for us NFL fans because it kicks off at 9:30 Eastern. We don't have to wait all the way until 1 o'clock. So get your popcorn ready early.
BRUNHUBER: There you go. London, Brazil, Germany. Why not Canada? That's what I want to know. They feel left out.
WIRE: You've just spoken into existence.
BRUNHUBER: All right, we got to wrap. That wraps up our CNN Newsroom.
WIRE: All right, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next, for the rest of the world, it's "Connecting Africa."
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