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Isa Soares Tonight
President Biden Assesses Damage From Deadly Flooding In Kentucky; U.N. Warns Over Russian Shelling At Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant; Ceasefire Between Israel And Islamic Jihad Holds; Ukraine: At Least 361 Children Killed By Russian Attacks; China Conducts 5th Day Of Drills Around Taiwan Strait; 80,000 Tourists Trapped In Chinese City After Sudden Lockdown. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 08, 2022 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show everyone, I'm Christina Macfarlane, in for Isa Soares. Tonight,
President Biden assesses the damage from deadly flooding in Kentucky as the U.S. Senate approves the largest investment in climate action in American
history.
Then, words of warning from the U.N. They say Russia's shelling around the Ukrainian nuclear power plant is, quote, "suicidal". And the ceasefire
holds between Israel and Palestinian militants after more than 50 hours of violence. We're on the ground in Gaza city. Now, U.S. President Joe Biden
is in the coal mining state of Kentucky, meeting survivors of devastating floods that killed at least 37 people.
Experts say the massive flooding is typical of the impacts we're seeing from global warming. And the president's visit comes a day after the
Senate, by the narrowest margin, approved the nation's biggest ever investment in climate action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the vice
president votes in the affirmative, and the bill as amended, is passed.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: The bill's climate provisions are historic, almost $400 billion for clean energy and climate change investments including multi-
billion dollar tax incentives to reduce greenhouse gases, develop alternative energy and encourage consumers and industries to embrace it.
Democrats predict it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by the end of the decade.
The bill doesn't have everything President Biden and many fellow Democrats wanted, but it nevertheless is a big victory for the president's agenda.
CNN political senior reporter Stephen Collinson is in Washington for us. And Stephen, just put this into context for us, just how big a win this is
for the Democrats in the running to the Midterms, given they had such fierce opposition from the GOP.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICAL SENIOR REPORTER: Right, it's a massive win politically, and it could be a win for the climate and the planet going
forward. It's especially a big win because for months it looked like it wouldn't happen, only a reversal late last month by West Virginia Senator
Joe Manchin, a moderate who'd actually stopped the climate change bill from going forward, allowed this to happen.
And getting anything through a 50-50 Senate, it's almost impossible. And given the year that President Joe Biden has had, notwithstanding quite a
good run of success with various bills, the killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri last month -- last week, you know, it's definitely a big
political win.
MACFARLANE: Yes, and this is a 50-50 Senate as well. Stephen, thanks very much for now. The landmark measure which also includes healthcare and
corporate tax provisions addresses climate change multiple ways. It includes tens of billions of dollars towards encouraging industry and
consumers to adopt clean energy. Tens of billions more towards cleaning up existing pollution.
And billions more for alternative energy development and other green projects. But Democrats also had to agree to fossil fuel provisions to win
the support of one conservative Democrat, Joe Manchin we were hearing just then from Stephen. CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir has been
analyzing the bill and joins us now from New York. Bill, really good to see you.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you --
MACFARLANE: As we've been saying, on the face of it, Bill, this is a huge step forward. U.S. pledging to cut emissions by 40 percent by 2030. So,
let's just start with the good stuff here. For you, what are the most positive parts of the package when it comes to having a real world impact
on climate change?
WEIR: Well, for everybody who's really motivated to move into sort of the industrial revolution 2.0, clean energy and storage and carbon capture, all
of that, they are just excited beyond measure to finally have some official funding and some national support behind this. Let me give you some
examples right now. I visited a couple of the leading carbon capture start- up technology companies in the country.
These are finalists in Elon Musk's $100 billion carbon X prize. Here's one of them. It's a company called Charm, that's it. That one little truck with
a logo on the side.
[14:05:00]
They take biowaste, basically cornstalks off of fields that would just rot and become methane, and turn them into that oil which they inject then into
old oil wells. This is another little start-up company, and on the end of that -- appear, you see a little machine that was built by two Caltech
professors that can pull carbon dioxide out of sea water.
But it takes a year to get a single ton, which is about what you or I would emit in a couple of weeks. So these are the very early days of these huge
transformative technologies. And now, they will get all this infusion of cash. It will be a signal to both investors and entrepreneurs that there
are built-in 10 years of subsidize consumers.
And then on the consumer side, every aspect of your life will be affected by this, i.e., transportation, food, shelter, how you heat and cool your
home. All of these fat carrots they're hoping, the Democrats, will incentivize enough of a consumer shift that it will drive down fossil fuel
demand.
But when you compare again, those little start-ups to that, to the Goliaths, these are the little Davids against the Goliaths of ExxonMobil
and Chevron and Shell, which made $40 billion almost in profit last quarter, just in a few months. So, these are the early days of this
emerging technology.
But after generations of inaction, the fact that this got through the Senate; the world's biggest deliberative body going up against the world's
most urgent crisis, finally some movement there, and I think that's what most Democrats are celebrating. But again, there are some giveaways to oil
and gas there that have others with hard time --
MACFARLANE: Yes --
WEIR: Today.
MACFARLANE: Well, let's talk about those giants in a bit more detail, Bill. Because the fact that the fossil fuel industry is welcoming these
measures with open arms is in itself concerning. What concessions have been made here in order to get this deal done?
WEIR: Well, the big one that is sticking in most cross of those on the left is this lashing dirty fuels with clean on federal land, basically
before they could open up a wind or solar project on federal land. They would have to lease a couple million of acres on land to oil and gas, or 60
million acres offshore.
Now, this looks like it's the status quo and sticking with the old fuels that got us into the problem. Those who support the bill on the Democratic
side say, look, this is a cut-back from what we've been leasing the last 10 years on average. Most of those acres will never see a drilling rig, a tiny
percentage ever get done.
And they think that the drop in demand from consumers as they switch over to all these cleaner fuels, will bring down the demand for oil or gas.
That's what all of those things are sort of factored into these projections, that it will cut emissions 40 percent by 2030. And again, they
also want a seat at the table. They want to be able to write -- help -- have a voice and right the regulations of the new energy era.
They know, they've predicted that sort of peak demand is coming in just a few years, and they would appreciate, as many sort of incentives from
federal government as they can get to switch into carbon capture. The things that they like to talk about in their ads these days, but don't
really show up in the balance sheets.
There will be real financial incentives for them to do the right thing and reverse a lot of the damage that's been done over the generations --
MACFARLANE: Yes, so --
WEIR: So, yes, they are singing its praises which has some on the left really worried, but those who support the bill say, all told, this is so
much better than it could have been.
MACFARLANE: Absolutely. Just politically, I mean, this is for sure the farthest that any Congress has gone on climate. But it's also worth noting
that this is the only thing they've ever done on climate, right? So comparative to other countries in the G7. How does the U.S. stack up when
it comes to emissions?
WEIR: Well, the emissions that have dropped most dramatically since like 2005 are mostly result of shifting from coal to natural gas and methane.
Which is a lot cleaner than coal if you handle it right, but it still leaks quite a bit and it's a huge problem in the short term.
That's why there's also a sort of stick in this bill that would crack down on methane emissions, finally put a price on that, so incentivizing these
big oil companies to capture that, you know, fugitive gas there that's heating things up and so quickly as well.
But in the long term, it sends a message to the rest of the world that we're sort of in on this fight. Historically, the United States has had the
biggest emissions. China now leads, you know, day-to-day. These days because, given the size of their population. But the number one and two
emitters in the world have to be a part of this.
And of course, there's tensions since Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. The Chinese are saying they don't want to talk climate with the United States anymore.
But so many universities and corporations are already entwined. The supply chains are there, that now it's sort of a race into this new future.
[14:10:00]
And how much cooperation it's done, will play itself out, but at least right now, the U.S. can say they're in the game.
MACFARLANE: Yes, China, the big outlier on this, of course, but maybe this will incentivize them as you say to ramp up production, get in on the game.
Bill Weir, great to have you with us. Thank you for your --
WEIR: Thanks --
MACFARLANE: Perspective. All right, well, China, the U.S. and the European Union account for almost half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. And
a new report from the EU's climate monitor starkly shows how it is affecting much of the world. The Copernicus monthly report says last month
was one of three warmest Julys on record. It says it was drier than average across much of Europe, triggering droughts which helped spread and
intensified wildfires.
And sea ice in the Antarctic melted to its lowest July level in the 44 years that records have been kept. Now, the U.N. Secretary-General is
calling for a halt to fighting around Europe's largest nuclear power site, describing the recent shelling at Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia in
Ukraine as suicidal.
Ukraine and Russia are blaming each other for the attacks. Ukraine's state energy companies says three radiation centers have been damaged, calling it
a miracle that a nuclear catastrophe was averted. It says Russian forces must be expelled, and a demilitarized zone created to ensure the plant's
security.
Well, CNN's David McKenzie is following the story tonight from Kyiv. And David, it's a pretty murky picture at the moment as to who is to blame,
what the actual damage is at the plant. And we're hearing that Russian forces have been accused of using the plant as a shield to launch military
operations. What more do we know at this point?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christina, it's really is murky as you say as to who is to blame for this shelling. But all
sides agree that there was shelling on this very large complex to the southeast of where I'm standing, which is a critical nuclear power plant
for this country, and it's the largest in Europe.
So, very alarming that there was shelling on that side, and near to the nuclear reactors that can and are built to withstand very large blasts, of
course. But the Ukrainians and the Atomic Energy watchdog saying that this is extremely, this is something everyone needs to pay attention to, that
it is risking a potential nuclear fallout, the worst-case scenario kind of scenario.
But there is a sense that there is at least a chink in this story. That, the Russian representative to the Atomic Energy Agency just recently told
state media that there may be willing to let in those inspectors to inspect the site, the safety of the site. But it is correct that you say that
Russians have been occupying that site since at least March when they overtook that part of Ukraine.
And they have been in charge there while Ukrainian engineers still work. So, it's a very tenuous situation. Just across the river, Ukrainian
military positions and a demilitarization of the complex is something that many sides are calling for, but it hasn't happened as of yet.
MACFARLANE: Yes, David, thank you very much for now. I want to turn to Ukraine's ambassador to the IAEA, who warned a nuclear disaster at
Zaporizhzhia could have consequences for all of Europe, saying it could eclipse the catastrophes at Chernobyl and Fukushima. Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk
joins me now from Vienna. Ambassador, great to have you with us, thank you for your time.
Your Director General Rafael Grossi has said it is imperative that the IAEA are able to access the power plant right now, to assess the damage. Is that
mission going ahead as things stands, and where are you at securing safe passage for that team?
YEVHENII TSYMBALIUK, UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO IAEA: Well, we absolutely support approach of Director-General Grossi. We welcome his intention. We
welcome his energy on pushing these issues so intensively all the time. I can tell you that the government of Ukraine, all parts of the government
and operator, Energi Atom, all of us, we are welcoming. We would welcome this visit as soon as possible.
It's really needed because of recent shellings on the 5th and 6th of August, when the nitrogen-oxygen station at the NPP was shelled when there
were several explosions near the electrical switchboard. And actually, we should do it in order to prevent further development of the situation.
MACFARLANE: Is it your understanding --
TSYMBALIUK: So, this is --
MACFARLANE: Apologies to interrupt, ambassador, I just wanted to pick up because we heard our reporter David McKenzie just saying that there have
been some conversations, some negotiation with Russia, as to accessing the plant. Do you know anything about where that situation is at?
[14:15:00]
TSYMBALIUK: Well, I know that it's very difficult to negotiate with Russia. If Russia are saying no, it is no. If they are saying yes, it means
that maybe. So, it's really they're not keeping their word. That's why it's very difficult for IAEA to discuss this issue with them. We are not talking
to them directly on this issue, and I think that the U.N. is doing their job, and U.N. would be also much welcome in this mission, experts of U.N.
because IAEA has a mandate only for nuclear safety. And --
MACFARLANE: Yes --
TSYMBALIUK: We really need to have an expert, military expert from U.N., and military expert from U.N., they will say where the shellings are coming
from. That's important.
MACFARLANE: What is your understanding of what the damage has been at the plant? Do you know if there has been any sort of radiation leak?
TSYMBALIUK: Well, for the moment, not yet. We are reading reports from Energi Atom, operator, and so far, it's not a problem yet. But shellings
are continuing. And terrorist tactic from the Russian federation is being continued. And if you look at recent places, which were damaged, so high
voltage power lines, so I may assume that they are aiming to cause a blackout for the whole south Ukraine, which is receiving power from this
station.
MACFARLANE: You've said that if something were to happen like a direct hit to the plant, the consequences would be comparable not even to Chernobyl.
How catastrophic would that be? How far with the contamination stretch?
TSYMBALIUK: I think that, of course, it depends, it would be only leakage of or it will be a blast. If it will be a real blast with the rockets, will
go inside of reactor, and there will be a blast. I can tell you that in 50 kilometers, there will be nothing around this station, and actually Ukraine
will be -- the whole of Ukraine will be in a huge problem.
But I would say that Europe will be in problem as well. And maybe also Mediterranean, and it depends on weather, of course. But the consequences
will be really huge. That's why we need this mission. We need it badly as soon as possible.
MACFARLANE: Yes, and let's hope that you're able to secure that mission. Ambassador, thank you very much for joining us tonight, appreciate it.
Well, Ukraine says a ship that just docked in Turkey is carrying a message of hope for families across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The Polarnet is the first ship loaded with Ukrainian grain to complete its journey since experts resumed under an agreement with Russia. The deal is
meant to help ease a global food crisis, setting terms for the delivery of millions of tons of grain. Two more ships left Ukraine's Black Sea ports on
Monday.
OK, still to come tonight, Ukrainian children are losing their homes, their family members and even their lives to Russian attacks. We'll look at the
toll the war is taking on its youngest victims. Plus, a ceasefire holds off the days of violence in Gaza. What people there are doing to try and pick
their lives back together.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
MACFARLANE: Welcome back. A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants appears to be holding after a weekend of violence in Gaza.
Palestinians say 44 people including 15 children were killed in the fighting which began when Israel launched preemptive attacks on Friday.
Israeli forces say they targeted the Islamic Jihad group, and that the strikes dealt a significant blow to the militants. With the truce now in
place, Gaza's border crossings have reopened allowing trucks to deliver much-needed fuel to the area's only power plant. It was shut down a day
after Israel launched its military operation. CNN's Hadas Gold has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For nearly two and a half days, Israeli airstrikes and Islamic Jihad rockets shattered the calm
in Gaza in southern Israel. The conflict starting Friday when Israel preemptively struck Islamic Jihad targets, attacking what it said were
concrete threats from militants. Shortly after, the sirens began to wail in Israel, and the Iron Dome Aerial Defense system began its work,
intercepting nearly all the incoming rocket fire.
In Gaza though, there are no sirens. The Ministry of Health there, saying 44 people were killed and more than 300 injured in the weekend violence, 15
of them, children, including 5-year-old Alikat Duhm(ph) killed in one of Israel's opening salvos. Israel insists nearly all those killed in their
airstrikes were militants, and released a video it said showed that an explosion in Jabalia in which four children were among seven killed, was
caused by a failed rocket launch by militants.
By Sunday night, Islamic Jihad launched more than 1,000 rockets, and Israel had struck more than 140 targets in Gaza. As Egyptian mediators managed to
broker a ceasefire, but not before a final volley of airstrikes and rockets. Both sides as usual declaring victory.
(CROWD CHANTING)
CROWD: Allahu akbar.
GOLD: Israel highlighting the deaths of two militant commanders, saying it had wiped out the top security brass of the Islamic Jihad, while the
militant group said they confronted the Israeli aggression with strength.
ZIYAD AL-NAKHALAH, ISLAMIC JIHAD IN PALESTINE (through translator): Today, after the clashes stopped and the fire stopped, we saw a clear scene. The
Islamic Jihad movement is still strong and stable and even more powerful.
GOLD: The ceasefire coming just in time, the already precarious humanitarian situation in Gaza reaching a near-breaking point as border
closures meant the enclave's only power station had run out of fuel, causing massive electricity shortages. But by Monday, the trucks were
rolling into Gaza again. The fragile normalcy or what passes for it, returning. Hadas Gold, CNN, along the Israeli-Gaza border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Well, CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now live from Gaza city. Ben, after 50 hours of fighting, it's now an uneasy stalemate. What is the
situation that you've seen in Gaza today, and have those fuel lines and supplies been completely reinstated?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the situation here, Christina, is actually, if I look down below me, the main square in
Gaza, it almost looks like it's coming back to normal. You can hear cars honking, there are children playing in the park.
This is a place that is accustomed to jumping back quickly to what passes for normal life, after round and round of violence between Gaza and Israel.
As far as the fuel situation goes, there has been a shipment of fuel from Israel into Gaza.
[14:25:00]
And the power plant, that provides the power to most of Gaza has been able to generate four hours of electricity as opposed to two, after the power
plant went down mid day, Saturday. Now, before this latest round of violence, Gazans enjoyed 16 hours of electricity a day. Now, also tomorrow,
Karem Abu Salem, the main crossing point for supplies from Israel into Gaza will resume normal operations.
But of course, when we talk about normal here in Gaza, it means something else. People here really barely get by, 80 percent of the water is
considered unfit for human consumption, youth unemployment is more than 60 percent. The amount of damage that happened during this 50 or more hours of
conflict was much less when you compare it to what happened in May of last year, it was 11 days, more than 250 people were killed compared to 44 this
time.
But I did go to one building that was completely destroyed Saturday, in an Israeli airstrike, the Israelis actually had warned their residents
beforehand, so nobody was killed. I was watching as they were handing out food supplies to the people who used to live in that building.
And one of the residents said, yes, we appreciate these food supplies, but who is going to help me rebuild my house? How am I going to rebuild my
life. Christina?
MACFARLANE: And Ben, when we -- considering whether the ceasefire will hold, we know it's not Islamic Jihad who controls Gaza. It's Hamas. Hamas
decided not to intervene, to get involved in this current conflict. What are the implications for that moving forward?
WEDEMAN: Well, I think Israel was very clear from the beginning. Its target was Islamic Jihad in the West Bank as well as in Gaza. And it did
not go after any targets or individuals affiliated with Hamas. In a sense, it's reached sort of modus vivendi with Hamas. After certainly, after the
May 2020 war, the Israeli authorities have allowed more workers to go into Israel from Gaza.
In June, the number allowed every day went from 12,000 to 14,000. So, Hamas, which is the de facto, the ruler of Gaza, wants to avoid seeing more
widespread destruction. Clearly, wants to avoid the anger of a population whose quality of life has declined dramatically over the last 15 years of
the Israeli blockade.
And therefore, they want to avoid getting involved in yet another round of destruction and death with the Israelis. Christina?
MACFARLANE: All right, Ben Wedeman there live from Gaza city, great to have you with us this evening. Ben, thank you. All right, well, still to
come tonight, Taiwan is condemning China's ongoing military drill, saying Beijing is deliberately causing crisis. We'll tell you what Taiwan is doing
in response.
Plus, a vacation from hell. Tens of thousands of people are stuck in a sudden lockdown in China's Hawaii, after a spike in coronavirus cases.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Hello, and welcome back to the show. Now it's impossible to know the toll that Russia's war is taking on Ukrainian children. Ukrainian
officials say at least 361 children have been killed and more than 700 injured from Russian attacks so far, but the numbers don't tell the whole
story. And even survivors don't fully understand how the pain and fear has affected them yet. They're sharing their stories with CNN, Jason Carroll.
And a warning, there are some graphic images of injuries in his report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Serhii Sorokopud is still healing from his injuries. The deep scars on his back and leg, permanent reminders of
his story of survival. "Sometimes I feel pain," he says. He took us to the place behind his school where he says he was standing in line for food last
March when there was an explosion and he was hit by shrapnel. "It was so scary," he says. "First, there was a strong blow to the back. I fell. I
couldn't move."
Serhii explained that at the time of the blast, his village, located just about two hours outside of Kyiv, was occupied by Russians. He says "They
dragged me to the Russian Medical Center. They gave me first aid." Then he says the Russians took him to Belarus for treatment, where he stayed for
two months. The 14-year-old had no cell phone, no way to contact his parents. His mother had no idea what had become of her son.
"It cannot be described in words when you don't know where your child is," she says. I cried day and night. Serhii found his way home only after a
doctor in Belarus posted information about him on social media and his family spotted him open. She says "We are happy that he came back and we
are all together."
Sadly, there are many stories about Ukrainian children that have been injured during this conflict. According to Ukrainian government database,
more than 700 children have been injured during the conflict so far, and more than 360 have died.
Those tracking the numbers say they are likely even higher given that there is less known about the fate of children in Ukrainian territory now
occupied by Russia. "We don't even know the exact number yet," she says. Counted among Ukraine's injured children is Katerina Volkova's 7-year-old
daughter, Jenya.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATERINA VOLKOVA, INJURED IN RUSSIAN MISSILE STRIKE: She probably much stronger than some of the adults in terms of how she's coping with this
one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: This video showing rescuers pulling Jenya out from underneath the rubble of what was their apartment in Kyiv in June. Her father killed in
the Russian missile strike, her mother trapped under a slab of concrete for five hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLKOVA: At the beginning, I was thinking about just so that it could stop and I could die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Both share the scars from their experience, the psychological impact on someone so young still unclear.
[14:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLKOVA: She's shy but she's saying that, yes, it's like so-so and that it's hard for her. I'm not sure that we, adults, emotionally understand
what is happening, so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Thankfully, Jenya is back to gymnastics with her friend's. Her mother says it helps her heal. And for a short while, forget. But
ultimately, she hopes the West does not forget those paying the ultimate price for this war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLKOVA: You never know. So today, you're drinking, let's say a cup of coffee with someone whom you love. And then tomorrow comes and you have
nothing. That's why maybe, yes, it's now time to get used to this, but always remember that it's much more nearby than you can imagine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: So distressing to see the impact this is having on children seven years old there.
OK. Well, Taiwan's foreign ministry is demanding China immediately stop its ongoing military exercises around the Taiwan Strait. On Monday, Taiwan
officials detected 39 Chinese warplanes and 13 vessels in conducting live fire drills in the area with many crossing the unofficial line separating
China and Taiwan. There's no sign that Beijing's anger is easing days after the U.S. House Speaker's visit to Taipei. Our Will Ripley is there to tell
us how Taiwan is responding.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Taiwan was lighting up landmarks for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, China was lighting up the skies and seas
around the self-governing democracy, a democracy in danger of a Chinese takeover if Beijing's communist rulers get their way. Pelosi was in Taiwan
less than 24 hours, leaving behind a crisis some say she helped create.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Was there any concern here in Taipei about the timing of this and whether it might provoke some sort of reaction from China?
JOSEPH WU, TAIWANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: We knew that China always reacted badly whenever we have good friends coming to visit us. The Chinese
government cannot dictate who can come and who cannot come. And they cannot dictate Taiwan who can be our friends or who we should make friends with.
RIPLEY: But what if China goes further as a result of this visit, or using this visit as an excuse? Do the benefits outweigh the risks for Taiwan?
WU: One is what China is doing is unwarranted. And what it is doing is upsetting the peace and stability in the Western Pacific and it's something
that should not be welcomed by the international community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Taiwan's Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, tells CNN China's war games are aimed at isolating this island. Pelosi, the most powerful politician to
visit in 25 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Is Taiwan and more dangerous today than it was before Nancy Pelosi's visit?
WU: China has always been threatening Taiwan for years. And it's getting more serious in the last few years. And it's always been that way. Whether
Speaker Pelosi visit Taiwan or not, the Chinese military threat against Taiwan has always been there.
RIPLEY: What do you believe China's motivation is and do you think that their timeline has changed?
WU: China's motivation, as I said a little bit earlier, is not going to end in Taiwan. They claim East China Sea, they claim South China Sea. They work
very hard to go into the Pacific. Their influence in South Asia and Africa, even in Latin America, is unprecedented these days, and therefore it has a
global ambition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Ambition driven by China's most powerful leader since Mao, Xi Jinping, on track to become president for life, with a burning desire to
unify with Taiwan, by force if necessary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Has Taiwan's democratic system ever been in more danger than it is today?
WU: I can tell you that Taiwan is more resilient than before. Look at Taiwan these days. You know, China is trying to impose trade sanctions
against Taiwan, trying to attack Taiwan from military or non-military aspect. But the way go -- the life goes on here in Taiwan.
RIPLEY: Should people in Taiwan be more worried?
WU: If you ask me, I worry a little bit.
RIPLEY: What do you worry about?
WU: I worry that China may really launch a war against Taiwan. But what it is doing right now is trying to scare us. And the best way to deal with it
to show to China that we are not scared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: He calls China's military threat more serious than ever. Taiwan's warning to the world, the danger does not stop here. Will Ripley, CNN,
Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Well, around 80,000 Tourists are stranded in the Chinese resort city, Sanya, known as China's Hawaii after authorities announced a sudden
COVID lockdown. City officials recorded 240 symptomatic Coronavirus cases on Saturday alone and more than 800 cases since the beginning of August.
It's the most severe outbreak In China which follows a strict zero COVID policy.
[14:40:03]
More than 80 percent of flights and all departing trains from the city were canceled Saturday. Authorities say tourists can leave after seven days, but
that could be extended if case numbers are still high.
Well, Kenyans are preparing to head to the polls to pick their next president. It's been a better campaign and it's a close race. Deputy
President William Ruto and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga are leading the pack. CNN's Larry Madowo is joining me now from Eldoret, Kenya
where Mr. Ruto will cast his vote on Tuesday. And Larry, things are veteran politicians who both have close ties to the outgoing President, Kenyatta.
So what hope is there that this election is going to bring any real change in Kenya?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's one of the big puzzles in this election, Christina. How can these two men, William Ruto and Raila Odinga,
promise change when they're both technically in the current government? William Ruto is the elected, and still serving, Deputy President of Kenya,
and Raila Odinga while is the opposition leader actually has been working with President Uhuru Kenyatta's government since 2018. And that's why there
has been some apathy, especially among younger voters in this election who feel they don't really see a difference between these two men who've been
in politics, both of them for more than 30 years. I spoke to some of young voters in this part of the country, this is what they told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't see any change at all. Maybe, if may be (INDISTINCT) we can get a better leader, yes.
MADOWO: You don't feel that the people who are currently running for presidents are the leaders that we need?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't feel any change at all. They are the same, giving us different manifestos. But if you read it and internalize well,
it's all the same thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people are complaining, a lot of people are in problems like this street we are on, you see these are small businesses, or
this street way down, these are small businesses, and they rely upon these businesses for their livelihoods. So if the -- we can get a government that
has these people in mind, then this country will be headed to the higher heights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: Even though both the Odinga and Ruto campaign said they have a plan to fix some of the main challenges that face the country, the high cost of
living, the economy, unemployment, the effect of the drought, some young people just don't feel that they are responding to what they want to hear.
But this is still going to be a deeply contested election between here, the base of William Ruto, the Deputy President, and Raila Odinga, whose base is
not too far from here, but they also have national appeal. And this could be the first time, Christina, that Kenya that goes into a runoff because of
how closely contested this last election is going to be.
The winner of this election has to win 50 percent of the vote, plus one. And it looks like based on the opinion polls, none of the candidates might
get that, again, this could be all wrong in the polling, could end up being completely off the mark when Kenyans vote tomorrow, we'll have to wait and
see. But it's still one that's closely watched across the region and the continent, Kenya's one stable country in a deeply unsafe neighborhood. So
the stability here politically and economically is important, not just for the Horn of Africa, for East Africa, but for the continent.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And Larry, when they will -- you'll be watching closely to see how that unfolds. Larry Madowo, thank you very much. And we will be
right back after this short break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:46:02]
MACFARLANE: All right. Welcome back to the show. I'm Christina Macfarlane. I just want to inform our viewers that we are waiting on President Biden,
who you can see on the left of your screen there, to speak in Colombia, which, of course, is the scene of those deadly U.S. floodings recently and
we just wanted to let you know that we will be bringing you that as soon as we have it. So you can see the first lady standing alongside Joe Biden
there. We expect that to be imminently.
Now Colombia has inaugurated its first leftist President. Gustavo Petro was sworn in on Sunday and is already forging ahead with his progressive
agenda. The former rebel is pledging to stop rising violence in the country. He's also vowed to tackle climate change and inequality. Stefano
Pozzebon has more now from Bogota.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Gustavo Pedro says he's on a mission to transform Colombia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUSTAVO PETRO, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today starts our second opportunity, it is time for change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: The new president will be tackling tough challenges. Six years after a historic treaty promised to bring peace to this country, its
implementation has been elusive, and the security situation is deteriorating. Hundreds of social leaders have been assassinated, some of
them former fighters who abandoned armed struggle as part of that treaty, like the husband of Luz Marina Giraldo, a former guerrilla who fought in
the jungle with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. She's now a politician, part of a political party that rebels founded after
putting down their weapons. She urges the new president, himself a former rebel, to do more to reduce political violence and protect former fighters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUZ MARINA GIRALDO, COLIMBIAN POLITICIAN & FORMER FARC FIGHTER (through translator): I've been into campaigns, the first one in 2019, they killed
my husband. Now, and this is the first time I'm saying it, my brother has disappeared. He vanished in February, a few weeks before the election. And
to this date, we know nothing of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: Giraldo says the attacks come from criminal groups who oppose the peace deal, and intend to scare her away from political activity. Last
year, the Colombian army arrested a rebel who reneged the agreement and returned to armed struggle, accusing him of being the mastermind behind the
plot to kill Giraldo's husband.
To tackle security, Petro has appointed a civilian anti-corruption lawyer as defense minister. But the new president has said that halting the war on
drugs is key to ending the violence. Colombia is one of the largest producers of narcotics in the world, and for 30 years, has waged a brutal
campaign against the cartels, a campaign financed in part by the United States to little effect. On Friday, a bill was presented to Congress to
legalize recreational marijuana. The bill supporters say it's a possible new step towards ending the war on drugs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUSTAVO BOLIVAR, COLOMBIAN SENATOR (through translator): Prohibition ism has been a resounding defeat. There are more drugs around now than when
Pablo Escobar was alive. More consumers, more production, despite thousands of deaths. The only way to guarantee peace to this country is regulation.
Not just of marijuana, but of all drugs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: To regulate the consumption of hard drugs like cocaine, Colombia would have to renegotiate international treaties. But for a country that is
constantly associated with narcotics, some experts say, even legalizing marijuana could be a first move in changing Colombia's image.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUIS MERCHAN, CEO, FLORA GROWTH: I've been in business for a number of decades now. And, you know, when somebody learns that I'm from Colombia,
you always get that weird look about the war on drugs, for that to turn into actually a source of pride, yes, when I go to Colombia, because I want
to experience the plant there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: The economy and mountain inflation represent another test for the new president. Gustavo Petro is asking his fellow Colombians to be patient
before his reforms come into effect.
[14:50:03]
But he's adamant that in four years' time, it will be a new Colombia. For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Now, a hail of bullets bounces off an armored car. This is gang territory in Haiti and the scene of a daily battle for the control of the
streets of Port-au-Prince. Police tried to wrench territory away from entrenched gangs who are brazen, lawless, and well-armed. CNN's Nick Paton
Walsh rode along with the Haitian SWAT team, and as you'll soon see, it wasn't just the police who were taking fire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it is ordinary citizens who are caught in between. Here, a passenger on a civilian bus that was hit in the
street. They think they see where the gunmen are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: It's this kind of intense violence that so many sights when they talk about this spiral towards collapse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: You can watch Nick Payton Walsh's full report on Anderson COOPER 360 tonight, that's at 8:00 p.m. in New York. Stay with us. We'll be
right back after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: We want to bring you some breaking news now. President Joe Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden are visiting families affected by the
devastating floods in Kentucky. He is speaking right now. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- going to get done. I walked across the road in another family. One family, gentlemen, this trailer is
all the way up at the other end of the property, gone. And you know what? When I started talking about what we could do, he said, well, you know, we
Kentuckians don't want to ask for too much. Catch this, we don't want to ask for too much. We're used to having neighbors help us out. We don't know
that the rest of you all everybody else should be doing this. I said, what? Are you kidding me? Not -- seriously, this is -- they're talking about it.
And pointed out that here's the deal, it is true that the people here in this community, in Western Kentucky, and the folks I met in the tornado,
they're not just Kentuckians, they're Americans. They're Americans. This happened in America, American problem. Now we're all Americans, everybody
has an obligation to help. We have the capacity to do this. It's not like it's beyond our control. The weather may be out of control for now, but
it's not beyond our control.
And I promise you, we're staying, the federal government along with the state and county, and the city, we're staying until everybody's back to
where they were. Not a joke. And one of the things I've raised is we've never done this before, but because of a number of things we got done on a
bipartisan basis, like a billion, $200 million infrastructure project, like what we're doing today, we passed yesterday, have been taken care of,
everything from health care to God knows what else.
What we're going to do is we're going to see, for example, they got to put a new waterline in, in the community. There's no reason why they can't at
the same time be digging a line that puts in a whole new modern line for internet connections. Why? Why can't we do that? So it's going to be
different. We're going to come back better than before. And I really mean it. That's the objective I have. Not come back to what we were before, come
back to better than we were before. And I mean this, governor, you know I mean it and I'm confident with your leadership we can do it. Along with the
-- we don't call them -- we call them county executives right now, from the judge here.
All -- I'm finding this is something that we can all do. We can get this done, because we're the only country in the world that has come out of
every major disaster stronger than we went into it.
[14:55:05]
We got clobbered going in, but we came out stronger. That's the objective here. It's not just to get back to where we were, it's to get back to
better than where we were. And we have the wherewithal to do it now with the legislations being bipartisan we passed. So I don't want any Kentuckian
telling me, you know what, you don't have to do this for me. Oh, yes, we do. You're an American citizen. We never give up. We never stop. We never
bow. We never bend, we just go forward. And that's what we're going to do here. And you're going to see, and I promise you, the bad news for you is,
I'm coming back because I want to see it. Thank you very much.
That's it. All right. Now, we're all going to run laps and run. But all kid aside, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. These people deserve
enormous amount of credit for their courage and their stamina. Thanks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: You have been listening to President Biden there with a rather brief speech in Kentucky. He's been talking about meeting the families and
those experienced by those -- affected by those deadly floodings in Kentucky, call it -- saying he has a commitment to help residents rebuild
and to rebuild better than before, reasserting his commitment to them. You have been watching ISA SOARES TONIGHT. Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS
BUSINESS" is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
