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Mass Shooting in U.S. Grocery Store; Finland to Join NATO; Helsinki's Underground Bunkers; Lebanese Elections; Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra Wins Eurovision. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 15, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton.

Coming up, a scene of horror rattles New York community when a gunman opens fire in a grocery store, killing 10 people.

We are expecting a historic decision in the coming, hours as Finland prepares to formally announce its intent to join NATO. We will take you live to Helsinki, for more on that.

And the Eurovision finale, that President Zelenskyy calls, a victory for every Ukrainian. A Ukrainian rap group takes the top prize in the world famous song contest.

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NEWTON: And we begin with a senseless tragedy that has become just all too common in the United States, another mass shooting. Police say 10 people were killed when an 18 year old white male opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in a largely Black neighborhood.

Now they are calling the attack racially motivated. And witnesses are describing a scene that is both horrifying and heartbreaking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRADY LEWIS, SHOOTING EYEWITNESS: I seen a guy in a full army suit. He is shooting shots at people. And I'd seen the security guard run in the store, and then I'd seen the guy go in Army style, bent over, just shooting at people. And I heard him shooting at people and then I saw three people laying down.

And I didn't have a phone on me, so I was just screaming for somebody to call the police. And then he came out. He put the gun to his head, to his chin, then he dropped it and he took off his little crew vest. And then he got on his hands and knees and put his hands behind his back and then they arrested him.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NEWTON: The suspect, Peyton Gendron, has been charged with first

degree murder. Investigators are also reviewing a 180-page manifesto, written allegedly by the shooter, where he describes his perceptions about the dwindling size of the white population. CNN's Athena Jones has more now from New York.

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ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The city of Buffalo, New York, known as the City of Good Neighbors, is now confronting a senseless act of violence.

Something the mayor, Byron Brown, called a day of sadness, when a gunman, a young gunman, 18 years old, a white male from outside of Buffalo, from several hours away, drove into the city to a Tops supermarket in a majority Black neighborhood and opened fire.

He shot 13 people, 11 of whom were Black, 10 of whom were killed. This is a man who arrived in full tactical gear. He was heavily armed with an assault weapon. He had body armor. He had a helmet. He also had a camera that he was using to livestream the shooting as it took place.

CNN has seen video of the shooter pulling in to the supermarket parking lot, saying a few words to himself and then shooting people outside the supermarket, before going in and engaging with the victims that were found inside.

Law enforcement saying that this act is now being investigated as a hate crime and as a racially motivated act of violent extremism. This young man has already been arraigned and has entered a plea of not guilty. We expect another hearing in the next few days. Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, said this in a statement.

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GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): And it is my sincere hope that this individual, this White supremacist who just perpetrated a hate crime on an innocent community will spend the rest of his days behind bars and heaven help him in the next world as well.

Yes, I'm angry. I've seen violence from guns on the Brooklyn subway. Now in the streets of Buffalo, it has to stop. It has to stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So there you hear a very angry governor of the state of New York, Kathy Hochul, who happens to be from the city of Buffalo. And you also heard there law enforcement, already figuring out what they believe the motive is for the shooting.

And that is based on evidence. We don't know all of that evidence but we do know that there was -- is a purported manifesto that has been posted online, in connection with that mass shooting. So this is clearly being investigated as a hate crime.

[03:05:00] JONES: And we also know that, in response to this, the NYPD is going to be stepping up the presence of law enforcement at churches, Black churches, around New York City in some ways to sort of calm the community and make sure that folks know that they're going to be protected.

But still, a tragedy, a very, sad, sad, frightening and infuriating day in Buffalo, New York -- Athena Jones, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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NEWTON: Joining me now from Cambridge, Massachusetts, CNN national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem.

Juliette, happy to have you here with us just to try and really go through the components of what was a horrific, chilling crime that unfolded there in Buffalo. I mean, let's start with the fact that this is an 18 year old man, a person, who was just a few months out of teenage hood (sic), in terms of being a child.

He had an assault rifle, Juliette.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, lawfully obtained, apparently, although, may have been retrofitted illegally. And this is a big issue in New York right now. It's happening to their weaponry.

But in the U.S., lawfully obtained so there's clearly premeditation here. So even though he's 18 today, we don't know how long he has been premeditating or been inspired by this kind of hatred that we are reporting on.

This manifesto, we don't know the contents. He drives four hours-plus. He picks a market in the middle of a African American community and he certainly knows this. He knows that his victims are likely to be African American, although not all were.

And then, videotapes it, and this is really important, because it's a performative violence that he is doing, right?

It's not just enough for him to do it; he actually has to perform it. It's like a show for them. It's like theater. And in many ways, I think that's a consequence of social media.

How many likes am I getting?

How many favorites am I getting?

It's the performative nature of violence.

NEWTON: It's so interesting that you use that word, performative. People have been speaking about the fact that, look, there is a certain infamy in doing this, which is a reason why a lot of the authorities on the ground didn't want to utter his name. And yet, other people were following him, likely, on social media.

In terms of what you know from law enforcement in the United States, how worried are they about this phenomenon?

KAYYEM: Very worried. So this is why the FBI has been so focused on radicalization, white supremacy, in particular, in a white supremacist right-wing movement. This is a greater terror that threatens the United States, that any international foreign threat at this stage.

One reason why is, obviously, that we do have a First Amendment.

So people have noxious opinions, right?

About others, about minorities or women or whatever. That's not enough to say that they're in danger. So that line becomes more difficult.

The other reason, though, is that there are movements within the United States, that are race based, violent movements. We know that. I mean, it's been documented. We've seen it in other instances. We saw it in Texas, at a Walmart.

We've seen it against Asian Americans, African Americans. And that hatred, which we tend to say is an aberration, is actually, unfortunately, not. It's actually a very organized movement. And so, while this perpetrator today in Buffalo may have technically acted alone, right?

He had no one that we know of that was helping him with the violence. He actually did have an apparatus of hatred that was supporting him, his manifesto, his performative nature. And that's hard to get through criminal law. It's very difficult to get through the criminal law lens.

NEWTON: In terms of the fact that social media may have amplified any hate that he expressed, how difficult is it for people to get this?

Juliette, you know the routine. Everyone says that this can't happen again. Everyone says it should not happen again. And it happens again.

KAYYEM: Right. I mean, exactly. The idea of never again, we're like, well, here we are again. It is -- it can be that surprising. I have to admit to you. I am on CNN so often with these kinds of shootings.

I said something today and I can't remember if I had said it that day or was I just repeating something at a killing two weeks ago?

They're starting to become -- the narrative becomes so familiar in this country. And that's a huge challenge.

Look, the social media platforms exist for the likes, right?

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KAYYEM: So they're amplifying what you already want to see. That increases your engagement, that increases the engagement of the platform. And so, someone who wants to search out this hate is going to get, is going to benefit, basically, the way the algorithms work. Is that kind of hate going to constantly be in their feed.

Those of us who are on social media, you know that's true; if you look at exercise stuff, if you're looking at camps, that stuff gets into your feed. And that's what's happening with hate.

And they could get a lot better in terms of what they're seeing and the amplification before it is too late. But it is a very, very touchy thing in this country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Our thanks there to national security analyst Juliette Kayyem.

In northeastern Ukraine an aggressive counter offensive by Ukrainian forces continues to threaten Russian supply lines, that are supporting the Russian troops to the south. Ukraine's military reports some of the most intense fighting now is in the villages east of Kharkiv.

So far the Russian military has not made any major advances in the Donbas. Ukraine says the Russians appear to be aiming to attack the key city of Sievierodonetsk.

Meantime, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met on Saturday with a small delegation of U.S. senators led by Republican leader, Mitch McConnell.

The Senate is expected to pass an additional $40 billion in aid to Ukraine this week. Mr. Zelenskyy called on the United States to officially label Russia a terrorist state.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I held talks today with a delegation of U.S. senators led by Senate Republican minority leader, Mitch McConnell, in Kyiv. I believe that this visit once again demonstrates the strength of bipartisan support for our state, the strength of ties between the Ukrainian and American nations.

We discussed various areas of support for our states, including defensive and financial, as well as tightening sanctions on Russia. I expressed gratitude for this historic to renew the lend-lease program. I called for the official recognition of Russia as a terrorist state.

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NEWTON: In Mariupol, constant shelling of the Azovstal steel factory has taken a heavy toll on Ukrainian soldiers, still defending that sprawling industrial site. Conditions inside the plant have become unbearable. Ukraine is eagerly seeking international help to get them evacuated. CNN's Melissa Bell has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ukraine has welcomed Turkey's offer of help in the evacuation of the many wounded soldiers still holed up in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Turkey has confirmed, through its presidential spokesman, that there is a ship prepared to travel from Istanbul to collect the wounded, that might be released as part of a deal, if it is reached, with Russia.

For several weeks now, many hundreds of fighters have been in this steel plant. We have been hearing more about the conditions in which they are living through one of the fighters, who has managed to speak in a TV interview with Ukrainian authorities, about the dire circumstances that are worsening day by day.

Several hundred fighters, he said, many of them amputated, with no anesthetic at all, dwindling medical supplies and, say the fighter, just a week's worth of food left. Here in Kyiv, we have been meeting with some of the parents of the men who are still trapped in that plant.

They have been campaigning for help from the Turkish presidency and telling us about their hope, that their children will still be released. We spoke to one of the mothers of one of the young men, a 21-year old, who is in that plant.

His mother, Tanya, told us that she had not seen her son since the month of February, had last spoken to him on May 9th, when he called to wish a happy Mother's Day and had heard nothing since. Have a listen.

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TANYA VYCHNYK, MOTHER OF AZOV SOLDIER (through translator): I have a strong tie with him. I always feel, when he calls, I shouldn't be saying anything because it's hard for him and I keep silent. When he wants to say something, he does.

It is hell there. They are in the real hell. They deserve to stand on the surface of the Earth and see the sun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Tanya speaking to us here in Kyiv, where several family members of those still trapped in Azovstal had met once again to appeal for help in getting their loved ones home -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Still ahead for us, Finland delivers a major blow to the Kremlin. Why the Nordic country's decision to apply for NATO membership has angered Vladimir Putin.

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NEWTON: Russia's war in Ukraine is prompting a historic shift in Europe's security map. In the coming hours, Finland's leaders are expected to formally announce they want to join NATO. Neighboring Sweden is expected to make a similar announcement quite soon.

Meantime, foreign ministers from the G7 have announced they will, quote, "never recognize borders changed by Russia's war against Ukraine."

And NATO foreign ministers, meantime, are in Berlin wrapping up talks about the invasion. CNN's Nic Robertson is standing by in Helsinki with the latest.

But first, we want to go to Fred Pleitgen, following these meetings in Berlin for us.

And Fred, good to have you there on these issues. Of course, these changes to NATO could hardly be envisioned just three months ago. It's hard to believe.

What are NATO members saying now?

We heard so many times, Fred, that the reason that Russia may have engaged in this is because they were threatened by NATO expansion. But this is essentially NATO doubling down.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly is NATO doubling down. I think you can really feel in Berlin that it's a historic time for NATO. The alliance feels it's probably more needed here on the continent than it has been in a very long time.

They really want to keep the momentum up right now, not just for cohesion of NATO but also bringing in Finland and Sweden as well. We spoke to several foreign ministers this morning. And almost all of them were saying they definitely want to see this through.

They want Finland and Sweden to become members of the alliance as fast as possible.

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PLEITGEN: Despite the fact that you have these big threats coming from Russia before this membership could take place. The Russians for instance saying at least some politicians, there would be consequences for Finland, already cutting off electricity to Finland.

But NATO says that they want these countries to get in as quick as possible. It's not necessarily a done deal yet, as you know. There's been criticism coming from the Turkish side.

They are saying that they believe there are, quote, "terrorists" being harbored, as they put it, in both Sweden and Finland. So you do see that this is not necessarily a done deal. Quite interesting; the Turkish foreign minister, he came here through

earlier.

I tried to ask him, look, have your concerns been addressed in the meetings that have taken place so far?

And he wouldn't answer that question. So certainly it does seem as though there are very important things to still talk about in all of this, a very, very important meeting here in Berlin.

NEWTON: Interesting you tried to get that answer from him, of course. NATO still being fairly confident, saying we think we can overcome any, you know, concerns that Turkey may have. Maybe using it as political leverage.

Nic, to you in Helsinki now. And I'm wondering, it actually was quite stark right to see Finland so resolute in saying that they will ask for this NATO membership.

What's at work there in terms of really a wholesale change in the attitude toward Finland and how they feel about being a NATO member?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, there is history; proximity to Russia, the Soviet -- formerly the Soviet Union; the red army trying to invade in the winter war in 1939, the war of continuation later in the Second World War.

So there is a history there. And then go back to late last year, when Russia said NATO could not expand. And that would imply Sweden and Finland couldn't expand. They have been historically neutral, trying to sort of be not aligned but with their own militaries.

That in essence sort of kept the calm and kept the peace. But when Russia late last year said there couldn't be an expansion of NATO, the read here in Finland and Sweden was, quite simply, Russia changed its position.

And then the invasion of Ukraine tipped everything completely in favor of joining NATO, you know, from 20 percent to 30 percent of the population that wanted to join previously. After the 24th of February and the invasion of Ukraine it went up to about 60, 60 percent of -- it's now sort of in the high 70s. So a lot of people want to get in.

I think what you find here in Finland and what we found yesterday, when we met with government officials to see their secure bunker system underneath Helsinki, is really that sense of a long term lack of distrust about their eastern neighbor, that's been going on for decades and decades.

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ROBERTSON: Question is, when is a parking garage not a parking garage?

And the answer is, when it's part of a tunnel and bunker network to be used in case of war. And there is one country threatening that war, potentially, the big threat, Russia.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Tomi Rask, Helsinki city rescue department, is going to show us around.

TOMI RASK, HELSINKI CITY RESCUE DEPARTMENT: We're going to see and see that main entrance --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Twenty meters, 60 feet below ground, cut into Helsinki's bedrock.

ROBERTSON: How quickly can you put this together, in case of war?

RASK: In 72 hours.

ROBERTSON: And 6,000 people in here.

How many people can you fit in shelters in the whole of Helsinki?

RASK: Over 900,000.

ROBERTSON: So that's enough for the population plus visitors?

RASK: Yes, yes, it is.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The government has been building bunkers here since the 1960s, 5,500 in Helsinki, more than 50,000 across the country, enough for 80 percent of the country's 5.5 million population.

ROBERTSON: Deeper and deeper.

RASK. Yes.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): But the scale of it, not the only surprise; some of it is open to the public.

ROBERTSON: What's this?

RASK: For a ball game.

ROBERTSON: This is a bunker with a sports hall?

Oh, my goodness.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Much of it dual use to offset the costs.

RASK: So this is one example of our dual purpose use of the shelter, dual purpose here.

ROBERTSON: So sports, (INAUDIBLE) week, time of crisis, what happens here?

RASK: All the sporting goods are stacked away. All these halls, these sheltering halls are divided by smaller sheltering rooms.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): And not just sports halls, children's play areas, possibly the safest in the world; cafes, even a swimming pool.

ROBERTSON: Just a sheltering hall but with a pool?

RASK: Yes, with an Olympic-sized pool.

ROBERTSON: Olympic-sized?

[03:25:00]

ROBERTSON: OK, wow. Wow.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): But everything here with one purpose in mind: glass doors, gas barriers, decontamination areas, even the 2 billion- year-old bedrock more than just blast proof.

ROBERTSON: So if there is a nuclear bomb, the rock itself absorbs the radiation and keeps everyone here safe.

RASK: Yes, that's the idea.

ROBERTSON: And the tunnels as well, they are curved. So they also prevent some of the blast coming through.

RASK: Yes, they take the most of the hit.

ROBERTSON: And now, it's a car park.

RASK: It's a car park.

ROBERTSON: Again.

RASK: Again.

ROBERTSON: That's a quite bizarre feeling.

RASK: Yes.

ROBERTSON: One minute you're preparing for a wall, the next minute you're playing hockey and now it's a car park.

RASK: Yes.

Here, you can see the different layers.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): And before we leave, Rask shows us another shelter just begun.

There is a hole in it, put explosives in, blow it and move forward?

RASK: Yes.

ROBERTSON: Thank you.

RASK: Bye.

ROBERTSON: Cheers, bye. Here come the traffic. This is what was like on the way out.

Absolutely fascinating, intriguing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: So there you get a real sense, because that's been developed over such a long period of time. And it's so ingrained into society here. You really get a sense of that level of distrust that's been sort of focused eastwards.

I spoke to Helsinki's mayor and asked him about this. He said frankly he was surprised that more European cities don't have facilities in the same way that Finland does.

NEWTON: All right, quite a look at that, Nic. Nic Robertson for us in Helsinki. Fred Pleitgen in Berlin. Thank you.

I'm Paula Newton, thank you for joining us. For our international viewers, "INSIDE AFRICA" is next. For everyone else, I'll be back with more news.

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NEWTON: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and Canada. I'm Paula Newton and are you watching CNN NEWSROOM.

A 18-year-old white male has been charged with first degree murder after police say he opened fire on a neighborhood grocery store. He has pled not guilty. Ten people were killed, three others wounded. Most of the victims were African American.

CNN spoke to U.S. House representative Brian Higgins from New York not long after the shooting.

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REP. BRIAN HIGGINS (D-NY): These people were grocery store workers, by and large. They left their holes this morning expecting fully to come home at the end of the day. And these 10 individuals are leaving families that, you know, they'll never be reunited with again.

It's a tragedy. It's a tragedy. You don't view a supermarket as a dangerous place, particularly on a Saturday afternoon at 2:30.

And so all indications are, this points to an effort to exact domestic terrorism that is racially motivated on a community. But that threat to our community in Buffalo and western New York is a threat to the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NEWTON: The Department of Justice is investigating it as a hate crime and a case of racially-motivated violent extremism. The suspect was heavily armed and wore a camera to livestream the attack on Twitch. Now the online platform says the live video feed was removed less than two minutes after the violence began.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Steve Moore is a retired supervisory special agent with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. He now joins me live from Los Angeles.

And it's good to have your input here, especially with such a chilling crime. You know, officials on the ground laid it all out, just within a few hours, alleging this was a hate crime, premeditated.

CNN has obtained a 180-page manifesto that was posted online, that investigators say they are looking at right now, and that this author believes whites are being replaced.

His beliefs are sourced from the internet and that the author is a self-described fascist, white supremacist and an anti-Semite. You know, it's such a chilling self portrait. The police say it led straight to murderous violence here.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it is chilling. And it is horrible. The damage and the pain he's caused is incalculable.

But from an FBI side, I've worked these type of cases before. It's almost becoming stereotypical. They come into a town, they case a location that's hours from their home. They bring lots of weaponry. They use some of the weaponry.

Their intent is to kill as many people of the community they hate. And then, their intent is to kill themselves. And they never quite do that. And, it's almost becoming something, where you can look at the crime and say, well, look for a manifesto, look for the fact that he's cased this place.

He's been at this market before. Part of it is that the FBI and law enforcement have seen this before.

NEWTON: I'm going to lean on your FBI experience here. The FBI's been warning for U.S. that domestic terrorism, that hate driven violence poses a significant risk.

And yet, what do they do to stop these mass murders?

Especially given the fact that these social media platforms are as good as loaded weapons these days.

MOORE: Well, you know, I've been working on white supremacist stuff in the FBI, I started in the mid '80s. I had a guy come down to Los Angeles, shoot a machine gun, a Jewish community center, with 5-year- old kids. The FBI is looking at these things. They are following them. But the

problem is, free speech is free speech. And if they cross the line between saying, you should do this or I am planning to do this, then the law enforcement can act.

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MOORE: But prior to that, there's not a law against hatred, unfortunately. And that's where we stand.

NEWTON: We certainly understand. But when it comes to what's at work with these people and they at times follow a certain script or even a profile. So this suspect, 18, male, white. We've seen this profile among school shooters for decades now.

What does your FBI training tell you about why these individuals glorify such violence and how to end it?

MOORE: Well, first of all, somebody who hates a group of people, who he doesn't even understand, obviously, so much that he would go and kill, shoot more than a dozen, kill 10, there's obviously some -- it's not just hate, it's mental illness involved in here.

It is mental illness that manifests itself in hatred. And you, we, as a society, are not monitoring the type of things that weaponize these people. It's standard, where you will talk to these people.

I've interviewed them the day after they've shot everybody and they say, oh, yes. I started getting on these websites. I started getting in touch with these groups.

And that's where you need to decide, as a country, how you want to legislate against that, because, right now, law enforcement can't just say, because your website, because your topics are so heinously offensive, we still can't do -- we can't go in and shut them down because of the First Amendment.

NEWTON: And yet, resignation or, even worse, acceptance does not seem to be cutting edge at this point. We will continue to follow this investigation. Steve, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

MOORE: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: We're going to bring you right up to date on the latest developments in Ukraine. A large convoy of civilians evacuated from Mariupol has finally reached its destination. A Ukrainian official says hundreds of private vehicles arrived in the city of Zaporizhzhya Saturday night.

He said the convoy had been waiting for three days to be allowed to go through. In Kyiv, meantime, President Zelenskyy is pushing the United Nations to declare Russia a terrorist state.

He spoke with a Senate delegation led by Mitch McConnell. The Senate is expected to approve a bill this week that would send another $40 billion worth of new aid to Ukraine.

In the northeast, meantime, Ukrainian forces are pushing their counter offensive. Russian troops are trying to keep Ukrainians from cutting supply lines. There have been major battles to the south as advancing Russian forces encounter fierce counter attacks. Sam Kiley has the latest from near the front lines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Heavy fighting continues here in Eastern Ukraine, with two major thrusts being conducted over the last week. The first, really, it sent artillery duels being escalated, particularly by the Russians, north of the town of Slovyansk.

And then, also, close to Sievierodonetsk, which is on the north side of the Donets River, where heavy fighting is persistent and the Russians just south of there, trying to push across the river and establish some kind of pontoon bridge crossing.

That was turned to a disaster with a Ukrainian counterattack, destroying a large number of Russian armored vehicles and other equipment. And also, the Ukrainians claim many hundreds of Russians killed in that crossing.

This represents really, I, think a desperate attempt to try to break the stalemate in the major thrust of the Russian campaign, which has been downgraded from regime change, across Ukraine, to essentially, according to the Kremlin, anyway, to try to take over this eastern area of the country, known as the Donbas.

But this is the local picture where, internationally, increasingly, there is concern, particularly being expressed now by the German foreign minister, about the interruption of grain supplies coming out of Ukraine. Ukraine is a major grain exporter alongside Russia. Its ports have been blockaded by Russia.

And the Russians are now being accused of stealing grain and trying to sell it on the international market. This has been something that has been raised as a major issue, because, down the line, it is likely to cause instability, particularly across North Africa -- Sam Kiley, CNN, in Kramatorsk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Lebanon is going to the polls for its first general election in four years and we will have a live report from Beirut, coming up.

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(MUSIC PLAYING) NEWTON: On Saturday, cities across the U.S. saw demonstrations in

support of abortion rights and against the repeal of Roe versus Wade. The 1973 Supreme Court decision established the right to abortion in the United States. Now we have Nadia Romero, who has more now from the rally here in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nadia Romero in Atlanta, Georgia, at Liberty Park, where about a dozen or so organizations organized this rally for abortion. And really two important messages.

The first is that there is still safe, legal access to abortion in Georgia and across the Southeast, despite some of the restriction laws you'll see in this part of the country.

The other big push was for people to get registered to vote, to participate in local and state elections, not just presidential elections. And they wanted people to know that this is not just a women's issue. That's why I spoke with a young man, who said he's here to support his mother and his sisters, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have a uterus. So I just don't think it's appropriate for men, especially older men, to be making decisions about women's bodies. I think that should be up to the women to make that decision or the person who's carrying a uterus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And the wording here is really important. You hear may say it's about anti-health care legislation and reproductive rights, not just about abortion -- Nadia Romero, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Lebanese voters are going to the polls for the country's first general election in four years. And this is the first general election since the pandemic, the Beirut port blast and a major economic collapse.

For the latest, we go to CNN's Ben Wedeman.

I see you at a polling station. I'm wondering about turnout.

But I mean, the list, the unspeakable misery that this country has been through, how do you interpret, you know, what this election has been about and how citizens are feeling about it right now?

[03:45:00]

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this election is about the country's future. And what we see is that there are around 1,000 candidates vying for 128 seats in parliament and 15 electoral districts. The feeling is that the political elite that has ruled this country

for decades has utterly failed Lebanon. Since the last elections in May 2018, you have had that so-called revolution in October of 2019, where people thought, finally, there would start to be change.

But that was followed by the coronavirus pandemic, the collapse of the Lebanese economy -- for instance, now the Lebanese lira, the currency, has lost 94 percent of its value, compared to four years ago. Inflation is running at around 200 percent and the GDP is less than half of what it was four years ago.

So the feeling is that the political elite has utterly failed in this country, that it is corrupt, negligent and, more than anything else, indifferent to the suffering of the people.

And, of course, I forgot to mention the August 4th, 2020, Beirut port blast, that killed more than 200 people, left thousands of people injured and still there are no questions as to who was behind it, who is responsible.

So this vote is all about, in a sense, people would like to throw out the bums, so to speak. But, of course, the political elite here has money. It has power. It has organization. And to a certain extent, it has weapons as well, making it very difficult to unseat them.

Nonetheless, here we are, in a critical district, Beirut's second electoral district, where what we're seeing is a surprisingly high turnout of people. People we've spoken to all are saying essentially the same thing: we want change.

We want new leaders, who will take Lebanon from the bottom. People really feel that the economy, the quality of life hit rock bottom. And they want to see leaders who can restore this country, once known as the Switzerland of the Middle East.

NEWTON: We certainly hope it is a moment of renewal for that country. It definitely needs it. Ben Wedeman, live in Beirut, appreciate it.

Now it was Ukraine's year apparently at Eurovision. How the folk rappers took home the trophy from Europe's favorite song contest.

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NEWTON: A small plane crash near Miami killed one person on board and injured five others. Authorities says a single-engine Cessna carrying a pilot and two passengers lost power and struck a vehicle.

As it crashed on a bridge Saturday, that was before bursting into flames. Police say firefighters discovered the deceased person after they put out the flame. A woman and two toddlers were inside the SUV when it was struck and were brought to a local hospital for medical evaluation.

North Korea is reporting nearly 300,000 of what it calls "fever" cases just days after reporting its first outbreak of COVID-19.

State media say there were 15 additional deaths between Friday and Saturday evening, bringing the death toll now to 42. It is unclear if or how many of those deaths were caused by COVID. The entire country has been under lockdown since Thursday.

The COVID outbreak could be disastrous for North Korea. Its health care system is dilapidated and it's not known if the North has imported any COVID vaccines.

In Russia, wildfires raging through Siberia have killed more than a dozen people. The acting emergencies minister says there have been about4,000 fires in the region this year. And Russian president Vladimir Putin is demanding action. CNN's Lynda Kinkade reports.

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Big plumes of smoke billow from a large fire near a village in Irkutsk, just one of many wildfires ripping through parts of Siberia.

Several people have died and hundreds of buildings have burned to the ground, as firefighters struggled through high winds to contain the blazes. Russian president Vladimir Putin issued a scathing warning to regional officials: do more to deal with the forest fires in Siberia.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We cannot allow a repeat of last year's situation, when forest fires were the most long-lasting and intensive of recent years.

KINKADE (voice-over): During amazing broadcast on state TV, Putin said the fires threaten lives and the economy, noting that 700 homes have been damaged. A Russian official says so far, this year, some 4,000 wildfires have burned in an area the size of Luxembourg.

Last year's fire season was Russia's largest ever, more than 18 million hectares of land were destroyed, according to Greenpeace Russia. Wildfires have become more intensive over the past several years in Russia, due to unusually high temperatures, linked to climate change -- Linda Kinkade, CNN.

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NEWTON: The Eurovision song contest, yes, it can be a little weird sometimes. But on Saturday, the international spectacle gave much- needed love to Ukraine. The country's singing group was the sentimental favorite and yes, it came up big. Barbie Nadeau was following all of it.

In terms of the enthusiasm, obviously, post pandemic or let's say two years out from the pandemic, they were back to some of the viewing parties in some areas of Europe. And what they got was Ukraine and, you know, quite a tearjerker of a song and a performance. [03:55:00]

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, you know, 2020, there was no Eurovision song contest. Last year it came back under heavy COVID restrictions. But you know, people who were out were out for the party, very much back to normal here.

The Eurovision song contest is always sort of a strange combination of kitsch and culture. Ukraine was the favorite going in but the critics say they did a good job, the sort of combination of Ukrainian folk music and American-style rap went over well with those who were voting.

The voting is partially a technical judge, partially a call-in vote and other factors. So it can be political. The U.K. didn't get a single vote. People say that's because of Brexit. This year they came in second.

But the Ukrainians did a good job, according to people in the crowd and obviously according to those who called in their vote.

NEWTON: And as I said, sentimental. Everybody voted in there and such a good combination really of what people were looking for in terms of traditional music but also that modern take. I've got 10 seconds left for you.

Ratings high for this in Europe?

Everybody seems to be talking about it?

NADEAU: Yes, absolutely. People were ready for this. The Eurovision song contest is one of the biggest events across Europe. And people were ready to attend the parties everywhere.

NEWTON: And I think that's the issue. Sometimes we forget exactly how big it is in Europe. Barbie Nadeau, thank you.

And that does it for us and this edition of CNN NEWSROOM. My colleague Kim Brunhuber will be back in just a moment with more news.

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