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Biden to Meet With Japanese PM On Monday; Ukrainian Civilians Refitting Donated Cars To Fight On Front Lines; Operation Fly Formula To Deliver Baby Formula To U.S. From Germany; WHO Confirms 90+ Cases of Monkeypox Worldwide; Russian Missile Damaged 1,000 Apartments In Kharkiv Region, Many Schools; Farmers Struggle To Produce Greek Cheese; U.S. East Coast Faces Record Heat Wave. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired May 22, 2022 - 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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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead this hour, U.S. President Joe Biden moves on to Japan after wrapping up his visit to South Korea. We're live in Tokyo with the latest.

And Russia's war leaves its neighbor in ruins. Bringing you the latest from Ukraine. And I'll speak to one Ukrainian member of parliament on rebuilding their infrastructure.

And much needed baby formula is on its way to the United States. We'll have a live report from where it was shipped. This is CNN.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Joe Biden has arrived in Japan after a three-day visit to South Korea. Air Force One landed at the air base near Tokyo, an hour ago. This is Biden's first trip to Asia as commander in chief.

Before leaving Seoul, Biden met the chairman of Hyundai, where he praised plans to build a new electric vehicle plant in the U.S. state of Georgia while he's tried to put focus on bolstering America's economic and security ties in the region.

The shadow of potential conflict is never far away. On Saturday, the U.S. and South Korea announced plans to expand joint military drills in response to North Korea's growing nuclear threat.

Biden has also used the visit to underscore how strengthened U.S. alliances can help counter China's influence in the region. For more on that, let's bring in Blake Essig and Kevin Liptak, live in Tokyo. Kevin, a lot to get through on Biden's first trip to Asia. Walk us

through the second leg.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there are really three components to this second leg of President Biden's first trip to Asia. The first is the U.S.-Japan relations. That's really the focus of tomorrow's meeting.

That's a traditional courtesy call on the emperor that U.S. presidents usually do when they arrive here in Tokyo. And then he'll move on to meet with the prime minister Kishida. That is their first time meeting face-to-face.

And these talks will be important, with a lot of the concerns that the president heard in South Korea. He'll also hear those in Japan, concerns about North Korea, China, security issues.

Of course, the U.S. has a significant military presence here in Japan, just as in South Korea. They'll also talk about economics, things like trade. The U.S. and Japan have a significant trading relationship but there have been tumultuous times under Trump over tariffs and those sorts of things.

The two men will certainly want to talk about that and come to some agreement. The president will also want to cultivate Kishida as a key ally of his. They expect they'll be working together for a long time. And Biden's someone who places a premium on interpersonal relationships.

On Tuesday, the meetings will turn more economic-focused. And the president plans to unveil this economic framework that he's been working on, to sort of bring Asian nations alongside the U.S. in a bloc to counter China's growing economic influence in the region.

It's not a trade plan per se; it includes some trade facets but also things like Brazilian supply chains, working to combat and anti- corruption measures. So there are a lot of questions surrounding that.

We expect the president and his aides to answer some of the questions when they reveal the plan. One of the main overriding questions is who will be joining it. That's something that they'll talk about.

And the Quad summit, U.S., Japan, Australia and India, that's sort of the reason that President Biden is here in Japan. That will take place on Tuesday.

BRUNHUBER: Turning to you, Blake, with Japan's foreign minister, what's he hoping to get from the meetings with Biden and the Indo- Pacific leaders?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, it's always a big deal when the sitting U.S. president visits a foreign country. From the Japanese perspective, this is a huge opportunity both internationally and domestically for the Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida.

He's only been in office since October. So this is a chance to show the country that he's a respected international statesman.

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ESSIG: And he's capable of taking relations with Japan's most important ally, the United States, to that next level. From the U.S. perspective, Joe Biden, his first trip to Asia is also incredibly important after four years of the former president, a period that many experts say undermined the faith, trust and confidence that key allies had in the United States.

More recently, the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, there are a lot of people in this part of the world that question the political will of the United States to deploy troops abroad. Take a listen.

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CLEO PASKAL, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: And the perception is you may not be able to count on the U.S. in that kind of a situation for whatever reason. Who knows what is going to happen in the rest of the U.S.

But regardless, I think that Japan has a very strong section of the population who don't want to be reliant on outside powers in order to be able to make its decisions that might or may not risk its serenity (ph).

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ESSIG: Well, that being said, when President Biden and prime minister Kishida meet on Monday for their bilateral meeting, we expect the two sides will release a joint statement, pledging to deter China's military in the region.

And for President Biden to make it clear that the United States will defend Japan, including with the use of nuclear weapons if Japan is attacked. It's worth noting a big part of that pledge to deter China falls on Japan.

As a result of the rise of territorial disputes with China and Russia, a potential war in Taiwan and a nuclear-powered North Korea, members of Japan's ruling party realize they must do more to protect themselves and take a more proactive stance.

Domestically here in Japan, there's a push to expand the defense spending from 1.2 percent of GDP to improve defense capabilities as well within the framework of the country's pacifist constitution by developing a counterstrike capability, as opposed to waiting for a fight to come to them. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: We'll keep following it throughout the week. Blake Essig and Kevin Liptak live in Tokyo for us. Thanks so much.

The president of Poland reportedly has arrived in Ukraine and will address the nation's parliament later today. He'll be the first foreign head of state to speak to lawmakers since the war began. Ukraine's president met on Saturday with Portugal's prime minister.

Portugal has offered to help rebuild more than 1,000 educational facilities that have been destroyed in the past three months in Sievierodonetsk.

The Russians launched an attack overnight but were repelled. On Saturday, Russians blew up a key bridge in the city.

And Ukrainian culture sites have been targeted repeatedly, including this strike on a cultural center near Kharkiv. The mayor said the blast damaged more than 1,000 apartments and numerous schools. Seven people were reportedly hurt. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is standing by in Ukraine.

Suzanne, with these latest attacks on schools and cultural institutions, how are Ukrainians responding?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, I've met many Ukrainians who are very proud of their culture, their educational institutions, the art, architecture, music and language. So this gives them a great deal of pride.

President Zelenskyy saying he believes the Russians are trying to wipe out the Ukrainian culture. So this is very, very concerning. They're very passionate about this. President Zelenskyy also making it very clear, very candid about the situation in the Donbas.

That the Russians continue to escalate the attacks there. And I have met many Ukrainians, who feel they will do anything, any little thing, to help those fighters on the front lines. I met such a person, a young woman, who is donating these cars and driving the cars herself to the front lines.

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MALVEAUX (voice-over): Down a quiet dirt road in Lviv, this small auto repair shop looks like any other. But it is playing a vital role in Ukraine's civilian resistance.

It is backbreaking work, souping up this run-of-the-mill truck to head to the front lines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

Uliana Hileta, who normally works as a graphic designer, is planning to drive it to the front lines herself.

ULIANA HILETA, GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND VOLUNTEER DRIVER (through translator): Every trip is filled with emotions, full of hard work and also full of joy that I can be part of something bigger. I can bring at least some things that will make us closer to victory.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Uliana has been organizing car donations to the Ukrainian military since Russia invaded Crimea in 2014. Now her efforts have been increased with five trips so far this year.

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MALVEAUX: So you're by yourself for 17 hours in this big vehicle?

Petite as you are, are you afraid, are you concerned?

You are going close to the front lines by yourself.

HILETA (through translator): It would be strange if I wasn't scared, because everyone is scared about their lives. But apart from the fear, there is also love, which is always stronger. It is the love of our motherland.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Civilians here are desperate to help the army however they can, donating money to import as many cars as possible.

This truck, now painted and ready, is destined for Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine where Russian troops have been shelling relentlessly for more than a month, injuring and killing thousands of civilians and battering the Ukrainian forces.

Soldiers say donations like this have been invaluable, as they brace for a long conflict.

It is really unpredictable. Sometimes the car might survive for one or two months. But sometimes on the next day it can be under enemy fire and get destroyed.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): It is an 800-mile journey from Lviv to Slovyansk. And it is not just the car that Uliana will give to those fighting. The truck is filled with new uniforms, military equipment and lots of fuel.

As she packs, she imagines these supplies will help soldiers like her brother-in-law and other close friends, loved ones now fighting in the east.

HILETA (through translator): We had coffee two days before the war began. Now they are on the front lines. But the fact that I can help the soldiers makes me less worried.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Her treacherous journey hopefully paving the way to a free Ukraine.

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MALVEAUX: And we've been in touch with Uliana. She's just hours away from Slovyansk, that military escalation there. We wish her the very best, her safety, as she makes it there, Russians pummeling that area day after day, week after week.

BRUNHUBER: As she said, love is always stronger. That was great. Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so much.

Moscow is considering exchanging Ukrainian prisoners from the Azov Regiment for a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician and oligarch according to an official cited by Russian state media. He was detained in April. Medvedchuk had faced allegations of treason and had been under house arrest. He was a close ally of President Putin.

A critical shipment of baby formula is expected to land in the U.S. in the coming hours as American families cope with a nationwide shortage. Operation Fly Formula gets underway.

Plus, President Biden weighs in on monkeypox. And what he tells CNN about whether people need to be concerned about the virus. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Have a look here, U.S. troops in Germany are packing up more than 130 pallets of baby formula. The U.S. military flight is on its way to Indiana right now, carrying the shipment. It's the first delivery under the Biden administration's Operation Fly Formula, as Americans cope with a nationwide shortage.

Underscoring the importance, the White House and the U.S. Agriculture Secretary will greet the flight when it lands later today. Elizabeth Cohen is at Ramstein Air Base.

Elizabeth, the need is so huge, I imagine one shipment won't make much of a dent.

But is there more coming.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: More is coming. Hopefully, this shipment will help some families. I'm sure it will, it's 1.5 million bottles of infant formula. It left here about six hours ago. And in six hours more, it's scheduled to arrive in Indiana.

As you said, 1.5 million bottles for the millions of children who rely on infant formula, it's not going to take care of it. We're told to expect more flights. The next flight, I should say, could be as soon as midweek.

We don't know much about that flight except, this time, instead of it being a military aircraft, it might be a commercial aircraft that contracts with the military.

Now the formula that is on its way to the U.S. is a Nestle product. It's hypoallergenic. A lot of the families facing some of the most critical times in the U.S. are parents of babies who have allergies or a specific medical condition. And they really need specific types of formula. The hope is that this will help.

Abbott Nutrition, that's the folks who make Similac, that's the plant that had so many recalls for the plant in Michigan, being shuttered for food safety reasons. They say they will be able to get that plant up and running by the first week of June. You know what, Kim, it's going to take them six to eight weeks more to

start making product and getting it onto supermarket shelves. So parents in the U.S. are not going to be seeing a substantial, a huge difference. They're not going to see this turn around for many, many weeks. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Many weeks. Yes, many children can't wait that long. We've already seen several babies admitted to hospital for issues related to the shortages.

COHEN: That's right, Kim, actually babies and children. Some children with medical issues and actually some adults, too, rely on the specialty formulas. And talking to parents of children, where there was one specific formula they could take, it was in shortage.

I talked to a mom. She had to ration it, just a horrible word. You're thinking about a sick child and their parents have to ration the formula that they depend on. That child was OK but there are other children who really can't take that.

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COHEN: And they have indeed ended up in the hospital and put on feeding tubes, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much, CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, in Germany. Thanks so much.

U.S. President Joe Biden says everybody should be concerned about the spread of monkeypox. He made the comment to CNN's Kaitlan Collins just before his departure from Korea.

Here's what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says about monkeypox. It's similar to the now eradicated smallpox virus. It may include a flulike illness, with swelling of lymph nodes and unusual rashes on the body. It can spread through contact with body fluids, sores, through contaminated clothing and bedding.

And Switzerland and Israel are among the latest countries confirming their first cases of monkeypox, at least one in each country.

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BRUNHUBER: Joining me is Dr. Anne Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, joining me from Los Angeles.

I wanted to start with the obvious question everybody is asking, which is, how worried should we be about this?

But looking into it, the answer isn't necessarily very straightforward. So I want to start with this. You've been studying monkeypox for decades. You warned years ago about the possibility of it becoming a much greater threat.

So let's start with the worst-case scenario, that many people might be imagining here, considering what the world has been through and is still going through with COVID.

That's this: could this spread widely, say here in the U.S., with tens of thousands of cases or even become another global pandemic?

DR. ANNE RIMOIN, EPIDEMIOLOGY PROFESSOR, UCLA FIELDING SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Kim, thanks for having me.

You're asking a very important question, which is, how concerned should we be?

We should definitely be concerned. It's very concerning to see all of these clusters of monkeypox outside of Africa for the first time ever. But monkeypox is a very different disease than COVID-19, which what you're alluding to in terms of global pandemic.

Are we going to see something like this happen?

The answer is, monkeypox is much less transmissible than SARS-CoV-2. It is something that really requires very close person-to-person transmission or person-to-person contact, as we know, from what we know about studying this virus. So my answer is, we need to be concerned.

We don't need to be raising an alarm beyond the fact that we need to be concerned. We need more data before we can really make a real judgment on what this actually means.

BRUNHUBER: Right, OK. Let's go back and put this into context. Normally the disease, as I understand, is sort of contained to rural west and central Africa.

How unusual what is we're seeing now and why do you think it's spreading globally now?

RIMOIN: There's several reasons that we're seeing monkeypox come up in the news more frequently and why now we're seeing cases pop up globally.

The first thing is, we no longer have immunity to pox viruses because of this great achievement by public health: eradicating smallpox. When we eradicated smallpox, we stopped having to immunize populations. So the smallpox vaccine was retired from the normal vaccination schedule.

And as a result, since the early '70s, the vast majority of the world has not been getting vaccinated. As a result, we just don't have immunity to pox viruses the way we do. That's why we would see -- we've seen cases of monkeypox get imported from Africa. This is why we've seen cases increase in Africa.

In fact, the paper you're referencing is exactly that, discussing how monkeypox is increasing. So makes sense we're going to see more cases.

Why are we seeing these -- go ahead.

(CROSSTALK) BRUNHUBER: Yes, if there are more cases, though, could we see something like we saw in COVID, the disease could mutate in immunocompromised hosts, to become more transmissible, maybe more virulent?

RIMOIN: Well, you know, it's certainly possible. But here's the thing. Monkeypox is a DNA virus and it's a very stable virus. So it's going to take a lot more transmission for that kind of scenario to occur.

Now, of course, as we've discussed with SARS-CoV-2, viruses mutate when they have the opportunity to replicate. And eventually you could see a constellation of mutations that could become concerning.

And certainly seeing multiple chains of transmission over periods of time and potentially immunocompromised hosts could lead to changes in this virus. So it's very important to watch.

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BRUNHUBER: So you warned years ago, when you were studying this, that if we didn't monitor and control monkeypox in rural Africa, it could spread, get established maybe in other -- in animals in other countries. You said the public health setback would be difficult to reverse.

So how difficult might it be?

And how would we go about doing it if it does become established in animal populations here?

RIMOIN: The thing about monkeypox is it is a zoonotic disease. And there are multiple reservoir species that are susceptible. That's why we saw, in 2003, we saw the virus jump from a Gambian pouched rat to an American prairie dog in a holding facility.

Then, infected, several of these prairie dogs, went on to infect hosts. We were very lucky at that time that it didn't get into other species, into any wild species in the United States, and begin to start spreading in animals.

So we really want to make sure that this virus does not -- doesn't have the opportunity to spread beyond where it's already existing. It is something that we do need to be concerned about.

This is why it's going to be very important to have very good disease surveillance. We have to identify all of the cases. We really have to understand where these introductions have come from, how this virus is spreading. And that's going to be how we're going to determine how best to control the virus.

BRUNHUBER: Hopefully, with everything the world's been through, we've at least developed a bit more robust infrastructure for surveillance and responding to health threats like this, because, of course, as you well know, more than anyone, they will keep coming. Anne Rimoin, thanks for your expertise, really appreciate it. RIMOIN: My pleasure.

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BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, Joe Biden pivots to asia as Air Force One landed in Japan. A look at the possibility of North Korea using the occasion to test fire a ballistic missile.

And whole cities have practically been wiped off the map in Ukraine. What it will take to rebuild. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us. Here in the United States, Canada, all around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber.

President Biden has arrived in Japan. Air Force One landed near Tokyo just a short time ago. Japan is the second stop on Biden's trip to Asia after a series of high-level meetings in South Korea.

While in Tokyo, he is expected to meet with Japan's emperor and prime minister before joining Japan, India and Australia for a meeting of the Quad alliance. Biden's trip comes amid a growing nuclear threat from North Korea.

U.S. officials say intelligence shows there still is a chance Pyongyang could launch a missile test while Biden is in the region. Earlier, he shrugged off concerns, saying the U.S. is fully prepared for anything North Korea does.

Russia's war on Ukraine has raged nonstop for nearly three months. And one clear pattern has emerged: the Russians are systematically attacking civilian homes and infrastructure, as well as military facilities.

An estimated 30 percent of high-rise apartments in Kharkiv have been destroyed. Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up a bridge in Sievierodonetsk that was a key evacuation route out. They say Russian missiles targeted a military infrastructure site in the region, which is near the Polish border.

Russia claims it destroyed a system of weapons coming from the U.S. and Europe. The town of Lozova near Kharkiv is reeling from this missile strike on its cultural center. The blast damaged over 1,000 apartments and nearly dozen schools and educational facilities and apartments.

With us from Kyiv is parliament member Mariia Ionova.

MARIIA IONOVA, UKRAINIAN MP: Thanks so much for being here with us. As we have just shown here, the catalog of damage, I mean, it's so extensive. Some areas, obviously, much more than others. President Zelenskyy said recently that the Donbas region had been completely destroyed. So give us a sense of how things stand from your point of view.

Hello. Glory to Ukraine. Unfortunately, Russia continues to erase towns and villages, crushed to the ground (INAUDIBLE) in Donetsk and Luhansk. But unfortunately, on the south. Every day, every night, missiles from Crimea and from (INAUDIBLE) Russian Federation heavy weapon (INAUDIBLE) the missiles, the bombing civilian and districts and crushed also civilian premises. That's why Russia continue the aggressive invasion and (INAUDIBLE).

BRUNHUBER: According to your president, some 1,000 educational institutions have been destroyed since the start of the war. I mean, that's just one sector that's really been affected here.

What is it going to take to rebuild?

How long might that take?

IONOVA: First of all, discussing the buildings, we have to defeat Putin. That is why we appreciate the USA for lend-lease and also for weaponry, what we got. But we need more to get away Russian military troops from our territory.

That is why not only educational institutions but also around 300 hospitals and medical centers have been also destroyed. That is why we appreciate, when we get weapons as much as we can and also sanctions.

Because unfortunately now in Europe, not all the E.U. countries are provided sanctions on oil and gas. From one side, this country would like to finish the war. But unfortunately from other side, they financing oil and gas.

And we would like them to use this opportunity, opportunity, like summer, to find alternative ways and not to finance the war.

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IONOVA: Because (INAUDIBLE) bank, they paying salaries to Russian soldiers and also buy weaponry from Russian troops because you know, if not these sanctions on oil and gas, this will not only continue but also extend the war to Moldova and to other countries. That is why here we have to think strategically (INAUDIBLE).

BRUNHUBER: Now Ukrainian infrastructure is not just important for the country itself but for the rest of the world, because of how much food that Ukraine produces. President Zelenskyy spoke about this yesterday. Here he is.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): There will be a crisis in the world, the second crisis after the energy crisis, provoked by Russia. Now it will make a food crisis. This will be the case if we do not unblock the roads for Ukraine, do not help the countries of Europe, the countries of Asia that need these foods.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: That just underscores what is at stake not just for Ukraine but for the rest of the world, as he said.

IONOVA: Absolutely. The president of Ukraine, also the general (INAUDIBLE) mentioned that (INAUDIBLE) of the population will have problems with (INAUDIBLE). And that is why this problem is for the whole world because this food crisis is not only about Ukraine. It's not only for this year but they think that all of the leaders -- and I'm sure that (INAUDIBLE) also have been discussed, we have to find a solution to provide such anti-Putin coalition to guarantee and to provide supplies to help Ukraine to export the grain and other products because on the convoy, on the U.S. convoy, on major convoys (INAUDIBLE) agreed with our partners.

But this problem is not for only for this year but as we have to think strategically. As unfortunately, Russia, you see they are blocking the big blocked all our seas. And that also their strategy, to block the sea and the part of the world (INAUDIBLE) because of Putin and (INAUDIBLE).

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that is why there's so many efforts to try and come to some arrangement to at least allow the ships with grain to get out of the blockaded ports there.

I want to ask you before we go, Poland's president will be addressing your parliament today, the first foreign leader to do so since the start of the war. Obviously, Poland, a huge partner in terms of assistance, helping shelter millions of displaced Ukrainians.

What is the significance of this visit?

IONOVA: Just behind me, the plenary hall, where President Duda is having his speech. We really appreciate his support, also in actions and visiting Ukraine because such solidarity, such presence for our Ukrainian people, for armed forces.

It's very sensitive and (INAUDIBLE) because we really need the support on the ground in Kyiv and in the capital of Ukraine. Of course, the 2.6 million Ukrainians are now displaced people in Poland. And they have social benefits and medical care. And also, Poland is our advocate in getting candidacy started for Ukraine in European Union and we know that President Duda also has such a plan to visit the capital.

He still thinks that probably there would be some other level candidacy for Ukraine. And he will advocate that has to be very strong political decisions to that Ukraine, Ukrainian people were supporting 92 percent E.U. integration. We will get candidacy status at the end of June.

And it must be very strong and a great decision for Germany and for France. BRUNHUBER: I know that is an issue that you have been advocating for

a long time. Certainly hope you get your support that you need. Mariia Ionova, thank you so much.

IONOVA: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Russia's war on Ukraine is impacting economies around the world. In Greece, farmers are coping with rising costs and struggling to produce one of the country's more famous and popular cheeses.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): From its picturesque shoreline, the island Naxos is a scene of quaint beauty. But the lifeblood of this Greek island is at risk, as its agricultural community suffers the impacts of the war about 1,800 kilometers away.

[05:40:00]

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): As the conflict in Ukraine drives rising costs of feed, fuel and fertilizer, farms on this island can't afford to maintain their livestock. They are forced to sacrifice their most precious assets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I have had to start slaughtering the animals that make less milk so that I can preserve the ones that make more milk. Otherwise, we can't feed them because the prices of animal feed are so high.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Now one of the island's most popular local products is at risk of disappearing, the famed graviera cheese.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): More than 300 cows have been slaughtered and more than 30,000 sheep and goats. And it's continuing. Milk production is down 7 to 8 tons a day and that could reach 10 tons a day. That translates into less of a final product, the graviera of Naxos.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): A hard cheese that takes its name from Swiss gruyere, Naxian graviera is protected by the European Union's protected designation of origin label, which means it can only be made on this island with milk from local livestock.

From Naxos, the distinctive cheese is exported to mainland Greece as well as countries around the world, including France, Germany, the U.S. and the UAE. But soon, the pale yellow wheels of graviera may disappear from supermarket shelves altogether.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Under these conditions, livestock breeding will end on our island. Farmers will be forced to end up slaughtering all the animals. We are disappointed. We are desperate.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The head of the local agriculture union estimates total production of graviera could fall by 30 percent this year, as global prices surge. The cost to import livestock feed into Naxos, for example, went up

from about $70 last year to over $240, an insurmountable price increase for many Naxian farmers, which they fear could have a lasting impact.

The conflict in Ukraine creating an agricultural crisis on Naxos island, where a flagship cheese and farms that create it may one day be a thing of the past.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Ahead, a major power shift in Australia. Why voters showed Scott Morrison and his conservative coalition the door. We will have a look at who will be leading the country next. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: You are looking at Anthony Albanese, the next prime minister of Australia. Voters picked the Labor Party over Scott Morrison's conservative coalition to lead Australia. For more on this, let's bring on CNN's Anna Coren.

A new prime minister means plenty of challenges ahead, even just a form of government. Take us through what led to the first Labor government in a decade.

ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: The polls certainly suggested this was going to be a close election but Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party will form a majority government. It looks like 76 seats of the 151 in the House of Representatives. They needed 76 to get across the line to form an outright majority.

It's not the landslide they were hoping for but nor is the minority government many predicted. Albanese will be allowed to enforce his vision on Australia, which is what people want. They want change. This is what we saw.

The 59-year old, when he gave his acceptance speech, was very emotional. He talked about wanting to unify Australia and represent all Australians.

I should mention, this election result really isn't necessarily about embracing Anthony Albanese, who has been a longtime veteran of Australian politics, but rather a sharp rebuke of the outgoing Scott Morrison, who voters saw as pugnacious, wanted to get rid of his Conservative Party.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COREN (voice-over): Meet Anthony Albanese, Australia's 31st prime minister.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, INCOMING AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Thank you for this extraordinary honor. Tonight, the Australian people have voted for change. I'm humbled by this victory. And I'm honored to be given the opportunity to serve as the 31st prime minister of Australia.

COREN (voice-over): Many down under were fed up with Scott Morrison, a leader many see as lacking empathy and integrity.

GRACE TAME, 2021 AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR: All Anthony would have to do is none of the things that Scott has done.

COREN (voice-over): With such a low bar, Albanese presented an option for safe change instead of appealing to traditional Labor values, like big spending on health and education or higher taxes on the wealthy, values that Albanese himself has long campaigned for.

ALBANESE: My whole life I believe that Labor governments make a positive --

(CROSSTALK)

COREN (voice-over): Raised by single mother in public housing, Albanese is a working class stalwart of the party's Left faction. Many expected him to announce bold strategies on climate but instead he is keeping to what he says is economical: a 43 percent emissions drop by 2030.

That perceived lack of ambition has driven many voters to environmentally minded independents, who may still hold the balance of power after Saturday's vote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the essence of democracy. This is -- a lot of people are moving toward independents, probably due to dissatisfaction with the current political system.

COREN (voice-over): As Australians get to know their new government, there is not long for the world to wait to find out more about Anthony Albanese. His first diplomatic test comes Tuesday at the quad meeting in Tokyo, when he meets U.S. President Joe Biden and other allies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Albanese will be sworn in on Monday morning. We should also mention there's been a seismic shift toward the independents and the minor parties, whose focus is very much about climate change and integrity in government, something that Albanese said he will certainly be addressing.

BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much, Anna Coren, appreciate it.

From heat waves to freak snowstorms, extreme weather battling the U.S. this weekend. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam explains what's up just ahead. Stay with us.

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[05:50:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Extreme weather is hitting U.S. this weekend, New Mexico. The largest wildfire in state history is burning into its sixth week. Over 300,000 acres have been charred and it's only 40 percent contained.

Across the rest of U.S., about 170 million people have been sweltering under temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. That's more than 32 degrees Celsius.

(WEATHER REPORT)

[05:55:00]

BRUNHUBER: That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. In North America, "NEW DAY" is next. For international viewers, it's "LIVING GOLF."