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Russia's War on Ukraine; Extreme Weather; Kentuckians Helping Out Others; Pelosi to Lead Congressional Delegation to Asia This Week; Political Crisis in Iraq is Fueling Growing Protests; New York City Declares Public Health Emergency Due to Virus; Abortion Debate Draws Protesters in Indiana; Kansas First State to Vote on Abortion Rights After Roe's Demise; $1.34 Billion Mega Millions Winning Ticket Sold in Illinois. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 31, 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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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM --
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Please follow the evacuation. We will help you. We are not Russia.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Ukraine's president is calling for a mass evacuation for one part of the country, saying that hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of being attacked.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard to see everyone losing people that they truly love. As a community. Us as a community can't do nothing about it.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Rescuers are working around the clock in Kentucky to locate any more survivors of the deadly flooding. This as families learn the worst about their loved ones.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): And President Biden tested positive for the coronavirus again. He's back to isolating at the White House.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber. BRUNHUBER: We begin in Ukraine, whose forces have, in the words of a
pro-Russian official, rained on Russia's Navy Day parade. Moscow says a Ukrainian drone hit the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Sebastopol this morning, five were injured.
The attack happened while Russian forces were celebrating their Navy Day holiday. After the strike, the official said the rest of the celebrations in Sebastopol were canceled.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is ordering civilians in the Donetsk area to get out. President Zelenskyy said hundreds of thousands of people are still in the region, which is in the crosshairs of the main Russian offensive. He says the goal is to save lives. Here he is.
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ZELENSKYY (through translator): There's already a governmental decision about obligatory evacuation from Donetsk region. Everything is being organized. Full support, full assistance, both logistical and payments (ph).
We only need a decision from the people who have yet not made it for themselves. Please follow the evacuation. We will help you. We are not Russia. We would do everything possible to save the maximum number of human lives and to maximally limit Russian terror.
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BRUNHUBER: In the south, no break from Russian artillery for Mykolaiv. Shells and missiles rained down on the city over the past 24 hours, kill one, leaving six others injured.
Mykolaiv has been taking Russian fire almost every day over the past month, including an attack on a bus stop on Friday. The death toll is now seven people.
Jason Carroll is live from Kyiv.
Jason, those calls for the evacuation of Donetsk, a huge undertaking. Walk us through what's behind it and how it would work.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, of course, it will be a huge undertaking. And as you know, they've seen some fierce fighting there. But this evacuation order is really about what's to come.
This is why the president is giving it now; as he has mentioned there are hundreds of thousands of people there, tens of thousands of children. So this evacuation order, especially going out to those who have children, trying to convince them to get out of the region.
And the reason for that, when I say it's about what's to come, is because there's not going to be any gas there. There's not going to be any electricity there. And so when the temperatures start to drop around late fall, in the winter, conditions there are going to get even worse. And so that is why, when you have so many people who are still living
in that region, who need to get out of the region, you've got the president ordering that evacuation or issuing that evacuation order.
In contrast to that, you look at what's happening in the south. You've got the mayor there of Mykolaiv, who's telling residents there to actually shelter in place. He is saying that he has seen there, in the southern part of the country, in Mykolaiv, some of the heaviest shelling he's seen in quite some time: explosions, cluster bombs in the city, damage to residential buildings.
Again, the Russians really stepping up their efforts in that part of the country. This as Ukrainians are really keeping the pressure on in the places like in the south.
BRUNHUBER: Now Jason, turning to the deadly strike on that prison Ukrainian POWs.
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BRUNHUBER: What more are we learning about that?
CARROLL: Yes, some 50 Ukrainian POWs killed in the Olenivka prison during the attack. We've seen dueling narratives. The Russians claiming it was the Ukrainians; the Ukrainians claiming it was the Russians.
Yesterday we heard the Ukrainians saying that, look, we'd like to get the United Nations in here, the Red Cross in here. And now Russia is saying at this point that they would also welcome to have the United Nations come in and conduct an independent investigation. They're saying this now.
The United Nations, through a spokesperson, saying they would be happy to send in investigators to see what is going on there. The ball is basically in Russia's court to open the door and allow them in. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much for the update, Jason Carroll live in Kyiv for us.
Russia's state-owned energy company, Gazprom, accuses the country of Latvia of violating conditions. They've cut off gas in the past when countries refuse to pay in rubles. A Latvia firm announced it was buying gas from Russia but not Gazprom and it wasn't paying in rubles.
With some exemptions, the E.U. has agreed to reduce natural gas demand by 15 percent this winter. And Germany has declared a gas crisis as Russia limits supplies. That has local governments trying to save as much energy as possible.
In the capital, Berlin is switching off or dimming the lights at 200 buildings, including landmarks, like the city's victory column.
After testing negative for COVID on four consecutive days, President Biden has tested positive once again. He had very publicly gone back to work just four days earlier. Now the president is back in isolation. CNN White House reporter Kevin Liptak has more.
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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden says he's got no symptoms after testing positive for COVID again. The White House doctor says he's doing quite well and President Biden even told some folks on the phone earlier today that he was working out in the White House gym.
So medically he certainly seems to be doing fine. But this is a disappointment for President Biden after really it seemed like he was finished with coronavirus after testing negative last week.
And the White House said that he tested negative each day since Tuesday evening. But he did have a positive test on an antigen test earlier Saturday morning. So the president will be isolating here at the White House.
The White House did have to cancel a number of out of town trips that the president had scheduled. But he does have his dog to keep him company.
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LIPTAK (voice-over): It was only four days ago that the president emerged from the White House really sort of triumphant after testing negative for coronavirus. What the White House says is that they were testing him each day but he did throw that positive test this morning.
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LIPTAK: What they're really attributing it to is this antiviral drug, Paxlovid, that he had been taking. There are some rare instances of people first testing negative then testing positive again after taking Paxlovid. President Biden does now seem to be in the faction of people for whom that is true.
The White House has sort of downplayed the prospect that this could happen over the course of the president's illness, noting how few people that is happening to. But they did say that it could be a possibility.
And for that reason, they upped the president's testing cadence. They had him wear a tight-fitting mask around the White House. Now he will have to go back into isolation.
His wife is away from the White House; she is at their home in Delaware. So it will be another weekend home alone for the president. He will be able to leave isolation again when he next tests negative -- Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.
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BRUNHUBER: The Kentuckians are coming to grips with the catastrophic flooding. Just ahead, how one Kentucky native is lending a helping hand to his friends and neighbors.
And protests in Iraq are escalating, with demonstrators occupying parliament. A live report straight ahead.
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BRUNHUBER: Another day of devastating discoveries and heartbreaking loss in eastern Kentucky. Have a look here.
You're seeing the aftermath of flash floods where 25 people are confirmed dead. One local mayor called that just the tip of the iceberg. Floodwaters have washed away roads and destroyed bridges, making ongoing search and rescue efforts for the scores of missing even harder.
The governor says damages could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. But the emotional toll on those affected, it's immeasurable. Many residents are still coming to grips with the fear they experienced and their own personal sense of loss.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Honestly, there's nothing no one can do or say to prepare anyone for something like this, not knowing how bad it's really going to get, it's just heartbreaking to see our community so messed up right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kids that's lost their lives, there're six or seven that died. And I have a 9-year-old boy. And if I would've lost him, I'd been over -- I am sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He made it. That's all that matters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he made it.
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BRUNHUBER: Officials say the search for the missing will continue. But with much of the infrastructure is destroyed, more rain in the forecast, recovery efforts will be slow and difficult.
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LT. GOV. JACQUELINE COLEMAN (D-KY): In Kentucky, we do not give up the fight. So we will continue as long as we possibly can, searching for lost family members. As you know and as you probably will continue to see, the rain will continue in the coming days as well as a pretty intense heat wave coming midweek. And so you know, we are not going to let those things stop us. We're
going to continue to search for loved ones, for the families that deserve to be reconnected with them, as long as we can.
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BRUNHUBER: The rescue, especially the recovery efforts, will be monumental tasks. CNN's Joe Johns is in Hazard, Kentucky, with the latest.
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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The emergency declaration by President Biden, to help the counties in this situation, goes to 12-13 counties. It is just a huge area, so connected by all these streams and creeks where the problems occur.
The significance of the governor's announcement is that this is no shock. He said 25 people are confirmed dead. And this was information that was readily available on the public record. Some of the states, counties and localities had issued fatality counts of their own, which had not been sort of brought in to the governor's official number.
And the real stunning thing, of course, there's a possibility for even more. That is because they have to get into all of the backwoods areas where people could have been and check on their welfare.
So a lot of work to do here in the state of Kentucky. Certainly, an enormous disaster. Shocking compared to just last year, when they had another weather event. But it just has not reached this level ever before. Back to you.
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BRUNHUBER: And sadly, it is not over yet.
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BRUNHUBER: I want to talk now to Zach Caudill, a victim of the flooding, who has been helping others in the aftermath.
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BRUNHUBER: Thank you so much for being here with us. We've seen so many people stepping up and volunteering, helping in the awful tragedy. Let us know when you have been doing to help.
ZACH CAUDILL, FLOODING VICTIM AND VOLUNTEER: Yes, I have been trying to help just donate within my community. I have been donating medical supplies, water, food items, items for animals. Just anything that I can to all the different families here, been all around the county, trying to get that.
And I've been going around, making sure that everyone is safe and accounted for.
BRUNHUBER: And you a the boat, is that right?
You've been out on the water trying to help folks?
CAUDILL: Yes, there's several different boats and jetskis and like, I've used all four of my kayaks that my family owns and (INAUDIBLE) out on those. Some rescuers are still out on boats in some areas, trying to get people help.
BRUNHUBER: Describe what you're seeing out there, the conditions. What's making it such a challenge to try and find them.
CAUDILL: Yes, it is complete devastation. It's just our hometown is utterly wrecked (ph). The entire region has been hit insanely hard. It is something that you never would've thought would happen.
And now in the blink of an eye, everything is just gone.
BRUNHUBER: You know, a lot of the people out there who are waiting to be rescued, I, mean they are the elderly, they're patients in hospitals. I understand you've been helping some patients trying to get them to safe ground. Tell us about that.
CAUDILL: Yes, I've been trying to organize, to get cancer patients within my community transportation to the American Cancer Center in Lexington, Kentucky. That way we can make sure that, in this time of need, people still recognize the prominent danger of cancer in our community and that cancer patients still need the attention that they require.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, and you talk about danger, how dangerous is it out there?
We see the pictures of, you know, often rushing water and debris everywhere.
What are the conditions like out there for you as you're trying to do all this?
CAUDILL: There are roadblocks everywhere, from trees and other debris. In some places, homes have completely fell through or completely torn up. Some places you just can't get to still. And it's going to be a while before anyone's able to go back through there. Everything is just torn up. Conditions here are awful.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. It must be heartbreaking when you want to get to a certain area, you know there are people there who need your help but you just can't get through. It must be really frustrating and heartbreaking.
CAUDILL: It is. And we've all tried to help as many people as we can. But unfortunately, with the death toll, they're some good Kentuckians that we've not been able to get to.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Gosh, it's just so awful.
Turning to maybe a positive side here, when you are able to help people and get them the supplies they need and get them to safe ground, it must be really heartening for you. You must get a lot of gratitude from the people who you're helping.
CAUDILL: It is. Some people are just completely blown away by the acts of kindness. I know online, too, a lot of us are being hurt. We've had some people in comments on their news posts say hurtful things about us people here in eastern Kentucky. And just people getting online and defending us too. That is also a form of comfort that we've had.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, we don't want to focus on all the negativity when there's been so much positive that we've seen from people stepping up and helping each other, something you're doing as well. You talked about just how long this is going to take to rebuild and so on.
How many years do you think it will take?
This is the second time that some of these communities have been hit.
CAUDILL: Yes, it is. I personally think it will take many years for it to get rebuilt. Our state and our government does not focus much on this part of the world, especially eastern Kentucky.
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CAUDILL: We are kind of the people unto our own, although I talked with the superintendent of our schools. There's an estimated $2 million in damages. That's not even counting all the computers we lost.
BRUNHUBER: We've seen people stepping up and helping each other. That is what you're doing. We want to thank you for all that you've been doing to help your neighbors out there.
And wish you the best of luck for you and your community as you try to deal with this tragedy that's hit. Zach Caudill, thank you so much for joining us, really appreciate it.
CAUDILL: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: If you'd like to safely and securely help people affected by the floods, who need shelter, food, water go to cnn.com/impact. You can find several ways to help there.
Other parts of the world are coping with their own catastrophic flooding. Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi toured areas devastated by heavy rains. Flooding and landslides killed more than 50 people.
From the air, you can see he surveyed damage caused by days of floods. It affected 400 towns and villages. Rescue operations are ongoing. More than a dozen people are still missing.
In Pakistan, the rain may finally be letting up in areas hit by massive flooding but the monsoon deluge has taken a huge toll, killing at least 384 people. Here you see a town in northern Pakistan, inundated by floods on Saturday. Some of the street vendors are working there in ankle deep water. The
majority of rain over the next few days is expected to be in central and eastern parts of the country.
For those of you here in North America, CNN NEWSROOM continues after a quick break. For those in the rest of world, "INSIDE AFRICA" is next.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States and Canada. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom. A possible but unconfirmed U.S. Congressional trip to Taiwan is creating tension between Beijing and Washington. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a delegation to Asia. In a statement just released, her office said the trip will focus on security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific. There was no mention of a stop and Taiwan, but the possibility has created friction between the U.S. and China in recent days.
Our own Selina Wang is in Beijing and joins us now live. Selina, it's a more saber rattling from Beijing, but from Pelosi still no direct mention of Taiwan on her itinerary, so bring us up to speed.
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Kim, even just the possibility of Nancy Pelosi possibly visiting Taiwan has sent to Beijing absolutely fuming. We've been hearing a lot of heated language coming from officials, including from the military over these past few days threatening to take powerful action in response. And during this tense time, Kim, we've also been getting more reminders of China's military capabilities.
Just today at a press conference, in fact, an official said that Chinese military war planes flying around Taiwan would enhance its abilities and a potential conflict. And the backdrop here is that in recent weeks, there have been nearly daily incursions of Chinese fighter jets into Taiwan self-declared air defense zone. And state media reporting on a military drill as well this weekend in China's province, just directly across the sea from Taiwan.
Now, Beijing basically sees a visit to Taiwan by one of America's most powerful politicians as tacitly supporting Taiwan independence, which for Beijing, is a red line. Xi Jinping had sent Biden a strong warning on Thursday during their more than two hour call. This is what Xi Jinping said according to the readout from that meeting, "China firmly opposes separatist moves toward Taiwan independence and interference by external forces and never allows any room for Taiwan independence forces in whatever form. Those who play with fire will perish by it. And I hope the U.S. side can see this clearly."
But Kim, all of the threats we've heard from China over these past few days, they have all been vague threats. And some experts tell me, look, this is all just strong language. This is bluffing. China doesn't actually want conflict to escalate any more than the U.S. does. But on the other hand, there's also concern that this trip would be humiliating for Xi, we're just months before he's expected to seek an unprecedented third term and at this moment, Kim, he needs to look strong.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's right. All right. Selina Wang in Beijing, thanks so much.
In Iraq, sessions of parliament are suspended until further notice after 1000s of protesters stormed the capital's Green Zone twice in a week amid growing political unrest.
So this was on Saturday, protesters loyalty cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are angry that one of his rivals has been nominated as prime minister.
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ALI KASIB, PROTESTER (through translator): They were 18 years that should have been enough for them to resolve what they spoiled. We will not keep recycling trash. Enough people are using their voices to say no to forming a corrupt government by replacing one face with another face. We oppose everyone, including Nouri al-Maliki and Mohammad al- Sudani. This group is not demanding to form a government. And if they wanted to form a government, they would have aligned themselves with authority. We agree on any independent person but we do not agree on trash returning again. They destroyed the people.
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BRUNHUBER: All right, and we're showing you live pictures there from Baghdad. You can see there that they're resuming their protests today. Iraq has been gripped by political uncertainty for months. CNN's Nada Bashir is following the latest developments from Istanbul. Nada, there have been calls for de-escalation and peaceful dialogue, any sign, anyone's listening?
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look Kim, we are seeing the protesters coming out onto the streets again in Baghdad. These are some of the largest protests we have seen in the city since the October elections were of course, that Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, his faction came out on top although falling short of an absolute majority, but for the last few months since those elections they have struggled to form a government. We have seen immense political standing nation that has really frustrated a number of people in Iraq.
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We have of course on Monday seen the rival Shia leader Mohammad Shia al-Sudani nominated by the parliaments largest Shia alliance in Parliament, and that has angered Muqtada al-Sadr's supporters and loyalists who we have seen, of course, taking to the streets, breaching the heavily fortified Green Zone now twice, and storming the parliament as we saw in those dramatic images both on Wednesday, and yesterday. They have faced a pretty heavy crackdown by the security forces in Baghdad, you have been using water cannons, and tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowds.
We've also heard from Iraqi officials, the Iraqi Prime Minister, addressing the nation. Yesterday, (inaudible) Academy (ph) urging for a de-escalation of tensions, but crucially also calling on protesters not to confront the national security forces who he says, are there to protect the processes and ensure the national institutions remain secure. But we have seen, of course, more than 100 protesters injured just yesterday, during those demonstrations and their real concerns, this could open the floodgates to further tensions in Iraq and further political stagnation.
Now, this stage, we've heard from international leaders calling for peace, calling for dialogue. And that is also the message we are hearing from senior Iraqi politicians and leaders, the Prime Minister and the President both calling for all the Iraqi leaders of the factions within parliament have come together over the coming days to hold discussions and talks over the current political situation. But of course, people aren't just angry and frustrated about the stagnation. We've seen but they are really angry about the situation. We're seeing an economic crisis, social crisis, rising prices at high unemployment rates, and this could certainly gain momentum over the coming days. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll keep monitoring developments there in Iraq. Nada Bashir, reporting live in Istanbul for us. Thanks so much.
Up next, here on CNN Newsroom, another major American city declares a public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak as officials demand the Biden administration step up its response. Plus, Kansas will become the first state in the U.S. to vote on abortion rights in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal. So we'll look at what's on the ballot. What's at stake, coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: We're tracking the growing outbreak of monkeypox around the world. The World Health Organization says more than 19,000 cases of the viral disease have been confirmed in 78 countries so far this year, including five deaths and a high proportion of cases had been reported from countries outside the regions where monkeypox is typically found. Agency says Europe is at high risk. Spain reported its second monkeypox related deaths Saturday.
Meanwhile, in New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S. Officials have declared a public health emergency becoming the second major American city to do so following San Francisco. States and activist groups are urging the Biden administration to ramp up its response efforts.
Now, earlier I spoke with Dr. Christian Happi, Professor of Infectious Disease Genomics and I asked him where monkeypox is the most concern right now in Africa and how quickly is it spreading there. Here he is.
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CHRISTIAN HAPPI, PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES GENOMICS, REDEEMER'S UNIVERSITY: Monkeypox is, I mean, spreading in central and west Africa and for a few years now. And we believe that it is very important that we pay attention to it. The monkeypox has been declared pretty much a pandemic and has really caught the attention of the Global North.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. So while, you know, here in the U.S., we've already started vaccinating vulnerable people. And we've ordered some, you know, three quarters of a million doses. But in Africa where almost all of the deaths have occurred, there are no vaccines yet being given, is that right?
HAPPI: That's absolutely correct. And then I think today, we're paying the price of what I call robber neglect. We're paying the price of lack of foresight, we're paying the price of what I call selfishness, because when monkeypox started in Africa, I mean, when we have a resurgent of monkeypox in Africa, starting in the year 2016 the Global Health Organization looked away. There was no mobilization or stockpile of vaccines that could have contained it in a way that would have prevented the present pandemic. That is spreading all across the world.
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BRUNHUBER: And we'll have my full interview with Dr. Christian Happi next hour. And be sure to tune in to hear what he says, needs to be done to stop this global outbreak.
In Indiana, protesters gathered in the state capitol as lawmakers voted on a controversial abortion bill.
The abortion rights protesters are angry over a vote by Indiana's Republican controlled Senate to approve a near total ban on abortion in the state. Lawmakers voted 26 to 22 approves the bill Saturday. Measure provides exceptions for rape, incest, and when the life of the pregnant woman is at risk.
Now, some of those voting against the bill so the ban didn't go far enough. It now goes to the statehouse for consideration if passed, it would go into effect on September 1.
On just a few days, Kansas voters will be the first in the U.S. to vote on abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. Critics say the proposed amendment could lead to an outright abortion ban in the state. CNN's Nick Valencia traveled to Wichita and spoke with voters on both sides of the issue.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Helena (ph). I'm the Field Director for Kansans for Constitutional Freedom.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a small room in Wichita, the fight for abortion rights is on. Kansas will be the first state in the country to vote on whether the right to abortion is protected by the state's constitution since the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. Ashley All is part of the coalition working to preserve abortion access in Kansas. ASHLEY ALL, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, KANSAS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOM: The amendment that is on the ballot will mandate government control over our private medical decisions and ultimately pave the way for a total ban on abortion.
VALENCIA: In 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state constitution protected personal autonomy, including the right of a woman to decide whether to continue a pregnancy, the ruling effectively blocked legislators from passing laws to restrict abortion access within the state. If passed on August 2, the so called Value Them Both Amendment, would give back power to the Republican supermajority legislature to regulate access to abortions in the state.
ALL: We believe that they will -- if this amendment passes, they will act quickly to ban abortion outright. That has been their goal for a long time.
VALENCIA: Adding to their worries, the issue is being voted on in the primary rather than the general election. In a state where registered Republicans vastly outnumber Democrats, abortion rights advocates believe the move was intentional by state conservatives to limit non- Republican turnout.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe that it's best to have as little abortion if not any as possible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Abortion isn't right that everyone should have to have access to its health care.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's really important for -- I mean, all the young babies of the lives that are being saved if it passes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want rights taken away.
VALENCIA: Some voters we spoke to were also concerned about the involvement of churches and religious groups. Since the vote is on an issue, not a candidate such organizations have been allowed to campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- the passing of the Value Them Both Amendment.
VALENCIA: Brittany Jones welcomes the support. Jones, an anti-abortion lawyer helped write the amendment.
BRITTANY JONES, DIRECTOR, POLICY AND ENGAGEMENT, KANSAS FAMILY VOICE: Kansans want to ensure that moms and babies are protected. And so Kansans are very concerned about this push to make us an unlimited destination for abortion.
VALENCIA: Though it seems like a reaction to what the Supreme Court did with Roe, Jones and her Kansas Republican colleagues say, they've been working on drafting the amendment for years. One of their main concerns, people coming from nearby places like Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas were abortion is already outlawed to get procedures done in Kansas.
ASHLEY BRINK, DIRECTOR, TRUST WOMEN ABORTION CLINIC: The day that the decision came down, we had patients calling us from the waiting rooms of other health centers and other states saying, our appointments were just canceled. How soon can we get in?
VALENCIA: Ashley Brink is the Director of Trust Women, one of four abortion clinics in the state. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Brink estimates more than 60% of the patients are from out of state.
BRINK: What we're seeing right now is, in my opinion, a national emergency.
VALENCIA: The choice on August 2 may be local, but it will come with national implications.
(On camera): A vote with national implications that will be decided by a relatively small number of voters. On Friday, Kansas is Secretary of State released projections estimating that just 36% of registered voters in Kansas are expected to vote in this primary election. That's a high number for a primary election but not when you consider just how big of an issue this is. And the impact that it will have on Kansas and beyond. Nick Valencia, CNN Atlanta.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, there's a lottery ticket out there worth more than $1 billion in the U.S. Mega Millions drawing, we know where it was sold but not who bought it, the latest one we return, stay with us.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
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BRUNHUBER: So what you're looking at there, this new video appears to show pieces of a large Chinese rocket burning up over the Indian Ocean. Now, those images come from Malaysia. The rocket blasted off a week ago, delivered a new module to the Chinese space station then fell into an uncontrolled descent toward Earth. Here's the reaction from retired U.S. Astronaut Scott Kelly.
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SCOTT KELLY, RETIRE NASA ASTRONAUT: In this case with the long march rocket, they actually carry the core stage, you know, all the way into orbit. And it takes several days for it to come down. And my understanding is that just the Chinese government has not been very forthcoming with the, you know, the orbital parameters so we can better predict where this is going to land and also, you know, they're just not taking responsibility for their space hardware. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: China says most of the remnants burned up during reentry over the Sulu Sea near the Philippines. Now, this is the third time China has been accused of not properly handling space debris from its rockets.
Well, someone or maybe some very lucky people here in the U.S. have hit the Mega Millions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold at a gas station in Des Plaines, Illinois, the top prize a staggering $1.3 billion. People flocked there, taking pictures and buying tickets for the next drawing and hopes the good luck would rub off. CNN's Omar Jimenez has more on the big payday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, was already going to be a great payout at $1.28 billion. But then we learned it jumped to about $1.34 billion because of last minute sales. It's the second biggest in Mega Millions history, the third biggest all-time across all U.S. lotteries and has officially changed someone's life.
Now, we still don't know who that person is at this point. But we do know where the ticket was sold. Right here at this Speedway gas station outside of Chicago in Des Plaines, Illinois, near O'Hare Airport. People have been streaming in and out throughout Saturday even trying to see if lightning could strike twice here. Take a listen to Illinois lottery official explaining how much of a cut this gas station gets.
HAROLD MAYS, ILLINOIS LOTTERY DIRECTOR: That lucky retailer will receive a half a million dollars in the selling bonus for selling the winning ticket. As far as the winner is concerned, we have not heard from the winner yet. We don't know whether they even know that they won a prize. So I encourage everybody to check your ticket.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Now, technically, this person has 12 months to come forward or 60 days if they want to choose the $780 million cash option. So the clock is ticking. But the jackpot winner wasn't the only winner. There were 26 at least million dollar winners across the United States from California to Louisiana to New York. And six of those had two times multipliers on, which means they basically paid $1 extra on the front end for that chance and then got a million dollars on the back end for a total payout of $2 million. That's probably the best investment you could possibly have. Not to mention, one of those $1 million winners was from here in Illinois as well. But again, we are waiting on the identity of who this jackpot winner is. They could choose to stay anonymous if they'd like and that's probably the smart decision but we're just going to have to wait and see. Omar Jimenez, CNN Des Plaines, Illinois.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[03:55:01]
BRUNHUBER: The 16 teams that started the women's Euro Soccer Championship had been narrowed down two. The final pits England, the host nation against Germany, the most successful team in the history of the tournament. The Germans are looking to win a record ninth Championship.
The lionesses have played in the Euro Championship game twice but have never won or any other major trophy in women's football. The match kicks off at London's Wembley Stadium in just a few hours from now.
Well, 74 years after Herb Douglas Jr. gained fame in the U.S. in the Olympics, he's just received another honor. Just a few months after celebrating his 100th birthday, the Pennsylvania native and oldest living U.S. Olympic medalist now has a street named after him. Now, look.
The intersection of Ford and Cranston roads in Philadelphia is now named Herb Douglas Way. Douglas won a bronze medal at the 1948 London Games for his astounding long jump of 24 feet nine inches, at the dedication he reflected on being a centenarian.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERBERT P. DOUGLAS JR. U.S. OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST: What do you do for your life? Analyze, organize, initiate and follow through, you follow those four principles. You may need to read a 100 too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Douglas is a civil rights pioneer. He was among the first African-Americans to help lead a major U.S. Corporation. He served on the Board of Directors of the Jesse Owens Foundation in the University of Pittsburgh, was inducted in the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. Congratulations to him.
That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more news. Please do stay with us.
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