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Ukraine Report Confirms It Was Behind Crimea Blasts; China's Worst Heat Wave In 60 Years; At Least Three Dead After Blast In Kabul Mosque; Wildfires Tear Through Eastern Spain; At Least 26 Died in Algeria Wildfire; Highest Inflation Rate in UK in 40 Years; Trump and FBI's Long Conflict; Texas School District Removes 41 Books from Libraries Pending Review. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 18, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world who are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary church. Just ahead. Ukrainian report obtained by CNN indicates that Kyiv was behind the explosions that rocked Russian targets in Crimea, in what could be a precursor to a long awaited counter offensive against Russian occupation in the South.

A prolonged and intense heatwave in China its worst in 60 years, leading to power cuts and forcing factories to close with no relief in sight.

Plus. A live interview with Ukrainian rockstar Slava Vakarchuk fresh off his performance last night in Germany as his band tours Europe to help raise money for its war-torn country.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: And we begin in Afghanistan where at least three people are dead after an explosion tore through a mosque during evening prayers in Kabul.

More than two dozen others were injured including five children according to a humanitarian health care group. The Taliban have condemned Wednesday's blast and also confirmed casualties but wouldn't say how many. The explosion happened two days after Afghanistan marked the first anniversary of the Taliban's takeover.

And for more, we're joined now by Susannah George, The Washington Post bureau chief for Afghanistan and Pakistan. And she is with us from Kabul. Thank you so much for being with us. So what more are you learning about this deadly explosion at this Kabul mosque?

SUSANNAH GEORGE, THE WASHINGTON POST BUREAU CHIEF FOR AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN: What we're hearing from eyewitnesses this morning in Kabul is that the number of dead could be between 10 and 20. Eyewitnesses also told us that the prominent Taliban cleric whose mosques this was is among the dead. This has not been confirmed by Taliban officials. But we've spoke to people who are outside the mosque and nearby graveyard. And this is what we're hearing.

CHURCH: So it's worth pointing out that the Taliban had pledged a year ago to improve security. We know that safety has improved to a certain degree. But how is the leadership responding to this deadly blast?

GEORGE: Well, as you said Taliban leadership have condemned the attack. We don't know any claims of responsibility yet. The claims from the Taliban have improved security were central to celebrations marking one year from the fall of Kabul just a few days ago. But this attack is just the latest in the last few weeks of attacks that were claimed by the Islamic States branch here in Afghanistan.

One of those attacks also killed a prominent Taliban cleric. Another was a -- hours long gunfight in a predominantly Shia neighborhood in Kabul that Afghan -- that Taliban forces tried to suppress and were finally able to end. And this -- these attacks have people in Kabul worried that while the Taliban rule began with improved security, that the Taliban's grip could be loosening and that the Islamic States branch here could be gaining power.

CHURCH: And it's understandable, of course, that people are very concerned there. So how is the Taliban assuring people that this won't happen again? Can they make that sort of assurance?

GEORGE: The Taliban has said that those who are behind today's -- last night's attack will be arrested and punished. The Taliban have been known for their ability to maintain security and parts of -- parts of Afghanistan that they've controlled for years through their use of very harsh punishments. This is a seen as a way to dissuade people from breaking from the rolls and from challenging Taliban rule.

So we might see in coming days, people pulled and accused of being behind this attack, and either giving forced confessions on air which is something that we've seen following other attacks claimed by the Islamic State or we could see some kind of punishment doled out by the Taliban.

CHURCH: All right. Susannah George joining us live from Kabul. Many thanks for that. Appreciate it.

[02:05:05]

Well we now have unofficial confirmation from Ukraine that its forces were behind a series of devastating blasts in Russian held Crimea. An internal government report obtained by CNN acknowledges for the first time Ukraine's role in the attacks on Russian airfields and ammunition depots. The first attack came a week ago leading to bumper to bumper traffic out of Crimea and heading back to Russia.

Russian officials claimed tighter security on the main bridge to Russia was causing the delays, not a mass exodus from Crimea. Whatever the reason, Ukraine's president says they were wise to leave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The queue to leave Crimea for Russia through the bridge in recent days proves that the absolute majority of citizens of the terrorists state are beginning to comprehend or at least feel that Crimea is no place for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, Ukraine's defense ministry says a long awaited counter offensive in the south could begin in a matter of days. With Ukraine's Independence Day now less than a week away. Ukraine claims up to 15 Russian troops were killed in this recent strike on a Russian position in the southern region of Kherson. Russian forces though continue to press their offensive in eastern Ukraine and Ukraine concedes the Russians have made some modest gains.

In the north, a three-storey residential building in Kharkiv was hit late Wednesday by a Russian strike. At least seven people were reported killed. Officials say it took about two hours to bring the resulting fire under control.

For more we want to turn now to CNN's Nina dos Santos who joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Nina. So, with this Ukrainian counter offensive looming, how is Russia likely preparing to respond?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a lot of indications that Russia may be starting to move troops into position to try and beef up various strategic locations that they know that the Ukrainians have signaled that they're either already targeting now or will start to target. That includes the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. You remember the biggest such nuclear facility in Western Europe and obviously, the United Nations Western countries.

Forty-two countries in the E.U. have expressed their concern that this power plant, which is so sensitive could get hit in the crossfire as Ukraine tries to push forward to reclaim this part of its sovereign territory amid reports also that some of its power has been diverted towards Crimea by Russian occupying forces. So, that is one pressure point. The other one, of course, as you said, is the southern city of Kherson.

And Ukrainian intelligence officials have started to indicate just in the last 24 hours that this big counter offensive could be imminent. And in the meantime, as you're pointing out there, Rosemary, we're also seeing these more audacious sabotage attacks in territory that's been held much, much longer by Russia, including inside the Crimean peninsula which has been -- held since being annex back in 2014 to 2015.

As you said there we've seen attacks on munitions depots that so many tourists -- Russian tourists in Crimea fleeing, taking to the roads and trying to depart that peninsula, also military facilities that affected Russian aircraft and Air Force planes. Now, what's not clear is whether or not these hips have been conducted with long range weaponry that has been provided by Western forces to Ukraine that has made such a difference here in turning the tide of this invasion as of course, it now enters its sixth month or whether or not this is sabotage that is taking place behind enemy lines. But the point here that the Ukrainians are trying to make is that it's coming up to Independence Day on the 24th of August and the sixth month anniversary of this war. They have more Western backing and more munitions. And they don't -- they want to make a change here in terms of how the invasion has been going. Before of course, we head towards the fall. And then of course, the weather becomes a lot more inclement and it gets very, very difficult and bedded in. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Nina dos Santos joining us live from London. Many thanks for that update.

Well, the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo are set to hold talks with the E.U. in the coming hours to try to prevent what seemingly a dispute over license plates from escalating into a bigger conflict. On Wednesday, the two leaders met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg who called for calm. He also said NATO troops in Kosovo can step up their patrols to make sure all ethnic communities are safe.

The gist of the problem is Rome is Kosovo is a former Serbian province that declared independence 14 years ago.

[02:10:06]

CHURCH: But ethnic Serbs who make up a small percent of the population don't recognize that and they are refusing to use Kosovo's license plates and other documents which Kosovo wants to make mandatory on September 1st. CNN's Scott McLean has details.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the surface, this escalation in tensions between Serbia and Kosovo is about license plates and entry permits, but really, it's about ethnicity and the claim that ethnic Serbs in Kosovo are being discriminated against. Last summer there were blockades at two border crossings over plans by Kosovo to require Serb-registered cars to change their license plates.

And just a few weeks ago, the protests, the blockades, they were back after a similar new law very briefly came into effect. To get the protesters to move the blockade and defuse the tension Kosovo agreed to delay the implementation of the new law, though not only kick the can down the road, it didn't actually solve the problem. Hence the crisis talks in Brussels with NATO and on Thursday with the E.U. to try to reach some kind of an agreement. Both sides criticize the other but both also insist they have come for peace.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEKSANDER VUVIC, PRESIDENT OF SERBIA (through translator): We will have difficult talks tomorrow because we do not agree on anything. But Serbia's position is to uphold international law, the U.N. Charter and the Brussels agreement. We have our own history which is not an easy or simple one. But we want to strengthen further cooperation and relations with KFOR and NATO. And we want to avoid any kind of possibility of conflict escalation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MCLEAN: Now NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the 3700 NATO peacekeeping troops in Kosovo were prepared to intervene in a proportionate way if necessary to keep the peace. Now NATO and E.U. have plenty of influence on both countries because they have something to offer. Serbia wants to join the E.U. And Kosovo wants to join NATO. Though neither is very likely to happen unless they can iron out their differences.

Scott McLean, CNN London.

CHURCH: Back here in the United States, Donald Trump's former attorney Rudy Giuliani isn't talking about his appearance before a grand jury in the state of Georgia. They met behind closed doors for about six hours on Wednesday. Atlanta prosecutors told Giuliani earlier this week he is a target in their investigation. They're looking into efforts by Trump and his associates to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election results.

Joe Biden won the state by more than 11,000 votes. Meanwhile, Trump's former vice president says he would consider testifying before the January 6 committee if he were invited. Mike Pence spoke Wednesday at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, a common stop for presidential hopefuls. A source close to Pence warns against reading too much into the remarks. But the former vice president says he will speak out at some point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If there was an invitation to participate, I would consider it. Any invitation to be directed to me, I would have to reflect on the unique role that I was serving as vice president. Be unprecedented in history for a vice president to be summoned to testify on Capitol Hill but I -- as I said, I don't want to prejudge of ever any formal invitation rendered to us we'd give a due consideration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: It isn't actually unprecedented but Pence also called for an end to threats against the FBI in the wake of their search of Donald Trump's Florida home. CNN has learned Trump is considering releasing surveillance video of the Mar-a-Lago search. A source says aides are not sure if the former president has at least seen the footage. Some want to include it in campaign style ads to fire up Trump's base. Others say it could backfire when the public sees the sheer volume of material seized.

And still to come. The number of Chinese asylum seekers has surged under Xi Jinping administration. CNN follows the journey of one man who explains why he fled his home lab.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:16:43]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Chinese President Xi Jinping is the country's most powerful and authoritarian leaders in decades. According to data from the U.N. Refugee Agency since Xi came to power in 2012 the number of Chinese nationals seeking asylum abroad has increased by nearly eight times. In 2012, more than 15,000 Chinese were seeking asylum. By 2021 the most recent data the number jumped to more than 118,000.

Repression in China has only grown during the pandemic under Xi's zero-COVID policy. It's driving fear and frustration. And more and more Chinese are yearning for a freer life. And some of them are risking everything to chase that dream.

CNN's Selina Wang spoke to one man who fled his homeland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This wall separates Wang Qun from his American Dream. He's prepared to risk everything to claim over illegally crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. But unlike most of the thousands of illegal crossings a day on the southern border, he's not fleeing poverty or violence south of the wall. His journey started on the other side of the world.

We've been following him for months during his perilous escape out of China by plane, boat, bus, motorcycle, and on foot.

WANG QUN, CHINESE CITIZEN (text): It's worth it no matter how much I suffer.

WANG: He ran a bubble tea shop back in China. When COVID hit, business tanked from constant lock downs. He left his son and daughter behind with his parents, hoping to bring them to America one day.

QUN (text): I couldn't make ends meet and I have two kids to raise. I have to get out.

WANG :China's unrelenting zero-COVID policy growing authoritarianism under Xi Jinping and stifling nationalistic education taught in his children's schools pushed one over the edge.

QUN (text): In the past seven or eight years everything is going backwards. And Xi Jinping is going to get his third term. I see no hope. He's just another version of Mao Zedong. There's no difference.

WANG: At a key political meeting this fall, Xi Jinping is set to secure an unprecedented third term as the supreme leader of the Communist Party. He's the strong man, a top of surveillance state, one that during the pandemic can control and track the movements of virtually all 1.4 billion people. Since the start of the pandemic, China has kept its borders sealed. A policy the government says is needed to fight COVID-19.

And earlier this year forbade its citizens from going overseas for non-essential reasons. With China turning increasingly inward, Wang became desperate to get out and he was set on one destination, America. QUN (text): My impression of America is that it's a free, democratic, open, and vibrant country. You can accumulate wealth through your own hard work.

WANG: Through online chat group, he discovered a network of people in China planning to illegally immigrate to America through Quito, Ecuador.

[02:20:07]

WANG: He applied for a language school in Quito and made it out of China in April with the school's admission letter as proof. He started documenting his whole journey. From Ecuador he rode buses over 1000 miles to Colombia that took a boat to Panama, sharing the ride with other desperate but hopeful migrants. On the other side, a five-day hike through Panama is rainforest. An endless walk through mud, rivers and mountains.

A journey that Wang said almost broke him from exhaustion. A brief respite at a refugee camp and seven days of buses from Panama to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. From there, a boat to Mexico's border where police detained him for five days. When he was released, he paid an illegal smuggler thousands of dollars to get to Mexico City. Dozens of people squeezed into the back of a truck then packed into a van.

More than 104 degrees Fahrenheit inside. In Mexico City, Wong rode a motorcycle 1600 miles to the U.S. border where we met up with him. Determined to make it to the other side.

QUN (text): The rest of my life will mainly be in the U.S., so it's a home for me.

WANG: He's just one of droves the Chinese trying to flee the country. According to the U.N. Refugee Agency, the number of Chinese nationals seeking asylum has been steadily increasing until it reached a record in 2021. And most of them 70 percent were trying to get to America. on China's internet, searches for emigration started skyrocketing in March, as many struggle to get basic necessities and food during lockdowns across the country.

Discussion forums with detailed tips on how to leave China have gone viral on social media. Immigration lawyer say increase from Chinese wanting to leave have searched since the pandemic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The volume increases up many hundreds of times that over what it -- what it previously was.

WANG: But for others like Wang, he says the only path into America is the illegal way. He ultimately made it to the other side, walked hours and the American desert over mountains. His sneakers fell apart. More than a month later, we met Wong in Los Angeles. In this new world, he's found the familiar, temporarily settling into a community of Chinese immigrants. He's even made a friend who crossed into America the same way he did. While he waits for a hearing on his immigration case, he's getting a driver's license training to be a misuse and studying English every day.

QUN (text): In America, I can see the sunshine, I can see the sea. I can do whatever I want. I can work hard for any job I like.

WANG: But he's also anxious. In the best case, it will be years before he sees his family again.

QUN (text): My favorite food is my mom's cooking. And I may never taste her cooking again.

WANG (on camera): How do you feel when you think about your children?

QUN (text): My heart hurts.

WANG (voice over): He's applying for political asylum. But if his application is rejected, he says he might ask his kids when they're older to take the same dangerous path to America that he did.

WANG (on camera): Have you told your family where you are?

QUN (text): My parents don't know yet, but my son knows. I told him that there's no way out for me in China. So I came to America to make a fortune for you. And fight for a bright future for you.

WANG (voice over): That future is uncertain. But with China in his past, he has hope of living out his American dream.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WANG: We reached out to the Chinese government to comment on her story. In response, Beijing defended the country's COVID policies and called China a land full of vitality and hope. Stories like Wang's, they are a smear on Beijing's narrative that China is getting stronger and more prosperous while America is in decline. Now Wang's journey to America, it may be rare and extreme.

But we have spoken to others that are taking a similar path, including one man who illegally escaped China by walking across the border into Vietnam. From there he flew to Ecuador and is now taking that same long path that Wang did to the U.S.-Mexico border. In China right now, there are of course still people who support the government's zero- COVID policy that has kept the reported death numbers low.

But more and more are also feeling hopeless about the future of their country, a place where they see freedoms and opportunities disappearing. Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

[02:25:02]

CHURCH: And it's important to point our viewers in China have not been able to see that report. Our signal gets censored or blocked every time it is. It should be noted too, however, that most households in China do not have access to CNN. But blocking the feed often happens when CNN shows reports that are considered sensitive topics to China.

Still to come, China is facing its longest and hottest heatwave in more than 60 years. How local officials are taking weather into their own hands. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, China's worst heatwave in more than 60 years is showing no signs of letting up. The extreme heat has prompted red alerts in 138 cities across multiple provinces. The Yangtze River is drying up amid the relentless heat and low rainfall, threatening drinking water as well as water for crops.

Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam is at the CNN weather center for us, while Kristie Lu stout joins us live from Hong Kong. Good to see you both. So Kristie, let's start with you. How are people across China coping with this extreme heat and where can they find some sort of relief?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's really hard to find some sort of relief and huge parts of China. Look at the moment we know officials across the country are scrambling to find ways to mitigate the effects of this prolonged and intense heat wave. We know that in the city of Chongqing they have made the call to suspend factory production for a week. Meanwhile, in Chengdu in that city, its entire metro line is now running on low power mode, which means residents there are effectively taking the subway in the dark.

And in the province of Hubei officials there have resorted to cloud seeding. It's a practice of shooting the silver iodide pellets into the clouds in the hopes of triggering more rainfalls is something that China has done since the 1940s. Also it did during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. For over two months now, China has been battling this intense, fierce heatwave. Authorities have issued a red alert warning to over 138 different cities and counties across the nation which basically says that, you know, these are areas that are anticipating temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Authorities have also issued an orange drought alert to at least 75 cities and counties and it was on Wednesday when Chinese authorities said that this is record breaking, this heatwave. They said this is the strongest heatwave that the nation has experienced since 1961.

[02:30:01]

Let's bring up the statement for you. In the statement, we hear from China's National Climate Center who said, "The heat wave this time is prolonged, widened scope, and strong and extremity. Taking all signs together, the heat wave in China will continue and its intensity will increase. China, at the moment, is extremely -- is experiencing extreme changes in its weather patterns, not only the heat, but also in rainfall as well.

Statement reporting flash flooding in the northwestern part of the country leading to the deaths of at least 16 people, 36 people are meanwhile missing. Back to you, Rosemary. CHURCH: All right. Thanks for that. And Derek, we go to you for the forecast for China. Are there any signs of relief at all?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've got to look towards seven, eight days into the future before we see any significant change in the weather pattern. We're here to stay with this heat wave, unfortunately. There's a couple of different ways we can look at it. It's not only the worst heat wave in China's history in over six decades, but it's also the longest consecutive heat wave.

We've had 66 straight days of temperatures recorded over 40 degrees Celsius in many locations. Here's a few examples. We're running seven to 10 degrees Celsius above average, where we should be this year, you heard Kristie talk about the Chongqing region, this particular area reached a high of 43 degrees. And they have actually had 10 consecutive days of temperatures above 40 degrees, just this month. Incredible amounts of heat. And it doesn't look like it's going to relax any time soon. Again, we had until the end of next week before we start to see the temperature start to cool down somewhat.

It's not just Chongqing, but it's other locations that have broken that 43-degree mark. There's Wuhan, 41 on Friday. In fact, we have had with this particular heat wave, registered more counties and cities within the country of China that have exceeded 40 degrees ever. That's incredible.

We know that the planet is warming since the post-industrial revolution, but China, actually, will be warming significantly faster, and has been warming faster than the rest of the planet. That does not bode well for the future of heat waves across this country. Rosie.

CHURCH: Yes, that's very sad news indeed. Kristie Lu Stout, Derek van Dam, many thanks to you both for bringing us up to date on that story.

Well dramatic new video, shows firefighters in Eastern Spain running to escape a violent blaze. Two firefighters were injured, they were working to save a number of homes from going up in flames. The wildfire began on Monday and has led to hundreds of evacuations and dozens of injuries, including 11 passengers on a commuter train that got caught in the fire. Authorities said the passengers panicked when the train stopped and left the carriage, that's when they sustained burns. At least three passengers were seriously injured.

And in Algeria, the death toll from wildfires there has risen to at least 26, according to the country's interior minister. More than two dozen fires have been reported in the eastern part of the country. Crews are still working to contain the flames.

And coming up next, help for Ukraine. The country's popular rock band, Okean Elzy tours the world, looking to raise money for the war effort. And we will speak live with the band's lead singer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:35:00] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. While the latest economic data from the U.K. shows inflation surging to just over 10 percent, the only major western economy in double digits. The annual raise was higher than most economists has expected, and the outlook is far worst to come. CNN's Anna Stewart has details.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: It's the highest inflation since 1982, and it's the highest inflation of the g7 nations. The U.K.'s cost of living crisis is getting worse. With inflation numbers for July coming in at 10.1 percent, exceeding estimates. Increased energy prices can continue to play a large role here. In the last 12 months, gas prices are up over 95 percent, electricity over 50 percent, and fuel for transportation like petrol, not far behind.

And now increased input prices like energy are pushing up products in other categories. Particularly food. Overall food and nonalcohol drink prices are up around 13 percent from a year ago, with key staples hit hard. Just look at the price increase in a pint of milk from the U.K., up 40 percent from last July, or a bag of flour, up 30 percent. This will hit the poorest households the hardest. Given, energy and food usually take up a greater proportion of the overall spending.

And that is why the Institute for Fiscal Studies said this week that the poorest quintal of the U.K. could expect an 18 percent inflation rate come October. While the wealthiest quintal would experience it at 11 percent.

The Bank of England expects overall consumer inflation to top 13 percent in October before coming down. But this latest reading for July overshot their expectations. And there are concerns it will need to take an even more aggressive approach with interest rates despite raising them six times already since December. Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHURCH: So impressive. A special performance in Brussels as Coldplay and the lead vocalist for the Ukrainian rock Okean Elzy shared the stage earlier this month. The Ukrainian band is on a hope for Ukraine tour as the war back home grinds on.

Slava Vakarchuk is the lead singer for Okean Elzy. Right now, he is touring the world with the band to raise money for his country. But since the war broke out, he's also performed back home, looking to raise spirits as he traveled to devastated cities and met with troops and civilians. And Slava Vakarchuk joins me now live from Berlin.

Slava, a real pleasure to have you with us. Thank you.

SVYATOSLAV VAKARCHUK, LEAD VOCALIST, UKRAINIAN ROCK BAND OKEAN ELZY: Thank you very much. Good morning.

CHURCH: So, let's start with the help for Ukraine tour. Your band has been playing all over Europe for the last few weeks. And you played in Berlin last night, and now heading to Prague for a show tomorrow. What has the reception been like? And how are you using the money that you're raising with this tour?

VAKARCHUK: First of all, I need to say that all these concerts of this tour are slightly different from what we had before.

[02:40:00]

Because when you stay on the stage and you pretend to be a rock and roll band with your mood and with your energy, just knowing that your country is at war, we try to impose several months -- actually seven years ago, but fully several months ago. It's very difficult.

But that's what we have. And we need to give this, you know, high energy. Not only for those who come to support us but for those who are watching us all over the world. And Ukraine is full of this energy, and we are ready to fight, and we are ready to do whatever we needed. Especially, you know, not only in the front line where our guys are doing really great and our real heroes but also on different lines, like cultural frontline.

And the reception is very, very good. We have a lot of people over there. And we play in arenas. Some, like, big places. And certainly, it's very important, the money we're collecting, mostly, will be sent to hospitals and children and refugees because that is what the aim of our special mission is. But it is not only about money.

And I think that even more important than the money we get are the support -- material support is to spread the word about Ukraine now. Because, you know, for half a year, this devastating for my country war is taking place. And half a year, Russia destroys our cities, skills, our people. Just recently this night, while we were on the stage in Berlin, they attacked another, you know, hostile in Kharkiv, killing seven. And, you know, bringing devastating -- devastation and destruction to many places. Other places.

So, it's very important to remind to everybody in Europe, and all over the world, that unfortunately the war is still there. And Ukraine is still fighting. And we are hoping for the word support, both spiritual and certainly material and military. So, what we are doing is spreading word and keeping the focus on Ukraine and I think it's important.

CHURCH: Yes, and you're doing a great job using that too. And we showed you playing with Coldplay in Brussels. Chris Martin introduced you to an adoring crowd. And before you sang, you had a message for the audience about the world. Can you share with us what you told them? And what was that experience like for you?

VAKARCHUK: Yes, I actually said that first I thanked the guys to be there, the great musicians on the stage, and I really enjoyed playing with them. They're not only very popular and also talented musicians. And it was really, really a pleasure to just do music together.

But also, I said that much more important for us now that we are standing here in the center of Europe, it's a very symbolic place, Brussels, a place where Ukraine is, you know, watching for so long. And as you know recently, we were given a candidacy to E.U. membership. So, we still -- we think that one day the word candidacy will disappear and we'll just become full members of E.U. And certainly, the NATO headquarters is there. So, it was a very symbolic place.

And I just said to them that we are fighting. I told to people, we are fighting not only for Ukraine, but for the whole Europe, and for the whole free world. Ukrainians have chosen the western values, freedom, integrity (ph), democracy as their own values. And now certainly we're fighting for that and we should fight together and we will win this war together. And then we will bring -- we will build new free and democratic and prosperous world together. That's what I told them. And I think people were very supportive, not only in Brussels but all over the world.

CHURCH: That is a powerful message. Slava Vakarchuk, thank you so much for talking with us. And good luck with your efforts --

VAKARCHUK: Thank you very much.

CHURCH: -- to raise money. Appreciate it.

VAKARCHUK: Thank you.

CHURCH: Thank you.

VAKARCHUK: Thank you very much.

CHURCH: And thank you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. World Sport is next. I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom in about 15 minutes. You're watching CNN. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00]

TODD (voiceover): Then, from almost the moment he stepped in the White House, analysts say, Trump seemed to view the FBI as his own personal instrument of power.

GARRETT GRAFF, FBI HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR, "WATERGATE: A NEW HISTORY": Donald Trump, you know, upended and tried to usurp the FBI in that spring of 2017. And that relationship has never been smooth since.

TRUMP: Oh, and there's -- he's become more famous than me.

TODD (voiceover): Soon after taking office, Trump pressured then FBI Director, James Comey, to drop an investigation into former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, that's according to Comey himself, who claimed that Trump put the squeeze on him personally.

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: I got the sense my job would be contingent upon how he felt I conducted myself and whether I demonstrated loyalty.

TODD (voiceover): Trump denied asking for Comey's loyalty, but ended up firing Comey, later saying that he was frustrated over the ongoing Russia probe.

JULIAN ZELIZER, HISTORIAN, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: He wanted that investigation shut down. He saw it as a political problem, and this was what Comey was up to.

ANDRES MCCABE, BECAME ACTING FBI DIRECTOR WHEN JAMES COMEY WAS FIRED: The morale in the FBI definitely took a hit after the firing of Jim Comey. I think that was the watershed moment that made everyone kind of focus on this issue of the possibility that the administration was really trying to have a direct impact on how we did our work.

TODD (voiceover): Throughout the Russia investigation and afterward, Trump continued to berate the FBI for how that investigation played out.

TRUMP: These were dirty, filthy comps at the top of the FBI.

TODD (voiceover): Trump complained that texts between two FBI employees investigating the Russia connection were biased against him.

TRUMP: Look at these horrible FBI people. Talking about, we got to get him out, insurance policies.

TODD (voiceover): But one analyst says, Donald Trump wasn't alone among presidents who believed the FBI should be beholden to them.

GRAFF: That is something that has long frustrated presidents going back to Nixon and Johnson and even John F. Kennedy, that the FBI was not necessarily loyal to them personally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD (on camera): After lambasting the FBI again, following the Mar- a-Lago search, there are hints in recent days that Donald Trump might have softened a bit towards the bureau. Telling Fox, "The temperature has to be brought down." And saying he'll do whatever he can to help the country. But many analysts are concerned that the latest battle between Trump and the FBI, could be irreversible, especially if it unleashes more violence against agents. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

LEMON: Brian Todd, thank you.

"The Bible" and an adaptation of "The Diary of Anne Frank", just two or 41 books removed from library shelves in a school district in Texas. We're going to tell you what's going on, next.

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LEMON: A book battle is brewing in Texas. The Keller Independent School district near Fort Worth, suddenly removing and reviewing 41 books challenged by committee members during the past school year. Among them, "The Bible" and a graphic novel adaptation of "Anne Frank's Diary". "The Bible"? I want to bring in now CNN's Senior Correspondent Ed Lavandera. Ed, this is quite an interesting story. Hello to you. A lot of these books had already been reviewed by a challenge committee, why are they under review again?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's -- give you a little bit of a back story. Last year, the Keller School District created this community panel that would review challenges and complaints about books from parents and members of the community. These 41 books, which included "The Bible" and Anne Frank's graphic adaptation, as well as a lot of books dealing with LGBTQ issues, were reviewed.

I should tell you, about two-thirds of those books were put back on the shelves or put in age-appropriate libraries like high school or middle school. But in May of this year, three new school board members were elected in large part because of the work of a right-wing Christian political action group. And just a few weeks ago, this new school board adopted new policies, new guidelines by which the review books will be reviewed on these challenges from parents.

So, that is what is now happening, again. School started today in Keller. Principals across the district were told yesterday that these 41 books had to be pulled off the shelves when they get reviewed again.

LEMON: OK. So, are the giving -- what are the reasons again they're giving for challenging these books, Ed?

LAVANDERA: Well, so we obtained a spreadsheet from the Keller School District today which basically detailed and outlined the complaints. You know, parents can issue these challenges. They have to explain why they challenge them. Many of the complaints coming in from parents, included issues about sexuality, and the way sexual issues were discussed in the book.

As far as, like, "The Bible" was concerned, one person wrote that they described -- there was inappropriate contact, had sexual contact, and misogyny, and human sacrifice. Anne Frank, for example, the complaint was that the holocaust was a difficult subject matter for young people to have to learn about.

So, but when you look closely there are also books and you can tell that some liberal parents are issuing complaints as well. One person -- one parent issued a complaint about Donald Trump's "Art of the Deal", saying that no book written by a "Criminal" should be included. And the same thing for the Fox News website, saying it should not be offered electronically to students across the district as well.

LEMON: Are there concerns that this could happen in other Texas school districts? Because -- I mean, this is spreading all over the country. And there's already been controversy in Texas over how to teach students about race.

[02:55:00] LAVANDERA: Yes, I know. It's a -- it was a subject of a new law that was passed by the State legislature last year in terms of how race issues are discussed in classrooms. And it's not really a question of whether or not this could happen, it is happening, Don, in school districts, not just across the State. But remember, these kinds of issues have really been the focus of -- kind of Christian right-wing groups across the country, where there has been a renewed focus to get people involved on the small, local races. School board elections, that sort of thing.

That's where they feel they can make the biggest impact. They're recruiting people to get involved in races like this. This has become a real focal point in politics across the country.

LEMON: Ed Lavandera, thank you very much. Thanks for watching everyone. Our coverage continues.

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