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New Developments In The Investigation Into Former President Donald Trump; Flood Threat In Mississippi; Three Killed, Two Injured In Houston; Bills Release Rookie Accused In Gang Rape Of Underage Girl; NASA's Artemis Rocket Prepares For Lift-Off Tomorrow Morning; Anti-Radiation Pills Handed Out Near Nuclear Plant As Fears Of A Leak Mount; 1,000-Plus People Killed In Pakistan Monsoon Rains And Floods. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 28, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:26]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, NFL rookie punter Matt Araiza is out. The Buffalo Bills releasing him days after he and two other football players were accused in a lawsuit of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl.

Plus, get out now. That warning from the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi as the city braces for more floods in the next 24 hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR CHOKWE ANTAR LUMUMBA, JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI: Before we can even recover from the first weather event, we're already being challenged by another one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With Artemis --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going to stay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Proving that humanity --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- can live on the moon --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Mars --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- and other worlds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And the countdown is on. A historic launch just hours away that could pave the way for a mission to Mars.

NEWSROOM starts right now. Hello everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka

Whitfield.

We begin this hour with major developments in the investigation into former President Donald Trump. The Director of National Intelligence now telling Congress she is conducting a damage assessment of the classified documents seized by federal officials from the president's home.

According to the heavily redacted affidavit released on Friday, 184 classified documents were recovered from Mar-a-Lago in January months before the FBI search, some of which were labeled among the highest classifications of top secret intelligence.

And there is new movement in the courtroom. A federal judge overseeing the case says she has preliminary intent to appoint a special master as Trump requested. The third party attorney would then filter out privileged materials seized in the search of the former president's Florida home.

Former deputy FBI director and now CNN senior law enforcement analyst Andrew McCabe is here to talk about all this. So good to see you, Andrew.

So the DOJ and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announcing that they're working together to review the classifications of the documents recovered in that search. So what will they be looking for?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: So Fredricka, this is exactly what we would expect to see from the DNI's office and also from DOJ and particular the FBI involved. This is an essential part of any investigation in which there's an allegation that highly classified materials have been stored or held in a place they're not supposed to be.

It's an essential part of that, but it's separate from the effort to investigate a case and bring a prosecution.

The purpose of this review is simply to understand the worst-case scenario. What could happen? What technologies, what human sources, what capabilities, what intelligence collection access points might be lost now if we assume that these documents ended up in the hands of our adversaries?

So this is a process the IC, the intelligence community, has to go through to understand how to protect those intelligence assets that may have been placed at risk.

WHITFIELD: Generally how long does a damage assessment take?

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: This is quite the volume of material. But if there is kind of a way in which to gauge how long it would take? MCCABE: You know, I actually think that they could go through this

process pretty quickly. In a few weeks at the absolute outside. If you compare it to the extensive damage assessment that we had to go through after we realized the enormous volume of material that Ed Snowden released to our adversaries, both the Chinese and the Russian governments, that damage assessment went on for months and months and months because there was so much material involved.

This is a shocking amount of material to have in a private residence, but it's the sort that I think the community can go through rather quickly.

WHITFIELD: If it is determined that damage was caused by the documents found at Mar-a-Lago, what could that mean potentially for Trump?

MCCABE: Well, it's really the most important thing is what it could mean for those intelligence assets. So we know there were documents that bore the human control system marking, which means that's intelligence that's derived from human sources.

[14:04:53]

MCCABE: So you may have sources -- people and their family members who actually need to be moved. They need to be taken out of hostile countries and hidden in other places to protect their lives. So that's what they're looking for right now.

In terms of how it will affect any potential prosecution of the former president, it certainly adds to the argument of the seriousness of what happened here, but it doesn't fundamentally change the facts, and the facts as we know them at this point are that he had these materials at Mar-a-Lago which is not a place that's authorized to store them.

WHITFIELD: And what we know now, this 184 documents containing classified markings -- 67 marked as confidential, 92 marked as secret and 25 as top secret -- what is going to be the best defense that this president can have as to why he would need or want these documents in his home?

MCCABE: Fredricka, it's inconceivable to me that he's going to be able to come up with a rational explanation or narrative to explain this that makes any kind of sense whatsoever, especially when you talk about things like human intelligence and signals intelligence which is information that's derived from our covert ability to listen in on foreign conversations, things like that.

This is just the most sensitive stuff that we have. And there's really no rational explanation as to why any private citizen, even one who's a former president, would need that in their house.

And also -- he's backed himself into a corner here by saying that he declassified all this material, which is a claim that we've seen no evidence of so far. But nevertheless, he can't say that he declassified all these things intentionally and then turn around later and say, well, I didn't know I had them. So he's kind of backed himself into a bit of a corner in terms of the very different excuses that he's relied upon already.

WHITFIELD: And he can't declassify them unilaterally anyway, right?

MCCABE: You know, it's a very strange question. He has the ability -- well, I should say -- let me change that. A sitting president has the ability to declassify essentially anything they want. It doesn't mean it's a good idea, but they have the constitutional authority to do that.

Every president prior to Trump has declassified some things and they rely on an established process to do that. There's no indication here that he relied on any sort of process. There's no actual order or artifacts of that decision that we've seen so far.

So it's highly questionable as to whether or not he actually did that when he was president. And he certainly cannot do it now he's a former president.

WHITFIELD: Right. But that process involves others. Others people would know about it and be able to vouch for it. And thus far, no one has been able to vouch for that.

MCCABE: Yes. You know, think about it. That's the entire purpose of declassifying something. You're trying to tell the intelligence community and the rest of the world, hey, this stuff can now be treated as open source, you know, unclassified information.

So if you never actually tell anyone that, you know, have you really declassified it? The rest of the community will still continue to treat that information as classified until the process is executed and they hear in some sort of official communication from the White House what they wanted to do about it. So if that communication never happens, you know, it raises a very interesting question as to was it ever declassified even if a sitting president had that intent.

WHITFIELD: All right. Andrew McCabe, good to see you, thanks so much.

MCCABE: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Another story that we're following today, officials in Mississippi are sounding the alarm to get out now ahead of major flooding. Jackson's mayor warns residents should leave as soon as possible over fears that they will re-live memories of the 2020 flooding.

Governor Tate Reeves declaring a state of emergency as Mississippi's Pearl River is expected to crest in the next 24 hours

CNN's Nadia Romero is live for us there in Jackson and meteorologist Britley Ritz is tracking the latest from the CNN Weather Center. So Nadia, let me go to you first. What are you seeing?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes Fred. Already seeing flooding in the northeast side of Jackson, Mississippi. I'm standing on someone's lawn that is flooded out.

I'm going to make my way to the street now. This is the lowest point for the water as the floodwaters continue to rise.

As you make your way down the street here, you're going to hit a speed bump, so you're going to get a little bit more elevation. And then slowly but surely it gets deeper as you make your way around the corner and you make your way to this bench here.

I spoke with people who live in this neighborhood and they say yes, we flooded out back in 2020. That was when we saw historic flooding, the third highest crest for the Pearl River happened back in 2020. They say this time around they're getting more notice and they're being prepared.

[14:09:44]

ROMERO: You can see some of the neighbors behind me have sandbags already. But they've been without power for at least the past hour. Entergy shutting off power for this area already.

There are three things the mayor of Jackson wants his residents to know. The first is about power saying that Entergy will likely shut off power to flooded areas. That's already started here.

He's also saying that there are shelters that are open. There's one shelter open at a police facility. It's been open for the past couple of nights and it's being hosted by the American Red Cross. They've done this before.

He also says this is the time to take pictures and have an inventory of your valuables because you know that you have to go to the insurance company, you want to have your paperwork, your documents prepared. Do that now.

This is also the mayor explaining why he wants people to get out now if they can or be prepared to evacuate. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUMUMBA: Yes, there is, but that should be executed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, because we have seen these events as recently as 2020, we have a reference point and we know the damage that can occur. So we're asking those residents to heed the warnings that are provided to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: Yes. Heed those warnings because you can see that we haven't even reached that crest of 35.5 feet that we're expecting from the Pearl River tomorrow. You can see drains like this one aren't draining. Water is just standing still.

I spoke with a couple. They've lived in this neighborhood, Fred, for some 20 years. And they tell, they're not going anywhere. This is their home, this is their community. They have a family of seven, including some of their grandchildren who live with them.

And they said they're just going to stick it out because they know that they have the best neighbors around that everybody helps everybody in this neighborhood, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Ok. We're hoping the best for them and for their neighbors. Thanks so much, Nadia.

Britley, to you in the Weather Center. Authorities predicted the Pearl River, you know, would reach 36 feet. What are they saying now?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's now forecast to crest at 35.5 feet. Good news, the rain, at least the heavy, steady rain starting to subside. The Barnett reservoir just north of the Pearl River crest early this morning.

So that's some good news when it comes down to the future crest of the Pearl River. So current stage 35.1 feet forecast at 35.5 feet. When it comes down to 35.8 feet and we're talking about that water coming into parts of the homes in northeast Jackson.

Flood warnings still in effect for much of the lower Mississippi Valley, back into parts of Louisiana where we have near record levels forecast. And these warnings go until future notice.

Heavy rain still along the gulf of Mexico trying to get pumped up into the lower Mississippi Valley here within the next 24 hours. Very scattered as I mentioned. Some of the heavier rain finally starting to subside.

As for rainfall totals, within the next 48 hours, very light compared to what we've seen over the past few days. Forecast totals of 1 to 2 inches, isolated higher amounts up to 4 inches possible again with that very scattered rain just within the next 48 hours.

Not something we want to talk about, but we're starting to get into the heat of hurricane season, peak season -- the first two weeks of September. And here we are tracking your tropical outlook with more active weather expected to push closer to the gulf of Mexico, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh boy. Lots of warnings out there. Thank you so much, Britley Ritz. Appreciate it.

All right. Coming up chaos overnight in Houston. Three people are dead after police say a gunman set fire to a building and shot at residents as first responders were arriving. We have new details.

And later, a man falls 100 feet off a California cliff and survives. We'll tell you what happened.

[14:13:48]

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WHITFIELD: All right. This just in to CNN. Three people are dead and two injured in Houston after police say a

man set fire to an apartment building, then started shooting at people trying to escape.

Polo Sandoval joining us live now from New York with more on this. Polo, what can you tell us.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred.

Some details coming out of Houston specifically from the police chief there about the situation that played out early this morning. This all took place in the city's southwest side. The suspect, at least -- the shooting rather. And this happened at a long-term residential renting facility.

Basically the owner of the facility rents rooms to individual tenants. And at this point in the investigation -- again, the shooting happened at 1:00 this morning. So the investigation is still in its early stages.

But they believe that the suspect, a resident of that facility set fire to at least a portion of the building and then waited outside with a shotgun, waited for other residents inside the building to run out and began shooting.

He killed, according to investigators, three men, all of them residents at the facility. The shooter himself also lived there.

But as you're about to hear directly from the police chief, obviously just the disturbing nature of what happened actually here as firefighters that were responding had to take cover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TROY FINNER, HOUSTON POLICE: This suspect unfortunately and very sadly and very evilly, set fire to several residences, laid wait for those residents to come out and fired upon them.

As HFD arrived first, as they prepared to fight the fire, the suspect began to fire. I don't know if he was firing in their direction, but they had to take cover.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Truly horrible details coming out of Houston there.

Now in terms of the why, again this investigation still in its early stages. However, the police chief said that the subject had been recently served with an eviction notice. He was described as a long- term resident of this facility. And they believe, to use the police chief's term, that that was the trigger point to all of this.

[14:19:52]

SANDOVAL: But again, they are still looking into this. The suspect (SIC) -- their ages ranging from 40 to 60 years old. Again, all three of them lived at that same facility that the suspect also called home.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right.

Polo Sandoval, thanks so much.

All right. The Buffalo Bills decides to release rookie punter Matt Araiza just two days after he was accused in a civil lawsuit of taking part in the gang rape of an underage girl while at San Diego State University.

CNN's Coy Wire has details.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Fred, the investigation into Matt Araiza has been on going for close to a year now. But it went public Thursday when the rookie punter was named in a civil lawsuit accusing Araiza and two former teammates at San Diego State of raping a 17- year-old at a Halloween party last year.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane (ph) said that he first learned about the situation late last month from the accuser's representatives. Yesterday he made the decision to cut Araiza from the team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDON BEANE, BUFFALO BILLS GENERAL MANAGER: We tried to be thorough and thoughtful and not rush to judgment. And I would say it's not easy. You're trying to put facts around a legal situation, you know, sometimes with limited information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Fred, no criminal charges have been filed yet. The San Diego County district attorney's office say it is still reviewing the case.

In a statement Thursday, Araiza said, quote, "The facts of the incident are not what is being portrayed in the lawsuit," unquote.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coy Wire, thank you so much for that.

Let's go now to CNN sports analyst and USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan with us now over the phone.

So Christine, in your view, what does this swift action by the Buffalo Bills say to you?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST (via telephone): Fred, it says that they clearly have now looked the -- what the allegations and how serious they are. They're appalling. They're stunning. Allegations of gang rape -- very, very, very tough details to even read.

But to me the case really, and this whole situation, the story really should focus on what the Bills knew, when they knew it and why they continued to want to have Araiza (INAUDIBLE) as starting punter.

And according to the lawyer for the teenager, the California teenager who is alleging of course, these horrible acts, he said that he spoke with the Buffalo Bills attorney at the end of July and that they knew the basics of this case.

And the fact that a month later they're finally letting him go I think speaks volumes of the vetting or lack thereof, the lack of understanding, the lack of realizing how important this is, not only to their team but also to the NFL and with other stories -- they are of course, horrible allegations and n facts that have happened over the last 15 (ph) years with NFL players.

So that's really stunning and surprising to me that the Bills -- that they knew this a month ago, which the lawyer says they did, why they allowed this to continue to this point.

WHITFIELD: Right. That was July. So I mean your belief is that that was also a consequence of a lack of vetting. So the Bills made the decision, right? This is not an NFL call. So is the messaging now that players can expect perhaps more of this zero tolerance kind of approach by a team in response to any kind of upsetting, you know, graphic kind of allegations and accusations.

BRENNAN: Exactly. Exactly, Fred. Zero tolerance -- or maybe less than zero tolerance. I think the message should also be sent clearly to all NFL clubs that you cannot do what the Bills just did if in fact the lawyer for the young woman is telling the truth. If the Bills knew for a month, that should be a warning signal to everyone.

It should have been a warning signal 20, 30 years ago. But certainly in 2022 where we are supposed to be aware and heightened interest and know what we're doing on these terrible allegations when they come up.

These are terrible, make no mistake about it, Fred, that every team should realize that they have to do the vetting, that they need to interview everyone, that they can't do this halfway as apparently the Bills did if in fact the lawyer is correct.

Because to me, that's the sticking point, obviously is that the Bills made a huge mistake and somehow decided for basically a month that this this was going to be ok.

Who in the world thought that was a good idea? I'd love to know, and maybe there will be an investigation at some point of what the Bills did and did not do and how they botched this so terribly.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Again now, you know, his dismissal comes as a result of the civil lawsuit. No criminal charges have been filed.

Christine Brennan, thank you so much.

BRENNAN: Fredricka, thank you.

[14:24:50]

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, NASA is set for a historic return to the moon. What the Artemis launch team is saying today and how this week's mission paves the way to Mars. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The countdown is on as the Artemis 1 mission prepares for a launch around the moon. The uncrewed spacecraft will be the first in 50 years to make the lunar journey that is designed to carry humans.

The rocket is expected to launch tomorrow morning from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. And so far the weather looks pretty promising.

[14:29:51]

WHITFIELD: CNN's space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher is live from the Kennedy Space Center.

And we just lost our signal. But you know, that is bound to happen, just as the weather is unpredictable there on the Florida coast.

[14:30:05]

So are our signals. We'll try to touch back with her momentarily.

All right. Straight ahead, oh, wait a minute. Look, and there she is, the magic of television.

All right. Kristin, voila, and there you are. All right. We're going to talk fast. You're at the Kennedy Space Center. You're on. Your turn.

Oh, but no sound. OK. Well, it's a lovely shot. Now we have to work on the audio part. So, we're going to take a short break and we'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Well, here we go again.

All right. Liftoff, Artemis, 8:33 tomorrow morning. Live shot now with CNN space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher at the Kennedy Space Center take three.

All right. Kristin, what do you have?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, I don't want to jinx anything, but things are looking very good for launch tomorrow morning at 8:33 a.m.

[14:35:05]

NASA says the vehicle is looking in perfect shape. And this is really saying something for Florida in August. We have an 80 percent favorable weather window at the start of that launch window at 8:33 in the morning.

So, I don't want to jinx anything, a lot can happen between now and then. But as of now, all systems are go for launch tomorrow of the first inaugural flight of the Artemis program, the Artemis 1 mission.

Now, we did have some other weather issues. Just yesterday, Fredricka, you may remember me telling you about these lightning strikes. There were several lightning strikes that either hit the lightning towers at the launch pad or got very, very close. NASA officials have been working that issue yesterday afternoon and overnight. And they believe that everything is okay, that it caused no problems here.

Here is one of the lead Artemis officials with NASA speaking just this morning about that lightning strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF SPAULDING, SENIOR NASA TEST DIRECTOR FOR ARTEMIS: Bottom line is, we look really good. No issues, no concerns or constraints from the lightning events at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISHER: So, you know, Fredricka, it's incredible that we are now here at this moment. If this launch does indeed go tomorrow, what you're going to see is the most powerful rocket that's ever been built lifting off from this launch pad, the historic launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center.

And there are expected to be about 200,000 people that are coming down to the Florida space coast to see it. All the hotels are sold out. You can't find a place to stay anywhere nearby. People are being told to get here about 2:30 in the morning. That's how insane the traffic is going to be.

Then you've also got the VIPs on top of that. We've got Vice President Kamala Harris, who's also the head of the nation's Space Council, coming down here to see this first test flight. And what we're going to see, in addition to the spectacle of it all, I mean, this is so big. We have not seen a rocket like this launched since Saturn 5 back in the '60s and '70s. And this is even more powerful, it has more thrust than that.

So, it's going to lift off from the launch pad. You're going to feel it in your bones. You're going to hear that sonic boom. And then it is going to rise up into space. The SLS rocket will then separate from the Orion crew capsule on top which is where in future missions, the astronaut will be.

And then we're going to watch this, you know, 42-day mission to the orbit of the moon. It's going to orbit the moon for about two weeks. It's going to travel farther than any spacecraft designed to carry humans has ever flown. And then it's going to head back to Earth. It's going to break the Earth's atmosphere hitting speeds at half the surface of the sun before splashing down somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

And, of course, Fred, if that is a success, that will pave the way for Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 which is when NASA hopes to finally land astronauts, U.S. astronauts back on the moon, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Well, it is very exciting. And for anybody who has been

anywhere near Kennedy Space Center, you can be many miles away and feel that sensation you've just described. Pretty exciting.

All right. We all look forward to it tomorrow. I'm glad we had liftoff with you today at this moment. Thanks for rolling with it.

FISHER: Hey, you bet. Hopefully, we've worked out all the kinks for NASA with this technical difficulty here.

WHITFIELD: Excellent. We did. We just paved the way. All right. Thank you.

All right. Just days after locking up the Democratic nomination for Florida governor, Charlie Crist has picked a running mate. Karla Hernandez is a teacher and head of the largest teachers union in the state and now, Crist's lieutenant running mate, Crist and Hernandez will face Republican incumbent Ron DeSantis and Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez in November's election.

Joining us right now is Karla Hernandez.

Karla, so good to see you. Congratulations on your selection.

You have spent your entire career in education, working ten years as a special needs teacher and now president for a teachers union.

So, what made you say yes to statewide politics?

KARLA HERNANDEZ (D), FLORIDA LT. GOV. CANDIDATE: Well, first of all, Fredricka, I'm having a Kennedy Space Center moment here because this is an out-of-the-world experience for me.

You know, I think that Charlie is -- I think that Charlie is just an amazing human being. He's been governor before. He's got the experience and he's a governor for the people of Florida.

And so, you know, because he's so wise, he knew that he wanted somebody that understood people and minorities and women issues because all these things are on the ballot. He cares about making sure that we service every single Floridian and bring the sunshine back to Florida.

WHITFIELD: So your selection signals Charlie Crist putting big emphasis on education in this election. How would your Democratic ticket differentiate from Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' approach to education in Florida, do you think?

[14:40:09]

HERNANDEZ: Well, you know, I think he's actually listening to the folks. We know in Florida, the Democratic Party needs the Latino people to come out. I'm Latina Americana. I was born in Hialeah. I've grown up in a very heavy Latino community.

You know, I've seen the needs and what's happened. I tell people all the time that our classrooms are a microcosm of what's happening in our community, when our community is struggling with affordability, with the rising costs. We hear about it because our students are telling us about these things every single day.

And, you know, with everything that's happened, an attack on women's freedoms, our freedom to have autonomy over our bodies, everything is on the line. So that's what we're fighting for. We're fighting for affordability, fighting for freedom and actually fighting for people, common people like me, a teacher, a middle school teacher which is certainly not what DeSantis is fighting for. It is a contrast, stark contrast. It is darkness versus light.

WHITFIELD: So, let's talk about the affordability of higher education. This week, President Biden announced plans to cancel thousands of dollars in student debt. So far, it's getting both praise and furry on both sides of the aisle.

So, do you believe this is the right way to help people strapped with debt from skyrocketing college tuition?

HERNANDEZ: Absolutely. This was the right move. We're so grateful to President Biden.

You know, I know so many educators in our field that are struggling because it's tough. Florida is 48th in the nation in terms of how much it invests in education. That means teachers are underpaid in Florida. And so -- but this is happening in other parts of the country as well and we know that the student loan forgiveness is a great plan.

It's going to help to put money back in the economy. It's going to lift people up. That's what we need. We need a country and community and states that are lifting everybody up. So, I'm super proud that's happening.

WHITFIELD: You mentioned you grew up in Hialeah, in Dade County. You're a daughter of Honduran immigrants. Florida is home to a large immigrant and foreign-born population.

So, how do you believe your background, your influence will help shape policy in Florida, help you connect in a way that perhaps any other lieutenant governor in your view may not have been able to do if elected?

HERNANDEZ: Well, thank you so much. Absolutely, I am Latin American. I was born in Hialeah. I'm fluent in both languages, Spanish and English.

And, you know, I think the problems or the issues that working families, working people are bringing to the table are going to be addressed because they're already at the forefront. They are at the table.

So we know that's important not only in the state of Florida but in general. We know that when we talk about affordability, when we talk about crisis, when we talk about voting rights, when we talk about making sure that people have access to high quality education, that people have the conditions that are necessary for them to live in the communities. All these things are just important pieces.

As a woman like I said earlier, my autonomy -- my freedom to choose what's right for me and not have government involved, that's on the ticket right now. And we need to make sure we're afforded these rights. I shouldn't be treated as a second class citizen.

My dad was a farm worker when he came to this country. He told me that. He said, Karla, you're American, don't allow anybody to treat you as a second class citizen.

That's why I'm here. I'm fighting for people with Charlie Crist. We're going to make sure every single person is heard and everyone has a seat at the table, including children, working families, Latinos, minorities, women like me, because this is the American dream. I mean, my parents would never believe this, in a million years that a first- generation America would be able to say one day that she's running for lieutenant governor of Florida.

We're going to do this, Fredricka. We're going to make Florida an amazing place to live and to just come and visit.

WHITFIELD: All right. Karla Hernandez, we're going to leave it right there. Thank you so much.

We also did reach out to Florida's current lieutenant governor, Republican Jeanette Nunez, to also appear on our show, but did we have yet to hear back. Charlie Crist, the Democrat candidate for Florida governor, will be joining my colleague Pamela Brown live later on today at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

All right. Straight ahead, new fears over the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as shelling hit just 100 meters from the plant's reactor buildings. Live to Ukraine in minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:49:17]

WHITFIELD: In Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia City authorities are handing out iodine pills to residents in the Ukraine city as fears over a nuclear accident mount. The decision to distribute the radiation medicine comes after the plant was temporarily disconnected from the national power grid for the first time in its 40-year history, raising concerns of a nuclear disaster.

U.N. atomic inspectors say recent shelling hit just 100 meters from the reactor buildings at the plant. CNN's Sam Kiley is near that nuclear facility in Ukraine.

So, Sam, how concerned are people?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, here in Zaporizhzhia, frankly, you wouldn't know this is a city of 700,000 people, 20 miles from Europe's biggest nuclear reactor -- with nuclear power plant with six reactors, two of them active in enemy hands being used as a fire base by Russian troops. [14:50:15]

And now we have the International Atomic Energy Agency saying that they get confirm that some kind of explosive shell or rocket actually hit a facility, about 180 meters from the reactor. You just wouldn't know that here in Zaporizhzhia. The Ukrainians have gotten used to living with the war, effectively on their doorstep, could literally in some cases.

But the authorities are worried. The EnergoAtom, the agency in charge of the nuclear industry here in Ukraine putting out a statement, effectively warning the Russians that if there was some kind of disaster in that nuclear power station, the prevailing wind next week or certainly early next week is going to be into or towards Russia, warning the Russians that there is quite literally blowback in danger if they do something crazy with this nuclear power station.

And, of course, the local authorities here as you rightly point out, distributing iodine pills to the population. I have to say that the population is pretty relaxed. It's been an summer's day and people are trying to enjoy life as much as they can. And that, frankly, is a pattern across Ukraine. People often forget that tomb Ukraine has been at war since 2014, not since 24th of February this year. That is when the Russians increased their level of war with a mass invasion.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that is striking, Sam. So, we do understand the U.N. atomic inspectors are hoping to visit the plant in the next few days. Does it appear the Russians who continue to occupy the facility will allow that to happen?

KILEY: The Russians have said all along they'd allow it to happen. The modalities of how they'd allow the inspectors to get there is being worked out. Rafael Grossi said today in a statement that the shelling of that building close to the reactor underlined the need to get inspectors in there. The IAEA saying they hoped to have them in there in a matter of days to use their words.

But this is still a front line location. How they get in and out of that location without getting hurt is not easy to comprehend. Clearly, the two sides will probably have to agree, a cease-fire after round the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, perhaps that's something that can be brought into permanent practice.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sam Kiley, be safe, thanks so much.

All right. It is being called one of the worst humanitarian disasters in a decade. You're looking at new video from Pakistan showing the aftermath from horrific monsoon rains and flooding. More than 1,000 people are believed to be dead including more than 300 children.

CNN's Sophia Saifi -- sorry, has more.

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SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Families scramble on dry ground to meet a waiting rescue helicopter. It's just one of many rescues taking place in Pakistan, parts of which have been deluged by floods after weeks of unprecedented monsoon rains. The Pakistani government says more than 30 million people across the country have been impacted by the floods. The operations by air critical to transporting the stranded to relief centers, and also dropping supplies to areas not accessible by boat or roads, with Pakistani Prime Minister Javad Sharif joining the effort over the weekend.

The government says it needs international help to feel with the scope of the disaster. Heavy rain and flooding have killed more than a thousand people since mid-June. The misery felt all around the country. In the north, tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate this weekend after flash floods caused a river to rise, wiping out a critical bridge and cutting off roads. And there are fears the rushing waters can wipe away more structures. Even nearby villages.

Many rivers in the region have already done so. These families camped by the side of the road, and wondering where they will go next say they narrowly escaped with their lives.

UNIDENTFIED MALE (through translator): First, the water level rose a little and we brought the goods to the rooftop. We could not bring the household with us. We came out on the highway with our lives, children and cattle. Late night, the water level had risen until it was knee deep.

SAIFI: In southeast Pakistan, many people are just trying to salvage what they can after losing their homes to the floods.

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UNIDENTFIED MALE (through translator): We are in dire straits. We're exhausted of moving belongings here and there. Our homes and village drown in the water. Most of the livestock died. We have suffered a huge loss.

SAIFI: Those lucky enough to reach a relief center which have been set up across the country can get a meal and a bed, but with the flooding so widespread, Pakistan faces enormous challenges ahead. Sindh province alone which is badly hit by the flooding has asked for a million tents to help the displaced.

Sophia Saifi, CNN, Karadsheh.

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