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40-Million-Plus Under Heat Alerts As Dangerous Temps Blanket Western U.S.; Emergency Crews Brace For Increased Wildfire Conditions Amid Heat Wave; Man Who Stole Plane In MS Likely To Face Federal Charges; Mississippi Water Crisis; Senate Returns From Recess With A Full Plate; Biden To Hit Campaign Trail After Issuing Warning On Democracy; Shelled Nuclear Plant Loses Main Link To Power Grid Again; Super Saturday Of College Football Across America. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired September 04, 2022 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:59:49]
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: But let's put aside the legal debate. Here's how I think about this basically. One of the most important tasks for a government is to keep its citizens, especially its children, safe on the streets and in their schools.
Every other developed country in the world is able to fulfill this basic mandate. America is not. And the greatest tragedy is we know how to do it.
Tune in to our regular show every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Eastern and thank you for watching this "GPS SPECIAL".
SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Hello. Thank you for joining me. I'm Sara Sidner in for Fredericka Whitfield.
We begin this hour with extreme dangerous heat that is gripping the West Coast. More than 40 million people are under heat alerts as searing temperatures in the triple digits stretch from southern California all the way to Idaho.
Several heat records already broken this holiday weekend and the most intense heat likely won't come until tomorrow. These conditions making the already dangerous fight against two raging wildfires in northern California all the more perilous. More than 10,000 acres scorched in Siskiyou County and still growing.
Governor Gavin Newsom declaring a state of emergency. Hundreds evacuated as flames race closer to homes and structures.
Our Chris Nguyen and CNN meteorologist Tom Sater are here to walk us through it all. Chris, you are in Santa Monica, and that's a place that we who lived in the west go to cool down. How hot is it there now?
CHRIS NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Sara, temperatures are approaching 100 degrees. And simply put, people here aren't used to this, especially with California in its longest heat wave of the year. State officials are once again issuing a flex alert asking the public
to conserve energy between the hours of 4:00 and 9:00 p.m. So that means bring up the thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, avoiding the use of major appliances and turning off lights when possible.
It all sounds very basic but it's meant to be helpful because Governor Gavin Newsom believes that today and tomorrow could be the most challenging for California's power grid.
Now, here at the Santa Monica Pier, the parking lot is starting to fill up. We spoke to some folks who came out early to beat the heat. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to come, have a nice time before it gets really hot out here on the beach. You know, over in the L.A. area, it's really hot, but when you come to the beach area, it's not as hot because the water is here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we're going to be gone by 10:00 -- 10:30. It is a lot cooler right now but it's almost 100 degrees.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Indoor spaces and driving with the air conditioner on. The car is the coolest place. And it saves energy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And with the extreme heat, fire danger is also a major concern. As you said, there are two major wildfires burning right now in Siskiyou County that's up in northern California. So far 10,000 acres -- more than 10,000 acres have burned, Sara.
SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much for joining us.
Tom, we've seen a lot of records broken this weekend already. Is there any chance things might cool down a bit?
TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, unfortunately, Sara, I think this duration is going to be a long duration heat wave and the temperatures -- the hottest we've seen all summer. This is the unofficial end of summer with Labor Day weekend. We haven't seen anything like this the entire summer.
Not only are we breaking daily high temperature records, we're breaking all time monthly temperature records. We did it on the 31st of August and we did it yesterday as well. We're going to possibly have another 200 records.
Look at Salt Lake City yesterday, 103 degrees. That is the hottest September temperature in recorded history breaking it just from a few years ago.
If you're not on the climate change train yet, get educated. It's not just the U.S., it's Mexico, it's Canada, it's across the entire northern hemisphere we're breaking all kinds of records. Most of California is under a heat warning. And then you've got the
advisories that extend well to the north but this heatwave is going to extend to the north and the northeast.
And it's only going to get hotter. I hate to say it. Sacramento, your normal high is 91. You're up to 115 on Tuesday. Bakersfield, 94 is your average. You're up to 115. Death Valley could set another all- time record, and possibly the hottest ever.
And then with the fire rip (ph), this is very important to understand. This is Labor Day weekend, please be careful if you're out grilling anything right now. We've got ourselves a critical fire mass. Of course more in Southern California, too where you're close to the larger population.
But notice how the heat just extends northward and as well into Canada, too. This is so unusual for this time of the year.
And then it's into the Midwest. Rapid City, you're up to 101 on Thursday. 97, 98 down in areas of course, just south of there.
[14:04:53]
SATER: To the east it's rain. And Sara this has been a problem. Once again last month, we had five one-in-1,000-year flood event. We had a one-in-200-year today. A fatality and flooding in Indiana. More warnings for the massive flooding in parts of Alabama and into Georgia where 11 inches of rain have fallen in the town of Summerville. And again, this is going to continue for the afternoon.
It's the haves and have nots, unfortunately. Everybody is having too much of everything, if it's heat or rain.
SIDNER: Man, you know what, you just sent my anxiety flying, Tom Sater.
SATER: Sorry.
SIDNER: I hope that people, you know, heed the warning and take care of themselves in the heat and be very careful about that flooding. We're seeing some of the pictures there of the rain storm that is coming through.
Tom Sater and Chris Nguyen, thank you so much for joining me.
The dangerous conditions only adding to the threats firefighters face as they battle those twin blazes we mentioned in northern California.
Joining us now is CalFire battalion chief Jon Heggie. Thank you so much for being here.
JON HEGGIE, CALFIRE BATTALION CHIEF: Thank you. On.
SIDNER: Chief, you know, having lived a long time in Los Angeles and California at large, you know, firefighters have to don that heavy protective gear. They are out in the hottest parts of the fire trying to calm things down.
Can you give us a sense, though, what it's like fighting the wildfires in the conditions that you find yourself in with these insane temperatures. It seems like this is happening yearly now.
Yes. You know, what we're seeing are those extremely high temperatures and corresponding fires that are coming with it. But the good thing is that we are industrial athletes. We prepare for this. We train in the heat so when we have a fire that starts under these conditions, we are prepared to have those conditions because we train in hot weather. So we are ready when the call comes.
SIDNER: You know, forecasters predicting tomorrow, and we heard this from our Mr. Sater there in the Weather Center that the extreme heat is going to actually get hotter.
What are your concerns about your team and about those who you're trying to protect?
HEGGIE: You know, obviously, safety is our number one concern for both our personnel and for the public. You know, as we are fighting these fires, we are taking measures to make sure that we are preventing heat illness. So make sure everyone is getting plenty of water, taking breakings, getting (INAUDIBLE) when they can. Seeking out shade where it's possible.
And the other thing is for the public. You know, to understand the conditions outside right now are extremely dangerous when it comes to fire danger.
So all activities outside that could potentially start a fire, we're asking people to maybe think about an alternative just because of the danger is so increased as we get into this holiday tomorrow and through the beginning of next week.
SIDNER: We're looking at these pictures right now from Weed, California that is showing just fire after fire after fire all over the place there. A dangerous situation that was taken by the Montague (ph) Fire Department.
I do want to ask you about how things have progressed because we keep seeing these large wildfires. I think I was there for the Thomas fire and some of the others that have happened over the past couple of years.
Are you actually seeing these temperatures get hotter, the fires burn stronger and more fiercely and bigger? Is that what is actually happening with the climate changing?
HEGGIE: You know, what we're seeing is a result of that extended drought we had in California that was probably in excess of ten years. And what that left us with was a huge amount of dead fuel throughout California.
So all these fires now have receptive fuel beds to burn. And now when anything gets started it has that potential for exponential growth in a short period of time just because everything is so tinder dry. And there's such amount -- a large amount of dead fuel, you know, basically from San Diego all the way to the Oregon border.
SIDNER: You know, it's such a hard job, what you all do with these wildfires. They create their own weather. You know, I've been them alongside some of you folks. And it is, you know, it feels like you're inside of an oven that is turned on to its highest point.
Can you give me a sense of -- are you having any trouble recruiting? Are you worried about, you know, having enough people to fight these fires as they get bigger, hotter and faster?
HEGGIE: You know, it is a challenge in the sense that it is very hard work, you know. It's a challenging job and the conditions aren't always optimal. Some of the things we do are people's hardest days and in the hardest conditions.
And as you're describing those hot temperatures like an oven, that's the environment we work in.
We're very fortunate in the sense that we do have a very robust workforce. And we're not having any issues of getting people that want to join CalFire because it's a great organization and we do a lot of great things for the public.
[14:09:54]
SIDNER: Jon Heggie, thank you so much for your insight. Good luck to the folks that are out there trying to keep everyone else safe and putting their lives on the line. I know it is a really serious situation and it happens every summer. And sometimes, these days because of the drought, in the winter months. I appreciate your time.
HEGGIE: Thank you. Have a great holiday.
SIDNER: You, too.
We're learning new details now about the man police say stole a plane and threatened to crash it into a Mississippi Walmart. Cory Wayne Patterson is his name. He was arrested following an hours-long ordeal over the skies of Tupelo, Mississippi.
He's being charged with grand larceny and making terroristic threats. It's expected he will also face federal charges. Investigators say Patterson worked for the Tupelo aviation for the last ten years, but around 5:00 Saturday morning, police say he stole a Beechcraft King Air C90 twin-engine plane and then called 911 threatening to crash it into a local Walmart.
Now, after more than five hours in the air, Patterson landed the plane safely in a field but he was promptly arrested. No one was injured. The FAA is also now investigating.
Multiple shootings across the country last night as America continues to grapple with the gun violence epidemic. In Virginia, a mass shooting near Norfolk State University. Officials
say seven people were injured, and just announced that two people have now died from their gunshot wounds. The suspect in that is still unknown.
In South Carolina, five people were hurt in a shooting in downtown Charleston. Police arrested two people in connection with that incident.
And at the popular Minnesota State Fair, a shooting forced an early closure there. One person had to be hospitalized for nonlife- threatening gunshot wounds. An investigation is still under way there.
And ahead this hour, just days after Bed Bath & Beyond announced layoffs and store closings, a source tells CNN the company's CFO is dead after jumping out of a Manhattan apartment.
We will have the details.
Plus, too early to tell as Mississippi residents still wait for clean water. The FEMA chief tells CNN they are still not sure when this crisis will be over. We're going live to Jackson coming up.
[14:12:22]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIDNER: This just in to CNN. A law enforcement source identified a man who jumped to his death from a Manhattan high rise as the chief financial officer of the struggling retailer Bed Bath & Beyond. The incident happened Friday.
Last week the company announced it was closing some of its stores and laying off a large percent of its workforce, 20 percent of its workforce, to be exact.
CNN's Polo Sandoval is following developments for us.
Polo, this is a really sad chain of events. Can you give us the latest on this?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara, his name was Gustavo Arnal. A law enforcement source telling our colleague Brynn Gingras that the 52-year-old was the chief financial officer for Bed Bath & Beyond and that he died after jumping from the 18th floor balcony of his luxury high-rise in Manhattan just on Friday.
The source adding that Arnal's wife, that she witnessed him take his own life. We should note that there was no suicide note that was located, so at this point investigators saying that they are not suspecting any criminality, according to investigators. Also S.E.C. records showing that he was appointed to his position as CFO in April of 2020, so he wasn't at that position for long.
And this is happening on the heels of the business headline that we shared with our viewers, that Bed Bath & Beyond has been in deep financial turmoil and recently have even announced that it would be taking steps including 20 percent layoff of about -- of their corporate employees and also close to 150 stores being closed to try to avoid bankruptcy in addition to the company sharing information that they would be securing more than $500 million in financing.
CNN has reached out to Bed Bath & Beyond about this latest news and we're still waiting to hear back. The medical examiner is still investigating right now, Sara. They have not officially declared this a suicide but again, at this point, they don't suspect any sort of foul play.
It's also unclear as to whether or not his death is directly linked or tied to or connected to that financial news that we brought our viewers.
And it's also important, you know and I know, and it's important that our viewers know, that typically we do not cover suicides, obviously to prevent this kind of thing from happening.
But given that the business news that we have reported recently and the question as to whether or not these stories intersect, this is why we're following this story on air right now.
SIDNER: Polo, thank you so much for your insight. And your carefulness in reporting this story --
SANDOVAL: Sure.
SIDNER: -- and you know, because we don't often talk about suicides, we do not want people to get any ideas. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please, take a moment, take a breath, call the National Suicide Prevention Life Line at 988 or 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL site.
There are positive signs, coming up, in Jackson, Mississippi, that has been going through a water crisis. City officials say most residents there should now have some water pressure.
They say significant gains were made on a water treatment plant that was heavily damaged by flooding. Despite the encouraging news, FEMA says, though, it is still too early to tell when residents will have clean drinking water.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEANNEA CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Yes. I think that there's a lot of information that we need to dig into to find out, you know, what is the actual cause of how we got to this point that we find ourselves in today.
[14:19:58]
CRISWELL: But I think that we need to focus on what it's going to take to fix this. I mean, this is not ok for the residents of Jackson, Mississippi. And so our focus needs to be on what is it that we need to do today -- and in the coming days to make sure that, one, we get safe drinking water back, but that we make sure that this does not happen again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: The FEMA administrator there.
CNN's Nadia Romero is now joining us live from Jackson. Nadia, you know, you heard there from the FEMA administrator saying that they didn't really have a clear answer as to how this problem happened in Jackson and when clean drinking water might be available to people, which for many of us, just seems insane in the richest country in the world.
NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara. We are in the state capital. The capital of Mississippi doesn't have water for its more than 150,000 residents. And we spoke with the FEMA administrator when she flew in from D.C., she was on the ground here in Jackson, touring that water treatment plant.
And she didn't want to get into the blame game. She wanted to talk about the here and the now. But this, when you hear the word crisis, when you hear that this is a water crisis, you think that this was like something suddenly that happened. This has been decades in the making.
So when you ask the governor what happened here and who's to blame, he says well, the water treatment plant, that's the city. Go after mayors. So we asked the mayor. What happened here. The mayor says well, we've been sounding the alarm to the governor and to the state management about needing more funding and resources.
And then when you go to FEMA, they tell you, hey, this is a state and local issue. We're just here because of their disaster declaration to give those federal dollars to fix the short-term problems.
So no one wants to take the blame for this crisis, but who's impacted? The residents here. Many of them who haven't had water for six or so days now.
So we're at a state water distribution site. This is the largest one at the state fairgrounds. Cars are making their way up. They'll open up the door here. You can see the National Guard who will load up two cases of water.
And this is so important because We know the water pressure is on likely for most of the residents here, but that water that comes out of the faucet, you can't drink it. It's contaminated.
But if you want to come to these water distribution sites, you have to have certain things. You have to have a car or know somebody who has a car, gas money. And then when you get to your house or apartment, you have to be able to lift up one of these cases and take it to your house.
So we went to a senior living facility. We spoke with a woman who said that she just doesn't have the ability to do that. So she has to wait for someone to deliver water to her. It's just water to flush the toilet, to brush her teeth, to feed her dog and to feed herself, Sara.
SIDNER: -- so much, Nadia Romero. It's really disappointing for those who are there who cannot drink the water out of their tap. And have to receive or get bottled water just to, you know, use the stuff of life.
Still ahead, senators return to Capitol Hill this week with a lengthy to-do list as the midterms are rapidly approaching. We'll go live to the Hill next.
[14:22:55]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIDNER: The Senate will be back in session this week after a month long recess and with just over two months until those midterm elections, there are several big ticket items on the agenda.
CNN's Daniella Diaz joins us now from Capitol Hill. Daniella, what are they expected to start on with this week?
DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sara, lawmakers have been gone the entire month of August, spending time in their home states, meeting with constituents. But now the Senate is going to be back on Tuesday after this Labor Day weekend and the first thing that they're going to tackle, Sara, is government funding.
Of course, government funding runs out September 30th at midnight. Democrats and Republicans don't want a government shutdown so they're going to try to work on some sort of short-term funding resolution before then to avoid a government shutdown.
Additionally, the Senate is going to continue trying to confirm federal judges nominated by President Joe Biden. Democrats can, of course, do that along party lines without any Republican support. They're going to continue to do that.
And lastly, there's also going to be -- there's been momentum to try to put legislation to codify same-sex marriage into federal law on the Senate floor.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not yet said when he plans to do that. But of course, that has become a priority in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Democrats of course, wanting to codify same-sex marriage and of course, also Democrats wanting to put some Republicans on the record for that tough vote, especially those that are facing tough reelection races such as Senator Ron Johnson in Wisconsin.
So we expect those ticket items to take place when they're back on Tuesday, and then after that, of course, just a week after, the House is back in session as well but the priority being, Sara, that these lawmakers want to go back to their home states, especially those in the Senate facing tough midterm races and of course, all House members that are up in the midterms so that they can campaign and meet with constituents.
So they're going to try to get this done as quickly as possible so they can go to their home states, Sara.
SIDNER: Daniella Diaz, lots going on there on the Hill coming up this week. Thank you so much.
With me now is David Swerdlick, CNN political commentator, and senior staff editor for New York Times opinion, Tim Naftali is a CNN presidential historian and a former director of the Nixon Presidential Library.
David -- thank you both, by the way, for coming on this Sunday, on a holiday weekend. We appreciate you coming on.
[14:29:49]
SIDNER: David, Biden is returning to the campaign trail tomorrow heading to key midterm states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. This has come after his really fiery, probably the most fiery speech, if I dare to say, where he called out MAGA Republicans and warned that extremism, the Trump movement itself is a direct threat to democracy.
[14:30:10]
What do you make of this pivot for Biden? Do you see it as a pivot?
DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, yes, in a sense, Sara, it is a pivot. I think that speech was something the Democratic base was looking for as a way to sort of clear the decks and clear the air and have the president state in uncertain terms he sees there are threats to democracy on the horizon. I do think it will wake up the Democratic base as we head into the general election.
On the other hand, I do think because some people have seen some of that rhetoric, including his use of the word semi-fascist before the speech, not during the speech, it's going to make some work for him to do as he tries to persuade the voters between the 45-yard-line, your suburban voters, your voters in Philadelphia collar counties, et cetera, who helped him in 2020 and now he's going to have to convince to stay with Democrats, not switch horses and go back to Republicans where more of them were in 2016.
Democrats have the wind at their back here. But it's still a tough midterm year for the party that has the White House and both houses of Congress.
SIDNER: You know, David, you mentioned the word semi-fascism and conservatives have jumped on that, especially the right-wing media. You know, this word is such a touchstone and it can be polarizing, as he described some of the ex-presidents most loyal supporters. He made no bones about it.
So, Tim, does Biden need to be careful at all here using this kind of language that, look, a lot of people in the Democratic Party and there are some moderate Republicans that do think that's where the country is headed? However, we remember the whole thing that happened to Hillary Clinton when she used the term basket of deplorables. How does he walk this line or does he need to at this point considering what happened on January 6th?
TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: There are moments in our history when our head of state has to explain the stakes we face. Those moments don't come often but they do come. And I think in later years, historians will look back at this moment and say this was a time for the president to make clear what the stakes are, not only in this midterm but in the two years until the next presidential election.
Does he need to be careful? He needs to be careful to make clear that not all Republicans fit in his basket of authoritarian deplorables. One of the challenges for Hillary Clinton was that this comment of hers was -- seemed as if it meant all Trump supporters. And I think what the president this time was trying to make clear is that he's only talking about some Republicans.
As long as he hits that note, he's speaking the same way as Liz Cheney. And other Republicans who are very concerned about the direction their party has taken.
SIDNER: Yeah, you did mention the whole thing about saying some Republicans. He did that in his speech more than once, trying to make that distinction. We did actually hear him saying it exactly that way. So, an interesting point there.
David, we have also been hearing from the former president. Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail himself last night in Pennsylvania. And as is expected, he railed against the FBI and the Justice Department for the search of his Florida home.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The shameful raid and break-in of my home, Mar-a-Lago, was a travesty of justice.
The FBI and the Justice Department have become vicious monsters. They're trying to silence me and, more importantly, they are trying to silence you, but we will not be silenced.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: The FBI is not raiding people's homes or searching people's homes with no legal backing. They went through the process to go into Mar-a-Lago, but he is making this a huge issue.
Is it a good idea for him? How might that impact the midterm elections for him to use this, sort of like saying, if it happens to you, it could happen to you, even though they did go through a legal process?
SWERDLICK: So, Sara, I think legally it's not helping president Trump that much, but politically grievance is part of her brand. And I do think the more he can stretch this out, the more he can get himself back in the news as opposed to other leading Republican figures like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. It does help him and it is where he wants to be.
There's been a lot of talk of special masters and magistrates and warrants. But at the end of the day, this thing is fairly simple, simpler than President Trump wants it to be. The documents he had belong to the people of the United States. They should be housed at the national archives.
Last year, the National Archives asked for them back.
[14:35:02]
They didn't get all of them back. So, eventually, they got law enforcement involved. Law enforcement got a warrant. They went and retrieved the documents.
President Trump has not yet been charged with any crime. He may not be charged with a crime. That is that.
And as far as we know, policies and procedures were followed. But for President Trump to continue to gin this up as it's me against the world, and therefore, me and my supporters against the world, that, I think, is what he wants politically.
SIDNER: Tim, when you look at the situation and how Donald Trump is trying to use this as a talking point in what many think he's going to run, how should Democrats deal with this and the words that he's using?
NAFTALI: I think one of the lessons of the Trump era is that the Democrats have to avoid getting suckered into some of these debates with Donald Trump. In a sense, give some of his arguments a legitimacy, if even take them seriously.
There is no argument. There is no defense for him having classified information at Mar-a-Lago. There is no defense for him having government documents, as David mention, in Mar-a-Lago. He is going to keep saying that he had a right to -- he'll invent rights, he'll intent privileges.
I think the Democrats have to focus on what matters to most Americans which is inflation, the unemployment, climate change and the Dobbs decision and the fact that women do not have the freedoms they had before the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision.
I think the Democrats have other things to focus on and they really should try to avoid going down the rabbit hole with Donald Trump. Donald Trump has no interest in a real national dialogue about power, privilege and the presidency. He only has an interest in getting power himself and being president once again.
SIDNER: The DOJ certainly laid out to the public some of the documents that were there, showing folders of confidential documents that were sort of opened up so we could all see that he had them. So, there is a lot to go through. I think we're going to be hearing a
lot about this as this 2022 comes along. We'll be waiting to see what happens.
David Swerdlick and Tim Naftali, thank you so much.
SWERDLICK: Thanks, Sara.
NAFTALI: Thank you, Sara.
SIDNER: After more shelling, the Ukrainian nuclear plant that is under siege is now down to one working reactor and one reserve line for sending out power. We'll go live to Ukraine for an update there, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:41:41]
SIDNER: There is now shelling at the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, this weekend, has again forced the shutdown of a reactor. One of only two that was still operating. And this is despite the presence of international inspectors who arrived at the site on Thursday. Ukrainians and Russians blame each other for the continued attacks at that nuclear plant.
Our Melissa Bell is in Kyiv for us.
Melissa, what can you tell us about the severity of the damage there?
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is the damage that's been caused and led to the shutting down of one of those last two reactors. As we've seen on Thursday on the very day those inspectors arrived but most worryingly, it is the power supply.
There were four main external power supply lines before the war began. By Saturday, there was just one functioning. That one has been damaged in shelling as well.
There's a reserve power line allowing the energy leaving the station to make it to the Ukrainian electricity grid but also allows for the plant itself to reserve electricity. You'll remember on August 25th, already there had been a power outage at the plant. That's the most worrying of all, because that is where the real fears of a nuclear meltdown come in.
And yet we've been hearing from the head of the IAEA, who's back in Vienna now. Six of his men are still inside the plant saying, look, we were able to be informed very quickly about what was happening inside the plant. Although it hasn't stopped about the shelling around the plant the U.N. says the watch dog should have inspectors inside to deal with the fallout from that sort of shelling.
Now, good news, though, on the Ukrainian side tonight, Sara, that is coming from the counteroffensive. It was launched nearly a week ago. They've been pretty tight-lipped about what kind of progress they were making. What we've just been hearing from Ukrainian authorities but also backed by information we're getting from pro-Russian telegram channels, there's a crucial town of some 5,000 people just to the north of Kherson. That has now fallen back to Ukrainian hands. It had been being fought for, for several weeks now.
There's a tweet -- a remarkable picture that has been released, precisely, because it's about the morale it will provide to the Ukrainian population, watching eagerly for news of this counteroffensive. It shows the Ukrainian flag proudly being displayed once again on the rooftops of this town.
In the meantime, we're not hearing a great deal else apart from the fact the Ukrainians say it's going to be a long grind because this is about degrading Russian military capabilities, logistics, the ability to cross the bridge to Kherson. It's not about fast territorial gains. Yet that picture tweeted tonight by President Zelenskyy clearly keen to keep the population going and show them they think they can turn the momentum in this war, Sara.
SIDNER: Having been there, it is a terrifying prospect what it happening there with Zaporizhzhia with the plant, but also that picture does say a lot about the people in Ukraine.
Melissa Bell, thank you so much -- joining us from Kyiv with that excellent report.
Meantime, in Russia, questions are being raised about the death of a Russian oligarch, one whose oil company expressed opposition to the war in Ukraine -- as CNN's Nick Paton Walsh tells us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): It should sound extraordinary, but in Putin's wartime Russia, it's become staggeringly common. A wealthy energy executive declared dead from suicide.
This time oil executive ravel Maganov seen here earlier with the Kremlin head died Thursday morning. After falling from the sixth floor window of a central Moscow hospital where he was being treated after a heart attack, said a state media law enforcement source. They added, he was taking antidepressants and committed suicide.
The oil giant he chaired, Lukoil, behind 2 percent of the world's crude but tight-lipped on the circumstances saying he died, quote, following a severe illness. They have been less cagey about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, expressing in March their deepest concerns about the war, calling for its soonest termination and urging a lasting cease-fire.
Rare public dissent, which elsewhere in Russia the Kremlin has quashed quickly.
Maganov's untimely death made him at least the sixth high-profile businessman to die from apparent suicide since January. Four of them from state gas giant Gazprom, currently at the forefront of Russia's energy battle with the West. The first two died in the same village in that country cottages. Transport head four weeks before the war. He left a suicide note, said Russia media. And then just a day after the war began, another top Gazprom executive was found dead in his garage there.
Then there were two murder/suicides in April, both former executives from Gazprom or a subsidiary. Both said to have killed their wife and daughter and then themselves. Vladislav Avayev in their Moscow home and Sergey Protosenya in their Spanish villa.
Finally in July, the director of another subsidiary was found dead in his cottage's swimming pool, local media reported. A gunshot wound to the head and a pistol nearby. Maganov is not Lukoil's first lost this year. A former top executive found dead in the basement from an apparent heart attack.
Some experts doubt, however, these deaths bear the Kremlin's suicide.
MARK GALEOTTI, PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR OF MAYAK INTELLIGENCE: These people are in industries where they've gotten used to an elevated quality of life and they know hard times are coming. At the same time, there's been something of a resurgence of a very 1990s phenomenon, which is business disputes being resolved by violence and by murder.
WALSH: Perhaps a subtler hand here than in the anarchy of the '90s. Yet in a world where the Kremlin rules and ruins at will.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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[14:52:28]
SIDNER: You know the sound when you hear it. College football is back. This is the USC marching band, but if you look closely, it was so hot in L.A., the band members had to trade in their traditional uniforms for shorts.
CNN's Carolyn Manno has more on the week on highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Sara, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson had shown flashes of what he might be capable of as a backup last season, but on Saturday, he left no doubt about whether he should be starting. I mean, Richardson stepped up in front of the largest crowd for a season opener in school history. Close to 91,000 on hand in the swamp, and in the fourth quarter, Richardson with one of the best pump fakes you will ever see for the two-point conversion. Gators go up by three.
Richardson would not be denied running this from a yard out. So, the Gators up 29-26. One last chance for Utes here. Amari Burney picking it off in the end zone. Richardson had close to 300 total yards and three touchdowns in an upset over number 7 Utah. A huge first win for new head coach Billy Napier.
Elsewhere, number two Ohio State and number five Notre Dame meeting for the first time in the regular season since 1996. The Irish were 17 points underdogs in this one. They led 10-7 in the half though.
But the Buckeyes defense took over and shut out the Irish in the second half, holding them to just 72 yards on offense. The Heisman candidate CJ Stroud taking over from there, throwing a 24-yard touchdown to Xavier Johnson. The Buckeyes win it 21-10. Head coach Ryan Day calling it an ugly win, but he said they will take it.
And there was nothing ugly about the defending national champ's performance yesterday. The third ranked Georgia Bulldogs putting a hurting on former defensive coordinator Dan Lanning at the 11th ranked Oregon. Stetson Bennett was a man on a mission. He spun past defenders, found a wide open for a touchdown, 378 yards and two TDs for Bennett as Georgia rolls in Atlanta 49-3. That is Oregon's worst opening day loss since 1975.
And there's even more football to look forward to. Today, Sara, Brian Kelly making his LSU debut later on tonight. And tomorrow night, fourth-ranked Clemson plays Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
So, everybody back at their tailgates. A little bit hot outside, but the fall is here, football is back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIDNER: Carolyn Manno, full disclosure, go gators. Sorry. Had to do it. Thank you for that report.
[14:55:01]
And this quick programming note, the Sundance Award-winning CNN film "Navalny" airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXEI NAVALNY, RUSSIAN LEADER (translated): Vladimir Alexandrovich. It's Alexei Navalny calling and I was hoping you could tell me why you wanted to kill me?
[07:55:10]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remarkably, Vladimir Putin faces a legitimate opponent, Alexei Navalny.
NAVALNY: I don't want Putin being president.
(translated): I will end war.
If I want to be leader of a country, I have to organize people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Kremlin hates Navalny so much they refuse to say his name.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Passengers heard it, Navalny cry out in agony.
NAVALNY: Come on, poisoned? Seriously.
We are creating the coalition to fight this regime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are killed, what message do you leave behind to the Russian people?
NAVALNY: It's very simple. Never give up.
ANNOUNCER: "NAVALNY", tonight at 8:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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