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U.S. Federal Judge Grants Donald Trump Request For Special Master; President Joe Biden Blasts "Extreme" Republicans Ahead Of Midterms; Liz Truss Succeeds Boris Johnson As Prime Minister; One Suspect Found Dead, Manhunt for Second Suspect Ongoing in Stabbing Spree; Typhoon Hinnamnor Exits Peninsula after Striking South Korea; Flood Watches Across Several States; Nuclear Plant Disconnected from Ukraine's Power Grid. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired September 06, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Coming up this hour, Donald Trump gets his special master and slows the investigation into classified documents seized during an FBI search of his Florida Country Club.

Liz Truss will soon meet with Queen Elizabeth, but she'll be invited to form a new government and serve as the next prime minister of Britain.

And one suspect is dead, the other still on the run after a deadly stabbing spree in Canada.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: The criminal investigation into how former President Donald Trump handled government secrets is now on hold. Federal judge appointed by Trump has granted his request for a third party attorney known as a special master to examine the thousands documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate in August.

CNN's Sara Murray explains what this means for the government's investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A judge today granted Donald Trump's request for a special master to review the materials the FBI seized from the extraordinary search at Mar-a-Lago.

Judge Aileen Cannon writing because of Trump's role as a former president, the stigma associated with the subject seizure is in a league of its own. A future indictment base to any degree on property that ought to be returned would result in reputational harm of a decidedly different order of magnitude. In a major victory for Trump, a third party attorney outside of

government will soon be tasked with sifting through thousands of documents to identify personal items and materials that could be protected by attorney client or executive privilege.

JENNIFER RODGERS, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY: While it does delay things and slow it down, which of course is bad for DOJ in their case, I think at the end of the day, we're not going to see a lot of documents pulled by the special master.

MURRAY: The judge pointing out that some of the seized materials include taxes and accounting information, the ruling allowing U.S. intelligence agencies to continue their national security damage assessment, but halting the Justice Department's criminal review of its Mar-a-Lago Hall.

RENATO MARIOTTI, FORMER U.S. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I don't think this has a massive impact on their investigation in the long run. If I was the prosecutor working on this case, I'd say let's just trudge forward with the special master, get through this as quickly as we can so we can move on.

MURRAY: Even as the judge acknowledged there was not any evidence of a callous disregard for Trump's constitutional right, adding that Trump ultimately may not be entitled to return as much of the seized property or to prevail on his anticipated claims of privilege. That inquiry remains for another day.

Meantime, Trump speaking at his first rally since the FBI searched his resort last month.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They rifled through the first lady's closet, drawers and everything else, and even did a deep and ugly search of the room of my 16-year-old son.

The FBI and the Justice Department have become vicious monsters controlled by radical left scoundrels.

MURRAY: The former president slamming law enforcement, as high ranking Republicans offered explanations for why Trump may have been hoarding top secret information.

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): You know, I have lived in the classified world most of my professional career, I personally wouldn't do that. But I'm not the president of the United States.

MURRAY: And allies like South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): But what I've tried to do is state the obvious.

MURRAY: Still cleaning up his comments, warning of riots in the streets if prosecutors charged the former president.

GRAHAM: We've had a standard set when it came to Hillary Clinton. If he does what she did with classified information and he gets prosecuted, and she didn't, it will create a problem.

MURRAY (on camera): Now, And when it comes to the special master, the Justice Department had previously asked the judge to rule in such a way where they could appeal her decision down the road.

The Justice Department now is saying that they're examining her ruling and considering what their next steps are.

Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: To Los Angeles now. Jessica Levinson is a professor at Loyola Law School and host of the Passing Judgment podcast. Welcome back.

JESSICA LEVINSON, LAW PROFESSOR, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Thank you.

VAUSE: OK, so in ruling in favor of the appointment of a special master, Judge Aileen Cannon argued it was in part in the interest in ensuring the integrity of an orderly process amidst swirling allegations of bias and media leaks. She also cited the historic nature of the case.

So, in other words, perceptions matter. And because this is a former president of the United States, he gets special treatment that no one else does?

LEVINSON: This is a curious ruling on so many levels, and I have to say, if one of my students read something like this, I would really be crestfallen because it reads more like a political conclusion in search of legal reasoning.

Now, there is something there in part of it that I think can withstand scrutiny. But by and large, I think you point to one of the huge problems behind this order, which is the idea that we have to treat the former president as if he is above the law, as if he is entitled to special solicitude.

[00:05:15]

And she waxes poetic about the need for fairness and Tegrity and she worries out loud about the stigma that could attach to the former president.

But that stigma is the same one that could attach to anybody who is part of a criminal investigation this way.

I mean, taken to its logical conclusion, we should just fail to continue criminal investigations because a stigma might attach. There's so many parts of this where I think the Department of Justice has to appeal because you don't want this type of language to stand as legal precedent.

VAUSE: Well, Judge Aileen Cannon was a Trump appointee. So, if you're the former attorney general and one time Trump ally Bill Barr, when he was asked about the need for a special master, he told the New York Times, I think it's a crock of (INAUDIBLE). I don't think a special master is called for.

Yes, that's a view shared by a lot of legal experts. And a lot of Democrats like Representative Joaquin Castro, here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX): Most defendants in this case would not have a special master appointed. And so, this is a basically an extra accommodation for a former president of the United States.

I do think that it was probably a delay tactic by former President Trump. And also, I don't think it's going to fundamentally change anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: We've heard that a lot. The ruling Monday may not change anything fundamentally, it's going to slow down. But what about the undecided which are yet to come? Who will be this special master? What will be the scope of that review? How much time will they be given?

LEVINSON: So, all of those things. Plus, I would say, you don't want a ruling like this to pick up on what I was saying before. You don't want a ruling like this to be able to be cited in other criminal cases.

So yes, it has repercussions for this investigation. And let's remember that a delay is real in this case, a delay means that the Department of Justice cannot continue to question witnesses, cannot continue to follow up with a documentary evidence and delays matter. There's that old saying that justice delayed is justice denied.

And of course, we're looking at the electoral calendar.

So yes, the Department of Justice may be able to continue with its investigation eventually. But one, it matters when you have to postpone because we know we're running up to the midterms, then we're running up to the presidential election.

The former president is likely to say again that he's going to be a candidate for the presidency. At which point, his claim will be, well, the Biden Department of Justice is just going after me because I'm his opponent.

So, it's still -- a delay still changes things. And then, you ask a series of great questions, who can be the special master? Judge Cannon said, give me names by February, excuse me by Friday.

But the other issue here is the special master needs guidance. There is no there when it comes to this executive privilege claim. You can't as a former president say, I'm trying to prohibit an agency of the executive branch from obtaining these documents. And even if you could, you could never say that in the face of a criminal investigation.

So, there are a lot of questions that this special master is going to have to try and answer when there's no basis to try and rifle through these documents looking for executive privilege.

VAUSE: You know, even before this legal win by Trump, he was ramping up the attacks on the Justice Department and the FBI over the weekend. Here he is.

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TRUMP: The FBI and the Justice Department have become vicious monsters controlled by radical left scoundrels, lawyers and the media who tell them what to do, you people right there and when to do it.

They're trying to silence me and more importantly, they are trying to silence you, but we will not be silenced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: I take the Department Justice next week. On Monday, Trump called for the 2020 election to be overturned by the FBI and the DOJ because the FBI and the DOJ was caught in a non-existent vote rigging scam.

I mean, this stuff is nonsensical. But is there a concern that longer this investigation takes, the more time Trump has to turn up his base with false claims and monetary (PH) language? And those predictions of violent outbreaks if he's arrested becomes self-fulfilling prophecies?

LEVINSON: Yes, I think there is a real danger here in the sense that we've seen his defense. His defense has been to try and throw a bunch of things at the wall and see what sticks and the longer he has before the investigation continue, I think the worse it is for the rule of law. Not for people who oppose Trump or who criticize Trump, for the rule of law, for Americans who care about living in a society where law enforcement officers can obtain a search warrant, again, finding probable cause that a crime was committed.

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And then, get the documents that they seized at that place, which happens to be the residence of the former president and continue with their investigation.

So, we've seen again, this ever changing defense from the president -- the former president that I think will just continue. It's the documents were planted. Oh, actually, they're unclassified. Oh, actually their privilege.

It just it doesn't make any sense. But politically, it might be a winner for members of his base. And I think that's what matters to him.

VAUSE: Yes, Jessica, thanks for being with us. Jessica Levinson there in Los Angeles.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

VAUSE: So, counting score, we're about two months away now from the U.S. midterm elections and President Joe Biden is hitting the road to help Democrats hold on to control of Congress. He campaigned in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania on Monday, touting his recent legislative wins and economic accomplishments.

Mr. Biden is making it clear he wants voters to see the November elections as a choice between his leadership and the extremism of Donald Trump and his supporters.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Extreme MAGA Republicans don't just threaten our personal rights and our economic security, they embrace political violence.

I'm not talking all Republican, I'm talking about these extreme mega Republicans, think about it. Think about it. The definition of democracy is you accept the will of the people when votes are honestly counted. These guys don't do it.

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VAUSE: More now from CNN Jeff Zeleny reporting in from just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Biden kicking off the fall election season with two Labor Day rallies in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Those are the two states that Democrats have their eyes on trying to win back Republican seats in the U.S. Senate.

Now, President Biden clearly was making a direct appeal to some independent voters and Democrats and others trying to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans. He also was touting his accomplishments on the economy and other legislative achievements.

But he talks specifically about why he believes President Trump and the MAGA Republicans, as he calls them are bad for the country.

BIDEN: One of the things that was clear to me is that this new group headed by the former president -- the former defeated president, we found ourselves in a situation where we really are going to look forward to look backwards. And it's clear which way he wants to look, it's clear which way the new MAGA Republicans are, they're extreme. And democracy is really at stake.

ZELENY: The President Biden moderating his tone there from what he's been doing in recent days really calling out Trump supporters.

Of course, he's not trying to reach out to them. They are true believers in the Trump brand, but he is trying to reach out to some voters who may be open to at least supporting some Democrats or some independents as well.

So, that clearly is the challenge for Democrats. Certainly, any president's political party faces headwinds in a historic midterm election, there's no doubt. The Democrats believe that they have some advantages, largely because Donald Trump is back center stage. And that, of course, turns off so many voters in the middle and on the left.

So, now, nine weeks left before those midterm elections, the president trying to rally Democrats, his agenda for the rest of his term depends upon it.

Jeff Zeleny CNN, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, a new leader for Britain's conservative ruling party and not an audience with Queen Elizabeth, a new prime minister for the country. A look at major challenges Liz Truss will face in her new job.

Also, a closer look at Truss, her politics, her convictions, her beliefs and are they've all changed over the years?

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VAUSE: Boris Johnson's turbulent time as U.K. Prime Minister will officially end in a few hours when he offers his resignation to Queen Elizabeth. Liz Truss will then take his place after winning the leadership race for control of the Conservative Party.

Both Johnson and Truss are expected to make public statements in the hours ahead. We've heard already from the French president Emmanuel Macron. Last month, t Truss said the jury is still out on whether Macron is Friend or foe of the U.K. Still, he welcomed her to the top job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: I say welcome to Liz Truss. I expressed to her that France congratulates her and we are available to work as allies and friends.

The United Kingdom is a great country that like us is committed to defend democracy by the side of Ukraine. And that also needs to strengthen its energy sovereignty and win the battle against climate change. That's the real agenda. The rest was just fluff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: It wasn't all bouquets, there was some brickbats as well, Truss was booed, arriving at Conservative Party headquarters in London on Monday, possible sign of things to come.

Truss to be facing a number of challenges -- a lot of challenges as she prepares to lead the Conservative Party band and the nation. She's already pledging a bold plan to cut taxes, build growth, tackle the energy crisis. CNN's Bianca Nobilo has more on her rise to power.

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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Britain has a new prime minister and ambitious political chameleon.

LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER: I know that we will deliver, we will deliver, we will deliver.

NOBILO: Liz Truss's unlikely ascendance complete. Her leadership campaign got off to a shaky start. She couldn't even find the door. Notoriously gaffe prone.

TRUSS: We import two-thirds of our cheese. That is a disgrace.

NOBILO: Tactless about Britain's closest ally.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Macron. Friend or foe?

TRUSS: The jury's out.

NOBILO: And mocked by Russia's foreign minister.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It seems like we listen but don't hear.

NOBILO: The former foreign secretary was widely considered to be less informed and less willing to be scrutinized than her rival Rishi Sunak. But that didn't stop her because she wasn't appealing to the wider British public. One of two candidates selected by Tory lawmakers Truss was ultimately chosen by less than one percent of the British electorate.

[00:20:20]

A sliver of the conservative base older, whiter and more right wing than the average voter. She played a blinder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough already.

NOBILO: Promising a hard line on immigration and tax cuts to a party drifting further to the right. Channeling their hero Margaret Thatcher even dressing like her.

Like half of Britain's prime ministers, she studied here at Oxford University. But back then she was a liberal Democrat activist in favor of legalizing cannabis and abolishing the monarchy.

TRUSS: Abolish them. We've had enough.

NOBILO: Now, she's the darling of the right wing of Britain's conservatives, the pro-monarchy party of Law and Order quite the 180. And when it comes to Britain's biggest political question of the last decade, Brexit, she's supported remaining in the E.U., only to reemerge as a born again Brexiter and the U-turns continued. Before graduating in 1996 with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics, Liz Truss campaigned alongside Neil Fawcett for two years.

NEIL FAWCETT, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC COUNCILLOR AND FORMER TRUSS COLLEAGUE: She certainly always seemed to be very ambitious. And sometimes you thought her main aim was to impress people that she was always playing to the gallery, that she would say what needed to be said to win popularity amongst the people she was in front of at the time.

NOBILO: Do you feel like she does have substance?

FAWCETT: But I couldn't tell you what she actually believes.

NOBILO (voice over): Her supporters though seat flexibility, independence of mind and a boldness.

CHRIS SKIDMORE, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE M.P.: She doesn't take no for an answer she said and I've seen that as a minister myself in private. You know, she can be direct but she is also very warm and I think that has indeed to many M.P.s.

NOBILO: Truss inherits a nightmare, war in Europe, a biting cost of living crisis, the country braced for a winter of potential blackouts and fuel poverty.

Britain's desperately hoping she'll leverage that ambition and adaptability to rise to the challenge.

Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Joining me now is CNN European Affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas. Dominic, good to see you.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Great to be on with you, John. Thank you.

VAUSE: So, let's look at the big picture, massive job ahead Liz Truss. Just days ago, she wrote an op-ed for the Sun, she declared we will get through these tough times by going for growth. As Prime Minister, I will make this happen through bold actions such as tax cuts, decisive reforms, and slashing the old senseless red tape, I will govern as a freedom loving tax-cutting conservative.

Keep that in mind because the Guardian is reporting Tory Insider's believe she has a matter of weeks for a policy blitz to deal not just with the cost of living crisis, but also with all the other domestic challenges.

For the most part, all these domestic challenges from energy security, better infrastructure, the climate crisis, or require either expensive government spending, increased regulation, or both, which Truss is opposed to. THOMAS: Yes, John. I mean, it's a remarkable situation. I mean, there's a sort of a complete disconnect between what she articulated during the leadership race and the promises she made to those who will ultimately and give her the victory as party leader and therefore, become prime minister and the realities on the ground.

And you only have to look across the channel at the measures that the French government has taken with nationalizing the energy company putting caps on our electricity prices, and freezing gas prices, and so on, to realize that that is the path forward at this -- at this juncture. And anything short of that is really just a recipe for disaster.

So, it's going to be interesting to see how she goes about reconciling those two without appearing to be disingenuous, because they'd be those who actually ultimately put her in power, John.

VAUSE: We'll get to those who put her in power in a moment but the most pressing issue right now in the U.K. is this household energy bills. In a few weeks, they'll double for most families, triple by January.

Energy companies meantime making record profits, Truss has ruled out a tax on those windfall profits. In the past, she rolled out a freeze on energy bills. But over the weekend, she made this promise. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUSS: What I can say is that if I'm elected as prime minister, within one week, I will make sure there is an announcement on how we are going to deal with the issue of energy bills, and of long term supply to put this country on the right footing for winter, that is absolutely vital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, now Truss has said she'd be in favor of a freeze on energy costs, as well as government assistance for some families, a plan which will cost hundreds of millions of pounds. So, after opposing handouts and the right for the leadership, not only does she have to convince, you know, the public, but also skeptical Tory M.P.s of a need for a handout. And she does this without any political capital, she has no mandate from winning an election.

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THOMAS: She doesn't and ultimately, I see her current position as being just nothing but an audition really, for the job as Prime Minister. The Conservative Party holds on to this substantial majority, they will not think twice as they did with May or with Boris Johnson, of removing her if the circumstances are not pleasing them, even ahead of the general election.

And yet, she somehow, as I just said, has to find a way of balancing, addressing the real issues and concerns which were not there during the campaign.

She came across as very cold, lacked empathy, attributed most of the ills in the U.K. today to immigration or to culture walls. And now she finds herself having to go back on those and deal with some very real issues, issues that are completely different to the kind of ideological Brexit like issues that brought Boris Johnson to power.

These are real world issues with energy, cost of living, the kinds of things that make or break a prime minister and certainly determine the outcome of a general election, John.

VAUSE: Is the underlying problem here, the fact that she takes over as prime minister, basically on the back of 80,000 votes of card carrying members of the Conservative Party who were older, richer and whiter than most of the rest of the country?

THOMAS: I think that to me is one of the most disturbing aspects about this is this sort of 12 year period of Conservative Party leadership in which essentially with the majority that they've held, especially since Boris Johnson came in, and they've ultimately been able to do whatever it is they like.

And exactly as you said, you have this very small minority, ultimately determining the fate of the country. And I think that this time around, the electoral map that Boris Johnson was able to appeal to, with just electoral fatigue in the light of Brexit has gone away now. And it's an uphill struggle for them. And this is a real opportunity now, I think, for the opposition to sort of to bridge their divides, and to try to map out some kind of alternatives so that there is a real, genuine contest going into the next general election. And ultimately, there's going to be a two year period in which we see how all of this unfolds.

VAUSE: Well, the story of the opposition and the labor opposition, well, that's another one altogether for another day.

But Dominic, thanks for being with us. We appreciate it. Thank you.

THOMAS: Thank you, John.

VAUSE: Please stay with CNN for all the developments. Our special coverage of Britain's next prime minister. So, that's 7:00 a.m. in London, 2:00 p.m. in Hong Kong.

When we come back, police in Canada asking for the public assistance and information that might help them catch the only surviving suspect in a deadly mass stabbing attack, after the other suspect was found dead. Details on the manhunt when we return.

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VAUSE: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

One of two suspects in a deadly stabbing spree in Canada has been found dead. But the manhunt continues for Myles Sanderson, seen here on the right, who authorities say may be injured and seeking medical attention.

On Monday, he was charged with murder and attempted murder for his alleged role in the attack, which left ten people dead and wounded 18 others. Authorities urge residents to remain vigilant, saying Sanderson is considered armed and dangerous.

Police found the body of the other suspect, his brother, Damien Sanderson, not far from where the attack happened.

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ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER RHONDA BLACKMORE, ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE: At 11:30 a.m., a deceased male was located on the James Smith Cree Nation. At 1:17 pm today, it was confirmed by Saskatchewan RCMP, forensic investigators section, that the deceased is Damien Sanderson.

His body was located outdoors in a heavily grassed area in proximity to a house that was being examined. We can confirm he has visible injuries. His injuries are not believed to be self-inflicted at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: This killings spree has shaken Canadian residents and officials. CNN's Paula Newton has the latest now on the manhunt, and the timeline of the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police say the stabbing rampage began in the predawn hours Sunday, in an indigenous community in central Saskatchewan.

At 5:40 a.m. Central Time, Sunday morning, and for several minutes afterward, police say they received reports of multiple stabbings in several locations in James Smith Cree Nation.

By 7:12 a.m., Saskatchewan law enforcement issued a dangerous persons alert, telling residents to shelter in place. Later that hour, they identified the suspects as brothers Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson.

By 8:30 a.m., the manhunt was extended by hundreds of miles, and at 9:45 a.m., police alerted that there was it least one stabbing victim in the neighboring village of Weldon, and that some victims were randomly attacked.

RUBY WORKS, RESIDENT, WELDON, CANADA: I was thinking, that could've been me. They could've killed me. I don't know why they did this. They took innocent people's lives. They shattered this community.

NEWTON (voice-over): And then, by 12:07 p.m. in Regina, Saskatchewan, a three-and-a-half-hour drive away, police say they had a credible tip the suspects were in the city, driving a black Nissan Rogue.

Then, the trail goes cold. Police appealed to the public once again, and late Monday announced that Damien Sanderson has been found dead. But Myles Sanderson is still at large.

CHIEF EVAN BRAY, REGINA POLICE SERVICE: I think the most recent, reliable information we have says that he is in Regina or was in Regina. The most recent. That most recent information is a day old. We acknowledge that. But we have nothing that can -- can tell us differently.

NEWTON (voice-over): Crucially, police also say Damien Sanderson's wounds were not believed to be self-inflicted, and his body was found in the community of James Smith Cree Nation, the scene of the first attack.

[00:35:11]

Despite an expanded search, Myles Sanderson remains on the run. Police are telling all residents in Saskatchewan to remain vigilant and that the suspect is dangerous and has an extensive criminal record.

The tight-knit indigenous community is devastated by these vicious attacks that has now shattered so many lives.

HAROLD BURNS, ELDER, JAMES SMITH CREE NATION: It affects everybody from James Smith. Whether you're -- they're all part -- they're all part of a family. You know, I have a niece who was killed, first cousin was killed. You know, so, how -- how do you speak on that? How do you respond?

NEWTON (voice-over): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is martialing resources to the communities but conceded how unnerving this savage crime has been.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Sadly, over these past years, tragedies like these have become all too commonplace. Saskatchewanians and Canadians will do what we always do in times of difficulty and anguish. We'll be there for each other.

NEWTON: People in these tight-knit communities are describing this as a massacre. And police would like to think that Myles Sanderson, if he is injured, will come forward. Or that someone will come forward with more information about his whereabouts.

Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: CNN no word from police in Memphis, Tennessee, on the identity of a body found near the site where a jogger was abducted. They've been searching for the woman since Friday, and have arrested a suspect, but all they're saying so far is the cause of death is unconfirmed, and the investigation ongoing.

Surveillance video shows a man forcing 34-year-old Eliza Fletcher in his vehicle early Friday. She's a schoolteacher, mother of two.

Police arrested 38-year-old Cleotha Abston on Saturday after they found his SUV near his residence -- well, the SUV, rather, near the -- near the residence.

He's being held on a half-million-dollar bond, charged with aggravated kidnapping. He has served time in prison for kidnapping more than 20 years ago. We'll have a lot more on this story next hour.

Torrential rain brings traffic to a halt from Rhode Island. When we come back, one of several U.S. states under flood watches or warnings. We will have the very latest.

Also, we're tracking Typhoon Hinnamnor, on the move after making landfall in South Korea. We'll have the very latest in a moment.

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[00:41:32]

VAUSE: For 11 days, he was adrift at sea in a freezer. He even survived a possible shark attack.

This incredible story began when his boat sank on a fishing trip off Brazil's Northern coast. And speaking with CNN affiliate Record TV, he says he scrambled to reach the freezer when he noticed it didn't sink. Good plan.

At one point, he bailed water out by hand to keep the freezer afloat. Glad he was rescued.

Well, at least 65 people are dead after a strong earthquake shook Southwestern China.

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(SHOUTING)

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VAUSE: Six-point-six-magnitude quake struck Sichuan province on Monday afternoon, local time, triggering landslides that caused some serious damage.

More than 200 people have been hurt; 12 others remain missing. Rescue crews are having to clear blocked roads and digging in the rubble to find survivors.

Mainland China also feeling the effects of Typhoon Hinnamnor. The storm made landfall in South Korea a few hours ago. It has now left the Korean Peninsula, but not without bringing powerful winds, some heavy rain, leaving thousands of homes without electricity.

The storm is also now impacting Taiwan and parts of Japan.

For the very latest, CNN's Paula Hancocks is live in Seoul, South Korea. So, what sort of damage was done? PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, at this

point, they're -- they're still assessing the damage. There is a hope that it doesn't quite as bad as had been anticipated before landfall.

One of the saving graces may have been the fact that this -- this typhoon was moving quite fast. Once it did make landfall, at 4:50 a.m., it then left South Korean territory at 7:10 a.m.

We are seeing images, though, of the Southeast of South Korea. In particular, the city of Pohang, which is inundated with water. Significant flooding.

We understand, as well, from the -- the Ministry of Defense that they have dispatched the military to parts of these areas to try and help with the cleanup and make sure there is nobody to be rescued.

There has, we understand from the ministry, been one confirmed fatality at this point. One person was swept away as they were trying to evacuate.

So certainly, the assessment now is whether or not there are more people missing. And this is what city officials tell us that they are focusing on.

So this particular typhoon, once it made landfall, was about the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane. And there were winds of in excess of 154 kilometers per hour. That's about 95 miles per hour. And you could see the kind of damage that that has left.

Significant rainfall. Across the whole of South Korea in fact. But in particular in the Southeast of the country.

So the -- this was the sixth storm ever to hit landfall in South Korea with winds of this intensity. And it comes just a few weeks after there was similar -- in fact, more -- heavy downpour in Seoul itself, in the capital.

There was a significant storm. That particular left at least 14 people dead. And of course, the hope is at this point -- they are still gathering information -- that the fatalities will not be too significant when it comes to the Southeast of the country -- John.

VAUSE: Paula Hancocks there with the latest on Typhoon Himmamnor. Thank you. Appreciate the update.

Well, to U.S. now, where heavy rain has flooded streets in Rhode Island. Flash flooding shut down part of a highway in Providence on Monday.

[00:45:

Rhode Island is one of more than a dozen U.S. states under flood alerts over the past few days.

Let's bring in meteorologist Gene Norman for the very latest. So we've got, you know, record heat waves in part of the country, droughts in other parts, and now flooding.

GENE NORMAN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. We seem to have it all. And believe it or not, some of those things are actually connected.

As far as the rainfall that we saw on Monday, generally in a two- to four-inch range from these recorded locations, actual rain gauges.

Yet, the radar indicates, of course, there were some packets with the heavier rain. We just showed you those pictures out of Providence. You can see it in that area. Probably in excess of six inches of rain fell.

And then we continue to see this, although the number of places and people have been reduced under flood threat, down to 55 million. It's still a pretty decent amount there, from New England, back down to Washington, D.C.

A live look at the radar, and you can see these showers are slowly moving across the same areas. So you have some saturated grounds, more rain. That's going to lead to more potential flooding.

The forecast model shows these showers will continue, probably until sometime early or late afternoon on Wednesday before we finally get a break and they begin to dry out.

But not before an additional two to four inches falls in this area.

And I mentioned earlier, there are -- these things are connected. We have this ridge of high pressure, the Jet Stream, riding way to the North out West.

But notice this dip in the East. This is acting like a conveyor belt, bringing moisture from the Gulf all the way up into the Northeast. And that's the reason why we've had the flooding episodes there.

Eventually, the heat out West will shrink a little bit, and a little dip in the East will rise. And that will mean warmer temperatures heading into the weekend.

But until we get there, we're still dealing with heat alerts, heat advisories, excessive heat warnings out in the Western United States at least through Tuesday -- through today, possibly extended into Wednesday and Thursday.

Because just on Labor Day, we had over 40 record high temperatures set across a good part of California and other states like Utah, Nevada, Wyoming. In fact in Sacramento, they set their all-time hottest September day at 116. Brutal, brutal heat, John.

VAUSE: Absolutely, Gene. Thank you for that. We appreciate that. Thanks.

Now, authorities in Pakistan are closely watching water levels of the country's freshwater lake. Despite efforts to drain it, levels remain dangerously high. They'd been hoping to spare nearby cities from the floodwaters. Some areas of Pakistan have seen five times the normal level of

monsoon rain.

Now, the World Health Organization is warning about the dangers in the water. The deadly flooding is causing an increase in typhoid, malaria, and other diseases.

One-third of the entire country is underwater. More than 1,300 people have died so far in this flood emergency.

Millions of people have also been impacted by the devastating floods of Pakistan. Find out how you can help. CNN.com/impact.

Still to come, the last working reactor shut down at Europe's largest nuclear plant, due to fires and shelling. Why Ukraine is once again placing the blame on Moscow, when we return. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:52:19]

VAUSE: Ukraine's president says Russian shelling caused a fire at this the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which disconnected the last working reactor from the power grid.

A spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency says the reactor should be reconnected once the fires are out. An IAEA team has given access to the nuclear plant. They got that last week, and expected to report on the safety conditions at the facility.

A U.S. official says Moscow is now buying millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea.

President Zelenskyy says the continued Russian shelling around the plant is proof Moscow is not concerned by the prospect of causing a potential nuclear disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Shelling the territory of Zaporizhzhia means that the terrorist state does not care what the IAEA says, what the international community decides. Russia is interested only in the fact that the situation would remain the worst and as long as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN's Sam Kiley has more now, reporting from Odessa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For the third time in ten days, the Ukrainian authorities are deeply concerned about the disconnection of a nuclear reactor at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is 20 miles south of the city of 700,000 people because they say that it has been disconnected, forcing the use of the back of power, the diesel generating system, in order to cool the nuclear reactor.

Now, this has happened three times in the past. And every time it happens, the concerns over a nuclear meltdown increase.

Now, there are two U.N. inspectors still on the site. They're supposed to be there permanently, or at least for the foreseeable future. So, it will be interesting to see whom they blame or whether they go public with what's going on there.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president, Zelenskyy, has been claiming relatively limited successes, saying that at least two villages in the South, during the Southern offensive here, have been captured and one village in the East.

Now, these villages frequently change hands fairly often during these campaigns. But there is no doubt that here in the South, the Ukrainians' counter-offensive still means that they have the initiative, using a lot of NATO-supplied firepower to overwhelm superior numbers of artillery and men that the Russians have here on the ground.

Sam Kiley, CNN, in Odessa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The print (ph) license for one of Russia's last independent newspapers has been revoked by a Moscow court. A state media watchdog says "Novaya Gazeta" failed to provide documents proving ownership after the company changed hands in 2006.

The paper's editor in chief, a Nobel Peace laureate, says that they will appeal this decision, and he says it's no mystery what the government is trying to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[00:55:06]

DMITRY MURATOV, CHIEF EDITOR, NOVAYA GAZETA MEDIA (through translator): The decision is a political hit job that has no legal basis whatsoever. We were in court for allegedly not handing over some documents 20 years ago, when in reality, it is absolutely obvious to everyone what's behind this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meantime, a former Russian journalist has been sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of treason. Ivan Safronov covered military and space and was an adviser to the head of the Russian space agency.

Prosecutors say he passed military and technical secrets to NATO. Critics say he's being punished for independent reporting. Amnesty International calls his sentence absurd.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause, and I will be back with a lot more news after a very short break. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: This is CNN NEWSROOM. Coming up this hour, Donald Trump gets his special master, and the investigation into classified documents seized during FBI's search of his Florida country club goes on hold.

Liz Truss will soon travel to Balmoral for an audience with Queen Elizabeth, and when she leaves, she will leave as prime minister of Britain.

Panic and fear in China. The moment the ground shook and an earthquake left at least 65 dead.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM.

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