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Boris Johnson Gave His Farewell Speech; Liz Truss Will Address the Country as Incoming P.M.; Florida Judge Approved Donald Trump's Special Master Request; Police Still Looking for Second Suspect in Saskatchewan Stabbing; Wildfires Disrupts People in Northern California; Typhoon Hinnamnor Inundated South Korea; Food Scarcity Killing People in Somalia. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 06, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church in Atlanta.

The criminal investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government secrets is on hold for a federal judge grants his request for a special master.

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Max Foster live in London where in a matter of hours new leadership takes over at 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister Boris Johnson hands over his title to Liz Truss.

Just moments ago, outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the entire conservative party and the country to get behind Liz Truss. She gets set to take the reins as Britain's next leader.

Johnson's time as prime minister will officially end in the coming hours when he offers his resignation to Queen Elizabeth up in Scotland. He spoke just a short time ago after leaving 10 Downing Street for the very last time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, OUTGOING BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. On the subject of bouncing around in future careers. Let me say that I am now like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function, and I will now be gently reentering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific.

And like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plan. And I will be offering this government nothing but the most fervent support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN's Nada Bashir joining us with developments from 10 Downing Street. You're watching the speech there. It was about legacy, wasn't it? No nod to all the scandals that forced him out in the final part of his career.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, Max. And it was he very characteristic -- characteristically Boris Johnson-esque speech. He got a few laughs, some raucous applause from supporters, even members of his own family who standing out on the street behind me.

But as he said there, he laid out once again the legacy that he leaves behind at number 10, which is of course a sizeable legacy. He went through his pride in getting Brexit done in taking back Britain's laws, in his words.

And of course, focused on the vaccine rollout on government's efforts to preside over the rollout of the vaccine and dealing with the COVID- 19 pandemic. He also touched on the war in Ukraine and he praised his government for the early supply of British weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces.

But as you mentioned, there are no mention of the series of scandals which essentially brought down at Boris Johnson's premiership, the party gate scandal and of course allegations of sleaze within the conservative party, some historic local election losses.

There were significant challenges faced by Boris Johnson during his time at number 10, and there will continue to be significant challenges for his successor Liz Truss. As you mentioned there, will be coming to Downing Street later today to take her place as Britain's next prime minister.

Now Boris Johnson, as you mentioned, is on his way to Balmoral in Scotland where he will have an audience with the queen to formally tender his resignation. And shortly after, Liz Truss will be received by the queen where she'll be invited to form a government.

And that one itself will be a challenge. She's expected to appoint her cabinet over the coming days, she will be laying out the framework for her premiership in her speech later today here at Downing Street.

But Boris Johnson touched on this in his farewell addressing that there are divisions within the conservative party. He called on members of the conservative party to put their differences aside much in the way he described Larry the Cat and Dylan the dog here at Downing Street.

And there are of course significant divisions there. It will be a question as to whether or not Liz Truss will be successful in uniting her party, but she also faces significant challenges for the country, no less the cost-of-living crisis. And of course, the soaring energy prices, which have really been a significant burden for people across the country. Max?

[03:04:57]

FOSTER: OK. Nada, thank you. Also watching was the leader of the British liberal Democrats, Ed Davey. He joins me now live. And you're going to have a new contender in parliament to deal with.

But first of all, on Boris Johnson's speech, he does have a legitimate case to outline his place in history because of what he oversaw in terms of Ukraine, the pandemic, and Brexit.

ED DAVEY, BRITISH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS LEADER: Well, he didn't mention is the U.K.'s economy is in a mess. We've got one of the lowest growth rates in the world in the OECD. Only higher than Russia. Our inflation is going through the roof. People are really suffering --

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: Unemployment rates as well as he pointed out.

DAVEY: Well, if we're looking businesses to lose jobs now, and fortunately, because the economy is in such a mess. We've got the highest taxes we've had for a generation. People in internationally are selling the pound.

We're in a really weak state. And that's not just because of Boris Johnson, but he was at the tiller and he failed to take the measures that liberal Democrats were urging him to take, to make sure we had a stronger economy.

And we had a much better international reputation. Actually, if you talk to many people around the world, they look at the U.K. and they think we've lost our way under the conservatives.

FOSTER: The big domestic issue is energy prices and that's something that Liz Truss is going to have to deal with straight away. She's talking about some sort of plan later on in the week. It's going to have to be a huge plan, isn't it? If it's actually going to help anyone, it's going to cost a huge amount of money.

DAVEY: Well, that's right. Liberal Democrats have argued at the start of the summer that we needed a plan then. People have been really worried, families and pensioners really worried, businesses worried and we still don't have a plan.

Maybe we'll get one on Thursday, but it needs to be big. It needs to be bold. Liberals Democrats argue you need to freeze the energy bills and pay for that by asking the oil and gas companies who are making tens of billions of pounds of profit because Putin invaded Ukraine to pay a little bit more, to help ease that burden for taxpayers and for bill payers.

FOSTER: What many people don't know is that Liz Truss was originally a liberal Democrat, wasn't she?

DAVEY: She was. I mean, I didn't really know her at the time, I have to say. She wasn't sort of mainstream liberal Democrat. She called for the monarchy to go for our queen to be, you know, taken off the throne.

FOSTER: Yes.

DAVEY: And I oppose her then and I oppose her now. I think that's a really bad idea.

FOSTER: Kind of awkward today, isn't it, when she goes up to be appointed by the queen?

DAVEY: Doesn't look good for her. Does it? I mean, yes, she -- she's never really been a mainstream liberal Democrat, I'm afraid. And she is taking the conservative party to the right. And a lot of people have quite worded by some of the things that she says --

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: Well, it's extraordinary, isn't it? When you consider that, you know, on the face of it, if she was a liberal Democrat, she's now a conservative, you see her more as a centrist. She's also voted against Brexit, but it's actually the right of the conservative party that voted her in.

DAVEY: Yes. I mean, she -- her politics have been all over the place, and that's a slight worry to be honest. I mean, she claims to be a conviction politician like Mrs. Thatcher, but someone who's changed their position so much in such radical ways. You don't really quite know what she's going to do, which is again, unnerving to people.

You know, obviously, I love my country. I hope we get a better government than we've got, but all the signs are that they don't have a plan. They don't have a plan for energy bills for our economy. They don't have a plan for our healthcare system, which is in crisis. And what liberal Democrats have called for is an early general election. Let's -- let's reassure people about their energy bills, bill payers, businesses by putting a freeze now, and then let's get to the polls and have election.

Because the sooner we get rid of this conservative government, the better. They're letting people down. They're taking people for granted. And I think it's all about Boris Johnson. Liz Truss is about getting rid of this whole conservative party.

FOSTER: You're concerned about the state or the interest even in British politics right now. There have been four prime ministers in six years. It's remarkable to me how little, you know, buzz there is around this new appointment.

And that's -- that's not personal against Liz Truss, but people seem to have checked out of politics to some extent because they feel detached on it. And they've got so many of their own problems and there just doesn't seem to be much interest in what you guys are talking about right now.

DAVEY: Well, I actually think that's a reflection of the conservative party. It's the conservative party has had all these four prime ministers, four leaders who've really got the country and the mess that it's in. And I think people don't really want to listen to the conservatives.

That's one reason why liberal Democrats think let's have an election. I don't know if you remember, but there were three bar elections last year where a conserved M.P. had left office and either died or had to -- had to resign. And in those bar elections, liberal Democrats beat the conservatists in those three bar elections taking safe conservative seats.

And we found when we were fighting those elections talking to people that lifelong conservatives were saying no more. We're not going to put up with this conservative party anymore. They don't listen to us. They're taking us for granted and we want to change.

So, we've already got quite a lot of evidence from voters in ballot boxes that they are moving away from the conservative party.

FOSTER: OK.

[03:09:58]

DAVEY: It's not about the leader and that they're looking at my party, the liberal Democrats, and saying you guys have got a lot of the answers we are looking for.

FOSTER: OK. Ed Davey, thank you. Liz Truss, her chance really today to really set out her stall and her first speech as prime minister later on today.

But you know, it's difficult, Rosie, isn't it, to imagine anyone becoming prime minister of the United Kingdom at this moment. I mean, it's such a formidable task with the economy in such a terrible state, but when it comes, I guess you take the opportunity.

CHURCH: Yes, some might call it a poison chalice. We'll see how it all goes from here. Many thanks to you, Max. We'll send it back to you very soon.

Well, the criminal investigation into how the former U.S. president handled government secrets is now on hold. A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump has granted his request for a third-party attorney known as a special master to examine the thousands of documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate in August.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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 based 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 us intelligence agencies to continue their national security damage assessment, but halting the Justice Department's criminal review of its Mar-a-Lago home.

RENATO MARIOTTI, FORMER U.S. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I don't think this has a massive impact in 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 of 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 OF AMERICA: 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 had 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. MIKE 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 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY (on camera): 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.

Sarah Murray, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Well, police in Canada are asking the public for any information that might help them catch the only surviving suspect in a deadly mass stabbing attack. Details on the manhunt when we return.

Plus, a new leader for Britain's ruling conservative party and a new prime minister for the country. More on the challenges awaiting Liz Truss, just ahead.

[03:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, one of the two suspects in a deadly mass stabbing in Canada's Saskatchewan province has been found dead. Police are urging the public to stay vigilant as the manhunt for the second suspect continues. The gruesome attack left 10 people dead and 18 wounded.

CNN's Paula Newton has the latest details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police say the stabbing rampage began in the pre-dawn hour 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 person's 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 at 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 have been me. They could have killed me. I don't know why they did this. They took innocent people's lives. They shattered this community.

NEWTON: 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.

[03:20:04]

Then the trail goes cold. Police appeal to the public once again and late Monday announce that Damien Sanderson has been found dead, but Myles Sanderson is still at large. EVAN BRAY, POLICE CHIEF, 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 -- we acknowledge that but we have nothing that can tell us differently.

NEWTON: 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 attacks. 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 a -- they're all part of -- they're all part of family. You know, I have a niece was killed, first cousin was killed, you know? So how, how do you speak on that? How do you respond?

NEWTON: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is marshaling resources to the communities, but conceded how unnerving this savage crime has been.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON (on camera): 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.

Paul Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

FOSTER: Here in London, Liz Truss is now set to take over as Britain's next prime minister after the ruling conservative party chose her as their leader. And she's already promising a bull plan to cut taxes, build growth, and tackle the energy crisis.

She'll replace Boris Johnson who pledges his fervent support to Truss. Johnson spoke just a short while ago as he left 10 Downing Street for the last time. He'll now head to Scotland where he'll formally resign to Queen Elizabeth.

His plane standing by there on the runway, actually it's just starting to head off there in Northwest London, the prime ministerial plane run by the RAF, which will take him up to Scotland. The queen is in Scotland because she's got these mobility issues and she had to provide some sort of sureness for the prime ministerial diaries. So, they basically decided last week that the sort of, handover power would happen at the castle in Scotland rather than down in Buckingham Palace where she's always done it throughout her 70-year reign.

But this is a big moment for Boris Johnson traveling in that plane for the last time as prime minister.

And with me as Anita Boateng, she's a partner at Portland Communications, a former special advisor to several cabinet ministers.

We just saw Boris Johnson speaking, didn't we, in Downing Street. As a communications expert, would you give him some credit for his legacy as he outlined it?

ANITA BOATENG, PARTNER, PORTLAND COMMUNICATIONS: Yes. I mean, I think with Boris Johnson, you've got to be true to yourself. And I think he was true to himself to the last, both in terms of his humor, his bombast and the way in which obviously he with great regret but with well-wishes is relinquishing the crown --

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: Some bitterness.

BOATENG: -- that he fought so hard for.

FOSTER: He said the change the rules halfway through, but he has to just get on with it.

BOATENG: I don't think Boris Johnson can help but kind of sending off a few little jives --

FOSTER: Yes.

BOATENG: -- at the party for his manner of leaving office. But nevertheless, I think his well-wishes to Truss was sincerely meant.

FOSTER: We spoke to Ed Davey earlier, the leader of the liberal Democrats, and he pointedly made the observation that there's no reference there to any of the scandals that brought Boris Johnson down. But would you expect him to reference them on his final speech?

BOATENG: No, absolutely not. What you're doing is you're solidifying your legacy. You're saying goodbye to the party, and you're really having a moment to kind of thank the people that have seen you through a very difficult time. Like let's not forget, the problem is I had COVID was hospitalized for it. You know, this pandemic was not predicted by anyone.

He had Brexit, the tumor of the election, Northern Island protocol negotiations. It's been a very busy few years. And I'm sure the prime minister is relinquishing the crown with a great deal of sadness, but also, you know, maybe he'll have a well-earned rest for a little while.

FOSTER: Well, he says he's going to go up in a rocket or like a rocket and then splash down in the middle of -- of the Pacific. What do you think he's going to do next? Because there's a real fear here, isn't it, that he's going to be a thorn in the side of the current government.

[03:24:56]

BOATENG: I don't whether this is wishful thinking, but my sense is that Boris Johnson is def -- is not going to be this massive, you know, presence, looming presence over Westminster wanting to exert influence behind the scenes.

I think he will not be able to resist his journalistic tendencies to want to write a column here all there and make a speech and reference what's happening in Westminster. But I think he's going to be much, you know, removed, it could be in the states giving speeches talking about his time in office, writing books.

This is stuff that he really, really loves. So, I won't rule out any mission making, but I don't think that'll be his primary focus.

FOSTER: Someone suggested to me the other day he's going to be the highest earning former prime minister. Do you think that's likely?

BOATENG: I think that's very possible.

FOSTER: Because he's a great draw.

BOATENG: Yes. Because he has a huge profile.

FOSTER: Yes.

BOATENG: You know, Boris Johnson is a celebrity. I remember taking him around where I was a counselor a few years ago in the 2017 election and he just stopped traffic. And that is the kind of profile and the kind of infamy that prime ministers --

FOSTER: Yes.

BOATENG: -- don't always have. And so, yes, I think there's definitely a very busy career left for him.

FOSTER: Liz Truss, by her own admission hasn't got the charisma of Boris Johnson. She's got a hell of an inbox, hasn't she, not only winning round the new supporters that Boris Johnson got on side, but also that economic crisis that is weeks away arguably.

BOATENG: Yes. I mean, I would say she doesn't have the same bombast of Boris Johnson, but she does have a kind of charisma. I think she does appeal when she certainly won over the hearts and minds of the conservative electorate, myself included. But also, I think that she has a pragmatism and a steeliness and a relentlessness that is going to be absolutely essential for what is, as you say, going to be an incredibly difficult period for the country.

FOSTER: Not many people know her, do they, frankly, outside Westminster -- BOATENG: Yes.

FOSTER: -- even though she's got this incredible record here in Westminster. How would you, as an expert, advise her on, you know, becoming familiar with the public that she's got an election a couple of years away.

BOATENG: Yes. And I think that the energy package and what she produces to tackle that crisis that is, as you say, weeks away is going to be key because really, this will be the first thing the public will have seen of her. And I think if she gives herself a real chance by setting out a really bold package this could allow her the flexibility to be able to do all sorts of things coming up in the weeks and months, and to signal what she means when she talks about growth, when she talks about leveling up.

So, all of these ideas really, I think, will get sign up from the public if she gets this first energy intervention right.

FOSTER: We've got to get some specifics today, haven't we? Because she refuses to give any specifics on these big ideas. She didn't join the campaign. She said I can't until I'm prime minister, but she will be prime minister this afternoon. She got her first big speech. She's got to flesh something out, hasn't she at this point?

BOATENG: I don't think so.

FOSTER: Why not?

BOATENG: I think that she's --

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: We still don't what she's going to do.

BOATENG: She's not even prime minister yet.

FOSTER: What did she vote on when you voted for her?

BOATENG: She's not even prime minister yet. and I think that there we expect an announcement perhaps on Thursday that's going to spell out some of that detail. Now, obviously the mandarins in HMT, I know are running around with all --

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: The treasury.

BOATENG: -- sorts of policies, but fundamentally what's going to be need to happen is honestly some real detail about what some of the tradeoffs might be and what a package might look like. We have seen some ideas floated so far from her team, which I think is good picture rolling for what might be coming.

But the crucial issue is not just consumers, but small businesses. And I think that what her package is going to have to address both of those things. So, we may have to wait until Thursday.

FOSTER: What about her image and her personality? Because I've met her. And you were referencing this, that she does have charisma actually. And you see it face to face, don't you? She's a very charming person.

BOATENG: She's very funny. Yes.

FOSTER: Doesn't come across on TV though, does it?

BOATENG: No. And I think that she can be a little stiff. And, but I think during the campaign she sort of found her version, her voice and that worked very well for hustings, which are a very specific thing. I was a former fan to the party chairman.

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: These are the election debates.

BOATENG: Yes. These are the ones where you get the members together. And I think she found her rhythm and voice, and I think a similar thing will happen with, you know, speech giving and P.M. Q's and all of those things. And no one knows whether they'll be a good prime minister until they become prime minister.

And a lot of it is, and it will always be a huge step up regardless of what you do, but she has this determination and relentlessness, I think we'll see her well.

FOSTER: OK. Really appreciate it, Anna Boateng, thank you for your perspective.

Still to come on the program, the last working reactor shut down at Europe's largest nuclear plants due to fires and shelling while Ukraine is placing the blame on Moscow, when we return.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Ukraine's president is blaming Russia for a fire caused by shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The plant's last working reactor was disconnected from the power grid as a safety measure. It comes after a visit from the International Atomic Energy Agency which inspected the facility at constant risk from attack.

CNN's Clare Sebastian joins me with more from London. But first, let's go to Ukraine where our Melissa Bell is standing by in Kyiv. So, Melissa, what is the latest on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, still no external power supply to the plant this morning, Rosemary, and of course, that is of extreme concern. It was the result of shelling these last few days that two things happened. First of all, the -- one of the two functioning reactors, the fifth reactor was switched off as a result of the shelling and the damage that was done.

[03:35:01]

But perhaps more importantly, the last remaining outside power supply that allows both energy to leave the plant and feed Ukraine's electricity grid and to get external offsite power into the plant to help function -- to help the cooling systems function was deliberately switched off, according to the IAEA yesterday as a result of a fire that was the product of shelling as well.

And it is that continued fighting and shelling around the plant of course, that is of extreme concern. Now, what experts say, including the IAEA and the Ukrainian energy, the energy -- the Ukrainian nuclear provider, I'm sorry, is that the electricity within the plant is now being provided by the sixth nuclear reactors.

So, those internal cooling systems still functioning the plant hasn't had to move to a backup generator as it did on August 25th. But President Zelenskyy had -- having some scathing words for Russia yesterday saying that it had sought deliberately to deteriorate the situation around the plant even as the IAEA is due to produce its report.

Now you'll remember that last Thursday, a team of inspectors arrived at the plant. This was considered a huge step in the right direction. We're due to hear later today from Rafael Grossi who would be addressing the security council after his visit to the plant. Four of his inspectors just left yesterday leaving just two in the plant, and we should get a better idea of exactly what they found.

But clearly, the fact of their presence, which was meant to calm things down hasn't done that. The hope is that it will help speed up the process of getting these power lines crucial to the safe and proper functioning of Europe's largest nuclear power plant back up and running in quicker time than they would have, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. We'll see what he has to say on that. Clare, Russia is apparently purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea. What more are you learning about that?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary, this comes from a U.S. official telling CNN's Kylie Atwood that Russia is likely in the process of purchasing millions of artillery shells, and rockets, as you say, from North Korea, likely to be deployed on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Another blow to the reputation, perhaps, of the Russian military that it needs to turn to somewhere like North Korea to resupply this war. We're starting to get a picture here of exactly how the sanctions that the U.S. and western allies have imposed on Russia might be having the desired effect of hampering their ability to produce weapons and resupply this war.

The same official saying that this purchase indicates that the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine, partly due to export controls and sanctions. Now, just to give you some context before this war, Russia was

actually the second biggest arms exporter in the world behind the U.S. So, a major player in the global weapons industry. So, this again, a reputational blow. We know as well that they've been buying drones from Iran. The U.S. now believes that they are in possession of those drones, again likely to be deployed in Ukraine.

So, a picture of how sanctions are working and a picture of the difficulty that Russia is having as it continues to fight this war more than six months in this war of attrition, that Ukraine is waging in keeping things going on the ground and bringing personnel in, and bringing more weapons in this is proving to be a challenge, especially in the context of sanctions.

CHURCH: All right. Clare Sebastian, Melissa Bell, many thanks to you both. I appreciate it.

Well, thousands of homes in the path of a deadly fast-moving wildfire in California, and there are fears the weather will make things even worse. An update just ahead.

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A fast moving wildfire in Southern California has claimed two lives. And officials say a third person has serious burns. The Fairview Fire is raging in Riverside County. So far, it's burned through 2,000 acres or more than 800 hectares. It's destroyed several structures and 5,000 homes are under evacuation orders.

The local school district has canceled class for today due to the fire which is only 5 percent contained.

So, let's bring in meteorologist Gene Norman for the latest. And Gene, record high temperatures are not helping the situation and they appear to be persisting for days to come. What is the latest on that, and of course, efforts to contain this fire?

GENE NORMAN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Rosemary, it's going to be tough because we have windy conditions. We have the heat and of course, the long-lasting drought all due to climate change. Now we've had over 40 record highs on Monday and we'll probably see another batch of them as we head into this afternoon, Wednesday and possibly on into Thursday.

Heat advisories and excessive heat warnings remain in effect till at least Thursday in the areas you see shaded here. And in California, they're urging people to try to conserve electricity between four and nine. Set that thermostat up. Don't run those large appliances because you run the risk of rolling blackouts.

They're very concerned about this as triple digit temperatures continue to hold sway. Sacramento, Bakersfield, Palm Springs. And again, there is little relief in sight till maybe the end of the week.

[03:44:55]

Meanwhile, the East Coast are completely different problem. We have flooding going on. Heavy rain actually helped to produce a partial building collapse in Providence and still about 50 -- 55 million people remain at risk for flooding from Boston, all the way down to D.C.

We still have some more showers moving across the area and that's going to lead to some heavy rainfall with already some places getting four to six inches and additional two to four inches is the last thing they need.

But Rosemary, you know, they've been in a -- they've been in a drought in the northeast, and typically the old weather adage goes that a drought is usually followed by a flood.

CHURCH: Yes, that's true. Gene Norman, many thanks. I appreciate you bringing us up to date on the situation there.

And still to come. We are getting our first look at the damage after a typhoon batters South Korea. That's ahead.

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CHURCH: At least 65 people are dead after a strong earthquake shook southwestern China.

The 6.6 magnitude quake struck Sichuan province on Monday afternoon, local time, triggering landslides that cause serious damage. More than 200 people were injured and 12 others remain missing. Rescue crews are helping to clear blocked roads and digging in the rubble to find survivors.

Well, typhoon Hinnamnor has left at least two people dead in South Korea. The storm made landfall hours ago with speeds equivalent to a category two hurricane before leaving the Korean Peninsula. And we're also getting a first look at the damage the heavy winds and rain left behind.

For the latest, CNN's Paula Hancocks is live for us from Seoul. So, Paula, what is the latest on the impact of this typhoon? Of course, the extensive damage and the casualties.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, as you say, there have been two confirmed deaths at this point. We understand from officials that 10 people are missing as well and a small number injured.

Now, the typhoon itself was only making landfall a short period of time, which is one of the saving graces as it had sped up as it approached South Korean territory. But what we are seeing now is a fair bit of damage left behind.

The military has been brought in to try and help. We know that the South Korea Marines are helping with rescue operations, mostly down in the southeast of the country. The city of Busan, the city of Pohang is particularly hard hit. And also, with some of the recovery efforts trying to clear up as well.

Now, when it actually hit landfall, it was the equivalent of a category two hurricane and winds were in excess of 154 kilometers per hour. That's 95 miles per hour. So, some of the images that we are seeing and being confirmed by officials is extensive local flooding.

We're also seeing wind damage along the coastal areas. Some 20,000 households are with -- without power, more than 3,000 people were evacuated just ahead of the landfall, as well, to make sure clearly many on the coastal area wanted to move further inland.

So, the -- the issue for authorities now is to make sure that everybody who is unaccounted for can be found and then to start the job of trying to clear up. There is a lot of rain that has fallen on Jeju, the island, just off the south coast and also in the southeast of the area. The whole of South Korea was pummeled by rain during this typhoon. But certainly, that is the hardest hit area at this point. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Terrifying images there. Paula Hancocks, many thanks for bringing us up to date on the situation. I appreciate it.

Well, authorities in Pakistan are closely watching water levels in the country's largest fresh water lake. It remains dangerously high, putting cities at risk for more flooding.

A third of the country is under water with some areas saying five times the normal levels of monsoon rain. More than 1,300 people have died in the flooding. A third of them were children.

Now the World Health Organization is warning about an increase in typhoid, malaria, and other diseases.

The United Nations says the world is in the last minute of the 11th hour regarding a humanitarian crisis in Somalia.

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MARTIN GRIFFITHS, U.N. UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR: I've been shocked to my core over these past few days by the level of pain and suffering we see so many Somalis enduring. Famine is at the door. And today, we are receiving a final warning.

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CHURCH: On Monday, the U.N. warned parts of Somalia will be hit by famine in the coming months as drought conditions worsen and food prices surge. The Horn of Africa is on track for a fifth consecutive failed rainy season and more than one million Somali children face acute malnutrition if things don't change.

The U.N. World Food Programme has helped nearly four million people so far, but officials warn more help is needed.

And I want to thank you for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. CNN Newsroom continues with Max Foster, next.

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