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Steve Bannon Likely to Serve Jail Time; Trump Republican Allies Blasted FBI and DOJ; Weather Center All Eyes on Hurricanes Kay and Earl; Ukrainian Forces Reclaim Kherson Region; Ukrainian Citizens in Camps Tortured by Russians; U.S. and Allies Meets in Germany; Nineteen-year-old Ezekiel Kelly Arrested in Memphis; Dramatic Manhunt in Saskatchewan Finally Ends; Stock Markets All in Positive Territory; E.U. to Put Cap on Russian Gas; Families in Pakistan Can't Bury Loved Ones. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 08, 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 joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, Washington is in critical damage control assessment over the classified documents stashed at Trump's Florida resort. We will look at whether the Justice Department should indict the former president.

Plus, two dangerous hurricanes. We will have a live report from the CNN weather center on the active hurricanes in the Atlantic and the Pacific.

And accusations of torture against Ukrainian citizens and filtration caps run by Russians. We are live in Kyiv.

UNKNOWN: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

Well, we will get to those top stories in just a moment. But first, sources tell CNN that former Trump adviser, Steve Bannon, is expected to surrender to New York state authorities in the coming hours.

Bannon was indicted by the state for allegedly diverging about $1 million from a scheme that raised millions to build a border wall. Trump pardoned Bannon after he was charged by federal prosecutors with the same offense. But presidential pardons don't apply to state level prosecutions. A former White House attorney predicts Bannon will eventually face prison time. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TY COBB, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE LAWYER: I think Bannon is in a great deal of trouble. Two of his -- two of the three colleagues with him was charged federally before Trump pardoned him have pled guilty in that case, and will be sentenced. The third went to trial, they had a mistrial, he'll be tried again.

But I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the colleagues who pled guilty show up on the witness list for the government. Assuming the government even needs it. The facts seem very straightforward. They've reached $25 million. You know, assuring it, assuring people that it would all go to the wall building project. Bannon siphoned off a million according to the allegations and the allegations that other individuals pled guilty to.

I don't think that Bannon has as much of a chance in that case. And it will likely result in his conviction and incarceration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: We turn now to the FBI search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Republicans are taking aim at leaks to the media, including a report by the Washington Post that agents recovered a document describing a foreign country's nuclear capabilities.

CNN has not confirmed the story. But when asked by the Post, an attorney for the former president did not deny this substance of it. Instead, he said something we've now started hearing a lot from defenders of the former president, deflecting on the facts focusing instead on the leaks. It's a strategy Trump supporters in Congress are also adopting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE DOOCY, FOX NEWS HOST: It doesn't seem like the kind of thing you should have in your post-presidential desk drawer.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): Well, let's break this down. First of all, again, we really don't know. Because let's go back and understand that all of this information is coming from one side and one place. And that is, sources with knowledge of the investigation. Who are the sources with knowledge of the investigation? The FBI and the Justice Department. And they are leaking it to the media.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The former president's son, Eric, echoed that line of defense while adding a twist of his own.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S SON: I mean, you literally have the FBI spending more time leaking stuff to the press. I mean, these pictures, do you think my father happen to just leave documents all over his office floor? I can tell you, my father is a very, very neat guy. He doesn't leave documents staged all over an office floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: To be clear, no one has suggested that the FBI found these documents spread out on the floor. The Justice Department clearly says in court filings, that they were mostly in boxes and some were in desks in Trump's office. And then there is comments like these from the former president's attorney general.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:04:57]

WILLIAM BARR, FORMER UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think, you know, as I said all along, there are two questions, will the government be able to make a technical case? Will they have evidence by which that they could indict somebody on including him? And I, that's the first question. And I think they're getting very close to that point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN legal analyst Loni Coombs joins me now from Los Angeles, she is also a former L.A. County prosecutor. Great to have you with us.

LONI COOMBS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Nice to be here.

CHURCH: So, let's start with the special master ruling that most legal experts seem to agree was wrong and as former attorney general Bill Barr says, was deeply flawed. He is encouraging the Department of Justice to appeal that decision. But he also says he doesn't want to see Donald Trump indicted. Although, he thinks that they are getting close to doing just that.

How difficult is the legal question of whether or not to indict a former president? And should the DOJ appeal that court ruling?

COOMBS: Well, indicting a former president has a lot of issues here. First of all, is there the evidence. And the evidence gets stronger every time we learn more and more about the information they got out of Mar-a-Lago. And the charges that the DOJ is following up on.

We know that the evidence that they got from Mar-a-Lago does satisfy the three charges that they were looking at. The withholding of evidence, the mishandling of government documents, as well as the obstruction of justice charge. So, we know that there's evidence of those charges. We also know that the evidence is starting to focus more closely on Donald Trump.

When we heard about the obstruction of justice charge, and the DOJ was saying that that actually goes to the fact that documents allegedly removed from the storage room into Donald Trump's office, and then they found documents, not only in his office but in his desk and in the door of his desk comingle with his passports.

That means that the evidence is trying to focus more closely on Donald Trump. But the question is, would it be Donald Trump that they indict, or is it other people that were actually more involved, was is his attorneys or other people?

And even if they have the evidence to indict Donald Trump, the question is, will the DOJ actually indict a former president. There are other considerations to look at that, which is what Bill Barr is talking about. And even if they do indict him, then the question is, can they get a jury to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt? So, these are all issues and all questions that we have no answers to at this point.

CHURCH: And should the DOJ appeal that court ruling, do you think?

COOMBS: That's a great question, and they are looking at their options right now. Look, there's arguments for both sides. The argument to appeal is that they have very strong legal arguments here. They made a very strong written argument opposing the special master. A strong legal position that the judge really didn't respond to in her legal ruling for the special master. So, they could make a strong appeal here.

However, on the other side, is the fact that it takes time to appeal. And they would be appealing to the 11th circuit which is a very conservative court. So, they could the time to appeal and still lose. So, they could most likely here, you know, cut their losses, let the special master come in, do their job and then move on as quickly as possible.

And it's interesting that in their written response to opposing the special master, they did actually lay out a proposed timeline scheduled to follow if the judge did grant the special master so that it could be done efficiently and quickly.

CHURCH: So, a Washington Post report Tuesday reveal that one of the documents seized at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home last month contains an unnamed foreign nation's nuclear capabilities. How might this highly sensitive document containing nuclear secrets change the investigation, do you think?

COOMBS: You know, Rosemary, I think that this increases the stakes, right? We know that based on the charges that the evidence out of Mar- a-Lago satisfies those charges. Whether they are classified or not, as long as they are government documents, they qualify for those charges.

However, if they are classified, and if they are up to the level of secrecy as we are talking about here, perhaps even nuclear details, that really raises the stakes here. So, this defense of, this is inadvertent, we didn't realize it, it was an accident. That becomes much less credible. And then the question of, why were these documents taken to Mar-a-Lago in the first place? Why were they held on to for so long? And why were they not turned over to the government when they were asked for repeatedly.

The question there really becomes much more significant. What was the motive behind this? When we know if it is as reported, that there were nuclear details in these documents.

CHURCH: Yes. Still so many unanswered questions. And then Steve Bannon is expected to hand himself in today to face New York state charges relating to his fundraising efforts for a wall along the southern U.S. border. Bannon, apparently siphoning off $1 million of those funds for his own personal use.

Now Donald Trump pardoned him for similar federal charges but that won't cover him this time. So, what will likely happen to Bannon, do you think?

[03:09:57]

COOMBS: That's right. So, a federal pardon does not bury state charges. And neither does double jeopardy. A lot of people are saying, well, how can this happen if it's a similar incident and now the state is trying to bring the same charges? There is no double jeopardy in this situation for three reasons.

First of all, in the federal case he was just indicted, and then he was pardoned. So, the case never got put conviction or acquittal so double jeopardy didn't actually attached.

The second reason is New York actually put in a new law in 2019, for specifically for a case like this. Where if someone is federally pardoned, the state prosecutor can still bring charges arising from the same incident without having double jeopardy attached.

And then we also have the Supreme Court who also ruled in 2019, they reaffirm the dual sovereignty doctrine, which says that an individual can be charged both federally and under state charges without any double jeopardy attaching.

So, he's looking at some serious charges here. And he also is also facing a conviction that he was convicted on for contempt of Congress this summer because he refused to cooperate with the January 6 committee. He is going to be sentenced on that case in October. He is looking at a minimum of one month up to two years in federal prison. So, he's got a lot of legal cases going on right now.

CHURCH: All right, Loni Coombs, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

COOMBS: Thank you.

CHURCH: In Pennsylvania's high-profile Senate race, the state's lieutenant governor says that he will debate his Republican challenger despite the lingering effects of a stroke. Republican Mehmet Oz has made his opponent's health a frequent issue and had mocked John Fetterman for not agreeing to a debate. Now date has been set but Fetterman says he is looking at mid-October.

Fetterman says the only holdup has been recovering from auditory issues following his stroke in May. Pennsylvania is seen as a key contest in November with Democrats hoping to add a seat in the evenly divided Senate.

Well, a number of wildfires burning out of control in California, the Fairview Fire in Riverside County has now burned more than 9,000 acres, and according to authorities is only 5 percent contained. Fire officials warn residents to be ready to evacuate. The blaze is moving at an incredible speed, almost doubling in size and just over a day. As of now, at least two people have been killed.

And those fires fueled by a sweltering heat wave that continues to bake the western U.S., setting high temperature records and stressing the power grids. Nowhere has it been felt more than in California. Experts say it may be one of the worst heat waves ever. And dozens of high temperature records have been broken throughout the west.

And we are also watching two dangerous hurricanes right now. In the Eastern Pacific, warnings have been issued for parts of Baja, California and other parts of Mexico. Hurricane Kay is expected to produce dangerous storm surges and coastal flooding as it continues north, it's expected to start battering the coast in earnest in the hours ahead.

And in the Atlantic, a hurricane watch has been issued for the island of Bermuda. Hurricane Earl is set to pass the east of the island and is expected to become a major hurricane.

So, let's bring in CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. I know that you've been watching these two dangerous hurricanes very closely. What is the latest, Pedram?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So, Rosemary, government officials there in Mexico are putting shelter in advance of the storm system that at one point, just about 24 hours ago reached category 2 status. It's weak in just a little. But it's still prompting hurricane warnings off the central coast there of Mexico.

We're talking about a storm of 94-mile-per-hour winds that is kind of moving towards the north, northwest over the next several days. Landfall potential within the next 24 hours, somewhere around the Guerrero Negro region of west central Baja.

And notice the system will gradually lose some of its steam, become a tropical storm. But really get uncomfortably close towards Southern California where the population density is far greater than the sparsely populated region there of the Baja.

But I want to show you this because the last time a category one hurricane reached this close to proximity to Southern California was back when Hurricane Nora did it in 1997, it reached about 250 miles, 450 kilometers from San Diego. Kay comes in within that same proximity as its closest approach sometimes in the next 36 hours. Potentially producing significant rainfall there in Southern California. Also bringing with this some gusty winds and much cooler temperatures.

Some of this it's going to be beneficial. Bringing those temperatures back down. And improving the fire weather conditions but quite a bit of rainfall in store here across the Baja. Possibly as much as four to six inches. High amounts isolated towards 10 inches is possible.

But notice even portions of Southern California in the Mojave Desert could see as much as 2 inches here into maybe even 4 inches in a few spots over the next couple of days.

[03:15:02]

So, enough rainfall to bring those temperatures from the 100 down to the 80s and spots. Look at Palm Springs, 104, 86, 84, you know this rain cool across this region, so incredible rains in store for parts of California.

Talking about incredible rains, well, portions of the Caribbean could see this as well. Hurricane Earl there approaching areas of Bermuda in the next 48 or so hours. It could get uncomfortably close in that region as well.

The system forecasts it strengthened to a category 3, models in the last 24 hours shift to this farther east and away from Bermuda. But again, in close enough proximity, Rosemary, to prompt hurricane alerts across the area. And officials there saying you've got to take the storm seriously. Just a minor variation in this track as a major hurricane approaching the islands. So, officials are watching this carefully as well.

CHURCH: Yes. yes. Good advice. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, many thanks as always. I appreciate it.

Well, still to come, Kyiv supporters are meeting in Germany to consider what to do next about the war in Ukraine. Plus, Ukrainian troops are making gains near their second largest city. Back with that, and more in just a moment.

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Russian forces are losing ground near Ukraine's second largest city. CNN has geolocated this video, showing Ukrainian troops in a town about 70 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv until recently occupied by Russian forces. President Zelenskyy praised their success.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): This week, we have some good news from the Kharkiv region. You all have probably already seen the reports about the activity of the Ukrainian defenders, and I think every citizen is proud of our soldiers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Ukraine's top general appears to suggest that Ukraine is behind last month's strikes on Russian targets in Crimea. In an article published in Ukrainian state media, he cites those strikes as an example of why Ukraine needs long range weapons.

Well, meanwhile, Russia is taking political heat at the United Nations over its so-called filtration camps in Ukraine.

CNN's Melissa Bell joins us from Kyiv with more. Melissa, accusations of torture at these camps run by Russia, what more are you learning about this?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Ever since the invasion began, and we started to hear what was happening around those parts of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, these stories of filtration camps have been coming through. Both the ones that are used to filter the people leaving cities like Mariupol, where they fell, for instance, in trying to get Ukrainian -- but also filtration camps that lead to people being forcibly exiled to Russia.

So not just in the Russian occupied parts of Ukraine, but actually taken physically to some far-flung corners of Russia itself. That's something we've been hearing a lot about these last few months.

And this was raised yesterday, the United Nations by the United States and Albania. And pretty harrowing accounts that came from the U.N. Now the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations we also heard from the Ukrainian ambassador.

And what we are talking about here, Rosemary, is 2.5 million Ukrainians that they say have been forcibly taken to the Russian Federation, including 38,000 children. Those are the figures that were put to the United Nations.

Yesterday, the Russian ambassador spoke as well, denying the claims, calling them fantasies of the west. Saying that those refugees who found themselves in Russia in fact had access to medical care, to medical assistance and to health, and that these issues having been raised prevented the actual issues from being discussed.

But again, this was a meeting to take the opportunity to put those figures out there and have this issue raise, an important one that's very difficult for us here on the Ukrainian side of things to be able to get any real access to.

We have, however, over the last few months, Rosemary, heard from many people who have been through them on their way to places like Kyiv as they fled those lands been occupied progressively by Russian forces, and there are pretty harrowing details of humiliation, of beatings, of people being kept essentially in prison like conditions for days and weeks at a time, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, Melissa Bell, many thanks for bringing us up to date on that story. Joining us live from Kyiv.

And as the war grinds on, Ukraine's allies are about to meet in Germany to consider their next steps. And next hour the U.S. defense secretary will host a meeting of the Ukraine defense contact group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. NATO says the group will focus on the crisis in Ukraine and related security issues, but U.S. officials say the meeting could also look into proposals to support Ukraine's military after the war.

And for more on all of this, Fred Pleitgen is standing by at Ramstein Air Base, he joins us now. Good to see you, Fred. So, what all is expected to come out of this meeting? FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well,

Rosemary, I think this is a really important meeting of this contact that is taking place. We are, of course, more than half a year into the war in Ukraine. And you've already outlined some of the things that I think are going to be very important for the U.S. secretary of defense for Lloyd Austin.

On the one hand, it's going to be keeping the momentum right now. There are some European nations where some fear that there might be some fatigue setting in. It was quite interesting because the German defense minister about a week ago was hinting that maybe Germany was starting to reach some of the limits of the stockpiles that it still has to further support Ukraine especially when you're talking about heavy weapons.

So certainly, the U.S. and its allies are going to try and send a very big message not just to the Ukrainians but of course to the Russians as well. That the U.S. and its allies are in it for the long run, that the momentum is still going strong.

[03:25:07]

And that the Ukrainians are still going to receive the weapons that they need to continue to fight for their freedom and their sovereignty. So that's a huge issue for the United States.

One of the interesting points that we're going to be looking at that I think is also really interesting is to see where the United Kingdom goes in the future. Of course, a new administration there in office after Boris Johnson. Of course, he's always been a champion of the cause of Ukraine met with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine so many times, and the U.K. also providing a lot of aid.

Is that going to continue on the same level, certainly we're going to wait to see what sort of message the United Kingdom is going to send here at this conference.

And then what you talked about I think is really important as well, is what's going to happen in the long term, what's the Ukrainian military going to look like in the future and that's certainly something that the U.S., in particular is going to be looking at, what do the Ukrainians need to build the military as they transition of course, first and foremost to western gear from some of that Soviet gear that they had been using in the past.

How is that going to look in the future, what's the future of the Ukrainian military going to look like? And one of the things in that that's also really important to see was that article that the general of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, wrote, saying that Ukraine really needs longer distance weapons.

He was talking about those strikes in Crimea, and it's one of the things that Ukraine have been saying for a long-time. They want longer range capabilities to hit the rear echelon of the Russians to a greater extent than they have been able to in the past. So, a lot of really important things that we're looking to hear in this conference and of course about, it's a little more than half an hour you're going to have the opening remarks by the secretary of defense. And then we'll know more as to what exactly this meeting plans to achieve, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, we will keep an eye on all of this. Frederik Pleitgen joining us live there. Many thanks.

Well, the manhunt for a mass stabbing suspect in Canada is over. Coming up, the latest on the dramatic conclusion to a series of attacks that shocked the nation.

And a horrific series of shootings leaves at least four dead in Memphis, Tennessee. Police say they now have the suspect in custody. We'll get the details, next.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: We have some breaking news this hour, a man suspected of killing at least four people and injuring three others during a shooting rampage in Memphis, Tennessee is now in custody. Police say 19-year-old Ezekiel Kelly was arrested following a high-speed chase and is being transported to the Shelby County jail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

C.J. DAVIS, POLICE CHIEF, MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: So, first, I want to reassure the community that 19-year-old Ezekiel Kelly is in fact, in custody. This has been a horrific week for the city of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department. We extend our sincere condolences to all the victims who have been affected in this sequence of violent acts today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The shooting rampage is believed to have stretched across eight crime scenes and lasted nearly 24 hours.

In Nevada, Las Vegas police have made an arrest in the killing of a local journalist found dead outside of his home on Saturday with multiple sharp force injuries.

Jeff German worked for the Las Vegas Review Journal. He was working on a story about a local official during the week of his death. That official, Clark County public administrator, Robert Telles, was taken into custody Wednesday evening on suspicion of murder, according to the paper.

Well, a dragnet in Canada has ended as police tracked down mass stabbing suspect, Myles Sanderson, and took him into custody. Police say he died a short time later after going into medical distress. This comes after a rampage on Sunday left 10 people dead and 18 others wounded. Myles' brother, Damien, who was also a suspect in the stabbings was

found dead on Monday. Police arrested Myles Sanderson Wednesday after forcing his stolen vehicle off a highway in the province of Saskatchewan.

A separate police force and an independent civilian-led oversight organization will investigate the suspect's death.

Well, a big rally on Wall Street Wednesday as investors tried to snap a lingering slump. All three major Wall Street indices enjoyed major gains, the S&P rose 1.8 percent, the NASDAQ closed more than 2 percent higher, and the Dow gained well over 400 points.

Markets seemed soothed by the Fed vice chair who said that the Central Bank will do what it takes to ease inflation but understands the risk of going too far. And Wall Street's new trading day gets underway in about six hours. So, here is where U.S. futures stand right now.

They have been up just a short time ago. They are in negative territory now. Meantime, the European markets are up and running, so let's take a look at those. They are in positive territory. And here is a look at how markets across Asia have been faring today. The Nikkei up more than 2 percent there.

Well, it may only be early September, but winter is coming. And for Europe that means freezing temperatures and sky-high energy prices.

[03:35:01]

But the European Union is working on a plan to help consumers weather the storm. European commission president, Ursula Von Der Leyen is proposing a cap on Russian gas imports and limits on electricity use during peak hours. Her plan also calls for a solidarity contribution from fossil fuel companies who are raking in record profits. E.U. members will discuss the measures at an emergency meeting on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We aim at lowering the cost of gas. And therefore, we will propose a price cap on Russian gas. Of course, the objective here is very clear, we must cut Russia's revenues which Putin uses to finance his atrocious war in Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russian president, Vladimir Putin says anyone who imposes price caps on Russian gas will get no Russian energy supply at all. Europe typically imports above 40 percent of its gas, and 30 percent of its oil from Russia.

Well, the new British prime minister will unveil her strategy to fight soaring energy costs today. The Financial Times reports Lis Truss is preparing a $172 billion bailout for consumers and business.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUSS: Well, I understand that people across our country are struggling with the cost of living. And they are struggling with their energy bills. And that is why I, as prime minister, will take immediate action to help people with the cost of their energy bills.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, there's been no real explanation of how she would pay for the pricey package, although, she ruled out a windfall tax on energy company's profits. The plan would freeze the average annual energy bill for U.K. households at around $2,800. That's up 27 percent from the current level. But well below the nearly $4,000 it would likely hit by October.

And CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now live from London with more on this. And of course, Clare, that is the big question, isn't it? How is Liz Truss going to pay for this energy plan?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is a big question, Rosemary. I don't think anyone disputes given the scale of the emergency here in the U.K., that something big needs to be done. That money needs to be put into people's hands to get them through the winter.

But the key thing that separates her from, frankly, other members of her party and of course, the opposition Labour Party, is exactly how to pay for this. The plan that is being reported would be so large $172 billion is what's being reported. That would dwarf any single pandemic relief plan. It would be almost double what Germany has so far said it's going to spend on mitigating its own energy crisis.

Liz Truss has said that she doesn't want to raise taxes to pay for this. By contrast, she wants to cut taxes. She also does not want to extend a windfall tax brought in by the Johnson government on the oil and gas companies that was brought in, in May. She does not want to extend that despite pressure certainly from the opposition party to do that.

So, what's left is more government borrowing. And the risk of that is that that could push up borrowing cost, which is already going up, it could help fuel inflation. And it could dampen investor confidence overall in the U.K. which relies heavily on foreign investors buying its government debt.

So, that is the risk there. However, the plan that's been muted which is the cap the price of customer's energy bill, that could actually serve a key purpose to bring down inflation. This is something that we've heard from economists, and even the Bank of England said on Wednesday that that was something that it will look at in its forecast.

So, that is one thing to note there, but of course, the critical point is to hear what she has to say. The detail is going to be crucial here, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, everyone will be listening and watching. Clare Sebastian, joining us live from London, many thanks. Well, still to come, Pakistan's largest lake overflows destroying

villages and homes. How people are struggling to move on, and even find a place to lay their loved ones to rest.

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Fear is growing in Pakistan as residents tried to escape floodwaters that are still rising. Some residents of Sindh province are terrified after the country's largest lake overflowed for third time on Tuesday. Many have been forced into temporary shelters, while others are completely trapped by the floods. The high waters are so vast in some areas there is not even room to bury the dead.

CNN's Anna Coren has this report, which contains video that may be difficult to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A metal box is pulled through the floodwaters. What's in the box, ask the bystander, a dead body replies a man. They open the lid and show the body of a man crammed in. The family doesn't have money for a funeral, he explains, there is no place to bury the dead. That is how bad the situation is.

They continue to hold the makeshift coffin through the brown murky water searching for higher ground to bury the corpse.

In another district, a group of villages drag a makeshift raft with another man's body through the floodwaters.

[03:45:03]

"We came across an official with a tractor," says a man looking distressed. "We requested help to transport the body, but he denied. There is no ambulance, no support by anyone."

As Pakistan's catastrophic floods continue to inundate one-third of the country, the province of Sindh in the country's southeast is now bearing much of the brunt of this climate change induced disaster. With the water unable to drain away, there is no way to give the dead a dignified burial.

Instead, these villages hold a funeral procession for their relative in the very waters that claimed his life.

Pakistan's unprecedented monsoonal rains that have been falling since June have affected at least 33 million people across the country. That's 15 percent of the population. Millions have been displaced, having lost their homes and crops in the floodwaters. And the government and aid agencies are struggling to provide enough food, medical care and shelter to those who've lost everything.

The ferocity of the flash floods has been the biggest killer. More than 1,300 people have died, one-third of them children. Including a 3-day-old baby girl whose family tried to escape their home as the water almost reached the ceiling.

PETER OPHOFF, HEAD, INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES, PAKISTAN: The wife had the baby in her hands, and just at the end, she couldn't hold her because the water was too strong, and the baby slipped away. They repump the baby but unfortunately, the baby died.

COREN: For the people living near Lake Manchar, Pakistan's largest freshwater lake, a looming disaster supposedly averted has come at a very high price. Officials were forced to breach it to reduce dangerously high-water levels but tens of thousands of villagers downstream have now been left homeless and further flooding is still expected.

"It destroyed our crops and houses. No one informed us it was happening. No one warned us," explained this farmer, attending to his cattle, barely keeping their heads above water.

"The village is submerged, there is no way to get to our village," says this man. "Some families are now stranded. We appeal to the government to send rescue teams and help these people."

A plea to an already overstretched government, grappling to deal with this unprecedented calamity.

Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Millions of people are impacted by the devastating floods in Pakistan. And you can help. To find out how, just go to cnn.com/impact.

And we'll be right back.

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: American pro tennis player Frances Tiafoe is one step closer to completing what he calls his Cinderella story at this year's U.S. Open. He bet Andrey Rublev of Russia on Wednesday advancing to the semifinals. His road to get here hasn't been easy, though, surprising the world by defeating 22-time Grand Slam champ Rafael Nadal in the fourth round on Monday.

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FRANCES TIAFOE, U.S. PRO TENNIS PLAYER: I just love playing in front of a packed crowd. I feel like, you know, that's why you train hard and show the world what you can do. Don't shy away from it. Go to it.

And I just love playing in front of people. I love, you know, to show the world what I can do, and then, you know, it makes me feel good when people appreciate how hard you're trying out there and appreciate good tennis especially where I came from. And to see that many people behind me means a lot. I just want to go out there and try to give the crowd what they want and that's me getting a win.

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CHURCH: Just amazing. All right, so like all important art the official White House portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama reveal much more than paint on canvas. For starters it was the first time in 10 years that an unveiling was held. No such ceremony for the Obamas took place in the Trump White House.

It also marked Michelle Obama's first visit to the White House since 2017, reviving the time-honored tradition is meant to symbolize the smooth and peaceful transition of democratic power from one administration to the next.

The former president joked about the photo realism of his own portrait including his gray hair but gushed about the painting of the former first lady.

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BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I want to thank Sharon Sprung for capturing everything I love about Michelle. Her grace, her intelligence, and the fact that she's fine. She is. Her portrait is stunning.

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CHURCH: The style of the two portraits also represents a dramatic departure from the past more traditional White House portraits. The former president is shown against a modern white background while the former first lady is seated in an elegant designer dress. Beautiful portraits.

And before we go, middle Earth welcomes a new group of faces but not without controversy.

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UNKNOWN: Everyone must decide who we shall be.

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[03:55:04]

That's from the new prime video series "Lord of the Rings, the Rings of Power" set in a fantasy world thousands of years before the main "Lord of the Rings" novels. The show features people of color playing elves and other characters. Cast members have been the target of racist remarks online, but the original cast of the popular film trilogy shared their own views. The actors posted this photo featuring a message in elvish reading you all are welcome here.

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

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