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Tropical Storm Ian Strengthens With Florida In Crosshairs; "Sham" Voting Continues In Russian-Occupied Areas Of Ukraine; Video Shows Train Hitting Police Vehicle With Suspect Inside; Democrat John Fetterman Holds Campaign Rallies In Race For PA Senate; Thousands Of Iranians Take To The Streets To Protest Death Of Woman Detained By Morality Police; Fl Lawmaker Sues DeSantis To Block Future Migrant Flights; NASA's DART Mission Prepares For Asteroid Collision. Aired 1- 2p ET

Aired September 24, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with a state of emergency in parts of Florida as officials brace for what's expected to be the first major hurricane to hit the state since 2018. Tropical Storm Ian strengthened overnight and is forecast to intensify into a major hurricane when it moves into the Gulf of Mexico in the next few days.

Landfall is possible in western Florida as early as Wednesday. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 24 counties in the storm's path and is urging people across the state to get ready now. We have team coverage tracking the tropical storm in. CNN's Carlos Suarez is covering storm preparations and Alison Chinchar is in the CNN weather center. Allison, you first.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Let's take a look at what we've got so far. You can see sustained winds are still 45 miles per hour. It's gusting up to 60 miles per hour. It's still trying to get itself fully organized, but it is going to be heading into a more favorable environment over the next 24 to 48 hours, lower wind shear, very warm sea surface temperatures, so you've got Tropical Storm watches out for Jamaica, but hurricane watches out for areas of the Cayman Islands.

And that's because, in the short term, we do anticipate that that storm will strengthen into a Category 2, maybe even a Category 2 as it's crossing over the Cayman Islands. Further strengthening is expected as it crosses over Cuba and into the eastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. Then we anticipate it's going to make that right-hand turn back towards Florida.

At this point, the cone is very large. We're talking anywhere from Destin, Florida, all the way down just north of Key West still an option at this point. So basically, if you live anywhere in Florida, you need to go ahead and make those preparations just because of the uncertainty. And we're talking a huge difference here.

This is the American model, slower and farther west making landfall maybe near the Pensacola area late Friday, then we take a look at the European model you're talking midday Wednesday, but near the Fort Myers area, so quite a difference here in terms of the spread. And also, same thing in terms of rainfall amounts.

Now overall, we're still talking similar widespread rainfall totals of four to six inches. It's where that bullseye of the rainfall goes. That's going to ultimately depend on where this storm makes landfall. Again, the European model focusing it more across Central Florida to see that target point of 8, 10, even as much as a foot of rain.

Whereas when we look at the American model, Fred, you've got more of that focused on the Panhandle and then again along the northern edge of the state rather than the center point, which is where the European model is focused.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, folks are being asked to take precautions both on the west side as well as the east side of Florida. In fact, NASA has called off a moon rocket launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Station because of the storm. But there are other ways people are being asked to brace and get ready, Carlos.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes. So NASA says that a decision on whether or not to move the rocket inside of a building will probably be made later on in the weekend and then that process would get underway Sunday into Monday. That being said, the -- where the storm ultimately ends up going really will depend on whether any additional evacuation or emergency orders are done.

We know that down in Monroe County, officials there said that they will not be making a decision on that just yet. They are also waiting to see exactly whether that track will hold if that evacuation order down in Monroe County again, the keys, that would only affect visitors as well as folks that live in a mobile homes.

Now heading into the weekend, Governor Ron DeSantis did declare a state of emergency in 24 counties across the state of Florida. He also activated the Florida National Guard and he put them on standby. Now, where all of those resources end up going will depend on Ian's track.

Officials throughout the state of Florida have been telling folks to go ahead and use the weekend to get those last-minute supplies down in South Florida. Officials there had been saying you really should be in place no matter what by Monday night as we see where this track ends up going, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. And start getting those supplies right now because in some cases, they've already flown off the shelves, and in others soon to be depleted.

SUAREZ: And you know it only get worse.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's right. Carlos, thank you so much. Appreciate it. All right, Sarasota, Florida Mayor Erik Arroyo joined me last hour to discuss his efforts to prepare people in his city for the storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIK ARROYO, MAYOR OF SARASOTA, FLORIDA: As mayor, one of our main priorities at the city is just the safety of our residents. We're monitoring this very closely. We're having these regional conferences and meeting with the weather service about twice a day. We have a meeting coming up at one o'clock and at 2:30 with the county and surrounding municipalities.

We're taking appropriate action like we're checking our fuel farms, we're checking that our generators are ready to go, we have a plan of action for our police department, we're checking the free boards, how much -- how much flooding there could potentially be. We're measuring that.

[13:05:05]

Of course, we have a plan for sheltering. That is largely going to be driven by the county. And we don't anticipate any action being taken today. But tomorrow, we do anticipate when we see where this -- where this potential hurricane is going.

WHITFIELD: So, for now, what are you bracing most for is the potential storm surge, the hurricane force winds, heavy rainfall.

ARROYO: Yes. I mean, we're telling our -- we're telling our residents to be prepared. It -- you know, don't underestimate the dangers that come with gusts, with storm surges, with flooding, especially in us being a coastal city. So we're telling them to go now, be prepared early.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And Mayor Arroyo, urging residents to use checklists to make sure that they have everything they need. He's also encouraging those who may have special medical needs to make arrangements before the storm hits.

All right now to Ukraine where voting is happening again today in what are being called sham referendums on joining Russia. The referendums which are illegal under international law are taking place in four Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. President Biden says the U.S. will never recognize the results of the vote.

And police in Moscow, well, they're breaking up more protests today. A protest monitoring group says nearly 1500 protesters have now been detained across Russia since President Vladimir Putin declared a military draft.

General Wesley Clark is a CNN military analyst. He's also the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and a senior fellow at the Burkle Institute. Good to see you. So we're hearing reports of protesters being conscripted. Men from small villages, there were fishermen also being drafted. So does it really help the Russian war effort to have untrained soldiers in this fight?

WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think we're hearing the fringes of this, Fredricka, honestly. I think they are pulling in people who had prior military service. I think there are people in there who can help their performance. And so you're going to have some on the fringes who may be resistant. Hopefully, it's more than the fringes. But I wouldn't take any great -- any great -- you know good feeling about this.

The point is that Putin has doubled down on this and said he's going to stay in the war. It's not 300 1000, it's up to a million and their methods of repression are pretty effective in Russia. So they will crush the dissent, would be my guess.

Maybe someone's going to overthrow Putin if he tries to use a nuclear weapon, maybe. But this war is going to go on for a long time. And our problem is that we are not giving the Ukrainians enough of what they need to get a jump on the Russians before the additional reinforcements come in.

WHITFIELD: What other things do you believe they need?

CLARK: Well, they've talked about tanks, more artillery, more artillery ammunition, longer-range missiles, they need aircraft. They need more effective kamikaze drones like the switchblade 600, which we've been talking about for six months but still is not there. So there are many different tools we could provide but we seem to modulate it because we're afraid that they'll do too much and promote Mr. Putin to do more.

And I think we're at the stage in this where we can see that that strategy is only going to produce a prolonged conflict. We have a window of opportunity here. We should take it to get military leverage, and then put a diplomatic team together that tells the Russians you got to leave. It's over.

WHITFIELD: Have a listen to what NATO's Secretary General told CNN about the state of play in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Our answer -- NATO's answer is to step up support. The best way to end this war is to strengthen the Ukrainians on the battlefield further, so they can at some stage sit down and reach a solution, which is acceptable for Ukraine and preserves Ukraine as a sovereign independent nation in Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So in your view, you know, if this war is going to drag on for an extended period of time, how long can the U.S. and its allies keep up their level of support?

CLARK: No, indefinitely, indefinitely. There's no question we can keep this level of support at where it is, and we could ramp it up considerably. We just have to get our industrial bases mobilized a little bit more, produce a little bit more.

I mean, France has given what 18 of these great 155 self-propelled howitzers that sees our system. The French in a military-industrial group would probably love to give 18 a month if France would pay for it and they're not that expensive. They could be paid for.

[13:10:02]

So you know it's not this. It's rather the fact that as this drags on and the casualties mount, it becomes harder and harder to be able to keep the Ukrainians supplied, winning and going after this. So there is a weakness now in the Russian forces.

And what the Secretary-General is saying, what I'm saying is, get that support escalated now so they can take advantage of the weakness before we end up with a one-year, two-year, or three years struggle on the front lines of Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: Let me ask you about these sham referendums, you know, Ukrainians against their will, you know, at gunpoint being forced to vote in favor of, you know, Russia claiming territories. Will it treat -- will Russia likely treat you know any Ukrainian attacks on these areas as if they were attacks on Russia?

CLARK: Well, they certainly laid the ground for it with the sham referendum. The question is whether they actually follow through on the threat. But this is a hybrid war. So you're fighting on the ground in Ukraine, you're fighting the decision-making apparatus in Washington, the political process between Democrats and Republicans, on the one hand, who support Ukraine and Trump on the other who doesn't. You've got different political factions in Europe. And so there are many different elements that go into this.

So setting the stage for saying, this is Russia. If you come in here, we'll use nuclear weapons. It's all part of the information strategy that Russia has. Will they actually do it? Would it be effective? We don't know. But the best way to avoid it is to escalate our assistance to Ukraine now so they can push the Russians back out.

And by the way, Fredricka, we should be clear, not just following Ukrainian lead, but we should tell Russia very clearly, you have to go out. Aggression is not permitted. You cannot absorb Ukraine. We need to have the courage to say this.

Whether or not we want to enforce it tomorrow or next month or whatever, it's still what we stand for in the rules based on international order. We've had sanctions on Russia for years for being in Crimea. Are we going to suddenly say since you invaded, we'll drop the sanctions it'll be OK as long as you don't take any more? I don't think so.

WHITFIELD: We'll leave it there. All right, General Wesley Clark, great seeing you. Thank you so much.

CLARK: Thank you so much, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: And in just moments, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. CNN National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood joining me live now from the UN. So what is he expected to say?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, Fredricka, we heard from the Russian Foreign Minister earlier this week, that was during a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, and he made a number of erroneous claims about the Ukrainians, about Ukrainian Neo-Nazis, reiterating essentially what we have heard from Russian officials over the last few months.

So it's obvious that we are expecting to hear some of those lies again today, as he delivers these remarks on behalf of the Russian Federation here.

But we should also note that we're looking for what else he's going to say with regard to these referenda that are ongoing that you guys have been discussing, with regard to this partial mobilization of additional Russian troops that President Putin said they're going to be sending into the battlefield, that 300,000 troop level of additional troops, what does the Russian foreign minister say about that? And also, we'll watch to see if he dangles that nuclear threat, once again, that we heard from President Putin earlier this week.

I also want to note, however, that during that UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine earlier this week, the Russian foreign minister came in for the meeting, delivered his remarks and left after those remarks were concluded.

He was in that room for a very short period of time. He didn't stay and listen to what the other nations were saying. And they were widely condemning Russia for this invasion with the Secretary of State saying that this is a war of one man's choice, going after President Putin personally.

And you talk to U.S. officials after that meeting and they said the fact that the Russian foreign minister only came in for that short period of time demonstrates an additional failure on behalf of Russia that they are continuing to recognize, that they are isolated on the world stage. And so that was a really interesting meeting to watch. But the Russian Foreign Minister has his own stage today, and we'll be watching to see what he says, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, fascinating. Bring it to us when you get it. Thank you so much, Kylie Atwood.

All right, still ahead. This is unbelievable. A train smashes into a police car that's parked on the railroad tracks when a suspect who was handcuffed is actually inside the car. And guess what, the suspect survived.

[13:15:00]

Plus, protests, raging in Iran over the death of a 22-year-old woman who died while in custody of Iran's morality police. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. This is hard to believe but newly released bodycam footage shows the moment a train in Colorado hit a police vehicle while a suspect was inside. That suspect was hospitalized and is expected to survive. And we do have to warn you this video is graphic and may be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2346, a patrol car was just hit by a train. Dispatch 12346, send us medical Emergency. The suspect was in the vehicle that was hit by the train.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, joining us right now, CNN's Camila Bernal. Camila, how did this happen?

[13:20:01]

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. So here's what happened. They received a 911 call reporting a road rage incident involving a gun. So when police responded, this was Platteville police, they found 20-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez and she pulled over just after the railroad tracks. So when the police officers pulled over right behind her, they parked right on the railroad tracks.

So moments later, there are more officers that arrived to the scene. This is Fort Lupton police. And they arrest her, put her in handcuffs, and then put her in the back of that car that is parked right on the tracks.

As they're searching in her truck for this gun that was supposedly involved in this incident, you hear the train horns and you see these officers kind of going back and forth, it is chaos, and then suddenly that train crushes the police car just like you saw the video a couple of minutes ago. It is so hard to watch the officers immediately calling for medical attention, she is obviously taken to the hospital.

We have reached out to her attorney but have not heard back. But he did speak to a local media and said she has nine broken ribs, she has a broken arm, injuries to her back and to her head. Authority is saying these were serious injuries. But say she is expected to survive. Of course, this entire incident is now under investigation. And as you mentioned, that officer who parked the vehicle right on the tracks has been placed on paid leave, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, still that has to be answered. Why park the car on the tracks?

BERNAL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

BERNAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And this quick programming note. A real-life story of succession, "THE MURDOCHS: EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE" premieres with two episodes tomorrow night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH ELLISON, STAFF WRITER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Rupert has always operated from an incredibly privileged perch, but that has not prevented him from feeling a sense of outside Irishness and aggrievement.

JIM RUTENBERG, WRITER-AT-LARGE, NEW YORK TIMES: This sense of alienation speaks to every working-class Brit who knows they'll never be accepted by these people so he invents a new language for them.

ERIC DEGGANS, TV CRITIC, NPR: It's articulating the passions of an audience that gets overlooked and giving them a voice and media and -- oh, by the way, he makes a penny or two off of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you take the offensive, Chuck?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now look at the controversy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know they keep avoiding for six weeks, so much to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And you can watch the premiere tomorrow night at9:00 and 10:00 right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:27:15]

WHITFIELD: All right, just 45 days until Americans head to the polls to vote in the midterm elections and Pennsylvania is seeing one of the most contentious Senate races in the country. Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz will go head to head in November. Fetterman, getting back on the campaign trail today with two rallies in Philadelphia and these are his first rallies in the city since he suffered a stroke back in May. Joining us now, CNN's Dan Merica. Dan, so what was said?

DAN MERICA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: You know this is all about turnout here. This county, Philadelphia County voted for Joe Biden 81 percent. This zip code that were in voted for Joe Biden 96 percent so these aren't convincing voters to come and support Democrats, these are Democratic voters.

This is all about turnout. And as you've seen across the country, the main motivating factor is the abortion issue, something that John Fetterman touched on multiple times throughout his speech and some of his intro speakers also addressed. Take a listen to how he turned the issue on Dr. Oz, his Republican opponent. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN FETTERMAN, DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE, PENNSYLVANIA: Dr. Oz might be a joke -- might be a joke. But it's not funny -- it's not funny because that is on the ballot here in Pennsylvania right now. I fought for Philadelphia, and I'm going to fight for abortion rights here in Pennsylvania and in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MERICA: You know I spoke to a lot of voters here especially older women, 60 70, 80-year-old women who fought for Roe v. Wade fought during those marches and they seem the most motivated by rhetoric like that. Now, of course, this race is focused on abortion, Oz and Republicans have focused on the economy and inflation. But it's also been dominated by personal attacks.

You saw throughout the summer, Fetterman focused on the fact that Oz until very recently lived in New Jersey. Oz responded by focusing on Fetterman's health. As you noted, he had a stroke in May. That is why this is his first rally in Philadelphia since that stroke. Take a listen to how Fetterman addressed some of the impacts of his stroke in front of his most loyal supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FETTERMAN: I had a stroke as you know. You know I had a stroke.

(CROSSTALK)

FETTERMAN: And I'm so -- I'm so grateful to be here today. And I'm just so grateful. And recovering from that stroke, I'm so good to know that I'm able. I'm out here in front of all of you today rallying all across -- rallying all across Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MERICA: You know, Fred, as you could hear in that SOT, there are some impacts of the stroke. He does drop a word here and there, miss words or smush words together, as he said, but he has gotten better over the time I've been covering him. His speech has gotten better.

He's actually turned this on Oz. He asked the audience to raise their hands if they've had a significant health impact. Nearly every hand in the audience went up.

He's hoping that kind of sympathy is something that turns out Democrats in Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania.

WHITFIELD: Dan Merica, a heated race getting hotter. Thank you so much.

This just into CNN. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has amended his state of emergency order ahead of Tropical Storm Ian to include now the entire state. DeSantis had originally declared a state of emergency for 24 counties

ahead of the storm. The storm strengthened overnight and is forecast to intensify into a major hurricane when it moves into the Gulf of Mexico in the next few days.

Landfall is possible in western Florida as early as Wednesday. More in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:35:18]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. At least 1,200 protesters have been arrested in Iran following a wave of demonstrations in response to the death of a woman in the custody of the Morality Police, according to state media.

State media is also reporting that 35 people have been killed in the protests. CNN cannot independently verify that report.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SHOUTING)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A week like no other Iran has seen in years. Protests ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini have snowballed into much more than that.

(SHOUTING)

KARADSHEH: Women have been leading the calls for change and freedom, rising up for rights this generation has never had.

(CHEERING)

KARADSHEH: But even those who've seen it all joined in. This old woman waves her head scarf, softly chanting "death to the supreme leader."

(CROSSTALK)

KARADSHEH: The threat of punishment by jail or flogging hasn't stopped their remarkable acts of defiance.

(CROSSTALK)

KARADSHEH: CNN can't verify the circumstances of this video or when it was filmed. It shows a woman standing up to the Morality Police, the woman in black refusing to come down or wear her head scarf, the hijab.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

KARADSHEH: Commotion breaks out as they try to grab her. She shouts that she is standing up for the sake of Mahsa Amini. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

KARADSHEH: The government appears to be using all its gaunt to silence the voices of dissent. The female force deployed for the first time on the streets.

(GUNFIRE)

KARADSHEH: It's also been firing live rounds directly at protesters, according to Amnesty International. Several people have so far been killed, and many others have been injured.

President Ibrahim Raisi in New York appears to be dismissing the grievances of the thousands that have taken to the streets.

IBRAHIM RAISI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): Vis-a-vis what is occurring, having demonstrations, via unionized organizations, labor organizes or towards any specific issue or incident, of course, these are normal and fully expected. But we must differentiate between demonstrators and vandalism.

(GUNFIRE)

KARADSHEH: On Friday, more ominous warnings from authorities. The army, they say, is ready deal with conspiracies of so-called enemies.

(SHOUTING)

KARADSHEH: As the country descends into darkness, with Internet disruptions not seen since the 2019 protests, many now bracing for what the coming hours and days may bring.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KARADSHEH: And, Fred, today, despite the risks, protesters appear to still be out on the streets, appear to still be defiant. We've seen images of young university students out on the streets of the capital Tehran, young men, women chanting "death to the dictator."

But at the same time, we're seeing more pictures of what appears to be this continuing crackdown. The security apparatus appear to be rounding up people, detaining them. As you mentioned, state media saying at least 1,200 people so far have been detained.

There's lot of concern that crackdown is only going to intensify. Right now, as we mentioned earlier, Amnesty International saying that security services are opening fire directly and deliberately at the protesters.

And those who have watched Iran closely for years, Fred, are very worried we've seen this all before, that the regime is going to use all its got at its disposal -- and it's got a lot -- to try and crush these protests.

WHITFIELD: Jomana Karadsheh, thank you so much. Let's talk more about all of this with Firuzeh Mahmoudi. She left Iran

for the U.S. when she was just 12 years old. And then, when she returned at the age of 16 to visit relatives, while she was there, Iran's Morality Police stopped and arrested her.

So good to see you. Thank you so much, Firuzeh, for joining us.

So, why were you stopped and arrested at that time?

FIRUZEH MAHMOUDI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNITED FOR IRAN: I had my bangs out, simply, and the Morality Police came in a fabric store where I was in with my aunt and mother and took all four of us in because my mom and aunt wanted to go along.

I had to sign that I would never do this again and the next time I would get 50 lashes. But this is nothing compared to women of Iran are facing every day in the streets every day of their lives.

[13:40:02]

And --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Wow. It must be --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Sorry about that. So I wonder if now this is bringing kind of flashbacks because Mahsa was arrested, detained, for also exposing her hair, not wearing the hijab properly.

So, what are your thoughts as you're watching what is unfolding right now?

MAHMOUDI: So, Mahsa, her real name is Gina. That's what her family calls her, Gina. I think minorities cannot use their own language, their mother tongue. So you have ethnic discrimination as well as gender discrimination. She was the last sparkle that started all of this.

What I'm seeing and feeling is both heartwarming and heartbreak. We're seeing all of Iranians, young, old, poor, rich, women are leading this movement. And they are -- it is woman focused in a way we haven't seen in the Middle East. That's heartwarming to see.

The young are on the streets, as always, so brave and willing to take a risk for their live, putting their safety, their health, their freedoms and their lives on the line.

What's heartbreaking, that Iranians simply want to have their basic rights, to know that they can wear what they want without repercussions.

They're a joyous people. In Iran, I always joke that you can see people picnicking in highway dividers or you hear a song on the bus and they start dancing, very simple things that the government will not give to them.

WHITFIELD: So you say Iranian women just want basic rights. You heard Jomana's report who says it's the belief of many there that the crackdown is only going to intensify. Do you expect that as well?

MAHMOUDI: Absolutely. I think the second we hear and see into the shutdown, all of our hearts drop because we know exactly what's going to happen.

They want to do this behind closed doors. They'll start arresting, like you said, and killing, and the numbers will go up. The last time this happened 1,500 were killed. They'll do it on the streets, in the prison.

And us, outside, the number-one thing we can do, hearing their voices and talking about it and not forgetting, is to advocate with whoever we can, governments, companies, as concerned citizens, as individuals to keep the Internet in Iran open.

And there are technologies, we often find out about it, that governments and tech companies can use to keep the bloodline open.

WHITFIELD: We saw it in video. The government is opening fire on the protesters.

Is it your feeling, though, as more people come out and protest -- you said more women will be taking a stand, you're seeing it already taking place -- do you think that bigger protests will in any way be enough to trigger some kind of change in the regime?

MAHMOUDI: You know, this is a million-dollar question, always asked at these times. We don't have a crystal ball.

I can tell you that what we're seeing is unprecedented. It's unified -- the message is unified in small and big cities around the country, which we haven't seen.

The government of Iran tries so hard to pivot Iranians against each other, various ethnic minority groups against each other and so forth.

And we're seeing here, the young Kurdish woman that was essentially crushed in every way possible by the regime. And people throughout the country are advocating for the women and their chance throughout the country to supporting each other, having a unified message.

WHITFIELD: Firuzeh, quickly, when you were arrested at 16, as were some of your family members, how long were you detained before finally released?

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And what were the circumstances you were released?

MAHMOUDI: We had to sign that next time I would get 50 lashes, but it was only a few hours. You know, there are so many that get arrested, you get a gamut of

people get arrested for a few minutes or hours. But the point is even one minute too much.

Even if you don't get arrested, you're walking your entire life in a country in a fear that you cannot have body autonomy and you have to obey how to address. It doesn't matter if you don't get arrested.

But I also want to plea that people stay connected, that they join us. (INAUDIBLE). Every single person on the planet -- (INAUDIBLE) -- advocate for change.

Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: All right, Firuzeh, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

MAHMOUDI: Thank you.

[13:44:35]

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Florida Democratic state Senator Jason Pizzo is asking a court to block Governor DeSantis from sending more migrants away from the border, claiming last week's flights from Texas to Martha's Vineyard violated law.

Raul Reyes is an attorney and immigration analyst and a CNN opinion writer.

Good to see you.

So, let's begin with this allegation that DeSantis broke state law with the flights from Texas to Martha's Vineyard. Is this a strong case?

RAUL REYES, CNN OPINION WRITER: It does seem to be a strong case because Governor DeSantis used funds that were earmarked for Florida to remove -- in some ways, to remove undocumented immigrants from their own state, not from another state of Texas.

[13:50:00]

It's also not clear that he gave the proper notice that he was doing this.

But in a broader picture, the actions by Governor DeSantis and also Governor Abbott with these migrant flights are very legally questionable because, just for the simple matter that governors do not have the right to set immigration policy.

Our Constitution and our Supreme Court have been very clear for over 100 years that immigration is a federal matter. So when we see governors like DeSantis basically take immigration into

their own hands, for whatever reason, it's very problematic.

WHITFIELD: So the migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard have also filed a class-action lawsuit claiming that they were tricked into taking this flight with false promises of jobs, cash and shelter.

Governor DeSantis says everything was done aboveboard and the transportation was voluntary.

So what's your response to that?

REYES: Well, it's important to look at this from the - from the lens of this lawsuit filed by lawyers for civil rights.

One of their allegations says it centers on possible trafficking. Trafficking involves the transport of a targeted group of people with an alleged element of fraud or deception for commercial gain.

In this case, the commercial gain would be the fees paid to the pilots who flew them there.

Now, in cases of trafficking, consent is not a defense. That's very important to note. So whether or not these migrants agreed to take these flights, that is not a legal defense, especially because it does not appear that it was informed consent.

Because some of the brochures that they were provided with gave them false promises about where they were they are going, the type of services they would receive there, the type of jobs that they would be able to obtain there. So, that is very troubling.

As is the fact that this debate obscures one important element of these incidences. These migrants, who were at the center of the controversy, they are not here as undocumented immigrants.

They are following the law. They are pursuing asylum claims, which is their legal right to humanitarian relief. They have already been processed by the U.S. government and now they're awaiting their asylum claims.

So what these governors are doing basically amounts to a political stunt. I would call it Caravans 2.0. It's a political P.R. stunt designed to focus attention on immigration, which is an issue that resonates with the Republican base, very close to the midterms.

And the great problem is that it's inflicting more trauma, more chaos and more confusion on a group of very vulnerable people.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now.

REYES: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Raul Reyes, thank you very much. Always good to see you.

All right, and moments ago, the Florida governor expanding his state of emergency to all Florida counties ahead of a storm named Ian. The latest on the storm's track in minutes.

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[13:57:38]

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: This planet is what we call a planet killer.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's what we call a global killer.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hollywood has been scheming up way to save the world from killer comments or asteroids for decades.

BRUCE WILLIS, ACTOR: The United States government just asked us to save the world.

Anybody want to say no?

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: But instead of bringing in Bruce Willis, NASA has a different idea. And it's about to test it for the very first time.

ELENA ADAMS, DART MISSION SYSTEMS ENGINEER: It's kind of what we all fear, right? What if there was an asteroid coming to earth? Can you really stop it, do something about it? For the first time, our technology allows us to do something about it.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: NASA is planning to ram a refrigerator-sized spacecraft, called DART, as asteroid named Dimorphos, which is roughly the size of the pyramid of Giza and poses no threat to planet earth.

The goal is to see if the impact will push Dimorphos slightly off course. If it works, it means that this technique could be used to deflect a future killer asteroid that is headed for earth

BOBBY BRAUN, JOHNS HOPKINS APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY: This inaugural planetary defense mission marks a major moment in human history. For the first time ever, we will measurably change the orbit of a celestial body in the universe.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mission control is inside the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland.

(on camera): What is this place going to be like on impact day, or impact night, I should say?

ADAMS: Oh, my goodness, it will be filled with people. It's going to be filled to the brink with people. About 44 people in here alone.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And they will be able to watch the impact live, as will everyone on earth, thanks to a camera mounted on the spacecraft.

(on camera): These are live images

ADAMS: Life images from Dart right now.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the most-tense moments for the team will happen at 50 minutes to impact, when the spacecraft will switch its sights from a bigger asteroid it's pointed at now to a smaller second asteroid, which is the real target. .

EVAN SMITH, DART DEPUTY MISSION SYSTEMS ENGINEER: That is a very sweaty time for us. So we have a lot of contingencies built around the 50-minute position. We're going to be watching it like hawks. Very scared but excited

ADAMS: Then we are going to have it get closer and closer and fill the field of our imager.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a moment this team has been training for months. But even the rehearsals from the tense.

[13:59:55]

ADAMS: We're just all, one by one, stood up with all of our heads-up. And all of us were intently watching the screens, just watching the asteroid get bigger and bigger.

And my heart was actually palpitating because, I was like, this is not normal, right? It's just the rehearsal.