Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Fiona Bears Down on Canadian Maritimes; Pro-Russian Referenda Underway amid Growing Pushback; Russia Forces Thousands to Join War; Lawmakers to Hold New January 6 Insurrection Hearing Wednesday; Iran State Media Cites 35 Deaths during Protests for Mahsa Amini. Aired 4- 5a ET
Aired September 24, 2022 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, hurricane Fiona is battering Atlantic Canada with heavy rains and high winds, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. And there is another storm brewing with Florida in its sights. We're live in the weather center with more.
Plus voting is underway in occupied regions of Ukraine on whether to become part of Russia. Ahead, a warning President Biden has for Moscow.
And later, why all Los Angeles schools will be stocked with the drug naloxone.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin in the North Atlantic, where a deadly storm that caused massive destruction across several Caribbean islands is now battering the Canadian East Coast. Hurricane warnings are in place as damaging winds and heavy rain pound the region.
In a tweet sent late Friday night, Justin Trudeau urged those in the path of the storm to listen to authorities, reassuring them that his team is ready to provide support if needed.
Residents from across eastern Canada did do what they could before the sun went down to prepare, including in Nova Scotia, where people waited in long lines to stock up supplies like food and water.
And now that the storm has arrived in earnest, hundreds of thousands are without power across eastern Canada. Nova Scotia Power says it activated an emergency operations center to serve as the coordination area for response. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE PICKLES, NOVA SCOTIA POWER: We've been reaching out to contractors in New Brunswick, Maine, possibly even into Quebec and Ontario. We're in conversations with the companies who are also in storm prep mode.
JOHN LOHR, NOVA SCOTIA EMERGENCY OPERATIONS MINISTER: We've been in contact and discussions with the military to give them a head's up. We're looking at preparing for, if need be, after the storm an application for a federal disaster financial assistance if that is necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(WEATHER REPORT)
[04:05:00]
BRUNHUBER: In the aftermath of hurricane Fiona, Puerto Rico is slowly getting back some essential services. Officials say power has been restored to more than 600,000 people or about 41 percent of residents.
Nearly 1 million customers, 72 percent, now have access to running water. And the mayor of New York City will travel to the island on Sunday. A team of emergency responders from New York has been on the ground for days. The city is home to a large Puerto Rican community.
Death toll in the flooding across Pakistan now stands at more than 1,600, including 579 children. The prime minister warned other world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly Friday to focus on fighting global warming.
He said flooding that pushed one-third of Pakistan under water wasn't triggered by anything Pakistanis have done but by countries that emit greenhouse gases.
Our Sophia Saifi is at a camp for displaced victims.
It has been months since the flooding began and we know the waters are receding slowly.
But how bad is the situation still and what are the new dangers?
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Behind me, there are 30,000 people displaced by these floods and are living out here in the open, in this 40 degree centigrade heat. There is a strong wind throwing dust in our faces. People have been living out here for months.
Before that, they have had to leave homes which were destroyed by this unprecedented historical deluge that has hit the entirety of Pakistan, mostly here in this province. There are a lot of people who have been displaced.
When we were driving in, you'd see hundreds and hundreds of people living out just on the motorway almost, living in shacks. There is not enough international aid coming in. Pakistan has been calling for an appeal, for help, for assistance, for funds, to make sure that they can help the people who I'm standing in front of.
They don't have water; they don't have toilets to go to. The water that they are getting is murky. There is a widespread of disease. There was catastrophic flooding. And now there is the fear of catastrophic disease.
There are 33 million people in this country which have been affected by the floods. Out of that, 16 million of them are children; 3.4 million of those children need urgent assistance. They need medicine, they need access to doctors.
Pregnant women are waiting to give birth out in the open. We've spoken to many mothers today, many expectant mothers today, who have not received any medical assistance.
It is a dire situation which people really need to look at to understand how desperate Pakistan is with this already flailing economy and how much assistance it desperately needs.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, the scope of the problem cannot be overstated. Really appreciate your reporting on the ground there, Sophia Saifi, thanks so much.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is giving a warning to Russian president Vladimir Putin, telling him to tread carefully with the controversial referenda now underway in occupied areas of Ukraine on joining Russia.
President Biden says voting is just a pretext for Moscow to try to annex those territories. And he says Russia will pay a swift and severe economic price if the annexation happens. Many Western leaders are dismissing them as a sham vote and the G7 said that it wouldn't recognize the results.
Ukraine says many people are staying away from voting but some are forced to cast ballots. It also says some underaged people are allowed to vote to increase the turnout. President Zelenskyy says few are buying Russia's spin on the referenda. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The world will react absolutely fairly to the pseudo referenda.
[04:10:00]
ZELENSKYY (through translator): They will be unequivocally condemned, as well as to the criminal mobilization that the occupiers are trying to carry out in Crimea and other parts of Ukraine that they still control.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: For more, we're joined by Ivan Watson in Hong Kong.
It seems like there is more and more opposition growing to these so- called referenda.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is a mixed bag. If you look at the officials in Russian occupied areas, where the referendum is taking place, they are on record saying this is a dream come true, that they want to be reunited with what they call their motherland, Russia.
It is being denounced by the Ukrainians, who are pointing out that, in many of the videos, there are uniformed troops with weapons next to these ballot boxes. And they are arguing that this voting is being carried out at the point of a gunpoint.
From my own reporting in Ukraine, Kim, months ago, I'd say in April, I was talking to Ukrainians fleeing Russian occupation, saying that there was talk of organizing referenda as early as March and April to this same goal.
If you want a broader strategy, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, is on record saying that, if these referenda pass, that annexation could then happen very quickly. . And then if these territories come under attack from the Ukrainian armed forces, it would be viewed as an attack on the Russian mainland, on Russia proper. So you can see the Kremlin's strategy here for trying to annex territory from Ukraine, to help it justify the war that it began with an invasion back in February. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much, Ivan Watson, appreciate it.
New images are showing how Ukrainian prisoners of war were treated in Russian captivity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This is an Ukrainian soldier, who was among some 250 prisoners exchanged this week. On the left, you can see, before his unit surrendered in May and, on the right, what he looks like now, emaciated with apparent severe weight loss.
Earlier one expert said Russia is finding loopholes in existing laws of war, adding that the laws have to change. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTO GROZEV, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND LEAD RUSSIA INVESTIGATOR, BELLINGCAT: When this war is over, the whole international law on war crimes will have to be rewritten because the Russians are coming up with new ways that they haven't been foreseen in the existing legislation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: There is no word on what exactly happened to the Ukrainian soldier during his captivity.
In Russia, some of the people who have protested the military's mobilization are being forced to join it. That is according to a rights group, which says many demonstrators were conscripted this week after speaking against the draft. Matthew Chance has more on the mobilization process.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the darkness, Russian men being wrenched away to fight. These are heartbreaking scenes from Uzbekistan in southern Russia where wives and mothers are hoping for a last glimpse of loved ones, are wailing in despair.
The Kremlin says this is just a partial mobilization. But rights activists tell CNN ethnic minorities in remote regions of Russia have been disproportionately called up, one way perhaps, of hiding the impact.
Across the entire country, an eruption of anger, with Putin's forest mobilizations, seeing distraught protesters risking jail, even direct conscription into the ranks to speak out. People here are simply terrified of loved ones being sent to kill or be killed in Ukraine.
"And I've got two kids of conscription age," says this protester in Moscow.
"I brought them up alone and I do not want to lose them," she cries.
"And for what?" asked her friend.
"Just so they can kill the sons of other mothers," she answers.
There are growing concerns, too, that Kremlin is violating its own pledge that only reservists with military experience will be called up. But men like Artyom (ph), a coal miner in Siberia, who recorded himself on the military bus taking him away, insists he has never served.
He was officially summoned, like many other workers, to join up during his shift.
"I just didn't know what to do," he says.
[04:15:00]
CHANCE (voice-over): And thousands of Russian men are fighting age and are desperate to avoid that fate, coming into trains like this one to neighboring Kazakhstan or driving to the nearest border crossing.
Cheap flights have quickly sold out. Everyone is on the run from Russia, this woman weighs says and endless cars, now making for the exits, escaping the trauma of being sent to Putin's war -- Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, a new public hearing on the January 6th insurrection, what U.S. lawmakers will likely reveal when they meet next week.
Plus a live report coming up on the latest in Iran, where the death toll from days of street protests continues to rise amid a government crackdown. Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: For the first time in two months, a new public hearing will be held by the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack.
[04:20:00]
BRUNHUBER: Lawmakers haven't specified which topics they will address on Wednesday. But it comes after Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, agreed to be interviewed by the panel.
And this is just over a month before the midterm elections. It also comes as another Capitol rioter has been convicted over his role in the attack. He was found guilty of seven charges related to chasing a police officer near the Senate chambers that day.
A Democratic lawmaker says that the January 6 committee will likely reveal more information about longtime Trump ally, Roger Stone, and the role he played in the attack. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): He's the one who I think saw where things were going. There were clearly people who understood the preparations that were taking place. And if you think you almost knocked over the government of the United States spontaneously, then you haven't been paying close attention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Jamie Raskin also signaled had there was a connection between Roger Stone and domestic extremist groups. Another member of the committee responded to those comments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D), MEMBER, JANUARY 6 SELECT COMMITTEE: We know that Stone and the ex-president had communications. We know that the ex- president and Mr. Bannon had communications. We can show Stone's close connection with these extremist groups, who played a big part in the violence on January 6.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The January 6 investigation may be the most public effort to expose Donald Trump's attempts to undermine American democracy. But he is facing so many criminal probes at both the state and federal level that it can be a challenge just to keep up with them all. CNN's Brian Todd breaks them down for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Mar-a-Lago to the January 6th probe, to the election grand jury in Georgia, to the Trump Organization cases in New York, a multitude of potentially explosive investigations are targeting Donald Trump from many directions.
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It's pretty remarkable that you have multiple different states, the federal government and Congress all investigating the same person at once. But that person is the former president of the United States.
TODD (voice-over): In the Mar-a-Lago investigation into whether Trump mishandled classified documents, this week a court appointed special master was skeptical of Trump's claims that the files the FBI found on his estate might have been declassified.
But beyond Mar-a-Lago, a Georgia prosecutor is looking into allegations that Trump and his allies tried to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 victory in Georgia, by allegedly trying to set up fake electors and pressuring the secretary of state to conjure up more votes for Trump.
Analysts say the accusations against Trump in Georgia could make that the most likely case where he would face prosecution.
TIA MITCHELL, THE "ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": Even if he did not have a direct hand in some of the efforts that he was part of the planning, that he directed these efforts. And so, that's why in a lot of ways, it is the most serious, because when it comes the election, it's the one with the most teeth.
TODD (voice-over): In New York, not only has the State Attorney General just accuse Trump's company of manipulating the value of its properties but the New York City DA's criminal tax case against the Trump Organization begins trial next month, after already scoring one guilty plea.
And Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll has just told a court that she intends to file another suit accusing Trump of battery in the 1990s, an accusation Trump has repeatedly denied.
Then there's the House January 6th investigation into whether Trump incited the mob to attack the Capitol, which just announced another public hearing in the coming days to air more of their evidence against Trump.
But could any these probes cripple Trump politically?
MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, AUTHOR, "THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUMP": He has told the story to his base that goes like this.
"Everybody hates me, everybody hates me and my family. They're jealous of us. They don't understand us and they are just plain evil. So don't pay attention to any of those prosecuting authorities. Only pay attention to the story that I've told you."
And I think there are 70 million to 75 million people who believe the story and are going to cling to it and they won't care that he's in trouble with the law.
TODD: Donald Trump has rejected each of these investigations, characterizing them as facets of a witch hunt designed to take him down.
He has called the Mar-a-Lago investigation the "weaponization of the justice system," called the January 6th committee a "kangaroo court," and he has slammed the investigators in the New York and Georgia probes as being politically motivated -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: We're hearing ominous reports out of Iran of a brutal government crackdown as the country's gripped by some of its worst turmoil in years. We'll have a live report on what is fueling the public anger toward the government.
[04:25:00]
BRUNHUBER: And we'll go live to Rome, where Italy may be making history and a hard right as voters head to the polls.
And Sir Elton John rocked the South Lawn of the White House last night. But it was Joe Biden who had a very special surprise for the legendary singer.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
The United Nations is calling for an independent investigation into the death of a young Iranian woman, who was arrested last week for how she was dressed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Mahsa Amini's death has sparked large anti- government protests in dozens of cities, prompting an apparent crackdown by Iran security forces. Iranian state media reports at least 35 people have died so far in the unrest.
Now a precise casualty figure varies widely depending on the source and CNN can't verify the number of people who have died.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Salma Abdelaziz is following this for us from London.
What more can you tell us about the growing outrage and the crackdown against the protesters?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mahsa Amini really has become a symbol of defiance for those taking the streets and who have done so now for over a week. The demonstrations going late into the night yesterday. Social media video, of course, that we cannot independently verify, showing people taking to the streets.
[04:30:00]
ABDELAZIZ: Using chants like, "Women, freedom, life."
Again, they are facing a brutal crackdown by security forces, monitoring groups saying live rounds have been fired into crowds. And you mentioned the number of people killed. These estimates vary.
But monitoring groups say dozens of people already killed in this brutal suppression of dissent by the Iranian state. And what is very concerning, highly concerning here, is there are ominous warnings that this crackdown will intensify, that Iranian authorities are preparing for yet another uptick in violence.
And we've heard from the military recently, the army saying it is willing to step in against so-called conspirators. Yesterday, the Iranian president returning to Tehran after his time at the U.N. General Assembly.
He addressed a crowd of supporters and described these demonstrators as enemies, as a threat to national security. And yesterday, being Friday of course, the Iranian state using the power of its religious institutions, the mosques, to use those Friday prayers essentially to call on people to come out in support of the government.
Counterprotests, speaking of again these demonstrators, these people calling for greater freedom, greater rights as enemies of the state. And these huge acts of defiance are absolutely a threat to the Iranian government, because this has moved beyond just Mahsa Amini.
This is a call for freedom, a call against the notorious morality police. This is anger at the government. And the fear is that death toll could rise. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, really important story. Thanks for following that, Salma Abdelaziz in London.
History could be at the polls in Italy on Sunday, the first female prime minister could be voted into office. Barbie Nadeau is standing by for us.
Bring us up to speed on the race. BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is really interesting. The last
time Italians went to vote for a new government was 2018. and then the anti-establishment Five Star Movement won the most votes, followed by the center left Democratic Party.
We're seeing an entirely different trend this time around. The center right coalition, which is really anchored by two far right parties, the leader being Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy party, which really started with fascist roots, they are the leading party going in.
And they are the leading coalition going in and it is really interesting to see how Italians have changed their desire for a government, the type of leader they want, in the last five years.
BRUNHUBER: What explains this prospective shift to the Right then?
NADEAU: You have to look at Italy five years ago and Italy today. This is before the pandemic, before the war in Ukraine. All these sort of factors have really made Italians desire a different type of leadership.
The far right in Italy is very anti-immigration. And what we're seeing in so many ways in this shift toward strong economic restrictions and things like that going forward. So Italians are looking for a very different kind of government, according to the polls.
And of course, you know, tomorrow is the vote. So we'll see certainly by Monday what the outcome is. But according to the latest polls, it looks like it will go to the Right, which is a big shift here in Italy.
BRUNHUBER: And if it does, a big shift for Italy could be a big shift for the European Union as well.
NADEAU: That's right. It is not just Italians watching this election, especially when it comes to the war in Ukraine. We've seen some indication that the leaders of this center right and especially the far right factions of the central right coalition don't really want to keep sanctions against Russia, because they feel that that damages the Italian economy first.
So we'll see a lot of shift and a lot of change in attitude. We'll see how that goes in terms of policy, if in fact they win tomorrow.
BRUNHUBER: We'll be following that story tomorrow as well. Barbie Nadeau, thanks so much.
British markets tumbled in reaction to the U.K. government's unveiling of a series of sweeping tax cuts and spending plans. The FTSE 100 closed at three-month lows and the pound a 37-year low against the U.S. dollar.
Our Jake Tapper spoke with the new British prime minister, Liz Truss, who defended her government's controversial plans. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Your government just unveiled a new tax proposal this week that would reverse plans to raise the corporate tax rate. You also proposed lifting the cap on bonuses for bank executives.
In the U.S., President Biden is taking a very different approach.
[04:35:00]
TAPPER: And, obviously, he has a very different view on economic measures such as the one you are proposing.
He tweeted this week, quote, "I am sick and tired of trickle-down economics. It has never worked. We're building an economy from the bottom up and middle out."
And so, President Biden is in essence saying that he thinks your approach doesn't work. The opposition in Parliament says you're recklessly running up the deficit and turning your back on so-called compassionate conservatism.
LIZ TRUSS, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Well, I don't really accept the premise of the question at all. The U.K. has one of the lowest levels of debt in the G7. But we have one of the highest levels of taxes. Currently, we have a 70-year high in our tax rates.
What I'm determined to do as prime minister and what the chancellors are determined to do, is make sure that we are incentivizing businesses to invest. And we're also helping ordinary people with their taxes.
And that's why I don't feel it's right to have higher national insurance and higher corporation tax, because that will make it harder for us to attract the investments we need in the U.K. It'll be harder to generate those new jobs.
And, you know, I want the U.S. economy to be successful, as well. I want the European economy to be successful, as well. I want freedom- loving democracies to succeed.
And one of the things that we are doing here in the U.K. is moving forward on our infrastructure programs, road building, broadband, mobile telephones. And I know that is what the administration in the U.S. is doing, as well.
But, of course, we all need to decide what the tax rates are in our own country. But my view is, we absolutely need to be incentivizing growth at what is a very, very difficult time for the global economy.
And we have also put in place a package of measures to support consumers with energy prices, to make sure that nobody is having to pay more than 2,500 pounds on their bills, which is very important, as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: Just ahead here on CNN, how the Biden administration is
sending funding to states to help stem the opioid epidemic and what it means for local communities. Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:40:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: The Biden administration has announced a $1.5 billion plan to help fight the opioid crisis. More than 107,000 people lost their lives to drug overdoses in the U.S. last year, a nearly 15 percent increase from the year before.
The new funding will help states boost access for treatment programs and also targets barriers to public health interventions, like naloxone, which can quickly reverse the effects of an overdose.
And a rise of overdoses in Los Angeles schools is prompting the district to take action, making naloxone to the entire school system. Natasha Chen has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Naloxone will be distributed to all the high schools in the L.A. Unified School District within the next two weeks and will be distributed to all other K-12 schools in the district later on as supplies come in.
This comes after a 15-year-old student died and another student was hospitalized, having overdosed in a high school bathroom earlier this month. There are currently enough doses for all high schools in the district. And it is being provided for free by the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
District staff, like nurses, wellness center providers and volunteers are already trained to administer naloxone. And the district will work on developing training and education for the school community.
The superintendent Alberto Carvalho said, quote, "We have an urgent crisis on our hands. Research shows that the availability of naloxone along with overdose education is effective at decreasing overdoses and death and will save lives."
After the death of a student this month, L.A. Unified is also implementing a safety task force, peer to peer counseling and educational programming to help inform the school community -- back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Dr. Brian Hurley is the president-elect of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and joins me now from Los Angeles. Thanks so much for being here with us.
And so when people hear about the plan to hand out an overdose reversal drug to public schools, all the way down to elementary, I mean, the first reaction I hear is elementary school, isn't that way too young?
How extensive is the problem among kids, even at that age?
DR. BRIAN HURLEY, PRESIDENT-ELECT, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ADDICTION MEDICINE: So the problem is extensive across all sectors in the United States, including all ages. Elementary school students are affected less frequently than older students.
But really no age group has been spared. The United States is in the worst overdose crisis in our history.
BRUNHUBER: I mean, it is a very broad problem.
But do you have any idea what is contributing to these numbers among children and youth?
Like for instance we've heard about rainbow fentanyl, these pills in bright colors that the DEA says drug traffickers are deliberately using to target young people.
HURLEY: So it is not that more young people are using; it is the drugs young people are using are a lot more potent and a lot more toxic.
So you're right; with rainbow fentanyl and other high-potency fentanyls that find their way into the drug supply, people that might have thought that they were taking a narcotic pain pill or anxiety relieving medication, it turns out it has fentanyl in it. And when you are not tolerant, as most youth aren't, fentanyl can be fatal.
BRUNHUBER: So that is why these overdose drugs are so important. But the people who oppose the distribution of naloxone in schools and other drug addiction abuse measures for young people, they argue you are just enabling kids, making it easier do drugs.
And there was another California school board that tried to get a naloxone program going there. But the school board said there was no drug epidemic in high school.
So what do you say to the parents who say these measures will either contribute to the problem or they deny there is a problem in the first place?
HURLEY: Well, we know overdoses are only going up and that there is no community at this point that is unaffected. While I would hope that no high schooler, junior high schooler or elementary school student ever overdoses, I can't ignore the reality that exposure, whether intentional or accidental, to fentanyl is a possibility. And distributing naloxone, I'm of the opinion that every household in
the U.S. should have access to naloxone and other common sense overdose reversal agents, because you never know when you might be affected by an overdose.
[04:45:00]
HURLEY: And not necessarily you but people in your family, in your community. And there is no evidence that distributing naloxone to anybody causes them to use drugs (ph).
BRUNHUBER: As you said, what's going on in Los Angeles and California, it is a symptom of a larger problem across the country basically. More than 100,000 drug overdose deaths over the last 12 months, that is obviously a huge toll in terms of the loss of life and the effect on families. But put it in context for us.
How bad is that historically?
And what is leading to the seriousness of this problem?
HURLEY: Well, overdoses are affecting Americans and, by extension, Californians and Los Angelinos, more than any other time in American history. Overdose is a bigger threat to public health now than at any point in history.
So just to be clear, it is as bad today as it has ever been. We're now amassing over hundreds of thousands of deaths a year across the United States, deaths every day in my community here in Los Angeles.
So I would say that it has already reached crisis proportions and that every person should be aware of how to use naloxone, how to prevent overdose fatalities, understand the risk of fentanyl in the drug supply and support people accessing treatment when they're ready.
BRUNHUBER: To help with that, yesterday, the White House announced some $1.5 billion to help communities fight substance abuse.
So where does that money need to go in order to do the most good?
HURLEY: So the money goes to the states. And the states assist with distribution. In the state of California, a lot of the funding goes to pay for naloxone or Narcan. But that is not all that is needed.
It is not one thing. It is not just naloxone or not just treatment, it is not just prevention, it is all of the strategies together that we'll need to bring to bear to address this crisis.
BRUNHUBER: It is such a huge crisis and great to get your perspective on how we can help. Dr. Brian Hurley, thank you so much for your time.
HURLEY: Thanks for having me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: For those watching here in the U.S., please remember that, if you or a loved one needs help with substance abuse, the National Helpline is always available. Just call 1-800-662-HELP. It is free and confidential.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: He came to sing at the White House but President Biden wasn't about to let legendary British singer Sir Elton John leave without special recognition. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Tonight it is my great honor, and I mean it sincerely, to present the National Humanities Medal to Sir Elton John.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Biden said he awarded the National Humanities Medal for, quote, "moving our souls with his powerful voice, one of the defining songbooks of all time," and the singer said he was humbled. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIR ELTON JOHN, SINGER-SONGWRITER: America's kindness to me as a musician is second to none. But in the war against AIDS and HIV, it is even bigger. And I can't thank you enough. I'm really -- I'm really emotional about this. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: There's a new image of the new British monarch at work. On Friday, Buckingham Palace released a photo of King Charles, taken last week by Britain's press association. He's pictured with the king's red box, which contains papers from British government ministers, Commonwealth representatives and others.
And in the background, you can see there a picture of his parents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, given to the couple by the late king's father, King George VI.
(SPORTS)
BRUNHUBER: Weather systems forming in the Atlantic and Caribbean could cause another delay of the Artemis I rocket. Officials won't make a final decision until sometime later today.
Friday, the U.S. Space Force said it expects clouds and scattered showers during the launch window. Two earlier attempts were scrubbed due to a liquid hydrogen leak.
The U.S. Space Force was established less than three years ago to focus solely on dominating the final frontier. But as Jeanne Moos reports, its new service song isn't likely to dominate any musical charts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Space Force had already launched its own insignia, its own uniforms; now, it's got its own song.
SINGERS: We're the mighty watchful eye ...
MOOS (voice-over): There were a lot more watchful eyes on the internet.
"May the cringe be with you."
SINGERS: -- the invisible front line ...
MOOS (voice-over): "New York Magazine" snarked, "Let's hope the aliens aren't music critics."
A military audience applauded...
[04:55:00]
MOOS (voice-over): -- while a late night audience laughed.
"I thought it was 100 percent satire and hilarious."
JAMES CORDEN, "THE LATE LATE SHOW" HOST: Are we being punked?
MOOS (voice-over): Posters took the liberty of adding --
SINGERS: Boldly reaching into space.
MOOS (voice-over): More interesting visuals.
SINGERS: We're the mighty watchful eye.
MOOS (voice-over): Even Steve Carell, who starred in the canceled Netflix series ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Space Force, which Mark will run.
STEVE CARELL, ACTOR: What?
MOOS (voice-over): -- ended up having the words to the song he sang changed and new words put in his mouth.
SINGERS: Warfighters brave and true.
MOOS (voice-over): Even military.com declared it's not a banger.
Air Force Chief of Staff General C.Q. Brown told the website, "I'm sure it will grow on us."
This military podcaster was moved to grunt along to it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mmm, mmm, mmm.
MOOS (voice-over): Many complained that instead of sounding futuristic --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounds like it's from the 1910s.
MOOS (voice-over): -- some even noted a vintage vibe reminiscent of the "Mighty Mouse" theme.
(VIDEO CLIP, "MIGHTY MOUSE")
MOOS (voice-over): That means the mighty Space Force.
SINGERS: ... is on the way.
MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN --
SINGERS: We're the Space Force from on high.
MOOS (voice-over): -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: I don't know, I find it a little catchy.
That wraps this hour. I'll be back in a moment with more news. Please do stay with us.
