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Over 100 Dead At Football Match; Florida Struggles To Recover After Hurricane Ian; Hurricane Orlene Strengthens, Approaching Mexico; Russia Retreats After Claimed Annexation; Brazil Elections; Human Rights Groups Accuse Iranian Government Of Excessive Force With Protesters. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired October 02, 2022 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and 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, chaos in Indonesia; disappointed soccer fans stormed the pitch and police fired tear gas into the crowd. We will have details in a live report.
Washington, D.C., is just one of the cities around the world where people are showing their support for anti-government protests in Iran.
And on the heels of hurricane Ian, another massive storm is gaining strength and moving closer to Mexico's Pacific coast, with several tourist destinations in its path. We have the latest from the CNN Weather Center just ahead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We start with a developing story we're following out of Indonesia. Police say at least 130 people are dead after chaos and violence erupted at a soccer match between two of the country's biggest teams.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): You can see in this video the clashes between fans and security forces. Authorities say a deadly stampede occurred after police fired tear gas into the crowd. Nearly 200 people were injured as well. Many were transported to nearby hospitals suffering from lack of oxygen and shortness of death.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's senior international correspondent Will Ripley is following this story from Taipei for us. Will, take us through how this tragedy happened.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the tear gas is going to be the key focal point here as they look into why this stampede occurred because, according to survivors, according to journalists who were covering this match, which was expected to be a high-risk match, this is a Saturday night in Indonesia.
Indonesia, known for passionate football fans, brawls are not uncommon after a contentious match. Yet when police decided to fire tear gas at the lower stands to stop people from rushing the pitch -- and, in a stadium setting, tear gas is not something that is even allowed by football's governing body, FIFA -- that a wind gust or some sort of movement of air pushed the tear gas into the upper stands where there were families with children.
And people started to panic. There was a mass panic because people were breathing this in. Their eyes were burning, their throats were burning and they tried to get to the exit.
When you have hundreds of people trying to rush toward one exit as quickly as possible, you end up with people being suffocated as you just described. You end up with people who are trampled. There were dozens of people, several dozen who are believed to have been killed almost instantly in this.
Then the others that were loaded into ambulances and cars and raced to area hospitals with various injuries, a lot of those people died even before they arrived at the hospital or died shortly after arrival.
So the number, of at least 130 right now, is expected to go up. It's just horrific to imagine; as bad as these images looked, that they were shot from a distance, imagine if you were caught up there in the middle of that with your kids or with somebody who you love. And then you tried to get to a safer place because you couldn't breathe.
Obviously you have, you know, Indonesian authorities vowing to look into this. The Indonesian president Joko Widodo said that there will be a thorough investigation both into how the football match was held, whether it was perhaps sold in an overcapacity type of scenario -- because apparently according to Indonesia's chief security minister there were 42,000 tickets sold.
The stadium should have only been holding around 38,000 safely. Also, you know, the president of Indonesia saying this is a human tragedy and he doesn't want to let another one happen in the future. So they have a lot of soul searching to do here.
This is now the deadliest football disaster in Indonesian history and the world's second deadliest stadium disaster. The last time we saw anything close to this scale was Peru, almost 60 years ago in Lima, Peru.
Clearly, Kim, a lot of questions being asked, a lot of people who are asking to grapple with the reality that their loved ones, who went to a football match, which is supposed to be fun and exciting, they never came home.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely tragic. Will Ripley, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
As Will mentioned there, sadly, this isn't the first time that incidents at soccer matches have led to tragic loss of life.
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BRUNHUBER: In April 1989, the FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, overcrowding at the stadium in Sheffield, England, led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool supporters following a crush.
And 21 years ago in Ghana around 126 people were killed in a soccer stadium stampede when police fired tear gas at rioting fans. It was one of Africa's worst soccer disasters.
And then in the 1960s, as Will mentioned, more than 300 fans in Lima, Peru, lost their lives during an Olympic qualifying match between Peru and Argentina. We will continue to monitor the tragedy in Indonesia and will give you updates as soon as we learn more.
In Florida, at least 66 deaths have been reported from hurricane Ian four days after the storm demolished parts of the state. Emergency crews have been going to the worst hit areas, trying to find survivors. And so far they've rescued more than 1,000 people.
In the hours ahead, they plan to evacuate more residents from an island that was hit hard by the storm. To date, they have managed to bring back power to 65 percent of customers that were affected.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a herculean effort that we have ahead of us to get folks up and running. But I can assure you that we are committed as a company to make sure that everybody gets their lights back on as quickly as possible.
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BRUNHUBER: About 800,000 customers are still without power and many remain displaced with little relief in sight.
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RICKEY ANDERSON, SANIBEL ISLAND RESIDENT: Can we get some help down here?
You know, would that be too much to ask?
I mean, look around here, there's nothing. We have no power, no phone service, nothing.
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BRUNHUBER: President Biden says he will visit Florida on Wednesday to offer more support and he will also travel to Puerto Rico.
CNN's Nadia Romero reports how Western Florida is responding to the disaster.
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NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Days after hurricane Ian still dealing with the aftermath, here in Arcadia, Florida. So you would likely be able to take this -- this is Highway 70 right now, a highway that is flooded by the Peace River.
This is the highway you would take through town, you can wrap around, go to Palm Beach, go to Ft. Myers. Not anymore, not unless you have a boat. Still, the locals tell me that this river is about four times as high as it normally is.
So you have to have a boat. And there is an airboat coming right now. They've been out helping people get through, get to the other side, to dry land.
They have been also transporting medical supplies, water and MREs, food and other things that people may need. You can also see out in the water, those are RVs, that were once at the Peace River campground, that hurricane Ian just picked up and swept away.
So now people are blocked off from the other side of their town. And they don't have the resources that they need. They are telling me that they are split in half. Their job may be over there, all the shops are over there, even family members. Take a listen.
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MAC MARTIN, ARCADIA RESIDENT: Everything is across the river. The only store on this side of the river is underwater right over here right now. You can't get to it.
JOAN GODWIN, ARCADIA RESIDENT: Everything I own is over there. My whole life is over there. All my vehicles are over there. My truck is the only thing that's over here, and I've got a dozen cars over there.
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ROMERO: So many people saw damage to their vehicles and their homes, during hurricane Ian and they don't have the means to really get the necessities. Many of them have been without power for three days now.
That is why you're seeing distribution sites like this one popping up and expanding. This is put together by the county emergency management office, by the Salvation Army, by the Florida National Guard.
Cases of water -- not just water but also boxes of MREs, so that people can feed themselves, as they try to figure out how to survive now that the storm has passed.
But the big question, what happens to this, to Highway 70, once the Peace River starts to go back down to normal levels? County emergency management officials say they are concerned about the infrastructure. But they haven't had time to assess the damage because, first things first, they are more concerned about the safety and well-being of people in this area -- Nadia Romero, CNN, Arcadia, Florida.
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BRUNHUBER: An organization called Caring for Others is one of many agencies offering help to Florida. Its founder says she has arranged a minimum of five supply trucks to carry hurricane relief to the state.
With me to discuss this is the founder herself, Eslene Richmond- Shockley, here in Atlanta.
Thanks so much for joining us. First of all, where are the trucks and what are they bringing?
ESLENE RICHMOND-SHOCKLEY, FOUNDER AND CEO, CARING FOR OTHERS: Well, thank you for having me this morning. The trucks are going to be on our property at Browns Mill Road here in Atlanta.
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RICHMOND-SHOCKLEY: We are going to be collecting more items tomorrow and loading up those trucks. We are waiting for a clear from Florida to take those products in.
BRUNHUBER: So you mean coordinating with the authorities there to authorize that, is that right?
RICHMOND-SHOCKLEY: Yes. All of our partners like --
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BRUNHUBER: Because -- yes, I was wondering how you coordinate with so many, you know, local, state, federal authorities, volunteers such as yourself.
How do you sort of coordinate and make sure you're getting to the right area to do the most good for the most people?
RICHMOND-SHOCKLEY: Well, we have a group of organizations that we work with such as NOBLE, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, who are working closely with some of their partners in Florida to give us all of the information that we need as well as the Georgia Motor Association -- Trucking Association; I'm sorry.
And they are all working together with us so that we could make this voyage a very good one. It's very moving and we are all concerned that we want to make sure, as we go there, we get to the right people to give them the things that they need. BRUNHUBER: As we're seeing the pictures of some of the damage there,
I mean, many of the roads, they're still flooded; some of them are impassable. There's no electricity or cell service still in some areas.
Do you think the trucks will face many obstacles in actually getting the help there?
RICHMOND-SHOCKLEY: Well, yes, that is the reason that we have not left as yet. As of yesterday, we were told that a part of I-75 was closed. We want to make sure that we have safe passage going -- remember, these are volunteers, who are volunteering their time to take these products in.
We want to make sure that everything is safe and clear so that we could do the best we could do for those who have been impacted by this storm.
BRUNHUBER: This isn't the first storm in which you've helped.
What have you learned from other voyages like this that are helping you now?
RICHMOND-SHOCKLEY: Well, to me, this is the largest one I am going to put my finger on. But what I've learned is to be patient, not to rush, take my time and assess everything properly and make sure that we are doing what is right.
And what is right is to be sure that we have clear passage, that we are able to meet the people who have been impacted and we could make a difference.
BRUNHUBER: One of the things that struck me aside from the devastation is just the way it's heartwarming that the community is coming together, whether it's people helping each other to do rescues or, like yourselves, to bring goods to people. I mean, it really, in situations like this, you see the best of humanity.
RICHMOND-SHOCKLEY: I am overwhelmed at this moment. I did not think that people would have come out so much to give or contribute to this effort.
And we have been mobilizing since July, always mobilize to have our warehouse ready just in case of a hurricane. However, the minute I said we are going to go, everything -- people are coming from near and far-- phone calls, email. And I am so grateful to everyone for their support.
BRUNHUBER: And people can still help your organization, Caring for Others, if they want to help donate?
RICHMOND-SHOCKLEY: Yes, you can go to our website, it's caring4others.org. And you can donate there as well as bring products to our location, which is 3537 Browns Mill Road, Atlanta, Georgia, 30354. BRUNHUBER: Listen, it's just great to hear people like yourself
stepping in, in these situations where people really need the help. All the best and be safe to all the people who are going down to help. Really appreciate you doing this. Eslene Richmond-Shockley, thanks so much.
RICHMOND-SHOCKLEY: Thank you so much for having me.
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BRUNHUBER: And if you would like to help those affected by hurricane Ian, please go to cnn.com/impact and you can find several other vetted aid and relief organizations that you can contribute to there.
And as communities in Florida and the Carolinas take stock of the devastation from Ian, another major storm is gaining strength off Mexico's West coast.
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BRUNHUBER: Russia's so-called annexation in Ukraine is followed by retreat on the battlefield. Still ahead, Ukraine captures an important city a day after Moscow claimed the region as part of its homeland.
And nearly two months since the FBI raided former president Donald Trump's home, the National Archives says it's still missing records from his presidency. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Russia's proclamation that it's annexed parts of Ukraine faces a reality check on the ground. The case in point, this development in the city of Lyman. Have a look.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): So what you are seeing there, this video shows Ukrainian soldiers tossing Russian and separatist flags from the city council building on Saturday. That's after Russian troops pulled out of the strategic city to avoid being encircled.
Lyman was a major logistical hub for Russian troops in the east and can now serve as a springboard for more Ukrainian advances in the region. President Zelenskyy says Russia is losing the fight and not only on the battlefield. Here he is.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The Ukrainian flag is already in Lyman, Donetsk region. Fighting is still going on there but there is no trace of any pseudo referendum there.
Russia is losing the fight for the international community. The world will not allow a return to the times of colonial conquest, criminal annexation and total arbitrariness instead of international law.
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BRUNHUBER: Nick Paton Walsh in Kramatorsk about 40 kilometers from Lyman. He has the latest.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: The front lines still processing the extraordinary events of yesterday, the Russian withdrawal from Lyman after Ukraine encircled it.
Russia's military of defense saying they pulled troops out to try to prevent them being captured or surrounded. But it's not clear how successful that was and how many Russian prisoners Ukrainian forces have taken and, in the intense fighting, how many of the Russian forces there died.
It is, though, a remarkable withdrawal for Russia, a matter of hours after, in a ceremony of great pomp and bombast in Moscow, in the Kremlin and in Red Square, they talked about annexing the area where I'm standing and the area where Lyman is, too, as it being part of Russia, in their false perception.
Still they see territory being lost and the strategic loss of Lyman, which was vital for the Russian retention of areas they occupy in Donetsk and Luhansk, has sparked an extraordinary amount of open bickering between Russia's very own elite.
The heads of one of Russia's internal republics, Chechnya, has gone on social media, naming and shaming the commanders behind the pullout from Lyman, saying they were distant from the front and terrifyingly suggesting Russia's response should be the use of low yield nuclear weapons.
Now he does not set policy. This is not a suggestion that this is changing the Kremlin's calculus in this war. But it certainly adds to the pressure on Vladimir Putin here. It is very rare to see people in his elite remotely criticize him, let alone openly stand up and reflect that he may not necessarily have a full grip on events along the front line here.
This morning, though, Ukrainians woke up to hear that one of their main cities, Zaporizhzhya, had been hit by four missiles. Ukrainian officials saying nobody was injured in those specific attacks.
But we are now seeing a very complicated moment, where Russia's conventional forces are simply not up to the job on the ground. Partial mobilization has yet to work, has yet to bring reinforcements to these front lines.
They are losing, they are losing significant key towns like Lyman. The impact of that is going to be felt further down Russia's positions toward the Russian border, likely in the days ahead.
There is talk of perhaps another collapse, like that which happened around Kharkiv because Lyman was so central to their supplies and to their presence in that area.
Remarkable moments, though, all of this happening with the backdrop of a nuclear threat leaving many Ukrainians deeply concerned as their progress has that sour edge to it -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kramatorsk, Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: For more, Salma Abdelaziz joins us from London.
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BRUNHUBER: We're already seeing backlash in Russia to the loss of that key city, Lyman.
Will that put additional pressure on Putin?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It seems like every day that pressure around the Kremlin, around President Putin, just ramping up.
I mean, first, of course, about a week ago, that announcement of the partial mobilization, that 300,000 reservists would be called up to fight in this war, that sent panic across the country.
You saw thousands, tens of thousands of Russians actually, trying to flee the country, putting pressure on borders in Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, buying up flights as quickly as they could.
On Friday, this illegal annexation of four parts of Ukraine, parts of Ukraine that include Lyman, that Russia has no control over at all. And then just a few hours after that, of course, the strategic loss of this town, as you heard from my colleague, Nick Paton Walsh there, a place that was essentially being used as a logistical hub for Russian forces on the eastern front.
It was a forward-operating base and Russia admitting it had to withdraw because it was concerned that thousands of Moscow's troops could be encircled by Ukrainian forces. So yet again, Russian losses on the ground, that have continued for weeks.
At the same time you have a President Putin who is either in denial or so desperate to appear he is winning, he's creating an alternate reality, that annexation of land, that continuation of calling what is clearly a war a special military operation. And cracks are beginning to appear in the system because of that. Right?
So you are looking at some of his closest allies. I will bring up, of course, that threat from the head of the Chechen republic in Russia, who said on social media, openly criticizing Russia's generals, openly claiming that they had made strategic mistakes and saying that low yield nuclear weapons could and should be used, if it would give Russia that strategic win.
Important to note here, of course, that intelligence officials, observers say there is no sign that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. But this isn't the first time we have heard this threat. We heard it from Putin himself, who said if Russia's territorial integrity is threatened, he is willing to use those weapons.
It is not a bluff. So a real turning point in the conflict where Russia is on the back foot.
And the question is, just how desperate is President Putin for this win?
Just how far is he willing to go?
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that is the question. Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
A crucial presidential election gets underway soon in Brazil with the latest poll suggesting the current right-wing leader could be headed for defeat. A preview of what to expect just ahead. Stay with us.
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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 National Archives says certain documents from Donald Trump's presidency are still missing from the agency's records. Meanwhile, the former president was in Michigan on Saturday for one of his rallies. He raised the subject of the FBI's search of his home in Florida in August. Here he is.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Dozens and dozens of armed FBI agents, also violating the Presidential Records Act and so much more, they violated -- it's very simple -- reads very simply, the Presidential Records Act.
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JEREMY HERB, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The National Archives told Congress in a letter released Saturday they still don't have all presidential records from the Trump administration.
They sent the letter to House Oversight chair Carolyn Maloney. Acting archivist Debra Steidel Wall wrote that the agency had been unable to collect all records because former White House officials used personal email to conduct official business and did not turn those emails over.
Under the Presidential Records Act, senior White House aides are required to forward emails from their personal accounts related to official business.
Steidel Wall wrote, "While there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should."
She added that the Archives has, quote, "been able to obtain such records from a number of former officials and will continue to pursue the return of similar types of presidential records from former officials."
The letter specifically cited Peter Navarro, the former White House trade adviser. The Justice Department filed suit against Navarro earlier this year to try to force him to turn over emails they say he wrongfully kept from his personal account related to work on the COVID-19 response.
The update to Congress comes as DOJ continues its investigation into the classified documents former president Donald Trump took to his Mar-a-Lago resort, which began after the Archives discovered that classified material earlier this year.
Maloney also asked the Archives last month about the status of Trump's records and urged the agency to seek a certification from the former president that he had turned over all government documents in his possession.
The Archives, however, declined to address that issue in its letter, referring all questions about Trump's documents back to the Justice Department in light of the ongoing investigation -- Jeremy Herb, CNN, New York.
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BRUNHUBER: Monday marks the beginning of the new term for the U.S. Supreme Court. It's the last term ending with a stunning landmark decision to strike down nearly 50 years of abortion rights.
In a ceremony dating back to the 1950s, the nine justices will attend today's annual red mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington to mark the start of the new term.
The makeup of the high court has changed significantly in recent years, with conservative justices now a solid majority. This is the first time in the court's history that women fill four of the nine positions, including its first Black female justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. In just about 90 minutes, Brazilians will begin voting in one of the
most important presidential elections in years. On Saturday, Jair Bolsonaro confidently predicted he will easily win reelection with 60 percent of the vote.
But that may be difficult to do. Recent polls show he's trailing the front-runner, former left wing president Lula, by double digits. Shasta Darlington has a preview of what to expect.
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SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brazil on the cusp of a crucial presidential election that will define the nation's political future for the years ahead.
On October 2nd, a contest where the two leading contenders are the incumbent president, right wing Jair Bolsonaro and left wing candidate and former president Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva.
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DARLINGTON (voice-over): The country is facing one of its most polarizing periods.
FELIPE NUNES, CEO, QUAEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE: This polarization is not only a political polarization it's also a social division in the country as those two types of voters, they have different visions in terms of what kind of countries they want for the future.
DARLINGTON (voice-over): A future that seems uncertain as Brazil grapples with growing poverty in the wake of a devastating pandemic while also trying to balance its economy and nationwide security.
As tensions have risen, so has the violence, with many episodes of harassment and outright attacks on opposing political camps. Even pollsters have turned into targets.
NUNES: This year we are seeing effective polarization, where different political groups see each other as enemies, not as adversaries (ph).
DARLINGTON (voice-over): In some cases, the attacks have been deadly, like when a Bolsonaro supporter burst into a birthday party and shot a Lula supporter. Indeed, critics accuse Bolsonaro of deliberately fostering distrust and frustration toward both the electoral system and opponents.
As anger and frustration escalate, voters are faced with a tough decision between two polarizing figures with high rejection rates. Although Lula da Silva was jailed in 2018 as part of a massive corruption scandal, his convictions were later annulled.
Now he's giving Bolsonaro a run for his money, with speculation growing that he might even win more than 50 percent of the vote and avoid a second round of voting. INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through
translator): We are one step away from victory on October the 2nd. One little bit is missing, just one little bit. In these few days left, we must work to win the vote for all of those who love democracy.
DARLINGTON (voice-over): The far right candidate, on the other hand, is attacking democratic institutions and questioning the validity of the electronic voting system.
JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I have never seen such a big sea here, with these green and yellow colors. Here, there is no lying, Datafolha. Here is our data people.
DARLINGTON (voice-over): While attempts to discredit polling firms are not new in Brazil, this year has certainly seen a more aggressive approach.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This year we've seen some violence, much more harassment on to the street researchers.
DARLINGTON (voice-over): Four in 10 Brazilians believe there is a high chance of political violence on Election Day.
And although voting is compulsory in Brazil, 9 percent say they may not vote at all for fear of violence, which means voter turnout will be crucial at this historic juncture, which could see Brazil's leadership double down on Bolsonaro's agenda or take a left turn under Lula -- Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.
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BRUNHUBER: Britain's new prime minister says she stands by her government's controversial mini budget. But speaking to the BBC, Liz Truss admitted she should have laid the ground better for the proposal.
After the disastrous rollout, she must now face unhappy party members as the Tories hold their annual conference in Birmingham.
The plan, proposed last month to cut taxes and increase borrowing, sent shock waves through the financial markets. The British pound crashed to its lowest levels since the 1980s. And on Friday, the S&P credit rating agency downgraded the U.K.'s economic outlook from stable to negative.
For many people in the U.K., inflation is outpacing their incomes. Conservatives fear they could lose their majority in Parliament if the situation doesn't improve before the next elections.
Seven Americans detained in Venezuela for years have been released in a prisoner swap. They include the five remaining executives of the group called the CITGO 6.
President Biden announced their return on Saturday, saying they had been wrongfully detained and would soon be with their loved ones. In exchange, the Biden administration released two nephews of the Venezuelan first lady, Cilia Flores.
They had been sentenced in the U.S. to 18 years in prison on drug smuggling charges in 2017.
Protests over the death of a young Iranian woman entered a third week. Supporters around the world take to the streets to show their solidarity. We will have that story in just a few moments. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Demonstrators in cities around the world are showing solidarity with protesters in Iran, who are defying a brutal government crackdown for a third week a row.
The protests began when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being detained by morality police for not abiding by the state's rules for covering her hair with a hijab. Iran is denouncing the protests as a foreign plot to destabilize the government.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): People like this woman in Madrid have been cutting their own hair to show solidarity with Amini and the protesters in Iran.
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BRUNHUBER: And some Iranian soccer stars past and present are also voicing their support for the protesters. Don Riddell has that story.
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DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the World Cup kicks off in Qatar in November it will be historic for the region, the first ever World Cup tournament in the Middle East.
Teams will fly in from all over the planet. But for Iran it will almost feel like a series of home games. Only the narrow Persian Gulf separates the two countries. But the international scrutiny of their players could prove to be an uncomfortable experience.
In the fortnight since the death of Mahsa Amini, who died after being in the custody of Iran's morality police, deadly protests have spread to more than 40 cities. It is a volatile situation, which is highlighting the Iranian government's violent crackdown, a response which has been condemned by many foreign governments, including the United States.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Iran needs to end its use of violence against women for exercising what should be a fundamental freedom.
RIDDELL (voice-over): At the World Cup in Qatar, Iran will play the United States and also England and Wales. Their squad of 26 players will be the highest profile ambassadors for the country at a time of deep political unrest at home.
Iran's forward player, Sardar Azmoun, has publicly voiced support for the protesters. And when he scored the equalizer in their recent game against the African champion Senegal, he notably didn't celebrate.
Before the game, he had written on Instagram, quote, "Because of national team regulations, we couldn't say anything until now, until the training was finished.
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RIDDELL (voice-over): "But I couldn't stand it anymore. Bottom line is I risk being eliminated from the national team. That is worth sacrificing for one strand of Iranian women's hair. Shame on you who kill people so easily. Long live Iranian women."
The Iranian handball player, Sajjad Estek; the women's rugby captain, Fereshta Sirini (ph), the fencer, Mojtaba Abedini Shourmasti and Mahsa Sadeghi, who competes in tae kwon do, have all quit their national teams in protest.
Meanwhile, the United Navid (ph) campaign, a group made up solely of current and former Iranian athletes, has stepped up its pressure on the government. They have officially asked FIFA to suspend Iran from the World Cup tournament. They believe that the squad is split between pro-regime players and others who would welcome a ban.
SARDAR PASHAEI, IRANIAN WRESTLER: Many people do not consider this team as their national teams. They consider it as the Islamic Republic team because they believe it represents the government, not the people. So a lot of athletes think the same.
RIDDELL (voice-over): Several national football team players have changed their social media avatars to a plain black background. Others have switched to the country's geographical outline, also in black.
But some older players are even more outspoken. The former captain, Ali Karimi, who boasts a following of almost 13 million on Instagram, has shared video of the protesters and encouraged Iranians to take to the streets.
The authorities have condemned him, calling for his arrest. He's been accused of fomenting sedition and whipping up the rioters. He resides in Dubai. But, according to Iranian media, his home in Iran appears to have been seized by the government.
It is a time of deep uncertainty in Iran. But just like the protesters, many of the athletes, led by Ali Karima, are not backing down -- Don Riddell, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. State Department says it's deeply gratified that Iran has lifted its travel ban on an American citizen seen here on the right. The U.S. says he was wrongfully held in Iran for more than six years and held as a political pawn.
The State Department is also expressing gratitude that his son has been granted a humanitarian furlough to accompany his father, who needs medical treatment abroad. He has been detained in Iran since 2015.
The U.S. says it remains committed and determined to secure the freedom of all Americans unjustly detained in Iran and elsewhere.
Growing controversy in the National Football League after the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins is allowed back in a game. The move may have violated the league's concussion protocol. Details straight ahead. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: It was a scary moment at Thursday's NFL game. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was carted off the field after suffering an apparent head injury. Tua suffered a similar injury just four days earlier.
Now there are questions about why he was cleared to play and the neurotrauma consultant who has cleared him has been fired. CNN's Sanjay Gupta has the latest.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When you watch that video from Thursday night, it's -- I mean, it's concerning. Anyone can see Tua sort of being thrown to the ground, almost a whiplash-like effect on his head and his cervical spine, his neck.
One of the things that's concerning there is what happens after he's actually thrown to the ground. You see this sort of flexion of his arms and sort of the extension of the fingers. That can be indicative of a spinal cord or brain injury, specifically the fibers that go from the brain to the spinal cord.
They can sometimes be injured as a result of that. I should point out that we were told he recovered. He was actually able to fly home. But sometimes if those fibers are injured, that's something that obviously has to be watched and potentially managed longer term. That's a concern. It's called the fencing response. And you can see
the images there. That's what it looks like and is something that neurosurgeons and neurologists certainly pay attention to if there is a concern about a head or spine injury.
This came four days after what looked like another injury on Sunday night. He was thrown to the ground again and, a short time later, seems to have difficulty just walking. If that difficulty walking was due to the fact that he had just hit his head, obviously another concern.
There's a few things in the protocols that basically will not allow a player to return to the field. One is someone loses consciousness, there's amnesia, there's confusion. But also the second one on that list, gross motor instability.
That's something that the NFL is going to have to investigate. And I talked to the chief medical officer from the NFL about this. Here is what he said.
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DR. ALLEN SILLS, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, NFL: I'm concerned about that injury and also all of these injuries that we have. And, Sanjay, make no mistake about it. We will get this right.
We will get this right in the sense of going back and reviewing very carefully all of the steps that led to the sequence of events that you described.
We'll also take a critical look at our own protocols and these definitions and the points that you mentioned. And we'll be very transparent about the outcome of that.
I think that you've seen us do that over the past several years. We're very intentional about the fact that we want to have the best in class care for our athletes. We want to always make the best diagnosis, to get it right, to give the best care for patients and to keep them safe. And that will be no different in this situation moving forward.
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GUPTA: Now there is an active investigation going on. We will hear the results of that investigation. We will tell you about it when we hear it. One of the things that is likely to come up is the concern about second-impact syndrome, meaning a player has an impact to the head. And before they're fully recovered they have another impact to the head.
That second impact can be exponentially worse if it happens before someone is fully recovered.
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BRUNHUBER: We just want to note, after he was released from the hospital, Tua Tagovailoa thanked fans for their support.
On Twitter he wrote in part, "It was difficult to not be able to finish the game but I am grateful for the support and care I've received. I'm feeling much better."
No word yet on when he will be returning to the field.
Before we go, Tesla is unveiling a new product but it doesn't drive; it walks. Have a look at this.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Optimus, the humanoid robot, stepped stiffly on stage and waved to the crowd. It's part of Tesla's AI day for artificial intelligence, obviously. The Tesla founder Elon Musk seemed proud that the mechanical human walked without a safety tether for the first time.
But Tesla is a little late to the robotic party. Boston Dynamics released numerous videos of its much more agile robots, doing dance flips and dancing to music back in 2021. But Musk says his robot, unlike others, will be able to navigate independently.
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BRUNHUBER: That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America "NEW DAY" is next. For the rest of the world it's "CONNECTING AFRICA."
