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Dozens of Children Among 36 Killed at Nursery School; Concerns Grow Over Putin's Nuclear Saber-Rattling; UK May Face Power Cuts Without European Energy Imports; Uganda faces Ebola Outbreak; White House in the Dark About Kim's Motives; Source: the U.S. Lacks Intel To Predict North Korea's Action; Florida Residents Frustrated With State And Federal Response; Cuba's Famous Tobacco Growers Facing A Long Recovery. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired October 07, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us all around the world live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

Thailand mourns the lives lost in a nursery school massacre. The youngest victim is three years old. What we know about the man who went on a rampage.

Ebola outbreak. Ugandan authorities racing to contain a strain that doesn't have a vaccine.

And energy fears. The U.K. could face a three-hour power cut this winter if something isn't done. British prime minister plans to keep the lights on.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin in Thailand with the massacre of 36 people in a nursery school, including two dozen children. It has been called the deadliest attack of its kind in the country's history.

Authorities say a man armed with a knife and several guns forced his way in to the daycare center and started slashing at the children who had been sleeping. Police say most of the victims died of stabbing wounds.

Thailand's deputy prime minister was on the scene as a convoy of ambulances carried away the bodies. The youngest victim was just three years old. The oldest was 69. One survivor says she begged for mercy as the attacker came towards her. Another says the man fatally stabbed a teacher who was eight months pregnant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): Around noon, I saw him enter the gate and the staff was having lunch. I suddenly heard what sounded like firecrackers. So, I look back and the staff had laid down on the floor.

Then he pulled a gun from his waist, loaded it, and was about to point the at me. So, I called to another teacher who was holding a kid, and I didn't expect he would also kill the kids.

The teacher was hiding inside the room, but he shot at the door and kicked it open and entered. The teacher was panicked and trying to shout to others. He then pulled a knife and stabbed the knife at the kids and teachers' heads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The victims' families have been gathering outside the day care center. They are hoping to meet with the king and queen of Thailand, who are scheduled to visit the area in the day ahead.

CNN's Blake Essig is following us live this hour from Tokyo. Blake, what more can you tell us about the man responsible for this horrific attack?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, authorities have identified the attacker as a 34-year-old man who, police say, had a two-year-old stepson who was enrolled at the child care center that was attacked. Officials say that the suspect went there looking for the child who wasn't there at the time, and it was then that the attack started.

Authorities have since identified the attacker as a former police officer who is dismissed from duty, fired, and charged with a drug- related offense last year. His police chief said that the drug possession charge is a result of confessing to taking and possessing crystal meth and yaba, which means crazy medicine in Thai, and is a combination of meth and caffeine.

According to the police chief, the attacker appeared in court on that drug charge just a few hours before the massacre took place. Here's the police chief from yesterday addressing the attacker's drug problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAMRONGSAK KITTIPRAPAS, POLICE GENERAL, THAILAND NATIONAL POLICE CHIEF (through translator): We found that on the seventh, which is tomorrow, he was supposed to attend the trial. After getting out of jail, he didn't stop using drugs. So, possibly, he may have been hallucinating coupled with the stress, which caused him to commit the crime. He started at a children's day care center and continued his crime all the way to his home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ESSIG: Well, on his way home, police say that the suspect tried to kill anyone who he came into contact with using his guns, knife, and even tried to strike bystanders with the car he was driving in the process. Investigators immediately launched a manhunt for the suspect who returned home where he killed his wife and two-year-old stepson before taking his own life. In the end, at least 36 people are dead, including 24 children.

Now, earlier today, mourners dressed in black, lined up to lay white roses at the nursery where 23 out of the 24 kids inside of the nursery at the time of the attack, one of them, as you mentioned, as young as three years old, were killed.

[02:04:53]

ESSIG: And while authorities and local residents are still trying to piece together how and why this happened, new details today have emerged from a teacher who survived the massacre, who say that it could have been a whole lot worse, and that's because on a normal day, she says that there are about 70 to 80 kids at the nursery, but heavy rains along with the fact that many kids stayed home with older siblings who are on a break from school likely saved a lot of lives.

Again, these are two factors, Kim, that very well may have saved dozens of lives.

BRUNHUBER: Just tragic. All right, CNN's Blake Essig in Tokyo, thanks so much.

And joining me now for more on this from Bangkok, Pravit Rojanaphruk, columnist and senior staff writer at Khaosod English. Thank you so much for being here with us.

So, I mean, this is a very small community that has been affected by this. Tell us more about where this happened and how people there are reacting.

PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK, COLUMNIST AND SENIOR STAFF WRITER, KHAOSOD ENGLISH: Well, again, it's in Na Klang Province near the Thai- Cambodian border. So, we are talking about working-class people, farmers. You know, working-class who had sent their young children to this kindergarten. It is a child care center, but basically, the youngest victim, for example, was just three years old.

So, they are really still finding the answer, asking themselves why the young children from this school, you know, were killed. We are looking back to the now dead assailant, an ex-cop, who has been delayed from service due to his drug-related charge.

We don't know yet whether he was under the influence of the drugs at the time of the shooting or not. But what we know is that hours before the attack, he was supposed to be hearing the verdict on his drug- related charge. So, of course, a lot of stress. He went berserk. But whether he was on drugs while he was on the killings, we are not -- we don't know.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, so many answers still to find there. But looking at the broader issues here, I mean, mass shootings in Thailand, I mean, they're extremely rare. I imagine discussions are already happening about how to prevent something like this from happening again. Is that right?

ROJANAPHRUK: Indeed. Mass shooting is very rare in Thailand. The people are now talking about making the gun control law even stricter. It doesn't help though that the killer was a former police officer because if you are a police officer or a military man, it is much easier for you to have access. But again, the man has been charged with drug-related charge and it is surprising that he was in possession of firearm.

So, we are going to -- in the days and weeks ahead, one of the key issues would be how to better control people's access to arms, including those who formerly served in the police force or the military or those who are still active.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and we're having the same debates here in the U.S. Too many guns, not enough help for mental health. Is that another issue there in Thailand?

ROJANAPHRUK: Mental health is a big issue that most probably will be discussed in the days and weeks ahead. Most Thais have inclinations to visit psychiatrist or psychologist when they suffer from mental stress or mental issues. There's a huge stigma in Thailand, in this part of the world. Anyone who would be seeing a psychiatrist, they would normally or almost automatically be branded as mentally ill. So, people avoid that.

On top of that, we have very few psychiatrists. Also, it's not accessible and quite expensive for Thai people to seek psychiatric help. We don't know what level of stress -- clearly, the man was under immense stress. There was one psychiatric who made a preliminary reading, saying that the man (INAUDIBLE) and wanted to exact revenge on the society for what he believed was responsible for making him who he became.

BRUNHUBER: I want to get at how Thais are reacting to this. I mean, there must be so much shock and sadness after all of this. What happens next in terms of how the nation comes together to heal? I know that the king and queen are planning to visit. But just talk to me about just how people are handling this in the country.

[02:10:00]

ROJANAPHRUK: Well, the public health ministry has warned people to take care of their emotional well-being because it was such a shock, particularly given that the majority of those killed were just toddlers, two to three-year-old kids. So, it will be a while before the country moves on. We are still in the process of mourning and healing.

The national flag has been flown. It is being flagged half-mast as we speak. The prime minister will be in the province in the next hour, followed by the king and the queen later this evening. There will be a lot of morning meditation, prayers in the days ahead. But this is a reality that the society will have to face.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Our thoughts definitely go out to the community and to the country as well. Pravit Rojanaphruk in Bangkok, thank you so much. Russia's military has been on a losing streak in Ukraine. And because of that, concerns are growing about what President Putin might do if his back is against the wall. He recently suggested that using nuclear weapons isn't off the table.

Just a few hours ago, U.S. President Joe Biden gave Putin a stark warning. He says he thinks the Russian leader meant what he said. But he also warned Putin of consequences, saying there's no such thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon.

A senior U.S. government official told CNN that the president's comments caught other officials off guard, saying there is no obvious sign of an escalating threat.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is claiming continued progress on the battlefield, saying its forces have liberated 127 minutes of the northeast and south over the past two weeks. That includes for the first time since the war began, advancing into the Luhansk region and liberating a village there.

In the city of Zaporizhzhia, the death toll from Russia's missile strike on Thursday has grown to at least seven. Ukraine says five people are still missing and rescue efforts are still underway.

Fred Pleitgen has more on the fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Dangerous battles for Ukrainian forces as they continue to press counteroffensives against the Russian army.

This video, the authenticity of which CNN cannot independently verify, reporting to show an infantry fighting vehicle hit by an anti-tank module. The soldiers scramble and then returned fire.

But Ukrainian military officials say that they are making major headway, especially in the south of the country, in the Kherson region.

UNKNOWN (through translator): We do not name the directions, this spokeswoman says, but more than 400 square kilometers of the Kherson region have already been liberated from the occupiers.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): While the Russian military has retreated from large areas in both southern and eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin still says that it plans to achieve all of Russian President Vladimir Putin's military aims.

UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russia's defense ministry saying they've already mobilized around 200,000 men, many now undergoing basic training. But videos released on social media seemed to show major problems with the mobilization. This clip reports to show new recruits having to bed down on yoga mats for lack of beds. The narrator claiming some of the new recruits have been heavily drinking.

In rare open criticism, a Kremlin-installed official in southern Ukraine ripping into Putin's defense minister.

Yes, indeed, he says. Many say that being the minister of defense will allow the situation to happen. He simply could, as an officer, shoot himself. But, you know, the word officer is an unfamiliar word for many.

But while Russia's forces may be on the defensive, they can still wreak havoc, hitting the city of Zaporizhzhia with several missiles overnight, leveling residential buildings.

At first, I did not understand what was going on, this resident says. I covered myself with the blanket just in time. Glass splinters from the window hit me. It was as if I was in the middle of a (INAUDIBLE).

But the Ukrainians say attacks like the one in Zaporizhzhia won't stop their forces on the battlefield. Troops racing to take back as much territory as fast as they can.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And more military aid will soon be headed Ukraine's way from Europe.

[02:14:58]

BRUNHUBER: That is according to French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke at the inaugural summit of the European political community on Thursday. Leaders of 44 European countries got together to discuss the energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Macron says the military aid will include French CESAR self-propelled howitzers. Ukraine has received a number of those weapons earlier. The French leader also said Europeans are on the same page when it comes to their stance about Russian aggression. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUAL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): We have shown the unity of 44 European countries, which have clearly said, all 44, that we condemn the Russian aggression and we support Ukraine. That carries a lot of weight, and we know that Europe is divided in some respect. But on this, we are reunited.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Salma Abdelaziz is keeping an eye on developments in Ukraine. She joins us now from London. So, Salma, these new group of European states is meeting. Plenty to talk about there But Ukraine and energy, obviously, the big priorities here.

SALMA ABDELAZIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, and those meetings will continue in Prague today. Of course, French President Emmanuel Macron, who originally proposed this idea of this new club of nations, touting it as a success, as you heard there, yet again showing that unity and strength many months into this conflict after an eighth round of sanctions was passed this week.

And even as European leaders are feeling that blowback, feeling the consequences of those sanctions, they very much want to say we are steadfast, we remained resolute, we stand alongside Ukraine.

But, of course, there are very practical implications here, Kim, as you mentioned, oil and gas. Now, dependence on Russian oil varies widely across the bloc, but some parts of Europe had -- more than 40% of their gas dependency was put on Russia prior to this conflict.

Now, the major pipeline, Nord Stream 2, that provides much of that gas to the continent, that has been cut, of course, for many weeks. So, there's no way to get that gas. But European leaders are scrambling to prepare for the winter. Take a listen to British Prime Minister Liz Truss said about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we are clear about is that we do have a good supply of energy in the U.K. We are in a much better position than many other countries. But, of course, there's always more we can do, and that's why I'm here working with our partners, making sure that we do have a secure energy supply into the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, that new round of sanctions announced by European leaders just a few days ago, we are expecting to hear more about that because that includes price cuts. So, the E.U. Commission today should be releasing a sort of roadmap to help European leaders with the cost, the rising cost, of course, of oil and gas heading into the winter.

So, a moment in which to show strength and unity, of course, again, but also to prepare for potential consequences of Russia cutting off. And if you look at a split screen, rather, Kim, today, what you're going to see is a very different picture from Russia.

Today, President Putin will be celebrating his 70th birthday. He's expected to attend events in St. Petersburg, but I think he will look more isolated than ever before. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much, Salma Abdelaziz, in London. Appreciate that.

President Biden has taken his first major steps towards decriminalizing marijuana. Thursday, Biden announced he would pardon thousands of people convicted federally of marijuana possession. Biden also ordered a review of the scheduling of marijuana. That could lead to potentially easing a federal classification that puts marijuana in the same category as heroin and LSD. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. It's already legal in many states. And criminal records from marijuana possession have led to needless barriers to employment, to housing, and education opportunities. And that's before you address the racial disparities around who suffers the consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The pardons come just weeks before the voters head to the poll in the midterm elections. As part of the announcement, Biden also encouraged governors to take similar steps in their states.

United States announced enhanced screenings for travelers from Uganda, as the African country's Ebola outbreak worsens. We got the latest straight ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: For weeks now, wave of unrest has been gripping Iran. These images show anti-government demonstrators torturing a mosque in the southern region of the country.

On Thursday, the U.S. announced new sanctions against the Iranian regime for its violent crackdown on protesters and for blocking out the internet in the hopes of quashing dissent. Iran's communications minister is one of seven senior officials targeted, along with the interior minister who oversees security forces.

Uganda's Ebola outbreak is causing global concern with the U.S. announcing enhanced screening for inbound airline passengers traveling from the country. Forty-four cases have been confirmed in Uganda, including 10 health care workers.

CNN's Larry Madowo reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even the dead are at risk. Every departure, a potential new case as Ebola continues to spread through Uganda.

LT. COL. DR. KYOBE HENRY BBOSA, INCIDENT MANAGER, UGANDAN HEALTH MINISTRY: The epidemic appears to have started around the beginning of September when people started dying in the small village in the (INAUDIBLE).

MADOWO (voice-over): The outbreak only declared much later, on September 20th, after a diagnosis in the central Uganda district of Mubende. Two weeks later, it spread significantly. Yet experts fear that there may be dozens of underreported cases.

BBOSA: This is a rapidly evolving picture, very complex.

MADOWO (voice-over): Uganda is no stranger to Ebola. The last outbreak hit the country in 2019 and only ended a year later as the world was waking up to COVID-19. Experience with the disease, partly why the government has been downplaying it.

YOWERI MUSEVENI, UGANDAN PRESIDENT: I want to reassure Ugandans and all residents that the government has better capacity to control this outbreak as we have done it before.

MADOWO (voice-over): Uganda has decided against closing public spaces, but it says the same infrastructure and practices used to curve the spread of COVID-19 will be used to keep Ebola in check.

BBOSA: We think using what we've done before should be an appropriate response to this current outbreak.

MADOWO (voice-over): And while the variant responsible for this particular outbreak, the Sudan virus, does not currently have a vaccine, trials could start in four to six weeks.

SOUMYA SWAMINATHAN, WHO CHIEF SCIENTIST: There are about six candidates, vaccine candidates available for the Sudan ebolavirus, which are mostly in very early stages of development. But three of them have some human data, some human genocide and safety data, so they can actually proceed to be used in the field.

MADOWO (voice-over): The idea is to vaccinate health workers and contacts of known positive cases to slow down the spread, a so-called rain vaccination, similar to what was done in the DRC in 2019.

Among the vaccine candidates to be trialed is jab developed by Oxford University, using the same technology employed at the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with AstraZeneca. Fresh hope against a deadly disease that has ravaged African nations for decades.

Larry Madobe, CNN, Accra, Ghana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Just ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," the White House admits it doesn't really know why North Korea's leader suddenly test firing one ballistic missile after another and possibly preparing for another nuclear test. We got the latest from Seoul just ahead. Stay with us.

[02:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

U.S. and South Korea announced that they have begun two days of joint naval exercises off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. Joint drills between the U.S., South Korea and Japan have been ongoing since last week.

Biden administration officials privately admit to CNN that they lack hard intelligence on why North Korea has suddenly stepped up its provocations with a flurry of ballistic missile tests. They say that North Korea's innerworkings are trialed in secrecy, making it extremely difficult to predict what Leader Kim Jong-un would do next. That is why they believe that North Korea is on the verge of carrying out its seventh underground nuclear test.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is following all of these developments for us from Seoul, South Korea. So, Paula, tensions between -- seems to be ratcheting up. So, take us through the latest developments and what they mean.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, what we know at this point is that there is yet another naval drill, this time between the U.S. and South Korea, just in the waters of the East Coast of the Korean Peninsula.

Now, this is something that we have been seeing increasingly in the past couple of days. There was a trilateral naval drill with Japan involved as well yesterday, on Thursday, and it was made clear that it was in response to those increased missile launches that we have been seeing from North Korea. There have been some six launches within about 12 days, which is really a remarkable amount from Pyongyang.

So, what we are seeing now is this information coming from South Korea, the joint chief of staff wanting to publicize the fact that the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan is backing Korean waters, that the drills are ongoing, and the ones on Thursday were to help the trilateral teams to be able to detect, track, and then take down missiles. So, clearly labeled and clearly directed towards North Korea and what we've been seeing recently.

Interestingly, those U.S. officials confirming to CNN that it is very difficult for them to understand exactly what the intentions are of Kim Jong-un. This has been the case for many years not just with Kim Jong-un but also with his father and grandfather as well. Information and hard intelligence are very difficult to come by from North Korea.

There is also, among western nations and with japan and South Korea, a tendency to try and put in a certain relevance or importance on a particular launch and try and figure out exactly why that launch had happened.

[02:30:05]

Now we did have U.S. officials confirming to CNN that quite often it is simply that North Korea wants to improve its weapons capability. We did hear from Kim Jong-un himself in January 2021, giving a five-year plan, a wish list, if you like, of what he wanted to achieve. And experts say we are very clearly seeing him going through that wish list, ticking off what he is accomplishing. And the assumption at this point among many experts I've spoken to is that trend is not going to change in the near future.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thanks so much. Paula Hancocks, in Seoul for us, I really appreciate that.

And for more on this, we're joined now from Seoul by Daniel Pinkston, a professor of international relations at Troy University. Thanks so much for being here with us. So we just heard more about the -- I mean, the long-standing opacity of the regime in North Korea. So do we have any idea about why now? What's behind this year's record-setting number of missile tests?

DANIEL PINKSTON, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, TROY UNIVERSITY: Well, this is, as Paula had said in the lead into this report, there's been a long development plan. And at the party congress in January of last year, Kim announced that wish list. But they've been working on these capabilities for decades. It's something they want to acquire and have in their toolkit to push their political agenda. And now we're starting to see some pushback and international security cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea and Japan.

And that's something that North Korea would like to prevent. They would like to prevent any intervention in the Korean Peninsula in case of any kind of contingency, but these types of missile exercises, and yesterday they had an air-ground attack exercise, this cannot compel or coerce the South Koreans, the Americans, and the Japanese from ceasing this international security cooperation.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I mean, it's the same sort of ironic consequences of Putin in, you know, wanting -- not wanting NATO solidarity and his invasion of Ukraine, you know, resulting in exactly that. So, in terms of the Western response, I mean, we've been seeing this pattern for 30 years, you know, North Korean saber rattling, followed by a show of force from the U.S. on us -- and its allies. I mean it doesn't seem to do much here.

PINKSTON: Right. So, in my view, the mutual deterrence is robust. It's in no one's interest to engage in a conflict. The different parties in the region will try to push their political objectives and try to achieve goals. So for North Korea, that's getting out of the sanctions regime, lifting UN sanctions and multilateral sanctions against the regime for their nuclear program and their missile program. They'd also like to see the termination of U.S. military deployments and security treaties in the region. And, of course, they would like to be recognized as a pure nuclear weapons state and all the benefits that they believe are accrued from that status.

So those are the type of goals ultimately, resulting in some kind of Korean confederation or unification of Korea on North Korean terms. So, they've had this wish list that's been very consistent for a very long time. They believe that these types of weapons systems are in his power, and this military capability can help achieve those goals. But now we're seeing the balance and the blowback against their development programs. And I think that will probably continue. Fortunately, it's stable, but we could always have an accident.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Let me just jump in. I mean, President Biden has offered to negotiate without preconditions, any time any place, as he said. Why hasn't North Korea accepted? Why is there just been basically silence?

PINKSTON: Well, I think because there's no convergence of interests or anything on the table that would lead to a mutually acceptable agreement. So, the things that the U.S. would like to achieve some kind of arms control agreement and eventual denuclearization of North Korea, that's off the table for North Korea, any type of you know, status from a summit meeting, or the symbolism of that was already achieved under the previous administration. So, there's really nothing to talk about other than some kind of, you know, the establishment of hotlines and communication channels to avoid a kind of accident. Unfortunately, yesterday we had a --

BRUNHUBER: Yes, let me jump in. You've written about sort of why denuclearization is just not a -- is a -- is a no-go for North Korea. Explain why that is for us.

PINKSTON: Well, we could do a whole seminar the whole semester on that topic but to make it very brief.

[02:35:02]

You know the history of the North Koreans, the North Korean regime, the Kim family regime, the Korean workers' party, it's part of their worldview. They believe that the only pathway to security is through material capabilities, force that's how you rise to the top of the political system in North Korea. So exchanging military capabilities, including nuclear weapons and their delivery systems contradicts everything they think about for the instruments to achieve their security and to survive in the international system.

They look at this system as being menacing, everyone's out to get a North Korea, you might call it paranoid. Some people would call it paranoid. But that's what they believe. And to exchange that for any kind of security guarantees, some kind of collective security system contradicts everything that they believe in, so unless there's some change in the thinking of the regime, then it's just not going to happen.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, or unless they get more pressure from their allies, you know, China and Russia, which doesn't seem likely right now, given what we've seen recently in the UN. We'll have to leave it there. Really appreciate your insights. Daniel Pinkston in Seoul, I really appreciate it. Thanks for having me.

PINKSTON: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: Cities across Cuba are facing power outages more than a week after Hurricane Ian slammed into the island. The country's famous tobacco-growing region is also facing a long road to recovery. That's coming up. Plus, tragedy bringing together strangers in Florida's, communities joined to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Ian. That's next. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BRUNHUBER: More than a week since Hurricane Ian slammed the U.S. state of Florida killing more than a hundred people frustration is growing over the local, state, and federal response. Residents tell CNN they've had to deal with long lines and wait times for assistance. And some feel their neighborhoods were overlooked altogether. The tragedy is bringing many people together mourning over the loss of their communities. CNN spoke with two survivors who say they don't recognize their homes. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLE WELLS, COMMUNITY DAMAGED IN STORM: We've only been living here since April and we just felt like we were in paradise. We were lucky to find a condo right here on the river. Our views, we watched the sunset every day and we went watched the marina and watch the boats coming in and out. And I have beautiful pictures of when we moved in off the Marina, how beautiful our view is. And when we came home, there was nothing left.

HEATHER COX, COMMUNITY DAMAGED IN STORM: I grew up right down the road, and to see my hometown and this devastation, it just breaks my heart. My hometown is no longer existent pretty much.

WELLS: Sure, it doesn't feel like home anymore. Yes.

COZ: The memories that's all we have, the memories in the pictures, the beach --

WELLS: But we'll get through this. We're strong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:40:10]

BRUNHUBER: And the women tell CNN they just met each other at a makeshift memorial for storm victims and two strangers. They're coming together for support.

Well, it'll be a long road to recovery for Cuba's vital tobacco- growing region after Hurricane Ian laid waste too much of the western parts of the island. CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The further west you go from Havana, the worse the damage gets. Hurricane Ian plowed into rural Pinar del Rio province as a Category 3 storm. Days later, people carry the rain-soaked mattresses to dry in the sun. Pieces of someone's roof still hangs from a tree. Some residents have that faraway look, unable to believe their eyes.

This is what tobacco grower, Hiroshi Robaina's farm looked like the last time we visited him. After Ian, Hiroshi Robaina's farm is unrecognizable.

HIROSHI ROBAINA, TOBACCO FARMER: Speaking in a foreign language. OPPMANN: Here we've lost everything. He says. All the infrastructure to produce tobacco has been destroyed. There's no house to dry the tobacco or the warehouse. Nothing. There's nothing left. Hurricanes are part of life in Cuba. But residents here say Ian developed so quickly they did not have time to prepare.

Hiroshi just telling me that his grandfather, Alejandro, one of the most famous tobacco growers in Cuban history, built this tobacco clearing house in 1944. It survived every hurricane up until now.

Ian knocked out Cuba's already weakened electrical grid. The first time a storm has taken down power for the entire island. Frustrated by the blackouts protests have broken out. Ileana (PH) tells me she's gone for six days without power and wants solutions, not explanations from officials.

After days and days without power, the situation in this neighborhood is now boiled over. People have come out to the street to protest yelling, Libertad, freedom. Counter-protesters have now come in and they're yelling Viva Fidel, Long live Fidel Castro.

Cuba's president called the protests illegitimate and said that officials are working around the clock to restore power. Getting the lights back on in hard-hit Pinar Del Rio could take weeks or months officials say. This is the region where much of the tobacco that is rolled into Cuba's famed cigars is grown. Hiroshi says, usually, he's replanting now for the upcoming harvest. Plans wrecked by Ian.

ROBAINA: Speaking in a foreign language.

OPPMANN: I don't think there's going to be a harvest. He says, It's unfortunate, but it's going to take months to clean this up and months to rebuild. As a fifth-generation tobacco grower, Hiroshi says he has no choice but to start from scratch. But many here who have been knocked down by the storm may never get back up.

PatrickOppmann, CNN, Pinar Del Rio province, Cuba.

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BRUNHUBER: Galactic history was made Thursday at SpaceX's latest mission for the U.S. space agency, NASA, reached its destination manned by a diverse four-member crew. Have a look.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And here we come through. First one through the hatch is going to be Nicole Mann, commander of Dragon, and now the first Native American woman to live and stay aboard the International Space Station.

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BRUNHUBER: Also onboard, a Japanese astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked safely with the International Space Station on Thursday, part of a five-month science mission. The docking follows a successful launch from Florida on Wednesday. The crew is expected to conduct spacewalks and perform more than 200 science experiments.

All right, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more news. Please do stay with us for "WORLD SPORT."

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