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Russia Attacks Ukraine with Kamikaze Drones; New Video of Capitol Riot Subpoenaed by House Select Committee; Midterm Election Campaign in High Gear; Eight Dead in Iran Prison Fire. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 17, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm rosemary church. Just ahead here on "CNN newsroom," air-raid sirens going off in Kyiv this morning. Civilians warned to seek shelter as Russian drones target Ukraine's capital.

More never before seen video of the January 6th attack on the U.S. capitol. Some candidates are already sowing doubt about the integrity of the upcoming election.

Plus --

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It's now been a month of tense often violent nationwide protests in Iran, and now the Iranian president is accusing the United States of inciting chaos.

Thanks for being with us. We are following developments out of Ukraine where explosions continue to be heard in central Kyiv. The first blast came just hours ago and one official says Russia is now attacking the capital with kamikaze drones. CNN's Clarissa Ward is in Kyiv and updated us on the situation just a short time ago.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): This started about 6:45 this morning. The second explosion was by far the loudest, seemed to indicate that it was in sort of central location within the city. The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, on his telegram channel says that a couple of the blasts occurred in the Shevchenkivskyi district, advising people to essentially stay in their shelters until the air-raid was finished and saying that emergency services had been sent to the site.

But the more detailed update that we've been given now by Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff for the office of the presidency, is that the capital was attacked with, in his words, quote, "kamikaze drones." And he goes onto say in his statement, "The Russians think it will help them, but these actions look like agony. We need more air defense as soon as possible, no time for slow action. More weapons to protect the sky and destroy the enemy and it will happen."

No word yet on casualties, on whether anyone was hurt or killed possibly in these attacks. Obviously, last Monday's barrage is very fresh in everyone's minds here. So, just a reminder that things remain grim and difficult here in the capital.

CHURCH: Meantime, a senior Ukrainian official says Sunday marked a deadly day for civilians in southern and eastern Ukraine. At least 10 civilians were killed and 14 injured with most of the deaths being reported in the Donetsk region. Russian attacks were also reported in the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions. And while the fighting grinds on, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. spoke about the urgent need for more weapons.

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OKSANA MARKAROVA, UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: We still need all the weapons we are talking about with air defense being a priority after these horrible strikes that we're all also seeing return and not only to select cities, but everywhere in Ukraine and especially in Kyiv and infrastructure before the winter. Unfortunately, these systems are difficult to produce and they are not ready on the shelves waiting, but we're doing everything possible in asking our partners to (inaudible) possible speed up not only the delivery but also the ordering of the systems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Clare Sebastian joins me now live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, Russia again using Iranian kamikaze drones on Kyiv this morning. What does Moscow gain from dropping bombs so far from the combat field?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, we've seen an uptick in Russia's use of this type of drone, a disposable weapon that is designed to attack behind enemy lines and is destroyed in the process.

[02:04:49]

We saw it as parts of the barrage on various different cities that they launched (inaudible) allows them to obviously hit different places all at once or in quick succession which is clearly the strategy that they employed in that barrage of sort of vengeful attacks after the attack on the Kerch bridge that happened over the course of the last week.

As you said, U.S. intelligence revealed over the summer that Russia had been buying drones from Iran and being trained on them. It's believed according to defense officials that they entered the battlefield in Ukraine towards the end of the summer.

Russia, by the way, also has its own domestic kamikaze drones as well, but this is clearly as you just pointed out with that guest, a reason why Ukraine is now calling more intensively for air defense systems as this increasingly becomes part of Moscow's play book. CHURCH: And Clare, we are apparently looking at some of the first

vision coming in on that kamikaze drone footage. So, we will continue of course to bring you all the details and bring our viewers all the details. It's pretty difficult to work out quite honestly from that vision, but this is the first video that we are getting in of these kamikaze drone attacks in Kyiv.

And Clare, NATO and Russia intend to hold separate long planned exercises of their nuclear forces despite increased tensions as the war in Ukraine grinds on. What more are you learning about that?

SEBASTIAN: Yeah, as we saw on both sides, these are regular annual exercises, part of this sort of delicate balance of keeping up this nuclear deterrent, but of course, it comes at a time when Russia's nuclear (inaudible) has increased particularly as Putin annexed, in his words, these so-called territories in Ukraine which he now considers part of Russia and promised to defend them with all means.

We've now had warnings as well from the U.S. side, President Biden warning of a potential misstep or miscalculation that could, as he put it, lead to Armageddon. And the national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, also warned about this over the weekend on CNN's "State of the Union" saying there was really no gray area, no type of nuclear weapon or use of nuclear weapon that would be considered more or less dangerous. Take a listen.

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JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The use of a nuclear weapon on the battlefield on Ukraine is the use of a nuclear weapon on the battlefield in Ukraine, and we're not going to slice the salami. So, the notion that somehow there is differences in use here I think is a dangerous notion from our perspective.

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SEBASTIAN: So, the U.S. and other NATO allies will of course be closely monitoring the Russian exercises known as Grom which roughly translates to thunder. They are set to take place sometime before the end of this month. Meanwhile, NATO will be holding its exercises starting Monday. They wield 14 countries, up to 60 aircraft including U.S. B-52 bombers, but they were not, according to U.S. defense officials include live bombs, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Alright. Clare Sebastian with that live report joining us from London. Many thanks.

Well, CNN has obtained new video from the January 6th capitol riot that was subpoenaed by the House Select Committee from British documentary filmmaker, Alex Holder. The video you're about to see was never released to the public until Sunday. And you will hear Donald Trump supporters rallying behind the former president. A warning, though, some of this footage includes graphic language.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNKNOWN: I have never in my life been so angry at 534 pieces of shit up here. They're the roaches in the capital. We got to get the roaches out. All of them. Every one of them. They have turned against us. Every one of those --

UNKNOWN: Exterminate.

UNKNOWN: And I've never thought that I would be this mad at a country that I was so proud of.

UNKNOWN: Yeah!

UNKNOWN: It pisses me off, but I'm proud to be here. I'm so happy everybody is here.

UNKNOWN: This is unity.

UNKNOWN: That's right.

UNKNOWN: And I'm proud to call him my president. He's the best thing that ever happened to this country. And you know what, I'm going to stand by him to the end.

UNKNOWN: That's right.

UNKNOWN: That's right.

UNKNOWN: I'll tell you, these are demon-possessed men up here. They're trying to take over our country with communist China.

UNKNOWN: We will fight them. The satanic (BLEEP) assholes.

UNKNOWN: You know Pence is bad, right?

UNKNOWN: USA! USA!

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CHUCH: This new video rounds out a week that saw the last public hearing of the January 6th committee before the mid-term elections. That hearing on Thursday ended with a dramatic flourish, a unanimous vote to subpoena Donald Trump. The question now, of course, will he comply? Listen as two members of the committee weigh in.

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REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): We haven't decided that. You know, we're -- we expect him to come in because he has a legal obligation to come in. Of course, he also had a legal obligation to see that the laws were faithfully executed which he completely ignored on January 6th, so we'll see.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULO, ABC NEWS HOST: You say he's obligated by law to respond to the subpoena. Do you believe that the Justice Department, if the president refuses, should hold him in criminal contempt?

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): Look, that's a bridge we cross if we have to get there. You know, look, we well recognize the fact that because of the committee only being able to exist until the end of this congressional year because that was the mandate, we're in a bit of a time limit here. And as we're wrapping up the investigation, we're also pursuing new leads, in fact, and we want to speak to the president.

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CHURCH: The filmmaker behind that newly released video, Alex Holder, testified before the House committee earlier this year about his experience making a documentary on Trump's re-election campaign. CNN's Jim Acosta asked Holder to weigh in on those experiences and his feelings toward the former president and his supporters. Here's part of their conversation.

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ALEX HOLDER, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: This isn't a one-off moment, you know, where we can sort of like push it under the carpet and move on. I mean, this is something that's absolutely extraordinary and horrific and came from the United States president who is still starting this rhetoric, this dangerous rhetoric and in fact has now moved on to other dangerous rhetoric as well. I mean, it's never ending. And I think he just needs to be -- it needs to really be understood why these people went there and the power that he had and the power of the presidency, right, and the power he had to make these people go and die for him is something that needs to be understood for sure.

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CHURCH: And CNN law enforcement analyst Michael Fanone was nearly killed by rioters on January 6th while working as a D.C. Metropolitan police officer. He had a heart attack and a concussion during the insurrection and is now dealing with a traumatic brain disorder and post-traumatic stress. CNN asked him to weigh in on that newly released video of the rioters. Take a listen.

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MICHAEL FANONE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Both. Ultimately, we're all responsible for our own actions and, you know, ignorance is not a defense when you participate in an insurrection to overthrow the government. That being said, you know, one of the reasons why I've been out here speaking publicly about accountability for January 6th is that, you know, while we've made arrests and we're, you know, prosecuting or the Department of Justice is prosecuting the 850-plus individuals that committed crimes on the capitol grounds that day, we still have -- excuse me, held those political leaders accountable for the rhetoric they used, the lies that they spewed, and ultimately what I believe the select committee has shown us was an attempt by the president and his allies to defraud the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: We want to turn now to the U.S. midterm elections with just over three weeks to go until election day. Nearly 2 million Americans have already voted with another 120 million to go. A new CNN polling analysis finds Americans are almost evenly divided over which party, Democrats or Republicans, should control Congress.

And before any votes are counted, some candidates are already casting doubts about the integrity of the upcoming election. Take a listen to the Republican candidate for governor in Arizona.

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DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Let's look forward then. Will you accept the results of the election in your election? Will you accept the results?

KARI LAKE, ARIZONA GUBERNATIORIAL REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: When we talk about the issues -- I came on here thinking we were going to talk about the issues facing Arizonians right now.

BASH: We did. Let's talk about the 2022 election. Will you accept the results of your election, Ms. Lake?

LAKE: I'm running against a twice convicted racist who cost the state taxpayers $3 million because of her hatred for people of color.

BASH: My question is will you accept the results of your election in November?

LAKE: I'm going to win the election and I will accept that result.

BASH: If you lose, will you accept that?

LAKE: I'm going to win the election and I will accept that result.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Alright. Well, let's get some perspective on this crucial election. Joining me now from Los Angeles is Ron Brownstein. He's a senior political analyst for CNN and a senior editor at "The Atlantic." Always great to have you with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, we just heard there, Arizona Republican nominee for governor, Kari Lake repeatedly refusing to say she would accept election results if she were to lose. How big a threat is that to democracy in this country given she is not the only Republican making those threats?

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BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. The magnitude of the threat that we are facing to American democracy and its basic functioning is the greatest it has been since the civil war and maybe ever. I mean, Kari Lake is hardly alone. Analyses by different media organizations have concluded there are literally hundreds, hundreds of Republican candidates running for office up and down the ballot in November who deny the realities of the 2020 election and parrot Trump's lies about widespread voter fraud.

And there has been a great deal of focus on avoiding -- on the question of how much threat we face in the 2024 election of a full- scale constitutional crisis. Kari Lake's remarks today were a reminder that those challenges may come as soon as next month if in fact in some of these close races these election deniers refuse to accept the results and try to rally their supporters against them.

CHURCH: And Ron, meantime, President Biden is back in his home state of Delaware after a four-day tour out west in California, Oregon and Colorado. But he didn't include the critical battleground states of Arizona and Nevada. Why not?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, because President Biden's approval rating in those states is probably too low to be of much help to the Democratic candidates or at least they decided. You know, this one month out, three weeks out from the election, we are in an extraordinary circumstance. Democratic candidates in these statewide races for governor and senator in many cases are levitating above low approval ratings for Biden to a much greater extent than we have seen candidates do for presidents in their own party really for the last 20 or 30 years.

I mean, Arizona and Nevada, Colorado even, Pennsylvania, Georgia, all of these states, Wisconsin, Michigan, with critical senate and governor races, President Biden's approval rating is at 40 percent or below. We just don't have a lot of examples in recent American political history of candidates from the president's party winning midterm elections in states where his approval rating is that low.

For example, in 2018, Republican senate candidates lost every state and with Trump's approval rating was at 48 percent or below much less 40 percent. And the fact that these Democrats are still competing in many cases ahead, and other cases basically even, is a testament of how many voters are uneasy about the values of the modern Republican Party.

But it is an open question whether they continue to escape this undertow for another three weeks. And it remains, you know, a real challenge for Democrats trying to avoid the worst in November.

CHURCH: And Ron, what about the Iowa senate race where the longest serving Republican, Senator Chuck Grassley, holds a narrow lead over the Democrat Mike Franken. That's according to a new poll. What's going on there and what do you think will likely be the outcome?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, no one has been watching Iowa, I can tell you that, Rose. And I'm struck. The pollster who did this, Ann Selzer, a pollster with the Des Moines Register, it was her poll that showed in 2020 the Republican senator in Iowa, Joni Ernst, further ahead than people thought. That really was the first ring of the bell to suggest that Democrats were not going to make the widespread gains in the Senate that many in the party had been hoping in states like Iowa and North Carolina and others. So, this is a pollster with a lot of credibility.

Look, it is still a very hard climb in Iowa for a Democrat at this point. It's a state that's essentially 90 percent or 90-plus percent of the voters are white, a majority of them are whites without college degrees who, as you know, become a core Republican group. But when you look at this poll it tells you why the overall environment is so close this year.

Because even in Iowa, the Democrat is leading among women, among college educated voters, among suburban voters, among less religiously devout secular voters. That has been the core Democratic coalition merely since Obama. And despite 9 percent inflation and despite 60 percent or more of the public saying they don't approve the way Biden has handled inflation, crime, and the border, that coalition is largely sticking together.

So, you know, in the end it's a tough hill for Democrats to get over the top in Iowa, but if that coalition is holding together that well in Iowa, it explains to me at least why Democrats remain so competitive in so many other states that are a little more favorable to them despite the negative verdicts on the economy and Biden's performance.

CHURCH: It is an unusual midterm election, isn't it? And of course, according to some reports, Ron, Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg is the most requested surrogate apparently on the campaign trail even ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris. What might that signal, do you think?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think Buttigieg is someone who has shown the ability to talk to voters outside the Democratic coalition.

[02:19:57]

You know, most of these top races are in swing states where simply rallying the base was not enough to win, not enough to win in Michigan or Pennsylvania or Wisconsin or Arizona or Georgia. You want someone who can make arguments that appeal beyond your core supporters. Vice President Harris is probably a very strong surrogate when you're trying to turn out more base Democrats.

But if you're trying to talk to center right voters, I mean, Pete Buttigieg is probably the one Democrat who's been most comfortable for example going on Fox over the years and finding a way to make arguments that can at least, you know, offer some opportunity, some opening of reaching center right voters.

And I suspect that it's largely those skills and that positioning and imagery that makes him such an attractive surrogate at this point because those are the places where Democrats, you know, where the battle for the Senate and the governorships and maybe even the House will be decided.

CHURCH: Yeah. Three more weeks to go and early voting already underway. Ron Brownstein, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: And still to come, we are learning more about a fire that killed at least four prisoners inside a prison in Iran. We'll have the details just ahead.

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CHURCH: In Tehran, casualties are now being reported from Saturday's fire inside a prison where Iran's political dissidents are usually held. Iranian authorities blame the prisoners for starting the fire and say it's not connected to the nationwide protests against the government. CNN's Nada Bashir has more.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, several prisoners have been confirmed dead and dozens injured after a fire broke out at Iran's notorious Evin prison on Saturday according to state media. The facility in Tehran has gained infamy for the detention of political prisoners including human rights activists, lawyers, journalists and professors as well as foreign nationals.

And while CNN is not able to independently verify what caused the fire, some details have emerged from pro-reform organizations. In footage obtained by activist group 1500tasvir, gunfire and alarms have can be heard in the background as flames engulfed the prison complex. Meanwhile, pro-reform news outlet IranWire reported on Saturday that a source within the prison said a revolt had taken place in part of the facility and that a fire has subsequently ensued.

Now, government authorities on Saturday were quick to assert that the situation had been brought under control, but the security official telling state media that the fire had started after a group of thugs set fire to a clothing warehouse in the complex adding that the so- called rioter's response had been separated from other detainees.

Of course, while the Iranian regime claims this fire is not connected to the protest movement sweeping the country, it is impossible to ignore the context here. The incident comes at a time when the regime is facing one of its toughest challenges in years with protests not only gaining momentum, but also morphing into a much broader call for regime change.

On Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his solidarity with the Iranian people drawing criticism from Iran's foreign ministry spokesman who said Sunday that Iran remains unfazed by the intervention of foreign politicians and would not give into the U.S. government's, quote, "cruel sanctions and absurd threats."

This, of course, as the regime's brutal and deadly crack down on protesters and any sign of dissent for that matter continues across the country. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

CHURCH: And as Nada just reported, U.S. President Joe Biden says the U.S. stands with Iran's protestors and he is calling on Tehran to, quote, "end the violence against its own citizens" as they protest against the government in the wake of Mahsa Amini's death. Mr. Biden's remarks sparked an angry response from Iran's president on Sunday.

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EBRAHIM RAISI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT: It is our belief that America is behind the majority of destruction, terror, riots, and chaos in the region and the world. It affirms our belief and the world's beliefs that Americans are anchored and upset by every innovation, every happiness or good that happens to Iran.

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CHURCH: Still to come, police believe they have caught the man responsible for a series of deadly shootings that terrorized a California town for more than a year. We'll have the details for you next.

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CHURCH: A man suspected of the shooting deaths of six people in Stockton is due in a California Court on Tuesday. Police believe 43- year-old Wesley Brownlee is the serial killer they've been tracking for months. And they say he was "out hunting and on a mission to kill" when they arrested him early Saturday morning. CNN's Camila Bernal has more now on the story.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There were two things that helped authorities make an arrest. They say it was thanks to the tips, the help from the community, and just old-fashioned police work. They say thanks to all of those tips they were able to zero in on one possible suspect. Once they had that suspect, they started following him. They knew where he lived. They were looking for patterns and they were able to find those patterns.

According to authorities, he was out either early in the morning or late at night. He would go to dark places and to park. And on Saturday at around two in the morning, they say that's exactly what he was doing. He would move around, look, stop, and then move again. That's when authorities decided to arrest him.

Now local authorities here, just being thankful for all the tips and all the help from the community. Here's what the San Joaquin district attorney had to say.

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TORI VERBER SALAZAR, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: This crime was solved because we're Stocktonians. Because you don't come to our house and bring this kind of reign of terror and not mobilize 350,000 people, 780,000 in this whole entire county mobilized, mobilized, and captured this individual who raves of terror is no longer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BERNAL: And according to police, when he was arrested he was wearing all black, he had a mask around his neck and he had a gun. In terms of motive, we still do not know why this man allegedly did this. This is something that was asked of the police chief and he said he still did not know. But we do know he has a criminal record and we are waiting to hear what charges he will be facing. Those will be announced on Tuesday when he has his first court appearance. Camila Bernal, CNN, Stockton, California.

CHURCH: Still to come, 10 years in power no end in sight, Xi Jinping's plan to make China great again has set up the authoritarian ruler to tighten his grip on power. We'll have that when we come back.

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CHURCH: Across the United Kingdom, supporters of plant-based foods dumped out containers of milk in the middle of grocery stores. The animal rebellion group says they're protesting the government's lack of support for farmers who transition to a plant-based future. Elsewhere, activists from the group just stopped oil got colorful with their protests, splashing orange paint over the front of a luxury car showroom. They're demanding the government halt all new oil and gas licenses.

Well, China's Communist leaders and political elite have gathered for day two of the 20th party congress. Xi Jinping opened this event on Sunday like he has in the past, laying out his nationalistic vision for the country's future. But this year is unlike any other because, after 10 years in power, Xi is poised to be selected for an unprecedented third term as party leader. It's a watershed moment for modern China and Selina Wang reports, one that was years in the making.

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SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): From a nation of farming villages to sprawling metropolises in recent history, no country modernized as rapidly as China and didn't just one decade, no person has changed China more than its supreme leader Xi Jinping. His image, inescapable. His thinking indoctrinated in school children. His key message, make China great again. But above all else, obey and follow his lead.

When he took control of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012, there was hope that the relatively low-key leader would make China's economy and society more liberal. But Xi had a different vision, restored the country to its former glory with his Communist Party, thirdly, at its center,

RICHARD MCGREGOR, SENIOR FELLOW FOR EAST ASIA, LOWY INSTITUTE: Xi Jinping sits on top of the party. The party sits on top of China and China sits on top of the world. That's basically the program.

WANG: Xi's China is investing heavily in new technologies, infrastructure, rapidly modernizing the countryside, and the military. His reasserted party control over business and society, building the world's most sophisticated surveillance state, quashing people's freedoms during the pandemic with brutal lockdowns.

Xi Jinping, crushed dreams of democracy in Hong Kong, oversaw the internment of up to 2 million Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang and what Beijing claims are vocational training centers. He's amping up intimidation of Taiwan's vow to reunite the democratic island with the mainland.

[02:40:03]

China tells its people these actions are long overdue fueled by the narrative that after 100 years of subjugation by foreign powers in the 19th and 20th centuries, China is finally assuming its rightful place in the world. Anyone who disagrees is blamed for trying to undermine China's rise and quickly censored or even jailed.

STEVE TSANG, DIRECTOR, SOAS CHINA INSTITUTE: Here he is going back to his mythical visions of Chinese history when China was the greatest civilization and the rest of the world, just follow the leadership of China.

WANG: That framing has ripple effects around the world. China no longer believes it needs to play by American-led international rules. When the U.S. tries to take China on and trade technology or human rights.

MCGREGOR: So that simply reinforces the sense of China under siege from Western powers. I think it has a visceral, emotional appeal in China.

WANG: The country is building its own multilateral institutions that are friendlier to autocrats. China grows ever closer to Russia unified by a common foe. And Xi Jinping's China dream, the country is glorious and strong with the Communist Party ruling 1.4 billion people and shaping a new world order.

Selina Wang, CNN, Hong Kong.

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CHURCH: For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is up next. And for those in North America, I'll be back with more news after a short break. Do stay with us.

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[02:45:28]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jeez.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's OK, baby.

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CHURCH: Frightening scenes as a grass fire broke out at a Fall Festival on a farm in Texas. No one was injured, but more than 70 vehicles were destroyed. Fire officials believe it started when someone dropped a cigarette on the ground. They're still investigating and looking for whoever was responsible. The area is under a burn ban because of the dry conditions there.

Well, residents of Jackson, Mississippi are being hit with massive water bills in the middle of a months-long water crisis. One woman told CNN she was shocked when the city sent her a bill for nearly $4,000. She says the tap water is still brown and the pressure is low, a problem many families in the city are facing since the water plant underwent repairs. The Jackson city council president says water billing "has been a shortcoming of the city for way too long, and to reach out to the city if they believe their bill is incorrect."

Well, another issue Americans are facing nationwide is food insecurity. It's a problem that gets worse as inflation keeps rising. CNN's Nadia Romero spent the day at a church that operates a food pantry outside of Atlanta. They're now seeing thousands more cars than they used to.

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NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Hundreds of families lined up for help. Some of them for hours before this drive- thru Food Pantry started at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, in a suburb of Atlanta over the weekend.

DR. JAMAL BRYANT, SR. PASTOR, NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: You have absolutely no idea how many people are suffering in silence, having no clue as to how they're going to feed and take care of their families.

ROMERO: Every Saturday since January 2020, back then, just 30 cars per week, but now up to 3000 cars a week. The pandemic and rising inflation providing a one-two punch on people's wallets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the pandemic and everything is going up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Double and triple. I paid 85 cents a dozen legal for eggs. And now they're $3. It's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Real ridiculous you know for us. We go to the supermarket and things get too expensive.

ROMERO: Food prices more than alarming especially for families living paycheck to paycheck. Last month, the bureau of labor statistics showing just how much staple goods will cost you this year compared to 2021. Bread jumped 16 percent, milk up 17 percent, flour 23percent more expensive, and egg prices with the most dramatic increase of nearly 40 percent. Inflation, a big talking point on the campaign trail as we near the midterm elections.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How to budget in a way that doesn't run away, create runaway inflation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The out-of-control inflation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inflation is a global problem.

ROMERO: Off the campaign trail and back to the food line, Priscilla Ward and her sister Brenda Billings getting the surprise of a lifetime. The sisters are the 1 million families who came through the drive-thru pantry at this church since January 2020. Ward and her sister will take home healthy produce, small appliances, and a $1,000 cash prize for helping the church hit this mark. Ward says she has several growing grandchildren she helps feed.

PRISCILLA WARD, FOOD PANTRY RECIPIENT: And, Pam, they walk in the door, grandma I'm hungry. So as well let me see what grandma may get. There I would say, go, mom, you are we have something.

ROMERO: For her sister, it's been a rough last few years.

BRENDA BILLINGS, FOOD PANTRY RECIPIENT: I had cancer twice, colon cancer, breast cancer. I'm a cancer survivor and right now, God brought me back my whole life.

ROMERO: Tears and cheers as these two special recipients and others in line get the help they need from this church and partners like World Vision.

BRYANT: My grandmother taught me a principle that when it's family, it's not charity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMERO: When it comes to inflation on the campaign trail for Republicans, it's very simple. Their message is that the rising inflation issue is the blame of President Biden and Democrats. But when Democrats are asked about inflation on the campaign trail, many of them say it's a problem with supply chain issues and corporate greed. But we know from a recent CNN poll that this is a very important issue for voters.

Nadia Romero, CNN, Atlanta.

[02:50:02]

CHURCH: The U.S. Fraternal Order of Police reports 50 police officers have been killed by gunfire so far this year. Two of them were killed on Friday during a shootout in Connecticut. A warning, the video you're about to see is disturbing. The State Inspector General's Office released this bodycam footage from the only officer to leave the shootout alive. Authorities responded to an emergency call at the suspect's residence only to have him fire well over 80 rounds at the officers, killing two before the third officer was able to take the suspect down with one shot. Police say it was a deliberate attempt to lower law enforcement to the same.

Continued drought in the U.S. Midwest has caused the Mississippi River's level to drop significantly in some places. In some areas, hikers are able to walk to islands previously not reachable by foot. To make matters worse, the rivers basin is forecast to see below- average rain through the end of the year. So let's turn to our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. He joins us with more on this. So, Pedram, how dire is this situation when you're talking about the Mississippi water levels at record low?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, it's the worst we've seen in quite some time, Rosemary, some 70 plus gauges that are below or nearing those record values and upwards of 40 of them right across the Mississippi. You see some of the scenes play out there does stumble across areas of Arkansas, as you noted across the Mississippi River. Some of these locations that have really not seen land or essentially been exposed in recent weeks because of how dry it's been. And notice back in July, about 22 percent of Oklahoma was experiencing drought, half of a percent across the state of Arkansas was experiencing drought.

Just a couple of weeks ago here, latest observations taking that number of 99 percent in Oklahoma, 70 percent in Arkansas just showing you how rapidly things have expanded in recent days. And the last couple of days, we've seen some beneficial rainfall across this region. So, certainly good news there in parts of Arkansas seeing a couple of inches of rain least to come down.

Now notice the big story moving forward, the significant amount of colder air across the eastern half of the United States as many as 70 record cold temps possible in the coming days, and about 60 million Americans dealing with the excessive temps in a few spots, as cold as 18 degrees. These are not unheard of temperatures, but certainly impressive here as we kind of transition quickly into autumn light temps.

But notice what happens here. The colder air dive south from Canada, and just like that because the moderate out rather quickly, and the warmth pushes right back in. So, by this time next week, the same areas that are very cold in the coming days are going to be once again possibly above average. So, a big-time shift in temperatures in Atlanta really depicts as well, 76 degrees on Monday drops to 55 degrees and then notice a gradual and then steady incline goes back up above where they are going to be on Monday. So, this time of year, Rosemary, you see this transition between the seasons where you see kind of the seesaw of these temperatures, but autumn certainly is on the horizon.

CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. Pedram Javaheri, many thanks as always.

Well, if you thought your last flight was long imagine, one that lasts for 12 years. As CNN's Kristin Fisher reports, a NASA spacecraft is on an incredibly long mission in the name of science and the Beatles.

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KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Lucy is finally in the sky. The NASA spacecraft is on a 12-year mission, covering 6.4 billion kilometers to fly past eight ancient asteroids. Lucy is the first mission to investigate the Trojan asteroid swarms, which are asteroid clusters along Jupiter's orbital path. Armed with cameras, a thermometer, and an infrared imaging spectrometer, Lucy will collect the first high-resolution images of these asteroids.

The spacecraft gets her name from the Lucy fossil, an ancient human ancestor whose remains transformed the study of hominid evolution. NASA hopes its Lucy transforms the understanding of the evolution of the solar system. Both the fossil and the spacecraft's name nod to the Beatles' hit Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

RINGO STAR, FORMER BEATLE: Lucy is going back in the sky with time. Johnny, I love that. Anyway, if you meet anyone out there Lucy, give them peace and love for me.

FISHER: And Lucy does indeed carry a diamond as part of a beam splitter assembly. After making a few flybys of Earth for a gravity slingshot boost, Lucy is expected to reach her first objective, an asteroid named Donald Johanson in the asteroid belt between Earth and Jupiter. She'll then travel to the Trojan asteroids, all named after the heroes of Homer's Iliad.

KEITH NOLL, NASA PLANETARY ASTRONOMER: The power of what Lucy is able to do by having so many targets, we can construct all these comparisons between all the different varieties and the diversity that we see in the Trojans, the unexpected diversity, the different colors, the different collisional histories. It's really a repository of fossils as we like to say of things that happened at the earliest stages of solar system evolution.

[02:55:07]

FISHER: This spacecraft, a little more than 14 meters from tip to tip is powered by two giant solar arrays that will expand outward like Chinese folding fans. They'll carry Lucy farther away from the sun than any other solar-powered spacecraft. Lucy will never return to Earth, but she won't be the last to visit the asteroids. NASA plans to send more. China and Russia are teaming up on an asteroid mission in 2024, and the UAE in 2028.

Kristin Fisher, CNN.

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CHURCH: The National Football League had a special guest on hand for the Sunday night game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. U.S. First Lady Jill Biden led the home team crowd and a fly Eagles fly pregame chart. She was there in support of a cancer awareness program. Philadelphia fans witnessed a thrilling game as the undefeated Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 26 to 17.

And there was a good chance they are still partying in Knoxville, Tennessee after the Volunteers' epic 52 to 49 college football victory over Alabama on Saturday. But the postgame celebration is already proving costly, with the University of Tennessee now fined $100,000 because fans stormed the field following the win. And then there's the issue of the goalposts. Rowdy fans to all the posts down marched them out of the stadium and eventually dumped them into the Tennessee River. So now the school is crowdfunding for money to replace the posts with more than $30,000 raised as of Sunday evening, a very expensive win there.

Thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Do stick around.

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