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Ukrainians Line Up For Water As Russia Hits Infrastructure; Russia Targets Infrastructure In Strikes Across Ukraine; Jair Bolsonaro Supporters Block Roads To Protest Election Loss; Ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Efforting Comeback; At Least 156 People Dead After Crowd Surge In South Korea. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired November 01, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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[00:00:40]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm John Vause.

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, the slow relentless destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure, Russian airstrikes have left millions in the dark and cold and now without running water.

He lost who really can see, Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro expected to make a national address while his supporters block highways protesting his narrow defeat.

And the fifth election in Israel in four years, only this time the added factor of the rise to power of far-right Jewish extremism.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Russian President Vladimir Putin might just be hoping the brutal Ukrainian winter will succeed where his military has been a dismal failure.

The Russian air offensive on Ukraine's critical infrastructure appears to have widened from targeting the electrical grid. Now, water facilities are under fire with devastating effect.

Kyiv, a city with a pre-war population of three million, 80 percent of residents no longer have access to running water according to the capital's mayor.

Notably, Ukraine's military says 45 of the 55 Russian cruise missiles fired Monday was shot down. That's still meant at least 10 hit their mark. Along with Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east and Zaporizhzhia region in the south, there have been reports of heavy damage.

There appears to be no other reason for these strikes, which of course water shortages and rolling power blackouts nationwide, (INAUDIBLE) the coming winter the worst ever for Ukrainians, and Putin has warned there could still be worse to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): After the terror attack

against Crimea Bridge, you said that in the case there are more attacks, Russia will respond. Can we call today's massive strikes on Ukrainian territory an answer to recent events in Sevastopol?

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is so in part, but that's not all we could have done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: As for the many countries facing food shortages, the price of grain has risen after Putin suspended but did not end participation in a U.N. brokered export deal.

The announcement came over the weekend, Russia blaming Ukraine for attacking Crimea. Russia claims movement on the Black Sea Grain Corridor is now suspended. Once using it would be risky, still about a dozen ships could be seen using it on Monday.

The grain export deal is viewed as key to addressing the food shortage in a number of countries around the world. Ukraine says that remains committed to the agreement even if Russia backs out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I spoke with United Nation's Secretary General Antonio Guterres and informed him about the new level of escalation due to Russian actions.

Terror against Ukrainian energy facilities and moreover against the background of Russia's efforts to exacerbate the global food crisis is clear evidence that Russia will continue to oppose itself to the entire international community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And Mr. Zelenskyy says Russia's latest strikes on the country's infrastructure will do little to break the back of Ukrainian resistance. Air campaigns historically have never done that.

CNN's Nic Robertson reports now from the capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): Life just got harder in Kyiv. Monday morning, 80 percent of the capitals water off following a new barrage of Russian airstrikes. Spigots not used since the war began a lifeline again, but not unexpected.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone who are in Kyiv right now and they choose to stay here, they are like ready for this.

ROBERTSON: It will make you leave the city?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I will stay here. I didn't leave it since the war began. So, why have to do it now? ROBERTSON: Despite the long lines in some parts of the city, patience are plenty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) my friends in one hour. Maybe two hour, maybe three. Maybe no water after 20 minutes, but I will be back.

ROBERTSON: Scenes like this are becoming increasingly normal across Ukraine. Government officials say that there were 10 different regions targeted Monday, 18 different sites.

Among them, a hydroelectric power plant, Ukraine's biggest in Zaporizhzhia. Another power gen site in Cherkasy central Ukraine. Kharkiv subway in the East stilled by strikes on vital infrastructure there.

[00:05:16]

And despite intercepts, 44 across the country according to the government, groups of missiles getting through at least three, according to this witness near Kyiv's hydroelectric power plant.

A missile flew over our house, I went to the balcony and saw the second missile and a drone, she says, both were flying in the direction of the power plant. It's so scary when you see it.

Three weeks of targeting Ukraine's electricity network is pushing the power grid towards a tipping point. No doubt more of this to come.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton is with us now for more on the latest developments from Ukraine. Colonel, it's good to see you.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST (on camera): Good to see you too, John, thanks for having me.

VAUSE: It's always a pleasure. So, now what exactly does Putin mean when he says that's not all we could have done with regards to these airstrikes on the civilian infrastructure? And what does he hope to achieve? Because these aerosols, these air campaigns really, really work.

LEIGHTON: Well, yes, it's very interesting, because you know, when you look at the way air campaigns have been conducted, you were exactly right, that, you know, these campaigns really have the opposite effect of what's intended.

They tend to stiffen the resolve of the targeted population. Generally speaking, unless there is a ground component that is successful, and the Russians don't have that, the air campaign is going to fail if it is done in a way where it's the only element of power that is brought to bear. So, what Putin might be hinting at here could be the use of some other

kinds of weapon, some other kind of tactic, you know, something that could perhaps, in his opinion, change the calculus of the war, but so far, we haven't seen them use that.

And of course, the -- you know, the big possibility here is a tactical nuclear weapon. So, I think at this point in time, that is more of a bluff than anything else, but it is definitely something that we have to be concerned about.

VAUSE: It was interesting, Ukrainian military says more than 50 Russian cruise missiles fired Monday, 44 were destroyed by the Ukrainian air defense.

Still, those which reached their mark, they caused a huge amount of damage. Here's the Ukrainian president now on efforts to restore power.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): As of now, restoration works are still ongoing in those regions where there were hits by Russian missiles today, we are doing everything possible to restore the energy and water supply, and we will restore it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: I'm just curious, what's the calculation here at this point? Is it a question what's going to last longer? Putin's dwindling supply of missiles or Ukraine's power grid?

LEIGHTON: Well, actually it is. That's exactly right. We were looking at who can run out the clock fastest. In other words, who can really run out their supplies.

And I think what you're looking at is the possibility at least, that Russia is going to expand its missiles, especially the type of cruise missiles, these are air launch cruise missiles that they've used in these particular attacks, they will lose those, they will run out of those more quickly than the Ukrainians will lose their will to fight. And the Ukrainians will certainly be able to restore some of their power, some of their water before too long.

And I think they'll be able to do this in a fairly concerted fashion, they'll need some help to do it. But it's going to be something where they will beat the clock in terms of you know, whether or not Putin will run this or not.

But it is certainly a case where the Russians are going to be spending a lot of money and a lot of weapons in a perhaps futile effort to coerce the Ukrainians.

VAUSE: And after this weekend drone attack, which Moscow says targeted Russian ships in Crimean waters, the Kremlin suspended this U.N. deal, which oversaw the safety of cargo ships carrying grain was being sent out by a humanitarian corridor. Here's Putin explaining why he did that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PUTIN (through translator): Those drones, both undersea and air drones happen to be partly in corridor through which the grain from the Ukraine has exported. They created risks for both our ships, we should provide security for the grain export as several ships who are taking care of it. But we've made commitment to provide security. But pardon me for the expression, Ukraine hit those ships will be the ones to blame.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Or the victim. We've heard from a number of people saying they just don't buy that. So, from your point of view, how credible is that explanation?

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LEIGHTON: Not very credible at all, based on what we know about half of the drones took, it was far from anything that resembles the path that the grain ships take on their way out of the Ukrainian ports.

So, the Russian explanation does not hold water. The U.N. doesn't believe it. No other nation believes it. So, these explanations are not credible at all.

VAUSE: So, that gets us to the question of why. Any clues as to why?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think he's using anything that seems credible, and can even probably sell to the rest of the Russian population, as far as you know, his ability to conduct this war and in terms of, you know, the abilities that he has to (AUDIO GAP).

So, the Russian press will spin this in a way that will make Russia play the victim and it will be credible for that audience. Unless of course they get other information which will negate that.

VAUSE: Col. Cedric Leighton, thank you for being with us sir, appreciate your time.

LEIGHTON: You bet John, thank you.

VAUSE: Will he or won't he? Will Jair Bolsonaro concede? He lost the presidential election over the weekend by the narrowest margin on record. And that's led some pro-Bolsonaro supporters to set up hundreds of roadblocks on highways across the country in protest of the election result.

Meantime, police have secured areas around Congress and other government buildings in the capital Brasilia.

CNN's Paula Newton has more now from one of the protests in Sao Paulo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): The results of this election in Brazil maybe end but the protesters here they're not having any of it.

All over Brazil, there have been these kinds of protests going on on roads and highways from one end of the country to the other.

We are in Sao Paulo. This is a major highway leading into the downtown area and through to the airport. Have a look here. We have protesters that are encroaching on a major highway, they are looking for support and they are getting it here as well.

The issue for them is they are saying it doesn't if Bolsonaro concede. They are saying they will stay out here as long as necessary, creating chaos for the country because as far as they're concerned, Bolsonaro won, take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We have a president that won at the ballot box and there's a fraud at the ballot boxes to put the other candidate ahead. And we're against that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Bolsonaro accepts the people will not accept it because the power comes from the people. The people were the ones who put Bolsonaro there and were the ones who would remove him as well.

NEWTON: The division that we heard throughout this campaign is now being vented on the streets. If you look here, they will at times pull into traffic, continue to block traffic and then come back to the barriers.

Police are here and they're trying to be here in force. But what they are saying is that they want to try and de-escalate the situation and we're hearing this from authorities' right across the country.

They are negotiating a way to keep them safe, to let them protest but also not to come in in a forceful way, as they do not want to motivate people to escalate this protest further and continue to block more roads.

This will be a tense situation though in days to come especially as they are saying it does not matter what Bolsonaro says at this point or the international community. They are determined. They will be out here having these protests as long as it takes.

Paula Newton, CNN, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The first president in Brazil's history to be voted out of office, Jair Bolsonaro is expected to make a national address Tuesday. Bolsonaro has remained silent since losing Sunday's second round run off to his rival Lula da Silva.

Precisely, when Bolsonaro will speak and what he will say remains uncertain. But for months, he spread doubt on whether he would accept the results, claiming the only way he could lose the election would be if the outcome was rigged. Here he is about a month ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAIR BOLSONARO, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (through translator): Don't you recognize the election results? Where are you from? From Argentina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Many of his key political allies have accepted the results so to Brazil Senate law house, Electoral Court, and it seems the military as well.

For more now of where this could be heading, we're joined by Brian Winter editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and Vice President of Policy at the American Society and the Council of the Americas. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. Good to see you.

BRIAN WINTER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AMERICAS QUARTERLY: It's a pleasure to be with you.

VAUSE: So, if Bolsonaro is thinking about refusing to leave, does he have the political and institutional support to pull off what would essentially be a coup?

WINTER: All of us spent today the last 24 hours trying to read the tea leaves on this trying to get inside the head of Jair Bolsonaro, who, as you pointed out has spent much of the last year casting doubt on Brazil's electoral system, calling his opponent a criminal, saying that if he lost it would only be the result of fraud, and now he's lost.

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And so, the question is, what will he do? It seemed as if he spent the last few hours trying to get his head around the result on his path to slowly accepting it, urged by allies who do not want to endanger the strength of the conservative movement, which despite Bolsonaro's lost comes out of this election very strong. That is Bolsonaro allies will occupy key positions and governors houses, they'll run Brazil's three largest states by population. They're also all over Congress.

And so, right now, as we speak, Bolsonaro has lots of allies in his ear, saying, please do not burn the house down on the way out, please accept this result, because it will be good for all of us over time.

VAUSE: That's interesting because Brazil has received a lot of praise for an election that was seen as fair and honest, transparent and accountable. Here's a spokesperson for the E.U. foreign policy chief, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NABILA MASSRALI, SPOKESPERSON, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JOSEP BORRELL: We commend the Electoral Court in particular for the effective and transparent manner it conducted its constitutional mandate through all stages of the electoral process demonstrating once again the strength of Brazil's institution and its democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: But many Bolsonaro supporters see the result is rigged. On Monday, truck drivers set up roadblocks on major highways, pro- Bolsonaro protesters were held in Rio as well as other states around the country.

So, even if Bolsonaro stood up in the coming hours, congratulated Lula da Silva, accepted the results without condition. Would it be too little too late? Is the damage already done?

WINTER: Well, I first of all, I don't think Bolsonaro will ever publicly congratulate Lula for example, I've spoken to some people close to the president in the last 24 hours who say that that will never happen.

The best-case scenario is that Bolsonaro simply declines to challenge the result in any meaningful way, he will grumble about perhaps some fraud, he will talk about the system being rigged against him like the Electoral Court, which ruled against him in a couple of occasions over the course of the election. But that's the best case scenario.

The problem is, is that as we've -- as we saw in the United States in the wake of the 2020 election, when a president casts doubt on an electoral process, even if he doesn't prevail, even if he's not over -- even if he's not able to overturn the result, that still leaves damage, it still leaves scars, you end up with a percentage of the population does not see the winner of the election as the legitimate winner. And that's where I think this is headed in Brazil.

VAUSE: The president of Argentina was one of the few international leaders to congratulate the president elect Lula da Silva in person, he was also one of the first. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO FERNANDEZ, ARGENTINIAN PRESIDENT: I can only congratulate the people of Brazil because they have carried out an election day with total transparency, peace and calm. And I believe that this is valuable. And it's something that the whole of Latin America needs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And you touched on the U.S. So, at the same time, Steve Bannon, a former adviser to one term U.S. president and election denier, Donald Trump, he shared his thoughts on Bolsonaro's next move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW TYRMAND, BOARD MEMBER, PROJECT VERITAS: You know, Bolsonaro, we're going to see what they're going to -- how they're going to respond, but --

STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE STRATEGIST: He cannot concede, impossible.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: He cannot concede, impossible. So just to expand on what the President of Argentina said, do you see what happens with this election in the coming days and the coming weeks? It's important not just for Latin America, not just important for the United States, but perhaps global democracy?

WINTER: Oh, certainly. I mean, look, we live in an era where democracies are under stress and where the number of true democracies in the world is in decline.

And, you know, the writing was really on the wall with what Bolsonaro would try to do, egged on by the likes of Steve Bannon for more than a year, based on things that the president himself was saying, it was not paranoia on the part of observers of Brazil and Brazilians. It was based on the president's own words.

And you know, this approach where you never admit defeat, or you never, you know, the way they see it, you never show weakness. The thing is, if we're honest, it does actually appear to pay political dividends in some part.

I mean, you look at Bolsonaro, I think right now, is following the example of Donald Trump thinking that if I don't -- if I -- at some level refused to acknowledge that I lost, this will leave me in a stronger position later, and I might even be able to return to office and that's bad for democracy.

But politically, it's not crazy, as we've seen here in the U.S.

VAUSE: And that's the tragedy. Brian, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

WINTER: Thank you.

[00:20:07]

VAUSE: Once again, as Israelis go to the polls for the fifth time in four years, Benjamin Netanyahu is on the ballot. He's the longest serving P.M. is well pleased to win the most number of seats in parliament with his Likud party, after the ideological diverse coalition of Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett did not last.

The Acting Prime Minister Lapid heads into this election, hoping for second place for his centrist party.

And according to recent opinion polls, Netanyahu's Likud party may be poised to win the most number of seats but seems likely to fall short of an outright majority.

Sounds just like the past four elections. Only this time, Netanyahu has made a deal with far-right extremist political party.

CNN's Hadas Gold reports now from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Bibi show is back. Replete with a Bibi mobile, encased in bulletproof glass, aiming to once again become the main attraction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the next prime minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu.

GOLD: Social Benjamin Netanyahu does not yet have a clear path towards the majority. So, the former prime minister is trying to pull every possible vote out of his base.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN ISRAEL: Don't be despondent. Be turbo-charged.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bibi is king of Israel. Bibi is king of Israel.

GOLD: And just like the previous four elections in just over three years, for most Israeli voters, the question at the ballot box will be whether they want Netanyahu or not.

ANSHEL PFEFFER, AUTHOR, BIBI: THE TURBULENT LIFE AND TIMES OF BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: We're not talking about any other policy issue really beyond Netanyahu and what Netanyahu will do on the day after the election.

GOLD: Netanyahu's ongoing corruption trial where he faces charges including bribery, fraud and breach of trust, charges Netanyahu denies will be his first priority analysts say.

YOHANAN PLESNER, PRESIDENT, ISRAEL DEMOCRACY INSTITUTE: That perhaps firing the attorney general, those kinds of maneuvers that will allow him to free himself from the legal process that he's facing and to deliver the goods to his political allies.

GOLD: Those political allies will likely include the far-right wing of Israeli politics. People like Itamar Ben-Gvir, an extremist who has been convicted for supporting terrorism and inciting racism, now expected to help garner at least 12 seats for Netanyahu was block.

He was once an outcast of Israeli politics, known for his art in support of settlers and flaming Israeli-Palestinian tensions. Just last year, Netanyahu said Benjamin wasn't fit to serve in the cabinet, but now desperate for his votes, Ben-Gvir certainly could get a ministerial position Netanyahu said this month.

PFEFFER: And then the question is, what is the price that the far right is going to extricate from him? Will it be perhaps canceling the disengagement law from 2015? Meaning that perhaps some settlements in the West Bank which were in the past abandoned by Israel will be rebuilt, reoccupied and perhaps further steps towards sometime of annexation in the West Bank.

GOLD: But at least one former adviser says Netanyahu won't make any extreme moves because the alliance with Ben-Gvir won't last.

MOSHE KLUGHAFT, FORMER NETANYAHU STRATEGIST: Netanyahu's strategy is work for the short term and then for another short term and another short term and not for the long term.

GOLD: 61 seats are needed to form a government. And if he wins, Netanyahu has denied that he'll try to quash his trial or that the extremists will have power.

NETANYAHU: I wouldn't do anything that affects me. I think my trial is unraveling as it is. I've had such partners in the past and they didn't change an iota of my policies.

GOLD: But before he can decline such policy ideas, only to claw his way back to power, one parliamentary seat at a time.

Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Three days on and authority still cannot explain what caused the deadly crowd crash in Seoul. In a moment, a live report with what we do know about the investigation so far.

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[00:26:10]

VAUSE: South Korea continues to mourn the victims of Saturday's deadly crowd surge. At these Memorial sites, in Seoul, dozens of tearful mourners have laid flowers and bow their heads in memory and respect for 156 people who were crushed to death in narrow alleyways as crowds of party goers grew too large. Authority say the turnout was unprecedented. They had no guidelines on what to do. An American doctor who treated those of the scene described the chaos she saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOPHIA AKHIYAT, DOCTOR WHO TREATED VICTIMS: On the ground were 20 to 30 bodies at least of people not breathing and all in cardiac arrest with civilians and first responders working on them.

And down the alleyway where I just came from, half an hour before was a pile of bodies. And first responders were trying to pull people off from one another and get the ones that were unconscious on the floor to start CPR. So, it was incredibly chaotic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Seoul. And Paula, one area, which I could start looking at perhaps is the number of police who are on duty that night. It seems this event was held last year with a much smaller crowd because of pandemic restrictions. And yet, the same number of police were told were on duty that night.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, certainly John, the number of police that were involved is going to be a key part of this investigation. Not just that, but also what they were doing there. The majority of the 137 police officers that were told were deployed to the area are actually focusing on crime prevention. They weren't there for crowd control at all.

Now, we have heard from the police chief about an hour ago, he has bowed in apology for what has happened, saying that the sheer number of emergency calls that they received, we understand there were at least 100 of them, was they did not have an adequate response to those emergency calls.

Now, certainly this is something that many people have been saying since Sunday morning when they have woken up to this disaster, but it's certainly going to be a focus of the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: (voice over): A once thriving nightlife hub, now the site of endless grief and loss. South Korea is in a period of national mourning of the more than 150 lives lost in a crowd search on Saturday.

NATHAN TAVERNITI, WITNESS: There was just obviously waves of people coming in. This is like the middle of Itaewon. So, waves are coming in from both sides. And the more people fell and I lost my friend. There's so many people (INAUDIBLE). And I, like, turn around and I told the crowd, you can't come this way. People are dying.

HANCOCKS: South Korean officials now admitting there were no guidelines for dealing with the Halloween festivities in Seoul that took a deadly turn.

KIM SEONG-HO, SOUTH KOREAN MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR AND SAFETY (through translator): An event without an organizer was actually an unprecedented situation.

OH SEUNG-JIN, DIRECTOR OF VIOLENT CRIME INVESTIGATION DIVISION, NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY (through translator): There is no separate preparation manual for a situation where there is no organizer and where a crowd is expected.

HANCOCKS: Survivors who managed to escape recount the horror.

OLIVIA JACOVIC, CRUSH SURVIVOR: It was about like, you know, you versus other people. I just wanted to get out of there. I was using my arms, squishing out like I don't care that my clothes were getting ripped or had like you know, bruises on my arms and stuff from trying to move it out.

It was just shoulder to shoulder, people just couldn't breathe. The shorter people were just trying to look up in the air to get some sort of air.

HANCOCKS: The deadly tragedy sent shockwaves across the world. The victims many teenagers and in their 20s included 20-year-old American college student Steven Blesi from Marietta, Georgia. He'd only been in South Korea for two months.

STEVE BLESI, FATHER OF CRUSH VICTIM: I feel like I have a hole in me, a big hole in my chest. I can't tell you the pain that is. I wish I would have not let him go.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): And Anne Gieske, a nursing student from Kentucky who was studying abroad in Seoul.

[00:30:07]

Blesi and Gieske's families are just two of the hundreds who received life-changing news that night, grieving with a nation in shock and demanding answers.

HANCOCKS: Now, there are memorial sites like this one behind me here in city hall around the city; in fact, around the country, so that people can show their respects, can pay their respects to those who lost their lives.

There is a steady stream of people coming through, placing a white flower in remembrance of those that died, as is customary here in Korea. And, there's also an onsite counseling center, because there is also a recognition that this is a nation in grief, a nation in shock -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: To say the least. Paula, thank you. Paula Hancocks, in Seoul with the very latest.

Well, the arrests have begun in India, just days after a deadly bridge collapse. We are live in New Delhi. The very latest on the investigation. More on that in a moment.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

In Iran, state media reports about 1,000 people have been charged for taking part in an anti-government protest. In a rare move, their trials will be reportedly held in public later this week. All part of an effort by Tehran to end more than a month of protests demanding basic women's rights and an end to government brutality.

Police in India have arrested nine people in connection to a deadly bridge collapse on Sunday. There's disturbing video, which now shows the moment the disaster happened, the bridge falling apart and plunging into the water. At least 134 people were killed, among them 30 children. The bridge had only recently reopened after scheduled maintenance.

Wow.

Now to New Delhi. CNN's Vedika Sud with the very latest.

What do we know about these people who have been charged? What are they being charged with?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, they've been charged -- they will be charged in a few months from now, because there is an entire legal procedure in India, where you first book the culprits, and then you take them to court. And really then, charges are decided.

But they've been booked under culpable homicide, not amounting to murder for now. Criminal charges have been booked with nine of these people, as you mentioned.

What's interesting is, John, that most of them are affiliated to a contracted company that was in charge of taking care of maintaining this bridge. And these are junior officials we're talking about. These are junior officers. None of the seniors have been arrested or booked yet.

So, we still have that question to the police in Gujarat. Where are the people who should be held accountable? Investigation is underway is what they're saying. So we're waiting to hear more from them.

But I'm going to start with the visuals of what's left of this bridge in the Western state of Gujarat.

What you see is debris. What you see is a crane pulling out the debris from the river. Now, as you mentioned, 134 people dead. We don't know if that's the final count. I doubt that's the final count as I speak to you.

Over 30 children have died in this incident, and we don't even know if that figure is really going to go up. A lot of people are still missing, as we know.

But speaking to a local agency, one of the survivors said something that stayed with me. He said, I faced death. And within moments, I caught onto the safety net, along with my family, and we saved ourselves as we saw so many slip into the river and be washed away.

That's a story, not just of that one man, John, but of more than 100 people of 100 families that have lost near and dear ones. And they want accountability for what's happened, and that's yet to come.

It's shocking, isn't it? A bridge that was renovated and repaired for over six months and was reopened just last week collapses? You've seen footage, and this is CCTV footage that we have of that collapse take place, of moments later, as well, of people just hanging onto the safety nets, trying to save themselves and their near and dear ones.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the site today, later in the day, in the afternoon. Remember, this is his home state. We also know that there was a high-level meeting that he chaired on Monday evening, where they did go through the rescue operations the state has offered, which continues even today while they look for more bodies of those who have died in this incident.

So, yet, more is to yet come, John, as I speak to you. What we also do know is that there will be a state of -- a day of mourning, rather, that has been announced by the state of Gujarat. That is to take place tomorrow. Even the U.S. president, Joe Biden, has come out and has expressed his

grief over the incident.

But, the question remains: who should be held accountable? Are just those nine enough? We're talking about the small fries, really. What about those who should be held accountable, right at the top of that company that was contracted for the maintenance of this bridge? Whose answerable from the Gujarat state, government, the local government there? Who gave the nod for this bridge to start operations again for these tourists to go and visit the bridge once again -- John.

VAUSE: Yes, some pretty big questions there, which are yet to be answered, Vedika. We appreciate the live update. Vedika Sud there, live in New Delhi. Thank you.

We'll take a short break. When we come back, there are new details on the alleged attempted attack on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The accused says he wanted to hold her hostage and break her kneecaps if she lied to him. More details in a moment.

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VAUSE: In the U.S. Senate, there are calls for an investigation into the role Saudi Arabia played in Elon Musk's take-over of Twitter.

Senate Democrat Chris Murphy is urging the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to look into the national security implications of a Saudi involvement.

Actually, he tweeted, "We should be concerned that the Saudis, who have a clear interest in repressing political speech and impacting U.S. politics, are now the second largest owner of a major social media platform."

At issue is Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who helped finance Musk's acquisition of the social media giant. He is now Twitter's second largest shareholder, second only to Musk.

Well, the man accused of breaking into the home of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and attacking her husband, now faces a long list of state and federal charges, including attempted murder and attempted kidnapping.

San Francisco's district attorney says the vicious assault was politically motivated.

More now from CNN's Josh Campbell.

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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paul Pelosi, still in intensive care following surgery after a violent attack at his home Friday that left him with a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and his hands. The suspect in the attack, 42-year-old David DePape, now charged with

federal crimes -- assault and attempted kidnapping -- after he allegedly broke into the Pelosis' San Francisco home through a back door, went to the bedroom, and confronted Pelosi, shouting, "Where's Nancy?" according to law enforcement.

According to the federal criminal complaint, DePape stated he was going to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and talk to her. If she were to tell DePape the truth, he would let her go. And if she lied, he was going to break her kneecaps. And he said she knew she would not tell the truth.

DePape also later explained that, by breaking the speaker's kneecaps, she would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other members of Congress there were consequences to their actions.

DePape also attempted to tie Paul Pelosi up before the assault.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott discredited conspiracy theories the two knew each other before the break-in.

CHIEF WILLIAM SCOTT, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT: There is absolutely no evidence that Mr. Pelosi knew this man. As a matter of fact, the evidence indicates the exact opposite.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): The two struggled over a hammer, according to law enforcement. And, when police arrived, DePape pulled the hammer away from Pelosi, then violently attacked him before police were able to tackle and disarm him.

DePape was arrested at the scene. He brought the hammer used in the attack and was carrying duct tape and zip ties, according to law enforcement and sources familiar with the investigation.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with her security detail, was in Washington at the time. She returned to San Francisco Friday and has been visiting her husband at the hospital.

The attack, at around 2:30 a.m. early Friday morning at the Pelosi residence in San Francisco, occurred just as police arrived in response to a 9-1-1 call placed by Paul Pelosi.

SCOTT: There was a 9-1-1 call made. And that's how we got there. And thank goodness that there was a 9-1-1 call made.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Radio traffic picked up the call for assistance at the Pelosi residence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Special call, special call, medic 66, location --

CAMPBELL (voice-over): DePape, still hospitalized, is expected to be arraigned Tuesday.

CAMPBELL: Now, we've been reporting on this suspect's social media footprint, how it's littered with far-right conspiracy theories regarding the 2020 election, regarding COVID vaccines, regarding the January 6th insurrection.

We're also learning new details about the alleged motivation here. According to the FBI criminal complaint in this case, the suspect allegedly told law enforcement that he wanted to break House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's kneecaps so that she could be wheeled into Congress, quote, "which would show other members of Congress there were consequences to their actions."

Truly, truly disturbing allegations.

Josh Campbell, CNN, San Francisco.

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VAUSE: Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. Stay with us. At the top of the hour, another hour of CNN NEWSROOM. But first, WORLD SPORT starts after the break.

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