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Many Tourists Stranded In Maui With Flames Spreading; Winds Associated With Hurricane Dora Fueling Flames; Sources: More Than A Dozen Indictments Expected; Ecuadorian Presidential Candidate Gunned Down At Rally; At Least 60 Injured After Explosion At Plant Near Moscow. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 10, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:31]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIARE LAWRENCE, RESIDENT, LAHAINA: Basically, all the reports and the videos that's being sent to me, it's like an apocalypse.
CHURCH (voice over): Stories of despair and destruction from Hawaii, as firefighters battle multiple blazes, and residents, and tourists seek any shelter they can.
A man accused of making threats against U.S. President Joe Biden is shot and killed by FBI agents attempting to arrest him.
And new details on what former President Donald Trump and his allies can expect when a Georgia prosecutor pursues new indictments from the 2020 election investigation next week.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM WITH ROSEMARY CHURCH.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): Good to have you with us. Well, right now, wildfires are burning through two islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The flames are raging out of control. And on Maui, they have killed at least six people.
Footage from the tourist hotspots shows a decimated community that looks more like a warzone than a tropical haven. Many people don't have power or cell phone service, and 1000s are in shelters as emergency crews carry out search and rescue operations.
The National Weather Service says the heavy winds fanning the flames should weaken later this week. But very little rain is expected. A crew member from a charter boat described his escape after he made it safely to the Maui airport. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUSTIN JOHNSON, CREW MEMBER FROM A CHARTER BOAT: I was the last one off the dock when the fire storm came through the banyan tree, and took everything with it. And I just ran out to the beach, and I ran south, and I just helped everybody I couldn't along the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The fires are also spreading on the island of Hawaii known as the Big Island. The county mayor says two new brush fires have erupted in recent hours.
And I do want to bring in reporter Jeremy Lee from affiliate KITV, who's live at the airport in Maui.
So, Jeremy, what is the situation at the airport right now as people wait trying to get out?
JEREMY LEE, REPORTER, KITV: Rosemary, the airport here in Kahului, on Maui is bustling. Behind me, a long line at TSA. Those who are trying to get to another island back to the mainland anywhere.
But here, it's been a collective effort with the Sheraton, sending five buses from just north of Lahaina. I just spoke to somebody who got off of the bus and told me they received the law enforcement escort. They could see an apartment building burning from the highway, just in the 5:00 p.m. hour, local time.
That's just a little more than two hours ago. So, it continues to be a very precarious situation with law enforcement only letting vehicles out of Lahaina, in the surrounding resort areas, but not letting people back in.
Some brace collar killing (PH) highway this morning, driving a twisting winding road just to get to the airport. Now, those buses are coming in one by one from the resorts and people are doing what they can to get off this island.
The two major carriers for inter-island flights, Southwest and also Hawaiian have been offering $19 flights just to get people to Honolulu or to get people over to Lihue, on Kauai, or Kona, on the Big Island, direct from Kahului Airport, where it has been busy all day. Some people have had 12-hour to 24-hour waits, but they tell me that they understand it's all about perspective.
A family from Texas, the father said, it really puts everything into context, considering they're on vacation. There are others who have lost their homes, their businesses. People I know, colleagues of mine, Malika, she is had to evacuate her home.
One man who was opening an art gallery, Ruby Mazur, live -- stayed in a U-Haul last night. His whole life's work up in flames in Lahaina.
[02:05:03]
The images of Front Street startling to those visiting and those of us local who live here on the islands.
(CROSSTALK)
CHURCH: Yes, I mean --
LEE: Back to you in the studio.
CHURCH: Jeremy, it must be absolutely devastating, as you say, I mean, so many people living there who were having to deal with this. And now, of course, we see all these tourists mainly trying to get out. And you mentioned those additional buses on the way.
How long do authorities think it will take to get everyone who needs to get out evacuated?
LEE: Well, that's the big question, because we don't have communication with that side of the island, with the infrastructure down. People have been listening to radio to understand how to get back here. We are learning more and more hour by hour as these buses arrive.
Thanks so much. Back to you in the studio.
CHURCH: Jeremy Lee, talking to us there from the airport in Maui. All of those people lined up trying to get out.
Well, Moon Soledade is the owner of the Paia Fish Market, a seafood restaurant on Maui's northern coast. And she joins us now on the line from the town of Haiku.
And thank you so much for talking with us. I know it's a very difficult time. You have lost your restaurant and burned down as a result of these wildfires. What happened exactly?
MOON GREENE, RESTAURANT OWNER, HAIKU, HAWAII: Well, my name is Moon Greene. Clear on that. But it started as a brush fire, and then, the winds were having really strong gusts, and it just blew out of control so quickly that none of us even had time to -- extent of what was going to happen.
My partner, Anatol (PH), who was at the restaurant, right before Lahaina really started burning, said that it was like a warzone, because cars were exploding, and, you know, gas lines, because of all the restaurants and boats. And so, it was -- it was really like something out of like, war.
It's dating to this community, behind us, really the heart of our island, it's got the most history, it's been the focal point of tourists for many, many years. And I just -- I completely at a loss for words for the devastation that we all -- will have to pick up and clean up, and rebuild when we can get over there, because you still can't get over there.
CHURCH: Yes. I mean, understandably, you would be in a great deal of shock right now, along with all of those people there on the island of Maui. So, you have actually been living there for more than 30 years. Have you ever seen anything like this?
GREENE: No, no. We've never seen anything like this ever on Maui. This is one of the I think the biggest devastation, I mean, the whole of Lahaina town is completely burned to the ground, everything is gone.
You know, people lost homes, there is -- there is a lot of loss of life. It's absolutely just horrific. And, you know, I know that we have such a strong community, I think about what happened at 9/11, and how strong everybody came together.
And when things like this happen, people do come together. And I believe that we will rebuild it. But it's definitely taken the wind out of all of our sales at the moment.
CHURCH: I didn't totally understand that. And I did want to ask if you received any warnings from authorities about these wildfires, indicating the situation could get as bad as this so very quickly. Were there any warnings at all?
GREENE: You know, unfortunately, I don't feel that there was any warnings and it happened so quickly. We were told at 2:00 that the fire was under control. And then, by 5:00, it was an absolute disaster.
So, I -- you know, I'm disappointed and upset with the leadership. But I understand that natural disasters happen and sometimes it's out of our control.
You know, it's one of those things that the wind was so strong. I mean, we were getting, I think, a mile an hour gusts in Lahaina, so, it's really hard to control and contain that. And then, you mix that with a bunch of wood houses.
You know, Lahaina is really old. It's been around a really long time. The Banyan Tree just celebrated 150 years or something like that. So, we just celebrated seven years in the building that we've been in. We actually own five Paia Fish Markets across the islands. And that was one of our most popular ones.
[12:10:00]
So, it's really -- it's devastating for everybody involved. And we're still worried about people, and you still can't find some people, and so, it's really is frightening.
CHURCH: Yes, it is a terrifying experience for you, and for all of those people around you, for everyone on Maui. And, of course, the rest of the country is thinking of all of you. Moon Solidade, thank you so much for talking with us.
Well, Donald Trump's legal troubles are expected to get a whole lot worse next week in Georgia. Sources say the Fulton County prosecutor will pursue more than a dozen indictments of the former president and his allies. And these are state charges separate from the federal indictments brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
More now from CNN political correspondent Sara Murray.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to seek indictments against more than a dozen individuals when she goes to present her case before a grand jury next week, sources are telling me and my colleagues.
Of course, finally, Willis has been overseeing this sprawling criminal investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump has been pretty clear publicly that he expects to be indicted for a fourth time, and of course, he is at the heart of her investigation. But there are many other avenues she is looking at, such as a voting systems breach in rural Coffee County, Georgia, as well as the fake elector scheme in Georgia.
And sources are telling us that there are people who participated in those efforts, who believe that they could face charges as part of her investigation next week as well.
Again, we've seen signs and we're getting closer, we've seen the ramp up, we've seen the security perimeter harden around the Fulton County courthouse, and we could be just days away from learning who exactly is going to be charged in this roughly 2-1/2-year investigation into Donald Trump and his associates.
Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: The FBI says it's reviewing the shooting that happened Wednesday, when its special agents killed a man in Utah, who allegedly made threats against President Biden.
A law enforcement source told CNN, the agents were trying to arrest the man identified as Craig Robertson, and were giving him commands when he pointed a gun at them.
He was facing three federal charges related to the alleged threats. Authorities say, he also posted threats online against vice president Kamala Harris and other Democratic politicians, as well as prosecutors who have brought charges against former President Donald Trump.
The incident happened just hours before President Biden's trip to Utah, Wednesday evening.
Well, prosecutors in Ecuador say six people are now under arrest following the assassination of the presidential candidate. Official said earlier, the suspected gunman died in police custody after exchanging fire with officers.
Presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was gunned down on Wednesday at a campaign event. His sister says she holds the national government and the interior minister responsible, asking where is the security. Villavicencio did have police protection. The Killing appears to be caught on video. And we do want to warn you that video is disturbing. CNN's Rafael Romo has details.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: The attack happened right after the presidential candidate had finished the rally at a school in Quito, Ecuador's capital.
According to campaign aids contacted by CNN and a video shot at the scene, all of a sudden, a burst of gunfire was heard, as he was getting into a waiting vehicle.
Several people were hit by the bullets, including Fernando Villavicencio, a 59-year-old activist, journalist, and politician who was running in Ecuador's presidential elections to be held in less than two weeks on August 20th.
As Villavicencio gets in the backseat of the vehicle, at least 12 gunshots can be heard.
A policeman quickly closes the door behind Villavicencio and many people are seeing taking cover from the gunfire, including his security detail.
Current Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso later said on social media that he is outraged and shocked. He called the attack an assassination. Lasso also expressed solidarity and send his condolences to Villavicencio's wife and daughters.
He also vowed that this crime will not go unpunished. Lasso acknowledge that organized crime has come a long way in his country, but at the same time, he promised that the full weight of the law will fall on them, meaning, the criminals.
In an interview with CNN en Espanol back in May, Villavicencio said that drug traffickers had already made themselves at home in Ecuador, polluting the entire nation since at least 2007, and calling his own country a narco-state, run by a political mafia.
[02:15:03]
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
CHURCH: And there will be three days of national mourning and 60 days of a state of emergency.
We'll continue to follow that story.
Coming up next, dozens are injured in a plant explosion near Moscow. What officials say could be the reason behind the blast? Back with that in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: We are following new developments out of Ukraine, where the western region of Rivne resume has suffered a massive drone attack overnight.
A local official says an oil depo was destroyed, but so far, there is no word on casualties.
Officials in Ukraine, also say at least two people were killed and seven others injured in a Russian attack on a residential area in the city of Zaporizhzhia. The same missiles strike also destroyed a church and retail outlets.
Meantime, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister says forces have achieved partial success on the southern front and are pushing forward in the direction of Bakhmut, Melitopol, and Berdiansk.
In Russia, officials have opened an investigation after a powerful explosion rocked an industrial plant near Moscow. At least 60 people have been injured and eight others are unaccounted for.
Russian state media reports the blast occurred in a pyro techniques warehouse on the side.
[02:20:03]
But after recent incidents inside Russia, many residents remain on edge.
CNN's Matthew Chance has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Explosion shook the Russian city. Sending a dark mushroom cloud billowing into the skies.
Closer to the blast, you can see the windows falling from the buildings above. Even residence shocked at the devastation. One local, records these images of her destroyed sewing business, and suggests a drone may have been spotted by one of her friends, moments before the explosion.
Outside, a local reporter spots what appears to be an artillery shell on the ground. Although, officially the blast is being cast as an industrial accident at a fireworks factory.
Russian officials denying sabotage or that this is a sensitive military plant making optical equipment, like night vision goggles for Russia's war
This place hasn't been used to produce mechanical optics for ages, says the Moscow governor at the scene. It's only pyrotechnics made here, he insists.
Still amid an upsurge of attacks at home, Russians have good reason to be nervous.
August has been particularly fraught with a spike in small scale drone strikes on Russian cities, including the capital. Has also been at least two dozen arson attacks on military recruitment centers across the country.
Like this one in the Far Eastern republic of Buryatia, home of more casualties in the Ukraine conflict than any other Russian region.
But arrests are nationwide. Russian officials say vulnerable citizens like pensioners are being duped into fire bombings by Ukrainian agents posing as police or creditors, calling in loans.
I was called by bankers, says this arrested woman. I thought were the FSB, she says.
But a spokesman for one Russian partisan group denies Russians are being coerced. Telling CNN that if people weren't angry with the authorities, they wouldn't do anything. The Kremlin, he says, wants to hide the true level of discontent.
At the moment, there is no real evidence the latest factory explosion was anything more than the devastating safety breach, officials claim that with the impact of war, now increasingly felt at home, it's left many Russians on edge.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Meantime, Russia's Defense Ministry, says to drones headed towards Moscow was shot down just hours ago by the country's air defense forces. Two drones were also shot down at the city of Sevastopol in Crimea. And the ministry says another nine drones were suppressed and crashed into the Black Sea. No damage or casualties have been reported.
Still to come, Mexican officials are visiting the U.S. to discuss controversial border barriers put in place by Texas. I will speak with an expert about the current migrant crisis.
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[02:25:03]
CHURCH: Mexico's foreign minister is in Washington, where she met top U.S. officials on Wednesday. They discussed the controversial new border buoys installed by Texas along the border.
Mexico claims the buoys break a treaty between the countries and maybe in Mexican territory.
The U.S. Justice Department has demanded Texas remove them. But Governor Greg Abbott claims he has constitutional authority to protect his state's borders.
Joining me now is attorney and CNN opinion writer, Raul Reyes. He is also an immigration analyst at USA today. Appreciate you joining us.
RAUL REYES, CNN OPINION WRITER: Of course.
CHURCH: So, Democratic lawmakers visited the Rio Grande area, Tuesday to observe the barriers being used by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to keep migrants out of the United States, focusing their attention particularly on the use of barbed wire barriers on land, and massive buoys in the river.
What do you expect to come of this, given legal action against Texas has had no excess -- no success so far? And how much do you fear this may simply end up being yet another photo op?
REYES: Right. Well, let's start with the good news here. The good news here seems to be that Democrat -- Democratic lawmakers are trying to draw attention to what is something of a humanitarian crisis that has been intentionally created -- intentionally created by Governor Abbott as part of Operation Lone Star, using these buoys bound together with razor wire across of a river.
Now, CNN and Houston Chronicle, other publications, have reported on different drownings, reports of children being pushed back into the water. A woman suffering a miscarriage, trapped in the wire.
[02:30:00]
So this is a very harmful situation. The good is that these lawmakers are trying to draw attention to it. In July, the Biden Administration sued Texas over this practice.
CHURCH: And Mexico has previously filed complaints about Governor Abbott's border buoys on the basis that U.S.-Mexico Border Treaty states that the river is to run unimpeded. So what was likely discussed on Wednesday when Mexico's foreign minister met with U.S. officials?
REYES: Well two things. One, we have this treaty situation where Texas is in a sense taking immigration law into its own hands with the governor's efforts to control a portion of the river and deter migration. And it is called the U.S.-Mexico Border for a reason, it is not the Texas-Mexico Border, in terms of international relations.
So of course the Mexican foreign minister is bringing that up. Also expressing some concerns about the environmental impact on the Mexican side of these buoys and the potential harm to Mexican nationals.
CHURCH: So what is the solution to America's immigration crisis at the southern border? And is there any true political will to solve this humanely?
REYES: Well, the reality is that we do have solutions that we can implement at the United States Southern Border. For example, maybe potentially discussing what we want our asylum system to look like. Maybe updating our enforcement capabilities for the 21st century.
So the solutions exist. The problem, as you have mentioned, the political will is not there. Republicans see any type -- any level of unauthorized crossings, they view that as open borders. And they have weaponized that issue against Democrats. On the Democratic side, they are very leery. They seem to be very recalcitrant to move forward on advancing immigration reform or taking a firmer stance.
The Biden administration seems reluctant to take a firmer stance with asylum seekers who refuge at the border, because they are aware that Republicans so easily use this against them. And we see that in Biden's low approval ratings on immigration, 31 percent. We see that in the pictures that we see at the border, whether the crossings are up or down, we tend to see pictures of people in crisis, of our border patrol, our law enforcement overwhelmed.
And just as a fact check, this summer after the new asylum restrictions went into effect, unauthorized crossings at the border did drop to a two-year level. But still, this is a very contentious issue. It seems like the political will is continually elusive across multiple administrations.
CHURCH: Yeah. Raul Reyes, thank you so much for joining us, appreciate it.
REYES: My pleasure.
CHURCH: Angry reaction from China's government after the Biden administration announces new rules that could sharply limit U.S. firms from doing business with China's high tech industries. We'll explain.
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[02:37:30]
CHURCH: Tropical storm Khanun has made landfall in South Korea after threatening the region for nearly a week, and battering Southern Japan twice. Heavy rains and winds lashed Busan early Thursday. As strong waves crashed on the shores, hundreds of flights and ferries were canceled. The storm is expected to lose intensity as it continues overland and moves into North Korea.
Beijing is lashing out at new U.S. trade rules announced on Wednesday, saying the move seriously deviates from the principles of market economy and fair competition. Months in the making, the rules target U.S. private equity and venture capital firms, as well as joint ventures seeking to do business with China.CNN's Anna Coren joins us now live from Hong Kong with the latest. Good to see you Anna. So how will these new trade rules work exactly? And what else is China saying about this?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well this will no doubt further escalate tensions between the world's two largest economies, Rosemary. President Biden, as you say, has signed an executive order banning new American investment in key technology industries in China, here in Hong Kong and Macau, that could be used to enhance Beijing's military capabilities.
Look, this was long expected and now we know the details. It'll target three sectors, semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and certain artificial intelligence systems. This means that U.S. private equity, venture capital, joint ventures and greenfield investments will not be allowed to invest and help China develop technologies that could support its military modernization and undermine U.S. national security. The treasury department released this statement, let me read to you.
It said the Biden administration is committed to keeping America safe and defending America's national security through appropriately protecting technologies that are critical to the next generation of military innovation. A U.S. official, Rosemary, said that this was a national security action, not an economic one. But China is not buying it.
Beijing strongly believes that the U.S. is trying to contain its rise. The Chinese commerce ministry said it was gravely concerned by the order while the foreign ministry released the following statement, let me read that to you. It is a blatant act of economic coercion, and scientific and technological bullying. The real purpose is to deprive China of its right to development and safeguard its own hegemonic interest.
Well this comes as tensions between the U.S. and China are at their most strained in decades. We've seen this parade of top U.S. administration officials visit Beijing. Biden clearly wants to get the relationship back on track. But this new order, which we believe will be implemented next year, Rosemary, could certainly affect those plans.
CHURCH: Alright, our thanks to Anna Coren joining us live from Hong Kong. And thank you for joining us, I'm Rosemary Church, for our international viewers WORLD SPORT is next. And for our viewers here in the United States and in Canada, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Do stay with us.
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[02:45:46]
CHURCH: When The Band released The Weight in 1968, no one had ever heard anything quite like it. Almost overnight it transformed them from Bob Dylan's touring band into one of the most influential rock groups of that era. It was announced on Wednesday that band co-founder Robbie Robertson, who wrote that hit song and many others, had died following a long illness. He was 80 years old.
After the group's heyday in the early 1970s, Robertson went on to record and collaborate with countless other great talents, right up to the present day. Most notably he scored more than a dozen films with director Martin Scorsese, including The Wolf Of Wall Street. Their final project, Killers Of The Flower Moon, is due out later this year.
A spokesperson for U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein says the democratic lawmaker is now back home after a brief hospital visit. We're told Feinstein went to the hospital as a precaution after a minor fall and all her scans were clear. This is the latest in a string of health issues for the senate's oldest member, at 90 years old. Earlier this year she was hospitalized for shingles, which led to an extended absence from Capitol Hill. Then suffered multiple complications during her recovery.
Well Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, is coming under fire from Democrats after he suspended the state attorney for the Orlando area. It is the second time the republican presidential hopeful has removed a democratically elected prosecutor whose politics do not align with his conservative views. The head of Florida's democratic party condemned Wednesday's removal of the state prosecutor as a quote "Political hit job". CNN's Steve Contorno has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: On the presidential campaign trail, Governor Ron DeSantis often boasts about the time he removed a progressive prosecutor from office. Well now he has done it again. On Wednesday, DeSantis announced that he was suspending Monique Worrell.
She is the state attorney that represents Orange and Osceola counties in Florida, a job she has held since she was elected by more than 66 percent of the voters in those counties. But DeSantis, on Wednesday, accused her of quote "Neglect of duty and incompetence", and had this to say about her stewardship of the office.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not. But what this state attorney has done is abuse that discretion, and has effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida.
CONTORO: Worrell, on Wednesday, fired back. She said that crime in her part of the state has gone down since she took office. She also said that she was elected as a reformed prosecutor and to reform the criminal justice system and she has done just that. She also said she intends to fight back against the suspension, and if the state legislature or the state courts don't reinstate her, she will run for the office again in 2024.
MONIQUE WORRELL, STATE ATTORNEY, FLORIDA: This is a political hit job. It is nothing less than that. And it should be seen for exactly what is.
CONTORO: Now as I mentioned, this is the second time DeSantis has removed a democratically elected state attorney from office. The first was Andrew Warren, a Tampa prosecutor who DeSantis suspended last year.
A federal judge actually ruled that DeSantis had acted unconstitutionally in removing Warren from office, and he also raised questions about the political motivations behind DeSantis' suspension. However, that judge ultimately said he was in federal court and unable to act on a state matter, giving the green light for DeSantis to remove Warren.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Steve Contorno with that report. Leaders of the West African Bloc, ECOWAS, will meet in the coming hours in Nigeria to discuss the coup in neighboring Niger. They are pushing for a diplomatic solution but have threatened military action to restore democracy.
Niger's military leaders met on Wednesday, with two envoys from Nigeria, offering some hope for dialogue. Then they lashed out at France for allegedly violating Niger's airspace and freeing terrorist prisoners to destabilize the country. France denies the claims.
[02:50:18]
CHURCH: Meanwhile, the U.S. is expressing concern about the health and safety of ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum. He says he has not had electricity for a week, and has been forced to eat dried pasta and rice while under house arrest. In text messages shared with CNN, Bazoum also says he is being denied any human contact, including with his doctor, since Friday.
Nearly two weeks after an American nurse and her young daughter were kidnapped at gunpoint in Haiti, the two have been released. The humanitarian aid group, El Roi Haiti, made the announcement on Wednesday, which was welcomed, of course, by the U.S. state department. Alex Dorsainvil, a health worker from New Hampshire moved to Haiti to provide nursing care for school children. CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is not clear where mother and daughter were kidnapped in the first place. Kidnapping for ransom has become an epidemic in Haiti in the last few years. More than 1 thousand people were kidnapped in the Caribbean country between January and June this year, according to a report by the U.N..
As to where the kidnapping victims are right now, what I can tell you is that the christian humanitarian aid organization that Alex Dorsainvil works for says that they can confirm the safe release of their staff member and friend. El Roi Haiti, that's the name of the organization, also said in a statement that today they're praising god for answering their prayers while asking people not to contact Dorsainvil or her family because quote, "There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation".
As you may remember, the nurse is married to Sandro Dorsainvil, the christian organization's director. The same day they were kidnapped in late July, the U.S. State Department ordered the departure of non- emergency government personnel from Haiti, as the security situation in the country worsened. This is how a department spokesman reacted to the news earlier, let us take a listen.
MATTHEW MILLER, SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: I'll say that we welcome the reports of their release. We have no greater priority, of course, than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. We express our deepest appreciation to our Haitian and U.S. inner agency partners for their assistance in facilitating their safe release and out of respect for their privacy we will let the individuals speak for themselves when they feel ready. ROMO: The Haitian National Police told CNN they cannot comment on the
matter because they are still investigating the case, but, again, the good news is that Alex Dorsainvil and her child are now free. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
CHURCH: The World Health Organization says the threat to public health from a new Covid variant remains low. That is despite the fact the Omicron offshoot, EG.5, was upgraded to a so-called variant of interest on Wednesday. Meaning that the agency wants the virus to be tracked and studied further.
EG.5 is better at evading immunity from vaccines and previous infections so it is likely to cause a spike in new cases. But the W.H.O. says those infections are not expected to be serious for most people. Now to an unexpected wildlife encounter that has turned into a viral hit. Jeanne Moos shows us what happened when a woman and a badger crossed paths on a giant mountain slide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is called The Alpine Slide but the ride was not what made smiling Sage suddenly scream bloody murder.
SAGE BUTT, ENCOUNTERED BADGER (on video): Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.
BUTT: I was screaming, I was terrified. But I was also super excited because I was like, what an experience. Like this never happens to anyone.
MOOS (voice-over): Yeah, how often do you have a near miss with a badger while hurdling down a track at the Park City Mountain Resort in Utah?
BUTT (on video): What do I do?
MOOS (voice-over): Sage Butt screamed her butt off and, yes, that is her real name.
BUTT: I've been teased about that my whole life. Learned to accept it, I love it, it's fun.
MOOS (voice-over): At first, Sage thought the critter was a raccoon. Whatever it was --
MOOS: You actually braked for the badger.
BUTT: I thought I was going to hit it, it was going to roll on top of me. But I pulled that as hard as I could.
MOOS (voice-over): As she continued down the mountain, all she could do was encourage the badger to get off of the track.
BUTT (on video): Come on, you've got a buddy. Oh my god.
MOOS (voice-over): It managed to escape. Badgers have gotten a bad rap.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): The honey badger is really pretty badass. They have no regard for any other animal whatsoever. They're so nasty.
MOOS: Who do you think was more freaked out? You or the badger?
[02:55:08]
BUTT: I think I freaked that badger out more than it freaked me out for sure.
MOOS (voice-over): Badgers have bad eyesight and good hearing. So imagine what the poor badger saw and heard. She may have badgered that badger but at least it did not end up as roadkill. Jeanne Moos, CNN. New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: The badger was terrified. Thanks for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment. Do stay with us.
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