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U.S-Made F-16 Fighter Jets Possibly Sent To Ukraine; Lukashenko Says Returning Crimea to Ukraine Is A Non-Starter For Moscow; Niger Regional Leaders Threatening Military Intervention; U.N. Alarmed By Widespread Violence In Sudan; U.N. Says More Than Four Million People Have Been Displaced Since The Conflict Erupted In Mid-April; North Korea Reportedly Condemns Three-Way Partnership As An Asian Version Of NATO; Leader Kim Jong-un Shows Of Latest ICBMs And Drones; Nearly A Dozen Ships From The Russian And Chinese Navies Seen Transiting International Waters Near Okinawa; Donald Trump Faces 91 Criminal Charges In Four Jurisdictions. Hurricane Hilary A Cat Four Storm, Gaining Strength; Wildfires Force Evacuations In Northern And Western Canada; Maui County Mayor: 45 Percent Of Burned Area Has Been Searched; Passenger Captures Flames From Southwest Flight; India's Lunar Lander Deprecates From Propulsion Module; Russian Space Agency: Luna-25 Craft Enters Moon's Orbit; Blockbuster Film Open In Saudi Arabia To Wide Acclaim. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 18, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. The U.S. says it will approve the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but a key requirement could mean the military hardware won't make it until next year. An official from the West African bloc ECOWAS warns coup leaders in Niger that constitutional order will be restored, quote, "by all means necessary". And the latest race to the surface of the moon heats up as Russian and Indian lunar probes both reach the moon's orbit.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: And we begin this hour in Moscow where the mayor says Russian air defenses shot down a drone over the city a few hours ago. Debris from the drone allegedly fell near the Moscow Expo Center. Now this marks the third time in the past month that this district of the capital has been struck by drone debris. State media says authorities closed the airspace over one of Moscow's major airports, delaying arrivals and departures.

It's one of two incidents officials reported in recent hours. The Russian defense ministry says two of its patrols, ships in the Black Sea repelled an attack from an unmanned Ukrainian gunboat late Thursday. One of the vessels that thwarted the attack is the Vasily Bikov. That ship also participated in Russia's attack on Ukraine's Snake Island at the start of the full-scale invasion. Meanwhile, we're learning more about American-made F-16 fighter jets

possibly being sent to Ukraine. CNN's Nada Bashir is following those developments from London. So, now let's start there, those F-16s. Take us through their importance and the timing.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Look, this is a significant move for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The hope for Ukraine is that these F-16s will mark a significant shift in their counteroffensive or mark a huge boost to their air defense efforts and operations. But of course, this is moving slower than they had hoped. Of course, there has been some delay since Biden announced that turnaround back in May.

We heard earlier this month from the State Department saying that they do intend to push forward with plans to ensure that Ukrainian pilots are trained. on these U.S.-made fighter jets, but of course, as we learned yesterday from the Ukrainian Air Force, that training is not set to be complete until the beginning of next year. That is a blow to Ukraine's air defense ambitions.

However, we have heard that recommitment from the Biden administration committing the U.S. government to approving the transfer of these U.S.-made fighter jets to Ukraine on the provision that Ukrainian pilots are fully trained. And that is expected to take place as soon as that training is complete. And of course, training was anticipated to begin this month although it's not clear exactly how long that training would take.

But we have seen that delay over the last few weeks but of course we heard from the Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson speaking yesterday saying that there are some positive indications they do hope that training will commence in the near future. So, of course, that will mark a significant boost to the counter-offensive which is inching on although slower than had been previously anticipated.

We have seen Ukraine gaining territory twice now in the last two weeks making gains towards the southeast and port city of Mariupol but they are of course sustaining blows as a result of the continued bombardment of the Russian Armed Forces not least the continued drone attacks that have been targeting Ukraine's southern Black Sea ports.

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much, Nada Bashir in London. The President of Belarus says he'll stay out of the war in Ukraine unless his country is invaded first. Belarus is a Russian ally which recently deployed Wagner mercenaries to its territory, raising tensions with neighboring NATO members. President Alexander Lukashenko said that if any NATO country attacks Belarus, it would respond with its, quote, "entire arsenal", presumably including nuclear weapons supplied by Russia. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): So, we won't sit back and watch as soon as an act of aggression is committed against us and we've made plans. And, of course, I have approved them publicly. I have not, of course, disclosed details of those plans anywhere. But we will respond instantly with everything we have. Nuclear weapons?

[02:05:00]

We didn't get them to simply put a fright into someone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNUBER: In his interview with state media, Lukashenko also said that returning Crimea to Ukraine is a non-starter for Moscow. He also dismissed as nonsense claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin was weakened by the Wagner mutiny. The U.S. State Department says it's aware of new charges against a U.S. citizen who's already behind bars in Russia. A Russian state news agency says Thursday that Gene Spector has been charged with espionage while serving a separate sentence for bribery. CNN's Matthew Chance has details from Moscow.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Russian court documents now confirming this U.S. citizen, Gene Spector, has been charged under section 276 of the Russian criminal code. That's espionage. But there's no other detail, either from the Russian court or from the Russian media, about what specifically he is accused of. U.S. diplomats here in Moscow have told me that they believe Spector, who was born and raised in Russia before becoming a U.S. citizen, is already serving a prison sentence in the country but they've got no information, they say, about the new charge.

Russian state media says that Spector, the former head of a Russian pharmaceutical company, has been serving a three and a half-year prison sentence since 2021 for bribing the assistant to a Russian deputy prime minister. The new charge of espionage is likely to keep him in prison for much longer. And of course, it makes Spector the third American along with Paul Whelan, "The Wall Street" Journalist Evan Gerschkovich, as well, held in Russian jails accused of spying. Matthew Chance, CNN Moscow.

BRUNHUBER: Now, to the coup in Niger, regional leaders are threatening military intervention. During a meeting in the Ghanaian capital, one commissioner from the Economic Community of West African States vowed to restore constitutional order in Niger, quote, "by all means necessary". He said if push comes to shove, ECOWAS will go into Niger with its own forces, but the West African bloc hopes that won't be necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDEL-FATAU MUSAH, ECOWAS COMMISSIONER FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS, PEACE AND SECURITY: Military is not our option of choice. It is the last resort. We want diplomacy to work and we want this message clearly transmitted to the leaders of the junta in Niger that we are giving them every opportunity to reverse what they have done and to return the country to constitutional order. That feeling, all other measures will be on the table, including the military option.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The political turmoil in Niger is leading to severe shortages. The U.N. humanitarian agency warns more than seven million Nigerians are already not getting enough food and soon may not know where their next meal is coming from. The coup has driven up the price of rice by staggering 70 percent and impacted access to energy. The U.N. says Niger remains highly dependent on trade and imports.

Olayinka Ajala is a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at Leeds Beckett University and he joins us from Motherwell, Scotland. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, I want to start there. The human cost of this is potentially huge and food insecurity, as we've seen too many times, can often lead to more political insecurity and violence.

OLAYINKA AJALA, SENIOR LECTURER, POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for having me. I agree with you that the situation in Niger is very dire at the moment because Niger is a landlocked country and they depend on their neighbors for food importation. So, immediately the borders were shut. As a result of sanctions from ECOWAS, the prices of food went up immediately. And this could have severe consequences and further destabilize not just Niger, the entire region.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's right. And the coup leaders, I mean, they claim they took control of the country to improve the security situation, that the government wasn't doing enough to fight the threat of Islamist insurgents. But it seems that threat is actually greater now. Those forces seem to be taking advantage of the political chaos.

AJALA: Yes, the threat is greater because Niger was very strategic in the fight against terrorist groups. Not just around this border, but even around the Lake Chad axis. And we heard about the attacks yesterday by some Islamic insurgents. So now, the threat is even greater now, because this is already causing a lot of distraction. The multinational joint tax force, which Niger is a part of, are members of this organizations like Nigeria are part of ECOWAS, threatening to use force.

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So, we are likely to see forces that were previously fighting side by side against terrorists now facing each other, which is going to have even severe consequences. Yeah, so there'll be a void there, and this will end up threatening more than just Niger. You touched on this. It's a regional threat, as well. How precarious are things in the region with Mali, Burkina Faso, seeing growing threats?

AJALA: Yeah, it is very concerning situation because when you look at the borders of Niger -- Niger shares border with seven other countries and many of these countries have various degrees of instability. You mentioned Mali and Burkina Faso, these countries have their share of insurgency.

Then you have Nigeria, you have Libya, as well. So, all these countries around Niger, many of them are quite unstable at the moment. So, any further destabilization would have consequences that reverberate beyond Niger into these countries. BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and to the West, as well. I mean, it'll affect

Western efforts to fight extremists in the region. If the U.S. State Department does end up sort of legally categorizing this as a coup, which ECOWAS, France, the E.U. have all done, that would mean the U.S. would have to pull back certain military activities and funding that is helping Nigerian forces in this fight against extremists. So, how important is that, that the U.S. keeps its assets in place there?

AJALA: Yes, very important. The U.S. has one of the largest drone bases in Africa, right at the center of Niger in Agadez. And this drone base is very essential. I've written extensively on the drone base specifically and how it's being used for surveillance. And Niger is very strategically located, a large, very large country right at the middle of the Sahel.

So, it's important for the U.S. to keep its asset there. And that's why the U.S. has not officially labeled this a coup so that they can find a way to continue to work with whatever administration that's in power. Another consequence would be, again, on trafficking. Nigeria has been quite useful in the last few years in curbing mass illegal immigration towards Europe. All of these things, times are being disrupted if the instability continues.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, you mentioned the drone base, more than a thousand U.S. troops there, as well. So, the U.S. is sort of caught between trying to keep these assets in place without being seen as subverting democracy and encouraging future coups. Now, the coup forces aren't anti-Western. I mean several of them have been trained by the U.S. Could they be effective partners in the fight against insurgents, do you think? There could be.

And interestingly, we've not seen a lot of anti-U.S. sentiments. Most of the sentiments and the hardline positions, previously they've been against France, because the argument on grounds that despite having strong military relationship with France, it's not resulted in any form of economic gain. And so, we've not seen a lot of anti-U.S. sentiment. So, I think, which is good for the U.S., I think they can use that as a leverage to try and find a way to work with the junta if everything fails, which I think it's going to be the only way. The only way in my opinion is to negotiate a short transition period.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, we'll see if that comes to pass. Really appreciate your expertise on this, Olayinka. Thank you so much.

AJALA: Thank you for having me.

BRUNHUBER: The United Nations says it's alarmed by the widespread violence in Sudan at the hands of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Since civil war broke out four months ago, RSF members have allegedly used rape as tools to punish communities. The U.N. says some of the atrocities are ethically and racially motivated. Now this comes after a CNN investigation uncovered evidence of a gruesome massacre carried out by the RSF in June in West Darfur. Here's how the U.S. State Department reacted to our report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VEDANT PATEL, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON: While these atrocities have been taking place in Darfur, reportedly have been committed by the RSF and affiliated militia, our view is though that both sides have been responsible for abuses and both the RSF and the SAF must cease fighting, ensure their forces, respect human rights and international law, and hold accountable those responsible for atrocities and other abuses, as well as allow for the unhindered humanitarian access, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:15:00]

BRUNHUBER: The U.N. says more than four million people have been displaced since the conflict erupted in mid-April. Dozens of migrants are believed to have been killed in a boat disaster off the coast of West Africa. The International Organization on Migration says the boat left Senegal on July 10th with 101 people on board. It was found stranded at sea. Authorities were able to rescue 38 people, including four children. A Cape Verde official voiced concerns about the deaths.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FILOMENA GONCALVES, CAPE VERDEAN HEALTH MINISTER: Given what the world is going through right now with migratory issues, it means that we all, all the nations, have to sit down at the table and see what we can do, so that we don't lose any more lives at sea above all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: It's not clear whether the boat was heading to Cape Verde or if the Spanish Canary Islands were the final destination. Party summit between the U.S., Japan and South Korea will only last a few hours, but that might be all it takes for the three leaders to map out a strategy for dealing with China and North Korea. Also, this hour, we'll have a look at these images from a Southwest Airlines flight. Yes, those are flames coming from the engine shortly after takeoff. We'll have the details, coming up. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The leaders of South Korea and Japan are expected to arrive at Camp David in the coming hours for their first ever trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. Both allies are among America's most strategic relationships in the Indo-Pacific, yet they've never actually been particularly friendly towards each other due to the bitter history between them. President Biden is hoping the tranquil setting of Camp David will be conductive to putting that mistrust aside in the face of China's growing dominance in the region. Both Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed optimism as they prepared to depart for the U.S. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOON SUK YEOL, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The Republic of Korea, U.S., Japan summit that will be held at Camp David will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region.

FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER: As the international norms built on freedom and openness are shaken, our bilateral relationships with the United States and South Korea will be the foundation of this historical opportunity to bolster the strategic relationship between the three countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: North Korea has reportedly condemned the three-way partnership as an Asian version of NATO, and that's widely expected to make a military show of force in protest. As Will Ripley explains, that could include the imminent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All eyes on the skies over North Korea. South Korea's spy agency telling lawmakers in Seoul. Pyongyang is planning a provocative show of force including an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

[02:20:00]

The military is detecting signs of possible ICBM launch preparations, monitoring active movement of ICBM launch related vehicles in Pyongyang, expecting drills including tactical nuclear capable missile launches in the coming days. The latest intelligence as North Korea growing international pressure. U.S. and South Korean military exercises begin next week. North Korea considers the annual drills a dress rehearsal for war. Those drills coming as President Joe Biden prepares to host the leaders of Japan and South Korea on Friday at Camp David. China and North Korea high on the agenda. At the U.N. Security Council, the first meeting in more than five years on North Korean human rights.

LEE SEOK KIM, NORTH KOREAN DEFECTOR: Good morning. My name is Lee Seok Kim.

RIPLEY (voice-over): A North Korean defector telling the Council, the government turns our blood and sweat into a luxurious life for the leadership and missiles that blast our hard work into the sky. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says many North Koreans face extreme hunger, acute medicine shortages, claiming the U.N. and NGOs remain barred from the country. Two nations not barred from North Korea, Russia and China. Two patrons with power to veto biting Security Council sanctions. Both sent high-level delegations to Pyongyang last month.

Leader Kim Jong-un showing off his latest ICBMs and drones, analysts say, bear striking resemblance to U.S. military models. Suspicion is growing. North Korea may have plans to secretly provide weapons for Russia's war in Ukraine. So far, no hard evidence. But South Korea's spy agency expects growing military cooperation, warning of the possible transfer of Russia's core nuclear and missile technology to North Korea. For nations trying to contain the North Korea nuclear threat, analysts say the worst may be yet to come. Will Ripley, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And CNN's Anna Coren is covering this for us and joins us live from Hong Kong. So, Anna, take us through the significance of this meeting and what we might expect to come out of it. Kim, I think it's fair to say the significance cannot be underplayed. You know, a few years ago, this would have been unthinkable considering the historical grievances and you know, at times, hostile relationship between South Korea and Japan.

These, of course, are America's two most important allies in the region. And yet South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan are putting that to the side to meet with President Biden at Camp David in Maryland for this one-day summit.

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the meeting would give the three heads of state a chance to talk about concrete steps towards maintaining peace and stability in the region. But Kim, at its core, you know, this summit is about dealing with an erratic and missile- threatening North Korea, but more importantly, how to deal with a rising and aggressive China.

You know, Beijing is making its military presence felt in the region. Look at Taiwan, the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and the disputes over the Senkaku Islands with Japan. And we heard from the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, he took part in a panel at the Brookings Institute during the week. He said China assumed that South Korea and Japan would never resolve their differences and get on the same page. And he believes that by embedding this mechanism of cooperation in the DNA, as he called it of the three governments to create this as a new norm will be a major deterrent for China. Take a listen.

RAHM EMANUEL, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO JAPAN: I think it doubles down not only on our strength about alliance but more importantly it doubles down on the fact that we've created something that exactly what China was hoping would never happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Now, Beijing will obviously be watching this summit very closely. The fear is it could retaliate economically. That would be a serious concern to both South Korea and Japan. China, of course, is their largest trading partner. We did hear from China's top diplomat Wang Yi last month warning Japan and South Korea against aligning themselves too closely with the U.S. Let me read to you what he said. He said, no matter how blonde you dye your hair, how sharp you shape your nose, you can never become European or American. You can never become a Westerner.

At the end of the day, the Camp David Summit leaders are expected to announce, you know, expanded cooperation regarding military drills, military information, but also regarding supply chains and cyber and economic security. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, lots at stake. We'll be following that. CNN's Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Appreciate it. Russian and Chinese warships on joint maneuvers near Japan's southern islands have triggered a strong diplomatic response from Tokyo.

[02:25:00]

Nearly a dozen ships from the Russian and Chinese navies were seen transiting international waters near Okinawa on Thursday. Japan sent stern diplomatic messages to both Moscow and Beijing, expressing its grave concern over the ship's proximity to Japan. Japan's defense ministry announced the maneuvers as a show of force against Japan and a threat to its national security.

Donald Trump is facing 91 criminal charges in four jurisdictions, and some of his followers are allegedly causing problems in at least one of them. Reported names, photos and home addresses of the grand jurors who voted to indict him in Georgia are being circulated online. CNN Senior Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid looks at the security risks facing that jury, as well as the judge in a separate case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I have four of them now, if you look.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former President Trump reacting to his Georgia indictment for the first time on camera and calling for his party to come to his defense.

TRUMP: They have no idea the anger they cause. So, Republicans have to be tough. The Republicans are great in many ways, but they don't fight as hard for this stuff, and they have to get a lot tougher.

REID (voice-over): This call to action comes as the Georgia residents who served on the grand jury that indicted Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election are facing threats and even getting doxxed online.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: These people were called to serve and do their civic duty by serving on that grand jury and now they've been basically put on the X by these disclosures.

REID: Names, pictures, profiles and even home addresses purporting to belong to the grand jurors are now circulating on far-right websites. Their names were published on the indictment of public documents as is the practice in Georgia. But experts say --

MILLER: This is really a quirk of law in the state of Georgia, that the names of grand jurors come out with the indictment. So, this is really the first time we've seen this kind of thing come out in a national case. REID (voice-over): CNN cannot independently verify the details, and

it's unclear if the information circulating online is that of the actual grand jurors, or just people of the same name. Former Georgia State Senator and Attorney Jen Jordan testified in this case. And she says these threats might impede prosecutors' ability to find a trial jury.

JEN JORDAN, FORMER GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR: Everyone is going to know who they are. Their lives are going to be turned upside down. And so just to be able to sit a jury of people who would be even willing to put, you know, their lives on the line is going to be really, really difficult.

REID: And it's not just the grand jury under threat. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the federal election interference case against Trump, received a threatening voicemail earlier this month. According to court documents, a Texas woman called Chutkan's chambers on August 5th and left a message threatening to kill anyone who went after former President Trump. She also allegedly threatened to kill Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, as well as people in the LGBTQ community. She is now in custody.

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

REID: Over the last week, Trump has repeatedly posted to social media, speaking directly to the Fulton County grand jurors and Judge Chutkan, saying, "Will someone please tell the Fulton County grand jury that I did not tamper with the election?" And saying that Chutkan "obviously wants me behind bars, very biased and unfair".

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID (on-camera): Trump was scheduled to hold a press conference Monday to amplify his baseless claims of voting fraud. But now we've learned that's unlikely to happen after his advisors, who are currently negotiating his surrender in Georgia, told him that an event like that could just add to his increasing legal problems. Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

BRUNHUBER: Across the globe, wildfires are forcing thousands to leave their homes. Straight ahead, the emergency steps Canada is taking to keep people safe and why officials have their eyes fixed on the weather.

[02:32:10]

BRUNHUBER: We're keeping a close eye on hurricane Hilary which is now a category four storm and gaining strength. The storm is located some 685 kilometers south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and heading west northwest, but it's not clear just where the storm will make landfall and how strong it will be when it does. The U.S. national hurricane center predicts heavy rain will spread into California and southwest United States late this weekend.

Thousands of people are fleeing their homes or preparing to get out as wildfires race across Northern and Western regions of Canada. This is the scene in the Northwest territories where flames are within 17 kilometers of the capital city, Yellowknife.

Evacuations are well underway as the entire population of 20,000 people have been ordered to be out of the city within the next ten hours. With a heat wave hitting the Western province of British Columbia, evacuation orders are also in place as thousands of properties are under threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLIFF CHAPMAN, BRITISH COLUMBIA DIRECTOR OF WILDFIRE OPERATIONS: This weather event has the potential to be the most challenging 24 to 48 hours of the summer from a fire perspective. We are expecting significant growth and we are expecting our resources to be challenged from North to South in the province over the next 48 hours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And back in the Northwest territories, you can see here residents are snarling the roads as they try to reach a safe destination. In Hawaii, the mayor of Maui county tells CNN 45 percent of the area scorched by the deadly fires has been searched.

The fires devastated the historic town of Lahaina, killing at least 111 people with more than 1000 residents still unaccounted for. The police chief says crews will continue searching the more than 2000 burned homes and businesses. Meanwhile, the Maui emergency management agency administrator resigned late Thursday citing health reasons.

This comes one day after he defended the decision not to activate the warning sirens when the wildfires started last week. Hawaii's attorney general will review that decision, and others that were made in response to the fires. Laura Aguirre has more on the investigation as to what caused the deadly fires.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURA AGUIRRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A lack of timely warnings and a siren system that stayed silent, among many issues being investigated in the deadly fires' aftermath. Maui's emergency management chief defended his decision not to sound the alarms.

UNKNOWN: Do you regret not sounding the sirens?

HERMAN ANDAYA, ADMINISTRATOR, MAUI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: I do not. Even if we sounded the sirens it would not have saved most people on the mountainside.

UNKNOWN: The comprehensive review that I've asked the attorney general to do will include that --

SITALEKI IKA, LAHAINA RESIDENT: Make me cry. Over 20 years I stayed in my house

AGUIRRE (voice-over): Many returning residents barely able to cope with what they are seeing.

UNKNOWN: It's hard to take in, you know. Just seeing all this devastation, I don't know what to think.

AGUIRRE (voice-over): Hawaii Governor Josh Greene says it is possible over 1000 people remain unaccounted for.

[02:35:09]

This as Maui police report that less than half of the burn zone has been searched.

CLAUDIA RAPKOCK, HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: We have more than 40 k19's, we've got hundreds of search and rescue personnel that are going through the burned areas.

AGUIRRE (voice-over): The governor also promising to block those who try to exploit vulnerable residents.

JOSH GREEN: My intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grab. I've instructed the attorney general to work toward a moratorium (?) on any transactions.

JACE KENNEDY, KULA, MAUI RESIDENT: The realtors, everyone is trying to snatch land, like, take a step back.

AGUIRRE (voice-over): I'm Laura Aguirre, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Barbie is now in theaters in parts of the Middle East, ahead we will take a look at the reception this global blockbuster is getting. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: It's not what you would expect to see out of your airplane window. Have a look at this. Flames. A passenger said he shot from on board a southwest airline out of Houston, Texas, heading to Cancun, Mexico.

In this video the fire appears to be shooting out of the plane's right engine. The plane returned to the Houston Hobby Airport safely. A different plane eventually took the passengers to Cancun.

It's a race to the moon. Two countries are just days away from touching down on the moon in landmark missions. India's space agency said its Lunar Lander successfully separated from its propulsion module on Thursday. The module is slated to land on the moon this coming Wednesday. If it is successful, India would become just the fourth country to land a craft on the moon's surface.

Meanwhile, Russia's space agency says all systems are functioning normally after its Luna-25 spacecraft entered the moon's orbit on wednesday. It's Russia's first lunar lander in 47 years and they are aiming to touch down on the moon's South Pole as early as Monday.

Saudi Arabia is saying hi Barbie. Locals packing theaters now that the global blockbuster has arrived. But there isn't Barbie mania everywhere in the Middle East, as Becky Anderson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Scenes like these were unthinkable just a few years back. Saudi women packing cinemas to watch Barbie. An empowering movie with feminist themes. But Barbie mania is alive in the kingdom, which only ended its decades long ban on cinemas in 2017, as part of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's plans to transform the country.

JAMAL MOUSSA, EGYPTIAN LIVING IN SAUDI ARABIA (through translator): I asked people coming out of the screening, they told me that it is an excellent film, a romantic film, the Barbie movie. It has a compelling story. So I thought to book for me and the children to watch it, and they were happy about it. An advancement we are witnessing every day, we can now see movies and a lot of things that we did not see here before.

MARGOT ROBBIE AS BARBIE: Do you guys ever think about dying?

[02:40:10]

ANDERSON (voice-over): However, the film will not be delighting audiences in every nation across the region. Despite showing Barbie at cinemas for several weeks, Algeria took the decision to remove the blockbuster from screens for promoting homosexuality.

Oil rich Kuwait also banned Barbie to, quote, "Preserve public ethics and social traditions." Social media, awash with Kuwaitis joking about driving to Saudi Arabia to see the film, and some even posting guides on the theaters closest to the border.

The irony at the reversal in cultural norms not lost on Kuwaitis, who have been used to Saudis making that journey in the past. And in Lebanon, a country generally regarded as being more progressive towards the LGBTQ community, the culture minister moved in to ban the movie from theaters, saying it, quote, "Promotes homosexuality."

JEAN CLAUDE BOULOS, LEBANESE FILMMAKER (through translator): The movie is being shown in Saudi Arabia and in the Arab world, while we here are banning it. It started with all of us postponing it, but at the end, they chose to run the movie, and we decided to ban it. This shows that we want to stay still. We don't want to develop.

ANDERSON (voice-over): While Saudi Arabia's socio economic liberalization is moving at pace, there is still criticism of certain facets of that transformation. Former head of human rights watch Kenneth Roth, tweeting that while Saudi women find much to admire in Barbie, they still need guardian's permission to marry, and there is yet no appetite for activism in the country.

Despite the progress still to be made, that this film is being shown in Saudi Arabia, a nation traditionally reinforced by the patriarchy, is a sign that Bin Salman's vision is rapidly changing the country. Becky Anderson, CNN, London.

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BRUNHUBER: And Warner Brothers Pictures, which is distributing the Barbie movie, is also owned by CNN's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. I am Kim Brunhuber, I will be back with more news at the top of the hour. WORLD SPORT is next.

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