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Southwest U.S. Braces For Floods From Hurricane Hilary; Maui's Main Utility Company Under Renewed Scrutiny; Residents Flee Wildfires In Western And Northern Canada; Putin Meets Generals Overseeing The Ukraine Invasion; U.S. Approves Giving F-16 Training Materials To Ukraine; Wildfires Rage In Spanish Canary Island; Biden Concludes Historic Three-Way Summit With Japan And South Korea; Beijing Slams U.S.-Japan-South Korea Trilateral; Violence Rattles Ecuador Ahead Of National Election; Australia To Face Sweden In Third Place Match. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired August 19, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM much of southern California now under a storm warning never seen before. We tell you what the region is doing to prepare.
And CNN learns when Donald Trump is expected to surrender himself to jail in Atlanta. Details and the legal negotiations going on right now behind the scenes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin in the southwestern United States, where people are bracing for possibly catastrophic flooding. Hurricane Hilary could dump over a year's worth of rain in just a few days. Hilary is likely to make landfall in Mexico but is moving fast and could arrive in California as a tropical storm.
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JANICE HAHN, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, L.A. COUNTY: It's been 84 years since one came ashore. So it's a once-in-a-lifetime event that we are going to be experiencing.
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BRUNHUBER: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending personnel and supplies to Southern California. The mayor of San Diego has asked residents to stay home Sunday night when Hilary is expected to arrive.
Major League Baseball and Soccer have moved scheduled games and Nevada has deployed about 100 National Guards to provide support in case of severe flooding.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Grab as many as sandbags as you need. Our stations have restocked with plenty of sand.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): More than 42 million people are under a tropical storm warning in Southern California, including San Diego and Los Angeles.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As we will have the high winds, I will take care of the back yard and move all the umbrellas appropriately and get them out of the way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just had the officers warn us about what was going to happen. We know exactly where our valuables are, just in case we have to evacuate.
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BRUNHUBER: The powerful category 4 storm is churning south of Cabo San Lucas and life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding is likely over Baja, California, and the Southwestern U.S.
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BRUNHUBER: We now know that at least 114 people died as a result of the massive wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Teams are using heavy equipment to clean up the devastation in the city of Lahaina.
Governor Josh Green said they completed searching through over 60 percent of the disaster area. Green warns the number is likely to rise.
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GOV. JOSH GREEN (D-HI): This process is agonizing for the families waiting for word from their loved ones and heartbreaking for those sifting through the debris. Testing our capacity to continue searching, our ability to endure pain and loss and our commitment to locate and identify every person affected by this disaster.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAIME KANANI GREEN, FIRST LADY, HAWAII: The people of Lahaina built their town into a special place, a unique and vibrant community. For generations, Lahaina's beauty, culture and rich history, through artists, musicians and visitors from around the world.
Tragically, it took less than a single day for us to lose Lahaina in the deadliest fire our country has seen in more than a century.
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BRUNHUBER: The governor is vowing to find out how this started. And while it is still too early to pinpoint the cause, Hawaiian Electric has been under growing scrutiny. There are many questions over why it didn't cut power when high winds began bringing down transmission lines.
A separate company reported more than 120 faults or short circuits in the overnight hours before the fires started.
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BRUNHUBER: Joining me now is Michael Wara, interim policy director at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. He is also director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and a senior research scholar at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
Thanks so much for being here with us. We have to stipulate that we do not know what caused the fires in Hawaii. But there were serious faults on the power lines in the area where it started.
What do you make of the data and the video showing sparks from the lines at the time of the fire?
MICHAEL WARA, INTERIM POLICY DIRECTOR, STANFORD DOERR SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABILITY: It really creates a strong circumstantial case for power line ignitions being one of the causes of the fire. You pointed to two critical elements.
Hawaii Electric had at least 30 sections of power lying on the ground. They were trying to restore power to customers. We know that they left the power on so the lines were hot when they hit the ground most likely.
BRUNHUBER: Listen, they are still investigating but it does look all too familiar to people like yourself in California, I imagine, who have seen so many deadly fires in that state caused by the culmination of high winds and downed power lines sparking fires.
WARA: Yes, what we have come to in California is the conclusion that we really need to know when it is safe to operate the electric power system and to be prepared to turn it off when conditions are unsafe.
Of course that's inconvenient and can be dangerous to some customers who rely on medical devices. That means you have to prepare to make sure the you can safely turn power off, so the fire department can do its job. That takes work before dangerous conditions arise. But it's doable and
I would say actually a growing number of places are adopting that policy.
BRUNHUBER: I was there in Paradise, California. I didn't think I would see anything that bad, let alone worse. In California, the response to all those fires was that power shutoff plan.
As you say the policy is controversial, there are downsides.
But is there proof that it actually works?
WARA: It's hard to prove that when -- it's hard to create proof when what you have done is avoid the bad outcome. But what we can say is that, in 2019 --
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WARA: -- there was extraordinary system damage from the wind that was reminiscent of the system damage that led to the Napa Sonoma firestorm. And the most vulnerable power lines are the last mile of the distribution system, which is lower voltage and lower to the ground and not built to the same standards in terms of resistance to wind.
Those are the lines that started the Napa Sonoma fire. The reality is those lines are likely to fail as winds get above 40 to 50 miles per hour. And so if the power is on when they fail and there's dry fuel underneath them, that can be a dangerous combination.
BRUNHUBER: As you said, other states have done the same thing.
Why didn't Hawaii?
After all the officials specifically cited the Camp fire and California's power shutoff plan in their documents, it would have made the tragedy more sad if this could have been prevented.
WARA: That is my gut feeling. We don't know. We don't have a final report on causation yet. And we do need to be really careful about that.
But when I see wildfires like this one that occur in high winds and with an electric system that has not taken these precautions, part of what is important that the California utilities have done is install weather stations on their poles so that they know very accurately what the wind speed is.
They know when it's safe to leave the system on or off. And unfortunately, Hawaiian Electric did not take that step. We don't know if it would have prevented what happened. But there's a lot of evidence it might have been helpful.
BRUNHUBER: With more extreme weather becoming the new normal, hopefully this will inspire others dates to change their practices. Michael Wara, thank you so much. WARA: My pleasure.
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BRUNHUBER: Kansas and Illinois schools announced on Friday they will play a charity game on October 29th in Champaign, Illinois. They were previously set to scrimmage but changed the event to a fundraiser.
And the maker of Beanie Babies says it's rolling out a new limited edition bear and it's all to help survivors of the wild fires in Hawaii. The golden bear with the words "Maui Strong" on its chest is named Aloha.
If you would like information on trying to help those impacted by the wildfires, go to cnn.com/impact or text Hawaii to 707070.
Encouraging news in Canada, where about a dozen wildfires are burning in Yellowknife. Meanwhile, in British Columbia, a province wide state of emergency has been declared; 15,000 homes are under evacuation orders. CNN's Paula Newton has the wrap-up.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: It will be a critical weekend to come here in Canada, where wildfires threaten two large communities. And we begin in Northwest Territories.
Its capital city, Yellowknife, under a strict evacuation order; more than 20,000 people were given less than 48 hours to get out. The most vulnerable, of course, were of concern; even those in hospitals and long- term care, had to be evacuated.
We had an update from federal officials. They indicated that the evacuation was going well and the military was also helping out with an airlift. While most of the people were able to leave by road, the fire threatening that community was, at this point, so critical, at such a dire stage, that they decided the entire city had to be evacuated.
They expect very few people to remain there this weekend, as they continue to battle that that fire.
Then, we have another situation in the interior of British Columbia, both in West Kelowna and in Kelowna itself. Firefighters there in the last few days just having a terrible time with a fire that sprang up on Tuesday but quickly grew in size and began threatening communities.
People there tell us that several structures, including homes, were destroyed.
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NEWTON: I want you to listen now to the fire chief of West Kelowna and how he described the harrowing night they had and the escapes and the rescues.
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CHIEF JASON BROLUND, WEST KELOWNA, B.C., FIRE DEPARTMENT: We fought hard last night, to protect our community. Somebody described it to me last night in the heat of the battle as it was like 100 years of firefighting all at once in one night.
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NEWTON: Thankfully, as of now, no loss of life and officials are grateful for that, although, as I said, this will be a very long weekend with so many resources pouring into the region. But this is, really, just another chapter in what has already been an unprecedented, record-breaking fire season in Canada -- Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
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BRUNHUBER: We are learning more about when we might see Donald Trump's fourth arrest as the former U.S. president has less than one week left to voluntarily surrender at a Georgia jail. CNN's Sara Murray has the latest on the subversion case.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump is expected to turn himself in at Fulton County Jail on Thursday or Friday of next week. This is after he faced a number of charges in the state of Georgia in a widespread racketeering case.
The Fulton County DA gave Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants until noon on Friday, August 25th, to turn themselves in. The U.S. Secret Service has already been around the Fulton County Jail, scoping out the situation. This is what we would expect.
You don't want to take someone like the former president to this jail for processing without understanding the layout, how to get him in and out.
But a couple steps will need to happen before he surrenders. His attorneys need to work with the DA to figure out any potential bond or conditions of his release. We expect those conversations to continue into early next week.
When Trump shows up, he wants the paperwork about his bond so he can be in and out as quickly as possible.
And speaking to attorneys, it can take normal defendants hours to get through the booking process at the jail. For a VIP, he could be in and out rather quickly -- Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: The first Republican debate of the 2024 election cycle is set for next week. But despite being his party's front-runner, Trump is expected to skip it in favor of sitting down with Tucker Carlson for an interview. Some of his rivals aren't taking too kindly to that suggestion.
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CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: If you've qualified for the stage, which Trump has, not showing up is completely disrespectful to the Republican Party, who has made you their nominee twice, and to the Republican voters, whose support you're asking for again.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think you owe it to the people to put out your vision, to talk about your record. And if you're not willing to do that, then I think that people are not going to look kindly on that.
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BRUNHUBER: Trump advisers say it is still possible Trump could ultimately change his mind and decide at the last moment to attend the debate.
Still ahead, Ukraine's military getting an upgrade as its allies speed up efforts to provide fighter jets. We will have details and a live report ahead.
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BRUNHUBER: Russian president Vladimir Putin has paid a visit to his generals. The Kremlin said he met with them in southwestern Russia on Saturday. Across the border, a Russian appointed official says Ukrainian troops have been cleared from the village of Kozachi Laheri, located on the southern side of the Dnipro River.
Earlier this month, Russia said Ukrainians conducted a cross-river raid and tried to capture the village. But Ukraine dismissed that claim as an attempt to create hype and panic.
Meanwhile, someone has put up a Ukrainian flag in the heart of Russia. This video shows the flag near the offices of Russia's security service in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday. Russian officials have not commented about the incident.
And back in Ukraine, six people are reportedly dead after two back-to- back blasts in the occupied city of Donetsk. Russian appointed officials are blaming them on unexploded cluster munitions and an unidentified explosive device. Friday's incidents left six more people wounded.
The U.S. on Friday approved giving training materials for fighter jets to Ukraine. The aircraft are desperately needed. The F-16 Fighting Falcon reaches speeds as fast as 1,500 miles per hour and more than 24 kilometers per hour. It's used in air to air combat. The jets carry a 20 millimeter gun, missiles and bombs.
For more, I am joined by CNN senior international correspondent, Jim Bittermann.
What more are we learning about this?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: I think there have been rumors for months that the pilots had already been trained up a little bit but those rumors were never confirmed. And now we have some confirmation exactly what this training program will look like.
General James Hecker, head of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters yesterday that, in fact, these pilots, group of pilots will be sent first to England for training in fighter techniques and also in English because all the materials are in English.
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BITTERMANN: So you have to be pretty competent in English in order to master the aircraft. And then they will perhaps come here to France and fly the Alpha Jet, which is, if you watch the July 14 celebrations here in France, the acrobatic team that flies over Paris , they are doing advanced training in France.
And then they will go to Denmark where they will be trained up on the F-16 itself. And these F-16s are going to come out of the armories of the various countries that are participating.
And this is 11 European countries participating in this program. And the F-16s that are in the current armories are being gradually replaced and upgraded to more advanced fighter aircraft.
The pilots themselves would be some of the youngest pilots in the Ukrainian air force. They are probably more inexperienced than others but they won't take experienced pilots on missions, war.
So it will be newer pilots trained up exclusively on the F-16s. That's the kind of mission that has been outlined.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting. Jim Bittermann, thank you so much.
More than 40 million people are under a tropical storm warning and bracing for catastrophic flooding. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I am Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
One of our top stories this hour, more than 42 million people are under a tropical storm warning in southern California as Hurricane Hilary, now a category 4 storm, barrels northward off the coast of Mexico.
The National Hurricane Center says life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding is likely over much of Baja California and the southwestern U.S. The storm is expected to dump more than a year's rain in the coming days.
Emergency crews in Spain are working to prevent wildfires from further spreading in Tenerife. This is what they are up against. At this point the fire slowed, thanks to efforts from fire crews. Authorities even lifted some restrictions for 2,000 residents on Friday. For one woman who left her home, the situation stirs up a lot of emotions.
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VANESA HERNANDEZ, EVACUEE (through translator): We don't see anything. We don't know the situation right now. We don't know the magnitude the fire is reaching right now near the houses. It is an uncertainty. We are very helpless. We don't know what is going to happen to us and our houses. to the people in general.
And we don't have words to describe this feeling of injustice.
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BRUNHUBER: As of Wednesday the wildfires have burned 6,000 acres and more than 3,000 people have been forced to flee.
Taiwan is condemning the latest Chinese military drills across the island, calling them irrational and provocative. China announce the joint air and sea maneuvers just hours after the leaders of South Korea and Japan attended President Biden's first-ever summit at Camp David, an historic event that will likely rankle Beijing.
We have more from CNN's Arlette Saenz.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden using the presidential retreat at Camp David as the backdrop for a new chapter with South Korea and Japan.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can think of no more fitting location to begin our next era of cooperation, a place that has long symbolized the power of new beginnings and new possibilities.
SAENZ (voice-over): The president hosting the first ever summit between the three countries, a show of unity as they grapple with provocative moves by North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.
BIDEN: The summit was not about China. China obviously came up. Not to say we don't share concerns about the economic coercion or heightened tensions cause by China but this summit was really about our relationship with each other.
SAENZ (voice-over): The U.S., Japan and South Korea are increasing defense cooperation with annual military exercises and intelligence sharing. They're also setting up a three-way hot line to talk during times of crisis and will make their summit annual event.
The agreement falls short of offering NATO-style mutual defense assurances but ensures a commitment to consult if any one country faces a security threat.
BIDEN: This is not about a day, a week or a month. This is about decades and decades of relationships that we're building.
SAENZ: This trilateral summit once considered unimaginable due to decades of tension and the mistrust between Tokyo and Seoul, in part over a forced labor dispute during Japan's occupation of Korea.
But President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida have gone to great lengths to mend faces in the face of shared security challenges as China's military and economic power grows in the region.
BIDEN: Your leadership with the full support of the United States has brought us here because each of you understands that our world stands at an inflection point.
SAENZ: Camp David has a long history with high-stakes diplomacy, the wooded retreat 60 miles from the White House teeing up groundbreaking negotiations, including the Camp David accords in 1978 when Jimmy Carter acted as a mediator for breakthrough between Israel and Egypt.
President Biden now with his own mark on history making this case that strengthened alliances are key to America's future while taking a swipe at his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.
BIDEN: His America First policy walking away from the rest of the world has made us weaker, not stronger. America is strong with our allies and our alliances and that's why we will endure and it's a strength that quite frankly that increases all our three of our strengths.
SAENZ: President Biden went to great lengths to say that this summit was not about China, in part, to not further inflame tensions with Beijing. But so much of the president's efforts, from the start of his administration in drawing these allies close, is with having that eye on China's influence in the region.
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SAENZ: President Biden, as he wrapped the press conference, told me he's hoping to speak with President Xi Jinping later this fall -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president at Camp David.
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BRUNHUBER: The reaction from Beijing was negative even before the summit began.
A statement from China's foreign ministry read, "Attempts to cobble together various exclusionary groupings and bring bloc confrontation and military blocs into the Asia Pacific are not going to get support and will only be met with vigilance and opposition from regional countries."
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BRUNHUBER: Joining us live from Seoul is Duyeon Kim, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
Thank you for being here with us. First, just putting aside the substance of that meeting, the fact that it happened at all, the symbolism is pretty remarkable.
DUYEON KIM, CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY: No matter how you look at this summit, it truly is historic. We cannot over exaggerate. It's really a matter of fact. The South Korea-Japan relationship has always been fraught by historical grievances, disputes that have lasted for decades.
And they, too, have not been able to get along and no American president has been able to bring them together, to cooperate more closely, let alone bring the two leaders together in one standalone summit meeting.
So it truly is remarkable and it goes to show both President Biden's diplomatic prowess and also political courage. Really the road to Camp David was interesting because it really started with South Korean President Yoon's rapprochement and efforts toward outreach toward Tokyo.
And he was able to do this fundamentally not only because of his own conviction that he wanted to mend relations but because he is an outsider conservative.
He's not a typical politico. So he has a lot of room and political space to maneuver, not to mention this is all backed by South Korea's constitution, giving the South Korean president lots of power.
BRUNHUBER: A different question about the politics later.
But before I do, what concretely came from this?
KIM: The deliverables are very impressive and comprehensive. It would take a long time to go through everything. But the ones that stood out to me are -- they stem from cooperating and consulting on hard security issues, whether it's both on North Korea and China related issues, commitment to consult and cooperate among the three.
But they also go into cybersecurity issues, economic security, technology, even development, women's issues and next generation issues.
It's really a multi tiered, multifaceted approach that regularizes conversations, consultations, dialogue at the highest level, all the way up to the summit level and down throughout the entire government hierarchy.
That is what they mean by trying to institutionalize this process going forward. But there will be a major challenge to keep this process alive if, in South Korea, an ultra left wing progressive is elected in South Korea or if an ultra right ring prime minister is elected in Japan.
Either one of them could derail for this entire process and all the hard work that they are putting in.
BRUNHUBER: That's right. So much can change.
Finally, this won't please Beijing or Pyongyang.
What reaction do you expect from them coming out of this?
KIM: We have already heard reaction from Beijing and certainly we expected them to be upset, as well as North Korea. And we will have to see how Beijing reacts going forward.
We can imagine them complaining and lodging a protest more quietly and diplomatically. North Korea, we can expect them to show their dissatisfaction more visibly. Beijing will always misinterpret this meeting, the trilateral summit as a first step toward some sort of Asian NATO.
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KIM: But it really is not going to be an Asian style NATO. So this is something that the United States and Beijing will have to continue to work out and continue to discuss going forward, that this really is not to form some sort of bloc against China and that all three countries are always open to cooperating with Beijing on issues of common interest.
BRUNHUBER: We appreciate your insights, Duyeon Kim in Seoul, thanks so much.
KIM: Thank you.
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BRUNHUBER: Days after a presidential candidate was assassinated, voters in Ecuador will head to the polls this weekend. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: The family of an assassinated presidential candidate in Ecuador has filed a legal complaint against the government. They accused the state of murder by willful omission for failing to protect the life of Fernando Villavicencio. He had said publicly he had received threats from various criminal groups.
The complaint came just days before Ecuadorians head to the polls for the presidential and legislative elections. Last week's assassination and a spate of other violent attacks have marred the election in a country struggling with corruption. CNN's Rafael Romo has our story.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): She may lose her right eye but it could've been worse. Gissella Cecibel Molina says she was only a few steps behind presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 9th when he was shot, as he was leaving a rally in Quito, the capital.
She says she was so close to the candidate when he was assassinated that her doctor told her a fragment of a stray bullet hit her in the right eye.
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ROMO (voice-over): The brutal murder of Fernando Villavicencio, an outspoken anticorruption candidate and former investigative journalist, has shaken the country ahead of this Sunday's presidential and legislative elections.
ANDREA GONZALEZ NADER, ECUADORAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Fernando was shot three times in the head.
ROMO (voice-over): Andrea Gonzalez Nader, Fernando Villavicencio's running mate and still a vice presidential candidate for the party's replacement, says his tragic assassination is a gruesome reminder that violence in Ecuador has reached such high levels that everybody is at risk.
NADER: And that's the way we have to choose on these elections on the 20th of August. Like he used to say, we have to choose between the mafia or making our country again a safe place for all.
JAN TOPIC, ECUADORAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to take control of our borders.
ROMO (voice-over): Jan Topic is running for president as the law and order candidate. The 40-year-old business man who once fought for the French Foreign Legion says violence in Ecuador won't stop until the security forces put an end to the drug trade from neighboring countries.
TOPIC: All of that cocaine and heroin that comes into the country, helps to finance the corruption of politicians, cops, soldiers, judges, DAs. By the very fact that we're not controlling our borders means that you have all this influx of money that is clearly corrupting the country.
ROMO: The married father of three told us that his own family hasn't been immune to the kind of insecurity that affects many Ecuadorians. The candidate told us that, just last week, he received a death threat at home in the city of Guayaquil but he says he won't be intimidated.
TOPIC: Our campaign slogan is to go from fear to hope.
ROMO: Is Ecuador a failed state? TOPIC: We're on our way to becoming a failed state definitely, on the brink maybe. I want to say on the brink. But definitely we have to take action sooner than later.
ROMO (voice-over): Multiple acts of violence have shaken Ecuador in the last few months. In July, Agustin Intriago, the mayor of the port city of Manta, the sixth largest city in Ecuador, was gunned down, one of several murders or attempted murders of elected officials as well as local and regional candidates this year.
In the last days of the campaign, this is what Ecuadorian voters have seen. At a rally, the man who replaced Fernando Villavicencio, the murdered candidate, was surrounded by a SWAT team, himself wearing a tactical helmet and bulletproof vest.
As for Molina, the national assembly candidate who was shot in the eye, "We all have to go out and vote," she says. "The world has to know," she added, "that Ecuador is kidnapped by the mafia" -- Rafael Romo, CNN, Quito, Ecuador.
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BRUNHUBER: Guatemalans will head to the polls tomorrow to pick their next president. Sunday's runoff is between anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arevalo and the former first lady, Sandra Torres. The current president said the results will be honored.
A battle for third place at the Women's World Cup.
Will cohost Australia win their first bronze medal?
We have the latest, stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: At the Women's World Cup, Australia tries to end their run on a high note. They are facing Sweden right now in a playoff match for third place. The Swedes are leading 1-0. If they hold on, they get their fourth bronze medal in team history. Amanda Davies joins us now from Sydney.
Looking forward to the final.
And the question everyone in England will be asking is, is it coming home?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not just in England but Spain as well. Here we are in Sydney and this is it. For all the records that we talked about that have been broken over the last few weeks, those major milestones for women's football. Ultimately it all comes down to getting their hands on the trophy to
victory here. Tomorrow, just over 24 hours from now, that honor of becoming what would be the fifth country in history in the nine editions of the Women's World Cup to get their names engraved on the trophy.
And we have been fortunate to catch up with both of the sides to hear from them. We had about 90 minutes at a place called Terrigal, which is were England have based themselves for the majority of this tournament.
They were conducting their final training session. All 23 members fit, including Lauren James. And she, of course, has missed England's last two matches because of the suspension but she is available for selection tomorrow.
I have to tell you, the mood in the England camp was brilliant. Lots of laughing and joking.
Then we are headed here where the team has moved their base for the final time to Sydney. And we just came out of a press conference that the England team coach held. She is playing down the act that she's the first coach in history to coach two different sides to a World Cup final.
Captain Millie Bright has talked about the dream come true that is the opportunity to lead her country out at the World Cup final. And she admitted that they will need to play the match of their lives against a Spanish team, who here --
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DAVIES: -- again, is in uncharted territory and widely regarded as one of the most talented squads in world football.
But even on the eve of their first World Cup final, that cloud still hangs over them. Questions being asked about the tension and unrest between the players and the coach. There were some very pointed moments in the press conference, where you could've cut the tension with a knife.
It is though, all to play for. And yesterday I caught up with a lady who led Team USA to victory in the last two World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019, a very different buildup to this year's final.
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JILL ELLIS, FORMER USWNT COACH: I think finals, other than 2015, they have always been incredibly tight, so I expect a tight game. Two remarkable teams, great coaches going at it. Listen, at the end of the day, I think this World Cup speaks to the competitiveness and the growth of our game.
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DAVIES: A new world champion set to be crowned. And I have to tell you, the stadium is looking resplendent. All the branding has been changed for tomorrow. We have purple and gold banners, huge pictures of the trophy that the fans and the players will see.
It looks fantastic here inside. There is not only going to be a jam- packed crowd in attendance but also Queen Letitia from Spain. Prince William from England said he'd be watching from home.
BRUNHUBER: I imagine the mood will be better if Australia is able to capture that bronze medal. Amanda Davies in Sydney, thanks so much, appreciate it.
That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I will be back with more news in just a moment. Please stay with us.
