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Hurricane Hilary Expected to Make Landfall in Mexico and California; Rare Tropical Storm Warning Issued for Southern California; Maui Officials Now Searched 78% of Burn Zone; On Monday, Biden Will Survey the Damage in Maui; FEMA Warns Its Disaster Funds are Dwindling; Canada Wildfires; Hundreds of Buildings Destroyed by Two Wildfires; Trump and 18 Co-Defendants to Surrender This Week in Fulton County, Georgia; FBI Looking for Missing Member of Proud Boys; Children Wounded in Chernihiv Strike; Manhunt under way for West Bank Killers; Russia's War on Ukraine; Kursk Train Station Struck with Ukrainian Drone; F-16 Training for Ukrainian Pilots has Begun; Chernihiv Missile Attack Left 7 Dead, 148 Injured Including 15 Children; Ukraine pushes to obtain Swedish "Gripen" fighter jets; Manhunt Underway in the Occupied West Bank After Father and Son were Fatally Shot; Trump and "The Gathering"; Women's World Cup to be Contested by England and Spain; 2024 Presidential Election; Republican Hopefuls Refrain from Discussing Trump; Guatemalans Go to Polls to Elect New President; Ecuadorians Will Vote for New President in the Face of Increasing Violence; Leader of Junta Proposes Gradual Return to Democracy; Interview with Canada Fire Chief West Kelowna Jason Brolund; Canada Facing Worst Fire Season on Record; Wildfire Damage Being Determined by British Columbia Firefighters; Nigerian Music Producer Blend A.I. to Create New Music. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired August 20, 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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[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: And welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a very, very dangerous and significant storm.

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BRUNHUBER: Southern California braces for catastrophic flooding as Hurricane Hilary is expected to make impact as a rare tropical storm, the first such storm in the state in decades.

President Biden will see the devastation, firsthand, on Monday as searchers still look for victims of the wildfires.

And wildfires are sweeping through British Columbia and the northwest territories in Canada's worst fire season on record. We'll talk to one fire chief about the extent and damage in Kelowna.

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

BRUNHUBER: A large portion of Southern California is under a state of emergency and bracing for the impact of Hurricane Hilary. The historic storm is now a Category 1 strength with maximum winds of around 85 miles an hour. It's expected to make landfall in the coming hours on Mexico's Baja, California Peninsula and later to slam into Southern California as a tropical storm. Forecasters warn Hilary will bring catastrophic and life-threatening flooding. And California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for the southern part of the state. More than 7,000 personnel have also been deployed to protect Californians. Here he is.

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GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Please, please listen to emergency personnel and local officials. Take seriously debris flows and floods, flash floods, lightning, possibility of tornadoes. Stay safe.

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BRUNHUBER: San Diego's mayor met with the governor to discuss emergency operations and government support. He also urged people to stay indoors and prepare for power outages.

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TODD GLORIA, SAN DIEGO MAYOR: We continue to ask people to shelter in place during the storm. For our unsheltered populations, the city's homeless strategies and solutions department, as well as the San Diego Housing Commission had activated our inclement weather shelter season. We have an additional 192 shelter beds available at four locations for people to come off the streets tonight and through the remainder of this storm. Rest assured that our city crews and first responders are ready to respond to the impacts and emergencies that will come.

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BRUNHUBER: Beaches, parks, and other public areas are closed ahead of the impending severe weather and multiple events have been canceled. Residents in some parts of the state have been encouraged to evacuate.

For our latest update, let's go over to our CNN Meteorologist Karen Maginnis. So, Karen, what are we looking at here?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. A couple of things I want to mention, and that is even though we keep giving you this update on the hurricane and how it looks like it's weaker or weaker or has lost some of its strength, it has not. It's still going to be exceptionally powerful, which I'll outline in the next few minutes. But also, I want to advise you that at the top of the next hour, 5:00 a.m. eastern time, 2:00 a.m. pacific time, there's going to be another update from the National Hurricane Center, that's going to bring us some more vital information. It looks like the eastern edge of this system has the most powerful, the most-deep convection. It looks a little bit more ragged along this western edge. But don't be fooled, there's still a lot of moisture here making its way towards the north. It is hanging in at 85 miles per hour. Moving along, rather rapidly, to the north northwest at just about 20 miles an hour.

Where you see this blue shaded area, tropical storm warnings, as you heard, haven't -- ever seen that that. But we are looking at the degree of widespread flooding, maybe wind damage, some structural damage, downed trees, power lines, could be mudslides or landslides in some areas. But this extends all the way down towards the north and the south Baja Peninsula. Right now, that central coast is being battered because of the proximity of Hurricane Hilary.

Now, Hilary's images and its pouring of 85 miles an hour. So, as this makes its way more towards the north, it looks like the weather really deteriorates on Sunday, about mid-morning into midday. And then we think that this, Hilary, as a tropical storm is going to inundate these regions right along that Arizona-California border.

Now, some of the coastal communities, one, maybe three inches of rainfall. In some of the interior valleys, you are looking at three or four or five inches of rainfall when most of these areas barely see a drop the entire month of August.

[04:05:00]

So, this is devastating. You look at almost a minuscule amount of precipitation that anticipated and instead you get buckets and buckets of rainfall. It could be devastating. Those mountains are really going to be problematic because we're going to see some orographic lift. That lift, essentially, as that moisture moves higher, it's just going to ring out.

Now, some of the mountains around 4,000 or 5,000 feet, San Gabriel and the Santa Rosa Mountains, also the San Bernardino Mountains as well. And we're looking at the region from San Diego, over towards Palm Springs and Coachella, and for Dana Point, also Los Angeles. Los Angeles, it looks OK for right now, but just wait. We go into the next 12 hours and you're really going to see the volume of precipitation really on the increase.

And we're not finished. Here it lies as a tropical storm and then moves across the Great Basin region. And as I mentioned, areas that haven't seen rain don't expect rainfall during the month of August, don't expect this volume of rainfall in some of the burn scar areas that the water will run off on, they are looking at potentially catastrophic damage. Now, even though this is about 400 miles away to the south southeast of San Diego, it's going to be moving rapidly, and we've still got those dangers in place coming up for the next 24 to 48 hours. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll stay on the story throughout the morning and look for that update at the top of the hour. Karen Maginnis, thanks so much. The search for survivors in Maui goes on nearly two weeks after wildfires devastated the community of Lahaina. Officials have now searched 78 percent of the burn zone. The death toll stands at 114, but authorities estimate more than 1,000 people are still missing. On Monday, President Biden will travel to Maui to survey the damage. Kayla Tausche has the details.

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KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House is still working with Maui County officials to finalize the details for President Biden's trip to Hawaii on Monday, and whether he'll be surveying the damage by land or by air. But one thing is for certain and that is the president that often finds himself on a role as consoler in chief will be meeting one on one with survivors of these hard-hit communities.

The FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell today telling reporters, I know that his ability to be able talk to them and hear their stories, and stand with them is one of the things that provides great reassurance, but also brings a lot of hope into the community. But beyond hope, the recovery effort will need money and it will need manpower. For money, FEMA needs more. FEMA has told Congress in recent weeks that its disaster relief fund will go negative by September. And as for manpower, federal personnel on the island is now topping 1,000.

According to FEMA, that includes more than 600 from the Defense Department and 140 from the coast guard helping with search and recovery efforts. 100 from the Army Corps of Engineers that are helping with infrastructure restoration, and 85 from Health and Human Services to help identify victims. As for victims and the number of those still missing, FEMA declined to update those official figures, deferring instead to local authorities and saying that the numbers remain very dynamic and very fluid in real time.

Now, the big question for Washington remains, what it can do, if anything, to blunt the future impact of these extreme weather events? CNN exclusively reporting that President Biden was briefed the day the storm hit Hawaii that it was coming. But a senior White House official telling CNN they knew they were -- there would be high winds, they just didn't know it would cause such devastating wildfires.

Travelling with the president in Lake Tahoe, Kayla Tausche, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: Two wildfires are burning in Spokane County, Washington. The gray fire in the area of Medical Lake has burned 9,500 acres, nearly two buildings, at least one person has been killed. A second fire is continuing to grow. Officials say, the cause of the Oregon road fire is under investigation. More than 8,000 acres are involved and many buildings have burned. According to the fire chief, the fire isn't contained.

Across Canada's northwest territories, residents are on the run from more than 200 wildfires. In the last 48 hours thousands have fled the capitol. Yellowknife, home to about 20,000 people and Canada's worst fire season on record. Meanwhile, ministers and key officials led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met on Saturday to discuss the wildfires raging across the nation. CNN's Paula Newton has more.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Canada continues to grapple with an incredibly challenging and historic wildfire season, and this weekend is no different.

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I want you to take a look at a map here just to understand the two communities now most at risk, and that is Yellowknife, in the northwest territories, and Kelowna and West Kelowna, British Columbia. And if we start with Yellowknife, you know, that capital city had to be completely evacuated. Nearly 20,000 people. The town is now a ghost town. It had threatened to definitely consume parts of that city.

But now authorities saying that most people have left, the evacuation was successful. And in the meantime, the weather has helped keep the wildfire at this point in time away from that city. Now, they still say much work continues. They do not expect those residents back any time soon. And they did get a little bit of help from the weather. Cooler conditions and the wind conditions are much better as well.

But then there is the situation throughout British Columbia. It's most acute in Kelowna, British Columbia and west Kelowna. There have been at least dozens of structures, possibly more, already consumed by fire. And earlier in the week, people there really had to scramble to get out of arms way. Authorities there say, they did have a bit of a reprieve again with that wind. Smoke is still there, but it does mean that those water bombers, despite the smoke are up in the air, and valiant efforts to try and keep homes and also critical infrastructure safe from fire.

This does start to cap, hopefully, as far as Canadians are concern, a historic wildfire season that has affected nearly everyone in the country from one coast right to the other. Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

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BRUNHUBER: And for more on the wildfires in Canada, West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund is joining us later in the hour, so please do stay with us for that.

When Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants surrender later this week in Fulton County, Georgia, it's hard to know how that will play out. Those details are currently being negotiated. Trump and the others are accused of conspiring in a criminal enterprise to subvert the 2020 election results in the state. They've been given until Friday to surrender voluntarily.

That's also the first day of the Republican debate which Trump is expected to skip. Even if Trump isn't there on stage, his legal problems in Georgia and elsewhere will undoubtedly come up in the debate. For more on what we can expect when he does surrender, here's CNN's Isabel Rosales.

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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sources tell CNN that Trump's team has already been in contact with D.A. Fani Willis's team, and that those conversations are expected to go into early next week. Conversations specifically about the conditions of Trump's appearance and the logistics about his surrender. We've also heard from the secret service, a spokesman telling us that the agency has been on site here at the jail over the last couple of weeks, in contact with the sheriff's office here in Fulton County and also with the City of Atlanta ahead of Trump's surrender, and also planning for his first court appearance.

Now, we've heard from officials here, including the sheriff, Patrick Labat, of Fulton County that Trump and his co-defendants are going to be treated the same as everybody else. So, let me walk you through what the normal booking process would look like here at the jail for a newly charged defendant, and that process would involve hours of waiting, simply waiting for their turn to get fingerprinted and get their mug shots taken. Also, there is typically a body search that is conducted by a jail deputy.

Although in the past, the high-profile defendants who have voluntarily surrendered have been able to forego that body search. A medical screening also typically happens and a pre-trial consultation to determine whether it's appropriate for someone to be released without bond. Here's what the sheriff had to say about the nature of this case.

PATRICK LABAT, FULTON COUNTY SHERIFF: Our goal is to treat everybody equally. And so, if you're indicted, then we're going to treat you as though you were indicted here locally. And so, we will continue to do fingerprints, mug shots, et cetera, in the safest possible fashion.

ROSALES: And it is much more likely that this process will still be conducted much more swiftly for these co-defendants just due to the high-profile nature of some of them, including Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff. And then also, due to all the safety precautions that are involved with transporting somebody that is a former president of the United States.

It's also possible that Trump and his co-defendants might not even have to show up in court for the first appearance for arraignment, and that is because the judge could conduct that arraignment virtually or choose to allow them to wave that right to an arraignment. If that happens, it's unclear when the public will be able to see Trump in a Georgia courthouse for the first time. Clearly though, the clock is ticking. Trump and his fellow 18 co-defendants have until Friday to turn themselves in.

Reporting outside the Fulton County Jail, Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.

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BRUNHUBER: The FBI is looking for a missing member of the Proud Boys just days before he was due to be sentenced over the January 6th insurrection. Christopher Worrell was convicted of seven charges related to his actions that day. He was under house arrest in Florida. The U.S. attorney's office now says he's nowhere to be found. The FBI has put out a wanted poster. Worrell's attorneys have declined to comment so far.

Russian missile rips through a city in Ukraine, leaving death and injuries. Now, we're learning some of the city's youngest residents were victims of the attack. We'll have that story ahead.

And a massive manhunt for murder is underway right now in the occupied West Bank after an Israeli father and his son are fatally shot. We'll go live to Jerusalem for details on this latest violence.

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BRUNHUBER: Russia is reporting two new drone strikes from across the border in Ukraine. The mayor of Moscow says, one drone was shot down south of the capital overnight, while another alleged drone wounded five people in the City of Kursk. According to a local governor, he says the attack damaged a railway station, the train service is still up and running.

[04:20:00]

Meanwhile, Ukraine now says, 15 children are among the wounded following the Russian missile strike on the City of Chernihiv. At least seven people were killed and close to 150 others injured after a missile hit the city center on Saturday. Ukrainian pilots have reported started honing their skills to fly the F-16 fighter jets. Two top military officials said on Saturday, the pilots have already begun their training on those planes.

But Ukraine's air force chief was specific, saying the pilots are learning from U.S. instructors. He also believes Ukrainians will be able to learn the skills they need in four months, not six as others expect. Earlier, officials said the training would begin in Denmark by the end of this month.

Now, the F-16 isn't the only western fighter jet Ukraine hopes to add to its arsenal. Another one is the Swedish Gripen aircraft, similar to these. President Zelenskyy says he spoke about those jets with Sweden's prime minister during a visit to that country on Saturday. Zelenskyy also says, the two nations will follow up on those talks in the coming weeks.

All right. Our Nada Bashir is monitoring developments in Ukraine and she joins us now from London. So, Nada, let's start with the attacks on Chernihiv. What more can you tell us?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, as you mentioned there, that troubling update from the Ukrainian authorities, 15 children said to be among the 148 injured in Saturday's attack, and at least seven killed, according to the Ukrainian authorities. And the infrastructural damage to the city has been immense. More than 60 residential homes have been impacted by the missile attack as well as other buildings across the city, including the town square, a university building and a theater.

Now, this attack is said to have taken place shortly after 11:30 a.m. local time. It took place on a day that marks a major orthodox holiday in Ukraine. And we heard from Ukraine's minister for internal affairs saying that people were leaving church as they were struck by this missile attack. And of course, we've also heard those details around the strike on the theater.

Now, at the time, a display meeting of Ukrainian made drones was set to take place. It was a closed meeting between military personnel and Ukrainian drone manufacturers and that was set to take place within that theater on Saturday. And Ukraine's minister for internal affairs is now calling for an investigation into the strike.

BRUNHUBER: Nada, with President Zelenskyy going to Sweden, take us through the reasons behind his visit there.

BASHIR: We know now that, of course, Sweden has announced further military aid to Ukraine earlier this week. And of course, a key focus there will be getting those Ukrainian pilots trained on those new Swedish made Gripen jets. This, of course, follows the announcement that training has commenced on those U.S. made F-16s, and this will mark a significant boost to Ukraine's air capabilities.

Now, of course, we've heard from President Zelenskyy, he says, Ukrainian pilots have already run test flights on these jets, and that training is set to continue. But it's not just jets that Sweden will be supplying to Ukraine. They've signed a statement of intent focused on getting Ukrainian soldiers trained up on armored vehicles produced in Sweden, but also focusing on the manufacturing of the Swedish armored vehicles in Ukraine, as well as other new Swedish made artillery systems. They say Ukrainian troops are already in Sweden, training on these artillery systems, and this will mark a significant boost, of course, to Ukraine's counteroffensive aspirations.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Welcome additions there to their arsenal, I'm sure. Nada Bashir, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

A manhunt is underway in the occupied West Bank right now after a 60- year-old Israeli father and his 29-year-old son were fatally shot. It happened at a car wash in the town of Huwara which has seen previous violence between the Israeli's and Palestinians. Security forces are only citing one shooter so far. And the Israeli security forces are on the hunt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling the shooting, cruel and criminal. The militant movement Hamas praised the shooting, calling it a response to Israeli occupation.

CNN's Hadas Gold is tracking developments for us from Jerusalem. Hadas, what more are we learning about this?

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kim, from what we understand, this father and son duo were in Huwara, running errands on Saturday, and it stopped at the car wash after running some errands. Now, why were they in Huwara? Huwara is a Palestinian village that sits on a very main thoroughfare that connects many Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank along with Palestinian villages. But it's also known as a place where you can get your car repaired or cleaned for very cheap compared to other places, especially across Israel.

And this father and son, they were not settlers, from what we understand. They were actually from Ashdod, a city in Israel. They had come to Huwara on a Saturday to run errands.

Now, according to CCTV video that's being reported by Israeli media, you can see the car wash, you can see a man wiping a car down.

[04:25:00]

And then you see a figure running up behind the car and where what appears to be the moment of the shooting, where the man appears to extend his arm and shooting at, essentially point-blank range, these two, the 60-year-old and his 29-year-old son. Now, Israeli's officials say that medics did try resuscitation efforts but both were declared dead on the scene and the shooter fled on foot.

Now, as you noted, Hamas, as well as the Islamic jihad movement, these militant groups have praised the attack, but neither one of them have yet claimed credit for the attack. Now, the Israeli military is taking an intensive manhunt right now. We are seeing reports from residents, Palestinian residents, in and around Huwara. There are many checkpoints and some restrictions on movements as the Israeli military carries out this manhunt. This is now have been going on for several hours. There have been no reports that they've caught anybody connected to the shooting.

And another concern is revenge attacks by Israeli settlers. There is -- Huwara has essentially been a flash point between violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians, especially in the wake of these types of attacks. There were some reports of some violent incidences last night, but the Israeli military has said that it has stepped up its enforcement efforts. And in fact, the Israeli military saying that they shot and injured one masked Israeli settler that they said was throwing something at Palestinians last night. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate the update. CNN's Hadas Gold in Jerusalem.

Still ahead, most Republican presidential candidates avoid talking about Donald Trump at a campaign event in the city where he was just indicted. But one who did speak about Trump had plenty to say. We'll get the latest on the gathering in Atlanta. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

All right. We are a little more than an hour away from the championship match of the world's -- Women's World Cup. After two incredible runs, England and Spain will compete for their first title in team history. England are trying to become the second country to host the trophy as reining European champions, and Spain are hoping to win despite never advancing past the round of 16 before.

CNN's Amanda Davies joins us now from Sydney where the final will be played. So, I imagine that the excitement is just building there. What can you tell us?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, very much so, Kim. The doors opened just over an hour ago. And I have to tell you, as you would expect ahead of the big one the Women's World Cup final the excitement is building every second. There are fans arriving here in droves, proudly emblazoned in the colors of England and Spain. I have to say, there are a few U.S. fans here as well who, perhaps, were a little bit overexcited when it came to buying their tickets for the U.S. and the side that have dominated in the finals. This is the first in 16 years they haven't been here.

But people are arriving from across the world. All the FIFA delegates are here, and that is a real milestone for this tournament. People from across the world, supporting the Women's World Cup final. Billie Jean King is here. We just got the chance to speak to her, too. She was talking about what a landmark tournament this has been and how, as far as she sees it, the next 100 days, really, is crucial in terms of how we use the momentum that has built over the last month to move not only women's football but women's sports.

There is so much pride about what has played out here over the last few weeks. And the fans arriving, as much as they want their sides to win, are well aware of what this tournament has done.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a testament to how the women's game has progressed. The -- you know, look around you. Look around you in the stadium tonight. It's -- you know, there's a blend of people in the crowd. It's -- you know, its men, its women, its people of all ages. The atmosphere is fantastic. And, you know, long may this trajectory for the women's game to continue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been excellent. And above everything the Australian that have got behind it is incredibly feminine. And viva la reina de Espana, who's come out to support the female game. The queen of Spain.

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DAVIES: Yes, the queen of Spain, Queen Letizia is coming. Prince William has said he will be watching from back at home. But we understand, we'll be waiting to welcome the lionesses back if they manage to get their hands on the trophy. Because for both teams, ultimately, to have come this far for all the developments in the women's game, for them it is about winning. Isn't it? And becoming just the fifth country to get their name inscribed on the trophy.

It is really, really tight to call as a match. You speak to fans and journalists from either side neither are particularly confident, I have to say. As Millie Bright, the England captain put it, she said, we need to play the game of our lives. And that is what we hope will play out in just an hour from now, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. That's right. I feel like England have something about them. But we will see. Amanda Davies, thank you so much.

Republican presidential hopefuls have wrapped up their appearances at an event in the city where Donald Trump and 18 others have just been indicted for alleged 2020 election interference, but Donald Trump wasn't among them. He's due in Atlanta by Friday to surrender on the charges. A popular conservative radio host organized the event called "The Gathering". But most of the candidates who participated avoided even speaking about Trump or his legal troubles. Most, but not all. CNN's Eva McKend reports from the gathering site in Atlanta.

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EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Conservative activists from across the region had the opportunity to hear from a number of 2024 Republican hopefuls. On this final day, they heard from Vivek Ramaswamy and Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. True to form, Ramaswamy focusing his remarks on railing against corporate diversity efforts, as well as talking about the importance of restoring patriotism in this country. For his part, Christie talking about school choice, public safety, and really strengthening America's foreign policy.

Trump not a focus of this event. Erick Erickson who put this on did not invite Trump. And it was very deliberate in not asking the candidates in the 45-minute-wide ranging interviews for the most part about Trump. Still, after Christie left the stage, he addressed reporters and he attacked Trump for skipping out on next week's first Republican debate.

[04:35:00]

CHRIS CHRISTIE, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's no other conclusion to come to that he's both afraid of me and he's afraid of defending his record. And if I had his record, I'd be nervous about showing up, too. Let's face it, guys, by Wednesday he's going to be out on bail in four different jurisdictions. That really -- when are we going to stop thinking that's normal? When are we going to allow our country to understand again that nominating someone who's out on bail in four jurisdictions is not a winning formula?

MCKEND: Though Trump remains dominant in the polls, there is still an appetite from some Republican primary voters to move on from Trump. I spoke to some people seriously considering supporting Governor DeSantis. Eva McKend, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Guatemalans head to the polls in less than five hours to choose a new president. Voters will cast their ballots in a runoff between two social Democrats. The central American nation is plagued by poverty, violence and graft. That bleak situation is causing outflow of people looking for a better life. Bernardo Arevalo is 64- year-old sociologist who's running on an anticorruption platform. He's up against 67-year-old former first lady Sandra Torres. She -- this is her fourth run for president.

And voting also gets underway soon in Ecuador, but it comes at a time of deep anxiety over political violence, including the assassination of a presidential candidate. On Saturday, another candidate and his family were in a restaurant when gunfire broke out nearby, setting off a panic that he might be the target. CNN's Rafael Romo has those details.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Otto Sonnenholzner, one of eight presidential candidates participating in this Sunday's election in Ecuador said he was having breakfast with his family in Guayaquil, Ecuador's second largest city, when the shots rang out. He said, he was approached by a supporter for a picture and when they were about to take it, the shooting started.

The Ecuadorian National Police later said, Sonnenholzner was not the target of the shooting. It was actually an armed robbery at a sports store nearby and five suspects were detained. Officers also confiscated two firearms, sports merchandise, and cash. The attack was so close to the restaurant that it rattled, not only the candidate and his family, but also everybody there.

The shooting happened only 10 days after Fernando Villavicencio, a 59- year-old outspoken anticorruption candidate and former investigative journalist was gunned down after a rally in Quito, the capitol. And it also happened the day before Ecuadorians head to the polls on Sunday for the first round in presidential voting.

In another development, the family of Villavicencio, the murdered candidate, has filed a legal complaint against the government. They accused the state of murder by willful emission for failing to protect the life of Fernando Villavicencio knowing that he had received threats from various criminal groups.

The assassination and a spate of other violent attacks in the last few months against selected officials and candidates have marred the election in a country struggling with corruption and organized crime. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

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BRUNHUBER: Almost a month after overthrowing Niger's government, coup leaders are now talking about an eventual return to democracy. The military ruler has called for a national dialogue though outline such a transition calling -- saying it should last no longer than three years. He also says, the military is still open to talks with the regional bloc ECOWAS but he pushed back against their threat of military intervention. Here he is.

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ABDOURAHAMANE TIANI, NIGER COUP LEADER (through translator): Neither the national council for the safeguarding of the homeland nor the people of Niger want war and remain open to dialogue. But let there be no misunderstanding, should aggression be undertaken against us, it will not be the walk in the park that some believe it to be. Any threat, they will be facing up to 26 million Nigerians.

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BRUNHUBER: Earlier, thousands of military supporters gathered for a census where they pledged to help the army if ECOWAS attacked. It happened as ECOWAS sent envoys to Niger to continue diplomatic efforts. An official says, they met with both the junta leader and the ousted president.

All right. We're continuing our coverage of the wildfires raging across Canada. Just ahead, we're talking with the fire chief from one of the hardest hit areas. Will have that and much more after the break. Please stay with us.

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[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Thousands of residents who took emergency flights to escape wildfires in Canada's northwest territories are just arriving in Calgary, about 1,000 miles away. The northwest territory is capital city of Yellowknife is home to about 20,000 people, nearly all of them followed evacuation orders to leave. And in the western province of British Columbia, 35,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate, and another 35,000 could be notified to leave soon. BC's premier described the province's wildfire situation is grim.

And joining me now is West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund. Thank you so much for being here with us in these trying times for you. I mean, let's start with the latest on the damage and the threat. How bad are things right now?

JASON BROLUND, WEST KELOWNA, CANADA FIRE CHIEF: Well, Kim, our community has been devastated by a wildfire that came fast and affected a wide swath of the area that me and my firefighters are actually (ph) protecting.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Right now, I mean, we're seeing the pictures. They're pretty devastating. You don't even know how many homes have been lost at this point, right?

BROLUND: No, that is a priority for us because operational period is to get out on the ground with a very specialized team of firefighters and other professionals who would be able to help us understand the extent of the damage. We don't have a number because some of the areas are very unsafe to even access at this point as the fire continues.

BRUNHUBER: You described this as fighting 100 years of fires all in one night. I mean, did you expect anything this bad?

BROLUND: We expected that our risk was high. The weather conditions this summer have been dry and hot. We haven't had rain. And when there were forecasted winds showed up in our forecast, the -- we knew the potential was there. When the fires started, we had a very short period of time to do a very large number of tasks that, you know, could have potentially done to protect our community and of course there's never enough time. We chose to spend the time to find and notifying the public so that they could take action as well if and when the fire came to town.

[04:45:00]

BRUNHUBER: You talked about not being used to fighting wildland fires, threatening six story condo buildings. I mean, this seems all so unprecedented. What's making the fires so hard to fight?

BROLUND: My fire department over 20 years' time has developed incredible expertise in wildland firefighting. We do this every year. We go around the province to do this work in other jurisdictions that are experiencing it. But this fire is on a scope and scale that we've rarely experienced in our region, and it just has a ferocity and tenacity that just won't go away.

BRUNHUBER: I heard you speaking the other day about this, about what's happening to your community. I mean, you seem quite -- you know, emotional and really affected by what's happening and how this will leave a long-lasting scar on the community.

BROLUND: Yes. The other night, it was incredibly difficult, not only for me but also for the men and women of my fire department. We don't set out to lose houses. We don't set out to have to make very difficult decisions between one house that can be saved and three others that can't be, but those were the kinds of things we were faced with.

And you know, you combine that with this is our home, this is where we live. And for many of -- me and my firefighters, we're fighting these fires in our own neighborhoods as well. So, it was unparalleled for us. And I think, you know, it certainly added to the emotion.

BRUNHUBER: Finally, what you're seeing in Kelowna, what we're seeing in the northwest territories, I mean, having to evacuate the entire provincial capital, you know, you encountered -- have had a record number of wildfires. This problem just seems to be getting worse and worse. How are folks there going to have to this new normal and change practices to prevent it destroying more property and threatening more lives going forward?

BROLUND: Well, I've spoken with the mayor of Yellowknife over the last couple of days. And, you know, it is a very similar but very different situation that they face there. But nonetheless, considerably, you know, worrying. And I understand the pressure now probably greater than ever that that community is under.

And we will need to change the way we think about wildfire, the way that we build our communities because what we once thought was not possible or was once, you know, a once in a lifetime event now has happened to us here. And, you know, we need to start thinking differently about it. You know, all of the things we said to people about replacing a cedar shake roof or getting rid of cedar hedges, they're very important for a small fire, but we're going to have to find tactics and strategies that will help us defend against an inferno like we've faced.

BRUNHUBER: I know firefighters from around the country are there trying to help out. We certainly wish you and the whole community all the best in these challenging times. Please do stay safe. Chief Jason Brolund, thank you so much for being here with us.

BROLUND: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead, A.I. Afrobeats. How a producer in Nigeria is using technology to create new tunes and help musicians. Stay with us.

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[04:50:00]

BRUNHUBER: Country music superstar Dolly Parton managed to get the two surviving Beatles to accompany her on a new recording of "Let It Be." Listen to this.

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(MUSIC PLAYING)

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BRUNHUBER: It's part of Dolly's new album called "Rock Star." She says, the mini Beatles reunion came together after she asked Paul McCartney to collaborate on her cover of the tune. He co-wrote and performed the 1970 version on the Beatles last album. Ringo Starr played drums on the album after the vocals were recorded. "Rock Star" is due out in November.

Well, music has always been an important part of Nigerian culture. So, when artificial intelligence first burst onto the scene, a producer in Lagos thought his days in the industry were numbered. But then, he saw an opportunity to create new music and empower other artists with the help of A.I. apps. CNN's Stephanie Busari reports.

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STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA (voiceover): Melodious singing by wake up (ph) star Mya Blue. Her voice could pass for an 18- year-old, except she's not a woman, she's not even human.

MYA BLUE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Hi, everyone. It's your girl Mya Blue, your favorite A.I. singer and this is my cover of "Kante" by Davido.

BUSARI (voiceover): Mya Blue is an artificially generated personality with a synthesized voice. She's a creation of Eclipse Nkasi, a Nigerian Afrobeats (INAUDIBLE) who's blending artificial intelligence with music.

ECLIPSE NKASI, MUSIC PRODUCER: I wanted to find out what was possible with A.I. So, which means, there are several parameters I needed to test. Songwriting, production, voice creation. At the same time, I was trying to test the efficiency of the tool, so in terms of timeline.

BUSARI (voiceover): So, Nkasi took up a challenge to make a music album in just a few hours, a feat that could normally take up to six months.

NKASI: And then as ridiculous as it was, we made the whole project in three days.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BUSARI (voiceover): There are nine songs in the album titled, "Infinite Echoes." It features both human artists and artificially generated voices.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BUSARI (voiceover): The result is a sound many struggle to distinguish from human and machine.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BUSARI (voiceover): The lyrics, songs, and album title are also A.I. generated, using ChatGPT and other programs.

[04:55:00]

NKASI: You take quite a few problems to get it. And the biggest challenge was trying to get the A.I. to give us a consistent look.

BUSARI (voiceover): Experiment is successful.

NKASI: I give you the seed number --

BUSARI (voiceover): Nkasi now aims to teach how A.I. can empower what he calls a new kind of artist.

NKASI: For people who are music minded, but don't necessarily have the skill set or the talent, a very fair chance of actually creating music that matters.

BUSARI (voiceover): The emergence of A.I. has sparked debates about copyright and intellectual property. Buyt music critic, Motolani Alake, is looking on a brighter side.

MOTOLANI ALAKE, MUSIC CRITIC: They are different with the A.I. All affect the music industry. There are negatives, there are positives. On the side, the production of the music is going to be much better.

BUSARI (voiceover): Here's Nkasi's advice for artists who want to use A.I. in their music.

NKASI: Embrace it from an ethical standpoint. You know, there's a way to use these tools that enhances the work that you create as opposed to taking it away from someone else's work.

BUSARI (voiceover): They're both optimistic that governments in the future will make and enforce laws that regulate the interplay of A.I. and creativity.

Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos.

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BRUNHUBER: That wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Please do stay with us.

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