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CNN International: Tropical Storm Hilary Lashes Southern California; South Korea and U.S. Begin Military Drills; Denmark and Netherlands to Send F-16 Jets to Ukraine; Spain Beat England 1-0 in Championship Match. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired August 21, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

BIANCA NOBILO CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

MAX FOSTER CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with the top stories this hour.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump says he will not be participating in the first 2024 Republican presidential debate on Wednesday. Trump says the public already knows him and also cited his high poll numbers for not participating.

And tropical storm Hilary is making its way through California bringing heavy rain, winds and flash floods. California and Nevada have both declared states of emergency.

NOBILO: Let's check in now with CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis for an update. Karen, what are we expecting to happen over the next couple of hours?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, well in the next 30 minutes we will expect an update from the National Hurricane Center. And my estimate or guess is that it's probably going to be below tropical storm intensity. But we've seen tremendous amount of rainfall across this region at a time of year where we barely seen any rainfall in a lot of these areas. Because a lot of these areas across Southern California are desert regions or planes areas. But also those mountains tend to absorb a lot of that moisture. There's orographic lift. And some of these areas have seen in excess of ten inches of rainfall. And it continues to rain.

And look at the size of this boulder on this highway with the utility truck next to it. It has really had some huge impacts all across Southern California even into southern Nevada as well. And portions of Arizona have picked up some heavy rainfall. There you can see ten plus inches of rainfall along one of those Transverse Mountain ranges just to the north of Los Angeles. Before it's all said and done there probably will be a foot or maybe just be a little more in some of the regions.

Flash flood warnings out now. It looks like they may be discontinued not too long from now. But look at that plume of moisture. It's going to go pretty high into the Great Basin also crossing northern Rocky Mountain region. They need moisture in Spokane. Spokane has a terrible fire taking place there. But I think the moisture is going to stay to the south of that.

This is the radar and there you can see some that precipitation making its way even into Montana. But we're not finished with Southern California yet. But we will be. It looks like by the afternoon you will see breaks in the clouds. It looks like the wind will begin to taper off. And it looks like generally a very abrupt transition to some much-improved weather as the remnants of what is now tropical storm Hilary continue to make its way to the north. Back to you guys.

NOBILO: Meteorologist Karen Maginnis thank you so much for that update and we'll be checking in with you throughout the day.

FOSTER: In San Bernardino County some residents are now under a shelter in place order due to roads blocked by mud and debris. The county has declared a local emerging, warning there could be serious losses once the full impact of Hilary is felt. CNN's Josh Campbell is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A major focus of concern for authorities here in Southern California is where we are standing. We're at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, and this area now under mandatory evacuation.

The sign here over my shoulders tells the whole story. You can see on that sign, "Mud and Debris Flows Possible." And that's because this area was recently subjected to major wildfire burns. That causing this scarring that you can see. This is part of this creek bed here, but this type of scarring fire all over this region.

The reason why this is so concerning is because this, once the water starts flowing here, potential flash floods, that just unleashes the ability for that water to flow rapidly without any type of obstruction.

Now we heard throughout the day from fire department officials, including from the battalion chief in San Bernardino, who talked about why this area is of such great concern and why it's so unpredictable about where this flooding will go.

MIKE MCCLINTOCK, BATTALION CHIEF, SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: The biggest areas of concerns for us is some of our burn- scar areas, the El Dorado and the Apple Fire that burned a few years ago. And really, we've seen pretty significant mud flow and water flow in this last year, which is pretty wet. If we ask you to evacuate, we don't take that lightly. We're asking you based on predictions and concerns. And we want to get out sooner, rather than later. The last thing we want to do is if we have significant rain is you try to leave last-minute, and then be overtaken by floodwaters.

CAMPBELL: Now for fire officials in San Bernardino County, it is very much all-hands-on-deck. That is because officials here have some 20,000 square miles that they covered. This is the largest, geographically speaking, county in the United States. And so fire officials are on alert. They've been preparing for the storm for days. We're told they've now moved from prepared mode to response mode, waiting to see just where this flooding will actually take place.

Josh Campbell, CNN, San Bernardino County, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:35:00]

NOBILO: A representative from the U.S. National Weather Service says rains from tropical storm Hilary are so intense that parts of California are getting an entire year's worth of rain in just one day. Here's what he told CNN earlier about the storm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDER TARDY, U.S. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO: This is unusual anytime of the year but certainly an August. It's been a long time since a tropical storm with an actual intensity with wind speeds over 40 miles per hour made landfall in southern California. 1939 was the last time. So we're seeing a lot of unusual activity with the heavy rain and the wind, flooding and in desert areas we're seeing about a year's worth of rain in one day.

So especially during the nighttime, in the early morning hours until we can assess how bad the roads are and where the damage is, it's not safe to travel in those areas.

We're still seeing windy conditions with gusts 40, 50 miles per hour. We're still seeing some light rain across the area. Some of the mountain slopes in the images that were showing there, received ten inches of rain in the surrounding mountains of Palm Springs. And even down in Palm Springs locations have 3 to 4 inches of rain. That's just way too much rain.

So the rivers are going to continue to run high. We're going to find some roads that are damaged tomorrow morning either covered with mud or even eroded from the heavy rain and the runoff.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And now to Canada where emotions roar as wildfires burn in the western province of British Columbia. Nearly 400 fires are scorching the landscape there. Though officials say they are turning a corner with the McDougal Creek fire. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's sending federal aid and military resources to help the region. Meanwhile, a local fire chief's pause to commend the crew some of them working 36 to 48-hour shift to help put out the fires even as their own families flee to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARREN LEE, LAKE COUNTY FIRE CHIEF: I just want to congratulate all of our firefighters. You know for thousands of years just regular people step up to be warriors to protect their villages, protect the neighbors and you know, this people up there working 36, 48 hour shifts. And they take an absolute beating. They know their family has been evacuated while their trying to defend their neighbor's home. And they just keep going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: In the U.S. three people are now dead following a listeria outbreak in ice cream machines at a Frugals restaurant in Tacoma Washington. According to the health department, the outbreak was linked to six hospitalizations between February and July including the three people who died. Investigators determined the ice cream machines were not cleaned properly. CNN has reached out to Frugals but they've not immediately responded.

And North Korea's Kim Jong-un reportedly overseas a cruise missile test as South Korea and U.S. kick off joint military drills. We're live in the region with the latest, coming up next.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Welcome back. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly overseen a naval test or strategic cruise missiles. According to state media, he watched as a patrol ship staged a missile launching drill. He also inspected the ship, which he praised for maintaining, quote, high mobility and mighty striking power. State media did not specify when this test took place.

FOSTER: Meanwhile, South Korea and U.S. forces have kicked off their large-scale joint military drills. The annual event aimed at bolstering their defensive capabilities against North Korea's evolving threats. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us from Seoul. And the North always used that -- those exercise -- as a threat in itself.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, Max, these exercises start today. They start Monday. They go on until the end of the month. And they are fairly large. There were more than 30 different drills that are expected to take place. Not just live in the field drills, also computer simulations.

But they are the sort of exercises that do angered Pyongyang every time they are held. Now we did see from state run media, in Pyongyang, that there was Kim Jong-un, the leader, overseeing what they called a strategic cruise missile launch. They didn't say when it actually took place. But the fact that it was released today on the same day as these trials are starting is really not a surprise. Very little comes out coincidently from North Korea. It's usually fairly heavily coordinated.

So what we know at this point is, from the South Korean side, officials say they believe the report from North Korea was actually exaggerated. Pointing out it may not have been what they said it was.

But certainly we are expecting to hear more from North Korea as we go forward over the next ten days during these drills. We heard at the end of last week, the intelligence agency here in South Korea saying, they had seen indications of preparations for potentially an ICBM launch -- an intercontinental ballistic missile. They said they've seen vehicle activity around missile production facilities. So they are certainly on alert waiting for some more significant response from North Korea against these drills.

North Korea always says that these drills are effectively a dress rehearsal for an invasion. Whereas, the U.S. and South Korea say that they are defensive in nature. Is what they have said in the past at least and that they are needed for readiness. But it is a fact that we are seeing significantly more drills between the U.S. and South Korea over the last year or so.

We also heard in South Korean police on Sunday that there had been a hacking attempt for these drills or at least back in February targeting some of the Korean companies and entities that actually were involved in these drills. They say that no military relayed information was taken but they do believe that North Korea was behind that hacking attempt.

FOSTER: Paula, in Seoul, thank you.

Chinese President Xi Jinping leaves in the coming hours for his only second trip abroad this year. Here the BRICS summit in South Africa. Mr. Xi will join the heads of state of three other major emerging countries and interact with Russian President Vladimir Putin who will join virtually.

NOBILO: The Chinese president will be looking to expand China's influence in Africa and other emerging regions and bolster his efforts to counterbalance the West influence.

FOSTER: Ukraine's calls for Western fighter jets are finally being answered. Denmark has pledged to send 19 U.S. made F-16s to Kyiv in the coming months. The Netherlands is promising to send some of its fleet as well.

NOBILO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Copenhagen and he's thanking his Danish allies for what he calls the historic decision to send the jets and supplying Ukraine's counteroffensive with critical air support.

[04:45:04]

Clare Sebastian joins us now. Clare, of course the key question is, when do the pilots get in the cockpits of the F-16s on the battlefield. And do we have any idea how many have been sent?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 19 from Denmark, is what they said. We don't know exactly how many from the Netherlands. They have 42 of them but they haven't been specific about how many them they're actually going to give and it may come in installments. The Danish warn that they're coming, they say over several years. Which may be an effort to sort of portray this, not only as related to this war, but the sort of overall upgrade of Ukraine's military. We know the F-16s are sensitive.

It's going to be awhile. The training is supposed to take six months. According to the Ukrainian defense minister, they have started now, he says. It involves English language, technicians, maintenance, all of that. There's a huge amount of infrastructure that goes into this.

But it is critically important at this point in the war that President Zelenskyy has decided to make this trip to personally thank the Danish people. Which he did in the last hour or so in front of the Danish Parliament. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Thank you for your help. All the help provided to Ukraine, thank you for harpoons. Russians afraid. Thank you. Caesar's Leopards breadless drones. Yes, they are afraid of drones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, two things there. One, he has to say thank you. And just feels that he has to do that because obviously, you're not only combating the concern about Russian views on escalation, but political fatigue. Which we're seeing not only as the war approaches the 18th month mark, but the sort of perceived slowness of the counteroffensive. And secondly, I think that was potentially a cryptic reference to the fact that we've seen yet more drones fired at a Moscow region this morning.

NOBILO: On that very subject, and also to the concern about this spilling over and escalation, we are seeing very regularly now drone attacks often concentrated around Moscow. And there has been another very recently that has actually disrupted airport flights to the capital.

SEBASTIAN: I mean, they're now happening with so much regularity that it's almost more news worthy, when you get a day when they don't happen, than when they do happen. I was looking over the past week, we've now had five consecutive days of drone attacks, not only on Moscow, but border regions. There is an airfield or a military plane that was damaged this morning. To the sort of affluent suburbs to the west of Moscow, one drone was averted by electronic warfare, another hit they say and crashed in a very sort of affluent area. Two people injured. This was quite unusual. One hospitalized, according to the governor of the Moscow region.

I think, look, Ukraine isn't officially claiming credit for these. But it does smack of a strategy which has gone hand in hand with this counteroffensive, of trying to bring this war home to the Russian people and of course disrupt, you know, military installations, supply lines and things like that.

NOBILO: It is interesting there's obviously plausible deniability. But it makes you wonder either Ukraine is just comfortable being bolder, potentially, or they feel like the allies are concerned that attacks in Russian territory are going to lead to escalation right now. Clare Sebastian, thank you so much.

FOSTER: Still ahead, from turmoil to title. Spain comes -- overcomes a mountain of hurdles to win their first Women's World Cup Championship. How they triumphed over England in the finals.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Euphoria crossed Spain as the country celebrates its first championship win at the Women's World Cup.

NOBILO: Spain lifted the trophy Sunday following a 1-nil victory over England in the final. It capped off a remarkable tournament run that saw them overcome one hurdle after another.

Amanda Davis following it all from Sydney, of course. I mean, they definitely won, didn't they? They were the better team, but England did pretty well.

AMANDA DAVIS, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes and we're not just saying that because we're English, Max, always. Both sides deserve a whole lot of credit for their runs in this tournament. Both actually currently midair making their way back to Europe.

And it seems really fitting that at this tournament, which for the last month has really set a new bar and reset the conversation, not only in terms of women sport. But not only in terms of women's football but women's sports. But here we had two first-time finalists who have become the new benchmark. For so long we've talked about Team USA as the bar for everybody else to match in women's football and the rest of the world has caught up.

Sarina Wiegman, the England coach, said afterwards, yes, Spain were just the better side. And they are without a doubt, one of the most talented squads of footballers in the world.

We have been talking about the players as individuals. The likes of two-time Ballon d'Or winner, Alexia Putellas. The likes of Irene Paredes. And of course, 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo, who has burst onto the scene very much at this tournament.

And we've been talking about them at a club and European level but this is where for the first time at the senior stage they have absolutely ruled at the top of the game. They have gone from winning in under 17 Women's World Cup, to an under 20 Women's World Cup, to now getting their hands on the biggest prize in the space of just 12 months.

And they have done it despite all of the unrest and turmoil in their camp. The questions being asked about the manager, Jorge Vilda, and his coaching methods. They tried, oh, did they try, to play those down over the course of the tournament. But we saw very clearly fulltime, the players celebrated in one circle. The coaching staff celebrating in another. But in spite of that, it is Spain celebrating as the new world champions. [04:55:00]

And this is what their all-time top goal scorer, Jennifer Hermoso, had to say fulltime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER HERMOSO, SPANISH FOOTBALL PLAYER (through translator): This is something that we have been trying to imagine for many days. But what you don't understand is that we are World Cup football champions. I can't, I really can't. It's the best feeling I've experienced from football in my life. It's just tremendous.

MILLIE BRIGHT, ENGLISH FOOT PLAYER: It's hard to take though, it's football. I don't think that there is much that you can say at the minute to be honest. Like I said, emotions are high. Huge amount of disappointment. You know, at first you feel you've failed, we've not won. But, yeah, coming second. I think in a couple of weeks when it settles in we will be really, really proud. And this is not it for most. We'll bounce back I'm sure but for now it's hard to take.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS: Hard to take, but so much pride, not only for England, but everybody involved in this tournament. Which has without doubt been the biggest and best Women's World Cup in history. And set new records for broadcasting, for attendances, for fans here on the ground and watching around the world. And the big question is, how that momentum carries on.

Billie Jean King, the icon, I got a chance to speak to her yesterday. She said the next 100 days is the key. And just imagine where we can go from here.

FOSTER: Absolutely right, Amanda, so true. And just to see all the sponsors behind the players there because that was always really important to get the sponsorship money into that final.

NOBILO: Without a doubt. I think what it has done for charity of female positions in sport in terms of enthusiasm is huge. You can feel that here. It's made a big difference.

FOSTER: Yes, absolutely and I mean, the quality of the sport you can't, you know, question.

NOBILO: Now to a story in the spotlight this hour. Actually I don't think we have time for that. But it could have been --

FOSTER: You're the spotlight. The final spotlight.

NOBILO: It could have been great. No, the return of -- the return of you as the spotlight. So, sorry to leave on that suspenseful note.

FOSTER: We thank you for joining us EARLY START is next.

[05:00:00]