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CNN International: Gunmen Launch Deadly Attacks In Russia's Dagestan; Lebanese People Live With Increasing Threat Of War; Netanyahu: "Intense Phase" Of The War "About To End". Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 24, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, gunmen open fire on places of worship in two Russian cities. A look at the investigation now underway. Plus, finger-pointing and unanswered questions after more than 1,300 people die in extreme heat during this year's Hajj. And the clock is ticking, U.S. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump honing their strategies ahead of their debate rematch. Our panel will discuss.
Russia state media report that an anti-terrorist organization or operation is over in Dagestan after a wave of brazen militant attacks.
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Officials say that at least 20 people were killed when gunmen opened fire on places of worship and police checkpoints. The death toll reportedly includes at least four civilians with an orthodox priest among the dead. Almost 50 people were injured. Officials say that at least six militants were killed. The attacks happened in the Republic of Dagestan in southwest Russia. The region is largely Muslim and has a history of separatist violence. Now, we have yet to hear a claim of responsibility, but an ISIS affiliate praised the attacks on Telegram. The shootings come three months after gunmen attacked the concert hall outside of Moscow.
Let's get to Clare Sebastian now in London with the latest. Clare, clearly, still a lot of questions here. But, what do we know? Lay it out for us.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Authorities still piecing this together, Rahel, some almost 24 hours after we believe the attacks started. We now have an update, as you say, death and injury toll, 20 killed, according to the local health authorities there, 46 injured, of which they say seven are in a serious condition. We don't have the exact breakdown of how many law enforcement officers versus civilians were killed. We previously had a number from the Investigative Committee that there were 15 law enforcement officers killed. So, it does seem that the casualties are swayed towards those officers who tried to get in the way of these attackers.
But, that is what we know as of now. They believe that these attacks happened at the same time pretty much in two different cities. And as you say, no claim of responsibility as of yet, like, we got in the wake of that Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow three months ago. But, this sort of note of praise from a Russian language Telegram channel used by ISIS-K where they say our brothers from the Caucasus showed that they are still strong. So, take a look at what we believe happened as these attacks unfolded.
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SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Shattering the calm of a summer evening, Russian authorities say these were coordinated attacks simultaneously targeting both Dagestan's capital Makhachkala, and Derbent, an ancient city more than 100 kilometers away. Their attack is fired on this synagogue just 40 minutes before evening prayers, says the Russian Jewish Congress, setting it on fire.
As police confronted attackers, 19 people locked themselves in this church in Makhachkala, according to state media. They were ill later brought to safety. Around six o'clock or 10 past six, they were already shooting heavily, says this eyewitness speaking to Russian state TV. They killed our Misha (ph), our security guard.
YUSUP UMAVOV, MAYOR OF MAKHACHKALA, RUSSIA (Interpreted): The relevant services and law enforcement agencies worked quickly, but unfortunately, there were losses. We offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends whose sons and brothers died today.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Most of the casualties, police officers, but gruesome details emerged about the murder of an orthodox priest in Derbent, attackers cutting his throat, according to one local official. The head of the predominantly Muslim Republic said this was an attempt to destabilize the region, hinting at foreign influence.
SERGEY MELIKOV, DAGESTAN GOVERNOR (Interpreted): Further operative search and investigative measures will be carried out until all participants of the sleeper cells are identified, which undoubtedly include some that were organized from abroad.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The attack, which Russia is investigating as terrorism, comes just three months after the deadliest terror attack in Russia in two decades, more than 140 people killed at a Moscow concert hall. Russia's President then laid the blame on the West and Ukraine, despite a claim of responsibility from ISIS-K, the Islamic state's regional branch in Afghanistan. Ethnic tensions also a key focus in Dagestan, a region with an ancient Jewish population.
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In late October, an anti-Jewish mob stormed the main airport in Dagestan's capital as a flight landed from Tel Aviv. This latest attack raising more serious security questions. Russia already at war in Ukraine, facing growing threats at home.
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SEBASTIAN: Well, it's not just the war between Israel and Hamas that has fanned tensions in this region, as you saw there with that mob targeting the airport last October, just weeks after the October 7 attacks. It's also the war in Ukraine, this region disproportionately targeted, especially ethnic minorities, for mobilization. We saw protests in the autumn of 2022 around that. It has fanned discontent towards the Kremlin as well. So, a region already known for sporadic outbreaks of separatist and terrorist violence now even more unstable, and it really is the very last thing that President Putin needs as he tries to protect that level of popular support for his war in Ukraine. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Unrest apparently growing there, I should point out. Clare Sebastian live for us in London. Clare, thank you.
Israel's Defense Minister says that his meetings in Washington this week are quote "critical" for the war effort in Gaza. Yoav Gallant is due to meet soon with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This morning, he discussed a transition into a new phase of the war with senior U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein. Gallant's mission comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the intense phase of fighting Hamas is about to end. Listen to what Gallant said as he departed Israel.
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YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (Interpreted): The United States is our most important and central ally. Our ties are important and probably more important nowadays than ever.
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SOLOMON: Now, Prime Minister Netanyahu's comments to an Israeli news channel made clear that the war against Hamas is not over, but will shift focus as the incursion in Rafah winds down. He says that Israel could then, quote, "redeploy some forces to northern Israel", where cross-border attacks with Hezbollah have spiraled into a dangerous escalation. And the EU foreign policy chief issued a stark warning today about the conflict in Gaza, saying that, we are on the eve of the war expanding.
Our Ben Wedeman has more now from southern Lebanon.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a day of joy and celebration here in south Lebanon.
WEDEMAN: Israeli forces are just about five miles away from here. But nonetheless, here in the town of Hasbaya, there is a wedding going on.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): It didn't seem right to spoil a special day for newlyweds Taymor (ph) and Fabin (ph) with questions about the dark clouds covering over Lebanon. But, one guest told us off camera, we're celebrating here. Well, war is around the corner. Hasbaya has been spared the worst of the barrages and counter-barrages between Israel and Hezbollah. Here, they stop anyone from firing towards Israel. Parliament member Elias Jarade was elected to represent Christians in this area.
ELIAS JARADE, MEMBER OF LEBANESE PARLIAMENT: The majority of the southern people, a majority of the Lebanese people from all sects or religions, all parties, they are -- in one way or another, they are committed with a Palestinian.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Everyone we spoke with had a completely contrary opinion. Few people wanted to speak on camera about the looming danger of war for fear of repercussions. Off camera, we got an earful. There is zero appetite for escalation, little support for Hezbollah. 85- year-old Abu Nabil (ph) has seen it all, war and Civil War, invasions and occupation. War is ruination, he says. In war, everyone loses, even the winner. Abu Nabil knows of what he speaks.
WEDEMAN: Since October, Israel and Hezbollah and its allies have been engaged in low-intensity warfare, largely limited to the border. If full-scale war breaks out, that war will spread well beyond the frontier on both sides.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Last week, Israeli generals approved a plan to attack Lebanon, while Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently warned, if it comes to war, the group will fight Israel on land, sea and air, and also inside Israel itself. The Iranian-backed group's sophisticated attacks have surprised Israeli officials, including precision strikes on surveillance posts on the border, shooting down high-flying Israeli drones and knocking out anti-missile and anti- drone defenses, and posting online more than nine minutes of what it claimed was drone footage of sensitive military and civilian infrastructure in and around the city of Haifa.
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The bell summons the faithful to mass in the predominantly Christian town of Marjayoun. More than 90,000 people have already left the south for safer ground. Aman says she is determined to stay but adds, if things escalate to war and it reaches here like it did before with some shelling, of course, like others, will have to leave. For now, they can only pray for peace and hope. Those prayers are heard.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, South Lebanon.
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SOLOMON: All right. Let's get more now from our Paula Hancocks, who is live in Jerusalem. Paula, I want to get back to these comments from Netanyahu. What comes next if the intense phase of war with Hamas is about to end?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, this was really the first clarity on the record and in public that we've had from the Israeli Prime Minister for some time. So, it's important to listen to what he is saying. He says the intense part of the war will be over in Gaza, not that the war will be over, but the current stage in Rafah will be over. And he has said that that means the military can then pivot towards north Israel and the fight against Hezbollah.
Now, one interesting thing he also said was about the potential ceasefire-hostage deal, saying that he was ready to sign a partial deal with Hamas, but also saying that would be to release some hostages, saying that after the ceasefire ends, he will go back to the war, because he has not given up on the hope that he can completely destroy the group Hamas. Now, this has had some condemnation, as you can imagine, the hostage family saying it's simply not good enough to say that you want some of the hostages to come back. It has to be all of them.
And we've also heard from Hamas, and surprisingly, they disagree as well. They have said that this shows that Netanyahu does not support the UN Security Council resolution which called for a ceasefire, and also saying that it shows that he is rejecting the current proposal on the table, which U.S. President Joe Biden was very publicly behind and fighting for. Now, this three-stage proposal that is on the table at this point, it does have a six-week ceasefire in its first stage, and it's meant to evolve into the second stage, which is a permanent cessation of hostilities. But, what we're hearing from Mr. Netanyahu is that, once some hostages are released, he is prepared to go back into Gaza and try and continue his stated goal of destroying Hamas. So, certainly, there has been some reaction to that part of it as well.
But, at this point, this is, as I say, the clarity we are getting from the Prime Minister at the same time that the Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is in the United States. He said before he left for Washington that he was going to be discussing phase C in the plan after October 7 within this war. So, that shows that he agrees that this is a new phase, and potentially is looking for U.S. officials to sign off on what Israel plans to give support for what Israel plans. And the overwhelming assumption which appears to be backed up by this interview with Netanyahu is that that focus will very much be on the northern border with Lebanon. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah, also saying that these meetings in Washington are critical for the war effort and what comes next. Paula Hancocks, thank you.
Well, the UK's Princess Anne is recovering today from minor head wounds. Royal sources tell CNN that the king's sister was walking on the grounds of her estate when she sustained the injuries. Her medical team says that the injuries are similar to an impact from a horse's head or horse's legs. Now, horses were in the vicinity of the princess when she was hurt. Princess Anne was transferred to a hospital for tests, treatment and observation.
While former U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for Thursday's CNN debate, his attorneys are starting the week in the Florida courtroom. Judge Aileen Cannon has two pretrial hearings today. This is in Trump's Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. So, she is hearing defense attorneys' motion to dismiss as Trump's team claims that the Special Counsel Jack Smith that his office was unlawfully funded. And later this afternoon, Judge Cannon will hear arguments on the request by Smith to impose a gag order on Trump. Let's bring in CNN's Senior U.S. Justice Correspondent Evan Perez, who
is tracking this story from Fort Pierce, Florida. So, Evan, give us a sense of some of the issues the judge is going to be considering today in these hearings.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, right now, the judge is hearing some arguments about the funding of Jack Smith, the Special Counsel. The argument from the former President's attorneys is that, first of all, on Friday, there was an all-day hearing where the first argument was that he was illegally appointed, that he was not lawfully appointed by the Attorney General Merrick Garland.
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And today, this continuation of that argument with an attack on the funding, saying that the funding for the Special Counsel in the investigation essentially is illegal, and therefore the judge should toss all of these charges against the former President. Now, those are longshot arguments, but just the fact that we're having a hearing, it tells you a lot about how things are going here in Florida. The judge has been very, very slow in making decisions. And she is entertaining all kinds of efforts by the former President to get these charges thrown out.
This afternoon, the Special Counsel will be making the argument that there should be new restrictions placed on the former President and his speech. They're taking issue in particular with some of the criticism that Trump has made about the raid -- the search of Mar-a- Lago back in 2022. The former President has claimed that his life was in danger. Mind you, he was nowhere near Mar-a-Lago when that search happened. He was up in New Jersey at the time. So, he was never in any danger.
But, the danger is real, according to prosecutors. They say that there had been threats made against FBI agents. They say that reasonably one person lashed out and that there was going to be hunt -- agents will be hunted down if Trump doesn't win the election, and also called for a slaughter of the family members of a particular FBI agent. So, that's the real danger, at least according to prosecutors, of why the President's -- the former President's speech and some of his rhetoric, why they say that requires a new restriction and a gag order placed on Donald Trump.
Now, his team says that this would be a restriction on his First Amendment rights, including, of course, in the upcoming CNN debate this week, Rahel?
SOLOMON: Well, Evan, I mean, certainly a lot for the judge to consider. But, speaking of the judge, as you said, this case has moved very slowly, that has come under criticism, this judge. I mean, there was that reporting last week --
PEREZ: Yeah.
SOLOMON: -- from "The New York Times". It is unusual, is it not, for the judge to receive so much attention in the case?
PEREZ: Right. It's usually -- the judges don't usually figure so large in this case. But, you have a lot of issues here, including the fact that she is very new to the bench. You can see how new she is to the bench. When you sit in the courtroom, as I have done over the last few days, you see some times where she appears to just let the defense attorneys just ramble on and go on. A lot of judges tend to have a lot more firm control of the courtroom, don't let the arguments kind of go into all kinds of nooks and crannies. She just seems to allow that. Sometimes, you see her. She comes in. She is very prepared, and she cuts them off. She is asking questions. Other times, not so much.
And as you pointed out, the criticism that -- as you heard from that -- you saw in that New York Times story last week reflects, I think, the concern that a lot of people had, that someone who is so new to the bench may not have been the appropriate person to have a case of this magnitude. Of course, it's very hard to get rid of a judge once they have already been assigned to the case. It's extraordinary move. And so, that's the reason why you see the prosecution has not even made such a request. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And we should say for our audience who may not have read the piece, essentially, the reporting from The New York Times was that two judges, fellow colleagues of Aileen Cannon, had asked her to resign from the case for separate reasons. But, that is basically the gist of that reporting. Evan Perez, we'll see you soon. Thanks so much.
Well, coming up, the battle over reproductive rights is front and center in the U.S. today, marking two years since the historic end of Roe v. Wade. What the Biden administration is doing to make it a campaign issue? Plus, we are only three days away from the first U.S. presidential debate of the year. U.S. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump once again taking the stage to fight for America's vote, details ahead.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. It is the most anticipated moment of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. U.S. President Joe Biden will face his political rival and predecessor former President Donald Trump. Now, the stakes are high, as both candidates make their pitches to voters with less than five months until the election. This Thursday, Mr. Biden will stand at the right podium on the debate stage, while Trump will get the final word. CNN's anchor -- CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will host the first presidential debate of the year live in Atlanta, Georgia.
Now, one issue that is likely to be a flashpoint during Thursday's debate is abortion. Today marks two years since the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Supporters of reproductive rights are holding rallies today, and key members of the Biden administration, including the Vice President Kamala Harris, are fanning out across the country. They say that their mission is to remind voters that Donald Trump is responsible for overturning Roe. Now, on top of all of that, we could also get a ruling from the Supreme Court this week on a case involving emergency access to abortion.
Let's get to Washington, and CNN White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz. Arlette, talk to us a little bit about how the President is hoping to mark this two-year milestone, his campaign.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, the Biden campaign is engaging in an all-out push to warn that abortion rights remain under attack. They're using this two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade as another opportunity to attack Trump on the issue of abortion, saying that he specifically was responsible for that landmark Supreme Court decision. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to speak in just -- the next hour up in Maryland. And according to some excerpts from her speech, she is expected to say that Donald Trump is guilty of stealing women's reproductive freedoms.
Now, the Biden campaign today is also rolling out a stark new ad which features a Louisiana woman who says that she was impacted directly by her state's abortion ban and she blames Donald Trump. Take a listen.
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KAITLYN JOSHUA, LOUISIANA: I was right around 11 weeks when I had a miscarriage. The pain that I was feeling was excruciating. I was turned away from two emergency rooms. That was a direct result of Donald Trump overturning Roe v. Wade. He is now a convicted felon. Trump thinks he should not be held accountable for his own criminal actions, but he will let women and doctors be punished.
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SAENZ: Now, this ad is also interesting because it is the second time that the Biden campaign has used Trump's criminal convictions in their television advertisements, showing a bit of a preview of how they will try to tie that to other key issues in this campaign. Now, Biden's advisors have long to believe that abortion rights could be a galvanizing issue for voters heading into November's election, especially with women and independent voters. And it's expected that President Biden will lean into discussing this, contrast with Trump on abortion, when they face off in the debate on CNN on Thursday.
President Biden remains at Camp David, where he has been for several days and will stay up until the debate, as he and his senior advisors prepare for his face off against Donald Trump. One thing that a senior advisor who is working on these debate preparations with Biden said is that they are preparing for the possibility that there could be a very different Trump to appear on that debate stage. There could be a more disciplined Trump than is normal, but they are also prepared for the possibility that there could be another chaotic contentious debate, as we saw in the two men's first matchup on the debate stage back in 2020.
So, part of Biden's goals in his debate preparation is preparing for all of these scenarios, the type of Trump that will show up, but also the issues that will be addressed in this debate. The campaign has made clear that they see three areas where Biden really wants to draw contrast with Trump on, that's abortion rights, democracy and the economy, as the campaign is fully aware of the high stakes the President is facing in his first in-person showdown with Trump since 2020 that will take place here on CNN on Thursday.
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SOLOMON: Fascinating. Arlette Saenz live for us at the White House. Arlette, thank you.
Let's discuss this further and bring in my panel, CNN Senior Political Commentator Scott Jennings, he is a former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, and CNN Political Commentator and Democratic Strategist Maria Cardona. Good to see both.
Scott, let me start with you. You just heard Arlette there talk about all of these different scenarios that team Biden is preparing for Trump. And Trump, on the other, side is going to a closed-door fundraiser or close fundraiser today. Do you think that's a mistake?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think you have to prepare the best way for you. I think every candidate is different. Joe Biden is a traditional politician. I'm not surprised. He is sort of conducting what we would consider to be traditional kind of debate prep. Trump is not a traditional politician. And he is out doing different campaigning, I know he is having policy discussions with his advisors. So, it's more informal.
But, ultimately, you have to design a process that's right for you. And Trump is just a lot more loosey-goosey with it, and that's what works for him. So, I'm not nervous about it for him. But, ultimately, you have to let the candidate be as comfortable as possible when they step on the debate stage Thursday night. I think that'll be true for both men, even though they're taking vastly different approaches.
SOLOMON: Maria, I mean, you specialize in strategy. What would your strategy be for Biden? It was interesting to hear Arlette say that his team is preparing for a more disciplined Trump, but they're also preparing for perhaps something else. I mean, what do you think? What's the best strategy moving into this?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, & DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yeah. I actually think that was a really smart strategy, Rahel, and it's something that I've been saying for quite some time on our air, because a lot of people had assumed that President Biden and his team were focused on, and frankly, wanted an unhinged, sort of crazy delirious yelling all over the place, Donald Trump, which we often see in the rallies, and very well could be the one that showed us up on the debate stage. But, I think it's really smart of them to also be ready for a broken clock is right twice a day.
So, there could be a disciplined, calm, more sort of normal looking, sounding Donald Trump that shows up on that debate stage as well, especially since, Rahel, the rules are going to be such as they are. There is going to be no audience. The microphones are going to be muted. I think that actually helps a more disciplined Donald Trump. So, I'm glad that the Biden campaign is not assuming that the Mr. Hyde Trump is going to show up and that they're also going to be preparing for a Dr. Jekyll type of Trump as well, so that they are prepared for either.
SOLOMON: Scott, do you think that the muted mics also potentially benefit Trump by almost making him more reserved by nature of the fact that his mic will be cut off?
JENNINGS: Yeah, I do, actually. I went back and watched the debates from 2020. And Trump, obviously, we think about that first debate where he was very aggressive, really cratered his campaign that night. But, in the second debate in 2020, they had muted microphones, which is a fact I had forgotten, but in my research I realized, and Trump was much more steady. He was much more subdued. He was in command of the facts. And I actually think he won the second debate. Now, at that point, it was too late. Millions of people had already voted. Folks had kind of already gotten uncomfortable with his leadership at that point of the campaign.
This time around, though, he is in a much different position. He is not the President. And the pressure, I think, is on Joe Biden to actually turn in a performance. If Biden is preparing for Jekyll or Hyde, I guess the Trump campaign is preparing for Sleeping Beauty, maybe, with Joe Biden. And we'll see whether he whether he pops out of that or not.
SOLOMON: Maria, let me ask, the President is obviously very sensitive about his family. Are you concerned at all that Trump could sort of poke a sore spot if Hunter comes up, for example? What are you concerned about?
CARDONA: Well, I think I wouldn't be concerned if I didn't think they were preparing for that, Rahel. But, I do know that they are actually preparing specifically for Donald Trump to go after President Biden using as bait his son Hunter, because everyone around the President knows that Hunter is something that for the President is triggering, for obvious reasons. Right? And so, I think that that sensitivity going into the debate prep is something that his team understands. And that is absolutely something that they are going to be preparing for.
But, I would be really careful if I were Donald Trump's team and advising him to actually do that, because I think that there will be a lot of backlash from American voters if they see Donald Trump going after President Biden on something as sensitive and as personal as Hunter Biden, when Hunter Biden is not somebody who is running for office. And so, I think that, for Democrats, I have heard them say, yeah, that they're concerned about that.
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They don't know how the President is going to react if that happens, but they're preparing for it. And again, I agree with Scott. President Biden is somebody who goes into this more traditional, more preparation. In fact, as an American voter, I am happy that my President does know that these moments are hugely consequential and that he is actually preparing for them. SOLOMON: And Scott, what about you? What makes you nervous? Now, let
me just add to that. I mean, we could get a decision this week from the Supreme Court on the presidential immunity question. I mean, if that comes out before Thursday, if that comes out on Thursday, I mean, that's a sort of a new sort of factor in the equation. I mean, what are you concerned about here?
JENNINGS: Well, on that front, it would be shocking to me if the Supreme Court issued a ruling on that on the eve of the debate. I just imagine that it would be more likely to come afterwards, because I wouldn't think the court would want to inject itself into the debate that way. But, none of us really know. So, we'll have to see.
If I were advising Trump, the thing that would make me most nervous is just that you have 90 minutes and you spend a large percentage of the time on things that have nothing to do with inflation, immigration, national security crime, and there is a set of issues on which Donald Trump can win this election, and there is a set of issues on which Joe Biden can win this election. And so, as you're thinking through tactics and what am I trying to get out of this debate, you want to try to spend as much time as possible on the things that work for you.
So, I'd be nervous about getting drugged down rabbit holes or fighting out on ground that is just not as firm for you. We talked about abortion at the top of the show. That's firmer ground for Joe Biden. But, if they spend more time on inflation and immigration, that's firmer ground for Donald Trump. So, you have to be able to maneuver and pivot and get it onto the issues that work for you.
SOLOMON: In other words, play a little offense, play a little defense.
JENNINGS: Yeah.
SOLOMON: Certainly a lot to watch. Great to see you both. Scott Jennings, Maria Cardona --
CARDONA: Thanks, Rahel.
SOLOMON: -- good to see you guys.
All right. And tune in to see the CNN presidential debate right here on CNN, coming up on June 27 at 9 p.m. Eastern, and we'll replay the debate in its entirety a few different times. You can watch it at 7 a.m. London time, 2 p.m. Hong Kong, or 12 hours later at 7 p.m. in London, or 10 p.m. in Abu Dhabi.
And still ahead for us, extreme heat being blamed for thousands of deaths among Muslim pilgrims at the Hajj. We will have a live report with the latest. Plus, flooding across parts of the U.S. CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is following this. Elisa.
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Warnings in effect where we have had more than a month --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SOLOMON: Welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rachel Solomon live in New York. And here are some of the international headlines we're watching for you today.
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A fire in South Korea has killed at least 22 people. The fire happened earlier today at a lithium battery cell factory south of the capital Seoul. Many of the workers at the plant are from abroad. A fire official says that at least 20 foreigners are among the dead. The majority were from China.
And now to southern China where people there are still dealing with torrential rain that has led to deadly flash floods and landslides. At least 71 people have been killed. That's according to Chinese state media. CCTV says that some of the people who had been reported as missing, have now been confirmed dead. As of Monday morning, more than half a million people have been affected and 64,000 people have been forced to relocate. Meteorologists forecast more heavy rain in the next 24 hours.
Now, to the extreme heat in Saudi Arabia. Officials there say that more than 1,300 people have died during this year's Hajj. Saudi officials also say that many of those deaths have been due to extreme heat. And these were the first official numbers from the Saudis after many countries released their own death tolls. An estimated 1.8 million people have taken part in the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca this year.
Let's now bring in CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, joining us more on the deaths at the Hajj. Obviously, just really tragic, Salma. Talk to you a little bit more about these 1,300 deaths, and what we know about the provisions there may have been, given the extreme conditions this time of year.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it's important to note here, Rahel, that we're receiving this just death toll from Saudi authorities, after we had seen for days families desperately looking for loved ones that had gone missing during the pilgrimage, during the Hajj, looking for answers, calling local hospitals, begging authorities to give them some information on their loved ones. We now have that figure of 1,300 people who have died in the Hajj. We understand those numbers could potentially go up. This is the week of homecoming. So, many families are still going to be asking questions, trying to locate their loved ones.
And more importantly, governments, remember this reverberates around Muslim world, so those governments are going to be trying to crack down on what took place. Many of those deaths are heat-related. And according to the Saudi authorities, more than 80 percent of those who died were quote "unauthorized." What does that mean? Well, it simply means they didn't have the correct permissions.
But, what it's uncovering really is this entire underworld of a network essentially of people who behave like tour operators, but that governments say actually did not have correct permissions, who were duping families, duping people in their 70s and 80s, taking their life savings, saying we'll be able to bring you to the Hajj safely, only for those people to arrive and find they didn't have proper accommodation. They don't have proper cooling facilities. They don't have buses, most importantly, to be able to transport them from one site to the next.
We already know Egypt, for example, has banned some 16 tour operators, it says, who took part in this, were operating illegally. Jordan as well is carrying out an investigation. It's cracked down on some of these tour operators. Some of them will face potentially jail times. Tunisia's government has also fired ministers for, again, not cracking down, again, not seeing this ahead of time. But, many of these families are going to be asking, why did it take 1,300 people to die? It could go up from that number. Why did it take all these deaths for this crackdown, this fallout to take place in this underbelly of criminal networks taking advantage of people who simply wanted to perform that Hajj, that very important Islamic ritual, who simply wanted to perform that, taking advantage of by these groups?
SOLOMON: Yeah. Still so many questions. Salma Abdelaziz live for us there in London. Salma, thank you.
And parts of the U.S. also dealing with extreme heat. States from New York to Mississippi have already tied or broken record temperatures, and the Plains, Southeast and Mid-South, states also expected to get more scorching heat. 40 million people are under heat alerts and it could feel as hot as 43 degrees Celsius or 110 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas. And Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, they are dealing with flooding. One city in South Dakota had a month's worth of rainfall in just three days. Some areas are still under flood warnings because rivers are higher than normal.
Let's get to the Weather Center and CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa for a closer look at the forecast in the U.S. Elisa, let's start with the latest on the floods.
RAFFA: Yeah. Rahel, we're looking at those warnings here. Like you mentioned, a huge area of southern Minnesota, just south of Mankato, stretching back into South Dakota, Sioux Falls, northwest Iowa, and then the Missouri River is warned (ph), from Sioux City down to Omaha. All of this isn't because it's still raining. It's because this area is still waterlogged, still saturated and still aggravated. The rivers are still running incredibly high, because look at the rain totals that we got in just three days. We have this pretty big pocket right here of 10 to 15 inch totals. Some are even higher than that. You see all that purple there right south of Sioux Falls.
[11:40:00]
We had another little batch of some higher totals near Mankato. But, where you have all of this orange and red, there are also some totals that have been four to eight inches. So, just incredible amounts of rain. Some 17 inch totals for some communities in South Dakota, Davis, South Dakota, nearing a foot. Rock Rapids, Iowa, 11 and a half inches. So, just incredible some of these totals. The rainfall total in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was six and a half
inches, which is more than a month's worth of rain. They average about four inches the entire month of June. So, Sioux Falls is one of those places that is on pace to hit their wettest June on record. We still have about 50 rivers that are still at major and moderate flood stage, because as I mentioned, still swollen, still have rivers rising, and this area is still needing to pay attention to that.
Here is a look at when it crested over the weekend at over 27 feet, which hit a record, this is the Big Sioux River at Akron, and again, it was all that rain that came down so quickly that made all those rivers rise to record levels. Now, we do know, as our atmosphere gets warmer, warmer air can hold more moisture. That is the simple physics of how some of our atmosphere works. So, when you hold more moisture, you can squeeze out heavier rain, and particularly in this area in the Midwest, we are looking at some of our heaviest one percent of downpours, right, our heaviest deluge days. Well, they're 45 percent heavier than they used to be in the 1950s. Again, as that atmosphere is warmer, it squeezes out heavier rain. And you see that trend for a lot of the U.S., 60 percent heavier in parts of the Northeast.
We also find that that hourly rainfall rate is increasing as well. Sometimes, when you look at the rainfall totals for the entire year, they might not change as much. But, when you look at how much you're getting, you get a lot of rain all at once, and then you get stretches of no rain at all, right, extremes, extreme heavy rain, extreme drought, and that's what we see in the climate crisis. The water cycle gets exacerbated, and you can see some of these heavier hourly annual rainfall averages across that area. Again, warmer air just hold more moisture. Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK. Meteorologist Elisa Raffa, Elise, thank you.
And rising sea levels are forcing hundreds of families on one island off the coast of Panama to relocate to the mainland.
CNN's Rafael Romo has more on the move that has upended lives and livelihoods.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some 300 families have left their home on the island of Gardi Sugdub in Panama in hopes of a better future. For some, that does not seem to be the case. The Panamanian government relocated these families to the new community of Nuevo Carti on the mainland due to the rising sea levels affecting the island.
CNN went to the island and spoke with locals there, and on the mainland, not all locals seem happy with this solution to climate change. Resident Brenes Garcia goes back to his home on the island every day.
BRENES GARCIA, GARDI SUGDUB RESIDENT (Interpreted): This morning, at 6 a.m., I crossed here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): But where are you going to live here or there?
REYES (Interpreted): Haren (sp) there had quite a few things here. I would have to take everything with me.
ROMO (voice-over): Garcia owns a shop in Gardi Sugdub, and he tells CNN, there is not enough space in the new community for his business. It would not be profitable for him to stay in Nuevo Carti. Community officials say some 32 families stayed on the island. There were no more houses left, and others decided to stay on their own. Residents of the Panamanian island tell CNN, living on the mainland would affect their livelihood and lifestyle.
HERMINIO REYES, GARDI SUGDUB RESIDENT (Interpreted): I'm losing fishing time because I'm not looking at the sea every day. And that's in my nature. I want to ensure that every day my family is eating fish and also yuccas, everything that is natural.
ROMO (voice-over): The community Secretary Agusto Walter said that before the move, the island of Gardi Sugdub had around 1,300 inhabitants, and in some homes, up to four generations would live under the same roof. But, conditions in the new community of Nuevo Carti do not seem to be better. Walter says that electricity and water go out sometimes for days at a time. The climate change effects will only get worse as sea levels rise. Residents of the island looked at other solutions to protect their homes. These fillings in here on the island are built with wood and stones to prevent water from entering the houses when the tide rises.
CLAUDIANO LOPEZ, GARDI SUGDUB RESIDENT (Interpreted): What they told me at first was that they didn't think it was climate change. They didn't believe it. But now, they're tired of drying everything. Removing stones and when the sea rises, it takes things away.
AGUSTO WALTER, COMMUNITY SECRETARY (Interpreted): I know that in 10 or 30 years, this will be noticeable but not now. Now, people think that it is not a big deal that it's not going to happen.
[11:45:00]
But, yes, the sea level is going up.
ROMO (voice-over): Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: All right. Still to come, possible rocket debris falling out of the sky and onto a Chinese village. What China is saying? Plus, two astronauts are getting comfortable in space. Why they won't be able to return home for at least another week? That story just ahead.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. A dramatic video circulating on social media appears to show a piece of rocket debris raining down on a Chinese village. Take a look at this. Steven Jiang has details on the satellite launch that may have scattered that debris. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: These dramatic social media videos emerged not long after the state-owned Chinese company responsible for this launch hailed it as a complete success in a statement online Saturday, describing this mission as a Chinese-made Long March 2C rocket carrying satellites jointly developed by Chinese and French scientists into space.
Now, we have reached out to this company and the Chinese government for comment. But, for many people on the ground watching these suspected debris plummet towards their village, they felt quite differently about this mission, with one witness telling CNN that they thought they had seen a rocket fall down right in front of their eyes, with other people on social media saying they heard a loud explosion after the debris fell into the ground.
A since-deleted notice from village authorities posted on social media showed that local officials were telling villagers that they were about to conduct a rocket debris recovery mission and advising people to stay away from these debris, avoid being harmed by toxic air and explosions. Now, that assessment echoed by experts CNN spoke to with them telling us that these debris are likely from the first-stage rocket booster and are indeed highly toxic.
Now, if this falling debris incident is confirmed, it's not without precedents in China. Just last December, debris from another rocket launched from the same center in Xichang province landed in a nearby region, damaging two houses, according to stay media. And back in 2022, charred remnants from a Chinese rocket booster plunged and controlled back to Earth, an incident widely criticized by many Western experts as irresponsible and risky behavior by China's national space agency.
All of this, of course, is taking place at a time when China is not only catching up, but also trying to get ahead of the United States in an increasingly heated space race.
Steven Jiang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: Well, NASA says that it canceled a spacewalk on Monday due to a faulty spacesuit. Two astronauts scrapped their plans to head to the International Space Station after one of the spacesuits sprang a leak in its cooling unit. Now, this latest incident marks the second spacewalk in recent days to be abruptly called off due to spacesuit issues. Meanwhile, two Boeing Starliner astronauts will have to spend at least another week onboard the ISS.
[11:50:00]
NASA says that they will not be able to return home now until at least July due to issues with the spacecraft. Boeing's launch to the ISS took place on June 5, and the entire mission was expected to last just one week. Let's go to CNN's Tom Foreman, who joins us from Washington with more.
Tom, you're always great on these stories because you make it plain. So, make us -- make it plain for us. What are the reasons for these delays?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's start with the spaceship -- the space suit delay, about doing the spacewalk outside. They had a water leak of some sort inside the suit, which seemed to be making it get hot. Remember, when you're outside, it's not just you don't have that oxygen out there. You're in a hostile environment. But, there are wild extremes between the heat of the Sun and the cold of space. There is a lot to deal with there. And back in 2013, they had a water leak inside a suit, and because it was free water in that case, and there is no gravity up there, the astronaut was in danger of drowning in his suit because he couldn't get the water away from his face. So, they just want to be careful with the spacewalks if they have any kind of a problem with the suit.
Moving on to the capsule that is now attached to this Boeing capsule, this is a real issue. Boeing took forever to get this thing off the ground. They had one delay after another. Then, on the way up, they discovered that these helium leaks are an issue and the thrusters are having a problem. The two would appear to be related, because again, in a gravity-free environment or microgravity environment, one of the problems you have is you need that fuel to be at the part of the thruster where it will be ignited and used. Well, in gravity, it might just float in the middle of that canister essentially. So, you put helium in there to pressurize it and drive it where you want it to be used. So, that could be part of the problem.
The bottom line is, they were only supposed to be there for a week and they're still up there. NASA says, we're just checking everything out. And Boeing says, we're just working our way through it, although Boeing admits their helium system is not functioning the way they thought it was going to function. It seems like an inconvenience. But, I'm telling you, Rahel, if this doesn't go right, these could be real problems.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Absolutely. You don't have to tell me. I mean, that much I can see.
FOREMAN: Yeah.
SOLOMON: So, Tom, talk to me a little bit about that they were only supposed to be up there for a week. It's obviously been a lot longer than that. It's been extended again. The likelihood that they would have been prepared for this type of delay.
FOREMAN: Well, I mean, they have some redundancy, right, in the space station. They can deal with that. It's not like they're going to suddenly run out of food and water right away. They actually can be up there for 45 days. The real issue is the module that they're attached to and the power supply to that module and whether it can withstand holding this craft there. We've heard officials say that they believe the craft is OK if they had to make an emergency egress, if they had to suddenly get away with it, that they would try bringing it back. But, that is not a position that space programs like to be, and they like to have a very high level of certainty.
And essentially, you could say that Boeing reached the point of finally launching their big sort of test drive to the space station and back, and they got halfway through it. And now, they're kind of stuck by the side of the road, trying to figure out if they can complete the trip the way they wanted to.
SOLOMON: Oh, boy. A lot to watch, certainly.
FOREMAN: Yeah.
SOLOMON: Tom Foreman, thanks for explaining it for us.
FOREMAN: Good talking to you, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Likewise.
All right. Coming up, a Swiftie surprise that stunned fans at Wembley Stadium. The Eras Tour takes it to the next level in London. More on this just ahead.
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[11:55:00]
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SOLOMON: And before we go, one more thing. Fans at Taylor Swift's London concert on Sunday got a big surprise Take a listen.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
Take a listen and take a look. As you see there, the singer's boyfriend, U.S. football star Travis Kelce, appeared on stage with her. He was wearing a tuxedo and a top hat and played a brief role in the show. Swift is on the London leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour. On Saturday, she posted selfies with members of the royal family who attended her show. Kelce also appeared in one snap. It is the first photo for those who have been tracking of the two that she has shared on her main Instagram feed. I mean, that's pretty much making it pretty official at this point.
All right. Thanks for being with us. We know your time is money. So, thank you for spending some time with me today. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next.
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