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Georgia School Shooting Kills Two Students, Two Teachers; U.S. Accuses Russia of Election Interference; Netanyahu Says He Won't Change Israel's Policies in Gaza; Fighting Rages in Eastern Ukraine as Russia Ramps Up Air Attacks; Pope Francis Strengthening Interfaith Bonds in Indonesia; Super Typhoon Yagi Rapidly Intensifying as It Nears China; Olympic Rings to Stay on Eiffel Tower. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired September 05, 2024 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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AMY BEAR, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "THE APPRENTICE" 2024 FILM: -- understand who they are what the essence of their relationship was.
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Daniel, we have very limited time, but I am curious, what you want audiences to take away from this film?
DANIEL BAKERMAN, PRODUCER, "THE APPRENTICE" 2024 FILM: Well, first of all, I think what's exciting is the opportunity for people to make up their own minds. And I possibly have a bit of a new perspective on this. And I think people are going to have to see the movie. You know, Donald Trump hadn't seen the movie when he made threats against us and during the Cannes Film Festival.
But what he did do is he deterred, you know, he threatened any distributor who would dare to put -- bring the movie to audiences. And that's why we're now -- we're bringing the campaign directly to audiences. We're asking them to partner with us through our crowd funding campaign on Kickstarter. So that's a really exciting step we're taking now.
And in terms of a takeaway, it's honestly I think there's some things maybe he has to say about themes that are bigger than just the character whose named Donald Trump. There's this movie about the origin of a worldview that's, you know, at the center of the big discussion, traveling with ourselves in our system.
COATES: Very interesting. I was having a little bit of sound, but thank you so much. Both of you. Very intriguing, Amy, Daniel, thank you so much.
And thank you all for watching. "ANDERSON COOPER 360 "is next.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. I'm John Vause. live from Studio H in Atlanta. Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHERIFF JUD SMITH, BARROW COUNTY, GEORGIA SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Heart hurts for our community but I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But it seems there's no end to mass shootings in the United States. Two students, two teachers shot dead at a high school in Georgia. The alleged shooter taken alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have no tolerance for attempts by authoritarian regimes to exploit our democratic system of government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Let the election meddling begins. 60 days before the U.S. presidential election, and authorities say they foiled one Russian plot to influence the outcome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Is Keith going to come home alive or dead?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: How the Israeli prime minister answered that question, as well as the question about the fate of all hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: This may be the deadliest school shooting this year in the United States, but the tragic events at Apalachee High School on Wednesday played out like so many other school shootings. A student at the school, allegedly 14-year-old boy, armed with an AR-15 style semiautomatic weapon, sent the school into lockdown and then, according to law enforcement and witnesses, he opened fire, killing four people, leaving nine others wounded.
Authorities say they've identified the victims, two students, also 14- years-old, and two teachers, both taught math at the school, one an assistant football coach. The suspect, though, surrendered to the school's resource officer who's similar to a police officer trained in school-based law enforcement based at the school. Authorities now plan to charge the accused shooter as an adult. Authorities say he was questioned about a school shooting threat last year, but they found no probable cause to take action. The motive at this point remains unknown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS HOSEY, DIRECTOR, GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: The heroes that we need to remember is our faculty and staff here at this school. They acted admirably. They were heroes in the actions that they took. The protocols in this school and this system activated today prevented this from being a much larger tragedy than what we had here today. So I want to recognize them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More details now from CNN's Isabel Rosales.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): High School students evacuating in Winder, Georgia, one by one out to safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Keep your head up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Around the wall.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Keep your head up.
ROSALES: Some joined a prayer circle after surviving the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. since March of last year.
According to the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, two students and two teachers were killed at Apalachee High School. Nine others were injured and hospitalized, four with gunshot wounds. The shooter who opened fire Wednesday morning shortly after 10:00 a.m. identified as 14-year-old student Colt Gray, who surrendered after being confronted by school resource officers.
HOSEY: Within minutes, law enforcement was on scene as well as two school resource officers assigned here to the school, who immediately encountered the subject within just minutes of this report going out. Once they encountered the subject, the subject immediately surrendered to these officers and he was taken into custody.
ROSALES: Multiple law enforcement officials tell CNN the school received a phone call this morning warning that there would be shootings at five schools starting with theirs.
[00:05:05]
The call is now being investigated. The sheriff, meanwhile, says he wasn't aware of any calls. A massive law enforcement response, including the FBI and ATF, were on the scene working with state, local, and federal officers.
Junior Laila Fohman was in the bathroom when the school alarm went off.
LAILA FOHMAN, WITNESS: I was scared. I was going to die, to be honest. And when I heard hard lockdown I knew it wasn't a drill. I immediately texted my dad and I was just like, I don't know if this is a drill. I'm really scared. And I just kept my feet up and I prayed.
ROSALES: Many parents rushed to the school like Erin Clark after receiving these text messages from her 17-year-old son, Ethan. "School shooting. I'm scared, please. I'm not joking." "I'm leaving work," says the mom. "I love you. I love you, too, baby." Others in disbelief.
MATTHEW STRICKLAND, PARENT: I tried to get here as soon as possible. I mean, it's just -- it's crazy, something like this happens in such a small town. Such small county. You just never know what's going to happen. I was just grateful that she was still good.
ROSALES: Sheriff Jud Smith vowed to stay strong for his community.
SMITH: I went to school in the school system. My kids go to the school system. I'm proud of this school system. My heart hurts for these kids, my heart hurts for our community, but I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail in this county.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROSALES (on-camera): And the American flag here in Apalachee High School has been lowered to half-staff. A reminder that something terrible has happened here at the school and a mark of respect to -- for those that have been killed and those students that have been injured as well.
We know from the superintendent that they have closed down the schools through the remainder of the week. Meanwhile, officials are vowing to charge this alleged shooter with murder and also to try him as an adult.
Isabel Rosales in Winder, Georgia, CNN.
VAUSE: Steve Moore, CNN law enforcement contributor, a retired FBI special agent.
Here we go again, huh? OK. I want you to listen to the governor of Georgia speaking within hours of this deadliest school shooting in the state's history. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R), GEORGIA: We've done a tremendous amount on school safety, but today is not the day for politics or policy. Today is the day for an investigation. To mourn these precious Georgians that we have lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Maybe that investigation look into why this school, despite being built relatively recently, had no metal detectors or why the school wasn't locked down after multiple warnings it could be the target of a shooting on that same day, while the alleged shooter was interviewed about online threats about a school shooting, but wasn't under closer surveillance.
You know, there are so many factors here which seemed to have come together at the onetime to allow the shooting to happen. STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. It's just
astounding the -- I've never seen a shooting that was given so much pre-information, so much indications that it could possibly happen. And I'm so glad to hear you say metal detectors or lockdowns. We are -- we protect our money better than we protect our students.
Yes, we need to get a handle on what's going on with guns in our society. Yes, we need to address that. But nobody thinks that's going to happen in the short-term. In the short term, we need to be protecting our schools a lot better than we are doing it.
VAUSE: Yes. You know, one of these issues here, the alleged shooter was armed with an AR-15 style weapon. That seems to be the weapon of choice for most mass shooters. It was used at the school shooting in Uvalde, where the Texas police, you know, allowed 19 children and two teachers to be shot dead. There's Parkland, Florida, also an AR-15 style weapon, 17 students, two teachers dead. Sandy Hook, you got 20 kids dead, six teachers.
In April of this year, Jennifer and James Crumbley were sentenced to 10 years in prison for a providing a weapon to their son, Ethan, who shot and killed four people. What does that now mean for the parents of the accused shooter here in Georgia? What's their responsibility especially if they find out where he got this gun from?
MOORE: I'd get a pretty good lawyer right now because what happens is a year ago, the FBI identified that location that that boy and that father, and I don't know that it was investigated as completely as it could have been. Remember, they said that there were photographs of weapons in the post. Well, why didn't somebody look at the guns safe and say, yes, these are the weapons. Why did they not proceed further on this?
And trust me. I mean, I know how many of these threats come constantly and when the threat comes down and it's a 13-year-old, you think, just some stupid kid.
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No. No. This time it wasn't. And so again, John, we need a new paradigm. You know, we couldn't wait for terrorism to be knocked out until we started protecting our airline travel. Unfortunately, that's what we're going to have to start doing with our schools.
VAUSE: Well, here's how all of this ended and the ending here was different to most mass shootings. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Obviously the shooter was armed and our school resource officer engaged him, and the shooter quickly realized that if he did not give up that it would end with an OIS, an officer involved shooting. He gave up, got on the ground and the deputy took him into custody.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: The school resource officer, for those who do not know, is a trained law enforcement officer based at the school specializing in school law enforcement. Want to talk about heroes? Talk about what he did.
MOORE: I'm sorry, I didn't hear that last.
VAUSE: You said you want to talk about hero, talk about what the school resource officer did in this instance.
MOORE: Yes. You have to have school resource officers. We have to realize what we're dealing with in today's society. This isn't the '50s. And they have to be well-trained and they have to be trained in active shooter techniques.
Now, here's the thing, John. You can't -- the thing that is new about this one is, and I'm sure you're aware of this, 90 percent of the time or higher, the shooter once they are -- they hear a siren, see lights, see policemen enter the building, they end their own life because part of the psyche of a school shooter is they're not going to take me alive. They're not going to have that control over me. I'm going to maintain that.
This is very unusual for somebody to be confronted and put their hands up. Yes. All shooters know that if they don't put their hands up, they're going to be shot by police. They all usually understand that and make that part of their plan. This one hadn't planned on dying.
VAUSE: Well, I want you to listen to Sheriff Jud Smith, who like so many have been left in shocked by this mass shooting, which happened in their community. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: I never imagined that I will be speaking to the media in my career over something that happened today. The pure evil that happened today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Why? Why are people surprised? This happens all the time in this country.
MOORE: It's like being in a car crash. You just assume it's going to happen to someone else. My mind was changed on that when I was talking to you from a mass shooting less than a mile from my home. You have to realize that this is going to be at a certain extent the new norm.
VAUSE: Steve Moore, we have talked about too many mass shootings, too many school shootings over the years. But I'm glad you're with us. Thank you.
MOORE: Thanks.
VAUSE: Well, the U.S. Justice Department is accusing Russia's media arm of funding a Tennessee company to push Russian propaganda meant to influence the U.S. presidential election to try and get Donald Trump reelected into the White House.
CNN's Paula Reid explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Justice Department announced indictments against two employees of Russia today. A state controlled media outlet funded and directed by the Russian government, alleging it's part of a broader effort to influence the U.S. presidential election.
GARLAND: As part of that effort RT and its employees including the defendants implemented a nearly $10 million scheme to fund and direct a Tennessee-based company to publish and disseminate content deem favorable to the Russian government.
REID: The company then allegedly contracted with the U.S. based social media influencers to amplify the content.
GARLAND: The American people are entitled to know when a foreign power is attempting to exploit our country's free exchange of ideas in order to send around its own propaganda. And that is what we alleged happened in this case.
REID: Prosecutors say the goal was to sow divisions in the U.S., to weaken opposition to core Russian interests, particularly its ongoing war in Ukraine, and to help Donald Trump get re-elected.
GARLAND: More generally, the director of National Intelligence has testified that Russia's preferences have not changed from the preceding election.
REID: While the attorney general didn't mention the former president by name, he did reference Russia's previous efforts to back him.
A RT spokesman responded to today's indictments with mockery, saying, 2016 called and it wants its cliches back. And, three things are certain in life, death, taxes, and RT's interference in the U.S. elections.
[00:15:02]
Remember this?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing.
REID: The two employees charged in the case allegedly managed the operation from Moscow using fake personas and shell companies. The department also announced the seizure of 32 domains tied to an alleged Russian propaganda campaign.
GARLAND: These Web sites were designed to appear to American readers as if they were major U.S. news sites like the "Washington Post" or FOX News. But in fact, they were fake sites.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
REID (on-camera): CNN has learned the U.S. company the Justice Department alleges was being funded by Russian operatives working as part of this Kremlin orchestrated influence operation is Tenant Media, which is linked to right-wing commentators with millions of subscribers on social media.
I'll note, though, the FBI director said that Russia is not the only foreign actor trying to meddle in the democratic process. He specifically called out Iran and China as well.
Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
VAUSE: Joining us now is CNN national security analyst and former deputy director of National Intelligence, Beth Sanner.
Thank you for being with us.
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Thanks, John. Happy to be here.
VAUSE: OK. So the attorney general, Merrick Garland, described how Russia was attempting to sway U.S. public opinion ahead of the election by these video content, which was shared on social media. Here he is. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARLAND: The subject matter and content of many of the videos published by the company are often consistent with Russia's interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition to core Russian interests, particularly its ongoing war in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So the names of candidates and political parties have been redacted from the indictment, but it seems pretty clear the Russians are out there again, trying to help the Trump campaign. I think it's worth asking the question, why?
SANNER: Right. So, you know, what we've been watching Russia do for the past, you know, since the invasion is really pushing into the U.S. system as well as the European system and other places around the world this narrative that is about anti-Ukraine, and as the director of National Intelligence said a few weeks back, we're seeing that the Russian campaign is very much supporting the Trump campaign as they have in the past.
And I think that the reasons for that is more now than ever is that President Trump, former president Trump has been talking about ending this war immediately and doing so really on Russia's terms, and, you know, forcing Ukraine to the table and accepting kind of a status quo ante which would mean 20 percent of their territory lost. And Russia basically walking away as a winner. And, you know, we've known that President Trump has been a skeptical
of Ukraine as a country and of their democracy throughout his presidency and has tended to believe President Trump when president -- I mean President Putin, when President Putin talked about, you know, not interfering in 2016, et cetera. And so, you know, whereas the Biden camp has always been very pro-Ukraine and President Biden was very involved there as a vice president. And so this is like, I mean, it's not rocket science. This is the candidate that Putin would prefer.
VAUSE: Which came first, chicken and egg argument, isn't it? Trump's anti-Ukraine stance or the, you know, the disinformation on Ukraine.
SANNER: You know, President Trump was told by people who are surrounding him that Ukraine was responsible for disinformation around the election in 2016, and that they stole the computer servers from the DNC, not the Russians. And there was a whole concerted effort by the Russians to perpetuate this notion that Ukraine was the bad guy. And they had been doing that, you know, for anyone who had listened for quite some time.
I mean, remember they invaded Crimea in 2016 and took it up in 2014 and took it over, and so this propaganda predated the 2016 election and, you know, when people who were inclined to believe it, believed it. And, you know, and so that narrative was pushed. So I do think in many ways that the egg was hatched in Moscow and picked up by people in the United States.
[00:20:11]
VAUSE: Well, there are two conservative commentators and they publicly responded to this indictment, even though they weren't actually named as being part of it, but they have a role to play inadvertently, it seems. Tim Pool says, if the allegations are true then he says he was deceived and is a victim, while Benny Johnson warns any suggestion to the contrary that he was deceived and basically a victim here will be dealt with by his lawyers.
The allegation is they helped spread the misinformation via their social media platforms, now are contracted by a company. They had no idea where it was coming from. And legally, you know, this may be true that they have no responsibility here from a legal point of view, that they've done nothing wrong legally.
What responsibility, though, do commentators have to find out, you know, where their content is coming from and where the money is coming from or if they're being paid to spread on these social media platforms where they have millions of followers?
SANNER: Yes, I think this is a great point. Now, I mean, what I read, John, was also at least one of those commentators said that all the content was created by them, by him and his team. And it was locally created content. So he's not saying that he got this content from Russia and so I don't know whether that's true or not, although, as I said before, I think that there are plenty of people in the United States who are saying pretty much exactly what a Russian propagandist would say.
And you've had members of the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate, who have publicly said that there are people in their midst who are parroting disinformation put out, or propaganda put out by Russia. Publicly said that. And so we are surrounded by people who have their own locally derived content that is completely in line with the Kremlin.
VAUSE: Beth, it's great to have you with us. Beth Sanner there, appreciate it. Thank you.
SANNER: Thank you so much, John.
VAUSE: Under pressure and doubling down. When we come back, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refusing to make concessions for a ceasefire with Hamas amid reports he torpedoed a deal back in July.
Also ahead, fierce battles continue in eastern Ukraine, where outgunned Ukrainian fighters are using drones, attempting to level the playing field.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back. Despite days of nationwide protests and international pressure, the Israeli prime minister refusing to budge on a ceasefire deal with Hamas. On Wednesday telling reporters, the Israeli military will not change operational procedure to minimize civilian casualties claiming the IDF was already taking unprecedented measures.
He again blamed Hamas for the failure of a ceasefire deal despite media reports he torpedoed a deal back in July.
[00:25:02]
As part of any potential agreement, Netanyahu now insisting Israel retain control of Gaza's border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, arguing that Israel's prior lack of control of the corridor allow Iran to smuggle weapons to Hamas via Egypt. A senior U.S. official says the prime minister's public comments on the corridor are not helping the negotiations.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond attended the prime minister's news conference in Jerusalem and has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: I spoke to Aviva Siegel tonight, a former hostage whose husband is still being held in Gaza. She told me that she believes that you are sentencing her husband, Keith, to die by prioritizing the Philadelphi Corridor over a deal. And she has this question for you.
Is Keith going to come home alive or dead?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I'll do everything to make sure that Keith and all the author of hostages come back. I'm telling you that if we relieve the pressure, if we got out of the Philadelphi Corridor, we're not going to get the hostages back. Certainly we're going to condemn a lot of them to stay there. We could get a few out. Don't give us that. But don't leave a lot with them.
We won't have the pressure point and something else will happen. We will not be able to come back, so we won't release all the hostages and we want to achieve the defenses that we must have to prevent more October 7th again and again and again. I don't stand in judgment of these tormented souls because they're undergoing an agony that is hard to fathom. And I understand that.
But the responsibility of leaders is not merely to share the sentiment, the emotion, but also to exercise judgment, the correct judgment, to make sure that these horrors do not happen again. I believe that our strategy is the best way to achieve both goals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ukraine's parliamentary members will consider the resignation of the Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba. He and five other cabinet ministers have submitted their resignations Wednesday. So far, four of them were accepted.
Kuleba is one of the most widely recognized members of the Ukrainian government. If his resignation is approved, his departure will be part of a major government shakeup which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says is needed to give the war effort some new energy.
The Kyiv cabinet reshuffle comes as Ukrainian forces are deep in the trenches in Eastern Ukraine, as well as in Russia's Kursk Region.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Elite soldiers from Ukraine's Third Assault Brigade get out of their armored vehicle and right into a massive firefight. One of the soldiers is wounded, the other screamed for a tourniquet.
But the unit keeps moving. While Ukraine's army has been losing ground in many areas, in this part of the Kharkiv region, they've turned the tide. Later, taking several Russian dugouts, the deputy commander says.
The enemy has no results, he says, moreover, we have positive results. We pushed the enemy back and captured a battalion line of enemy defense.
While the Third Assault Brigade says they'll keep pushing forward, Ukraine remains badly outmanned by the Russians. And the Third Assault Brigade wants ever more combat drones to be their great equalizer. This is their drone school they call the kill house.
Drone technology is developing extremely fast on the battlefields in Ukraine. And the Third Assault Brigade believes in the future they will need even more drone pilots so they're training as many as possible as fast as possible to get them combat ready.
(Voice-over): They've already trained more than 1500 prospective drone aviators here, not just to fly the FPV drones effectively, but to use them as lethal weapons capable of destroying even tanks and armored vehicles.
The greatest effectiveness of a pilot is his or her desire, the school's boss tells me. FPV pilots are people of a special mindset. They know how to hit the target, what ammunition to use.
The ammo is becoming more lethal as well. A different Ukrainian unit now acknowledging they're using a trial version of a fire spewing drone that drops an incendiary substance on Russian positions.
But the Russians keep hitting Ukraine with much bigger munitions. Missile strikes killing several people in Lviv in Western Ukraine overnight. Search and rescue crews recovering the bodies for hours.
Kyiv's leadership has vowed revenge for Russia's aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities, a driving factor also for the soldiers attacking Russian positions on the northeastern front.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Russian airstrikes killed seven people in Lviv Wednesday in Eastern Ukraine -- rather, Western Ukraine. Four of them from one family.
A warning: some of the images you're about to see are graphic.
Yaroslav Bazylevych was taking shelter with his family under a staircase in their home when a missile hit, killing his wife, three daughters.
One of the girls who was killed has written about her incredibly close-knit and harmonious family in her college application letter.
Now, Ukrainians across the country are mourning their loss.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Pope Francis is set to preside at mass in Jakarta in the coming hours with more than 80,000 people expected to attend. The pontiff is on a whirlwind tour of the region. He just spent the last few hours with the grand imam of Southeast Asia's largest mosque.
These are live pictures from Jakarta where it's 11:32 a.m. in the morning.
This is all about strengthening bonds with Muslim leaders, all about interfaith dialog and relations. Live from Jakarta now, CNN's Christopher Lamb, who is traveling with the -- the pope.
This has been quite the tour so far, and it's just getting underway.
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. Pope Francis following a jam-packed schedule of events here in Indonesia.
It's just the third day of his 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific. And Pope Francis has been repeatedly emphasizing the importance of interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
That was something that was top of the agenda on Thursday when the pope went to the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, for a interfaith meeting and to sign a declaration calling on believers of all faiths to work together to tackle issues such as climate change, the world's wars and conflicts.
The declaration very clearly saying that religion cannot be manipulated to justify violence.
The pope was with the grand imam of Indonesia and other faith leaders. Before signing the declaration, he went to a tunnel that connects the mosque to the Catholic cathedral opposite. The tunnel is known as the Tunnel of Friendship, and the pope went there and blessed it this morning.
Francis is, of course, going after Indonesia to Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. The 87-year-old pontiff is undergoing the longest trip of his pontificate.
I can tell you, it's very hot and humid here in Jakarta. It's certainly a challenging environment with which to carry out these events. But Francis is determined to keep going and this afternoon on Thursday, will be celebrating the mass in -- for almost 80,000 people here in Jakarta -- John.
VAUSE: Chris, thank you. Christopher Lamb there, reporting for us live from Jakarta on the very latest on the pope's tour. Thank you.
Well, a powerful storm moving through the South China Sea has now become a super typhoon. Yagi underwent rapid intensification at a rate rarely seen, with water temperatures near record highs.
The storm is set to make landfall Friday in China. Parts of the region already impacted by the super typhoon. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout following developments. She joins us now live from Hong Kong.
I guess, tell us how is Hong Kong bracing for the arrival of the Yagi.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Hong Kong, along with Southern China, are -- you got it there? They are preparing for the arrival of Super Typhoon Yagi.
This is a powerful storm that has already taken a number of lives. It's killed more than a dozen people in the Philippines.
[00:35:00] And here in Hong Kong, preparations are underway. Signal No. 3 has
been raised. The Hong Kong observatory says it will consider raising it to No. 8 later today.
And if and when it issues a signal eight, Hong Kong's very influential stock market will be suspended.
Because of the typhoon today we know that kindergartens and schools for children with special needs have been suspended. There have also been a number of flight cancellations. For example, Hong Kong Express. This is the budget wing of Cathay Pacific. They have canceled six flights. United has also canceled flights to Hong Kong.
And meanwhile in mainland China, we know that Hainan's international airport is canceling all flights from 8 p.m. Thursday evening to Friday at midnight.
Now, Southern China will feel the effects of this super typhoon, including the island province of Hainan. It's otherwise known as the Hawaii of China. It's known for its sandy beaches and its five-star resorts.
And the provincial government there in Hainan upgraded its emergency response. We've learned that bus services, ferries, railways, along with flights, have all been suspended. And residents and tourists have been advised to not go outside unless necessary.
We've also learned that fishing vessels have been recalled in both Hainan, as well as Guangdong provinces.
Now, authorities across China are not taking any chances. You know, this summer, China has experienced a devastating season of extreme rainfall and deadly flooding, with hundreds dead or missing, over a million people relocated, devastating financial losses.
Super typhoon, we're keeping an eye on this storm. It is on the move. And Yagi is expected to -- to skirt around 300 kilometers to the Southwest of Hong Kong tonight and tomorrow morning.
As you can see, with the live cam of the harbor behind me, conditions in Hong Kong, very mild right now, but they will deteriorate. And residents are advised to take precautions and to stay away from the shoreline -- John.
VAUSE: How rare is it for a super typhoon to actually make landfall in -- around Hainan Island? Certainly, happened a couple of times over the last, what, hundreds of years, I think.
STOUT: Yes. I mean, this is going to be an event that the officials there will be watching extremely closely. Precautions will be -- have been taken place already there in Hainan Island, especially looking at what has happened in the Philippines.
You know, Yagi, when it was only a tropical storm, before it was upgraded to a super typhoon, it killed 13 people, at least, in the Philippines. You know, it made landfall on Monday, knocked out power in the area there. A number of deaths were caused by landslides, drowning. People reported missing.
In fact, there was one report of a landslide and flashfloods sweeping people away. Search-and-rescue operations are still underway in the Philippines.
But since sweeping through the Philippines, Yagi has strengthened again. It's a super typhoon. Hong Kong, Hainan Island, Southern China are all on alert.
Back to you.
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout there, live for -- live for us with the very latest on a super typhoon heading for China. Thank you.
When we come back here, the mayor of Paris hoping to keep the Olympic spirit alive, but some Parisians are conflicted by all this. A look at how a symbol of global unity is now.
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VAUSE: Now to Norway and a mystery. Who killed the beluga whale? Maybe a Russian spy. Possibly an assassination.
Nicknamed Hvaldimir, he rose to fame in 2019 when he was seen wearing a harness and camera mounts, which read "Equipment St. Petersburg," leading to speculation the beluga whale was trained by the Russian military, a claim the Kremlin has never confirmed nor denied.
The beluga became a celebrity in Norway. He'd swim right up to boats. He'd allow people to pat him.
Animal rights groups say he was found dead off the Norwegian coast over the weekend with gunshot wounds, and they want a criminal investigation. And so, they should have it.
The Paris Games may be over, but the logo will apparently live on as part of a Parisian landmark. The Paris mayor has decided to keep the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower, but not everyone is happy with that decision.
CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has our report.
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SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER: This was the iconic symbol of the Olympics this summer, but why is it causing so much controversy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's an eyesore. It's something different, but the Eiffel Tower has been there for years and years. And I don't think it needs to change.
VANDOORNE: These Olympic rings could soon be a permanent fixture. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's OK for now, but not forever, because
it's a real (ph) monument.You know, so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me, the tower is amazing. You know, it's so beautiful. But with the ring, look a little bit different. And so I think it's not very aesthetic, no?
VANDOORNE (voice-over): The city of Paris owns the Eiffel Tower, and officials say the decision is up to them.
PIERRE RABADAN, PARIS DEPUTY MAYOR: This event was a massive success, probably all around the world, and it will change Paris for forever in a good way. Visually, when you will be in Paris, remember that this moment was a key in the story of Paris. So that's why we choose that symbol.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): For descendants of its creator, Gustave Eiffel, they don't want his legacy to become an advertising platform.
SAVIN YEATMAN-EIFFEL, DESCENDANT OF GUSTAVE EIFFEL: Gustave Eiffel is my great-great-great grandfather. We were very happy to have the rings during the Olympic Games. It was a great moment. But the problem is the permanent. It will be -- the Eiffel Tower was never meant to be a billboard for any other company or brand, no matter how prestigious it may be.
VANDOORNE: If the plan does go ahead, it won't be these rings, but lighter ones designed to resist the harsh winter winds.
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Sorry, Saskya. I'll get your name right soon. One day.
I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. But first WORLD SPORT starts after a short break.
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