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Harris Prepares for Debate, Trump Insults His Accusers; Sentencing in Trump Hush Money Trial Delayed until after Election; Georgia School Shooter, Father Appear in Court; Boeing's Starliner Lands Successfully without Crew on Board; U.S. Activist Shot Dead by Israeli Forces in West Bank; Jenin Residents Bury Dead as Israel Pauses Military Operation; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Warns of "Significant" Shortfall in Vital Aid; Typhoon Yagi Makes Landfall in Northern Vietnam; Pope Francis Arrives in Papua New Guinea. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired September 07, 2024 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Anna Coren live in Hong Kong. Ahead this hour:
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I never met the woman, other than this picture, which could have been A.I. generated, I don't know.
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COREN (voice-over): Well, just days before a crucial debate, the former president unleashing on his accusers, despite a legal ruling that could benefit him.
Father and son appear in court on charges in the Georgia school shooting. CNN speaks to a student who came face to face with the suspect.
And after a flawed mission, a successful touchdown. Boeing's Starliner makes it safely back to Earth.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Anna Coren.
COREN: We begin with the race for the White House. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris face off in their first debate in Philadelphia, three days from now. And with just under 60 days to go until Election Day, the two campaigns could not be more different.
The former president spent much of Friday in a courtroom, trying to overturn his sexual assault and defamation verdict and lashing out afterward at his accusers.
Well, Harris is in Pittsburgh this weekend, preparing for the debate. A source tells CNN's MJ Lee, a big mission for the vice president is to find ways to remedy the muted mics rule during the debate. Her campaign wants to showcase her skills as a prosecutor, despite not being able to respond to Trump in real time.
And her team hopes it won't make Trump look disciplined and obscure what they call his unhinged nature. Well, Harris focuses on the debate. She is pulling in some top endorsements.
former Republican vice president, Defense Secretary, chief of staff and congressman Dick Cheney is now joining his daughter, Liz Cheney, in supporting Harris.
In a statement, Cheney said, "In our nation's 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump."
Cheney added that Trump, "tried to steal the last election using lies and violence ... He can never be trusted with power again."
Well, dozens of business leaders are also throwing their weight behind Harris, including James Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch; "Shark Tank" host Mark Cuban and the former chairman of Walt Disney Studios, Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Meantime, Trump was in New York for oral arguments on his motion for a new trial in the E. Jean Carroll sex abuse/defamation case.
Trump said he was disappointed in his legal team and he lashed out at Carroll and several other women who have accused him of sexual assault, repeating some of the same defamatory comments he was found liable for. Take a listen.
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TRUMP: I never met her and never touched her. I have -- I would've had no interest in meeting her in any way, shape or form. She made up a story and fabricated 100 percent. She would not have been the chosen one.
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COREN: Trump also repeated a familiar accusation about his antagonists and their motives.
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TRUMP: Every one of these cases, it's political interference, it's a witch hunt, just like the fake Russia. It's a hoax. It's a scam. It's a political witch hunt.
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COREN: His hush money trial, Trump is praising the judge's decision to delay sentencing until November 26, well after the election. CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more on both cases.
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KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: A judge in the state of New York says he is not going to sentence Donald Trump 41 days before the presidential election.
Instead, Donald Trump will be sentenced on November 26, a couple weeks later, for the 34 criminal counts that a jury has found him guilty of for sending hush money payments to the porn star Stormy Daniels because of an alleged affair he was trying to keep quiet during the last time or two times ago that Trump ran for President.
This situation is one that has never been handled in any court before and Judge Juan Merchan in New York acknowledged this.
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In a four-page letter on Friday moving the sentencing date, he wrote that this is a matter that stands alone and one of the most critical and difficult decisions a trial court judge faces that the proceeding should be so protected.
The justice here should have so much integrity, the jury verdict should be protected and the independence of the judiciary should be acknowledged to the point where this sentencing cannot take place before the election.
Judge Merchan does not want to advantage or disadvantage any political party or candidate and thus is moving the sentencing date of Donald Trump.
So there is the possibility now that Trump either could be a criminal defendant with no special powers whatsoever at his disposal come November if he loses the election.
Or he could be the president-elect of the United States, a man with pardon power over federal protections -- federal convictions but not somebody who would have any pardon power in a state case like this, this hush money criminal conviction. So a lot is going to be happening over the next couple of weeks there.
We also are very aware that his team is going to continue to fight, not just the fact that he is going to be sentenced here in this case in November but all of the cases. And to that point, on Friday, his team was in court on Friday, in an appeals court.
Trump attended a hearing that last about a half an hour before three judges, where they're trying to overturn a $5 million defamation verdict that a jury awarded to the columnist E. Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation.
No decision was made on Friday but we will await that decision from the appeals court and whether the trial is conducted appropriately in the coming weeks or months -- Katelyn Polantz, CNN, Washington.
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COREN: Ever since President Biden dropped out of the race, many analysts say Trump has become his own worst enemy. Commentators from across the partisan divide say he needs to change his messaging. Take a listen.
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MO ELLEITHEE, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, DNC: He stood up there today at a press conference,, pardon me.
A press conference usually means he's going to take questions. He didn't take any questions. So he stood up there today at this event, which was essentially a nearly hour long Festivus screed airing of grievances just as voters are getting ready to cast the first ballots of this election, early voting, mail-in ballots.
And what they heard from the former president today was him talking about whether or not he -- litigating the definition of rape versus assault. You heard him today talk about whether certain women were hot enough for him to assault.
This -- at this point in the campaign, a campaign is supposed to either persuade voters or mobilize your base. I don't see how what he did today helped with either case and just made that small sliver of undecided voters out there remember why they were so uncomfortable with him.
DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The president is best when he is talking about is accomplishments, he's best talking about the record of the, you know, his past four years in office and he's worse what he's talking about, personal grievances.
Today, he was very upset. We saw that standing in Trump Tower during the press conference. He was venting, leaving off steam and it's not helpful.
Like Mo said at this point in the campaign, you want to be reminding folks why to vote for you, right. All the good things that the Trump administration had accomplished and contrast those with the four years of the Biden-Harris administration.
If Donald Trump keeps -- if he talks about those things and focuses on those things, the ABC poll just showed -- it was out recently, it was longitudinal prior to the DNC and after the DNC convention that Donald Trump leads in polls by about 10 points, about 10 points nationwide on the economy, on immigration, on inflation, on crime, on the things that people care about.
He needs to remind people, remind voters, early voters, late voters, all voters that he's the person that can deliver on the things that are most important to them. And if he's not doing that, then he's not winning.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COREN: Charged with four counts of felony murder, suspected Georgia high school shooter Colt Gray is now facing life in prison if convicted in Wednesday's shooting. The 14-year old and his father appeared separately in court on Friday to face charges for the shooting that left four people dead.
And CNN's Isabel Rosales spoke with one student who came face-to-face with the alleged gunman.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fourteen-year-old Bri Jones was the first student to lay eyes on Colt Gray just moments before she says he began his deadly rampage.
BRI JONES, BLOCKED THE SHOOTER FROM HER CLASSROOM: He knocked on the door. I went up. I saw him holding a bag and just pulling the gun out. I'm not sure what kind of bag was it.
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But I see him pulling out of a bag and like the gun was so big, like.
ROSALES: Gray was her classmate and their class the first he tried to enter, she tells CNN.
JONES: I always look out the door before I open it. There's just like my -- it's a habit my mom taught me.
ROSALES: But as her teacher instructed her to let him back in, she said --
JONES: I know he has a gun. If I would have opened the door, then like he would have got every single one of us in that class. And I don't want me, my teacher, my friends in the class and my other classmates. I don't want none of us to get hurt. So I just -- I just didn't go like, I thank God that I did not open that door.
ROSALES: Jones said Gray moved on to her sister's class down the hall.
MALASIA MITCHELL, SAW HER TEACHER FINALLY SHOT: Colt shot my teacher multiple times.
ROSALES: Malasia Mitchell says she'll never be able to erase the image of her teacher, Richard Aspinwall, begging for help.
MITCHELL: And we had to drag our teacher, our teacher's body and fully into the classroom. We heard him take his last breath.
ROSALES: Mitchell says she felt powerless.
MITCHELL: I've been trained what to do, like give CPR and other stuff but I couldn't because --
ROSALES: Help him? MITCHELL: -- I couldn't help him. So I ended up having a seizure.
ROSALES: The 14-year-old suspect who allegedly caused all this pain in court, the families of the victims just feet behind him.
JUDGE CURRIE MINGLEDORFF II, JACKSON COUNTY, GEORGIA: You're charged with four counts of felony murder.
ROSALES: Just minutes after the suspected shooter left the courtroom where he did not enter a plea. His father walked in for his own first appearance.
MINGLEDORFF: Two counts of felony murder in the second degree. You're charged with four counts felony involuntary manslaughter.
ROSALES: And he's charged with eight counts of second-degree felony cruelty to children.
ROSALES: An arrest warrant for Colin Gray alleges he gave his son a firearm when he knew his son was a threat to himself and to others. It's only the second time a parent has been charged in connection with a mass shooting carried out by their child.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The GBI has arrested Colin Gray.
ROSALES: Last April, in an unprecedented case, the parents of Ethan Crumbley were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years for involuntary manslaughter. The D.A. in the case says Colt Gray may face additional charges.
BRAD SMITH, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, PIEDMONT JUDICIAL CIRCUIT: You can anticipate there will be new charges on Colt Gray because we've never addressed the other victims in the school.
ROSALES: At Apalachee High, some students left wondering how they can possibly move forward.
(On camera): Do you think you'll be able to come back to school?
MITCHELL: Yes, because I'm not going to walk in fear.
ROSALES: Isabel Rosales, Winder, Georgia, CNN.
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COREN: Officials are saying the death toll could have been a lot higher in Georgia if not for the panic button system that alerted police to the horror inside the school. It was implemented only one week before the shooting.
And it's got many people asking, why isn't this technology everywhere?
Well, it turns out there is an effort to get it in public schools across the country. Several states have now passed legislation known as Alyssa's Law. It's named after Alyssa Alhadeff. She was 14 when she was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Her mother, Lori, is pushing to get the law passed nationwide.
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LORI ALHADEFF, ALYSSA'S MOTHER: There was a panic button like this used. So in a medical emergency the button is pushed three times. In an active shooter situation, it's pushed eight times or more.
And so this was the panic button the teachers were wearing around their neck that was used at Apalachee High School. And honestly, definitely saved lives. And we passed Alyssa's Law in seven states. And our goal to pass Alyssa's Law nationwide as a standard level of school safety protection in every school across this country.
We need to have mass notification in these life-threatening emergency situations. Time equals life and we need to get help on the scene as quickly as possible. So once that panic button is pushed, law enforcement can pull up the cameras, get eyes on the scene.
It's geofenced (ph) the area. So the school resource officer can go and take down the threat and save lives. And so the thing, that it has to go through the legislative process and also there needs to be funding allocated for it.
But I believe truly that we can definitely fund this and pass this in every state, just like we do in our banks. We have panic buttons. Our schools need to have panic buttons, too, and have that layer of safety protection.
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COREN: Well, after months of questions about safety, Boeing's Starliner has successfully returned to Earth.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Touchdown. Starliner is back on Earth. That landing coming at 11:01:35 seconds Central time, 10:01:35 seconds (INAUDIBLE).
COREN (voice-over): But Boeing's troubles with the Starliner program may not be over.
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I'll have the latest just ahead.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEVE STICH, MANAGER, NASA COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM: It was a great day today to return Starliner. It was great to have a successful undock the orbit and landing of the vehicle. We're really excited to have Calypso back on the ground.
You know, Suni told the ground team, you've got this. Bring Calypso back. And that's what they did tonight. I am thrilled for our Boeing team and all of our colleagues have worked this mission across the country on the NASA team and the Boeing team.
They've put a lot of heart and soul into this mission over many years. And it's a testament to those people that we got the vehicle back safely today.
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COREN: Well, that was the manager of NASA's commercial crew program. He spoke a short time ago about the Boeing Starliner's successful return to Earth with no crew on board, right on schedule, with few problems to report. But Starliner faced a series of problems on its way to the space station.
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The capsule launched in June, then docked with the ISS. It was supposed to return to Earth a week later. But helium leaks and thruster problems along the way prompted NASA to delay the return. Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were supposed to return on Starliner.
But they're staying on the space station for now and will return to Earth on a SpaceX flight in February.
NASA solar system ambassador Sarah Treadwell, also known as Space Case Sarah, joins us, live along with Tariq Malik, editor in chief of space.com.
Great to have you both with us.
Sara, let's start with you. The Starliner capsule, obviously returned safely to Earth and, I think in the words of NASA control, it was a beautiful sight.
But do you think that the astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams perhaps wish they had been onboard?
SARAH TREADWELL, NASA SOLAR SYSTEM AMBASSADOR: I'm sure ultimately that they both wanted what was best for the interest of NASA and for Boeing in that spacecraft. So I can't get into their mind and know personally and maybe they were a little bit disappointed that they didn't get to go back home sooner.
But this is something that they trained for. They know that there's a chance they might stay in space longer. So I'm sure ultimately they were relieved that it went well and that it went the way that was in the best interest of everybody. COREN: Tariq, what about you?
I mean, NASA wasn't prepared to take the risk of risking anyone's lives. Tell us about perhaps the psychological and physical impact a prolonged stay on the International Space Station must be having for both those astronauts.
TARIQ MALIK, EDITOR IN CHIEF, SPACE.COM: One of the things that we do know is that this was kind of like a bittersweet event for the astronauts. Actually, Suni Williams was talking with Mission Control on Earth as she was packing up the spacecraft a day before undocking.
She said it did feel bittersweet, in her words, to be putting in little mass simulators where she was going to sit to originally (INAUDIBLE) to come back home. That being said, as Sarah just mentioned, they are professional astronauts. They know that this was a test flight, that it could be extended.
There are some challenges. They will be exposed to more radiation in space for longer because, instead of a week, they're going to be up there for eight months now. Eight months is a little longer than NASA's half-year mission averages for these.
But it's not the longest. They've had astronauts up there for a year or two and still they're going to be away from family for much longer, from friends and loved ones. Maybe they had things to do during that time. They have to change all of that.
Again, when they sign up for these test flights, they know they're test flights and they're ready to train. And both are veterans. Space station Ashraf, Suni commanded the space station before. They know how it works. They can help out.
COREN: For sure, for sure.
Sarah, what about the resources on board the International Space Station?
They were supposed to be there for a week. It's now turned into months.
Is there enough on board to cater for all the astronauts there?
TREADWELL: Oh, yes. Absolutely. They have not only the supplies on board for, you know, if there is an extension of a mission but there's also the ability to bring more supplies up with other capsules.
And I would think that probably one of the things that they might be a little bit remiss about is waiting for maybe some of those things that they didn't bring with them, that they wanted, for such a long duration.
But they definitely have everything they need.
COREN: Sarah, well, Boeing, no doubt, is incredibly relieved that the Starliner capsule got back in one piece. And by all accounts, NASA is saying this was very successful. There have been problems, problems with the thruster, problems with helium leaks.
How has this impacted Boeing's reputation?
And I guess where does the company go from here?
TREADWELL: Yes, I guess that's a big question on everybody's mind, right?
How has the company been perceived lately?
I can only speak for myself. And what I have observed, I know that there's a lot of scrutiny on Boeing and what it's been doing. But I also have seen people who -- I know that our engineers and they're working within the Boeing company and they're so incredibly proud of what they're doing.
As for the future, it seems that NASA is very committed to continuing on with their contract and continuing to get this capsule ready for a word you're going to hear a lot, redundancy. We don't want to have just one capsule go up to space. We want to have multiple choices.
That way, when we do have an issue, like what happened here, we have backup choices.
COREN: And talk to us about the rivalry, I guess, between Boeing and SpaceX. I mean, its Crew Nine Dragon will be retrieving Wilmore and Williams in February.
What lessons have been learned?
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And how does this proceed forward?
TREADWELL: And that's, I think, one of the interesting things that have been changing in the climate of space -- not space travel but space companies. This competition, which drives innovation.
And so that has been shown and we're seeing that this is definitely maybe a setback for Boeing and a win for SpaceX. I think most people in the space industry, though, we want to see both sides, if you will. Do the best that they can do for the benefit of all of us.
COREN: Tariq, we heard from NASA in that press conference a short time ago and obviously they're going to put a very positive spin on what has happened, ensure that the capsule has returned safely to Earth.
But how, how, how does, how does Boeing and NASA for that matter, how do they move forward with space exploration?
MALIK: Right now, the big issue or challenge ahead is to find out exactly everything they can about the spacecraft. While the mission has landed, that's not the end of it for NASA and Boeing. Boeing is on the hook for six more of these flights with astronauts, the first of which was slated to fly in February of '25. They've pushed that back to no earlier than August, so a year from
now, in order to study this spacecraft, all the data that they've received during this test flight and really figure out what the issue was with the thrusters, why they had higher temperatures, which they even saw during landing.
They didn't affect the landing at all but they still saw things that they really weren't expecting to see. They're going to run all of those questions down in an investigation over the next series of months, make any kinds of changes they need to the next Starliner spacecraft, being built right now to fly and then learn from that one as well.
Whether or not Boeing decides to pursue a longer contract after this initial one, I think it will decide on how they feel this one worked out for them. It's still a bit early to say and it's still a bit early on the NASA side, too.
That we heard from Steve Stich, the commercial group program manager, about what the Starliner one mission, that next mission in line, will look like. So they're going to, they're going to try to dot all their I's and cross all their T's to understand these issues and make any changes, as we've seen them do on the last few test flights.
COREN: Yes, Tariq, when could you imagine another Boeing Starliner returning to space, returning to the International Space Station?
MALIK: I think the August 2025 target is -- it does feel safe. Both NASA and Boeing agreed to postpone that flight until then to give them the time that they need. It sounds as if they may be able to make some of the changes in the thrusters in a way that it's not so invasive.
As you might recall, this mission, in fact, was delayed almost a year because they had to remove a lot of stuff from the inside in, portable tape (ph), they had parachute issues. Those issues were fixed for this point. And it did seem to go rather well, pertaining to those fixes.
They'll have to do something similar to see how extensive they are going to have to be. So I feel like that one year push out from now feels pretty safe unless they find something else that is surprising to them. And right now it's still too early to tell.
COREN: Tariq Malik, Sarah Treadwell, we appreciate you both staying up to speak to us and thanks so much for your insight and analysis.
MALIK: Thank you.
TREADWELL: Thank you.
COREN: Still ahead, an international outcry for justice after officials and witnesses say Israeli forces shot and killed a Turkish American activist in the West Bank. What we know about the incident next.
Plus one of the year's strongest storms makes landfall once again. Still ahead, the latest on Typhoon Yagi as it makes its way through Northern Vietnam. Stay with us.
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COREN: A Palestinian rights group is speaking out after Israeli forces shot and killed a Turkish American activist during a protest in the West Bank. The group says 26-year-old Aysenur Eygi was participating in a weekly protest against a nearby Israeli settlement on Friday.
Well, that's when witnesses say Israeli forces responded by firing live rounds and tear gas at peaceful demonstrators.
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JONATHAN POLLACK, ISRAELI ACTIVIST, WITNESS: There were two shots fired from the rooftop I've been doing this for 20 years. I know the difference in sound between tear gas, rubber coated bullets or live ammunition. These were two separate shots of live ammunition, shot one after the other.
I found her lying on the ground beside a tree, bleeding from her head. I put my -- I put my hand under her head to try and stop the bleeding. I took her pulse. She had a very weak pulse. We called the ambulance.
What happened today is no accident. It is a continuation of the killing of 17 of Beta's (ph) residents during demonstrations since 2021. It is an intentional killing that is now receiving the light of day in (INAUDIBLE), receiving that -- refuting the light of day because she is an American citizen. it was an intentional killing.
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COREN: The Israeli military has admitted to firing at the demonstrators and claims the protesters were throwing rocks.
The activist group says that's not true, that none of its members were throwing rocks and they were far away from the troops and did not pose a threat, as Israel has alleged. The White House is calling for an investigation.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I just want to extend my deepest condolences, the deepest condolences of the United States government to the family of Aysenur Eygi. We deplore this tragic loss. Now the most important thing to do is to gather the facts. And that's exactly what we're in the process of doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COREN: Palestinian residents in the West Bank are taking stock of what's left after more than 10 days of intense Israeli military operations.
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The Israeli military withdrew from the towns of Jenin and Tulkarem on Friday but says it's only a pause before it returns. For now, the pause has allowed residents to bury their dead.
CNN's Nic Robertson has more from the West Bank -- and a warning: his report contains disturbing images.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Surrounded by fellow fighters, men Israel calls terrorists being laid to rest. Jenin's
first chance to bury its dead since Israeli forces pulled out overnight. A tense atmosphere as three interred side by side. Here they are known as the
resistance.
ROBERTSON: Israel's defense minister has described their military operations here as mowing the lawn, cutting down on the number of
militants is vowing to come back to pull out the roots.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Militant Abu Islam, Jenin Brigade commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad denies Israel had or will ever get a victory
here.
The effect of the destruction and killing, he says, makes us more popular. Sure, some of us were killed but we admit to our losses. They, Israel,
should admit to their losses, too.
At another Jenin cemetery, 87-year-old Tawfiq Kandil also laid to rest. According to Palestinian health officials, 39 people killed over the past
10 days.
The IDF says 14 of them were terrorists. Among the dead, eight children and two elderly like Kandil. His sons united in their grief, telling us, we had
no food for three days. He went out to get some and the Israeli troops shot him. His body videoed as it lay in the street, troops driving over his feet
as they left. The Israelis did not immediately comment on this incident.
What are we supposed to feel when you lose your father in this way?
He says, they killed him and he didn't commit a crime. They don't spare the
young or the old. And not just lives ripped up here but the city. A massive clean up only now just beginning. The cost of Israel's military
operation being counted in destroyed roads, homes and livelihoods. Much of the damage does not appear directly connected to the targeting of
militants.
Sixty-nine-year-old barber, Emad Abu Al Hayat's (ph) half century old business in ruins.
The Israelis pushed all the debris through my storefront. How can I ever repair this, he tells me. The chairs came from Jordan. It'll cost at least
$20,000.
The city's mayor says it's too soon to know Jenin's full repair bill. More than 20 kilometers of road dug up. Internet, water and electricity cut
multiple times. His early estimate, at least $10 million. Israel, he says, is turning the occupied West bank into Gaza.
It's a wheel of genocide. We see it in Gaza and now they turn it on the West Bank and they start in Jenin, he says. There is a sense of Deja vu
here. Nothing new, just getting worse. 18-year-old Islam has grown up with incursions like this.
It's normal. They can destroy what they want, he tells me and we rebuild. Let them do what they want. We're steadfast here. When they destroy, they
give us more power. Where today there is rubble, tomorrow, for sure, the grass will grow.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Jenin, the Occupied West Bank.
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COREN: Well, sources tell CNN that Iran recently sent short range ballistic missiles to Russia. U.S. and Western officials had warned this was in the works for almost a year, marking a significant escalation of Iran's support for Moscow.
It comes as Russian forces ramp up missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. And Kyiv braces for more attacks on its energy infrastructure this winter. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning of a significant shortfall in vital military aid.
He urged international allies to speed up deliveries of promised air defenses while attending a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contract Group in Germany. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Clearly a very important meeting by the Ukraine contact group for the Ukrainians, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself making his way to Ramstein in Germany to plead the country's case for more weapons deliveries.
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Now one of the things that Volodymyr Zelenskyy said is he thanked the partner nations for the air defense weapons that they have already provided to Ukraine and, of course, also those that have been pledged. But he also warned that a lot of the air defense systems that partners have pledged for Ukraine have so far not arrived and that that every day is costing Ukrainian lives. Here's what he said.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The number of air defense systems that have not yet been delivered is significant. This is what was agreed upon and this is what was -- what has not been fully implemented. The world has enough air defense systems to ensure that Russian terror does not have results. And I urge you to be more active in this work with us on air defense.
PLEITGEN: Now, of course, all of this comes as Ukraine has suffered some of the most severe Russian airstrikes over the past a couple of weeks. In fact, in the middle of this week, there was a big strike on the city of Poltava killing more than 50 people and wounding nearly 300. At the same time this Monday, there were massive strikes on the city of Kyiv just as children were set to go back to school for the new term.
But on top of air defense systems, which Ukrainians say are absolutely essential to them. The Ukrainians also say that they need in general more weapons and longer-distance weapons and the other thing that they're demanding specifically from the United States is to lift some of the restrictions on using those longer-distance weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory.
Now Ukraine's partners first and foremost the United States have said they will continue to provide Ukraine with that essential military support. Fred Pleitgen, CNN Central Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Typhoon Yagi continues its tear through Northern Vietnam. When we come back, the latest on Yagi's landfall and what's in store for the region.
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COREN: Welcome back.
Well, Typhoon Yagi has made landfall yet again, this time in northern Vietnam.
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The storm also reintensifying to the equivalent of a category four Atlantic hurricane. Yagi is expected to bring very strong winds and significant storm surge to the region over the coming hours, with heavy rains continuing through the weekend. Well, let's bring in journalist Manisha Tank in Singapore.
Manisha, wonderful to see you. I believe that this is like the third landfall for Yagi.
How is Vietnam faring so far?
MANISHA TANK, JOURNALIST: Well, people have had quite a bit of experience because they've been watching the news over the last few days and getting a sense of just how intense this storm is.
It has hit the Philippines. It has made its way over Hong Kong. It went into southern China. We know that in what they call China's Hawaii, the island of Hainan, the tropical island.
There have also been reported deaths and many injuries that have been caused by the storm from the high wind speeds, from the fact that the buildings have been damaged, there was flooding, an extensive amount of water just coming down in the form of rain and storm surges.
So having watched that happen across the region as it approaches Vietnam from the northeast, people have been tying down their boats. Of course, they're trying to secure their home, taping up their windows. There have been evacuations and everyone of course, is on very high alert.
Just getting to what this is, you're talking about the reintensification of this storm. In terms of how big this is, in this part of the world, we haven't really seen anything bigger, apart from, of course, hurricane Beryl, which hit in your part of the world. And that was a category five hurricane.
On this side of the world, these sorts of storms are called typhoons.
And people are asking what is causing this?
Is this unusual?
Is this due to climate change? Scientists are saying that, as the oceans get hotter, these storms get bigger, faster. And I think that's one of the big worries here. But in terms of prep, we certainly are seeing people literally batten down the hatches.
COREN: It's very interesting that this has regained strength. When it was heading toward the Philippines, it looked like it would drop off as it made its way toward Hong Kong and China.
But as you say, it really intensified. It's hit China and doing it again in Vietnam, I guess -- yes.
What are the weather scientists saying about the strength of this storm?
TANK: Indeed. Well, if you were to look at a map and you were to see where this storm is heading, you will see that it is going over areas which are not just land mass. So that is that is the difference here.
So as it goes over those parts of the South China Sea, where you have those very warm waters, obviously this time of year -- I live in Singapore. We're not very far from the equator. We are very accustomed to big storms but not typhoons.
And a little bit north of here, that's what you're getting. You're getting this intensity of heat, particularly in the seas and also in the air. And this is a bit of a lethal combination. I think the concern is here, you're seeing typhoons, very normal for this time of year.
But the fact that we're getting to super typhoon level is the worrying part. As I said earlier, there's just so much moisture, so much water in the air. And it is actually coming down on all these people.
And also, of course, the storm surges; as I described, this storm is coming in from the northeast. It's hitting the coast of Vietnam. What we're going to see are huge, extraordinarily large waves. They're going to be strong. They're going to be intense.
This of course, these are communities that depend on aid (ph) tourism. Of course, for those going out into the scenery. But lots of fishing. And this really hits those people and their livelihoods (INAUDIBLE) go on, certainly check back in with you and let you know how things are going.
COREN: Manisha Tank, as always, great to see you. Thank you for the update.
Well, U.S. gas prices are falling. As of Friday, AAA reported the price of a gallon of regular unleaded was $3.29.
Well, that's cheaper than the $3.31 a gallon. That was the price on Thursday. And Thursday was already at a six-month low. Drivers in 10 U.S. states are currently paying on average less than $3 a gallon.
Experts believe that, by the Thanksgiving holiday, drivers in most states could also be paying less than $3 a gallon.
The pope continues his trip through Asia with comments on women's rights, violence and community. That and more, when we come back.
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COREN: Pope Francis is now in Papua New Guinea as he continues his Asian tour. The Catholic leader spoke about women's rights in his talks with government officials. CNN's Christopher Lamb is traveling with the pontiff.
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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis, on Saturday, defending the rights of women in Papua New Guinea, which, according to Human Rights Watch, is considered one of the most dangerous countries for women and girls, with high rates of sexual violence.
Francis making his remarks by addressing government authorities in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea's capital.
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POPE FRANCIS, PONTIFF, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): It is they who carry the country forward. Women have the strength to give life, to build, to make the country grow. Let's not forget women, who are at the forefront of human development.
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LAMB: Elsewhere in the pope's speech, he called for an end to tribal violence, an escalating problem in this country. And he also called for more equitable distribution of the country's vast natural resources.
In his speech on Saturday, Francis said that, while the country was far from Rome, it was close to the heart of the Catholic Church. The pope here underlining the vision that he has for the Catholic Church, to go out to the peripheries.
Francis is being a missionary pope. And on Sunday, he will travel to the northwestern tip of the country to a place called Vanimo, where no pope has been before and will meet missionaries there.
Now the 87-year-old pope is on the longest trip of his papacy. He's been in good spirits for most of the time but he did cough a number of times during his speech and slipped slightly when he got out of his wheelchair on Friday at the welcome ceremony. Nevertheless, Francis seems determined to carry on with his visit. [02:55:00]
This will see him go next to East Timor and then Singapore -- Christopher Lamb, CNN, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
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COREN: Certainly is a long trip for the pope, who will have covered 33,000 kilometers by the time he gets back to Rome.
Well, U.S. sprinter Hunter Woodhall won gold in the men's 400 meters T62 in the Paris Olympics on Friday. After his win, he ran to his wife in the crowd at the Stade de France. Tara Davis-Woodhall would certainly appreciate his achievement since she had also won gold in the long jump at the Paris games last month.
When asked how it felt to win gold along with his wife, Hunter joked that he was waiting to wake up. The couple shared a long embrace after his victory and, of course, the right to be called gold medalists from now on.
Well, she started as a child actress, became a pop star. Now Selena Gomez is a billionaire. Bloomberg has valued the 32 year-old's net worth at one $1.3 billion, making her one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the U.S.
The bulk of her wealth is tied to her five-year-old makeup line, Rare Beauty, which is popular with influencers and teens.
She also has her interest in the mental health platform, Wondermind. On top of that, her earnings from her music, acting and social media partnerships.
Good on her.
Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong, much more is ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, stay with us.
