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IDF Prepared To Move To Israel's Northern Border; Land Border Crossings To Jordan Set To Reopen Monday Morning; Donald Trump, Kamala Harris Preparing For Debate On Tuesday; Venezuela Opposition Leader Arrives In Spain To Claim Asylum; Schools Closed In Laurel County As Manhunt Continues; Congress Returns For Another Big Spending Fight; Pope Francis Arrives in East Timor, Set to Meet President; China: No More Foreign Adoption of Chinese Children; California Wildfire Explodes; Paris Games Honor Marathon Runner Rebecca Cheptegei; Sinner Wins First U.S. Open Title. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 09, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Ahead here on CNN Newsroom, Israel says it's prepared to shift its focus to the northern border if needed. Why the defense minister feels it's necessary to bolster defenses in the region.
We're just a day away from the first and possibly only U.S. presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Why it could be a pivotal moment in the race for the White House.
And Pope Francis is expected to arrive in East Timor this hour after a stop at one of the most remote areas on the planet, a look at the Pontiff's historic Asia trip.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: Israel's defense minister says the military is ready as needed to shift its focus to Israel's northern border. It comes as the Israeli military releases new video of what it says are operations in Gaza. CNN is unable to independently verify the location or date of that video.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke with Israeli troops in Gaza Sunday. He told them the Israeli military could be quickly moved to the fight against Hezbollah if needed. But he also said they would cripple Hamas.
YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISITER (through translator): In Gaza we need to achieve our two goals, but to eliminate Hamas and to return the hostages, and we are on this matter with all our might. At the same time, we are looking at the entire war fronts, and this means that while you are fighting here in Gaza, we are preparing for anything that can happen in the north, and moving the center of gravity can be quick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: The Israel protesters blocked traffic in Tel Aviv on Sunday. It was the latest demonstration demanding that the Israeli government secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. It came just a week after six hostages were killed in Gaza.
Israel says it will reopen three border crossings into Jordan in the coming hours. They were closed after a Jordanian gunman shot and killed three Israelis at the Allenby Crossing on Sunday. CNN's chief global affairs correspondent Matthew Chance has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Israeli security forces continue to secure the area where a Jordanian gunman fired on Israeli workers, killing three of them before being shot dead. Jordanian officials say their preliminary investigations suggest the attacker was a truck driver carrying commercial goods from Jordan to the West Bank, who they believe was acting alone.
But there's been condemnation, understandably, from Israel, with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the attacker a despicable terrorist who murdered Israelis in cold blood. In a statement, Hamas praised the attack, but stopped short of claiming responsibility, saying, instead, it was a natural response to the war in
Gaza. Israel is already reeling, of course, after the killings by Hamas last week, of six more Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Tens of thousands of demonstrators staging angry protests across the country in recent days, demanding an immediate deal to bring more than 100 Israelis still held in Gaza back home. This latest attack across the normally calm border from Jordan is raising tensions even further. Matthew Chance, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Syria's state run news agency says Israeli airstrikes killed five people and wounded at least 19 others on Sunday. The agency says there were several explosions and air defense engagements in central Syria. When CNN asked the Israeli military about the incident, the IDF said it does not comment on reports in foreign media.
Well, evacuees from Northern Israel are upset. They say the country's government and military leaders aren't doing enough to stop the barrage of rockets from southern Lebanon. Dozens of projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards Israel early Sunday morning.
It prompted alarms in the northernmost region, a rocket attack at the end of July, it killed 10 people in the Golan Heights, most of them children. Now, residents are demanding the Israeli government launch an extensive response inside Lebanon that would include the occupation. Percent of the southern portion of the country.
[01:05:03] The U.N. says it hopes to reach 150,000 children in northern Gaza with its polio vaccine this week. Starting Monday, teams will spend the three days giving first doses to children in the area a second dose needs to be administered four weeks from now. It's the third and final phase of the UN's vaccination program.
The Palestinian health ministry says 69 percent of children in Gaza have gotten their first vote -- their first dose since the program began.
We're now just one day away from the hiring stakes U.S. presidential debate between vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump. This will be the first time the two candidates are meeting face to face, as they hope to sway still undecided voters in this very tight race.
The New York Times, Siena College poll shows no clear leader. A similar theme also found in a new CNN poll of polls, which shows Harris at 49 percent, Trump at 47 percent. The two candidates spent the weekend in battleground states. Trump held a campaign rally in Wisconsin, while Harris met with voters in Pittsburgh.
The Vice President was also seen out for a walk with the second gentleman. She gave a thumbs up and told reporters that she's ready for the debate. CNN's Eva McKend has been following the developments and filed this report from Pittsburgh.
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EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It is perhaps no surprise the Vice President, a former prosecutor, has a reputation for intensely preparing for these big moments. She has likely been poring over Briefing Books, anticipating what the moderators might ask her, anticipating what former President Donald Trump might say.
We know one thing is for sure, though, her campaign not so worried about these polls. Brian Fallon, a spokesperson for the campaign, tweeting that they have always viewed themselves as the underdog in this contest, and they still have that mentality, they recognize that they have a lot of work to do in the 50 plus days until the election.
Meanwhile, they're already telegraphing what they're going to do after the debate, a battleground blitz they're calling it with the Vice President campaigning in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Governor Walz taking to Michigan and Wisconsin and their respective spouses fanning out across the country as well. The campaign will have a presence in every battleground state. Eva McKend, CNN, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Joining me now from Los Angeles is Ron Brownstein, CNN senior political analyst and a senior editor at The Atlantic, good to see you, Ron.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYT: Hi, Lynda. KINKADE: So the debate set to take place Tuesday, possibly the only
debate we'll see between Harris and Trump. And no presidential candidate has debated more than Trump. This will be his seventh. Is that a huge advantage for him? And if so, what will Harris learn from performances in his previous debates to capitalize on his weakness.
BROWNSTEIN: You know, the history of the presidential debates in the U.S. you talk to political scientists or political strategists is that they don't matter, except when they do, you know, and they have often mattered a lot. We've seen that, particularly when candidates are lesser known, and we have not had a candidate, I think, who comes into a debate with the voter impressions of them as loosely formed as Harris in the debate era, going back to 1960 because of the unusual circumstances in which she was nominated.
And I think that really informs her choice. You mentioned that New York Times, Siena poll today, it found that 30 percent of voters said they need to know more about Harris. That rose to 40 percent of black voters, 40 percent of Latino voters, over half of younger voters.
And I think that basically says her challenge is more to sell herself than to make the case against Trump, although, obviously that could be the contrast to be part of selling herself. She really does. I think this -- she has to view this as much as a job interview, as an encounter with the former president.
KINKADE: Exactly, because the election as we know is just eight weeks away. If you are advising Harris. I mean, what should she do to introduce herself to voters who don't really feel they know her, and how should she define herself?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, first of all, you know when the debates have mattered. As I said, they haven't always mattered. When they have mattered pretty consistently it's been less because candidates win a specific policy debate with each other, then candidates are able to show something positive or negative about their capacity and their character.
I mean big moments in debates like 1980 with Ronald Reagan diffusing the idea that he was a scary warmonger with the there you go again, and his genial presence George H.W. Bush checking his watch against Bill Clinton in '92 and seeming to validate the idea that it was kind of out of energy and out of time.
[01:10:06]
Much of what Harris has to do, I think, is portray, you know, convey energy, optimism, competence. But I think she also has an additional hurdle here, which is she does have to give voters a better sense of what her priorities would be as president. It is notable that tonight, just hours before this first debate, they have finally put up a policy section on their website, and there may be some basic information that she can convey to voters about what she wants to do, how it differs from what Trump wants to do, particularly in areas like taxes.
KINKADE: Yes, it is interesting, as you notice you put that up on the two days before this debate, something that the Democrats have been criticized over. But I just want to look at one other thing from that survey, which found that the majority of Americans have heard about Project 2025, the agenda which outlines a conservative plan to disband commerce and education departments, reject the idea of abortion as healthcare, rip up Climate Change protections and, of course, consolidate power around the president. And the survey found that most voters don't like it.
Interestingly, the Harris campaign is using that in a new campaign ad. I just want to roll that ad for those who haven't seen it.
BROWNSTEIN: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump's Project 2025 agenda will give him unchecked political power with no guardrails, and it would take black America backwards. Project 2025 would strip away our voting rights protections.
UNIDENATIFIED FEMALE: He told us who he was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should abortion be punished?
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: There has to be some form of punishment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: So it is a possible road map for a second Trump term. He's trying to distance himself from that. I'm wondering how Harris should hammer home that message on the debate night.
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, Trump really wants the election. He wants voters to be looking back as they go into the voter booth. He wants to basically be saying, and I think he may even reprise the famous Ronald Reagan question from 1980, are you better off than you were four years ago? He wants to make the case that, you know, people had more money in their pocket at the end of the week, the border was under control. The world wasn't as chaotic when he was president kind of, you know, memory holding the 2020 experience with COVID.
Harris, like Biden before her, really wants voters more to be looking forward. I mean, she wants them not so much to be treating this as a referendum on whether they think the Biden years or the Trump years were better for them personally. She wants them to be focused on what the next four years would bring. And that's kind of the turning the page, a new way forward.
Project 2025, and not only that, but what you know, Trump calls Agenda 47 the videos that he's put out himself on his own website, which overlap a tremendous degree with Project 2025 provides plenty of targets for her. Economists, for example, will say, you know, multiple economists have said that looking forward, Trump's agenda of tariffs and mass deportation is a greater risk of inflation going forward than Harris's agenda is. The challenge, of course, is that a lot of voters, you know, getting
voters to kind of orient that way, as opposed to kind of casting a ballot on their immediate circumstance, particularly talking about that last seven or eight, 10 percent that participate in a presidential election, but not in the midterm. That's not an easy task.
But I am guessing an early queue for tomorrow -- for Tuesday night, will be Harris will be trying to get voters look forward, talking about things like Project 2025. Trump will be trying to get them to look back. Talking about things like peculiar increasing grocery prices or gas prices under Biden.
KINKADE: Well, certainly a lot of interest the last debate between Biden and Trump, and that certainly changed the course of this election. A lot of interest in the debate tomorrow night, Tuesday night. Ron Brownstein, we will be watching. Thanks so much for your time.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
KINAKDE: Well, you can tune in for the special coverage of the ABC News Presidential Debate, which will be shown here on CNN. It will air Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. That's 9:00 a.m. Wednesday morning in Hong Kong.
Coming up on CNN Newsroom, the man who challenged Venezuela's president in July's election is seeking safety in Europe, citing credible fears for his life, that story ahead.
Plus, an urgent manhunt in Kentucky stretches into its second night as the government accused of shooting into random cars continues to elude police.
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[01:16:40]
KINKADE: Welcome back. Venezuela's opposition presidential candidate has landed safely in Spain, where he's seeking asylum. Endumdo Gonzales has been in hiding since the day after the July 28 presidential election where he ran against longtime leader Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro claimed victory despite overwhelming evidence that he had lost, sparking massive deadly protests. Since that disputed election, the Venezuelan government has charged Gonzales with terrorism, conspiracy, as well as other crimes. Gonzalez's lawyer says the decision to leave Venezuela came last minute after threats to his safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE VICENTE HARO, EDMUNDO GONZALES'S LAWYER (through translator): Put yourself in his skin, in his mindset, in the situation he was facing with real fears for his life and that of his family. At that moment, the bear survival instinct prevailed over everything else. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KINAKDE: Well, the Organization of American States says Edmundo Gonzalez was forced into exile by Venezuela's government. Gonzalez himself says he will continue to fight for his country's freedom from abroad. CNN correspondent Pau Mosquera reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAU MOSQUERA, CNNC ORRESPONDENT: Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia has finally arrived in Madrid after fleeing his home country and asking for asylum in Spain. He has landed in the military air base of Torrejon de Ardoz, located to the east of Madrid around 4:00 pm local time, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. He has completed all the way from Venezuela on board of a Spanish military airplane, accompanied by his wife and some Spanish officials.
Also he has been received on the ground by Spanish State Secretary for Iber-America, Susana Sumelz. Now we have been all day here in front of this military airbase to be the first to take the image of Gonzales Urrutia in Madrid, but it has been impossible, because no one has seen him leaving this place.
The only familiar face that we have seen so far was his daughter, Carolina, that has been living in Madrid for over a decade. After his arrival, Gonzales will now start the process to make his asylum effective. For sure, it will take a time, but the Spanish government has already confirmed that he will have it granted.
Also, some Venezuelan opposition leaders in Madrid told CNN that he's expected to offer a presser over the next days, and that is going to be the chance to know a little bit more about this personal decision of flying to Madrid and also knowing what are his future plans. Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINAKDE: Well, demonstrations were held in India and countries around the world Sunday with protesters demanding justice for a junior doctor who was raped and killed in the city of Kolkata last month. Activists say the case is just the latest example of how women in India continue to suffer from sexual violence.
The suspect has been arrested along with the former principal of the medical college where the victim was studying. The next hearing for the case is scheduled for today.
Three people have been injured in another school fire in Kenya, this time at a Girls High School.
[01:20:00]
Several students were reportedly trapped inside when a fire broke out Saturday, north of Nairobi, but the Red Cross says the injuries were minor and the fire was quickly contained. It came just a day after a fire inside a boy's dormitory at an elementary school, also north of the capital, which killed at least 21 people.
Well, schools will be closed Monday In Laurel County, Kentucky, as authorities try to track down a gunman, they believe the suspect accused of firing into several cars along Interstate 75 on Saturday, is still hiding in the densely wooded area near where his car and rifle were found. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has the latest on the manhunt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, several law enforcement agencies fanned out throughout the day In Laurel County, Kentucky. That's a day after a man opened fire onto the interstate highway, critically injuring five people.
Now the Laurel County Sheriff's Office says that Joseph Couch is their suspect. He is believed to be armed and dangerous. Now police have located a vehicle registered to Joseph Couch as well as a gun that was inside the vehicle, and they also recovered an AR-15 style weapon, which they believe was used in this shooting.
Now, law enforcement has been focused on one specific area near where the shooting took place, but this is very rugged, wooded terrain. Police have said that there are a lot of trees. It is difficult to get around, and that is making it very challenging for them to continue the search into the night. Once the sun comes down, they said they were going to pull back their officers out of an abundance of caution.
Now, the White House has been in touch with law enforcement in Kentucky, which has been using several resources, including at least one helicopter, canine units, as well as a drone, in order to search the area.
For now, authorities have not determined a motive behind a shooting, but they do believe that the shooting was planned, and while there were no fatalities, at least five people were critically injured, some of them suffering gunshot wounds to the face and across the chest. In the meantime, schools are expected to be closed on Monday. Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.
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KINKADE: The principal of the Apalachee High School in Georgia says officials are still figuring out the next steps for students and staff after last week's deadly mass shooting. In a letter to parents, the principal said they're making plans for people to start picking up their belongings from school Monday, but no word yet on when classes will resume. Other schools in the district will be back in session Tuesday.
Two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed in Wednesday's shooting. The suspect, also aged 14, is in custody, and so is his father, who's accused of buying the son the AR-15 rifle that was used in the attack.
The U.S. Congress will return to session in the coming hours to a familiar standoff over funding the government. Lawmakers will have just three weeks to figure out how to keep the government's doors open before the funding expires at the end of the month. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: after a long summer recess, Congress is back, and they're facing a big task right off the bat, how to keep the government open and funded. Sources on both sides tell CNN that there is no desire on anybody's part to push the government into a shutdown, especially so close to the election, but they certainly have some real work to do to avoid this.
Still not settled is how long a stopgap bill known as the continuing resolution, should go. Democrats, they prefer a short term spending bill into December. They want to kick the negotiations until after the election. And many Republicans, they want to fund the government into spring, pushing the fight until after the leadership races in the House, which would help Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.
They will, of course, need to settle on spending levels, and there's a separate battle brewing over whether to include a noncitizen voting measure.
Now this is a controversial bill that Republicans are pushing to include. It is already illegal, of course, for noncitizens to vote, but the legislation would require proof of citizenship to vote. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a statement on Sunday, said quote, they will not let poison pills or Republican extremism put funding for critical programs at risk.
And the deadline to get this completed, it's September 30th, so the government does not shut down on October 1. That leaves just 13 days in session to find a path forward. Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well still to come, Beijing is no longer allowing foreign families to adopt Chinese babies. We'll discuss why it's likely won't be enough to reverse China's steep population decline.
[01:25:02]
And later, potential severe weather brewing in the Gulf of Mexico for those in the storm's path can expect this week.
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KINKADE: Welcome back looking at live pictures. Pope Francis has just arrived in East Timor. This is the latest stop of his tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. He'll be welcomed by the country's president, and this, of course, is the third leg of his trip after leaving Papua New Guinea early Monday.
The Pontiff's trip marks a significant shift for the Vatican as it places renewed focus on its congregations across Asia. CNN's Kristie Lou Stout joins me now from Hong Kong with more. Good to have you with us, Kristie. So, Pope Francis, of course, was just in Papua New Guinea this morning, meeting with young people. Now landing in East Timor, one of the world's newest and predominantly Catholic nations. What's on the agenda?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pope Francis has just touched down. He continues this marathon tour of Asia with a visit to East Timor, a deeply Catholic country, so 97 percent of its population identifies as Catholic. That is the highest proportion outside of Vatican City. And across the country we know that security is high and that there is a festive mood there, with banners and billboards filling the streets. Right now the Pope is on that plane.
He has touched down in Dili, the capital of East Timor. He will soon attend a welcome ceremony outside the presidential palace and meet with local officials, and a huge turnout is expected given the church's ties to East Timor's independence over 20 years ago, in fact, its prime minister, the independence hero, Xanana Gusmao, called the Catholic Church, quote, The backbone of the resistance.
East Timor has had a very eventful and traumatic history, including decades of brutal occupation before its independence in 2002 as well as church sexual abuse scandals. In fact, including one that involved a bishop who won the Nobel Peace Prize two years ago. The Vatican said that it secretly disciplined Carlos Jimenez Bello in 2020 responding to allegations that he had sexually abused boys in East Timor decades ago, and it is not clear whether Pope Francis will be addressing the scandal.
Also hanging over this visit is the price tag. There has been criticism about the cost, about the $12 million budgeted and paid for by East Timor for this visit. East Timor is one of the world's poorest countries, with many residents there living below the poverty line.
[01:30:00]
Now earlier before his arrival in Dili in East Timor, the Pope was in Papua New Guinea, and he visited a very remote town there, where thousands turned out to see him and there he delivered medical supplies and aid.
And Pope Francis also had to critical message for the region. I want you to listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE FRANCIS, HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): Peace. Peace for the nations but and also for creation. No to re-armament and exploitation of our common home. Yes, to the encounter between peoples and cultures. Yes, to the harmony of men and women with creatures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Pope Francis has been on a 12-day four-nation tour across Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. His longest and farthest trip ever and this visit, Lynda, has been a challenge. Again, his longest and farthest trip? It is one of the longest foreign
trips for any pope. And it is a visit that has been testing his fortitude.
Pope Francis is 87-years-old, using a wheelchair and battling health problems. Vatican watchers also say, as we look at the live pictures of the papal plane, it has just touched down there in Dili, the capital of East Timor.
This visit throughout the region highlights the church's shift toward Asia, where churches here in the region have a growing voice in this marathon trip that has been testing the Pope. It just signals how the Pope has no plan to slow his outreach to Catholics around the world, including here in Asia.
Back to you, Lynda.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: As you say, 12-day trip, third stop for the 87-year-old pontiff and we are hearing that there are going to be a hundreds of thousands of people turning out to his mass today in East Timor.
Good to have you on the story. Kristie Lu Stout from Hong Kong, thank you.
Well, ahead of the 76th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean regime on Monday, leader Kim Jong-un has been on an inspection tour of some of the country's military facilities.
Korean state media says Kim visited an artillery academy in Pyongyang Friday. He has inspected the academy collection of military vehicles and its educational facilities telling cadets that the Workers' Party of Korea's philosophy is to quote, "defeat the enemy overwhelmingly with artillery".
Well, China has officially ended most foreign adoptions of Chinese children, scrapping a policy that had been in place for more than three decades. It now leaves people who were in the middle of the adoption process wondering what happens next.
CNN's Steven Jiang reports from Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: This announcement didn't come as a total shock because the number of international adoptions from China have been in decline in recent years.
The program, of course, came to a sudden halt during the pandemic and never really recovered even after COVID.
But still, this marks a major change to a policy that has seen more than 160,000 Chinese children being adopted all over the world since the early 1990s, about half of them going to the United States.
But remember this program began when China was dealing with an overpopulation problem, that government very much enforcing its draconian one-child policy that basically limited most couples in cities to one-child, forcing many families to abandon children especially girls and disabled kids.
Now fast-forward to today, they are dealing with the opposite problem, a shrinking labor force and a rapidly aging society. That's why within the last decade, the authorities here have twice relaxed its once strict family planning policies, now allowing most couples to have up to three children.
But none of that seems to have worked against this backdrop of a slowing economy and young people's changing attitudes towards marriage and parenthood.
Now the Chinese reaction to this policy change seem to be mixed on social media, but those applauding this decision seem to be expressing a nationalistic sentiment saying China's now rich and powerful enough to take care of its own abandoned children and often, citing rising tensions between China and the United States and other Western nations as well.
But none of this economic, social, and political realities, of course, offer any real comfort to the hundreds of international families in the middle of adopting children from China because the government here has reportedly indicated this ban goes into effect immediately with very limited exceptions, leaving hundreds of Americans in limbo and potentially heartbroken.
Steven Jiang, CNN -- Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Joining me now is Mei Fong. She is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of "One-child", a book on Chinas one-child policy.
Good to have you with us.
MEI FONG, JOUNALIST AND AUTHOR: Hello. Great to be here.
[01:34:43]
KINKADE: So China, of course, once punished families for having more than one-child. It's now encouraging families to have three. And they want to keep all babies born in the country, in country making foreign adoption illegal.
Explain this policy and what your view is on it.
FONG: Well, the one-child policy initially, it's been going on for some -- more than three decades, so long enough to shape a whole generation. And one of the most painful consequences, the most visible public consequences of that was the girls, many of them -- mostly girl babies that were forced to be abandoned or given up, or in some cases seized and stolen and put on the global adoption market.
This is one of the things that I think even for households as far as America and Europe have experienced firsthand of the one-child policy.
KINKADE: Exactly. I mean, China's not alone when it comes to countries dealing with an aging population and a declining birth, right? But as you point out China also had this issue where an estimated 20 million girls disappeared during those decades of the one-child policy.
Talk to us about how big of an impact that has had on women there today who otherwise may have had a family.
FONG: Well, I think one of the real issues right now and this is the one that a lot of people talk about is the fact that China's birth rates are falling very sharply right now.
And despite the government -- the Chinese Communist Party moving from one-child to a two-child to a three-child policy, people don't want to have more children and in many cases, people don't want to have any children at all.
And many of the reasons cited are, you know, reasons many people around the world have or not wanting bigger families. It's more expensive. People are starting their families later. Women are more educated and have smaller families.
But the one thing that is very unique for China is the one-child policy on top of that. And what it has done is created a -- it's reshaped family structures. I mean, all -- many of the women today, who are being asked to have one-child, have grown up in -- to have more children -- have grown up only in one-child families.
They've been told all their lives that the one-child family is the best structure ever. And so it's hard to turn on a dime about that.
And in addition to that, there's also the issue of generational trauma. You know, the one-child policy was enforced very strictly and very painfully in many cases were forced abortions and abandon children.
These are now, this is a generation that's inherited it, you know. And so I can't imagine why any -- many of them tell me that they find it incredibly hard to build happy families with such painful memories.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And certainly in some areas, especially in rural areas under the one-child policy, there were exceptions. If you had a female child, you could then potentially go again and have a male child. So even the value system around females born during that time must impact women today of reproductive age.
I'm wondering if you've heard from women in China or women that have been adopted, what their views are on this new policy.
FONG: Well, I think many of them feel that that they're being -- they're still once again being expected to do something for the country. And many of them are resisting.
So for example, one of the problems with the one-child policy when it's a swift move to a two- and three-child policy is now that there's workplace discrimination against women of childbearing age, because many employers don't want to give two or three lots in maternity leave and maternity benefits.
So, many women say that they are being asked to, you know, promise, which is illegal, but its common, that they won't have more children. They're not being promoted on the suspicion that they might have more children.
So, the factor is whether or not, you know, the women were punished in a one-child policy for having more children and now they're being punished in the suspicion that they might have more children. In any case the end results are not great.
And of course, the other part of it is a very practical matter. Because of the one-child policy and the fact that it forced many families to limit the size, there grew up to be acute shortage of women.
So there's something like 30 million surplus bachelors in China. These are what they call bare branches. Men who will most likely never have a chance to get married because the girls are just not there. And these are mostly rural men.
So you have a real issue there just, just finding women to build families.
KINKADE: And just finally if given that no China babies will be allowed out of the country now, under this new adoption policy, what real impact will that have on population growth?
[01:39:50]
FONG: It doesn't so much -- I mean, the actual numbers of adoptions out of China were never that huge. I mean hundreds -- they're huge relative to the adoption market. But not huge relative to the size of China's population, for example.
But what it does do is it puts the final -- it's one of the milestones marking one of the sad consequences of the one-child policy. You know, you've gone from a nation that said you can't have any children and gave away their children, to one now where they're desperate to have more children and they can't so they shut the doors on the global adoption process.
KINKADE: Mei Fong, you make some really good points. Great to have you on the program. Thanks so much for your time.
FONG: Thank you. My pleasure.
KINKADE: Still to come hundreds of firefighters are battling a wildfire in California that's spreading incredibly fast.
And now the weather could complicate things even more.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Thousands of people are fleeing a massive wildfire in southern California as forecasters warn of record heat in the coming days.
The Line Fire, as it's known, has more than quadrupled in size since Saturday morning, threatening more than 36,000 homes and buildings.
CNN's Camila Bernal is in San Bernardino County with more.
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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This fire remains uncontrollable despite the efforts from firefighters. There are multiple factors working against the firefighters officials here telling me that the terrain is very steep and very difficult to access.
I'm going to show you what that terrain looks like because this is an area where we saw some of the hotspots. And in this area you see how difficult it is for some of these firefighters to get into this area.
It is steep and they either have to walk in in some of the areas or I was told by CalFire that you have to fly in the firefighters to certain areas of the fire because it is so difficult to access. You see how they're slipping as they're trying to get down the hill.
The other factor of this is the weather. Triple-digit temperatures and even overnight temperatures in the 80s. So there is no break for these firefighters.
There's also thunderstorms expected in this area so, because you have these thunderstorms yes, you may have rain that may help this fire, but you also have the possibility of lightning. That starts new fires.
And then with the storm also come winds that are unpredictable and that moved the flames into areas where the firefighters cannot predict and cannot know where to put their crews. So that also makes it extremely difficult for them.
So CalFire saying there cautiously optimistic about the next couple of hours, maybe the next couple of days, because there is still a lot of work to be done here.
Camila Bernal, CNN -- San Bernardino County.
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KINKADE: We are keeping our eyes on a potential tropical storm forming in the Gulf of Mexico. Parts of Mexico and southern Texas are under a tropical storm watch right now. The disturbance expected to turn into a full fledge storm in the coming days.
The U.S. Hurricane Center warned cities on the coast of Louisiana and Texas could also see a storm surge and hurricane watch as a result. CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa has more on the details of the potential severe weather.
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ELISA RAFFA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're watching a tropical disturbance that could soon gain the name Francine in the next 48 hours or so.
Right now, the center is kind of disorganized. But if you look at where its sitting in parts of the Gulf of Mexico, you've got ocean temperatures there that are incredibly warm, nearing the low 90s.
And if you look at its path that it could take as it heads towards the U.S. Gulf Coast, it's going to take this ride through some very warm ocean temperatures in the middle 80s, even in some upper 80s.
So what that's going to do is help it organize and strengthen pretty quickly, especially as we head into the work week.
We could be looking at some tropical storm-force conditions along that Texas coast line as early as late Tuesday. And then this thing could ride the coastline towards Louisiana as we go into Wednesday, bringing with it the threat for some heavy rain, some storm surge, and rough surf as well.
When we look at recent named storms that have made landfall in this part of the country, I mean, we had Beryl make landfall over the Texas coastline just a couple of months ago this season and it brought some power problems to parts of Houston. We also had Ida in 2021, Beta and Hanna in 2020.
But when you look at hurricanes, the last time that Texas had two hurricanes make landfall in one season was 2008 -- 16 years ago, Ike and Dolly. So if this does in fact become Hurricane Francine and make landfall on the Texas coastline this will be the first time in 16 years at Texas has seen two hurricanes in one season.
Whether it's a hurricane or a tropical storm, no matter what it's called, it will bring some heavy rain to parts of the Texas and Louisiana coastline. Forecasters are already worried about four to eight inches of rain that could grow to 12 inches in some localized areas. So flash flooding is going to be a great concern as we go into the workweek.
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KINKADE: Our thanks to Elisa Raffa there.
Well, still to come on CNN NEWSROOM. Jannik Sinner is officially a U.S. Open champion.
When we come back, we catch up with the world number one, fresh off his second Grand Slam title win.
Stay with us.
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KINKADE: We'll always have Paris. A spectacular fireworks show illuminated the sky above the Stade de France Sunday, which concluded the Paris Paralympic Games.
Well, inside was a closing ceremony to remember. The 169 delegations paraded to the tunes of French classics before the DJs took over and transform the stadium into an electro party. The only wrinkle of the night was that the Olympic cauldron could not be flown in the stadium because of the rain.
Well before the Paralympics came to a close, athletes and spectators paid tribute to the murdered Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei. Marathoners paused for a eulogy at the end of the competition to remember their fellow athlete.
She died from severe burns last week, days after her boyfriend allegedly doused her with fuel and set her on fire. Her death has brought renewed attention to the problem of gender-based violence.
CNN's Amanda Davies reports.
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AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: A grieving mother struggling to come to terms with the unthinkable.
AGNES NDIEMA-CHEPTEGEI, MOTHER OF REBECCA CHEPTEGIE (through translator): She was a good child, very polite, and she didn't have a lot of issues. I just don't know.
DAVIES: According to police, Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan athlete based in Kenya, was attacked by her boyfriend, who doused the 33-year- old in petrol before setting her alight at their home near the city of Eldoret.
Sadly though, this is not an isolated incident, just another that highlights the ongoing issue of gender-based violence and femicide in Kenya. According to government data from 2022, 34 percent of women in the country report having experienced physical violence after the age of 15, committed by anyone with married women at particular risk.
And a number of athletes have been victims.
JOANNE CHELIMO, KENYAN ATHLETE: We didn't know that there was gender- based violence.
Joanne Chelimo competed against Cheptegei in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, and is one of a group of athletes who co-founded Tirop's Angels in 2022 in the wake of the killing of Kenyan Olympian Agnes Tirop.
CHELIMO: Agnes was my friend. You could not tell what she was going through because every time you could see her she was just smiling. We felt like it was a wakeup call for everyone.
Tirop's Angels provides counseling and support to victims of GBV and aims to educate and empower young women in the region.
NANCY LAGAT, ATHLETE, TIROP'S ANGELS, KENYA: As more people came to us and report issues on GBV, we realized that it is a pandemic that is affecting everybody in our community and -- then the whole country.
CHELIMO: Iten is a very small community. It has around 10,000 people. About 2,000 of them athletes and what happens is young girls come here after school at the high school or after primary school and they end up being taken advantage of.
We knew -- we heard about GBV all over the world, but setting up the foundation, more women came up speaking up about what they're going through in their lives. Not only athletes, but also the community.
DAVIES: Amnesty International Kenya launched a campaign in January calling for the country's government to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of femicide cases, a campaign that goes on, but sadly, not enough to prevent the death of Rebecca Cheptegei as her family and the distance running community come to terms with another of their members, taken too soon.
Amanda Davies, CNN -- London.
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KINKADE: Well happening right now, Pope Francis has arrived in East Timor. These are live pictures coming into us. This is the latest stop of his tour of Southeast Asia and Oceana.
He will be welcomed by the country's president Jose Ramos-Horta. This is the third leg of his trip after leaving Papua New Guinea early Monday morning.
Now the pontiff's trip marks a significant shift for the Vatican as it places renewed focus on its congregations across Asia. He's 87-years- old and this is the longest trip of his papacy, 12 stops in all.
The police officer who handcuffed Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill ahead of Sunday's game is now on administrative leave. You can see hill in this video lying on the ground with police holding him down. He was pulled over for a traffic stop one block from the Dolphins Stadium.
His agent says Hill did not deserve that treatment. Hill says he doesn't know why it happened.
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TYREEK HILL, MIAMI DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVER: I have no idea. No idea. No idea, man. It's crazy. No idea.
I wasn't disrespectful, you know, because my mom didn't raise me that way. Didn't curse and do none of that. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, hours after that incident, Hill scored a touchdown, taking a pass 80 yards into the endzone during the third quarter. Afterward he celebrated by pretending to have a teammate handcuff him.
Hill's agent says the players' legal team is considering action.
Well, the wait is over for world number one, Jannik Sinner, who took home his first U.S. Open singles title on Sunday. He defeated American Taylor Fritz in three straight sets to nab his second Grand Slam title.
Our Andy Scholes caught up with the newly crowned champ.
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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Jannik, congratulations on an amazing tournament. You are the first Italian man ever to win the U.S. Open. How does that feel?
JANNIK SINNER, U.S. OPEN CHAMPION: Yes, it feels amazing. Obviously it's a huge achievement for me and my team. Just happy to hold this trophy.
I think the final today was a very high-level final. I'm very lucky or happy that I won the third set because potentially could change a little bit in the balance of the match.
But you know, overall, I think me and my team, we can be were very, very pleased about our performance for the -- for this two weeks.
SCHOLES: Challenging season after being cleared of any wrongdoing after testing positive for a banned substance. Jow were you able to play so well with that hanging over you?
SINNER: Well, it was first of all, in my mind I knew that I haven't done anything wrong, so that's already the biggest part for me mentally that I am ok.
Now, another way it's me and my team, you know, what we went through for months. We know what we what we are feeling like in the last months and this is even more of a positive sign for me and my team because, you know, we put a lot of extra work in trying to be as ready as possible mentally.
SCHOLES: First year since 2002 that none of the big three -- Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal won a Grand Slam. You and Carlos Alcaraz won them all.
Do you feel like this is the changing of the guard in men's tennis.
SINNER: Yes. It's so -- it's tough to predict the future details but I think it's nice for tennis to see some new champions, some new favorites of tournaments. And yes, I'm happy to be -- to be part of this, at least this year.
So let's see what's coming next year. Obviously, it's -- they're all big, big challenges coming up but, you know, I'm just looking -- I'm looking forward to improve as a player and then we see what I can do.
SCHOLES: You're just 23-years-old, first man in 50 years to win your first two Grand Slams in the same year. How many more -- how many are you going to win? How many you got?
SINNER: This is the question I could never answer. And for sure we are aiming to be -- to become a better tennis player and a better person daily. And then we'll see what we can catch in the future.
I mean me and my team -- they're always in the present moment trying to be as ready as possible for every challenge. And then -- and then we'll see.
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KINKADE: Well, thanks so much for joining us. That does it for CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Stay with us. Anna Coren is next with more news.
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