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United Nations General Assembly Begins Today, World Leaders to Tackle Certain Issues; U.S. House Speaker Gets Bipartisan Support for a Spending Bill to Keep Government Funds Running through December. Four Dead, 17 Injured in a Birmingham Mass Shooting; New Discovery Could Break Cold Cases; Minnesota to Shut Coal-Fired Plant and Repurpose as a Renewable Energy Plant. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 23, 2024 - 03:00 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 CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Anna Coren live from Hong Kong.
Ahead this hour. Israel launches new extensive strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as world leaders gather for this year's U.N. General Assembly.
With 43 days to go until election day in the U.S., a new poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris is slightly leading her Republican rival. But Donald Trump is already hinting about his future plans.
And the U.S. House Speaker unveils a short-term spending plan to avert a government shutdown. But the question is whether he can get it through his own chamber.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Hong Kong, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Anna Coren.
COREN: Well the clock is ticking down until the beginning of the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly. World leaders are already gathering in New York ahead of tomorrow's start to discuss the most pressing issues around the world and there's quite a list to choose from.
Multiple wars, famine and climate change only scratch the surface on the possible agenda. It will come directly after the Summit of the Future, focused on how the UN will help the world develop and address issues going forward.
One of the notable appearances this week will be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He arrived in the US on Sunday and visited a Pennsylvania manufacturing plant that makes munitions for his country. After the U.N., Zelenskyy is set to visit Washington, where he plans to unveil his victory plan against Russia to U.S. President Joe Biden.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This fall will determine what comes next in this war, together with our partners. We can strengthen our positions as needed for our victory, our shared victory, for a truly just peace. In the United States, Ukraine will present its plan for victory and the U.S. President will be the first to see it in full.
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COREN: U.S. officials continue to urge Israel to de-escalate tensions with Hezbollah, but attacks across the Israeli-Lebanese border have intensified. Here's what U.S. President Joe Biden had to say on Sunday.
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REPORTER: Mr. President, are you worried about rising tensions in the Middle East?
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes I am, but we're going to do everything we can to keep the wider war from breaking out. And we're still pushing hard. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: The Israeli military says it's conducting what it calls extensive strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon right now, adding that it struck 150 targets. The IDF is urging Lebanese civilians to get out of areas where Hezbollah operates, warning that more strikes are coming.
The Iranian-backed militant group has fired over 8,000 rockets towards Israel since October 7, according to the Israeli ambassador to the U.N. He says about 70,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in northern Israel, quote, "becoming refugees in their own land." But Hezbollah's second-in-command is accusing Israel of committing war crimes and warning that a battle without limits has now begun.
Well joining us now is CNN's Paula Hancocks, live from Abu Dhabi. And Paula, tell us the latest developments.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Anna, the rhetoric we're hearing from both sides certainly doesn't give the impression of things calming down any time soon. In fact, over the weekend we saw the most intense exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel that we have seen since the war in Gaza started. Now we're hearing from the Israeli side that these are extensive strikes. As you say, we've heard that this morning alone there's been about 150. Air Force strikes on Hezbollah targets.
And we have been hearing from the Israeli Prime Minister that one of his main war objectives is to make sure that tens of thousands of Israeli evacuees who have had to move from the border are able to move back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Over the past few days, we have struck Hezbollah with a series of blows it didn't imagine. If Hezbollah didn't get the message, I assure you they will get the message. We are determined to return our citizens in the north to their homes safely. No country can tolerate incoming fire against the citizens, incoming fire against its cities. And we too, the State of Israel, won't tolerate it.
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HANCOCKS: Hezbollah has been carrying out a barrage of missile and rocket launches, they say, in retaliation for Israeli attacks, including those attacks last week where pagers and walkie-talkies that were belonging to Hezbollah exploded and also an attack on Friday in a Beirut neighborhood which killed a senior Hezbollah commander and other Hezbollah fighters, but also a number of civilians as well, about 45 killed in that particular attack.
Now the U.S. administration has been at pains to try and prevent a wider conflict from breaking out. This is certainly one of the greatest concerns at this point. Let's listen to the National Security Council Chief.
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JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: We're watching with concern the escalating tensions in the region and across that border here in the last week or so. And we don't believe -- continue to not believe that kinetic action, military action, by either side is really in either side's best interest, certainly not in the interest of what the prime minister says he wants to do, which is get families back to their homes. There's a better way forward here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: But at this point, neither side seems willing or able to pull back at this point. And what we're hearing from the Israeli military as well is that they are warning those in southern Lebanon and in areas where Hezbollah is operating to move away. Of course, the very nature of Hezbollah and its secrecy means that in many cases people may not know that they are living next door to Hezbollah operatives. But they're also the Israeli side accusing Hezbollah of hiding missiles and weaponry in civilian houses in southern Lebanon, at this point not actually offering any evidence to prove that.
But it certainly is a great concern for the region. At this point, when you hear the rhetoric coming from both sides, Hezbollah's number two Naim Qasseem saying that this is now a battle without limits. Anna?
COREN: Paula Hancocks from Abu Dhabi, we appreciate the update. Thank you very much.
More than two dozen people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza over the weekend. That's according to reports from the Enclave. At least seven people were killed on Sunday morning in an attack on a school compound, though Israeli forces claim it was being used as a base for Hamas. And at least 22 people, mostly women and children, were reportedly killed in an airstrike on Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering a plan that would force all Palestinians out of northern Gaza to lay siege to Hamas. The prospective plan would keep Hamas fighters busy, eventually starving them and forcing them to release hostages still held in the area.
In a letter obtained by CNN, 27 members of the Knesset, including three sitting ministers, have written to the government urging them to adopt it. It's one of many plans being considered according to Israeli officials.
Well there's just over six weeks left in the race for the White House. And in the latest CNN poll of polls, Kamala Harris is holding 50 percent support to Donald Trump's 47 percent. The results suggest a slight shift in Harris' favor since the ABC News presidential debate almost two weeks ago. But that difference is just inside the typical margin of error for a national poll.
The Democratic nominee says she will lay out her economic vision in the coming days. Harris will push what she refers to as an opportunity economy. Her plan will address the aspirations of voters while tackling the challenges they face.
This race is far from over, but Donald Trump is already fielding questions on what he would do if he doesn't win the U.S. presidential election in November.
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SHARYL ATTKINSON, HOST. "FULL MEASURE WITH SHARYL ATTKINSON": If you're not successful this time, do you see yourself running again in four years?
DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't. No, I don't. I think that will be. That will be it. I don't see that at all. I think that hopefully we're going to be successful.
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COREN: The Republican nominee also says no deals have been made over positions in his next administration if he's elected.
Donald Trump is once again peddling election related conspiracy theories in an attempt to get out the vote. The Republican nominee urged Minnesota voters in a telly rally hosted by the state GOP to vote early saying, quote, "we're going to make this one too big to rig." And rehash the false claim that election fraud was behind his loss in 2020. Take a listen.
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TRUMP: We're 43 days away from the most important election in the history of our country and early voting in your state is underway right now at this moment. It's underway. So I'm asking you to get your friends and get your family, get everyone you know and make plans to vote for Trump. Go out and vote for Trump.
We're going to save our country. Our country's in big trouble. And you can do it by mail or early in person or on election day, but make sure your ballot counts and check it. You can check it because you know bad things go on and bad things went on the last election.
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COREN: Meanwhile, Donald Trump is being challenged to a second debate by the U.S. Vice President after she accepted CNN's invitation to participate in another face-off.
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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS (D), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Join me on the debate stage. Let's have another debate. There's more to talk about it. And voters of America deserve to be here. The conversations that I think we should be having on substance, on issues on policies, what's your plan, what's my plan, and we should have another one before election day.
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COREN: Well Trump has said it's, quote, "too late to have another presidential debate because early voting would have already begun." The debate is scheduled for October 23.
Several top operatives for the Trump-backed candidate in North Carolina's governor race have stepped down. A senior advisor for Mark Robinson reaffirmed that he and several other officials have exited the campaign. This comes after CNN reported Robertson had made a number of inflammatory and obscene comments on a pornographic website.
In response to his staff upheaval, he says, I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days.
Earlier I spoke with the Deputy Editor for "Inside Elections," Jacob Rubashkin about how both candidates are faring among voters.
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JACOB RUBASHKIN, DEPUTY EDITOR, "INSIDE ELECTIONS": Look, Vice President Kamala Harris is the one with all of the momentum as we enter the final stretch ahead of Election Day. And really, you know, Election Day in America, no longer just a day, we're already in Election Day.
We're in election season. Voters in North Carolina, voters in Virginia, voters in more and more states across the nation are casting ballots already every single day. And so, the more that Kamala Harris can do to improve her position right now, when she already has the lead, the better she will do on election day because she is already banking those votes every single day that goes on.
And former President Trump is really struggling. He has been on his back foot ever since Democrats swapped their nominee and he just hasn't found a way to regain control of the narrative.
We saw that with the debate performance. We saw that with his embrace of conspiracy theories about Haitian migrants in Ohio. He just has not been able to reestablish himself in the position that he was when he was running against Joe Biden.
COREN: Let's talk about Harris' lead, because obviously the latest polls show her ahead. But how much do you read into that?
RUBASHKIN: Look, we know that polling can be an inexact science. We saw that in 2020. We have seen that in other elections as well. But the fact remains they're still our best tools for understanding the behaviors of large groups of people.
And so, look, I think that the data that we have from the polling is incredibly important and at the moment it all pretty much lines up with our expectations which is that Harris has a narrow but clear and consistent lead in the nationwide polling by about three percentage points. And in those battleground states, the seven or so that will determine the actual results of the election and the electoral college. She's much closer. She's very much tied.
And when I look at this polling, I try and remain skeptical and understand that, of course, there's the chance for a polling error like we've seen in previous years. But more generally, in a close race, all the numbers can really tell us is that it is close and that in those key battleground states, the seven toss-ups that will determine the election, either Harris or Trump has a clear path to win.
COREN: Jacob, Donald Trump has ruled out a second debate with Harris and after his first debate performance surely that doesn't come as a surprise.
RUBASHKIN: No, not at all. Look, this has been a very odd cycle for presidential debates. It's the first cycle in 40 years where it was not organized ahead of time by the Commission on Presidential Debates, which is a nonpartisan entity that both campaigns typically work with. They schedule three presidential debates, one vice presidential debate, and they all conform to the same kinds of rules.
[03:14:51]
This has really been the wild west of debates this cycle, both candidates independently negotiating with a variety of news networks and each other to set up the debates. We had that incredibly early debate back in June that kicked off the whole set of events that led to Joe Biden's stepping down as the Democratic nominee. That was not supposed to happen, nobody expected that to happen, so the fact that Donald Trump is refusing to debate Kamala Harris a second time isn't the least expected thing to happen in this election cycle.
However of course you know he said it's too late. The reality is we've had debates later in the election cycle and then the October 23rd- suggested date from Harris on CNN. Just in 2020, Joe Biden and Donald Trump's final debate of that cycle was actually a day further than the October 23rd would be this year.
So it's not unprecedented, but clearly given the results of that first debate in September, unsurprising that Trump isn't really interested in sharing a stage with the Vice President again.
COREN: Jacob Rubashkin, great to get your insights. Thanks so much for joining us.
RUBASHKIN: Thanks.
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COREN: The U.S. Speaker of the House is laying out plans to avoid a government shutdown before Mike Johnson has unveiled a bare-bones short-term spending bill that will keep things running until mid- December, and it's getting support from both sides of the aisle. Julia Benbrook has more.
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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a letter to his members, House Speaker Mike Johnson outlined his plan to avoid a government shutdown, with that September 30th deadline quickly approaching. His plan gets us to December 20th with a limited continuing resolution, likely setting up another government funding fight right ahead of the holidays, but after the November election.
In his letter, he wrote, quote, "Our legislation will be a very narrow, bare-bones C.R., including only the extensions that are absolutely necessary. While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it's the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances."
We know that this bill includes funding for the Secret Service. That has been a big topic on Capitol Hill following the two apparent assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump. And this version of the bill appears to have bipartisan support. In fact, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in the Senate said that it is free of cuts and poison pills, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that Congress is now on a path to avoid a shutdown.
This comes after Johnson has tried some other strategies to come to an agreement. He brought a different version of a funding bill to the floor last week, but it was opposed by most Democrats and several Republicans. A reminder that he is leading with a very narrow majority.
Julia Benbrook, CNN.
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COREN: Up next, I'll be speaking with the "Washington Post"- Afghanistan Bureau Chief on the target of Taliban's latest restrictions. Stay with us.
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COREN: Pakistan's president is condemning a roadside bomb attack on a convoy visiting foreign diplomats on Sunday. The explosion happened in the country's northwest Swat Valley area, an area of militant insurgency. One police officer was killed and four others wounded, but the diplomats were unharmed. Local leaders had invited them to showcase the area as a potential tourism spot. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
And in Afghanistan, the Taliban is not just imposing strict rules on women, it's now enforcing laws dictating what men can and cannot wear. In August, the Taliban formally codified a long set of requirements and restrictions on men's appearance, which includes growing a fist- long beard, prohibiting men from wearing jeans and banning some haircuts as against Islamic law, which means anything short or imitating a Western style.
I'm now joined by Rick Noack. He is the "Washington Post"-Afghanistan Bureau Chief, and he joins us now from Islamabad, Pakistan. Rick, great to see you. Thank you so much for joining us. Let's first start with that attack in Pakistan. No one has claimed responsibility, but who is believed to be behind the attacks?
RICK NOACK, AFGHANISTAN BUREAU CHIEF, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, this attack really shows how dangerous, how volatile the northwest of Pakistan has become again. The main suspect here is the Pakistani Taliban, which has been behind most attacks in that part of Pakistan, the TTP, as they're called.
They've denied that they're responsible today. They say they're only targeting civilians, and an attack on foreign diplomats would not really fall into the kind of attack that they usually claim responsibility for. But what's possible is that, for example, a splinter group of the TTP of the Pakistani Taliban is behind this attack.
COREN: Rick, in neighboring Afghanistan, you have extensively covered the draconian edicts and laws enforced by the Taliban on girls and women. They can't go to school, can't go to university, must be fully covered up. And most recently, their voices cannot be heard in public. Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. Tell us, you are speaking to these women. Tell us the impact it is having on half the population. NOACK: Well, what they've been telling us since these new laws were
codified about four weeks ago is that things have really changed dramatically in Kabul, especially in these cosmopolitan areas, where the Taliban has tried to enforce a lot of their laws but had struggled so far.
What you're now seeing in places like Kabul is a lot more morality police on the streets over the past four weeks who are roaming bus stops, who are searching shopping halls, really looking for any women who are violating these rules that have been imposed over the past weeks.
COREN: And then your latest story for the "Washington Post" talks about the impact that the Supreme Leader's edicts are having on the men in Afghanistan. What are they telling you?
[03:24:55]
NOACK: Well, it's very interesting. So far, men could carry on freely in urban areas, for the most part. They did not have major restrictions imposed on them when it came to dress codes, the length of their beards. But that is now changing. These laws are also targeting men. They're mandating the length of the beards, mandating that men should not imitate Westerners, should not look like them.
And it's come as a surprise to quite a few people who are living in places like Kabul, not just to men, but also to women who are saying that what they're seeing over the past few weeks is quite frankly astonishing. They're seeing more men growing beards and carrying prayer rugs. So there is a noticeable impact, especially in urban areas of Afghanistan.
COREN: I guess, you know, the men of Afghanistan largely remained silent during the protest that we saw in Kabul and around Afghanistan in 2021 and 2022 when the Taliban took over, it wasn't like the uprising in neighboring Iran where men and women took to the streets to protest the strict interpretation of Islam in the wake of Massa Amini's death. Are the men that you speak to in Afghanistan, are they regretting their inaction?
NOACK: I think some of them certainly do. And it's correct to say, you know, the protests that we have seen over the past months, years, they've usually been women alone in the streets. The women I spoke to over the past year and a half have always emphasized that they feel left alone, both by the international community, but also by their own husbands, by their own Afghan men.
And -- And I think some of them are now hoping that this is changing. I've spoken to a few Afghan men over the past two weeks who do say they regret not speaking up sooner. But the question is, how much can they still do at this point, three years into Taliban rule?
COREN: Rick, I think it's really important for our audience and the world to remember that no other Muslim country treats women the way the Taliban does. Why is the supreme leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, why is he doing this? Why this strict interpretation of Islam?
NOACK: Well, that's really the big question. A lot of people who are following Afghanistan these days think there are multiple groups within the Taliban. You certainly do see a somewhat more moderate group that certainly does not seem to be in control right now.
A lot of the decrees, a lot of the laws that are now changing really what's happening in Kabul, they do come from, or they do appear to come from, Kandahar, from the supreme leader who is apparently trying to assert himself more forcefully in urban centers where his laws or some of the more conservative laws were not strictly followed over the past three years.
COREN: This has been a fascinating conversation. Afghanistan bureau chief, Rick Noack, we thank you for your time. Thanks so much for joining us.
NOACK: Thanks for having me on.
Well the city of Birmingham, Alabama, is rocked by a mass shooting. Just ahead, what police are saying about the violent attack that left four people dead.
Plus the details on a forensic science breakthrough that could help solve cold cases that have frustrated investigators for years.
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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Anna Coren. A look at the top stories we're following this hour.
The Israeli military says it's conducting what it calls extensive strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon right now, adding that it struck 150 targets amid fears of a wider war breaking out in the region. The IDF is urging Lebanese civilians to get out of areas where Hezbollah operates, warning that more strikes are coming.
In the U.S., Donald Trump says he has no plans to run for office again in 2028 if he were to lose in November. Meanwhile, his opponent, Kamala Harris, is preparing to bring her economic plan before the public later this week. The plan will focus on the everyday challenges voters face, like high grocery bills.
Several top operatives for the Trump-backed candidate in North Carolina's governor race are exiting the campaign. Mark Robinson is facing the fallout after a CNN report that he made obscene comments on a pornographic website.
Four people are dead and 17 others hurt after multiple shooters opened fire on a crowd in Birmingham, Alabama. This was the chaotic scene Saturday night at a crowded entertainment district in the city. Police believe one victim was the focus of a targeted hit and that the other victims were caught in the crossfire.
CNN's Rafael Romo has the details.
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RAFEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN has obtained a video showing what the scene was like here, Saturday night just moments after the shooting. Before we go to the video, we need to warn our viewers that it may be disturbing for some people.
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As you can see, the video captures a scene of panic and shows at least three people lying on the ground as police lights flash in the background. There are several key details that officials have revealed so far. First, Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurman says several individuals showed up in a car shortly after 11:00 on Saturday night, got out of the car and opened fire, leaving three people dead here at the scene.
Those victims were two men and a woman. A fourth victim was pronounced dead later at the University of Alabama Hospital. Another key detail is that police believe this was a targeted hit on one person and the other victims were caught in the crossfire. Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurman said his officers found around 100 shell casings here at this site of the shooting.
And this has been a very violent year for the city of Birmingham. In February, four men were shot and killed outside a public library. And then in July, a shooting at a nightclub left four people dead and 10 others injured.
We spoke with a resident of this area, downtown Birmingham, who was part of a group of people who stopped by to lay flowers at the site of the shooting to honor the memory of the victims.
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UNKNOWN: This is really personal to me. I care about Birmingham. Jesus has called us to love each other and to love our city. And we want to be known as a city for love around the world, not for hate.
ROMO: We've also learned the White House is coordinating with federal, state and local officials here in Alabama as authorities advance in the investigation into the shooting. In a statement, the director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Steph Feldman said, quote, "Americans should not have to live like this and we can't let it become normal."
Rafael Romo, CNN, Birmingham, Alabama.
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COREN: New details are emerging about the hours leading up to the shocking death of an Eastern Kentucky judge allegedly at the hands of his own sheriff. The community gathered at a high school gym on Sunday for the funeral of Judge Kevin Mullins, who was allegedly gunned down in his own chambers on Thursday by Sheriff Sean Steins.
Investigators are still looking for a motive in the killing, but we have since learned the two men had lunch just hours before the shooting. Circuit Court Clerk Mike Watt says he saw them shortly before noon on the day of the shooting, what describes Mullins and Steins as, quote, "joking around about national politics, then they went down the street to eat lunch." Steins is facing a first degree murder charge and is expected to be arraigned this week.
Faith leaders are calling for an end to the lies about the Haitian community. Multiple faith leaders came together for a prayer vigil in Springfield, Ohio on Sunday. This follows Donald Trump and JD Vance's repeated telling of a debunked conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants are eating neighborhood pets, which prompted several threats against the community. Well-prominent civil rights leader, Bishop William Barber, said people should be focusing instead on important issues like poverty, homelessness and the need for health care.
A new crime fighting tool developed from microscopic particles holds the promise of breaking open cold cases from decades ago. The fluorescent powder illuminates what was previously invisible to the naked eye. Anna Stewart shows us how it works.
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ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Young PhD student Nick Ross is examining a breakthrough in forensic science. One that could solve some of the oldest crimes and bring what was once invisible to the surface.
NICK ROSS, CHEMISTRY PHD STUDENT: So what we've done, what we've aimed to do, is create a new powder for developing fingerprints. Powders are the most widely used, most successful method for developing fingerprints, but they have lots of issues already and there's always room for improvement.
STEWART (voice-over): The powder dusting method to identify fingerprints has been utilized since the 19th century. But even as the most widely used method of developing prints, there's only so much this earlier technique can detect.
ROSS: What we're hoping is that we'll be able to get fingerprints that current powders can't get. We should be able to get fingerprints that maybe someone's washed their hands more recently and they've touched something but they've left residue behind but we're going to be able to get that using a more sensitive powder.
STEWART (voice-over): Ross along with other experts created this luminous substance made from tiny particles of matter and a sugar found on the exterior of shellfish. Made of natural oils and sweat, Fingerprints can sometimes evaporate, but the smaller particles and fluorescence in this new powder can light up much smaller details.
It can stick to remnants on many surfaces like glass, metals and even more intricate surfaces like banknotes, which can resemble fingerprint details themselves.
ROSS: This image is particularly nice because the fingerprint is so different to the banknote itself. It's so clear. The fluorescence of the particles are so strong that there's no chance you mistake the detail for the banknote. There's even, as you can see, a fluorescent detail in the background, but that fluorescent detail is not strong enough to contrast with the fingerprint that's been enhanced.
STEWART (voice-over): For now, experts can detect prints up to a month after it's been deposited.
ROBERT HILLMAN, CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR: So could we go back and visit cold cases? I would be reasonably optimistic about this because there will inevitably be some residue left, perhaps not very much, but we don't need very much.
STEWART (voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Record rains are hammering coastal Japan, causing widespread flooding and devastation. Those details after the break.
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COREN: A coastal area in Japan has been drenched with record rains while still recovering from a devastating New Year's Day earthquake. Well deadly flooding and landslides hit Ishikawa Prefecture on Saturday. At least six people are dead and thousands evacuated after 16 area rivers burst their banks. The storm has caused widespread flooding and cut power to thousands of households.
Well, CNN's Hanako Montgomery is monitoring the situation from Tokyo. And Hanako, tell us about the impact to these communities already devastated.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and as you rightly described, these communities are already devastated, first from that devastating and very large earthquake we saw on January 1st, a horrible way to start the New Year. And now they're seeing record rainfalls and flooding in their neighborhoods and in their towns.
Now, in terms of the devastation that we've been seeing, as you mentioned, six people have died in Ishikawa Prefecture, thousands more have been evacuated, and also thousands have lost power.
Now the Japanese government has dispatched members of the self-defense forces, members of the police force, and also firefighters to try to find any remaining survivors. But again, Anna, the devastation has been really widespread.
We're seeing people just walk through these flooded rivers, these flooded roads. Some have had to wade through their homes and stores also completely flooded.
And actually, Anna, some of these flooded homes have been temporary shelters for people who evacuated after that devastating January 1st earthquake. We were actually there in Noto a few days after that earthquake. And we saw how the massive quake completely collapsed entire homes and buildings. We saw roofs cave in. We also saw people getting pulled out from underneath the rubble.
And now those people, those very same people who survived that devastating earthquake are having to deal with just a second disaster months later. Here's what one resident had to say about the double disaster.
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AKEMI YAMASHITA, RESIDENT (through translator): The earthquake occurred on January 1st, and again the city became like a scene out of a movie in September. I cannot help thinking the Noto region might be cursed or something. I'm shocked that so many unbelievable things happened in one year.
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[03:45:03]
MONTGOMERY: And these residents, Anna, are extremely exhausted from having to deal with two disasters. They spent the past few months trying to reconstruct and rebuild their neighborhoods and their towns, and now some of them have to start all over again.
Now, the weather in Ishikawa Prefecture has been a bit sunnier these last couple of hours and this past day, really, so that's really helped reconstruction efforts and recovery efforts. Helicopters are now flying in the region. They're getting supplies to people who need them. But again, just the mental toll that this double disaster has taken on local residents has been very extreme. They're really reeling from the devastating consequences of these very fatal natural disasters. Anna?
COREN: Yeah, two natural disasters in a matter of months. Hanako Montgomery, great to have you on the story. Thank you so much.
Well parts of Europe are still reeling from deadly flooding after record rainfall in the region. Floodwaters have receded in Poland, showing extensive damage in a mountain town. A dam burst, ripping the walls of some buildings and leaving the streets covered in mud and debris.
Residents in one Hungarian town have resorted to using boats to get around the floodwaters, saying they plan to stay around to protect their homes as long as conditions remain safe. Well this was how swollen the Danube River was on Sunday in Budapest. The river was expected to hit record levels but fell short of the 2013 record.
In Germany, the Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz won an election in the eastern state of Brandenburg, but just barely. The SPD narrowly defeated an effort by the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Projections give Social Democrats 30.7 percent of the vote, with the AfD getting 29.4 percent.
AfD leaders told cheering supporters it is the party of the future. The party is strongly anti-immigrant and pro-Russia. This narrow loss comes just three weeks after the AFD became the first far-right party to win a German state election since World War II.
Sri Lanka's new President has been sworn in a day after his landslide election victory. Well self-described Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake won with more than 42 percent of the vote. Well this after the incumbent led the nation through an economic meltdown by imposing austerity measures that left voters angry.
At its peak, inflation in the South Asian nation was at 70 percent. Turnout was strong, with some 75 percent of eligible Sri Lankans casting a ballot. Well crowds took to the streets to celebrate, the new president represents the People's Liberation Front. He beat his nearest rival by more than a million votes.
An industrial revolution is unfolding in Minnesota, where the state's biggest climate polluter is shifting from coal to solar and wind and energy. Those details ahead.
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COREN: American football player and two-time Super Bowl champion Mercury Morris died at the age of 77. He played seven of his eight NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, including their undefeated season in 1972. Well Morris' son confirmed his passing on Sunday on social media, writing in part, his talent and passion left an indelible mark on the sport.
The Miami Dolphins released a statement as well, saying, He loved the dolphins, the fans and the community of South Florida and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest players to don the aqua and orange.
In Minnesota, a coal-fired power plant will soon shut down and reopen using solar and wind energy. Experts say the plan to repurpose the plant's existing infrastructure could supercharge the push for renewable energy. CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir has the story.
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BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behold a fire-breathing dinosaur named Sherco.
For decades it has been devouring mountains of coal in Minnesota, and belching out gigatons of planet cooking gasses, making this power plant the state's biggest climate polluter. But in a vivid example of energy transition, Sherco's owners are changing its diet. Swapping out coal for renewables until the last fire goes out in 2030. And after that, 125,000 homes will be powered by sun, wind, and iron batteries with four days backup.
WEIR: Is Xcel decarbonizing as a strategy?
RYAN LONG, PRESIDENT, XCEL ENERGY MINNESOTA: Yeah, so we are decarbonizing as a strategy. We have had a goal to get to 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2050 for a number of years now. Two years ago, the Minnesota legislature passed a law that said they want to get to 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2040. So that's now our target, and we're on track to meet that.
WEIR: That pile of coal weighs around 1.7 million tons. In about six years, it'll be all gone. The smokestacks will be obsolete. But this fossil of a different age will remain a valuable part of the community, pushing out clean energy from wind farms and solar fields all around the state. But this is also a model for the rest of the country. A study out of Cal Berkeley found that the U.S. could double its power capacity by building new energy next to old infrastructure.
PETE WYCKOFF, MINNESOTA COMMERCE DEPARTMENT: Minnesota for economic reasons was already moving to phase out coal, but what the Inflation Reduction Act did through its tax credits is give extra incentives for when you phase out a plant, a fossil fuel plant, to build something new right there.
WEIR: And use the bones. And the connections.
WYCKOFF: You use the site is actually being used. The more important thing is you're using an existing way to connect to the electric grid.
WEIR (voice-over): Minnesota recently completed a transmission upgrade, but the lines are already strained by all the new supply and demand. So like a fast pass at Disneyland, this method allows clean energy projects to skip the years-long wait for grid connection, while making the shift a lot less jarring for local communities.
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WEIR: What does that mean for workers? Can the same people who are now working in coal come over and work in sunlight?
LONG: Well, some of them can. So we've got about 240 workers at the plant. And what we have told them is, if you want a job with Xcel Energy after that plant retires, you'll have a job with Xcel Energy.
WEIR: Would this have happened without the Tim Walz administration? And their targets, would it have happened without the Inflation Reduction Act that you'll buy?
LONG: Yeah, so the Walz administration has been really great to work with. And the IRA benefits have been really significant for our customers. That helps us move through this transition while bringing customer bills down compared to what they otherwise would be. We're extracting about $300 million of IRA benefits for our customers with this project alone.
WEIR (voice-over): He says their customers will eventually reap billions in tax incentives as Xcel winds down dozens of fossil fuel plants, all part of a quiet industrial revolution, steadily spreading nationwide.
Bill Weir, CNN, Becker, Minnesota.
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COREN: Before we go, we want to introduce you to a really tenacious cat who's clearly used up a few of his nine lives. Meet Rainbow.
Well, he got lost during a June trip to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. But somehow, this two-year-old Siamese made it back home, and that's a thousand miles away in California. Well, an animal rescue group says Rainbow's microchip helped get him back to his family. His owners said they prayed that he would be found. Well, Rainbow's family includes his sister, Star. Of course it deals.
That is certainly one lucky pussycat. Well, thank you so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren, in Hong Kong. "CNN Newsroom" continues with my colleagues Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane in London. Stay with CNN.
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