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FBI Searches Trump's Home In Classified Document Probe; Gaza Residents Endure The Scars Of War; East Africa's Largest Economy Holds National Elections; U.S. Sending More Money and Weapons To Ukraine; Haitians Grapple With Rising Gang Violence and Hunger. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired August 09, 2022 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR (voiceover): The FBI carries out an unprecedented search of former President Trump's home in Florida. Plus, a new raid by

Israeli forces in the West Bank kills three as a ceasefire in Gaza continues to hold. Plus, this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This kind of intense violence that so many sites when they talk about (INAUDIBLE) the spiral towards collapse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON (voiceover): Extraordinary reporting you don't want to miss. Haiti's political and humanitarian crisis grows as gangs appear to gain the upper

hand. We are live in Port-au-Prince.

(on camera) I am Paula Newton in New York, and a warm welcome. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. It is, for sure, uncharted territory for the United

States and a sudden explosion for an investigation that has been really on a slow burn. For the first time, U.S. authorities have searched the private

home of a former president. CNN is told the search of Donald Trump's Palm Beach Resort on Monday was part of an investigation into the alleged

mishandling of classified documents, documents that may have been taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago.

Now, CNN has also learned that the agents left with boxes. And from there, we are left, of course, with so many questions, right? What's in the

documents? Why was a search warrant executed? And why now? And what will, of course, the fallout be especially politically? Right now, all we're left

with is speculation. But a former FBI official told CNN the order for the search would have come, of course, from the highest levels of the Justice

Department. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER STRZOK, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FBI: There has never been there is no FBI agent who has ever conducted and executed a search warrant at the

residence of a former president. So, this is in fact unprecedented. And for something of this magnitude, something of this significance, there's little

doubt in my mind that the Director of the FBI, Chris Wray, was briefed in detail about this operation, approved it. And similarly, I have -- I have

no doubt that both Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Attorney General Merrick Garland were well aware of this and approved it as well. So, this -

- nothing, no search warrant is taken lightly. I mean, this is a very intrusive investigative technique, a judge has to approve it.

But when you're talking about the context of a former president, something that has never been done in our nation's history, I have no doubt that this

was scrutinized at the very highest levels in great detail. And another important thing to note, traditionally, there's a 90-day buffer around an

election time, where DOJ does not tend to take overt investigative steps. Look at the dates we're talking about right now in early August. Three

months from now is election day. So, I also have a -- I have a feeling and have a sense that part of the timing about this search warrant yesterday

was driven by potentially the approaching dates of the midterm elections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Really good analysis there, and yet so many more questions. CNN's Gabby Orr is covering the latest developments for us from Washington, D.C.

And Leyla Santiago is near President Trump's estate in Palm Beach, Florida. And we will get to her shortly. Gabby, I want to start with you. You broke

a lot of this news in the last 24 hours. What can you tell us about why the Justice Department took such an extraordinary step? I mean, why now after

so many months?

GABBY ORR, CNN REPORTER: Well, Paula, as you mentioned, this investigation has been slow burning. We know that the Justice Department has been doing

interviews with aides to the former president down at Mar-a-Lago since April of this year. And our sources tell us that there was a meeting, a

critical meeting at Mar-a-Lago in June, where attorneys representing Donald Trump met with counterintelligence agents there to discuss the keeping of

White House records, where they were being stored on President -- former -- presidential properties owned by Donald Trump, and whether they were being

stored in a secure manner. Now, we know during the course of that meeting, that these agents were shown a room in a basement at Mar-a-Lago where some

of these records were being kept.

[10:05:00]

And just days after they met with attorneys for the former president, a letter was sent to Mar-a-Lago explicitly asking aides to Donald Trump to do

a better job of securing that room, where some of these documents were kept, presumably because they were marked with classified markings. We do

know that in the course of that June meeting, these agents with the government were given at least some documents that were marked top secret,

according to sources. So, it seems as though that meeting was really what precipitated this search that was executed at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago

property yesterday, that perhaps not everything was turned over to the government at that point in that June meeting when it occurred, or perhaps

nothing was turned over, and they were returning to Mar-a-Lago to gather those documents that were being kept in the basement facility there.

This does, of course, raise so many questions about the keeping of White House Records by the former president, whether he has been mishandling

classified records, specifically, and what his attorneys were doing between that June meeting and yesterday when this FBI search was executed.

NEWTON: Yes, and given everything that you tell us, we do have to keep in mind, this doesn't mean that he'll necessarily be charged with anything at

this point. Just as we've been saying, it is a stunning move by the Justice Department. Leyla Santiago is now in front of Mar-a-Lago for us. And you

know, I'm sure, Leyla, you like the rest of us, saw that Donald Trump himself broke this news to the world, knowing full well it would outrage,

and of course, jumpstart a lot of people who are looking for him to start his reelection campaign.

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I can tell you I have seen it myself how this has sort of revved up his base yesterday when we arrived. So,

hours after the -- after the search warrant was executed by the FBI, we saw as a small group of protesters, but mostly supporters came out, stood in

front of Mar-a-Lago, where there is still law enforcement in front of every single entrance. And they have really been very vocal about how displeased

they are about this. They were there last night with flags, even sort of a caravan of trucks. We heard multiple times, Trump 2024, or Trump whine up.

But we also heard from some protesters who would kind of shout out when they went by, lock him up.

So, you're really seeing the political divide here. But you are also seeing on full display what this does to his base, saw it last night, starting to

see it pick up today, as supporters come out here with the flags, with the paraphernalia to support the former president at his primary residence.

There it is, right there, 17 acres, Mar-a-Lago, where former President Donald Trump lives. And so, we are seeing it out on the bridge behind, we

saw it yesterday right in front. And it really does tell you what this news does in terms of the politics that President Trump is achieving by making

that announcement that the search warrant was executed at his home. It was focused primarily according to sources that are familiar with the

investigation in the personal quarters as well as his offices.

We know that documents were taken from the home because his attorney confirmed that, but there were still a lot of questions as to exactly what

did they take. OK, they took some boxes of documents, but exactly what was in that, and exactly what was at stake with these classified records? All

of that still remains unclear, unknown. And for the Department of Justice here, they are saying, no comment. So, it may be a bit before we learn

that.

NEWTON: Yes, or if ever, so many people have also brought up the issue of look, a lot of these documents may remain sealed. Gabby Orr, appreciate

your news there. And Leyla Santiago, good to have you on the ground. Appreciate you both. Now, as we were just talking about, right, those

developments at Mar-a-Lago sparking political uproar, we just talked about it. Could Donald Trump use that to stoke his likely White House bid in

2024? You'll want a closer look at all of that. We'll be joined next hour by CNN White House reporter Stephen Collinson. Do not miss the CONNECT THE

WORLD's continuing coverage on this. You can also head to our Web site, just log on to cnn.com or find it all on your CNN app.

And now, to the Middle East. An Israeli military operation in the West Bank killed three suspected militants. The raid in Nablus happening less than

two days after a ceasefire between Israel and Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza. Now, among those killed today, a regional militant commander who

Israel accused in a series of recent shootings in the West Bank. The Palestinian health ministry says dozens of other people though were

injured, several critically. Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman joins me now from Gaza, where this ceasefire is holding for now, right,

Ben? And the recent clashes will clearly test that ceasefire. What's your read given how critical this quiet time is here to the humanitarian

situation on the ground there in Gaza?

[0:00:18]

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this quiet time, if we've can even call it that, does give people an opportunity to resume

what passes for a normal life here in Gaza. But keep in mind, Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade since 2016. An entire generation of Palestinians

haven't been able or most of them haven't been able to actually go beyond the confines of this tiny, crowded strip of land. And during that time,

certainly since 2006, life has just gotten worse and worst, people have seen a series of wars, of civil war among the Palestinians. For many young

Palestinians now, it may be calm, but there's very little hope on the horizon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (voiceover): It's over for now. The airstrikes, the rocket barrages have come to an end, but in Gaza it never ends. 16-year-old Mahmoud (PH)

surveys what until Saturday was his home in Gaza's (INAUDIBLE) neighborhood. You feel like you don't have a life here, he says. For more

than 20 years, this small strip of land, home to 2 million people, has reeled from one round of death and destruction to another.

In Gaza City, Shifa Hospital. 10-year-old Miyar Shikyan (PH) is recovering from shrapnel wounds to her shoulder, chest, and abdomen. She was wounded

on her way to the corner store. Her 11-year-old cousin Hassam (PH) was also wounded. Miyar's mother, Mona, despairs for the children's future. It seems

when I die, she says, the generations after me will inherit bigger and bigger wars. In the next room, 2-year-old Bashir (PH) sleeping, shrapnel

lodged in his head. Outside the hospital, life goes on. The markets are bustling.

(on camera) Gaza seems to have an incredible ability to bounce back war after war. But each one of these wars leaves yet another layer of scars.

Psychologists Ayesh Samur (PH) has been treating people here for decades. He lists the woes awaiting the young. No work, no life, the feeling there's

no tomorrow, he says, it's as if they're on death row, no hope, no optimism. 10-year-old Kareen (PH) tries to find buyers for his mint. No

luck. Surviving war, surviving peace, it's all a struggle. It never ends.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN: And for the -- for the people here, there really is a sense that certainly the last few days have seen disruption, they've seen death and

destruction, but the basic facts of life have not changed, and those facts are very bitter. Paula?

NEWTON: Yes, and I know you have looked into the eyes of so many parents, Ben, who wished for a better hope in Gaza, and that hope is definitely

dimming. Ben Wedeman for us in Gaza, appreciate it. There are fears of violence, meantime, in Kenya as the day of voting wraps up there. Ahead on

CONNECT THE WORLD, why this election is so consequential for East Africa's largest economy? Meantime, fighting in Ukraine is getting dangerously close

to a nuclear power plant. What Ukrainian troops are doing to flush the Russians out and keep that power plant safe. And later in sports, big news,

Serena Williams makes an announcement about her future in tennis after her first singles victory in more than a year.

[10:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: So, minutes ago, polls closed in Kenya's national elections, and counting has begun to determine who will become the next president of East

Africa's largest economy. Now, you see here, the two top contenders, Ralia Odinga and William Ruto, casting their ballots earlier. Voters have also

been deciding on Parliament positions and local authorities. Now, earlier, we saw people flocking to polling stations as early as 2:00 a.m. local time

four hours before polls opened. As of midday, Kenya's Elections Commission said about 30 percent of registered voters had already cast their ballots.

Our Larry Madowo is in Eldoret, Kenya, which happens to be the stronghold of Deputy President William Ruto, who is now vying for the presidency.

Larry, Kenya's economy already on a knife's edge. And unfortunately, the threat of ethnic violence is still ever present there. Hard to overstate

how consequential This election will be. I see you there now, what more can you tell us about how the day's unfolded?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Paula, it is indeed, a consequential election. Polls are now closed nationwide in the country. And

this is what's happening all around the nation. They have this set down, this polling station, they have a lamp here already because they're going

to count into the night until every vote is manually counted. If I go all the way back there, you see where the ballot boxes are. The presidential

election obviously is the most important one, that's this over here. But there is the Governor and Senate and Member of National Assembly, and all

that. So, in every stream in every polling station, they will go through them one by one.

And the observers and the party agents all have to agree that this is who this person intended to vote for. It's a painstaking process for a major

national election. This is the most expensive election in the world, according to some analysis. It costs about $17 per voter. The overall

budget is about $374 million because of how much distrust there is in the election in Kenya because of the history of violence that has led to some

of the elections in 2007, most notably leading to more than 1,000 people dead. That is why in this battle between Raila Odinga, the former prime

minister, and William Ruto, there is a need to make sure that the elections seem to be free and fair, so that there is no violence like that happened

in 2007, Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, and we hear you. Whatever, you know, verdict there is, whatever voter turnout there is it all has to be verified. There are

observers from so many different parties there on the scene. What can you tell us of what you noticed about turnout even though there are no official

figures available yet?

MADOWO: We should hear the official numbers from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission maybe in a few hours, but they did give the

latest indicator was about noon. So, after six hours of voting, they had about only 30 percent of people have been turned out. That's about 6.5

million voters. It's a tiny percentage of the 22.1 million who are registered voters in the country. Now, there's one comparison. In 2017, in

the first election, the turnout was about 80 percent. So, if this does pan out for the rest of the day and across the nation, it will mean a severely

depressed turnout.

What I have seen here in Eldoret and a couple of the places I've been to and the polling stations, the voters drive out by early afternoon. So, even

though this is a stronghold for the deputy president William Ruto, who's running for the first time and you expect some excitement by about 2:00

p.m., 3:00 p.m., most polling stations are empty. The poll officials are sitting there waiting for people to turn up and very few turned up. So, if

that pans out, it could be interesting to say what does that say about voter apathy? And why is it that so many people just chose not to show up?

NEWTON: Well, Larry, we're glad to have you there. We know you are watching developments carefully as we continue on to watch this vote count and see

those consequential results come in. Larry Madowo for us live in Kenya, appreciate it.

[10:20:06]

Now, we want to get you right up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now. Heavy rainfall in South Korea's capital is being

blamed for at least nine deaths. And authorities say at least six people are still missing. Now, the rain backed up storm drains with streets and

subway stations overflowing in Seoul. I mean, look at those pictures. More than 700 shops and homes have reported flooding, forcing many to flee.

Local gyms and community centers are now being used as shelters.

Now, a massive fuel hike has triggered protests in Bangladesh, meantime. Demonstrators are angry after the government raise petrol prices by more

than 50 percent Saturday. Bangladesh has been gripped by a fuel and energy crisis that has led to power cuts and higher bus fares. As Beijing conducts

military drills near Taiwan, Taipei has detected 45 Chinese war planes and 10 vessels around the Taiwan Strait. It also says 16 Chinese fighter jets

crossed the straits so-called median line. China launched these drills after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last Tuesday.

And we want to bring you some news just into CNN. Several explosions have been reported near a Russian airbase in Crimea. Video from social media

shows plumes of smoke rising in the air. This is the first report of an attack in Crimea we know under Russian control. Meantime, the U.S. is

upping its contributions to Ukraine with both money and military help. The Pentagon now acknowledges that recently sent anti-radar missiles, and it

announced Monday a billion-dollar weapons package. In addition, the U.S. is sending the Ukrainian government four and a half billion dollars just to

keep it up and running. On the ground in Ukraine, the U.S. estimates now that Russia had between 70 and 80,000 people killed or wounded since this

invasion began.

And the fighting, of course, unfortunately continues near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. But the U.K.'s defense minister says the Russians have not

made any serious or recent gains in the Donbass region. OK, a lot to get to here. David McKenzie is following all these developments for us live in

Kyiv now. And David, giving the competing narratives that we get from both Ukraine and Russia, about which side is responsible for putting that

nuclear site at risk? You know, Russia is pushing back, saying its troops are there for protection. But what more are you learning?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, protection, I have to say, at best, that is spin, at worse that it's just a total

fabrication, because the Russian troops arrived on the scene in March and took over that plant by force. They've been holding multitude of

technicians there by the hostage as they try and do their work to keep that power station going. And in the last few days, you've had competing claims

about strikes, they're putting this site in danger and threatening the entire region.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE (voiceover): Drone footage of the Russian military right inside Europe's largest nuclear site. Ukrainian and Western allies often blame

Russians for shielding their weapons here. Now, they accused them of much worse.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): We are actively informing the world about Russian nuclear blackmail, about the

shelling and mining of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: Any attack to a nuclear plant is suicidal thing. And I hope that those attacks will end.

MCKENZIE (voiceover): Ukraine blames Russia for shelling at the giant site. Russia blames Ukraine. But he attacks threatened six Soviet-era nuclear

reactors. The atomic energy agency head says there's a real threat of a nuclear disaster.

(on camera) And what is the consequences of that?

PETRO KOTIN, CHAIRMAN, ENERGOATOM: There could be a cloud, radioactive cloud, and then all consensuses will depend on the weather, actually, what

is the wind direction and where it will go, and how strong is this wind. So--

MCKENZIE (voiceover): The head of an Energoatom, Ukraine's nuclear company, says that after the strikes, just one electrical cable is left intact,

powering the cooling of Zaporizhzhia's reactors. If the power supply and the backup fail, Europe faces the specter of a Fukushima-like disaster

where the 2011 tsunami caused catastrophic reactor meltdowns.

KOTIN: This is dangerous actually situation because if this doesn't stop, then you will have like already a disaster, this mountain of nuclear

materials (INAUDIBLE) half hour.

MCKENZIE (voiceover): Back in March, Russian forces demonstrated their level of concern for nuclear safety as they took control of Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainians say 1,000 technicians are still held hostage. And as the war grinds on, the threat to the plant and Ukraine's energy security continues.

Ukrainian officials now believe Russia is trying to connect the plant to its own grid, attempting to cut off the country that they are determined to

conquer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[0:00:16]

MCKENZIE (on camera): Now, all of those Ukrainian officials and workers are in there, working under terrible conditions. The head of the nuclear power

company here saying that they have been beaten up, some of them harassed, afraid for their lives, at least one person was killed in that round of

rockets and shelling in the last few days. It's a very tenuous position for them, their families who don't know exactly what's going on, and the nation

at hold that could, at best, potentially, lose a whole important section of their power grid stability. And at worse, of course, there is this threat

of the unthinkable of a nuclear meltdown, or at very least, some kind of radiation leak because of the pressure they're under and the fighting in

that region, Paula?

NEWTON: Yes, we've heard so many warnings about this, David. What -- just in the time that we have left, is it fair to say that the people there

right now are essentially being held hostage in those nuclear plants? And when we talk about a Fukushima-size nuclear incident here, is that

plausible in terms of what we're being told?

MCKENZIE: It is plausible if a series of events happens. The first thing that would need to happen is the primary power source of that nuclear site

to go down, that will be the electrical grid from Ukraine, the next thing that would have to happen is the diesel backup, as that official was

saying, would need to go down as well. So, that's one scenario. Another scenario, of course, would be a direct strike on a nuclear reactor, but

those are very heavily fortified, it would require a very large blast to make any kind of impact. There's also another scenario which is just

because of the pressure and the fact that as they've been saying that the employees there should be putting all their efforts into nuclear safety as

they normally would, but they're fearing for their lives. There is the possibility of a lower-level accident that requires them or others to be

moved out of that area in the middle of a warzone. Paula?

NEWTON: Yes, so many troubling aspects you pick up there for us, and I'm happy you walked us through it. Because obviously it's been a concern for

several months. And acute the danger right now again. David McKenzie for us live from Kyiv, appreciate it. Now, coming up after a break, a CNN

exclusive, our Nick Paton Walsh witnesses Haiti's brutal gang violence from inside an armored vehicle. We are live in Haitian capital.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:07]

NEWTON: And welcome back, I'm Paula Newton live in New York, and you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Now, more on our top story for the first time

in U.S. history, the FBI has executed a search warrant at the home of a former president. Sources tell CNN the agents were looking for presidential

documents, possibly classified, at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Now, a person familiar with the whole situation tells CNN

Trump was in New York at the time of the search. The head of the Republican National Committee, meantime, claims it's a political move. Now, keep in

mind, FBI chief Christopher Wray was handpicked by the former president to run the FBI. Now, widespread poverty, gang warfare and a crumbling

government are forcing people to flee Haiti in droves.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

NEWTON (voiceover): Police are in firefights like this on a daily basis with gangs who now control dozens of neighborhoods in Haiti's capital, a

key port and a major highway. Now, the violence has left hundreds dead. America is the ultimate destination for many of those who flee this chaos,

even risking their lives taking the treacherous journey by boat. International Security editor Nick Paton Walsh brings us an exclusive

report inside Haiti's harrowing situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voiceover): The descent into the abyss in Haiti is fastest here. The one certainty is when

the police SWAT team we are with cross into gang territory, they will take fire. It is now a blunt war for control of the capital. The police need to

prove they can be here. The gangs, the police cannot. And it's ordinary citizens who are caught in between. Here, a passenger on a civilian bus

that was hit in the street.

TEXT: Take the injured people to the hospital. Make sure you take them to the hospital with the armored vehicle. You guys are close to there.

WALSH (voiceover): In the days before, police said they rescued six hostages in this same area, and killed a leader of the 400 Mawozo gang. The

police struggled to hold ground, so the gangs whose currency is kidnapping and drugs, are gaining far too much. Especially right here. Round hit the

armored vehicle. They think they see where the gunmen are.

TEXT: The building that says "SMS". They yellow and red one! Get away. You're too exposed. It's dangerous.

WALSH (voiceover): They run but not likely it's their first time under fire, perhaps even this day.

TEXT: As soon as we get to that point, anything that moves, light it up.

WALSH (voiceover): They slide back. Perhaps the gang have fled down the alley.

(on camera) It's this kind of intense violence that so many sites when they talk about (INAUDIBLE) the spiral towards collapse.

(voiceover) The firepower they bring doesn't in itself change who is in control. Gangs able to block main roads at will with trucks. And it

requires a major operation to clear them. Gangs now often match or outgun the police. They have a bulldozer, too, demolishing rival's houses in one

area, Cite Soleil. Locals fled at night during 10 days of clashes in July, that left over 470 dead, injured, or missing, said the U.N. As the G9 gang

expanded control, burning and demolishing. Those who survived, fled the nights here, where a mix of flies and rain stop them from even sleeping.

TEXT: They burned my house in Cite Soleil and shot my husband seven times. I can't even afford to see him at the hospital. Down here, the children are

starving.

TEXT: I have four kids, but my first is missing and I can't find him. I looked for him everywhere but can't find him.

TEXT: My mother and my father have died. My aunt saved me. I want to go to school but it was torn down.

[10:35:01]

WALSH (voiceover): To see where acute desperation can lead, we traveled to where what's left of the government rarely treads. Don't be fooled by the

beauty, there is no paradise here. Only hunger, heat, trash, and the business of leaving. Traffickers boats out to the Bahamas, Cuba, Florida,

if you're lucky. And while these places are sending Haitians back in record numbers, the U.S. Coast Guard is also stopping four times as many this year

as the last. These exits are what Johnny (PH) arranges.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If we die, we die. If we make it, we make it. I'm the one who buys the boat. It can cost up to $15,000. We're

hoping to get 250 people for the next trip because the boat is big.

WALSH (voiceover): Not everyone made it on their last trip three months ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): The boat had an engine problem. Water got inside the boat. We call for help, but they took too long. 29

people died on that ship.

WALSH (voiceover): These aren't people who usually share their trade secrets. But maybe now they're relaxed as the authorities are busy. The

boat is aging, scraps of net, plugging holes, engines not fixed yet. But this is where Johnny hopes 250 people will huddle, maybe as early as next

week.

(on camera) I mean, not really something you want to be in on dry land, let alone out the sea for days.

(voiceover) One man tells us why he saved for a year to get into here. I graduated and worked as a teacher, he says, but it did not work out. Now, I

am driving a motorcycle every day in the sun and the dust. How will I be able to take care of my family when I have one? I'm not afraid. I will be

eaten by a shark or make it to America. I hope so remote, it could only exist here. Where they say, the choice is between fire and water. Even if

all day, every day already feels like drowning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Stunning report there. Nick Paton Walsh joins us now live from Port-au-Prince. I mean, Nick, I don't even know where to begin with your

report. You were in Ukraine, you know, in the last few months. And it is a frontline there in Haiti, which every block seems to have a new firefight

going on. And yet, the international community seems to barely blink. What can you tell us about any semblance of any government order in Haiti? I

mean, is there anyone trying to bring any sense of civil order to the country?

WALSH (on camera): Yes, look, I mean, it is extraordinary here. You hear a number from a security force source saying that, you know, maybe three

quarters of this city is under gang control or influence. You think maybe that's farfetched. And the police chief himself denied that, but I just

spoke to another police officer. He said, no, that's pretty accurate for a kind of basic reason, Paul, let me just explain the geography of this. The

road to the south of the country hit by an earthquake a year ago, gang controlled. The port there, the way in for food, food aid, and trade, even

spare parts for police vehicles. That's gang controlled as well. Cite Soleil, that's been the subjects to the north of where I'm standing,

subjects of gang warfare, just to try and change territory there. That's the security situation falling apart.

The police in evidence as the government here, but obviously, a very challenging task for them. They need armor, which inhibits what they can

even see that they're shooting out at times when they move in to gang- controlled areas. So, a real feeling, frankly, of a fight against almost an insurgency you see in those gang areas. Sadly, reminiscent of places like

Iraq, we've seen in the past. The government, well, one of the compound crises Haiti is dealing with is that the president, as you know, given out

mostly was assassinated over a year ago now. And it's still the Prime Minister Ariel Henry who is in position, not elected, no sign of elections

in the months ahead at all. And frankly, people say, look, how could you have election? People can barely go out and buy food without being troubled

at times here?

And so, that is robbing I think the government have some legitimacy in the eyes of ordinary people. The government's face often for those in gang

areas is through the police. And there is this sense of a spiral here in that the government isn't really able to establish its authority on the

capital, that makes the rest of the city fail also, potentially under the sway of gangs as well. On top of that, you have an acute economic crisis,

food aid, so vital for so many people here, inflation thought to be at 30 percent, queues -- often quite angry queues for gas at every petrol station

that has it. And so, a startling feeling here amongst people that, you know, week by week, they wonder if the basic fabric of society will be

there when they wake up. Paula?

[10:40:00]

NEWTON: Yes, certainly a reasonable fear. I mean, Nick, to think that developed countries are actually sending Haitians back to Haiti, even when

they do reach safety, which you pointed out in your report. Nick, again, extraordinary reporting. Glad to have you there on the ground. Obviously, I

want to thank as well, your team, Natalie Gallon and Brice Lane for really taking extraordinary risks to bring us that story in Haiti, and we'll

continue to hear more from you throughout today and the days to come. Nick, appreciate it. And we'll be right back with more news in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Serena Williams back in the winning column after more than a year. And talking about her future outside of tennis, the 40-year-old won a hard-

fought match in the Canadian Open just weeks ahead of the U.S. Open in New York in the year's final Grand Slam event. In fact, sadly might be her

last. Amanda Davis is here for us. Amanda, you know, riveted as I am by these pictures. It's sad. I think even Canadian fans understood what they

were witnessing. And now Serena has backed that up, right?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Paula, I don't know how long you're planning on staying in New York. But if I were you, I would run out of that

studio, fly back home, and get to the Canadian Open because we don't know how many more times we are going to get the chance to see Serena Williams

on a tennis court. Having won that, she spoke to the press and talked about the fact that she was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, it was

getting ever closer. People thought that was a hint at retirement. Within the last couple of hours, she's gone a step further. She's revealed an

exclusive interview with Vogue magazine. The headline of which is "Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis on Her Own Terms." She says she's not

talking about retirement, she's using it as an evolution, a transition to the next chapter, and we have plenty more to come in just a couple of

minutes.

NEWTON: And we will be watching. Sadly, I cannot go to Toronto to watch that, but I will watch "WORLD SPORT" instead. Amanda, thank you so much,

and we will be right back with more after the break.

[10:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WORLD SPORT)

[10:52:35]

DAVIES: Speaking of highlights, there will be plenty more from our Serena Williams' announcement coming up over the next few hours here on CNN and

WORLD SPORT. Back to you, Paula.

NEWTON: Absolutely, we will look forward to that. I appreciated the personal anecdote there on missing the traffic and the goal. Amanda, thanks

so much. Appreciate it. And we will be right back with CONNECT THE WORLD right after this break.

END