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Hospital Hit in Deadly Russian Attack in Dnipro, Ukraine; Iran's Drone Transfers to Russia via Ships and Planes; Voters Preparing for Presidential Runoff in Turkey; Asiana Jet Lands Safely After Door Opened During Flight; Farmer Arrested After Rampage Kills Four in Japan; New Antibiotic Discovered with Artificial Intelligence; Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Closer to Debt Limit Deal; DeSantis Campaign Claims It Raised $8.2 Million in First 24 Hours. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired May 26, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:26]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade live from the CNN center. Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.

Coming up this hour, Russian missiles hit a medical facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Children amongst the injured.

The presidential election is headed for a runoff this weekend in Turkey. Will Erdogan win another term?

And a terrifying experience on an international flight. Men opening the exit door before the plane landed. We'll have a live report.

And also there's a new antibiotics discovered using artificial intelligence. And it may defeat a dangerous super bug.

At least two people are dead, another 30 wounded after a Russian attack hit a medical site in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. A hospital was among the

sites damaged. The mayor says it's a miracle that doctors were changing shifts when that attack happened. It means that fewer people were working

at the time of the strike.

Drone and missile strikes were also reported in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions overnight. And the Russians are reporting attacks inside Russia's

Belgorod region near the Ukrainian-Russian border. Further away an explosion has been reported in the Russian city of Krasnodar. Social media

video appears to show a drone flying above the city. Moments later, there is some kind of blast.

A short time ago, CNN's Sam Kiley filed this report from Eastern Ukraine on the Dnipro attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Once again, a night of bombardment from Russia involving cruise missiles and drones has taken

civilian lies. This time in Dnipro, where at least one person has been confirmed dead. Several missing following this bombardment, which hit a

neurological clinic. Now it could've been a lot worse potentially, with the attacks in the past have been focused on residential buildings with much

higher death tolls.

The number of people, more than a dozen reportedly injured in this latest attack, as the Ukrainians have been accused of continuing cross-border

bombardments from their northern border area into the Russian province of Belgorod. This is a claim being made by the Russian governor there. That

would be consistent with the pattern in the past in which the Ukrainians are now hitting back at cross border artillery strikes that they've been

suffering for more than a year from that south same area.

And on top of that, there has been a mysterious strike much deeper into Russia with a fire at a facility with neither side really explaining what

has gone on there. But the Ukrainians are conducting a destabilizing campaign intended to keep the Russians off balance as they get underway

with what may be the early stages up their summer offensive.

Sam Kiley, CNN, in Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, Ukraine says Russia has used about 1200 Iranian drones since the war began. But just how are those weapons finding their way to Russia?

As our Salma Abdelaziz reports, some ships and planes have a way of making deliveries largely unnoticed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These calm waters are home to a secret Russia doesn't want you to know. Experts say Iran is quietly

sending weapons on ships like this one across the Caspian Sea to replenish arms for Moscow's war on Ukraine.

Concealing movement at sea is considered nefarious and potentially a violation of international law. But in the Caspian Sea, there is a growing

number of gaps in vessels tracking data known as AIS, with a more than 50 percent increase in ships hiding their movement between August and

September of 2022, according to maritime trafficking data. Most of the vessels going dark are Iranian or Russian flagged tankers.

The timing is suspicious, too. This practice picking up last summer just as White House officials revealed that Russia had purchased hundreds of drones

from Iran. So why would these ships want to hide their movements? Maritime security analyst Martin Kelly tells us it is likely because of what these

vessels are carrying.

MARTIN KELLY, LEAD INTELLIGENCE ANALYST OF EOS RISK GROUP: There's a correlation between Russia requesting drones from Iran, dark port calls in

the Caspian Sea and an increase in dark AIS activity. And that to me was a key indicator of these three aspects combined that something was going on,

probably the export of Iranian drones to Russia.

[10:05:07]

ABDELAZIZ (on-camera): This heat map from Lloyd's List shows were most of those gaps in AIS are concentrated, mostly near Iran's Amirabad port and

Russia's Astrakhan port, where ships appear to be turning off their data on approach and going dark for extended periods of time.

Now using data like this and expert analysis, CNN was able to identify eight vessels that exhibited suspicious behavior in the Caspian Sea. This

is one such vessel. It's a Russian flag tanker that was seen in early January, leaving Iran's Amirabad port making its way across the Caspian Sea

to Russia's Astrakhan port.

Now, we cannot independently verify what this tanker was carrying. But experts tell us the shipment was likely linked to the arms trade.

(Voice-over): And there are signs that Tehran could be air-mailing arms, too. The U.S. and Ukraine both accused Tehran of sending supplies to Russia

by plane. CNN analyzed the tracking data of four Iranian cargo planes flagged by the U.S. Commerce Department for potentially carrying drone

shipments. Collectively, the aircraft made at least 85 trips to Moscow airports between May 2022 and March 2023.

Iran has admitted that it sold a small number of drones to Russia, but it says the sale was a few months prior to the war in Ukraine. CNN has reached

out to Iran and Russia for comment, but has yet to receive a response. But given the much larger volume cargo ships can carry the Caspian Sea corridor

is likely the primary conduit and experts say it is the new frontier for weapons trade between Moscow and Tehran tucked away from Western

interference.

It provides an easy avenue for sanctions evasion, Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi says.

ANISEH BASSIRI TABRIZI, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW AT RUSI: I think the perception in Moscow is that Iran can teach a lot to Moscow about how to go

and how to still have a significant economy, even when sanctions are imposed.

ABDELAZIZ: And there is very little the U.S. and its allies can do to stop it. And more could be on the way. Intelligence officials warned in

November, Iran plans to send ballistic missiles, ammunition, and more sophisticated drones to Moscow. A bustling corridor potentially providing a

much needed arsenal critical to Russia's land grab in Ukraine.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, that illicit arms trade Salma just highlighted is just one area where Russia and Iran are forging new ties. In next hour we'll be

joined by a global policy expert who says the two countries haven't been this close since the 16th century. And he'll explain the reasons for that

expanding alliance.

Well, in Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in the fight of his political life as the country's presidential election heads to a runoff for the first time

ever. President Erdogan, who has ruled the country for two decades, faces main opposition from candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Sunday. Neither

candidate reached the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright in the general election on May 14th, which of course forced this runoff.

Sunday's election comes amid a serious economic crisis in Turkey in what analysts say is democratic corrosion on Mr. Erdogan's government.

CNN's Nada Bashir is in Istanbul and joins us now live.

Good to have you with us, Nada. So just ahead of this election runoff, these campaigns are continuing, and I understand you're at a campaign right

now. Just give us a sense of the momentum two days out from the election runoff.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Lynda, we've got less than 48 hours before polls open here in Turkey. That campaigning is still very much

underway. We are seeing volunteers handing out leaflets. You can see the rally behind me. They've actually paused for the moment. You can hear the

call to press. So they're pausing just for the moment. But throughout the day, we've had large-scale rallies, anthems being played in support of

President Erdogan, from this camp here supporting the AKP.

But actually just across the street, there is also other rallies taking place in support of the opposition party. We are seeing high-profile

figures as part of the government taking part in these campaign rallies. The Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu is expected to take part in this rally

later this afternoon. And there is a real push just two days to go before those polls open in order to drive those votes to get more people to the

ballot box on Sunday.

Of course, the AKP, President Erdogan's ruling party, is hopeful.

[10:10:01]

They secured 49.5 percent of the votes in that first round. Not enough to get them above that 50 percent plus one threshold in order to declare

victory. They are certainly very hopeful. But of course the opposition hasn't lost hope either. This is the most unified we have seen these six

opposition parties as part of this nation's alliance. They secured just under 45 percent of the vote, and there's a real push now to get more votes

into the ballot boxes in support of the opposition on Sunday.

KINKADE: So, of course, Nada, the presidential candidate who finished third has thrown his support behind Erdogan. What effect has that had on the

opposition? And what are the consequences if the opposition loses?

BASHIR: Well, look, there has been some discussion around Sinan Ogan's decision to back Erdogan as potentially being a kingmaker in this election.

His third party secured 5 percent of the vote. That could certainly take the difference needed by the AKP in this second round. However, we've also

seen high-profile figures within his own party pledging their support to the opposition to Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

So this isn't a done deal. It certainly could help, but it remains to be seen where his party throws their support on Sunday, where those voters

their support on Sunday. And of course if, indeed, we do see a win for President Erdogan, as many people are anticipating given the first round

results, there will be some serious questions. He is up against a number of serious challenges. Not least the economy.

There has been fierce criticism of his unorthodox monetary policies. We are expecting, of course, to hear who he will appoint if he does win as his

financial minister. Of course that will be a big focus. This country of course seeing rising inflation, a severe cost of living crisis, and then of

course we can't forget, the aftermath of the devastating February earthquake. President Erdogan has made some pretty significant pledges to

rebuild the southeast, to offer that humanitarian support.

And there are still some real questions of the accountability of the government when it comes to the preparations that were needed, and of

course the chaotic and delayed response that we saw in the aftermath of that quake -- Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes. All right, Salma Abdelaziz, thanks so much for that update.

And of course CONNECT THE WORLD coverage of that runoff election starts at 1:.00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday with our Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Nada

will of course be there in Istanbul. That will be at 6:00 p.m. in London, 9:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi.

Well, a terrifying situation for passengers on board a packed plane preparing to land in South Korea. Airline officials say a man on Asiana

flight appeared to open a plane door while it was still in the air. Video circulating on social media show strong gushes of wind blowing into the

airplane cabin. The jet did manage to land safely.

We want to bring in our Paula Hancocks who's standing by for us in Seoul.

Paula, I consider myself a pretty calm flier, but I would be freaking out if someone opened the door while the plane was in flight. Take us through

what happened and what do passengers on board that plane saying now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, I mean, this is every traveler's worst nightmare. What we are hearing from Asiana Airlines is

that as this plane was about two to three minutes before landing, it was about 700 feet above ground, a man in his 30s, who was sitting in the

emergency row, open the emergency door.

Now you can see from the footage exactly what the response was. People being buffeted by strong gusts of winds. You can see some of the passengers

holding on tight to the armrests. It must have been a terrifying experience.

Now we did hear from one of the passengers. She had said that it appeared as though the man might have been trying to get off the plane. She said she

heard the flight attendant shout help, help, and then about 10 passengers did help and pull him back in. Now as the plane landed, that individual was

arrested by police. They have said that he has confessed, that he did open the door but has not given a reason at this point as to why he's done it.

In fact, we did hear from one policeman involved in the matter and he said that it was very difficult to talk to him. He was not in a good state

mentally. And he was unable to even stay upright.

Now when it comes to injuries, there were 12 people treated for hyper ventilation, nine of them in hospital. But they were minor injuries, we're

being told. But what aviation experts are asking is not the motive behind this, but how was this man able to open the door when the plane was still

in the air.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEOFFREY THOMAS, AVIATION EXPERT: It seems implausible that the door could be opened in the first place, and then against the air stream, typically,

impossible. But somehow, rather, it has happened. Possibly some malfunction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So the assumption was that this simply shouldn't have been able to happen.

[10:15:01]

Now we do have a statement from Airbus. They have said, quote, "We are looking into circumstances of this incident. Aircraft doors can usually

only be opened upon touchdown." So that is clearly going to be one of the key factors in this investigation. The individual is also being

investigated by the government and by police -- Lynda.

KINKADE: All right. I'm sure a lot of people want to know that answer.

Paul Hancocks, for us, good to have you on the story from Seoul. Thank you.

Well, to Japan now where a farmer is in police custody for allegedly killing four people in a gun and knife rampage which is rarely seen in the

country. Guns are extremely difficult to get in Japan. Police are now trying to determine how the man obtain the weapon.

CNN's Marc Stewart reports from Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is an attention-getting case as gun violence is a rare occurrence here in Japan. Police say a 31-year-old

farmer is in custody on suspicion of killing a 61-year-old police officer, shooting him in the chest with what appears to be a hunting rifle. Another

officer was also killed in the incident, according to police.

It comes after a stabbing and shooting spree that left a total of four people dead in Nakano City in Central Japan, including the two officers.

Police say the alleged gunman is the son of a local government official. He ended up barricading himself in his father's home and was later taken into

custody.

According to NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, the man was licensed since 2015 to possess four hunting rifles, including shotguns and air guns. The

big lingering question that remains is motive, an issue that was addressed by an area police chief.

IWAO KOYAMA, NAKANO POLICE CHIEF (through translator): This is an extremely heinous incident that causes great anxiety to our society, and the citizens

of the prefecture. Since it is necessary to undertake an investigation to clarify the full extent of the incident, including the circumstances and

motives behind the crime, as of today, in an investigative headquarters first serial murders involving the use of firearms in Nakano City will be

launched with a staff of about 100. And the investigation will proceed with full force.

STEWART: Some perspective, last year, four people were killed in gun related violence here in Japan, a nation of 125 million people.

Marc Stewart, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, artificial intelligence helps in what could be a medical breakthrough. How so-called machine

learning led to the discovery. And later we are tracking the latest movement of the Typhoon Mawar plus the damage that it's left in its path.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:20:01]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks for joining us.

Well, Elon Musk's company, Neuralink, has announced that it's gotten approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its human brain

implant technology. In a tweet Neuralink says it's been given the OK to launch its first in-human clinical trial. It also noted that approval

deliveries is an important first step that will one day allow that its technology to help many people.

Musk says the brain implants could be used to cure severe medical conditions, as well as the Web browsing and even telepathy. CNN has reached

out to Neuralink and the FDA for comment.

Well, Artificial intelligence is being credited with helping researchers discover a new type of antibiotic. A study found the new compound may work

against a dangerous superbug that's being resistant to other drugs.

CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now.

Good to have you with us, Elizabeth. So we've spoken so much about drug resistant bacteria in the past. So this new antibiotic which is discovered

with the help of artificial intelligence certainly sounds promising. Take us through the results.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's very interesting what these researchers did. It takes a long time to develop new

antibiotics, Lynda. And part of the reason is that the conventional way to do it you're, you know, trying all these different chemicals to see if they

might work or maybe this one will work.

AI makes that process much faster, so they were able to try like hundreds of millions of different, you know, chemicals to see what would work the

best or sort of formulations, I should say, to see what would work the best. And what they did was they put this infection of this bacteria on a

mouse's skin. They tried this and it worked. And it didn't hurt the good bacteria.

So let's take a look at this bacteria and talk a little bit about what it is and what it does. So it's called Acinetobacter baumannii, and it is bad.

It kills, you know, in the United States alone hundreds of people a year. It is antibiotic resistant or some strains of it can become antibiotic

resistant. It's causes infections in the blood. It causes infections in urinary track. It causes pneumonia. And it's mostly found in hospitals.

So we're talking people who are in the ICU. Other places they are the most vulnerable and they have such a hard time fighting this bacteria. And this

is a really terrible part, it clings to surfaces. So it can be really hard to clean. Medical equipment, you can be vigilant and still these little

bugs will remain. And they're smart. They've learned how to resist many of our antibiotics or in some cases, all of them -- Lynda.

KINKADE: So you've touch somewhat on the significance there of this type of bacteria, the superbug. Why is finding an antibiotic for this bacteria so

significant when you think of medicine as a whole?

COHEN: Because this bacteria is on the top of the World Health Organization's list of bacteria where we need to find a solution because it

is so powerful, because it has learned how to fight so many different antibiotics. And so while this is exciting news, Lynda, I do want to put it

in context which is that this is a great day to be a mouse. This worked well in mice. We don't know that it's going to work well in people. They

have to figure that out.

That takes years in and of itself. They have to make sure that it doesn't hurt people in anyway, and then a pharmaceutical company needs to be

convinced that they'll make money off of this, considering that antibiotics usually aren't huge moneymakers. That is a lot of steps. We are not going

to see this on the market for years if ever. But it is proof of principle that AI can help get us there faster.

KINKADE: Yes. It is exciting, certainly a positive of AI.

Elizabeth Cohen, good to have you with us. Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

KINKADE: Well, I want to get you up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar right now. And the U.S. has sanctioned the head of the Wagner

private military group in Mali. The latest Wagner may be working through Mali and other African nations to support Russia's war against Ukraine by

hiding its efforts to secure military equipment.

The government of Pakistan has put former President Imran Khan on a no-fly list, along with 600 members of the PTI political party. Khan was arrested

earlier this month on corruption charges, but has since been released on bail. Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled his arrest unlawful.

Crews have been searching the Central Mediterranean for a migrant boat adrift, carrying about 500 people. The Italian coast guard did rescue about

1,000 people from two other boats. Searchers went to the area where the third boat last sent GPS coordinates but they did not find the boat or its

passengers.

The Typhoon Mawar has moved away from Guam after the eye passed over the northern part of the island. At times, winds reached 170 miles per hour.

That's the equivalent of a category five Atlantic hurricane. Now residents are faced with cleaning up the damage, the widespread power outages, and

water supply issues.

[10:25:07]

Mawar is now on track headed towards northern Philippines and Taiwan.

Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam is tracking this all from the World Weather Center.

Derek, good to have you with us on this case, this super typhoon, category five equivalent. So it's headed towards the Philippines. What can you tell

us?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Welcome to the strongest storm on the planet this year. It's actually the strongest tropical cyclone since

2021. It's so impressive that you can see straight down to the Pacific Ocean through the eyewall, which is completely cleared and void of clouds.

That is impressive, and that's a true testament to the strength of the storm. So it is a category five equivalent, Atlantic hurricane. Of course

from the Western Pacific.

It's 165 miles per hour. You need to have 157-mile-per-hour winds to be a category five. So we call this a buzzsaw hurricane or typhoon just because

of the nature, the shape, and particularly looking like a buzzsaw. The good news, the silver lining here, it's moved away from Guam. It's got a lot of

ocean to traverse. And we do believe that it will continue to weaken as it approaches Southeast Asia. We're talking about the Philippines, there's

Taiwan. That's not until middle -- to early to middle parts of next working week.

However, this is going to help influence some of the weather patterns across Luzon, for instance, which could be impacted by heavy rainfall. You

can see all the ocean water ahead. We do have above average temperatures for the first half of its travels, but then as it reaches the extreme

Western Pacific, I think we're going to get into some cooler water. We'll get some shear in the upper levels of the atmosphere, that will help kind

of disorganized the storm, and help weaken it, although it will still be a formidable typhoon on its approach.

You can see the system as it makes its way towards Luzon and eventually into Taiwan. You can see the timeline at the top portion of the TV monitor

here. And look how it influences the monsoon rains across Luzon. This could help impact some localized flooding. That several days away, but anything,

something that we need to monitor closely as Super Typhoon Mawar continues to make its traverse across the Pacific Ocean.

Now, Lynda, we like to call this fish food because really it's not impacting land anytime soon. So the fish get to enjoy this wild weather.

KINKADE: Well, we will check in with you over the coming days, the next five or six days as it approaches the Philippines and Taiwan.

Derek Van Dam, good to have you with us. Thanks.

Well, just ahead, why the world's second and third biggest economies are keen to see what happens in the ongoing U.S. debt ceiling drama. We'll have

a live report, when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:06]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade at the CNN center. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Good to have you with us.

These are your headlines this hour. Ukraine reports at least two people have been killed by Russian airstrikes in Dnipro. A hospital and vet clinic

are reportedly among the sites hit and at least two children are said to be among the wounded.

Turkish voters head to the poll Sunday for the country's first-ever presidential runoff election. Neither President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor

his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, reached the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright in the general election which forced the runoff.

Passengers aboard an Asiana flight were in for a scare when their cabin door opened above South Korea sending in gushes of air. Upon landing

safely, police say they've arrested a man in his 30s who appeared to have opened the door. About a dozen passengers suffered minor injuries from

hyperventilation, at least nine were sent to a hospital.

Well, sources say White House officials and Republican negotiators are inching closer to an agreement to raise the debt ceiling. If that doesn't

happen come Thursday, the U.S. Treasury secretary said it's highly likely that there won't be enough money to pay all the government bills. On the

international front, China and Japan are quite concerned. They own a combined $2 trillion of U.S. debt. So now they're watching what happens

very closely in Washington.

I want to go to D.C. now, with CNN's Arlette Saenz who joins us live.

Arlette, the U.S. has never defaulted. This, of course, would be a first time if it happened. And there is a lot to achieve in the next five or six

days. Where do both sides see eye to eye right now? And where have we seen some progress in coming to a deal?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, negotiators are really racing against the clock as they're trying to finalize some type of

agreement to avert a default. And really these next 24 to 48 hours are a critical time period, especially when you take a look at the legislative

calendar and how long it would take to move something through Capitol Hill.

Now there have been some signs that these talks have been progressing, and that they are moving closer to an agreement. Sources say that some of the

contours that they are discussing is raising the debt ceiling for two years and pairing that with spending caps that would also continue for that same

length of time.

Now these spending caps would not apply to defense or veterans programs, but sources still caution that there are still work to do in determining

what those spending levels will look like. There are also other sticking points. One of the major ones being the work requirements that Republicans

want to see for some social safety net programs. So these are all things that negotiators are talking about in these final days of negotiations.

Now the president has said that he does thinks that they can get to an agreement, but it really remains unclear when they will be able to do so.

Now there have been some Democrats, progressives, who have been pushing the president to use the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling on his own.

But the White House and the president have insisted that there are no backup options here.

This morning, the deputy Treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo was on CNN, and he said that that 14th Amendment is not an option. So what the White House

has been urging is that Congress needs to act in this moment.

One of the other issues that they are facing is that they've started to hear a lot of consternation from both Republicans and Democrats who are

frustrated with what they are learning about this deal. Each side feeling that their parties have given too much. So that would be a key challenge in

trying to ensure that they have enough votes to get this passed up on Capitol Hill. So all eyes will be on today and this weekend to see if they

can finalize some type of agreement as that potential date of running out of money to pay for the bills approaches in early June.

KINKADE: Yes. Rapidly approaching. And Arlette, if the U.S. doesn't reach an agreement by June 1st, or if there is a last-minute deal what happens?

What are the risks? Like a credit rating downgrade, for example.

SAENZ: Well, for weeks people have been warning about what the economic impacts of a potential default would be. And earlier in the week, you got

that warning from Fitch. Fitch has said that they've put the U.S. credit rating on a negative watch, with the potential of having it downgraded.

This happened back in 2011 where the United States perfect credit rating was downgraded and it really provokes a lot of panic, especially in the

markets. You saw the stock market tank.

So that is something that people will be watching very closely in the coming days. You know the White House has also warned that waiting until

the final minute can also cause up to 200,000 jobs. So there is a lot on the line for people, especially people who are relying on benefits from

Social Security and veterans benefits which could all be in jeopardy if the U.S. were to default.

KINKADE: Yes, a lot of concerns. As you say the clock is ticking. Five or six days to go.

Good to have you with us, Arlette Saenz. Thank you.

[10:35:01]

Well, after a glitchy online campaign launch, the newest candidate in the Republican race for the White House has reportedly raked in more than $8

million in just the first 24 hours of his campaign. And now Ron DeSantis is sharpening his attacks on the Republican frontrunner.

CNN's Steve Contorno explains.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A day after technical glitches marred the campaign launch of Governor Ron DeSantis' presidential ambitions, he

returned to the more friendly confines of conservative media. In more than a dozen interviews, DeSantis directly went after President Trump in a way

he really has never done so before.

In those interviews, he presented a stark contrast between himself and the way he has governed in Florida and Trump's four years in office. He

suggested that Trump was ineffective, that he ran the deficit off, that he risked the lives and livelihoods of people with his COVID policies, and he

said that if he were elected president, he would be a far more ruthless user of government power in the White House.

DeSantis also in one of those appearances challenge Trump to show up to the presidential debates. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TREY GOWDY, FOX NEWS HOST: Do you plan on participating in all the debates, and would you have a word of counsel for any candidates that were maybe

equivocating on whether or not to participate in all the debates?

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think we should debate. I think the people want to hear it. You know, I grew up blue-

collar, working minimum wage jobs, and learned nobody is entitled to anything in this world, Trey. You've got to earn it. And I think all of us

have to go out and earn it. That's exactly what I intend to do. And I think the debates are a big part of the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Next week, Governor DeSantis will return to the campaign trail with stops in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where he will attempt

to win over some of those Republican voters who will decide who will represent the party in 2024.

Steve Contorno, CNN, Miami.

KINKADE: Well, still ahead, what a difference a week makes. PGA hero Michael Block has a disappointing start in his current tournament. We'll

have a live report with sports when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:51]

KINKADE: Well, a week ago, a club pro captured the imagination of golfers around the world with his performance at the PGA Championship where he

stunned spectators with a hole in one. Michael Block is back on the course with the best in the world again this weekend.

Let's bring in "WORLD SPORT" anchor Andy Scholes. He joins us now live.

Andy, it has been a whirlwind week for this 46-year-old. So what can we expect this weekend?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Well, Lynda, you know, he's not doing as great as he did last week this week so far. He's actually in last place

right now at the Charles Schwab Challenge there in Fort Worth in Texas. But, you know, you have to imagine, he's been through so much over the past

week, right? He became a superstar right before our very eyes with those amazing shots at the PGA championship, tying for 15th, for a sponsors

exemption to play this week.

He's been doing so many interviews. He's probably exhausted. Hasn't even been to California between New York and Texas. So he's not doing quite

well. We'll hear from him about after his first round, about how he's feeling right now, but whether or not he does well this weekend, it really

doesn't matter because he captured, you know, the hearts of so many people with what he did last week. And no matter what, they can make a movie about

his story and what he's already accomplished.

KINKADE: Exactly. The highs and lows of sports. So many people can relate. Even if you're not a golfer.

SCHOLES: Yes.

KINKADE: Andy Scholes, we'll catch you after the break with all the "WORLD SPORT" news. And I'll be back at the top of the hour with much more news on

CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with us.

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