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Isa Soares Tonight

Pound Plummets To Record Low Against Dollar; New Protests In Wake Of Mahsa Amini's Death; Hurricane Ian Picks Up Strength As It Nears Western Cuba; Backlash in Russia Over Vladimir Putin's Partial Mobilization Order; Italy Looks Set to Get Its Most Right-Wing Governments Since World War II; Disease Spreads Amid Pakistan Floods. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired September 26, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

ELENI GIOKOS, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show everyone, I am Eleni Giokos, I'm in for Isa Soares. Tonight, backlash in

Russia, and that's in response to Vladimir Putin's partial mobilization order. Thousands take to the streets in protest. Others attempt to flee.

We'll have the latest.

Then, Italy looks set to get its most right-wing governments since World War II. I'll be speaking to a former Italian Prime Minister about what that

means. And weeks of catastrophic flooding in Pakistan leaves the country's children fighting deadly disease.

Chaos, confusion and anger are sweeping across Russia as President Vladimir Putin's so-called partial mobilization takes messy effect. Now, we're

seeing protests across the country and more police crackdowns. More than 2,300 demonstrators have been arrested. Government officials including

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, are admitting mistakes have been made in the call-up orders.

Now, residents in some areas are being conscripted to fight in Ukraine when they aren't actually eligible under the mobilization order. Meanwhile,

Russians still scrambling to get out of the country. So far, the Kremlin says it hasn't made decisions about closing the borders or imposing martial

law.

Meanwhile, in western Russia, officials say 11 children and four adults were killed in a school shooting, 21 more people were injured. Now,

investigators say the shooting wore -- the shooter wore a black T-shirt with a Nazi symbol on it and killed himself after opening fire. The Kremlin

is calling the shooting a quote, "inhuman terrorist attack".

Let's bring in CNN contributor Jill Dougherty. Jill, always good to see you. You know, to hear Dmitry Peskov admitting that faults have been made

when it comes to this partial mobilization and the way that they're conscripting and drafting people in Russia speaks volumes in terms of the

chaos that is now ensuing on the ground in retaliation to the cause for partial mobilization. What are you reading into this?

JILL DOUGHERTY, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Well, you know, I think one of the problems is from the beginning. President Putin did not

want to be specific about this war. Remember, you know, it's the war that you legally can't call a war. So, there was a lot of obfuscation in the

beginning, and that's what's happening right now.

I mean, he listed, you know, they publicized this partial mobilization, but nobody really believes it is partial. And they're also checking on the

internet, there are some who believe that it would be much more than 300,000 that the government is saying. And then you have the other factor

in Russia, which constantly happens where the government says one thing and the local authorities begin to overdo it because they think that the

president wants them to overdo it.

So, that's I think why the Kremlin is admitting that there were some mistakes. Nobody wants in the Kremlin, Putin to be blamed for this. But

it's quite obvious that there are people out there in draft officers who were dragging people who should not be -- you know, brought into the

military because they really weren't qualified or they weren't supposed to be drafted. So, it's very much a mess. And that's the problem that Putin --

GIOKOS: Yes, and look --

DOUGHERTY: Is facing right now.

GIOKOS: Yes, border crossings, Jill, and I am looking at some of the images on just what is happening at border crossings, where you're seeing

Russians that are eligible for conscription of age at least, leaving the country. We know that leaders, until now, haven't said they're going to

implement any kind of martial law or ban people from leaving.

But it has been insinuated. But that thing comes up against the protest action that we've seen happening across various parts of Russia.

[14:05:00]

And I guess for such a long time, as you mentioned, you know, Russians in a way have been, you know, protected in some way because of the rhetoric that

this is a special military operation. And you know, there was a buffer that was created, that this actually in Putin's mind or in Russians' mind, it

wasn't actually a war.

DOUGHERTY: Precisely. And a lot of the people who were fighting this war, we have to remember come from poorer regions of Russia. It's not Moscow,

St. Petersburg, et cetera. It's really people from other parts of Russia who really need the money. That's why they volunteered, and that is why

they're dying in Ukraine.

Now, all of a sudden, there is a draft affecting people theoretically, who could be from the big cities. And I think there is an element of shock

among the people in those big cities and the other cities. Protests are all over Russia right now. That people who didn't expect to be drawn into this,

are.

GIOKOS: A shooter in western Ukraine opened fire at a school, you know, 21 people injured, children dying. They're calling as an Inhuman terrorist

attack. What else are we hearing?

DOUGHERTY: This is going to be very complicated. It's obviously a tragedy, a major tragedy. But I think in Russia at this particular point, we're

going to have to watch how the government explains this and investigate, as they say they will. Because once you have a young man with Nazi symbols,

remember, the war in Ukraine is being fought against supposed Nazis in Ukraine, which is not correct. We know.

But there are neo-Nazis in Russia. And will the government be willing to admit that? Or could they -- and this is my speculation. This is nothing

that the government has said so far. But I think we have to be prepared for the government to say that perhaps, you know, he was led into this by

somebody, you know, from the outside or it could be that, you know, watching the internet, his mind was warped, you know, by what happens in

the United States.

These are all explanations. But again, this is a highly political situation when the word Nazi comes up. And also Eleni, I should mention, young people

in Russia are not off by themselves on the internet. The internet is connected to the United States, to the entire world. So, when they see a

shooter in the United States, sometimes they are affected just like young Americans are affected to imitate what happens.

GIOKOS: Yes, Jill, thank you so very much, you know, talking more about this shooting in western Russia. It's going to be an important talking

point, I would say, in the next few days. Thank you very much for your time and your insights. Moving on now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

says he doesn't think Vladimir Putin was bluffing when the Russian president threatened to use nuclear weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): I don't think he is bluffing. I think the world is deterring it and containing this

threat. We need to keep putting pressure on him and not allow him to continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, the U.S. Secretary of State says Washington and Moscow have communicated privately about the situation. The Kremlin also says, it is in

contact with the U.S., but calls those communications sporadic. Meanwhile, on the ground, Russian strikes continue in the east, despite some towns

coming back under Ukrainian control.

Our international security editor Nick Paton Walsh is in Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region for us. Nick, one of the biggest things that we've seen

since the start of the war, is of course, the movement of people. You know, we've seen huge evacuation efforts occurring, but so many people have also

been forced to stay behind. You've been covering some of these stories. What have you found?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, I mean, as you said earlier, the talk of nuclear escalation of the partial, chaotic,

mobilization of Russian civilians makes it absolutely clear that Moscow aren't about trying to wind this war down, opposite. They're looking to

escalate as much as they possibly can, despite the drastic defeats they've been experiencing here in Ukraine.

And that has left many civilians here in the east where the violence continues daily, where random, it seems indiscriminate shelling by Russian

forces hit civilian areas. In fact, just here in Kramatorsk in the last hours, we've had reports that that's been occurring. That's causing people

to leave the areas where they've held on for the past six months of war.

[14:10:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SIRENS BLARING)

WALSH (voice-over): When the blast paused, in rare quiet in Toretsk, there are a few blessings to count, and most are bitter. One is here, a familiar

scene of private worlds torn open by a Russian rocket two days earlier, but a place that might persuade you to believe in miracles. Nineteen people

were trapped up here when rubble blocked the stairs.

But somehow, not one of them was even injured. A fire brigade ladder getting them all out. Not even survivors like Natalia(ph) know how.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A noise. I blinked twice and couldn't see. The balcony door flew open and trash blew in. I'm terrified of flames and I

realized we were on the seventh floor and it's collapsing. Then someone screamed, don't come out as there's no way. It's a miracle. I can't call it

anything else.

WALSH: As Putin's fake referenda just a few miles away, threatened, yet, worse here. Just now, the shelling has finally become too much for some.

Rescuers are evacuating Nina(ph), 73. After six months living alone without water or help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WALSH: We're told she's the last person to leave her block.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WALSH: Two days ago, a rocket hit her building, yet also, magically, she was unscathed, and just sat here under the gaping hole. The lonely agony of

the struggle before this moment lying around. The pictures of life left. Of her 'A' student daughter who died of meningitis, aged 40, of the choices of

what to leave and what to take.

Of how hard, just eating, washing and drinking has been. Winter will rip through here. And this may be the last time the lights go out on this home.

She's taken to the courtyard where dozens of similar agonies are gathered, waiting for the evacuation bus. Even after six months hell, faces that know

still worse is coming, and that are baffled by the heaviest question? Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WALSH: Elena is leaving, she does not know where to, with her three children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

WALSH: Then the guns pick up again.

(on camera): Even in leaving, there's a sense of urgency. Because artillery firing from near where we are, well, that's being responded to by

the Russians when the shell landed over here. They're trying to get people on a bus as fast as they can to get them out of here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WALSH (voice-over): Dozens of lives with everything left behind them and nothing certain ahead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH: Now, as that report was playing, the sirens have started again here in Kramatorsk where, frankly, every night, we hear explosions of impacts of

incoming rounds. The violence here is continuing. It hasn't stopped.

And there are deep concerns though, what we will see in the middle this week, which is Russia saying that the areas of Ukraine that it's occupied

through the sham referenda, now effectively have given them some sort of mandate to assimilate those parts of Ukrainian territory into Russia as a

whole.

Will enable Russia to then use different parts of its arsenal or its army, possibly, in trying to storm in here and retain this ground. A lot of that

looks ill-fated because of how spectacularly they've mismanaged the past six months.

[14:15:00]

But when you hear the nuclear rhetoric of the past week, and you hear the United States moving to public messaging to reassure their allies and the

world, that they're trying to contain this particular threat. That means we could be in for some exceptionally tensed days ahead. Eleni?

GIOKOS: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, thank you very much for that report. All right, still to come tonight, a sharp turn to the right as Italy votes

in its most right-wing government since World War II. What this means for the country and the world just ahead. And a climate emergency in Pakistan.

How the country's children are suffering in the wake of the catastrophic floods. We'll have that story for you, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: Welcome back. A new era in Italy as the country looks set to confirm its most far-right government since World War II. A coalition of

three right-wing parties is claiming victory. It is led by Giorgia Meloni, and her Brothers of Italy Party. Meloni is poised to become Italy's first

female prime minister.

She is vowing to unite the country after years of political uncertainty. But she is known for her anti-LGBTQ views and tough stance on abortion, and

not everyone is convinced. Barbie Nadeau has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): The leader of Italy's center- right coalition, Giorgia Meloni, will now likely become the first female prime minister of Italy. Despite low voter turnout, she was able to secure

the majority together with far-right Lega leader Matteo Salvini and center- right politician Silvio Berlusconi.

As Italians woke up on Monday morning, they grappled with a new reality. It was clear that the result wasn't to everyone's taste.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am not really happy with the action they want to take. I think that the main problem of the -- of my generation and the next

generation, the environmental problems, it's not really a priority for them. We have a lot of problems now with economic and social, with energy

crisis. So, let's see what they want to do. I'm not really that confident.

[14:20:00]

NADEAU: Italy like the rest of Europe is in the midst of an energy crisis. Everyone is feeling the pinch. This coffee bar in central Rome has been

Lorenzo Vanni's family since 1929.

LORENZO VANNI, OWNER, VANNI CAFE: The biggest problem we have is the cost of the energy. Because we had an increase of five times more than before,

from 15, 000, now we have a bill of 54,000.

NADEAU: Vanni wants a government that puts people first.

VANNI: We have to see if they will find an agreement amongst the three: Berlusconi, Salvini and Meloni to make things for Italy.

NADEAU: Giorgia Meloni has become a symbol of hope that got changed. This woman tells me that even though Meloni has a very strong character that

could intimidate some, she likes her and she hopes that there will be change.

We met Antonio Masaka(ph), he told us, it was others weaknesses that led to Meloni's victory. "Brothers of Italy were able to understand voters

discontent", he says. But he also tells me, "in Italy, we change our mind very often. We are a very divided country. And very different from north to

south. Today, Meloni has 24 percent, but that could be 10 percent in a couple of months."

Meloni's coalition won a clear mandate not seen in Italy for decades. She campaigned on traditional family values against irregular immigration and

on giving dignity back to Italians.

(on camera): There are a lot of expectations on Giorgia Meloni. But this country has had 67 governments and 30 prime ministers in the last 75 years.

In 2018, Italians voted for the anti-establishment Five Star Movement. But that was before the pandemic and before the war in Ukraine. This time they

voted for a very precise political direction.

Now, it's up to Giorgia Meloni to unite the country and make good on her campaign promises. Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: All right, as one of Europe's largest economies, Italy's shift to the right could have serious implications for the bloc's unity. Meloni's

right-wing alliance is known for its euro-skepticism and anti-immigration stance. Mario Monti served as Italian Prime Minister from 2011 to 2013, and

spent ten years at the European Commission. He now joins me from Milan. Thank you sir for joining us. Good to see you. How would you --

MARIO MONTI, PRESIDENT, BOCCONI UNIVERSITY: Pleasure --

GIOKOS: Describe the reason for the Brothers of Italy's rise? Do you think it is a symptom of Italian dissatisfaction or a surge in neo-fascist or

far-right sentiment?

MONTI: There are both, I believe. But there's a dissatisfaction of Italians because since more than 20 years now, the Italian economy is not -

- has not been growing. And this is a unique feature within the Eurozone and the EU. So a lot is demanded of a possible likely Prime Minister

Meloni, because one aspect is whether she will be able not to make damages to the European economy.

But the other issue is that she needs, especially if she stays for a few years in government, to be the one who tilts Italy towards economic growth.

Now, I am rather confident that the -- that she's not going to introduce damages on their own. At least, I believe she will be rather cautious in

terms of economic policies.

And you know, one factor that I would like to underline is that within the three-party right-wing coalition, the most dangerous, let's say, from Euro-

skepticism point of view, from the point of view of proximity to Putin, and also from the point of view of not valuing fiscal discipline very much is

the league of the party of Matteo Salvini, and they had a very poor electoral performance, less than 9 percent.

[14:25:00]

So, the -- I think Meloni will try to drive Italy towards the respect for European rules, towards --

GIOKOS: Yes --

MONTI: (INAUDIBLE), but of course, she is not experienced yet, and In terms of --

GIOKOS: Yes --

MONTI: The civil grants and the structure of society, there are many questions mark.

GIOKOS: Yes, and you make so many good points. You know, because we have to look at the center-right coalition and what each party actually stands

for. She campaigned on what many people say on neo-fascist ideologies and views and far-right policies as well. The question is, is she going to be

implementing any of those?

It sounds like you're confident that she won't be. But does she pose a risk? Does the center-right coalition pose any kind of risk to the EU as it

stands right now? Is there anything that's a red flag for you?

MONTI: Well, she will have a permanent attention between behaving in a way that would be accepted and noted positively let's say by France, Germany,

Brussels, Washington, Frankfurt, the ECB. And, on the other hand, satisfying the gut feelings of many in the ranks-in-file of her successful

party. I believe that she will understand that the overwhelming strategic value for her government and her party to try to be as close as -- well, to

the rest of the world, and the west expects from Italy --

GIOKOS: Yes --

MONTI: So, in other terms, she's not, I believe and I hope -- she's not going to make the same --

GIOKOS: Yes --

MONTI: Mistakes that 2018, the populist sovereign government of Mr. Salvini and Mr. Di Maio made which --

GIOKOS: Yes --

MONTI: Created -- by Europe.

GIOKOS: Sir, you, you know, when you became prime minister, you took on a big task. You had to be the technocrat to navigate Italy out of a financial

crisis that impacted the world. She's got a whole bunch of other plethora of other risks on the table as well. But she interestingly didn't support

you as prime minister then as well.

And I wonder if you've worked directly with her, what you think of her leadership style, because many are saying this is sort of a paradox, right?

You've got this huge shift, first woman prime minister. And at the same time, you know, a right-wing government since World War II.

MONTI: Yes, this is a paradox, but these are facts of life. I mean, both are undeniable. So I think the left is full of regret that they never were

able or wanted to give a female prime minister to Italy when they were in government. Now, we -- I think, we have to give at least an initial credit

to these young, successful woman.

Of course, she has psychological and historical roots in neo-fascism. At the same time, the bet is that she now understands the overwhelming value

for Italy. But for any EU and Eurozone-member country to constructively play the European game as the only hope. Especially for a country like

Italy overburdened by an enormous public debt, which even the much valued Draghi government --

GIOKOS: Yes --

MONTI: Could not really dent. And the need to use -- effectively European funds. So, a good co-existence with the EU is part and parcel --

GIOKOS: Yes --

MONTI: Of any domestic good economic policy.

GIOKOS: I'm afraid we've ran out of time -- I'm afraid we've ran out of time, sir, but really good to speak to you, thank you very much Mario Monti

--

MONTI: Thank you --

GIOKOS: Good to see you. And still to come tonight, a currency in crisis, as the British pound falls to a record low against the dollar. We'll take a

look at what the U.K. government and Bank of England might do next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:00]

GIOKOS: In the U.K., the cost of living crisis may be getting even worse, as the pound plummeted to record low against the dollar Monday morning. It

has since clawed back a little of those losses. That comes after the U.K. announced major tax cuts for the highest earners. And with many uncertain

how Prime Minister Liz Truss's government plans to pay for the cuts, CNN's Anna Stewart plans to break this down for us. She joins us from London.

Anna, could you tell me how, you know, Liz Truss's government is going to pay for this costly exercise. And I think what the pound is doing is also

speaking volumes in terms of what the world thinks, what investors think about these decisions.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Yes, we thought Friday was bad, but Monday morning, for the pound, was a particularly miserable moment, a new low from

1985. This was actually the lowest the pound has been against the dollar since events like, well, lower than the financial crisis, lower than the

Brexit vote, lower than Black Wednesday in 1992. It's come a bit back from there. It was a dollar and just three cents. But you'll see there that it

is still under pressure. And earlier today, it actually was at $1.09.

But then we had news, finally news both from the treasury, also from the Bank of England and there was huge expectation today that they would hear

something. The markets perhaps would get an emergency rate hike from the Bank of England, which would be quite surprising given they only raised

rates last week by half percentage points, but that might allay investor fears. But you know what? They didn't get that, they got a statement from

the Bank of England saying they are monitoring developments. And a tweet from Governor Bailey saying this, saying the MPC, which is the rate setting

committee, will not hesitate to chart -- change interest rates as much as needed to return inflation to the 2 percent target.

Sustainably in the medium term, this is the line, of course, the investors have heard for many months and years from the Bank of England. Inflation is

just shy of 10 percent right now. I don't think that has done much for investor nerves looking at the pound. And, Eleni, as you know, the U.K. has

a huge current account deficit.

[14:35:03]

This is a country that needs foreign investor. Money -- definitely needs a lot of money if it is going to implement this mega, mega spending plan huge

tax cuts. So investor confidence right now is shot. And I will say, at this moment, I'm not convinced that the markets have heard what they needed to

hear today, either from the Treasury or from the Bank of England to really calm all those nerves, Eleni.

GIOKOS: Anna Stewart, thank you very much, two very opposing policies from the central bank and from government. It'll be interesting to see how that

messaging evolves over the next few weeks. All right. There's growing international condemnation of Iran 10 days after the death of a woman in

police custody. That sparked nationwide unrest. Canada says it will sanction the Iran's morality. Police believed to be responsible for Mahsa

Amini's death. Rights groups estimated dozens of people are said to have died in protests since then.

Though Iran has blocked social media and is restricting the internet, making it hard for us to know what is happening on the ground, Jomana

Karadsheh is monitoring the story for us from Istanbul. Jomana, internet blackout, not being able to communicate effectively, even so, we are still

seeing some footage, people posting videos of their experiences.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are, Eleni. It is very, very difficult for us to really try and get a sense of how big these protests

are right now, how widespread they are, as you mentioned, because the government is throttling the internet, because they're blocking social

media platforms. But what we're actually starting to see is in the evenings, when protesters take to the street under the cover of darkness,

we start seeing video trickle out. So despite the crackdown, despite the threats, tonight, we're hearing that people are on the streets of Tehran

and the Kurdish region of Iran and other cities as well. But there's a lot of concern that this ongoing crackdown is only going to intensify.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARADSHEH: Regime supporters out on mass. These organized pro government rallies a show of unity against the so-called rioters, they say. Iran's

leadership is dismissing the thousands of protesters across the country as a handful of mercenaries. They claim it's all a foreign plot to destabilize

the Islamic Republic that is only just beginning to unleash its brutal force to crush the rising voices of dissent. It's throttling the internet,

blocking social media sites, dragging protesters off the streets in using lethal force to silence things rising up for their rights.

No one really knows how many lives have been lost. But the gut-wrenching scenes of those grieving their loved ones are slowly trickling out. The

heartache, the agony, and families burying their dead need no words to explain. Javad Heydari was 36, shot at a protest last week. His family says

he bled to death.

Amir Fouladi was only 15, one of several children killed According to Amnesty International. Her name is Hadis Najafi, one of countless women

who've said enough to tyranny and repression. Hadis never made it back from a protest. Her family says she was shot six times. Her Instagram posts tell

the story of a young woman who loved her country, loved life, music, dressing up, and dancing. Her devastated sister mourning her in this

Instagram post. She writes, "Sis, how did they have the heart to shoot you? My tears have dried up. I can't breathe. Forgive me. I wasn't there to

defend you." Hadis was 23.

The threat of bullets, of prison, of flogging hasn't stopped the protests. Nightfall brought hundreds back on the streets. Their daring chants of

"Death to the dictator" echoing through the dark streets of Iran. A defiant generation risking it all for freedoms they've never known.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:40:01]

KARADSHEH: And, Eleni, CNN can't independently verify these death toll claims. It is very difficult for us, as we mentioned before, to get

information out of the country but estimates according to different human rights groups, including Amnesty International opposition groups, they

estimate that dozens of people have so far been killed. And there's a lot of fear that it is far worse than that. And that we may not know the real

extent of this crackdown until internet connectivity is restored in the country, if we do at all.

GIOKOS: All right. Jomana Karadsheh, thank you so very much for that update. And still to come tonight, Hurricane Ian has gotten stronger fast

it is heading towards Cuba right now and could hit Florida later this week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: Cuba has made history after legalizing same sex marriage. Now Cubans voted in favor of the family code that increases protections for

minorities as announced by the National Electoral Council. It said almost 75 percent of eligible people turned out to vote. LGBTQ people have faced

official discrimination in Cuba for decades. Many were sent to government work camps in the early '60s after Castro took power.

Meanwhile, Cuba is bracing for a major storm. Hurricane Ian is heading towards the western part of the island. It is expected to become even

stronger before making landfall there in about 12 hours from now because we're monitoring this. A hurricane warning has been issued for six of the

country's 15 provinces. Authorities are expecting heavy rainfall, flash flooding, even mudslides. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is standing by in Havana

for us. Patrick, warnings are coming through. We know that this is now a Category IV from what we understand. How are people preparing?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are making the last-minute preparations because, of course, by the time the storm comes, well then,

it's just too late. So all day today, we've seen at the port of Havana behind me the -- these cargo ships leaving and going out to sea. It seems a

little counterintuitive, right? But if they are here in the port, they, of course, can get knocked loose, break free and get heavily damaged and

damage the facilities here.

[14:45:01]

So, they go out into the ocean where they will have a rough time a bit, but will not have that danger of being tossed around in the port. And the

government says that it is evacuating people from the islands off Cuba's southern coast, several habitated islands there, and then warning people to

get a back from the coastline as well. Here in Nevada, we're going to miss a direct strike from this storm, which is going to go to the west of us, so

-- which is much less populated, but we still could get a lot of wind and rain.

The reason that is so dangerous is, of course, Havana is full of old dilapidated buildings that have not been properly maintained over the

years. And even in a strong rainstorm, you can have some of those buildings collapse and fall down, you can have significant flooding. So certainly, if

any of that kind of weather hits here, and the government is warning people here in Nevada that it could have -- the effects could be disastrous.

Further west, of course, they will get much more wind and rain that could cause landslides. In some of the more mountainous regions, it will

certainly probably have an impact on Cuba's tobacco, the tobacco that is used in famous Cuban cigars, because that is the region where really all of

that tobacco is grown. So, it will have an impact on the economy here. But for the most part, you live in an island, you cannot run away from a

hurricane so you just try to hunker down and wait for the worst to go by.

GIOKOS: Yes. All right. Patrick Oppmann, thank you very much for that update.

We move to Pakistan now where deadly floodwaters are continuing to claim victims. More than 1,600 people have died, a third of them children,

displaced from their homes. Now these families are facing a devastating new threat, waterborne diseases. CNN traveled to just one hospital fighting to

save these young lives. Anna Coren has more on that and a warning that her report includes images of children in distress, some of whom won't survive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the scorching heat, a couple carries their listless child towards a packed wooden boat, ferrying sick villagers

through the floodwaters. The mother grabs her daughter and finds a place to sit. The 8-year-old is burning up. She's got a high grade fever and has

become unconscious, explains her mother. "Let's go, let's go," yells a villager. The mother then wets her daughter's brow with the very same water

that has made her so sick.

Pakistan's months-long catastrophic floods that inundated one-third of the country affecting 33 million people are still causing unspeakable

suffering. The monsoonal rains may be over. But the volume of stagnant water is now causing a health crisis especially in Sindh, one of the worst-

hit provinces in the country southeast, where cases of cholera, dengue, and dehydration have surged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AADARSH LAGHARI, UNICEF COMMUNICATION OFFICER: I have seen families and children consume the very flood water that they are surrounded by. And that

is because they don't have access to any other water source.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: As they reach the shore, it's a race against time. The nearest hospital is hours away by rickshaw and her daughter's condition is

worsening. These young mothers have found medical care, although the newborns barely have the energy to cry. They've come to the Nawabshah

Mother and Child Hospital where the critically ill are taken to the resuscitation ward.

A baby's chest slowly rises and falls as oxygen pumped through a tube helps his infant to breathe. Lying beside it, the body of another baby that

didn't make it. For the doctors here, this is agonizing work. Up to a dozen children are dying each day from flood-related illness, which is unheard of

in this small hospital.

"This girl has cholera," says Dr. Nazia. Their bodies go into shock. We try to rehydrate them with fluid they've lost. One of the four children sharing

this bed appears to be going downhill rapidly. Heart monitors are placed on the chest of 5-year-old Iqra, who is severely stunted. Her heart is slowly

beating, but her eyes glaze over. Minutes later, she dies.

A nurse prepares her tiny body for an Islamic burial, as her sister and grandmother weep outside. Of the more than 1,500 people who've died since

June from Pakistan's climate change-induced catastrophe, more than one- third have been children. Millions upon millions remain homeless, having lost homes, crops and livestock. Rani is one of them. She wonders if the

waters will also take her youngest, 3-year-old Abbas who is suffering from malaria.

[14:50:00]

"Death is a better option for us," she says. "We accept it. One should not have to live like this." Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: That's a heartbreaking report that from Anna Coren. All right. We'll be back after the short break. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: Later today, NASA will deliberately crash a spacecraft into an asteroid, all in the name of planetary defense. Andm no, this isn't the

plot of a science fiction movie, it might feel like it is. But the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, or DART, will crash into an asteroid's

Moon hoping to start a chain reaction to knock a larger asteroid off course.

And CNN's Space and Defense Correspondent Kristin Fisher joins me now live from Laurel, Maryland, where the mission is being monitored from the

operation center. Kristin, always good to see you. We've been talking about this -- you and I, since last week. It's exciting, it is about to happen.

And it's quite important that it becomes successful because this is a test in case something does actually go wrong.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, tonight's the night, Eleni. Impact Night, as they call it. I'm at the Johns Hopkins

Applied Physics Laboratory. This is where the DART spacecraft was built. It's also where the Mission Operations Center is or mission control for

this entire DART mission. And what we're going to be seeing tonight, Eleni, is this DART spacecraft, which is essentially the size of about a

refrigerator colliding with an asteroid called Dimorphos. This asteroid is about the size of the Pyramid of Giza. So, in the grand scheme of things,

not a huge asteroid.

But just imagine one of the biggest challenges for NASA here with this mission is you have a small spacecraft traveling at about four miles per

second, not per hour, per second, that's about 14,000 miles per hour. And it has to crash into this asteroid, which, you know, is not all that big in

the grand scheme of things. So, that's challenge number one tonight for NASA and that impact set to happen at 7:14 p.m. Eastern time. And then,

Eleni, the second big challenge, and we're not going to know the results of this challenge for at least a few days if not weeks, is was NASA

successfully able to deflect or push this asteroid, Dimorphos, just slightly off of its current course?

[14:55:10]

They're just trying to do it by a very small percentage point. But if that is successful, it means that if there were some potential future killer

asteroid that was headed for Earth, that they could then potentially deploy this technology, and save not just all of humankind, but literally all

living creatures on the planet. So I should remind our viewers, this asteroid, Dimorphos, poses no threat to Earth whatsoever. This is only a

test mission. But you know, it is NASA's first ever planetary defense test mission.

And it really just goes to show you that they're really putting a lot of time and energy into thinking about this. So, you know, I cover a lot of

NASA missions, this one right up there in terms of one of the coolest that I've seen so far. Media from all over the world going to be packed in here

tonight to see, hopefully, this moment of impact, Eleni. And like I said, we're all going to get to watch that moment of impact live because there

are cameras mounted on that spacecraft so we should get to see it as it happens, Eleni.

GIOKOS: It is exciting stuff. Kristin, always good to see you. Thank you so very much for breaking that down for us and we're hoping it's going to be

successful. It is, of course, vital that it is. Thank you so much.

All right. And thank you so very much for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. And I'll be back after a short break with QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END