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Hala Gorani Tonight
Search for survivors gets more frantic as hours pass; Puerto Rico faces long hard road to recovery; Theresa May moves to revive Brexit talks; Migrant integration a major issue as vote looms; Hurricane Maria's devastation in Dominica; Trump's New Sanctions on North Korea; Trump Meets Turkish President Erdogan; Survivor Describes Aftermath of Mexico Quake. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 21, 2017 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the program. I'm Hala Gorani. We're coming to you live from CNN London.
And following this hour, two major stories -- first, a race against time in Mexico where 48 hours after that massive earthquake, people are still
trapped under the rubble. We will be following rescue operations.
Also this hour, a strengthening hurricane plowing towards yet another island. Much more on both of these stories we'll be speaking about with
the premier of the Turks and Caicos and the storm is headed her way.
We'll get to all of that in a moment. But first, breaking news this hour from the United Nations -- two days ago, he threatened to totally destroy
North Korea if he had to. Now, President Trump is ramping up the pressure on the secretive nation, slapping a new set of economic sanctions on the
country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES: North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development is a grave threat to peace and security in our world.
And it is unacceptable that others financially support this criminal rogue regime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: All right, the sanctions will target individuals who provide goods, services or technology to North Korea. The president made the announcement
at a meeting with the leaders of Japan and South Korea, obviously very nervous these days about these North Korean missiles tests. He also, by
the way, and this is significant, he heed (ph) to praise on China's leader saying Xi Jinping instructed Chinese banks to stop dealing with North
Korea.
Let's go the United Nations. Robyn Curnow is there.
Let's talk first of all about how much more economic pressure this will put on North Korea, Robyn.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, let's just talk about this executive order. And yes, so the optics are one thing. What is this going
to mean on the ground and what does it mean?
The White House has just sent out this fact sheet of this executive order, giving a little bit more details of what they hope -- they're -- they're
going to achieve with it. I mean, it certainly seems on paper to be quite comprehensive.
They say the (ph) talks in trade and financial institutions interestingly portray -- they speak about shipping, which is, of course, I mean, conjured
by which a lot of North Korean business and imports and exports -- imports are done. And they talk about directly targeting ships and vessels and
aircraft, the hundred and 80-day ban, you know, anything that goes near North Korea, not a lot coming to the U.S.
And also, they say, any vessel that has any contact with a North Korean one also is going to be under, you know, under scrutiny. They also talk about
targeting industries, such as fishing and financial institutions.
This gives the Treasury Department more power, more authority to go after companies and individuals, so certainly, turning the screws on this -- on
this North Korean nation in an attempt to isolate them more. Will it work? Let's see.
GORANI: And what about China's involvement?
CURNOW: Well, I think this is what's actually key in many ways. I mean, all together, I mean, the synchronicity of all of this, Mr. Trump coming
out with the Japanese and the South Korean leaders just before they're working launch (ph), the optics of that, of course, points to, you know,
three very important parts of -- of -- of the solution coming together to support (ph) an American executive order.
And then, of course, Mr. Trump thanking the Chinese for tightening their own screws which has been a huge issue and the Chinese coming out and
saying, you know, that basically, their central bank has instructed banks not to lend to North Korean entities as well. In many ways, that is
perhaps more significant than this executive order, which in the end, is an executive order.
It's a bilateral move. I mean, not really legally binding in many ways but the fact that the Chinese are taking this step, that they themselves are
looking to turn the screws on, is significant. And I think it's going to be very interesting to see how this all plays out, if it's just little
steps, baby steps.
There've already been a number of sanctions instituted here by the Security Council. But still, North Korea has defied all of those and in many ways,
ramped up their -- their nuclear program.
So will this make a difference? The Chinese are key. And Mr. Trump knows this. Whether this is a big foreign policy win for him, let's just see.
But I mean, certainly, on the face of it, this is a big day (ph).
GORANI: All right, Robyn Curnow, thanks very much, reporting live from the United Nations. Is the president in the art of the deal mode?
Let's get more analysis on all of this. I'm joined by Jamie Rubin, the former U.S. assistant secretary of State.
Hi, Jamie. Is this significant because he got China on board to agree to put more pressure on its own banks not to lend to North Korea?
JAMES RUBIN, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF STATE: It's significant. Last week, there was a U.N. Security Council resolution.
That was a lot more significant because the whole world agreed to put limits on what the North Koreans can buy, put restrictions on how they can
import and export.
[15:05:00]
The problem is that even as sanctions are tightened, I think we all know that sanctions aren't going to solve the problem.
The North Korean leader doesn't care about what happens to his people. They -- we will never be able to put enough sanctions on North Korea's
leadership to affect their way of life.
In the '90s, the North Korean leader, his father, allowed perhaps millions of people to starve to death.
GORANI: Yes, there was a famine there as a result. So he'd rather pursue the nuclear program, stand up in his mind (ph) to countries like the United
States, then obviously avoid for his people terrible things like hunger or poverty.
But going forward, though, I mean, there has to be some sort -- sort of solution because this is not the same situation as the Clinton years, for
example. They've gone very far into this program, possibly miniaturized (ph) nuclear materials to fit on an intercontinental ballistic missile.
This is serious.
RUBIN: Absolutely. Donald Trump promised they -- it wouldn't happen, he said. And that wasn't a missile armed with a nuclear warhead capable of
hitting the United States.
It's either happened already or it's going to happen. And there's nothing the world can do about it, short of these really quite frightening military
options that involve gambling with the lives of hundreds of thousands of South Koreans and Japanese.
So my guess is that your--
GORANI: And North Koreans, 25 million of them.
RUBIN: -- and North Koreans. My guess is the smart move here over time is what we did during the Cold War, which is containment. We have to build up
our forces with Japan and South Korea.
We have to have enough to be more capable than North Korea at every potential level. We contain it. And we wait until something gives in that
country because the leader there is not to give it up because of sanctions.
The military option is -- is really quite -- quite scary.
GORANI: How do you contain it? How do you contain it?
RUBIN: Deterrence. It's worked before. The North Korean leader may find out that having all these nuclear weapons doesn't actually mean anything.
It won't achieve him any international recognition. It won't achieve him any breakthrough in his economy. They'll just still be there.
And the United States will make sure that he will never be able to blackmail Japan, South Korea, or anyone else by having an increased
military conventional potentially other capabilities at every level of the escalation ladder. That's the way to contain North Korea.
And the interesting part about that--
GORANI: Yes.
RUBIN: -- is China doesn't want that to happen. They want to reduce American forces. They want to be the biggest military power in Asia.
But if we adopt what I just suggested, a regional containment, China will then face a real choice. Can they allow the United States to become even
more powerful, even more of the leader in that part of the world?
Or would they finally do something real, not closing down banks, but shutting off oil? That's--
GORANI: And that's not being targeted right now.
RUBIN: Not, not.
GORANI: Quick word on Iran--
RUBIN: Yes.
GORANI: -- because there seems to be as -- as -- as is often the case with the Trump administration, mixed messages. In the case of Rex Tillerson,
the secretary of State, who said Donald Trump is still making up his mind about the Iran deal, a reporter reminded him that, in fact, Donald Trump in
a pool spray (ph) as we call it before meeting with the reporters (ph)--
(CROSSTALK)
RUBIN: He said he'd do it (ph).
GORANI: -- he'd already made up his mind. What's going to happen with that because the Europeans have been quite fair (ph). They've said look,
we've really -- we're going to stick with this deal.
If the U.S. walks away or not, we're still -- we still think this is a viable deal that makes sense.
RUBIN: Well, it does. It -- it has stopped the risk for at least 10 years and probably longer of Iran crossing the nuclear threshold, being able to
do what exactly North Korea was able to do when it flew out U.N. inspectors, it left all the agreements. So the North Korea crisis might
eventually sink into Donald Trump.
And he'll realize that he doesn't want to start another nuclear crisis with Iran. The key here is that Donald Trump during the campaign like to do
these bait and switch, where he just throws out this imaginary solution that he thinks he's just going to get to the art of the deal.
And everyone gets all excited. But then they realize this is the real world. And in the real world, countries have interests.
And Iran is going to respond if we pull out. The Europeans are also going to respond.
GORANI: Do you think this is just -- this is just bombast (ph)?
RUBIN: Well, at most, there is a value in having a discussion with our allies about other subjects than the nuclear issue -- ballistic missiles,
Iranian military support--
GORANI: That's not covered by the--
RUBIN: -- not covered by the agreement--
GORANI: -- it's not covered by the (ph)--
RUBIN: -- in the region for Syria, for Hezbollah. Those are real, real problems. But if you alienate our European allies by throwing out the U.S.
participation, they are not going to want to work with you on these very real problems in the region.
That's -- that's why diplomacy works by encouragement, not bombast.
GORANI: Well, we'll see what we hear from the president regarding the Iran deal. We heard his latest announcement on North Korea today.
[15:10:02]
Thanks so much, Jamie Rubin. As always, great having you on. Let's turn our attention now to this pair of natural disasters, specifically the one
here in Mexico.
It's been now 48 hours already since that powerful quake struck central Mexico. Take a look at some of the latest (ph) -- we have been watching
riveted, incredible rescues like this one play out across the capital, Mexico City.
But time is running out to find survivors underneath the rubble of all these collapsed buildings. On Wednesday, rescue workers tried desperately
to get a young girl out of her collapsed school.
We covered it extensively during our hour. However, it's -- I'm -- I'm afraid I -- I have to tell you that she is still trapped. That means that
the delicate operation to save her life continues all these hours later.
Univision anchor, Enrique Acevedo , joins me now from Mexico City.
What's the latest on this little girl in the school because yesterday, it was my understanding, based on what our affiliates told us, that she was
about to be freed. Yet she's still trapped. Why is that?
ENRIQUE ACEVEDO, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: Well, we've been receiving contradicting reports. Many of the rescue workers involved in that
operation were saying that they've had seen a sign of life, this little girl moving her hand.
At some point, someone said that they have (ph) had a conversation with the -- the -- with the child. And she said (ph) that she was tired.
But then authorities told us that they weren't close to achieving any or having any success in -- in this search and rescue efforts that are ongoing
in -- in this school in the southern part of Mexico City. Also, yesterday, we were talking about the lack of information, the identity of the student
that supposedly remained inside the school.
The school didn't have the lists of the students or at least, it wasn't making the -- the lists available. Education authorities in Mexico,
federal education authorities didn't have that information either.
So what seems to be a -- a sign of -- of suspicion for many is the fact that the parents of the children were allegedly inside that school, still
trapped, haven't come forward to work (ph) with authorities and to claim their -- their children.
GORANI: Why is that? I -- well, what do you mean the parents haven't come forward? So some of the missing kids, their parents haven't been located
yet?
ACEVEDO: That's -- that's what we -- that's what we've been reporting on, that the secretary of education in Mexico, Aurelio Nuno, said he was
actively looking for the parent -- the parents of any children who were missing inside that school. But so far, even with all this media
attention, they haven't been able to contact anyone.
No one has come forward, which, for many, is a sign of suspicion that maybe there aren't any children inside that school anymore. Of course, search
and rescue efforts continue.
And we have no indication to think, you know, to -- to doubt the version of the authorities. But this piece of information is -- is certainly causing
a lot of suspicion for many.
GORANI: But -- but it is -- I mean, is it your understanding that there is a little girl still in -- trapped inside that school?
ACEVEDO: That's what rescue workers there have told us. They've even showed us the equipment they've been using -- infrared equipment.
These microphones that they've installing inside the collapsed building, they insist that there are people there. They insist that there are people
alive and that are ongoing search and rescue efforts.
The -- the authorities in charge of coordinating that effort, the -- the naval elements here in Mexico City told us that (ph)--
GORANI: All right, Enrique, we'll get back to you in a moment. Let's listen to Donald Trump just (ph) meeting his (ph) Turkish counterpart (ph),
Erdogan in New York.
TRUMP: -- running a very -- a very difficult part of the world. He's involved very, very strongly. And frankly, he's getting very high marks.
And he's also been working with the United States. We have a great friendship. As countries, I think we're right now as close as we have ever
been.
And a lot of that has to do with the personal relationships. So President, thank you very much. It's a great honor to have you, the United States,
thank you.
GORANI: All right, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is speaking in Turkish there. We heard from the U.S. President, Donald Trump just a few seconds ago.
They are welcoming the president of Turkey to the United States, saying that they have a great friendship, the two men, and that the two countries
are closer than they've ever been.
[15:15:04]
And that is thanks to their personal relationship.
We have translation for--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- might be for Donald (ph). We are getting together with you as obligations (ph) and we're going to conduct the bilateral (ph)
meeting as well, whereby we will be assessing the current relations between the United States and Turkey, as well as we will have the opportunity to
discuss the recent region (ph) of developments as all (ph).
And I would like to once again thank you for this opportunity and it's great to get together with you.
TRUMP: Very well. Thank you very much, Mr. President. We appreciate it. Thank you all very much. Appreciate it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, what were your next plans for (ph) violence against peaceful protesters?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, are you going to be talking about (ph) (inaudible) these things (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
TRUMP: We'll be discussing many issues -- many issues.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, when was the last time you spoke with Paul Manafort? So, so (ph)--
TRUMP: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
GORANI: All right, there were a few who shouted questions there that were rather interesting, one on protesters against the President of Turkey,
Erdogan, because you might remember, that last time he was in Washington, some of the -- some of the -- some of the Turkish official staff were
accused of having -- of having been violent with some of the protesters. In fact, they got in trouble with the law because of that.
And one of the reporters there asked Donald Trump will you bring up the protesters and how they were treated last time the president of Turkey was
in town. And he was also asked about Paul Manafort.
Of course, he's under federal investigation. This is the former campaign chairman of Donald Trump. And he was asked by a reporter, when was the
last time you spoke to Paul Manafort.
He did not answer that question. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
[15:16:50]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:18:58}
GORANI: Back to Mexico now. And to an incredible firsthand account of one woman who survived the earthquake. Gloria Mayne lives in Mexico City.
Here is a Google earth view of her street. Gloria's (ph) apartment was in the white building on the corner. Now, I want to show you some dramatic
video she shared with us.
This is what her building looked like directly after the quake. You can see dust through (ph) in the air. And essentially, the entire building
then (ph) caved (ph).
Gloria joins me now live via Skype.
First of all, how are you doing? I imagine you are still -- you're still shaken. It's been two days, Gloria.
GLORIA MAYNE, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT: Yes. Things a lot -- very much still in shock but stayed at (ph) town that are (ph) relatives' home. I'm very
fortunate, there are a lot of people that are sleeping in the streets and in parks right now.
But thankfully, I'm OK.
GORANI: Where were you when the earthquake struck?
[15:20:00]
MAYNE: I was in a neighborhood called Santa Fe--
GORANI: Yes.
MAYNE: -- about 10 kilometers northwest of my home. It felt horrible. But in that part of town, it's relatively safe.
So I could -- when it shook, I could only imagine how it could have felt in my neighborhood, which is usually, the earthquake is still (ph) 10 times
worse. So there is no damage to the neighborhood -- neighborhood where I was in--
GORANI: Yes.
MAYNE: -- or the office building I was in.
GORANI: But you're -- we're seeing video that I think you shot on your own mobile phone, your own cellphone of how -- of -- of the damage caused to
your building by the earthquake. It's basically a pile of rubble.
But you had a friend staying with you from Seattle, I understand. And she was--
MAYNE: Yes.
GORANI: -- inside this building when it collapsed.
MAYNE: Yes. She -- my friend, Ashley (ph), she had just arrived early that morning, visiting me from Seattle to spend a few weeks with me. And I
left for a meeting for work.
And she was in the apartment building when it collapsed. And see, we're on the sixth floor.
There are seven floors. And it was a miracle the way the building fell. It fell in front and slid -- the floors that were above her slid over her.
So it left a crack open and the (ph)--
GORANI: And we're showing a -- we're sorry, just finish your thoughts but what (ph) -- just I want to tell our viewers what they're seeing now, is
that screen grab of the video that shows Ashley (ph) essentially emerging - - it's unbelievable -- from this huge pile of rubble.
MAYNE: It's -- it's really a miracle that she survived and that nothing fell on top of her. And she basically sat on the building for 10 minutes
and so (ph) an electrician (ph) truck came to grab here with their crane and lifted her out of the rubble.
And shortly after she was pulled out, the rest of the building collapsed onto the street. So it was really a miracle.
GORANI: So if she had not been pulled out when she was, she -- she could have suffered some major, you know, she could've been hurt a lot more
because the rest of the building just came down at that point.
MAYNE: Absolutely. And as of last night, as of yesterday, there were still seven of my neighbors trapped in the rubble. And at night, they
pulled out two more alive.
GORANI: OK.
MAYNE: So there are still five missing, I believe. And -- and it's not just my building. They're saying almost 50 buildings are down now.
And a lot of the buildings that didn't collapse the day of the earthquake are falling because of structural damage. And so there's a significant
number of displaced people, separated children, elderly people that are without homes, people sleeping in parks.
And the most incredible thing, I think, is the -- the Mexican spirit and resilience. The whole city is mobilizing to bring food and shelter to
everyone that's been affected.
There are paramedics on motorcycles delivering supplies. It's really a citywide effort. And a lot of young people are leading these initiatives.
So what the international community can do for us is not only donate to Mexican Red Cross and to Gobos (ph), which is the -- the motorcycle
paramedics, but (ph) really--
GORANI: Yes.
MAYNE: -- the efforts on the ground but to keep us in our thoughts and -- and stay informed.
GORANI: Well, we'll put that on our Facebook page because I want to put this interview up as well there so -- so people can hear your story. Quick
last one, what's next for you here because clearly, your home is destroyed. This is going to involve, you know, rebuilding, you know.
Obviously, there are only physical things. There are -- everybody is safe that -- that you know your friend as well. But what's next for you?
MAYNE: What's next is, you know, speaking with my community, my friends and family, helping each other out, evacuating friends who have homes that
have been damaged, and then all of us together on a new apartment search, trying to find new places to live, but simultaneously sitting (ph) together
through his healing process because it's -- it really deeply affected everyone emotionally.
GORANI: Gloria Mayne, thanks very much. Best of luck to you and thanks so much for joining us to share your story. We really appreciate it.
It's a difficult time for everyone there, and from one natural disaster to hurricane Maria, once again, a hurricane lashing the Caribbean, this time
the Dominican Republic, threatening the island with dangerous storm surges, flooding and mudslides.
[15:25:06]
The storm left all of Puerto Rico in the dark. But the extent of the destruction there is just now coming to light.
It could be months before electricity is restored. And that could be a crippling blow to businesses struggling amid a recession there.
And there are immediate concerns as flash flooding is still very much a risk. On the island of Dominica, the destruction was simply catastrophic,
homes shredded apart.
You see it from the air, rainforests stripped bare, hills washed away by landslides. Fifteen people at least were killed. And officials say
looting is widespread.
The nation is entering survival mode. And people are grabbing what they can to stay alive. Now, the dangers from Maria's ferocious winds and
torrential rain are far from over.
A hurricane warning is now in effect for the Turks and Caicos as the storm closes in. I'm joined now on the line by the country's Premier, Sharlene
Cartwright-Robinson.
Thanks, Mrs. Cartwright-Robinson first of all for joining us. What's the situation--
SHARLENE CARTWRIGHT-ROBINSON, PREMIER, TURKS AND CAICOS: Sure. You're welcome.
GORANI: -- on the Turks and Caicos now? Has the storm made landfall?
CARTWRIGHT-ROBINSON: Well, we -- it's still about a hundred miles away from us. But further to the island (ph) to the east, which is Grand Turk
capital, have already begun to experience heavy rain.
And I'm here in Providenciales where we're beginning to see rain here as well. We've already issued a notice for country shutdown. That starts
(ph) from 10:00 but that's definitely in effect now.
We've asked all of our people, all essentially (ph) start to go indoors until the all clear is given.
GORANI: What -- what is your biggest concern? Is it -- is it the storm surge, the flooding, the wind? What's your number one concern?
CARTWRIGHT-ROBINSON: Well, everyone will be disconcerned (ph) because we would have just two weeks ago experienced Irma. And so we would have had a
lot of compromised homes and damage. And so even from a lower category storm, we would have been concerned about the wind.
But for us being a low-lying and flat country, the storm surge of course is a concern for us as well as flooding because they're very flat.
GORANI: Yes. And do you have the supplies that you need because I know after Irma, there were -- there were major issues with bringing in food and
essentials and medicine. Do you have everything you need on the island?
CARTWRIGHT-ROBINSON: Well, we've had -- we're moving to almost the state of normalcy in terms of shipping. So those issues that have been
addressed, our ports had experienced little damage.
Airport was open within a few days for international relief. And those were coming in. And we have over 19 agencies and the U.K. military
included and other U.K. organizations that are on the ground.
And they've been assisting and bringing in relief as well. So we're -- we've got enough fuel and food and water to get us through the storm.
GORANI: All right. And by the way, I want to tell our viewers, what they're seeing, there are images on the Turks and Caicos after Irma. So
this is not the current storm.
How long do you think recovery will take as far as the damaged buildings and all the other issues post-Irma and now post-Maria?
CARTWRIGHT-ROBINSON: Well, it's going to be a long haul. We are asking the people to be patient. We haven't been able to put a time to it.
GORANI: Yes.
CARTWRIGHT-ROBINSON: Well, we've had islands where as much as a hundred percent, 90 percent, 70-plus percent homes have been affected either from
level one or total destruction level four.
GORANI: Yes.
CARTWRIGHT-ROBINSON: So we have a long week to go in terms of rebuilding. We have been focusing on our communications, knowing that that went along
completely.
And we were able to restore quite a bit of electricity. We're still fighting and struggling at some of our islands for -- for electricity as
well.
So our focus really was to begin to have people communicate because we're a multi-island country, and also to have the country list (ph) and then, of
course, to move into rebuilding. Now, we can't say the time.
But I can tell you will certainly (ph) not be overnight or perhaps within two months or a year.
GORANI: All right, thank you so much for joining us and best of luck to you and all the residents of the island. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson is
the Turks and Caicos premier.
And the premier was saying the storm is about a hundred miles from her islands after Irma. This is the last thing obviously the Caribbean needs.
And the Turks and Caicos is hunkered down, and you know, having like everyone else to write out this terrible hurricane. A lot more to come --
digging on hands and knees, trying to locate possible survivors under rubble.
We'll go back to Mexico City for an update in the rescue efforts at once school. Stay with us.
[15:29:45]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: We want to keep you up to date on that agonizing search and rescue operation in Mexico City at one school.
Teams are working frantically to find anyone beneath the rubble of a collapsed building. Twenty-one kids and five adults were killed when the
quake hit. Eleven children were pulled alive from the rubble.
And we wanted to show you, by the way, so you get a sense of this structure. The before and after photos of that school, you can see on the
right, the aftermath of the quake, where one entire side of the structure has collapsed. And look at what the building looked like before.
Miguel Marquez joins me now from the scene with more. What's the latest on this rescue operation, Miguel?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Mexican government has just given out a bit of new information. They say that they've rescued
11 minors from this building over the course of the last 48 hours.
They've found 19 dead and 6 adults dead. The latest person they pulled out of the rubble behind me was a teacher at the building, a woman in her 50s.
Right now, they are still searching. They still believe they have a 12- year-old that is buried in the rubble down here, who is still alive. What they are doing is moving a large crane above the building, trying to shore
it up, take weight off the building that has basically pancaked the floors. The three levels have pancaked on top of each other.
They're trying to take that weight off of that building and then move in from two different directions, one on top, one through the side to try to
get to that 12-year-old who is down there.
They think she may be down there with others, but they don't know that for sure. They don't know if she is still alive. The only thing that they are
saying now is that they are noises down there. It's not clear when is the last time they had positive interaction with her down there.
They said that they were able to get a hose down toward to get water to the area that she is in. So, hopefully, she will be able to survive. Pam.
GORANI: It's Hala. So, what they are saying is that they - essentially, they are not giving you more information on whether or not they've been
able to communicate with this child.
MARQUEZ: They are trying to communicate. Throughout the day, we have had long periods of silence. Rescuers asking everyone to be quite and there
are hundreds of people gathered here. And things do quiet down very, very quickly and very effectively, so they can listen to see what they are
hearing down there.
They are trying to communicate with her. They hear sounds. It is not clear the sounds are coming from here. Hala?
GORANI: And the wider effort, this is, obviously, happening at this school. But this is going to be such a long-term process to re-home
people, to get people into safe structures. This is the beginning of such a long and painful road, isn't it, Miguel?
[15:35:06] MARQUEZ: Yes. It is incredible. I have a micro-view here in this one neighborhood in Mexico City. When you drive around the city,
there are parts that look perfectly fine. Large part of it looks perfectly fine, but then you find these peer points in the city that are completely
devastated.
The areas closer to the epicenter, Morelos and Puebla, very big cities in their own right, they are hit very hard. They are whole neighborhoods in
Morelos that are almost flattened. So, this is going to be a countrywide large effort and it will be a long time before many in these areas feel
like life is going back to normal. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Thank you, Miguel Marquez, in Mexico City at the site of that rescue.
I'd be lying if I said it's not terribly disappointing. We were all really, really hoping that this young girl would be pulled out of the
rubble. And we hope that this delay in getting her out doesn't mean there is bad news ahead. But we're going to keep our eye on it, certainly on
this rescue, at that school and hope for the best.
As I mentioned, it's not just this one natural disaster. It's also the one hitting the Caribbean again. CNN has a team of reporters covering Maria's
destructive path, through that part of the world.
Let's start in the US territory of Puerto Rico, which has now been declared a disaster zone by Donald Trump, clearing the way for desperately-needed
funds.
Our Nick Paton Walsh is live in San Juan. What's the latest there? I know that there was no power at all on the entire island. Is any or any of the
services and utilities back in Puerto Rico?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No. And in fact, Hala, we do have around this place, being mostly provided by local
generators. So, that, of course, will be the issue moving forward too, as those - and how is that power distributed.
Also too, water appears to be slowly rationed. For example, our hotel has just told us there's only two, three-hour period today that they will be
keeping the water on. That's presumably a sign of how other utilities are being affected by that power cut as well.
Add to that too, the absence of information people have here because the cellphone towers are down as well. People coming up to us to ask if the
airport is going to be open soon. It will be open, they hope, tomorrow.
And also, exactly how strong was the storm that they felt. And that was 105 miles an hour when we saw it hit the east coast down at Palma del Mar
about 6:30 yesterday morning.
But this is a city, Hala, which is really (INAUDIBLE) walking around with open mouth, just trying to work out exactly what this all means for the
months ahead.
A possible good news, tragic for one family, though, is that one life only was lost in the last hours' worth of storm activity. But this whole city
knew a completely different life for about 30 hours ago, now has to come to terms what a power cut and failing utilities mean for the jobs they have,
the schools they go to, the hospitals they may need to visit, how are they going to start getting food potentially too.
There's debris in every street you possibly see. And some kind of structural damage. The traffic is back on the street. People are walking
around, trying to work out really what does this mean for the rest of the months ahead.
They thought they would know the normality they would face. Now, they have to re-imagine everything once again, Hala.
GORANI: And also, I mean, this a territory that is deep into a debt crisis, where there's a recession going on, high unemployment, they're
entering the tourist season in just a few weeks. I mean, what is the state of mind as people who've just - this 1-2 punch, Irma and now this, ahead of
what should be an important sort of revenue-making period for them?
WALSH: One hotel manager who we saw yesterday, she was in tears, frankly, seeing the devastation ahead of them. Her staff came in, rallied around,
trying to get to work, the idea of getting their business casino, they need their salaries too, back on their feet.
But it is no easy task at all. You are right. Puerto Rico on its knees before Hurricane Irma struck, a $70 billion debt, nearing its bankruptcy.
Before that even, about half of the population is below the US federal poverty line.
Then Irma comes in, a glancing blow, but a billion dollars' worth of damage from that two weeks ago and now Hurricane Maria, the worst in 90 years.
And yes, I this will probably transform the way of life for people here for years ahead. I am sure Donald Trump's administration will do all they can.
He called this island "utterly obliterated." It feels like that in some parts.
There aren't (ph) still a lot of life moving around here, but it will change for those people who thought they knew what their daily routine was
until 30 hours ago. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Nick Paton Walsh in San Juan, Puerto Rico, thank you very much. We have a lot more ahead after a quick break.
[15:40:00] And we switch gears to Brexit. The British prime minister is planning a dramatic intervention in the talks. Will she be able to
kickstart the flagging negotiations?
She's planning a big speech in Florence, Italy. We'll preview it. Coming up.
Also, immigration is one of the key issues facing German voters as they head to the polls this weekend.
Still ahead, we'll bring you two very different stories of refugee life in the heart of Europe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: The clock is ticking on Brexit negotiations. The EU officials say it's all moving too slowly and sort of (INAUDIBLE).
And now, British Prime Minister Theresa May is making a move. Tomorrow, she is making a hotly-anticipated speech in Florence, Italy.
Earlier, Mrs. May gathered her cabinet to brief them on the content. Downing Street hasn't confirmed exactly what she is going to say, but there
is speculation she will lay out how the UK intends to handle this contentious divorce bill. Will she put a figure on it? There have been
numbers floating around, GBP 20 billion, for instance, is one of them.
Let's discuss more with Quentin Peel, who joins me now. He is an associate fellow at Chatham House and a commentator for "The Financial Times."
Quentin, you don't think she'll put a number on the divorce bill tomorrow?
QUENTIN PEEL, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, EUROPE PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: No, I don't think so. I think it's premature.
I think what she's probably going to say is, look, while we're leaving, we'll make sure that we don't leave a hole in your budget. This is a very
fraught negotiation because there are 27 EU countries who are actually really going to hurt by losing the British money.
We're net contributors. Either, if you're Poland, you'll lose money that comes to Poland; or if you're Germany, you might be asked to pay more
money. So, they don't want to see a huge hole opening up.
But in her own party and in her own back benches, their attitude is, we don't owe them a penny. So, she's got to balance that.
GORANI: So, no one will be happy?
PEEL: Nobody is going to be very happy. She's trying to improve the mood because what we've seen so far is that the negotiations are going nowhere.
They are really badly bogged down.
GORANI: Why are they going nowhere because it seems to me as though the EU is in no hurry and also it's in its best interest, in fact, to take its
time. It's the UK that needs to get on with it.
PEEL: The UK needs to get on with it and the UK is split. The government is split. The government of the civil service is split, the opposition is
split. The British don't know what they want out of these negotiations.
So, on the other side of the channel, there are 27 members of the European Union, who say for goodness sake tell us what you want.
GORANI: What do they want? What do the Brits want? Because we heard from Michel Barnier today, saying, look, you have several models, you have the
Norwegian model, you have the Canadian model, you have all sorts of model. One gives you access to the single market, the other doesn't, and it's not
as good a deal.
What you won't get is the access of the Norwegian model and sort of the framework, the limited freedom of movement of the Canadian model. You
can't have your gateau and eat it as well, Michel Barnier was saying.
[15:45:09] PEEL: No, I think that is - as Mr. Barnier seems to realize, that's just what the British want.
GORANI: Yes. But they won't get it.
PEEL: They're not going to get it. So, they are dodging around to try and get a deal, which is the most generous free trade deal that they can get
without obeying the rules.
And so, fundamentally, they have a problem. What they're really hoping, I think, is that in the next few days, Angela Merkel is going to be reelected
the German Chancellor and she will suddenly save them from their plight.
Angela Merkel will ride to the rescue, saying we'll do a good deal because German business doesn't want to lose the market. And Angela Merkel is
saying basically -
GORANI: Are they deluding themselves, though? You think Angela Merkel is going to say that when she has time and time again -
PEEL: Yes.
GORANI: - shown she doesn't want the UK to leave and she doesn't want to make it painless for them to leave.
PEEL: This is precisely the issue. Twenty-seven countries don't want the UK to leave. They say you, the UK, are making your own problem. If you'll
insist on doing this, then at least say precisely what you want. And so far, they haven't said it because the government is split.
GORANI: Why is the prime minister of Britain making such an important and crucial speech, which in many ways is also addressed to her compatriots and
constituents, outside of her own country?
PEEL: We have seen now for decades past, no British prime minister has the courage to make a remotely positively speech about Europe in Britain. So,
they run away.
Tony Blair did it. He used to go to Warsaw or even Tokyo to make speeches about the euro. And now, we see Theresa May. It's extraordinary. She's
got to go to Florence. A lovely city, a lovely city to be a tourist.
GORANI: If you're going to make a speech, make it anywhere. Florence isn't a bad place.
PEEL: Anywhere but Britain. It's just crazy.
GORANI: All right. Well - and by the way, we'll be speaking with you tomorrow as well after the speech. So, thanks very much up.
Liliane Bettencourt, I'm you've heard the world's richest woman. The world's richest woman, Liliane Bettencourt, the L'Oreal heiress, has died
today at the age of 94. She was, as I mentioned, the heiress of the French cosmetics company L'Oreal. Net worth estimated around $44 billion.
Bettencourt played an active role in running L'Oreal. She stepped down from the board only at the age of 89.
We were talking about Brexit. One of the big issues there with Brexit and the German election coming up is the wave of humanity that spread out of
the Middle East, Syria and Iraq, in particular, and other war-torn nations into Europe.
The refugee crisis took this continent by surprise. And Chancellor Angela Merkel opened Germany's doors wide. Now, Ms. Merkel is facing an election
with immigration front and center.
CNN's Atika Shubert spoke to refugees with very different experiences of life in Germany.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the first day of school in the small German town of Altena. Students
rehearse a welcome song and run to the playground, while moms make waffles.
Bernadette Koopman is one of Altena's volunteers to welcome refugees. She's keeping an eye out for the Afghan kids whose parents she tutors.
Also, I helped them with filling out forms, which is, of course, very difficult for them to understand. All this German bureaucracy, she says.
Two years since Germany opened its door to nearly a million refugees, the country is assessing the impact as it faces a national election. The town
of Altena is a shining example of integration. Every family was assigned their own flat and a local mentor to guide them.
Bernadette adopted the Mohammadi family. She was there for the birth of baby Elena and is now helping the family to reapply for asylum. They were
rejected a few weeks ago.
Eleven-year-old Moschka is the family's translator. Two years ago, she arrived in Germany unable to read or write. And today, she loves school.
But she starts to cry thinking about whether the family will be able to stay here.
I know that some people are annoyed with us, with refugees, she says. That's what I see in some people. But I think if they could just see us,
if they could experience what it's like to be a refugee at some point in their lives, then they would know how difficult it is, she says.
The Mohammadi family have found a friend in Bernadette and a welcoming home in Altena, but that's not the case for Yahya, a Syrian refugee, living
about 1,500 kilometers away in the East German town of Bautzen.
Yahya does not want to be identified because he says he's already been attacked once by right-wing extremists.
(on-camera): Do you have any friends here? Have you been able to -?
YAHYA, REFUGEE: No.
SHUBERT: No? Not one friend?
(voice-over): I do have one friend, he finally says. A refugee.
[15:50:00] Bautzen did not give its new arrivals a warm welcome. Angry protests greeted the first arrivals. An asylum shelter was burned down
last year. And right-wing extremists regularly brawl with refugees in the town center.
ALEXANDER AHRENS, MAYOR OF BAUTZEN: The city was not resistant. It was afraid.
SHUBERT: The mayor Alexander Ahrens admits Bautzen does have a problem with neo-Nazis and everyday racism. As you walk past neo-Nazi graffiti, he
explains that Bautzen, like many towns in formerly communist East Germany, hasn't had much experience with outsiders.
AHRENS: It's a very human reaction that you fear the things most that you don't know. And people in the area have no experience in living together
with foreigners.
Before the refugee movement, we had a percentage of around about 1 percent foreigners living in Saxony. Why should we expect that we can drive back
everyday racism just like that overnight?
SHUBERT: In many ways, Yahya is well integrated. He has been granted refugee status here and he works two jobs in addition to learning German.
But if he had to do it again, he says he would not have come.
SHUBERT (voice-over): I told my brother, who is now in Turkey, don't come, he tells us. But he also thinks it may simply be a matter of time.
I feel 50-50. There are some people in Bautzen who don't like us refugees, he says. They cause trouble for us and they insult us. They point fingers
at us. That's what makes me afraid. I thought I had left my problems behind in Syria and I came here to live in peace.
For Germany, two years on, refugee integration is still a work in progress.
Atika Shubert, CNN in Altena and Bautzen, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Coming up, as we've been reporting throughout the hour, rescuers in Mexico are still working hard to find anyone alive in the rubble after
Tuesday's earthquake.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: The tiny island nation of Dominica now looks like a very different place, following the wrath of Hurricane Maria. What was once a land of
rain forests and farms has been stripped bare.
CNN's Michael Holmes flew over for a first look at the devastation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hurricane Maria hit Dominica at full Category 5 strength and showed no mercy, plowing through
villages, towns and the capital Roseau. Not a tree untouched across the island. Thousands snapped in two. No greenery left.
There were spectacular rain forests here. No more.
(on camera): Now, this is as close as we or anyone can get to Dominica, at least for now. The airport shut down. They are hoping to open it in the
hours ahead to see just how bad things are down there. But we can see from up here, this island has been hit and hit hard.
(voice-over): We pass low, buffeted by the remnants of Maria. Our pilot unable to land before on-the-ground safety checks had deemed the runway
safe.
The damage is island-wide. Where there is a town or village, there is debris covering the landscape like confetti.
Houses ripped open, torn apart, roofs gone. We saw some cars moving, but no people.
We did see evidence of numerous landslides on this mountainous island. The usually blue-green sea rendered brown in places from the earth swept into
it.
[15:55:05] (on camera): Dominica has an agriculture-based economy. It's sugarcane, banana plantation, citrus, and most of that is exported. From
what we can see up here, that is gone. And the loss of those resources and that income is going to be devastating for this island and its people.
(voice-over): Of course, the immediate concern is the 73,000 residents here making sure aid gets in and quickly. Medical treatment, power,
freshwater, and shelter, the immediate priorities.
Regional officials planning for eight flights and voyages to begin in force on Thursday from the nearby Island of St. Lucia, and hoping for clarity on
just what has happened to the Island of Dominica.
Michael Holmes, CNN, over Dominica, in the Caribbean.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, it has been more than 48 hours since that incredibly powerful earthquake rocked Mexico. More than 200 people were killed.
And now, the focus is on finding survivors still trapped in the building. We've been telling you about that one school in Mexico. Well, the Mexican
government now says 19 children have been found dead there and 6 adults. But there may be someone still alive below.
One crucial tool for rescuers is silence. They need to hear even the faintest sounds to try to reach any survivors. When they need quiet, this
- a raised hand.
Well, elsewhere, search dogs are being used to sniff out people buried. We need to remember this is emotional for everyone.
Listen to first responders breaking out in song after they're done with their shifts. There you have it. Amateur video there of a shift change,
keeping people's spirits up with songs.
This has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. I'm Hala Gorani. "Quest Means Business" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
