we support the effort by the ie ae by the iaea -- the effort by the iaea to secure a perimeter around the plant. we must not be turned into a military garrison or a platform for military activity. playing with nuclear safety is playing with fire that could burn millions and have catastrophic consequences for the environment. thank you. >> i think the representative of albania for his statement. i now give the floor to the representative of ireland. >> thank you, mr. president and i would like to thank the secretary-general and in director general rosie for their briefings. we welcome the iaea assistance mission to zaporizhzhia and i thank both the iaea and the one for the manner in which the mission has been conducted. we welcome the director general's recommendation and commitment to the ongoing iaea presence at the plant. they iaea -- the iaea has a key role in assisting ukraine to uphold nuclear safety in the country in the face of russia's invasion. we are deeply concerned by the situation at the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, including the ongoing military activity in shelling

nermeen: olexi pasyuk, could you respond to the iaea report? your response to their assessment of the situation at the nuclear power plant? >> first of all, weeed to understand the nature of the iaea. there are a lot of expectations [indiscernible] i personally did not expect much with the power plant because just the fact the russian army is enough to bring this concern. [indiscernible] this is what ukraine wanted to hear to get the confirmation that russia intervened and the idea that the only way to have it safe is to demilitarized the area. nermeen: give us some background. rush occupy this plant in march, very soon after their invasion of ukraine. were -- why do you think they occupy the plant? this plant provides something like 20% of all of ukraine's electric supply. >> well, i think we must -- the sole fact they attacked the power plant is on the away already breaking geneva convention protocols. [indiscernible] it is in violation of a couple of decisions made by the iaea. why they did it?irst of all, [indiscernible] indeed, it is the b

it's so good the iaea is there but it only a first step. it got to be followed up by the russians leaving the area. unfortunately, i think putin's game here in part is to make a show of this. you saw it. sam was reporting on it. make a propaganda show and blame it on the ukrainians and when i suspect he's setting the stage for is to shift the power plant over to the russian power grid in the name of safety, the big lie, and so now all that electricity will have to go to russia instead of ukraine. that's critical before the ukrainian winter. this plant used to supply 20% of ukraine's electricity. >> so critical. all right. thank you so much. appreciate it. great to see you, as always. >> don't misthe unbelievable true story of the man that took on vladimir putin and lived to tell the truth. the cnn film "navalny" area tomorrow night at 8:00 here on cnn. >>> president biden's warning about maga extremism ruffled a lot of feathers but not the first american president to use the term fastest when referring to political opponents. a closer look

the iaea is calling for an immediate securities to be set up around the powerstation. it also recommends that conditions be improved for ukrainian staff operating the plant. experts say work is needed to repair damage to buildings that house nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. attacks heighten the risk of damage to its electricity grid. under the worst-case case scenario, explosions could destroy the plant's so-called reactor containment structure, and that would allow high radiation levels to escape into the atmosphere, making nearby areas dangerous to live in for decades. >> they remain concerned about the situation in and around the plant, including reports of recent shelling. let's tell it like it is -- any damage, intentional or not, to europe's largest nuclear power plant or to any other nuclear facility in ukraine would spell catastrophe not only for the immediate vicinity but for the region and beyond. >> the physical attack, wittingly or unwittingly, the hits that this facility has received and that i can personally see and assess together with my experts is s

iaea director general rafael grossi has eressed concerns. he sayalthough shelling ha stopped near the plant recently, it continues in other areas. the russian mission to the iaea claims the shelling is being carried out by ukraine, which is supported by western countries. >>> russian president vladimir putin admits china has doubts over his country's invasion of ukraine. but he says he hopes xi jinping understands his side after the two leaders met in uzbekistan. they're attending the shanghai cooperation organization summit. it's an economic and security group involving asian countries with close ties to moscow and beijing. putin says china has been skeptical about russia's recent moves, but he says he appreciates the country's support. >> translator: we greatly value the balanced position of our chinese friends when it comes to the ukraine crisis. we understand your questions and concerns about this. we will, of course, explain our position. >> despite pressure from western leaders, china has neither condemned nor sanctioned russia. xi has

that's why iaea is on the ground. they're responsible not only for snooping around on proliferation but making sure civilian nuclear power is safe. i think the danger in the near term is by accident miscalculation, stupidity, they lose that last transmission line. but there's another long-term danger, and i think you almost allude to it there. so what are russia's long-term interest? i think their interest is to keep the plant, to grab it themselves and control that energy to make ukraine pay for any energy that comes out of that plant. but the paradox here is there is another danger. let's say they start losing the war and they're force today withdraw, what will they do with the plant? i think there's concern that ironically if they start losing and are forced to withdraw, they may be tempted to sabotage the plant as they have wreaked havoc elsewhere in ukraine to punish the ukrainians. so ultimately, it will depend on russian intentions, and that could go badly. >> if they do something like sabotage or blow up this

the iaea chief has laid out what he wants to achieve. >> my mission is a technical mission, a mission that seeks to prevent a nuclear accident. and to preserve this important -- the biggest power plant in the whole of europe, not only in ukraine. this is what we are concentrating on. james: for ukraine, the hope is this will be the first step toward demilitarization, towards russians backing out from the site completely. that is looking remote, but the optimism seems to be remaining. >> this should be a step to de- occupy the militarized station. also a very important role for our power uses. the mission could speak to the person to get the real information, not russian information. james: so once they arrived, the iaea say they want to speak to staff, they want to check the physical integrity of the site with six nuclear reactors. there is a lot they want to do. crucially moscow has hinted its own approval of the very idea of inspectors staying there permanently, something that the iaea said would have a stilizing effect on an area which is seen almost daily shelling since the start

the team from the international atomic energy agency — or iaea — had to cross military checkpoints into territory controlled by russian forces. they'll stay on site until at least monday as they assess how safe — or unsafe — the facility is, after being struck several times by fire. the head of the inspectors, rafael grossi, had this to say about what he had seen. i went into the units. i could visit the emergency systems, the diesel generators, the different parts. so we have the control rooms of some of the nuclear power plants there. so we chose 3—4 key areas that i needed to see first—hand, and i was able to do that. with his analysis of the day's events, here's our correspondent in kyiv, james waterhouse. rafael grossi, the chief of the iaea, posted a video at the end of today, saying the structural integrity of the site had been repeatedly violated and, in his words, "it shouldn't be allowed to continue." but, look, it's been messy, it's been unpredictable, but the sight of that un convoy moving into the zaporizhzhia plant symbolised a major breakthrough. the route they to

the iaea chief rafael grossi has laid out what he wants to achieve. my mission is a technical mission that seeks to prevent a nuclear accident. it will preserve the biggest nuclear power plant in europe, not only in ukraine. this is what we are concentrating on. for ukraine, the hope is that this is the first step towards demilitarisation, towards russians backing out from the site completely. that is looking remote, but the optimism seems to be remaining. it should be a step to demilitarise the station, because it's really important. also very important goal, from our view, the mission could speak to the staff, to get the real information, not russian information, but real information of what is inside. once they arrive, the iaea say they want to speak to staff, check the physical integrity of the site with the six nu clear rea cto i’s . there is a lot they want to do, but crucially, moscow has hinted its own approval of the very idea of inspectors staying there permanently, something the iaea says would have a stabilising effect on an area that ha

i hope that iaea commission will be able to see that. >> reporter: on day one, the u.n. inspectors encountered russian troops and russian trucks inside nuclear facilities. ukrainian officials say that they are a fire hazard and may hold explosives. during the visit, russian officials are keen to re-enforce their claims of ukrainian attacks on the plant, pointing out spent rockets. a local woman shows the chief nuclear inspector a dossier on alleged ukrainian attacks. refugees who arrived in zaporizhzhia from the town next to the plant tell of russian helicopter gun ships and worse. >> these are the latest refugees to have arrived from the dormitory town. we have spoken to launch number of them. none want to risk being identified because many still have families in the town, but they all tell us to a man and a woman that they have seen the evidence of russians shelling their own positions. they say that they hear the flash to bang, the outgoing mortar and incoming bomb landing within one or two seconds of each other. >> and i was able to see myself and my team impact hole

the world not only deserves but needs the representatives of the iaea to force russia to demilitarize the territory and return full control to ukraine. >> reporter: that looking unlikely of course, this power plant remember is on the left bank of the dnipro river, part of those lands concurred by russia since the month of march. and just ahead of the u.n. security council meeting, the russian ambassador very clear about the fact that they would not be allowing that sort of demilitarize d zone to be creatd because he said ukrainians would come straight back in. and we're hearing from sergey lavrov saying that russia is looking at clarifications from the iaea about exactly what it is asking for. but that requirement, that request, that demand that it be turned into a safe zone, a security protection zone, looking extremely unlikely for that to happen. but still inspectors remain there in very difficult circumstances. that was another part of the report published yesterday by the iaea suggesting what was needed is greater protection for the workers who needed to think able to go about th

we are unbending in our support for the iaea's independence. there should not be any conditionality between reimplementation of the jcpoa and investigations related to iran's legal obligations under the non-proliferation treaty. and, of course, it would be preferable to return to the jcpoa without any open safeguard issues. the power to achieve that is fully in iran's hands. i'll take one from the back. [crosstalk] reporter: karine, can i ask you a quick follow-up on ethiopia? sec. jean-pierre: i'm not sure if i have any more on ethiopia. reporter: thank you, karine. president biden laid out last night the problems that the country is facing: divisions, extremism, polarization. what is his message to adversaries who -- around the world -- who are looking at this and trying to leverage the division in the country, and also allies who are dismayed at the state of democracy in the u.s.? sec. jean-pierre: so it's the same message he has sent to the world since before january 6, about sacrosanct democratic norms and the importance of standing up for

. >>> overseas to ukraine, where iaea inspectors will brief the united nations security council on what they found at a ukraine power plant. it's been shelled in recent weeks, and its last working reactor was just switched off from the grid. >>> american francis beoffu beatbeat s rafael nadal at the u.s. open. i'm matt piper, cbs news, new york. ♪ ♪ >>> this is the "cbs overnight news." >> tonight, severe weather is in the forecast for nearly a third of the nation. from record heat waves in the west to floods across the midwest and south. right now a line of storms is moving through the northeast with heavy rains, thunderstorms, and even tornado warnings. flash flooding has closed roadways and stranded drivers in parts of rhode island and massachusetts. in california, temperatures hit the triple digits for the sixth straight day as thousands flocked to the beach to beat the heat. record temperatures have also fueled deadly and destructive wildfires in northern california. in georgia, the governor declared a state of emergency in two counties after roads were washed away. all this as

the iaea is there and it's going to stay there. we are going to have a continued presence there at the plant with some of my experts. >> the head of the power compan that runs the plant says they are working to restart the reactor. and expressed hope that the mission could help. >> we believe it will be like a mission for us to demilitarized the territories around the power plant and surrounding area. if this mission helps to do that, it will be successful. >> in the short-term, the iaea plans to keep a group of experts at the plant for the next several days to continue their assessment of the damage already done to the facility. a dangerous unprecedented mission in the midst of a war zone. >> i spoke earlier with a representative from the ukraine research center and asked him what the you and inspectors are most likely to concentrate on first. >> they need to inspect the condition of the power plant in general and the technical condition of the radioactive materials. both spent fuel and fresh fuel. they might pose some danger. it

the iaea had rafael grossi said he was able to see everything. what did he say about the ste of the plant? correspondent: i should explain why it is dark, we are under curfew, the sirens have gone off and there have been explosions in the city not far from here. down the river is where the plant is, and it is something of a breakthrough that he and his team had been able to get in there. it was not clear they would get access because they have had to go through ukrainian lines and pass through a no man's land to get into the controlled zone. he said he was able to see everything he wanted to see, that is important. he has left six members of his team, 2 of whom will stay on a semipermanent basis. there is been a lot of shelling around this nuclear plant, the stakes are very high here. it is not the physical damage to the reactor buildings themselves , they are well protected, they are designed to survive a crash from an aircraft. the electricity is cut off, there is the risk of the reactor's overheating and having an accidental release of radiati

ukraine says that's intentional, that russia was trying to deter the iaea inspectors from being able to get to the plant. therefore, was shelling the exact route they needed to take there. so, that convoy set off this morning with the head of the iaea acknowledging it was very dangerous, the situation was only getting worse, but saying, we're going no matter what. and then they got stopped on the ukrainian side of the front lines for several hours before the head of the iaea had to negotiate with ukrainian military to be able to continue on their way, finally making it to the nuclear plant. but there the meantime, all of that shelling forcing one of the reactors to be shut down. this is the second time in about a week they've had a major incident like that. it has really raising fears here in zaporizhzhia, a city of well over 700,000 people. and i spent part of this morning at a hospital where they are handing out iodine tablets to people just in case there is a nuclear disaster. i want you to hear from one young woman who told me what she's concerned about. take a listen. do you wor

he said the iaea was ready to consult with the parties immediately to agree on that. he listed his many concerns. he said that the physical integrity of the plant continues to be violated and that the operators, the ukrainian operators at the plant, were working under extremely challenging circumstances alongside the presence of russian military personnel, equipment and vehicles. he did say, though, that the fact that two inspectors have remained at the site was of enormous value and that could provide direct, immediate evaluation of any situation on the ground as it happens. we also heard from members of the security council, moscow's ambassador to the un said he welcomed the iaea's permanent presence. he again accused ukrainian forces of shelling the plant. western nations are saying this is a situation entirely of russia's making saying they are playing roulette with nuclear material and calling on moscow to immediately withdraw its forces notjust from zaporizhzhia but from the whole of ukraine. nada tawfik there on the security council meeting. rescue teams are se

the chief of the iaea posted a video at the end of today saying that structural integrity of the site had been repeatedly violated and, in his words, it shouldn't be allowed to continue. look, it's been messy and unpredictable, but the sight of that un convoy moving into the zaporizhzhia power plant symbolised a major breakthrough. the route they took is a place where both sides were accused of bombing it, to try and delay the inspectors�* arrival, to try to undermine the whole mission. once they arrive, the claim from ukraine was that they were heavily monitored and escorted around, which meant they weren�*t able to speak to staff candidly, heartheirtestimony, staff who previously described being kept at gunpoint. but the crucial detail, raphael quirke c claimed that his team won�*t be going anywhere. if that transpires, that could have a stabilising effect on a volatile section of a vast front line. —— rafael grossi. but to be frank, the duration of the stay at the zaporizhzhia power plant is decided by the russians who have a tight grip on the surrounding directory. —â€

the inspectors are from the un's international atomic energy agency, the iaea. some have already left, including the director general. here's what he said. we are not going anywhere. the iaea is now there, it's at the plant and it's not moving. it's going to stay there. we are going to have a continued presence there at the plant with some of my experts and of course now we have with my team a lot of work in terms of a detailed analysis of some of the more technical aspects of what we saw. this map shows you just how close to the front line the power plant is — as you can see, within kilometres. the facility or the surrounding area is under repeated attack. both russia and ukraine blame on each other. these pictures show a large explosion caused by shelling just 5.5 kilometres from the plant. it's incidents like this that have raised fears of a nuclear disaster. the ukrainian authorities say they've been carrying out training drills to prepare for any accident. on the other side, we've heard from the russian foreign minister. have a listen. translation: we are

, this entire time since they've begun to introduce nuclear material into their in 2005, the iaea has continued verify the non diversion of nuclear material in iran to any military or other special purpose and. so that has worked very well and that can be the model for the rest of the world. but america has to lead the way on what happened to the gorbachev. reagan deal. so what happened to that deal is a terrible tragedy. you won't be surprised to learn. it was the self-proclaimed prince of ar perle, who took a major role in lying us into war in iraq, war to 2002 and 2003. who was in the defense at the time? and he led a group of hawks in the defense department and they essentially manipulated reagan and fooled him. they said, you promised the american people star wars. now, that's not just antimissile missiles. now we're talking lasers, space total, make believe, 1980s. give me a break. right. but you promised the american the star wars missile defense shield and as part of the deal. gorbachev insisting that america abandon that project and they said you'll be breaking your promise a

sides to ensure the safety of the power plant for obvious reasons, and we call on russia to enable the iaea team to get in there and do their work. russia remains resolute. it won't demilitarise around the plant it captured in march, in a blow to the ukrainians. but the un inspectors hope that their presence there could help prevent a nuclear accident. let's get some of the day's other news. the uk disasters emergency committee has launched a pakistan floods appeal to help the millions of displaced people across the country. flash floods and landslides have left more than 1,000 dead and 1,600 people injured. the dec says six million more are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. the us food and drug administration has authorized updated covid—i9 booster shots from pfizer and moderna. they target the dominant 0micron subvariants. the american government is now preparing for an autumn vaccination campaign, that could begin in the next few days. the us centers for disease control�*s panel of experts meets tomorrow to consider a final recommendation. kenya's supreme court has begun

six members of the iaea team remain at the plant and have carried out a second day of inspections. our security correspondent frank gardner is in zaporizhzhia and told us more about the comment by the iaea that the plant's physical intergity has been violated several times. well, what it means is that it's taken incoming shell and mortar and artillery fire. nobody knows exactly for certain. by whom? the russians say it wasn't them, it was the ukrainians. the ukrainians say vice versa. but that incoming fire potentially can affect the electricity power line. so there was an interruption to the power supply previously, backup generators kicked in. but the power supply is the key here because it's notjust the physical danger from shells coming in. and remember that this is a power plant right in the middle of a war zone. it's the threat to the power supply that keeps the reactors cool. interrupt that for long period of time and there is the risk of overheating and the accidental release of radiation. so i'm speaking to you now from just outside a medical facility on the edge of zapori

despite concerns over nuclear safety and security, neither a calming of tensions in the city nor the iaea's entry to the plant are guaranteed. we do continue to see sporadic shelling in the region. we call on all sides to ensure the safety of the power plant for obvious reasons, and we call on russia to enable the iaea team to get in there and do their work. russia remains resolute. it won't demilitarise the zone around the plant it captured in march, in a blow to the ukrainians. but the un inspectors hope that their presence there could help prevent a nuclear accident. a long—delayed un report says serious human rights abuses have been committed in the chinese region of xinjiang against uighur muslims. it also found that allegations of torture and sexual abuse during what china calls vocational education and training are credible. beijing, which saw the report in advance dismissed it as a farce. peter irwin from the uyghur human rights project says the chinese government won't be a credible player on the world stage unless they take action now. i think this is a report that we have been

the iaea chief later said his agency is there to stay. at this point it is still an open question as to whether the agency will have a permanent presence at the facility. president zelenskyy says russian troops should be out of the plant all together. >> translator: demilitarization of the territory of the station is the goal of ukrainian and international efforts. and it is bad that we have not yet heard the appropriate messages from the iaea despite the fact that we talked about it with mr. grosse during our meeting in kyiv. it was the key security point of our agreements. it was outlined clearly. tee demilitarization and full control by our nuclear workers. >> for more, melissa bell is joining us live. we heard president zelenskyy there calling again for demilitarization of the plant. what more do we know about what the inspectors found there yesterday? >> reporter: we'll get more in a detailed report that will be published after the several more days that the five inspectors will spend inside the plant. of course this is really where

the director of the iaea admitted this is a mission that is in his words, quote, not risk free. but one that has to happen. what do we know about what the inspectors will be doing there over the coming days? >> reporter: well, in the end, poppy and jim, it was even more fraught than they had anticipated since what we saw around the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as they were setting out were some of the worst shelling this russian-held town has seen since the occupation began in march. with all of the dangers to the plant, as you mense mentioned, the reactors has been turned off, a single reactor is now functioning at the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and that's the context in which they set off this morning. very bravely saying that they would carry on and get there nonetheless. it took them much longer than it should have as jim mentioned, three hours they were stuck with the ukrainian energy minister making a claim that once they crossed that ukrainian line, once they cross the front line into russian-held territory, where the power plant lies, ukrainians couldn't be res

both sides agreed to the access by iaea. the six reactors make this plant particularly perilous. >> weighing the pros and cons and having come so far, we are not opping. we are moving now. reporter: fighting near the plant has gone on for six months. sparking international outcry. >> the warning lights are flashing. reporter: and fears of a meltdown that would dwarf chernobyl. dust today shelling shutdown one reactor and set off emergency procedures. ruians publicly are stressing stability. >> we are doing everything to ensure the plant is safe and for the iaea mission to carry out its plans. reporter: after assessing the threat the iaea says a team will stay there two demilitarized the plant and avoid a tragedy. judy: taiwan is sounding the alarm on china's wargames saying they have been simulating attacks on u.s. navy ships. report to taiwan's our lament said the chinese aim to block foreign vessels from approaching the self ruled island by 2035. china claims taiwans a renegade province. in this country the u.s. military s

even though from the first of september representatives of the iaea have been present there. and not very difficult to establish who is guilty for the shelling. i want to recall that visit of the iaea mission to the power plant was artificially delayed. even though in june all details were agreed anti-mission could have -- and the mission could have gone to the power plant already. it was a very unphraesant situation where -- unpleasant situation where the security of the u.n. refused to give authorization to specific itinerary and then this not a very honest action. it simply delayed the visit power plant by two months. even by three months. plaque particularly three monthh months -- practically three months. very concerned about the fate of russian soldiers who were taken prisoners. there are very many examples of torture. including violation of international -- i'm sure all those who are interested in what actually happened saw a video of the torture, atrocities by a ukrainian neo-nazis against russian soldiers who were thrown to the ground with their hands tied and were s

we'll hear from the nuclear inspectors, the iaea inspectors, early next week. the idea is that permanent presence remains but clearly that has not been enough to stop the shelling around the plant. we don't know yet who is responsible. we're hearing this from the ukrainian nuclear authority. they say russian forces that are responsible. they had in the past been using the plant as something of a military base from which to launch attacks according to ukraine. we don't know exactly from where the shelling has taken place. >> so despite this nuclear threat, despite all of the fighting, ukrainians across the country are trying their best to get back to some semblance of normality. is that right? >> reporter: that's right. it is quite a surreal situation where most of the country you wouldn't know was at war, apart from the odd siren. this has been the case for some time ever since really russian forces pulled back to their eastern positions and went on to take the south. the counter offensive continues in the south, but ukrainian authorities are being tight lipped

the iaea inspectors went there on thursday for the first time since the war began. now the agency's chief says six of the inspectors will stay at the facility for a few more days while two will remain there on a long-term basis. they plan to release the report next week on what the inspectors found at the plant. the iaea chief said they already know much more than they did before the visit, but also shared biggest concerns about the plant which has repeatedly come under artillery fire. let's listen. >> it is clear that those who have these aims, these military aims know very well that is the way to cripple or to do more damage is not to look into the reactors which are enormously sturdy and robust, but to hit where it hurts so the plant becomes, you know, very, very problematic. so my concern would be, you know, the physical integrity would be the power supply, and of course the staff. >> ukrainian president zelenskyy says he is disappointed that russia prevented journalists from coming that the iaea isn't pushing for a demilletary decision of the plant. but he stil

. >> reporter: extraordinary courage there on the part of the lead of that 14 man strong iaea mission that has a sense and we've been hearing the last few days that it is extremely dangerous, risks are significant, and yet this is a mission that has to take place, all the more so now in the context of where that fifth reactor, one of only two that was functioning, has now been switched off as a result of the shelling. and i think it is important to bear in mind the context here. repeatedly ukraine has accused russian forces of using the zaporizhzhia power plant as a military base for their equipment and from which ukraine says that they launch attacks. russia for its part has been speaking about shelling. i think no one anticipated that even as the convoy of the iaea was on its way that things would become so much more tense this morning. >> yeah, melissa, absolutely. thank you for that. and i want to talk a bit more about this now with fred pleitgen who is live for us this morning in moscow. fred, russia we know had allowed this mission to take place and had consistently denied any b

the top priority for this iaea team. there's been so much focus, melissa, on this plant, for concerns and the fighting all around it. >> fighting was worse this morning. the shelling that began just before dawn all around the plant in that town, is some of the worst the town has seen since being occupied in march. it was in that context, that this team of iaea inspectors set off from ukrainian-held land across the front line, with much delay on the active front line to make it to the plant, in order to carry out their inspection. now, one of the big questions was what kind of access they were going to get, how much they were going to be able to see. now, we just have been hearing from the head of the iaea team that headed in there today. some of his men are going to stay inside in the plant. what he's been telling reporters on a checkpoint back out, across towards ukrainian-held territory, in that short amount of time they've been able to see a great deal. in fact, they are able to see the key things they needed to see.

. >> now the iaea has been there, we have corroborated what is happening. and this is a measure that one way or the other must be put in place. we can do it, we have the means to do it, nuclear safety is indispensable, nuclear security is in in-dedispensable, we are playing with fire. >> and melissa bell is joining us live from kyiv. what is the situation on the ground right now? >> reporter: that 52 page report published yesterday explaining that they are extremely concerned that the iaea, they want urgent measures taken including the creation of a nuclear safety and protection zone around the plant. very similar to what president zelenskyy has been calling for essentially a demilitarized zone. not quite using that word, but that is what rafael grossi is calling for, accusing both sides of playing with fire. the trouble is of course that it is a nuclear facility that is occupied by russian forces and in the wake of the publication of that report yesterday and rafael grossi's address to the u.n. security council, wherd straight away from the russian ambassa

operate the plant with the iaea inspectors. i think we have to keep up the international pressure here because the danger -- you described the danger quite well. as long as russia continues to use it as a base of military operations, you know, first of all, it's risky because you never know where the good night is going to go but, second of all, the russians really don't know how to operate the plant. if they make a mistake, you have a nuclear catastrophe. >> absolutely. you know, this week, president biden confirmed that he will not support, declaring russia a state sponsor of terrorism. there has been more than one effort in congress recently, though, to do just that. where do you land on this? because joe biden and nancy pelosi are reportedly on different sides of this. >> well, i tend to support the biden administration. there has to be an off ramp at some point for russia. i completely support the sanctions that have laid down on russia thus far. all of the efforts that we have done to support ukraine. but when ukraine pus

. >> the international atomic energy agency or iaea have been inspecting the plant, although journalists were not permitted to accompany them. joining us now for more is correspondent melissa bell. hi, melissa. what can you tell us? >> reporter: amara, it was a difficult expedition for these inspectors to get there on thursday. they had to go through the front line, which was more tense really than we had seen even these last few weeks since it's been getting more violent with more shelling around the plant since the month of august, yet they made it with six inspectors still inside. now, as boris was saying, we're going to get that report early next week, and that is crucial. but what we have been hearing from is iaea headquarters in vienna he said his real concern at this stage is now the power supply to the plant and, of course, the plant's workers. because, of course, the way the reactors are built, the infrastructure is so solid, that it is isn't much shelling against the reactors that worries him, he explained, but the crucial power supplies. that would be what would be the most pr

and a new iaea report today arrives amid increasing concerns about the plant's safety and security. nick schifrin is in ukraine tonight. nick: ukraine's president calls it a nuclear weapon -- an nuclear power plant occupied by an invading army. with russian military vehies parked inside, and outside, remnants of shelling that u.s. officials blame on russia. today iaea director general rafael grossi told the security council the violence needs to end. dir. grossi: the physical attack wittingly or unwittingly, the hits that this facility has received and that i could personally see, assess together with my experts is simply unacceptable. we are playing with fire and something very catastrophic could take place. nick: grossi and his team visited the plant last week, escorted by a russian nuclear official. today's iaea report called the situation unsustainable and warned of damage to a building that houses fresh nuclear fuel and a radioactive waste storage facility. and the report calls for a protection zone around the plant, an improvement of staff conditions, and the end of military a

they let us through because iaea was on its way, and they let us through. >> reporter: russia's defense minister insisted there are no heavy weapons near the plant. >> translator: we don't have heavy weapons on the territory of the nuclear power plant and in the surrounding areas. i hope tiaea commission will be able to see that. >> reporter: on day one, the u.n. inspectors encountered russian troops and russian trucks inside nuclear facilities. ukrainian officials say they're a fire hazard and may even carry explosives. armed personnel carriers armed with cannons marked with a russian invader z also visible. during the visit, russian officials are keen to reinforce their claims of ukrainian attacks on the plant pointing out spent rockets. a local woman shows the chief nuclear inspector a dossier on alleged ukrainian attacks. refugees who arrived in zaporizhzhia from the town next to the plant, tell of russian helicoptered gun ships and worse. >> these are the latest refugees to have arrived from the dormitory town for the zaporizhzhia nuclear power station. we've spoken to a large numb

are you confident that the iaea is getting a true picture of the situation at the powerplant? translation: ., ., , ., , translation: no, i really doubt the picture _ translation: no, i really doubt the picture will _ translation: no, i really doubt the picture will be _ translation: no, i really doubt the picture will be objective. - the picture will be objective. unfortunately, russia did not allow access for the international media so the story is being shaped by the russian occupiers. zaporizhzhia, the nearest city to the nuclear plant, does not feel like it is in a war zone. life largely goes on as normal but everyone wants the war to end and for the threat of a nuclear accident to be lifted. frank gardner, bbc news. the former us president donald trump has called his successor an enemy of the state, two days afterjoe biden branded him and his make america great again supporters a threat to american democracy. addressing a rally in pennsylvania, mr trump called mr biden�*s address the most vicious speech ever delivered. he condemned the recent fbi raid to recover classif

well, huw, raphael rowe c, the chief of the - raphael rowe c, the chief of the iaea posted a video at the end of today, saying the structural integrity of the site had been repeatedly violated and in his words, it shouldn't be allowed to continue, but, look, it's been messy, it's been unpredictable but the sight of that un convoy moving into the zaporizhzhia plant symbolised a major breakthrough. the route they took is a place where both sides are accused of bombing it to try and delay the inspectors' arrival and trying to undermine the whole mission and then, once they arrived, the claim from ukraine was that they were heavily monitored, escorted around, which meant that they were not able to speak to staff candidly, heartheirtestimony, staff who have previously described being kept at gunpoint. but the crucial detail is this. raphael grossi claimed that his team won't be going anywhere and if that transpires that could well have a stabilising effect on what is a very volatile section of a vast front line. but, to be frank with you, the duration of the iaea's stay at the zaporizhzhia

>> they only have the most power as the countries governing the iaea give them. they are dependent on russian cooperation. they are dependent on russia allowing them to be there. grossi, for example, says he wants to maintain a permanent presence there. one or two inspectors permanently on site. will russia let him do that? we don't know yet. >> joe, so great to have your insights on this this morning. >> thank you, brianna. >>> an nypd investigation under way this morning after an officer was caught on video shoving a woman to the ground during an arrest. we will have details ahead. >>> and serena williams back on the court tonight. will her magical run at the u.s. open continue? patrick mcenroe joins us next. ["only wanna be with you" by hootie & the blowfish] discover is accepted at 99% of places in the u.s. ["only wanna bwith you" by hootie & the blowfish] did i tell you i bought our car from carvana? yeah, ma. it was so easy! i found the perfect car, under budget too! and i get seven days to love it or my money back... i love it! i thought online meant no on

. >> shelling the territory in separate xia means that the terrorists, they do not care what the iaea says. what the international community decides. russia is interested only in the fact that the situation would bring in the works and as long as possible. >> more details now from cnn's sam kiley reporting in from odessa. for the third time in ten days, the ukrainian authorities are deeply concerned about the disconnect of eight nuclear reactor at the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. which is 20 miles south of the city of 700,000 people, because they say that it has been disconnected, forcing the use of the backup power, the diesel generating system in order to cool the nuclear reactor. now, this is happened three times in the, past and every time it has happened the concerns over a nuclear meltdown increase. now, there are two un inspectors still on the site. they're supposed to be there permanently, or at least for the -- foreseeable future. so it will be interesting to see who they'll, blame or whether they go public with what's going on there. meanwhile, the ukrainian president z

you'll remember on the very day on thursday that the iaea inspectors arrived the shelling had worsened as they tried to get through the front line and that fifth reactor had been shut down. its protection system had been -- had kicked in as a result of the shelling. so much shelling that that has happened once again. it is just one of the six reactors the plants -- that is functioning. we have been down to two. and the shelling as you say, amara, being blamed by one sade and the other. the difference this time is that the iaea inspectors, six are still inside the plant and they're there to keep an eye on what's happening and no doubt to ensure that things can be repaired quite quickly. the fact that their presence hasn't presented the shelling from picking up again is a worry. but the fact that they are there, good news. the idea is that they're going to be producing a report by early next week, monday or tuesday, in which we'll find out more about exactly what damage has been done and what's been happening precisely inside the plant. beyond that the iaea have two permanent inspectors