Puerto Rico Governor Will Not Resign Despite Protests; Floods Bring Death, Destruction & Misery to South Asia.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. I'm John Vause with an update now on our top news this hour. The U.S. House has condemned Donald Trump's tweets, telling four minority lawmakers to go back to where they came from. Republicans defended the president, insisting he is not a racist. After a heated debate, the House approved the resolution, mostly along party lines. The European Commission will get its first female president. Ursula von der Leyen replaces Jean-Claude Juncker on November 1. She told Parliament she'll work for a united and strong Europe to be in charge economic climate policy for 500 million people. U.S. senators criticized Facebook for its plan to launch a cryptocurrency as one of three hearings targeting big tech companies on Capitol Hill. Conservatives accuse Google of censoring search engine results, and other executives faced questions about their companies' growing power and influence within the industry. In Puerto Rico, Governor Ricardo Rossello says he's not stepping down despite days of protest calling for his resignation. The backlash came after text messages revealed that there were attacks on politicians, members of the media and celebrities. These messages were shared among the governor and his inner circle. And just days ago, former members of the governor's administration were arrested for corruption. Guillermo Arduino has more now on the political scandal rocking Puerto Rico.</s>GUILLERMO ARDUINO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A mostly peaceful demonstration outside the governor's mansion in san Juan erupts into chaos. Protestors set fire to trash cans. Riot police launch tear gas into the crowd, which has swelled to thousands since Saturday. This is an angry escalation in days of demonstrations demanding the governor resign, but he is defiant. At a news conference, Governor Ricardo Rossello says, "I will continue my work and my responsibility to the people of Puerto Rico," refusing to step down, despite the scandal turning full-blown political crisis. Stirring the outrage are leaked private chats between Rossello and his inner circle. In nearly 900 pages made public by the Center for Investigative Journalism, profanity-laced remarks that disparage women, vilify journalists, use homophobic slurs, mock government officials, and discuss arresting political opponents. Just days earlier, the FBI arrested former officials from Rossello's administration on charges of corruption, accused of misusing federal funds to the U.S. territory, funds that Puerto Ricans desperately need. Many are still struggling to recover after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017, aggravated by a financial collapse and bankruptcy for wary Puerto Ricans. News of two damning scandals is galvanizing outrage towards leadership.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We want to force the resignation of the governor. He does not deserve the job he has, and the people have spoken. Even if the legislature does not care about the people, they're there because of us. And we're showing them, reminding them, we pay their wages. Guillermo Arduino, CNN.</s>VAUSE: And the ongoing unrest forced a major cruise line to cancel a stop in san Juan. Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Sea was rerouted to the British Virgin Islands. Carrying nearly 2,000 passengers, the cruise line says the guests will receive refunds for excursions which had been planned for Puerto Rico. No mercy for millions in parts of South Asia. Monsoon rains and floods have brought death and destruction to a number of countries, and the misery is not likely to end soon. Here's CNN's Nikhil Kumar with the latest.</s>NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Villages destroyed, entire homes swept away. Scores killed. This is the aftermath of devastating floods that have killed over a hundred people in South Asia. A death toll that is likely to rise with more missing, feared dead. In the village of Lesbela (ph) in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, locals were forced to flee the disruption that has ravaged their community. An all-too-familiar story across the region, as annual monsoon rains caused havoc, displacing hundreds of thousands. In Southeastern Nepal, the worst-hit districts have been almost entirely submerged. And in India's eastern Assam state, more than 700 villages were swamped with water. Over a million people have been displaced.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It has been devastating. The water has entered our houses, destroying our belongings.</s>KUMAR: Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, thousands have been forced from their homes. The heavy rains didn't spare some 900,000 refugees living in makeshift camps in Southeastern Bangladesh.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The embankment broke so quickly before we realized what happened. We ran with our children and instantly, our houses were destroyed by flood water. We couldn't recover any belongings. When the water recedes, you will see all our houses covered in mud.</s>NIKHIL: All across this vast region, relief agencies are scrambling to save lives. Beyond the cost in human lives is the economic challenge. Vast tracks of agricultural land have been overrun by water. And precious livestock swept away and killed, threatening countless livelihoods. And this is far from over. More heavy downpour is expected across the region as the monsoon winds its way around South Asia. Worse, this is a long-term problem affecting millions in the region as the climate crisis throws up ever sharper extremes of weather, from devastating heat waves to destructive floods. Nikhil Kumar, CNN, New Delhi.</s>VAUSE: Well, for all his attacks on immigration, the U.S. president is the son of one himself. Tracing the Trump family tree, next on CNN NEWSROOM. Also, 50 years since the world watched and waited as Apollo 11 began an historic, world-changing mission. A look back of one of the greatest moments in the history of mankind.