Trump Threatens to Wipe Out North Korea; Earthquake Hits Mexico; Growing Push to Expel North Korea from U.N.; President Trump's speech at the United Nations.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Millions of Americans now in the path of another monster hurricane. We're tracking Maria as it plows through the Caribbean with Category 5-force winds. Total destruction. President Trump uses his first speech at the United Nations to deliver a doomsday warning to North Korea. New reaction this hour to his bombastic language and his vision of a world that is -- quote -- "going to hell." And last-ditch attempt. Heading down to the wire for Republicans who are now struggling with how to vote on a desperate new bid to repeal Obamacare. We're going to tell you who's on board tonight and who's on the fence. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in</s>THE SITUATION ROOM. ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>BLITZER: Breaking news tonight, two devastating natural disasters are unfolding right now. We're just beginning to get a sense of the destruction from a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Central Mexico, rocking the capital of Mexico City about 75 miles away from the epicenter. At least 57 people are dead, but that's just a very preliminary account. There's reports of buildings collapsing, cars being crushed, people trapped. Stand by, new details coming in. Also breaking, a pulverizing hurricane is barrelling towards millions of Americans, the third catastrophic storm impacting U.S. citizens this month. A new forecast shows Maria is approaching two U.S. territories, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, as a Category 5 hurricane. Residents are now bracing what could be a direct hit in the hours ahead. Also tonight, sources tell CNN that United Nations diplomats were taken aback by President Trump's debut speech before the U.N. General Assembly. Mr. Trump threatening to totally destroy North Korea if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies. He says Kim Jong-un is on a suicide mission with his nuclear and missile programs, once again mocking the North Korean dictator as the Rocket Man. The president telling U.N. members that parts of the world are -- quote -- "going to hell" and vowing he will always put America first. We're covering all of that and much more this hour with our guests, including the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin. And our correspondents and specialists are also standing by. First, let's go to CNN's Brian Todd. Brian, you're getting new details on the earthquake in Mexico. What are you learning?</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the latest figures we have on casualties tonight, at least 57 people dead from this earthquake in the states of Puebla, Morelos, and the state of Mexico. President Enrique Pena Nieto also says 27 structures collapsed in Mexico City. These are very early assessments of what will almost certainly become a rising death toll and escalating damage estimates.</s>TODD (voice-over): In the streets of Mexico tonight, panic and pandemonium. A major earthquake, a 7.1, shook Central Mexico shortly after 2:10 p.m. Eastern time, hitting in a heavily populated area just 75 miles southeast of Mexico City. The quake struck 33 miles below the earth's surface. The shallow depth could mean that destruction will stretch far across the region. As buildings swayed, thousands of people fled office buildings and homes, only to see glass shatter and roads split open. Passengers forced to evacuate Mexico City's international airport. This scene from Mexican television shows firefighters digging through rubble of what appears to be a collapsed building. Tonight, Mexico City schools are closed and Mexico's president has called for a national emergency committee meeting to assess the damage.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think everybody here is scared. I mean, you can see it. People are worried.</s>TODD: Today's quake ironically comes on the anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake that killed thousands and destroyed much of the capital. People in the city had spent part of today holding drills.</s>TODD: This earthquake today comes just two weeks after a magnitude- 8.1 earthquake shook Mexico. The president's office told CNN that President Pena Nieto had been visiting those devastated by that disaster when this one struck today. Also tonight, Wolf, another estimate that will very likely rise. About 3.8 million customers have had their electricity disrupted by this earthquake. That is according to officials of Mexico's federal commission of electricity, Wolf. All of these horrible numbers are very likely going to be rising throughout the evening and into tomorrow.</s>BLITZER: Very preliminary numbers indeed. Brian Todd, thank you very much. Let's get a live report now from the earthquake disaster zone. We're joined on the phone by Joshua Partlow. He's the Mexico City bureau chief for "The Washington Post." So, Joshua, what was it like?</s>JOSHUA PARTLOW, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Wolf, it was a strong, scary earthquake. Everyone was running out.</s>BLITZER: What did it feel like? Where were you when you began to feel this earthquake?</s>PARTLOW: I was just in the office. The lights, the hanging lamp started swaying.</s>BLITZER: I think we have lost our connection with Joshua Partlow. We're going to try to reconnect him. Joshua Partlow is the Mexico City bureau chief of "The Washington Post." Totally understandable that you lose these technical connections, given what is going on over there. Tonight, Central Mexico is clearly on alert for any major aftershocks that could make this earthquake disaster even worse. Let's check in with our meteorologist, Tom Sater. Tom, very strong earthquake, 7.1 magnitude. Tell our viewers what we can now anticipate.</s>TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think for the next not just several hours but the next several days and weeks, aftershocks will start occurring. And when you have a significant quake such as a 7.0, 7.1, the next one would be -- the highest could be a 6.1. It drops down significantly, but this is our ring of fire on the edge of the Pacific. This is where the high mountainous range is. This is the very active tectonic plates, 450 volcanoes, Wolf. 90 percent of the world's earthquakes occur in this area. And no doubt about it. There's the West Coast of the U.S. down into New Mexico. Here's what we have for you. Usually, we will have one 8.1 a year. We just had that 11 days ago. It was the southern coast of Mexico. Between a 7 and 7.9, we have 15. We've had a few of these. But this one is interesting to come so close. Are they related? Most likely not. Now you can, if they were a little bit closer, since we had an 8.0 11 days ago, if we were to have a 7.1, that could have been an aftershock. But we think they're different locations, so really not related, so to speak, 32 miles in depth. That's still considered shallow. Sometimes, down to even 44 miles can be considered shallow. But we see these hundred of miles deep around the world. Here's the shake map. When it comes to light shaking, over 20.5 million people, moderate, 14 million. Strong shaking, this is where you want to start -- this is probably where you start seeing a lot of the destruction, 15 million. And then 1.6 million felt very strong. We could even get in closer and give you an idea of the shake map. This comes from the USGS. First, what you're noticing here, these yellow dots, these are aftershocks from the 8.0 that we had just 11 days ago. We will start to see more of that activity in the hours and days ahead. So everything yellow is over a week old. So they have been getting some aftershocks. Interesting to note though just how high the death toll has already risen with this. Getting closer, here's Mexico city. We will start to see some colors of green, even yellow. So, they were an extreme periphery of this, Mexico City. But even with that said, feeling strong shaking that far away, you can understand why a lot of the structures have been compromised and some of them collapsed or even had facade issues. Back to our maps and back to what we can expect quickly for you, Wolf, fatalities, again, based on computer models by the USGS, you want to see green. That's where no fatalities may have occurred, especially if they're really deep. But this is considered shallow, so in yellow, we have a 19 percent chance to have 10 to 100 fatalities and a 39 percent chance, Wolf, to have 100 to 1,000. Let's hope that's not the case here, but it is rising quickly.</s>BLITZER: Yes, let's hope it's not.</s>BLITZER: We're also getting live pictures right now coming in from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as you can see. Check it out. The wind and the surf already beginning to pick up there. A state of emergency is in effect in Puerto Rico, as we have mentioned, Hurricane Maria threatening homes and lives. Millions of Americans in Puerto Rico, as you know. Let's go to our senior international correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh. He's on the island for us tonight. Nick, so what are the conditions like there? Because in the coming hours, you're going to get walloped with this storm.</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's the east coast that should first see landfall, we're hearing here, about 8:00, 9:00 tomorrow morning. It could well be the coast behind me. That is the moments where it first hits land at 165 miles an hour. As you heard there, you have to be really over 89 years old to have experienced anything like this in Puerto Rico's history. That storm surge, well, it could well possibly reach to nearly twice my height as I stand here now. And we're seeing this beach resort evacuated, although strangely actually people on beach buggies popping down to the sand there to get perhaps the last glance, as this obvious storm begins to approach and the skies have begun to darken around me, the clouds moving very fast above me. We're beginning to feel it pick up here. But Puerto Rico really still reeling from just two weeks ago Hurricane Irma itself. That caused a billion dollars worth of damage and has left even still now 46,000 people without electricity. And the debate really is, has that hurricane left people in a higher state of readiness? It really only caused a glancing blow to this island. Maria is supposed to go straight across it, making landfall here and, according to the latest hurricane survey update, perhaps dispensing most of its high-speed energy on the island itself, across San Juan, the capital, a state of emergency here. Many shelters in place, but very serious concerns about the next 24 hours -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: And 3.5 million people living in Puerto Rico, 3.5 million people U.S. citizens. Nick Paton Walsh, we will check back with you as well. And now to President Trump's debut speech at the United Nations laced with bombastic language and truly extraordinary threats. He saved some of his toughest talk for the North Korean dictator he now refers to as Rocket Man. Our chief security national correspondent, Jim Sciutto, is over at the United Nations for us tonight. Jim, this was not a typical speech we hear from a U.S. president at the United Nations.</s>JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Not at all, unlike many speech that many of those delegates, diplomats in the room had ever heard from a U.S. president. I spoke to a senior U.N. official, diplomat shortly after the speech. And he described himself and others around him as taken aback in particular by that line the president threatening to obliterate a country, North Korea, from the map. He said it was an emotional reaction, that it felt like, in the words of this diplomat, that a wind had swept through the room, and of course the line about North Korea just one of many bold lines in a defining speech for the Trump foreign policy.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some, in fact, are going to hell.</s>SCIUTTO (voice-over): In his maiden speech before the U.N., President Donald Trump delivered a blistering attack on nations he described as evil and grave dangers to the world.</s>TRUMP: If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph. When decent people in nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength.</s>SCIUTTO: The president giving the more than 150 international delegations present an up-front look at his America-first policy.</s>TRUMP: As president of the United States, I will always put America first.</s>SCIUTTO: He reserved his boldest threat for North Korea, vowing in unequivocal terms to destroy the country if it threatens America's or its allies security.</s>TRUMP: The United States has great strength and patience. But if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.</s>SCIUTTO: For Iran, Trump described government as murderous and reckless and appeared to signal that he will exit the Iran nuclear deal.</s>TRUMP: The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you have heard the last of it, believe me.</s>SCIUTTO: Praising Mr. Trump's remarks was Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he had -- quote -- "never heard a bolder or more courageous speech in three decades of experience with the U.N." The president's address also taking aim on what he described as growing terrorist threats around the globe.</s>TRUMP: The United States and our allies are working together throughout the Middle East to crush the loser terrorists.</s>SCIUTTO: Beyond the threats, Trump's speech more clearly articulated the outlines of his foreign policy, including a drastic turn from a tent of U.S. foreign policy for decades, that the U.S. will support democracy abroad.</s>TRUMP: This is the foundation for cooperation and success. Strong sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures and different dreams not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect.</s>SCIUTTO: Those words and phrases about sovereignty, different values, loaded terms in the halls of the U.N., often repeated by authoritarian leaders in China, in Russia, in Africa in response to the U.S. pushing back against what they call preaching about human rights records, et cetera, often heard here, but not from the mouths of an American president, whether Democrat or Republican, if followed through upon, would represent a significant change in U.S. foreign policy under Trump, Wolf, going forward.</s>BLITZER: Jim Sciutto at the United Nations for us tonight, thank you very much. Let's get some more on all of this. Joining us, Senator Ben Cardin. He's the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee. Senator, thanks for joining us. So, you heard the president say today that if the United States is forced to defend itself from the Kim Jong-un regime, North Korea, it will have, in his words, no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Do you agree with that?</s>SEN. BEN CARDIN (D), MARYLAND: Well, Wolf, it's very good to be with you. Just look at the venue of the speech before the United Nations, before the international community. I don't think his remarks were well- received by our allies and I don't think they were well-received by our foes. We know that we have to deal with a dangerous North Korea. The international community should be there to help us. The president's comments puts a wedge in our type of international coalition. We need to find a diplomatic solution. A military solution will have catastrophic effect. We need to explore diplomacy. And that means working with our friends and allies.</s>BLITZER: What if the diplomatic solution doesn't happen, if the North Korea continue to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles and they're capable of putting nuclear warheads on those missiles and they threaten the United States? Can the U.S. live with that?</s>CARDIN: Wolf, what North Korea is doing is extremely dangerous. They're the ones causing the problems. They would be violating international rules if that were to occur. We have an obligation to defend ourselves. I understand that. But there is a diplomatic path that could work. The president is not doing everything we can to explore that route. China and the United States have a common objective to prevent North Korea from becoming an effective nuclear weapons state. China and North Korea have a common agenda to preserve the Kim regime. The United States is more interested in the nuclear issues than regime change. We need to talk to China, get China to believe that our interests are together, because they are, and then China can change the equation in North Korea. I know that that's not a slam-dunk, and there's long shots on all of this. But it's the best path forward. And the president needs to engage the international community to work with this, particularly China and also Russia. Today's speech did not help. In fact, it made it more difficult.</s>BLITZER: The president also seemed to threaten to rip up the Iran nuclear deal. You voted against it. Would you support that decision, if he were to go forward and say the U.S. no longer believes Iran is in compliance and the U.S. is abandoning that agreement?</s>CARDIN: Wolf, I don't think he's going to do that. Our concern is that he will rip up the agreement, even though Iran is not in violation of the nuclear agreement. We have already had two certifications under the Trump administration of compliance. We're not aware of any material breach by Iran of the nuclear agreement. President Trump's concerns, and I think many members of Congress, our concerns are on the non-nuclear front not covered by the agreement. So, if the United States were to rip up the nuclear agreement, we would be the ones walking away. Our European allies would scratch their heads, figuring out, what are we doing isolating the United States, when we're trying to isolate Iran?</s>BLITZER: Senator, there's more we need to discuss. There are other developments breaking right now. Got to take a quick break. We will resume our interview right after this.