hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from the united states and all over the world. you re watching cnn newsroom. i m kristie lu stout. it is now 2 am on the u.s. east coast. almost the entire state of florida is bracing for the impact of hurricane ian, a monster storm stretching 700 miles across and getting stronger. causing a nationwide blackout in cuba, ian is turning in the gulf of mexico as a category three hurricane with sustained winds just shy of a category four. and along with life-threatening storm surge, florida is facing catastrophic flooding and powerful winds. now, conditions will deteriorate throughout the night ahead of the expected landfall in the coming hours. more than two and a half million people are under some form of evacuation warning. state authorities say the time to leave is quickly running out. people in southwest florida, this is going to likely make landfall as a category 4 hurricane. there will be catastrophic flooding, and life-threat
changing. it s better to be prepared for your own safety in protection. they are not alone. but [sound of gunfire] at borough county shooting part, just east of l.a., we met jessica mendes. i m a mexican woman in a same-sex relationship. i need to feel safe. i need to feel protected. her wife, chrystia regalado, didn t want anything to do with guns. your first experience hearing what you re hearing right now, gunshots, you are taking it very well. [sound of gunfire] just the sound, the vibrations of each impact. it made me feel very scared. feel the counter force the gun has. tom newman began training the couple last year, with a focus on self protection. the more people are anti, gun the more they actually realize that there is more nuance to it. you see an opening here that perhaps on a national level, dialogue can happen? i hope so. and i think the tide is turning. it s absolutely turning. because the last two years, it s been unprecedented, the types of folks who