little bit of a normalcy for just a short period of time. >> stan and his team responded to harvey and irma and they soon hope to send meals to puerto rico. to say operation barbecue relief in action go to cnn heroes.com. that's it for us tonight of the thanks for watching. after much speculation and guesswork, president trump's health secretary resigns over the private flights he took on the taxpayers' time. also -- >> we're tied up here because we don't have antibiotics to give the patients and we have no place to get them. >> our chief medical correspondent sanjay gupta finds out just how hard it is to get life saving medicines for patient necessary puerto rico. and the u.s. government takes action after a wave of mysterious sonic attacks against

diplomates in cuba. welcome the to our viewers here around the states and around the world. we're live in atlanta. i'm natalie allen and this is "cnn newsroom." our top story, u.s. president donald trump dealing with two major issues thweekend. one, the resignation of tom brice. price came under fire for using private jets to fly around the country when commercial jets would be much cheaper for taxpayers. then, there was the ongoing disaster had in puerto rico following hurricane maria 11 days ago. the president says the federal response has gone well but many puerto ricans are saying they've been waiting for help. our jeff zeleny takes a look at the latest casualty on mr. trump's team. >> the first member of president trump's cabinet is removed from that position. health and human services

secretary tom price submitted his resignation late friday at the white house. president trump accepted it. this is all over about $1 million worth of airfare that raised questions. about half of that were private flights. the other military flights simply going against the grain of what cabinet secretaries at that level normally do. this follows day after day after day of controversy here. the president saying he was dis-pleas pleased by this. we asked him after the resignation whether he had confidence in his secretary. >> it's not a question of confidence. i was disappointed because i don't like to see somebody that perhaps also the perception that it wasn't right. >> clearly here it was the optics that president trump was so concerned about. this is something that is just the beginning. there are multi.investigations into these flights and others. now, on friday evening, the director of office and management and budget issued a new order saying the white house chief of staff should look into

all of these flights across the cabinet saying just because it's legal does not mean this is something that should be done. simply a waste of taxpayer money. but this is, again, another hole in the president's cabinet. jeff zeleny, cnn, the white house. and this week was supposed to be about tax reform. but instead, mr. trump had a cabinet official resign in disgrace and took a lot of heat to his response for hurricane ravaged puerto rico. with me now to talk about it is steve erlinger joining us by skype from brussels, belgium. steve, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> first of all, i want to get your reaction to what top price did and losing his job over it. taking these private jets that cost the taxpayers of the united states up to $1 million. >> i have to say, it's pretty amusing. we know trump loved his own private jet much more than air force one.

he's been very disparaging about air force one. maybe it's no surprise that others in his cabinet have sensitive taste. if this is draining the swamp, maybe one should clear the skies. and there are other issues like that had. betsy devoss, another cabinet member, flies in her own private plane. now she says that doesn't cost the taxpayer anything. but the question is whether an american servant of the people should be flying around as if they run a little empire of their own. >> right. and it's not just these you mentioned as steve mnuchin, the secretary, who requested a private jet to go on his honeymoon and there are others on the cabinet being investigated for this. it's kind of egregious behavior and so far afield from public service and what you mentioned donald trump going to washington to drain the swamp. and you wonder where is the

organization. where is the ethics. this is really part of it. it's a question of discipline in the white house and john kelly is trying to provide some discipline. it's not so easy. now, sometimes cabinet members have to travel quickly and they have to travel, you know, as best they can. and it's not always easy to fly commercial, as you know, from one place to another. so i don't think all of it is bad. but the optics are are bad for someone who came to washington promising to be different. the tax reform question is very similar. i mean, is it really going to be a tax reform? we don't really know. that benefits the middle class as mr. trump promised or benefits the wealthy like had himself? that's a serious question. >> and that's up next on the docket. let's move to the patriotic situation. the president bragged about the great job his administration is doing there, but million ares are without power, food, water,

fuel, and the desperate mayor of san juan pleaded to someone to help and i'm quoting her, help us. we are dying. let's listen to president trump's take on how he views his administration's work in puerto rico. >> as far as puerto rico is concerned, that's been going, as you know, really well. it's been total devastation. we have over 10,000 people in puerto rico right now. we're getting truck drivers because the people from puerto rico, the drivers just aren't there. they're looking for their homes. they have a lot of other problems. likewise with the police force. but i think it's going really well considering. >> quite a different tune from the mayor, though. what do you make of that disconnect? >> well, i'm not there, you know, and it is very hard for emergency services, after so much trouble in houston and the hurricanes and now puerto rico,

i'm sure they're overstretched. i mean, i don't want to, you know, diss the efforts of those people trying to help those in puerto rico. i think the people of puerto rico are right to raise questions that prompts the government to do more. i'm sure in some ways that trump is right, but it's also certainly true that the people of puerto rico need as much help as they can had. after all, they really are -- you know, they belong to us. >> right. and they remind that and they want us to pay attention to them. so hopefully they'll get the relief that they need. steve, thank you for your thoughts. >> thank you. the trump administration is confident that hurricane had relief efforts in puerto rico are on track, as you just heard, and people on the island are recovering. that rosy assessment does not quite square with many puerto ricans as we were just talking about who are waiting in long lines, as you see here for food, water, fuel and cash if those

things b are even available. cnn correspondents are all across puerto rico. leyla santiago has an emotional reunion with her family in corizol. but first, our dr. sanjay gupta reports on the difficulty hospitals face trying to get medicine and supplies. >> we don't have antibiotics to give the patients and we have no place to get them. >> i kept thinking to myself, how difficult can this be? if these life-saving supplies are on the island of puerto rico, what's standing in the way of that happening and can i make it happen myself? the first place i'm going to try are these "d" mat tents. disaster tents. this is what they were asking for. so we've been waiting about 45

minutes now outside the hhs tent. we know they have medications. what we heard is they have to run it up to lines of command, two chains of command, and then they get back to us. but, again, it's been 45 minutes. how are you doing? we're going to go and try somewhere else. we're trying to get to some of these medications because we went to some of the shelters -- you can get some here. >> is there medications here? >> we have the medications just arrive. okay. thank you. because the hospitals have been slow to start back up, these are all volunteer doctors who have basically come, try to gather supplies and take it out to the people who need it. they're trying their best. it's a slow process. >> if if we can get a few doses, we will take it up there.

>> is it through? >> we have some of the antibiotics. you need it, also. >> that would be great. >> perfect. okay, doctor, thank you. >> the other one i will give you that. >> appreciate it. thank you. >> it's all about getting the supplies and then getting them to the people who need it. these come from an organization called direct relief. you can see they're set up right underneath this parking structure with all these medications. we got them. now we're going to take what -- what dr. morales asked was we get these medications and see if we could bring them to this clinic, this hospital. this is one of those places that is up and running, but without these medications, they haven't been able to take care of patients. >> dr. rodriguez, i was told to bring you this. thank you. thank you. >> let me tell you what we have. all sorts of antibiotics, primarily. dr. morales said you were needing ath of this.

>> yes. thank you. >> there's also pediatrics. i hope this had helps. >> yes. a lot. thank you. >> you're doing great work here. keep doing what you're doing. it's like a little baby. >> dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, louisa, puerto rico. >> every little bit helps, doesn't it? the mayor of san juan is fur that so many puerto ricans are still suffering. she said she's, quote, mad as hell as the government's slow and inefficient response. she warns that lives are hanging in the balance. >> i said you're mad as hell earlier today. tonight you're wearing a t-shirt saying help us, we're dying. that's really happening. >> it's really happening. >> that is not a metaphor? >> no, it's not a metaphor.

if you go inside the island, people are drinking out of creeks. here in san juan, you have people that are in buildings. and they're sort of becoming caged in their own buildings, old people, retired people that just don't have any electricity. we've taken 37 people out in the last two days from retirement homes. some of them have been left to die. they have no dialysis or nothing of the sort. so it is dying. >> how are you holding up? you've been working nonstop. >> my house got flooded. it got cleaned up. everything is lost. i'm staying at the sole seem yumm where we have the largest refugee station in all of puerto rico, 685 people. >> that's where you're. >> that's where i'm staying with my family. we're sleeping on cots. we're eating the same food refugees are eating and we're doing the best we can. and i'm getting whatever -- i'm

exhausted, i can tell you that. but you know what? i have to go the voice of our people out there. i lifd in the united states for 12 years. i went to school there, i had my child there in pittsburgh, pennsylvania. i know what the u.s. heart is all about. you are intelligent, daring people. so i just don't understand why things are become so complicated and the logistics are unsurmountable. >> it hurts me so much to hear so many people on this island say to me, we're americans had. that they have to explain that as if if ru koolgd we shouldn't know that. i think it says something about the way people feel about the way things have been handled. >> there is a lot of linked history. there is a lot of cross moving.

people in orlando, philadelphia, los angeles, houston. every time there is a problem, we are a kind of people that share our sorrows, but also share our triumphs. and we just don't understand. and sorry, maybe i'm too tired. i get a little emotional. but we're dying here. we truly are dying here. and i keep saying it, sos. if anyone can hear us, the if mr. trump can hear us, let's just get it over with and get the ball rolling. you know? when you have to do an emergency tracheotomy, you're not concerned whether you're doing it with is the actual correct precise knife. sometimes you have to build the plane as you go along. i was supposed to go to a fema distribution center that is in

canova. that's about 30, 40 miles from san juan when there's one that's about 20 miles and the answer was that's how the plan was done. well, you know, the great plans of mice and men. things have to change. we're going to move fast. and frankly, we have to show the world that we can do it. and in that respect, i want to thank all the people from the news that amplify our voices and making sure that people know that we're here and that we count on you to get our voice out there. >> there's a lot of people counting on you, mayor. thank you very much. appreciate it. >> thank you very much. >> the mayor of san juan. she's a tough cookie. living in a shelter with her family and working so hard for the people there. for some of our reporters, the devastation if in puerto rico is personal. leyla santiago is based in mexico for cnn, but was born and raised in the town of cortizol.

while reporting, she made it back to the place she calls home. here is her story. >> this is relief. seeing my family for the first time, hearing them tell me -- they're okay. that is the relief i found in this small town. but it's far from the relief needed on this island. at the shelter in corozal, we find more than 120 people living in classrooms. the generators went out six days ago. no power, no water, and the staff tells me they have people here with cancer, hiv, diabetes, children with asthma, like 3-year-old joe anna. >> she walks every day, about 15 minutes to get therapy for her daughter who has asthma. she's 3 1/2 years old and needs

medical attention that she's not getting here. we then find francis ka who has parkinsons disease and hasn't had access to the medicine she needs in days. >> look. she's crying because she doesn't know with about her family. desperation is growing. people are waiting in line to get water from mountain streams. >> he says they can live without power, but they can't live without water. that's why they're standing in line for springwater. people are resort to go washing clothes like in this. this is juana. [ speaking spanish ]. >> she's been here since this morning washing clothes. five to six hours cleaning clothes, she tells me. i'm asking her where is the help. she says there's no help.

no help has arrived here. >> no help at all. none from the local government, residents say, nor from fema, which has only been here to do an assessment, not to deliver any aid. the people of corozal are now in survival mode waiting for their relief. >> there have been so many people around the world doing their best to help out. and if you want to find out how you, too, can help, the people in puerto rico and around the caribbean, be sure to go to our website, cnn.com/impact. you can donate to one of the charities we have vetted or you can volunteer your time. find out more about it right there. the united states is slashing its embassy staff the in cuba after mysterious sonic attacks on american depp low mats. cuba says it's not to blame. we'll have a report from havanna. plus, both russia and --

want him dead, but al bagdadi may still be calling the shots. we have a new audio reporting.

the u.s. is drastically cutting its embassy staff in cuba after miss tier ya sonic attacks made some diplomates ill. the state department is warning americans not to travel to the island saying they could also be at risk. cnn's patrick ottman has our report from h had avana. >> just two years after the reestablishment of full diplomatic ties, the u.s. embassy in havana has seen better days. hurricane irma battered much of cuba and the havana sea boulevard. u.s. diplomates are still picking up from the storm and are facing another calamity. diplomates and nonessential personnel ander their families are being sent home after being targeted by what is called sonic attacks. >> we have it under situation.

it's difficult with respect to the harm that some people have suffered. >> u.s. officials believe starting last november, devices that emit sonic waves could have targeted u.s. diplomates while they were in their homes and in hotels. cuban officials deny responsibility and say they are investigating the incidents. >> translator: cuba has never perpetrated nor will it ever perpetrate actions of this sort nor has cuba allowed or will it ever allow its territory to be used by third parties for that purpose. >> u.s. officials say they believe the cubans know more than what they were saying and that what they call rogue islands of the island's formidable intelligence services could be involved. not long after the u.s. complained to the government about the attacks, raul castro himself promised that cuba would investigate the incidents. the fbi was allowed to come to havana and security increased at

u.s. diplomate homes. but u.s. officials say still the the attacks continued. u.s. officials say as a result of the attacks, they will stop issuing visas to cubans immediately and issue travel warnings to americans thinking of visiting cuba. despite the harassment, both current and former diplomates say now is the wrong time to lessen u.s. presence on the island. >> it is the worst thing that can happen to both countries and what worries me more than anything is that hard liners on the cuban side and on the u.s. side might be behind pushing this idea. >> u.s. officials say their first priority has to be to keep u.s. personnel and their family safe. but they concede that american diplomates leaving cuba could be just what the people behind these mystery attacks were hoping to accomplish. patrick ottman, cnn, havana. the iraqi central government is making good on its threat to

shut down international flights to the kurdistan region. it is retaliation in which kurds chose overwhelmingly to split from baghdad. the kurds have little international support for their independence bid. now the kurds have been key in the fight against isis and iraq and syria and their independence bid comes after a string of major losses for isis. the ju haddists aren't calling it quit yet, though. there's new evidence their leader is still alive and calling for more attacks. our brian todd has that. >> he has been called a ghost and the invisible sheikh. so mysterious, only this one video from 2014 exists of him. for months, the russian government had had said he was dead. now the shadowy leader of isis

is apparently alive and calling on what's left of his terrorist army to attack the u.s. and its allies. >> carry on your jihad and your blessing prayings. let not the crusaders enjoy life in their homelands while your brothers are subjected to bombardment and destruction. >> the new audio message, running more than 45 minutes is, experts say, a clear directive. >> any doubt that that is a call for isis to launch attacks inside of america? >> what isis wants to do is show that they are a virul, powerful organization and what better way to show that is to launch attacks wherever these folks are, whether it's in the middle east, the americas or elsewhere. so this is bagdadi in the bunker. >> the message does appear to have been recorded recently. it references the nuclear threat from north korea and current syrian peace talks. what's not clear is why the

message was released now. could bagdadi be trying to regain control? >> his successor has been trying to get things going in a lot of places, but as we've seen, pushing out for complex operations such as we saw in france and in the uk and elsewhere is extremely difficult. >> a u.s. official tells cnn the american-led coalition has tried to take several shots at bagdadi and thought they had their best chance of killing him in a recent air strike. bagdadi is said to have an obsession with his own security. he covers his face, even when meeting with his own trusted lieutenants. but experts he's also got an akilly heel. >> his personal proclivities, and i've heard it from various sources might give the game away. for instance, bagdadi has kept a consortium of sex slaves, one of

whom at least has escaped his clutches as his own personal cloud. >> if he had alive, he may be running out of places to hide. more than 33 miles of territory in iraq is free of isis and have been freed from isis control. >> analysts say this message could only intensify the search for al bagdadi. if they can successfully target him, it might put isis even further on the ropes. brian todd, cnn, washington. we'll return to one of our top stories in a moment. food, water, electricity, puerto ricans face chronic shortages of them all. but the one thing they need most, fuel for their cars and generators. that is not happening forrel of

them. look at that. we've got more coming right up here. you're watching "cnn newsroom." witness katy perry.

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witness katy perry swish. witness katy perry... aaaaaaw look at that dog! katy perry: with music videos and behind the scenes footage, xfinity lets you witness all things me. welcome back to our viewers here in the u.s. and all around the world. i'm natalie allen. here are our top stories. embattled u.s. health secretary tom price has stepped down. he was at the center of using private jets for travel. the estimated cost to taxpayers topped $1 million. the united states is pulling out nonessential personnel at his embassy in cuba after mysterious

sonic attacks against the u.s. diplomates. the state department the is now advising americans mott to travel. they're saying they could also be at risk. the u.s. embassy will.stop issuing visas in cuba immediately. thousands of people marched through the streets of of barcelona on friday to show their support for catalonia's independence vote. the government says sunday's referendum is illegal and has deployed police officer to prevent it. but campaigners for independents vowed to proceed. the acting -- elaine duke arrived in the island's capital on friday to meet with emergency officials. she said various federal agencies are working well together, but she acknowledged the dire circumstances facing many puerto ricans is, quote, not satisfactory. it has been a week and a half since the hurricane turned life upside down across the

caribbean in puerto rico. daily routines have been put on hold as people search for basic goods. most of the island is without power and only about half of the people have access to clean water. our anderson cooper is outside the capital. where trying to buy gasoline is an all-ordeal. >> in louisa, gas stations are open, but the lines are long and agonizingly slow. it's 91 degrees and glory beth munoes is trying herrer best to stay cool. >> so how long have you been waiting here? since 5:00 a.m.? >> yes. >> and just sitting here in the car? >> uh-huh. >> felise can't sit in had her car any longer. she's been waiting for nearly ten hours. i've been here since 4:30 a.m., she says, just waiting for the

generator to turn on. they turned it off because it got overheated. when the generator starts again, so does the pumping. like most places here in puerto rico, cash is king. credit cards can't be processed, so dollars rule the day. >> a lot of people can't even bring their cars here. they're just waiting in line in had person with as many gas lines as they can. but this line, there are dozens of people and it stretches all the way down here and a lot of people here have been waiting for hours, as well. what is it like day-to-day? >> well, i haven't been able to come back. even my boss says don't come back until you have gas. during the day, we have until 6:00 a.m. until o'clock p.m. to be out in the streets looking for whatever you can. >> that's how you spend your days, looking for water, gas, food. >> yes. right now today it's just gas. >> slowly, the cars inch forward. felecia is close with cash in hand. the mayor says the needs are

overwhelming and it all starts with the need for gas. >> is it one piece, another piece, no fuel, no work, no money. >> it's all connected. >> yes. >> people are patient, but they're tired and fed up. >> i don't understand what's -- why things are so drastic and so out of control. it's just gas. if we have gas, so why isn't there -- in the stations? >> the do you see relief supplies coming inspect do you see the federal government coming? >> no, no. >> felicitia timely makes it to the front. fuel is no longer being rationed, so she can fill her tank and a small gas can, as with well. she drives off happy. tomorrow she'll look for water and other basic necessities. the line inches forward. it's another car's turn at the pump. anderson cooper, cnn, louisa. >> they certainly seem like very patient people in that

situation. cnn's ivan watson is in the town of florida, puerto rico, where the u.s. aid agency fema is bringing much needed supplies. residents there have been lacking the basics, food, water and electricity and desperately need help. here is his report. >> welcome to florida. florida, puerto rico. like so many other communities on this american island, this town suffers from fuel shortages and the collapse of many other utilities. >> no electricity, no water in the house. no telephone. no internet. nothing. >> have you seen any officials -- >> no, no one, no one. no one pass from my neighborhood. >> one neighborhood in florida is struggling with an additional problem. >> this is -- the are these fish in the road? >> yes. >> you've got fish in -- in the street. >> in the street.

little and big one. >> this town is up in the hills, nowhere near the coast, yet somehow the storm backed up a nearby creek, creating this flood that has inundated dozens of family homes. among those now homeless, edith. >> we lose everything. first floor and second floor, everything is gone. everything is gone. >> she's now living with her son and family in a local government shelter. the municipality provided this pump to suck out thousands of gallons of flood water and it's distributing fuel to volunteers like george pagan who is using his had own equipment to help clear debris. much of the cleanup here is also being done by ordinary citizens. during our visit, the mayor of florida appeared accompanied by officials from fema, the federal disaster relief agency. the mayor tells a fema representative he's worried the

flood could spread disease. residents make homeless by the storm have their own questions for fema. >> what are your sources foodwise and gaswise and water? >> that need the report made directly to us. we're reporting that directly back to san juan and somebody in san juan will -- >> and how long will that take? >> we are the first to come here, apparently, so -- because for us to move back in here, because of black water. there is no type of moving back in there. >> fema's first visit to florida comes nine days after the storm. >> and we've said, this is the first of many visits. fema is not going to forget about this community. fema is not going to forget about the needs that they have and we are going to work with our people back at the field office in san juan about what we're going to do. >> the people here could sure use some more help. ivan watson, cnn, florida, puerto rico.

>> so we're talking about lack of the basics, all their trying to do to survive right now. derek van dam is here from the weather department. and guess what? they're still under water. >> it's unbelievable. we're ten days on since the hurricane made landfall there are still areas submerged like that. >> yeah. >> i want to take you back to florida which is, by the way, a municipality and a town just west of san juan about 70 kilometers. and you'll see the neighborhood there completely under water still. not just a lot bit of water, we're talking about several feet of water. and a lot of issues you can imagine going on with this. the slow receding of the water causes a major health concern for people this. and unfortunately, natalie, there is more rain to come. today. >> so not fair. >> that is only going to make the flooding worse and it's

going to slow the recovery process that's under b way as we speak. check out behind me. you'll see how active the tropics are once again from the win ward islands to the leeward islands to puerto rico where a tropical disturbance has been forming over the past 24 hours. the national hurricane center has identified this particular area with a 20% probability of tropical cyclone development. the upper level support is not really there for a tropical cyclone to form. that's the good news. the bad news is there is still going to be an abundant level of rainfall. the heaviest rainfall expected along the east coast of puerto rico and the mountainous region. this is on top of what's already fallen. 500 millimeters plus. national weather service, by the way, still extending their flash flood watches across the entire u.s. territory. i would love to show you the current radar, where the heaviest rain is right now but we simply can't because this is

what the hurricane did to the radar system in san juan. unbelievable. it completely destroyed it. so we are basically running off of only computer model forecast imagery and that is what you see there, very, very active across the caribbean as we speak. good news is, the national guard distributing food and water to places, slowly starting to trickle into some of the harder reaching areas, as well. >> derek, thank you very much. ahead here, another key member of trump white house out of a job. we're on the scandal that finished off health secretary tom price.

add another name to the list of former trump administration officials. u.s. health secretary tom price is the latest departure. here is cnn's renee marsh. >> in the end, it was the same

type of lavish private jet flights that tom price railed about as a congressman that brought him down. >> i think we've made it halfway where we ought to and that is cut it from 8 to 4 jets now we need to cut it from 4 jets to zero jets. this is just another example of a fiscally irresponsibility run amuck in congress right now. >> as secretary of health and human services, price spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on private planes and hundreds of thousands more when he and his wife flew on military jets for two international trips. from liberia, germany, switzerland, to china, vietnam and japan, racking up a bill in the neighborhood of $1 million since august. his wife reimbursed the government for her flights and price said he would repay just over $51,000, a fraction of the total cost. price also went on fox news to try to make amends. >> and i look forward to gaining -- regaining the trust

that the american people -- some of the american people may have lost in the activities that i took and to not only regain the trust of the american people but gain the trust of the administration and the president. >> prices was just one of the cabinet secretaries whose travel is being recruit niced. treasury secretary steve mnuchin, epa director scott pruitt and epa director ryan zinke. >> zinke says his agency did extensive due diligence before taking thee charter flights as well as a military flight. the cost of the private jets, at least $15,000. >> using tax dollars wisely and ethically is a greatest responsibility and at the good heart of a good government. and there are times, however, we

have to utilize charter services because we often travel in areas and under circumstances that we don't have other flight options. >> the question of whether there were other options is at the heart of some of the internal probes. a source tells cnn the treasury inspector general is now focusing on the on process of approving travel and whether some flemsy excuses are being used to justify costly travel. >> renee marsh reporting there. u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson has arrived in beijing for top level talks with chinese officials. he's expected to meet with president xi jinping in the coming hours. on the agenda, trade and investment as well as the increasing tensions with north korea. they will also discuss preparations for u.s. president donald trump's upcoming visit in november. some call it justice. others say it's civil

disobedience. but just about everyone in spain has something to do about sunday's independence vote in catalonia. we'll have reaction from both sides coming up.

in spain's restless region of catalonia, people are gearing up for a contested referendum on independence, something separatists there have wanted for years. but the spanish government deemed sunday's planned vote illegal and has deployed police to prevent it. still, campaigners for catalonia independence had vow to proceed. the ballot will ask if voters want catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic. it's a majority vote, yes. catalonia's parliament will declare independence from spain within 48 hours. if there is a no vote, an early regional election will be held for a new government. we'll take a look at how both sides view this hotly debated referendum. >> a sea of red, yellow and blue screams to be heard.

these are the yells of defiance. we will vote. we will vote. a message the central government of maria manhoy. he has lost his democratic compass, tells me this.man, and he thinks he can stop this with the yo of force of the courts in a preverse manner. earlier in the day if the streets of barcelona, that anger and frustration was matched by the deepest desire to vote, come what may. >> we're going to vote with carnation, tells me this lady, with flowers and there will be no type of violence. no one will stop me because we're so many. i don't think they can do anything. >> according to the catalonian government, some 150 referendum websites have been suspended. what this has led to is the creation of more traditional campaigning right here on the streets of barcelona.

people can approach asking for information regarding polling stations, which ones are open from what time and critically they can collect their official ballot paper. >> this is a grassroots referendum, too, with people occupying polling stations like this school to make sure that police cannot close it and, therefore, stop from voting. the option to vote yes or so vote no is up to each person, he says, and what we want above all else is to vote. we want to manifest our opinion and our desire as a people. but a look towards the barcelona ports suggests the central government of madrid has other plans. here are reinforcements, as maniel as 7,000 police officers awaiting to be deployed to stop a referendum the central government calls unconstitutional and illegal. but while they may be ready to trash the party, catalonians now are celebrating on the hope that on october 1st they'll be

finally heard. isa soares, cnn, barcelona. we have another hour of news room just ahead after the break. i'm natalie allen. stay with us. hi, i'm mike ditka. and i'm johnny bench. and we've spent our whole lives around professional sports taking hits and catching our fair share of aches and pains. which is why we use blue-emu's pain relief products. blue-emu products; non-greasy, deep-penetrating formula that works down into your muscles and joints and works its magic. it's comfort that won't leave you smelling like a football gym bag or an old catcher's mitt or a shower mat in the locker room. how about an old pair of socks after an extra inning game. blue-emu, it works fast and you won't stink.

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