Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Spanish Leader Rushes To Site Of Deadly Border Crossings; Hamas Agrees To Disarm, But Only When Israel Upholds Truce; Cyberattack Hits Water Systems In Several States; Karelian Bear Dogs Take On Lake Tahoe's Black Bear Problem; More Airlines Ban Robots, Citing Safety Concerns. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 31, 2026 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: This is video of people from Morocco rushing to cross the border into Spain's tiny territory in northern Africa, Ceuta, earlier today. A staggering 50,000 people tried to cross in a single day and officials there say that at least 57 were killed, many by drowning.

Spanish officials say that most of those who arrived illegally have already returned to Morocco and they are working to expel the others as quickly as possible.

Let's go on the ground to Ceuta with CNN's Helena Lins. Helena, how do things look there right now?

HELENA LINS, CNN PORTUGAL REPORTER: So right now we are just a few meters from the border with Morocco and as you can see there's still a lot of people, young people, mainly young men crossing, coming from the city center towards the border, the pedestrian border with Morocco. This movement has been going on since the morning today because authorities opened this gate right behind me. It's the only way that they can get in back to Morocco without having to show documents.

They just have to cross this gate and they are back from the country they came from. As you can see, they talk to us, they shout at us, mainly in Arabic. Most of them don't speak Spanish, don't speak English, but the few words they can say is they don't have food, they don't have water, there's been some violence.

Some of them say they are treated with violence from the police in Morocco and now from the police here in Spain and so they decide to go back. And so as you can see, and this has been really going on for the entire day, we've done the route from the port where we arrived here towards this beach that is, as I said, close to the border and towards the entire seaside you see these people passing by. There's some children as well, some of them have approached us asking for food, asking for water, saying they haven't eaten anything.

And the truth is, locals have been closing down bars, restaurants and shops today because of this mass movement of people coming in. And just a last thing to show you is the beach on my right side and this is the beach where still, as you can see, there's some people coming in, not as many as yesterday, not as many as the people that are leaving, but as you can see, there are still some people swimming and trying to reach Spain through this beach.

SANCHEZ: Helena Lins, live for us in Ceuta, thank you so much for that live update. We'll stay on top of this story as the situation warrants.

Still ahead, President Trump touting a breakthrough in Gaza, saying that Hamas has agreed to a complete disarmament. What could still be a historic announcement holds major caveats though we're going to discuss after a quick break. Don't go anywhere.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: It could be a major breakthrough toward peace in the Middle East. For the first time, Hamas has agreed as part of a larger plan to hand over its weapons. Its leaders, however, say for that to happen, Israel must first withdraw its forces from the so- called Yellow Line in Gaza.

Israeli officials, though, say they won't do that until Hamas hands over the weapons. President Trump was asked which side should move first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So we do have an understanding with Israel. Israel is very happy about it. Israel helped us.

And they've been very good. They've been very good about it. Most people said that would be a deal that would be undoable now.

Will it go through its ups and downs? It's a very complex situation over there. The people are very complex and difficult.

In many cases, wonderful. In many cases, not so wonderful. But that will be a great breakthrough.

Nobody has ever thought that would -- nobody thought that would be possible to disarm Hamas. That shows you how much success we're having with Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: For further perspective now, we're joined by retired Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmett, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East. General, it's good to see you. You heard the president say Israel is very happy about this.

It's notable we haven't heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu. The U.S. ambassador -- the Israeli ambassador, rather, Denis Dunant, was on earlier with Wolf Blitzer. And Wolf was asking him about what we have heard here, specifically what Hamas wants to see from Israel. He was asked whether Israel would support that. He didn't answer the question directly but brought up the lack of trust that there is with Hamas. This goes both ways.

Given where everything stands, do you see this disarmament happening?

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Look, this is part of a 20- point peace plan. The Memorandum of Understanding with Iran only had seven points, as I believe. We couldn't even get through that. Within two weeks, it was broken.

There are so many complicating factors and so many conditions put in that 20-point peace plan. And Hamas has said it is all or nothing. It's unlikely that we're going to get through a significant amount of this peace plan before it falls apart.

HILL: So then what does this change? What does even this announcement change?

KIMMITT: Well, this is the first time that Hamas has ever agreed to disarm. It's the first time they've ever agreed to a type of process where they completely run the security inside. They completely run the government inside.

Nobody else can come in. And other conditions that just seem extreme, such as the weapons, will be stored in Gaza, and they will not be controlled by people from outside Gaza. So, tough.

HILL: Hard to see that actually happening.

KIMMITT: Hard to see that actually happening.

HILL: Do you make anything of the timing?

[15:40:00]

KIMMITT: That's a good question. I really haven't thought of it. One would think that they are just tired of war.

One would think that the Israelis are making far more success. But it also could candidly be that President Trump was not seeing a lot of effort achieving success in Iran, and he told his negotiators, let's try to double down and get ourselves a victory somewhere. If it can't be in Iran, let's even get something done either in Lebanon or in Gaza.

HILL: Perhaps even just the announcement of it, right, that this might be happening. Do you see that in any way influencing what is happening with the war in Iran?

KIMMITT: No. What's happening in Lebanon, what's happening in Gaza, what's happening in Iran are in many ways just completely separate. Many people will try to say that there's a through line between all three of these.

I just frankly don't think that this is going to be part of a domino effect, that success in one will domino into the other two.

HILL: The fact that Hamas is an Iranian proxy, right, does that come into play at all?

KIMMITT: They're less of an Iranian proxy than, say, Hezbollah, the Houthis and others. I don't think necessarily the Iranians played in this unless they told Hamas, we've got problems of our own, we can't support you anymore, cut your own deal.

HILL: I just want to ask you about, so we have heard about these attacks, hackers targeting water systems across a number of states in a coordinated cyber attack. Iran is being treated as one of the suspects. Intelligence officials have not yet said who it is, but Iran is being treated as one of the suspects.

How plausible do you think that could be that Iran may be behind this?

KIMMITT: Very plausible. I think one of the strategic failures, certainly probably one of the largest strategic failures of Iran, is thinking that by attacking the Gulf states, they would say, the problem is the Americans, let's get rid of the Americans. We have status forces agreements, which each of those countries independently have with the U.S., and independently, each one or anyone can just say, we want the Americans to leave, and we would have to leave legally, and we do.

We've done that in Iraq. But instead of causing the countries in the region to capitulate, they've actually shown a lot more aggressiveness and a lot more determination, particularly on the issue of keeping the Americans in their countries.

HILL: General, really appreciate your insight, your expertise. Thank you.

Still ahead here, all paws on deck. Nevada's Department of Wildlife tackling Lake Tahoe's bear problem with specially trained dogs, ready to take on any bear, any size, any day. We'll speak with one of their trainers and her trusty co-worker, Badger. Hi, Badger.

That's up next.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Lake Tahoe, of course, is one of the most beautiful places in the world to live and visit. There is one drawback, though. Black bears.

Yes, they enjoy it very much as well.

HILL: Well, it's their home.

SANCHEZ: Many have become pests for local homeowners ransacking trash and worse. One couple says they were doing dishes when they looked up and saw a bear in their living room. HILL: Yikes.

SANCHEZ: Another homeowner reported seeing a bear in their hot tub. Maybe just, you know, enjoying a nice soak.

HILL: Look, we all need it. You know, your muscles get a little tired. It happens.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

HILL: Nevada's Department of Wildlife, though, has feels like a novel solution. Look at that guy right there. Dogs, specifically Karelian bear dogs.

Joining us now is Becca Carniello, game biologist at the Nevada Department of Wildlife and her trusty assistant, Badger. So we love everything about this story, just to be clear. How did it come about, though, Becca, that you turned to the dogs in this moment?

BECCA CARNIELLO, GAME BIOLOGIST, NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE: That's a good question. This was actually my coworker who just recently retired, Carl Lackey. He was the founder of this program 25 years ago.

And so he saw these dogs in action, I believe through a Nat Geo episode or a video or something and realized, hey, that's a really good idea. We should use that in Nevada.

SANCHEZ: What makes Karelian bear dogs so well adjusted for this kind of thing? Because even though I have a pretty sizable dog, she's a hundred pound Rottweiler. She's kind of a baby.

And I feel like if she saw a bear, she'd just flip over and show her belly. What makes them different?

CARNIELLO: That's another good question. So these guys are special. They are specially bred to hunt big game.

They're a Russian Finnish breed. So they're originally bred to hunt like moose and European brown bears. So they're naturally assertive, fearless, and quick.

Very different from your regular domestic dog. And that's a really good point to bring up. I'm sorry, I'll try to get him to stay.

But normally your regular domestic dog can cause a negative interaction with a black bear. Because if they're off leash, they might run after the bear and the bear turns on the dog. And then the dog runs right back to the owner and kind of brings that conflict back.

But these guys, when the bear turns on them, they kind of quickly avoid that swat and then they get right back on the bear.

HILL: Yes, we will not be bringing either of our dogs out with the bears. So they're specially trained, right? As you point out.

And they've been bred for a long time to know how to do this. Do the bears, however, turn on the dogs?

CARNIELLO: Yes, yes, they do. I mean, they're just trying to defend themselves. And we're also just trying to give them a really negative experience with people.

[15:50:00]

So oftentimes they will turn and try and defend themselves a little bit if there's not a great tree for them to run up. Or if they run into like really thick cover. So they'll turn and kind of stand their ground a little bit. And these dogs recognize that right away.

And they just kind of back off for just a second. And then they get right back on the back side of the bear trying to annoy it again.

SANCHEZ: Kind of a silly question. Does Badger enjoy this line of work? Do these dogs like what they're doing?

Does it seem like they're having a good time? Because from these images, it kind of does.

CARNIELLO: Oh my gosh, yes. Here, I'll show you a quick example. Badger, can you bark at the bear?

Can you bark at the bear?

SANCHEZ: Ahh.

CARNIELLO: He's very aggressive.

HILL: Badger's like, where's the bear? I'll bark at that bear. Badger is so, just in all honesty, Badger is so well behaved.

The fact that Badger has sat here through this interview, I mean this very seriously, I'm impressed.

SANCHEZ: It seems like he's trying to figure out where the voices are coming from. And he's like sniffing to figure out where bears are coming from.

CARNIELLO: Yes, he really is.

SANCHEZ: Really quick, take us through what these black bears represent for Lake Tahoe. Because even though it's part of the wildlife and great to have them out there, they mostly eat like berries and go through your trash. They don't present that much danger to humans, but they kind of can be, so it's important to have the dogs, right?

CARNIELLO: Right. I mean, black bears are, they're rarely dangerous, but they can be dangerous. And the most important thing is to prevent them from accessing human foods.

Anytime we are allowing them access to human foods, we're kind of reinforcing that behavior. You can think of it like training your dog. So if you allow wildlife, especially bears, access to garbage or bird seed or pet food that's stored outdoors, you're training that bear to come back into your neighborhood and see it as a nice, rewarding place.

It is one reason as well that we don't like to say bear problems or problem bears because it's kind of putting that negative connotation on the bear. When really, it's humans, most of the time they're teaching bears these behaviors. So we want to put that kind of importance of coexistence on the human.

When we are really responsible and secure our trash, then bears are not able to access those foods and don't see our neighborhoods as rewarding places. But in the absence of some of that, of course, we're humans. So we're all going to make mistakes sometimes.

Every once in a while, bear is going to get into garbage or into a vehicle, something like that. These dogs can help us turn those positive experiences into negative ones so that we can help our bears remain as wild as possible.

HILL: This is, I mean, I'll say it again. This is my favorite story of the day. Becca and Badger.

Thank you both.

CARNIELLO: Yes, no problem.

SANCHEZ: That's a good boy.

Well, you've heard of snakes on a plane. What about robots? Delta now joining other airlines in banning passengers from bringing high-tech friends along. Pete Muntean will discuss next.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: For many flyers, the entire traveling process can feel robotic. While some of us don't like saying pack your patients, a growing number of airlines say they don't want you packing your robot.

HILL: You packed a lot in there, my friend.

SANCHEZ: It wasn't my choice.

HILL: Among the airlines, Delta, which is now the latest to ban robots from the cabin, and your checked baggage, joining United and Southwest Airlines. Pete Muntean joins us now. Why all the robot bans?

Why are you hating on the robots, airlines? I mean, I'm OK with it.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This is starting to sound a bit like science fiction, and airlines increasingly don't want this to become more of a reality. Delta being the latest airline to essentially ban humanoid and animal-like robots, that's the real term, from both the cabin and checked baggage. United Airlines just enacted a similar policy, although it was Southwest Airlines that was the first to crack down on robots on flights, all stemming from this viral video posted back in May, showed three and a half foot tall robot named Stewie.

SANCHEZ: Oh, wow.

MUNTEAN: Man, he stole your moves there, Boris.

HILL: Look at that move.

MUNTEAN: Look at that.

HILL: Wow.

SANCHEZ: What?

MUNTEAN: Dude.

SANCHEZ: Kicks and punches and all that. You're not letting him on board. He's dangerous.

MUNTEAN: The video showed him -- look at the passenger reaction here. The video showed him sitting in a Southwest Airlines seat, which is now assigned, by the way.

The airlines say this isn't really about the robots themselves, more about what's in the robots, inside of them. Many of these devices use large lithium batteries that can exceed the limits that airlines allow on passenger flights. This is from a demonstration I got, a literal explosive demonstration I got, from the Federal Aviation Administration at a test center in Atlantic City last year.

These batteries pose a real fire risk if they're damaged and go into what's called a thermal runaway. A United Airlines spokesperson tells me this. "These devices often use batteries we do not accept on board or in checked baggage, and we believe this change will help further ensure the safety of our customers and our crews."

What's interesting is that United says it hasn't necessarily had a robot problem and did this proactively, United says. The airlines also make clear that these robots are not considered assistive devices or trained service animals. Don't go online to try and get a certificate for your robot.

Some exception for kids' toys, though. The bottom line is this is really airlines trying to get ahead of technology that's moving really fast. Humanoid robots are actually becoming more common, particularly in China, where companies are using thousands of them for factories, warehouses, commercial uses.

But as these machines are becoming more capable, they're also carrying these bigger batteries, and that's what the airlines are really focused on. The power and capacity of a lithium battery is measured in what's called watt-hours.

[16:00:00] My iPhone 15 Pro Max, it's kind of on its last legs. About 17 or 20 watt-hours. One of these humanoid robots, 400 watt-hours. So we're talking about 20 times the punch and really 20 times the concern for airlines, and that's why they're doing this big crackdown.

SANCHEZ: I love how we protected the identity of that robot by not showing its face. You can put your robots on the people mover from Dulles that you're going to buy and take around.

HILL: Oh, yes.

MUNTEAN: I'm ready whenever they want it.

SANCHEZ: We've got to go. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.