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Israel Warns U.S. of Iranian Plot to Assassinate Trump; Fighter Jets Take Off for Iran Missions; Questions Mount Over Made-in-Ukraine Patriot Interceptors; CNN Reports on FIFA Men's World Cup, Wimbledon; Officials: 12 Killed As Large Rages In Southern Spain: Coastal Parts Of Asia Bracing For Strong Typhoon; Source: I.C.E. Shooting Victim Not Target Of Operation. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 10, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello from Hong Kong. This is "CNN Newsroom." I'm Will Ripley. Here's what's happening. Reports of a possible assassination plot by Iran on U.S. President Donald Trump. Both nations exchanging fire even as technical talks continue. Look at this. Half empty store shelves in Taiwan. People there stocking up ahead of Typhoon Bavi. And the fine dining industry. It's not all champagne and caviar these days. Our bougie correspondent Richard Quest finding out how some restaurants are coping with skyrocketing costs.

We are following reports now of a possible plan to kill President Donald Trump. The alleged Iranian scheme is by no means confirmed, but it is adding more strain to a ceasefire already in tatters. Sources tell CNN the warnings about an assassination plot are coming from Israeli intelligence. No details have been released.

Some officials suggest this could be an effort by Israel to influence the administration's decision making as it weighs whether to ramp up military action against Iran. Israel has been against diplomacy, distrustful of Iran, and eager to resume strikes. But U.S. officials say attacks are on hold, at least for now, and diplomatic efforts are underway behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, concerns for President Trump's safety are being taken very seriously. He arrived at this week's NATO summit on the new jet donated by Qatar. But he left on board the old Air Force One. Reporters asked him about the switch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: -- probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) Iran was possibly thinking (ph) --

TRUMP: Yes (INAUDIBLE).

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Were you aware of any credible threat by Iran against Air Force One?

TRUMP: I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list before you. But if I go, you go. OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: CNN's Eleni Giokos is joining us live in Dubai following all of these, as you have been from the very beginning, Eleni. So, what are you learning about this Israeli intelligence claiming that Iran has devised this new plan to assassinate President Trump?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: So, this is from sources familiar with the matter, and they say that Israel this week shared information and intelligence about how Iran is devising a plot to assassinate President Trump. Now, we don't have the details of this alleged plot, but it's really important to note that even U.S. intelligence say that they've been tracking what they call a steady drumbeat of intelligence in recent weeks about President Trump being a target.

Now, these are very two different sorts of pieces of intelligence, from what we understand, where Israel has shared specific details of a plot, but U.S. intelligence say there was just generally some intelligence about the president being a target, and we know that President Trump has been looked at since his first term after the administration took out Commander Soleimani.

And we're actually showing interesting images here of Ali Khamenei's funeral that has been ongoing for the last few days. We heard chants saying, death to America, death to Trump. These all playing a huge role in terms of the timing.

Importantly here, the Israeli intelligence has not been verified by the United States. But it is very notable, and you mentioned this, that President Trump arrived at the NATO summit in a Qatari plane that was gifted to him, and then left using Air Force One. Importantly, President Trump, during the NATO summit, made a reference to the target on his life. He says, they want to take out the U.S. leader. He said, me.

RIPLEY: Meanwhile, diplomacy sputters along, even as both sides are exchanging fire. So, what are you learning about what's happening behind the scenes?

GIOKOS: I mean, it's a huge contradiction here. You're seeing on one end, you know, room for diplomacy, talks on the go behind the scenes. Meanwhile, we've seen an escalation that we haven't witnessed in many weeks, and this is at a time where you should be under a, you know, ceasefire arrangement.

The memorandum of understanding President Trump earlier this week said is effectively over. You had targeting of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, U.S. retaliatory strikes into Iran. And over the past day, Iran targeted Bahrain and Kuwait's U.S. military bases, and even Jordan said that they intercepted missiles over their airspace.

[02:05:02] So, in the background to all of these, we know that mediators are sort of trying desperately to ensure that there isn't a complete, you know, fallout between the United States and Iran.

And Iran, interestingly, last night, overnight, said that there were targets on specific parts of the country. Both the United States and Israel have denied those claims and said that they're on standby to strike if necessary, but have not done so because they want to leave room for technical talks, which are apparently still underway, even though -- well, you know, the Strait of Hormuz, we've been hearing from some of the experts saying traffic is now under pressure. Once again, they're seeing massive risk coming to the fore there. That has been sort of a flashpoint in all of these being used by Iran as leverage in the wider negotiations.

Keep in mind, things are very tentative. We knew it was going to be sort of difficult to implement the memorandum of understanding. Where we stand on that, we don't know. But, apparently, there is some kind of diplomacy, which means there should be some level of hope, perhaps cautious optimism, that things could get back on track.

RIPLEY: All right, Eleni Giokos, we know you're watching everything very carefully and closely. Thanks for that live report from Dubai. We'll talk with you very soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Look at this. CNN captured this exclusive video of U.S. fighter jets taking off from the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. They're carrying out these nighttime missions over the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Military says it launched about 170 strikes on Iran just on Tuesday and Wednesday. Targets included air defense systems, missile and drone storage sites, and other assets along Iran's southern coastline.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: CNN's Pamela Brown is aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, and she has this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Let me just set the stage. First of all, you're seeing what's called a walk to look for any debris. This is an exercise, making sure that they pick up anything that could end up in an engine because we're here in the hangar, and these are some of the fighter jets that have been used during this conflict from very early on. So, this includes maintenance crews and pilots.

As we talk about this ongoing conflict, the last two nights of strikes, what I can tell you is here on the USS Abraham Lincoln, things are heating up, and those are the exact words from the captain here of the ship, Dan Keeler. He said that the White House and the administration, CENTCOM, has told the ship to be on high alert. He says that's always the case. There is always a high state of readiness.

But the context here is that tensions are escalating. There has already been two nights of strikes, and there is uncertainty about what is to come, whether there will be more strikes or not.

Now, I want to show you this. As I mentioned, these F-18s and also the F-35s have really been fighter jet workhorses during this war. And I want to show you these symbols right here. These are drones right here that this fighter jet has taken out during this conflict that started five and a half months ago. These are missiles that have been taken out just by this fighter jet alone. Every single fighter jet I've seen or just about every one I've seen here in the hangar and up above on the flight deck has these symbols. They also have other ones like dropping bombs, how many bombs the fighter jets have dropped, as well as submarine buster stickers that they put on there if they've taken down a submarine. I saw one earlier today that had taken down an Iranian submarine. So, they put these symbols on to mark what these fighter jets have done so far in the conflict.

And people here on board the ship, they know that this is not over. As one official told me, the ceasefire is at least temporarily seized. We've now learned that in these last two nights, around 170 targets have been hit in Iran. And, as you all have been talking about, there's a lot of speculation and talk and increased rhetoric about what's going to come next in this conflict.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Joining me now from Doha is Mehran Kamrava. He's a professor of government at Georgetown University. Thanks so much for your time. You know, the U.S. has bases in Qatar where you are, also the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait. So, do you think Iran could start targeting not just military but civilian infrastructure in those Gulf states?

MEHRAN KAMRAVA, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY IN QATAR: So far, Iran hasn't done that. But if the conflict continues, then, certainly, Iran could do that. When President Trump was in Turkey, he mentioned that the United States might hit water desalination plants. And countries up and down the Persian Gulf rely on water desalination plants for almost 100 percent of their water needs. And so, if Iran hits those, then we're looking at a very different regional geography.

RIPLEY: What do you make of these dramatic images of a coffin being held aloft before being swallowed up by the crowd as part of this week-long funeral for Iran's late supreme leader, Ali Khamenei?

[02:09:58]

One thing, in all of this coverage, all of this footage, we have not yet seen publicly his son, the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. So, what do you make of that?

KAMRAVA: Well, first of all, Ali Khamenei left behind a very mixed legacy of repression, violence, crackdown on the people. But, at the same time, as we're seeing, these images show he was also beloved by a significant chunk of the Iranian population who believed in his legitimacy and his religious mandate.

The fact that his son has not been seen in such an important occasion, historic occasion for the Islamic Republic, in fact, just means that he must be really badly injured. The official excuse for his absence is that there are security concerns. But we know that there were delegations from around 90 countries in Iran, and there was extremely tight security. So, that excuse doesn't really work. He must be injured in a way that he's not ready for public viewing yet, if you will.

RIPLEY: There was an agreement not to attack Iran while this funeral was still ongoing, as you know. So, how is that likely shaping Tehran's response and their strategy moving forward?

KAMRAVA: The Iranians are convinced that the Americans violated the terms of the memorandum of understanding, not only by attacking Iran as the funeral was unfolding, but also through trying to get ships through the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with Iran. So, the Iranians see this as yet another example of the untrustworthiness of the United States in general and Donald Trump in particular.

Nonetheless, as your report just indicated, technical talks are set to occur actually right here in Doha. So, both sides are keenly aware that the only way really to move forward is to talk rather than to continue to fight.

RIPLEY: I want to go back to playing some of the pictures of this week-long funeral. It was really striking visually. But it made me wonder, and perhaps you can speak to this, what about all the people in Iran who are not mourning right now? Where are they? What are they doing? What's their mindset both inside and also outside of the country, people around the world of Iranian descent?

KAMRAVA: Well, best estimates are that the Iranian government has legitimacy among anywhere from 15 to 10 percent of the population. We're looking at 90 million Iranians. That means something like 80 million Iranians are standing on the side. So, even if this is a multimillion population of something like 2, 3 million Iranians, the country is vast enough that the majority of the Iranians are really worried about other things, situation of the economy, their future, their daily lives. And so, you know, life has to go on. And a vast majority of Iranians, as I mentioned, are simply concerned about making ends meet and kind of making a living.

Iranians outside tend to be highly divided themselves. The Iranian diaspora is extremely polarized with many people not only hating the Islamic Republic but actively calling for attacks on it, whereas, again, there's a silent segment of the Iranian diaspora that wants the war to end.

RIPLEY: Mehran Kamrava in Doha, really appreciate your insight. Thank you.

KAMRAVA: Thank you.

RIPLEY: Now to Ukraine where at least one person is reported dead in a Russian drone strike on a gas station in the city of Zaporizhia. Officials say three other people were injured in this strike on Thursday which, as you see, damaged the station and destroyed at least one vehicle. Emergency responders and bystanders ran for safety at one point because they were afraid of a double tap. They thought there could be a follow-up strike.

Ukraine is getting a glimmer of hope that it may have a fighting chance against Russia's ballistic missiles. It has been promised a U.S. license to produce Patriot interceptors. They're the only weapon that can shoot down some of Russia's most advanced missiles. But as CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports, the promise comes with questions.

[02:15:02]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Trump just suggested Ukraine could make its own Patriot missiles. If that actually happens, it could change the fate of the war and Ukraine. The first question is whether Trump really has the power, he claims, to force U.S. manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to give up their greatest commercial secrets quickly. He may do.

But then it comes down to how quickly Ukraine can replicate the sophisticated missiles. Probably quite fast, to be honest, given this is a matter of life and death for them, and they've been studying the life-saving machines for months, hoping to make something similar themselves. Expect the timelines of years, suggested by some experts, to be compressed to months. Remember, Ukraine is building attack and intercept drones that are world-leading, improving them daily through front-line use. Wartime countries are faster at things, period.

Then there's the question of what happens in the gap. Does this mean the United States doesn't expect to give Ukraine any more missiles? Canada just announced a new air defense package. Will Ukraine be vulnerable until it makes its own?

But the largest question here is wider in scope. What happened to make Trump change his mind? Next to Zelenskyy, he was willing to give the man he once said had no cards the U.S.'s near-best technology and said he approved of Ukraine's escalation, hitting Russian refineries, and that might bring peace closer.

Trump vacillates a lot. But this latest flip to Ukraine will delight Kyiv and leave many wondering what the Kremlin can do to change the narrative and president back in their favor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Nick Paton Walsh reporting. It has been 16 days now since devastating twin earthquakes rocked Venezuela. Hopes are fading of finding anybody alive in the rubble. Actually, they're completely gone. The frantic search has turned into a heartbreaking recovery effort at this point. And in some areas of the hard-hit city of La Guaira, families plead with authorities to hold off on demolishing damaged buildings. As they dig through the rubble by hand, they are searching to find what they hope at least are the intact remains of their missing loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELENA PAREDES, LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA RESIDENT (through translator): I live here. I wasn't here the day of the earthquake. And it wasn't until today, after 15 days, that I was able to rescue my daughter and my mother. Unfortunately, well, the bodies. It was just now that I was able to get them out with the help of people who were right here, neighbors and such, that we were able to get them out with the help of the neighbors because there's no help from anyone here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Venezuelan authorities now say at least 3,800 people are confirmed dead from those quakes with nearly 18,000 people left homeless.

This is "CNN Newsroom." We're live in Hong Kong. And right now, people in parts of Asia are bracing for a massive typhoon. Take a look at the track of this storm. It's moving across the Pacific towards Taiwan. Flights there are cancelled. City governments are closing. And we're tracking this storm. Plus, we have the latest action from the World Cup. France steamrolls past Morocco, landing the first spot in the semifinals. We'll have a preview of Friday's quarterfinals match, Spain versus Belgium.

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[02:20:00]

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RIPLEY: To the World Cup now where it's an all-European affair for the second match of the quarterfinals, set to kick off in the coming hours. Spain and Belgium, they're vying for a spot in the semifinals. The European powerhouses will take the pitch in Inglewood, California. The Spanish side have yet to give up a goal this tournament. The winner of this match will advance to take on France, who claim their spot in the semis with a victory over Morocco. Les Bleus defeated the Atlas Lions, two-nil, extending their domination of this year's tournament. Superstar Kylian Mbappe scored at the hour mark, just from inside the box. The team added another goal six minutes later.

CNN's Maria Santana has the fan reaction to the match between France and Morocco from a watch party in Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA SANTANA, CNN EN ESPANOL ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Fans of Morocco really hoped that this would be their year. They were predicting that Morocco would win against France. The team that knocked them out of the semifinals last time, they were on a historic run. And the match was pretty even up until almost the very end. But then France, with the two goals, really dashed the dreams of Morocco.

Here's a fan from Morocco. How do you feel? How are you feeling right now?

UNKNOWN: Yes, we feel disappointed. We're upset because we had a bigger hope. Actually, more than this. Unfortunately, France, they always stop in our way for some reason in 2022 and 2026 again. But we're going to do better at home next time in 2030. Morocco didn't play well today, unfortunately. Congrats to France and all the way to Morocco.

SANTANA: You cannot play well against Kylian Mbappe and France. What do you hope happens to France now?

UNKNOWN: Yes, France, let's be honest, they have a lot of talent: Kylian Mbappe, Doue, Dembele, Olise. Who are you going to cover? And we have injuries, too. That didn't help. Our best striker is not there, Saibari. Mazraoui played in a position that's not his. So, there are a lot of conditions why we didn't play well today. We did the best we can. France, I think they're going to go all the way down for this World Cup, either them or Argentina.

SANTANA: On Morocco goals. But here are some French fans, fans of the French, who are really, really happy. How happy are you right now?

[02:25:00]

(CHEERING)

SANTANA: Do you think France has what it takes to take the World Cup this year?

UNKNOWN: Most definitely. I mean, they're showing all the class, all the composure. And defense is a lot better than it did last couple of games. So, yes, definitely.

SANTANA: If they get to the finals, who do you hope they face in the finals?

UNKNOWN: Oh, my God. I'm caught off guard. I have no idea what they should face in the finals. Tell me, boy.

SANTANA: You tell me. You tell me.

UNKNOWN: I think they're going to meet Argentina in the finals.

SANTA: Messi, Mbappe, M&M, M&M.

UNKNOWN: The last World Cup, yes.

SANTANA: Repeat. Let's see. Rematch. They are predicting a rematch. Lots of people are trying to figure out who is going to win this World Cup. But, you know, Boston has been a host city. This is a watch party put together by their mayor. It is the last match being played here in Boston. But that doesn't mean that the parody ends because there are so many more watch parties to go to, so much more World Cup to see, and Boston could be the place to be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: All right. Well, now we go to London, another place to be where Wimbledon has crowned its new mixed doubles champions. They are Elena Ostapenko from Latvia and Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador, the pair. They defeated Australians Storm Hunter and Marc Polmans, 4-6, 7- 5, 6-2, on Thursday. Arevalo is a two-time French Open men's doubles champion, and he is now the first Salvadoran player to win a Wimbledon title. Ostapenko won the 2017 French Open women's singles championship.

We are tracking one of the strongest storms on the planet right now, and it is heading to parts of Asia. And take a look. People are rushing to stock up on supplies. They are leaving store shelves empty as they prepare for Typhoon Bavi. And we have a live camera at Ishigaki Island in Japan, near Okinawa, as the storm approaches. CNN Weather is tracking the storm, and you can have a live look at these conditions. Looks OK on camera right now. Waves are not super choppy. A little bit choppy off in the distance. But we'll get an update from the weather team to find out if this is really going to be a monster or it's going to sputter out.

Plus, the family of a Mexican immigrant shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston is speaking out and demanding answers. New video shows the moments before and after.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:31:48]

WILL RIPLEY, CNN ANCHOR: At least 12 people are dead as a massive wildfire scorches parts of Spain's southern coast. Some people there have been forced from their homes, and about 150 emergency crews are working right now to fight this thing.

A regional governor is calling it the most devastating fire that this particular area has ever seen. This is a region that has been under high temperature warnings in recent days, and now, Spain's prime minister is offering condolences to the victims' families. Officials say parts of western France will be placed under the highest red heat alert on Friday. Early summer heat waves have really dried up parts of the Loire River in that region and have reduced it to several dry sandbanks.

Look at that. Just incredible. Temperatures are expected to climb to about 41 degrees Celsius. That's 106 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday. And this is a nation where most people don't have air conditioning.

The French prime minister is set to chair a crisis meeting. That's happening in the coming hours. They need to try to coordinate the government's response to this. Authorities in several regions are imposing water use restrictions.

Well, here in Asia, another large storm is threatening parts of this region just on the heels of Typhoon Maysak, Typhoon Bavi, which is roughly the width of France, heading across the Pacific Ocean right now towards Taiwan. You saw that live picture earlier from near Okinawa, Japan.

Let's go to CNN's Derek Van Dam. He has more on how people in this region are preparing for the storm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Parts of Asia are bracing for one of the strongest typhoons on Earth this weekend. Typhoon Bavi is expected to bear down on Taiwan early Saturday morning before making landfall in Japan's southern island of Ishigaki in southeastern China. Across the region, people are taking precautions ahead of the looming storm.

In Taiwan, residents are stocking up on supplies, sometimes emptying out store shelves. And along the coast, major fishing ports have shut down, and farmers are rushing to protect their crops from damage.

TU HUA-CHIN, FARMER: Typhoons usually cause fairly serious damage. Last year was particularly bad for us.

VAN DAM (voice-over): In Japan, some public parks and beaches appeared closed as authorities stepped up storm press. The region's All Nippon Airways says they'll cancel dozens of flights this weekend, serving Okinawa's airports. Local business owners are preparing for the worst.

HIROSHI NOMURA, SHOP OWNER (through translator): According to the typhoon forecast, I've heard that this one will be pretty big. I'm a little concerned about whether our typhoon preparations are enough.

VAN DAM (voice-over): Authorities in China have also intensified preparations, deploying personnel to patrol beaches and monitor water levels. Multiple provinces have upgraded their flood control response to the highest level.

DAI JINKUI, OFFICER, BRIGADE OF PLA SOUTHERN THEATER COMMAND: Due to continuous heavy rainfall, the earthen embankments have been soaked, making them highly prone to risks such as seepage, piping, landslides, and cracks in the dike body.

VAN DAM (voice-over): Bavi comes right on the heels of last week's Tropical Storm Maysak that triggered deadly flooding, rare tornadoes, and a reservoir collapse in parts of coastal and inland China.

[02:35:05]

Authorities say dozens of people have been killed. And if the floods weren't dangerous enough, video posted on social media shows snakes swimming in the streets after a local news outlet reported more than 800 escaped from a breeding farm in southern China.

China's National Climate Center says the back-to-back storms are just the start of a turbulent month. And it expects up to six typhoons to form in the Northwest Pacific and

South China Sea by the end of July, almost doubling the expected average.

Derek Van Dam, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Staying in China now, where state media is reporting at least 28 people are dead in a fire at a shoe factory in the southeastern province of Fujian. This video shows people trapped on the roof as the fire engulfed the building. Officials say there were 237 workers who were on-site when this fire started, along with two guests. At least 211 were rescued.

But now, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is demanding an all-out search-and- rescue effort and promising a quick investigation. State-run Xinhua News Agency reports that the factory's owner and others in charge of this facility have been taken into custody.

A source tells CNN that Salgado Arajuo was not the target of the federal immigration operation before he was shot and killed by an ICE agent. The Department of Homeland Security says the officers involved in that incident had not yet been issued body-worn cameras.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on this shooting, but we do need to warn you that his report contains images that some of you may find disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The only video that has emerged so far of the shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo captures the 52-year-old construction worker lying on the ground moments after ICE agents shot him as he drove a white van with three other men inside. The medical examiner says Salgado was struck in the torso by a gunshot. In the video, you can see him bleeding on the street.

DOMINGO GARCIA, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, LULAC: Crying, screaming after he'd been shot in the stomach. And he's screaming for help.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say agents were conducting a, quote, "targeted enforcement operation".

This is how ICE described what led to Salgado's death. The agency says Salgado tried to, quote, evade arrest, rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle, refused to follow multiple verbal commands, and weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer, resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense."

But a source familiar with the preliminary details of the incident tells CNN Salgado was not the intended target of the operation.

In a new statement to CNN, DHS says agents conducted surveillance based on a, quote, "credible tip from our law enforcement partners weeks prior to the shooting and spotted two white vans at a property. On Tuesday morning, as agents approached that location, they saw Salgado's white van and initiated the vehicle stop. The statement does not make clear if Salgado's white van was the same van spotted by agents weeks earlier.

Salgado's family and Latino civil rights activists questioned whether DHS is telling the truth.

JUAN PROANO, CEO, LULAC: We do not believe them. They are playing by a playbook. They're using a template in shootings. and murders that have happened across the country time and time again, and it is time to stop.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): At 6:46 Tuesday morning, video shows Salgado Araujo's white van turning onto Canal Street, followed by a black SUV, which turned out to be one of the unmarked vehicles carrying ICE agents. Shortly after that, another camera captured the black SUV, pulling up alongside Salgado's white van. with a second unmarked black SUV following seconds behind them.

At 6.48 A.m., a woman driving by the scene --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's so (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): -- recorded the video of Salgado on the ground suffering from the gunshot wound.

GARCIA: Put yourself in his shoes as a driver. He has all his tools for construction. His livelihood is in that vehicle. He has his brother in the vehicle. He has two of his workers in the vehicle. Would you not be concerned and maybe try to go to a place where it's public when you have unmarked cars trying to ram you and stop you?

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Salgado lived in the United States for 35 years, supporting his wife and three college-educated sons by working in construction.

The family says they learned about his death by seeing a video posted on social media.

RONALDO SALGADO, FATHER FATALLY SHOT BY ICE: I recognize him immediately. Not from his appearance, but from his voice. Crying for help as he lay on the street, bleeding out.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The FBI's Houston field office says it's investigating the incident as a potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer.

[02:40:04]

But Salgado's son disputes those allegations and says his father would have complied with law enforcement if they identified themselves.

SALGADO: Because he had been in the process of getting a work permit, he knew what to do in case he was stopped by ICE. OK, he knew the process. LAVANDERA (voice-over): The shooting, like those that came before, is now prompting protests in Texas --

PROTESTERS: Justice for Lorenzo!

LAVANDERA (voice-over): -- and calls for justice and reform.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are coming to our streets not to make people more safe, but to terrorize our communities.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: CNN's Ed Lavandera reporting there.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement on the shooting, and here's how it reads in part. The officers involved in the incident in Houston had not been issued body-worn cameras due to back-to-back Democrat shutdowns. Body cameras have been deployed to more than half the field offices, with the remaining half to receive them in the next 60 days.

Turning now to South Africa, where a group of women is working to stop poaching in one of the country's biggest parks. So, we're going to go along, find out how the Black Mambas have been so successful.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:00]

RIPLEY: Did you know, on the black market, a single rhino horn can fetch tens of thousands of dollars? Of course, this makes those animals dangerously appealing to poachers.

In South Africa, there's an all-woman group of wildlife rangers called the Black Mambas, and they are working very hard to keep that from happening. They're not armed with guns and bullets. They are working to battle poaching in a very different way, and CNN's Bijan Hosseini rode along with the Black Mambas to find out how they do it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER (voice-over): This is Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa. Nearly 5 million acres of wilderness and home to some of the most extraordinary wildlife on the planet.

Including some of the last black rhinos on Earth. There are just over 200 of them left in this park.

Protecting them is a group unlike any other, Black Mambas, 36 strong, battle-hardened, relentless, and unapologetically entirely female.

HOSSEINI: This is what you get to see every day?

TSAKANE NXUMALO, BLACK MAMBA RANGER: Every single, single and every day. HOSSEINI: How many sunrise and sunsets have you seen?

That's too much.

NXUMALO: Countless. Countless. I've lost count.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Rhino poaching across South Africa fell 16 percent last year, according to government data. But inside Kruger, it nearly doubled. Here, a black or white rhino is poached on average every 50 hours.

Rhinos here are targeted for one reason, their horn. The black market is mostly driven by demand in Vietnam and China, where it's used in traditional medicine and as a status symbol, despite the fact that it has no proven medicinal value at all.

To stop this trade, the Mambas patrol nearly 40,000 acres every single day, and they do it completely unarmed. It's an unconventional approach in a world where most anti-poaching units carry weapons.

It's not an oversight. It's a philosophy.

HOSSEINI: Poachers are dangerous and you all operate unarmed. That seems like a bad idea to me.

LEITAH MKHABELA, BLACK MAMBA RANGER: Actually, it is a good idea to us because it's been 12 years during this, none of us has been killed by poachers, and that's because we constantly get trained, but also, we're not threats to the poachers. So --

HOSSEINI: Would you prevent them if they know you don't have guns, if you can't hurt them?

MKHABELA: So, they know that we're not going to hurt them. Then there's no need for them to use their bullets on us, as we're not going to respond.

HOSSEINI: But your presence will still scare them away.

MKHABELA: Our presence scare them away because they don't want to be seen. They don't want to be arrested. So, they just want to come inside the reserve, kill the rhino, get the horn out. And that's why they're always running.

HOSSEINI: This is the whole idea behind the Black Mamas. Instead of guns, they're armed with spotlights like this and walkie-talkies, and their presence alone is enough to ward off potential poachers. So right now, we're driving through, signaling our presence in the bush. And it looks like right now, we're actually coming up on a group of lions.

Oh, my gosh, here they are.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Encounters like this are part of the job. It's a reminder that poachers aren't the only threat in the landscape. Before the Black Mambas, women were largely shut out of frontline Ranger roles in this region. These women didn't just change how this reserve is protected. They opened a door that didn't exist.

MKHABELA: So many people didn't believe in us, but we have proved a lot of them wrong. The landowners in the reserve when we do run block sometimes in those first years. Some of them, they wouldn't even allow us to search them or to touch their car. When now they have elephants are breaking into their house, into their lodges, and like things are missing.

[02:50:06]

Now they called the Black Mambas.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Last year, poaching in Kruger nearly doubled, but not on this patch of ground. On the land that the Black Mambas walk every single day, there hasn't been a single rhino poached in more than a decade.

Their work paves the way for moments like this.

HOSSEINI: We've been looking for a black rhino for three days filming here in the greater Kruger area. And just as we're about to leave, we came across not one, but two black rhinos. And this is so special because there are just a little more than 200 Black rhinos in Kruger National Park.

And this is why the work that the Black Mambas are doing is so important to help and protect these critically endangered animals.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Thirty-six women, no guns, just presents. And for now, it's working.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: All right, thank you, Bijan.

Richard Quest is coming up next. He takes us for a meal at a gourmet restaurant, but you know, fine dining establishments, they're facing rising costs, just like pretty much everyone else in the world. So, Richard's going to speak with the owners of a few New York hotspots to find out how they are managing and still serving.

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RIPLEY: I don't need to tell you this. These are uncertain times economically, and New York's fine dining scene is not immune. They are facing a big challenge of rising costs, along with growing scrutiny over the prices that people are willing to pay for their meal.

So, CNN's Richard Quest goes out to speak to some of the owners of some of these bougie restaurants to find out exactly how they are coping right now.

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RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE (voice-over): It is a tale of two cities in New York's restaurant industry. But nowhere is it the best of times. In one of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods, the Upper East Side, Chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant, Daniel, has a Michelin star and loyal diners. And in his several decades in the industry, he's been through a crisis or two.

DANIEL BOULUD, CHEF & OWNER, THE DINEX GROUP: I mean, late '80s, I wanted to leave New York City.

QUEST: But it's difficult now.

BOULUD: Yeah, but what make me happy is that it's even more difficult in Europe, more difficult other places.

QUEST (voice-over): Further uptown to Harlem, and Susannah Koteen has owned Lido for 15 years.

[02:55:02]

Its prices are more mid-tier. It's elegant and comfortable, in her words. But running the business side of the restaurant is anything but comfortable.

SUSANNAH KOTEEN, OWNER, LIDO RESTAURANT: Tomato prices have gone up like 25 percent. But it's not only tomatoes, it's vegetables, it's avocados, it's limes. Everything -- everything is going up.

QUEST (voice-over): The CEO of Boulud's restaurant group, Sebastien Silvestri, says they're seeing the same rising costs -- high meat prices, and increasing labor costs. And while a meal here can cost well into the hundreds of dollars, he says consumers won't accept simply paying a little bit extra.

SEBASTIEN SILVESTRI, CEO, THE DINEX GROUP: There's a lot of sensibility on the price, so that doesn't mean that, if the food costs increase, that you can pass it on to the customers. But I think, ultimately, it still comes down to the experience, the quality of cuisine, the hospitality, the service. This, we cannot touch it. We just have to manage a business tighter.

QUEST (voice-over): Through that strategy, Boulud's empire can endure. They have more than 20 restaurants around the globe, ranging from mid-tier to fine dining expensive.

BOULUD: I'm a chef. I know what to cook. I can make you a dish that don't have to be expensive to be delicious.

QUEST (voice-over): For Koteen, in Harlem, the business margins are a lot thinner. leaving less room to absorb higher costs without raising prices.

KOTEEN: I mean, we do our best. It's a real balancing act. We've been here a little over 15 years. The last few years have been by far the hardest.

QUEST (voice-over): All of these issues, of course, extend far beyond New York. A James Beard Foundation report found that diners across the United States are feeling affordability concerns. Restaurants are facing a price ceiling. where customers aren't willing to withstand continuous price increases, even if ingredient costs do go up for the restaurant.

This is an experience Koteen says she's seen firsthand.

KOTEEN: We all know inflation is a really big deal, and people are more conscious of that. And, therefore, they either go out a little less or they're more price-conscious when they do go out because their money has to just stretch that much further.

QUEST (voice-over): Today's troubles are, of course, not as severe as the pandemic. Still, without government support and public sympathy, today's restaurant owners are forced to deal with the challenges all on their own, with whatever ingredients they may have.

Richard Quest, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE0

RIPLEY: We are live in Hong Kong this hour. I'm Will Ripley. Thank you very much for joining us in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'll be right back with another hour of news.

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