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Israel Warns the United States of a Trump Assassination Plot by Iran; Parts of Asia Braces for Typhoon Bavi; Satirical Character Targets Nigel Farage in the British Parliament; France Enters World Cup's Final Four, Spain-Belgium Match to Determine First Semifinals Opponent. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 10, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello from Hong Kong, I'm Will Ripley, and this is "CNN Newsroom." Here's what's happening.

Reports of a possible assassination plot by Iran on U.S. President Donald Trump. Both nations have been exchanging fire, even as diplomacy tries to continue.

Look at this. Half-empty store shelves in Taiwan. People there and across the region stocking up ahead of Typhoon Bavi.

And why a non-traditional candidate, yes, the guy with the trash can on his head, could cause a major upset in the battle for a seat in the British Parliament.

We begin this hour with word of a possible Iranian plot to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump.

Now, there are some important caveats here. Sources tell CNN this intelligence comes from Israel. The U.S. has not vetted the details of this alleged plan, and some American officials appear concerned that this could be an Israeli attempt to get the U.S. to keep bombing Iran.

Now, we're told for the moment the strikes are on hold as mediators try to get diplomacy back on track. But President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that the ceasefire was over and precautions are now being taken to ensure his safety. Earlier this week, President Trump landed at the NATO summit in Turkey on that brand new jet gifted by Qatar.

But then he went home on the old Air Force One. And reporters were asking him, why did they make that switch?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: On a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags that we have to deal with.

REPORTER: Maybe Iran was possibly thinking.

TRUMP: Well, I mean, if they ask you to close your windows, probably they (inaudible).

REPORTER: Were you aware of any credible threat by Iran against Air Force One --

TRUMP: I'm incredible all the time, I'm number one on their list before you. But if I go, you go. Right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Let's go now live to CNN's Eleni Giokos, who's standing by in Dubai. And I want to ask you about what we're hearing on that assassination plot in a moment. But first, you know, we see these pictures coming out from the USS Abraham Lincoln of U.S. bombers taking off.

When people there in your region are watching this, what are they thinking about what's going to be happening next?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, over the last few months, there's sort of this shadow of, you know, fear that things might kick off once again. And, of course, it's been quiet here in the UAE where I live. But, I mean, it's not lost on us when we see attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain.

Jordan overnight saying that they intercepted missiles. And these images, by the way, these are exclusive images captured by CNN of fighter jets taking off from the USS Abraham Lincoln that is based in the Arabian Sea. And, of course, doing these nighttime, you know, missions over the Strait of Hormuz basically shows that, firstly, the United States and CENTCOM, their state of readiness should we see a further escalation.

And then, secondly, to figure out exactly what Iran's next move is going to be, because we've seen retaliation. And, again, the flashpoint here will be the Strait of Hormuz where vessels were targeted once again. Then President Trump says the MOU is effectively over.

And then, importantly, waiting to see if diplomacy does stand a chance. We know that Pakistani as well as Qatari mediators are trying to ensure that both sides get back to the negotiating table. And U.S. officials tell us that they have been striking Iran, but also pausing, allowing for perhaps some kind of diplomacy to take hold in this very sort of precarious moment that we're in.

RIPLEY: Are people worried about how this new Israeli intelligence claiming that Iran has devised a new plan to assassinate President Trump, are they worried this could somehow affect the diplomatic process? What's the read on that there?

GIOKOS: Yes, and that's a really good question because you mentioned it earlier. Firstly, a few sources telling CNN that the Israeli intelligence, you know, should be questioned. Could this be a way to pressurize the United States and pressurize President Trump to continue bombing Iran? And we've also heard it from other U.S. officials saying that there is major concern.

Importantly here, this Israeli intelligence has not been vetted by the United States. But the U.S. sources also tell us that they have been monitoring and tracking what they call a drumbeat of steady, you know, threats towards President Trump over the last few weeks.

[03:04:59]

But these are sort of two very different pieces of intelligence where, from what we understand, the Israeli intelligence is about specific plans, a divisive plan to target and assassinate President Trump. You also mentioned that during President Trump's visit to the NATO summit, he takes the Qatari jet on his way to Turkey and then takes the U.S. Air Force One back to the United States, sort of raising questions about his safety and how the U.S. intelligence community is responding to this new threat.

Also importantly here, we're watching all of these sort of things take hold as you've got Ali Khamenei's funeral procession underway over a seven-day period where you hear consistent chants, Death to America, Death to President Trump, while there is still some kind of hope that both sides can get back to the negotiating table.

RIPLEY: Well, we're going to be watching with bated breath to see how all of this unfolds. Eleni Giokos, live in Dubai. I really appreciate your insight, as always. Thank you.

CNN spoke earlier with military analyst Cedric Leighton. He's a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. And we asked him how long the U.S. and Iran could potentially continue this tit-for-tat, this trading of retaliatory strikes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, RETIRED U.S. AIR FORCE AND CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Back and forth can keep going for as long as we have ammunition out there. And it really depends how we're going to be using that ammunition. There are ways in which the U.S. can exercise a lot of influence by hitting certain precise targets.

And we might be seeing the beginning of that, because one of the things that they did strike was a maritime control tower in the city of Chabahar, which is designed basically, that tower was designed to control the flow of traffic into and out of the Strait of Hormuz. If a tower like that disappears, then the ability of the Iranians to control the flow of traffic in and out of the Strait of Hormuz may be limited to some extent. And that might be one of the strategic goals there.

So, if the U.S. decides to look at some very specific targets and hit them more or less strategically, it could be something where we actually shorten the duration of the strikes, but they would have a greater effect. But for the most part, what we're seeing right now is attacks on some of the same targets, so same old placements, missile sites of other types. You have drone sites.

And, of course, you have ubiquitous naval assets, such as the small boats and the drone areas. So those are the kinds of things that we're looking at right now, basically more of the same. How long can we do that? Maybe a couple of months, maybe a little bit longer than that.

But that's basically what we're looking at right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: We're going to pivot now to the southwestern United States, where there is this new surveillance footage showing the moments before an ICE agent fatally shot a Mexican immigrant. This was during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas.

So, take a look at this video. It shows 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on Tuesday morning getting into his van and leaving home for his construction job, and then minutes later, he would be fatally shot by an ICE officer.

Video obtained by a civil rights group shows his white van turning onto Canal Street while his black SUV follows, Araujo's family says. And then this video obtained by CNN shows the white van on Canal Street while a black SUV drives near him on the left.

A few seconds later, there's another black SUV. It exits a nearby shopping center and continues in the direction of the other vehicles.

Now, ICE accuses this man of evading arrest and driving into a law enforcement vehicle, but his family, they disagree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALDO SALGADO, FATHER FATALLY SHOT BY ICE: Look, I know my father.

He had a, his main concern was to keep the van safe and his tools safe. There's been instances in the past where his van got stolen and his tools got stolen. So ever since then, he's been very cautious about people following him, people looking at his van a little bit too much.

So I, along with that, my dad was also in the process of obtaining a work permit. He decided that it was time for him to achieve his American dreams after putting three kids through college -- one currently in college, I'm sorry.

So he had been informed and we have spoken as a family time and time again. What would what my dad should do in the case that he did get detained by ICE? He did not know that those vehicles following him were ICE agents.

Again, these vehicles were unmarked. They had no emblems, no logos, no flashing lights. There was no way for him to know that they were ICE agents.

I know my dad would have stopped had ICE agents formally and clearly identify themselves, at least to their vehicle markings.

[03:09:58]

My dad would have stopped and complied because he knew that there was a process, that there was a process for him to be able to get for him to be able to be released from any sort of detention. Or at least, you know, there would be ways for him to, you know, come back to us if that were to happen. My dad, again, he would have stopped had ICE very clearly identify themselves to their vehicles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Take a look at this. The moments after the shooting, as seen by a passerby who made this recording and posted it on social media. No images of the traffic stop have been released by authorities.

Homeland Security says the officers involved had not yet been issued body worn cameras. A source tells CNN Salgado Araujo was not the target of the immigration operation.

Mexico is seeking a criminal investigation in the U.S. related to the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals. This was during immigration operations in recent months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Obviously, we will maintain the diplomatic relationship. But we made the decision to file a formal complaint with the state prosecutor's offices and the federal prosecutor's office of the United States against those who are found responsible for what we consider to be homicides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: That's Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum. She says her government cannot turn a blind eye to the issue. And she says they're going to escalate this matter.

The country's foreign minister says 14 Mexican immigrants have died in ICE custody and three during ICE operations. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to CNN that all immigrant detainees receive full due process and proper care. And they said ICE officers are, quote, trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary.

Turning back to Asia, people in parts of this region are bracing for a massive typhoon. So this is the track of the storm, Taiwan is next in line. We'll tell you how people are preparing there.

Also want to take a look at this live camera, this is from Taipei. You can see the clouds are moving in. Now, Taipei is protected by mountains. But the shoreline, Yilan, Keelung in northern Taiwan; they could get hit.

We're going to speak with an expert about the reasons behind this storm's -- not just this storm, but other storms, strength and frequency.

Plus, we're tracking a devastating story out of China. Take a look at this fire at a shoe factory, you have many people there dead, you have Chinese leader Xi Jinping now speaking out about this. And some people have now been taken into custody.

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[03:15:00]

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RIPLEY: To Europe now, where at least 12 people are dead as this massive wildfire is scorching parts of Spain's southern coast. Some people there have been forced out of their homes. And right now, about 150 emergency crews are fighting this fire, trying to get it under control.

There's a regional governor who's calling this the most devastating fire that this area has ever seen. And that region has been under high temperature warnings in recent days. Spain's Prime Minister is offering condolences to the victims' families.

Now here in Asia, where state media in China is reporting at least 28 people are dead in this fire. It was at a shoe factory in the southeastern province of Fujian. This video shows people trapped on the roof as fire engulfed the building.

Officials say there were 237 workers and two guests on site when this fire broke out. And you can see a lot of those people up on the roof there waiting to be rescued. Officials say what happened was there were highly flammable materials and there were blocked stairwells.

So this is what helped the flames in the building spread quickly. So now Chinese leader Xi Jinping is demanding accountability. He's calling for an all-out search and rescue effort, he's promising a very quick investigation.

And state media, Xinhua News Agency, is reporting that the factory's owner and others in charge have been detained.

People in southern China are grappling with severe flooding triggered by torrential rain from that deadly typhoon Maysak. Rescue teams are still working right now to clear roads to flood-hit villages so that they can evacuate people and deliver essential supplies.

Take a look at this. This is dramatic footage of rescuers using drones to try to reach people stranded by floodwater and fly them to safety.

Local authorities say this storm has killed at least 39 people. And there are still at least nine others who are reported to be missing in this region.

And on the heels of typhoon Maysak, there's another large storm threatening parts of Asia right now. That's typhoon Bavi, a monster. At one point, it was basically as wide as the distance between New

York and Miami, more than a thousand-mile cloud shield on this thing, roughly the width of France. It's been heading across the Pacific.

It hit the U.S. territories, Guam, Rota. Now it's heading towards Taiwan. CNN's Derek Van Dam has more on how people in the region are preparing for yet another typhoon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAM 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.

[03:20:02]

And along the coast, major fishing ports have shut down, and farmers are rushing to protect their crops from damage.

UNKNOWN (through translator): 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 preps. 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 (through translator): 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 Maysac that triggered deadly flooding, rare tornadoes and a reservoir collapse in parts of coastal and inland China. 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: Professor Benjamin Horton is the Dean of the School of Energy and Environment at the City University of Hong Kong. Professor, thanks for being here. You know, I read your article in the "South China Morning Post," and it's pretty depressing to think about where the weather is going right now.

PROFESSOR BENJAMIN HORTON, DEAN, SCHOOL OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT, CITY UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: Yes, unfortunately it is. Climate scientists for decades have predicted that if you increase our greenhouse gas emissions, the atmosphere warms up and it holds more water vapor.

And then you would get greater instances of heat waves and droughts and simultaneously flooding and large storms causing landslide and destruction. It's now a point in time where we need to accept the scientific advice and think about adaptation and how we reduce the impacts of these problems.

RIPLEY: And the biggest impact, of course, is humanitarian disasters, and the people that are the poorest tend to be the ones who suffer the most.

HORTON: Yes, unfortunately that is the case. What we have here is we've always had hazards in the form of typhoons and heat waves, but climate change is making them more intense and more frequent. And those placed in harm's way are those who are at the most risk, be they the young, the elderly, those with pre-existing conditions, those who live in hazardous locations.

So what we must do, governments, private sectors and universities, we must form partnerships, partnerships that stop these hazards becoming humanitarian disasters.

RIPLEY: Did you or anyone really expect global temperatures to be rising at the rate that they are?

HORTON: Unfortunately, yes. When we look at our climate models that were developed in the 1990s, everything that we predicted has come to pass. We know the relationship between global average temperatures and carbon dioxide.

We know what happens when temperature increases, that we have a greater incidence of storms. They will have a greater intensity. They will intensify closer to shorelines and they will deposit more rainfall.

What we have been surprised at within the scientific community has been our inability, and I think scientists take some of this as a responsibility, in communicating these risks appropriately. And then what we find now is that communities just are not prepared. They may be prepared for one event, but they really struggle when they get back-to-back events and they don't have the recovery time to make their communities more resilient.

RIPLEY: So what can people do?

[03:24:57]

HORTON: Well, I think in the short term, it's education that people need to be aware that the climate that people may have been used to 5, 10, 20 years ago is not the climate of 2026. We have to be aware that we're going to get extreme events and they're going to occur at a greater frequency.

In the medium term, there needs to be significant investment in the science so we have better understanding of the predictions or the tracks of any individual cyclone. There needs to be investment in adaptation because this isn't going away. We cannot hope that in 2027 we'll return to the climates of the last century.

That just won't be the case. So we need to adapt our cities, our urban areas, adapt our agricultural and our food sources and our water supplies. And then in the long term, when we're talking about what must happen over the next 5 to 10 years, is we must decarbonize, remove the problem, and also protect the natural world.

RIPLEY: I worry that we've kind of lived through the best weather of our lifetimes and I hate to think about what's in store for our children, their children, scary stuff. I appreciate your expertise, Professor Benjamin Horton. Thank you very much.

HORTON: Thank you. Thank you very much.

RIPLEY: U.S. strikes on Iran are on hold for the moment. But President Trump is threatening to hit civilian targets if talks don't get back on track. So we're going to get perspective from the Gulf region just ahead.

Also, Britain's Nigel Farage taking a political gamble that could end up backfiring as he faces off for his parliamentary seat against an opponent who's known primarily for wearing a trash can on his head. So we're going to unpack that coming up.

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[03:30:00]

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RIPLEY: I'm Will Ripley in Hong Kong, and here are today's top stories on "CNN Newsroom."

People in parts of Asia are bracing for the powerful Typhoon Bavi, this massive storm is moving across the Pacific towards Taiwan. And right now people there are rushing to stock up on supplies, they're clearing out store shelves, they have canceled flights. City governments have shut down and people are preparing for what may come.

Mexico is seeking a criminal investigation into the U.S. related to the deaths of 17 Mexicans in immigration operations in recent months. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government considers the deaths to be homicides and violations of human rights. Mexico's foreign minister says 14 Mexican nationals died in the custody of the U.S. immigration agency ICE, while another three died in ICE operations.

Sources say Israel has shared intelligence about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate President Donald Trump. We're told the details have not been vetted by the U.S., and some American officials warn the Israeli report could be an attempt to get the U.S. to intensify attacks on Iran. However, strikes do appear to be on hold for the moment while mediators try to salvage the ceasefire.

Let's get more now from CNN's Betsy Klein.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, we are learning more about what could have contributed to President Trump's decision to restart strikes on Iran this week. And that is according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Israel shared intelligence with the United States that Iran had recently devised a new plan to assassinate President Trump. Now, one of the sources said that that warning came this week.

And another source said that the U.S. had been picking up a steady drumbeat of intelligence about potential assassination plans. But this warning from Israel was new and concerned a specific plot.

Now, there are a lot of questions about the path forward for this conflict here, as the U.S. and Iran continue to engage in technical discussions toward a potential diplomatic outcome here. A U.S. official telling me, quote, "The United States is still committed to finding a resolution and technical talks continue."

Now, that same official pointed to Iranian strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz while President Trump was in Turkey for the NATO summit. They said that that was unacceptable, it constituted failed performance at an unacceptable level and described it as an act of terrorism.

Now, this ceasefire and the 60-day negotiation period that was underway was really the only clear off-ramp toward ending this conflict that this administration has. And it's very unclear what the marching orders for Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Vice President J.D. Vance, who have been leading these talks at the highest levels, it's going to be going forward.

But U.S. officials do believe that there are still some divisions internally between Iranian leadership. And that could provide an opening here. But multiple officials have told CNN that there were preparations for potential U.S. strikes on Iran Thursday night into Friday, they say that they are currently letting diplomacy take the lead.

We'll be watching that very closely.

Betsy Klein, CNN at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: I spoke earlier with Mehran Kamrava. He's a professor of government at Georgetown University in Doha. And I asked him if he thinks Iran could start targeting not just military but civilian infrastructure in the Gulf states.

[03:35:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEHRAN KAMRAVA, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY IN QATAR: 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? 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Turning now to the U.K., where nominations have opened for the next leader of the Labor Party. Who will become the country's new Prime Minister? That is the question.

And former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who was the only declared candidate when Labor M.P.s began voting, says he nominated himself. He's running unopposed and has the support of 80 percent of Labor lawmakers, so that puts him on track to replace Keir Starmer on July 20th. Starmer resigned as Prime Minister last month under growing criticism and pressure from within his party.

Meanwhile, right-wing populist Nigel Farage had hoped that the special election to regain his seat in Parliament would be a battle against what he calls the political establishment. But it won't be a conventional contest, to say the least.

Because check out his main opponent, who goes by Count Binface, the guy best known for wearing a trash can on his head. Here's CNN's Robbie Hawkins.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBBIE HAWKINS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Why is a guy wearing a garbage can on his head running for British Parliament? No, this isn't a joke.

COUNT BINFACE, SATIRICAL CANDIDATE: I'm here to take out the trash on planet Earth, because it's time to make Earth great again.

HAWKINS (voice-over): He's called Count Binface, and according to him, he's an intergalactic space warrior from the planet Sigma-9, a mainstay of British elections he's been on the ballot before. First as Lord Buckethead, running against Prime Minister Theresa May, then as Count Binface against Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

His campaign promises include cutting your taxes while raising everyone else's, drafting anyone who uses speakerphone on public transport, representing the U.K. at the Eurovision Song Contest and --

COUNT BINFACE: I pledge to build at least one affordable house.

HAWKINS (voice-over): This time he's taking on Nigel Farage in a special election where Britain's main parties aren't running candidates. So who actually is Count Binface?

He's the satirical creation of comedian Jonathan Harvey, carrying on Britain's long tradition of novelty election candidates, from the monster-raving Loony Party to Elmo and even a fox for some reason.

[03:40:06]

Beneath the costume, there's one message he's genuinely trying to get across.

COUNT BINFACE: And I urge everyone, no matter who you support, do go out to vote. And most importantly, make your votes count.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: That's a lot. A former U.S. Olympian and the notorious reflecting pool in Washington. What do they have? What's connecting them?

Well, it's charges that this Olympian says are outrageous, charges by the Trump administration. Now, he's a hero to some people. We'll break it down.

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[03:45:00]

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RIPLEY: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." We're live from Hong Kong with your business headlines this hour.

Russia has imposed a complete ban on diesel exports amid Ukrainian drone strikes on its oil infrastructure, they've led to major gas shortages and reports of 18-hour lines at some gas stations. Russia is believed to be the world's second largest exporter of diesel. The ban comes at a difficult moment for the global oil market, as tensions escalate in the Strait of Hormuz once again.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is pitching Canada as a top destination for global investment. Speaking at an investment forum in Saudi Arabia, Carney highlighted $20 billion in critical mineral deals signed just over the last year. He also said Canada aims to expand trade beyond the U.S. amid economic tensions with President Trump.

The renewed fighting in Iran is already causing more pain at the pump for U.S. consumers. The average gas price surged by $0.05 on Thursday, reaching $3.85 a gallon, that is actually the biggest one-day increase in more than two months. Before the war, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. was $2.98.

A former U.S. Olympian will have to wait until at least next February for his trial related to the damage at the Reflecting Pool in Washington. Canoeist David Hearn pleaded not guilty at his hearing on Thursday. He's accused by the Trump administration of causing damage at the National Monument, which was undergoing renovations pushed by the President.

But as CNN's Katelyn Polantz reports, his supporters say he is not just a scapegoat, he's a hero. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, he was in court, and he's still facing that felony charge by the Trump administration, where they allege that he destroyed more than $1,000 worth of the bottom of the Reflecting Pool that Donald Trump had just done renovations on, putting a blue sealant on it. He's alleged to have ripped up some of that sealant about two square feet wide. And now he's facing this charge in court.

This wasn't just a normal court hearing, though. It went pretty quickly inside the courtroom. But outside, there are so many supporters for David Hearn in the area of Washington, D.C. He is from Maryland, just outside of the district.

And they are cheering him on as a so-called hero, somebody that's standing up to the Trump administration. And as far as his supporters are concerned, they believe that he is a scapegoat for the administration because the Trump administration is so unhappy with the way that the Reflecting Pool renovations went in recent months.

Now, since this hearing, there's already been a lot of political discussion about David Hearn. Former representative or current representative Jamie Raskin, the congressman who sits in the district where Hearn lives in Maryland, he called the case against him from the U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro Kafka-esque as an arrest and Orwellian as a set of charges or a charge that Hearn is facing.

He's pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys, they vowed to take him to trial, whereas the U.S. attorney, she's been out there saying that he desecrated a national monument, and they've got the evidence when it does get to the trial date, which will be many months from now.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: What do you get when you combine 2000 gamers, 100 countries, and $75 million in prizes? Well, the eSports World Championship, of course. We'll take you there.

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[03:50:00]

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RIPLEY: We take you to the FIFA 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 are 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 one goal this whole tournament.

Meanwhile, France claimed their spot in the semis with a victory over Morocco. Les Bleus dominated the Atlas Lions 2-0, extending their domination of this year's tournament. Superstar Kylian Mbappe scored at the hour mark from just inside the box, the team added another goal just six minutes later.

A different kind of sporting event is underway right now in Paris. That is where gamers have gathered for the 2026 eSports World Championship. And CNN creator Matias Grez is there.

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MATIAS GREZ, CNN CREATOR: When the weather's like this, it's pretty hard to beat Paris in the summer. But I'm not just here to stroll along the Seine and eat pastries, although I have been doing a lot of that already. I'm here to cover one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

This is the eSports World Cup. The event is so big, it runs for seven weeks, features around 2000 gamers from more than 100 countries, all competing for a staggering prize pot of, wait for it, more than $75 million.

Now, usually I'm used to seeing these kinds of walkouts in the NBA or at huge boxing events. So to hear this is pretty wild. And as I'm sure you can hear and see, the fans are absolutely loving it already.

With EWC events being hosted at places such as this incredible City Hall for the press conference, La Seine Musicale for the opening ceremony, and of course the Expo for the main event, it's easy to see why publishers are so keen to get involved.

FRANCOIS-XAVIER DENIELE, UBISOFT VICE PRESIDENT, COMPETITIVE GAMING: It's really the unique moment where all the publishers are working together through a collaborative way with all the games, all together celebrating our industry, which is not the case all the time.

And coming in France for me, it's very special because we are Ubisoft, our French company. So it's, yes, it's an important moment.

GREZ: We're here at the Stade de France, the home of the French national football team and one of the most iconic venues in French sport. We're just about to go meet a couple of players from Team Vitality, one of the biggest and most successful eSports clubs in France.

GREZ (voice-over): Charalampros Lamprou and Konstantinos Lamprou, a.k.a. H-Dope and K-Top, are 27-year-old twins from Greece. They're competing in the fighting game Fatal Fury.

[03:55:01]

GREZ: Sorry to interrupt.

Do you guys find now, even after the years that you've been playing, do you still find that each time you play and then you analyse together, you learn new things?

CHARALAMPROS LAMPROU, TEAM VITALITY: Every day. It's unreal, every day we're learning something new.

GREZ: Tell me a bit about your background, you know, when you started playing and then also, you know, when you guys realized that, you know, it might be good enough to do this consistently.

KONSTANTINOS LAMPROU, TEAM VITALITY: So, yes, basically we started being gamers since we were three years old. When we reached 13 years old, we just, we know that we had a really big Greek national tournament. It was like the first tournament ever and on that tournament, I got first place and my brother got second place.

GREZ: Wow, at 13?

K. LAMPROU: At 13 years old, so this was the moment that we felt like, oh damn, maybe we are good at it.

GREZ: How competitive do you get between each other?

C. LAMPROU: I would say we don't have like a rivalry between, it's more like a healthy competition.

GREZ: Another thing I wasn't quite expecting was just how passionate these fans are. On top of the 2000 players coming to compete, there will also be thousands of supporters coming to cheer them on. And I have to say, some of the chanting and cheering that I've heard really reminds me of football fans.

What is it like now? I mean, it's pretty loud in here, I think, compared to like you said, you know, when you first started going.

RYLEY STAFFORD, ESPORTS FAN: So when you actually get to see like some of your best friends and like, your like family play games and actually like win, it, I mean, the crowd goes, you could feel the floor shake because of like how excited people are and how engaging it is.

MATTHEW ARCHIBALD, ESPORTS FAN: I compete, so it's just kind of the atmosphere and the kind of adrenaline you get from just the crowds and the game itself. It really gets me going, I don't really have any other feeling anywhere else. I just love it, I love Apex.

GREZ (voice-over): And after an action-packed opening week at the Esports World Cup, there was only one way to call off.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: No swimming in Taiwan this weekend, unfortunately. A lot of people probably hunkering down playing video games because Typhoon Bavi is approaching.

They have had to cancel dozens of flights already. Look at the radar image. This thing is a monster, it's about the width of France, as a matter of fact.

And they're saying that not only will there be flight cancellations, schools closed, city government closed, could be pretty dangerous conditions on the coast there. So we'll keep watching that.

Thank you for joining us in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Will Ripley, live in Hong Kong. Stay with us because Salma Abdelaziz is in London, and she's going to pick things up and continue our coverage right after this.

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