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Trump: Iran Attack Canceled But Need To "Rapidly Make A Deal"; At Least 10 Large Fires Burning Across Washington State; Idaho Officials: "Multiple" People Killed In Shooting; Trump Threatens To Revive Fund To Secure Blanche Nomination; Guthrie Ransom Notes Made Public In Hunt For New Leads; Thousands Have Been Evacuated On The Greek Island Of Crete; Michigan Dems Vote Tuesday In Contentious Senate Primary. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired August 02, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:24]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us around the world and in the U.S. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's get straight to the headlines.

President Trump cancels strikes on Iran for now. I'm going to have a live report for you on his sudden about-face and what he's demanding.

We're following the latest on fast-moving wildfires that have prompted evacuations in Washington state, plus profanity in politics. We're going to take a look at the rise in American politicians cursing and how the public feels about it.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: We start in the Middle East, where the imminent U.S. attacks on Iran have been called off, while the two sides try to work out a deal. President Donald Trump posted on "Truth Social" saying that, based on a request from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, quote, "I have agreed for the future benefit of the world and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack subject to being able to rapidly make a deal."

President Trump's announcement comes after CNN learned that he and the Saudi crown prince spoke on Saturday. Sources tell us that Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed de-escalation efforts and raised concerns about the plans for new U.S. strikes.

Joining us live now from London for more on all of this is our Clare Sebastian.

Good morning, first of all, to you. This is a major climb down from President Trump that he says was prompted by progress in mediation efforts. What is that progress and is it actually that significant? CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we don't know exactly what the progress in mediation efforts are at this point, Salma. It is a big climb down. As you say, the threats of escalation from the U.S. were such that the U.S.'s own State Department had warned Americans in the Middle East region that they should consider leaving or make plans to leave should this escalation happen. But he has now climbed down.

Now, this is contingent, according to that post on "Truth Social," on a deal happening fast. That is a big if. He also says Israel is on board and we haven't heard yet from Israel as of yet. So, that post certainly raises a lot of questions, as well as, of course, delivering this bombshell news overnight. Why he did this?

Well, look, we know that there has been some kind of intervention of sorts from Saudi Arabia, which has been increasingly drawn into this war, of course, over the past week. We now have the official readout of a call on Saturday that the Saudi crown prince made to Trump, where he said he stressed the need, according to this readout, to prioritize dialogue, to reduce escalation, making every possible effort to achieve calm that paves the way for diplomatic solutions. So, they are really trying to get Trump to pull back.

And for now, it looks like that has worked. Saudi Arabia, of course, one of the U.S.'s most valuable partners in the region. But as I said, increasingly drawn in. They joined with U.S. strikes in the last week on Iran-backed militias in Iraq. They're facing a Houthi-led blockade of the Red Sea, where, of course, Saudi Arabia has had to reroute its oil exports away from the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab al-Mandab Strait. They are increasingly under pressure there.

So, the pressure has been mounting on Trump, on the one hand, from Saudi Arabia. Of course, the big concern, if the U.S. did escalate, was that Iran would, as it has promised, escalate in retaliation, and that Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies in the region would come under fire. So, that is the backdrop as of now.

It seems that at this moment, Trump does not see escalation as a key solution to this conflict. But, of course, that could change. And as I said, the sort of pullback that we've seen from the U.S. overnight is contingent on a deal happening fast. And it just doesn't seem like there's a clear path to that at the moment.

ABDELAZIZ: Clare Sebastian on the prospects of a deal happening very rapidly, as President Trump has demanded. Thank you so much.

I also want to bring in now Jasmine El-Gamal. She is the Founder and CEO of Averos Strategies and the host of the "View From Here" podcast. She was a Middle East Advisor at the U.S. Defense Department, and she's coming to us live from London.

Good morning to you. I'm very keen to speak to you because of your experience, again, as a U.S. Department of Defense Advisor. How do you read the events of the last couple of days, a threat and then the cancellation of a threat? Was this a negotiating strategy? And if so, is it an effective one?

[05:05:00]

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER MIDDLE EAST ADVISOR, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: Good morning, Salma. It's always good to be with you. This is a very familiar place now that we find ourselves in, where we have these threats of escalation. And then at the last minute, one or both parties decides that they're going to go back to the negotiating table. Of course, the entire time this is happening, the mediators are really working overtime to try to find a way to bridge the gap between Iran and the U.S.

For the Gulf countries, especially some of the Gulf countries that are negotiators like Oman and Qatar, they are both impacted by the war and are trying to mediate as well. So, there are all of these dynamics at play, but I think there are certain themes that have become very clear over the last few months. And one is that the U.S., despite President Trump's threats, still understands that the level of military involvement that is necessary in order to get Iran to concede to U.S. demands is more than what both President Trump, his military advisors, and the American people are willing to bear.

This kind of goes to Iran's theory that is being proven right now, which is that if you raise the stakes enough and if you raise the cost enough on the U.S. and its allies, then you will get the U.S. to back down. So, you're really seeing the two parties locked in a contest of wills. It's a game of chicken. Who is going to back down first?

Now, what you were talking about in terms of the Pentagon and the strategy and whether it's working, look, I remember when I was at the Pentagon and President Obama had promised to respond if President Assad at the time, Bashar al-Assad, used chemical weapons against Syrians. And when President Assad did use those chemical weapons, I remember the conversations at the Pentagon with the military advisors asking the questions, are you willing to escalate further if we do something and the Syrians respond?

So, the question that the military commanders are always asking is, if you do step one and the adversary retaliates, are you willing to go further? And that's the conversation that would be taking place right now with General Caine telling President Trump, are you prepared for this to escalate in a way that we may not be able to control?

ABDELAZIZ: And we're just receiving reaction from Iranian state media. And if you don't mind, I do want to read that to you, Jasmine, because I would love your response and your reaction to it as well. Iranian state media gave no indication that Iran had asked for the attacks to be called off or that Tehran's position on the Strait of Hormuz has changed. Iran has insisted on a role in managing traffic through the Strait, rather. Iranian media claimed it was Trump who had retreated. Quote, "Trump the fool has run out of steam." This was posted by the semi-official news agency.

Very much along the lines that you're discussing there of this game of chicken. From a diplomatic standpoint, what indicators would tell Washington that Tehran is genuinely complying with negotiations, is genuinely interested in mediation efforts or is simply buying time, as you might've suggested there? EL-GAMAL: You know, Salma, the unfortunate answer to your question is that there is no way to find out if the two parties are genuinely willing to go into talks in good faith. The amount of trust that, you know, it was already very low going into this, right? Because of the way this war started. If you'll remember the U.S. and Israel struck Iran in the middle of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran for the second time in two years. This is how the 12-day war started as well. And so, already the two parties have very little if negligible trust between the two of them.

Now, when they signed the MOU, there was a hope that that MOU would include confidence building measures. If Iran guarantees passage through the strait, then the U.S. would release frozen funds. The U.S. removed sanctions on Iranian oil -- you know, so on and so forth. They provided a waiver on Iranian oil.

So, those confidence building measures are in a situation like this meant to prove that each side is operating in good faith. Unfortunately, the situation is so opaque and each side is trying to paint any step as a victory for their own domestic audiences that it's really difficult to see who is actually saying what behind the scenes.

[05:10:04]

But you're hearing both sides. You're hearing the Americans saying the Iranians and the region wanted this. And you're hearing the Iranians saying, no, it was Trump that came and asked for this.

But the bottom line, it doesn't really matter who asked for this. The question remains, how are the two sides going to move forward when they are locked in such a zero sum, zero trust environment? And that is the really difficult question to answer at this time.

ABDELAZIZ: Jasmine El-Gamal there, responding to that reaction from Iranian state media, zero trust, as you said, in this negotiating environment. Thank you so much for joining us.

A bomb described as homemade has exploded at an upscale restaurant in Moscow. This killed at least two people, as well as the woman who was believed to have been carrying it. It was in a package report say 21 others were injured. Russian business newspaper says the bomb was set off remotely and was apparently intended to target guests at a private event at the restaurant.

Now, there's no official word yet about who she is or what her motive might have been. And it's unclear if the woman detonated the device herself. Preliminary accounts indicate she may not have known the device was inside the package she held.

New fires in Washington state have forced thousands of people to quickly evacuate from their homes. Firefighters are battling three fires in the county of Spokane, with the largest being called the Old Trails Fire. The Washington National Guard says it is sending units to help in the county. Meanwhile, thick smoke is blanketing parts of the city.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been here 30 years now and I've always seen smoke, you know, the plumes in the -- you know, often at sunset in the background, but never have I seen the fire this close and coming over the ridge like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: As you can see, their numerous homes in entire neighborhoods have already been destroyed. About 3,000 acres have also burned in the region. That's around 1,200 hectares.

In addition to the residential evacuations, officials say firefighters are also trying to save about 4,000 buildings that are currently threatened.

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GUY GIFFORD, WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES: The primary mission is life, structure protection. And so, wherever those two things are, those are the number one priorities for the firefighters.

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ABDELAZIZ: Just over 13,000 customers are now without power in Spokane. The exact extent of damage won't be known until later this morning after the sun rises. There are at least 10 large fires burning across the state of Washington.

Meteorologist Chris Warren explains how a very powerful heat dome is also increasing the risk of fires while driving these record-breaking temperatures.

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CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The big story is in the West with the heat and the wildfire danger. See the hot temperatures well into the triple digits. Keep in mind, this is some of the hotter locations in the U.S. during the hottest time of the year. This is some significant, possibly record-breaking heat throughout parts of much of the West, especially in the Southwest and in Southern California. We're watching some storms throughout the day across much of the East, but it's the fire risk and the heat we're keeping a close eye on associated here with this heat dome.

Now, north of that, a system is moving through. That's the wind that can help fan and fuel wildfires. Well, this intense heat made that much worse by this persistent area of high pressure. Throughout the weekend, several record-high temperatures may be tied or broken throughout the Western United States. Here's the fire threat for Sunday. This now extends into parts of the Northern Plains and still remains for parts of Washington and Oregon.

Now, the smoke, you're getting a little bit of relief where it's been just so smoky for the past couple of weeks east of the Cascade Mountain Range here in Washington and Oregon, but that little bit of a break's not going to last too long. These are huge wildfires that are burning, and when things start to calm down a little bit or cool down a little bit, we'll see that smoke settle back in throughout parts of the Columbia Basin and a lot of the valleys here and much of Eastern Oregon, the high desert.

Temperatures throughout the day are going to be into the 70s to the west of the Cascade, 70s and even some 80s east, but much more yellow showing up in the Pacific Northwest by Monday, and still you can see baking in the southwest and even warmer west of the Cascades now in the Pacific Northwest.

So, it is the heart of summer and certainly feeling the heat, and it does remain dangerous heat throughout much of the southwest, and we're starting to see more of that, some moderate heat risk throughout parts of Western Washington and Western Oregon.

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ABDELAZIZ: A shooting in Southern Idaho has left multiple people killed. That's according to officials there, and others were wounded in the shooting on Saturday afternoon. This video captures people running away in panic after a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out restaurant. The shooting took place in one of the city of Twin Falls busiest commercial areas.

[05:15:09]

Police say the apparent gunman is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot, and they are now investigating whether other individuals might have been involved. City officials are working to calm residents and try to find answers.

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MATTHEW HICKS, TWIN FALLS, IDAHO POLICE CHIEF: I can also reassure the community right now, we believe that the threat to the community is over. The suspected shooter in this incident is deceased. He was nearby on the scene there, and we are working to try to ascertain his identity and the motivations behind that. We'll be able to figure that out in the coming days.

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ABDELAZIZ: Republican senators are obstructing my agenda. The blame from President Trump still ahead. Why the fate of a controversial fund is complicating Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general.

Plus, NBC News Anchor Savannah Guthrie makes a fresh appeal to the public to help find her missing mother. We're going to have the latest on the case right after the break here on CNN.

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ABDELAZIZ: President Trump is doubling down on his push to get Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, permanently confirmed by the Senate as part of that effort, he's trying to revive this $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund.

[05:20:12]

The very controversial program would offer taxpayer money to people claiming they were targeted by the federal government. That includes those involved in the January 6th riots at the U.S. Capitol. Blanche himself has previously said the fund is dead, but the Justice Department has yet to put that into writing.

Now, Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis oppose the possibility that the anti-weaponization fund would reward lawbreakers, and they've signaled they're going to withhold their critical votes for Blanch's confirmation until there is written assurance that the fund will not be resurrected.

President Trump argues that both lawmakers are upset because neither received his endorsement for re-election. Trump says he'll keep Blanche as the Acting Attorney General while getting the bill passed. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a meeting Tuesday for a potential vote on his nomination.

It's been six months since Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "NBC Today" show anchor Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her home in an apparent kidnapping, the case set off a desperate search capturing national attention.

The Pima County Sheriff says the investigation is still, quote, "very active." This comes after investigators made public the full ransom notes they believe are from the kidnapper. They're asking the public for clues.

Meanwhile, Savannah posted a new plea on Saturday, begging someone to come forward. CNN Media Analyst Brian Stelter has more on those recently released notes.

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BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the missing person case that captivated the U.S. six months ago is still a mystery. Law enforcement officials say they need the public's help still to find Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of the Today show star Savannah Guthrie, whose pleas for her mother's safety back in February have now turned more into calls for any form of closure. Savannah marking the six-month milestone with a post on Instagram on Saturday, writing, "Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of night."

Savannah saying the entire Guthrie family is trying to be strong, quote, "because that's what our joyful and resilient mom taught us to do. But make no mistake, our hearts are in ruins."

Savannah also saying the family is determined to find out what happened to Nancy so that we can give her the dignity of a proper goodbye, a celebration of her remarkable life that she so deserves.

Meantime, the sheriff in Pima County, Arizona, where Nancy went missing from her home, he also shared a new message on Saturday saying, "Someone knows something. We want that person to call us. We need that phone call."

Despite a massive search and months of investigations, authorities do not appear close to finding whoever abducted Nancy from her home. On Friday, the sheriff's office formally published a ransom note and a follow-up letter from February that they say might contain clues about who wrote the notes and thus lead to some answers. The notes were initially kept secret during the investigation.

But now, Sheriff Chris Nanos says, "We hope that by releasing the actual note, we will get some response from the community." And that is certainly what Savannah and her siblings are praying for.

Savannah used her post on Saturday to remind everyone about the million-dollar reward that's available. She also wrote, quote, "We are real people facing real grief, doing the best we can, and counting our many blessings along the way, most especially the prayers and love from good people, which we feel deeply. We need your prayers. We need your kindness. We need the good to be stronger than the evil. If you are following this story for entertainment or for profit, you are not on her side. You are part of the harm perpetrated against her."

Some true crime influencers continue to point fingers at Guthrie family members, continue to stoke conspiracy theories about this in relation to Nancy. And the sheriff reiterated on Saturday that the family members are victims, not suspects. Six months later, there are no apparent suspects, but the Guthries are still holding out hope for some closure.

Brian Stelter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: President Trump claims there is progress in talks with Iran, but can either side afford to prolong the conflict? I'm going to speak with a military expert when we come back.

And later, wildfires have broken out across deep grace. We're going to have the latest on an increasingly dangerous situation.

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[05:28:09]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. Let's check some of today's top stories.

Firefighters are battling at least 10 wildfires in Washington State. The latest to break out is the Old Trails fire in Spokane County. The Washington National Guard has just been deployed to help thousands of residents who have been forced to evacuate. More than 13,000 customers have also lost power.

A Russian state news agency says a bomb has exploded outside an upscale restaurant in Moscow, killing two people and a woman suspected of carrying the device. 21 other people were injured on Saturday. It is unclear if the woman detonated the bomb herself. A Russian newspaper says the target was a private event happening at that restaurant.

And President Donald Trump says the U.S. is canceling a planned attack on Iran, quote, "subject to being able to rapidly make a deal." President Trump's announcement comes after he spoke with the Saudi crown prince on Saturday. Sources tell CNN Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed de-escalation efforts and expressed concerns about the plans for renewed U.S. strikes on Iran.

I want to bring in now Malcolm Davis. He is a Senior Analyst in Defense Strategy with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a major climb down, of course, today, this morning from President Trump. And I'm very keen to ask you about the military calculus behind it, because he said in his social media message that America was locked and loaded. But at the same time, we know that American munitions have been significantly depleted by the conflict.

U.S. forces are strained. Naval assets are overextended. Strategic oil reserves are dwindling. What is your view here? Is it possible that this is called off because America simply just doesn't have that many punches left in its arsenal?

[05:30:05]

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, DEFENSE STRATEGY, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Well, Salma, I think it's certainly getting to that point. I think what you are seeing in this war is that the U.S. is running extremely low on critical munitions, the sort of interceptor missiles that we've seen like Patriot and THAAD that have been so critical in defending U.S. forces and also allied states in the region, but also the offensive strike capabilities that they're using to attack Iranian targets. They're just running very low, right across the board. And part of the problem is the way that the U.S. military have been prepared over recent years for war is based around small numbers or small stockpiles of exquisite high capability munitions and they've misjudged that in the sense they've assumed that any war would be short.

In actual fact, what we're finding out is that war by nature is protracted. We've seen that in Ukraine and we're now seeing it in Iran. And so, the U.S. is running into the risk that it could essentially run so low on munitions that it can't carry on the war.

ABDELAZIZ: Running so low on munitions, but also there's the question of what those munitions can realistically accomplish. What could another round of strikes actually do after five months of military action has not resulted in the type of results that President Trump has wanted to see? What would be the intent? Is it trying to change behavior for Iran? Is it simply increasing pressure? What could more strikes accomplish here?

DAVIS: Well, essentially doing more tactical strikes of the sort that we've been seeing since the first MOU collapsed, where the Americans have gone after Iranian missile launchers, drone systems, radars and such like, don't achieve that much in terms of a strategic outcome. So, these are tactical strikes that deliver military effect, but they don't actually reduce the ability of Iran to fight the war. They don't put pressure on the Iranian regime to come to the table.

So, I think what you would have seen had these new round of strikes been authorized would have been a more escalated approach, a wider set of targets, including civilian targets that support the regime. And so President Trump talked about, for example, hitting power facilities or hitting oil infrastructure. It's that sort of target that the Iranian regime relies on to sustain its power.

I think that's what would have been the goal. But there is always the risk that obviously the U.S. is limited in what it can hit. It has to follow the laws of armed conflict. It can't deliberately target civilians.

And secondly, it is running low on munitions. And so, there is a risk that at the end of the day, if the U.S. did resume the war, that the Iranians simply would ride it out and the U.S. would be no closer into ending the war on U.S. terms.

ABDELAZIZ: I want to ask you specifically about that threat to hit energy infrastructure, because Iran has vowed to retaliate if that occurs, particularly on its Gulf neighbors. And we know, of course, that Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind, at least partially, this climb down. What could the U.S. do to protect its Gulf allies if it does decide to escalate?

DAVIS: Well, we get back to the lack of munitions here. I mean, obviously, we're talking about the Iranians having the ability to use ballistic missiles, cruise missile drones to attack critical oil infrastructure in the Gulf States. So, there were threats on Saudi oil fields, for example.

To protect that infrastructure in the Gulf States, the U.S. would need to increase its ability to defend against those sorts of attacks. And if it doesn't have the missiles to do that, then it can't really defend its allies effectively. And so, I think this is probably one of the reasons why the Saudis put a lot of pressure on President Trump to back away from this new round of attacks, because they realized that firstly, the attacks may not lead to war termination on basically an outcome that favored either the U.S. or the Gulf States.

But secondly, the U.S. wouldn't be well placed to actually defend the Gulf States against Iranian retaliation. And so, what you could see is Iranian attacks hitting critical infrastructure across the Gulf States, like oil infrastructure, like energy infrastructure, like water desalination plants, that could lead to catastrophic damage to economies and societies in the Gulf States.

ABDELAZIZ: Malcolm Davis there on President Trump's about face after threatening more strikes on Iran. Thank you so much for that perspective.

[05:35:00] The Israeli Defense Forces say it destroyed several Hamas weapons depots in Gaza on Saturday. This attack comes just days after President Trump had announced that Israel and Hamas agreed to advance their ceasefire plan.

The IDF alleges one storage target near a hospital was being used as a Hamas shelter. Gaza's health ministry disputes this and says the strike destroyed two medical plants, their ceasefire plan.

The IDF alleges one storage target near a hospital was being used as a Hamas shelter. Gaza's health ministry disputes this and says the strike destroyed two medical warehouses containing vital supplies for local residents. The ministry's director general also says the attack devastated a nearby civilian displacement camp.

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FATIMA SHARAB, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN (through translator): The strike hit. Then we went back to the camp. There was no camp. This camp had safe tents with sick people and people in tragic conditions and so on, staying in the vicinity of the hospital and storage units for kidney dialysis patients.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Spain has installed a floating barrier between Ceuta, its North African territory, and Morocco on Thursday. And Friday, tens of thousands of migrants rushed to make the dangerous crossing. At least 67 people died, many because of drowning.

Spain now says the border crossings have stopped and that nearly all of the migrants have been returned to Morocco. Many of those who left say they faced hunger, hostility from locals and no way to make a future in Europe. But some hopeful migrants have remained in that tiny community and are reminding anti-immigration advocates in Europe that they are not just seeking economic opportunities but fleeing deadly violence and war. This Sudanese refugee explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUJAHID AHMED, SUDANESE MIGRANT (through translation): I prefer to die here than to go back to my -- back step. I am not a Moroccan. If they should return me, they should return me to my country. And this is the situation, can you return the people to the country that is having a conflict or crisis, war? We are human.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: A dangerous situation is worsening in Greece. That's where hundreds of firefighters are battling quickly spreading wildfires. The fires have killed three firefighters and forced evacuations in some cities.

And as CNN's Ben Hunte explains, emergency alerts have also been issued for extreme wildfire risks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Europe's wildfire battle expands to the east. Strong winds in Greece, fuel blazes across the country, like this one burning about 60 kilometers from Athens. Emergency workers say it's difficult to contain the fast-moving fires.

GIORGOS DOULAS, EMERGENCY DOCTOR/FIRST RESPONDER (through translator): The situation is extremely hard, especially today. We have really strong winds, gusts exceeding 73 kilometers per hour. The direction of the fire cannot be determined easily.

HUNTE (voice-over): So far, three Greek firefighters have died fighting the fires. Emergency evacuations are underway near the coastal town of Porto Germeno, where many homes were already destroyed.

SOULTANA LOUKIDOU, PORTO GERMENO RESIDENT: It doesn't matter that my house wasn't burned. My neighbor's houses were. It's the same.

HUNTE (voice-over): Fires are also burning near a suburb of Athens. Smoke covered the nearby hills as helicopters dropped water on the flames, with residents expressing shock at how quickly the danger escalated after a relatively quiet fire season in Greece.

THANASIS, ATHENS RESIDENT (through translator): We can't keep living every summer with the fear that our homes will burn down or that our forest will be destroyed.

HUNTE (voice-over): The blazes have caused widespread damage, supercharged by gale force winds. On the Greek island of Crete, thousands of people have been evacuated, and many homes, farms and olive groves destroyed. Fierce winds also whipping up flames in neighboring Turkey, where dozens of wildfires have erupted across the country.

It's an exhausting battle for firefighters, one that emergency crews in France and Spain know all too well. As the E.U. warns that fresh outbreaks in Greece, Turkey and Central Europe could strain the continent's resources, a toll that's already being felt by those on the front lines.

JOSE ANTONIO GARCIA ABARCA, MADRID'S FOREST FIRE DEPARTMENT (through translator): It is very painful to pass through places you've known all your life and see the damage. It truly hurts. Nevertheless, we have to get back on our feet because we are still in the fire season and we must keep working.

HUNTE (voice-over): Ben Hunte, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: The language of American politics is changing, and you may have noticed U.S. politicians are flinging profanity more than ever. CNN's Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten runs the numbers on that growing trend after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:42:59]

ABDELAZIZ: We are just days away from a critical Senate primary race in the U.S. On Tuesday, Democrats in the battleground state of Michigan will choose between moderate House member Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed, who identifies as progressive.

Now, the race is shaping up to be a proxy battle over the direction of the Democratic Party. Earlier, my colleague Brian Abel spoke to Senator Gary Peters. It is his seat that is up for grabs in Michigan. Here's some of what he had to say about the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. GARY PETERS (D-MI): We have a real shot to take the majority in the United States Senate, something that we didn't necessarily think was going to happen a few months ago, but it's real right now. But that doesn't happen if we lose Michigan. So, Michigan is certainly the center, as you say, the center of the political universe right now and through Election Day in the general election in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: CNN Senior Political Analyst and Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Ron Brownstein weighed in. Here's what he had to say about the progressive movement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: But what's unusual, I think, about what's happening in the Democratic Party this year, is just how structural and organized this is. I mean, I do not think there's been anything in the really the modern history of the party that compares to the organizational infrastructure that now exists on the left to find, recruit, train, fund, support candidates, and ultimately get them on stage with Elizabeth and Bernie and AOC at the end of the process.

I mean, in the 1980s, the Democratic Leadership Council didn't run primaries against the left. The National Committee for an Effective Congress in the 60s and 70s didn't run primaries against the very conservative Democrats from the South.

So, I think we're seeing kind of an institutionalization of conflict. And what makes Michigan so important, I think, is that, you know, by and large, not entirely, but by and large, the left's gains this year have come primarily in safe Democratic seats, like the New York seats, where Harris won over 70 percent of the vote and the Mamdani candidates won or similar in Denver.

[05:45:00]

What makes Michigan so important and so unique is that really, it really would be the biggest victory, an El-Sayed win would be the biggest victory for the left in a place that is going to be competitive in November. And you have a lot of more centrist Democrats, as I think the Senator was suggesting, who worried that El- Sayed would have a much harder road in a general election than Stevens would. Doesn't mean he can't win in an environment where Trump's disapproval is at 60 percent. You really can't say any Democrat can't win, I think. But there's no question that it would be a lot more complicated for him.

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ABDELAZIZ: Recently, we've seen some pretty glaring examples of U.S. politicians using choice and colorful words in public. Words that would have been considered obscene in the not-so-distant past are becoming the new normal. CNN's Harry Enten runs the numbers on the rise of profanity in American politics.

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HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA REPORTER: I just have a question. What the freak is going on out there? Or should I say, what the frick is going on out there? Because I will tell you, that is about as close as I will get to cursing on national television. And that actually distinguishes me from a lot of U.S. politicians, because it turns out they're cursing a lot more. And I say that because earlier this week, Bernie Moreno, the senator from the great state of Ohio, actually dropped the F-bomb during a session of the United States Senate, during a hearing. During a hearing, he dropped the F-bomb. And you know what? He may not be like me, and there may be a good reason for him not to be like me, because when you curse and you're a senator, you got a whole heck of a lot of attention for yourself and your cause.

Take a look here. OK, Google searches for Bernie Moreno up 850 percent this past week versus the prior week. In fact, more people searched for Bernie Moreno this past week than they had during the rest or any other week during 2026.

Now, when it comes to Bernie Moreno, he is not alone. He is not alone at all. In fact, I think he might be looking to examples of other politicians in even higher offices cursing for him to actually think, hey, this might be a good idea.

Indeed, there was a new study that came out this week, which I kind of think really tells us the direction we're going in when it comes to cursing politicians. Take a look here.

OK, Bernie Moreno is part of a larger panel. Take a look. Swearing from presidential candidates and vice presidents. The presidential candidates include, of course, the presidents themselves.

And there was a study that came out that looked at every single senator, excuse me, every single presidential candidate, every single president, every single vice president since 1919 and catalogued how often they were cursing. Well, it turns out 87 percent, 87 percent of all of the curses from presidential candidates, presidents, vice presidents, 87 percent of them, they have occurred in the last 10 years. Now, I have to admit, I'm not all that surprised about that, right?

President Trump has a very wide dictionary and cursing is definitely part of that dictionary. But I should note that he is not the only president who or presidential candidate who has, in fact, been cursing. But I do think he has perhaps set the standard for that or allowed politicians to actually start cursing and not worry too much from the electorate.

But should they be worried from the electorate? Does cursing actually get you anywhere? Do Americans actually like this? Turns out, maybe not. Maybe not.

OK. How do people actually feel about cursing? Say that cursing out loud is not acceptable. Not acceptable. Get this, 65 percent of Americans overall, the lion's share, two in three, say that cursing out loud is not acceptable. Among senior citizens, who are, of course, the most reliable, the most robust turnout block in the electorate, 89 percent, 89 percent of seniors say that cursing out loud is not acceptable.

It seems to me that a lot of these politicians may be a little bit too online because they seem to be taking lessons from Generation Z, of whom just 38 percent say that cursing out loud is not acceptable. But I do think that this 38 percent versus this 89 percent may tell us something about the future of cursing in politics. And that is, it will be happening a lot more as we go into the future.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Mount Olympus, the fabled home of the great gods, is legendary. And now it is among the places UNESCO has added to its list of World Heritage Sites. We're going to show you some of the others just ahead.

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[05:53:33]

ABDELAZIZ: UNESCO has added 25 new sites to its prestigious World Heritage List. It celebrates some of the planet's most remarkable cultural and natural treasures. CNN's Lynda Kinkade has more on this.

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Mount Olympus in Greece, the Polish city of Gdynia, and a Buddhist temple in Thailand, what do they all have in common? They were just named as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Two Amazonian theaters in Brazil also joined the 25 sites inducted this year, named by the U.N. committee as having cultural, historical, or nature importance.

CANDIDO GERERNIAS, PRESIDENT, AMAZONIAN AGENCY OF CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT: The Teatro Amazonias, as an architectural treasure in the state and in the Amazon, has a fundamental role, and now it will bring more tourists to our region, our state. We will have more chances to preserve it and greater protection. KINKADE: Also newly named, the beaches of Normandy, where Allied forces landed on D-Day. The site is characterized by the World Heritage Committee as a cultural property, the location of a decisive stage of the battle to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany during World War II.

The committee also added six sites to its danger list, which are sites facing major threats from war, natural disasters, or other risks. The archeological site of Sebastia in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was added to the list this year. According to UNESCO, the site once served as the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Islamic periods.

[05:55:04]

Countries nominate their picks for World Heritage Sites and demonstrate their significance.

MICHAL MIEGON, GDYNIA TOUR GUIDE: Gdynia should be a UNESCO site because it's a unique combination of architecture, history of Pomerania, history of Poland.

KINKADE: A selection process by the World Heritage Committee is conducted, and once chosen, the sites are given legal protection by an international treaty, making them eligible for financial support and emergency protection from the fund.

MIEGON: And also the people that are welcoming all the tourists to Gdynia, and we are all very proud of the city. We want to show it to all the world.

KINKADE: Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Hundreds of dogs and their humans, of course, gathered in Pacifica, California for the World Dog Surfing Championships. The competition brings together some of the world's best canine surfers and some very brave first timers. It's all for some great causes. Proceeds from the event support charities for dog surfing and environmental issues. The four-legged surfers seriously impress their two-legged audience.

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IVONNE VERDUZCO, SPECTATOR: I just think they're so, so talented. These dogs, like when you see them, I can't even surf. I don't know how they do it. And the waves are really big.

ALLAN LIU, SPECTATOR: And seeing how well they're doing and how well trained they are, staying on the surf boards, catching these awesome waves, I'm really surprised at how well they're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: The annual Dog Surfing Championship also features an adoption event, giving attendees a chance to take their very own future surfer home.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz.

For our viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is coming up next. For the rest of the world, it's "Connecting Africa."

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