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Trump Says U.S. In "Low-Key" Negotiations With Iran; Israel Rejects Trump's Gaza Peace Plan; Mother, Baby Die After Boat Overturns Near Statue Of Liberty; Ohio Voters Weigh Allegations Against GOP Representative Max Miller; South Carolina Senate Race Again Tests Trump's Grip On GOP; Experts: U.S. Water Systems Vulnerable To Foreign Cyberattacks; Volvo to Begin Rolling Out Driverless Trucks Next Year; Eclipsing Power: Musk, Bezos And The New Space Race. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired August 09, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:39]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.

Tonight, President Donald Trump says the United States is, quote, "semi-negotiating with Iran." In an interview with Axios, President Trump said that Washington is, quote, "low keying" those talks and signaled the U.S. could increase economic pressure on Tehran. This comes, though, during a fragile pause in strikes between the two countries.

Still, new reporting revealed that earlier this week the Pentagon urged military contractors to increase weapons production. Now CNN previously reported that munition stockpiles are running low in certain categories.

CNN's Julia Benbrook joins us now with the latest.

So, Julia, what more are we hearing from the president and the administration on all of this?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are reports that there is a dwindling munition supply, we know that this was a key topic at a recent Cabinet meeting that took place at Camp David. We are also learning that the Defense Department has urged U.S. military contractors to ramp up weapons production.

This came in the form of a memo on Wednesday from Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, and in it, he gave up to 21 days for these industry leaders to submit plans for increased production, as well as more aggressive delivery schedules.

This was first reported by the "Washington Post" and confirmed by CNN and a Pentagon spokesperson told us this in a statement, quote, "Deputy Secretary Feinberg is a generational leader in that effort, driving the hard work of fixing our broken, antiquated and immensely complex acquisition systems so we can actually produce the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands." While Trump in recent days has admitted that some munitions are in

tighter supply than they were before this conflict started, he has remained adamant that the United States has what it needs to continue fighting, if that is what he deems necessary. The next steps here are still unclear, as Iran has put out a list of demands that it says the United States must fulfill in order to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, that critical waterway that has been a key area of focus during this now nearly six month long conflict.

And Trump has said that the United States is now, quote, "semi- negotiating" with Iran. He said this in an interview with Axios earlier today -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right, Julia Benbrook, appreciate the reporting there. And meanwhile, in a remarkable public break, Israel has rejected the United States backed peace plan for Gaza with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying none of his country's forces will withdraw until Hamas fully disarms.

Now, in a speech earlier, Netanyahu didn't mince any words, saying, "I want to be precise here. Israel rejects the 15-point document." Those are his words. We're still, though, waiting for President Donald Trump to react publicly. At the end of July, he announced that historic agreement, as he described it, to secure the disarmament of Hamas. As for Hamas, its leaders say they are ready to uphold their end of the deal if Israel does as well.

Jeremy Diamond is taking a look at what happens now that Israel put the brakes on the peace plan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: President Trump called it historic. And now the Israeli prime minister is rejecting it out of hand. What I'm talking about is the U.S. backed plan for disarming Hamas in the Gaza Strip. And the Israeli prime minister just announced at a meeting of his government that Israel is rejecting out of hand the 15-point roadmap that the U.S. just announced a little over a week ago.

The Israeli prime minister saying that Israel will not carry out any withdrawal from the Gaza Strip until Hamas is completely disarmed of its light and heavy weaponry, as opposed to the kind of phased withdrawal that would happen under this 15-point plan. The prime minister also said that Israeli forces will continue to have the ability to thwart any attacks inside of Gaza. He said that he is currently speaking with the U.S. administration about these various disagreements.

But this statement from the Israeli prime minister marks a remarkable public split between the prime minister and President Trump. Now, in these same remarks, Prime Minister Netanyahu was careful to praise President Trump as one of the best allies that Israel has had, particularly as it relates to Iran.

[19:05:02] But under pressure from right-wing members of his government, it seems the Israeli prime minister has come out and forcefully rejected this U.S. backed plan, U.S. negotiated plan to disarm Hamas.

Now, we don't know how President Trump is going to react to this news. We have seen him publicly criticize the Israeli prime minister in the past when Netanyahu has angered him. We do have a response, though, from Hamas, which said that it reaffirmed its commitment to this newly negotiated 15-point plan. And Hamas called on the Board of Peace and the mediators and the United States to ensure that Israel complies with this newly negotiated agreement.

Now, it is important to note that over the course of the last week, we have seen a significant decrease in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and privately, an Israeli source has told us that targeted killings, for example, in Gaza, must now be approved by Israel's top general, the Israeli military chief of staff. So there have been some changes on the ground.

But what the Israeli prime minister is conveying here is that there certainly will not be any withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza right now, and certainly not before Israel's elections, which are slated to take place in late October and which seem to be driving quite a bit of the prime minister's calculus at the moment.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Appreciate the reporting.

We're also, though, following a tragic story in New York City. A boat capsized overnight near the Statue of Liberty, killing a mother and her 15-month-old baby. We are now learning the baby's father is among the survivors. The captain has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of reckless endangerment here.

I want to go to Gloria Pazmino now for the latest on the case.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thats right. A very sad and tragic story out of New York City this weekend. And now the U.S. Coast Guard conducting an investigation to try and determine what happened and what led to the capsizing of a vessel that resulted in several people being in the water near the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty late on Saturday night. Also, the captain of this boat, a 46-year-old resident of Manhattan, was arrested early on Sunday morning. He is facing at least 13 counts of reckless endangerment.

Now, here's what we know so far about how this incident unfolded. Police say that they got a call shortly after 10:20 in the evening, reporting a capsized vessel and people in the water near the Statue of Liberty. This happened not far from Liberty Island, which is home to the Statue of Liberty National Monument. And this meant that several first responders tried to get to the area, including the NYPD Harbor Unit, the fire department. There were air units as well as marine units that all responded. The

NYPD's diver team was also on scene. But it was actually another commercial vessel that was in the vicinity of this incident that first got to the people who were in the water. That vessel was actually able to pull several people from the river, and once NYPD and other first responders arrived, those people were able to be pulled and transferred to area hospitals.

Sadly, NYPD divers also recovered the young mother and this 5-month- old infant. They were transferred to an area hospital but were later pronounced dead.

Now, this was a major rescue operation and you should think about the conditions last night, right? This happened far away from shore. It was late at night. That means it was dark. So these were really difficult conditions for both first responders and the victims who were in the water.

I want you to take a listen from a bystander who witnessed as first responders were arriving at the scene. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MADELINE MONTERO, LIVES NEARBY: So I saw three helicopters, two active boats on the water and just a lot of NY ambulances, cops, firefighters, trucks. So there was a lot of traffic going on. And then I saw that there were boats here, and then people were just speaking that there was a mother and a child that needed to be rescued from the water, and that they were found.

By the time I was already here, seeing the boats just flying out, coming in back and forth. And that's when the rescue happened with the mother and the child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now the other victims suffered minor injuries and were transferred to area hospitals. We've also learned from a law enforcement official briefed on this investigation that the father of that child who was killed in this incident was also aboard that vessel.

Now, the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating part of what they are looking into is trying to determine whether this vessel was being operated legally, and if they were meeting all of the safety standards required to operate this vessel.

[19:10:07]

Certainly, they'll be looking at, you know, why were there that many people on board? Was that the right number of people that they have life jackets? All of that will be part of the investigation. And also they will try to determine exactly what led to the capsizing.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York. JIMENEZ: That's 5-month-old baby killed there. I may have said 15

months going in, I misspoke. But, Gloria Pazmino, appreciate the reporting.

Still ahead for us, a deadline to drop out fast approaching as embattled Congressman Max Miller pushes forward with his reelection campaign despite some serious allegations against him. Could this cost the GOP a key seat in the House?

Plus, Republicans in South Carolina hit with a curveball of sorts after President Trump endorses the sister of late Senator Lindsey Graham to run for the open seat in November. But will voters choose that name and relatively little experience in this office over other candidates with more experience? Our panel joins us next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:48]

JIMENEZ: Congressman Max Miller is remaining in his race for reelection even after the abuse allegations from his ex-wife and growing calls from other Republicans for him to drop out. I should mention he denies those allegations. But the deadline for Republican leaders to replace him on the ballot is tomorrow. But Miller would have been required to give two days' notice before that deadline to allow party leaders to hold a meeting and pick another candidate.

CNN's Manu Raju has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Max Miller, the congressman from Ohio, is showing no signs of dropping out of the race despite Republican concerns over the unfolding scandal, those allegations of domestic abuse of Max Miller and allegations of the way he treated both his young child and his now ex-wife. That ex-wife, the daughter of the current senior senator from Ohio, Bernie Moreno, who has been in a public campaign to call on Max Miller to drop out of the race and say that he is not fit for Congress.

President Trump has not gone that far, has refused to call on Max Miller to drop out, calling it a family affair, and saying that he's going to let Max Miller do what Max Miller wants to do. And Miller himself is indicating that he is staying in. There is a deadline for him to drop out of the race to allow for Republican leaders to find a replacement in that congressional district. Miller is indicating that he is not going to drop out, meaning that they may be stuck with him come November, Republican leaders.

And even though the -- that district is a conservative one, Donald Trump carried it by about 11 points in 2024, Max Miller won it with 51 percent in that same election cycle. He won comfortably but that's because at that point there were two candidates on the opposition side, an independent and a Democrat. What will happen if it's a head to head race between Miller and a Democrat? Which is why a lot of Republicans wanted him to get out of the race.

But Miller defiant amid growing fears that in this midterm environment and facing scandal, he could cost his party a critical seat in the House.

Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right, Manu, appreciate it.

Another election we're watching closely this week. South Carolina, the state's special election primary, will be another test of President Trump's grip on the Republican Party. President Trump is endorsing Darline Graham to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham. She faces, though, a crowded field of candidates, making it unlikely that anyone will get the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

CNN political commentator and former South Carolina state representative Bakari Sellers joins us now, along with Katon Dawson, Republican strategist, former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.

Katon, I just want to start with you. How important is this special election for President Trump and his reputation, again, within the Republican Party in terms of influence?

KATON DAWSON, FORMER CHAIRMAN, SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY: Well, Omar, first, it's a privilege and pleasure to be on with you, Barak and yourself today. Let me explain to you, these primaries in South Carolina are different. I don't know how important it is for Trump. He might or might not be on the ballot in 2028. So it probably is not that important. Again, we've got --

(CROSSTALK)

JIMENEZ: But constitutionally he won't. But, yes, go ahead.

DAWSON: That's exactly right. That's a whole another conversation. But at the moment, right now, you've got Darline Graham, who's Lindsey's little sister, never been on the ballot. You got Mark Sanford who's been on the ballot 21 times and won 20 of them. You've got very -- two congressmen and Ralph Norman. So we'll see, about 330,000 people are going to show up to vote. That is less than 10 percent of the people available to vote.

So these primaries all over the country are really different. One of the things I saw earlier on your show, if I make a comment on this, and I think certainly Representative Sellers will agree with me, is primaries that I have seen all over the country they really don't vote for who the best person is to win. They vote for their hopes and their fears and their personal ambitions, not take a look and say, wow, I got the best candidate.

That's happened in Minnesota, happened in Wisconsin, happened in Michigan. The gift that keeps on giving the Republicans right now is we're at a midterms where we ought to get wiped out in a 50-50 country.

[19:20:05]

People don't like Donald Trump on the other side. And the Democrats, unbeknownst to us, have given us something called the Democrat Socialist Progressive Party. That's not going to sell in November in a lot of these places.

JIMENEZ: Well, Bakari, so let's talk about that because, well, one, I just want to know what you -- what Democrats hope will happen in this special election in South Carolina. But how do you see the primary picture for Democrats in races across the country versus, you know, actually stacking up legitimate chances, whether in Michigan or Wisconsin or whatever, to actually gain those seats against the Republican.

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, first, let's look at South Carolina. I mean, the fact is, I believe Donald Trump is probably going to go O for three here in South Carolina, which is still a very ruby red state. And when I say O for three, I mean, he lost Pamela Abbott, who was his horse to be the governor of the state.

DAWSON: Right.

SELLERS: He lost the redistricting battle, which made him O for two. And I'm not sure Darline Graham is going to get over this hump. I mean, I'm with Katon on this that the individual who was the dark horse in this race is Mark Sanford. Mark Sanford is an interesting, interesting candidate, but he is by far the most conservative of the individuals running and has a track record to show for it, regardless of his indiscretions 17 years ago.

And so South Carolina is going to do what South Carolina does. Darline Graham will make it out on Tuesday, but I don't think she gets over the hump.

As far as what Democrats are doing around the country, the fact is we have to do a better job of electing good candidates who can win in November. For a long period of time, I looked at Republicans like Todd Akin in Missouri or Catherine O'Donnell, I think, was her name who I was not a witch, in Delaware, who Chris Coons had an opportunity to beat. And Republicans kept giving us a gift.

What we have to do when you look at someone like Francesca Hong and, excuse me, Francesca Hong in Wisconsin is we have to elect candidates who truly represent the larger swath of voters in the country, not just people who espouse ideas which are really indefensible when you come to the month of November.

JIMENEZ: Do you think her -- just a follow up there. Do you think if Hong -- I mean, polling right now as the frontrunner, we'll see what happens. If she gets that nomination and moves forward, does that make the job of Democrats more or less difficult in Wisconsin to keep that governor's seat?

SELLERS: No. You take Wisconsin off the map. I mean, it would be completely honest and you shift resources. I mean, I'm tired of people not having honest conversations about the political map. I mean, look, we need to be investing in Sherrod Brown. We need to be investing in places like Roy Cooper in North Carolina. And even if you want to take a swing at something, go to Texas, invest there.

But let's not, let's not spend time and waste energy for individuals who are so far -- I mean, I'm not going to sit here and defend with you, Omar, whether or not Thanksgiving should be canceled. That ain't on my -- that ain't on my like list of things to do on this Sunday afternoon. I'm not going to sit here and defend defund the police. I'm just not going to do that. And many people who are in the heart of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or even in the rural areas aren't going to do the same.

And so unfortunately, we missed an opportunity to do what we need to do. But, look, I think that there are enough places around the country that we can actually pick up some seats. I'm looking at Maine as well.

JIMENEZ: And, Katon, I want to talk about Michigan a little bit here, too, because obviously a lot of attention on Abdul El-Sayed. Mike Rogers hoping to cope some moderate Democrats, some that may have put their support behind Haley Stevens in the primary. But when you look at what Republicans are already launching in terms of their campaign ads against El-Sayed, one thing sticks out.

I mean, they immediately out of the gate used his full name, which seemed to remind voters that he is Muslim. President Trump has attacked him as well. And I just wonder what you make of the initial strategies from Republicans and whether you think they actually do have a chance to court some Democrats in that race.

DAWSON: They certainly have a chance. When you consult with people and start putting film on the floor and editing it, he's already given us enough for a mainstream independent voters. Now, remember, what we're looking for here once you get out of these primaries is you got to try to move to the middle, no matter whether you're a Republican or a Democrat because the independent voters that don't show up in these races is who elect people in a 50-50 country.

Donald Trump has given the Democrats a gift. The Democrats are now giving Republicans a gift to put in it. History tells us that we didn't have much of a chance to keep Congress until all this craziness started in some of these states. So whatever they're trying to do with the full name, I don't think that matters. He's already given us enough of this socialism.

[19:25:02]

Republicans have to understand that we're still running on limited government because all of this big government is expensive for everybody, especially the poorest of us all.

JIMENEZ: And, Bakari, we got to go but just give you the chance to respond.

SELLERS: No, I mean, I think that Abdul has an awesome task in front of him. I'm somebody who believes that he could possibly pull it off because he's a political athlete. And I'm hopeful that he can. But, look, DSA has a problem. The Democratic Socialists of America, they're suburban, they're white, they're upper crust. And he won suburban Michigan. He lost black districts handily. He lost rural Michigan handily. So we have to get in and do the work. There are three months left. If he's willing to roll up his sleeves and do the work, is he better than Mike Rogers? The answer is hell yes and twice on Sundays. So let's get it done. The question is, can he and is he willing to?

JIMENEZ: Honestly, I think the catch phrase per capita between both of you has to be some of the tops that we've had on this program.

So, Bakari Sellers, Katon Dawson, appreciate you both taking the time. Good to see you all.

SELLERS: Thank you.

DAWSON: Good to see you, Bakari. Thank you.

SELLERS: Thank you, brother.

JIMENEZ: All right. And be sure to tune in Tuesday for CNN's election night in America coverage, where we're going to bring you the results of some of these races that we've been talking about. You see some of them on your screen there, including in Wisconsin and South Carolina. That starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

All right. Coming up, America's aging infrastructure left vulnerable to cyberattacks. We're going to bring you the new details we're learning about coordinated attacks on the water systems in multiple states. A cyber warfare expert joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:59]

JIMENEZ: A series of coordinated cyberattacks on water systems in at least a dozen states is raising real concern. Experts say years of underinvestment in critical infrastructure across America have left water utilities open to these attacks.

Now, officials say the intrusions have only led to water pressure drops and flooding at facilities, but have not compromised the safety of drinking water. Still, though, the successful hacks are raising questions about what sort of disruptions these hackers could cause in the future.

So, I want to bring in cyber security expert, Aaron Rosenmund. He's Managing Director of Tradecraft and Programs for Cybersecurity Testing and consulting firm OnDefend. He also serves as a First Lieutenant and Cyber Warfare Officer and an Delaware Air National Guard. Appreciate you taking the time.

I just want to start with how vulnerable are American water systems to foreign cyberattacks. In your assessment? AARON ROSENMUND, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TRADECRAFT AND PROGRAMS FOR

CYBERSECURITY TESTING, ONDEFEND: Yes, frankly, the answer is very vulnerable. They fall under Presidential Policy Directive 21, which covers a lot of sectors or 16 sectors of critical infrastructure that really matter towards humanity and National Security for the U.S., but the problem is, is that this type of technology, which we define as operational technology, wasn't really made with cybersecurity in mind, right?

So, these bits of infrastructure, and particularly in these attacks, what we're finding is there's devices like this, these are called PLCs. Increasingly they have the ability to communicate with the internet. Now, they're not really supposed to be connected to the internet because again, they weren't made with cybersecurity in mind. But this instance and the reports we are getting today are seeing that these, these being directly connected to internet, a pretty unsophisticated attack was able to compromise them.

JIMENEZ: You know, a mayor from New Jersey City impacted by recent water hacks, told CNN he views this as modern warfare. And I know you recently took place or took part in the Defense Department's largest annual unclassified cyber defense training event.

How is the U.S. military working to prevent and counter future threats? Or at the very least, what did you see as part of that exercise?

ROSENMUND: Absolutely, so part of the exercise called cyber shield largest unclassed exercise for cybersecurity in the world. I run the opposing force or the team that's job is to come up with scenarios and emulate advanced attacks on our critical infrastructure and systems in the U.S. and so we do this every year. I've ran that team eight years in a row. Every year we do a different bit of critical infrastructure.

As part of this, years ago now, this is two years ago now, we focused on the water infrastructure, particularly. And one of the scenarios that we played out, like in this case, like you said, there wasn't any public safety concerns or any concerns over the final impact of the compromise.

But the water systems affect much more than just the drinking water. They're also used for cooling for data centers. And in one special case in the U.S. at Palo Verde, they're used for the cooling system used for the nuclear reactors there, so, wastewater system from Arizona.

So, were digging in depth with industry partners, working with their engineers at Fortum nuclear plants to understand how these systems work and then where those vulnerabilities are, where they integrate with systems like municipalities' water every year.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, you were showing me that device earlier. I'm not going to try and say it back to you. I'll have you say it in a second here. But one of the things I think you were talking about and that other cyber experts have said or have raised, is that too much critical infrastructure remains directly accessible from the internet, which can create major security risks.

And I just wonder, tell us a little bit about the evolution, like, how did we get to that point? And can you take these systems offline without sacrificing efficiency?

ROSENMUND: Yes, that's a fantastic question. It's called a PLC or a Programable Logic Controller. It's really just what it takes beeps and boops from computers and makes us able to connect to the physical world, right? So, in this case, I can control a pump with a computer. This is the interface for that.

[19:35:07]

The way we got here is really, and if you think of COVID as a great example, everybody kind of had to go home, try to work remote. And that includes workers at municipalities, electric facilities, nuclear facilities everywhere.

So how do they manage those physical systems remotely? Connecting these things to the internet is one of the answers.

Now, that's not where it started. It started way before that. As soon as we had the ability to make things convenient like that. But COVID definitely was like a bit of a Cambrian explosion of that kind of capability and access.

The real issue has been there's an academic view of how we secure these industrial systems that I think the academic view has been overly estimated to be how it works in reality. And when we think about water systems, particularly, or that critical infrastructure, you know, some of these are really small counties that run the water systems or mom and pop shops that are like, you know, 20 employees or coop or and there's thousands of them all across the U.S.

And so, though we have a capability or a directive like EPD21 that the federal government has resources and strategic initiative to invest in cybersecurity for these systems, there is a disconnect between how we get from that strategic initiative to actually testing these systems and make sure that they don't have the vulnerabilities or they're not connected to the internet like we've seen over the last month before our adversaries can.

JIMENEZ: Aaron Rosenmund, really appreciate you taking the time and saying that device's name so I don't have to. The insight incredibly interesting, thanks again, man.

ROSENMUND: Thanks for having me, thanks so much.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right, just ahead, we're going to take you inside a fully autonomous semitruck for a test drive unlike any other.

Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:41:35]

JIMENEZ: Volvo plans to begin rolling out its massive commercial driverless trailers early next year. But of course, there are concerns about a 55,000-pound big rig charging down U.S. highways with no one behind the wheel. So how safe are we?

Our Ed Lavandera rode shotgun in one of them and has all the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We are climbing into the cabin of a 55,000-pound time machine. And the question at the heart of the right were about to take is how far into the future are we really going?

JENS HOLTINGER, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, VOLVO GROUP: So we're going to take a drive.

TERRY WALKER, DRIVER: We're going to take a drive.

HOLTINGER: Let's drive.

LAVANDERA: Well, none of us are driving apparently.

WALKER: No. None of us driving.

LAVANDERA (voice over): This trailer rig was built by Volvo, and a company called Aurora develops the computer system which drives the vehicle.

HOLTINGER: There is double steering system.

LAVANDERA (voice over): Inside the cabin with me is Jens Holtinger. He's Volvo's Chief Technology Officer, and in the safety driver's seat, but not touching the steering wheel, is Terry Walker.

We've been invited to take a test drive in this autonomous truck down Interstate 45 South of Dallas. The steering wheel has a jittery start as it pulls out of the truck yard, but it quickly settles down.

HOLTINGER: So what you see here is actually what the vehicle is seeing. So vehicle is in the constant surveillance.

LAVANDERA (on camera): Now we're on the interstate, starting to pick up some speed.

LAVANDERA (voice over): The multiple cameras and radar systems detect all the cars and objects around the truck. They tell me the Volvo truck is designed to cruise in the right lane at 10 miles per hour under the speed limit.

LAVANDERA (on camera): Oh, this is interesting.

WALKER: Yes.

LAVANDERA: We just switched lanes. If there's a police officer has someone pulled over.

LAVANDERA (voice over): With good weather and long open highways, Texas has become ground zero for several companies testing and refining autonomous trucks. But more of these trucks are expected to be on the highways in the years ahead without safety guides in the driver's seat.

As we cruise down the road, there's debris on the highway. The truck changes lanes.

LAVANDERA: Oh, it's picking up the tire debris on the road. You see it, Joe?

WALKER: I do. So now it's going to straddle it out.

LAVANDERA: So it was navigating between the tire debris on the road?

WALKER: Yes.

LAVANDERA: So here's a truck with its hazards on. We've slowed down to about 45 miles an hour.

LAVANDERA (voice over): This time, the Volvo truck changes lanes and passes the slower rig.

LAVANDERA (on camera): What do you tell people who don't like the idea of being next to a massive truck like this with no driver inside?

HOLTINGER: It's a driver that has constant surveillance, 360 degrees, 500 meters ahead, never gets tired, never gets distracted. We are quite confident that we have a very safe setup.

LAVANDERA (voice over): That is a concern for people like Michael Perez with the Teamsters Union representing drivers in Texas.

LAVANDERA: Do you view these trucks as a threat, or do you view them as a benefit?

MICHAEL PEREZ, TEAMSTERS LOCAL 745: I do look at them as a threat.

LAVANDERA (voice over): We met Perez at his Union Hall in Dallas. For 22 years, he drove short haul distances. He worries autonomous trucks will put lots of people out of work, and he's skeptical these trucks are as safe as the company's claim.

PEREZ: Humans and especially trained CDL truck drivers, they make decisions in real time where a machine is all computerized, and we feel that the technology is not there for them to be safe and be able to make decisions the way a human can.

LAVANDERA (voice over): Volvo says it plans to deploy at least 300 of these trucks without a safety driver early next year. We put the concerns to some of the top executives at Volvo and Aurora.

[19:45:13] CHRIS URMSON, CEO AND CHAIRMAN, AURORA: I really think if you are a

truck driver today, you're going to be able to retire a truck driver. Skepticism is rational, right? This is something new. It is game changing, and people should have questions.

The fact that it can operate indefinitely and it doesn't get distracted, it doesn't get confused, it doesn't get tired means that it's paying attention to everything around it, and it's really going to be a big benefit in driving those accidents towards zero over time.

LAVANDERA: So you think it's a fundamental economic disruption?

NILS JAEGER, PRESIDENT, VOLVO AUTONOMOUS SOLUTIONS: This truck doesn't need, a lunch break, doesn't need a coffee break, doesn't have, mandatory break times. You can go much further. You can go faster, and that is, of course, super valuable.

LAVANDERA (voice over): Before our drive comes to an end, we came across one last test. While we were focused on our interview in the cabin, a woman walking on the shoulder of the highway comes into view.

LAVANDERA: Oh, there's someone right on the road right there.

LAVANDERA (voice over): The Volvo truck changes lanes briefly until it passes the woman safely.

LAVANDERA (on camera): We spent about an hour riding in the truck. It was a controlled set route, but it did give you a sense of how the truck generally operates.

And we also spoke with a number of experts to talk about where this industry is headed, and they all told us that for the foreseeable future, you're going to see these autonomous trucks in the Southwest and in the Sunbelt States where there's generally good weather and wide open highways, where it gets much more complicated will be in urban areas, mountainous states like in the Rocky Mountains, as well as the Northeast and Midwest, where there is severe winter weather to contend with.

But the bottom line is there are a number of companies, not just Volvo, pushing to put more of these autonomous trucks on the highways.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:51:26]

JIMENEZ: As millions look to the sky on Wednesday for the solar eclipse, the United States is focusing on a bigger spectacle, getting back to the moon -- on the moon, I should say and beating China to it.

A new CNN Flash Doc explores the high stakes competition to reclaim America's place in the next era of lunar exploration. Here is a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: An eclipse is something that has engendered curiosity and person kind throughout history.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Seeing the sky go dark, the crickets chirping in the middle of the day, it creates a spectacular phenomenon here on the Earth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The solar eclipse happening in August 2026 is going to have a Path of Totality that people will travel across the world to be able to catch a glimpse of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact is that the moon has a very romantic and seductive quality when it comes to our lore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's the moon that we get to now go to.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: We're going back to the freaking moon.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: The space race heating up once again. China launching its latest mission to the moon.

JARED ISAACMAN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: The Chinese will land their taikonauts on the moon. The question is, do we return first?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Joining us now, CNN space and science writer, Jackie Wattles. So, Jackie, let's just start with its been five decades since the Apollo Program ended. Why has it taken so long to send people back?

JACKIE WATTLES, CNN, SPACE AND SCIENCE WRITER: Right. Well, there's a lot of factors at play here, but the biggest one is financial. You know, during the Apollo era, NASA had about four percent of the national budget. Today, its less than half of one percent, so that's a big factor.

The other reason is NASA doesn't currently have a lunar lander to get down to the surface. It has got that rocket and capsule that we also saw those Artemis II astronauts fly around the moon on back in April, but it is getting down to the surface, that's the missing piece here, and NASA is relying on the private sector to do this.

So they have Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin kind of competing to be first to develop the next human worthy lunar lander and that is quite the thrill ride going on there and they have two very different approaches.

JIMENEZ: What would you say is at stake in this new race against China?

WATTLES: Quite a bit. I mean, it is important to note about this space race that the goal isn't just to visit the moon. The idea is to stay. Both China and the United States envision building massive bases on

the moon. And to do that, you really have to use resources that are already on the moon to help sustain that settlement. So there is a race to kind of claim and mine resources. And both China and the United States have made clear that's part of the game plan.

And also underlying it is really the same ideological battle that also underpinned the cold war space race. It is that classic western capitalism versus eastern communism and who gets to write the rules of the road going forward?

JIMENEZ: Is there a sense of where this race stands, like, who is winning at this stage in the preparations?

WATTLES: Yes, it is actually really hard to tell. I mean, both NASA and China have had some major wins. Obviously, the Artemis II mission was a huge feather in NASA's cap, but China is also a fierce competitor. They have an extremely advanced robotic exploration program called Chong Un (ph). Theres another Chinese lander headed to the moon, probably this month.

And China has also made clear that they want to send their astronauts, Chinese taikonauts to the moon by 2030. And China -- the thing about China is when they put a deadline, they usually hit it. So the question is if NASA can catch up.

JIMENEZ: Jackie Wattles, appreciate the reporting, and be sure to tune in the new CNN Flash Doc, "Eclipsing Power" premieres tonight at 8:00 P.M. Eastern on CNN very shortly.

[19:55:15]

Still ahead, though, and first, a hungry, hangry hippo is really what it is. It goes after a tourist boat and it is all captured on camera. We will tell you what happened coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: You may know the game, Hungry, Hungry Hippos, but this is what happens when you are the bait, it looks like.

One woman calls it one of the most terrifying moments of her life as a massive bull hippo started charging her and her children on this tour boat in Botswana.

The boat did speed up and everyone got away, but scary nonetheless!

Thank you all for joining me tonight. I am Omar Jimenez. The CNN Flash Doc, "Eclipsing Power" starts right now.