Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Rescuers Race To Save Survivors After Catastrophic China-Nepal Floor; War With Iran At A Stalemate Six Months In; Canada Pushes Back On Trump's Effort To Rename Lake Ontario. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired August 30, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us around the world. I'm Brian Abel. Here's what's ahead. The rush to find survivors in Nepal grows more desperate by the hour, as the window to rescue them is rapidly closing. And President Trump said the war with Iran would only last a few weeks. Now six months later, it's at a stalemate. We'll take a look at what may come next as this conflict drags on.

Plus, troubled waters. Canadians are pushing back after Trump makes waves by trying to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Brian Abel.

ABEL: Rescue teams are racing to find survivors following catastrophic flash floods along Nepal's border with China. Right now, an urgent search is underway for workers who may be trapped in hydropower tunnels. Crews from India, China, and South Korea are now joining the response, bringing critical expertise and resources to strengthen relief efforts.

Nepal's army says it's deployed more than 8,000 service members to help. About 3,000 people are still missing, but a sweeping rescue effort has saved the lives of nearly 3,000 more. Dramatic new video shows one of those rescues. A young girl trapped under a collapsed building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Video is shown of a young girl being rescued from a collapsed building in Nepal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Crews took her to a camp that evening. She is now receiving treatment. Authorities say she told rescuers her name is Manisha (ph), and she's six years old. The death toll does continue to climb, and authorities are struggling to cope with the mounting number of bodies. More than 734 people are now confirmed dead in Nepal, and at least 16 others in China. Meanwhile, officials are warning that water levels have surged in a

river near the flood zone, raising fears of further flooding. They sent a text to residents asking them to be alert, but did not ask them to evacuate. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more on the heartbreaking search for the flood's victims.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Nepal's Devighat, destruction stretches for miles. Daily life has grounded to a halt here, replaced instead by a steady stream of police and dogs sniffing for any bodies. And actually, just moments ago, they did find one. We of course can't show it to you, but they told us that because it was so badly decomposed, they couldn't even identify who it was.

Downstream, workers are digging a mass grave for the hundreds of bodies that have washed ashore, delivered by the truck load. Some are so heavily waterlogged, workers struggle under their weight. And among these bodies is this five-year-old girl. Serena's (ph) family said she was on her way to school when the flood swept her bus away. We spoke to her father, Rajkumar (ph), by phone. He barely survived and is now stranded with help out of reach.

When did you learn, sir, that your daughter was missing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on the phone) (through translator): I was working, and I called immediately after I escaped. I was still hoping that my daughter was alive. One of the girls who tried saving her told me she wasn't able to hold her, and the flood swept her away.

MONTGOMERY: I can't imagine the -- the pain you must be feeling right now. How are you dealing with this immense tragedy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dream was always to educate my daughter, so she could be successful in life. That's why I worked so hard. But my dream for her hasn't come true.

[00:05:00]

MONTGOMERY: But Rajkumar says he can't identify her body, with no money or means to confirm that his only child is now gone. Numbers can't describe the human cost of this tragedy, a pain shared by too many here. Sadip Nepal (ph) lost his business in the flood and his home, the one he's lived in for years.

How long do you think it's going to take for you to rebuild all of this?

SADIP NEPAL: SURVIVED FLOOD: I think it is not possible to stay here. I think we have to leave this place.

MONTGOMERY: Sadip barely made it out alive when he saw the flood rushing toward his town. He said, like a tsunami. He ran up a nearby mountain where he filmed these videos. He said all he had was a T- shirt and sandals, but luckily his whole family made it out in time.

He shows us inside his home, where furniture and a bathroom once stood, are now tree branches, ropes, and animal carcasses that the river brought in. Now more than three days after the flood swept through the valley, the chances of finding trapped survivors alive are getting slimmer.

Many of these operations are now becoming search and recovery, a mounting toll of heartbreak for thousands of families. Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Nepal.

ABEL: And joining me now is CNN's Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And Kristie Lu, those -- those images there that we just saw from Hanako, not only heart-breaking, but just really showing how difficult the rescue efforts are.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Brian. And Brian, there is immense devastation and loss. Search operations have resumed in the disaster zone, and authorities are struggling. They are struggling to reach remote areas, including tunnels under hydroelectric projects where scores of workers remain missing.

They are struggling through very difficult conditions like rain and fog, and they are so struggling with the sheer scale of it all. At least 750 people are dead. 3,000 people are missing. Among the missing, 900 hydroelectric workers. And right now, we know that rescuers are urgently pumping air into a tunnel under a hydropower plant where those workers are missing, and the hope here, the plan here, is to drill a manhole to send rescue teams there to look for the missing and to find any survivors.

Late on Saturday night, we heard a statement from a Nepalese official. According to Nepal's Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, let's bring up the statement for you, saying this quote: "There has been some success in the ongoing rescue efforts at the Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project Tunnel, which is buried under mud and sludge following the flood.

Now, look, that's very encouraging news. There are reports of some progress, but this official notes that they have yet to establish any communication with the trapped workers in those tunnels. Now the families of the missing they are trapped in this agonizing wait for any updates about their loved ones. Survivors are waiting for aid to arrive as the roads remain impassable, and some survivors have been able to return home to see what is left to try to retrieve any belongings.

But for a vast majority of them, there is nothing left. I want you to listen to the testimony of this 43-year-old villager. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARASWATI GHALE, 43-YEAR-OLD VILLAGER (through translator): What am I feeling? Looking at everything, it's like there is no world. What is left? It's like I am dead. What to do now? I don't have anything. What is there that is worth living? Now, what will happen? Who knows? I am saved, but how things will pan out, who knows? That's it.

LU STOUT: Now, for the survivors, the survivors face a daunting task of rebuilding their lives, and for Nepal, an already impoverished country, facing the very daunting task of rebuilding vast parts of a nation.

According to an interview with Reuters, we heard from the financial minister of Nepal saying that the country needs between $4 billion to $5 billion to rebuild. It is urgently requesting foreign aid to rebuild lost transport links like bridges, communication lines. It urgently needs aid for tunnel experts to come in to help locate the missing, as well as technical expertise in the identification of remains, the storage of remains, and DNA analysis.

We know that the United States has pledged $3.6 million worth of aid, but for Nepal, already one of the world's most poorest nations, that amount is just a fraction of what it desperately needs right now. Brian?

ABEL: Yeah, they will certainly need the entire world to come help them with that daunting task of rebuilding.

LU STOUT: Yes.

ABEL: CNN's Kristie Lu Stout for us in Hong Kong. Kristie, thank you.

A group of hikers from Virginia are among the thousands missing after the disaster. The wife of one of the 10 missing men is pleading for help in finding them.

[00:10:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SNEHA SUCHIR, MISSING HIKER'S WIFE: The minute I got the news, of course, the first thought was, of course, it's not us. So, I would start hearing from him in some time. Of course, the connectivity is lost, but the minute I would start sending him a message or start calling him, so probably next hour or so I should start hearing them. So, it's going to be coming soon.

Just -- just not us, or these guys are not in the place where all this thing is happening. So that -- that was my initial thought, and but then yes, looks like I -- I don't know where they are. It's a family that's out there. It's 10 boys who are stuck there. Everyone is a great human being, a great dad, a great husband, and I'm talking on behalf of the entire family of 10 that I'm representing here.

We want to seek help from public, government, military. I don't know who's going to help me, but if you guys can start looking for them, because there are some of them who needs their medical attention on a day-to-day basis. I also have one of my elderly brother who had joined there, and he is -- he is 70 plus, super fit. Many of them run their marathons, but of course, see they're not ready for something like this.

And as I said, yes, they need their medications on a timely basis. They of course need to take their food. I don't know what not, but 80 hours is way too long for them to be somewhere where they are not taken care of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: We do want to show you some striking before and after satellite images of Nepal that truly speak to the scale of this disaster. You can clearly see the heavily swollen rivers tracking through the steep mountain valleys of the region after bursting their banks. Whole villages and road networks have been wiped off the map.

Many of those villages are remote and difficult to access under the best conditions. Now some are completely cut off, and that really puts into perspective just how challenging search and rescue efforts are in a disaster of this scale, and those already challenging search and rescue efforts will likely be complicated even more by rainfall.

The region is in the middle of its monsoon season with thunderstorms possible across the flood zone over the next couple of days. CNN meteorologist Alison Chinchar has latest forecast.

ALISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The last thing this area needs is the potential for additional flooding. Unfortunately, there are rain showers expected in the forecast over the next several days. You can see through Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening, we get another round of showers that makes its way through. Same thing for Monday and even into Tuesday.

Both of those days are likely going to have breaks in the morning before we start to see activity pick back up in the afternoon and evening hours, which is really kind of the main timeline for this general area because we are right in the middle of monsoon season. August is the second wettest month of the year, and for many of these areas, they'll likely pick up 50 to 100 millimeters a day over the next few days.

That's roughly two to four inches. So again, you're talking about a lot of rain, and a lot of that starts to build back up, bringing more rain to a lot of those river valleys that you've seen in many of the images and videos. The big concern too is also where a lot of the mud flows have occurred. That area, when it hardens, turns to an almost concrete-like material.

But once you add water back into the mix from rain showers, it liquefies, making it very unstable and very dangerous for a lot of the rescue and the recovery crews to come in. Not to mention, it just continues to cause more messes and potentially increase the likelihood of additional flooding.

ABEL: Alison Chinchar, thank you. Far away from the tragedy in Nepal, Nepali communities around the world are praying for the dead and the missing. In Sydney, Australia, for example, more than 100 people gathered for a candlelight vigil. One man whose friend is missing says the losses have really hit home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAGENDRA ADHIKARI, HUMANITARIAN WORKER: We are sad for his family. We're still hoping for the good news. Not only that, some of my cousin, some of my relatives, their beloved are also missing. It's a huge disaster, and we are facing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And in London, a worship ceremony for a Hindu festival took a somber tone because of the devastating floods, but it also doubled as a fundraiser since many attendees have ties to the region. Organizers say they raised more than $8,000 for -- for relief efforts and hope to collect more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARENDRA KANDEL, CHAIR OF COMMITTEE AT SHREE PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE: This is the temple, you know, where we always come together. Difficult time, and people talk. You know, they try to support each other, and I mean emotionally and at the same time financially as well. You know, and people are being very generous you know, to support Nepal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And for more information on how you can help the victims of this disaster, visit cnn.com/impact. There's much more to come here on CNN Newsroom including a look at the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran. We'll speak live with an expert about what has been achieved and what hasn't. Stay with us.

[00:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Ukraine's president says a criminal investigation is underway after one of the deadliest Russian attacks since the war began. An ammunition warehouse near Kyiv was hit Saturday morning, killing at least 37 people and wounding dozens of others. It led to a huge fire and triggered explosions of the stored ammo that lasted for hours.

Dozens of buildings were damaged, including a home for the elderly and people with disabilities. President Volodymyr Zelensky says the ammunition should never have been stored so close to civilian homes, and he wants those responsible held to account.

And to Iceland now, where a race is too close to call in a referendum that could reshape the island nation's future. The referendum asks whether voters want to restart talks to join the European Union. The Icelandic national broadcaster is tracking early results that show the no side has taken a slim lead, but elections officials say it can take more time to get a reliable result as ballots come in from towns and rural polling stations.

[00:20:00]

Those in favor say EU membership could offer more security, especially against Donald Trump's threats. Opponents argue it would threaten Iceland's sovereignty and fishing waters.

In the six months since the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran, the financial and economic impacts of the conflict have reverberated across the world, but none of the original goals laid out by President Donald Trump or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been achieved.

CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: It was six months ago that the U.S. and Israel launched the opening strikes of the war against Iran, and now, as we sit here half a year later, that war very much ongoing and unresolved. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out what seemed to be clear goals for the war: destroy Iran's nuclear program, end its ballistic missile program, and end its support for regional proxies.

Now, however, with none of that accomplished, the Trump Administration has shifted to a different goal and a different strategy. Iran used the war and learned throughout the war that they really didn't need a military able to compete with the U.S. or Israel to hold hostage the Strait of Hormuz and close down one of the world's most critical waterways through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows.

That became Iran's most powerful weapon, and that is what the U.S. is trying to open right now, so that there aren't a global ripple effect of impacts from the closed or limited Strait of Hormuz, and of course, so that there aren't incredibly high gas prices in the U.S. ahead of the midterms. That is the only goal, it seems, that the U.S. is focusing on right now, trying to make sure the Strait of Hormuz is open and free for traffic. It is limited here.

The Trump Administration is trying to boast that it's open for traffic, and yet the traffic through the Strait that it's talking about has had to travel through the Strait with its transponder off and with some level of U.S. Navy escort or monitoring to make that happen, and that's because even after the U.S. and Israel destroyed much of Iran's navy and air force and military, they're still able to leverage that power on the Strait of Hormuz with drones, with short- range rockets, and frankly, shipping companies and insurers aren't willing to take that risk.

And so, we're in a state now where Iran has shown that it has ability to exert pressure on the Strait of Hormuz without a final resolution here. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has said in recent days that there are no negotiations with Iran. That even as Qatar is trying to negotiate with Iran and Oman to try to find some sort of resolution on the Strait itself, and that remains the challenge here: finding a solution that both satisfies the U.S. and Iran.

Despite President Donald Trump repeatedly claiming that Iran is begging for a deal, Iran has repeatedly shown that even with the economic pressure they're facing, the inflation, and all of the other problems, they're not begging for a deal, and they're willing to make very high demands to open up the Strait for the world's oil to flow through it. Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ABEL: Oren, thank you. There is much more to come here on CNN

Newsroom, including the latest on the recovery efforts in Nepal and China after raging floodwaters ripped entire villages from their foundations. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Let's take a look at today's top stories. British far right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported by the United States. The Department (Technical Difficulty) back to the UK on Friday, a day after he was arrested by ICE at a Louisiana airport. DHS says he entered the country legally back in 2019, but overstayed his visa and then failed to appear at an immigration hearing.

Ukraine is conducting a criminal investigation after a Russian strike left at least 37 people dead. The attack (Technical Difficulty) ammunition warehouse near Kyiv on Saturday apparently igniting the ordinances inside. That led to explosions that damaged dozens of nearby buildings. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he wants the people who stored the ammunition there to be held accountable.

Rescue workers are searching for any remaining survivors of the devastating flood along the China-Nepal border. (Technical Difficulty) three people are confirmed dead in Nepal, and at least 16 others in China. More than 3,000 people are missing, most of them in Nepal. Hundreds of those unaccounted for are foreigners. The families of U.S. citizens missing in Nepal and China are waiting desperately for news of their loved ones. And Rafael Romo gives us an update.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to the U.S. State Department, there are about 90 Americans missing after the devastating flood that hit Nepal's border with China on Wednesday. One of those missing Americans is Anil Goel from Virginia. According to his family, Goel, an avid hiker, had planned a multi-day trip to hike Mount Kailash near Nepal's border with China as part of a tour group.

But his son Anurag Goel told CNN this morning that the family hasn't heard from his father or the group since the day before the disaster. Anurag Goel says the last communication from the group happened less than an hour before the flooding happened in that area around the border.

ANURAG GOEL, FATHER ANIL DURAG MISSING IN NEPAL WITH TOUR GROUP: They were known to last be at the Nepal side of the Nepal-Tibet border that's called Gyirong Crossing, and that was they were last known to have received their departure stamp on their passports around 8:35 a.m. to depart Nepal, enter Tibet, and there were also some messages through WhatsApp exchange around that time. So that was roughly 45 minutes before the -- the flooding took -- took place in that area. ROMO: Goel also told CNN that quote, there's been a large lag in

communication from the affected region that has made it even more difficult for families like his who are desperate for any news about their loved ones.

Last night in Hicksville, New York, people came together for a solemn vigil. Leaders from the Long Island Nepalese Society organized the vigil to gather in solidarity, prayer, and hope as CNN affiliate News 12 Long Island reported. A man who worked as a teacher in Nepal and now lives in the United States told News 12 he lost several people he knew, including former students and neighbors.

DIAWAKAR PANDE, NEPALESE COMMUNITY LEADER: I was the teacher in there. My I lost my three student in there. One my neighbor people I lost in there. A lot of the people I lost in this time in this incident.

MYAM JIRI, LONG ISLAND NEPALESE SOCIETY: It's very heartbreaking to all of us to see our fellow country people losing their lives and houses in a matter of a few minutes.

[00:30:00]

ROMO: A State Department spokesperson told CNN the United States government is sending half a million dollars in aid to Nepal, including food, and that the first trucks carrying assistance are on the way. The United Kingdom has pledged nearly $6.8 million in assistance, and the European Union said it would provide $2.3 million in aid. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

ABEL: UNICEF says more than 17,000 children are in need of humanitarian assistance after the Nepal-China flooding. It's appealing for more than $17 million to help deliver its emergency response. UNICEF says those who have survived face a heightened risk of disease, malnutrition, violence, and exploitation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ENGLISH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, UNICEF: As this situation becomes clearer and the impact becomes clearer, what is becoming clear is this is an incredibly grave situation, and we know that in the -- in the weeks and -- and months ahead, that children are going to need support in terms of you know protecting them from waterborne diseases and nutrition support and -- and psychosocial support.

But the very real risk at this moment is the continued rain and the development of this second lake, which is being monitored. But that not only poses a risk to the children and the families and the communities who've already been impacted by this, but also the search and rescue teams and the humanitarian teams who are on the ground trying to reach people with these -- these basics of life, and so it's an incredibly concerning situation. We are buoyed along by -- by the hope of these rescues that we see in your report earlier, and the fact that we have the knowledge of how to provide help to people in these incredibly concerning situations, but it is a huge challenge. One really critical issue now in terms of child protection is

identifying children who may be unaccompanied or separated from their families. Now, this is -- this is incredibly likely. We already know we've got reports of this, but you know this crisis struck, the flood struck at 9 o'clock on a school day, so many children were in school, they were not at home. They were not close to their parents.

And so, we've met with children who were separated and now, thankfully, have been reunited. And you know, as a humanitarian worker, there is no better feeling than when you see a child reunited with their parents. But the flip side of that is that there will be many, many children who have lost parents, and there will be many, many parents who have lost their children.

ABEL: There is much more to come here on CNA Newsroom. Canada disregarding President Trump's effort to rename Lake Ontario. We'll bring you an update on the escalating tensions between the North American neighbors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Canada is pushing back against President Trump's attempt to rename one of the Great Lakes along the New York-Ontario border on Saturday. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a large waterfront sign that reads "Lake Ontario Now and Always." It comes in response to President Trump's executive order to change the body of water to Lake America on Thursday after trade talks between the two nations collapsed.

The name Ontario is derived from indigenous roots, which predate the establishment of both Canada and the U.S.. Ford says it will remain unchanged no matter what President Trump wants to call it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG FORD, ONTARIO PREMIER: So that's -- that's our message to President Trump. We're resilient, and we're strong Canadians, and we're always going to protect our sovereignty, always. And we'll -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: All right. For more on this, let's bring in Diamond Isinger live from Vancouver, a Policy Strategist and former Special Advisor on Canada-U.S. relations to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Thank you for your time, Diamond. A professor from my alma mater, Western Michigan University, when writing a Washington Post op-ed this week about the name change, leaned in on this little-known poet named Shakespeare, remembering Juliet's question to Romeo: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet."

The contemplation highlighting that the act of changing the label doesn't actually change the nature of the thing, and then us Michiganders still call the concert venue that got a corporate name change Pine Knob. Does this proclamation by President Trump, renaming Lake Ontario hold any water on the other side of the border or any weight for the future of the lake?

DIAMOND ISINGER, FMR. SPECIAL ADVISOR ON CANADA-U.S. RELATIONS TO JUSTIN TRUDEAU: This week's proclamation by the president, I think, was just the latest in a line-up of comments from him and his administration that have caused further challenge in our Canada-U.S. relationship. We're just over a week past now the essentially collapse of talks between Canada and the United States to try to get to a trade agreement around potentially reducing or eliminating tariffs being applied to Canada.

And this latest offense towards Canada is only galvanizing Canadians to be even more frustrated and even less inclined to want to negotiate with the Trump Administration, despite the significant challenge that Canadians are facing during this trade war.

ABEL: So, that opposite effect. Some of our audience might actually know that the two countries signed an agreement over this lake and the other Great Lakes back in the 70s, working together on the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, that's since become kind of a neglected funding stream.

But it's just one of a plethora of examples of the two countries' cooperation as close allies. Do you see a future where that cooperation, that kind, becomes cohesive once again, or -- or is this strong enough of situation to cause permanent damage?

ISINGER: The Canada-U.S. relationship is far more significant than just trade, though trade is obviously a dominant theme. We have lots of economic opportunity between our two countries, many jobs in both countries that rely on this continued trade. But as you allude to, we also have opportunities for environmental cooperation. We share a massive shared border between our two countries.

Those have long been opportunities for Canada and the U.S. to work quite closely together. But all of that is challenged and jeopardized by this trade situation, and it's not clear when we can get to a better place, other than perhaps at the conclusion of President Trump's tenure as President of the United States.

ABEL: OK, let's talk about the real-time impacts of this fracture now, Diamond. It's certainly having an impact on trade, on people's livelihoods. You were an advisor to Justin Trudeau. If you were an advisor right now to Mark Carney, what would you be telling him?

ISINGER: I think he made exactly the right decision at this time last week of walking away from the table and ceasing those at that time conversations with the U.S. administration. They were made further complicated by, as has been widely reported, both the role of the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, but then also having Secretary Lutnick enter the mix as another interlocutor.

There were 11th-hour requests and demands made of Canada that were a surprise, contrary to what had been discussed to date between Canada and the United States. That eventually got things to a point where Canada did not feel that it could reach a good deal that was indeed beneficial for Canada, but also mutually beneficial for the two countries.

[00:40:00]

So, I actually think the decisions that the Prime Minister has made at this time last week and since have been correct. But now we find ourselves in this position of unfortunately heading towards this retaliatory tariff imposition date of September 8th, when Canada will have a new suite of tariffs imposed against U.S. products as our response to these unfortunate unilateral actions that the president has taken.

ABEL: Do Canadians agree with you that Prime Minister Carney is doing what he should be doing, or are they asking for more to be done, more retaliation for President Trump's actions?

ISINGER: Well, just like public opinion reported on your network, we've had lots of opinion solicited in the last week here domestically in Canada. By some counts, at least three quarters of Canadians believe that we should be retaliating against the United States right now, and not against everyday Americans, but against the administration's decisions.

It's so unfortunate because this trade war obviously has real life consequences for Canadians, but it has real life consequences for Americans, and we don't need to find ourselves in this situation. To your question, though, whether there should be more done, I think we're going to have to see how the coming days and weeks unfold, whether or not the United States explores any additional new and novel experimental measures to introduce new tariffs, for example, as has been done over recent months.

And notably, the U.S. administration has sort of shown its hand in revealing what its vulnerabilities are with Canada because it has not imposed its upcoming 50 percent -- or rather current 50 percent tariffs on things like our natural resource exports, the U.S. is incredibly reliant on. So many in Canada are still talking about and exploring whether or not it makes sense to add those into our retaliatory strategy, something like an export tariff on those products that we supply as key inputs for U.S. manufacturing and households across the U.S.

ABEL: All right, Diamond Isinger in Vancouver very much appreciate your expertise. Thank you for joining us.

ISINGER: Thank you.

ABEL: Washington and Caracas are hailing a landmark deal on oil. It gives the U.S. control of tens of billions of barrels of Venezuelan reserves. Donald Trump says the agreement will more than double America's oil reserves, as well as increasing supply and lowering gas prices. That's been a critical issue for the U.S. president as the Iran war drags on. Venezuela's Acting President says the deal will help revitalize the country's economy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, VENEZUELAN INTERIM PRESIDENT (through translator): As a whole, this agreement is going to give a great boost to Venezuela, and that is why we said it is a historic agreement. It will be the boost for the great development of Venezuela in the coming decades to come. So that when a Venezuelan thinks of a future, they will think that they are thinking of hope, of what is to come, of progress, of human development and of all the happiness that is what we want for all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: We have much more ahead here on CNN Newsroom. Deported to one of the most dangerous countries in the world, CNN travels to the Central African Republic and speaks with several migrants who had never heard of the country before, being sent there by the U.S..

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: The Trump administration's immigration policy it involves so- called third-country deportations. That's when migrants are sent from the United States to countries other than their own, and just months ago, ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sent their first deportation flight to the Central African Republic, one of the most dangerous countries on earth.

CNN's Isobel Yeung traveled there to investigate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was so scared. I was crying, and I said, I'm not going out.

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Asuna (ph) thought she'd find safety in the U.S. She says she fled Turkey after facing death threats, but then she became one of thousands that the Trump Administration has deported.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First, my hands and with my belly like this and my foot.

YEUNG: So, they handcuffed you and shackled you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

YEUNG: And you still didn't know where you were going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know where I'm going to. I said, where we are going? Tell me. And he said, I don't know. Maybe Central Africa. And I was -- I was in shock.

YEUNG: Have you ever heard of Central African Republic before?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

YEUNG: So we are here in Bangui, in the Central African Republic, trying to find out what happened with this ICE deportation flight that took place this summer, going from the U.S. to here. We know that this flight happened in the shadows of secrecy. As far as we know, no one apart from UN agencies has managed to meet with these migrants, so we're here trying to track them down.

At 8:58 p.m. on June 11, 18 migrants from all over the world were brought to Alexandria Airport, Louisiana. They say they were handcuffed and shackled. Several claim they were severely beaten. Two of the migrants say they were forced into a full-body restraint, like the one seen here in a demo video.

A U.S. official called the allegation a flat-out lie and denied anyone was beaten. The maker of one such restraint said it's a last resort tool intended to promote safety and prevent escalation. Nearly 20 hours later, after a refueling stop, the plane touched down in Bangui, Central African Republic. Maybe I can just start with where are you from originally?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm from Georgia.

YEUNG: You're from Georgia?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Egypt.

YEUNG: Egypt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Afghanistan.

YEUNG: Afghanistan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iraq.

YEUNG: Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jordan.

YEUNG: Jordan. So, all different countries. How are you all doing here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doing here, like hell.

YEUNG: Like hell?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. No internet, no electric, too much of mosquito. Everybody's had malaria.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The police detained us and then demanded money from us. Since that day, we have not left the building. YEUNG: The U.S. State Department warns people do not travel here for

risk of kidnapping and terrorism, and advises those who must to leave behind a DNA sample so they can be identified by their family.

[00:50:00]

A lot of the migrants have told us that they are terrified to be here, and you can understand why. I mean, this is a country where there's been an ongoing civil war that's still taking place. But even here in Bangui, there's very high rates of violence, very high rates of criminality, and very high rates of you know these armed groups operating here.

I asked the police about the migrants' claims that they are part of the problem. Some of the migrants here that I've spoken to say that when they go outside, the police stop them and ask them for cash and threaten them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No, no, those police officers are checking who those people are. I don't believe they're asking them for money.

YEUNG: Very little is known about what terms the CAR government agreed to with the U.S. but what we do know is that on May 18th, just one month before the first deportation flight, State Department diplomats traveled here to meet with the president. For the past decade, the U.S. has given just a few million dollars per year to the U.N. Migration Agency, IOM's operations in CAR, but this year that figure shot up to $85 million.

An additional $50 million was committed to the CAR Humanitarian Fund. We asked the IOM about the money they're receiving. They did not respond to our specific questions, but told us that IOM has a long- standing presence in the CAR and they're receiving funding from a range of donors, but this is at a time when the Trump Administration has been slashing billions of dollars in foreign assistance.

We have been trying to get hold of any U.S. officials to talk about what's been happening and why and how they've sent these migrants here, because they are ultimately the ones responsible. I mean, the State Department have emailed back saying, as a policy, we do not discuss diplomatic negotiations or funding mechanisms, and the U.S. embassy staff have not been replying to us.

But we're going to try a knock on the door just to see if they answer. So, we just have some questions about the migrants that were brought here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All questions have to go through them. I'm not authorized to answer any questions.

YEUNG: All right. And is there -- is there anyone else we can contact at the U.S. Embassy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Bangui PD at state.gov the email I gave you. YEUNG: Who are just going to ignore us and pretend that email never

came. All right. Thank you. Eventually, the State Department did get back to us. They did not reply to any of our detailed questions, but said the U.S. will use foreign assistance to support countries that help us achieve our immigration priorities. It's a tacit admission that the money is tied to the deportations.

The U.S. government does have a responsibility towards these migrants. Most of those we spoke to here have protection orders from American judges stopping the government from sending them to their home countries, where they're likely to face persecution, torture, or death.

Fidele Gouandjika is a Special Advisor to the CAR's President. He also hosts a local radio show. As you know, nothing happens in this country without little sweetener. It's a little bit difficult to believe that zero money was given by the U.S. to Central African Republic. I mean, this is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, as you know.

FIDELE GOUANDJIKA, SPECIAL ADVISOR TO CAR'S PRESIDENT (through translator): I do not believe the government could be corrupt I would not want to think for a single second that the Americans or Donald Trump are acting as corruptors.

YEUNG: For Gouandjika, what's happened to these migrants is a sign of American cruelty. When a powerful country like the U.S. comes knocking and asking for this help. Is it difficult for a country like yours to refuse?

GOUANDJIKA (through translator): What saddens me about the United States, a superpower with all the resources could keep these migrants there and they send them here to us instead. The United States is a superpower, but it is a power without a good heart.

YEUNG: Perhaps most concerning of all are those who have nowhere left to run to, like this young pro-democracy activist from Iran, who says she faced possible execution for partaking in protests. Initially, she was overjoyed when she arrived in the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was too much happy that America, one of the best country in the world, and I say it's OK, now I'm safe, and I can make one new life here. I know if I -- I -- I was in Iran, they going to kill me.

YEUNG: Earlier this year, Trump himself encouraged Iranians to keep protesting, promising help is on the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time I think they going to protect me, but America not protect me. When they send me here, really, I lose my hope again.

YEUNG: Isobel Yeung, CNN, Central African Republic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:55:00] ABEL: Nashville's Grand Ole Opry honoring country music icon and humanitarian hero Dolly Parton. The venue says Saturday Night Show was dedicated to recognizing Dolly's life, legacy, and contributions to country music. Several country artists performed, including Carly Pearce, who began her career at Parton's Dollywood theme park, and Parton inducted her into the Grand Ole Opry.

Parton was 13 years old when she made her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry stage in 1959, introduced by the legendary Jonny Cash. She became an official member by age 23. Following her passing on Tuesday, her name was placed front and center on the venue's outdoor marquee.

Thank you for watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Brian Abel. I'll be right back with more of your top headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)