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U.S., Iran Trade First Strikes in a Month; Urgent Search Underway to Find Workers Missing in Tunnels; Trump: NBC Host Should Face 'Rebuke or Punishment' from FCC; Families of Missing North American Hikers Wait for News; NASA's New Telescope to Explore Universe's Darkest Secrets; Scottie Scheffler Captures Another FedEx Cup, Wins Championship; Netherlands Throws Annual Festival for Redheads. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired August 31, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.

[00:00:39]

Coming up on the show, the U.S. and Iran trade strikes for the first time in more than a month, raising fears of an escalation in a war that had gone quiet.

Hundreds dead and thousands missing in Nepal following catastrophic flooding. Hear from survivors on how they narrowly survived the devastation.

Plus, a brand-new telescope is now heading a million miles from Earth. We'll talk to a rocket scientist on how it could change what we know about our universe.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome. New strikes near the Straits of Hormuz break a tense quiet between the U.S. and Iran. This is the first escalation in the region in a month, as the White House says there are no ongoing talks between the two countries.

U.S. Central Command says the military struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island early on Sunday after reportedly observing Iranian forces preparing to fire rockets with mines into the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran responded with its own strikes against two U.S. air bases in Jordan.

A spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called the U.S. actions, quote, "a strategic and deadly mistake." That's according to state media.

CNN's Julia Benbrook has more details for us from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Over the weekend, U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers Larak Island.

BENBROOK (voice-over): A U.S. official tells CNN that this took place after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.

This all taking place just days after President Donald Trump said that there was a zero-tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect. And after U.S. Central Command said that it had finished clearing the sea mines out of that critical waterway.

An official tells our team, quote, "U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway."

The Strait of Hormuz has been a key area of focus during this now, more than six-month-long conflict, and there have been conflicting messages --

BENBROOK: -- when it comes to who has control of the strait. Trump has been adamant that the United States has full control and that they are watching, quote, "every inch of it."

These are the first strikes of this conflict in over a month.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Joining me now is Colonel Cedric Leighton, CNN military analyst and retired colonel with the U.S. Air Force.

Good to see you, sir. Based on what you have been seeing and hearing, how significant is this escalation and what happens next?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. Ben, great to be with you.

One of the things that's really important about this is that this hasn't happened for about a month. We haven't had any situation like this where the U.S. has used kinetic force against any Iranian targets that we know about since the 29th of July. So, that gives us the idea that this was something that was a bit of a one-off.

So, what happens next? This could result in, basically, an escalation that is, you know, quite frankly, different from the type of escalations that we've seen in the past.

So, there could be a situation where, with the Iranian response that, you know, was launched against the Jordanian-based air bases, that could be a situation where we have, you know, more of that going back and forth.

So, if that happens, it could very much result in changes to not only the -- the way the U.S. conducts these kinds of operations but also could result in changes to the way the Iranians respond to these types of attacks.

So, it could result in an escalation. Right now, it doesn't seem to be the case that that's going to happen, but it is definitely a possibility that we could have a situation unravel like that.

HUNTE: Well, tell me a bit more about what you are expecting if Washington does need to respond further; if there are further Iranian attacks.

LEIGHTON: Yes. So, I think if there are further Iranian attacks, what's going to happen is that the U.S. is going to have to make sure that it maintains, basically, a sea and air presence.

[00:05:05]

Right now, of course, the U.S. has maintained a blockade against the Iranian ports that has been fairly successful in terms of keeping Iranian ships and ships bound for Iran out of those ports. So, that kind of aspect is -- you know, on the one hand would result in, you know, that maritime aspect being part of it.

On the other hand, the air power would have to -- air cover would have to be maintained by U.S. forces in the region. So that would mean you'd have not only increased activity from naval aviation with the carrier battle groups in the region, but also from the Air Force bases that are in the -- basically in Jordan and in the Persian Gulf region, on the Arab side of the Persian Gulf.

So, those activities and -- would have to be based in response to the kinds of attacks that Iran, you know, it would be leveraging against the U.S., if they decided to continue with that kind of an operation.

HUNTE: The U.S. had, of course, spent weeks trying to shift away from military action and towards economic pressure. Does that mean that that strategy didn't work?

LEIGHTON: I think it's too early to say. I think when you're looking at the way in which the U.S. is responding to this, they are hoping that the economic pressure will actually work. The so-called D-day sanctions against -- economic sanctions against Iran.

They're looking at those as being a -- you know, basically what the U.S. policy is based on. They are hoping to get away from as much military action as possible, because President Trump wants to keep the Iran War out of the headlines as much as he possibly can.

But, given the way in which this is going to probably unfold, I think that is -- you know, the Iran War is basically here to stay in the headlines.

And it's going to be difficult to keep this war hidden, in essence, because it is something that is continued -- continuing. And it's going to really make -- you know, make a, I think, a little bit of a -- of a difference here when it comes to the way in which American military forces are engaging the Iranians.

I think that those forces will continue to engage the Iranians at this point.

HUNTE: So, six months into this war, we are now seeing these direct U.S.-Iranian strikes again. When do you genuinely think this will end now?

LEIGHTON: So, I think we're basically caught in a situation where we're looking at the Iranian and U.S. positions basically being in a stalemate.

So, the -- the way each side is basically talking about controlling the Strait of Hormuz, neither side has exercised complete control, although the U.S. has worked to demine the Strait of Hormuz. They were basically able to do that until these strikes, today. That those strikes, you know, supposedly eliminated the Iranian effort to remine the Strait of Hormuz.

So that part, I think, is going to basically be where the red line is right now. The Strait of Hormuz, as far as the U.S. is concerned, it has to be demined, has to remain mine-free, for the foreseeable future.

If the U.S. can maintain that and the Iranians don't have any success in reminding it, then that will be one aspect right there.

When it comes to the other aspects; you know, when it comes to other aspects of this -- this particular conflict, I think what we'll see is a major movement toward the Iranians trying to figure out asymmetric ways to go after the U.S., perhaps against some of the bases that are in the Middle Eastern region and perhaps using other means that -- you know, such as cyberattacks. That could also be a possibility.

But we haven't seen as much of that in the public domain as we might have expected, you know, in the last few months or so.

HUNTE: OK. We'll leave it there for now. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you for your expert opinion, as always. Appreciate it.

LEIGHTON: Thank you, Ben.

HUNTE: The death toll is rising following the devastating flooding that swept across parts of Nepal and China last week. Local authorities now estimate at least 788 people in Nepal have been killed.

The scale of the disaster is straining medical resources to preserve victims' remains for DNA testing. India has deployed more than a dozen forensic scientists to Nepal to help speed up analysis there, but officials in Southern Nepal have already been forced to bury 199 unidentified bodies.

Meanwhile, families are desperately searching for clues to find their missing loved ones. An estimated 3,000 people are still unaccounted for on both sides of the China-Nepal border. [00:10:02]

Urgent search-and-rescue operations are underway to reach hundreds of workers trapped in tunnels in Nepal. Specialist teams from China and India are joining roughly 10,000 Nepali troops to help there.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the latest for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Nepal's mud-filled tunnels, desperate rescues are unfolding. Helicopters lifting survivors to safety, some too weak to walk.

These tunnels were built to harness Nepal's rivers and fuel its booming hydropower industry. But now, they're the focus of a frantic search. More than 900 are still missing, many of them workers trapped inside when the flood hit.

BHAKTI RAM BOHARA, FLOOD SURVIVOR (through translator): Me and my brother-in-law were working in the same tunnel. I lost him. His wife is my sister, and she is pregnant.

AMAR BISTA, HELPED RESCUE WORKERS: We are bringing this team in the --

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Amar Bista helped rescue these men. He and his team of volunteers trekked through dangerous terrain carrying medical supplies.

And with the help of the Nepali army, they flew to the worst-hit areas, where they used picks and shovels to find signs of life. Sometimes, they found the dead, instead.

The rescued men we spoke to say the tunnels were filled with bodies. The floods stripped them of everything they had, including their clothes.

BISTA: All the clothes -- they lost all the -- whatever they have. Like, they lost their phones. They lost their -- like everything, they lost, you know?

MONTGOMERY: What about -- what about these men? Have they lost family members?

BISTA: Yes, like they lost their nephew. They lost their uncles, brothers, you know, like cousins, you know.

MONTGOMERY: Everyone's lost someone.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Four days in the mountains have left Amar haunted by what he's seen.

BISTA: Like, hundreds of people are there and no food. Everybody got the diarrhea, you know, like nothing. So, you know, I didn't -- I didn't have a word for that because they all are from my area, you know, like, I don't know. Nothing to tell, because a lot of people here, they doesn't know the reality. When I entered there, like, the reality is different. We cannot tell, you know -- the reality is way different.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): For survivors, now comes the reckoning with what they endured and the enormity of what they've lost.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Nepal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Joining us now to discuss all of this live from Seattle, Washington, is David Chalmers, a former U.S. diplomat with USAID.

Thank you for being with me. You've spent several years working in Nepal. I wonder if you can just give us your initial thoughts about what has happened there and how you felt seeing the coverage.

DAVID CHALMERS, FORMER U.S. DIPLOMAT WITH USAID: Yes. Well, thank you for having me, Ben.

It's absolutely devastating. All of Nepal is grieving. I'm grieving. I was fortunate to spend about five years in Nepal in total, first as a Peace Corps volunteer, later as a foreign service officer with USAID.

One of the big things I worked on was earthquake reconstruction. And seeing, in some ways, similar disaster unfold in this way is -- is just gut-wrenching. It's -- you know, I have friends who -- who lost friends. I've -- I've spent a fair amount of time in the affected area. It's -- it's absolutely heartbreaking.

HUNTE: It is It's absolutely awful.

Nepal is now accepting help from other nations to support the search- and-rescue efforts there. Why do you think there was initially such a reluctance to accept foreign support? And where are the gaps now?

CHALMERS: Yes, it's a great question. I think overall, from what I hear from my former Nepali colleagues on the ground, the government of Nepal has been doing a really commendable job in coordinating the response effort.

I think some of that, perhaps, initial -- I don't know if I'd call it reluctance. I think they wanted to make sure that aid coming in got where it needed to be in a well-coordinated way and that, you know, the response was -- was carefully sequenced and avoid some of the issues that perhaps occurred with past disaster responses when the effort was not as well-coordinated as it could be.

Nepal's civilian disaster response agency, the Nepal Disaster Risk Management -- risk reduction and management authority, NDRMA was -- did not exist in 2015 when the earthquake hit. It was stood up, in part, through USAID support. And my impression is they've been doing a really excellent job coordinating in the face of very challenging circumstances. So, I think governments bringing in assistance where needed.

Certainly, the needs are vast, but I think the government in Nepal has done a commendable job overall.

[00:15:11]

HUNTE: Glad to hear that. Thousands of people, though, are still unaccounted for. What can international teams realistically do now to find people who are still missing?

CHALMERS: I think there's a lot international teams can do and are doing. Specialized tunnel rescues at some of the hydropower sites that were -- were devastated by this flooding. Other specialized forms of search-and-rescue.

And then, certainly, meeting near-term response needs around shelter, medicine, safe drinking water.

You know, a disaster of this scale very much requires international assistance and partnership. So, it's good to see the international community stepping up to the extent it can.

HUNTE: What is your reaction to the attention and support that this tragedy has been receiving from all around the world? Has it met your expectations, or do you think that world leaders could be doing more?

CHALMERS: I -- it's a good question. I mean, there's -- there's always more that -- that could be done. A disaster of this scale, the needs are always going to outweigh the response measures available.

But I've been heartened to see the -- the outpouring on -- of support from -- from the U.S. and from around the world. I -- I don't think it's enough. I think we'll know in the next couple of years if the response is going to be commensurate with the scale of the need.

But, you know, stories like this one are -- are really important. And Nepal's an incredible country with a lot of friends. And it's -- I think there has been a real global outpouring of concern and support.

HUNTE: Kind of on that but beyond the immediate rescue that's happening now, what should the international community be preparing to do to help Nepal rebuild, and how long do you think that could take?

CHALMERS: Yes, I think the first step is a robust needs assessment. That's -- that's underway. We have initial monetary estimates that stretch into the billions. But we need a more detailed needs assessment.

And then I think the international community, hopefully, is going to step up in the same way it did for the 2015 earthquake, when international partners contributed well over $1 billion to the response.

The U.S. government alone made a very significant contribution, first, to immediate search-and-rescue needs, then the temporary learning facilities; a major home reconstruction program; rebuilding permanent schools and health facilities that are now serving over 240,000 Nepalis.

This disaster is not quite at the scale of the earthquake, but I would hope the response is going to be at a broadly similar scale, because I think that's what's needed.

HUNTE: OK. We'll leave it there for now. David Chalmers in Seattle, Washington, thank you so much for joining us.

CHALMERS: Thank you for having me.

HUNTE: And for more information on how you can help the victims of this disaster, you can visit CNN.com/impact.

At least one person has died, and about 15 others may be missing after a flash flood hit Grand Canyon National Park. The body of a 46-year- old man was recovered near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River.

Park officials say the flooding also knocked out a water pipeline serving tourists in the area. The limited water resources will hurt tourism ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend.

It also means less water available for firefighting along the canyon's South Rim. That area has a large concentration of hiking paths, as well as lodging and visitor services, too.

At least 62 people had to be evacuated due to the flooding this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER FUREDY, AMERICAN RED CROSS: It was a very intense experience for some people escaping the flood waters. And one of the couples that I talked to, they were able to evacuate, get to safety, get to their cabins.

And then, as they were being evacuated, they could see that the bridges that they had crossed, just like 15 minutes earlier, had been washed away by the flood waters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: There is much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, including how the name change of Lake Ontario ordered on Thursday by President Trump is already showing up on Google Maps in the U.S.

What Canada is saying about that, just ahead. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:24:18]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

At least eight people are dead and more than a dozen missing after a passenger ferry capsized off the Northern coast of Cyprus while traveling to Turkey. The ferry was carrying nearly 270 people when it capsized.

The Turkish interior ministry says the vessel started taking on water just a few miles off the coast of Cyprus. Search-and-rescue operations are underway for the 18 people still missing.

Turkish-Cypriot officials have declared three days of national mourning for those killed and missing in this disaster.

Swiss police are conducting a manhunt following a deadly shooting at a rave in the Northern town of Aarau. A 22-year-old Italian woman was killed, and five other people were wounded.

Investigators say ammunition of two different calibers was found at the scene and that it's possible more than one shooter was involved.

Police also say several motives are being investigated and have not ruled out terrorism.

Despite Switzerland having one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe, deadly shootings are extremely rare, making the attack all the more shocking for local residents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIJA LUDVIGA, LOCAL RESIDENT: Switzerland and this area in general is like a safe place where usually, like, we are absolutely safe when we go somewhere. And when you hear, like, something like that happens, it's like it -- it's, like, completely not understandable for me, how something like that can happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Anyone in the United States who searches for Lake Ontario on Google Maps won't find it.

As of this weekend, users will now see the smallest of the great lakes labeled Lake America. The change comes after President Trump issued an executive order on Thursday mandating the name change.

It comes as part of his ongoing trade war with Canada.

Google says users in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says that's what his country will call it forever.

On Sunday, Trump administration officials celebrated the change on social media. White House communications director Steven Cheung posted: "It's official: Lake America on Google Maps."

Other online maps, including Waze and Apple Maps, still label the lake as Lake Ontario as of Sunday afternoon.

MapQuest said in a Thursday social media post "We're not changing it."

President Trump is also accusing Canada -- that's one of the United States' top trading partners -- of being a, quote, "abuser" and harming the U.S. auto industry.

The U.S. president claims he, quote, "again saved American automakers" with his tariffs.

The Trump administration recently said it would double duties on Canadian cars to 50 percent after trade talks collapsed this month.

He posted on social media, quote, "I don't want Canadian cars. I don't want Canadian parts. I don't want Canadian anything. They've been ripping us off for decades, and it's going to stop."

But the president's comments aren't backed by facts. The U.S. has a trade surplus with Canada when it comes to American cars, and Canada imported more than $30 billion worth of U.S. cars in the first half of this year alone.

The U.S. president is also taking aim at an NBC-TV anchor for reporting news that he personally disagrees with.

Donald Trump is calling for NBC host Kristen Welker to face rebuke or punishment by the Federal Communications Commission for making a fact- based observation about the primary elections.

CNN's Brian Stelter walks us through the president's latest attack on the free press.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey there. Yes, it seems like President Trump is --

STELTER (voice-over): -- treating the FCC like his own personal enforcement squad.

The FCC is the main media regulator in the U.S. Historically, it has been independently administered. But Trump has taken action at the FCC in the same way he has across the executive branch, trying to take control and install people who will carry out his wishes.

STELTER: With the FCC, the agency that licenses the public airwaves for local TV and radio stations, we have seen several aggressive actions against media companies. So, that's the backdrop for Trump's posts on Sunday.

STELTER (voice-over): He wrote on Truth Social that NBC's moderator of "Meet the Press," Kristen Welker, would be, quote, "reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment."

He also separately complained, in all caps, about fake polls and said something must be done about it, adding "FCC to the rescue!"

STELTER: I reached out to Trump's FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, about those posts, and I didn't hear back.

STELTER (voice-over): But I did hear from Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat left of the commission. She said this about Trump's post about Welker. She said, "The FCC has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn't like. These threats to press freedom are dangerous. They undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it."

Historically, the notion of punishment for Welker would be a total nonstarter. The FCC has limited power. It has no power over what a journalist reports on the air, and its own website says the agency cannot prevent the broadcast of any particular point of view.

But in the past 18 months or so, Carr has been quick to respond to some of Trump's other requests or his other posts about news organizations. This also includes the broader entertainment companies that are owners of these news organizations.

For example, in April, one day after Trump complained about ABC comic Jimmy Kimmel and demanded that ABC fire Kimmel, Carr took an unusual action against ABC, calling up all of its local stations for early license renewals.

Earlier this month, ABC's parent company, Disney, filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC, charging the government with violating its free-speech rights.

[00:30:09]

STELTER: So, because Carr has taken aggressive action in the past, there's curiosity now about whether he will follow up on Trump's demand to punish Welker in some way.

STELTER (voice-over): So, what made Trump mad on Sunday? Well, he said he was watching. Or apparently, he was watching NBC's local station when Welker made a comment about his endorsement record.

Welker said that Trump has had mixed results with his endorsements. Trump says his record is at 100 percent for the U.S. Senate and 98 percent for the U.S. House, but that overlooks the fact that several of his chosen candidates, especially for governor, recently lost their primaries.

STELTER: As CNN's "Inside Politics" recently said, Trump has had a mixed endorsement record this primary season.

So, Welker was right. But much more importantly, there is no history, no precedent. The idea of an American president saying he's going to report a journalist to the FCC over a TV segment he didn't like. There's just nothing like that in the past.

STELTER (voice-over): And if you go on the FCC website, FCC.gov, you can see there is not even a way to lodge a complaint like that. You can complain about indecency. You can complain about the ads, but not about the journalism that's being broadcast.

STELTER: So, there is no action the FCC could take against an individual, never mind what an ethical and legal travesty that would be. STELTER (voice-over): But the FCC does have some power against the

parent companies. In ABC's case that's Disney. In NBC's case, it's Comcast.

STELTER: And Carr does have an open investigation into Comcast over its diversity practices. So, that's what to watch out for next.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: There is much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM.

Still to come, the latest on desperate search efforts in Nepal as thousands remain missing in the aftermath of that deadly flooding. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:36:37]

HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

The U.S. and Iran have escalated a conflict once again over the Strait of Hormuz, trading attacks for the first time in a month.

According to state media, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says they retaliated against American strikes on an island near the strait on Sunday.

A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command confirmed U.S. forces did strike two Iranian launchers in the area.

Flash flooding at the Grand Canyon has killed one person and left about 15 people missing, while dozens more had to evacuate. Park officials say the flooding destroyed footbridges as storms swept over Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on Saturday.

A 46-year-old man's body was recovered along the Colorado River. Fifteen others may be missing and at least 62 people were evacuated.

The National Park Service is asking anyone who knows hikers or backpackers who were in the area to contact the agency's tip line.

Search-and-rescue efforts are expanding across Nepal after last week's catastrophic flooding. Local officials say more than 780 people have been killed, but they warn that number is expected to rise as an estimated 3,000 people are still missing along the border between Nepal and China.

On that story, dozens of U.S. citizens are among the missing in Nepal and China. They include members of a group who were on a two-week trip to hike around Mount Kailash in Nepal.

CNN's Rafael Romo spoke with their families. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over the weekend, we've been able to get in touch with some of the families of a group of ten men traveling together for a hiking trip of a lifetime, for both spiritual and recreational reasons.

ROMO (voice-over): There were nine Americans and one Canadian in the missing group of friends, traveling as part of a tour as catastrophic flash flooding hit the area where they were around the Nepal-China border on Wednesday.

One of those missing men is Kesava Rao Tadipatri, a 73-year-old American father who lives in Arizona. Tadipatri is the one located in the upper left corner of this picture, holding a phone.

His daughter told CNN that her father sent his family the group photo of himself and his fellow hikers just a short time before the flood waters hit the border crossing.

RAMYA TADIPATRI, FATHER'S HIKING GROUP MISSING IN NEPAL: That picture that that you showed was -- we had received at 8:36. And the tremors, the first tremors, we understand, happened at -- at 8:37.

Then at 8:42 was -- we received a message from my dad. And he said, "I will have some issues near the Trishuli River, which was the -- that river that was flooded.

And -- and my mom asked what issues. And -- and then it was the communication blackout that was -- that was the last we heard.

ROMO (voice-over): Tadipatri described her father as a spiritual guru and guide for the Hindu community and shared with CNN that the 73- year-old had run his second marathon earlier this year.

CNN also got in touch with the wife of another member of the same group of men hiking together near the Nepal-China border. When tragedy struck.

Sneha Sudhir says her husband, Srinivas Sudhir Rangu, was enjoying a long-anticipated hiking trip through Mount Kailash with nine other family friends.

[00:40:07]

SNEHA SUDHIR, HUSBAND'S HIKING GROUP MISSING IN NEPAL: He was on a hiking trip from Nepal, and then he was with nine other friends, family, friends. It was supposed to be a simple two -- two-weeks Nepal hiking trip where he would go, have some good time with his boys, and be back home.

ROMO (voice-over): Sudhir also told us the hikers, including her husband, had been preparing for months for this trip, and the man, whom she described as great human beings, were all in good physical shape. SUDHIR: So, these boys were supposed to be going on a hike. And then,

that was starting from Nepal. And, eventually would be the Mount Kailash trek and be back home. That was their plan.

And they had a wonderful guide. They had prepared for this particular hike for close to about three months.

ROMO: Meanwhile, help continues to arrive in the flood zone. A shipment from China just landed in Kathmandu, and the United States announced on Sunday it was sending more than $3.5 million of additional aid.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: There is much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, including NASA just launched a mission to help astronomers explore some of the biggest cosmic mysteries. We'll tell you more about its newest space telescope. That's just ahead. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:46:12]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three, two, one. Ignition and lift-off! Go, Falcon Heavy, and go, Roman Space Telescope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: NASA's new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And lift-off of NASA's Roman Space Telescope, on a mission to revolutionize --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: -- has set off on a mission to uncover the universe's deepest mysteries.

This includes how the universe has evolved and whether humans are alone. It features a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will gather data 1,000 times faster than the Hubble Telescope.

NASA says it will take the lead in exploring dark energy and dark matter, which make up 95 percent of the universe, and help search for planets beyond our Solar System.

The mission will last at least five years, and astronomers expect to release Roman's first images by early next year.

We are joined now by Bertrand Mennesson. He is the Roman deputy project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Sir, it's good to see you. Roman successfully launched. What were your initial thoughts and feelings, seeing that finally happen?

BERTRAND MENNESSON, ROMAN DEPUTY PROJECT SCIENTIST, NASA'S JET PROPULSION LABORATORY: There was a bit unreal for us. You know, working on this mission for 15 years and seeing how smooth was the launch this morning? It -- it almost sounded unreal.

But there's a sense of relief and happiness within the team. Everything is nominal so far.

HUNTE: I'd love to understand some more about the science behind it. It's about dark matter specifically. What exactly do we know about it, and what could Roman tell us that we don't know today?

MENNESSON: Yes, so there's a lot of ignorance regarding dark matter and dark energy, actually. But basically, we don't know the exact makeup of the universe. That's an understatement. We only know 5 percent of its makeup, which is made of ordinary matter.

But we don't know dark matter, which is matter that we know exists, because it has some gravitational pull on the matter around it. But it's -- it's dark. So, we don't -- we don't see it. We don't know what it's made of. And that's probably very important in the cohesion of galaxies.

But at the same time, there's also an unknown force which applies and, basically, accelerates the expansion of the universe. That's dark energy. And Roman will go after both dark matter and dark energy by observing millions of billions of galaxies and our Milky Way in great details.

HUNTE: Wow. For a long time, it did feel like there were relatively few major space missions, and now we are seeing just a huge wave of them. What's driving this new era of space exploration?

MENNESSON: Well, I think it's -- generally, we see big telescopes every 15, 20 years. And it's been a much faster, of course, with -- with Webb being launched in 2021 and now Roman in 2026.

I think there's a desire inside the agency to fly possibly more telescopes in the -- in the future. But it's also just by chance that we have these two missions that kind of fly not so far from each other this time.

HUNTE: We are going to be seeing enormous amounts of new data from Roman. What's the possibility that it could find something completely unexpected?

MENNESSON: It's very high, and it's almost guaranteed. Like when we fly new capabilities, we do find a lot of unexpected discoveries.

And that's the whole interest of -- of flying Roman, which has this very panoramic view of the universe. So, for the first time, we're going to be looking at billions of galaxies and stars and thousands of exoplanets at the same time.

So, it's expected that, out of this enormous deluge of data, there are going to be some -- some gems that we're going to be able to zoom in on with -- with Webb or even Hubble.

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But this is a survey telescope. This is not a pointed telescope. So that's -- that's what is really different with -- with Roman. And you mentioned the extremely high, large field of view that it has, which is a first.

HUNTE: After all of your years working on this -- and there were many years -- what is the one discovery that you're personally hoping to see or wishing to see, maybe?

MENNESSON: Yes, there's one thing that I'm really excited about, which is the so-called rogue planets, which are those planets which are born next to their star like, like we are. But for some reason got ejected from the system and are kind of wandering alone in the universe.

So, we don't know how abundant they are. And I think that Roman will help us, with its large field of view, to -- to see how many and how common they are.

HUNTE: All right. So exciting. Bertrand Mennesson, thank you so much for your time. It is great to have you with us. Speak to you soon.

MENNESSON: Thank you very much.

HUNTE: Scottie Scheffler is the new PGA Tour champion. Scheffler claimed his second FedEx Cup title at East Lake on Sunday. He caught Viktor Hovland with a 25-foot birdie on the fourth hole, pulled ahead and took the win.

CNN's Patrick Snell spoke to the new champion after his big win.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, Scottie, many congratulations. You now join Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as the only multiple winners of the FedEx Cup. What does this victory mean to you?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, WINNER, FEDEX CUP: Yes, I think it's -- it's been a long season, pretty hard-fought. And to be able to win this tournament, everybody starting at the same score, you know, it feels really good.

I gave myself a lot of opportunities this year, and it was nice to -- to be able to finish off the season with a couple wins.

SNELL: And that you did, in style. Earlier in the week, you described golf like a never-ending puzzle that you're always trying to solve.

So, my question to you is, how did you solve the puzzle of East Lake here, en route to your third and biggest win of the year? SCHEFFLER: I just try to give myself as many looks for birdie as

possible. It's a balancing act, I think, on this golf course, between how aggressive you want to be with your irons. And I felt like I played fairly conservatively with my irons most of the week and felt like a few of the times I tried to attack, I almost made some mistakes.

But overall, definitely proud of how we played this week and four really consistent days of -- of work. And yes, that's why we're standing here.

SNELL: Roller coaster of emotions during this postseason. All right. First of all, you win big in Memphis. Last week you almost had to withdraw due to illness. Now this famous win at East Lake. I could go on.

But what -- what does this mean in terms of just what you've achieved here? Just an incredible, incredible performance.

SCHEFFLER: Yes. I'm very -- I'm very proud of the body of work of the whole season. And I think, to be able to -- to culminate that with the FedEx Cup win is -- is really, really special.

I felt like there's been some years where I've had good chances to win the FedEx Cup, and I haven't been able to get it done. But to be able to do it a second time is -- is a really, really great way to end.

SNELL: Let me ask you about the family, because it's been an incredible year. I remember, ahead of your first FedEx Cup title, baby Bennett is born that year, right? This year, Remy is born ahead of your second FedEx Cup title.

I wonder, though, how does the -- how does the joy of fatherhood define you as a person?

SCHEFFLER: Yes. To -- to be where we're at right now, with a young family and to be able to travel pretty much the country, playing golf and getting to spend time with my family and really be a dad and a professional golfer, is a dream come true.

I'm very fortunate that my family can travel with me, and we have a lot of fun on the road. And I'm looking forward to getting home and -- and relaxing a bit with them and getting some more time.

But overall, it really is a blessing to be able to do what we do. And you know, we enjoy it a lot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: There is much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, including a celebration of all things redheaded. Why an annual event in the Netherlands continues to be a big draw for those with auburn hair. See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: Welcome back.

Thousands of people from all over the world gathered in the Netherlands for a once-a-year festival. The event celebrated the one thing that all of them had in common: their flaming red locks.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hands up in the air! Photo reel (ph).

HUNTE (voice-over): Seeing red? That is the beauty of the Redhead Days Festival in the Netherlands. It's estimated that less than 2 percent of the world's population has naturally red hair, and attendees say it's a rare chance to be surrounded by people with similar roots.

JONI VIITALA, FESTIVAL ATTENDEE: I feel, of course, connected to the redhead community, and I don't see that many redheads in Finland, so it's good to see all the ones, all the -- all of the people here right now.

HUNTE (voice-over): Every year, the Dutch city of Tilburg turns into a sea of ginger, copper, and strawberry. The three-day event draws thousands of redheads from all around the world for a chance to show off their locks.

MATILDA HOLBOROUGH, FESTIVAL ATTENDEE: It's just a really cool thing, seeing so many people with like -- it's just really cool.

HUNTE (voice-over): And enjoy music, food, and specialized workshops that cover everything from skin cancer prevention to makeup tips.

EVA RENG-ANDERSEN, "HEY REDHEAD" MASCARA: I was inspired to create a product for redheads, because we can't find redhead mascaras and for brows. So, we made a little makeup booth.

HUNTE (voice-over): Though red is the star of this show, organizers say everyone is invited. Because the camaraderie and positive energy of the event is enough to make anyone blend in.

SOFIE DE BEIJER, FESTIVAL ORGANIZING TEAM: You don't have to be a redhead to be welcomed, because we're just celebrating the humanness. And like, the unique points of human being. We just celebrate it. Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I'll be right back with more of the top headlines in a moment. See you then.

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