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Iran And U.S. Trade Strikes For First Time In A Month; One Dead, Several Missing After Flash Flooding At The Grand Canyon; Death Toll In Nepal Floods Tops 900, As Number Of Missing Nearly Doubles To Over 4,200; Kyiv Endures Fourth Straight Day Of Russian Drone Attacks; At Least Eight Die, 18 Missing After Ferry Capsizes Off North Cyprus; Google Maps Now Shows Lake Ontario As Lake America After Trump Orders Name Change; Trump Praises His Tariffs, Calls Canada a Trade "Abuser"; Iceland Rejects Talks on Joining European Union; NASA's New Telescope to Study Dark Matter and Exoplanets. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 31, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

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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. Coming up on the show, fears of escalation in the war with Iran.

The U.S. launches strikes the first time in a month and Iran fires back.

At least one person is dead following a flash flood in the Grand Canyon. As many as 15 people could be missing there. And, authorities believe hundreds of workers are trapped in tunnels in Nepal, the frantic effort to get them out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: New strikes near the Strait of Hormuz break a tense quiet between the U.S. and Iran. It 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, unquote, a strategic and deadly mistake. That is according to state media. CNN's Julia Benbrook has more details for us from the White House.

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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over the weekend, U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. 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 strike 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 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 straight of this conflict in over a month.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

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HUNTE: Earlier I spoke with retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton about the new strikes. I asked him what happens next in the region and here is what he had to say.

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COL. CEDRIC LEIGTHON (RET.) CNN MILITARY ANALYST: 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 sit with the Iranian response that 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 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'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. 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.

[01:05:00] 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 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.

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HUNTE: 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 trails as well as lodging and visitor services, too.

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

The death toll is rising following the devastating flooding that swept across parts of Nepal and China last week. Nepal's disaster authority now says more than 900 people have been killed. Urgent search and rescue operations are underway to reach hundreds of workers trapped in tunnels in Nepal.

The country's minister of energy says the effort is the highest priority for authorities. Specialist teams from China and India are joining roughly 10,000 Nepali troops to help there.

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. But officials in southern Nepal have already been forced to bury 199 unidentified bodies.

International communities are also gathering to show support for grieving families. On Sunday, the Dalai Lama hosted a prayer ceremony for the benefit of those killed, the missing and everyone who was affected by the tragedy. The number of missing has climbed.

Officials in Nepal now say more than 4,000 people are still unaccounted for. CNN senior international correspondent Will Ripley is in the pool. Earlier, he spoke with two Italian tourists who narrowly escaped the floodwaters that overtook a border checkpoint. Have a listen to how they managed to reach safety.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So we continue to hear stories from people who just barely survived this massive flood, perhaps by just seconds. And one of the couples that I spoke with today is an Italian couple who actually were at that border checkpoint that saw some of the most severe damage.

They saw tour groups, other tour buses full of people essentially just wiped away. And we're now learning that bodies have been turning up sometimes hundreds of miles from the initial spot where they were initially washed away.

Just to show you the strength and the violence of the water. Authorities also believe there are many bodies yet to be discovered that are buried beneath multiple layers of quicksand all along the flood route. So it's a very grim situation with so many people, 3,000 people missing. But there are some here who believe that the number of missing could actually be far higher than that because a lot of cases have been so far unreported.

But I want you to hear about this couple's story. Stefano and Valentina, they talked to me earlier about how they managed to survive.

VALENTINA PICCININI, ITALIAN TORUST WHO SURVIVED FLOOD: Everybody turned right, only me turned left. So that's the point. I don't know why, but my mind, I can -- I don't know. I cannot explain. I cannot see anything, anybody around me. I cannot hear my name because they are only -- everybody's saying my name.

But I was not able to hear them. So I just following Anand and he showed me the only way I could follow to survive. The only way. Because if I'm going straight on, for sure I would not be here.

RIPLEY: Did you know it was water that was coming when you saw the big black.

STEFANO LUTUMOLO, ITALIAN TOURIST WHO SURVIVED FLOOD: No, we couldn't know. Like, as you seen in the immigration point, it was the beginning and we just saw something crashing into buses 30 meter in front of us. It was very big. Like, it was crazy. The sound, it was unbelievable.

PICCININI: I felt that everybody of them, they were alive. I don't know why, but my heart can tell me, OK, don't worry. They are all alive. So first start think about you start to run, think and survive. And then somebody, somehow, universe, God, Shiva, whoever, will find a way to bring you back to them or bring them to you.

RIPLEY: And you said the healing power of the Nepali people has kept you here and helped you to heal from this experience.

LUTUMOLO: We were together. There were no difference between Italians, Nepali. We were just human being, survivor. And we just ride also the nighttime celebrating life.

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And they lost everything. They lost everything. People, houses. They had nothing. They had nothing left.

RIPLEY: They know they are the lucky ones when there are just so many people and so many families who are wondering what happened to their loved ones who were also lost in this flood and have yet to be seen or heard from.

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HUNTE: For more on this, let's bring in former CNN International correspondent Sumnima Udas. She's now a member of parliament in Nepal's House of Representatives, and she joins us live from Kathmandu. It is good to see you. We are now several days into this disaster.

What are you hearing about the search for people who may still be alive and what's actually being done to save them?

SUMNIMA UDAS, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, NEPAL'S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE: Thanks, Ben. We've been watching all those interviews of those daughters, sons, husbands and wives who are waiting to hear for their loved ones. And I want to assure them that we're now six days into this disaster. But the government and our security personnel have not given up hope of finding more survivors.

And we're still very much in that search and rescue mode. And in fact, we've intensified our deployment with around 20,000 security personnel now involved in these rescue operations. That's not counting the Chinese and the Koreans and the Indians who've also arrived. But the terrain is incredibly challenging, particularly in Rasuwa area, which is the ground zero, if you like, of this flight flood, which remains completely cut off.

Helicopters have to literally queue up to go in one by one through this very because it's full of very narrow ridges and gorges. The land has also become very swamp, like, so heavy equipment cannot reach many of these areas. And there's this very real risk for the security personnel as well who are working there. So far, 9,000 people have been rescued by air and land.

And one of our biggest priorities is actually getting to the 600 or so people who are trapped in tunnels in hydroelectric power station tunnels. And we've requested assistance from the Chinese, Indian and Korean expert teams to help with those tunnel rescues. There is just an enormous amount of debris, mud, silt inside these tunnels. So they're having to blast through some of these tunnels.

Further downstream, dozens of teams are working on identifying and recovering the bodies. And that has been a real challenge as well.

HUNTE: As you know, families are still desperately looking for their missing relatives. What is the government doing to give them information? And how difficult is it to keep track of so many missing people at the moment?

UDAS: Well, a helpline has been set up at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also the embassies, the diplomatic consulate, consuls and embassies are working very hard to be in touch with the foreign nationals as well. And we are talking perhaps putting layers on officers at the airport itself. So when families of survivors arrive, they have -- they know where to go and what to do. There's been an incredible amount of support and solidarity from

around the people from around the world, and we're very grateful for that. But there are two areas we are still urgently requiring or asking for the international world or the international community to help us with.

First is actually the management and I identification of the dead bodies. As I mentioned, many have been found downstream and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has therefore requested freezers and appropriate body storage facilities so we can preserve the remains while we identify them and locate their loved ones. We also need, urgently need forensic capacity and DNA testing expertise. Nepal has limited capacity for that.

The other thing we've requested for is heavy lifting drones. More than 40 bridges have been swept away. All the major roads have been swept away. So many communities again in Rasuwa, the ground zero really has been inaccessible. So we've been requesting for heavy lift drones that can transport medicines and relief supplies to the people who may still be trapped there or who have survived.

And I also want to say one very important thing just because I lead this Parliamentary Committee for Tourism and International Relations. This devastation is concentrated in a very specific part of central Nepal. It has not affected many of our major tourism destinations, such as Kathmandu Valley, where I am, Pokhara, the Everest region, Lumini.

So, we have the tourism season coming up. September, October is the peak season. And many people who had booked to come here. I would like to say, please don't cancel your plans because of this disaster. Tourism is going to be a major way of how Nepal rebuilds.

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We need our economy to keep moving. We need our tourism sector to remain strong. And we need the world to stand with Nepal not only during this crisis but throughout this recovery phase as well.

HUNTE: Well, on that, 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 people could be doing more?

UDAS: No, we have -- we're overwhelmed with the support, to be honest. And we're very grateful for the support. I mentioned a few things where we are looking for more collaboration, more assistance mainly again heavy lifting drones and how to manage the dead bodies in terms of DNA testing. And also we have reached out to the government of India and China to help to help us with Bailey bridges because like I said, lot of these, the bridges are completely gone.

So we need a way to access some of these main areas which are now which is pretty much a swamp now. So those are the main sort of based on the circumstances on the ground, we are making very sort of targeted specific requests from the international community. HUNTE: Well, thank you so much for your time. We'll leave it there for now. Sumnima Udas in Kathmandu, Nepal. Thank you for joining us.

For more information on how you can help the victims of this disaster, you can visit CNN.com/impact.

There is much more to come here on CNN Newsroom. After the break, we'll bring you the latest from Ukraine as Kyiv endures a fourth straight day of Russian drone attacks.

Plus, 18 people are still missing after a deadly ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus. The latest on the search and investigation are next. See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: Firefighters in Kyiv have put out a large warehouse fire after a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital on Sunday morning. Kyiv and its surrounding districts have endured four straight days of drone attacks. Officials are urging residents to pay attention to air raid alerts due to the ongoing threat. At least 38 people have been killed by Russian attacks since Thursday, with dozens more injured.

One of the deadliest attacks happened on Saturday when a Russian drone hit an ammunition warehouse in a residential area. That triggered a massive fire and a series of explosions that destroyed several homes.

In an address on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is preparing for further talks with representatives from the United States. More details on those talks are expected on Monday. Mr. Zelenskyy also said Russia is trying to wear his country down with these recent drone attacks. He said nearly 1,500 drones have been launched by Russia over the past four days, 800 of which were jet powered.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The most difficult task is shooting down jet powered drones. At present, our combat aviation is carrying out the bulk of the defense against them. We are working to secure necessary interceptor systems. Four companies have developed suitable interceptor drones and one company's technology has proven to be the most successful.

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HUNTE: One official says eight people have been detained, including a captain, after a passenger ferry capsized off Cyprus northern coast. At least eight people were killed and more than a dozen remain missing. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has the details for us.

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BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: A passenger ferry with nearly 270 people capsized off the coast of Cyprus on Sunday, killing several. Now, the vessel was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when disaster struck. Survivors were seen wearing life jackets standing on top of that overturned vessel. Around 237 people were brought back to Cyprus and there were ambulances waiting for them on shore.

Now the Turkish Interior Ministry says that the vessel started taking on water shortly after it left Girne in Cyprus, and it was headed to southern Turkey. It encountered bad weather at that time. Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

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HUNTE: Swiss police are conducting a manhunt following a deadly shooting at a rave in the northern town of Aargau. 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 they have not ruled out terrorism yet.

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

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

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HUNTE: Welcome back. 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 that 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 a 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. That's as of Sunday afternoon, MapQuest said in a Thursday social media post, we are not changing it.

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President Trump is also accusing Canada, 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, "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.

Canadian leaders are calling on the U.S. president to focus on building a productive trade agreement built on respect for national sovereignty.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford spoke out about it, urging the Trump administration to focus on making deals with Canada instead of the, quote, "unstable" government in Venezuela.

Ford has been the target of Donald Trump's personal attacks in recent weeks. He's also calling on the U.S. president to behave in a civil manner.

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DOUG FORD, ONTARIO CANADA PREMIER: Tariff on Canada is nothing more than a tax on American people. And it's probably the worst move you could ever do.

You got to eventually stand up to someone that just continuously attacks our country and insults our country.

We believe in Canadian sovereignty. And I know Americans believe in having a sovereign Canada as well. It's unfortunate that he stoops down to that level. And unfortunately, I did that day.

But I just think that we need to focus on a free trade agreement that will create more jobs, more opportunities on both sides of the border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Iceland has voted against reopening talks to join the European Union. Voters sided with opponents who warned E.U. membership could put Iceland's fishing waters at risk.

The referendum was held under the shadow of President Trump's threats to acquire neighboring Greenland. Following that vote, Iceland's prime minister said the country will instead focus on strengthening its existing ties with the E.U. through the European Economic Area Agreement. The issue has divided the island of 400,000 people for more than a decade now.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So it's the way what's maybe to take up the euro but we can maybe do that to other currents. But, I was afraid about the agriculture and the, what we get our money from.

So, I think I'm happy with this result. So yes. But I'm not happy with that -- it has divided the nation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel kind of sad about the results. I think it would have been a great opportunity for us to at least see what the deal would have been and talk about it and discuss it, because I do think that we need to have some sort of allies in the way that the world is currently. And for me, that would have been safer to have a stronger alliance with Europe.

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

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 just ahead. See you in a moment.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six, five, four, three, two, one -- ignition and liftoff.

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HUNTE: NASA's new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has set off on a mission to uncover the universe's deepest mysteries. This includes how the universe has evolved and whether humans are actually alone.

It features a 300 mega-pixel infrared camera that will gather data a thousand 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 Romans first images by early next year.

In the last hour, I spoke with the Roman deputy project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. That's Bertrand Mennesson. I asked him what his thoughts were as he watched the launch in Florida.

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BERTRAND MENNESSON, ROMAN DEPUTY PROJECT SCIENTIST, NASA JET PROPULSION LABORATORY: 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 this,

about dark matter specifically. What exactly do we know about it? And what could Roman tell us that we don't know today? [01:39:46]

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 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 and billions of galaxies and our Milky Way in great detail.

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HUNTE: Very exciting stuff.

That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team.

I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I will see you next weekend.

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