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Concern Growing Over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; European Gas Prices Hit Highest Level Since Start Of Iran War; Jurors To Return Thursday For 6th Day Of Deliberations; Coral Reefs Running Out Of Time To Recover From Damage.; Energy Firms Sign Deals to Boost Output in Venezuela; Delcy Rodriguez Thanks Trump for Energy Deals; Judge Blocks Trump Crackdown on Birthright Citizenship; Anger Boils Over in Ceuta as Migrant Crisis Drags on; 91-year-old Sets Record Hiking Appalachian Trail. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired September 03, 2026 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:34]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, U.S. officials reveal details on the latest strikes on Iran, including how long the attacks could last and claims of record oil movement through the Strait of Hormuz.
Plus, findings from the largest coral reef study. What the lead scientist told me about the health of global reef ecosystems.
And one man has reclaimed his own record as the oldest person to climb the Appalachian Trail. He joins us to share his secrets on hiking at 91.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, new details are emerging about the latest round of strikes between the United States and Iran. Two U.S. officials tell CNN American forces escorted 40 commercial oil vessels through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, all while fending off Iranian attacks from the sea and air.
U.S. officials say nearly 60 military targets were hit around Iran. President Trump also revealed troops were specifically targeting Iran's radar systems to stop their military from observing ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. forces also took down anti-ship cruise missiles and drones during their escort operation. Officials say they also used assets to specifically target Iran's capability to attack other commercial vessels moving through the Strait.
Meanwhile, the fighting continues to claim lives. Iran's health minister reports at least 18 people were killed in U.S. strikes overnight Tuesday, and more than 100 others were injured, according to state media. U.S. Central Command has denied troops targeted civilians. Here's what President Trump had to say about the future of the conflict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How long will this renewed campaign --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think too long.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And also, given that what you've said about having destroyed the Iranian military, what is there still left to strike, and why?
TRUMP: OK, we've controlled, and we are controlling the Hormuz Strait.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: There's growing controversy surrounding the man in charge of prosecuting the war with Iran, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Republican Senator Thom Tillis is demanding that President Trump replace Hegseth, calling his management of the Pentagon inept, others are criticizing his decision to purge top military brass who don't agree with him. The most recent being Army Secretary Dan Driscoll who resigned this week. CNN's Kristen Holmes reports.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: There have been multiple opportunities with multiple resignations and firings that President Trump could have stepped in, and in fact, he did the opposite. We know in certain firings and resignations, President Trump told military officials that this was Pete Hegseth's decision, and sorry, he made the final call, and so he's deferring to him in that way.
But I can tell you that I've talked to a number of military officials, and these are not military officials who are partisan, they are -- or bipartisan, they are Republicans who supported President Trump, who feel the same way that Thom Tillis does, that Hegseth is not doing the role that he is meant to be doing in the way he's supposed to be doing and they worry about the future of the Pentagon, they worry about the future of the military under Hegseth, and there have been these internal conversations that they've been having about how concerned they are.
And of course, you pointed to CNN's reporting as well that Haley Brisky had about this kind of focus on these culture wars. But overall, one of the things I was told very early on by this administration was that it would take an enormous act to get President Trump to turn on Hegseth. A lot of that being because this White House, the president, his team exuded an enormous amount of capital, political capital, to get Hegseth across the finish line. They were all in on him, and it doesn't appear as though that's going to end anytime soon. Now, of course, it's President Trump. We've seen him turn on people
very quickly, but as of now, I mean, you heard him there. He really deferred the entire thing to Democrats. Didn't even bring up the fact that this is something that we had seen the reporting on that Dan Driscoll had brought up to President Trump when he -- when he resigned.
[02:05:07]
So, the idea that he would completely ignore that and focus on Democrats, not even mention Pete Hegseth just shows you where his head is.
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CHURCH: Senator Tillis isn't the only one calling for Hegseth's removal. Take a listen to House Democrat Eugene Vindman.
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REP. EUGENE VINDMAN (D-VA): The last 20 or so months of management at the Department of Defense have been nothing short of devastating to readiness, to the -- to the culture of the military, to accountability. It is just -- you know, this is the least competent, least capable, least knowledgeable Secretary of Defense that we've ever had. I've called for his resignation numerous times. He needs to go, and there is no prospect for improvement in the environment with him still there.
I mean, imagine we're at war now, six, seven, eight months, and we don't have a secretary of the army. We don't have a chief staff of the army. There are several four-star generals that have been fired, and this is just not serious leadership. It's not serious management, and it's very unfortunate for the United States of America.
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CHURCH: Europe's biggest budget airline, Ryanair, is warning that high jet fuel costs could be a survival test for some of its rivals this winter, and high natural gas prices across Europe are forcing some countries to cut their power usage in the coming months. CNN's Anna Cooban has more on the story.
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ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: European natural gas prices are marching higher, hitting their highest level since the U.S.-Iran War broke out in February, and the highest level in three years as the U.S. and Iran are again engaged in tit-for-tat strikes.
It is not just oil that comes out of the Strait of Hormuz, about one- fifth of the worlds liquefied natural gas does, too, and it is this fuel source which millions of homes and businesses across Europe rely on for heating during winter, which we are now approaching.
Normally, the summer months are a period of time when European countries are taking advantage of relatively low gas prices to fill up their stockpiles ahead of the winter, but this summer is different because of the war, less gas is exiting the Middle East, meaning fewer cargoes over which more countries are competing. Stores are currently about 65 percent full across Europe, which is lower than where they normally are for this time of year.
Last month, I was speaking to analysts who said that many of these cargoes are going to Asia over Europe, where buyers are paying higher prices. But analysts told me that, rest assured, we are not in a gas crisis comparable to 2022. Remember after Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe has simply learned to live with less gas. Demand is down, and analysts aren't worried about material shortages or blackouts, just price rises.
Because if European buyers are consistently paying more for gas, you can bet that consumers down the line will be paying more, too.
Anna Cooban, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: The remnants of tropical storm Edouard have already swamped parts of eastern Texas with more than 20 inches of rain. That is about 50 centimeters. Now the region is facing a rare high risk for flooding. More rain is expected to fall through Thursday, when the system is forecast to dissipate over the state. More than seven million people in eastern Texas are under flood watches.
Rescue crews are racing against time after a catastrophic flood along the Nepal-China border last week. Officials say the death toll has now climbed to more than 1,200 in Nepal, with more than 4,200 people still missing, including 75 Americans. Across the border in China, at least 21 people are dead.
Hopes of finding more survivors are fading, but rescuers are using search dogs and equipment to look for those missing who may have survived. Nepal's prime minister says crews are also working to restore power, roads, and communications with most telecom services now back in affected areas.
Rescue crews are also battling mud and debris as they try to reach workers feared trapped inside Nepal's hydropower tunnels. Officials say around 900 workers are missing across projects along the river, though it's still unclear how many were actually inside the tunnels when the water and mud hit. The search is being slowed by bad weather, thick mud, damaged roads, and destroyed bridges, making this already desperate rescue effort even harder.
New video coming to CNN has caught the sound of gunfire during a deadly shooting in downtown Minneapolis. Officials say at least two people were killed and several others injured on Wednesday, including three police officers. A law enforcement source says the gunman is also dead, likely from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
[02:10:20] Police responded to reports of gunfire in a high-rise building before encountering what's been described as a haze that limited their visibility just before the officers were injured. One official says police had gone to the same building earlier in the day after a dispute that may have been related to an eviction.
The jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial will return on Thursday to continue deliberations for a sixth day. 36-year-old Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering her three children. Twice now, the jury has told the court they cannot come to a unanimous verdict. On Wednesday, the judge gave his final instruction to the jurors to keep working to try to reach a decision. CNN's Jean Casarez reports from Plymouth in Massachusetts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Lindsay Clancy jury here in Plymouth, Massachusetts, started deliberating last Thursday. This Thursday, they are going to continue deliberating one week later.
On Wednesday morning, they convened as normal. Now they had sent the note the day before saying that they could not reach a unanimous decision, but the judge said, please, keep deliberating. So, they came in, and it was a normal day. And then all of a sudden, early in the afternoon, they sent a note, and they said, once again, we cannot are not able to achieve unanimity in this case.
So, the judge had to make a decision, and he read to them a very, very important instruction in Massachusetts law. It's called the Tuey- Rodriguez instruction, and that is when a jury is hopelessly deadlocked. The judge has one chance to read this instruction, so they go back in and keep deliberating and try to achieve that verdict, he did that. They continued deliberating until 4:00 p.m. and they said, we'll come back. We'll come back on Thursday.
So, that's where the jury stands. But while the jury was deliberating in their room today, there was also some action outside of court. This had to do with a retired nurse who, on Tuesday at 3:40 p.m., 10 minutes after the jury was excused on Tuesday, allegedly went over to where the jurors were in an unknown area around the courthouse. We don't see where they come and go, and allegedly harassed them or intimidated them at all.
Now, she has been charged, according to the Massachusetts State Police with one count of intimidation or harassment of a jury, and she was before a judge today in the same courthouse.
Now, her defense attorney said, look, she wasn't trying to interfere with the jury deliberations or harass them. She just wanted to see Lindsay Clancy, this retired nurse, but the prosecution said no, that's not true because we know she has videos that she deleted on her phone, and we have confirmed those are jurors in that video.
So, this retired nurse, 56-year-old Dawn Light, will return to the courthouse at some later date, but it is a serious offense if convicted because it's up to 20 years. But on Thursday, it's all about this jury. Continue deliberating, reach a verdict, or a mistrial. We will know on Thursday.
Jean Casarez, CNN, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: There's much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, including a new call from President Trump for a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The one condition coming from the White House.
Plus, a new report has some alarming warnings that coral reefs are running out of time to recover from warming sea temperatures. We will get details from the author of the sweeping research.
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[02:18:40]
CHURCH: Chinese leader Xi Jinping is working to strengthen ties with Egypt. He spent the day touring the Ground Egyptian Museum in Giza with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, they viewed ancient artifacts, including the golden masks and coffins of pharaohs. This is Xi's first trip to the Middle East in four years, and it comes as U.S. partners in the region reassess their strategic relationships amid the wars in Gaza and Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to hold a summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. They have met only once during Trump's second term in August of last year in Anchorage, Alaska, but Trump says he has a major condition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there any hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin would do another summit with you in the near future?
TRUMP: Oh, he'd do it if I wanted it, but I want to do it when we're ready to do a peace deal. I want to do it with -- you know, we want to have good relationship with Russia, Ukraine, with everybody. Be great for business. Russia's got great land, got very valuable land, a lot of good things happening, but no, we could do one -- I bet I could do it immediately. I want to do it when that war is ending, and I think we will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Israel's president tells CNN major efforts are underway to tackle the problem of settler violence in the occupied West Bank. The U.N. says 23 Palestinians have been killed in settler attacks this year, far surpassing the previous record of 16 killings. Israel's Isaac Herzog says up to a dozen suspects have been arrested in recent days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[02:20:23] ISAAC HERZOG, ISRAELI PRESIDENT: There are major efforts going on to undermine these activities. There is shame on Israel. There is shame on the face of Israel. The prime minister himself termed it as a cancerous phenomena, meaning it's a dangerous phenomena that can spread, and I hope it'll be attended to as forcefully as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Over the next few years, global temperatures are expected to rise past a key threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. That is according to a new United Nations report.
In the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, nations agreed to keep temperature rises within 1.5 degrees Celsius. Wednesday's report said the most optimistic current scenario would see temperature rises peak at 1.8 degrees Celsius, but the report says the increases will likely be much higher.
Well, time is running out for coral reefs around the world to recover from the harmful effects of climate change. That is according to a new report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, comprised of scientists and conservationists. The report found there was about 25 percent decline in global average hard coral cover in 2024.
Even more alarming, the report found that the time to recover from coral bleaching and other damage is shrinking from around 10 years to about five to six years, and coastline reefs, which protect coastlines from storms and support marine life, now have a much smaller window for recovery.
Joining me now is Manuel Gonzalez Rivero, global coordinator and lead author at the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. Appreciate you talking with us.
MANUEL GONZALEZ RIVERO, GLOBAL COORDINATOR AND LEAD AUTHOR, GLOBAL CORAL REEF MONITORING NETWORK: Thank you, Rosemary. Great to be here.
CHURCH: So, your sweeping new research, published Monday, offers a stark warning about the world's coral reefs running out of time to recover from coral bleaching and other issues due to rising sea temperatures driven by climate change. As the lead author of this report, what all did you find, and how extensive was this research?
GONZALEZ RIVERO: It's a great question. So, this is the largest ever assessment on the status and trends of carbon rate for the world, and it accumulates over 40 years of data, and the message is quite clear. It tells us coral cover, as a metric of the health of coral reef ecosystems, is declining and has been declining over the last 40 years.
CHURCH: So, what needs to be done to save the reefs in the little time that's left to do so?
GONZALEZ RIVERO: Well, what we observed in this report is that while coral cover has declined, the main issue is that the recovery window for these systems to recover is getting shorter and shorter. The good news is that coral reef still maintained the capacity to
recover, but we need to allow that space to happen, and that's just between global mass leaching events is simply not happening. What we need to do for that is simple, we need to reduce greenhouse emissions to such a way that allows these systems to recover, but pair that with local action, so managing coastal fisheries, water quality, coastal development will allow the systems to have the to still enjoy that capacity of recovery.
CHURCH: So, what percentage of coral reefs around the world do you think can realistically be saved and survive these rising sea temperatures?
GONZALEZ RIVERO: Well, coral reefs around the world are not necessarily unique, and they are actually responding differently to around the ecosystems.
So, we think out of this report is that the reefers still, as a whole, have the capacity to recover. However, we know from the science that certain areas of reef are perhaps much less affected to climate change.
So, we still think that hundred percent of the reef are we have the capacity to save, and the time for action is now. But we know that certain reef will probably fare better than others in the years to come.
CHURCH: So, what happens to the world sea life if coral reefs die off? Given those very same reefs are, of course, the Earth's most delicate and diverse ecosystems.
[02:25:13]
GONZALEZ RIVERO: Absolutely, like they represent about a quarter of the marine biodiversity, but the most important part is that they host that diversity that also serves as a mechanisms to help us survive. There's about a billion people that depend on coral reef ecosystems, because the coastal protection, food security, it's about 60 to 80 percent of the protein in the Pacific comes from coral reef.
So, when we lose coral, we lose those engineers that create the habitat, create the space for that starking biodiversity number to also provide benefit for humanity.
So, at the moment, Core Rif is still maintaining that capacity, and that capacity is will be able to be maintained if we enable actions. But let me be clear, the action has to happen now.
CHURCH: So, what is your message to world leaders?
GONZALEZ RIVERO: The message is that we need stronger and faster action on climate mitigation. We need to drive stronger commitments to prevent a continuous accumulation of greenhouses, and governments have the capacity not only to act collectively, but we also have the capacity to act locally and enable those measures for protection at a local level to be effective at the same time that we're working at a global scale.
The problem is not simple, and I recognize it, but I think unless we act swiftly, we might not see coral reef maintaining that capacity to sustain life for a long time.
CHURCH: Manuel Gonzalez Rivero, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
GONZALEZ RIVERO: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Still ahead on this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, Venezuela's leader is thanking President Trump for several new oil deals. We'll explain what these deals include.
And later, we'll introduce you to a 91-year-old who just set a record for hiking the Appalachian Trail. Back with that and more in just a moment.
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[02:31:58]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Venezuela's leader is praising U.S. President Donald Trump after a series of new oil deals, she says, could help pull her country out of its years-long economic crisis. Several major energy firms, including Chevron, are expanding projects to boost Venezuela's oil output.
CNN's Mary Triny Mena is in Caracas with the details.
MARY TRINY MENA, CNN JOURNALIST: The Venezuelan government have signed eight key deals with global yields (ph) including Italy's any (ph) and the U.S. oil company, Chevron. This comes amidst the second official visit of U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright. Last week, the Trump Administration announced that made a major deal, a historic deal with Venezuela.
We need to remember that Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserve in the world, but most of them are underground. So right now, the Trump administration basically is saying that this is a win-win deal with the U.S. offering investment and also technology and on the side of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez is saying, she hopes that all the countries in both could have mutual benefits from these agreements.
Right now, Chevron is announcing over $7 billion investment for the coming five years. They hope to double the current production that they have to be about 600,000 barrels of oil per day in five years.
So right now, they say, of course, they will promote more employment in the country and also, it was struck a deal with General Electric and this is very important because the electrical power grid in Venezuela is devastated. So the country expects that the involvement of General Electric could finally improve the deteriorated system that has suffered for many years with shortages of electricity.
Right now, in many places of Venezuela, they lack of electricity for six hours every day. So for all the parties involved, they say this will bring tens of billions of dollars on investment into the Venezuelan country and also jobs.
For CNN, Mary Triny Mena, Caracas.
CHURCH: The White House is getting ready for its first press briefing in more than 40 days. Vice President, J.D. Vance is scheduled to take the podium on Thursday afternoon. The White House has not held any official briefings since Karoline Leavitt left her role as Press Secretary last month.
President Trump has not yet named her replacement. While she was on maternity leave, the White House turned to a rotating cast of cabinet members and senior officials.
[02:35:00]
A U.S. federal judge has blocked President Trump's latest effort to crack down on birthright citizenship. She is halting an executive order signed last month aimed at tightening laws already in place. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the president's first attempt to end birthright citizenship last year.
The U.S. Constitution grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of the immigration status of their parents.
Well, it comes as a source tells CNN about 51,000 people were taken into ICE custody in August. That's a new high for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In July, more than 46,000 people were taken into custody. The White House has put strict quotas on the agency since the start of President Trump's second term and widened the net of who's eligible for arrest.
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CHURCH: Protesters in Ceuta say they've had enough of the ongoing migrant crisis there. Thousands of migrants who stormed the border with Morocco in late July remain in the Spanish enclave. Tens of thousands of others have already returned home, but some protesters say both residents and migrants are tired and the situation is at breaking point.
Nationwide rallies in solidarity with Ceuta were held across Spain on Wednesday. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will address Parliament about the crisis in the next hour.
A new record was set by a 91-year-old man who completed a demanding hike of the Appalachian Trail. But it wasn't easy for Dale Sanders. He says he fell 71 times, including one tumble that led to a brief hospitalization. But they weren't serious enough to stop him. The trail starts in Georgia and ends almost 2,200 miles, or 3,500 kilometers away in Maine.
Sanders first set the Appalachian Trail record nine years ago when he was just 82-years-old. But he celebrated his latest victory with lots of excitement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Joining me now from Tennessee is Dale Sanders, officially the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Congratulations on your incredible achievement and thanks for talking with us.
DALE SANDERS, RECORD-SETTING HIKER: Well, thank you so much. It's a pleasure being here.
CHURCH: It's a pleasure having you. And of course, at 91, how does it feel to reclaim the record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail?
SANDERS: Oh, how does it feel to be the oldest hiker? I feel blessed. I feel fortunate. And I'm starting -- it's starting to sink in up here just how important that is for giving hope to many people around the world.
CHURCH: That's so true. That is a fantastic message. I wanted to ask you, why did you decide that you needed to reclaim the record at 91?
(LAUGH)
SANDERS: Well, the fun reason, the reason we talk about is my friend, Nimblewill Nomad is the one that broke my record back in 2021. And I set in 2017 as the oldest person. And so jokingly, I said, I want to get my record back from Nimblewill Nomad.
But you know, the really in the heart driving reason that I feel I want to -- I wanted to do that. And it's really compelling because I've had so many people tell me in person and in writing and on social media that I give them hope.
Because if I can do something that complicated -- I also did the Mississippi River, the people said the same thing about paddling the Mississippi River. Doing those extreme activities in the old age, it's just something that people don't see very much, I guess. And it's some -- it gives them hope that maybe they can do something, you know, and keep healthy in their old age, if they say (ph). And then certainly, it will give them a much better chance of warding off disease by staying active and staying healthy and strong and happy.
CHURCH: Yeah. And Dale, you are an inspiration. You've said that it is a lot different doing this at 91 compared to 82. How is it different? Describe to us the difference.
[02:40:00]
SANDERS: Oh, it's -- I did not realize there would be that much difference in the physical ability. When I was training and when I started the AT. But then when I started, I got on the AT and there's no way in southwest Tennessee that I could find places to walk up mountains where sometimes you had to go for miles up at big angles, you know, higher than that, to get up to the summit and over the top of the mountain. Whomever designed the Appalachian Trail --
(LAUGH)
SANDERS: -- they did it on purpose it seems, you know, to make it difficult to get over the top of the mountain.
CHURCH: And I wanted to ask you too, Dale, why are you able to hike at this very challenging level at 91, while others your age and even younger struggle to walk? What sets you apart, do you think?
SANDERS: Well, one thing is training and I've been in physical activities and competition that required great physical strength, like spearfishing, for my whole life. And competitive swimming and diving and I was just kind of suited for it because I've sort of, my whole life has been in these type of activities. And then when I do training, get outside and do training, it just sort of pushed me ahead of most of the other folks.
And I have lived a happy and health-free (ph), pretty good, pretty good life. I watch what I eat. And I think all that, you put it all together with faith in God and help from God walking with me and staying with me every day. And just put it all together and it just makes it possible for me to do these things.
And I have that personality too, is don't quit and perseverance attitude. And I just sort of take with me into it -- I took with me from adult life into older ages.
CHURCH: Yeah, they are some good tips for the rest of us for a long life. You are a legend, Dale Sanders. Thank you so much for talking with us and good luck with your next adventure. Thank you.
SANDERS: Well, thank you so much. My pleasure. Stay active, that's the key. What a legend?
So we have much more coming up on "CNN Newsroom," including how one company in the Netherlands is using 3D printers to restore the ocean. We'll explain.
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[02:47:17]
CHURCH: Every year, CNN's Call to Earth Day brings the world together for a global day of action dedicated to protecting the planet. This year, on October 8th, we are asking you to think blue, as we shine a light on the continuous body of salt water that connects us all, the ocean.
Today, we begin our coverage in the Netherlands, where one company is using 3D printers to restore some of the world's most threatened marine habitats.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stretching 32 kilometers across the coast, Europe's largest dike has kept the Netherlands from flooding for almost a century.
NADIA FANI, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, COASTRUCTION: We are standing on one of the masterpiece of engineering of the Netherlands, but it's also a biodiversity disaster.
STEWART (voice-over): Completed in 1932, the dike sealed off an estuary that acted as a vital fish nursery and rich fishing ground. Now, a concrete wall crosses through it, a poor habitat for marine life.
Nadia, a tech entrepreneur turned conservationist, wants to change that by 3D printing a new reef piece by piece.
FANI: We are working on to make it the biggest artificial reef for restoration of underwater life in the world.
STEWART (voice-over): In 2021, Nadia co-founded Coastruction to support the world's damaged reefs. At the company's workshop in Rotterdam, a team of five carefully designs and prints artificial reefs to order.
FANI: This is exactly what is going to be installed, and the platform underneath is going to be cast in concrete. If we don't start changing things as they are right now, we may lose more than 90 percent of all coral reefs by 2050, which is very sad because with them we lose protection of our coastlines.
STEWART (voice-over): Artificial reefs aren't new. Governments have sunk concrete blocks and old ships to create them since the 1950s. Back then, anything solid could make a reef, but now they're being designed with wildlife in mind.
FANI: Seeing the limited shape that they were using, and of course, you've never seen underwater cubes and pyramids. In nature, they need natural shape. We design each of our reefs always with a purpose. We analyze the condition of the ecosystem and we create all the shapes needed for each environment.
What you see here are our target pieces for our next artificial reef.
[02:50:00]
This is our large-scale printer, and right now it's busy printing our reefs.
STEWART (voice-over): Each new reef that will line the dike is made layer by layer with locally sourced sand, cement and water. After testing in their different tanks, Coastruction deploys smaller replicas in a brackish lake near the office to make sure they'll be effective in open waters.
Outside European waters, Coastruction has already printed reefs for the Maldives, the Red Sea, and the Caribbean island of Saba.
FANI: The vision is to allow other people to use our technology. We believe the local community always knows best what is needed in each ecosystem.
STEWART (voice-over): Their most ambitious job is closer to home as the first piece of the new reef reaches its final destination.
FANI: This will be for at least one kilometer, and who knows, maybe more, because the dike is more than 30 kilometers long. Today, my children are with me because I wanted to teach them and to show them what does it mean to make a difference.
STEWART (voice-over): As the reef expands and life returns, it'll be in the hands of future generations to protect it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The airline behind an extremely low flyover of a packed rugby stadium says it has turned over data from the plane's black boxes. Two jets from South African airline, Airlink, buzzed DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday. At their lowest altitude, the planes were just 14 meters above the stadium's roof.
Airlink officials say the black boxes will show the jets were within an altitude approved by South Africa's aviation authority. Investigators will examine the data to determine whether safety rules were violated.
Well, the deadly flooding that took place in Nepal could happen elsewhere. Experts in Peru say hundreds of glacial lakes are at risk of overflowing. CNN's Rafael Romo has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Across the world, from the deadly tragedy in Nepal, experts are sounding an alarm that Peru risks a similar disaster.
[02:55:00]
A Peruvian research institute has identified 528 glacial lakes in that country at risk of overflowing. And of those, 58 are classified as very high risk.
PAOLA MOSCHELLA, DIRECTOR OF GLACIER RESEARCH, INAIGEM (through translator): What happened in Nepal is a type of mass movement event of glacial origin. This type of situation is also present in Peru. Both in the Andes and in the Himalayas, we share the presence of a large number of glaciers and the presence of population near them.
ROMO (voice-over): Studies show glaciers in high-altitude mountain ranges are increasingly melting, causing lakes to swell significantly. Lake Palcacocha in western Peru is among the most exposed sites.
MOSCHELLA (through translator): From the study of the characteristics of this lagoon, its surroundings and the modeling of a possible flood as a consequence of an avalanche onto the lagoon and the subsequent overflow of the lagoon, it has been identified that some 27,407 people would be exposed to this type of flood. ROMO (voice-over): Some of the deadliest glacial disasters in history have taken place in Peru, including a 1970 glacier avalanche triggered by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake. That avalanche killed about half of the more than 50,000 earthquake victims.
BENJAMIN MORALES, GEOLOGICAL ENGINEER (through translator): Peru is the country in the world that has had the largest number of disasters of glacial origin. There is no other country that has had more than Peru. That has been the case up to now, and it will continue to be the same. And if there is no organization that can drain the lagoons and reduce this risk, it is going to get worse.
ROMO (voice-over): Rafael Romo, CNN.
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CHURCH: A high-altitude experiment in Switzerland is testing a new way to slow glacier melting using sheep's wool. Researchers in the "Keep It Wool" project have been placing wool blankets over parts of a glacier in the Swiss Alps to mitigate melting.
They currently use synthetic covers. Early results are promising. The wool appears to be working just as well as other covers, while thicker layers of wool perform a bit better. Wool is also biodegradable, while other covers are thrown away every year.
Scientists stress this is not a long-term solution to climate change, but it could offer a more sustainable way to protect glaciers.
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TIMOTHEE STEINER, PROJECT MANAGER AND SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATOR, SUMMIT FOUNDATION (through translator): Between 40 and 70 percent of sheep's wool is wasted. There are many estimates, but there is a real waste of wool. So our idea is to use this underutilized wasted material to create a tool for protecting glaciers.
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CHURCH: Fantastic idea.
I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next, after a short break. Do stay with us.
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