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Search for Survivors in Nepal Ramps Up; U.S. Envoys Meet Putin in Moscow; U.S. Envoys to Visit Kyiv After Talks with Putin; U.S. Military Strikes Three Iranian Tankers; Category Four Storm Approaches Hawaii; U.N. Appeals for Aid After China-Nepal Flooding; Voting Underway in Key German State's Elections. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired September 06, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's go straight to those headlines.

President Trump's special envoy and his son-in-law are headed for their first trip to Kyiv since the conflict began after discussing ways to end the way with Russian President Vladimir Putin. There is more escalation in the Gulf as the U.S. hits three Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Tehran's attacks on U.S. warships. And CNN gets very rare access to an area along the Nepal-China border to see firsthand what is left after those devastating landslides and floods.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN Newsroom with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: It has now been 11 days since devastating floods buried entire communities along the border between Nepal and China. But thousands of families are still on edge, not knowing if their missing loved ones are dead or alive. On the Chinese side of the border, authorities say at least 31 people were killed in the flooding and around 531 are missing. Right now, CNN is on a very rare government- organized reporting trip to that area accompanied by Chinese officials. Now, we do want to note that CNN still maintains full editorial control of the coverage.

CNN's Simone McCarthy joins us from the Tibet region to give us a sense of what the devastation is like there so far. Simone, it is so wonderful to have you on with us this morning. This is an extremely rare trip with some very exclusive access that you're getting here to a part of Tibet that has been devastated by these floods. Just give me a sense of what you're seeing there.

SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR CHINA REPORTER: Absolutely, Salma. So, I mean, we've all, I think, seen that video of just a wall of water that washed over a five-storey border point crossing on the Tibet side of the China-Nepal border 11 days ago when that disastrous landslide and flooding hit that region. That building was completely obliterated, but this is the first time that foreign media is getting access into this area to see what this looks like up close.

And it's just absolutely unbelievable how destroyed this area is. It was once a bustling border crossing with international tourists coming into Tibet, out of Tibet, traders, travel agents. There was hundreds of people crossing through this border crossing each day. And now, there's just absolutely nothing here at all.

There are still many questions, as you said, about just who was here during that time. According to the latest update from Chinese officials, more than 500 people still remain unaccounted for. About half of those are foreign nationals.

Now, just walking around this area today, it's just -- you would almost never know that there had been anything here previously. We saw the foundation of that seven-story building that was captured in surveillance footage, just with that wall of water washing over it and people fleeing for their lives, just absolutely heart-wrenching footage. And then, today, we've just seen basically the foundations of the buildings that were here instead at that, you know, now, that are now here at that time and seen some of the rescue efforts that are underway.

Now, it's been incredibly difficult for emergency responders to reach this area. There's a few different reasons for that, one of them being just that the road -- the one that we actually just drove into to access this region was completely destroyed for about -- for a couple of miles. And essentially, it took a week for officials to be able to clear those roads in order to allow thousands of responders in order to access this area. Prior to that, the only access was through boats as well as people actually trekking into this region and limited access via air as well.

And we can really understand why because this is an incredibly remote region. There are canyons on both sides, and the helicopter access will be challenging. The weather conditions change very quickly. As you can see, it's lightly raining here. It was pretty sunny when we first arrived.

[04:05:00]

And so, there's just been a host of challenges that rescue workers have been contending with. But not -- and maybe one of the greatest ones that we can talk about here is just how much mud there is. I'm just looking around me here, and it's just feet and feet, as we understand of mud, have been layered on top of what was once that bustling port. And that's, I mean, walking around, we're basically sinking into it. There's excavators working behind me trying to get through that and hopefully get more answers.

So, that's really what we've seen here today on the ground with this access that CNN has been able to get into this area that there still remains so many questions about.

ABDELAZIZ: And, Simone, you're absolutely right. When I'm looking at where you're standing, I would never be able to tell that that is anything other than what looks like right now, a construction zone, a construction site. I can see that there are, of course, still concerns with you having that hard hat on. Now, we do know, according to reporting, that more than 530 people are unaccounted for potentially in that area. Do you have any sense of those men behind you, what the rescue efforts are like that they're carrying out? Is there specific areas? Is there specific villages? Is there specific homes? Can you give us any more details about their work?

MCCARTHY: Yes. So, I mean, no survivors have been found at this area so far. And so, I think it's safe to say that a lot of what the effort are focused on now is really recovery and trying to get more information, you know, which is the question that many families have, trying to get more information about loved ones that they believe were at this area. The last time that we've had an update about the official numbers of how many people are missing, how many people have been confirmed dead, was on Friday. So, we're anxiously awaiting more information about that.

CNN will actually be attending a meeting with local officials here in the Gyirong Port area later today. So, we're going to put some of those questions to officials. We have been speaking with rescue workers on the ground. Many of them are focused on the day-to-day efforts of just clearing, I shouldn't say day-to-day, but the kind of imperative daily effort right now, the essential effort of clearing out some of this area, trying to excavate, essentially. And so, that's the work that we're seeing here now. But you're absolutely right that there's a lot more information that we're hoping to learn.

ABDELAZIZ: Simone McCarthy in Gyirong Port, what was once a bustling area, as you described it now buried under mud after that devastating flooding and those landslides. You'll be getting more information, I understand, from that news conference that you'll bring to us as soon as you have it. Thank you so much for that very exclusive look into the devastation in the Tibet region. Thank you so much.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to visit the Ukrainian capital for the first time today to discuss ending the war with Russia. Now, this comes just a day after they held very similar talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Now, a White House official said that both sides discussed, quote, plans for next steps, which will be announced in the coming weeks. Kremlin officials also hailed the trip as, quote, useful and an important peacemaking visit. During the visit, Putin ordered Russia to stop attacking the Ukrainian capital for three days to coincide with the envoy's trip.

The Russian leader struck a very warm tone with negotiators, but he acknowledged that he faced, that they faced, rather, a tall order. Here is how one Russian official described the more than three-hour- long meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YURI USHAKOV, KREMLIN AIDE (through translator): Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner pledged to draw upon the observations and assessments they received personally from the Russian president regarding the path to a lasting, peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine during the upcoming meetings in Kyiv. Notably, the American representatives had thoroughly prepared for this trip. They not only expressed the standard interest in a swift end to hostilities, but also articulated a range of ideas concerning potential avenues for a settlement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: I want to discuss this more now with Vladimir Milov. He is a Russian opposition politician and former deputy energy minister. He joins us live from Lithuania. Good morning to you, first of all.

Thank you so much for being on with U.S., because sometimes when you get these statements, it is very difficult to read between the lines, right? Useful, important, a three-hour meeting, very positive signs. But we've seen this in the past, and ultimately, attempts to negotiate a deal with the Kremlin have demonstrated either a lack of willingness or a lack of ability to reach an agreement. Has that changed? Is there now an impetus for President Putin to end this warm, or is the Kremlin just buying time here?

[04:10:00]

VLADIMIR MILOV, FORMER RUSSIAN DEPUTY ENERGY MINISTER: Hello, great to be with you again. And you're absolutely right. We've seen like a year and a half of this negotiating process between the Trump administration and Putin. We saw a summit about a year ago, and we saw multiple visits by Witkoff and Kushner, and very little has changed. If you look at a lot of signs that were available before this visit, you actually could see that Russian rhetoric has been significantly hardening.

There was no change and no public inclination for compromise. Moreover, Putin has been doubling down, and a lot of his officials have been doubling down on the call to take militarily control of the remaining areas of Donbas and so on. So, no signs of easing here. Very low expectations in this regard.

The only new phenomenon here is that Witkoff and Kushner will be visiting Kyiv. But if we look at the positions of both sides, Russia and Ukraine, we see that they are as much worlds apart as ever. The war is escalating, hardening with multiple deep strikes on each other's territories. So, in the real world, besides this closed-door talks, very little room is seen for compromise.

ABDELAZIZ: So, you describe the two sides as worlds apart. You say that their positions are deepening and hardening. But at the same time, there are things that have changed, right? Ukraine is striking deeper and deeper inside Russia, right into the heart of Moscow. It is hitting Wildberries facilities. You have that economic pressure, of course, through the sanctions.

Is any of this enough to create pressure on the Kremlin to even shift its position a little bit or consider this proposal that is coming forward from Kushner and Witkoff?

MILOV: True, again, the pressure is mounting on Putin. Economic situation is very dire. We are at zero regarding GDP and output growth after seven months. And that despite all the major commodity export windfall caused by the Iran war. So, we would have been in a recession if not for that.

One of the indicators that is really worrisome is that fixed investment is down 10 percent year on year in the first half of 2016. That's a major investment plunge. Business is losing confidence by the minute. Explosive budget deficits. Everybody expects new tax hikes. The draft budget for next year is to be announced by end of September. So, true, the pressure is mounting.

However, I would say that a visit by Witkoff and Kushner, you saw Witkoff's remarks yesterday. They were very warm towards Putin. Probably Putin sees this not as another tool of pressure to which he should cave in. But he sees this more as an opportunity to instead put pressure on Ukraine through Trump administration as he tried to do for many months before. So, I don't think that this particular visit would add some pressure on Putin. Judging by what we see in public, you know, it's rather an opportunity for Putin to deliver his demands to Ukraine again.

ABDELAZIZ: An opportunity to put pressure on Ukraine. So, you're saying the Kremlin could flip the coin here. And that's, I think, of course, where the red lines come in if any peace deal were negotiated. What are those red lines? What would he demand? What pressure would he try to put on Kyiv? And what message are they now carrying, those envoys, through President Putin?

MILOV: I think Putin made it very clear that he wants Ukraine to cede more territory. Particularly this militarily very important fortress belt in Donbas, which Ukraine has been preparing for defending for over a decade. And defending quite effectively. Russia is barely advancing with a lot of losses. So, this fortress belt means a lot.

The unfortunate thing is that the Trump administration, including Witkoff and Kushner, seem to view this war as a conflict about some bits and pieces of territory. Which means that it's very likely that in their ideas of compromise, whatever that can be, they would come back to the idea that Ukraine still cedes some square kilometers, some area of territory to Russia.

This war is not about territory. It's about reasserting Russia's influence as a dominant military power in Europe. That means any territorial concessions would only fuel these ambitions further. But it seems not to be understood by the Trump administration folks, by Witkoff and Kushner. They're just simply not getting it. So, this is why really very little room for compromise this time around.

[04:15:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Vladimir Milov in Lithuania on attempts to restart talks between Ukraine and Russia. With a very realist view there, saying that there is very little room for agreement. Thank you so much for that take.

MILOV: Thank you. ABDELAZIZ: The latest exchange of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran is threatening to expand that conflict well beyond the Persian Gulf. This is after the U.S. military says that its forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers on Saturday. Now, those attacks were retaliation for a ballistic missile attack aimed at two American Navy warships. Now, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is threatening to intensify strikes against U.S. military vessels in the region.

CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us now live from Dubai with the latest. Eleni, so good to have you on a day after we heard President Trump trying to downplay this conflict. Now, what are we hearing from CENTCOM about these very serious strikes in a very critical region here?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. And, you know, what we've been seeing is this major escalation in maritime conflict, one which we've seen since the start of the war because Iran has consistently been striking vessels and merchant ships.

But things have changed. The rules of engagement, according to experts, potentially have shifted. You had the IRGC launching ballistic missiles towards two U.S. Navy warships. CENTCOM responding, retaliating against three Iranian tankers, which they say are part of the shadow fleet.

I want to take you through all of these. The first, the Downey, which was just anchored off Kharg Island, that vessel disabled. And according to Iranian state media, all crew evacuated. The second, the Stark One, which was near Yas Island, which is past the Strait of Hormuz on the other side, that also disabled all crew being able to evacuate safely.

Now, I want to talk to you about the Kylo, because CENTCOM released video of not only the strike, but then a few hours ago of the vessel actually sinking. And CENTCOM says that this vessel is going to join the other Iranian Navy that is at the bottom of the sea. Now, this is a crew tanker, but it was not laden with any oil. And, of course, you can see the damage there.

We also know that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reiterated the United States stance. And he posted this on X. He says, it's simple. If Iran chooses or shoots at U.S. ships, it will destroy and sink their oil tankers. All they have to do is to stop shooting at U.S. Navy. Iran's oil tanker fleet is defenseless. Iran has no Navy or Air Force. Our planes, ships and subs can strike them all. Iran responding to that, saying that the strikes on these three vessels are illegal, aggressive and a clear violation of U.N. charter. And also, they emphasize that they are going to respond strongly to any attack.

Now, in terms of the assessment, in terms of the risk assessment, in not only the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Omani Gulf as well, is that the ship for ship attack. So, you've got Iran targeting vessels. The United States saying it's going to target vessels in response linked to Iran. Then that proposes the risk of Iran further targeting other merchant vessels, potentially that have links to the United States, that are guided through the Strait of Hormuz by the United States and that could cause another issue.

Now, in the meantime, in terms of the backdrop of all of this, we know that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was on a call with his counterparts in Turkey as well as Saudi Arabia. Turkey has been positioning itself as a key mediator and potential back channel to the United States as the U.S. is trying to inflict maximum economic pain on Iran. And, in fact, the U.S. sanctioned a Turkish bank that was allegedly assisting Iran to clear some of its oil revenue.

The pressure is absolutely mounting. It's not only happening, you know, on the diplomatic front, but also on the Strait of Hormuz, but also what we're seeing, Salma, feeding through into oil prices, as there's a big concern that you'll see shippers reticent once again to make the transit.

ABDELAZIZ: Pressure is mounting. Strikes are escalating. Our Eleni Giokos there bringing you the latest on the Iran conflict from Dubai. Thank you so much.

A powerful category 4 hurricane is now churning towards Hawaii, where a state of emergency is in effect. It is the third major hurricane to threaten the state. In just as many weeks, Hurricane Lowell has been fluctuating between a category 4 and a category 5 storm. On Saturday, rather, its winds reached up to 150 miles an hour. That's about 240 kilometers an hour.

Lowell is expected to turn north in the coming hours, putting Hawaii's western islands in its potential path early this week. But forecasters warn that path is subject to change, even without a direct hit on Hawaii.

[04:20:00]

Residents should expect dangerous surf, coastal flooding, and rip currents as soon as this weekend. People are being told to prepare for possible utility outages.

Now, we have so much more news to come here on CNN, including an emergency appeal for aid as flooding survivors in Nepal may face food shortages and need a place to live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABDELAZIZ: Let's go back to our top story in Nepal and China, where rescuers are scrambling to find more survivors from a devastating flood that occurred nearly 11 days ago now. A new U.N. report says that some 35,000 people in the affected areas need a place to live and more than 40,000 survivors could face food shortages. To help them get through this, the U.N. is appealing for close to $50 million in emergency aid.

To discuss that, we are now joined by one of the authors of that report. Lila Pieters Yahia is the U.N. resident coordinator in Nepal. She joins us live from Kathmandu. Thank you so much for being on with us in what I'm sure is an extremely difficult and stressful time for you. [04:25:00]

We understand this flash appeal only made just a couple of days ago by the U.N. and its partners seeking nearly $50 million as we just reported in emergency funding. Could you start by explaining to our viewers where will that money go? Who does it help? How does it help them? And what happens if the pledge falls short?

LILA PIETERS YAHIA, U.N. RESIDENT COORDINATOR, NEPAL: OK. Good morning, Salma, and thank you very much for having me. I appreciate it.

So, the money will go directly to the survivors, but also to the people affected by the floods. What the money will do, hopefully, will mobilize it. And thank you for having me, too. So, we will buy with it food, like you mentioned. We'll buy with it equipment for water. We'll buy health supplies, medicine, equipment. We will also provide mobile energy lights to enable people to have electricity. We will repair the water system. We will provide some cash whenever it's possible. So, this is how the money will be used.

We will provide protection. We will set up a center, which I visited yesterday. I was actually back at the epicenter to see how aid was being delivered. So, we are setting up, you know, centers for children so they can play and they can have a resumed life. We'll provide them with all the equipment that they've lost to go back to school. We will be also supporting -- there's a lot of pregnant women. We expect about 5,000 women to deliver over the next few weeks. So, we have to make sure that they will be able to deliver the baby with dignity. So, those are some examples of things we'll be doing.

We will be removing -- you have about 5,000 dead animals. So, this is a big concern for U.S., because this may lead to an outbreak of diseases. So, we have to be very mindful of that. But also, what this appeal is going to do is going to give hope. You know, yesterday when I was there, I saw the hope. I visited one of the tunnels where the people were rescued. So, there was a lot of joy. But there was also a lot of sadness.

So, what the appeal is going to do is going to provide social support to people. A lot of the people that I met, they lost their loved ones, but also, they lost their livelihood. A lot of the men who were working in those tunnels or in the guest houses which were washed away were the family breadwinners. And so, people are not only traumatized, but they are very worried about the future. So, we really hope that this less than $15 million will be able to mobilize resources to help Nepal.

Nepal is a poor country. And so, therefore, collectively as an international community, all effort must be made to support this country, which will start to heal, but also which will also need to rebuild. And so, any support, any generous donation would really make a difference for the people in Nepal.

ABDELAZIZ: And it's so strong to hear about your experience going to the epicenter. Can you tell me what that was like very briefly? And if you have a story from one survivor even that you could share with us.

YAHIA: Yes. So, when I went to the epicenter just nearby, just a little bit down from the epicenter we visited, I met this young person, this young boy who explained me how he escaped. So, he said he was in the class when he saw the wave and he asked his schoolmate, he said, please let's go. We have to run. We have to go fast, fast, fast, fast. And so, this is what he's done.

However, I heard another sad story. I met with the local authority and he was so emotional. So, I left with that actually. My whole journey was really, I was really sad. I met this local authority. He told me they were having a meeting. He was with 10 of his colleagues. There were and they were having, you know, making planning for the community, how to improve the community. And he said when he saw, he was watching at the window and he saw this wave coming and he said he barely -- you know, he said to his friend, we must go, we must go. But unfortunately, he told me only him could survive.

And this man was devastated. Despite this, despite his sadness, he was able -- you know, he was organizing all the relief.

[04:30:00]

I was -- I met with him. I saw he was in charge of everything. He stood up there for his people. So, that was very, very touching.

ABDELAZIZ: Lila Pieters Yahia, the U.N. resident coordinator in Nepal, sharing the devastation, the heartbreak. So, important to remember it was not just people and their homes and their livelihoods all swept away in these devastating floods and the U.N. now making that emergency appeal. Thank you very much.

ABDELAZIZ: Still to come here on CNN Newsroom, an Iranian woman in the U.S. is facing deportation to a country where she has no ties or support just ahead. Why her lawyer says she never should have been detained at all.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.

Voting is now underway in key regional races in Eastern Germany. It could put the far right in charge of a state government for the first time since World War II. The Alternative for Germany party is seeking a win in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. It's faced hurdles to more mainstream success, including being blacklisted by a so-called firewall agreement by all other parties to keep it out of power. But AfD could get around that if it wins an outright majority. Ulrich Siegmund is the party's lead candidate, hoping to become a state governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ULRICH SIEGMUND, AFD FRONT RUNNER FOR SAXONY-ANHALT (through translator): And of course, we will also take on government responsibility with a simple majority. That is quite clear.

[04:35:00]

And why is that? Because we in the AfD stick together, because we simply do not have the same sort of situation as in the CDU. And because we know that our beautiful fatherland does not have much time left, that every day counts. It will take a long time to rebuild what they have been destroying here for over 20 or 30 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Here in England, hundreds of masked anti-immigration protesters blocked roads that were leading to Britain's busiest ferry port in Dover, England. The far-right demonstration, which took place on Saturday, caused a six-kilometer-long traffic jam. You can see the masked men there. They were chanting, stop the boats. It's a slogan that refers to migrants crossing the English Channel.

Now, the British government condemned the disruption, saying it went, quote, "well beyond peaceful protest." Access to the port of Dover has since been restored.

Now, to the U.S., where a 21-year-old Iranian woman has been detained by immigration officials for more than a year. She is now facing deportation to a nation where she has no ties or support. The young woman fled Iran after converting to Christianity and says she could face serious threats if she returned to her home country. But as CNN's Rafael Romo explains, being dropped off in the Central African Republic is a very terrifying prospect as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The detained Iranian woman asked CNN not to reveal her name out of fear that her family in her home country may face persecution and also because she's afraid that she may face retribution from immigration authorities here in the U.S.

According to her attorney, the 21-year-old has been held for 14 months by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Steward Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, located south of Atlanta. Last month, she received a document stating that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security intends to deport her to the Central African Republic, a war- torn country she has no ties to.

I don't know from where the order came that they needed to send me to the Central African Republic, and I had to sign a paper the Iranian woman told me over the phone, and I was so shocked, so shocked. I was scared and I kept telling them that I wouldn't know what to do in that country. This is making me crazy, she said.

Her attorney, Martin Rosenbluth, told me his client entered the country legally through the Mexican border in 2024 but won what is known as a withholding of removal case, which used to mean she could stay in the country. Rosenbluth also told me her arrest at her apartment here in Atlanta in June of last year was completely unnecessary because she had been fully compliant with immigration authorities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN ROSENBLUTH, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: They handcuffed her, they shackled her, and they took her to the Steward Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, and there was no need for it. She was fully cooperating, and she's 20 years old. I mean, she's a child, she's a kid, and they arrested her in this brutal manner and took her to the Steward Detention Center.

ROMO: Did she have a criminal background?

ROSENBLUTH: No sir, nothing at all. And again, I know I've said this, but I mean, she was fully cooperating with ICE. She was doing everything she was supposed to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: During our telephone interview, I asked the Iranian woman why she fled Iran in the first place, and she told me the following, quote, "I left Iran because I converted to Christianity. I was born a Muslim and I converted to Christianity and we had some problems with the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, so I had to leave the country."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSENBLUTH: She converted to Christianity from Islam and in Iran, that is a death sentence. So, I mean, she came here because she didn't have any choice. I mean, she came here because she was in fear of her life, that she would be killed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Rosenbluth said they are trying to block ICE from sending her to the Central African Republic, even though she won her asylum case and proved it was unsafe for her to go back to Iran. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security told CNN the following, if an illegal alien chooses to file a claim in court, refusing to go to their home country, we are required by law to find a safe and secure nation for them to go to. To be clear, a pending application does not confer legal status in the United States.

According to Rosenbluth, an immigration judge has granted a state of removal and a motion to reconsider, which means his client cannot be deported before September 17, when she's scheduled to have a hearing.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: The death toll from two explosions that rocked a Bolivian military base on Friday has now risen to three people, but it could get much worse. The defense ministry there reports that 14 people are missing and at least 81 others were injured, including two that are in serious condition. One of the blasts was so powerful, it sent shocked onlookers scattering. Take a look at this video.

[04:40:00]

A cabinet minister said the base near the capital, La Paz, stored pyrotechnic material. However, the cause of the explosion is not yet known and families of the missing soldiers are in distress and demanding answers.

A Greek fighter jet has crashed during a popular air show. This is near Athens. Officials say that two pilots were killed. A huge plume of smoke marked the crash site on Saturday. You can see it in that video there. The F-4 Phantom was apparently making a turn. This is a few yards above the ground before it went down and erupted into a massive fireball. Messages on loudspeakers called on spectators to leave the area immediately. There were no reports of injuries among bystanders or residents.

Firefighting aircraft and helicopters were called in quickly when flames from the crash spread into a nearby forest. The jet was participating in the annual Athens Flying Week, which attracts military and civilian aviation teams from dozens of countries.

Coming up next on CNN Newsroom, Donald Trump's triumphal arc faces legal challenges even as the president moves to get it built.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABDELAZIZ: There is fresh controversy that is surrounding President Trump's triumphal arc. Opponents are seeking emergency court action after plans were announced to break ground within days, even though the project lacks congressional approval and necessary paperwork. Sunlen Serfaty has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: That's pretty great, huh?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Without the usual approvals and still in legal limbo, the Trump administration is pushing forward to break ground on President Trump's Triumphal Arch.

[04:45:00]

TRUMP: I think we'll be the most beautiful in the world.

SERFATY (voice-over): Announcing they will start excavating the ground to build the arch in the next two weeks.

TRUMP: The Arc de Triomphe would be the one that you would probably know in Paris. It's one of the most beautiful. It's a very similar size. Slightly larger. We're doing, we have to do slightly larger.

SERFATY (voice-over): The proposed 250-foot arch planned for Memorial Circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery has not been approved by the National Capital Planning Commission, the last of the two agencies that need to review and approve the work. Nor has it gone through a full review necessary under the National Historical Preservation Act.

The FAA's final aeronautical looking at the safety impact to the nearby airport has also not been finished. And the project is still bogged down in the courts with the veterans' rights group seeking a temporary restraining order Friday saying the arch obstructs the view of D.C. from Arlington Cemetery.

TRUMP: We get a better view right over here.

SERFATY (voice-over): All this comes after the administration scored a major victory for one of the president's other projects, the Supreme Court, allowing the construction of President Trump's ballroom to move forward.

TRUMP: This will be the greatest military complex ballroom anywhere in the world. There won't be anything like it.

SERFATY (voice-over): That decision appearing to embolden the administration.

TRUMP: What I do best in life is build. I build buildings really well.

SERFATY (voice-over): With Justice Department lawyers now using that ruling to make the case that other challenges to the president's construction projects should be dropped. Administration lawyers for the Arch and for the president's desired championship golf course he once built in D.C. this week both requested the courts to dismiss each case.

TRUMP: This will be here long after we're gone. No matter what happens with the world, this is not moving.

SERFATY (voice-over): Meantime, as the president pushes ahead with only these projects to remake Washington in his style and liking.

TRUMP" We weren't necessarily thrilled with the contractor.

SERFATY (voice-over): His reflecting pool renovations continue to grow in cost. The administration hiring yet another new company to help clean and maintain the reflecting pool, adding another $2.7 million to a project that has already ballooned in cost to now over $16 million.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: And staying with American infrastructure, a part of the Kennedy Center ceiling collapsed on Friday. This was due to water damage. Now, it forced the center's Grand Foyer to be closed temporarily. The damage is the latest setback for the historic performing arts institution in Washington, D.C. Its future has been under debate ever since President Donald Trump asserted control. Betsy Klein has the details for U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER (voice-over): Debris littered the iconic red carpet at the Kennedy Center's Grand Foyer after its ceiling partially collapsed from water damage. You can see that hole in the ceiling. According to an internal email, the main Kennedy Center building was closed to the public on Friday for safety issues, and the foyer itself will remain closed and restricted from all visits and nonessential access on Saturday. No one was injured, and CNN could not independently confirm how the ceiling collapsed.

But the Kennedy Center team is pointing to this incident to underscore the Trump administration's arguments in court that there is a need for upgrades to this facility. Another example of the urgent need to close for renovation and revitalization as our chairman President Trump has championed, the center's vice president for public relations, Roma Daravi, said in a statement. She added, there's no justification for further delays in restoring America's cultural center.

President Trump installed himself as chairman of the center's board last year, and on his watch, there have been sweeping changes to its leadership and programming, which led to major artists pulling out of planned events and slumping ticket sales. Earlier this year, Trump announced the center would close for about two years for renovations, and that was supposed to start in July until a federal judge blocked those plans, ruling that they were made unlawfully.

But the Trump administration and the Kennedy Center board have continued to push back, and lawyers for the center even threatened to demolish the building if renovations aren't allowed, calling it unsafe and decrepit. The board also voted to once again add Trump's name back to the building.

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ABDELAZIZ: Still to come this hour, Cubans are trying to adapt to rolling electricity blackouts and constant fuel shortages, how they are staying connected with the world during the U.S. oil blockade.

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ABDELAZIZ: Cuba's energy crisis is not stopping social media influencers from posting content, even though electricity to power their equipment is extremely unreliable. CNN's Juan Carlos Lopez looks at some of the creative ways they're getting their message out there.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This is rich people's food and I'm going to show you why.

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are Cuban influencers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Well, we are going to clean. LOPEZ (voice-over): In the middle of rolling blackouts that can last up to 23 hours per day, they still post their stories on platforms like Instagram. Not all live in Havana.

This is Carabello, a small town about an hours' drive from the capital, and where Dayan Marrero, a 22-year-old computer science major, lives and creates content.

I was watching videos on Facebook one day, Dayan tells me. And retail groups here in Cuba, I came across someone who promoted an academy to learn how to create content, and at first, I thought it was a scam because you had to pay a fee. And I said, this is a scam.

But Dayan says it wasn't a scam after all, and he eventually ventured out on his own cell phone and a common cause. How to survive Cuba's energy crisis.

DAYAN MARRERO, MEDIA INFLUENCER (through translator): It's day six of 30 showing you technology-related things for Cuba.

LOPEZ (voice-over): The reel took off on Instagram. It's a DIY on how to make antennas to capture the elusive cell phone signal. Getting close to 800,000 views.

This is a handmade mobile base featured in Dayan's reel. It is becoming a common tool in rural homes in Cuba.

LOPEZ: What Dayan has done and what he's promoted on his social media platforms is the ability to build your own antenna, and then you have to go inside and put your phone next to that base to be able to have signal.

[04:55:00]

And you'll see around the rooftops here, a lot of people are installing these antennas to be able to communicate with the outside world.

MARRERO (through translator): This is the best thing that has come out for blackouts.

LOPEZ (voice-over): As he gained more followers, Dayan started promoting products in great demand during the sweltering Cuban summer.

MARRERO (through translated): This has a massive 20,000 mAh battery, it lasts up to 60 hours.

[18:55:00]

LOPEZ (voice-over): Like these rechargeable fans, which he also uses to light himself while recording. It also allows him to receive a commission.

When you have 1,000 followers, you can apply for a sales program, Dayan says. Once you're accepted, when someone clicks and buys a product from my video, I make a commission of 3 to 5 percent. It depends on the products price, he tells me.

Dayan's next step is graduating from college, and to make it on TikTok. And unlike many on the island, he's not trying to leave. He wants to find work in his field and stay in Cuba.

Juan Carlos Lopez, CNN, Mayabeque Province, Cuba.

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ABDELAZIZ: Hong Kong's first robot-operated convenience stores opened this week. Shoppers were welcomed by a humanoid shopkeeper in the three 24-hour stores that offer snacks and drinks. The robot speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English, and it even dances. Shoppers say the experience was entertaining, but some noted there's still some room for improvement.

Lea Salonga, a legend on Broadway and London's West End, is making history yet again. She's the first Filipina to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Tony Award winner was just seven years old when she appeared in the musical "The King and I." She played Kim in "Miss Saigon" and lent her singing voice to Disney princesses Mulan and Jasmine.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. I'll be back with another hour of CNN Newsroom right after a quick break.

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