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Iran Threatens Military Escalation Amid U.S. Blockade; Migrant Workers Win Millions in Settlement With Automakers; Presidential Candidates Rally Supporters Ahead of Election in Brazil; Crowds Gather in Berlin to Protest Far-Right AfD Victory in Germany; Thousands of Albanians Protest Against Planned Development; National Day of Mourning in Nepal After Devastating Floods; Harry & Meghan Remain Non- working Royals After U.K. Return. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired September 08, 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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[02:00:32]

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, Canada's new counter-tariffs on hundreds of American products are officially in effect. What do they mean for trade between the two nations?

The ash is clearing, and airports are slowly reopening in Indonesia. We will talk to a volcanologist about the eruption that's disrupting travel for thousands.

And a group of migrants hired as engineers by automakers in the U.S. found themselves working on assembly lines instead. Now they're getting a big payout. We'll explain.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. And we begin with the latest escalation in the trade war between the U.S. and one of its closest allies. Within the last two hours, Canada's new counter-tariffs on many American products went into effect, with duties of 15, 25, and 50 percent on more than 700 American goods. Canada is now doubling its tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum to 50 percent. Home appliances, agricultural products, dairy, and paper goods will also be hit. Canadian officials say they are matching the Trump administration's recent tariffs dollar for dollar, after trade talks broke down last month. Canada is the second largest export market for American goods, and these new tariffs could make it harder for U.S. companies to sell there.

But President Trump is not backing down. He is warning he might double tariffs on Canadian cars and auto parts to 50 percent next year, and Canada is signaling it might impose restrictions on energy and electricity exports to the U.S. Well, turning now to Ukraine, where officials in the capital say at

least two people have been killed and 10 others wounded in a Russian missile and drone attack. It comes after a 72-hour truce expired, and just a day after U.S. envoys visited the region, hoping to revive peace talks, the temporary truce had protected only Kyiv and Moscow. While Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited both capital cities over the weekend. They say the U.S. is pushing to resume trilateral talks to help end the conflict. Both men appeared optimistic about a resolution after extensive meetings with Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy.

New video into CNN shows an avalanche in Russia that killed at least 11 people, according to local emergency services. It happened Monday on one of the highest peaks in Russia's Caucasus region. More than 30 climbers were hit by the avalanche. Dozens of emergency workers are involved in search and rescue operations, but the risk of further danger is hampering their efforts.

We are following developments from Hawaii, where the outer bands of Hurricane Lowell are lashing the islands with heavy rain, gusty winds, and dangerous surf. Residents are being urged to stay home as conditions deteriorate.

Lowell is currently a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 110 miles per hour. A rare hurricane warning is in effect for the islands of Kauai and Niihau, while a tropical storm warning is in effect for other areas.

Well, the storm's projected path now shifts closer to Hawaii. Lowell Center is forecast to make its closest path, about 75 miles west of Kauai, as a Category 2 hurricane in the coming hours.

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MARKO VIDAKUSIC, FIREFIGHTER (through translator): We'll try to get it under control, but I'm afraid we won't succeed because, of course, it's very dry and the temperatures are high. I'm afraid we won't be able to get on top of this.

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CHURCH: You just heard a firefighter describing a major wildfire burning in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Crews have been battling the blaze for several days so far. It has burned more than 20,000 hectares. Croatia has sent Canada Air Water bombing planes to help crews contain the fire as conditions worsen. Europe is still recovering from a summer of record-breaking heat and severe droughts that led to major fires across the continent.

[02:05:16]

New details are coming to light about the deadly Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami Airport. The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board says all five of those killed were inside vehicles struck by the plane. The Boeing 767 ran off the end of the runway on Sunday. In addition to the fatalities, five other people were injured. This video shows the moments after the 21 Air flight came to a fiery

halt, a crew member appears to jump from the aircraft to the ground before walking away from the crash site. Two pilots were rescued from the cockpit, but their conditions remain unclear.

Dozens of investigators are examining the wreckage. The NTSB chair says a 32-person team will be at the scene of the crash for at least the next week. CNN's Pete Muntean has more.

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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The National Transportation Safety Board just wrapped up its first briefing here at Miami International Airport. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, along with a team of about 30 other investigators, surveyed the scene here and described it as utter devastation. That Boeing 767 from Amazon Prime Air went off the end of runway 30 here at about 130 miles per hour, according to the publicly available data. Went into a white Ford Econoline van with seven people on board. It was being used by an aircraft cleaning crew on the perimeter road inside the airport fence. She says that van was practically destroyed.

Then the airplane, the NTSB said, continued through the airport fence across four lanes of road, hit a Toyota Corolla crossover, and then ultimately came to rest in an airport parking lot. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said this is still a recovery operation, and crews are trying to take fuel off of the plane.

As she says, there is fuel everywhere. This Boeing 767 had left San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sunday morning and was attempting to make a landing here at Miami International Airport, but clearly went horribly wrong. The video shows the airplane still airborne at about the halfway point of the runway, typically a spot where the airplane would be decelerating and nearly taxiing off the runway.

The data from Flight Red Air 24 shows this airplane also making a steeper than normal approach. Investigators thankfully have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. Those will be analyzed at the NTSB's lab in Washington D.C. The NTSB says it will deliver another update on Tuesday.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Miami International Airport.

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CHURCH: All right, let's go back to our top story. Within the last two hours, Canada's new counter tariffs on many American products went into effect, with duties of 15, 25, and 50 percent on more than 700 American goods.

Michael Devereux is an economist and professor at the University of British Columbia. He joins us now live from Hong Kong. Appreciate you talking with us.

MICHAEL DEVEREUX, ECONOMIST AND PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA: Thank you, Rosemary. I'm very glad to be here. CHURCH: So, Canada's new retaliatory tariffs on more than 700 U.S. products went into effect about two hours ago. What impact will this likely have on U.S. goods like steel and aluminum?

DEVEREUX: Well, I think this will have a sizable impact on some American sectors. Some states, probably the worst-hit states, will be Michigan and Ohio, which have concentrated a lot of their exports to the U.S. It'll be effect on things like the auto industry, on steel machinery, other computer-related products, it'll affect some other dairy-type products. It'll affect Wisconsin.

But I should say that it will have a bigger effect on Canada because this is going to increase costs for Canadian consumers. It's going to increase costs for Canadian businesses. So, this is -- this is not really a, you know, a desirable policy from Canada's point of view, but from the point of view of the government, they saw really no option but to retaliate to the tariffs that we received on August 22nd.

CHURCH: And yes, and I wanted to ask on that because Canada's retaliatory tariffs are a direct response to President Trump's August 22nd tariff hikes on Canadian goods, matching them dollar for dollar and hitting pretty much the same products. What's it going to take, do you think, to stop the escalation of this trade war and get the economic relationship of these two allies back on track?

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DEVEREUX: Well, this is really an impasse. I would say this is one of the lowest points in the trading relationship between the two countries for many many years. I think the problem is that we did have a series of negotiations, but they weren't going anywhere.

From my point of view, it just seems like that we're negotiating from different worldviews. You know, we've had a long-time trade agreement with the U.S. starting from 1989. Most Canadians, and in fact, I would say most economists on both sides of the border thought that trade agreement was pretty successful.

Now, at the moment, the U.S. administration seems to feel the trade agreement was, as President Trump describes it, as ripping off the U.S. Now, that worldview seems to see trade as a zero sum. You know, if one side gains, the other side loses. Whereas the from Canada's point of view, and I would say, from most economists' point of view, you know, trade is positive. Some both sides can gain from trade. Now, we have to really break that impasse and get back to the negotiating table if we're going to have any success in the future.

CHURCH: Yes, and of course President Trump is digging in his heels, isn't he? But Canada is the only nation, apart from China, that has dared to retaliate against the new U.S. tariffs. Is this the best way for Prime Minister Mark Carney to respond to President Trump's tariff hikes?

And I mean, because you did mention, and this is going to backfire on Canada's economy, isn't it? DEVEREUX: Yes. So, to be honest, there is little economic case for

retaliation. Retaliation hurts Canada probably more than in fact than it hurts the U.S. This is not really an economic argument. The argument is more kind of political, and it's one of kind of long-term negotiation. It's an attempt to make a statement that, you know, the demands of the U.S. that were made at the negotiating table are unacceptable to Canada, and Canada will go its own way. We have yet to see whether this will be a success, whether it will bring back the U.S. and the negotiating table, whether we can get some positive benefits out of this. But you know, to be honest, it's a gamble, and I think everyone recognizes that.

CHURCH: Economist Michael Devereux, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

DEVEREUX: Thank you. Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: A major volcano in Indonesia has erupted three more times Tuesday morning. Officials say they don't yet know how severe those eruptions were, but Anak Krakatau is still at level three on a four- level alert system. The volcano first started erupting over the weekend, shooting lava into the air and sending ash drifting all the way toward Jakarta. Indonesia's main airport in Jakarta and four others are back open now after being forced to close when ash from the volcano blanketed the area, the ash had caused widespread flight disruptions, impacting more than 340,000 travelers and leaving them frustrated.

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CARLOS ZABALA, STRANDED PASENGER: We are frustrated. We are tired. We've been here since yesterday. They kept delaying the plane for hours and at 10:00 p.m. It got canceled. They didn't give us anything. We had to wait here until 6:00 a.m.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Schools in some areas are moving to online classes for three days because of the ash from the volcano. Officials say the remote learning plan is meant to protect students from health risks.

Heather Handley is a volcanologist and senior curator of geosciences at the museum's Victoria Research Institute. She joins me now from Melbourne, Australia. Good to have you with us.

HEATHER HANDLEY, VOLCANOLOGIST: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So, we know this volcano is in the Ring of Fire, and that means more eruptions are expected. What's your reading of what people in the area can expect over the next few hours, days, and weeks from this volcano, and how long do you expect these eruptions to continue?

HANDLEY: It's very hard to know exactly what will happen over the next days to weeks to months, but what we do know is that Anak Krakatau, which is the child of Krakatoa, which is the volcano that formed after the collapse of the large 1883 eruption that we know is infamous. [02:15:08]

And so, what happened after that big eruption in 1883, Anak Krakatau started to grow on the edge of this caldera, so it grew up, and then, after in around 1927-1928, it reached the surface of the water, so it's grown on the edge of this kind of huge caldera, and then over time it's been building this volcanic cone, and then it's been active all of that time since.

So, since 1927, there's been about 45 eruptive episodes, each lasting anywhere from say months to years. So, this current activity actually has been ongoing since June, and we saw an increase in this event since Friday.

And so, what we know is Anak Krakatau is an extremely active volcano. It has a long history of eruptive events. Usually, these are very low magnitudes, so quite small eruptions that don't really cause that much impact to airport closures and to people around. We did see a larger eruption in 2018 that caused part of this instability because it is on the edge of this caldera. It collapsed and caused that devastating tsunami.

And so, we're not quite sure what is to come in the next days to weeks. We know it's a very active volcano, and there have been now further eruptions, as you say locally this Tuesday morning, so it will be a case of that, monitoring authorities are watching very closely, and so they are watching for earthquake activity, for signs of magma movement. They're monitoring the gasses. They're looking at satellites as well, and they're watching visually through ground observations and web cameras.

CHURCH: And of course, as we've been saying, we know that some of the airports have opened up. But talk to us about the impact eruptions like this have on air quality in the area, because as we were reporting there too, students are having to learn online until things improve.

HANDLEY: Yes, so the volcanic ash from that we get from volcanic eruptions, it's not like the ash that we get from a fire. You know, that's very soft and friable. It's actually small pieces of very sharp volcanic glass and minerals and rock. And so, these are very can be very hazardous if you inhale them, if you get them in your eyes, and also on your skin. And so, they're taking precautions. They've been the authorities there have been issuing masks.

So, what they're advising, if anybody's out and you're in an area where there's still ash, or even if you think after an eruption and that ash lands on the ground, if it's dry, you know vehicles can go through, wind can remobilize that ash into the atmosphere and into the air, and so you don't want to be inhaling that ash or getting it in your eyes or on your skin, so they're advising anyone that has to go out into the ash that you then wash your skin afterwards, or you wear a mask and some glasses, and that's why they're taking these precautions just to keep the children. They're also lower to the ground, obviously, for that remobilization of the ash until they've managed to clean up or until that ash has fallen out of the atmosphere.

CHURCH: And what additional advice would you give residents living in the area, but also travelers who are stuck there? What should they be doing right now? And do you see that long term, that it makes sense for people to remain living in that area?

HANDLEY: So, anyone traveling should obviously keep in touch with their airline about travel arrangements and what the airports are doing about cancelations of flights, but also keep in touch with official sources, it's very important. There's a lot of misinformation that goes around in times like these, so really keep in touch with official sources. That would be the volcanic monitoring authorities. It would be the emergency managing authorities. A lot of these sites are in Indonesian, but with translations now, you can -- you can access that. You would have your own government travel authority sites to keep in touch with, so you can see what's going on there.

Anyone in coastal areas, the emergency authorities have said that there's a lower risk of tsunami, but we do know at Anak Krakatau that it does carry a risk from eruptions if these when it generates maybe pyroclastic flows that go into the sea, or if parts of the volcanic cone collapse, so anyone in coastal areas should just be aware of the procedures and where to go and processes and where to find that information and how those alerts would be issued, if in the future there might be a larger scale event. That's just precautionary. They have said it's low risk, and they're not expecting that to be the case. But it's always good to be prepared.

And so, I think, yes, anyone traveling should just be aware of where they're going to, how to get that information, and what kind of preparatory things to do. And so, that was what I would, yes, recommend.

CHURCH: Yes, critical information there. Volcanologist Heather Handley joining us live from Melbourne, Australia. Many thanks.

HANDLEY: Thanks.

CHURCH: Well, there's much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM. Is the U.S. pressure campaign on Iran backfiring? Why Tehran appears to be moving toward military escalation and not the negotiation table? Plus, a Cairo Court has sentenced a well-known Egyptian T.V. host and 11 others to death for their alleged role in a criminal drug ring. Her emotional plea to the judges when we come back.

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[02:24:42]

CHURCH: CNN analysis finds the U.S. military has killed at least 227 people in strikes on vessels suspected of carrying drugs into the United States. The toll is based on official government announcements and CNN's review of search and rescue efforts. It's been one year since the White House carried out its first strike and declared a, "Armed conflict against drug cartels." The Trump administration has not publicly provided evidence that drugs were aboard the vessels or that those killed were affiliated with drug cartels.

[02:25:17]

Iran is threatening further military escalation and a wider war in response to the U.S. blockade. Tehran is also warning it could target countries that take part in Washington's economic pressure campaign. Iran says South Korea would face serious consequences if it participates in U.S. military operations in the region. Seoul has been under pressure from Washington to join its campaign against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry says it held good talks with Qatari officials over the weekend. Qatar, along with Pakistan, has served as a key mediator between the U.S. and Iran.

Joining me now from Geneva is Ali Vaez, Deputy Program Director for Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group. Good to have you with us.

ALI VAEZ, DEPUTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Good to see you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, the U.S. economic pressure campaign on Iran was supposed to force it back to the negotiating table, but it appears to be doing the opposite. With Tehran now vowing an escalation in military action and a wider war, is the U.S. pressure campaign backfiring, or is this just talk from Iran?

VAEZ: It is backfiring, Rosemary, and it was always clear and predictable, and predicted that this would happen because the more the Iranians face an existential threat on the economic side, with the sanctions strangulating their economy, the less risk averse they would become, the more incentives they would have to escalate because they have less to lose, and they are now trying to escalate in a way to break the blockade by number one going after U.S. warships directly. They threatened to do so first, and then they have now fired some, I would say, warning shots towards U.S. warships.

And then, also to use the proxies they have in the region, like the Houthis, to put pressure on the traffic in the Red Sea, and also to target Saudi and other regional production facilities. And all of this together is likely to push energy prices much higher, which is precisely the kind of pain they are trying to generate in retaliation for the pain that the U.S. is inflicting upon them.

CHURCH: And Tehran is also threatening to attack other nations that are backing the U.S. economic pressure campaign against Iran. What might that mean do you think?

VAEZ: Well, in the immediate neighborhood, of course, countries like the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, they have been regular targets of Iranian retaliation, and they are accessible to Iran. But it's hard to imagine Iranians going after South Korea, the geographic distance, and also South Korea's own military capabilities really rules that out.

But what I can see happening is the Iranians trying to target South Korean-related linked vessels in and around the Persian Gulf. What worries me the most, Rosemary, is the possibility of targeting some countries that would basically drag NATO into this dynamics, including threats that we have seen from the Iranians against Greece, where there is more and more accumulation of U.S. and Israeli military equipment, as well as Cyprus.

CHURCH: So, where does all this leave efforts to end the war, and do you see any off ramps, or are they further away than ever do you think?

VAEZ: Unfortunately, it's very hard to see off ramps at this moment because I think the Trump administration is convinced that the pressure, economic pressure, is working, and it's just a matter of time before the Iranian economy collapses. This mentality that we're just one turn of the screw away from the collapse of Iranian economy has been there literally for four decades, but now the Trump administration is a strong believer in it.

And the Iranians also believe that given energy prices and the dwindling strategic reserves, they are in a position to force the United States to blink first, and so unfortunately, at this moment, I don't see a way out. I only see the risk of further escalation because it really takes one incident in which American Marines are killed or a major environmental disaster happens, which could result in this conflict really spiraling out of control again.

CHURCH: And we are also learning that scores of people have been wounded after Iran-backed Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia. What might this escalation in the conflict signal do you think?

[02:30:00]

VAEZ: Well, the Houthis have their own calculations for why they're escalating at this moment. They are also trying to gain more territory closer to Bab el-Mandeb, the critical choke point that connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, and that would benefit Iran as well, because then it can put pressure on not just the Strait of Hormuz as a critical choke point, but also on Bab el-Mandeb.

But the reality, and another concern here, is that even if Iran and the U.S. step back from the brink, the conflict that is -- seems to be rekindled in Yemen might take a life of its own and continue even beyond the end of hostilities between Iran and in the U.S.

CHURCH: Ali Vaez, appreciate your perspective and analysis. Thanks for joining us.

VAEZ: Always a pleasure.

CHURCH: Egyptian state media report a popular T.V. host is among 12 people sentenced to death for their alleged role in a drug trafficking ring. Our Nada Bashir has more on the case.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Death by hanging. That is the sentence facing Egyptian T.V. presenter, Sara Khalifa, along with 11 others over their alleged role in a drug trafficking network, according to state media. The T.V. host is a well-known entertainment and social media figure in Egypt with some 2.5 million followers on Instagram.

She's best known for presenting the Egyptian crime show, "Mission Impossible", as well as managing her own cosmetic surgery clinic. Now the 39-year-old is among 12 defendants accused of forming an organized criminal gang said to be involved in importing substances used to manufacture drugs with the intent of then selling them.

Prosecutors say 750 kilograms of synthetic narcotics and other raw materials were seized from the property where the defendants allegedly stored and made the drugs. State media also reports the gang has also been sentenced for the possession of firearms without a license.

In video circulating on social media, Khalifa is heard weeping during her sentencing, pleading for mercy and humanity.

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BASHIR: CNN has been unable to independently verify the footage and has contacted her attorney for comment.

News of the death sentence being issued has sent shockwaves across the world. In 2025 alone, Egypt issued nearly 500 death sentences, one of the highest recorded rates in the world, according to Amnesty International.

CHURCH: Still ahead, on this hour of "CNN Newsroom," migrant workers win millions in a class action lawsuit against automakers. More on the bait-and-switch hiring tactics allegedly used to lure them to the United States. Back in just a moment.

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[02:37:16]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. Let's take a look at some of the other top stories we're following. Presidential candidates in Brazil celebrating Independence Day, rallying supporters ahead of a hotly contested election.

The current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, presided over a military parade in the capital where attendees spoke of their patriotism. Lula is seeking his fourth non-consecutive term on October 4th. An estimated 28,000 people rallied in Sao Paulo against Lula's government in favor of right-wing candidate, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. The latest poll shows the two candidates are tied at 41 percent ahead of the vote.

Large crowds gathered at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to protest a victory by the far-right Alternative for Germany party in state elections. While short of a majority, AfD still secured 39 of 83 seats in parliament in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. On Monday, several thousand people joined the protest and debated different ways to respond to the success of AfD.

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CHURCH: In Albania, thousands took to the streets to protest against a development planned on an environmentally sensitive part of the Adriatic coast. An investment firm linked to Donald Trump's son-in- law, Jared Kushner, is involved in the project. Environmentalists oppose the plan and say it would impact a large section of pristine beaches.

A Mexican engineer says he and hundreds of other workers were recruited for technical jobs here in the United States by automakers. But when they went through the immigration process, they were instead put to work on assembly lines. Now they've won a settlement worth $11.5 million. CNN's Rafael Romo has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISIDRO ARELLANO, ENGINEER: You are like 24, 25 years old and you see an ad that says, you can go to work in the United States. Obviously, it's going to sound like, I don't know, like a dream job, like an amazing offer.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Isidro Arellano says he was in his last year of engineering school when he saw an ad at his college in Mexico. He says the ad was for engineering jobs at car factories in the United States. The ideal candidate, young engineers or technicians from Mexico willing to work north of the border.

ROMO: Can you tell me what happened after you applied?

ARELLANO: They called me and they told me that they have a job opportunity to work in a plant that makes parts for the automotive industry.

[02:40:00]

ROMO (voice-over): Full of dreams, Arellano says he traveled to the United States in 2021 for what he describes as a quality engineering job whose duties included taking precise measurements for auto parts.

ROMO: Did you at any point feel like this was a little too good to be true?

ARELLANO: Yeah, it crossed my mind like a couple of times.

ROMO (voice-over): A class action lawsuit filed in 2022 in federal court in Atlanta alleges that Arellano and about 600 other Mexican workers were induced to move to the United States with false promises of a skilled job, but relegated to performing assembly line work, subjected to six 12-hour workdays per week with mandatory overtime, while American-born workers were not, and paid half of what American- born workers earned for the same job in the same location. JULIA SOLORZANO, LEGAL & POLICY DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR MIGRANT RIGHTS: We're receiving calls from workers talking about issues that they were having in the auto supply industry in Georgia and Alabama.

ROMO (voice-over): Julia Solorzano is the Legal & Policy Director of an organization that advocates for migrant workers.

SOLORZANO: These workers allege that they were recruited for professional jobs doing engineering and technical work in auto supply plants in Georgia. And so these are workers who had degrees and professional qualifications to do that kind of work. In fact, the terms of their visa required them to do that professional work.

ROMO (voice-over): According to the class action lawsuit, the workers came to the United States with what is known as a T.N. visa which, according to the U.S. State Department, allows eligible Canadian and Mexican professionals to work in high-skilled jobs in the country under the Free Trade Agreement between all three countries known as the USMCA.

DANIEL WERNER, CIVIL AND LABOR RIGHTS ATTORNEY: What it turned into, as is claimed in the case, was a bait and switch. The workers ended up -- these engineers ended up in the United States working at these plants and were doing manual labor. They were not working as engineers.

ROMO (voice-over): Just before trial last month, the defendants, including Hyundai Mobis and Kia Georgia, as well as Georgia-based staffing agency SBJ Connect and Georgia recruiting firm Allswell, reached an $11.5 million settlement.

In a statement to CNN, Kia says they resolved the matter saying, the court made no finding of liability of wrongdoing by Kia and no fines or judgments were entered against the company. Kia denies the allegations and denies it played any role in recruiting the claimants.

CNN reached out to Hyundai Mobis and Allswell, but got no response. SBJ Connect appears as dissolved in state of Georgia documents.

WERNER: The allegation is that they used the T.N. Visa program to provide a supply of labor at their plants and the way they used the T.N. Visa program, according to the lawsuit, was to circumvent the immigration laws.

ROMO: What is the message that this case sends to foreign workers in general, workers who may be in the same situation these Mexican engineers and technicians were?

WERNER: Even in this environment, we have this group of workers who stepped forward and decided that they were wronged and did something about it and achieved justice.

ROMO (voice-over): Isidro Arellano returned to the United States and is legally working as an engineer. Other workers in the class action lawsuit, who left jobs and family, have not been as fortunate.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And we have much more coming up here on "CNN Newsroom," including a return to what was once home for the survivors of the devastating floods in Nepal. That story up next.

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[02:48:50]

CHURCH: In Nepal, priests, monks and grieving residents are gathering to pray for those killed in the devastating flash floods. Mourners commemorated the day by performing rituals and offerings as search crews continue looking for the missing. The floods were triggered by a massive mud and rock collapse along the Nepal-China border, sweeping away any reminder of the once busy hub.

One resident was at home when he received a warning phone call and helped dozens escape before floodwaters destroyed large parts of the town.

SAKIL KHAN, NEPAL RESIDENT (through translator): No, it's really difficult. It's generations of generations of hard work. My father and mother gave their lives to this house, my brothers and me too. So it's really hard too. It's really painful.

CHURCH: The death toll from those devastating floods in Nepal and China has risen to nearly 1,400 people. Chinese officials have allowed CNN to get a first-hand view of the disaster zone on the China-Nepal border.

[02:50:00]

This is a rare government-organized reporting trip, but CNN maintains full editorial control of our coverage. Here's Simone McCarthy with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR CHINA REPORTER (voice-over): This was Gyirong Port, the main gate, the immigration halls, customs, the parking lots where buses waited, the last man-made structure pilgrims, tourists and traders walked through before crossing between Nepal and China. That building, bridge, road are gone.

MCCARTHY: This is the spot where a huge wall of water washed over a five-storey building in video that was captured on surveillance footage on August 26, when devastating floods and landslide hit the China-Nepal border.

I'm standing now in the area where that building was. You would never know that there had been anything here at all. It's just completely flattened.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): What is left is an apocalyptic field of mud so deep that, in places, machines are cutting through about 12 feet of it. The first teams did not arrive by road. They climbed, got on rubber boats and helicopters, because the highway had been torn out.

ZHANG XIAOJUN, CHINESE RESCUE TEAM LEADER (through translator): All of the structures above ground had been swept away by the mudslide. It was really heartbreaking to see. So many of our fellow Chinese lost their precious lives in this disaster.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): Zhang also says, at this stage, they are clearing mud layer by layer, searching for the deceased. There are no signs of life nearly two weeks in. Chinese authorities have confirmed dozens of deaths on this side of the border in Tibet. But what the world can see of this loss is tightly managed.

MCCARTHY: This is the first time that foreign media is getting access into this area, where CNN is part of a small group of foreign reporters who've been given access to this site. The first time that foreign media have been allowed entry here.

But certainly, this is a place where there are many questions about who is here, many families seeking more answers.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): Like Arushi Gupta's family in India, those were her last messages to her father, less than an hour before the flood struck. The 33-year-old even included a picture of the Gyirong Port crossing as she approached the port.

This is her father's message to Chinese authorities.

AJAY GUPTA, DAUGHTER OF ARUSHI MISSING SINCE FLOOD: My request to them with folded hand is, please provide any information you have about my daughter. I shall be grateful to you. I am requesting China authority to please share any details they have.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): More than 500 people remain missing on China's side of the border, roughly half of them foreign nationals.

When asked about the government's plans on releasing data about those who were at the port that fateful day, Chinese officials say information about missing foreign nationals has been shared with their embassies.

PU WEIDONG, PUBLIC SECURITY DEPARTMENT, TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION (through translator): After the identities of the victims' remains are confirmed, the relevant departments will properly hand over the remains and belongings to the families. The specific procedures for claiming and handling will be carried out in strict accordance with relevant regulations.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): And so the search continues, but the answers may never come.

Simone McCarthy, CNN, Gyirong Port.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Just ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," a fresh reminder from King Charles about where Prince Harry and Meghan stand, and whether their return to the U.K. changes their royal status. Stay with us for that.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, four years ago today, Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II died and her son ascended to the throne as King Charles III. Now, as the royal family marks the anniversary, the king is confirming that Prince Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals. A letter from the palace says there's, quote, "no change to their status following the couple's return to the U.K."

Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020. The palace says any charitable work they do will be a private matter and they will not carry out official engagements for the crown.

Well, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of New York for the city's annual West Indian Day parade. The celebration of Caribbean culture allows many to fully embrace their heritage through community, cuisine and music. But this year's parade comes against the backdrop of intensified immigration enforcement across the U.S. Organizers say the parade is both a defiant assertion of pride and a rare bright spot for many facing uncertainty at this time.

Thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back at the same time tomorrow. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next, after a short break. Stay with us.

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