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Growing Calls For Government Oversight Of A.I. Models; More Than 100 Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Village; Public Sector Workers Strike Over Pay And Budget Cuts In France; WSJ Reporter Pens Memoir After 16 Months in Russian Prison; Trump Deportations to Continue Despite Human Rights Concerns; Remnants of Polo Dissipate Over Northwestern Mexico; Tropical Storm Rachel Threatens Mexico With More Heavy Rain; Morocco's King Appoints First Woman Prime Minister; Sailing Competition Requires at Least One Woman on Each Crew. Aired 2- 3a ET

Aired September 30, 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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[02:00:29]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, tech leaders went from calling for federal regulation of A.I. to agreeing to self-police their companies, we will discuss what could have changed their minds.

Oil is now moving through the Strait of Hormuz at about 80 percent of pre-war levels, aided by the U.S. Navy. But Iran claims it hasn't lost leverage over the critical waterway.

And can women become a bigger part of the iconic America's Cup? We will introduce you to two sailors looking to succeed at the highest level of a sport traditionally dominated by men.

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

CHURCH: Good to have you with us, and we begin in Washington, where President Trump and tech industry executives have agreed on a roadmap towards better oversight for artificial intelligence without the government getting too involved.

Leaders from Google, Anthropic, Meta, OpenAI, Nvidia, and X A.I., along with the president, all signed a voluntary agreement for better self-policing of the company's A.I. models. President Trump has largely dismissed growing concerns about the dangers of the rapidly evolving technology, suggesting the government could not slow down on A.I. development, or they'd risk falling behind China. But he did announce plans to appoint an A.I. czar in the coming days. Here's what the president had to say about Tuesday's agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They came together and they did something that few people really -- it's almost like a constitution, in a way, and the biggest -- and the biggest people in the world signed that, and I signed it as president, and it really is a form of protection.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this accord that everybody signed. Is it binding in any way?

TRUMP: I think it's morally binding. They almost viewed it as a separate kind of a constitution, and I think they -- when they signed that, it meant a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Hadas Gold has more details on the A.I. summit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: This meeting was really a who's who when it came to the most powerful executives in tech meeting with the most powerful parts of the U.S. government, from President Trump to the Speaker of the House to the White House Chief of Staff to the Treasury Secretary and even the head of NASA were meeting with such names as Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, SpaceX's Elon Musk, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, and more. It was really, I mean, when you're looking at who are the most powerful people you could get into a room to discuss A.I. and technology and governance, it was these people, and I think that's a reflection of the moment that we're in after this summer of A.I. safety panic, where there really seems to be a moment of existential concern over A.I.'s power, its capabilities, and how quickly it's developing, and the fact that the calls for regulations and standards are coming very loudly from inside the industry itself.

But what we got out of this meeting was not necessarily government regulations, forceful government regulations, but as President Trump called it, a morally binding accord that is voluntary that all of these companies signed, agreeing to certain things like sets of internal controls and reviews and audits, and then after this meeting, it was also very incredible to see many of these tech CEOs standing alongside President Trump and talking to the press and taking some questions about what they all agreed upon. And I actually think it was Meta's Mark Zuckerberg who gave the most succinct description of what they actually signed in that meeting. Take a listen.

MARK ZUCKERBERG, CEO, META: We drafted a set of principles and commitments around building robust internal controls and detecting if there are any issues with the technology, coupled with multiple layers of auditing and controls, starting with internal risk review, external auditors and evaluators, and agreeing that we're going to have all of our boards of directors independently review the reports that come from the auditors.

GOLD: I also spoke to one of the CEOs who was in that meeting, Exiger's Brandon Daniels. He told me that the tone was very congenial. He even said some of the executives were exchanging cell phone numbers if they didn't already have each other's information, and he did say that the meeting will that the group will be meeting once again as an industry group, having conversations with members of Congress, and he wasn't sure if they were going to meet again with the president in the same manner. But was very convinced that this is just the beginning of sort of these regular conversations.

[02:05:18]

Of course, we'll see what will actually happen in terms of action, because as it stands right now, there's not even an industry association amongst tech companies that can agree on these sorts of standards when it comes to A.I., even at the minimal level of what are the best standards when it comes to testing your A.I. system, so that it doesn't escape its testing environment and hack into another company, like what we saw in the Hugging Face case, there are discussions for that to happen, for an industry standard to happen, but there's a lot of people within the industry itself and outside the industry who want the government to be the guiding hand that will force these companies to work together and agree to actually binding standards that will help keep this rapidly evolving technology safe.

Hadas Gold, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now is Aalok Mehta, director of the Wadhwani A.I. Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Appreciate you talking with us.

AALOK MEHTA, DIRECTOR, WADHWANI A.I. CENTER, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Thanks for having me on.

CHURCH: So, President Trump rejected calls Tuesday to slow down A.I. advancements at a meeting with top tech executives at the White House, choosing instead for those CEOs to police themselves on a voluntary basis, that is a long way from federal regulations that some of those executives had been calling for. Trump likened the agreement they all signed to the U.S. Constitution, but said it was morally, not legally, binding. How safe should we all feel with that solution after most of these tech titans were actually warning of an existential threat posed by their own A.I. models?

MEHTA: I think that the actions the tech companies and the A.I. companies took today is a good start, and there's certainly a role for self-regulation. There's certainly a role for technical experts to help and enhance safety within their industry. This is something that we've seen in other industries. Certainly, technical experts are involved in things like aviation and transportation in making that technology safer.

I think the difference with those industries is that that often happens with a federal backstop. We have a federal regulator or another federal organization that puts in place guidelines and standards for how that technical work should happen, and in this case, we see that it is the industry completely self-regulating, as in they're choosing who's going to oversee them. They're going to set the terms for how that is done. Ultimately, they're going to decide what kind of information is released to the public.

And so, certainly it's a promising step. But I think that more needs to be done if we're going to really signal the kinds of things we need to signal to the public to make them feel more confident about both where the technology is now, and where the technology is going to go in the future.

CHURCH: Well, let's talk about that because while both President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson continue to downplay the need to heavily regulate A.I., insisting that would hurt America's A.I. race against China, what regulation would you like to see put in place to guard against the existential threat posed by A.I., along with other risks associated with the technology?

MEHTA: Yes, I think that there's a false dichotomy happening here, which is this idea that if we regulate U.S. technology, will fall behind China. The fact is that if you look at how people feel about A.I. technology in the U.S. and other parts of the world, like Europe, they're very skeptical about A.I. technology. They don't think it's going to make their lives better, and this we've seen in polls time and time again.

And so, what you also see in those polls is people asking for regulation. They want the government to step in and do stuff to make the technology safer.

And so, the path here, I think, is to think of regulation as a way to build public confidence in the technology, restore some of this trust gap, and ultimately that is part of the solution to helping the A.I. industry spread and helping A.I. technology find its way into more people's lives, into bigger parts of the economy.

And so, I don't think that regulation is necessarily the thing that will slow it down. I think it can be part of the solution as well.

CHURCH: And President Trump also signed an executive order renaming A.I. as superintelligence. That, of course is S.I. So, what's your response to that move? And will the CEOs commit to that rebrand? Will your company change its name? Are people going to follow suit on this?

[02:10:04]

MEHTA: You know, I think the president-he's done this before. He likes to rename things. He thinks that renaming. Things gives power, and in some ways it does.

But in this case, I think it's a recognition that A.I. has a branding problem. As I've mentioned, there is a lot of public skepticism about A.I. technology, and so I think this is a recognition that maybe people have this negative association with A.I., and that a different term could perhaps be something of a reset.

CHURCH: And meantime, Reuters is reporting that a leaked IPO filing from Anthropic says its A.I. models pose a, "An existential risk to humanity and engaged in behavior described as resembling blackmail." Now, if these smart A.I. executives can't stay on top of their own A.I. models going rogue, who can?

MEHTA: Well, I think in documents like the IPO, they're not talking about things necessarily that they think will happen, but that might happen. And this is, I think, part of any responsible investor disclosure. But it is a bit unusual for companies to be warning in this level of detail about the potential risks posed by their technology.

CHURCH: Aalok Mehta, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

MEHTA: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is urging Americans to vote against President Trump and his allies in the midterm elections, the conflict with Iran is still deeply unpopular with U.S. voters. But President Trump claims the U.S. is winning the war that appears to have no end in sight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They're doing very poorly. I don't know if they're going to give up yet, but they'll give up. But they're doing very poorly. You know, we took more oil out of the Hormuz Strait over the last couple of days than at any point in history, including long before we had the war to stop the nuclear weapon. And this is to stop --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Although the passage of oil through the Strait of Hormuz is still below pre-war levels, new data from Kpler shows average oil and petroleum product flows were just under 80 percent of pre-war levels last week, and according to J.P. Morgan Chase, total Middle Eastern crude flows through Hormuz and around it are at 98 percent But Iran claims it hasn't lost leverage in the critical waterway.

The IRGC is challenging any claims that Iran has lost its grip over the Strait of Hormuz. It says that just because the U.S. might manage to, "Sneak a small vessel through Hormuz, does not mean the Strait is open." CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas weighs in on what this could mean for future negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, they certainly still have power left. I mean, because one thing that they learned through this past conflict is they don't need to actually shut down the Strait of Hormuz with mines. They actually don't need a nuclear program to hold people at risk from a deterrent perspective, a few drones and a few missiles hitting ships is sufficient to keep most of the major shipping carriers from transiting the Strait.

However, the U.S. has now learned that they're able to successfully help navigate and use smaller ships to move oil and gas out of the strait. So, it's kind of a move countermove situation that we've found ourselves in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian family overnight, storming their house and setting it on fire. The incident highlights the growing issue of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Just over two months ago, the Toubassi family were driven from their home in the occupied West Bank by a group of Israeli settlers. Then, Monday night into Tuesday, the Israeli military finally escorted the Toubassi family back to their home, following an order by the Israeli Supreme Court.

But moments after they arrived at their home, which they found had been damaged by the Israeli settlers, they came under attack once again. More than 100 Israeli settlers stormed the area, pelting the home with stones. Some of them actually stormed into the house and attacked the family, as well as Israeli border police officers who were on the scene. Some of the settlers even set the home on fire, as well as a car that belonged to the family. The family had to be escorted out of the area in an armored vehicle by the Israeli military.

This is, of course, just the latest instance of settler violence, which has been exploding across the West Bank in recent months. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the violence, but once again he sought to downplay it, attributing this violence to the actions of a, "Handful of rioters," even though the Israeli military itself said that there were more than 100 Israeli settlers involved in this attack. Of those, only two of the settlers were actually apprehended by Israeli authorities.

[02:15:21]

And what's happening in the West Bank is one of several issues driving the campaign in Israel right now. At the heart of it, of course, right now is this issue of what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was told, what he knew and what he failed to act on in the days leading up to the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. His former Shin Bet director, Israel's domestic intelligence service, says he is now going to sue the Israeli prime minister for defamation after Netanyahu tried to shift blame for the warnings before October 7 to this former Shin Bet director, Ronen Bar.

Bar is now firing back, saying that the Israeli prime minister was warned of a, "Impending disaster in an unprecedented manner ahead of that attack."

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We have much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM. Public sector workers across France walked off the job to protest pay freezes and budget cuts. We'll have more details on that after the break.

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[02:20:55]

CHURCH: Protesters camping on the streets of Madrid, showing their frustration at Spain's housing crisis. Tens of thousands marched through the capital over the weekend after an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her home. Although she's been allowed to return home, the anger and the camp remain. Lawmakers have responded by proposing new renter protection measures, including a ban on evictions until 2030. But protesters say it's not enough, demanding reforms including a rent freeze and automatic affordable rent renewals.

In France, public sector workers are outraged over the government's plans to freeze their base pay in its 2027 budget. The draft budget is set to be released on Thursday. Workers say the proposal would leave their salaries falling further behind the rising cost of living. CNN's Melissa Bell has more from Paris as workers held a one-day nationwide strike.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Social unrest has returned to the streets of France for the first time in a while.

This over the government's budget for 2027 that freezes public service sector wages in 2027.

What these unions, and there's been a rare showing of solidarity between the unions. They've all gotten together to take part in this protest, in this strike and in this march, is the idea that these wages will remain fixed when the cost of living continues to grow.

I think one of the most noteworthy things beyond the teachers and hospital workers and railway workers that we've seen out on the streets has been the huge presence of firefighters, many thousands of them took to the streets in Paris today after a meeting they had with France's Interior Minister.

What they're asking for is not so much a hike in wages as the raising of the resources at their disposal, as they seek to take on these wildfires that, as we saw this Summer, are becoming more and more frequent here in France.

This protest about public sector wages has seen tens of thousands come out in the streets. There have been disruptions to schools, to railways and to air traffic control. The big question, how the government over the next few weeks continues to try and get this budget through without causing too much more of this.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still ahead on this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, harrowing moments a Ukrainian scientist experienced after a Russian drone strike trapped him inside his burning office building. We will hear from him just ahead.

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[02:28:13]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church.

Russia is battering Ukraine's capital region with new airstrikes. Ukrainian officials say at least three people have been killed in the overnight attack, including a child, while several others have been injured. Kyiv's mayor says fires have broken out, and the regional governor says a missile and drone strike has also damaged infrastructure facilities, houses, and cars.

A scientist who survived Russia's deadly strike on Monday is sharing his story. 69-year-old Ihor Malchevsky was forced to climb out of his third-floor office window onto a narrow ledge after a Russian drone smashed into Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences. The strike killed one person and wounded several more. Malchevsky said he and a colleague were trapped in the burning building, and he had to face his fear of heights to make it through.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IHOR MALCHEVSKY, DEPUTY DEPARTMENT HEAD, UKRAINE'S NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (through translator): First seconds you don't understand, then the mind switches on and begins analyzing what happened. I realized it was an explosion and that I had to do something. I saw that the exit was blocked, so it was impossible to get out. There were two windows left. I was thinking about my loved ones, my wife, my children, I have two of them, and about my seven grandchildren, and well, I'd quite like to live a bit longer. My thoughts were about just one thing: how to rescue myself from this situation, and it worked out. Thank God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is speaking out about his 16-month imprisonment in Russia. In 2023, Gershkovich was arrested on suspicion of espionage while working as a correspondent in Moscow. He was later used as a key bargaining chip in a landmark multi-country prisoner swap between the U.S. Russia, and Germany.

[02:30:00]

In his newly published memoir, "This Cursed Beautiful Land," Gershkovich explores his time in captivity as well as what the Russian population as a whole is enduring.

Earlier, he spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper and reflected on his experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) EVAN GERSHKOVICH, AMERICAN JOURNALIST DETAINED IN RUSSIA FOR 16 MONTHS: They treated me like this sort of pristine package to be kept and swapped, so my value would stay very high. And that was a kind of known secret from day one. My first night in prison, you know, we have a television. On state news, a newscaster like you, except it's for state propaganda, says it might be cynical, but we've replenished our exchange fund, so to speak, the term the Russians use for the group of people that they take capture to then trade.

And so knowing that, as a reporter who was working in the country for five-and-a-half years up to that point, had reported on cases like this, that really helped. Also having this wide support network from my newsroom to other journalists like yourself, also my family, my friends, my girlfriend who really rallied around me, so I really wasn't alone.

And also, my Russian background that you alluded to at the beginning. I spoke the language, I understood the customs, and so I could have conversations with my cellmates, understand what was going on, on the television and newspapers, but also talk to prison guards and you know, FSB officials. And as a journalist, it was a sort of unique opportunity kind of, you know, to end up there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to resume its controversial deportation program. The temporary ruling allows the government to send migrants to countries other than their own, including places where they have no ties. CNN's Joan Biskupic explains the concerns activist groups are raising.

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN CHIEF SUPREME COURT ANALYST: The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the Trump administration another win for its anti- immigrant agenda and effort to deport migrants to countries other than their homeland. The disputed policy in this case does not give migrants a chance to claim they could be tortured in these countries, where they have no ties, or to raise any other human rights concerns.

Lower court judges had blocked the policy. The conservative Supreme Court majority revived it on Tuesday without any explanation, in an unsigned order, and over (ph) the dissent of the three liberal justices on the nine-member bench. But it seems the dissenters pulled one concession from the conservatives who control the court and have largely favored Trump, the Trump administration on immigration.

The court scheduled arguments in the case for this December on an expedited schedule. The justices said they will decide whether U.S. lower court judges actually have jurisdiction to hear claims against the removal policy, as happened here, and whether, more importantly, these third country deportations are lawful.

The administration developed this alternative last year after experiencing difficulty attempting to quickly deport undocumented migrants to their home countries. Some 25,000 migrants have already been flown to places where they have no connection. Tuesday's decision marked the third time the high court has let the administration proceed with these flights.

Lower court judges have been more sympathetic and found that the Convention Against Torture requires, first, some notice to migrants and the ability to raise a credible claim that they might be tortured. The administration has said it has received blanket assurances from the designated countries that no one deported there will be tortured.

But lawyers representing the group of migrants in this case say that the record actually shows that some who were sent to these third countries have faced prolonged detention, beatings, and sexual assault. The case will be argued in December, with a decision likely by late spring 2027. In the meantime, the flights can start up again.

Joan Biskupic, CNN, Washington. Back to you.

CHURCH: We're joined now by Katarina Schwarz, live from Nottingham, England. She's been appointed by the United Nations as Special Rapporteur on issues related to contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking. Appreciate you joining us.

KATARINA SCHWARZ, SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR, UNITED NATIONS: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So, U.N. experts, including yourself, have been warning the United States about the deportation of migrants to third countries, saying it could be violating human rights. And yet the U.S. Supreme Court decided Tuesday to allow the Trump administration to resume its controversial deportation program on a temporary basis though, until it hears arguments in the case at the end of the year.

What's your response to that decision?

SCHWARZ: Human rights aren't temporary or they're fixed and permanent.

[02:35:00]

So there's no situation, whether on a permanent basis or a temporary basis, where we should be allowing states to escape their international obligations, including the obligations to migrants and people that are being returned, whether to their own home country or to third countries. And that those rights that are at play in this specific situation are often some of the most fundamental rights that we have in our systems.

The right to be free from torture. The right not to be returned to a country where you face risk of persecution, rights to due process, rights to be free from slavery and servitude and trafficking in persons.

CHURCH: So what is happening to these migrants who were sent to a third country and what are the human rights violations that you're seeing?

SCHWARZ: I have to say, look, the harms from this scheme are really no longer hypothetical. We are seeing a cascade of human rights violations occurring as a result. Both of the processes through which people are being returned to third countries, often countries that they have absolutely no connection to, sometimes countries where they don't speak the language and where they face arbitrary detention, denial of due process rights.

We have had reports of serious violence, beatings, unfortunately rape, torture, and victims being onwards subjected to exploitation. These people are being placed at severe risks and many of their rights are being undermined on return. And importantly, there's just not sufficient safeguards in place to protect people from any of these violations of their human rights.

CHURCH: And these third country deportations are all part of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and a response to some leaders refusing to allow these migrants to return home. So what do you see as a possible alternative?

SCHWARZ: Look, every state has the right to manage its own borders, but it must do so within the confines of its international legal commitments. These are commitments that the U.S. itself has signed up to by ratifying various treaties, and states can't simply contract out of those legal obligations by enacting agreements with third countries.

So what we really need to see here is adherence to those very important and foundational human rights standards and international legal obligations that the U.S. has signed up to. And here, the prohibition of refoulement, that is return of people to countries where they may face risks of persecution, torture, or onwards trafficking, is absolute and non-derogable.

There's no situation where any arrangement should be allowing for return of people into those situations, nor should they be returned to a country where they then face a risk of onwards refoulement back to the country where they face persecution, torture, and other abuses. So those safeguards being built in are absolutely foundational, and receiving states also ultimately are bound by their obligations too.

But it's important to remember, states cannot simply contract out of their legal obligations.

CHURCH: All right. Katarina Schwarz, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your perspective and analysis on this issue. Appreciate it.

Still to come, an update on widespread flooding in parts of Mexico as the remnants of Polo sweep through. We'll have that and more in just a moment.

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[02:43:17]

CHURCH: New details just in about the suspected terror plot targeting a British airbase used by the U.S. military. One of the five men arrested near the base over the weekend reportedly called the police before they were detained. That's according to British media reports that that call led police to begin investigating almost an hour before receiving alerts from local residents about suspicious activity.

The five men were later arrested on suspicion of terror and explosives offenses. The men who have not been identified have now been released on bail by British authorities. No motive has been revealed yet.

Remnants of Polo are dissipating over northwestern Mexico, but it's already triggered extensive flooding after making landfall as a hurricane early Tuesday. CNN's Valeria Leon has more now from Mexico City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hurricane Polo struck Mexico twice. After weakening from Category 5 strength over the Pacific, it made landfall in Baja California Sur. Then it crossed the Gulf of California and hit Sonora, where torrential rain flooded the port city of Guaymas. Cars stranded in flood water, streets turned into rivers, and for some residents, the water came right through their front doors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Water is coming into my house, into the kitchen, into the bathroom.

LEON (voice-over): Polo made its second landfall in Sonora as Category 1 hurricane. In Guaymas, 108 people went to temporary shelters, according to the mayor.

[02:45:00]

KARLA CORDOVA, MAYOR OF GUAYMAS, MEXICO (through translator): The most important thing during a storm is to protect lives. Stay home, keep away from windows and doors.

LEON (voice-over): Officials are preparing pumps to drain flooded areas, and Mexico's military says it has personnel deployed under its disaster response plan.

Polo first made landfall in Baja California Sur as a Category 2 hurricane. About 700 people took shelter there, with no casualties reported.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): In the three municipalities threatened by the hurricane, Comondu, Loreto and Mulege, around 700 people took shelter.

LEON (voice-over): As communities assess the damage left by Polo, another storm is moving along Mexico's Pacific Coast. Tropical Storm Rachel could bring torrential rain to parts of the country, raising the risk of more flooding. So authorities are urging people in its path to stay alert, even as others are still cleaning up after Polo.

LEON: Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Flash flood emergencies have been declared in parts of southern New Mexico. Heavy rain has pummeled the state, with water levels in the Rio Grande rising dangerously. The river has breached levees, and officials warn that one dam is at risk of imminent failure. Several communities around the river have been ordered to evacuate to higher ground.

Fishing has long been a vital source of income for coastal communities in Madagascar. But as catches decline in some lagoons, seaweed farming is providing an alternative, creating new livelihoods, particularly for women.

This month's Africa Insider travels to the island of Samarai, where a growing operation is changing how people earn a living.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELANIE CUEFF, SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, GLOBAL SEAWEED COALITION: The seaweed industry is not niche. There is already a global industry in place, because today we produce more than 40 million tons of seaweed.

In the last 20 years, we see that the market has tripled, producing more than 40 million tons per year. In a world that is looking for decarbonization and alternative to fossil fuel solutions, there is growing opportunity for the seaweed sector to develop.

MANON MUSEUX, OFFSHORE OPERATIONS CO-ORDINATOR, NOSY BORAHA SEAWEED: I think there is a special environment in Sainte-Marie, as the water temperature is perfect for the species we grow, and also because of the protection with the reef barrier, so it's a perfect environment for us.

We work close to villagers actually, so they don't work for us, we work together. In 2021, when we started, we started with like 21 farmers. At the end of 2021, we were at 38, and now we are at 121 farmers.

Seaweed farming has brought a lot of change in the village, as women have now the choice to do what really can bring them money. I would say 80 percent of our workers are women.

MARGUERITE LANTOU, SEAWEED FARMER (through translator): Seaweed farming allowed me to build something, it allowed me to build my own house and to provide for my children's education, two of whom are now pursuing studies at university and one is in middle school. Thanks to this work, I always manage to provide for all their needs.

CLARITA BE MAURICE, SEAWEED FARMER (through translator): Seaweed farming has truly transformed my life. Having raised my children and grandchildren alone all my life, this work is what allows me to provide for their schooling and their daily well-being. Without this activity, I could not manage today.

CUEFF: Seaweed is an alternative source of revenue for traditional fishing village. We can see a shift in lagoon where there is less fish, people really shift from fishing to seaweed farming, also because it brings stable revenue.

When you go fishing at sea, you cannot guaranty you will come back with fish. When you go harvest your seaweed, most of the time you guaranty an income.

MUSEUX: I have seen the growth. In 2021, we were doing like one container each six months, and now we are like at minimum one container per week. So yes, you see a lot of production, but what is also coming with that is that the revenue of each farmer has tripled since the beginning.

BE MAURICE (through translator): I am proud of the progress made. I am convinced that within ten years, our village will have undergone new, very positive transformations.

[02:50:00]

MUSEUX: For me, it's perfect because you create value for people and you grow with them also. So it's -- for me, it's one of the biggest achievement for the moment, my life, to do that with them and I hope we will still doing seaweed in Sainte-Marie for like many years again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And we'll be right back.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the king of Morocco has appointed the country's first-ever woman prime minister. The royal palace says she was appointed after her liberal centrist party came out on top in last week's parliamentary election. The new prime minister is a lawyer who was the housing minister in the outgoing government and the mayor of Marrakech. She is set to lead talks to form a coalition government and submit a list of cabinet members for the king's approval.

Well, the America's Cup has long been one of sport's most exclusive male-dominated competitions. Now, for the first time in its 175-year history, women will be at the helm of some of the sport's most powerful boats. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon reports from Naples, Italy.

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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): The America's Cup, the fastest sails in history, battling for eternal glory. But in a centuries-old tradition, this season marks a new breakthrough and a historic first. Each team now required to field at least one woman as part of its crew. No small matter.

One research shows that three out of four women involved in sailing believe gender balance is a problem. We went to Naples to meet with Team USA as they prepare for the 38th edition of the Cup.

POZZEBON: Do you think that sailing has a gender issue, like, compared to other sports? Here you actually have men and women competing together.

LOUISA NORDSTROM, SAILOR, ACR TEAM USA: Like, I don't know, put a lot of thought into, I would say. Like, it's just kind of the environment that's present. Sailing has historically been a very male-dominated sport and that's the reality of it.

I think in a lot of sports, you know, there are inherent biological differences between men and women and the unique thing now with sailing is that it's becoming a more level playing field with regards to, like, the physical capabilities necessary.

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One design, America's Cup.

POZZEBON (voice-over): Soon enough, we found ourselves on deck. Tech is such an important part of today's sailing that the boat's wheel looks more like a cockpit than a yacht's cabin.

NORDSTROM: Oh, this is cool. This is the bow wand, so one of the important things with the autopilot of the boat and everything is -- here you get a wind reading, so that is fed into the boat all the time and it's important not to crash the boat because then it'll break off.

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POZZEBON: I mean it's important not to crash the boat for a variety of reasons not including the cost of one of these machines, right?

NORDSTROM: Yeah.

POZZEBON: Do you know how much one of these costs?

NORDSTROM: I think they're around $2 million.

POZZEBON (voice-over): Once at sea, our cameras could barely get a glimpse of what these boats are capable of, cruising at 40 knots or 75 kilometers per hour across the Mediterranean. The support crew on the chase boat providing any help the ships might need and enjoying the show.

KEN READ, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ACR TEAM USA: First of all, just the raw talent of females as it's comparable with males, but it also -- I think it signals an age of change where the physicality of -- it's more cerebral.

POZZEBON (voice-over): The Cup in Naples also provides an enormous opportunity for this city to show itself on the world stage and even transferring some of the passion it's known for from the soccer field to the regattas.

POZZEBON: Well, right now, most of the boats are getting ready to line up on the starting line of this practice race because, ultimately, this is just a warm-up. The real America's Cup is coming to Italy next year between May and July of 2027. A circus or perhaps Formula One on water. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Naples.

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CHURCH: And now, for something completely different. Meet Commando, the Chihuahua, the smallest member of Mexico's National Guard. They adopted him six months ago and the 13-month-old canine recruit is being trained to specialize in search and rescue operations. Commando usually joins troops on community outreach events, most recently wearing his miniature tactical gear. He participated in Mexico's Independence Day parade.

Very cute.

I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" with Salma Abdelaziz is next, after a short break. Stay with us.

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