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Senate Votes To Confirm Todd Blanche As Attorney General; Top U.S. Military Official: U.S. Must Find Off-Ramp; Iran And Oman Finalizing Maritime Agreement For Strait Of Hormuz; Trump: Immediately Appealing Ballroom Ruling To Supreme Court; Pentagon Revokes Former Air Force Secretary's Access To Classified Information; New Mexico Judge: Meta Must Pay $567 Million Into A Child Mental Health Fund; Winds Threaten To Fan Destructive Spokane Area Wildfire; Teen Gunman Kills Five Teachers In Deadly Thailand Shooting; Court: Deportation Protections For Haitians No Longer In Place; Lawsuit: Lab Mix-Up Led To Unnecessary Hysterectomy; Lettuce Back On Michigan Menus As Cyclospora Cases Decline There. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired August 08, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING.

Here's what's going on. Todd Blanche is set to become the next permanent attorney general. He was confirmed by the Senate this morning. How Republicans were able to get him confirmed and his main priorities as he takes the job?

As the U.S. war with Iran continues, there's new CNN reporting that President Trump's top general is looking for a way to end it. The concerns that have some in the administration looking for an off-ramp. That's coming up.

Some health providers are raising concerns over what the end of temporary protected status for Haitians could mean for their industry. The impact they say losing those workers will have.

Plus, a woman in Atlanta goes in for a routine visit only to be told she has an aggressive form of cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first thing went to my mind is that I was going to die. And I was like, how am I going to tell my family? How could I tell my kids that I have aggressive cancer?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Yes, but here's the thing. She did not have cancer, and she only found out after doctors removed several of her organs. Her story is coming up on CNN THIS MORNING.

Welcome to your weekend. You've earned it. It's Saturday, August 8th. I'm Victor Blackwell. It's good to have you along. Let's take you to Capitol Hill where earlier this morning the Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as Attorney General.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On this vote, the yays are 50, the nays are 49. The nomination is confirmed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: After weeks of uncertainty, Senate Republicans narrowly confirmed Blanche after one GOP holdout vote. Senator Bill Cassidy said that he would support Trump's pick on Friday. The vote as narrow as possible, 50 to 49 with Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining the Democrats in opposing the nomination.

CNN's Brian Todd joining us live from Capitol Hill. The vote somewhere around the 4:00 a.m. Eastern hour. And again, as I said, the narrowest of margins, Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Victor. A long evening and morning for the senators and for Todd Blanche. You know, the central question, the concern on many senators' minds, at least those senators who are on the fence about Todd Blanche was, is he going to continue using the Justice Department to carry out Donald Trump's retribution campaign against his political enemies? The answer, of course, is not clear. And the senators who were on the fence knew that it was not clear. And that's why this vote was so tight.

As Victor mentioned, the vote finally was 50 to 39 with Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski siding with the Democrats to vote against Todd Blanche's nomination. It all came down to Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the Republican who yesterday, late yesterday, finally came out and said that he would support Todd Blanche. That put him over the top, but again, by the narrowest of margins, 50 to 49.

As for the concern about the weaponization of the Justice Department, here's what Senator Lisa Murkowski had to say. "The country needs an attorney general who will check the worst impulses of this administration. I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that if confirmed. But I simply do not have confidence that will be the case." That was from Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

So, again, it came down to Senator Bill Cassidy. Cassidy had voiced concerns about the probe into Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide, who was a pivotal witness in the investigation, the congressional investigation into January 6th. It's not clear whether Cassidy Hutchinson will be indicted. Senator Cassidy had concerns about that. Apparently, Todd Blanche alleviated those concerns.

We can also tell you, Victor, that the Senate early this morning did another piece of business that is critical. It passed a bill to continue funding the government until December 11th. That is an attempt to avert a government shutdown before the Midterm elections, but it's not clear whether that shutdown will be averted because that measure now has to go to the House and its fate is uncertain in the House. Victor? BLACKWELL: Brian Todd, thank you so much.

There's a sobering warning from the highest-ranking military official in the country. Sources tell CNN that the Joint Chief's Chairman, General Dan Caine, is privately urging the White House to find an off- ramp from the war with Iran. He believes all military options on the table now could escalate and backfire.

[07:05:13]

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan just signed a mutual defense pact, much like NATO's Article V. It stipulates an attack against any of them shall be regarded as an attack against them all.

Now, with tensions escalating across the region, Iran and Oman are finalizing a maritime agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Iran's parliament is reviving or rather reviewing a plan to ban ships linked to the U.S., Israel, and other hostile countries from the strait until Tehran is compensated for war damages.

Nada Bashir is tracking the latest developments, and she joins us live from London. Still waiting for final approval from some senior Iranian officials, but tell us about the prospects for this deal on the strait.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, many in the region, including particularly the Gulf allies of the United States, are hoping that this will at least shift the needle in some positive direction to allow for further negotiations to take place. It's understood that the broader framework of this agreement has of course been laid out on the table with approval -- tacit approval on both sides. Both Iran and Omani officials of course taking part in those discussions and negotiations for some weeks now.

But the hope would be under the terms of this agreement according to officials cited by Iranian state media is that a central passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be agreed upon by officials on both sides with inbound traffic being monitored and overseen by Iranian officials outbound traffic by Omani officials. And this would be as opposed to the former state of quote that we have seen over the course of this war in which Iran has pushed for vessels to travel along the corridor near its coastline as opposed to vessels traveling along the Omani coastline where of course many of those vessels have then come under attack by the IRGC.

Now, of course, the Strait of Hormuz and allowing vessels to travel safely through this key shipping passage has been a key stumbling block in negotiations and there is some hope amongst mediators again particularly in the Gulf that this latest development if indeed the agreement is seen through that this would allow for further negotiations to take place.

And it does appear as though the U.S. might be heading towards the direction of pushing for further mediation and negotiations particularly of course given those frank comments by President Trump's top general Dan Caine, according to three sources familiar with discussions ongoing behind the scenes, warning that they may need an offramp soon. That any further action taken any military options on the table to escalate this conflict could backfire.

And also some concerns that air power alone on the part of the U.S. military will not be enough to secure President Trump's end goals. And of course we had previously heard at the outset of this war from the U.S. President that much of Iran's military capabilities had already been decimated, that this would only take weeks. Clearly, nearly months into this war that has not been the case.

And now, this frank warning that the U.S. may need an offramp might be enough to push the U.S. and other allies towards further negotiations. But of course, all that remains to be seen.

BLACKWELL: Nada Bashir, thank you so much.

President Trump says that he will immediately appeal a federal appeals court decision halting construction of his White House ballroom renovation. The court said that only Congress has the authority to make major changes to the White House. The president has argued it's a matter of national security. He suggested the project will be paid for through donations but has also sought hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to fund it.

The Pentagon has revoked the former Air Force Secretary's access to classified information. According to the Pentagon spokesperson, former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall was immediately stripped of access due to "unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One's capabilities to a media outlet." The president was angry over reporting of safety concerns regarding the Qatari gifted plane and prompted the leak investigation. In a statement, Kendall said that he's not aware that he said anything classified and was extremely careful. He says no one has told him what he supposedly revealed.

A judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, to pay $567 million into a child mental health fund. That's in addition to the $375 million in penalties Meta was already fined. It's all related to a landmark ruling last March. In the first phase of that trial, a jury found Meta guilty of child sexual exploitation on its platforms. Meta must also delete the accounts and all personal information the company collected from accounts belonging to users under 13 years old. Meta plans to appeal.

[07:10:13]

In Washington State, firefighters near Spokane are bracing for more hot, dry, windy weather. Three major fires have already burned more than 10,000 acres, destroyed hundreds of homes and buildings. Evacuations are still in place, and officials are warning conditions this week could help the flame spread even farther.

CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here with us now. What are these firefighters up against?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, yesterday was kind of really the peak when you talk about the extremely hot temperatures, the low humidities, and the winds. But today is really the last day of the threat but that means it's still there. There's still elevated fire condition. So the concern in how much is the fire going to continue to spread before they can really get a better grasp on the situation.

So, here is where we have that elevated fire weather threat for today. That does include Spokane. Now, by tomorrow, all of this shifts much farther south, really kind of becoming focused more over the southwestern tier of the U.S. So, again, today being the last day, it's still a concern though. And the biggest part of that is really those winds that could get up around 15, 20 miles per hour, maybe even a few gusts up around 25 miles per hour. I know 20 to 25 may not sound like all that much, but it is more than enough to take those embers that already exist, and fan them out very, very quickly. Also too, it can take even new fires, especially with how dry the ground conditions are in these areas and trigger new fires.

One thing to note though too, with those increase of winds yesterday and today, they also shifted direction. So, places like Seattle and Portland actually getting a little bit of a break from all of those smoky conditions that have been causing all the air quality alerts. However, the flip side, even though conditions are improving for those areas, it's actually getting worse in some of the areas farther off to the east and the southeast specifically where you're seeing more of that smoke kind of being funneled in.

The temperatures are still a concern, but they are now starting to go down on the downswing. For example, Spokane, the average high is 86. Yesterday they were 94 degrees. Today, we're looking at about 91 and then back to the 80s by next week. So, you're going to start to see those temperatures coming back down, not just for Spokane, but for a lot of the western U.S. And that's what they really need to really help those fire crews out.

BLACKWELL: Hopefully, they get it. Allison, thanks so much.

Next on CNN THIS MORNING, a search for answers after five teachers were killed in a school shooting in Thailand. We'll tell you what we know about a possible motive. And after several fatal shootings and controversial arrest, ICE is rolling out body cameras to agents across the U.S. but there are concerns about how the agency says it will handle that footage. Plus, the spread of this intestinal illness has really raised concerns about the U.S. food supply. A food safety expert is here with what you need to know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:00]

BLACKWELL: A school community in Thailand is mourning five teachers killed in one of the country's deadliest school shootings in years. Authorities say a 14-year-old student opened fire at his school north of Bangkok yesterday. He killed five staff members and wounded more than 30 others. He then turned the gun on himself. A video verified by CNN shows terrified students hiding under desks as this teenager was shooting inside the school. Police say the teen is also accused of killing his grandparents before this attack. Now, on the question of motive, officials say that he may have been struggling with stress related to his studies.

Let's go to CNN's Ivan Watson in Thailand. Ivan, what can you tell us that you've learned?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, you know, this is a community in mourning. We're outside the gates of this high school that some 3000 boys and girls study at. And this is where unspeakable violence erupted on Friday morning.

And five teachers -- at least five teachers, were killed and dozens of people wounded. So, we've been watching people come and lay flowers and put drinks to kind of commemorate some of the victims here. The teachers included a math teacher, a guidance teacher, an administrative assistant, a Thai language teacher.

And I've been talking to parents as well as students who are mourning this. A dad that I talked to who said, look, I am grateful to these teachers because they protected our children from the shooter, who the authorities say turned the gun on himself after opening fire initially on both teachers and students. I think a disturbing detail is that this seemed to go on for quite some time.

A 17-year-old boy I talked to saying that it was nearly an hour he felt like that the shooting was going on. He thought it was construction noise in the beginning that was happening. So, the funerals have begun for some of the victims and the victims do include the 14-year-old boy's grandparents, who it appears, that were shot and killed hours before opening fire here on the campus of this school here. So, this is opening up questions about gun safety here in Thailand since this isn't the first time that a school has been targeted. Also, mental health issues as well.

[07:20:06]

The prime minister of the country, who was here, he pointed out that the boy's grandmother was a retired schoolteacher and said that she was putting a considerable amount of pressure on him to perform academically. There were about four years ago that a police officer attacked a nursery school with guns and a knife and killed dozens of people. And this scene that we're all too familiar with in the U.S., of flowers and candles outside a school after a mass murder attack -- a massacre -- something that were all too familiar with in the U.S. And that, sadly, tragically, is a recurring appearance now here in Thailand as well. Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes, certainly is. Ivan, thank you for that report. Staffing shortages at America's hospitals could become even worse. Still ahead, how experts say president Trump's immigration policies could have long-term consequences for patients.

And a woman in Georgia says a misdiagnosis led to an unnecessary hysterectomy. She explains how that medical mix-up changed her life forever.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:40]

BLACKWELL: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says that all of its officers will have body cameras by the end of September. Now, that statement said that ICE will promptly release video of shootings where its agents cause death or serious injuries. But that will only happen after determining whether "It is in the best interest of the agency." Taxpayers are paying the nearly $31 million bill for the body cams. The change follows several deadly shootings this year by ICE agents who were not wearing body cams at the time of the incidents.

Now, hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the United States are no longer covered by temporary deportation protections. A federal judge allowed TPS to expire this week, six weeks after the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration and ruled the program can be terminated. This week's court rulings clears the way for the administration to start deporting Haitians back to a country that the State Department calls dangerous and unstable.

But there are concerns about what deporting those workers will mean for industries that rely on them in the U.S. Nancy Hagans joins us now. She's president of the New York State Nurses Association.

Nancy, thank you for your time this morning. I want to start with a statistic to put this conversation into some framework. The American Immigration Council says that more than 112,000 healthcare workers in the U.S. are Haitian-born immigrants. 54,000 Haitian-born immigrants are health aides here in the U.S.

Now, we don't know how many of them are TPS recipients. I'm not asking for an exact number here. Instead, the gauge of significance. How does this expiration of TPS impact the professionals you represent there in New York?

NANCY HAGANS, PRESIDENT, NEW YORK STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION: Good morning, Victor. Thank you for having me. It is detrimental to our health care system, as we all know, we've been struggling to keep up with staffing. And remember, at the height of the pandemic, the frontline workers -- you know, we lost a lot of nurses to retirement. We lost a lot of nurses from physical and mental distress as well as death.

The Haitian communities have given a lot of support when it comes to patient care. I am a Haitian American and I'm also a registered nurse. We are going to lose -- we are losing a lot of frontline workers.

And at the end of the day, the people who suffer the most are the most vulnerable. Our patients -- our patients that are in the nursing home, our patients that are in the hospitals. And when you don't have the workers, we -- people will suffer. There will be less care.

That is the reason we are asking this administration to reverse their course by allowing the professionals, the frontline workers, to continue to care for our communities, to continue to care for our patients. We -- I don't have the right number, but with a total of 300,000 CPS -- the Haitian CPS being disqualified to work. And most of them are nurses, nursing attendants, and doctors, radiologists.

And when you run a hospital, if you don't have enough nurses, if you don't have enough nurses aid, if you don't have enough environmental workers, the nurses -- the patients will not be taken care of. More nurses, better care.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

HAGANS: And that's really a big concern for us.

BLACKWELL: And so, what are you hearing from facilities? Because you rightly point out that the U.S. has long been in a posture of a shortage of health care workers. And now you have this reduction. What are the facilities saying about this loss?

HAGANS: Well, the facility that I work myself -- you know, we've been struggling to maintain proper staffing. And they had to let go a lot of workers two weeks ago. As of the 27 -- July 20 -- 27, people were put on a 30-day leave until they could come up with some paperwork that would qualify them to continue to work.

So, now we are struggling. You know, somebody may come one day and work an extra day, but this cannot continue to go. It's like adding band-aid to an injury.

[07:30:09]

We need the Trump administration to stop mixing healthcare with politics and allow reverse the recourse and allow the Haitian TPS to continue to work to provide the care to our communities.

Our communities are suffering. Right now, the communities that are suffering are the most vulnerable communities.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

HAGANS: The black and the brown communities are suffering.

BLACKWELL: And so, there was a study that was published in JAMA, that found that 15 percent of the non-citizen healthcare workers in the U.S. are from TPS countries. So, that is what? One in six, one in seven?

What do you say to those people who suggest that, you know, their argument is TPS is temporary, and this had to end at some point after the earthquake in 2010, and to those who say that it's time for this to end?

HAGANS: Well, I have a few things to say. TPS temporary means that you could remain here and work and contribute to society as long as your country is not safe.

Right now, Haiti is not safe. The United States government has Haiti on a level four. Do not travel.

So, how could we say that Haiti is safe for people to return? And the people that are here --

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: Yes.

HAGANS: They are contributing to our society, to the healthcare. And when you stop nurses and nursing attendants from taking care of patients, my question to the administration: What is -- what is your plan? Because right now, we need more nurses at the bedside. We need more frontline workers, and no one could give us that answer.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

HAGANS: So, in the meanwhile, that's why the New York State Nurses Association, we are asking for the Trump administration to reverse its course on the TPS.

BLACKWELL: And Nancy, I know there are a lot of people who are asking that same question: What is the plan? Nancy Hagans, thank you so much for being with me this morning.

A woman in Georgia had a hysterectomy after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. But seven months later, she learned that she never had cancer. And now, she is suing, claiming a lab mixed up her tissue sample with another patient sample.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASSANDRA BARKSDALE, SUING KAISER PERMANENTE: Her exact words was that we sent in the wrong DNA. It was not your tissue that was sent in. It was messed up with someone else.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER (voice over): It was a shocking mix-up that Cassandra Barksdale says changed her life.

Last year, about seven months after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer, Barksdale found out, the tissue sample used to diagnose her actually belonged to another patient, and Barksdale does not have cancer at all.

HOWARD: We don't know anything about that other person, whose DNA that was.

(CROSSTALK)

BARKSDALE: No, we don't.

That's correct. I was more worried about the other person because I wanted to know, you know, was she still alive? Did she get the correct, you know, care that she needs?

HOWARD: You originally went to see your doctor last year at Kaiser Southwood Medical Center for fibroids and unusual bleeding.

BARKSDALE: Yes, a routine visit. That's correct. And she told me I had to do the biopsy. She told me that they found an aggressive form or cancer in my biopsy. The first thing went to my mind is that I was going to die, and I was like, how am I going to tell my family? How can I tell my kids that I have aggressive cancer?

HOWARD (voice over): Barksdale says that her doctors recommended surgery. She had her cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and four lymph nodes all removed. The procedure plunged the 45-year-old into an early menopause with hot flashes and sleepless nights.

BARKSDALE: I'm still having panic attacks. I'm in a deep depression. It's just I have hard days.

HOWARD (voice over): Barksdale's attorneys filed a lawsuit this week against Kaiser Permanente, seeking damages of more than $10,000.

DR. RODERICK EDMOND, ATTORNEY FOR CASSADRA BARKSDALE: I haven't seen a case like this before. I mean, I practiced medicine for 12 years. I've been doing medical malpractice for 25, and this is just a bizarre situation. It just doesn't happen.

HOWARD (voice over): In a company statement, Kaiser Permanente says, "Miss Barksdale should not have experienced this. We have highly trained staff and very thorough processes in place to prevent errors like this from taking place. After this occurred last year, we took immediate steps to ensure it could not happen again. We realized the impact of this incident and are committed to working with Miss Barksdale and her counsel to resolve this in the most fair and accountable way we can."

Barksdale says that she is continuing counseling, finds hope through her church, and finds pride in her two sons.

The younger of whom is attending Morehouse School of Medicine to study pathology.

[07:35:04]

BARKSDALE: So, once he found out what I was experienced, he changed it to (INAUDIBLE) pathology, because he felt like he could make a difference and prevent things like this from happening.

HOWARD (voice over): Jacqueline Howard, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Jacqueline, thank you for that story.

All right, still ahead: this cyclospora outbreak has a lot of people skipping salads, skipping fresh fruit and vegetables altogether.

Well, we have an expert to explain what you should avoid and should not, and how to do, of course, avoid that parasite. And if you're heading out, I'll ride along. Remember, you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S. right from the CNN app. You can also go to cnn.com/watch.

And I'm sure you know this from the Space Needle. This is Seattle.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:31]

BLACKWELL: Investigators are trying to determine how tens of thousands of people across at least 15 states became sickened by Cyclosporiasis. That's the parasite which is spread through contaminated food, causes severe diarrhea, and the outbreak is now the largest of its kind in U.S. history.

It's been especially brutal in Michigan, where one in every 1,000 people has tested positive over the past three months. Two people have died.

Joining me now to discuss the crisis and what we need to know, Wade Syers. He is a food safety and security specialist with Michigan State University Extension.

Wade, thanks for being on. So, let's stay in Michigan, where you are. The HHS there says that people can eat this iceberg lettuce again.

I'm going to read part of the statement from the state. "The broad precautionary recommendation to avoid bagged salad mixes during the Cyclospora outbreak is no longer in effect. Residents may resume their usual food handling practices and make choices based on individual risk tolerance."

Would you eat a bagged, of shredded iceberg lettuce there in Michigan today?

WADE SYERS, FOOD SAFETY SPECIALIST, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION: Great question, and, you know, I'm not really changing the way that I eat my personal habits. So, I'm still eating produce, and, you know it's in part -- important part of our diet.

BLACKWELL: So, here is the question. They cite a downward trend in diarrhea-related emergency department visits. You were quoted in a piece in which the headline suggests that we don't know how Cyclospora infiltrated the food supply.

So, we don't know how it got in, what's the recommendation to say all is well now?

SYERS: Yes. With the jumping to the conclusion that all is well, we can't really guarantee that until we find out. But one of the things that you can do is remember to do those food safety practices that we should be doing every day.

So, I'm talking about washing your hands, rinsing your produce under cool running water. Things of that nature. BLACKWELL: And so, we know that Cyclospora has spread to the outbreak is now in 15 states: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina recently added. Taylor Farm says it removed all the iceberg grown in Central Mexico from the 27 states where it shipped.

But if you are outside of these states where there is an outbreak or where the lettuce was shipped, should you be acting as if or behaving as if you are in one of those states?

SYERS: You know, one of the most important things when there is something like this going on is to pay attention to those recalls and those alerts. So, pay attention to those, and as long as you are doing your food safety practices the way that you should be doing, that we should be doing every day, there is -- I don't see a reason to go above and beyond too much.

BLACKWELL: So, we have our own food safety practices, but the companies that ship this food try grocery stores and restaurants, the government that's supposed to inspect them --

I have a friend who texts me after the lettuce recall and the egg recall and the jalapeno recall, he just texts me, I quit. Right?

There are people around the country who are just saying right now. There is so much we can't eat because of food safety. Is there any indication that there is a common denominator for what we're seeing now in foodborne illnesses?

SYERS: You know, unfortunately, these are separate incidences that are happening across the country right now. And while it does sometimes feel very frustrating when these things happen, one of the reasons we are seeing more of these is that investigations are undergoing, so that, you know, we are getting the results back. And then, of course, there is more attention on these things right now.

So, while it can be tempting to be frustrated with the food supply, we have to remember that there is also a lot of food out there that is not contaminated.

BLACKWELL: Well, that's a bright spot. There is food out there that's not contaminated. Wade Syers, thanks so much for being with me. Enjoy the morning.

[07:45:02]

Still ahead, a big night for baseball. The Red Sox extend their winning streak, while Braves' streak, oh, it snapped. Andy has the highlights in sports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Top stories for you this morning: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs has told top Trump advisers the U.S. needs an off-ramp from the Iran war. Sources tell CNN that General Dan Caine privately warned all military options on the table to escalate the conflict could backfire, and that air power alone is unlikely to achieve the president's stated objectives for the war.

[07:50:06]

President Trump is calling on U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to revisit her decision to drop the vandalism charges related to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Former Olympian David Hearn was previously charged with vandalizing the pool, but Pirro dropped the charges and said that the $14 million renovation of the pool was botched.

Trump says Pirro's decision was hasty, and he continues to insist that the pool was vandalized.

The White House is making another attempt to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve. The administration has asked Cook to respond to allegations of mortgage fraud.

President Trump first raised the allegations last year and attempted to fire Cook. The Supreme Court ruling blocked that effort. Cook has not been charged with a crime and has denied any wrongdoing.

As millions look to the sky for Wednesday's solar eclipse, the United States is focused on a much bigger goal: returning to the moon before China's first trip there.

A new "CNN FLASHDOC" explores the high-stakes competition to reclaim America's place in the next era of lunar exploration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An eclipse is something that has engendered curiosity and personkind throughout history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seeing the sky go dark, the crickets chirping in the middle of the day, it creates a spectacular phenomenon here on the Earth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The solar eclipse happening in August 2026 is going to have a path of totality that people will, you know, travel across the world to be able to catch a glimpse of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact is that the moon has a very romantic and seductive quality when it comes to our lore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's the moon that we get to now go to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going back to the firkin moon.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The space race heating up once again. China launching its latest mission to the moon.

JARED ISAACMAN, ADMINISTRATOR, NASA: The Chinese will land their taikonauts on the moon. Question is, do we return first?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Be sure to tune in. "ECLIPSING POWER". Airs Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

All right. The good times continue to roll in Boston as the Red Sox win again.

CNN "SPORTS" anchor Andy Scholes is here now with more.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Victor, I tell you what. Fenway Park may be the happiest place on earth right now. Forget Disney World; they are having a blast there in Boston.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: OK.

SCHOLES: You know, the Red Sox back in June, they were in last place. And so, their turnaround, it's been one of the most incredible things baseball has ever seen. The Red Sox just never lose anymore. It's a different player playing hero every single night.

Last night, it was pitcher Payton Tolle. He was just mowing down the A's. Tolle finished with a career-high 14 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran then, he hit a two-run shot in the second inning to open the scoring for the Red Sox. They went on to win big, 13-1 for their ninth straight victory.

Boston is now won 27 of their last 30 games. They are just the 10th team since 1900 to do that.

Now, the Braves were also riding an eight-game winning streak going into Friday, and they were going up against their former ace Max Fried for the very first time, and he shut down Atlanta, pitching six in the third inning, striking out seven. The Braves -- they did have a two- run lead though in the ninth. The Yankees down to their final out.

Austin Wells here though comes through with a double to right that made it 2-1. Then, Ben Rice comes up to the plate. He nearly hits a walk-off home run, but it's a single that goes off the top of the wall. But that scores well. Yankee Stadium going crazy as they tie the game.

We go to extras, and in the 10th, Ryan McNamee, he is going to walk it off for New York with the sac fly. Yankees celebrate the 3-2 comeback win.

All right, the Dodgers, meanwhile, they came into Friday losers of six straight. Top of the third, Tommy Edman gets a hold of this one, but Corbin Carroll, he goes up, robs the home run. What a catch by him. And that would be a huge catch because Arizona, they were down 3-2, bottom of the ninth, one on for Ryan Waldschmidt, crushes this one to center. It's going to get out for the walk-off home run, so, the Diamondbacks win 4-3.

They've won eight of 10. Dodgers have lost a season worth seven in a row. And that Carroll catch was good. But this one made by Mark Coley II of the Biloxi Shuckers, even better. Look at this: Brewers prospect goes up, gets his glove on it. Flips it back and catches it as he was laying down on the ground. I mean, that is one of the best home run rivalries you will ever see.

Finally, PGA Tour wrapping up the regular season in Greensboro, North Carolina this weekend with the Wyndham Championship. Peter Malnati needed a birdie on 18 to make the cut. He thought he had missed this putt. Look at he throws his club up in frustration, but the ball dropped.

Look at his reaction after seeing that it, in fact, did go in.

You know, Victor, the lesson here is just don't ever give up on something so quick, right? You got to stick with it.

[07:55:00]

BLACKWELL: Take a moment -- rejoice. And listen. I love a minor league team name, the Biloxi Shuckers?

SCHOLES: Biloxi Shuckers, they are all so good. Right?

BLACKWELL: They are so good. Andy Scholes, thanks so much.

All right. "FIRST OF ALL," is coming up at the top of the hour.

We have new updates on the death of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells. There is a new investigation underway, this time, it's by friends of Nolan Wells. Two of them just went back to visit the island where Nolan's body was found with their newly hired attorneys. Why?

Plus, U.S. Army Specialist Sayveon Anderson has been missing for more than a month. Coming up, I'll talk with Specialist Anderson's wife and his mother on the latest in this search.

And later, nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was killed, the trial for the alleged mastermind of his -- the mastermind of his murder begins next week. Tupac's brother is going to join us to share if he believes justice is finally within reach. We have those stories and conversations.

Listen, you won't see anywhere else. They are coming up after a short break on "First Of All."

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