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Isa Soares Tonight

U.S. and Iranian Strikes Escalate Around the Strait of Hormuz; Tensions Not Relenting More Than a Month in the Spanish Exclave of Ceuta After Mass Influx of Migrants; Anthropic Warns A.I. Could Kill Humanity by the End of the Decade. Tensions High in Spain's Ceuta a Month After Migrant Influx; Trial Begins Over Murder of American and Australian Surfers; U.N. Condemns Growing Civilian Casualties in South Lebanon; Top Anthropic Researcher Quits, Warns A.I. May Kill Humanity. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired September 09, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, U.S. and Iranian strikes escalate

around the Strait of Hormuz, as CNN learns of construction at a suspected nuclear facility in Iran. The latest on the war in the Middle

East.

Then we have a report from the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, where tensions are not relenting more than a month after a mass influx of migrants.

Plus, A.I. could kill humanity by the end of the decade. That stark warning coming from an insider at Anthropic. That, and much more ahead

for you this hour.

We begin tonight with signs of a potentially dangerous new phase in the U.S.-Iran war. A major military escalation skyrocketing oil prices which

I'll get to in just a moment, and a possible surge in construction -- suspected nuclear site.

Now, the U.S. military struck five Iranian tankers, sinking one of them. Have a look at this. Central Command says four of the tankers were in

the Gulf of Oman, the other near Kharg Island, a major hub for Iranian oil exports in the Persian Gulf.

Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles targeting U.S. ally, Jordan. The Jordanian Army says most of those missiles were intercepted. And it

all comes following another regional escalation that could expand the war.

Dozens of people were wounded after Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is now vowing to retaliate.

Saudi officials say the Houthis targeted both civilian as well as economic sites.

And while the war drags into its seventh month, analysts tell CNN, new satellite imagery suggests there's been a flurry of construction at

Pickaxe Mountain near an Iranian nuclear complex. So, a lot to discuss as you can see.

I've got CNN's Brian Todd in Washington, an international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson is with us here in London. Brian, let me start

with you. I mean, this has been seen as a major escalation. And in some ways, Brian, I wonder if you can talk to that, a change in tact by the

United States, right? Because previously we had seen them disabling ships. So, what more are you learning this hour?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, there's a clear escalation in the region over the past few days, with the U.S. directly going after

these tankers. At least, seven oil tankers now have been struck in the Persian Gulf and beyond since Tuesday evening, local time.

Today, Wednesday, local time, two tankers in the Persian Gulf were struck by drones. One was off Dubai's coast, the other was in Iraqi

waters. There's no claim of responsibility for those two strikes on Wednesday.

But on Tuesday, the U.S. military struck five Iranian tankers, sinking one of them. This came after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S.

Navy warship. Now, in one video posted on X by CENTCOM, one of the Iranian tankers, the MT Riesco, you see it there, that can be seen on

fire and gradually sinking in the Gulf of Oman.

CENTCOM says U.S. forces instructed the crews of all of the vessels they hit to abandon ship prior to the strikes. We also have video of the

other Iranian tankers being hit on Tuesday. You see that montage of four of them being hit, CENTCOM says four of those tankers were struck in the

Gulf of Oman.

One, as Isa mentioned, was near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. The Iranian state media says the crews of at least two Iranian vessels hit

were taken ashore in lifeboats. These U.S. strikes, as we mentioned, were in response to two Iranian attempts to attack a U.S. Navy ship over

the past two days, that U.S. vessel evaded the Iranian missiles.

CENTCOM says no American personnel were harmed, and the U.S. ship continued to patrol in the region. But Isa, clearly an escalation. This

has been going on since the weekend. Several Iranian tankers have been hit, and they continue, the Iranians continue to try to target U.S.

ships as well.

[14:05:00]

SOARES: Yes, it's certainly ratcheting up. Brian, do stay with us. Let me go to Nic because -- and staying very much in the region as we're

mentioning there, Nic, we were talking about Houthi -- the Houthis that we've seen, Saudi Arabia now conducting, I think it was 32 airstrikes on

Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen.

Suggesting perhaps, Nic, that they're ready to expand the conflict. I mean, how do you read this? Just add the context here.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, look, the U.S.-Iran war very much focused on from an Iranian perspective, stopping

oil, getting out the Strait of Hormuz and the bypass for that has been the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, and that's now become a

potentially critical feature in the current fight.

And the Houthis in Yemen are the most powerful proxy of Iran. And, of course, the Red Sea runs right past Saudi Arabia and down past Yemen,

out into the oceans. And that's where a lot of oil normally flows to Asian -- to countries in Asia.

So, when you look at the sort of expansion of the war into Yemen and the Iranian proxy there, which is sort of, you know, partially directed by

Iran, certainly they get the most powerful and sophisticated weapons from Iran.

They act on their own interests. But what you see there appears to be an effort to cut off, when you look at where the Houthis are advancing --

to cut off the possibility of Saudi oil exports out through the Red Sea, through Bab al-Mandab, past Yemen.

And that's what's happening. On the ground in Yemen, you do now have the Houthis claiming that Saudi fired 32 different missiles -- 32 different

airstrikes. And the Saudis have said following the Houthi attacks, they had a right to defend their national security interests, their national

interests.

So, we are seeing that play out. Are we beginning to see an escalation? It certainly looks like that. I mean, the signaling that the U.S. is

giving Iran here is, it's economic pressure, right? But the economic pressure we had seen the U.S. strikes more on sort of military

facilities on land, but United States is going for the jugular, if you will, on the -- on the economic front with Iran by hitting those tankers

because they're the vessels that help bring the money in.

They export the oil. They bring the money into Iran. If you want to hit Iran's economy, stop them exporting oil. They can't sell it, can't make

money. So, this shift over to the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab and the Houthis, certainly that at the moment appears to be growing and may get

worse.

SOARES: I know you'll stay across it. Really appreciate it, Nic, you joining all the dots for us in the region. Nic Robertson for us there,

really appreciate, our thanks as well as you can see there, to Brian Todd. Thank you, Brian. We're going to --

TODD: Thank you --

SOARES: Stay with this. I mentioned as you -- as I mentioned at the top of the show, oil prices and the dramatic escalation in the fighting

pushed the price of oil above $100 a barrel for the first time since July. Let me show you what live markets, what they're looking right now.

Brent Crude above 100 or so, WTI just shy of that. But up -- you can see how much it has increased more than -- and they're both by the way, just

for context, Brent and U.S. crude are up, each more than 60 percent this year.

So, that's important context. Anna Stewart joins me now. Anna, let me just pick up really where Nic Robertson left off. And I wonder how much

-- and Nic really focusing it there on the -- going for the economic pressure from the United States.

How much are these attacks by the Houthis and the Saudi and then the Saudi retaliation, how much is this contributing to the spike that we

were showing viewers in oil prices?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is very much responsible for the spike that we're seeing. And every time we have an escalation or a

flare up, we do see almost a sort of immediate trigger in terms of traders pushing that price higher.

What we're seeing here, though, is an escalation in the number of tankers that have been attacked. I think it's seven since Tuesday, but

also Isa, once again, we're seeing a broadening of the conflict. So, you know, it's not just the Strait of Hormuz.

We've seen a tanker attacked off the coast of Dubai, also a tanker attacked in Iraqi waters, and of course, attacks on oil facilities in

Saudi Arabia. Now, that sort of broadening of the conflict is why we're seeing oil prices above that $100 a barrel mark at the moment.

If there are no attacks in the next 24 hours, perhaps it will dip back down below that sort of psychological level. However, we are seeing the

price of oil really steadily get higher in recent weeks.

[14:10:00]

And that's as traders increasingly are pricing in just a prolonged conflict and a prolonged half-semi closure of the Strait of Hormuz, very

few vessels are now making that trip. Those that do are often switching off their transponders, which makes it very hard for traders to estimate

how much oil is actually able to get out of the Middle East.

Interestingly, Goldman Sachs just put out a new report. They are raising their forecasts for where they see oil prices at the end of this year,

and next year, they're raising that by $5 a barrel. It's still significantly lower than it is right now.

They're thinking sort of $85 a barrel by the end of the year. However, if they see further escalation, particularly around the Strait of

Hormuz, they say the oil price could hit $120 a barrel. Isa.

SOARES: However, that is the thing. Look, I was geeking out earlier, Anna, and I was looking at oil and gas prices and what relates to the

U.K. I mean, Brent Crude is up almost what? Fifty percent just over the last 12 months.

Wholesale, I was looking at wholesale gas prices just in the U.K. alone, up 143 percent when you're comparing it to September of last year. This

is going to be an expensive Winter ahead. And then the impact, of course, on inflation, right, Anna?

STEWART: Yes, and you're not nerding out, Isa, I think it's really important everyone looks at their bills this Winter because they are

likely to be higher across the board. The U.K. has some of the --

SOARES: Yes --

STEWART: Highest energy prices in the world, but other countries are very worried too. For instance, in Germany, the Storage Association has

warned that even best case, the storage facilities for gas will only be 77 percent full by November.

So, there could be shortages there. So, it's the price and also an actual real risk that there's just not enough energy. And as you say,

it's not just about the price of our energy heating our homes, fueling our cars, almost everything we buy around the world is moved at some

stage by fossil fuels or electricity, powered by fossil fuels.

As a result, this story feeds into inflation right across the board, raises the cost of living, and unfortunately, the way of dealing with

that for governments and central banks is to raise rates, which is painful for borrowers.

So, yes, when we see a story like this, it's really important that people look at it and realize how it will impact them in the months to

come.

SOARES: Yes, indeed. Anna, really appreciate for breaking it all down. Thank you very much. Anna Stewart there for us. Well, we're going to

leave the Middle East and focus on U.S. politics because just 55 days to go until the U.S. Midterm election, Republicans are doing something

unprecedented.

They are holding a Midterm convention. More than 100 officeholders and candidates are giving speeches today and tomorrow, an event normally

only seen in presidential election years. President Donald Trump has pushed for the convention, and Republicans say highlighting him is the

best way to rally their base.

But some Republican candidates are skipping the event over concerns that Mr. Trump is deeply unpopular in their part of the country. While the

convention comes as a pair of new CNN polls show just how tight the race is for control of the Senate, the poll finds no clear leader in

Michigan, where progressive Abdul El-Sayed has to unify Democrats for an open seat to stay blue.

As you can see how tight that race is. The CNN poll also finds no clear leader in Maine, where Republican Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term,

and Democrats have had a chaotic time before settling on Troy Jackson.

Our CNN senior reporter Steve Contorno is at the site of the Republican Convention in Dallas. So, Steve, I mean, this is as we were saying, this

is not a typical convention. So, talk us through, you know, as we hear some of the buzz now behind you, some of the movement, what we can

expect and critically, what is this agenda going to look like today?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, you're right, it's certainly not a typical convention, but they are trying to make it look like one.

I can see above me, there are balloons that are ready to fall, like you typically see after the President makes -- presidential nominee makes

his acceptance speech.

There are -- they've been testing the speeches they're going to give all afternoon. There are even spots on the floor for delegates, although

delegates won't be voting on anything like they typically do at a convention when they choose their nominee.

But this is an attempt by the President and his team to try to start building up some enthusiasm for their party ahead of these Midterm

elections. The President is historically unpopular. You just went through some of the polling that he is facing, and Republicans recognize

that they have to throw everything they can at the wall to try to see if they can move the needle a little bit and go up against all these

headwinds and currents that they are facing now.

Tonight, we are expecting President Donald Trump to address this audience, and we are also expecting to hear from a number of his cabinet

members, party officials, and they will be making the case to their base as well as to the American public that they deserve to be in control of

Congress for two more years, and what is at stake if Democrats were to win control in November.

[14:15:00]

SOARES: Right, so, clearly, as we look at the -- you know, at the scenes behind you, it's about building enthusiasm around the Republican

Party and the Republican base. But as we were mentioning, I mean, we've seen President Trump's approval ratings dip, I think the latest polls we

were looking at, if I can bring it here.

The latest one I looked at, and this is "ABC", it was hovering around 35 percent. So, where does this leave Republican candidates from more kind

of competitive districts?

CONTORNO: Well, they certainly have a choice. And some of them have made that choice by choosing not to appear at this convention and to

stay away from Dallas, and the President altogether over the coming weeks and months ahead.

But it doesn't -- that does not come with its own risks and downside. The President is, for all --

SOARES: Yes --

CONTORNO: Of his problems with the American public remains a very popular figure within his own party. So, do you risk alienating

potential conservative voters in your own district by stepping away from the President in hopes of winning over some more moderate voters?

Or do you try to say, I stand alone from the President and try to win over that middle by alienating the right? So, you know, that is the

conundrum that these candidates are facing, and it is not an easy one.

Now, I have talked to some Republican officials who say, look, regardless of whether you stand by the President or try to run away from

him, the Democrats are going to paint you with the same paint brush that they would the President anyway.

So, there's no escaping the President. So, you should just lean into him, into his agenda and try to get as much support as you can from his

supporters, who and traditionally have shown up for him when he is on the ballot, but have not in those elections where he isn't.

And that is what they are trying to do over the next two days, is tell those voters in particular, look, Trump may not be on the ballot, but

his friends and his allies are, and we need you to show up for them.

SOARES: Steve, really appreciate it. Steve Contorno there for us in Dallas, Texas. Thank you, Steve. Well, a union for New York City

firefighters is demanding answers, this a day after New York mayor's released documents we showed you showing officials quickly knew how the

talks -- how toxic really the air was around Ground Zero following 9/11.

The bombshell released this week came just days before the 25th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks that brought down the Twin Towers.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office says officials repeatedly misled New Yorkers about toxic air quality levels.

First responders spent months in the rubble trying to save lives, as you know, and recover bodies, all the while, they were being exposed to

deadly and life-wrecking poisons. Here's what the union boss said earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES BROSI, PRESIDENT, UNIFORMED FIRE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: Is that the earliest time of October, the city was making a fiduciary choice to

prioritize the economic stability of Lower Manhattan over the health and safety of the firefighters, the police officers, the construction

workers, and the children that went back to school down there.

What we learned was the air was as toxic as we said it was. What we learned is that we were dying with every breath we took down there. What

we learned is that the city knew it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, the 9/11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, the Pentagon, as well as Pennsylvania. Most of the victims were killed

at the World Trade Center, including 343 firefighters. Officials say at least 450 firefighters have now died from illnesses tied to 9/11.

More than 12,000 have become sick. Still to come tonight on the show, dire conditions for migrants and protests on the streets. We are

following the situation in Ceuta after July's mass influx of migrants. We'll have a report from the Spanish exclave.

And then later, mounting civilian casualties, mass displacement, devastating scenes of destruction. The UN has a new warning about the

impact of Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Both those stories after a very short break. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:00]

SOARES: Well, in North Africa, tensions are at boiling point in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, more than one month after thousands of

migrants stormed the border. You remember these pictures from late July when 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco, an estimated 5 to

10,000 of those migrants are still there.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is under pressure over a response to the incident, with some suggesting a forceful armed response. Here's

what he told "La 1" TV earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO SANCHEZ, PRIME MINISTER, SPAIN (through translator): To me, it seems absolutely outrageous. First of all, because we are not talking

about invaders, we are talking about people who in large are searching for a better life and opportunities that they don't have on the other

side of the border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, our Clarissa Ward has been on the ground, as you know, following this story in Ceuta. Here's her report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(PROTESTS)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the streets of Ceuta, anger, desperation and a warning for Europe as

residents of the Spanish enclave of 84,000 demand their city back.

(On camera): You can see just thousands of people have taken to the streets tonight to say they've had enough, that they want more help to

resolve this crisis.

(Voice-over): It's been over a month since more than 70,000 migrants poured across the border from Morocco, dozens drowning along the way.

The Spanish government says that 90 percent returned within 72 hours, but an estimated 5 to 10,000 remain, overwhelming the small Spanish

territory at the tip of North Africa and igniting a furious debate about immigration.

The political right has seized on Ceuta.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It looks like an invasion --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A Muslim invasion --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an act of war --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a battle for the future of our civilization.

WARD: And on the streets of this religiously and culturally diverse city, the language has hardened. As we speak with teacher Juan Manuel,

we hear a striking chant.

JUAN MANUEL, CEUTA RESIDENT: The foreigners, are they invaders or are they victims? We are all victims here. They -- we are all victims. So --

but what we cannot put up with is these left radical things that they say.

They have more empathy with the immigrants than with us. And this --

WARD (on camera): Do you think most people here tied agree with you? Share your views --

MANUEL: All of them --

WARD: All of them --

MANUEL: They wouldn't be here.

WARD (voice-over): As the light comes up the next day, the scale of Spain's crisis emerges. Residents wake up to find migrants sleeping

rough in front of their homes.

[14:25:00]

Outside one of the government-run camps, a large group is waiting. They've rumored that there are free beds and food, but authorities say

the camp is full. It is a routine playing out every day. And everyone's patience is wearing thin.

(On camera): The police are trying to clear this area outside the main camp, and you can see very quickly just how tense and disorderly it's

becoming.

(Voice-over): Many of the migrants were lured here by false promises on social media that they would make it to mainland Europe. Spanish

authorities have vowed that will not happen. Twenty- one-year-old business student Hamza(ph) tells us he traveled more than 150 miles from

the city of Al Hoceima.

(On camera): How long have you been here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One month.

WARD: One month?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, one month.

WARD: And tell me the situation looks terrible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very uncertain.

WARD: And how long are you willing to stay here and wait?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But if the situation is still like this, I will come back.

WARD: You'll go back to Morocco?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, my mom, I want to see my mom.

WARD (voice-over): Just a mile away, the situation is even worse. This is El Trampoline Beach. Most of the migrants have ended up here. A

handful of showers have been hastily erected. Everything else is makeshift.

The majority of the migrants are Moroccan men seeking a better life. But there are also hundreds of women and more than a thousand minors

scattered across the peninsula, as well as Sudanese, Syrians, Yemenis and Palestinians. No one has assessed who among them has a claim to

protection.

NOLTE BAUER, CHAIR, MISSION LIFELINE INTERNATIONAL: Everything is going super slow, like the registration, just to be acknowledged to be here,

to have a chance, then --

WARD (on camera): Right --

BAUER: To ask for asylum is maybe 30, 40 people per day.

WARD (voice-over): At that rate, it would take months just to write down their names as German NGO Mission Lifeline waits for a permit to

give medical assistance, it has improvised other services to help the migrants.

BAUER: We use our solar system to charge people's phones so they can get in contact with their families and loved ones.

WARD (on camera): I noticed on X that some people are posting about what you're doing, and they're saying it's a bad thing that you are

helping the migrants stay here basically, by doing this.

BAUER: Yes, we face it constantly in every day. There can be political opinions about where people should be and where not be. But there's

international law that provides the same type of dignity and honor and safety and security to every human. It doesn't say every European.

WARD (voice-over): Farther down the beach, we see a man taking photographs of the migrants and talking on a two-way radio. We asked him

what he is doing? (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) No --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD (on camera): OK, (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: OK --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: You want to show people the reality of what's going on.

(Voice-over): He tells us he cannot no longer walk home with his nine- year-old son. He says the migrants are up late every night, drinking and fighting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD (on camera): (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

The government has abandoned the migrants and they've abandoned the people of your town.

(Voice-over): The emergency in Ceuta is the biggest challenge Spain's socialist leader, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has faced, with many

here blaming it on his lenient immigration policies. Early this month, the government approved 309 million euros for Ceuta, but there is no

clear plan for what happens to the people on this beach.

As night falls, a fight breaks out, Spanish soldiers watch from the hill above. They do not intervene. One week earlier, angry locals set fire to

some tents on the beach, everyone here must fend for themselves. Some are more vulnerable than others.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Abdul Ali(ph) --

WARD (on camera): Abdul Ali(ph), his death, he's just shared this (INAUDIBLE) that he carries with him to let people know that he's not

able to hear and fight for his rights to communicate. Abdul Ali tells us he was beaten too, but not by a migrant. So, he's telling us that this

is a photograph taken after the police beat him.

You can see the marks on his back. Obviously, we can't verify what happened, but this is what it says. Spain's national police told CNN

they have received no reports of police violence against the migrants.

Talking to Abdul Ali and the others, one thing is clear. Almost no one here is willing to go back, and for now, no one here is moving forward.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Ceuta, Spain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Still to come tonight, the U.N. is condemning growing civilian casualties in Lebanon, calling for an Israeli troop withdrawal. We'll

speak with a former Lebanese foreign minister just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, a trial is now underway in Mexico two years after the murders of two Australian surfers and their American friend. The three

men had taken a camping trip when they went missing. Their bodies were found with gunshot wounds several days later. Our Valeria Leon has more

for you from Mexico.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surrounded by cameras, Debra and Martin Robinson woke out of a courthouse in Mexico. More than

two years after their sons, Jake and Callum Robinson and his American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were killed.

The trial of those accused in their deaths is now under way in Baja California. The Australian brothers have traveled to Mexico with Carter

Road to surf and camp along the coast, but the trip ended in murder. The three friends disappeared on April 2024 near Ensenada, about 60 miles

south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Days later, their bodies were found at the bottom of a well.

[14:35:00]

Three people were arrested in connection with the killings.

LEON: Investigators believe the attackers tried to steal tires and other parts from the surfer's vehicle, but according to state

prosecutors, the three friends resisted the robbery and were killed.

LEON (voice-over): CNN has reached out to the Baja California Attorney General's office for more details and is attempting to contact the

defense teams for those on trial. The killing shocked people in Mexico, Australia, and the U.S. and it sparked protests demanding justice for

the three suffers.

A fourth person linked to the case was found with one of the victims' phones. She pleaded guilty to robbery and vehicle theft with violence

and was sentenced last November to 20 years in prison. Now, more than two years after the three friends came to Mexico for a surfing trip,

their families are back this time waiting for justice.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, the United Nations is condemning the growing civilian casualties in southern Lebanon, calling for Israeli forces to withdraw

on all sides to cease fire. There is a ceasefire in place between Israel and Hezbollah, but Israel is still carrying out near Delhi strikes.

Lebanon's health ministry says attacks on a southern town just this week killed at least 12 people, and that includes two children. The U.N. says

it's also disturbed by reports of Israeli strikes targeting hospitals and public institutions, as well as Israeli evacuation orders that have

caused widespread displacement.

Well, a CNN team witnessed the destruction in southern Lebanon firsthand, recently touring the area on an embed with the Lebanese army.

Much of the rubble you're seeing was not caused by airstrikes or even fighting, but instead by the systematic raising of villages by Israeli

forces in what they call their buffer zone to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.

So, let's get some perspective now from former Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil. He's a current member of Parliament, and he joins us from

Beirut. Minister, thank you very much. Great to have you back on the show.

Look, as we've just laid out, we have been seeing these escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, with many dead, many others

wounded just this week. And, in fact, just give us, our viewers, an idea of what life has been like over the last few weeks.

GEBRAN BASSIL, FORMER LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: Yes. Thank you for hosting. Unfortunately --

SOARES: I think we're going to have a problem with this connection. We, of course, are going to try and fix this. Important to get the view from

Gebran Bassil, who's a current member of parliament. We will try to reconnect, try to establish our connection and come back to you.

And still to come, though, in the meantime, here on the show, an A.I. researcher quits his job and says his company isn't doing enough to

control artificial or potential superintelligence. His terrifying warning, that is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:00]

SOARES: A chilling first-hand account of the ICE shooting that killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. The 52-year-old father of three was killed in

July during a traffic stop in Houston, in Texas. One of the passengers in his van is describing what he saw in the seconds before the shooting.

Ed Lavandera brings us this CNN exclusive and a warning. Some of the images in his report are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Daniel Tirado Pantoja says he constantly thinks about the moment Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was

shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston, and still doesn't understand why it happened.

LAVANDERA: He had no reason to shoot in that moment.

DANIEL TIRADO, WITNESS IN LORENZO SALGADO SHOOTING: Hmm.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Tirado and his stepdaughter sat down exclusively with CNN to vividly detail what he says happened to Salgado.

Tirado and two other men were riding in Salgado's van that July 7th morning. He walked us through the videos that show some of the events

that led up to the shooting.

LAVANDERA: ICE officers pursued Lorenzo Salgado's white van here on Canal Street, and then just a few houses away, he makes a U-turn.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The U.S. attorney in Houston has said the fatal shot occurred during this turn. You look closely at the video. You can

see two ICE officers appearing to stand around the side of the van.

AARON REITZ, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS: Preliminary information indicates the driver shifted the van into reverse, then

forward again, while an officer was partially inside the van or immediately next to it. During this confrontation between federal agents

and a group of illegal aliens attempting to flee, one of the officers fired a single shot. That round struck Lorenzo Salgado.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): But Tirado tells a different story. There's the truck making the U-turn. He says after the U-turn, Salgado drove back up

Canal Street and stopped the van. During this moment in the video, you can see the officers do not appear to be in the van's path. They're

chasing it down from behind.

LAVANDERA: No shots have been fired at this point, and then there's one, two, and a third agent.

And this is where the van comes to a complete stop. It's not captured on video that we've seen so far, but Daniel Tirado says this is where the

ICE officer fired the fatal shot.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): For the first time, he's showing us which ICE officer he says fired the deadly shot.

LAVANDERA: He says that the ICE agent that shot Lorenzo was the first agent here running after the van.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): ICE officials have not identified the shooter, but said the agent shot Salgado in self-defense. We asked ICE to confirm

Tirado's account of where the shooting happened and which officer fired the shot, and if they plan to identify the officer. A spokesperson

refused to confirm or deny, saying in a statement, publicizing their identities puts their lives and the lives of their families at serious

risk. Tirado says the officers were never in danger, and that what happened next terrified him.

LAVANDERA: They came shooting, is what you're saying?

TIRADO: Hmm.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Tirado says he was sitting on a cooler behind the front passenger seat when he saw the ICE officer point his gun

through the side window and fire one shot at Salgado. He says the last words he heard Salgado say, they just killed me. And Salgado's brother

told the officer, you just killed him. He says the same officer then opened the van's back door and pointed the gun at his head.

LAVANDERA: When the gun is pointed at your face, what are you thinking?

LAVANDERA (voice-over): He says if the officer just shot and killed my boss, he's going to shoot me too.

LAVANDERA: You thought that was the end right there for him.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): ICE has not offered new details about why this happened. The agency initially said Salgado weaponized his vehicle and

attempted to run over an ICE agent, and that the officer fired in self- defense. The agents were not wearing body cameras.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Pure lies, he says. Why don't they tell the truth? More than two months after Salgado's death, it's not clear where

the investigation into the shooting stands. Tirado says the officer should pay for what he did so he can suffer what they are suffering.

JUANA DEGOLLADO, TIRADO'S STEPDAUGHTER: I think they're trying to cover for him. They're trying to protect him.

LAVANDERA: What would you like to see happen to that ICE agent?

[14:45:00]

DEGOLLADO: A lot of things. We need him to get some type of punishment too. We need justice for Lorenzo more than anything. Putting that ICE

agent's name out there, making sure he pays in jail or something.

LAVANDERA: You think he should be arrested and charged criminally?

DEGOLLADO: Yes. Of course, yes.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Daniel Tirado says he came to the United States 30 years ago and worked in construction to save money so he could build

his parents a home in Mexico. He says Lorenzo Salgado was more than his boss the last eight years; he was his friend.

He says we weren't hurting anyone; we just wanted to work. He's angry that ICE officers targeted them instead of criminals.

LAVANDERA: This interview raises new questions about where the ICE officers were standing when Salgado was shot. We've reached out to

local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to get clarification.

The U.S. attorney in Houston did provide CNN a new statement saying that Tirado's comments in this interview conflict with earlier statements

made to federal authorities, and the U.S. attorney also says that nothing has come to light to change Tirado's original account of what

happened. Daniel Tirado spent almost two months in immigration custody. He was just recently released. His lawyer and his family stand by what

he told us. They say this entire experience has been incredibly traumatic.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And our thanks to Ed Lavandera for that exclusive report. We're going to take a short break. Do stay right here. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, today's Apple product reveal in California featured a new foldable phone and a new CEO. John Turner took over the company from

longtime CEO Tim Cook on September the 1st and this was the first opportunity for Turner to publicly lay out his vision for Apple. One of

the company's biggest challenges is adapting A.I. to its products.

In his opening remarks, Turner said the iPhone, pardon me, is the best personal advice for it. He also talked about Apple's new foldable phone,

the iPhone Duo. When folded, the screen is about the same size as you can see there of a passport. It's the biggest change to look and

function of an iPhone in years.

Clare Duffy joins me now for more on John Turner. So, I mean, the phone looks great.

[14:50:00]

Talk to us first of all about what he had to say because so many eyes not just on the product but on the CEO here.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes. This really was a huge moment for new CEO John Turner. Not only did he have to lay out his vision for the

company but he was really under pressure to prove that as Apple's former hardware chief, he could usher in a new era of hardware innovation.

You're seeing Apple trying to deliver on that with this new foldable phone. And John Turner also had to lay out his vision for Apple's A.I.

strategy at a time when there have been questions about whether Apple is behind its big tech rivals in terms of developing a clear plan for A.I.

So, I'll touch on that just for a minute. Apple talked about how it wants to create a personal intelligent hub that is based around the

iPhone. But the idea here really is that Apple has a ton of personal information about its users based on all of its devices. It wants to use

all of that information in combination with its new A.I. enhanced Siri to really create this kind of fulsome A.I. assistant experience for

users that it says is going to be sort of different from the single user A.I. device -- single purpose A.I. device, I should say, that we are

seeing other companies rolling out. And so, Apple really trying to make the case for why its existing devices are the best possible place to use

A.I. technology.

Now, obviously, that comes with a very important new iPhone launch, this new iPhone Duo. As you said, this is the biggest change to the form

factor of the iPhone that we have seen in years. It is going to be this foldable device. When you unfold that screen, it's going to be a

continuous 7.6-inch screen that you can use horizontally or vertically. You can also use it partially folded, as you see in that image, where

you've got two different screens on each side.

And Turner has talked about the fact that he didn't want this device to feel like two screens awkwardly stuck together, taking a hit at some of

Apple's competitors in this foldable device market. This will, Isa, come at a high price, starting at around $2,000, going all the way up to more

than $3,000. It's going to be interesting to watch if the Apple consumer is willing to shell out that much money for this new device.

SOARES: That is a lot of money. Clare Duffy, appreciate it. Good to see you, Clare. Well, sticking with A.I., as Clare was mentioning there, we

now have some other news, because A.I. could kill humanity by the end of the decade. That was the stunning warning from A.I. researcher Jacob

Coxon as he resigned from his job at leading A.I. firm Anthropic.

Now, a different A.I. scientist at Anthropic echoed the warning, saying he thinks there is less than a 10 percent chance of an A.I. apocalypse

in the next 10 years. The warnings are just really the latest from computer scientists who say we are rapidly losing our ability to control

A.I. systems.

A.I. Correspondent Hadas Gold is tracking this one for us. So, Hadas, I mean, when I read his long thread, really, my eyes just opened. It

really sent chills down my spine. It's not the first time we've heard of these warnings, right? So, just talk us through what he said and what

other colleagues are saying about this.

HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is not a new sentiment at all for people in the A.I. industry who have long warned about

essentially like the monster that they're creating and that they're concerned that our ability to control it is getting far behind how

advanced these A.I. models, these A.I. agents are becoming.

But I think why Jacob's post in particular went viral, they now have, you know, tens of millions, his post has tens of millions of views, and

it's been reposted worldwide. I think it's because he is accusing the companies that he has worked with, including the one he was working at

just until recently, Anthropic, which was known as the safe A.I. company, for not acting responsibly.

Anthropic's whole creation was from former OpenAI employees who did not believe that OpenAI was taking safety seriously enough, and they quit in

order to form a company that they believed was going to create responsible and safe AI. And now, you have a researcher there saying,

nope, they're not doing it either, and A.I. is probably or could potentially kill us all. Didn't really help when then somebody who was

more senior to him at Anthropic, Evan Hubinger, agreed with him and said, you know, yes, maybe there's a greater than 10 percent chance that

A.I. could kill all humans within the next decade.

And I think, you know, the world of Silicon Valley is its own entire world and culture that lives in a little bubble. And so, I think when

sometimes it breaks out and gets out into the larger, you know, public and the world sees what they're talking about, we all are like, what?

What do you mean it's going to kill us all? And this is just the discourse that's been happening in the A.I. industry for some time.

I want to play you a clip of Anthropic CEO Dario Amadei from 2023 talking about how there's a 25 percent chance this could all end in

doom. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARIO AMODEI, CEO, ANTHROPIC: I think I've often said that my chance that something goes, you know, really quite catastrophically wrong on

the scale of, you know, human civilization, you know, might be somewhere between 10 and 25 percent when you put together the risk of something

going wrong with the model itself, with, you know, something going wrong with human people or organizations or nation states misusing the model

or it kind of inducing conflict among them or just some way in which kind of society can't handle it.

[14:55:00]

That said, I mean, you know, what that means is that there's a 75 to 90 percent chance that this technology is developed and everything goes

fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLD: I think what in particular recently people are become even more alarmed about is just the advancements that we've seen from A.I. agents,

those agents that are breaking out of their test environments, completely acting on their own and hacking into other companies or in

the other case we saw recently out of the U.K., A.I. agents pretending to be people, obviously that they were not trying to trick real humans

into posting malicious code and we're seeing these sort of sci-fi-like situations that are happening in real life and it's not hard to make the

connection between those situations and sort of real world harm situations that could come as a result of A.I. agents going rogue. Isa.

SOARES: Yes. Look, I didn't really want to end on doom and gloom but it's an important conversation and it just speaks to actually the

pressure and the epic shared dilemma that these companies face. Hadas, really appreciate it. Good to see you. Hadas Gold for us there in New

York.

That does it for this hour of our show. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END