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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: Trump: No Time Constraints on Iran Negotiations; Trump: "This is a Last Chance" for Iran to Sign Peace Deal; Deadly Ukrainian Drone Strike; Ukraine Increases Attacks Inside Russia; U.S. Partners with Japan to Help Support the Yen; Blanche Formally Drops Jan. 6 Fund; Israeli Attacks Kill Dozens in Gaza After Disarmament Deal; Rescuers Find Body of Renowned Climber. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 03, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and

you're watching "The Brief."

Just ahead this hour, changing his tune yet again. U.S. president now says he has no time constraints on negotiations with Iran. Ukraine unleashes one

of its deadly attacks in weeks on a crowded beach. I'll speak to a Ukrainian lawmaker about exactly what happened there. And rescuers locate

the body of world-renowned climber, Nirmal Purja, and seven others after a deadly avalanche in Pakistan.

After calling off strikes on Iran, yet again, President Trump is warning this is Tehran's last chance to sign a deal with the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: This is their last chance. This is not something -- if it doesn't happen. This is a last chance for them to sign a

good document.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Of course, the president has set deadlines before and broken his own deadlines. The president is insisting, though, that talks with Iran

will go quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're talking about the Strait, the opening of the Strait, having it open literally by tomorrow. Completely open. And that's phase one. And

phase two is we then will talk about the nuclear capacity, the nuclear, you know, as we've been mentioning. Basically, it's -- I think, the

denuclearization of Iran. It has to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Of course, Iran has never agreed to that. And it is now stressing it is not even negotiating with the U.S. Instead, Iran says it is speaking

with Oman to establish a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.

Kristen Holmes is live at the White House. And, Kristen, listen, the president is taking some risk here because he has made promises before, and

those promises have not come through. He's set deadlines before. He's broken his own deadlines. What gives the White House confidence that, I

mean, just in the simplest terms, the strait will be open tomorrow?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly sounds like a lot of what they're getting in terms of information is coming

from these Gulf allies. President Trump saying that he had multiple conversations with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, all of which urged him not

to escalate militarily and instead said Iran was ready for negotiations and ready to talk about the denuclearization of Iran.

Now, one of the things to keep in mind here is this idea of how President Trump laid this out, essentially in two phases, that first what would

happen is that the Strait of Hormuz would open, and then they would talk about this denuclearization. And if that sounds familiar, Jim, that's

because that was the exact same layout that we saw with this memorandum of understanding, which was completely cast to the side. And now, it seems as

though they're starting over from page zero to get back into this kind of space in which they reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and then they start these

talks, these conversations.

One thing is clear is that President Trump is incredibly frustrated. We saw him both in the Oval Office but also posting on social media earlier today

saying that Iranian leadership is unbelievably duplicitous. Now, this is something we've heard him say before, where essentially, he says that they

ask for a meeting and some would say beg for talks to begin, and then Iran lies and says they're not actually having any conversations with the United

States. So, this is something he's clearly still expressing a lot of frustration over.

Now, we also heard him kind of go back and forth here. One, he said he wanted to give them their last chance before decapitation, but then he also

said there was no real timeline on these negotiations. So, of course, we're going to have to wait and see once again how this plays out. But it does

feel as though we are just back at square one after we had President Trump saying that Iran was at the negotiating table, then we saw Iran strike,

then he was going to escalate his actions, then he was not.

So, how this actually is playing out behind the scenes, he says those talks are going on, but he himself has vacillated between optimistic and

pessimistic just in the last 24 hours.

SCIUTTO: And not the first time he's oscillated. Kristen Holmes at the White House, thank you.

Well, joining me now is former U.S. Special Envoy to Iran Robert Malley. Good to have you. Thanks so much for joining.

ROBERT MALLEY, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR Iran: Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: I want to begin with a piece you wrote in which you argue that despite the war not achieving its objectives, it may be a gift to the U.S.

in the long-term because if the U.S. effectively gives up on war with Iran, that it has to focus on serious diplomacy. Tell us why.

[18:05:00]

MALLEY: Well, I think the main gift, if there is one, and it's very hard to speak of a gift given how much has been lost as a result of this war,

obviously countless Iranian lives have been lost, cost to their economic infrastructure, cost to the Gulf partners and to the U.S. and the global

economy. But if there is a gift, it's that we've now heard for I don't know how many decades that I've been in public life that there is an answer to

the Iranian nuclear problem. It's military force. That's what proponents have been saying forever.

And now, we have a real-life experiment. We've seen what force does. It doesn't accomplish that goal. If anything, it adds to the problem set

because now, as President Trump has said, the issue that's being negotiated is an issue that wasn't even on the table before the war began, which is

the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

So, what Stephen Wertheim and I argue in this piece is if there's any silver lining to this war is that it proved the ineptitude of war, putting

aside the illegality and constitutionality of war, the inability of war to achieve the goals that war proponents have said it could achieve now for

many, many years.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, then. Is successful diplomacy with Iran possible if it believes that the threat of U.S. military power is, if not

off the table, at least diminished? Can they just calculate, we'll ride this out because the U.S. has shown itself war doesn't work for its

interests?

MALLEY: Well, certainly the strength of the threat of military force has been diminished immeasurably as a result of what's happened, but, and I

don't want to sound naive about Iran's intent, it is clear that they want some form of economic relief.

I mean, whenever people talk about the gift that the Memorandum of Understanding would give Iran economically, let's not forget, number one,

their economy was in shambles even before the war began, and they may have lost anywhere between 100-300 billion, some people say, even more than that

as a result of the strikes against their infrastructure.

If they want to get economic relief, they're going to need to have the sanctions lifted, they're going to need other forms of reconstruction. And

so, I don't think that Iran doesn't want to deal anymore. On the other hand, it's going to be very suspicious about anything that's offered by the

Trump administration because, let's not forget, A, President Trump violated or withdrew from the deal that Iran was respecting back in 2018, and that

now twice he's gone to war with Iran in the middle of the negotiations.

So, it's a very high threshold for Iran to believe anything that comes out of President Trump's mouth. But if there's something credible, yes, I'm

sure they want a deal because their economy is certainly not doing well. And once the war ends, Iranian citizens are going to ask, what about us?

SCIUTTO: Yes, it's pretty remarkable, right, that in effect the military pressure is undermined, but also is the push for diplomacy, if, you know,

given his track record with diplomacy with Iran. What do you make of Trump's continuously shifting view of war and diplomacy, shifting

deadlines, breaking his own deadlines? I wonder, is it clear to you that he has a plan as he whipsaws back and forth, or should we expect more

whipsawing for the foreseeable future?

MALLEY: I mean, I think it's clear to all of us that he doesn't have a plan. And as I think you said earlier, he is clearly frustrated, partly

because he's somebody who believes that people respect force and that if you bully somebody and he doesn't answer, you just bully him more and

ultimately, they'll have to capitulate or surrender or cry uncle, depending on the expression the president wants to use. And that hasn't happened with

Iran.

And so, he does go between these threats of committing war crimes and destroying Iran's economic infrastructure to saying the deal is just around

the corner. You know, if you go by revealed preferences, it is clear the president would rather not go back to war. But I don't think you could rule

anything out because he's been proven capable of saying one thing and its opposite, doing one thing and its opposite in the space of a day, two days

a week.

So, right now, it's clear he would rather find a deal, but he's struggling because he's afraid that any deal he reaches is going to be immediately

criticized by his opponents and even by members of the Republican Party as being the capitulation that he claims he's going to achieve from Iran.

SCIUTTO: Yes, just as the reaction was to that MOU. Before we go, as relates specifically to the Strait of Hormuz, do you see any lasting

diplomatic solution that does not, in effect, give Iran, if not control, at least a role as spoiler, right, where it could spoil traffic through the

Strait at any time by threatening it?

MALLEY: The answer is no. I don't see that outcome. I think something has changed, and Iran now is not going to give up what it believes. There's one

clear leverage it has.

[18:10:00]

It has seen the U.S., President Trump, renege on deals, make new deals, then violate them. The one constant that Iran now believes it has is this

ability, like a light switch, to turn commerce and traffic into the Strait of Hormuz on and off. They're not about to give that up.

SCIUTTO: Robert Malley, appreciate you sharing your experience.

MALLEY: Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: Well, now to the war in Ukraine. Local officials say debris from a Ukrainian drone has killed at least seven people on a beach in southern

Russia. They report at least three of the victims were children. We should warn you the video is distressing to watch.

You see the explosion there in the background. Well, the Ukrainian government's Center for Countering Disinformation says the drone was

actually shot down by Russian air defenses. A CNN analysis of the video finds that seconds before the explosion, automatic gunfire from at least

three weapons is audible. During the gunfire, the drone veers sharply and dives into the beach. It appears to have overshot a Russian radar

installation just west of where it came down.

Over the past month, Ukraine has increased strikes on Russian energy assets, weapons factories and shipping centers.

Joining me now, Ukrainian Parliament member Oleksandra Ustinova. Thanks so much for joining. I appreciate you taking the time.

OLEKSANDRA USTINOVA, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: So, first, let me ask you, because Russia is calling this a deliberate attack. CNN's own analysis shows that it appears that the drone

was struck by gunfire prior and then veered off course. Was this a deliberate attack on that beach or an accident?

USTINOVA: Of course, it was not a deliberate attack. And if you see where all the drones end up that have not been shut down, they all end up at some

infrastructure objects or something related to the defense industry.

Unfortunately, we have a completely different situation in Ukraine. The last attack on Kyiv, when only one out of the 27 missiles, ballistic

missiles would put down, ended up in my neighborhood, ended up in schools, ended up in hospitals. So, unfortunately, if we do not put down the

missiles that are shooting at us, the ballistic missiles that are very complicated to put down, they end up killing our civilian population.

If we shoot something in Russia, we shoot something that is supporting the defense and the military. So, there is one thing I would love Russians to

understand. Stop putting down the drones because otherwise you will be the one hurting your own population. All needs to be down is this war to be

over. But unfortunately, we see that Vladimir Putin was very clear last week when he said he cannot imagine how his country is going to live

without this war.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, because as you note there, Ukraine is suffering from an enormous shortage of air defense missiles and all the

solutions discussed, even if the U.S. were to follow through on President Trump's original promise to allow Ukraine to manufacture interceptors would

take years, right, or at least months to build supplies. What is the interim solution? What can Ukraine do now to protect itself from more of

those missiles?

USTINOVA: Well, what Ukraine needs to do, and actually Ukraine needs help for that, and President Zelenskyy was very clear about it, is we need to be

able to hit the launchers in Russia. To do that, we need to get access to the Starlinks and them being operated in Russia.

Unless we put down all of the launchers, we will not be able to protect our civilian populations, because the entire world produces less than just one

Russia, and I just want to assure you that besides that, they're getting a lot of the missiles from North Korea, and a lot of them end up at our

hospitals and children's playground.

Last year, Russia produced itself only 700 Iskander missiles. This is one of the ballistic ones. To compare, the entire United States, who produces

anti-ballistic missiles, produced 630, and this is the official report for the world, not only for Ukraine. So, we can see that, unfortunately, the

world cannot compete with the Russians in how much they produce. That's why the launchers have to be put down. I think that needs to be --

SCIUTTO: You mentioned Starlink --

USTINOVA: -- the United Stated do that -- yes.

SCIUTTO: You mentioned Starlink, which is, of course, another request from Ukraine to the U.S. So, President Trump has already reversed himself on

allowing Ukraine to manufacture interceptors under license. Do you believe you will get that Starlink access, and do you still trust that President

Trump -- or maybe hope, or have hope is the right word.

[18:15:00]

Do you still have hope that President Trump's going to come to Ukraine's aid? He has already reduced it repeatedly.

USTINOVA: I have trust in the United States and the people of the United States, because they know we're fighting for what is written in the U.S.

Constitution, for freedom, for democracy, and for being able to live a normal life.

So, unfortunately, we understand that there are a lot of politics behind that, but I do believe, and I've seen it since day one of the war, that

people of the United States pushed the government to do more to support Ukraine. That's why I do believe in the U.S. people, and I do believe there

will be support coming.

SCIUTTO: You have said that Putin needs to be, quote, "punched by the West" if he's ever going to be forced to the negotiating table. Given the

U.S. itself has not quite supplied that punch, do you see Europe with both the capability and the commitment to do so?

USTINOVA: Well, Europe stand up -- stood up a lot for Ukraine, but I do not believe that Putin, if he's not punched by the United States right now

by the sanctions, will ever do anything to change the way he's fighting in Ukraine now. And I do hope that the sanction bill that Senator Graham had

introduced will be passed, and at least there will be no dual-use products that are used now in the Russian missiles.

SCIUTTO: Oleksandra Ustinova, I want to let you get back to your child there, who I think I hear in the background, but we appreciate you taking

the time.

USTINOVA: I'm so sorry for that.

SCIUTTO: Don't worry, I've been in the same position.

USTINOVA: My apologies. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Thank you. Still ahead, the U.S. and Japan are joining forces to help support the sagging Japanese yen. We'll discuss why the U.S. took this

highly unusual step and whether it will actually work.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, a solid start to the week and month on Wall Street. The NASDAQ rallied more than 2 percent. The

Dow finished yet another record high. Amazon, among the big tech gainers, it rose more than 4.5 percent, closed with a market cap of more than $3

trillion. It's only the fifth company to hit that milestone, alongside Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Alphabet.

Checking some of today's other business headlines, a coalition of 25 Democratic-led states are suing the Trump administration over its latest

round of global tariffs.

[18:20:00]

The states say the tariffs against 60 trading partners exceed the administration's legal authority to tax imports. The tariffs range between

10 and 12 and a half percent. The White House says it imposed them because the countries have not upheld forced labor laws.

Sources tell CNN the White House will meet with representatives from top A.I. firms on Tuesday. They will reportedly discuss A.I. regulation and the

plan to give the government early access to A.I. models before those models are released to the public.

Capital One Bank is defending its decision to close hundreds of accounts with ties to the Trump organization back in 2021. The bank says it made the

decision because of concerns raised by its anti-money laundering unit. It's the first time a bank has formally tied money laundering concerns to the

Trump business empire. Trump claims the decision was political.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. could partner with Japan again to help support the yen. This after the two nations coordinated to

strengthen the Japanese currency for the first time since 1998. The move triggered a sharp drop in the value of the dollar against the yen. Whether

it will have lasting effects remains uncertain.

The yen recently had been trading at 40-year lows against the dollar. The U.S. worries that Japan might one day be forced to sell U.S. treasuries to

support the yen without U.S. help, which could then drive-up U.S. borrowing costs.

Mark Sobel joins me as the chief economist, vice chair of the official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum think tank. Good to have you,

Mark. Thanks so much for taking the time.

MARK SOBEL, OFFICIAL MONETARY AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FORUM: Thank you for having me.

SCIUTTO: So, first, given your own experience in the Treasury Department, the list of successful currency interventions is not particularly long.

Will this one work in your view?

SOBEL: I'm skeptical about this intervention. It all depends upon how you measure success. In my view, the markets are have long been responding to

perceptions about weak Japanese macroeconomic policy. So, the debt rate now is -- the Fed funds rate is three and a half to three and three quarters.

And as other central banks have been lifting the rate, the yen came on offer. Japan has very high debt. There's doubts about the Japanese fiscal

stance. The current prime minister is talking about more expansive policies which could add to the debt. And as you know, Japan's a highly energy

dependent nation. Therefore, the Hormuz situation doesn't really help them out. So, the yen's been under pressure because of these fundamental

factors.

When I was advising secretaries, if they would listen to my two cents on this kind of issues, I would say you need to think about the problem in two

ways. Is it -- are the markets disorderly? And disorderly would be the currency is plummeting or ratcheting around. It would mean bid offer

spreads were widening. It would mean business wasn't getting done. That's not the case with Japan. The market's responding to the Japanese

macroeconomic policies and some of the differentials with the major central banks.

And to fix that, you have to attack the policies. Intervention may catch out some short positions. It may cause the currency to rise a few

percentage points from 162 to 157 against the dollar has happened. But it's not going to last, in my view, unless Japan fixes its fundamental policies.

And we've seen this over the last two years.

The Japanese, when the rates started sinking to 160 events a dollar, they got nervous. They jawboned the markets. They intervened. They bought some

short-term relief, but the markets then went back to where they are. And we saw that this week.

SCIUTTO: The president claimed this was about friendship with Japan. Is it truly friendship or is this largely about U.S. self-interest, including

fears about borrowing costs?

SOBEL: I never worked in the White House as a treasury official. We had wonderful contacts with our G7, our G20 partners. You know, if they ask you

to do something or help them out, you have to take that seriously. You're in it together, right?

But I think that they were -- the administration was perhaps motivated by concerns that if the yen fell much more sharply, it could cause disorder in

the markets and the like. And frankly, I felt -- again, as official, I thought about this dichotomy of disorder versus misalignments. But I think

the current secretary of the treasury is a former hedge fund person. He's a former trader. And I think he has a more activist mindset because of his

past.

[18:25:00]

SCIUTTO: Would one expect future interventions or do you believe it's likely or unlikely that one intervention will do the trick?

SOBEL: So, in the past, when we intervened in my era in 2000 and 2011, it was a one off. It was concerted G7 operation. The Japanese intervened

sporadically. They're essentially free floaters. But it's rather unusual that we would operate bilaterally with the Japanese. It seems odd that the

Treasury would operate solely without the Federal Reserve. So, I can't really speak for the mindset of Scott Bessant.

I would tell you that in the past, we probably would have wanted to have some linkages to fundamental action. We would have wanted a concerted G7

operation and we probably would have done it once and that would have sent our signal and we would have been out of the market.

SCIUTTO: Mark Sobel, we know you'll keep watching. Thanks so much.

SOBEL: Honored to have you -- to be with you.

SCIUTTO: Well, just ahead, President Trump's nominee for U.S. attorney general formally walks back a controversial fund in an effort to clear any

obstacles between him and confirmation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief," I'm Jim Sciutto and here are the international headlines we're watching today.

President Donald Trump says it is Iran's last chance to sign a deal with the U.S. after again calling off strikes and promising to continue talks.

He says at the request of Gulf allies. Iran is stressing it's not negotiating with the U.S.

[18:30:00]

Instead, Iran says it is speaking with Oman to establish a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.

Some passengers forced to jump into the sea after an Indonesian ferry carrying 271 people caught fire on Sunday. Five people died. 225 were

rescued by passing vessels. 41 people remain unaccounted for. As smoke billowed from the listing ship, passengers and life jackets could be seen

clustered on the deck. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The European Commission is urging E.U. members to further strengthen external borders and increase support for Morocco to prevent another surge

of migrants into Quetta. Nearly 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave in North Africa from Morocco last week. Spain says most have now returned

home. At least 72 migrants died in the rush.

Israeli strikes have killed 28 Palestinians since U.S. President Trump announced a deal aimed at ending the war between Hamas and Israel. The

militant group insists it will disarm only if Israeli attacks stop and its troops withdraw from territory taken after last October's ceasefire. But

Israeli officials tell CNN Israel will not pull back and will continue to confront anything it considers a threat.

Israeli encroachment means 2 million Palestinians are now crammed into a third of Gaza's tiny territory, all in the sweltering summer heat. Our

Jeremy Diamond has more now on the relentless strikes in Gaza. We warn you his report has disturbing video.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carried in men's arms or bundled in blankets, wounded Palestinians are rushed into

ambulances. Amid the mayhem, a boy cries out for his brother before yet another casualty is hauled out on a stretcher. This is Gaza plunged back

into chaos, just as hope appeared on the horizon.

Israel carried out this deadly series of strikes this weekend, just hours after President Trump announced a historic agreement for the complete

disarmament of Hamas. That deal called for Israel to first halt all strikes in Gaza before Hamas starts handing over its weapons.

Instead, Israel ramped up its attacks, killing at least 28 people in the wake of Trump's announcement, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Israeli military said it had carried out targeted killings of Hamas commanders and militants, including some involved in the October 7 attack

on Israel. For some in Gaza, the strikes were evidence that Israel cannot be trusted.

This is the fate awaiting anyone who gives away the resistance's weapons. We will be torn apart, this man shouts. Israel cannot be trusted. Our

weapons are what protect us. It would be a disgrace for us to abandon them.

Israeli bombs also left this enormous crater next to one of Gaza's largest hospitals, striking two warehouses where medical supplies were stored. The

Israeli military said Hamas had stashed weapons here but provided no evidence. On the ground, only medical equipment like these dialysis

supplies can be found.

Why? What happened? What's inside it to be struck like that? Look what they did to the people, this woman cries. I was optimistic yesterday and said,

God willing, a new government will come to take control of Gaza, rebuild Gaza. There will be reconstruction and peace and we will live in safety.

Instead, those who had pitched their tents alongside this hospital in the hope of the safety it might provide are forced to pick through the wreckage

before starting over once again. The strikes prompted this rare missive from the Board of Representatives for Gaza, who wrote the strikes killed

civilians and destroyed medical supplies before noting that both parties carry obligations under the comprehensive plan.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Yet more deadly violence in Gaza coming up after the break. Tributes for a famous climber who conquered the world's highest peaks in

record time, Nirmal Purja and several other climbers in his group lost their lives after an avalanche in Pakistan. We're going to hear from one of

his friends.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

SCIUTTO: A fund that would have used taxpayer dollars to compensate people prosecuted for attacking the Capitol on January 6th has now been formally

rescinded. This move coming from acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, necessary because it could pave the way for Blanche to be confirmed in the

role permanently. Two key Senate Republicans now say they will back President Trump's nominee due to that agreement.

Manu Raju joins me now from Capitol Hill. So, do they believe this is formal in writing and therefore binding to move this nomination forward?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, there is a belief that this is going to carry the force of effectively law, they

believe. In fact, Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis do not believe that there is any sort of wiggle room whatsoever here. They think that this is

done in good faith and that effectively this weaponization fund is dead once and for all.

The language is perhaps not as ironclad as some members would like, particularly Democrats who are sharply criticizing this deal. The ultimate

question is going to be how do some of the other Republican senators who hold key votes on this nomination, how they come down.

In fact, I just caught up with some of them here on the Senate, just off the Senate floor moments ago. One of them, Senator Bill Cassidy, who will

be a key swing vote in the full Senate. I asked him if he's ready to back Tom Blanche. Now, he said, I'm not going to comment on Blanche. And then

Senator Susan Collins, another swing vote, just told reporters that she is deferring judgment until she speaks more fully with Senator Thom Tillis and

Senator John Cornyn.

Now, Cornyn and Tillis both will cast votes in the affirmative tomorrow at the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will meet tomorrow morning to advance

that nomination. He is expected to have the votes in that very narrowly divided Senate Judiciary Committee. Then it will go to the full Senate,

where the Senate majority leader, John Thune, wants him confirmed this week before the Senate heads off for a summer recess. And that's where those key

votes ultimately will come down. At the moment, there is an optimism among Blanche supporters that he will get the votes.

But as you know, Jim, things can change rather quickly, especially if the president says something that undercuts what the Justice Department says,

Jim.

SCIUTTO: So, let me talk about another presidential decision. There is CNN reporting that Trump is now considering Jeanine Pirro over the decision to

withdraw criminal charges, you know, claiming that folks had vandalized the reflecting pool. He says he was blindsided.

Where does this stand? Is it quite possible that she gets blamed for this, even though, as the court finally noted, the facts just didn't back up the

president's allegations?

RAJU: Yes, it's just been a remarkable turn of events for this story where Jeanine Pirro, of course, one of the president's most loyal supporters and

someone who has this job as a U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and pursued this case because in large part the president was claiming that

there was vandalism.

[18:40:00]

The Interior Department was claiming that there was vandalism. And then Jeanine Pirro comes out on Friday in a filing and says that the information

provided by the Interior Department simply did not back up the evidence and they could not move forward with this prosecution. And the president

railing on her at this moment, and when he was speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, criticizing her even further, refusing to say if he would fire

her, and our reporting from our colleagues suggesting that he very well may get rid of her.

Just -- Jim, just another sign of the one-time independence of the Justice Department. Really, there hardly is any line whatsoever between the White

House and the Justice Department. The president wants the Justice Department essentially to do his bidding, and if it doesn't, you can see

the ramifications where Jeanine Pirro seems to be hanging on for her job, and may not have one, given the president's wrath over her decision, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Do his bidding even when the facts don't support his bidding. Manu Raju on the Hill, thanks so much.

Well, America's Pacific Northwest, known for its dense forests and annual wildfires, but this fire season has been different. Already the worst in

decades, shaping up to be the region's worst ever. Massive blazes burning through Washington state, forcing some 65,000 people to evacuate around

Spokane.

This aerial image shows the before and after in an area of homes just wiped out. In neighboring Oregon, the state has just shattered its record for

most land burned in a year. So, many records being set. The fire season still has more than two months to go.

Julia Vargas Jones is in Spokane, Washington, and joins us now. You know, the story of wildfires in this country, in Europe, is one of records

constantly being broken. Are firefighters able to contain these fires?

We might have an issue with the audio there. Yes, quite -- can't quite hear. We'll try to get that audio fixed.

Meanwhile, another story that we're covering, rescue teams have now found the body of Nirmal Purja, a celebrated Nepalese climber whose expedition

was struck by just an enormous, devastating avalanche last week.

Purja had made history for checking some of the world's highest peaks. His exploits were the subject of the Netflix documentary titled "14 Peaks:

Nothing is Impossible." His group met missing in Pakistan's Karakoram mountain range on Thursday. Rescuers now say they have located his body

along with the bodies of seven others. Two climbers from the group remain missing.

The Karakoram range is notorious for unpredictable weather, rock slides, and of course, avalanches. It is home to four peaks over 8,000 meters.

That's 26,000 feet. We'll have more when we're back.

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[18:45:00]

SCIUTTO: More wildfire news in France. The economic damage from recent wildfires there could reach billions of dollars, according to estimates.

While the Bordeaux region has seen some of the worst destruction, its famous wine industry may have avoided a direct hit. Lingering smoke could

still have an impact, however, as our Melissa Bell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Not very far from the edge of the Gironde wildfire, some of the Bordeaux

region's finest grapes are ripening.

The owner of Chateau Smith Haute Lafitte says they were lucky. The flames were 18 kilometers away and the smoke never made it here.

BELL: And looking at these grapes, it isn't simply that the smell came to you for a couple of times, a couple of hours. You didn't get the smoke.

FLORENCE CATHIARD, OWNERM, SMITH HAUT LAFITTE WINERY: No.

BELL: We're far from the fires and the grapes are such that they are impermeable at this point anyway.

CATHIARD: Totally, because you see, if you touch them, it's very hard. And we didn't -- we have maybe two hours of bad smell, not ashes, nothing. So,

it's perfect.

BELL (voice-over): The vineyard here go back to the 14th century. From the vantage point of the Chateau's tower, Florence Cathiard, explains that the

real challenge this year has been protecting her organically grown grapes from the summer's extreme heat.

BELL: Wow, it's beautiful from up here.

BELL (voice-over): Under the Chateau's floorboards, you get a glimpse of what's at stake. They call this paradise, where the property's most ancient

and expensive wines are kept.

YANN LAUDEHO, WINEMAKER, SMITH HAUT LAFITTE WINERY: This is a very special place. And in fact, you can have -- you can see here all the bottle, the --

all this we have here. It is 1878.

BELL (voice-over): As we taste 2016, Jan Lodeo says this year's vintage will be unharmed by the fires, but redrawn by the heat.

LAUDEHO: I try to make the best wine we can make for each vintage.

BELL: So, it's a reinvention?

LAUDEHO: Yes, exactly.

BELL: Unlike recent vintages affected by wildfires in Napa, those of the Bordeaux region appear to have emerged relatively unscathed.

ROBERT JOSEPH, WINE WXPERT AND INDUSTRY ANALYST: It looks as though the problems of smoked taint, which is the biggest fear, there may be some, but

they won't be very much by the sound of it. But it certainly won't be anything like what we saw in California in 2020, for example.

BELL (voice-over): Leaving now just the question of what sort of vintage such a hot and dry summer will yield, even now that the fires appear to

have been tamed.

Melissa Bell, CNN, in the Bordeaux region.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: As I mentioned earlier, rescue teams have now found the body of Nirmal Purja, a world-famous Nepalese climber whose career was featured in

a Netflix documentary a few years ago. His expedition struck last week by a devastating avalanche.

Joining me now, mountaineer Shehroze Kashif, who knows the range well. He also summited 14 8,000-meter peaks. On X, he paid tribute to Purja with a

photograph of them both saying, giving up is not in the blood. It's good to have you. Thanks so much for joining.

SHEHROZE KASHIF, MOUNTAINEER: Thank you so much for having me.

SCIUTTO: Well, before we get to the conditions on the mountain, the rescue effort, I do want to ask you about the people lost. Nirmal Purja, of

course, one of the most recognizable climbers in the world, but so many lost here. Nima Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, among Nepal's most accomplished

high-altitude guides. Can you describe what this loss means to the broader climbing community?

KASHIF: Oh, I think it's one of the most darkest day in the history of mountaineering, because not only Nirmal, we lost 10 good climbers.

Pakistani Suhail, Nirmal Purja, of course, Yukta, Nadira. There are a lot of -- this is the biggest loss we have ever faced in the history of

mountaineering.

SCIUTTO: You, of course, knew this terrain very well. You climbed Broad Peak when you were just 17 years old. Can you explain the conditions there?

And was there anything particular about the conditions on this day of the avalanche that made it particularly dangerous?

KASHIF: Broad Peak -- apparently, Broad Peak and G2 is considered one of the most easiest 8000s within Pakistan, if you compare it to K2 or Nanga

Parbat or G1.

Broad Peak has a really steep climb, and you just go climb, climb up. It's not like Everest, like you go traverse and then you go up and down. It's

just like a straight climb from base camp to camp three and upwards.

[18:50:00]

You go traverse and then you go up and down. It's just like a straight climb from base camp to camp three and upwards.

There's an avalanche prone area I remember, back in 2019 -- was the youngest in the world. I was crossing that and I was like, avalanche come.

And you know, it's time --

SCIUTTO: I think we're losing the signal there. I'm just going to give it a minute to see if it pops back.

KASHIF: The area is quite dangerous. But you know, it's always not like -- it's always like avalanche area. But sometimes when your luck is really bad

and the mountain is not friendly with you, yes, it happens.

SCIUTTO: You have your own experience of the dangers of climbing. When you climbed Nanga Parbat`, dubbed the killer mountain, you spent 28 hours

stranded during the descent. Can you describe -- oh, we might have lost him again. Oh, that's too bad. We will attempt to get him back tomorrow. That's

Shehroze Kashif talking about just a devastating avalanche in Pakistan.

Well, a surprising photo released by Myanmar's military government showed detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi alive. The military government says

the pictures are from her first public meeting in years and come following questions about her health. Here is CNN's Ivan Watson with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The military government in Myanmar has released an image of Aung San Suu Kyi, the

imprisoned and elected former leader of the country, in what the military says is a meeting with a representative of the International Committee of

the Red Cross.

CNN has reached out to the ICRC for independent confirmation of this meeting. It is important because this is effectively proof of life. The son

of Aung San Suu Kyi, Kim Aris has mounted a public pressure campaign demanding some proof that his mother is basically alive since she has been

held by the military authorities now for more than five years since the military carried out a coup in 2021 and through the elected leadership

including Aung San Suu Kyi in prison and set the country on the pathway for a devastating civil war.

Aung San Suu Kyi has not really been seen in public for quite some time, and there have been calls and questions about her welfare since she is 81.

And again, she has spent years in detention in Myanmar. And now why the timing of this and also the release of several other photos that are

purportedly taken in June showing Suu Kyi apparently celebrating her birthday in what looks like a house?

Well, there has been a flurry of diplomacy lately. The military regime in Myanmar has not had full membership to the Association of Southeast Asian

Nations basically since the coup. And there are believed to be meetings scheduled between the government in Thailand and the top general in

Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, in the coming days. So, this may be an effort to try to curry favor with other Southeast Asian governments and to perhaps

open a door towards engagement with them.

This as the civil war in Myanmar continues to rage with estimates of more than 100,000 people killed, millions of people displaced and large parts of

the country that are out of the government's control.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Calls for Gianni Infantino to step aside as FIFA president, or, getting louder, the football federations of Wales, Serbia and Sweden now

say they can no longer support his bid for re-election. UEFA, the European football governing body, is threatening to take legal action over his

failed plan to sell a stake in tournament profits to private investors. Coy Wire has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: The aftershocks from the World Cup just keep getting bigger. Despite FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino scrapping

their plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors, the backlash from the global football community is not going away.

Just days after UEFA voted unanimously to boycott FIFA competitions over the initial proposal, European football's governing body has now threatened

FIFA with legal action and said any potential evidence should not be destroyed. Lawyers have informed FIFA that UEFA is, quote, "Actively

considering legal action, arbitration and/or regulatory complaints, arising out of and in connection with the FIFA forward enterprise plan proposed by

FIFA and all related matters."

[18:55:00]

The letter named 18 FIFA execs who it said should retain data documents and electronic messages as potential evidence.

David Bernstein, former English Football Association chairman, says the pressure needs to stay on for an eventual removal. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BERNSTEIN, FORMER CHAIRMAN, ENGLISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: Oh, it's extremely serious. I don't think he can survive. I mean, I think that UEFA

are taking a very strong line and they threaten to, of course, withdraw from the World Cup next time if the proposal was not withdrawn. Well, it

has been withdrawn, so that's good.

But I think they should maintain that position pending Infantino's leaving FIFA because the deal and Infantino are now joined together at the hip. And

I think they've got to absolutely push maximum at this time now to get him out and move on. Otherwise, football is going to be bitterly divided over

the next period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: CNN also understands that the English Football Association is set to write to Infantino to withdraw its support for his reelection. This after

Wales became the first nation to do so. FIFA presidential elections are set for March. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Thanks so much for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.

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