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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: Crews Battle Flames from U.K. to Greece Amid Record Heat; Lake Mead, Largest Reservoir in U.S., Hits Record Low Levels; Mangione Pleads Guilty; Trump Declares Strait of Hormuz a U.S. Territory; Democrats Demand Answers About Conditions of USS Lincoln; 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Indonesia; WNBA'S Newfound Success. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 14, 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]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton in New York filling

in for Jim Sciutto. You are watching "The Brief."

Just ahead this hour, extreme weather strikes both sides of the Atlantic with wildfires raging in the United Kingdom and fierce storms pummeling the

Midwestern United States. Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges, telling the court, I shot Mr. Thompson and he died. We will have

more information there from the courtroom. Plus, the WNBA has enjoyed a surge of success over the past year. But are controversies taking the

attention away from basketball?

And we do begin in Europe as fire crews from the U.K. to Greece battle a string of growing wildfires as record-breaking heat engulfs huge parts of

the continent. Now, several fires are burning in France, stretching even into the normally cooler and wetter regions of the north.

Now, firefighters are facing an extra challenge with the country in the midst of its driest year on record. More than 1,200 people were forced to

evacuate a tourist area of Croatia, meantime, as gale-force winds spread flames along the Dalmatian coast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SLAVKO TOMIC, CROATIAN RESIDENT (through translator): Here we were, the five of us, as living witnesses, as horrible as a war, as people say. I

didn't really believe it. When we wanted to escape there, to leave, there it was. The fire was there, and there was almost nothing. I said, people

take hoses, and let's pour water on our heads. If we burn, we burn. Thank God we got through it OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, experts warn scorching weather in the U.K. could be to blame after a second train derailed in the country in just 24 hours. Engineers

say sweltering heat can cause rail lines to expand and buckle.

And it's not only homes and lives that are at stake, but also pieces of world history. In northern Spain, emergency crews were called in to rescue

the bones of three medieval kings from a historic monastery, as flames drew perilously close. Scenes like these are playing out right across Europe, as

the scorching summer heat shows no signs of abating. Stefano Pozzebon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A tower of smoke looms over holidaymakers in northern Greece on Thursday, the fast-moving forest

fire sending tourists and locals fleeing. Hundreds on small boats emptying two popular resorts in peak holiday season.

From the sky and the land, fire crews battle to stop the blaze, one of many wreaking havoc across the continent. As Europe swelters in record-breaking

heat, dry conditions are helping wildfires race across the region. Spanish crews worked through the night fighting a fire in the country's northeast

that burned through 20,000 acres and forced more than 900 people from their homes.

In Croatia, seven people were in hospital in life-threatening condition early Friday after strong winds whipped up a fire around the popular

tourist town of Omis on the Dalmatian coast. Fires in France and Germany have also led hundreds of residents to evacuate.

Usually, temperate Britain has not been spared. As the country baked on its hottest day of the year on Thursday, fires spread across central England,

burning farmland and houses to the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not our horses, but we saved them.

PAUL NASH, RESIDENT: I heard a scream and all the trees along the railway track were exploding. They weren't just setting fire, they were exploding.

So, we just grabbed everything and left.

POZZEBON (voice-over): With no sign of rain, authorities here and across Europe remain on high alert.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Of course, it's not just Europe that's battling flames. Wildfires are burning right from Florida to Canada, as North America suffers through

its own scorching summer heat.

[18:05:00]

Now, the accompanying drought is putting part of the U.S. water supply at risk. Lake Mead in Nevada, the largest reservoir in the country, provides

water to more than 25 million people right across the southwest. Now, the water level in the lake dropped to not one, but two record lows just in the

past week.

CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir, visited the spot that's become one of the greatest symbols of drought and climate change in the

United States. And Bill, I will say, you've been telling us about this literally for years, and yet I'd have to think that what you saw there in

the last few weeks startled even you.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula, I mean, every trip back, it's sort of new lows. It's -- we live in the era of broken record-

breaking, where this will continue. Lake Mead levels will continue to go down through the rest of the summer. Lake Powell, the second largest

reservoir, should hit an all-time low maybe this coming week.

So, we went to look at what exactly that means, and you can imagine there are so many complications politically, economically, and just physically.

Here's a visit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEIR (voice-over): For the boaters who still love Lake Mead, reminders of the megadrought are all around. The bathtub ring, which shows the high-

water mark from the mid-'80s, is now almost 19 stories tall. Old sunken boats and worthless drinking water intakes get more exposed by the day.

WEIR: They couldn't imagine when they built this the kind of megadrought that would drop Lake Mead by 70 percent. That used to be the water intake

tower.

WEIR (voiceover): A satellite time-lapse shows how much of the nation's biggest reservoir has disappeared in the last 25 years. Mead, 27 percent

full while Lake Powell only 23 percent and dropping. Together, they keep 40 million people alive in seven states, which have never agreed on how to

share.

While the dry, lower basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona have volunteered to make cuts, Doug Burgum's Interior Department could force

much steeper ones, especially to junior rights holder Arizona where water is needed to make everything from copper to microchips to most of the

nation's winter vegetables.

GOV. KATIE HOBBS (D-AZ): I would argue that all of those things are not just important to Arizona's economy; they're important to the national

economy.

WEIR (voiceover): And Governor Katie Hobbs seems willing to fight for their share all the way to the Supreme Court.

HOBBS: We are very hopeful that it will align closely with the proposal that we put forward, the three lower basin state proposal. And nobody wants

to end up in court, but this is a critical situation for Arizona and I'm going to use every tool available to me. We have set aside millions of

dollars to fight in court if that becomes necessary. I hope it doesn't. But we're not at that point yet.

WEIR (voiceover): Utah is among the upper basin states refusing to offer new cuts, even as St. George has some of the cheapest water and highest per

capita use in the West. And that's not even counting this private surf ranch with wave and wakeboarding pools for 56 homes and another similar

development under construction.

WEIR: You can surf in the driest county in Utah. How can you justify that? Whether they're pulling it out of a brackish aquafer or it's private water

--

ZACH RENSTROM, WASHINGTON COUNTY WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT: No.

WEIR: -- how is that a good look for Washington County?

RENSTROM: So, unfortunately, like other communities, certain things were approved years and years and years ago and we're kind of dealing with

those. Since then we have completely changed all the rules but not just at surf lake but at a data center or a golf course. We've implemented this

very strict policy now of large water users.

WEIR (voiceover): Zach Renstrom is trying to get his very conservative county to copy Las Vegas where nearly every drop of Sin City's wastewater

is captured, cleaned and put back into Lake Mead thanks to the foresight of leaders like Pat Mulroy.

PATRICIA MULROY, FORMER CEO, SOUTHERN NEVADA WATER AUTHORITY: I mean, the minute you accepted climate change is a reality, you had to accept that

this day was coming. And if you're in the water business you hope for the best and plan for the worst.

WEIR (voiceover): She thinks Burgum should be using more carrots and sticks to get the states to agree and proposes desalination plants in

California for irrigation so farmers could give their shares to thirsty cities and wildlife habitats.

MULROY: To put the states through the pain and anguish of having to go through another round of cut discussions, I would put that off. But where I

would put my energy is I would put the states together and empower a body or a group in the Lower Basin and upper basin to look at ways to augment

this river system. I mean, we have stayed away from desalination, and it blows my mind. You can't conserve your way out of this. You can't cut your

way out of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEIR (on camera): Desalination, of course, is common in the Middle East, but super rare in the United States, but that may have to change.

[18:10:00]

And it's not just water, Paula, it's electricity. Glen Canyon and Hoover Dam, they supply electricity power to about 1.6 million homes a year when

the water is high, but less than half that when it's this low. So, this is affecting all parts of the economy, but same stories you're seeing in the

Rhine, in the Danube. In Europe, over there, the power concerns are about cooling nuclear power plants. So, the trickle effects of this, it really,

it boggles the mind how it's touching so many factors right now.

NEWTON: Yes. And yet, you gave great insight into the piece because it showed with some forethought that these problems can be solved in many ways

equitably. Bill, we so appreciate your reporting. Thanks so much.

Now, the suspect on trial for fatally shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges. Now, Luigi

Mangione told the court, quote, "I shot Mr. Thompson and he died. I knew what I was doing was illegal, "end quote.

Prosecutors say there were no accommodations or concessions in exchange for his plea. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch commended the police

work that led them to this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: This case began with the worst kind of violence on our streets. It was answered by the very best of

the New York City Police Department to every member of the NYPD who played a role in this investigation. You should be enormously proud for bringing

us to this day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Mangione's defense has filed a motion to dismiss the state case against him. His lawyer says he's being unfairly targeted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO, ATTORNEY FOR LUIGI MANGIONE: Despite this being a single isolated event, Mr. Mangione has been unfairly treated since the

outset in every way and has successfully fought off terrorism charges and the death penalty, while also fighting at the same time two simultaneous

prosecutions in two jurisdictions who are trying to punish him twice for the exact conduct. He's been treated differently from every other defendant

charged with this offense in New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Kara Scannell joins us from New York. And, Lara, you were in the courtroom, I should say, with the family of Brian Thompson, who listened to

this really extraordinary and in some ways shocking admission from Mr. Mangione. Just let us know kind of what happened in the courtroom and what

the reaction was.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, it was very emotional for the family hearing Luigi Mangione explain in a very clear, matter-of-fact

way, with no remorse, how he came to shoot Brian Thompson dead on the sidewalk in Manhattan. Mangione said that he had severe back pain for

years, that he was navigating the health care system.

And then he decided to look at UnitedHealthcare. He posed as an investor, saying he had represented $50 billion in assets to find out exactly where

the investor conference was going to be. And then, from there, he said that he got a 3D gun that he made, he added a silencer and a magazine, and that

he shot and killed Brian Thompson.

It was no remorse in there at all. He did not acknowledge the family in the courtroom, but they were sitting in the front row. And the widow became

emotional. She was wiping tears from her eyes. She was holding on to the arm of the woman sitting next to her. And you could see the family members

all taking a moment to glimpse at each other as they were struggling to take in this very cold, direct statement of Mangione, who was admitting

what he had done.

So, now he pleaded guilty to these two federal counts. It raises questions about what will happen to the state charges. He's facing murder charges and

weapons charges there. His lawyer, as you said, has moved immediately to try to dismiss those counts. But the Manhattan District Attorney's Office,

which conducted this investigation and had been set to go to trial on September 8th, said that they are going to litigate this. They say they are

committed to bringing justice to Brian Thompson's family.

Now, the next moves in the federal case will be the sentencing on December 18th. Prosecutors said they are going to seek the maximum, which is life in

prison. And Mangione will have an opportunity to address the court again at that sentencing.

But so, as things play out now, the federal case is wrapped up. There are still looming questions about the state case, but it does appear that the

September 8th trial date is now going to be put off as they litigate this issue of double jeopardy in New York. Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, and we'll get into more of that. Kara, grateful to have you there and obviously witness all of this in the courtroom for us. Appreciate

it.

Now, with Moore is Michael Moore, a former U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. He's also a partner at Moore Hall in Atlanta. On a

legal basis, is Mangione's defense team right that this would amount to double jeopardy being tried for the crime twice, the same crime twice,

essentially?

[18:15:00]

MICHAEL MOORE, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY AND PARTNER, MOORE HALL IN ATLANTA: Yes. Well, I'm glad to be with you. You could probably ask for lawyers that

question and get opinions about whether or not the double jeopardy would apply in this case. I mean, really what New York law says is that if the

impetus of the crime, if really the evil that is the same in one crime as it is in the other, or cases is the same crime, but one case as it is in

the other, that that may very well be a bar for prosecution in the New York state court.

So, it's no real secret why the defense team sought to have the federal case resolved first. And that was to essentially act as a bar to a state

prosecution. There is no death penalty in the state of New York. So, he was not going to face the death penalty there. He could face life in prison.

But at the same time, that is the sentence that I think you will likely see from this federal judge.

And so, the question will be whether or not these two sovereigns, the state and the United States, are satisfied with one life sentence because he, you

know, you can only serve one life sentence at a time. And so, I think probably we'll see some of the tensions between the state case and the

federal case, you know, come to pass after, after sentencing, we see what that federal judge does.

NEWTON: Yes, Michael. And that's certainly an intriguing part of this case. But I do want to repeat something that Jessica Tisch said as well.

She said violence is not a cause. Murder is not a message. And a killer is certainly not a hero by being able to get up and do this in court. And as

Kara said, it was very cold. There was no contrition.

How does that lend to justice in this case, especially when, as you said, is going to be at the discretion of a judge? Now, apparently, the judge has

already said you're going to serve at least 85 percent of a life sentence. But isn't the point here to show some kind of remorse?

MOORE: Yes, I would -- I think what the defendant said in this case was pretty well scripted by his lawyers, and that was he admitted only to those

things that he had to admit to and had and said those things that he had to say in order for the court to accept his guilty plea. In other words, he

had to say, I know what I did was wrong. I intended to do this, you know, this kind of thing.

But you were -- if you noticed when he also said, I shot at this victim and he died, that is not necessarily getting across the amount of premeditation

that went into this case. But I will tell you, you can also listen to the facts of the case and what he admitted to as it related to the stalking,

you know, the imposing as an investor, the following, the doing these other things that happen that clearly make this for any sentencing judge clearly

indicate that there was so much premeditation in this that there's not much more premeditation you could find in the case.

So, that's why I think he's facing this massive sentence of life in prison in federal court. And that means he's going to die in prison for all

intents and purposes. So, federal court, federal prisons are generally nicer than state prison. So, it's not surprising that's where he would want

to be. But again, whether or not you have a life sentence in the state prison system or life sentence in federal prison, you still depriving that

person of their liberty for the rest of their life. And hopefully that brings some sense of family, especially in a jurisdiction like New York,

where they didn't have the option of seeking the death penalty for a premeditated murder.

NEWTON: You know, Michael, given what I just said, that Jessica Tish said, and given the family there was really, as Kara described, just really had

to contain their emotions as he went through this. Look, OK, maybe he just, you know, said what the lawyers told him to say. But on the other hand,

there seemed to be a good deal of excuses in there too. His opening line was that he suffered from a broken back that the health insurance industry

didn't help him with.

I guess I'm wondering if you're the judge, why did you even have to accept this plea in this way?

MOORE: You know, it ultimately resolved the federal case and the judge didn't have to accept it, but he admitted to those things necessary for a

court to accept that plea. And remember, this is a federal stalking charge or two charges that resulted in death. There's no necessarily just straight

federal murder case or federal charge like you have in a state court.

So, you know, he did those things necessary, but the judge in a federal courtroom has a huge amount of discretion. And so, while there may be a

sentencing guideline range of, you know, 25 to 30 years or whatever it is, something like that, that's just advisory to the judge. The judge can

listen to the fact that he didn't show remorse. The judge can listen to the fact about premeditation. The judge can listen to victim impact statements.

The judge can hear from the family, can do those things necessary and hear about all the planning that went into this and, and decide, you know, based

on, you know, their own discretion, whether or not they think that type of information outweighs some of the excuses that were made by this defendant.

[18:20:00]

Like, you know, I had a hurt back. Well, he's not claiming this victim broke his back. And I think that -- so that's going to likely fall on deaf

ears to this court. I think that's something that he probably wanted to say. And he's been, you know, as you followed the media, you know, he's has

been one to sort of be an attacker, if you will, of the healthcare system and that type of thing and the insurance system, that doesn't mean this

judge has to listen to that.

This judge has heard the fact that he basically laid in wait for this victim to come around so he could shoot him in the back. I mean, and I just

think -- that's why I think it's likely that you're going to see a life sentence imposed here. And I think when that happens, the state court may

very well say, OK, he's going to jail for the rest of his life. You know, we don't need to go through all this.

And so, this delay that's going to happen from appealing and arguing and litigating this double jeopardy motion that was filed, I think that's

probably going to mirror to the benefit of the government because they can wrap this case up with a life sentence.

NEWTON: Which no doubt would be of comfort to the family so they don't have to go through more of what they went through today. Michael Moore for

us, appreciate your time.

MOORE: Good to be with you. Thank you.

NEWTON: Still ahead for us, a summertime slump at the shopping mall. U.S. spending is cooling off as temperatures heat up. We'll tell you how and

why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: And welcome back in today's Business Breakout. Call it Friday fatigue on Wall Street. U.S. stocks ended the week with modest losses, with

tech stocks pacing the declines. Maybe everyone was at the beach. The latest read on U.S. retail sales did not help sentiments. They fell more

than half a percent in July. Month over month, the steepest drop in over a year.

Now, new consumer sentiment numbers fell for the first time in three months as well. All of this ahead of key earnings from major retailers next week.

That should give us some insight into the health of the consumer.

Now, the higher price of gasoline could be one reason why Americans are cutting back on spending. Triple A says the average price for a gallon of

gas in the U.S. has risen to $4.07 a gallon. That's seven cents a gallon higher than on Monday. It's also the highest average price for a gallon of

gas ever recorded in the month of August.

[18:25:00]

Now, cost of living concerns will not help the Republican Party heading into November midterms. President Trump had this to say about the economy

today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I have a lot of things that are happening, a lot of good things. The economy is doing unbelievably from the standpoint

of Wall Street. We just set another record, as you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Joe Brusuelas joins me. He is principal and chief economist at RSM U.S. Good to see you on a Friday, Joe, after what was, I think, a very

confusing week when it came to data. What did you make of retail sales and earlier on this week of the inflation data we got?

JOSEPH BRUSUELAS, PRINCIPAL AND CHIEF ECONOMIST, RSM: OK. So, on first glance, when you take a look at the retail sales, well, this isn't very

good. What happened? But once you dig into the details, you really take away a sense that the American household let off the accelerator a bit in

July, following a pretty big two-month boost in overall spending.

What I saw were three things. Gasoline prices really are impacting, most likely, the 40 percent of down-market households that you're working class

and you're working poor. Then you did see slowdown in auto sales. The most interesting, you saw a big pullback, 2.2 percent in e-commerce. Now, that's

because Amazon moved its prime days from July to June.

So, what we saw was the American consumer front loaded a lot of spending into late spring and early summer. I expect spending to accelerate further

in months ahead.

Now, with respect to inflation, yes, we're two months into a general improvement. Now, two doesn't make three. I really need to see three months

of improvement. So, today we've got an underlying trend that's going to result in a little bit of disinflation through the remainder of the year.

My sense is that when you look at inflation this week, you look at that consumer sentiment and that retail sales, it's highly likely that the

Federal Reserve will be on hold at its September meeting, meaning no rate hike. And that's one of the reasons why you're seeing equity markets melt

up to new record highs.

NEWTON: I'm interested in what you say, though, that you're saying that inflation will continue to be challenging and you say mostly because of

A.I. Do you believe that that A.I. is really -- the spending on that is really crowding out a lot in the economy here, or do you think it's going

to be fine, the consumer will come barreling back in the fall and perhaps inflation will abate enough?

BRUSUELAS: OK. So, we're going through three shocks right now that we've endured since 2022. One's tariffs, right? That's goods prices. The other is

the war, oil and energy. Everybody understands that. Then there's a third one that's not well understood. It has to do with A.I.

Over the medium to long-term, that's going to be a positive productivity boost. It'll be disinflationary. But at the outset, in the early innings,

as we build the capacity to transform the American economy, it's actually inflationary. If you look at computers and electronics that go into the

building of data centers, they're up 28 percent on a year-to-go basis.

Yes, there's a mild crowding out going on right now. It's not enormous, but we can really see it on Wall Street. It's one of the reasons why no one

talks about this stuff. It's really off the radar. When the U.S. had to float debt this week for 30-year notes, highest we've seen in well over a

decade.

NEWTON: Believe me, it is 100 percent on my radar. And I keep talking about it, especially because of its link to mortgage rates. But that is a

conversation for another day. Joe, you have a great weekend. Thanks so much for breaking it down for us.

BRUSUELAS: You too. Thank you.

NEWTON: Checking some of today's other business headlines, France's highest court struck down a bill Friday that would have banned children

under 15 from using social media. Now, the court says the landmark bill is too broad and violates freedom of expression. French President Emmanuel

Macron is asking his prime minister to make changes to the bill, which passed overwhelmingly in the French Parliament just last month.

Shares of U.S. drone companies rose Friday after the Trump administration announced new measures to help boost domestic drone production. President

Trump has announced 100 percent tariffs on certain models of drone imports. The measure would also make it more expensive to import drone parts. Now,

the White House is calling drone imports a national security threat. The tariffs start kicking in next month.

And also, the Trump administration is accusing more than 40 countries of helping China illegally dodge President Trump's tariffs. Now, the charges

are detailed in a new White House report called the Great Transshipment Scam. It says China -- pardon me -- is routing exports through the U.S. on

third-party countries.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief," I'm Paula Newton. Here are the international headlines we're watching today.

Topping the headlines this hour, record heat is scorching parts of Europe, breaking records and fueling devastating wildfires. The British government

is sending out an emergency alert on cell phones across England and Wales, warning people not to light anything that could spark a fire. This, as the

wildfire risk there hits a critical level, flames destroyed more than a dozen homes in the West Midlands.

President Trump has filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to approve the construction of his controversial White House ballroom. The

request comes after lower courts ruled Mr. Trump needs approval from Congress before the project moves forward. The president says the ballroom

is needed for national security, among other things.

A guilty plea today on federal stalking charges in the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. Luigi Mangione told the judge he shot Brian Thompson

in December 2024. Mangione could be sentenced to life in prison, and the judge told Mangione that there is no chance for parole in the federal

system. His state murder trial is set to begin next month, but his attorneys are seeking to dismiss the state case.

Now, to the U.S. war with Iran. President Trump saying he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory. He also says he'll never apologize

for waging war against Iran, despite higher gas prices in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: So, for you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline, just remember, you're doing it so that a very evil country cannot have -- a

country, really, it's the number one state sponsor of terror in the world. We don't want to have them have a nuclear weapon. So, remember that when

you have to pay a little bit more, you're at $4. It's OK. I mean, it's -- I'm not -- I'll never apologize. I did the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:35:00]

NEWTON: Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress want answers about what is going on with a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. USS Abraham Lincoln has

been deployed in the Middle East for almost nine months, a record for number of days at sea. There are reports of poor living conditions and a

mental health crisis among sailors on board. The Pentagon says the reports are overblown, but it is sending a new carrier group to the region to

replace the Lincoln. The president had this to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Family members of U.S. service members are concerned about the conditions on board the USS Lincoln --

TRUMP: Well, no, that ship is moving. No, they're not. That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it's being replaced with another very

similar ship.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has their deployment gone on too long? Are you worried --

TRUMP: No, no, no. Not nearly long enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: For more on this, I'm joined by Kevin Liptak. I'm not sure that the words, not nearly long enough, would go over well with the families of

the military personnel, but I'm wondering where the White House is going with this now. Again, the prime minister is in for apparently a quiet

weekend in New Jersey now. Do we expect any, you know, huge developments on any of this?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and it's interesting. I asked the White House if they wanted to add any context or to clarify

perhaps what the president said there, and they are going to let the president's words stand for themselves, which is kind of remarkable.

And it was clear when the president was answering those questions, he did not sound all that pleased. He kind of snapped at the first one and then

turned around and walked back to the plane at the second one. And ordinarily, he answers more than one question at the tarmac, which I think

just underscores what the backdrop to all of this is, which are some very real concerns inside the administration at just how long this war has gone

on. And these historic deployments of these ships only underscore that the president's initial projection that it would only last six weeks were

wildly wrong.

And so, it does, I think, reflect some real concerns here, and this is not the only example that we've seen of the length and intensity of this war

raising some real questions about the U.S. readiness to fight it going forward. You also hear concerns about the American munitions stockpile as

well. And the worry that you hear from military officials is that the longer these deployments go, the greater the toll there will be not only on

the people on the ship but on the ships themselves. You know, the gears start to break. Replacement parts are harder to come by.

It was interesting in a statement from the Navy secretary today, Hung Cao, even though he was sort of dismissing some of the media reports about all

of this, he also acknowledged that, yes, there had been a small number of mental health issues on this ship, that, yes, some of the meal plans had to

be adjusted and that the ability to call back home had been stopped at some point because of operational security.

And all of this is the reason I think you do start to hear, at least in private, some very senior officials in the administration say that it will

be necessary to find some sort of off-ramp here. You hear, for example, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, talking about that with

other officials in private, but there's really no indication that President Trump is looking to take that off-ramp. When he says that he wants to

declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory, that will require a sustained American military presence in the region.

You heard yesterday the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, say that the U.S. would be able to maintain the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, quote,

"indefinitely." All of that is going to require aircraft carriers in the region and in the vicinity for an undetermined amount of time, which sounds

very much like the type of forever war that the president said that he would not get the United States into.

NEWTON: Right. Which means so many more sacrifices as well for those military families. Our Kevin Liptak for us at the White House, appreciate

it.

And we'll be right back in a moment with more news.

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[18:40:00]

NEWTON: This just in to CNN. A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake has struck Indonesia. Now, it happened along the country's northern coast.

Indonesia's meteorological agency says an early tsunami warning is now in place. He said, of course, we will bring you all that we understand and

learn on this story as it comes in to CNN.

Now, a new report detailing incidents of antisemitism on Canadian college and university campuses has turned up some alarming results. National

surveys revealed more than 95 percent of Jewish students had experienced or witnessed at least one antisemitic incident in the last 12 months.

Now, in June, President -- pardon me, Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged a problem and said Canada is failing its Jewish community. He

cited recent incidents that include shots fired at Jewish schools, attacks on community centers and firebombs thrown at synagogues.

Simon Wolle joins us. He is the CEO of B'nai Brith Canada. And we want to welcome you to the program. And I want to start with an obvious issue here.

Some people are literally saying that they need refuge from Canada, that if you are a person of Jewish faith in Canada, that you need protection. So,

we're talking about a place like Canada where literally millions have gone over decades to seek refuge from persecution and hate is now too dangerous

for the Jewish community?

SIMON WOLLE, CEO, B'NAI BRITH CANADA: Yes. Thanks for having me, Paula. This is a really important conversation. I will say that we do have members

of the Jewish community that are certainly questioning their future in Canada. But make no mistake, the Jewish community is here to stay. This is

our home. We're not going to leave. Our community will not be made to live in fear.

I think it's important that everybody hears that. We're going to continue living our Jewish life the way we always have. We will stand strong and

united in the face of hate and antisemitism. People need to hear, and I encourage every member of the Jewish community out there to continue going

to your schools and to your synagogues and our camps and our Jewish community institutions, we will not allow ourselves to be intimidated and

forced out of our own country or forced into hiding.

NEWTON: You know, unfortunately, I've seen for myself, of course, all the added security in the last few years around so many of the places you just

mentioned. And if we take a look at the numbers, it's pretty stark. I mean, 6,800 incidents in total in 2025.

And I, you know, want to tell viewers, remember, that's what's documented. There are other incidents that go undocumented. Daily incidents have more

than doubled. I want to know from you -- and we haven't even highlighted the violent incidents there. I want to know from you, what more do you need

the Canadian government to do at all levels, federal, provincial and local?

WOLLE: Well, you alluded in your opening to this segment to the speech that the prime minister gave at a synagogue, recognizing we have an

antisemitism problem and that the country is in fact failing Canada's Jewish community. And the words are totally empty. If they're not followed

up by concrete action to stem the tide of antisemitism and the violence against the Jewish community.

[18:45:00]

Now, B'nai B'rith Canada has called for national security resources to be deployed immediately to protect the Jewish community and institutions and

for attacks to be investigated as terrorism. We need to start to call things what they are, when they happen. And when evidence can support that,

we need to start investigating the terrorism that's taking place. We've also asked for stronger --

NEWTON: And you feel that that's not being done right now?

WOLLE: Right now, it is not being done the way it needs to be done. We have -- we know that we have IRGC representatives in this country. They've

been identified by our government. We haven't taken the steps to deport them. We know that there are so many more steps that are needed to be done.

We need physical security. We need specialized prosecution capabilities, dedicated hate crime units. We need better enforcement of existing laws. We

need broader coordination by all three levels of government. These are the types of action that the community deserves from government. It's the most

basic, primary responsibility of government. Keep your citizens safe.

NEWTON: Simon --

WOLLE: And the Jewish community expects that from the elected officials.

NEWTON: Simon, the incidents that we talk about a lot of times are extreme. But I want to talk to you about the kind of antisemitism that is

in many ways so much more insidious, just as damaging and hurtful, though. You know, it's those casual comments, the social media hate, the social

media memes, the offhanded comments that school kids get.

How menacing has that been for the Jewish community? And I want to ask you, do you understand why it's happening so much more in the last few years?

WOLLE: Yes. Well, first of all, these are the reasons -- personally, part of the reason why the community is so concerned. The threat is real. The

effect is real. When we talk about statistics and data like 6,800 incidents, those are capturing a lot of things that we would call awful but

lawful, right? Some of the negativity, the nuanced hate that comes up and, of course, straight up antisemitism and hate crimes and violence and

harassment in many cases.

So, we have to remember that every one of those numbers actually represents a very real person and a very real situation. Why is it happening? Because

we haven't had clarity in this country. We haven't drawn a clear line between what is right and what is wrong. And we see a direct correlation

when harassment incidents start to go up, online harassment starts to increase, which it has, in fact, leading up to the end, which it did,

leading up to the end of 2025.

We know that there's a direct correlation that the next step is push the next boundary. Let's now be violent. Let's now be vandals. And let's see if

the government and enforcement agencies respond to that. And we saw that correlation in the first half of 2026, where, of course, the violent

incidents went up and the vandalism went up, and we're seeing continued unacceptable levels of hatred in this country.

NEWTON: Simon Wolle, thank you so much for really telling us about the situation in Canada, as many people may not realize how serious it has been

in the last few years. Simon Wall for us from B'nai Brith. Appreciate it.

WOLLE: Thanks for having me.

NEWTON: Coming up for us, the WNBA has more viewers than ever, but has the league's reputation for infighting become a distraction? We'll break it

down in a moment.

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[18:50:00]

NEWTON: So, the WNBA heads into the playoffs next month, riding high. The Women's Basketball League boasts record attendance, a multi-billion-dollar

media deal, and an agreement that makes its players the highest paid in women's team sports.

Now, at the same time, the league has been marred by very public and ugly infighting, both between players, with players, and the league's own

commissioner. The latest controversy, Indiana Fever guard, Sophie Cunningham, called for banning transgender athletes from competing in

women's sports. Now, we have to note, no trans women have ever played in the NBA.

Christine Brennan joins me now. Christine, it is so good to see you, and I have to tell the viewers, you are the original fan of this league. You

know, you've loved it from the beginning. You think it's fantastic. I do want to start with the good news here. Growing attendance, right? A women's

pro sports league as well, when you can actually make a living. How did the league get here this season?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST AND SPORTS COLUMNIST, USA TODAY: Paula, this is a fascinating time with a league that is completely and

totally unprepared for the greatest thing that ever happened to it, which is, of course, the arrival of Caitlin Clark three years ago. And as a

journalist, yes, I've covered it from the beginning, the Atlanta Olympics in '96, which was the launching pad for the WNBA in 1997.

And, you know, I've kept an eye on it ever since. And they've been, you know, basically not getting the coverage, the attention that they all felt

they deserved, that I tried to give it, and others did, from the male- dominated mainstream sports media until Caitlin Clark arrived.

And what's happening is we're seeing growing pains when you have no leadership, when the commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, who I like, who was the

top executive at Deloitte, has literally been missing in action. And when you have sponsors and networks that seem to want to minimize Caitlin Clark,

even as they, of course, know that the only way that they get the highest TV ratings is when it's an Indiana Fever game. So, anything and everything

that people want to throw at it like a blank canvas, that's what's happening.

I will say this, the interest seems to be going up, not down. So, sometimes terrible and bad things, controversial things can actually be very good for

business.

NEWTON: And we know the reality of that. At the same time, I think to young women, girls looking at this right now, and of all the controversies,

is it a feature of the WNBA or a bug? And I ask because, well, to the point that you just made, right, sometimes that's good for engagement. It's good,

quite frankly, for viewership. And yet, so many people are saying, as Sophie Cunningham just said, can we not just talk about the basketball?

BRENNAN: Yes, although then people are tuning in for the basketball. So, there is that because they're watching the games. But no, I completely

agree with what you're saying, Paula, and I certainly understand what you're saying.

You know, the WNBA has been a very activist, very liberal league. They were on the issue of Black Lives Matter and protesting and calling out the

terrible things that were happening in this country a full month before Colin Kaepernick was kneeling. Most people don't realize that. WNBA, a full

month ahead of Colin Kaepernick about 10 years ago when that was exploding in our culture and in the U.S. and around the world.

So, that tells you about the WNBA. They've got themselves into quite a pickle here now where they are, they're kind of backed against the wall

when this very liberal view of having trans women be in women's sports, which basically the entire sports world governing bodies are saying no,

from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to the International Olympic Committee to USA Basketball to the Basketball International Federation, you

name it, they're saying, if you've gone through male puberty, you cannot compete in women's sports.

So, here's the WNBA and the out for them here on this issue to just tamp it all down would be to say that all these governing bodies are saying this so

we understand even if some of our players feel strongly that trans women should be allowed to compete in the WNBA, even though as you said they

don't. But even if they want to say that, they could just go back and say these governing bodies are telling us something very different now in the

wake of Donald Trump's election, the NCAAs, and all the other things that are happening. But they haven't done that again, so they're really backed

into a corner on this one.

[18:55:00]

NEWTON: Christine, we only have about 30 seconds left, but look, the playoffs now, then next year, you've got another year of this. Do you think

this will simmer down? Do you think this is just growing pains of this league?

BRENNAN: This -- the WNBA needs to understand it's now in the big leagues. They still haven't figured that out, whether they need to hire better

public relations people, a new commissioner, whatever they need. Caitlin Clark has brought the viewers as never before. It is Caitlin Clark alone

that has really done that, and then the other players are getting attention now.

And so, they have to up their game, and they have to have leadership to deal with real-world issues the way the NFL, NBA, and so many other leagues

have figured out over the last few years.

NEWTON: Growing pains, and then this league will mature along with the others. Christine Brennan, it is so good to see you. Thanks for breaking it

down for us, and have a great weekend. Appreciate it.

BRENNAN: You too, Paula. Thank you.

NEWTON: And I want to thank all of you for your company. I'm watching The Brief. Stay with CNN for more news.

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