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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: UAE Suspends Trade and Financial Interactions with Iran; Israeli Military Admits Firing on Car Carrying Hind Rajab; Call for Wartime Elections Pressures Zelenskyy; Harry and Meghan Returning to U.K.; U.S. Treasury's Surprise Move to Bring Down Bond Yields; U.S. and Canada Continue Negotiations as Trade Deadline Passes; Migrant Dies After Being Held by ICE. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 19, 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, for the first time, the Israeli military admits to firing on the car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab. The IDF says it is now

opening a criminal investigation into the case two years after her death. Calls mount in Ukraine for elections during wartime. This after the

country's ousted defense minister accuses senior officials of corruption. And Harry and Meghan returning to the U.K. CNN understands the Duke and

Duchess of Sussex are moving back to Britain.

Well, the United Arab Emirates is now suspending all trade and financial transactions with Iran. The UAE accuses Iran of firing two ballistic

missiles at the country. Tehran denies it. The UAE is Iran's second largest trading partner after China. This comes as Iran's foreign ministry says the

U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has contributed to goods shortages and price increases. After pausing negotiations with Iranian leaders, President Trump

describes the current situation as good.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Right now, I think the situation is so good, but maybe at some point. Look, it's very simple. They have to get rid of

completely, they have to get rid of -- no nuclear weapons. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. You know why? Because they'd use it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: The Israeli military acknowledged for the first time that it opened fire on the car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and her family in

Gaza. This happened in January 2024. The girl survived the initial attack and pleaded on the telephone with Palestinian paramedics for help. But an

ambulance dispatched to save her also came under attack. Her body was found 12 days later. The IDF says it is now opening a criminal investigation into

the case.

Joining me now is Riyad Mansour. He is the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations. Ambassador, thanks so much for taking the time.

RIYAD MANSOUR, PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Thank you for having me.

SCIUTTO: First, let me begin with the news because, as you know, the IDF previously denied its forces were responsible. Does this admission, does it

change your assessment of Israel's willingness to investigate this credibly?

MANSOUR: No, it does not because their record is proving that their investigations are not independent and not credible. And they have them for

a while, in some cases for two or two and a half years. And then they suspend them without indictment to anyone in spite of the clear evidence

that crimes have been committed.

So, we are not, their record is not encouraging that this one is not going to be different than the almost 88 cases, I believe, that have been, you

know, in which there were investigations during the course of the last decade. And less than 2 percent, in fact, there was only one soldier

indicted and convicted, but he was released very quickly.

SCIUTTO: You may be referring to a review by Action on Armed Violence, which found that of 52 publicly reported Israeli military probes, 88

percent were either closed without finding wrongdoing or remain under some sort of review with no outcomes --

MANSOUR: Exactly.

SCIUTTO: -- reported publicly. Do -- what would amount to a reasonable investigation in your view and reasonable accountability?

MANSOUR: Well, first of all, in the case of Hind Rajab, the evidence is crystal clear. And in fact, you know, a documentary film was made and

should have won the Oscar. It made it to the short list, but unfortunately it did not. The evidence is crystal clear. The names of those who committed

this crime is -- are known.

[18:05:00]

And what would give them credibility is to detain those criminals and to begin immediately, you know, a court in order to serve justice for the

victims and to give credibility to accountability. And they don't have none of these things.

And of course it would be even better if there is an independent international investigation to do that or an international court to deal

with that situation in order to see Israel changing its behavior, violating all norms of international law, rejecting rulings and positions of

international courts, including the International Criminal Court and the ruling of the International Court of Justice when it declared, among other

things, that this occupation is illegal and it has to be terminated as rapidly as possible.

SCIUTTO: Which --

MANSOUR: They have to show completely a change of behavior so that people can trust their legal system. This is a scheme and the evidence of it, as

you probably know, that the Israeli government allocated $760 million as part of the budget of the foreign ministry to clean the dirt because of the

genocide committed against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. And even if they double or triple that amount, they cannot convince the

international public opinion that their behavior is a behavior of a regular state that respects international law and the U.N. resolutions and the

Charter of the U.N.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this because there are two other issues I want to ask you about. The Israeli government is now advancing plans for the

construction of housing units in the -- what's known as the E1 area of the West Bank. Bids due in October. What's your reaction to this and what does

that mean for the possible future of a Palestinian State?

MANSOUR: This is extremely dangerous, irresponsible, and threatening, you know, the viability of building a Palestinian State under two-state

solution.

What should be done in Europe and in the United States, I know that in Congress, I believe 85 members of the House sent a letter to Secretary of

State Rubio asking him to use all the power available to the U.S. administration to stop Israel from embarking on the implementation of E1.

In Europe, in addition to the European Union collectively and separately taking steps and measures in this regard, in the British Parliament, 125

members of the U.K. Parliament requested similar thing from their government as was requested by members of the Congress in the United

States.

This has to be stopped, and I think that there are tools available to countries in their national capacity and collectively in the case of

Europe, and also the Arab countries and the Muslim countries, in order not to allow E1 to be implemented because it will sever the West Bank, north

and south, not connected, and therefore make it impossible for the continuity of the land of the State of Palestine, the West Bank, including

East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

SCIUTTO: OK. Final question. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is now rejecting the U.S.-backed peace plan for Gaza, saying

Israel will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is disarmed. Does the Palestinian leadership still have confidence in the roadmap, you know, the

successive stages of the Gaza peace plan as envisioned by President Trump?

MANSOUR: We believe that President Trump and the U.S. administration is capable of stopping Israel from this violation of even this agreement that

they stated that they respect, that 20-point agreement of President Trump, in which he made it clear that no annexation, no occupation, no

displacement of the Palestinian people. This agreement has to be implemented from point one to point 20, all of it, completely.

And I believe that there is now a rebellion from Prime Minister Netanyahu against this plan advanced by President Trump and received support from the

International Community through the adoption of resolution 2803 of the Security Council.

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I believe that the U.S. administration should show resolve that there is pressure on Israel to respect the plan of President Trump.

SCIUTTO: Ambassador Riyad Mansour, we appreciate you joining the program.

MANSOUR: Thank you for having me again.

SCIUTTO: Well, now to the nine minutes that have shaken Ukraine. The former defense minister's stunning nine-minute speech calling for elections

during wartime. Mykhailo Fedorov, whom President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired in July after just six months in the role, declared that Ukraine faces a

crisis of governance and corruption. He said the old system is protecting itself and scared of change.

Fedorov's YouTube speech was an apparent challenge directly to Zelenskyy and marked the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that a major

Ukrainian political figure has called for elections, although, we should note, the nation's constitution forbids elections during wartime.

Joining me now is Kira Rudik. She's a member of the Ukrainian parliament, a leader of the Holos Party. Kira, it's good to have you. First, I want to

ask you first, as I often do, are you safe given the reports we're hearing of renewed Russian missile attacks on Kyiv, on Ukraine?

KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Hello, Jim. Thank you so much for having me. I went up from a bomb shelter where we hide during the attacks.

There were at least 15 missiles that were targeting Kyiv this night.

Right now, I think we have a couple of hours of breathing time, and then we know that closer to the early morning, they usually continue the attack.

And this brings me to the point that at this situation, when people do not know what's going to happen in the morning, and if we all even would

survive until the elections, it is absolutely irresponsible to be calling for once, knowing that we cannot as a state assure the safety of those

elections, and also that politically it would definitely tear the country apart.

SCIUTTO: Well, tell me then how the Ukrainian public can respond to these allegations of corruption now rising right up to a senior official in

Zelenskyy's office. Is it damaging public confidence in the government?

RUDIK: This is not the first corruption case in the closest circle of President Zelenskyy, let's be very honest. And the only thing that the

public should be doing is watching really closely the work of the anti- corruption organs.

Last year, there were massive protests to defend the independence of those organs, and they have shown really good results throughout this last year.

And even today, the announcement that they were making was showing not only that the corruption exists, but that they are able to identify it and bring

the cases to the court.

So, in this matter, our position as politicians should be as well to help as much as possible for the institutions to work and to be really

successful in cleaning up and making sure that it is not related to the names of people who are in power, but rather related to the institutions

that are really working.

SCIUTTO: Well, short of elections then, is there something you need to see from President Zelenskyy and others in the government to restore public

trust, perhaps without holding election during wartime?

RUDIK: So, there could not be elections during wartime, no matter if President Zelenskyy would be or would not be able to restore the trust. But

he really needs to consider to bring up the new government of the national unity, where the members of different oppositional parties would be

represented. We have been calling for such a government for three and a half years as of right now. And we are really willing to work together.

This is what we are doing, because there is no political party in Ukrainian parliament that would be calling for the elections. We know for sure that

our political ambitions are below the goal of our country, that is to win the war, to make sure that people are safe and that the Ukrainian nation is

preserved. Calling for the elections right now is putting your own ambitions above this goal.

And this is why there were so many people who voted today for the new minister of defense. And this is why out of 10,000 people at the protests

to support Minister Fedorov, today there were only 50 people near Verkhovna Rada.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you before we go, of what are the near-term solutions to Ukraine's dire shortage of air defense missiles, interceptors for the

Patriot system and other systems?

[18:15:00]

It takes so long, as you know, to manufacture these things, and it does not appear that the U.S. is going to come to Ukraine's help. What can you do in

the meantime to help, well, keep people alive during the missile assault that is underway right now?

RUDIK: There are certain European countries that have those ammunition for the Patriot missile systems. We know of at least Greece and Spain that we

need to work closer and push harder to get them to release those so we can have them in the meantime. We are trying to explain that the countries that

are not at war may wait for the additional production of the ammunition for Patriot systems, while Ukraine cannot and Ukrainian people may simply not

survive to the moment when we will be manufacturing it together with the partners.

Unfortunately, the instability in the world is such that everybody is right now thinking if they can trust the existing alliances or that they should

preserve something for themselves, and this is really unfortunate. So, we hope that by the beginning of winter, our partners will come to mercy and

will supply us with at least some ammunition for those missile systems, and we will have a chance to survive through the hardest months.

SCIUTTO: Well, Kira Rudik, thanks so much for joining, and as always, I wish you a safe evening there.

RUDIK: Thank you. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, this breaking news just into CNN on the British royal family. CNN understands that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are planning

to leave the U.S. to move back to Britain. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to relocate to a private residence outside of London later

this month. Our Max Foster, who covers the royal family, joins us now. And, Max, I wonder if we know why.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't know why. We've got very little information. The Sussex office aren't officially saying anything

about this, but it is my understanding that the king was only told on Sunday. But the children are enrolled in British schools. So, clearly

there's been a lot of planning involved here. We know that Harry and Meghan were over in the U.K. in July. They met the king and queen. It wasn't

discussed then. But you would have expected, obviously, the mother and father to visit the schools that the children would be attending.

So, you know, putting two and two together, you would have expected that trip to confirm for them that they were coming back to the U.K. They may

well be keeping their house in California. So, maybe not a complete move, but with the kids going to school, it does suggest that.

It's also my understanding the king is very clear they will not be returning to their royal roles. They can't be half in, half out, as he sees

it. So, we wait to see where they move. But it could be in the next few weeks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Remarkable development. No question. Max Foster, appreciate you bringing us the news. And still ahead, the U.S. Treasury's surprise move to

try to help steady the bond market. We'll discuss what is behind Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's sudden announcement and whether it can and will

help bring down those bond yields. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks finished higher for the first time this week. Oil prices also rose, though, with

Brent Crude touching $92 a barrel at one point today.

The big market story, though, took place on the bond market. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a surprise move that he hopes will halt

this big rise in bond yields. The Treasury Department announced it will more than double its buybacks of government debt to help bring down long-

term borrowing costs, which have hit almost two-decade highs. Yields are rising as investors demand higher returns due in part to rising inflation.

Ten- and 30-year Treasury yields fell by, well, over 1 percent on the news. All this as the cost of servicing America's trillions of dollars in debt

keeps skyrocketing.

Just about an hour ago, the Treasury Department said the total U.S. government debt had surpassed, for the first time, $40 trillion, the debt

doubling in the past decade.

Joining me now, Gregory Daco. He is the chief economist at EY-Parthenon. Good to have you, Gregory. Thanks so much for taking the time.

GREGORY DACO, CHIEF ECONOMIST, EY-PARTHENON: My pleasure.

SCIUTTO: OK. So, first, how did the markets react to this? Do they see this as a meaningful intervention?

DACO: Yes, they do. We have seen some bit of easing in terms of long-end yields. We saw a decline of about 10 to 15 base points for the 10-year

Treasury yield, the 30-year Treasury yield. On the back of this announcement, a historic announcement by Treasury to double the size of

buybacks on the long end of the yield curve.

But we have to remember that a lot of the pressures that we're seeing in terms of long-term interest rates are not so much cyclical. They are

structural in nature. Large fiscal imbalances, as you just highlighted, inflation volatility, an environment where there's a tremendous pull for

private capital coming from A.I., and questions around Fed credibility, all of that are coming together to put long-term yields at a higher level for a

more persistent period of time.

SCIUTTO: Yes, that was my concern because those big driving forces, right, the inflation, the growing U.S. debt, concerns over the war in Iran on oil

prices. I mean, does this kind of intervention become pushing against the string, in effect? I mean, is there sufficient intervention to overcome all

those fundamentals?

DACO: That's the risk. That's really the risk that we're facing right now because what we're seeing is a number of shifts in terms of global capital

flows. We saw earlier this month the intervention of the U.S. Treasury to support the yen and avoid a sell-off in treasuries, U.S. treasuries. As a

result of that, now we're seeing the U.S. Treasury announcing a doubling of buybacks on the long end of its yields curve. Those are all announcements

that signal policymakers are concerned about rising long-term interest rates.

The risk, however, is that if you do not address the underlying causes of these upward pressures on long-term yields, you're not really resolving the

issue. Fiscal imbalances need to be addressed. You just mentioned that the U.S. debt load has reached $40 trillion.

More importantly, because interest rates are higher and the debt load is higher, the interest payments on the debt are becoming larger and larger,

surpassing $1.2 trillion, and that's creating a snowball effect. So, you really need to address the underlying fundamentals in order to address

long-term yields.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, of course, that crowds out other necessary spending. The timing here is interesting because we're seeing long-term yields rising

to highs of almost 20 years ago. 20 years ago was the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis. I mean, are there potential parallels here to, well, the

ingredients for that big market blow-up?

[18:25:00]

DACO: There is a risk here that interest-sensitive sectors like housing, like large- The automotive sector could be under increasing pressure, and

that's something you want to avoid, because we're already starting to see an environment where growth is increasingly narrow in the U.S. You are

seeing a few sectors continue to drive growth, but it's A.I. investment, it's wealthy consumers driving growth. But outside of that, you're seeing a

lot of some fragilities. And if long-term interest rates remain higher, that means higher mortgage rates, which makes it harder for potential

homebuyers to buy houses or buy cars. It makes it harder for businesses to invest into the future and drive more growth.

And so, that's really where it becomes a risk for the broader economy if you have this higher cost of capital for a prolonged period of time. That's

really a risk of tighter financial conditions and a pullback in real private sector activity, which could lead to a potential downturn if

persistent enough and profound enough.

SCIUTTO: I mean, it also, does it not, belie this administration's strategy, because they always say, well, we'll just grow our way. We'll

grow our way out of the deficits and the debt. But if the growth is paltry and the debt is, well, expanding as we're seeing it expand, it seems that

that strategy has some holes.

DACO: Yes. I mean, Treasury Secretary Bessant had noted that he had intentions to essentially drive 3 percent GDP growth and bring the deficit

back to 3 percent of GDP. That's not going to happen. We are on a trajectory where growth is likely to end up this year around 2 percent, and

where the deficit is likely to end up around 6 percent of GDP.

So, a big, uneven type of picture when it comes to growth and when it comes to the rising fiscal imbalances. And that feeds back into this vicious

circle, which leads to higher long-term interest rates and crowds out private sector investment. So, we have to be very cautious about the

economy right now.

The economy is on this narrow foundation for growth, driven by A.I., driven by affluent consumers, and driven by the stock market. But you can see here

the potential risks where long-term interest rates being higher could crystallize into more pressures on the equity market and feed back into

lower business investment and lower consumer spending. That's really the real risk for the U.S. economy right now.

SCIUTTO: Gregory Daco, thanks so much for walking us all through it.

DACO: Thank you very much.

SCIUTTO: Checking now some of today's other business headlines. Retail giant Target says its second quarter profit got a boost from U.S.

government tariff refunds. Target says it received nearly a billion dollars back in the past quarter. The government is being forced to hand back

billions to companies after it lost in the Supreme Court. Target says sales also came in higher than expected.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is discussing holding fewer policy meetings in the future. The minutes of the Fed's most recent meeting shows that new Fed

chair, Kevin Warsh, believes only six meetings a year might be necessary instead of eight.

A strong stock market debut for the world's largest maker of humanoid robots. Shares in China's Unitree soared more than 600 percent on its first

day of trading in Shanghai. There are some of those dancing robots. Unitree raised more than $900 million in that IPO. China hopes humanoid robots will

become the country's next disruptive product. It has spent billions of dollars on their development. Wow. I can't do that.

Still ahead, stop the clock. The U.S. pauses its 50 percent tariff hike on Canada for three days as trade talks continue. We're going to hear from the

premier of Nova Scotia about the chances for a deal next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

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

The United Arab Emirates says it is suspending all trade and financial transactions with Iran. The UAE accuses Iran of firing two ballistic

missiles at the country. Tehran has denied it. The UAE is Iran's second largest trading partner after China.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has received a stunning challenge to his leadership. In a nine-minute video, former Defense Minister Mykhailo

Fedorov called for elections during wartime. He cited corruption and a crisis of governance. Zelenskyy fired Fedorov last month. Ukraine, we

should note, does not allow presidential elections under martial law.

A helicopter crash in Kenya has killed at least seven people, including Ecuador's chief of intelligence. The State Department says five Americans

are also among the dead and it is providing assistance. Telemundo said one of its executives was among those killed.

Kenya's Red Cross says recovery efforts have been hampered by difficult terrain and an ongoing fire at the site. President Trump has paused new 50

percent tariffs on Canada for three days as both sides continue to negotiate a new trade deal. Tariffs were supposed to have taken effect

early Wednesday, but negotiators are reportedly making some progress. President Trump claims a tentative deal is now in place. Here's what U.S.

trade negotiator Jamieson Greer said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: We feel confident that we've reached an agreement that will not only continue to protect American

workers, American jobs, American supply chains, but really strengthen the North American economy and create a situation where North America will

continue to be an energy powerhouse, a manufacturing powerhouse, and align on important things like economic security and digital security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Joining me now is the premier of Nova Scotia, Tim Houston. Thanks so much for taking the time.

TIM HOUSTON, NOVA SCOTIA PREMIER: Happy to be here. Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: So, as you heard us reporting there, President Trump is claiming that a deal is in place. We understand that the prime minister, Mark

Carney, has updated premiers, I imagine yourself included. Is there a deal in place?

HOUSTON: It sure sounds like it. I mean -- I'd say it's moving the right way. What we're hearing is kind of very positive. It's positive from

Canadians. Canadians feel good about the negotiating team we have feels good about where things are going. I'm also hearing the American team feels

good about where things are going. So, that's a positive sign.

And we're really hopeful that we can get a deal and get this behind us. Because it's like I say, this deal is a transaction, but it's a transaction

and much bigger relationship. We have a pretty extensive, long standing relationship between Canada and the United States. We kind of want to get

back to that, where we can talk about the good things we can do together, grow our economies together, support each other.

So, I'm really hopeful. We did have a briefing with the prime minister and the prime minister is optimistic about where things are going. And I take

that as a good sign. So, we're really hopeful we're going in the right direction here.

[18:35:00]

SCIUTTO: As you know, President Trump's track record with deals that he himself has negotiated, including the USMCA, previously negotiated with

Canada, is not great for sticking to those deals. Do you have confidence that whatever is negotiated this week holds?

HOUSTON: Well, we'll want to get to the signing to get through all the details for sure. But as you say, even then sometimes things can change.

But so, look, we have to be optimistic. I mean, that the relationship is too important. We're doing everything we can as a country and certainly me

as Premier of Nova Scotia, we're doing everything we can to grow our own economy, to develop our own resources, our own energy supply, really take

some steps that we really hadn't taken for a while to diversify markets and just make sure that we're more self-sufficient and self-sustainable as a

province, but as a country as well.

So, all that's happening, we'll do that as well. But still the relationship with the United States is pretty significant. It's -- you know, we stood

side by side in wars, fought beside each other. We've got friends relationship, family relationship, business relationships. They just go

back a long, long way and we need that relationship from both sides. And it has to be fair and it has to be productive for both sides.

So, I'm optimistic that we can get this signed and that it will be honored and we can move forward and really start to do the things that matter.

Because, you know, as much as this is an economic transaction, there's still the emotions of it. And the emotions, it's been tough. It's been a

long, long grind. Canadians have taken this very personally in many ways. Some of the things have been said about our country, some of the things,

the actions that have been taken against us. So, the emotions are really raw and really serious too.

But if we can get the deal and the transaction and we can move forward on the economic stuff, then the emotional stuff can follow that. And that's

really where we all want to get back to -- you know, back to where we were as friends and neighbors.

SCIUTTO: I mean, the thing is, the emotions you describe in reaction to things I imagine you're referencing, like all the 51st State Talk and

others, it's done damage. And I've spent some time, for instance, at NORAD, you know, where you have U.S. and Canadian pilots operating together.

But in the consumer market, Canadians don't show a lot of interest in buying American products like American whiskey. You have said that Nova

Scotia's ban on U.S. alcohol is not coming off. I mean, does an agreement made this week really make that kind of stuff disappear?

HOUSTON: Some of it, yes, but a lot of it, no. So, some of it, yes. So, the prime minister has asked us as provinces, asked me as premier, if we

can get to a deal, if we can put the U.S. alcohol back on the shelves. So, that's an ask of me as a premier that I would certainly be happy to honor

for my prime minister.

But to your point on the emotional part, just because this stuff is back on the shelves, doesn't mean people are going to flock to the store and buy

it. So, there is that, that's a real, that's a reality. But as long as we're in this world where we're at right now, where we don't have a deal,

we have this hanging over us, we have all the rhetoric back and forth, the further that pushes the emotional healing away.

So, if we can get a deal, then we can start to get back to the emotional healing of just being trading partners, you know, neighbors, support each

other. And it's a difficult, angry world right now. And it's nice to have a few friends. So, we're hopeful that we can get a deal and get to the point

where everyone feels like, well, at least we have some friends we can deal with and deal with fairly and deal with honor with. So, I'm optimistic that

that's what we're moving towards, but we got to get it over the line, that's for sure.

SCIUTTO: I get it. Before we go, Canadian officials, including other premiers, have told me that Trump's trade policy has been driving Canada to

look for trade growth with other partners, other nations than the U.S. Is Nova Scotia, has it been doing the same? And does it see that as a long-

term necessity?

HOUSTON: Oh, 100 percent we've been doing it, been doing it aggressively. I've spent more time on the road this year than all the other years added

together, like looking for trading partners, talking about the potential of Nova Scotia.

I'm the premier of Nova Scotia. I'm on the other side of my country right now in Alberta, coming to you from Banff, where we're talking to, you know,

potential investors, potential partners on Nova Scotia, natural gas and Nova Scotia oil and Nova Scotia, you know, natural resources in general,

critical minerals.

So, yes, we are taking steps to make sure that we are growing our economy. We liken value and respect the relationship with the United States or our

neighbor. It's going to always going to be a significant trading partner for us. But the reality of this period that we've lived through and are

living through, it just reminds us that you can't put all your eggs in one basket.

So, we have, out of necessity, fund other trading partners and we are growing our exports to other destinations and we'll continue to do that.

But hopefully this deal brings some stability back to some of the more traditional relationships we've had. But 100 percent as premier of Nova

Scotia and I am, every premier across our country and our prime minister would be the same.

[18:40:00]

We are looking to diversify markets, new trading partners, people that we can have new relationships with, and then those will maintain as well.

There's room for everyone. But there is a major, major lesson that's been learned here. And that is not to put all your eggs in one basket, even if

it's easy and convenience and has worked. This has been easy. And it's been convenient and it has worked quite well for both countries, for the

economies of both countries.

But you get to a situation where one tweet in the middle of the night can change things. Maybe that's not a long-term plan. So, we're looking very

carefully at our long-term plans. That is for sure. We want to get this deal done. We want the United States to be part of our long-term plan in a

stable, fair way. But there are definitely other parts to our long-term plan as well that we're developing.

SCIUTTO: Tim Houston, I thought that those mountains behind you looked a little big for Nova Scotia. So, thanks for joining us from Banff and you're

welcome back.

HOUSTON: Happy to do it. Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: Still to come on "The Brief," a New Jersey immigration jail under scrutiny once again after a third migrant who was detained there has died.

We're going to take a closer look at Delaney Hall and speak to a Democratic lawmaker about what happens there and what's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: A U.S. Immigration Detention Center in New Jersey is under new scrutiny after a third person who was detained there has died. Homeland

Security officials say the death of the Guatemalan man was not disclosed because he had already been released from custody. DHS officials said Jose

Chajon-Raxon was processed last month at Delaney Hall, which is a privately run immigration jail. They say he had a seizure one day later and was taken

to the hospital, then released later that week. There was no word on exactly when he did die. The DHS recently changed its policy to no longer

report deaths of people who die within 30 days of their release from custody.

For months, Delaney Hall has been the site of fierce protests with activists, elected officials, and civil rights groups calling for its

immediate closure. The site has been at the center of allegations of inhumane treatment and neglect of detainees.

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Lawyers for several detainees say hundreds of people held there went on a hunger strike to protest conditions. Three men who have entered Delaney

Hall have now died within a matter of months.

Joining us now is U.S. House Democrat Herb Conaway. He's also a member of the Armed Services Committee and Vice Ranking Member for the Committee on

Veterans Affairs. Congressman, thanks so much for joining.

So, you've been following the conditions there inside Delaney Hall closely. What have you and your colleagues been able to establish about those

conditions? It appears we have an audio problem there. We will attempt to get that fixed. Unless you want to just check your mute button,

Congressman, quickly? Try one more time.

We're going to we're going to get that fixed. Oh, you're back, you're back. OK. We were talking about Delaney Hall. You heard the introduction there.

What have you and your colleagues been able to establish about conditions inside Delaney Hall?

REP. HERB CONAWAY (D-NJ): Well, most of the New Jersey Congressional delegation has visited Delaney Hall, toured the facility, spoken to the

detainees there to make sure that we understand what's going on with them. We have we've heard that there have been delays in getting access to

treatment, even though there is a medical staff there at the facility. There's been a lot of concern about access to medications and to a timely

treatment.

And we certainly have seen the reports about conditions in the facility, access to food, access to lawyers and the like to help them defend their

rights there. And look, and all of them, all the people with whom I spoke and this understand, this is a minimum-security facility. So, you're we're

not talking about the worst of the worst.

The president promised to go after the worst of the worst. And he's putting -- he's basically sweeping up everyone he can get his hands on, disrupting

communities, ripping families apart. The governor of Ohio, a Republican, Mr. DeWine, has said that removing detainees, the protected status of

Haitians will cause deaths in his states because they're a very important part, that is the Haitians, of the care economy.

And so, these facilities are a stain on our nation and they need to they need to close. We've had more deaths here in a year and a half than all

four years, twice as many deaths in a year and a half than under President Biden's leadership that lasted four years.

SCIUTTO: You and all eight, I believe, New Jersey House Democrats wrote a letter to the DHS secretary, Markwayne Mullin, demanding answers and

accountability. Have you gotten any substantive reply to those demands?

CONAWAY: We have not. And this rule change that will allow or permit ICE to not report deaths within 30 days of release is just a subterfuge, is a

method by which the administration can duck accountability. It's critical that we here in the Congress get answers as to the cause of these deaths.

They need to be investigated and they need to be investigated by a third party, a party not attached to the administration, to make sure we actually

get the truth about what's happened to these three men who've died in detention at Delaney Hall and the many people who've died across the

country and in similar circumstances.

SCIUTTO: Do you suspect that the treatment you see there, because it's not isolated, is deliberate, that it's designed to make the U.S. less welcoming

to immigrants, illegal or legal?

CONAWAY: Well, the policy certainly is to build Fortress America, to say that in spite of our legacy as a nation that took people from around the

world who could come to this land, call themselves an American and take on and for themselves the American dream and help drive forward our nation,

the Trump administration is putting that history, that important legacy of our country to one side.

And it's to our disadvantage that that's happening because we are -- we need the workers. We need people working in the care economy. We need

people working on construction sites to build the four million homes that we lack here in our country to make sure people get housed, to run and be

involved in the restaurant business and to start their own businesses. This is what America promises to people around the world. And the administration

is turning their back on that.

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And worse, they are terrorizing people across the nation who are contributing in neighborhoods all across this land.

Now, nobody's going to argue with going after the worst of the worst. Our office, because we have had some detainees come to our joint base, McGuire-

Dix-Lakehurst, we looked over that list to see who might be on there, housed in the military base in the district. We found the information to be

a shoddy, incomplete, and that people who were said to be at the joint base were someplace else. And so, they're not keeping data.

And it's just emblematic of the incompetence we're seeing across the administration. These deaths should not have happened and they wouldn't

happen if people weren't in detention.

SCIUTTO: Well, Congressman, we appreciate you walking us through the situation. Congressman Herb Conaway, thanks so much for joining.

Please do stay with us. "The Brief" will return in just a moment.

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SCIUTTO: Now, potentially watershed moment in the long battle against cancer. Test results show that a new vaccine treatment prevented melanoma

from spreading and reduced its chances of returning. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. The treatment is a combination of Moderna's

mRNA vaccine and a well-known cancer drug from Merck. The procedure tested on more than 1100 high risk patients.

CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Terrell explains how this could be an important step for cancer vaccines in general.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is being described as feeling almost like science fiction, even just a couple of decades ago. But

now we are one step closer to seeing this potential new way of treating cancer come to fruition.

So, we are seeing these late-stage clinical trial results coming out from Moderna and Merck of what's called a personalized cancer vaccine, in this

case for melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer. Now, it's called a vaccine, but it's actually a treatment for cancer. But the reason

they call it a vaccine is because it relies on the same mRNA technology that's behind the COVID vaccines. And it acts to rev up the immune response

to better recognize and fight cancer. On top of that, it's a personalized approach.

So, what happened in this phase three clinical trial is it's in about a thousand patients. They tested it who had had their cancer surgically

removed. Then what happens is each patient's tumor gets sampled, biopsied and they sequence it to see the unique signature that identifies that

tumor. And then they design this mRNA cancer vaccine specifically for each patient's cancer.

So, then they are administered that personalized cancer vaccine on top of an existing treatment called Keytruda. And what that aims to do is to help

the immune system recognize their cancer and to better fight it. And what they're seeing in these phase three clinical trial results is that they met

the study's goals.

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Now, we don't have the full results of the study. But what they say is that by meeting the goals, this prevented or reduced the risk that the cancer

came back after being surgically removed or also reduced the risk that the cancer would spread to distant parts of the body.

And so, we've heard from Moderna that the companies aim to file for regulatory approval within a few months. So, this could really be headed

potentially to market quite soon. And of course, melanoma being the deadliest form of skin cancer, this could present a really big treatment

advance, both for this cancer and also for a number of other cancers where it's being tested, including lung cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer.

I spoke with Moderna's CEO, who said that he felt this was as big a moment for humanity as when they got the first phase three vaccine results for the

COVID-19 pandemic. So, really opening up, he says, as do many doctors, a new way of potentially treating cancer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Exciting news for cancer patients. Thanks so much for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciuto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief."

Please do stay with CNN.

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