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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Far-Right's Historic Win in German State Elections; Ukraine Wary as AfD Opposes German Support for Ukraine; White House Pushes for Return to Trilateral Talks; Miami Cargo Plane Crash Leaves Five Dead, Five Injured; Indonesia Volcano Eruption Leaves Thousands Stranded; Hawaii Braces for Hurricane Lowell; Nepal Holds National Day of Mourning; An All-American Clash at the U.S. Open. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired September 07, 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, and for
Jim Sciutto, you are watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, a political shockwave in Europe and across the globe after a German far-right party wins a crucial state election. Is it a one-
off or part of a trend? We will discuss. Plus, frustration grows in Indonesia. As ash from the volcanic eruption keeps airports closed, we'll
hear from one of the hundreds of thousands of passengers that are still stranded at this hour. And an all-American clash at the U.S. Open. Coco
Gauff gets ready to take on Ivo Jovic. We'll get a live report from the stands. Can't wait to hear about that.
In the meantime, though, we go to our top story. He's been called Germany's most dangerous man. He and his party have just pulled off a stunning
political triumph. You're looking at Ulrich Siegmund, is the leading candidate of the far-right AfD, celebrating the party's historic victory in
the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt.
The AfD took 44 percent of the vote in Sunday's state election. It's the closest the German far-right has ever come to governing a state since World
War II. However, the AfD fell short of an absolute majority. It's not clear yet what their plan will be in terms of a potential coalition. All
mainstream parties so far have ruled out working with the AfD, which is classified by the government there and German intelligence as extremist.
Now, central to AfD's manifesto is an overhaul of migration that includes deportations, more detention facilities, and the return of so-called non-
ethnic Germans to their country of origin. The party is also calling for Germany to end its support for Ukraine and develop closer ties with Russia.
It also wants segregated classrooms, calling for refugee children and disabled children to be taught separately to other students. The German
chancellor had this to say about the election results. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We are all deeply shocked. This outcome was not expected in this form. We must of course
accept it. These are the rules of our democracy. But yesterday, something changed, not only in Saxony-Anhalt, but throughout Germany. This election
result will have repercussions. It also has repercussions on the international situation. Just look at who sent congratulations yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin for us and has more on what the AfD represents.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, they stand for being anti the political establishment here in Germany.
One of the things that Friedrich Merz said is that the election results in Saxony-Anhalt, which is actually a very small state, nevertheless, of
course, the world was watching this election, that he was surprised at how bad the election results were for his governing party, for the Christian
Democratic Union. And that clearly meant that there were many people in Germany and in this state specifically who felt that they were being left
behind by those reforms and who felt that they weren't being heard.
Now, if we look at the AfD and some of its programs, some of it is actually highly controversial among many people here in Germany. First and foremost,
the terminology that went around one of these policies, which is called re- migration, which essentially means the mass deportation, which the AfD wants of undocumented immigrants and of immigrants who had been accused of
crimes. And the chairwoman for the AfD, Alice Weide, she told me right after the election results came in that re-migration is very much part of
their policy and that she was in favor of mass deportations as fast as possible.
On the other hand, also, the AfD also very much for improving relations with Russia aside from some MAGA figures. Also, some senior Russian figures
who congratulated the Alternative for Germany as well.
[18:05:00]
And they do believe that they have a mandate to govern. The main candidate of the AfD, Ulrich Siegmund, he said exactly that earlier today. Here's
what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ULRICH SIEGMUND, LEAD CANDIDATE, AFD (through translator): This is the best result any party has achieved in Saxony-Anhalt since 1990. You really
have to stop and appreciate that fact. So, this result is, of course, a mandate to govern. But and we emphasized this yesterday too, only on the
condition that we remain true to ourselves, that we don't compromise our principles and that we don't become like those who were heavily punished by
the voters in Saxony-Anhalt yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: And so, some of those main principles indeed are being tough on migration, also good relations with the Russian Federation and cutting both
military and financial aid to Ukraine. And, you know, we've been talking about the fact that this is a very small state. Only about 2.1 million
people live here, but certainly the top brass of the Alternative for Germany does believe that this could be a stepping stone for them to take
power in the entire country in the not-too-distant future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Our thanks to Fred Pleitgen there. We want to get more on the implications of this election and what it means not just for Germany, but
Europe and the rest of the world. Carson Nickel is the Managing Director at the global advisory firm Ateneo, and he joins us now. Good to have you with
us. As I say, we continue to try and parse this.
We're 24 hours out. Some people have indicated that, look, given how small this region is and the fact that they did not yet get the majority, that it
isn't quite as significant as some people are portraying it, I'm wondering what your opinion is.
CARSTEN NICKEL, MANAGING DIRECTOR, TENEO: I don't think that's right. Regional elections in Germany matter for the outlook on the federal stage
and political shifts in Germany of that magnitude ultimately matter for the political and economic outlook in the European Union.
So, yes, it is true that we're looking at a state. Yes, it is true that in acting many parts of this political program that the party is advocating on
the national level will be difficult, even if you control one regional state. All of that is true, but I think the repercussions go much beyond
that small, small state.
NEWTON: And given what you're saying, if you're in the Chancellor's position right now, I mean, look, you've pointed out that this Chancellor
has failed to deliver. He was able to cobble together this coalition, but he was not given a lot of leeway by voters. So, what does he do now?
Because he continues to say that, look, this is a message and I'm getting the message. And yet it seems that his policy options are really not all
that strong.
NICKEL: Yes, exactly. His policy options are limited because he is a grant in a grant coalition with the center-left. His own center-right party would
like to double down on reforms. Germany has started spending a lot in order to modernize its infrastructure and of course to invest into its armed
forces.
But if Germany doesn't want to follow the path that France, the U.K. and others have taken, then it really needs to enact economic reforms at home.
And with that, he is struggling precisely because he is in that grant coalition and his coalition partner is making life very difficult for him.
So, I think he will have a very tough time in the coming weeks and there's another regional election coming up in two weeks from now. Also, in East
Germany, the results might not look much better there and that could further add to party internal conversations about Merz's own future at the
chancellery.
NEWTON: Yes, the chancellor himself pointed to that election saying he's going to wait and see for that. You call that being on a knife edge. But
given that this is both economic and cultural, does he have to bend to what is going on culturally here, especially when you look at some of the anti-
migrant opinions in Germany itself?
NICKEL: Yes, for sure. I mean, look, that's the reality that we've seen across Europe over the last, let's say, 10 years, right, since the big
migration crisis of 2015. What we've seen in all the member states and on the European level is that the political center has effectively onboarded
demands from the far-right when it comes to cracking down on illegal immigration. That is consensus now at the political center.
I think what we're seeing in election results like this one here now in Saxony-Anhalt is that that has probably taken too long and is coming too
late for many of these voters, at least, and that these new divides have become entrenched and these nationalist forces are getting stronger
everywhere.
NEWTON: Yes, and in fact, you say that this does represent yet another structural shift in Western democracies. You're in London now. We've had,
we've parsed this with our viewers, whether it's in France, the U.K. or Germany. So, where do some of these consensus builders go now?
[18:10:00]
Because many of these leaders in any of these countries do not really want to bend to what have been calls, especially on immigration, but also on
other issues to what we'd call certainly more conservative, but also more controversial policy prescriptions.
NICKEL: Yes, absolutely. And I think the only way forward then is to realize that we're dealing with a structural shift and that would mean that
these liberal forces, whether they're center-left, center-right, liberal, green, you name it, that they come together to form new progressive,
liberal, whatever you want to call it, movements.
And in fact, if you look at the big election that we're all waiting for next year in May, the French presidential election, of course, someone like
Emmanuel Macron has basically tried to push that line over the last 10 years because in French politics, you've been seeing this divide between a
liberal camp and a national camp, at least for the last 10 years.
NEWTON: Again, it is the extremes in so many democracies that are not pulling to the center in any way, shape, or form that's causing problems
for a lot of these leaders. Carsten Nickel, grateful to you. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
NICKEL: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, Ukraine is also alarmed by the AfD's victory as the party opposes German aid to Kyiv. The AfD calls for closer relations with Russia.
In fact, Moscow has resumed attacks on Ukraine after U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jerry Kushner, left
Kyiv. Russian drones struck a factory owned by the British American Tobacco Company.
Witkoff and Kushner made their first official visit to Ukraine since the war began following their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This comes as the White House pushes for a return to trilateral talks. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED KUSHNER, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SON-IN-LAW: When we did the trilateral, actually, Steve and I enjoyed it much more because we had everyone talking
with each other and instead of us having to argue the Russian position to the Ukrainians and the Ukrainians' position to the Russians, everyone was
speaking, you know, in Russian to each other and really discussing these issues in a very, actually, friendly manner, all in Russian. And I think
that was productive. So, we're hoping to get back there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Kevin Liptak is at the White House for us. I mean, Kevin, I have both a practical and a political question for you on this. I mean, look,
politically, why is the White House even interested in this right now? Because if you speak to anybody about what's going on the ground, no one
believes that there's going to be a peace agreement anytime soon. So, why push this politically? And when we hear Witkoff say that he's optimistic,
what does that mean in a practical sense?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. I mean, I think politically, the statement that hangs over all of this is the one that the
president made when he was a candidate, which was that he was going to get the Ukraine war resolved in 24 hours after taking office. And obviously,
now it's been a year and a half since then, and the war is nowhere from being resolved.
And so, the president, by his own rating system, should have had this finished up a long time ago. And even he says that he thought that this
would be easier than it has turned out to be. And so, I think their efforts to try and bring it to an end, if you're looking at it from a political
perspective, it's a box that the president hasn't checked yet, and he very much wants to get it finished.
It also, I think, is clear to the president and to his military advisors that the longer this war goes on, you know, even though the president says
that he is not directly providing assistance to Ukraine anymore, he recognizes that the longer this goes on, the more and more depleted the
U.S. will become of some of these very critical munitions that are already running low because of the war in Iran. And so, it does seem as if it's in
everyone's interest to try and get this figured out.
But the trips that the team took this weekend, you know, it doesn't really seem like they've brought them any closer to a resolution. Yes, Steve
Witkoff sounds optimistic, but what he's optimistic about appears to be getting the talks back going. This trip seems to be talks about resuming
talks. You know, they had already had the trilateral discussions. You heard Jared Kushner talking about how great they had gone.
But since the Iran war began, they haven't been able to get all of the sides back to the table in part because the U.S. side, including Kushner
and Witkoff, have been kind of preoccupied with the Middle East. And now, that the president is putting that on the back burner, they are returning
to this conflict to try and come up with some sort of settlement before the winter begins, before sort of the hard part of the next phase of this
conflict commences.
And so, it doesn't appear as if there's a lot of optimism and certainly the renewed strikes after that period of calm while Witkoff and Kushner were in
the region don't demonstrate that Russia is any more serious about ending the war than it was when they arrived. But clearly, they do want to push
this forward.
Now, just having Witkoff and Kushner in Ukraine and in Kyiv, I think will be seen as a sign of progress by some. You know, this was the first visit
that they had made since President Trump came into office. They've made multiple trips to Moscow, but none to Kyiv.
[18:15:00]
So, just having them there, I think, is a good sign if you are someone who takes the Ukrainians' point of view and doesn't want the U.S. to force them
to capitulate as part of this conflict. But nothing that they said and nothing that either the Russians or the Ukrainians said indicate that any
side is closer to coming up with some way to end the war.
NEWTON: Yes. As you say, though, it is significant that this is the first time those envoys have set foot in Ukraine. Kevin Liptak from the White
House. Thanks so much.
Now, Miami Airport is experiencing huge delays after a deadly cargo plane crash on Sunday. We're about to show you some video of the devastating
incident, and we want to warn you some viewers may find it disturbing. Investigators are on the scene now trying to determine what caused an
Amazon Prime plane to overrun the runway after landing. The Boeing 767 cargo jet plowed into a van, in fact, and an SUV on a nearby road, killing
at least five people.
Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators have found the aircraft's black boxes. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: We were able to recovery the flight data -- recovery the flight data recorder
and the cockpit voice recorder that is going back to the NTSB tonight in just a couple of hours and will be at headquarters where it can be
evaluated and downloaded.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: David Soucie, CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector, joins us now. David, good to see you. I know that you were listening to the
press conference that she gave a few hours ago. What stuck out for you in terms of the information that she could give us? Because there was a lot
that she said had to wait.
DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Yes, it's so preliminary right now. At this point during an investigation, all they're doing is gathering
information, you know, the size of the tire marks, how deep did they go, how far did they go? It's all tactical at this point to find out where it
went and how it went there. The actual investigation doesn't take place on site. It takes place afterwards when they analyze all the data in the group
of people.
What stood out to me is the number of people they had. I think she said there were 32 people there already for the investigation, which is higher
than what I would expect to see normally. So, there's a lot, but on the other hand, it's going to be a very complex investigation. There's a lot of
things to look at.
NEWTON: And a lot of what she, you know, highlighted were things that you brought up in the last several hours. One of them are these so-called
arresting systems, right, which are supposed to save lives. You've indicated it does save lives. Have you learned anything more that you heard
in that press conference today that tells you that that will be a focus of this investigation?
SOUCIE: Well, it's certainly a piece of the investigation. What you wouldn't expect is that there was so much discussion about that. These EMAS
systems that are at the end of the runway, this particular airport didn't meet the criteria to have one installed. It has a thousand feet of space
after the runway, so it didn't require the EMAS system.
But -- and we don't really know, would it have stopped this airplane. 130 miles an hour with an airplane of that size and that weight, EMAS certainly
would have slowed it down, but I'm not sure it would have prevented any of the fatalities in that van that was inside the area, which had, I think,
seven people on board. I was just surprised that there were survivors.
But back to the EMAS, it was a very good point, but in an investigation, we really have to make sure that we don't have this solution bias where, well,
if we had the EMAS, none of this would have happened. That's kind of the thought that it seemed to be getting, or the questions that she was getting
were around that.
The accident started way before that. We need to look at what mitigation should have been done before, like how high the aircraft was. It was
several hundred feet above the recommended flight approach path, which makes it high and fast. So, that's number one.
Number two is, after the aircraft was already across 4,000 feet of the 9,500-runway, it was still airborne. It just first touched down that far
down the way. So, the questions arise of what happened in the cockpit? What was the decision to not make a go-around and push the throttles forward and
try that approach again? The cockpit voice recorders will tell them a lot of that information. So, I'm really pleased to find out that they were able
to recover those so quickly.
NEWTON: Yes. And she certainly promised much more information tomorrow. We'll continue to stay on top of that. David, as always, really thankful
for your expertise. Appreciate it.
SOUCIE: Thank you, Paula.
NEWTON: Now, Indonesia is also dealing with major flight disruptions as Mount Anak Krakatau erupts. It's sending volcanic ash over Jakarta and
surrounding areas and forcing the closure of several airports. Officials there say hundreds of thousands of passengers have been affected by flight
cancellations. It is not clear, in fact, when airport operations will fully resume, leaving many passengers, as you can imagine, frustrated.
[18:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLOS ZABALA, STRANDED PASSENGER: We are frustrated. We are tired. We've been here since yesterday. They kept delaying the plane for hours, and at
10:00 p.m. it got cancelled. They didn't give us anything. We had to wait here until 6:00 a.m.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent. The country has just imposed a three-
day school closure in the country's Bataan region after the province was blanketed in volcanic ash. Students will use remote learning instead.
OK. Still ahead for us, Iran warns it will retaliate with new attacks on energy in the Persian Gulf. New threats pushing oil back towards $100 a
barrel, the latest on a renewal of tensions in the Iran war. That's next.
And bracing for Hurricane Lowell, who will get the latest weather forecast for Hawaii later in the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, Wall Street was closed for the Labor Day holiday, but financial markets were up and running
in Europe and Asia. European stocks finished mostly lower. French stocks were the outperformers, up about a quarter of a percent. Asian stocks
finished mostly higher. The Nikkei rallied over 2 percent. The Hang Seng fell almost 1 percent.
We go to those all-important energy markets. Crude Oil is trading at six- week highs amid reports that Saudi Aramco oil facilities in the city of Duzan have now come under attack. Iran also threatened on Monday to
retaliate against any new U.S. attacks on its assets, saying it could hit energy infrastructure right across the Gulf. It comes as both sides traded
strikes over the weekend, with the U.S. military hitting three Iranian crude oil tankers. Iran struck three U.S.-linked vessels and three tankers
in the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent and U.S. crude meantime rose more than one percent Monday amid the increased military tensions, with Brent trading, yes, near that $100 mark a
barrel again. Meantime, Goldman Sachs is now warning that oil prices could hit $120 if attacks against tankers in the Strait of Hormuz intensify. All
this as a UAE presidential advisor says his country is building alternative export routes for its oil so they are not, quote, "held hostage by the
war."
[18:25:00]
And why Gargash says rebuilding trust with Iran could take decades, his words, when he criticized Gulf states for not mounting a coordinated
response to the conflict.
James Jeffrey joins me now. He is a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Turkey and a former U.S. envoy for Syria. He is currently a distinguished
fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. And I want to thank you for being here.
I want to point out something that is significant here. And these U.S. allies in the Middle East understand the limitations of the United States
for trying to protect them, the Strait of Hormuz, or anything else in the United States right now. How much of a dramatic shift do you think this is?
And it's happened in really a short period of time, six months.
JAMES JEFFREY, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ AND TURKEY, FORMER U.S. ENVOY FOR SYRIA: Well, thanks for having me on. They're very troubled by the
fact that we could not deter Iran from striking their economic targets, their oil and gas export in the Gulf.
On the other hand, they've long known that Iran's goal is not just to strike their infrastructure but to take over these countries. And the only
911 under such circumstances in the end is the United States. So, they're in this thing. They're not happy about it. They're getting about half of
their oil out, as we just had reported. And they believe that over time, the American blockade on Iran will push Iran to come back to the
negotiating table. We'll see. I don't think so before the elections here in America. But I think that after the elections, the Iranians could well come
back to the table and accept the compromise deal.
NEWTON: It's a salient point that you make. Do you believe -- and the midterms, of course, are in November. Iran is hanging a lot on those
midterms. And yet, do you believe that, look, it's September. Can they last another four months, five months? And I'm talking about Iran here, given
the kind of throttle that the United States says they've put on Iran at this hour.
JACKSON: Iran can -- first of all, these are people who went through an eight-year war with Iraq that killed hundreds of thousands of them. And
they all fought on the front lines. So, the actual revolutionary god leaders who are running the country, they can hang on. But their entire
economy is being squeezed. They still have some oil at sea, I think 28 million barrels, that one way or the other they'll be able to sell that and
keep some currency coming in.
But after a month or two, roughly about the time of the U.S. elections, they will be totally out of foreign currency. They will be under
extraordinary economic pressure. And once the election is over, frankly, whatever pressure that's putting on Trump, that'll be gone. That's when I
think the Iranians will either come to the table, which I hope and suspect, or they may launch another massive attack. But in that case, they'll get an
even bigger attack back.
NEWTON: Do you expect China to be a player here? They've been incredibly reluctant so far, but some would argue they're having a big effect by not
getting as involved as the United States wishes they would. What do you think?
JEFFREY: Obviously, we'd like them to do more, but we are rivals. And I'm using the lowest intensity word possible, not opponents, not enemies. We're
at least rivals. The Chinese really don't want us to have a military victory in the Gulf.
On the other hand, the Chinese have made clear they absolutely do not want Iran to get a nuclear weapon. They see, if that happens, Japan, South
Korea, and Taiwan getting them. They also don't want the straits closed because they remain very dependent upon the straits. They've managed to
shift their consumption to stocks that they've stored, but eventually that will end as well. And Iran is going to quietly press -- rather, China will
quietly press Iran to get back to the negotiating table.
The final thing is China sees its economic future with these extremely rich countries on the Arab side of the Gulf, not with Iran.
NEWTON: And, Ambassador, I'm curious. Do you believe this whole issue of redundancy will work, can work, needs to work in terms of the Strait of
Hormuz? I mean, we've seen a lot of moves in the oil business in the last six months. These alternative routes will mean that no one will have a
stranglehold on supply around the world.
JEFFREY: To some degree, the straits will lose their currency, particularly for Iran to shut them down. But obviously, it's a lot easier
to ship oil and Qatari natural gas out via the straits than to build a thousand-kilometer pipeline, which is what the Emiratis, what the Qataris,
what others are looking at. But if they have to, they will.
These countries are in for the long-term. They do not want to become subservient to Iran. They don't know how long the United States is going to
be in the region. So, they're going to try other alternatives and to spread the risk in different directions. But that's OK for us and not good for
Iran.
[18:30:00]
NEWTON: Ambassador, you've given us a lot of clarity here. So, all eyes on post-midterms and we will see where this goes. In the meantime, perhaps
higher energy prices are just going to be what we see in the next few weeks. Ambassador Jeffrey for us, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
JEFFREY: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, checking some of today's other business headlines. Canada's retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. are set to kick in in less than six
hours from now. The tariffs on hundreds of goods range between 15 and 50 percent in response to the tariffs the U.S. imposed on Canada after trade
talks collapsed last month. No new talks have been scheduled to help resolve the conflict.
The Japanese yen has surged to seven-month highs. The currency rallied almost 1.5 percent against the dollar as traders braced for the possibility
of new coordinated yen buying by both the United States and Japan. Speculation that the Japanese central bank could raise interest rates this
month is also helping support the yen.
The European Union is set to invest more than $200 million in Greenland over the next two years to help boost its economy. European Commission
President Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement during a trip to the Danish territory's capital. It comes amid the Trump administration's
threats to seize Greenland.
OK. Still ahead for us, a national day of mourning in Nepal to honor the victims of that flash flooding. It's been nearly two weeks since the
catastrophe and thousands of families still do not have any answers about what happened to their loved ones. We will have more on that next, as well
as a rare look at the destruction in China's Tibet region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Paula Newton. Here are the international headlines we are watching today.
Germany's far-right AfD party is working to form a government in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD took 44 percent of the vote there in Sunday's
state election. It's the closest the far-right has come to governing a German state since World War II.
[18:35:00]
But the party fell short of an AfD and took 44 percent of the vote there in Sunday's state election. It's the closest the far-right has come to
governing a German state since World War II. The party fell short of an absolute majority, and its next move is unclear.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has given new details on Sunday's cargo plane crash that killed at least five people in Miami.
Investigators said the Amazon plane that had two crew members hit a van carrying seven people after it overshot the runway. Officials confirm they
have successfully recovered the aircraft's flight data and voice recorders.
Thousands of people gathering in Belgrade for the funeral of war criminal and Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic. It was one of the largest public
funerals held in Serbia since the fall of communism in 1990. Mladic died while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against
humanity. Bosnia says it will withdraw most staff from its embassy in Belgrade in response to Serbia's handling of the funeral.
A nation united in grief, Nepal observed a national day of mourning on Monday, almost two weeks on from the catastrophic flash flooding at the
border with China. A candlelight vigil was held in Kathmandu. People held prayers and lit candles in honor of the victims. Nepal's disaster agency
says more than 1,300 people have been killed. And this is key here, still 5,000 others are still missing.
Now, on the Chinese side of the flood zone, CNN has been witnessing the destruction firsthand as part of a rare trip organized by the government.
We want to clarify that CNN has full editorial control of the coverage. Our Simone McCarthy has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR CHINA REPORTER: So, we're walking into the main hard hit port area. Now, I mean, even just some of the ground here is
incredibly unstable. It's like, it feels like it's almost hollow underneath. You can see there's quite large rocks here.
There's also excavation going on behind us, a number of workers are actively in the midst of some of the response and repairs here. We've been
told, as well as we were walking over, that there is the risk of loose rocks. I'm standing in the location that was once a five-story border
checkpoint.
This used to be a bustling hub of transit between Nepal and China, with travelers, travel agents, people involved in trade coming over that border,
moving through what was once a huge building here. This is the spot where a huge wall of water washed over a five-story building. In video that was
captured on surveillance footage on August 26th, when devastating floods and landslide hit the China-Nepal border.
I'm standing now in the area where that building was. This is Gyirong Port in Tibet, where CNN is part of a small group of foreign reporters who've
been given access to this site the first time that foreign media have been allowed entry. And now, to see what the impact of that was here, where
there's just, I mean, you would never know that there had been anything here at all.
There's actually a sign which is indicating that this was a foundation. You can still see some rebar, but that's really the only thing that remains.
There have been no survivors found in this location. And right now, the rescue teams are just contending with this heavy, heavy mud. The road that
we took to get in here was actually layered in some places with five feet of mud. It took the better part of a week for emergency workers to be able
to enter via road.
One of the other things that we can notice is that the flood waters actually reach so high up onto the mountain. You can see some of the
greenery has actually been scraped away there as a result of just how high those flood waters came as they barreled through this area. We asked one of
the responders how long he thought the operations would continue, and he wasn't able to give an answer.
They've put up a Chinese flag to memorialize what was here, but there's just absolutely nothing left. This area has also been a focal point for
families who are desperate for information about what happened to loved ones that they believe were at this border crossing at the time when that
landslide and flooding hit this area, they're still waiting for answers. The government has yet to publish publicly a list of who was at the border
crossing at the time.
Families are really desperate for more information about what happened here. And looking around, it's you can see that there's no answers
immediately visible.
Simone McCarthy, CNN, Gyirong port.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:40:00]
SOARES: Now, Hurricane Lowell's forecast path has shifted closer to Hawaii, increasing its danger to the islands. Rare hurricane warnings are
now in effect for parts of the U.S. state. This is Hawaii's third major storm in as many weeks. Derek Van Dam has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The hurricane hunters have been flying into the center of Hurricane Lowell for several days now, but really
collecting critical information to help us fine-tune the exact forecast path of this hurricane.
Remember, we've seen a lot of the forecast guidance shifting further east. That puts more of the western Hawaiian Islands in play for direct and
indirect impacts. Certainly, we've had a lot of fuel to work with. Of course, we've got our record-building El Nino. That means the warmer water
temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific certainly having something to do with this. And it's still got a lot of warm water to really
fuel itself and maintain its strength as it travels towards the western Hawaiian Islands tonight.
Look at the storm system as it scrapes by Kauai County, even portions of Oahu getting outer rain bands. We'll see some rain induced from this
passing hurricane across the Big Island as well. So, the potential here for flash flooding, mudslides, and now even hurricane-force winds is certainly
on the table as we see that forecast envelope shift a little further to the east.
There's another interesting thing to note here. As this storm moves north, it's actually seeing the wind field expand. We're actually expecting
tropical storm-force winds to extend well past 150 miles from the center. So, that will put places like Kauai County, even potentially into Oahu,
where Honolulu is located, in play for tropical storm conditions. Of course, there's a lot of high elevation here, especially into Kauai County.
So, hurricane-force gusts, that'll certainly be a possibility, and some of that could mix down to the surface as well. So, where people live, we could
certainly be experiencing at least tropical storm-force to near hurricane gusts for the passage of this storm.
A lot of rain associated with this as well, upwards of a foot to a foot and a half across some of those localized areas. And then because of this
trajectory coming up from the south, it's building a lot of swell from the central Pacific. We're talking 20-foot swells inundating the southern
shorelines of Kauai County, not to mention that timing with high tide. I mean, storm surge values here could be 2 to 4 feet above normally dry
ground, so something to consider for coastal erosion. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: OK. Up next on "The Brief," who will MAHA vote for in 2028? The Make America Healthy Again movement propelled Donald Trump to re-election.
This time around, more politicians are taking notice.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:45:00]
NEWTON: The governor of California says he's considering a possible run for the U.S. presidency. Gavin Newsom is responsible for 40 million people
in California and the world's fourth largest economy. Now, he is wrapping up his final year in office by making appearances on the other side of the
country in South Carolina. The state just so happens to be the first stop on the Democratic presidential primaries.
And it's not just Republicans and Democrats. The MAHA movement is also looking for its new candidate. MAHA stands for Make America Healthy Again.
The movement runs the gamut, everything from fighting pesticide use to fighting vaccine mandates. As you may have guessed, it has strong ties with
the Trump administration. However, politicians, and this is interesting here, from both sides of the aisle are courting MAHA influencers.
Cheyenne Haslett of Politico joins me now. Cheyenne, I have to tell you, I found your reporting fascinating because this movement, which is a
consequential political movement in the United States, is really grasping right now, right? Like, what's at work here in the fact that they still
don't know who they will endorse in 2028?
CHEYENNE HASLETT, REPORTER, POLITICO: Yes, absolutely. I think the most interesting thing that I found from talking to these leaders of the
movement, sometimes they call themselves MAHA moms, is that there really isn't an obvious heir to RFK Jr. right now. They want someone who
prioritizes their issues, and that's not any one thing, as you mentioned. It's largely changing the conventional thinking on health, pesticides,
chemicals, most controversially on vaccines.
But at the moment, they feel disappointed by the Trump administration, and they're not excited about potential Republican candidates like Vance or
Rubio. And Democrats come with a lot of COVID baggage from the pandemic, whether that's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kamala Harris or Gavin Newsom.
NEWTON: In terms of what this means, though, the fact that they're willing to even consider Democratic candidates, is that an admission that they did
not get what they wanted from the Trump administration or Secretary Kennedy?
HASLETT: Yes, absolutely. A lot of times they still very much protect Secretary Kennedy and think that he is doing the best that he can with this
movement and is part of a much broader administration. But they definitely have shown their anger very clearly with President Donald Trump and with
the Trump administration, mainly over the Trump administration's handling of pesticide policy. They really feel that that did not go their way. And
that was one of the key pillars. I mean, they believe strongly in eliminating or reducing pesticides in our in our food supply.
So, absolutely, there is anger at this Trump administration. And, you know, a lot of these people, a lot of these voters, they came from the Democrats.
They came from, you know, independents. So, they have been on both sides of the aisle and they've been fighting for these issues. And they're really
looking around now saying, we've tried it all here. We're open to whoever is going to prioritize our issues. We just want to see these issues be
addressed. And that's why you have somebody like AOC coming out and saying, I'm interested in talking about your issues and sort of seeing if these
potentially homeless voters going into the midterms in 2028 might find a home with somebody like her.
NEWTON: What is their political potency still, though, given the way America votes for its president? I mean, how much can it really sway the
vote here? Because it's not obviously a 50 plus one. It is state by state.
HASLETT: Yes, absolutely. I mean, we will really be watching this closely in the midterms. That's going to be kind of the next test. What's
interesting is that you have seen MAHA mobilizing, organizing, unifying over the last few years at this point. So, they might be coming into this
midterm election with more potency in that respect. But we don't know. You know, we don't have a clear sense given that it's a new coalition. It's not
some established traditional coalition. And we don't know how it will fall.
You know, I have a lot of these leaders in the MAHA movement telling me they're worried there will be moms who just stay home because they're
disappointed in what they've seen so far. But, of course, even staying home means that that's a portion of what was a Republican coalition in 2024 that
doesn't show up in the midterms. And then in 2028, you know, who knows, it's a little bit of a of a jump ball. And we'll see how that impacts
turnout and the vote.
NEWTON: Yes. And it'll also be interesting just to see what other issues MAHA brings up, because, as we said before, it runs the gamut and you don't
know which issue they're going to seize on going into these campaigns. Cheyenne, thanks so much for being with us. Really appreciate it.
HASLETT: Thank you.
[18:50:00]
NEWTON: Now, just ahead for us, it's an all-American battle on the hard court. Coco Gauff faces off against Iva Jovic any minute now at the U.S.
Open. We'll be live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: The U.S. Open continues tonight with the round of 16. In just a few minutes, Americans Coco Gauff and Iva Jovic will face off right here in
New York City. Gauff, of course, won the championship back in 2023. But Jovic has had an excellent year after previously struggling to make it past
the Open's second round. And, oh yes, did I mention, she's 18 years old.
Joining me now, the host of Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross. Gill, listen, I want you to game this out for us and pun intended, OK? I've been
really looking forward to this match. What are you expecting?
GILL GROSS, HOST, "MONDAY MATCH ANALYSIS" AND COMMENTATOR, TENNIS CHANNEL: Well, Paula, thank you so much for having me. I'm expecting a showcase of
the future of American tennis and Iva Jovic. Somebody in Coco Gauff who has, for the last three or four years, been called the future of American
tennis, now suddenly she's up against somebody younger than her, which is exceptionally rare.
Jovic has had an incredible, basically rookie season on tour. She really broke through last fall. She has, very similar to Coco when she came up,
incredible character, unbelievable fitness for her age, where sometimes it takes an athlete a little bit longer to develop muscularly and all that.
These are two very, very physical athletes.
And certainly, Coco comes in as the favorite, and one of the favorites, really, to win the title after she won the Cincinnati Open, one of the
major lead-up tournaments for this U.S. Open a couple weeks ago. So, I think everyone is wondering how good a match can Iva muster against Coco,
or can she pull off the upset?
NEWTON: Yes. And her poise, just having watched her last match, I was struck by her poise. I mean, anyone who's had an 18-year-old in the house,
let alone an 18-year-old athlete, it was incredibly impressive. Really looking forward to that.
And I'm going to ask you a couple more questions. First is, give us your assessment of the U.S. Open so far, first on competition, but then I want
you to go to atmosphere.
GROSS: OK. Sure. So, on the women's side, the top five seats in the tournament are still in. What that means is we haven't had the shockwave
upset yet through the first 10 or so days of the tournament, that big, you know, headline of somebody falling. What that ends up becoming is at the
end of the tournament, you have these blockbuster matchups. So, the top five seats are all still in. That includes Sabalenka and Rybakina and
Gauff.
On the men's side, it's been somewhat of a different story. We have had quite a few surprises among players who we would have thought maybe could
win the title, like Novak Djokovic being one, Arthur Fils. So, there's been a little bit more chaos. I think the big headline on the men's side is
Carlos Alcaraz has come back from a four-and-a-half-month layoff because he had a wrist injury, and there was a thought that, well, he must -- he'll be
rusty. He won't be at full power, 100 percent.
[18:55:00]
So, far, it looks like he is somehow, someway, ready to hit the ground running and potentially win this title in his first tournament back. So,
that's the on-court part. The off-court part, the demand to be at this event just keeps going up and up and up, and there's talk about ticket
prices on the resale market and influencers. At the root of all of it, it's the fact that so many people want to be at the U.S. Open. The event just
gets bigger and bigger.
I'll give you one more anecdote on this. Saturday before the tournament began, there were actually no matches to be played. Qualifying is over. The
Mixed Doubles event is over. There are not any events put on by the tournament, and yet, I showed up to work that day for Media Day, and the
grounds were packed. Even with no matches, people want to come here, which is just incredible.
NEWTON: Well, it's incredible because they're just soaking in the atmosphere, and that's without the Williams sisters, who unfortunately were
out after their first match, but that was also something to behold. Gill, we will leave it there for now, but I have been so happy to have you on.
We'll continue to watch this. Honestly, it's been riveting, and we'll see how it ends up in this last week of competition. Gill Gross for us at the
U.S. Open right now. Thanks so much.
GROSS: Thanks, Paula.
NEWTON: And I want to thank all of you for your company. I'm Paula Newton in New York. You've been watching "The Brief." Stay with CNN for more news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
