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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: Norway: Zelenskyy's Plane Nearly Hit by Drone; U.S. and Iran Exchange Fire; IAEA Passes Resolution Reporting Iran to Security Council; Stark New Warning from A.I. Researcher; Trump Arrives in Dallas For First-Ever Midterm Convention; Tensions High in Spain's Ceuta a Month After Migrant Influx. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 09, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

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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, the plane carrying Volodymyr Zelenskyy nearly hit by a drone, say the Norwegians, as the Ukrainian president made his way to

Norway. The U.S. and Iran trade fire after the U.S. struck Iranian oil tankers. Iran responded by targeting a base used by the U.S. in Jordan. And

another warning of the dangers of A.I., a former anthropic employee accusing his industry of, quote, "gambling with our lives."

We do begin with a stunning development involving the president of Ukraine. The plane carrying Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Norway nearly struck

by a drone, this according to the Norwegian prime minister. President Zelenskyy was traveling to Oslo for the funeral of King Harald today.

Norway's prime minister says the incident happened as Zelenskyy's plane was about to take off from Moldova on Tuesday. Moldova's airspace was closed

due to the drone alert. Officials there say President Zelenskyy's plane was later cleared for takeoff. Once it had been established, the Russian drone

came down in Moldovan territory. A second drone carried on into Romanian airspace.

Joining me now is Moldova's ambassador to the U.S., Vladislav Kulminski. Thanks so much for joining.

VLADISLAV KULMINSKI, MOLDOVAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: And thank you very much for the invitation, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So, first question, and I know an investigation is still underway, do Moldovan authorities believe this drone was targeting the

Ukrainian president?

KULMINSKI: Look, it is too early to say, but Moldova is a small country. It's 13,000 square miles, right? So, is it an accident that a Russian drone

exploded in Moldova, a jet-propelled Russian drone exploded in Moldova, while President Zelenskyy's plane was in Chisinau airport in Moldova? And

is it an accident that this is probably not the first time that something like this happened? It is very well known that President Zelenskyy uses

Chisinau airport, uses Moldovan airspace for his foreign visits, right?

So, most likely this is not an accident, because we do not believe in jet- propelled drones just flying into Moldova's territory, you know, for surveillance purposes while the Ukrainian president's airplane is on the

ground at the airport. But the investigation is still going on, and I'm quite sure that we're going to have a full comprehensive picture over the

next days.

SCIUTTO: Given that this is not the first time a Russian drone has struck European territory, at a minimum, are you concerned that this was an attack

on Moldova itself?

KULMINSKI: Jim, this has been going on for many months now. So, we're literally talking about dozens, over 20 drones over the past month and a

half alone, some of them jet-propelled with explosives that exploded on Moldova's territory, some of them decoy drones. So, it is quite clear that

one of the goals here is to intimidate Moldova, is to send this message to the Moldovan government. If you're going to continue being on Ukraine's

side, you're in trouble. You're not -- you're in danger.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

KULMINSKI: That, I think, is really what this is all about. And to Moldova, Ukraine's survival is Moldova's survival. So, you know, the

geopolitical equation is very straightforward, it's very clear here, right? And of course, you know, Russia's goal, if we look at a more strategic

picture here, is very straightforward.

Russia has set out to redraw the borders in its immediate neighborhood, but also in all of Europe. So, it no longer recognizes, you know, the basic

principles of international law, the 1975 Helsinki Accords, the agreement that the borders of former -- of post-Soviet Union countries are not going

to change, sort of, force. So, all of that just went down the drain.

What Russia is doing, it is literally claiming that most of so-called left- bank Ukraine is its legitimate territory based on some bogus claims, you know, that in 1667, you know, they seized it as a result of the war with

the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. So, you know, this is just -- and it's not only Ukraine, it's also Moldova, right?

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So, that is the whole purpose here, is to redraw the border in such a way that Russia will return to the ranks of great powers, that it will be one

of the three major powers on the part of the United States of America and China.

And sort of, you know, the question is, of course, to what extent they are prepared to go to achieve this purpose. Are they going to be deterred? And

I think the United States of America is really one of the few countries in the world that Russia listens to, that can deter Russia, that can, you

know, explain to Russia that what they're doing is madness.

SCIUTTO: Well, given the attacks, drone attacks, sabotage attacks, we've seen more of those, attacks on critical infrastructure in Europe, that

they're not just not stopping, they're expanding.

KULMINSKI: Escalating.

SCIUTTO: Escalating. Has the U.S. sufficiently deterred Russia? Seems the facts say no.

KULMINSKI: Well, the U.S. has been critical in making sure that the war does not spread beyond Ukraine. The U.S. has really been critical in

deterring Russia. Question is, is this going to be enough? Is Russia going to listen? And how is it going to go from here? So, it's quite obvious that

Ukraine has set out -- that, you know, Russia has set out to undermine Moldova.

So, we're looking at drone attacks, we're looking at political campaign, we're looking at this information. So, a lot of stuff, you know, it's

really a complicated range of things and steps that Russia is taking to undermine their country in order to create a foothold behind Ukraine's

back.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

KULMINSKI: And of course, you know, the question that the Moldovan government is asking is what's next, right? So, if Russia thinks that it

can just spread the war to other countries and, you know, change borders through force, which is something that it promised not to do, it made a lot

of promises. It promised not to attack Ukraine. It promised not to take Poland in 1939, you know, when Nazi Germany went into the western heart of

Poland. It promised a lot of things in the past, right?

But if Russia thinks that it can just change borders through force and somehow this is not going to affect Russia itself, I think this is a deeply

mistaken view. Because this, you know, cuts both ways, always. It really never works otherwise in international relations. So, the key concern here

is that, of course, Russia has launched a process that nobody knows where it is going to end.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this. What concrete steps has Europe taken to deter this expanding hybrid war or shadow war against Europe? I've seen a

lot of angry letters, right, but I haven't seen many concrete steps or at least ones that are stopping the attacks.

KULMINSKI: Jim, there's not -- there's a lot of stuff that is going on in the background that is not necessarily announced publicly. That is how it

works. And of course, you know, Europe has been critical in terms of providing support to Ukraine, but also to the Republic of Moldova. I think

it is fair to say that without the support from the United States of America and Europe together, probably Ukraine would not have resisted.

Moldova would not have resisted. Russia would have long achieved its purpose of geopolitical expansion, changing border through force. And then

you would only ask yourself, where would they stop, right, wherever they would wish, right?

SCIUTTO: Well, I suppose we're still asking that question. Ambassador Kulminski, we appreciate you joining the program.

KULMINSKI: Thank you very much for your invitation.

SCIUTTO: Of course. Well, in the Middle East, tankers struck, energy markets rattled, and a new resolution from the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog that

could be a dangerous new phase in the Iran war. At least seven oil tankers have been hit in and beyond the Persian Gulf since Tuesday evening. The

U.S. said it struck five Iranian tankers, this after Tehran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. Navy warship. One of those Iranian tankers sank. Iran

then retaliated by firing a barrage of missiles at Jordan. It says it was targeting a base there used by U.S. forces.

Earlier today, two tankers in the Persian Gulf were struck by drones. No claim of responsibility yet. One off the coast of Dubai, the other in Iraqi

waters. The renewed fighting briefly pushed global oil prices above $100 a barrel for the first time since July. President Donald Trump claims Iran

will abandon its war after the midterms.

Kristen Holmes has the latest from the White House. Kristen, of course, this is not the first time we've heard President Trump say the war is about

to end, or it's going to end in a few weeks, or we will end the war. What does he base that statement that Iran will stop the war after the start of

November?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: So, I do think this is a little bit different from what we've heard from him in the past. And

the reason being that I've heard this among some military officials that I've talked to and not necessarily people who are close to President Trump,

but are in the orbit and do some consulting on this.

And the idea behind it is not that the war is going to end immediately after the midterms, which of course is how President Trump simplified it.

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But the idea is that the Iranians are paying attention everything that is going on geopolitically, including the midterm elections, and that there is

no one in Iran in any position of authority who is in any rush to help President Trump ahead of these midterms.

So, there is some thought among some of these military circles that Iran might actually come back to the negotiating table after the midterms

because they do want to damage Trump politically. Again, this is speculation based on people who have had relationships, who have followed

the Iranians, have followed how they have handled things in the past. But again, nobody is saying that I have spoken to the war is going to end right

after the midterms. It's more just that no one is rushing to kind of help Donald Trump out of this situation he has created.

Now, President Trump said that in addition to the war ending after the midterms, that then the gas prices would fall and that the reason being

they want to damage him politically. But on top of that, he says they're desperate to try and affect the election so that we can get a nice, weak

group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon. Again, that is not the understanding I have from these

military officials. It just goes back to this idea that you are dealing with a group of senior leaders in Iran who does pay attention to the

geopolitical landscape.

The thing that has to happen before the war ends is that the two sides have to have a conversation. There has to be someone at the negotiating table.

Right now, there have been no direct conversations between Iran and the United States, no matter how hard these mediators are trying to get them

both back to the table. And you talk about this escalation. This is the last thing that President Trump and this administration want to see.

They do feel that they need to respond when Iran launches these attacks, but they have been trying everything they possibly can to move away from

military operations and into this economic strangulation that they have been working on. But that seems to be impossible, given what they are

facing, which is an enemy that is unpredictable and obviously doesn't fit into the box that they want them to fit into.

SCIUTTO: Well, Kristen, we'll see if that timeline lasts, given the number of timelines that have been broken before. Kristen Holmes, thanks so much.

Well, for the first time in 20 years, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has passed a resolution reporting Iran to the Security Council, this for

reportedly breaking Tehran's obligations on nuclear nonproliferation. Analysts tell CNN that satellite imagery suggests there's been a flurry of

construction at what's known as Pickaxe Mountain. This is near an Iranian nuclear complex. After the break, we will continue to follow up on that

story.

Also, a stark warning from a researcher at a prominent A.I. lab. What he's saying about the technology as he quits his job at Anthropic. All of that

coming up.

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SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, Wall Street closed in the red deep. All three major indexes fell as oil prices surged. Renewed

fighting in the Middle East pushed Brent crude above $100 a barrel. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note also hit its highest level since

November 2023, even after the Treasury Department announced a plan to buy up to $6 billion in government bonds. It's not the first time they've done

that.

On A.I. now, an A.I. researcher has resigned from the A.I. giant Anthropic, citing concerns that the company, as well as its competitor OpenAI, are

acting irresponsibly in the tech race. 27-year-old Jacob Coxon, who also worked at OpenAI, says, quote, "They are racing straight to self-improving

superintelligence and gambling with our lives," end quote. He also claims, quote, "The people building A.I. earnestly believe that it could kill us

all by the end of decade." In response, another Anthropic researcher says, quote, "Jacob is correct here. We really do earnestly believe A.I. could

kill all humans! I personally think it is more than 10 percent within the next decade."

Roger McNamee joins me now. He's a co-founder of private equity firm, Elevation Partners. All right. I got a lot of questions for you, Roger.

Before we get to the business side of this, you cover this industry closely. You have people from the inside saying A.I. could develop to kill

all human beings. Is that an alarmist point of view?

ROGER MCNAMEE, CO-FOUNDER, ELEVATION PARTNERS: Well, Jim, I think the really important point that everyone should take away is that you have

people from the industry saying that the people leading the industry are irresponsible. I think that is indisputably correct.

I think what's strange about this person's exit statement and the current firming one from his colleague is that the problems here go way beyond

existential risk. There are much bigger, more present problems with artificial intelligence. People are dying because, you know, they're either

being told by a chatbot to kill themselves or, you know, there are all of these other things going on around chatbots and around artificial

intelligence that are hurting people today. And they're straining the economy in ways that, you know, the bond market can't really deal with, as

you just talked about a moment ago. I mean, A.I. is a big reason why government borrowing rates are so high today.

And so, there are huge, huge, huge problems here. And I applaud these guys for leaving because I think working at these companies is the sort of thing

that no one with a conscience can do.

SCIUTTO: Who's minding the store, is the basic question here. I mean, what is Congress doing? What is the White House doing to put up any guardrails,

if anything?

MCNAMEE: No, Jim, I think that's exactly the problem. I think elites in America are all aligned around trying to preserve the status quo that has

reigned for the last 15 years. And they've settled on large language model A.I. as the next big thing to perpetuate that past.

And so, what you have is it doesn't matter whether we're talking about elected officials, corporate CEOs, investors, journalists, they're all

basically been cheerleading the A.I. thing going forward, notwithstanding the vast amount of evidence that the technology cannot do what they promise

it can do, that it can nonetheless do massive amounts of harm without doing any good.

And there, by the way, they've spent $1.5 trillion so far on capital equipment to generate ballpark $100 billion in cumulative revenues, which

is, I mean, that is crazy. And Wall Street should be looking at all of this and going, guys, stop.

SCIUTTO: Let me -- help me reconcile those two statements, because you're saying at the same time, I mean, they're saying A.I. is so powerful, it

could kill the human race, right? You're saying that A.I., the business is promising returns it simply can't deliver. I mean, you noted that the scam

is that no customer pays more for A.I. than it costs the vendor to deliver.

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I mean, which is -- I mean is it this sort of, you know, endless resource of intelligence that's going to take over the world or is it -- are the

abilities and the capabilities exaggerated?

MCNAMEE: Well, so, Jim I think the core thing to understand is when you allocate this much capital to something it has to be a topic that the

population in general agrees is going to make their lives better. I mean, we're devoting, you know, 5 percent of GDP ballpark, you know, and per year

now to this industry. And the industry has committed 3 trillion in capital investments already with the number going up from there. Those are crazy

making numbers.

And if this was going to cure cancer, if it was going to solve climate change that would be one thing. But right now, what it really does is

enable hackers to break into whatever they want to break into. It enables all kinds of scams. It allows for surveillance on everybody that's

permitting discriminatory pricing when you go shopping, right. I mean, so far all it's doing is helping the bad guys.

SCIUTTO: Right.

MCNAMEE: And I look at this and I go, they're sitting there and saying, well, this is so powerful it's going to kill us all. I'm going. Well, hang

on, it's going to make our lives miserable for decades before it kills us all.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

MCNAMEE: So, let's focus on the fact that it's making us all miserable.

SCIUTTO: What about the positive? I mean, I remember seeing Sam Altman speak and you've heard him make these comments. He's like A.I. is going to

cure cancer, right. It's going to be able to just game out a whole host of curious and test them out in a way that human beings either couldn't do or

would have taken a much longer time to do. A.I. is going to find a way to solve the climate crisis. All that kind of stuff. I mean, is A.I. doing any

of that right now?

MCNAMEE: No, no. It's not only not doing that, I don't think there's a path from the current large language model technology to any solutions that

do that. Because large language models are like autocomplete, right. They're guessing the next word, the next pixel, the next sound based on

what's come before it using this huge data set of human observations of reality. It's not the actual reality. It's people's observations of it.

And, you know, you can do good things with that. You can do language translation. You can do scheduling. But those are not super valuable use

cases. And the problem with all of this is that these guys are trying basically to pull off a con. They've convinced Wall Street to give them a

trillion and a half that they've already invested and committed another three.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

MCNAMEE: And I'm saying, for what, right? For that we should be getting something a lot more valuable than what we're seeing.

SCIUTTO: So, to add to the misery index here, it sounds like you're saying from an investment perspective that on the investment side this is a bubble

that's going to pop.

MCNAMEE: Oh, definitely. Oh, for sure. And, you know, to me there's several ways that can happen. You see in the government bond market today

huge pressure on the Treasury Department with its funding costs. And these guys are competing with that. And so, they're making the Treasury's cost

higher. And for reasons I cannot explain the government is completely supportive of A.I. That makes no sense.

But it could blow up for market reasons totally separate of a government policy simply because people say, you know, what this is too risky. I'm not

going to lend any more money. That's one way to draw it. The other way it can blow up is exactly what we saw with the recent Hugging Face story that

people have talked so much about where they're OpenAI ran an experiment in which they programmed a set of bots to do exactly what they wound up doing.

They tried to pretend like,oh, my gosh somehow these things are alive in the escape, which is ridiculous. They were programmed to do exactly what

they did. And then they did it and they got caught. And they didn't like getting caught.

And then they got caught with this math prize where, you know, these mathematicians are doing great work for a long time using their tool. And

then suddenly they got wind of it. And then the last minute they threw so much compute power at the thing that they were able to pass the two

scientists.

And I look at this and I go, these are all desperate acts from companies whose outlook is actually pretty grim but are trying to convince us

otherwise. And if I were an investor today, if I'm a person listening to this thing, if their lips are moving you should assume they're lying.

SCIUTTO: Wow. Goodness. Roger, let's have you back on as we watch this. Thanks so much for joining.

MCNAMEE: And, Jim, I'm a huge fan. Anytime you like, my friend.

SCIUTTO: Too kind. Well, checking some of today's other business headlines. Apple unveils its first foldable phone. The iPhone Duo features

a screen similar to the size of a passport when folded and when unfolded. It has a 7.1-inch screen. That's 20 centimeters. Apple's new CEO John

Ternus introduced the phone duo starts at just under a whopping $2,000.

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Google says it will invest at least 15 billion dollars in infrastructure in Finland over the next two years. The company's largest investment in Europe

includes a deal for nuclear power. The company expects the A.I. projects will support some 7,000 jobs. Finland's prime minister says the deal will

also spur innovation and research.

OpenAI claims its model has solved one of the millennium problems in mathematics. You heard Roger just talking about this. The company says an

internal model cracked the Navier-Stokes problem a 200-year-old puzzle related to the motion of fluids. OpenAI says the model used as many as

10,000 A.I. agents to solve it. The effort took 88 hours.

Just ahead, Republicans here in the U.S. hold their first ever midterm convention in Dallas. The event comes as the party tries to avoid losing

one or both chambers of Congress.

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

Global oil prices surpassed $100 a barrel just a short time ago as the U.S. and Iran ramp up strikes. It was the highest closing level for Brent Crude

since the month of May as President Donald Trump acknowledged gas prices probably will not come back down until after November's midterm elections.

A plane carrying Ukraine's president to Norway was nearly struck by a drone. This according to the Norwegian prime minister Vladimir Zelenskyy

went to Oslo for the funeral of King Harold. Norway's prime minister said the incident took place as the plane was about to take off from Moldova.

Flights in and out of Moldova's capital were briefly suspended. In a short time ago, the Moldovan ambassador told us in their view this most likely

was not an accident.

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The funeral for King Harold the fifth was attended by dignitaries from around the world. Members of the Norwegian royal family followed his casket

to Oslo's Lutheran Cathedral. Possession included Britain's Prince William Japan's crown prince the kings of Denmark Netherlands Sweden Spain. King

Harold spent more than three decades on the throne and died at the age of 89.

Returning now to the ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran. Analysts tell CNN that satellite imagery suggests there has been a flurry of construction

activity at what's known as Pickaxe Mountain. This is near a suspected Iranian nuclear complex.

Joining us now is Joseph Rogers. He is deputy director and fellow of the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic International Studies

which has been studying these satellite images we just mentioned. He joins us now. Joseph good to have you.

JOSEPH RODGERS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR THE PROJECT ON NUCLEAR ISSUES, CSIS AND FELLOW, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So, first question. Tell us exactly what these satellite images show how much construction. And is it possible to determine what kind of

construction.

RODGERS: Yes. So, we've been studying Pickaxe Mountain for a number of years now and we've amassed six years of satellite imagery data. What the

imagery reveals to us is that this year since January there's been an uptick a significant uptick in construction. We think that Pickaxe Mountain

is about to be completed. In 2020 Iran said that Pickaxe would be a uranium centrifuge assembly facility. And we think that given the pace of

construction at Pickaxe that they've likely expanded some of the activities that they want to move into the underground facility.

So, it could be a future site for some of the facilities that the U.S. took out last June in Operation Midnight Hammer such as uranium enrichment or

military at Isfahan.

SCIUTTO: Is this evidence that the war despite all promises to the contrary failed in its stated objective of eliminating Iran's nuclear

program?

RODGERS: I think that the construction at Pickaxe Mountain illustrates that Iran is trying to make its future nuclear program unbombable. The

construction at Pickaxe is into a very deeply fortified granite mountain about 100 meters into the mountain. And the U.S. probably is unable to

destroy this facility using even our most massive ordnance penetrators used last June in Midnight Hammer.

I think also Pickaxe is just one of several undeclared and underground nuclear facilities inside of Iran. And that really illustrates the need for

a diplomatic solution. Tehran's nuclear ambitions likely cannot just be bombed away. Iran will just continue to go further underground.

SCIUTTO: What about the possibility of a ground operation because that has been discussed as a possibility. We know that it was at least one of the

options presented the president. Ultimately, he chose not to exercise that option. But does a site like this, would it require? I mean, if the if the

biggest bombs, right, ground penetrators don't work there would it require separate from any negotiation a ground operation to neutralize it?

RODGERS: Well, Jim, I think that's correct. I think it would require a significant ground operation to be logistically incredibly difficult for

the United States. Any ground operation to destroy a facility like that or Iran's other undeclared underground nuclear facilities would require

thousands of U.S. troops going in to Iran. It would require heavy logistics flying low and slow aircrafts through all of Iran.

And so, I think that President Trump has illustrated that he's really not interested in that type of a commitment during this conflict. And so, yes,

we want to use the military option. Then maybe you could go in and destroy the facility on the ground. But I don't think that there's a political

willingness to do that nor do I think that we should. I think that this is really a problem that can be solved through diplomacy alone.

SCIUTTO: And then there's, of course, the question of what Israel decides or might decide to do. Joseph Rogers, we appreciate you joining.

RODGERS: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, back here in the U.S., President Trump is now in Dallas Texas to speak at a Republican midterm convention in just a few hours.

These are live pictures from Dallas where the two-day event kicked off earlier. More than 100 officeholders and candidates will deliver speeches.

Conventions like this normally happen only in presidential election years. A midterm one is different.

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Fifty-five days to go before the midterms. President Trump is scheduled to address attendees. Both nights Vice President J.D. Vance will join him on

the podium on Thursday.

The convention comes as a pair of new CNN polls shows just how tight the race is for the control of the Senate. A poll finds no clear statistical

leader in Michigan where the progressive Abdul El-Sayed has to unify Democrats for that open seat to remain blue. CNN poll finds no clear winner

in Maine either where Republican Susan Collins is now seeking a sixth term. Democrats have had a tough time before they settled on Troy Jackson as

their candidate.

Joining us now from Dallas Alayna Treene. Alayna, I mean, do Republican admission officials grant or concede that one reason they're having a

midterm convention is because they believe, to some degree, they're behind the eight ball.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I think absolutely. I mean, privately in some of the conversations, Jim, I've been having with

some of the president's own political advisors. They recognize that the biggest problem they face overall is the national environment. That's what

they call it. You know, concerns over the ongoing war with Iran which has now stretched more than six months. Questions over how that's impacting

what already was a huge vulnerability for Republicans. This issue of affordability and the economy and people feeling like prices are just too

high.

All of that compounding some of the issues that they see ahead of November while also knowing historically and traditionally the incumbent party the

president whoever's in office, you know, now Republicans they tend to not do well in the midterm election. So, all of that I think partly being why

they're having this.

Another big part is they recognize that the president's popularity is really low right now. You share that polling that 35 percent approval

rating that the president has. Those are terrible numbers. They recognize they need to try and boost his popularity ahead of the midterms. And really

the strategy, Jim, that I've been given by the president's own advisers has been treat these midterm elections like his name is on the ballot. That is

the message they are giving different voters and specifically those who are the fiercest supporters of the president.

Their strategy is really, look, unlike 2024 where they were going hard after first time voters, after moderates, after independents. This time

they're focusing solely on trying to energize and turn out the president's base, people in the MAGA universe. They think that is the way that

Republicans will succeed is by getting them to actually show up and vote on Election Day. We'll see if this actually helps turn the tide.

I'll note as well. You've heard from critics and supporters of this unprecedented Republican convention this week calling it a Trump-a-Palooza

or a Trump fest. That has really been the vibe that I've gotten from listening to some of the speakers today thus far. Everything is really

about boosting the president about saying how great of a leader he is.

We've also heard a lot of the same issues that were very reminiscent and kind of ever present on the trail back in 2024. There even was an image

showing the same type of Democratic bogeymen as they did back then as well. You had pictures of the former president, Joe Biden, the former vice

president, Kamala Harris, the former -- her former V.P. nominee, Tim Walz, then being the people who are shown as the foil to this convention versus

some of the candidates we know people are actually running against people like Abdul El-Sayed or other progressives in the race.

So, just kind of a fascinating dynamic here and really being transported back to the campaign trail for the general election in 2024. And look. I'm

interested to hear what the president says he should be here shortly. He's obviously going to be speaking tonight around 9:15 Easter we're told.

I know his advisers wanted to talk about affordability, about the economy, about some of the things I think that they have done well, particularly on

his policy agenda over the last year and a half or so. We'll see if he can actually stay on message. Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And what worked in 2024, does it work in 2026? Of course, the ultimate question. Alayna Treene, thanks so much.

Coming up, migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta face dire living conditions. Thousands still remain in makeshift shelters there. We'll get a

firsthand look at exactly where and how they're living and the pressure facing the Spanish government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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SCIUTTO: New documents show that Spanish intelligence services warned their Moroccan counterparts and Madrid of plans by migrants to storm Soweto

in July. In a July 29th note, a Spanish spy agency reported the plans one day before an estimated 70,000 people crossed into the Spanish enclave in

North Africa. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has denied allegations that his government ignored those warnings.

Although many migrants, most of them, have now returned to Morocco, there are still thousands behind left to live in makeshift camps. CNN's Clarissa

Ward reports from Soweto.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

WARD: You can see just thousands of people have taken to the streets tonight to say they've had enough, that they want more help to resolve this

crisis.

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

Spanish government says that 90 percent returned within 72 hours, but an estimated 5 to 10,000 remain. Overwhelming this small Spanish territory at

the tip of North Africa and igniting a furious debate about immigration. The political right has seized on Ceuta.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It looks like an invasion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Muslim invasion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an act of war.

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

WARD (voice-over): And on the streets of this religiously and culturally diverse city, the language has hardened.

As we speak with teacher Juan Manuel, we hear a striking chant.

CROWD (through translator): Invaders, expel them.

JUAN MANUEL, CEUTA RESIDENT: The point is, are they invaders or are they victims? We are all victims here. They, we are all victims here. But what

we cannot put away is that these less radical things that they say. They have more empathy with the immigrants than with us.

WARD: Do you think most people here tonight agree with you? Share your views?

MANUEL: All of them.

WARD: All of them.

MANUEL: Or they wouldn't be here.

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

in front of their homes. Outside one of the government-run camps, a large group is waiting. They've heard rumors that there are free beds and food,

but authorities say the camp is full. It is a and everyone's patience is wearing thin.

WARD: The police are trying to clear this area outside the main camp and you can see very quickly just how tense and disorderly it's becoming.

[18:45:00]

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

authorities have vowed that will not happen.

Just a mile away, the situation is even worse. This is El Trampolin Beach. Most of the migrants have ended up here. A handful of showers have been

hastily erected. Everything else is makeshift. The majority of the migrants are Moroccan men seeking a better life, but there are also hundreds of

women and more than a thousand minors scattered across the peninsula, as well as Sudanese, Syrians, Yemenis and Palestinians. No one has assessed

who among them has a claim to protection.

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

here, to have a chance then to ask for asylum, it's maybe 30, 40 people per day.

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

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

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

WARD (voice-over): Further down the beach we see a man taking photographs of the migrants and talking on a two-way radio. We ask him what he is

doing.

WARD (through translator): Are you security of police?

EMILIO, CEUTA RESIDENT (through translator): It's for the security of my apartment block. Because they've tried to enter.

WARD (through translator): So, you are filming --

EMILIO (through translator): So, the people can see, so the government can see the reality and not what they want to show on the television. They show

as if nothing is happening.

WARD: So, you want to show people the reality of what's going on?

WARD (voice-over): He tells us he can no longer walk home with his nine- year-old son. He says the migrants are up late every night, drinking and fighting.

EMILIO (through translator): It's been a month, I haven't slept.

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

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

blaming it on his lenient immigration policies. Early this month the government approved $359 million for Ceuta, but there is no clear plan for

what happens to the people on this beach.

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

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

WARD: Abdul Ali (ph) is deaf. He's just sharing this baffle that he carries with him to let people know that he's not able to hear and fight

for his rights to communicate.

WARD (voice-over): Abdul Ali (ph) tells us he was beaten too, but not by a migrant.

WARD: So, he's telling us that this is a photograph taken after the police beat him. You can see the marks on his back. Obviously, we can't verify

what happened. This is (INAUDIBLE).

WARD (voice-over): Spain's national police told CNN they have received no reports of police violence against the migrants. Talking to Abdul Ali (ph)

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

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Ceuta, Spain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Still to come on "The Brief" tonight, the U.S. has its hottest summer since record-keeping began. Even hotter than the summer of 1936,

back during the Dust Bowl era. We'll discuss coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:00]

SCIUTTO: The U.S. just experienced its hottest summer in 132 years of record keeping. The National Oceanic Administration, Atmospheric

Administration, NOAA, reports the average temperature across the lower 48 states this year topped the previous record set back in the 1930s Dust Bowl

era. The summer of 1936 was long the benchmark for the hottest summers in U.S. history, tied for the summer of 2021 for hottest on record before this

year.

CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir joins us now. Bill, I feel like, you know, practically every time we talk, there's a new record for

the hottest, right? You know, hottest here, hottest in the Arctic, hottest in Europe. But man, when you start talking Dust Bowl, I mean, that is --

that's consequential.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And it is -- there are parallels because the Dust Bowl was partially natural, partially

manmade disaster, horrible agricultural policy, put thirsty crops out in places that shouldn't have been. And then that drought became the Dust

Bowl, as we know it. But that was also tied with 2021. Both of those records topped by almost a half of a degree.

So, this is not some small hundredth of a degree new record, this is leaping up on the charts. And it does not include the El Nino that's just

now starting to cook up in the Pacific. And you're seeing the dramatic effects of that along the California coastline. And it feels like Miami.

It's more humid there and hotter than actually in Miami. Things are strange.

But as you showed that map of the temperature, there's the little white spots on there are normal. Those are the places that are normal. Indiana,

Illinois, the rest of it is above normal. The West is way above normal there. And then when rainfall patterns, 60 percent of the country is now in

drought. But the Midwest, those white splotches had some of the wettest months ever recorded in their summers.

Globally, of course, this is happening as well in Europe and what we saw in Asia and the Himalayas. But, yes, it is here and it is as we've tasted it.

It's like usually it's so localized that not everybody feels something. But you can think about the summer 26 as varying between annoying and costly or

deadly in some extremes, between the smoke that canceled fireworks, between outbreaks of ticks and algae blooms and all of the stuff that comes with

overheating planet.

SCIUTTO: So, the trouble is, right, you know, this is happening as much of the world, including this country, puts the brakes on any sort of climate

policy here.

WEIR: Yes.

SCIUTTO: You know, again, I've asked you this before. You know, are we past the point of no return in terms of warming?

WEIR: Well, the U.N. finally came out and said what all scientists knew, that the Paris Accord promises is dead, the 1.5, and that we're on our way

to 1.8 Celsius of warming. Right now, we're past 1.5. So, this is what we're trying to avoid. Of course, we're trying to avoid 2.0. 1.5 was the

cushion, but we're going to blow past that. Yes.

And, you know, the policy in the United States couldn't be more opposite from the realities of physics, what's happening right now, not just in

terms of mitigation to changing over to renewables, which, you know, this administration is trying to squash, but adaptation, helping communities

prepare for a hotter, wetter world in these places.

And I'm struck, Jim, by you know, we lost Wendell Berry last week, American poet and farmer and thinker.

[18:55:00]

One of my favorite quotes is, whether we are politicians, know it or not, nature is party to every deal we make. And she has a longer memory, more

votes and a sterner sense of justice than we do.

SCIUTTO: Good Lord. Bill, we're -- let's hope for some heroes in all this. Thanks so much.

Well, finally, tonight here in New York, home fans are happy after an incredible 24 hours in defending champion Carlos Alcaraz out at the U.S.

Open. Ben Shelton shocked by knocking him out after a grueling match that lasted more than four hours. The match set a new record for the latest

finish ever at the U.S. ending, ending earlier this morning at 3:30 a.m. Eastern time. Shelton secured a spot in the semifinals with a fifth set

super tiebreak. It's worth noting an American man has not won a major title since Andy Roddick back in 2003. It's been a long time.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:00:00]

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