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What We Know with Max Foster
Senate Committee Votes To Hold Fauci In Contempt Of Congress; Trump: U.S. Has "Massive Amounts" Of Munitions; Israel Renews Strikes In Southern Lebanon; Trump Lashes Out At Democratic Senate Nominee El-Sayed; Meta A.I. Model Hacks Another Company During Testing. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired August 06, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Dr. Anthony Fauci is held in contempt of Congress.
I'm Lynda Kinkade, in for Max Foster, and this is WHAT WE KNOW.
Dr. Anthony Fauci was once hailed a hero leading the U.S. through the COVID pandemic. Today, Republicans in the U.S. Senate instead cast the former
director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as a liar, maybe a criminal. A U.S. Senate committee voted today to hold Fauci
in contempt of Congress for his refusal to answer questions about his handling of the pandemic. They plan to ask the Justice Department to file
charges against the man who was once America's top infectious diseases expert.
For years, Republicans have attacked Fauci for his leadership during the crisis and his role in the lockdowns. Democrats say Republicans are
grandstanding and attacking science.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. GARY PETERS (D-MI): If this committee now seeks to punish a witness for asserting their constitutional protected Fifth Amendment rights, future
witnesses will argue that appearing before Congress exposes them to punishment regardless of whether they comply with the subpoena.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Eight days ago, Dr. Anthony Fauci sat before this committee in the witness chair under subpoena for conduct covered by the
President Biden's full and unconditional pardon, reaching back to 2014. Dr. Fauci faced no risk of federal prosecution. All he had to do was tell the
truth. More than 100 times, though, he refused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Let's bring in Stephen Collinson for more on this.
That's right, Stephen. More than 100 times Fauci evoked the Fifth Amendment to decline, answering questions, fearing that he might be entrapped. But
that fear is understandable, right, given the history.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Right. What we know about Donald Trump's Justice Department is that it is very zealous in trying to
prosecute anybody who the president decides is an enemy. He's called for repeatedly legal action against people he declares enemies.
So what the problem for Fauci was that although he had a pardon from President Biden which covered everything that happened before Biden left
office, not that there was any suspicion of criminal activity, but because Fauci and the outgoing administration was worried that he could be
prosecuted by Trump nonetheless, what he was worried about was even though he had that pardon, he could be trapped into an inconsistency or saying
something that later didn't align with all the facts under oath. That would be perjury. And in that case, the Department of Justice could prosecute him
for lying to Congress.
So, he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights in order to not incriminate himself, which is a constitutional right. in the United States. The problem
with that now is that the committee led by Senator Rand Paul, who you saw there, has referred him to the Justice Department for contempt. And what
that could do is open a criminal investigation into his refusal to testify before Congress.
That is the legal jeopardy he's in now. During the Trump -- the Biden administration, we saw Several first-term Trump officials who also refused
to testify to Congress, mostly on the activity after the president refused to accept the result of the 2020 election, they refused to testify to
Congress and they were sent to jail for a number of months and up to a year.
So, this is a very dicey situation that Anthony Fauci, the 85-year-old former you know, most powerful health official probably in the modern
history of the United States now faces.
KINKADE: And so, of course, Stephen, critics say that this is more political than it is legal. Based on what we know, how much of this is
about establishing legal accountability versus sending a political message?
COLLINSON: So, you know, It shouldn't be beyond a former public official, especially when you're talking about something as serious as the pandemic,
to testify about what happened. There were real questions whether public officials had too much power. Did they not consider the effect of lockdowns
on people who were working in manual jobs and lost those jobs, on millions of kids that couldn't go to school.
[15:05:01]
And we're now beginning to see the impact on that in terms of their education and in their mental health.
So, I don't think the issue is it shouldn't be investigated and talked about. The problem is that this administration has this record of using the
Justice Department as a legal weapon against Trump's enemy. So, the atmosphere and the tone of any investigation is what is problematic.
And Fauci is seen by many Republicans as a convenient foil. He is very disliked as one of those Washington elites that the president ran against.
But let's remember, When the pandemic struck, President Trump was in office and Fauci was a mere advisor to President Trump. So a lot of the decisions
also really ought to come down to President Trump.
KINKADE: Yeah, you make a good point. Stephen Collinson, as always in D.C., thanks so much.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
KINKADE: Well, as Iran and Oman move closer to securing a deal on the Strait of Hormuz, the United States could be on the outside looking in.
Tehran is stressing an agreement between the coastal neighbors to establish a safe shipping route would not completely reopen the critical waterway.
Iran says Washington must meet additional conditions before that can happen.
And this comes as U.S. President Trump is disputing reports that the Pentagon is running low on munitions, insisting that the U.S. has massive
amounts of ordnance.
Kristen Holmes is at the White House following all the developments for us.
Good to see you, Kristen.
So I want to start first on the scrutiny around just how ready the U.S. military is, how much of you know weapons the US military currently has
because the defense secretaries come under a lot of scrutiny over those two issues, plus the reports that the number of women advancing into senior
military roles has declined to a two-decade low at the same time President Trump is coming out praising the defense secretary.
Just explain why. What do we know about that?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We know President Trump still stands behind Secretary Hegseth 100 percent. That's what we're
told from multiple sources inside of the White House. And that doesn't mean that he is not angry over what he is seeing, particularly in the news. One
of the things that has been largely driving his anger and again, this isn't towards Secretary Hegseth, but instead towards what he calls,
quote/unquote, "treasonous leakers" within the administration is the fact that these reports got out.
Now sources insist President Trump was very well aware of what the stockpile had in it. Of course, our reporting has shown that the U.S. has
depleted roughly 80 percent of its interceptors on a key missile defense program. But President Trump apparently, according to these sources,
already knew that what he's mad about is that this is now in the news and the part of that is all about his negotiations. He thinks that this makes
him a more weakened position or the United States in a more weakened position going into these negotiations at a critical time.
It also is likely tied to the fact that President Trump himself has used this idea of continuous military operations in Iran as kind of a threat
overhanging to keep bringing Iran back to the negotiating table, which obviously that would impact that threat if there are such low stockpiles of
munitions. But what I'm hearing from the administration right now is that he maintains his faith in Pete Hegseth that this is all about those
leakers.
And one thing to keep in mind here, Lynda, he is actually argued he's actually brought to his Justice Department and instructed them to try and
find out who is leaking these stories about the Iran war, in particular now about these low stockpiles. One of the things I was told by White House
officials is that they believe there is a contingency of people within the administration who don't like this war, who don't think the United States
should be a part of it, and so instead they are leaking information about the war.
KINKADE: Kristen Holmes, staying across the door outside the White House, thanks very much.
An Israeli official says the latest round of talks with Lebanese officials has concluded in Rome. The U.S. says the talks were productive. It comes as
Israel ramps up strikes on southern Lebanon, saying it's going after Hezbollah. Israel accuses Hezbollah of violating a tenuous ceasefire. It
reports two Israeli soldiers were killed by an explosive device Wednesday.
CNN's Nada Bashir has more on how the airstrikes in Lebanon are affecting civilians trying to rebuild.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Clearing the debris of a home now turned to rubble. The result of a months-long Israeli military assault
on southern Lebanon.
"When the shelling started, my family fled," Abughazaleh (ph) says. "And when I returned, everything was destroyed."
His family fled the village of Zawtar, which overlooks the Litani River, in February and have only now been able to return following the withdrawal of
Israeli forces. Inside what remains of their home, the remnants of this war lay scattered.
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"Israeli bullets," he tells us.
Walls completely blown out, bullet holes above where his grandchildren once slept.
"We want calm. We want security. We want a state," he says.
"We want to be protected by the military. We don't want to fight. But if Israel attacks us, we will attack them."
Abu Ali (ph) is far from alone, among the more than a million people displaced from their homes by the war in Lebanon.
Hisham Hashem (ph) says he and his family of four returned to their village as soon as the military gave them the all clear after months spent
sheltering in a school in Beirut.
"Take a look at this scene, the destruction. The Israelis were sleeping here in this room," Hisham (ph) says. "They even left behind their food and
water."
Through shattered glass and concrete, Hisham (ph) takes us to what was his children's bedroom.
"Out in the distance," he says, "Israeli tanks are still positioned. You can see them just a few hundred meters away," he says.
Across Zawtar, the scars of this deadly conflict remain. Homes left crumbling, neighborhoods deserted. This monastery, now bullet-ridden and
desecrated, the scale of the destruction here is reflected across southern Lebanon and the recovery process could take years.
While members of this community work to rebuild homes and restore critical infrastructure, some wounds are more difficult to heal. Many have lost
their livelihoods.
"Most of the residents here depend on agriculture. There was a harvest season right before the war started. People fled and left it behind," Abed
Ezzedin, the mayor of West Zawtar, says.
"I believe there is a big percentage of farms that are not fit for farming anymore due to shelling and airstrikes."
For many, this is not the first time they've been forced to flee their homes nor the first time they have returned to find utter destruction.
Locals here know just how fragile a ceasefire can be and how quickly everything can change.
And while some say they are putting their trust in the Lebanese army to protect them, others say they remain faithful in their support for another
military force, Hezbollah. The Iran-backed political and military group has long dominated in the south.
"I'm proud that my husband, a fighter who defended his land, was martyred in his village," Israa Srour (ph), a mother and now widow tells us. She and
her children fled the border village of Al-Haffah in October 2023.
Their community coming under intense Israeli bombardment after Hezbollah launched a series of attacks on Israel in solidarity with the people of
Gaza.
"War with Israel," she says, has impacted generations of her family. No stranger to Israeli occupations of the past.
"They killed my grandfather. My father was a prisoner of war," she says. "All my uncles were tortured. My entire village suffered."
Now Israa (ph) says she is determined to carry on the struggle.
"Eventually, we will return to our village and, if we don't, then our children will return. And if they don't, our grandchildren will".
Nada Bashir, CNN, in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, President Trump is using vulgar language to lash out at Michigan's new Democratic Senate nominee. Hours after Abdul El-Sayed's
primary win, the U.S. president accused him of being a, quote, "hater of Jews and a hater of Israel."
On Wednesday, El-Sayed reached out to Jewish voters, calling them his sisters and brothers and promising to commit to their safety.
The big challenge now for the 41-year-old candidate is to work on uniting the Democratic Party. Michigan is a must win for Democrats as they battle
to win a Senate majority. El-Sayed will be up against Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers this November.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins spoke with Abdul El-Sayed about his narrow primary win and how he plans to ensure a victory in November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: We don't need worry. We need work. You know, we took on $70 million of outside spending and 11 to 1
funding gap -- spending gap on the airwaves, and we took it on because we did the work, 12,000 people knocking nearly 10,000 doors a day. We started
this campaign 15 months ago, having conversations in rooms of five or 50 people at a time.
And so, that's how we're going to beat Mike Rogers, the old-fashioned way, brick by brick. So, if you're worried right now, get to work. That's the
work that we need to do, and I can tell you on our campaign, we're going to be out there knocking doors, having those conversations that are what our
democracy is about. But worrying, and Democrats worrying, is not going to solve the problem.
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You heard Donald Trump at the top of this show. This is a guy who can't even focus on our affordability. He's more interested in saying my name in
an interesting way or calling me a lovely gentleman. then he is interested in actually solving our problems. We have to stand up to that, which means
let's go get to work.
Let's go talk to our fellow Michiganders about who we are and who we want to be and what it takes to take on the most corrupt president in American
history and his lackey who licks every boot he possibly can of that man, Mike Rogers.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST, "THE SOURCE": Well, I mean, in addition to work, a lot of money is probably going to be spent here. And you were
really critical of outside spending in the primary, especially from AIPAC. You have pledged not to take a dime of corporate money in your race.
Is that still your position tonight?
EL-SAYED: It is still my position. It is, has been, and always will be.
COLLINS: But will you need help from National Democrats? I mean, will you welcome outside spending as if there's going to be a ton of money being
spent on Mike Rogers? Do you also want a ton of money being spent from National Democrats on your race?
EL-SAYED: Look, I wish we lived in a world where there was less outside spending generally. I wish we lived in a world where corporations could not
spend on campaigns. I wish we lived in a world where there were no super PACs or 501c4s. But if unions want to spend to uphold union rights, if the
Working Families Party wants to spend to get healthcare passed, if the National Nurses United or the Medicare for All PAC wants to spend to push
back on the power of big pharma, I think it's important for us to make sure that we are fighting fire with fire.
But those are different things. If you're a corporation trying to corrupt a politician, just like Mike Rogers has been corrupted by the pharmaceutical
industry -- yeah, I think nurses coming in and saying, hey, we're going to bring some funds to help a candidate who wants to stand up to that
industry, that makes sense. But I think we'd all rather live in a world where outside spending was not a thing.
And look, the minute I hit the US Senate, I am working toward that world. I want to end Citizens United. I want to ban super PACs and 501c4s and all of
this dark money infrastructure that has allowed corporations and special interests to corrupt our politics.
COLLINS: Can you clarify for us what your position is on funding for Israel if you do become a U.S. senator? Are you opposed to all funding for
Israel, period, military funding?
EL-SAYED: I'm opposed to unconditional military aid for any country. That is Israel, yes, but that's also Egypt, where my family immigrated from.
That's Pakistan, that's Saudi Arabia, that's UAE.
And that's not because of a focus on what's happening anywhere except for a focus on what's happening here. We've got communities in my state where the
median income is $14,000, and I believe they have a right to their tax dollars. I also believe in international law and upholding international
law, and there are Leahy laws against dealing arms to countries who are engaged in human rights abuses, and I don't want to fund a foreign military
that does genocide, apartheid, or has taken us to a war we don't need to fight.
I believe in equal rights to peace, dignity, and self-determination for Jewish Israelis and Palestinians alike. I believe our responsibility,
though, more than anything else, is to use our tax money here in Michigan to provide healthcare in Michigan, in schools in Michigan, and roads in
Michigan, rather than to send it to a foreign government that might use it in the form of bombs and tanks to destroy infrastructure and schools and
hospitals there.
COLLINS: You know one thing during the campaign that we saw people in your in your state talk about the Attorney General Dana Nessel, she's Jewish,
she said she's not going to go to the Democratic Party's nominating convention that's happening this month in your state. She says she doesn't
feel safe there.
You earlier today in your acceptance speech when you got the nomination said that you want to work to protect Jewish Americans, to make them feel
safe. How do you plan to do that? What does that look like for you personally
EL-SAYED: Well, I happen to remember the nominating convention in 2018 when then Attorney General nominee Dana Nessel asks me asked me to read her
nomination officially in to the books. So, she felt perfectly safe with us there.
I think it's important that all of us feel safe and Jewish safety to me is a priority, just like the safety of my own daughters. But I do think it's
important for us to differentiate between safety and between our different political positions about the interests of a foreign government. And I do
think that it's unfortunate when people mix those issues.
I've been very, very clear. Jewish people and Judaism are a light onto the world. I'm deeply grateful for them, and I will always stand with the
Jewish people against any anti-Semitism in any type, just like I understand the experience of being discriminated against for how I pray. I don't want
anybody discriminated against for how they pray.
But that's not the same as AIPAC or Israel. And I think there is a challenge when folks try to use the specter of anti-Semitism to extend
toward protecting a foreign government against criticism, and I think that's the place that the attorney general and I might disagree. I'd be
happy to have that conversation with her.
But up until recently, we've had a great relationship, and I was honored that she invited me to read her nomination back in 2018 where I would think
that she probably felt safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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KINKADE: We continue tracking breaking news.
U.S. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell says he's been discharged from a rehab center and will continue to recover at home. The 84-year-old has been
largely away from the public view after suffering a fall. He's faced growing pressure to prove his fitness to serve. In a statement, McConnell
says he will maintain a, quote, "intensive regime of physical therapy and will continue to engage with staff on important Senate business". There's
no word from McConnell on when he will actually return to Congress.
In Greece, a 26-year-old Afghan man accused of killing a Scottish aid worker has appeared in court. The suspect, who cannot be named under Greek
law, is reportedly a boxer who competed in Greece. He was arrested Sunday, charged with the murder of 38-year-old Elizabeth Ross in Athens. Her body
was found in a suitcase at an abandoned construction site on July 18. The suspect denies killing her.
Let's go to journalist Elinda Labropoulou, who's joining us from Parga, Greece.
Good to have you with us, Elinda.
This is an absolutely horrific case for our Elisabeth Ross family. Just what was significant that came out of today's court hearing? What led the
judge to order that the suspect remains in custody pending trial?
ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: Well, let's go through the facts first because as you say, it really is a horrific story. It's also a very unusual
story because as you can understand, it involves a suitcase in the middle of Athens. This construction site was in a very central location in Athens
and was found in the middle of the summer containing a person on top of that. And then the news broke that this was an aid worker, that it was a
foreign national, a British aid worker, Elisabeth Ross.
So, police in Interpol got on the case and more information started emerging. Some of the most significant facts are that the phone of the
woman continued to work for days it seems after her death, so it only stopped when her when her body was found. And it contained messages sent to
friends and family saying that she needed time for herself, she needed to be away from people, so basically pushing people back so her death remains
unknown.
Also, money was being drawn from her bank account. And police told us that the amount that was drawn was about 10,000 euros until, again, the murder
was discovered.
Police started an investigation. CCTV footage emerged showing a man wheeling a large suitcase in the area. It is a man who was then identified
as the suspect, the Afghan 26-year-old. And the other lead that police got was man's wife, who went to police and actually testified, saying, well, on
the night of the 15th, her husband was missing from home. And they have a tracker app. And the tracker app showed that he was in the flat of this
woman, the aid worker that was then found dead.
In the beginning, she did not confront him, but started thinking about it once they found the body. This was a person that was known to both of them.
It was another aid worker, and all of them had worked together in the past. So, this led to the man's arrest on Sunday and to where we are today. The
man is now pending trial.
KINKADE: All right. We will continue to follow this story. Elinda Labropoulou, thanks very much.
Well, still to come, heightens cybersecurity concerns after yet another tech giant admits that its A.I. agents hacked into another company system.
We'll have a live report next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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KINKADE: Well, now it's Meta's turn to see its A.I. agents hack into another company's systems during cybersecurity testing. Meta admits that
the breach happened because of an error made by the independent testing company that it used. And that follows similar incidents involving OpenAI
and Anthropic. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram says it's investigating the incident.
Hadas Gold is standing by for us with all of this.
So good to see you, Hadas.
So, another day, another rogue A.I. hack. Are we seeing a pattern that emerge in these testings into how these advanced A.I. systems behave during
cybersecurity tests?
HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the pattern that we're seeing is that it seems as though a lot of these testing environments that these
models are being evaluated in are not secure enough for the -- how advanced these models are, that these models have become so good at finding exploits
because all they want to do these models is complete the task at hand. And especially when you lower the internal guardrail, security guardrail,
safety guardrails in order to test their capabilities, they're not going to have the same sort of, it's hard to give, you know, an A.I. moral and
ethics, but the same sort of like morality and ethics that they might normally have in a regular environment.
So, if that means getting out and hacking something else in order to get the job done, that's what they will do. And so, there's a big push now and
a big recognition that the current way that A.I. labs were testing their models needs to be completely reformed. That the models from just 12 months
ago that were not able to break out of these environments, were not able to exploit any sort of hole in these environments, that those can't stand the
way that they are.
And that's what happened right with the regular regulars that third party testing company that Meta used. Anthropic also used them and Anthropic also
disclosed last week that it was through a misconfiguration with irregular that allowed some of their models to hack into other companies' systems
because they were given access to the open Internet through a misconfiguration in irregulars product.
So, it's just that these models are getting so good at what they're doing really there needs to be an overhaul of how they are tested to keep
everything as secure as possible. Because as of right now, in these multiple incidents we've seen, it's just been some companies that have had
their databases hacked. A lot of times these A.I.s are being evaluated on a test and they're just looking for the answer key.
But at some point, there's going to be some sort of real harm in a way that can affect regular people as a result of one of these A.I. models just
being tested that goes rogue and would cause some real chaos in the future.
KINKADE: Yeah, certainly a huge concern.
Hadas Gold, stay across it for us. We'll talk again soon. Thank you.
Well, still to come, the number of data centers in the U.S. is expected to double next year, but not everyone is happy. We'll take a look at the
movement to stop or block these new centers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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KINKADE: U.S. President Donald Trump is frustrated at reports the U.S. is running out of missiles in its war with Iran. He posted on social media
saying the U.S. has massive amounts of munitions, despite numerous reports that U.S. stockpiles are dwindling.
He added that U.S. defense contractors are producing even more weapons every day. Senior U.S. officials say the president is worried about the
leaks, about the declining military stockpiles, and how it could hurt negotiations with Iran to end the conflict.
So, what we want to know is do reports of munitions weaken Donald Trump in Iran talks?
Joining me now is retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.
Good to see you.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to be with you, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, Colonel, I want to ask you about the growing debate over the state of U.S. munitions stockpiles, especially the key munitions that have
been drawn down that could potentially affect military options and leverage in the Iran war. What is the clearest picture you have right now about
where US reserves stand.
LEIGHTON: Yeah, so that's a great question, Lynda. I think the biggest issue is with our defensive weapons. So what that would mean would be the
Patriot missile systems, for example, and the PAC-3 and PAC-6 missiles that are associated with that. Other missiles also include the THAAD system,
which is the terminal high altitude area defense system. So both of these missiles are designed to be defensive weapons.
What they do is they end up protecting installations such as air bases, army posts, and shipping areas. So, they can be used for those defensive
operations and have been highly effective at intercepting most missiles that the Iranians have in their inventory. And the same can be said, at
least for the Patriots, when it comes to Ukraine and the missiles that are used there, the Russian missiles that are used to attack Ukraine. When
Ukraine doesn't have the defensive missiles, we see the results in Kyiv, for example.
So, when we switch back to Iran and the U.S. concern, the president's concern about this situation, it is certainly warranted that we pay
attention to the shortage of defensive systems. Now, it's a little bit different when you're looking at offensive systems, things like the JASSM
or JASM system, which is an air-to-surface missile system used by aircraft to hit targets on the ground. There is basically an abundant supply of
those offensive weapons, but a much less of an abundant supply, actually a shortage, when it comes to the defensive systems.
KINKADE: So, Colonel, how do adversaries calculate these things? Does Iran gain leverage if it believes that the U.S. is trying to avoid further
military action over concerns about the lack of munitions when it comes to defensive weapons?
LEIGHTON: Yeah, I think they can gain some leverage using that kind of information. And if they think that it's true, then the Iranians are more
likely to try to extract concessions from the U.S. and they're more likely to be more aggressive when it comes to the negotiations, because they
realize that, first of all, the U.S. is very reluctant to engage in a ground war against Iran. They think that's pretty much off the table from a
U.S. military operations standpoint.
The other thing that they're looking at is how likely is it that the U.S. is going to have the staying power to stay in the region, especially at
this level of engagement with the Iranians. And that really reflects on the capabilities that are inherent with geography. The U.S. can bring a lot to
bear in almost any part of the world. However, the staying power, of course, is dependent on supply chains, availability of munitions, and
basically the willingness of the political leadership to stay in an area for a length of time, provided they, of course, have the weapons and the
technical means to stay there.
So, if those weapons are in short supply, and if the same power isn't there from either a political standpoint or an operational standpoint, then the
Iranians are going to come to the conclusion that they can outmaneuver the U.S. at the negotiating table. And frankly speaking, wars are usually won
at the negotiating table. It helps to win them on the battlefield, but they're definitely won on the negotiating table, and that of course makes a
big difference here.
KINKADE: And, Colonel, the Pentagon is working to expand weapons production. How long realistically does it take to rebuild these depleted
stockpiles?
LEIGHTON: Yes. So, when it comes to weapon systems like the Patriot missile, for example, you're talking somewhere in the latter part of 2029,
mid to late 2029, for that stockpile to begin to be replenished. And by replenished, we mean at the same level, over 2,000 missiles that would be
in the arsenal, that would be the same level that we had at the start of the Iran war.
So, if you want to expand that, of course, then the date extended out further but generally speaking between 2029 and 2031 is how long it would
take to replenish the kinds of defensive weapon systems like the Patriot, like the THAAD system and that is why there's concern because if you don't
have the defensive weapons, it's very hard to conduct offensive operations with any degree of safety for the troops involved.
KINKADE: Exactly.
Colonel Cedric Leighton, great to get your analysis as always. Thanks very much.
LEIGHTON: You bet, Lynda. Thank you so much for having me.
KINKADE: Well, it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street and stocks are falling. The Dow's winning streak looks like it is coming to an end.
It's currently down triple digits.
This is our Business Breakout.
The British government has cleared Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN. The government says Paramount has
made assurances about editorial independence in use. The deal still needs to clear an antitrust complaint in the U.S. with a trial set for March of
next year.
Hundreds of Boeing 737 Max jets will be inspected for possible cracks amid warnings about their structural integrity. The Federal Aviation
Administration ordered the inspections after cracks were found around a surface door on some planes. The planes haven't been grounded as a result
of the directive, which takes effect on September 10th.
U.S. mortgage rates have hit a new high for the year, getting closer to 7 percent.
[15:40:03]
Rising inflation has made an interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve more likely. That in turn has set mortgage rates higher. Despite the recent
slowdown in the housing market, prices are still climbing nationally.
The battle over data centers remains a divisive issue for many here in the U.S. According to a recent Gallup poll, 71 percent of Americans oppose data
centers being built. Recently, several counties and states have also proposed or passed laws to ban them.
Let's bring in our David Goldman for more on all of this.
David, good to see you.
So, we are seeing this growing anger in communities, not just here in the U.S. but around the world against these data centers. What specifically is
driving the backlash? Is it electricity prices, water usage at the location of these centers, or who's bearing the cost?
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, try all of the above, Lynda. I think all of those are huge factors. And don't forget NIMBYism,
right? I don't want that data center to be in my backyard. All of these are important factors.
But despite all of that, the thing is, these things aren't getting billed at the speed that a lot of people might expect, because we are seeing
delays on this unbelievable order of magnitude where only 50 percent of planned data centers that are supposed to be built in the next two years
are going to meet their deadline, according to Goldman Sachs, and it gets worse than that. Sixty percent of data centers that are scheduled to go
online next year. Well, they haven't begun construction and of the ones that have begun construction, there are significant delays, around seven
percent of them have stopped work. So, you get a sense for how significant some of these delays are.
Now, there are plenty of data centers here in the United States, 5,400 of them. Remember, you know, it's not just A.I., your e-mail, your social
media apps. All of those are powered today by data centers, but they want to do so much more with this because of A.I. In fact, they want 4,000 new
data centers. That is what the tech industry has planned in this country.
But take a look at this. Only 802 of them are under active construction, so there's a big divide between what has actually been planned and what is
actually getting built. And the reasons for that are numerous. But if you can't get the chips and the materials, well, how do you build a data
center? If you can't get the power-- this is a huge one, they are big power drains. Well, how do you build a data center?
If you can't, get the labor. We all know that immigration policy has restricted the number of construction workers in this country. How do you
build a data center? And if people don't want it, that is creating, as you said at the top, some significant opposition and hurdles to building these
things.
Now, the companies want 11 times the amount of power. We're at 50 gigawatts right now. We think it's going to be probably closer to 180. But the thing
is, these cost a tremendous amount of money, $8 billion per data center.
So, this is just another hurdle that A.I. companies need to clear when they're building these things.
KINKADE: Huge costs.
David Goldman, good to have you breaking it down for us. Thank you.
GOLDMAN: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still to come, FIFA backs their man, but Europe's governing body is not impressed. We'll have a live report next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:46:58]
KINKADE: Well, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is clinging onto his job at the top of world football, but Europe is not happy about it. Top FIFA
officials backed Infantino at a crisis meeting in Morocco yesterday. But UEFA, Europe's football governing body, is not convinced renewing calls for
him to step down.
Now, even though Infantino backed down for a proposal to sell off commercial and operational rights to the World Cup, he is seeking another
term in March.
Our Don Riddell joins us for more on this live in Atlanta.
Good to see you, Don.
So, despite the backlash, FIFA's leadership has publicly backed Infantino. Does that mean his position is secure or has this controversy certainly
weakened him leading up to the next election?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: I mean, that remains to be seen, Lynda, but it certainly seems that his position has been weakened because UEFA
actually hold quite a lot of cards and they have come out today issuing a pretty swift statement to say that their position hasn't changed.
Now they were calling for a couple of things, one of which was that FIFA scrapped the plans. They did. But the second was that they wanted
assurances to be made, that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way could never be made again.
And UEFA has made it pretty clear that Infantino is the problem. I don't think we've made it up on the graphic, but they went on to say UEFA has
made it abundantly clear in its statement Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's presidency. That position holds.
Now, a lot of people think that FIFA is perhaps only about the big World Cup and the Women's World Cup, but they run a lot of other tournaments, and
three of them are coming up in the next few months, quite literally next month in Poland. We've got the under-20 Women's World Cup tournament. Six
of the teams in that are European, including obviously the host Poland. England have already named their squad for that tournament.
So, if UEFA are true to their word and that they are going to boycott these FIFA tournaments, well, we're going to find out pretty soon if that is
going to happen. And if they do that, then that seriously undermines Infantino's position.
But I feel as though the ball keeps being put back into the other party's court, and I suppose it's now UEFA's ball to play. Are they going to be as
good as they would and boycott these FIFA tournaments? We'll soon find out. But as far as Infantino is concerned, he will think that he is now safe
until the election in March, which, by the way, he was pretty much a shoe- in to win that election before all of this exploded in the last couple of weeks. The landscape is now rather different.
KINKADE: Yeah, it certainly is. What a difference a couple of weeks have made.
Don Ridell, good to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, still to come, constant heat waves have made the U.K. incredibly hot this summer, but is it ever acceptable to wear shorts to work? We'll have
our own fashion investigation with Anna Stewart, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:52:35]
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Much of Europe has been suffering through some brutally hot weather this summer. And the U.K. is expected to see a return to daytime highs in the
90s Fahrenheit or 30 degrees Celsius next week. And that's raising the question, is it appropriate to wear shorts to the office?
Our Anna Stewart hit the streets of London to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some things got the city hot and bothered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel strongly that that should be allowed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That feels a bit odd.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A bit unprofessional.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
STEWART: Yeah?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, why not?
STEWART (voice-over): In a heatwave, is it appropriate to wear shorts in the office? There's one way to find out.
Welcome to the CNN catwalk, where the commuters are the models and the judging is ruthless.
STEWART: Tailored shorts, I think this works for the office.
DANIEL JOHNSON, PERSONAL STYLIST: We're going to disagree all day.
STEWART (voice-over): Daniel Johnson is a stylist specializing in menswear.
Next up, we have Hayden. Thankfully, only sightseeing today.
JOHNSON: A little too short for the office.
STEWART: Not for the office.
STEWART (voice-over): Hubert gets a big thumbs up for his Gordon Gekko style, but is he suffering in trousers and socks?
STEWART: Hubert says he is too hot.
JOHNSON: It's going to be the curse for anyone in this heat, is it not?
STEWART: But you'd rather he suffered.
STEWART (voice-over): For this stylist, the rules are quite simple.
JOHNSON: No shorts whatsoever.
STEWART: What if they're tailored?
JOHNSON: Not even for tailored, I'm afraid. Legs are not for the office.
STEWART: Okay, how about should you show your toes?
JOHNSON: Not at all.
STEWART: Never show your toes?
STEWART (voice-over): Fashion is subjective, and on London's famous Savile Row, hemlines are rising.
DOMINIC GARNER, STORE MANAGER, CAD & THE DANDY: Something like this, this is sort of a mid-thigh kind of short, slightly higher waisted with a pleat.
STEWART (voice-over): At Cad & The Dandy, short sales are up 200 percent compared to last year.
STEWART: Does it matter how short the shorts are in terms of the workplace?
GARNER: I think so, yes. I think there comes a point you don't want something that looks like, you know, your dad would wear, you know, on a
weekend sort of below the knee, but at the same time, too short is too short.
STEWART: What are the rules for women?
GARNER: I think the general sort of rule of thumb is something elegant, something discreet, something tailored. I'd say as much so for women as for
men, something that doesn't come up too, too high in the leg.
STEWART (voice-over): But even here, a line is drawn for feet.
[15:55:02]
STEWART: Should you ever show your toes?
GARNER: I'd probably say no.
STEWART: Well, the verdict is in. It is a yes for tailored shorts, but noes for toes. With temperatures like these, more and more city workers are
taking short positions.
Anna Stewart, CNN, Savile Row, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Anna.
Well, finally tonight for a 97-year-old British woman, the sky's the limit. Betty Bromage has just set her second world record as the oldest female
wing walker. She took to the skies again on Tuesday, breaking the last record she set nearly four years ago. And if the record wasn't remarkable
enough, Becky recovered from a stroke in 2025 and used this fight to raise funds for the unit that treated her. Incredible.
I'm Lynda Kinkade. That is WHAT WE KNOW. Stay with CNN. We're going to have much more after the break.
END
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