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What We Know with Max Foster

AFD Secures Historic Win In Germany State Of Saxony-Anhalt; Amazon Cargo Plane Overshoots Runway, Kills Five People; Chinese Officials Give CNN Tour Of Flood-Hit Border; Hawaii Braces For Hurricane Lowell; Senator Fetterman Hits Back At Criticism From Former Aides; King Charles Lays Out Royal Protocol For Harry & Meghan. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired September 07, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:36]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: An historic win for the far right in Germany.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

It's the closest a far-right party has come to governing a German state since World War II. And we begin with the election, what Chancellor

Friedrich Merz says has left him deeply shocked.

The Alternative for Germany Party is celebrating winning 44 percent of the vote in Sunday's election in Saxony-Anhalt. The anti-immigrant, pro-Russia

party lacks an absolute majority, meaning it has to enter a coalition, find a partner, or try to rule from a minority position. Still, the AFD says

it's been given a mandate and will not compromise its far-right values.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ULRICH SIEGMUND, AFD LEAD CANDIDATE IN SAXONY-ANHALT: 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 emphasize 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)

FOSTER: Let's join Fred Pleitgen then. He's in Berlin.

I mean, one of the memorable moments was that speech, wasn't it, getting the reaction from the chancellor today.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely. Frederick Merz seemed devastated by the vote that took place

there in Saxony-Anhalt. One of the things that we have to keep in mind, Max, is that before this election took place, it already seemed pretty

clear that the AFD, the Alternative for Germany, was going to take first place, was going to win a victory in that election. But certainly the

results of the Christian Democratic Union of Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, were much worse than anybody expected, certainly much worse

than he expected.

They were expecting around 23 percent. They ended up with less than 18 percent of the vote. And Friedrich Merz went out today in front of the

press, and there he said that he was devastated by these results, that this would be a sea change, that things couldn't continue the way that they were

because one of the things that also seemed pretty clear after that vote took place is that a lot of the reasons why the CDU did as badly as they

did was because of the policies of the German chancellor and his unlikability among many voters.

Now, he said things need to change. He didn't exactly make clear how. He said he would continue the current reform course. He said that he would be

steadfast in that.

He also said that support for Ukraine would continue as well. But how exactly Friedrich Merz wants to get his political party and the governing

coalition out of that low that they're in right now, especially after this election loss, they're in that state of Saxony-Anhalt, that's something

that remains unclear tonight as well, Max.

FOSTER: I know that other parties had refused to work with the AFD if ever they got into a position of power, but they have actually found a potential

partner, haven't they, and from the left, of all places?

PLEITGEN: Yeah, pretty much all other parties have said that they're not going to work with the AFD in general. They call that the firewall, or in

German, the Brandmauer. However, there seems to be one political party called the BSW, which stands for the Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht, which was

founded by one of the former leaders of the leftist party and actually started out, you're absolutely right, as a leftist movement in Germany,

especially strong in Eastern Germany. However, since then, they've altered some of their positions to be almost identical to those of the AFD as far

Being tougher on migration, for instance, is concerned. They're also very pro-Russia and also want to cut off aid to Ukraine.

It's very much unclear, though, Max, whether or not such a coalition will actually come together. The AFD, certainly, and that gentleman that you

showed there before, Ulrich Siegbund, who is the candidate of the AFD, who won that election, very much lukewarm to that idea. Even though they do say

that they are willing to listen to everybody, they think they might have that -- a few defections from Friedrich Merz's party to be able to possibly

form a government.

However, that's a process that's going to take place now. In the end, there could be snap elections once again, but certainly, as of tonight, as of

right now, even the CDU of Friedrich Merz acknowledges that the AFD has won that election and it is up to them to now try and form a government in that

state, Max.

[15:05:05]

FOSTER: Okay. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much for that update.

We're also expecting another update on another story. We expect new details on Sunday's Amazon cargo plane crash from the National Transportation and

Safety Board. It'll be the first time the organization will discuss the crash, which has claimed five lives. It happened in Miami when the plane

overran the runway and then crossed a road, then hit multiple vehicles in a parking lot. Five others were also injured.

We now have audio from the first moments of the crash as well when the plane caught on fire. Here's the recording from the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys, the plane's on fire. Plane's on fire. Put your game faces on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This aircraft overrun the runway. It crossed 67th Avenue. It struck a truck. We do have a patient on the ground. We're

looking at serving the area for more patients.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN aviation analyst Peter Goelz joins us now. He's formerly the managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Obviously, a big investigation underway. We're expecting to hear some details. I mean, what did you see when you saw the video of the plane

coming in? Because it seems to be a bit of a mystery right now. What happened?

PETER GOELZ, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: It is a bit of a mystery, but there are a lot of very intriguing clues. For example, Pete Muntean of CNN charted

that the approach pattern of the 767 appeared to be very unstable as it was coming in for a landing, indicating either that the crew was having

difficulty acquiring the electronic aids to land or that there was weather going on. Secondly, there's a videotape showing the plane on landing, and

it was really not in an appropriate landing configuration.

And that could be, there could have been a shift in wind to a tailwind. There could have been a gust of wind that blew them off course. It was a

very disturbing sequence of events, but the NTSB has got the evidence. They will be able to interpret it, and they'll get to this to a explanation, I

think fairly quickly.

FOSTER: We didn't have reporting from the cockpit, though, did we? As they came into land, they didn't report any problems. So, it was something that

happened last minute, do you think? I think a lot of people recognize how a plane lands normally with a tip coming up and getting the bat wheels onto

the runway, and that didn't happen.

GOELZ: Yeah, but pilots are often reluctant to report issues over the live wires. The cockpit voice recorder will have everything that was said in the

cockpit leading up to the accident. It's probably at least a two-hour recording. So, if they were having difficulty on their approach, if they

were what they call behind the plane, investigators will know.

And their hands might have been full. The first thing you do try and fly the aircraft. Communication is second.

FOSTER: We believe, I mean, there's video showing the pilots got out alive, so obviously a horrible number of dead and injured after this.

Presumably, these cargo planes wouldn't have many staff on board and the casualties are most likely on the ground. Is that what you'd say?

GOELZ: Yes, I think the casualties were and the fatalities were all on the ground.

And a major question that's going to be raised is why there wasn't an arresting system at the end of this 9,000-plus foot runway, which would

have prevented the aircraft from crossing that very heavily traveled street four lane highway. The arresting systems are located in virtually 120, 130

major airports across the United States, and they've saved upwards of 500 lives from overruns very similar to this. And there'll be -- there'll be a

real examination of whether that kind of system should have been in place.

FOSTER: Yeah, well, we should get that in about an hour or so.

Peter, thank you for joining us, and we'll bring the results to that --

GOELZ: Thank you.

FOSTER: -- as soon as we get them.

Now, the death toll from the devastating floods in Nepal has risen to more than 1,300 people now. Chinese officials have allowed CNN to get a first-

hand view of the disaster zone on the China-Nepal border in Tibet.

[15:10:02]

This is a rare government-organized reporting trip, as CNN maintains full editorial control of our coverage.

Here's Simone McCarthy with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR CHINA REPORTER (voice-over): This was Gyirong Port, the main gate, the immigration halls, customs, the parking lots where

buses waited, the last man-made structure pilgrims, tourists, and traders walked through before crossing between Nepal and China. That building,

bridge, road are gone.

MCCARTHY: 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

26 when devastating floods and landslide hit the China-Nepal border.

I'm standing now in the area where that building was. You would never know that there had been anything here at all. It's just completely flattened.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): What is left is an apocalyptic field of mud so deep that in places machines are cutting through about 12 feet of it. The first

teams did not arrive by road, they climbed, got on rubber boats and helicopters because the highway had been torn out.

ZHANG XIAOJUN, CHINESE RESCUE TEAM LEADER (through translator): All of the structures above ground had been swept away by the mudslide. It was really

heartbreaking to see. So many of our fellow Chinese lost their precious lives in this disaster.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): Zhang also says, at this stage, they are clearing mud layer by layer, searching for the deceased. There are no signs of life

nearly two weeks in.

Chinese authorities have confirmed dozens of deaths on this side of the border in Tibet, but what the world can see of this loss is tightly

managed.

MCCARTHY: This is the first time that foreign media is getting access into this area where CNN is part of a small group of foreign reporters who have

been given access to this site, the first time that foreign media have been allowed entry here, but certainly this is a place where there are many

questions about who is here many families seeking more answers.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): Like Arushi Gupta's family in India. Those were her last messages to her father less than an hour before the flood struck.

The 33-year-old even included a picture of the Gyirong Port crossing as she approached the port.

This is her father's message to Chinese authorities.

AJAY GUPTA, DAUGHTER ARUSHI GUPTA MISSING SINCE FLOOD: My request to them with folded hand is, please provide any information you have about my

daughter. I shall be grateful to you. I am requesting China authority to please share any details they have.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): More than 500 people remain missing on China's side of the border, roughly half of them foreign nationals.

MCCARTHY: There are many foreign nationals --

MCCARTHY (voice-over): When asked about the government's plans on releasing data about those who are at the port that fateful day, Chinese

officials say information about missing foreign nationals has been shared with their embassies.

PU WEIDONG, PUBLIC SECURITY DEPARTMENT OF THE TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION (through translator): After the identities of the victims' remains are

confirmed, the relevant departments will properly hand over the remains and belongings to the families.

The specific procedures for claiming and handling will be carried out in strict accordance with relevant regulations.

MCCARTHY (voice-over): And so the search continues, but the answers may never come.

Simone McCarthy, CNN, Gyirong Port.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Hurricane Lowell's forecast path has shifted closer to Hawaii, increasing its danger towards 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 as well.

Let's bring in meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, check this out, Max. This is coming from the Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. This is the hurricane

hunters. And this is a group of individuals who fly into the middle of hurricanes here across North America. They gather very critical information

and right now their data counts more than any because it is helping us fine tune exactly where this forecast path will be. You talked about it because

it is shifted a further and further east and that puts more population, more islands at risk for impacts, whether direct or indirect from tropical

storm or hurricane conditions.

This is the latest update we have and that shading of blue. That's a -- that's a tropical storm warning. That's the island of Oahu. Many of our

international viewers may be familiar with this area. Maybe you traveled to Honolulu.

Beautiful area to the West of that that is Kauai County and that's under a hurricane warning. That wasn't like that 24 hours ago. That's because we've

seen this nudge eastward, and this is really a game of miles because that forecast path nudges further eastward, we continue to see more impacts for

populated areas.

[15:15:06]

That's what it looks like on the ground. This is the satellite imagery and what we've seen from the reconnaissance aircrafts that are flying in there

is that some of the strongest winds around that southeastern periphery of the eye. So, if it gets close enough to western sections of Kauai, we could

be in for a bit of trouble with this system. Regardless, it will be an impactful storm.

We're seeing an increase in the probabilities of tropical storm conditions. across Oahu, including Honolulu, but certainly across Kauai Island where we

anticipate tropical storm force winds, if not hurricane force and the high altitude will also play a role in that as well. The rain already reaching

the radar here.

The storm is on a weakening trend, but nonetheless, it's going to pass so close that it will still be affordable category two equivalent storm and

the wind radii. This is the wind radius of the storm is actually ballooning in size. This is typical with a weakening hurricane and a hurricane that is

traveling northward towards the poles. It is extending out about 175 miles out from the center of the storm, so that puts tropical storm force

conditions really across much of Kauai and into Oahu. But hurricane force winds knocking on the doorstep.

So, when will the conditions be its worst tonight? Really local time. That's when we expect conditions to really be at its worst with hurricane

force gusts. And certainly, these heavy torrential downpours.

This is the other big concern, Max, is that when we start totaling rainfall over 16 inches, that's roughly a foot to a foot and a half of rain. That

means we're going to have flash flooding. We're going to have mud slides. Remember from Hurricane Lala, we covered that about three weeks ago. That

was really devastating for parts of the Big Island.

Not to mention, because of the trajectory here coming in from the south, it's got a lot of energy to work with from the Pacific Ocean. So, swells

here will be upwards of two to three stories high. So coastal inundation, depending on the timing of when high tide will actually occur. If that

coincides at the same time, we could get two to four feet of water in what is normally low-lying dry areas.

So, you can imagine people who live near the coastline are really wrapping up their final preparations here, Max.

FOSTER: Yeah, our thoughts with them.

Derek, thank you so much for that.

Coming up, Prince Harry may be back in the UK, but King Charles wants him to know that nothing has changed in terms of his position. The king has

sent a royal reminder to the Duke of Sussex's team and members of government about how things are going to go now that he's back home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:40]

FOSTER: A U.S. senator is blasting former aides who leaked information about his conduct to "The Wall Street Journal". Senator John Fetterman told

CNN disgruntled former staffers were trying to smear his reputation with lies and half-truths. The aides say Fetterman was indifferent to

constituents and often skipped meetings or congressional hearings. They shared text messages with the Journal in an effort to prove their claims.

Fetterman has been one of the most controversial members of the Senate later -- lately, far more likely to back the Trump administration than any

of his Democratic colleagues.

Our Annie Grayer is tracking this story.

Obviously, fascinating to see the behind the scenes, but how much can we trust what these former aides were saying?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Max Fetterman is blasting these former aides, pushing back on all of the allegations and text messages that

these former aides provided to "The Wall Street Journal". And in his statement that he provided exclusively to CNN, he takes each instance line

by line.

So, to start with the first encounter in "The Wall Street Journal" reporting where age shared a text conversation where they were trying to

get Fetterman to meet with officials from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Fetterman was pushing back on why he had to do that

meeting, the aide said that they were concerned about Medicaid cuts and Fetterman quipped back saying, I'm not.

And in a statement to CNN following this reporting, Fetterman said that he was making a bad joke that he apologizes for, but said that he has a

working relationship with this hospital and pointed to other examples on social media where he's met with representatives of that hospital

separately.

In a second instance that Fetterman is responding to, there's a text conversation between Fetterman and aides about whether he would go to a

funeral for three police officers who were killed in his state. And Fetterman was pushing back on the length of the funeral when he was told

that it would be three hours. As you can see there, he has two question marks in response to his aide there.

And in response to this conversation being revealed from "The Wall Street Journal", Fetterman told CNN that this was taken out of context and that he

has sent flowers to those families, he visited with those families. He met with the police chief of those police officers and that he was there to

support those police officers in other ways.

And a third example that "The Wall Street Journal" has is when Fetterman did not attend a meeting with disabled veterans from his district, but

instead came into the office later to appear just in time for a Fox News interview. And Fetterman said that in his statement to CNN that he was

throwing up at the time of the interview, and that's why he was unable to attend that meeting veterans in his office, but he felt better by the time

the interview was scheduled with Fox News.

So, in general, Fetterman is pushing back sort of line by line here and he says, quote, "Per usual, lies, half truths, innuendos, smears, and

anonymous." Fetterman said, later adding, "No matter how many smears or stories, I'm proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania."

But these former staffers, Max, say that they have more anecdotes and text messages to share. They've created an account on X where they plan to be

potentially revealing more information. And what Fetterman is pushing back to is in plain writing here in these text messages.

So, a lot of controversy surrounding Fetterman. He's not unfamiliar with disgruntled former employees who are having issues with their boss. And he,

of course, is a very controversial figure in the Democratic Party, but this is just the latest scandal surrounding the Pennsylvania Democrat.

FOSTER: Yeah, wait to see what else they come up with.

Thank you so much, Annie Grayer.

Now, with his once estranged son now back in the U.K., King Charles is making the ground rules clear about how to handle Prince Harry and his wife

Meghan. A letter has been sent to the king's -- on the king's behalf to Harry's team, as well as to senior members of the British government. It

reminds them that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are no longer working members of the royal family and should be treated as such. The king is

sending this reminder now that Harry and Meghan have returned to the UK after six years in California.

Anna Stewart joins us now.

It is -- I mean, it's quite inside baseball to some extent, isn't it, about how this is operating, a guidance note sent out to senior figures.

[15:25:06]

And it's not necessarily new. We knew they weren't working royals, but it's interesting that they just felt the need to send it out.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah curious we weren't expecting this. And of course, it wasn't actually initially released to the press, but it

was because they suddenly realized if it got leaked to the press, suddenly, it would become a big story. So we now have this full letter and as you say

a lot of it doesn't really say anything new they won't use his and her Royal Highness titles, they haven't for years. They're not working members

of the royal family. I mean, we know that and that was made clear when they moved back again, and actually says in short their position is akin to

private citizens with charitable and commercial interest, nothing new.

But then there's this really interesting bit right at the end, I'm not sure if you saw it, Max, last paragraph. I think it says any specific questions

from official and state organizations about the courtesies that should be extended to the Duke and Duchess you know how to behave with them and

particularly where recourse to public funds may be required should be directed to Buckingham Palace, which is a little bit unusual just because

Buckingham Palace obviously doesn't have any kind of control over public funds up and down the country. They are funded by the government through

the sovereign grant.

It feels a little unusual and almost perhaps a bit of an overreach, but you have to wonder whether this is just a way that the palace makes absolutely

clear that they are not working members of the royal family and that perhaps they're concerned that particularly with charitable, high profile

events from Prince Harry and Meghan in the future, that those could look awfully like all the sort of engagements we saw from them when they were

working members of the royal family.

Perhaps there's also the fact that this was sent to, I think you said, departments and government, the military, and also lord lieutenants who

represent the king up and down the country, largely for local ceremonial affairs. So, I also slightly wonder, given that was the list it was sent to

you, whether there was some concern about invitations being sent out to the Sussexes. Now they've arrived, but that is us reading very much between the

lines as you have to do a lot in this game of royal politics.

FOSTER: Optics.

Thank you, Anna.

Now, coming up, more on the election that sent shockwaves across Germany and much of the Western world. We'll speak with an extremism expert who

says we're witnessing the normalization of neo-Nazi politics after a far- right party's historic win in state elections.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:53]

FOSTER: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says it's more critical now than ever that the country defend its freedom against Russia, suggesting that

nothing less than the survival of Western values is at stake after a pro- Moscow party won a state election. The far-right anti-immigrant alternative for Germany party came away with 44 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt.

Although it lacks an absolute majority, the AFD says it's been given a mandate and will not compromise its extreme position.

So, what we want to know is why is the far-right resonating with German voters?

Georgios Samaras is an assistant professor of public policy at King's College London and is looking at this.

I mean, first of all, if you could just explain, define the AFD for us, we've called them far right, is that fair? How would you describe them?

GEORGIOS SAMARAS, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC POLICY, KING'S COLLEGE LONDON: The AFD is definitely all right party. We should be treating it as

an openly also neo-Nazi party because it has been under constant monitoring by intelligence services in Germany. I don't see a reason why we shouldn't

be referring to it, because that is how it started and that is what it has been adopting as its main ideology. And as a confirmed right wing extremist

organization, let's not forget that the Saxony branch where they won the state election was the one that has been under surveillance since 2023.

FOSTER: So what do you understand from this vote? Clearly, there's been a general rise in support for the AFD in many parts of Germany, but this is

obviously taking it to a whole new level. What are people actually voting for here?

SAMARAS: I would like to highlight two dimensions here. The first one is the historical one. The key thing is that fascist and ultranationalist

ideas were never permanently removed from German political life. And the AFD has demonstrated that its obsession with history is clear in most parts

of the country. They have challenged culture of historical responsibility and guilt. They have openly promoted, of course, a much more nationalist

interpretation of the past.

And in Saxony, the party has pushed for a stronger emphasis on historical figures by attacking multiculturalism. So that is the first dimension,

which is historical. The second one is, I think, more practical and political because Saxony has experienced decades of demographic decline, of

de-industrialization, regional inequality, and of course, economic restructuring.

So the population has been declining and employment, of course, has been in constant decline for the past five years. These conditions create a strong

sense of abandonment. The state feels like it's been left behind. And the AFD has managed to redirect this kind of anger about insecurity towards

migration, gender, national identity, and it works.

FOSTER: Yeah, many of those issues chime across Europe, don't they? But they're very overtly pro-Russian, aren't they? And they could find another

party, this originally leftist party that has a similar view to work with. So, they can actually form some sort of coalition.

But just explain why they are so supportive of Russia.

SAMARAS: The AFD has had a history of Russian ties, and of course, there is the past of Eastern Germany that has played a significant role in some

of those ideological connections to Russian authorities. There have been also members of the party that have cooperated with Russian politicians.

They've never really tried to hide that. They've been openly supportive of Putin and of course we have seen some of their reactions after the war in

Ukraine has started.

[15:35:04]

The AFD has managed, you know, to benefit from those ties. There have been also questions about funding coming from Russia. And most importantly,

there have been questions about whether AFD, if it comes to power in Germany, will cooperate with Russia.

These are very important ideological questions that have not been answered yet. And the party has tried to stay very quiet about such ties, especially

during election periods. It remains to be seen. It's very clear that the party is going to capitalize on some of those ambiguities.

FOSTER: This is one state. Obviously, the national government has expressed its horror at this result. When you look at other states in

Germany, is this likely to be -- could this likely happen in other parts of the country?

SAMARAS: One hundred percent and now we need to look at the center and the mainstream right. The CDU has repeatedly since coming to power in `25

responded to the AFD's rise by moving further right on both migration and national identity. We have seen that. Friedrich Merz has hardened his

rhetoric on migration and in January 2025, let's not forget that he also pushed a migration motion through the Bundestag with the votes of the AFD,

and that was a major post-war political taboo that was broken.

So the CDU has normalized the presence of the AFD and many parts of the country will follow suit because the AFD is on the rise. There is a

replacement, ongoing replacement of more mainstream conservative parties across Europe. But it's much more alarming because in Germany at the

moment, there is an openly neo-Nazi entity that is pushing really, really hard to rise to the top and the CDU instead of fighting it, it's basically

normalizing it.

FOSTER: Yeah, that's fascinating to see. And it could have huge repercussions, as you say.

Assistant professor, Georgios Samaras, appreciate you joining us today.

Now, the White House expressing optimism that it will be able to jumpstart trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine to end the war.

That's after U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witcroff met over the weekend, separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and

Russian leader Vladimir Putin. It was the envoy's first visit to Kyiv since the war began. President Zelenskyy said several new ideas were discussed,

but there were no signs of a major breakthrough.

CNN's Clare Sebastian recaps the weekend of diplomacy and more violence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, this weekend of diplomacy came amidst a cycle of escalating violence. We've seen over the last week

and a half or so pretty much non-stop Russian attacks on Kyiv. And look, this was a really big moment. for Ukraine, but barely had the dust settled

when we saw this cycle of violence restart again, the air raid alert back on in Kyiv Monday afternoon for the first time since the early hours of

Sunday morning.

On Monday, we saw both sides exchanging long-range strikes. There was a British-American tobacco facility that was struck by a Russian drone in the

Chernihiv region to the northeast of Kyiv, one person reportedly injured there, according to local authorities, and on the other side, Ukraine

continuing to fire drones at Russia, video emerged from the central Perm region in Russia of a Ukrainian drone purportedly hitting a residential

building, video that CNN has verified of that, one person killed, according to the governor of that region in Russia.

So, look, all of that I think clearly underscoring the challenges ahead, as the U.S. seems committed to reinvigorating, to restarting this diplomatic

process. The U.S. envoy is pushing now for a restart of trilateral meetings involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. The Kremlin on Monday

saying that it wouldn't rule that out, but perhaps slow-balling, saying that it's not ready to talk about location or time.

And meanwhile, Ukraine really wants to seize on the momentum here. It had talks in Kyiv about a winter package of aid involving help for its energy

facilities, and in terms of air defense as well, that was very positive. There was talk of security guarantees. They want to seize on that momentum.

They want talks to continue to involve the Europeans as they did on Sunday.

But look, Russia is really offering no opening here. We heard after talks in Moscow on Saturday, Russia revert again to talking about resolving the

root causes of this conflict. That is shorthand for its maximalist goals in this war, including things like Ukraine withdrawing from Donbas and

promising not to join NATO.

So, look, at this point, clearly it looks like we'll see more U.S.-led diplomacy ahead, but it isn't clear how they're going to break this cycle

of violence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:40:00]

FOSTER: Clare Sebastian.

And now, amid warnings from the European Union, the convicted war criminal known as the Butcher of Bosnia is being hailed as a hero. Thousands of

mourners paid their respects to Radko Vladic today at his funeral in Belgrade. The former Bosnian Serb commander died while serving a life

sentence of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Serbia is a candidate for EU membership. An EU commissioner says the glorification

surrounding Mladic's death is incompatible with the group's values.

No trading on Wall Street because of the Labor Day holiday. In Europe, stocks were mostly lower. The CAC 40 in Paris was the only major index to

finish the day in the green.

This is our Business Breakout.

The average price of gas in the United States last month was $4.07. That's an all-time high for the month of August, and that's according to AAA,

which says that holiday travel has stalled as a result. While travel over the Memorial Day and Independence Day weekends has grown over years since

the COVID-19 pandemic, AAA now says that growth has flattened off in 2026.

Volkswagen is selling one of its German car plants to an investment firm headquartered in Tel Aviv. That plans to work with one of the defense

companies behind Israel's Iron Dome. Volkswagen says the deal will preserve jobs at the site and open up new partnerships and projects for the car

company. VW recently announced plans to cut 50,000 jobs.

Jaguar Land Rover is planning 4,000 job cuts of its own. Cuts would make up nearly 10 percent of the company's global workforce. Its chief executive

blames ongoing geopolitical uncertainty as one of the factors behind the move.

The speed, the competition, the split-second turns. It looks a lot like Formula One, but with one big difference, there are no drivers of the

wheel. Autonomous race cars are putting artificial intelligence to the test at speeds that leave very little room for error.

CNN's Ivana Scatola has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVANA SCATOLA, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): It's like Formula One, but without human drivers. Instead, the cars are entirely driven by AI.

SCATOLA: I'm in Imola, Italy, to watch the A2RL, a motorsport competition where fully autonomous cars go head-to-head.

SCATOLA (voice-over): The cars have no cockpits or steering wheels, just supercomputers, GPS, radar, and optical cameras.

MATTEO, ENGINEER, UNIMORE RACING: The actual weight, it's a fun fact is quite similar to a human driver. So yeah, the weight of the car is quite

similar to a real one. There's no driver, there's no seat, there's no steering wheel, but we control it as a human would do.

SCATOLA (voice-over): Engineering teams say they've spent months writing custom code for the cars, and on race day they press go and hope for the

best.

SCATOLA: Each team races identical Super Formula cars. The only thing that sets them apart is the coding.

SCATOLA (voice-over): This is the third year of the competition, but the first time that the race has been held abroad outside of Abu Dhabi. The

Imola circuit, famous with Formula One fans, is known to be a challenging one.

MARKO BERTOGNA, TEAM PRINCIPAL, UNIMORE RACING: Imola is a non-forgiving track. Let's say you achieve very, very high speed, and there are very,

very little room for errors. So, any time you take a wrong turn, you risk really of crashing in completely your cars.

SCATOLA (voice-over): While the autonomous taxis that are common in American cities prioritize safety and predictability, these autonomous race

cars are at the opposite end, optimized for speed and split-second maneuvers.

SCATOLA: The cars are programmed not to collide into each other, but the technology isn't perfect yet. The winning team this year was Kinetiz, which

started out as a rookie team and now has come first.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's overwhelming. It's -- I am still processing that all the emotions this morning, like before the restart. I was telling

myself it's not how you start, but it's how you finish.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Ivana there.

Now, coming up, a strange and tragic story. How a child murder just days ago in Illinois could connect to the bombshell Lindsay Clancy case in

Massachusetts that's dominated their lives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:17]

FOSTER: We are following a tragic and a strange twist in a story that's gripped the U.S. A woman in Illinois has been charged with the murder of

her two-year-old son. Illinois police say Corie Walsh told them she killed her son because she believed he was the devil. Prosecutors say Walsh have

been closely following the story of Lindsay Clancy.

Clancy is the Massachusetts woman who was tried for killing her three children. Last week, a jury deadlocked in her trial after Clancy said she

was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

CNN law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild is following this story -- and how these two events seem connected, Whitney.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, investigators say that Corie Walsh, the Illinois woman, had recently become very invested in

the Lindsay Clancy trial. And in fact, the day her child was found dead, she had been texting with a group -- in a group chat about the Lindsay

Clancy trial up until 12:30 p.m. last Tuesday.

By four o'clock, law enforcement was responding to the home on a report of a unresponsive toddler. According to prosecutors, this all unfolded or was

revealed when a neighbor went inside the home and found the two-year-old son here, Barrett Walsh, hanging from a rafter. She told police that she

also found Corie Walsh in an upstairs bathroom where she was actively trying to harm herself. And so, the neighbor grabbed a knife, threw it in

the sink and police said that when they arrived there, they found the neighbor pushing a towel onto Corie Walsh's thigh as Corie Walsh laid in a

bathtub surrounded by bloody bathwater.

According to police on scene, and according to prosecutors, Corie Walsh told them that she did this because her child was the devil and was the

Antichrist. Later, she told police that she gave some details about the scene and how it may have happened that were consistent with what law

enforcement saw when they arrived to the home. There was a baby inside this home at the time max and then tragically her two older children who were

school-aged came home around the time that Barrett Walsh was found.

What we know is that her husband was out of town at the time he immediately flew home. Right now, Corie Walsh is behind bars. Her attorney says that

this was clearly a psychotic episode. Law enforcement saying that this was clearly a first-degree murder.

Back to you, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Whitney, thank you.

We'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:28]

FOSTER: Now, the U.N. World Health Organization is warning the growing Ebola outbreak spreading faster than the effort is to actually fight it.

More than 3,000 people have died so far and more than 6,000 cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

WHO officials are now harnessing never-before-used mobile phone data to map population movement.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER (voice-over): More than 3,000 people have now died from the fast-spreading Ebola outbreak, according to

health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and they've confirmed over 6,000 cases.

The World Health Organization warns, the outbreak is outpacing the response.

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

is already the second largest on record and the fastest moving that we have ever seen.

HOWARD (voice-over): WHO also says the majority of deaths are happening in small communities rather than in official treatment centers, leading to

unsafe burials and unknown chains of transmission that continue to spread.

Health officials in the region are turning to a never before used method in Ebola response, tracking mobile phone data to map population movements and

predict where cases may emerge.

In an interview with Reuters, Swedish nonprofit Flowminder said, it is using anonymized cellular records provided by the DRC's largest operator to

identify virus hotspots and track travel from those regions.

GHEBREYESUS: Until every chain is found and broken, the epidemic will continue and will continue to pose a threat to DRC, its neighbors, and the

region as a whole.

HOWARD (voice-over): This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, which has no approved vaccine or treatment. But the government is

testing Ervebo, an approved vaccine for a different strain of Ebola, in the hopes that it could provide some protection.

SALATIEL WAYLEE, HEAD OF VACCINATION IN KISANGANI (through translator): We believe the Ervebo vaccine can also help protect against other variants

because it provides cross immunity.

HOWARD (voice-over): School has resumed in some of the affected provinces, and teachers say they are teaching students about how to stay healthy and

encouraging anyone to get a vaccine, if one becomes available.

DESIRE BUYANA, RISK COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (through translator): If there's a vaccine today, the teachers, the children, all

will be engaged to mobilize the parents, mobilize the health system, so that everyone is vaccinated in order to slow down the spread of this

disease.

[15:55:12]

HOWARD: Jacqueline Howard, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Spectacular scenes from Indonesia where Mount Anak Krakatau has erupted. The volcano sits halfway between the islands of Java and Sumatra.

The eruption began Sunday night. It pushed ash as high as 20,000 feet, or 6,000 meters on the Java side. But on the Sumatra side, volcanic ash

reached up to 50,000 feet or 15,000 meters.

That ash has caused major travel delays and airports in the region. On Sunday night and into Monday, about 170,000 travelers across eight airports

were impacted by those delays.

Finally, Hollywood paid tribute to the late Rob Reiner on Sunday. He won a posthumous Emmy for his guest role on the TV show "The Bear". This is a

scene from the show. It's been Nine months since Reiner's tragic death, his win was the first posthumous Emmy awarded for an acting role. In more than

three decades, it was Reiner's third Emmy Award for acting. He won twice in the 1970s for his role on "All In the Family".

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.

END

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