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CNN International: Tensions High After Israel, Hezbollah Trade Fire; Trump Questions Whether He Should Debate On ABC News; Harris Campaign Has Raised $540M Since She Entered The Race; Ukraine: Energy Facilities Damaged Following Russian Attack; Australian Law Protecting Out Of Office Time Takes Effect; NASA: SpaceX Capsule To Bring Home Starliner Astronauts. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired August 26, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: -- they include fever, headache, body aches, but also neurologic disease. In some cases, you can develop inflammation of the brain, which is why this is concerning.

But Sara, when it comes to West Nile virus EEE, these are all good reminders for us to do the best we can to avoid mosquito bites. That's how these mosquito-borne diseases are spread. So, wear repellent when outdoors. Wear loose fitting clothing. Make sure you have your window screens in place, so mosquitoes don't come inside.

And of course, if you have a mosquito bite and you develop symptoms a few days later, talk to your doctor. You definitely want to pay close attention to this around this time of year, Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CO-ANCHOR, "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": You know, I don't mind bugs, but I hate mosquitoes, really, truly.

HOWARD: Me, too.

SIDNER: This makes me hate them even more. Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much. Appreciate it. A new hour of CNN News Central starts right now.

AMARA WALKER, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hi everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is CNN Newsroom. Just ahead, the Middle East on high alert after Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire over the weekend. What does it mean for the risks of a wider war? We are live in Tel Aviv and Beirut just ahead.

Plus, Ukraine bombarded, Russia launches major missile and drone attacks at multiple targets. We'll have all the details for you. And swept away, a hiker is found dead after devastating floods in the Grand Canyon ahead this hour, the latest on the rescue operations there.

And we begin with this weekend's cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah based in Lebanon, as Gaza ceasefire talks sputter on. Israel launched what it called preemptive strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon Sunday. The IDF says it struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels across dozens of launch sites. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing that this is not the end of the fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (interpreted): The Israeli army destroyed thousands of short-range rockets, all of which were intended to harm our civilians and forces in the Galilee. Additionally, the Israeli army intercepted all of the drones that Hezbollah launched at a strategic target in central Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Hezbollah's chief says, its first phase of attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of a top military commander last month are over, but Hassan Nasrallah is also vowing more strikes are possible in the future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER (interpreted): The result is satisfactory and achieves the intended goal. And if the result is not enough from our point of view, then we retain the right to respond another time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Our CNN reporters are on the story. Ben Wedeman is in Beirut, Lebanon. But let's begin with Nic Robertson, who's standing by in Tel Aviv. Nic, talk to us about what Israeli officials are saying. Obviously, both sides are claiming success at this stage. What are Israeli officials saying?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: They're saying that it was their intelligence that led them to suspect and believe that Hezbollah was about to launch a strike in retaliation for the -- of Israel's killing of Fuad Shukr, the high -- highly ranked member of Hezbollah's military, that they saw that coming and therefore took a preemptive strike.

Now, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, said that this was a strike in that retaliation, and indeed that Israel did strike before they were able to launch their mission. However, Israel's position has been very clear that it managed to defeat and stop Hezbollah from actually hitting any of its intended military targets, and in particular those targets that Hezbollah claimed to be aiming at in the center of Israel.

One of them reportedly not far from Tel Aviv, where we are now, within sight of where we are now, as a matter of fact. And there was no indication that that was hit at all. So, I think from Israel's perspective, it was able to do what it was able to do when Iran had that big strike against it in April. Iran launched a huge number of missiles. Israel was aware that these strikes were coming, and with allies and partners, intercepted them.

On this occasion, it was aware that the strike was coming and was able to preemptively cut off that strike from being successful. That's certainly how it seemed from Israel's perspective. And they did it without the need for coalition allies, military assets on the ground.

So, although Prime Minister Netanyahu has said, this is not the end, it does appear, from Israel's perspective, to put it, in quite a strong position, not wanting it appears to escalate further, but having, in a way, denied Hezbollah the opportunity to escalate and punish Israel in a way that Israel would perceive as being humiliating for Hezbollah.

[08:05:00]

WALKER: Nic, thanks. Let's go to Ben now. And Ben, we spoke just hours after this cross-border fire. And of course, the big question is -- was, you know, where will this go from here? We've heard from Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader. Did he give any indication as to where this is headed?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly he did send a rather important message to the people of Lebanon, at least that after a month of tension waiting for Hezbollah to respond to Israel's 30th of July assassination of Fuad Shukr that they can chill out a bit.

He said, people can take a breath and relax now. He did say in his speech that Hezbollah achieved what it planned to do. And I think you've got -- both sides are claiming success. I think the truth lies somewhere in between. But certainly, the feeling is that the danger of an all-out war has passed at the moment.

Essentially, we're back where we were before the strike on Majdal Shams that killed 12 children back in July, that Israel blamed on Hezbollah. Hezbollah denied it. But that sent off this -- this cycle of events that led to where we are today.

So basically, we go back to where we were before that. And what we've seen so far today is almost pretty much what you would expect to be going on on the border between Israel and Lebanon. There have been four Israeli air strikes on Lebanese territory so far. One of them seems to have been a failed attempt to kill a local Hamas leader.

Hezbollah has so far not claimed any attacks, but I'm sure we can expect some later in the day. This doesn't fundamentally change anything. There are still more than 100,000 Lebanese civilians who have had to flee their homes in the South. There are more than 60,000 Israelis who have had to flee their homes in the north.

Hezbollah has made it clear that it will continue to provide what it's called a support front to Gaza. And basically, until the war in Gaza comes to an end, Hezbollah will continue to fire on Israel, ergo, Israel will continue to fire on Lebanon. Everything hinges on the situation in Gaza. And what we're seeing at the moment is that, despite more than 10 months of American diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end, so far, they've failed. Amara?

WALKER: Ben Wedeman, Nic Robertson, thank you very much. And as we have been reporting, the weekend cross-border fire is once again raising concern that the Israel-Hamas war could spark a wider regional conflict that would engulf the entire region. U.S. National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, addressed that while on a visit to Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We have been concerned about the conflict escalating into an all-out regional war since October 7. And we have worked round the clock with partners and allies, moving military assets, engaging in intensive diplomacy, both publicly and privately behind the scenes, to avert that outcome.

We continue to work to avert that outcome. And our hope is that the events of last night do not spill out into an escalation that leads to regional war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And we will have a live report from Egypt on the status of the Gaza ceasefire talks. We'll also speak with the Middle East analyst later in the hour.

Well, two violent attacks in southwestern Pakistan have left at least 33 people dead. According to police, they happened in the province of Balochistan. In one incident, gunmen stopped vehicles on a highway, and after checking passengers IDs, killed those of Punjabi background and set fire to several vehicles in a separate part of the state.

A security convoy came under fire. Five security officers and five civilians were killed. No official word yet on who is responsible. But for decades, insurgents in that area have waged a campaign for independence from Pakistan.

At least 44 people have lost their lives in flooding across Bangladesh and India. Emergency crews are still working to rescue people stranded by the rising waters. Thousands have crammed into relief camps or they are taking refuge in government buildings and schools. Anna Coren shows us the rescues as a search for survivors becomes more desperate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wading through the muddy waters, a handful of belongings clutched above their heads, the residents of Feni make their way to higher ground, a district of 1.5 million people underwater in the epicenter of one of Bangladesh's worst floods in living memory.

[08:10:00]

RAJIB BAURA, VOLUNTEER: So, this is a very, very bad situation. And Bangladesh people needs help. We need help.

COREN (voice-over): The military has been mobilized along with an army of volunteers, but it's slow going.

COREN (on-camera): The people who can walk out, no matter how deep the water, no matter their age, they are doing so. But there are countless numbers who are trapped in surrounding areas. And emergency services are completely overwhelmed, which is why volunteers are stepping in.

COREN (voice-over): As far as these people are concerned, this is no natural disaster. They believe India is squarely to blame for this catastrophe. India denies that. But confirm that one of its dams across the border automatically released water due to excessive levels.

But what really angers the Bangladeshis is that India failed to issue any warning about the surge, citing a power outage and communication breakdown. A diplomatic row has erupted between the two countries. A senior Bangladeshi advisor even accusing India of being inhumane. Food and clean water and now in short supply. But for some, they have more pressing problems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm feeling very heartbroken because I couldn't rescue my family. Actually, I don't know where they are right now.

COREN (voice-over): This woman boards our boat in desperate search of her sister and one-month-old baby, who are sick. With all communication down, she can't reach her. I'm so worried the baby won't make it, she tells me. As dusk falls, we pass houses packed with people calling out for assistance.

When we finally arrive at the school, where her sister is thought to be sheltering, hundreds of faces appear, but she's not there. We joined another rescue, headed by a man who flew in from Qatar to save his stranded family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No boat, no support, no rescue team.

COREN (voice-over): They find them exhausted but relieved.

COREN (on-camera): It's just gone 09:00 P.M. And while this has been a successful rescue, these boats will continue to operate up and down these flood waters throughout the night to bring other families to safety.

Anna Coren, CNN. Feni, Bangladesh.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Donald Trump is raising questions about whether he will participate in a planned TV debate with Kamala Harris. On his social media site, Sunday, Trump blasted ABC News as biased and fake news. ABC is set to host the debate on September 10. He asked why would I do the debate against Kamala Harris on that network? Trump is due to visit Detroit today to speak at a National Guard conference.

Harris is in Washington, but will be in the swing state of Georgia later this week for a bus tour alongside her VP pick Tim Walz. The Harris campaign, on Sunday, revealed it has raised a staggering $540 million since she launched her presidential bid about a month ago. It also says it raised $82 million of that and signed up 2,000 volunteers during the Democratic National Convention last week.

We have reports from both campaigns. Let's start with CNN's Alayna Treene covering Donald Trump. Hi, Alayna. So, what's behind, you know, this threat to pull out of the ABC debate from Trump?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, there's a few things, Amara. First of all, remember that this was similar to what Donald Trump did in the lead up to the debate with CNN in June. He was trying to paint the network as biased as, you know, really criticizing the people at the network, really all as an effort to try and say that the cards were stacked against him, as he was heading into that debate.

That has been a strategy that Trump has used time again. And we're seeing him do it now with ABC. And with that post yesterday, where he was said that he had watched the Sunday show on ABC, and then started to criticize some of the network hosts, and really argue that they were biased against him, and throw some doubt into whether or not that he would actually participate in the debate.

Now, Amara, we do have some new reporting this morning about some of the behind the scenes back and forth between the Trump and Harris campaign. So, there's been a lot of questions over the rules. And it does seem like the campaigns have actually reached an impasse over one point in particular. And that's whether or not to have the mics be shut off while one candidate is finished speaking.

[08:15:00]

And remember, that's what actually happened in the CNN debate that the Biden campaign had pushed for the mics to be turned off for whenever one candidate wasn't speaking. Now, this is a statement we have from Jason Miller, he's a senior Trump campaign adviser, about all of this.

He said, quote, enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate. The Harris camp, after having already agreed to the CNN rules, asked for a seated debate with notes and opening statements. We said no changes to the agreed upon rules.

Now, I can tell you, we have had some pushback on that statement from the Harris campaign, saying that really they are not trying to agree to anything about being seated or having notes. All of it is really coming down to whether or not the mics will be allowed to be turned off.

And I also think it's just important to keep in mind, Amara, as well, that this was actually something the Trump campaign did not want in the lead up to the CNN debate. They actually had pushed for the mics to stay on throughout the course of that entire debate.

And then later, I remember from my reporting then, that they actually were happy that perhaps the mics would be shut off at some points, because it would help keep Donald Trump focused. One of their key things that they were concerned about with the debate was whether or not he would come off looking super aggressive.

If he was speaking over then Biden, of course, this time Harris, if that would add to kind of the perception that people have about him being too -- too much on the attack, too aggressive in his remarks. And that was something that people took away from a previous debate in 2020 between Trump and Joe Biden.

And just quickly, I do want to give you a little bit of some of the reporting we have on how Trump is actually preparing for this September debate. I've talked to many of Donald Trump's top advisers about this, and they said, essentially, he's doing the same type of quote, unquote policy sessions to prepare like he did in the lead up to that June debate with Biden. That is their lingo for debate prep.

He is meeting with policy experts, outside allies, advisers, all of that to walk through and kind of prepare him and have him hone in on some of the messaging that he really needs to focus on the areas where, you know, Trump may struggle a bit.

And I think this is even more important for them now, with an opponent like Harris than it was with Biden. I can tell you that Trump's team is more concerned about this debate than they were about the one with Biden, particularly after they've seen all of the surging enthusiasm around the Harris campaign.

They recognize that this is going to be a huge moment for both Trump, but of course, for Harris as well. And so, there's a lot riding on this debate. And currently, behind the scenes, a lot of back and forth between the campaigns about what exactly should the debate look like.

WALKER: It's just so difficult to keep track of now, who exactly wants the mic muted versus keeping it hot, right? And it sounds the Harris campaign who wants to keep the mic hot at all times. All right. Alayna Treene, thank you for your reporting.

Now, to the Harris camp. And CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is tracking developments there for us. I mean, Priscilla, as we were saying, the Vice President will be here in Georgia this week for that bus tour. But let's talk about this fundraising hall, $540 million, I mean, that is historic.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's historic. It's a record. And it's something the Harris campaign is very excited about, not only because of the overall sum here, but also because who it was that was donating. They had a lot of first time donors.

In fact, in a memo, the Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon said that, there was a surge in those grassroots donations. And that's important because it is those grassroots donations that they will need over the course of the campaign to keep fueling their coffers.

Now -- so, they are excited about this, but they also recognize that there's a ways to go. In fact, I'm told that Harris advisors are discussing and strategizing how they can keep that momentum going on fundraising. This has been a theme of the last month, where it has consistently been a bright spot, but acknowledging that there's two months still ahead, and how to keep that up.

It's about capitalizing on key moments for them, for example, to bring in those grassroots donations that are often a little more unpredictable. One example of a key moment, the Vice President's remarks at the end of the Democratic National Convention. That night, according to the campaign, was the final night, marked the best fundraising hour since launch day. That is from that memo I mentioned earlier. So, clearly, a lot of excitement here.

They've already reserved, by the way, $370 million for digital and TV advertising between Labor Day and Election Day. So, they're clearly trying to flood the airwaves over those last weeks and reserving cash to do exactly that. And of course, campaigning across the country also takes money.

And on that front, as you mentioned, the Vice President and the vice- presidential nominee, Tim Walz, will be heading to Georgia. That is a state that President Biden won by less than 12,000 votes. So, it is one of those battlegrounds that is going to be very closely watched.

[08:20:00]

President Biden, when he was the candidate, had repeatedly visited the state. We're seeing the same from Vice President Kamala Harris. And so, it is fitting that they are going to be kicking off their post Democratic National Convention tour with a bus tour there. It will also conclude with a rally with the Vice President on Thursday night.

So, they're clearly making sure that they get this blitz underway, as the Vice President also spends a whole lot of time on debate prep.

WALKER: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much. Let's turn now to the war in Ukraine. And Russia launches a wide-scale aerial attack on cities across Ukraine with deadly effect. Just ahead, we're going to get the details on what the main targets were and how the Ukrainian President is reacting. Then the captain of that luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily is now under investigation. We'll have the very latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia's latest massive bombardment is one of its largest attacks on Ukraine. The Ukrainian President says more than 100 missiles and about the same number of drones were launched overnight, targeting more than a dozen regions of Ukraine, at least four people have been killed. (VIDEO PLAYING).

This is footage of Ukrainian forces shooting at a Russian drone. Ukrainian officials say energy facilities across the country have been damaged, knocking out power in cities, including the capital of Kyiv. This comes as President Zelensky says his troops are making progress in Russia's Kursk Region.

I want to bring in CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. Salma, what more are you learning about this latest barrage of Russian attacks? SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, ever since Ukraine pushed into Russian territory, that Kursk surprise offensive that took place about three weeks ago now, Ukraine has been bracing for retaliation from Russia. And that seems to be what happened overnight into the early hours of Monday morning, 100 drones and 100 missiles fired from Russia at nearly every single province of Ukraine.

According to officials, the Ukrainian Air Force acted quickly, but the result was several people killed, at least four dead so far. Energy infrastructure was the major target, so you had power outages across the country. And of course, families sent to bomb shelters in Kyiv and in other locations. I want you to take a listen to one video that just shows you the scenes playing out in the early hours. (VIDEO PLAYING).

What you're hearing there, Amara, is people singing in a metro station, a metro station that's now acting essentially as a bomb shelter, while families wait it out in the early hours of this morning. That's part of the intention of these attacks, President Zelensky says, is to make normal life nearly impossible all across Ukraine, even very far from those front lines.

[08:25:00]

And speaking of those front lines, I do want to mention, of course, the attack over the weekend in Kramatorsk. There is a location that journalists often use as a base to cover those front lines, to cover that battlefield, including the Hotel Sapphire, which was the target of this attack, according to President Zelensky, by Russia.

At the hotel, there was a Reuters crew. Several of them were wounded. One person was killed, a British national, a security adviser to this Reuters crew, Ryan Evans. More details emerging now, but President Zelensky again, pointing the finger at Russia, blaming Russia, saying this -- this intentionally means to make it more difficult to cover this conflict.

WALKER: Just for some context, Salma, in terms of the scale and size of this Russian attack in Ukraine, compared to ones that we've seen before, and do you sense that this is just the beginning of an escalation in this war?

ABDELAZIZ: Look, since the beginning of this conflict, Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure. It's absolutely been part of Moscow's strategy to hit at civilian targets. That means power plants, that means electricity plants, that means hospitals, schools, parks.

And the intention behind that, Ukrainians say, is to make normal life difficult, is to make civilians who are nowhere near that battleground pay the price for this war, is to make that sense of unity that Ukraine is so known for right now in this conflict, to try to break that sense of unity. Yes, absolutely, you do expect that Russia will continue these assaults, but much of that is going to occur on those front lines.

And as for the energy infrastructure of the country, what you're going to hear Ukrainian officials plead for and beg for right now is that Western allies allow them to hit back Russian targets inside Russia, essentially to get these missiles, these drones at the source.

WALKER: CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, thank you for your reporting. Appreciate it. Live for us there in London.

Well, we now know the name of the captain of the luxury super yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily last week. Italian prosecutors say James Cutfield is now under investigation. Seven people died, including British tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, you see there in that photo.

Investigators questioned the 51-year-old Cutfield for a second time on Sunday. He is facing a possible manslaughter and negligent shipwreck charges. Autopsies on the victims are now being carried out. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau joining me now live from London with more. You've been covering this tragedy from the very beginning. What do we know about why -- about these charges and why they were filed?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, you know, I mean, we were expecting this on Saturday, actually, for them to name the captain. This is when the prosecutor and those in charge of the rescue operation gave a press conference. And, you know, they said that this would be an investigation into multiple manslaughter, negligent shipwreck, but they didn't name the captain.

Seems, though, that on Sunday, during this very lengthy interrogation with the captain, they determined that, in fact, he will be the focus. At the moment, they are not allowing any of the surviving crew members -- nine surviving crew members to leave the country, though, we're told. And so, there -- the others may well be part of the investigation. But for now, it's just the captain, Amara.

WALKER: And -- so then, what happens next? I understand the yacht will be -- or the wreckage will be raised from the seabed at some stage.

NADEAU: Yeah, you know, the prosecutor said that that is a very, very important aspect of the ongoing investigation. They need to see for one if the hatches were batten down as you were -- as it were, and if there's any other sort of problem with this actual wreckage.

What's interesting, though, is, by Italian law, the people who own the boat on the wreck will have to pay the millions of dollars it will take to raise it. And that happens to be Mike Lynch's wife, who did survive the accident. Her company owns it. So, they will have to find the salvage crew and pay for the -- for that shipwreck to reach the surface, so they can further the investigation, Amara.

WALKER: All right. Barbie Latza Nadeau in Rome. Thank you very much, Barbie. Still ahead, the tensions in the Middle East showing no signs of slowing. You can see in here that heavy exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the weekend.

[08:30:00]

Just ahead, we'll look at what this means for Gaza truce talks. Plus, for many people, work does not stop when the workday ends. But in Australia, a new law is giving employees the right to disconnect. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Now let's take a closer look at our top story now, the weekend cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel launched what it called preemptive strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, Sunday. The IDF says, it destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels across dozens of launch sites. Israel says, the strikes were in self-defense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON: We are operating in self-defense from Hezbollah, and any other enemy, that joins in their attacks against us, and we are ready to do everything, everything we need to defend the people of Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Hezbollah's Chief says, its first barrage of attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of a top military commander last month was meticulously completed. Hassan Nasrallah warns further possible strikes are possible. CNN's Jennifer Hansler has more now on the situation in the region.

JENNIFER HANSLER, STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER, CNN: The U.S. is keeping a major show of force in the region, following back and forth strikes between Israel and Hezbollah over the weekend. A U.S. defense official said, the U.S. provided intelligence to help Israel track oncoming Hezbollah attacks, but did not participate physically in those attacks.

Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart on Sunday that he would be keeping two major strike groups in the region to help deter a further war. The U.S. moved a number of assets to the region earlier this month to try to prevent Tehran, and its proxies from launching a retaliatory attack against Israel. There are fears that such an attack could spark a wider regional war.

At the same time, U.S. officials are pressing the urgency of getting a hostage and ceasefire deal across the finish line. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, warned earlier this week that this could be the last chance to get such a deal across the finish line. High level talks continued in Cairo on Sunday and wrapped up without an apparent resolution.

However, working level talks are expected to continue this week. A U.S. official said, the talks were constructive and conducted in good spirits towards trying to get an agreement. However, a number of gaps remain. U.S. officials hope that they are able to narrow those gaps in the coming days. Jennifer Hansler, CNN, Washington.

WALKER: CNN's Nada Bashir is standing by for us from Cairo, with more on where things stand. I mean, not a -- the Hamas and Israel, they both sent their negotiators to Cairo on Sunday, despite the fact that there was this heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, what do you make of that? [08:35:00]

And what have you heard in terms of progress? I mean it seemed a bit optimistic, the fact that these delegations still showed up.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is certainly the case. The fact that we've seen these negotiation teams here in Cairo over the weekend, despite those attacks by Hezbollah and the response from the Israeli military in southern Lebanon. We are continuing to see those discussions and negotiations moving forward, as you heard there in Jennifer's reporting.

We are expecting working level discussions to continue throughout the week in hope of trying to sort of iron out those finer details. And we have heard from one U.S. official telling CNN that while there haven't been any significant breakthroughs following this weekend's negotiations, there has been forward progress made, that the challenges, the differences in sticking points that currently exist within the deal on the table between Israel and Hamas are seen as being, potentially surmountable, according to this U.S. official.

But again, we heard yesterday from Hamas officials, as they departed Cairo, saying that, they continue to wish to see a deal which reflects the proposal put forward by U.S. President Joe Biden in late May, a deal which they say they agreed to in early July. That has been the messaging and position of Hamas for some time now. They continue to call for guarantees that there will be a transition to a permanent lasting ceasefire following an initial six-week pause in fighting.

Those are the terms currently on the table and the terms Hamas wishes to see guaranteed. But there have also been questions surrounding the presence of Israeli troops within the Gaza Strip. And we know that the Israeli delegation put forward a revised proposal, which would see a reduced number of Israeli forces stationed on the Philadelphia corridor, the buffer zone separating Gaza, Southern Gaza, from Egypt. Now, that proposal has been put forward to Hamas officials.

According to the statement we received from Hamas yesterday evening, they continue to call for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. But there is a debate around the terms of this particular position, particularly, when it comes to what is considered to be a populated area, whether we see a withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas populated by civilians in the Gaza Strip, and whether or not the Philadelphia corridor would be separate to those areas.

But, again, there are still significant gaps. Those talks continue, but we are hearing notes of optimism from U.S. officials familiar with the ongoing negotiations.

WALKER: CNN's Nada Bashir, thank you very much. Live for us there in Cairo. Let's get more perspective now on the situation in the Middle East. We're joined now by H. A. Hellyer, a Middle East Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He's also a Senior Associate Fellow at Britain's Royal United Services Institute. H. A., thank you so much for your time. I just wanted to get your perspective. What you think about how the talks are going. H.A. HELLYER, SCHOLAR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE:

Thank you very much for the invitation. Unfortunately, I don't think the talks are going anywhere, and they haven't been going anywhere for quite some time. What we've seen over recent months are repeated leaks in the Israeli press around Benjamin Netanyahu's desire not to actually have the ceasefire negotiations succeed, sabotage attempts quite regularly. That's all in the Israeli press, by the way, from Israeli negotiators.

And what you report to mentioned in terms of the Philadelphia corridor, something I would add in that regard, is that the presence of heavy Israeli military personnel and tanks, and so on, in the Philadelphia corridor isn't just something that Hamas might object to. It's also something that is in contravention of the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. So, it's something of a non-starter, really.

WALKER: I mean, when you look at the sticking points, they're major sticking points. And it looks like we just there we go, your signal is a little spotty, but we'll keep you on, because I see you now. But the sticking points, I mean, are significant. You know, a six-week pause versus a permanent ceasefire, you know, a full withdrawal versus, you know, a partial withdrawal. I mean, it doesn't seem like there's much room for middle ground there.

HELLYER: No, I don't think there is. And I think that part of the problem over the past 10 months is that the United States has been pushing for Hamas to concede and give concessions, and has encouraged Egypt and Qatar to push Hamas in that way. So, Hamas has actually come quite a long way in terms of the negotiations.

However, when it comes to the Israelis, there seems to be a deep reluctance to apply leverage when it comes to enforcing a change of behavior.

[08:40:00]

And certainly, when it comes to this particular round of the ceasefire negotiations, there was a ceasefire proposal on the books in May, validated by the UN Security Council, proposed by President Biden, although he said it was an Israeli proposal, Hamas accepted, and the Israelis have since added a bunch of new conditions, including, you know, the presence of Israeli troops in the Philadelphia corridor.

But, also in the Netzarim Corridor, which is a new road that the Israelis have built that essentially splits Gaza into north and south and would militarize that particular part of Gaza. So, I do think it's very difficult to get past these sticking points without a concerted effort from Washington to actually push the Israelis to come to the negotiation table in good faith.

WALKER: I wonder what you thought of Hassan Nasrallah's televised speech last night. He did indicate that perhaps further attacks are possible, but he also said that, you know, Hezbollah considered the ceasefire talks and that they actually delayed the attack until Sunday against Israel to give sufficient opportunity for the negotiations to take place. HELLYER: So, the Iranians and Hezbollah have said that they are delaying or calibrating their response in order to give the ceasefire negotiations the best possible chance. I don't think, yesterday, frankly, really had much of an impact on those negotiations, because I don't think they were going anywhere to begin with. And certainly, I expect there to be more reprisals or more strikes between Hezbollah and the Israelis, because I have been multiple times over recent months.

You know, we've seen quite a few attacks take place on a weekly basis, in many cases, on a daily basis. So, I don't think that we should expect that to stop anytime soon. But, that's why a ceasefire in Gaza is so important. If we want de-escalation to take place across the region, then really the key to that, to unlocking that, does remain in Gaza, still remains in Gaza, will remain in Gaza. And the corollary of that is that if we don't get a ceasefire in Gaza, then escalation, unfortunately, becomes more and more likely.

WALKER: And also, we're awaiting retaliation from Iran, right? I mean, which poses a bigger risk for a major escalation, a miscalculation when it comes to this cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israel, or Iran's reaction to the killing of this Hamas leader.

HELLYER: So, when you say miscalculation, I think that there's an even greater risk here, which is what I always term as the law of unintended consequences. You know, people can pretend that they have complete control over all of the factors and the variables when they engage in hostilities, but the fact is, is that, you can't control all the variables and the factors. So, there could be a strike that is supposedly calibrated and very carefully calculated, and they want to make sure that it doesn't go beyond a certain point.

But actually, nobody knows for sure, and I think that it's incredibly risky to have this escalation continue, not just across the border, but between Israel and the Israelis, without allowing for the possibility that something could happen, something could spiral out of control, and then, we see a much wider regional conflict that would be devastating for everybody. It's in everybody's best interest to move towards a ceasefire in Gaza so that we can avoid that scenario actually manifesting.

WALKER: Yeah, but both parties obviously have to have that will for a deal. H.A. Hellyer, good to see you. Thank you very much for your perspective. All right, still to come. Three days after she went missing, the body of a hiker has been found in Grand Canyon National Park. We'll have the details just ahead.

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[08:45:00]

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WALKER: The body of a woman who had been hiking in Grand Canyon National Park has been recovered three days after she went missing. 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson was swept away in a flash flood, along with her husband who was rescued. Nickerson's body was discovered beside the Colorado River on Sunday. More than 100 people had to be rescued by the Arizona National Guard after catastrophic floods hit the Grand Canyon on Thursday.

Let's get more on those dangerous conditions. CNN's Camila Bernal joining me now live from Los Angeles. What a tragic story, Camila, what more do we know about this hiker who was found dead and those who were rescued?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Amra, such a heartbreaking update for this family that had been really holding on to hope and focused on the search, but authorities, of course, saying that they do not need to continue that search, because it was actually a group on the Colorado River that was out, essentially tourist. It was recreational, and they found her body.

This was 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson, and as you mentioned, she was last seen on Thursday, that's when we had that round of monsoon storms that then triggered those flash floods. And it was essentially a matter of minutes, and the whole area just changed completely. You know, this is an area that's dry, where people go, because of its beauty and its serenity, and all of a sudden it became a nightmare for so many people that were in this area.

So, we know that Chenoa Nickerson was actually hiking with her husband, and at some point, the two got separated as they were swept away in the waters there along the river and authorities saying that they were able to rescue her husband, and in total, actually 104 people had to be rescued from this area that included some of the hikers and some of the tribal members that were also in this area, people who shared those videos, and shared their stories, saying, essentially one hiker saying, that it was a tribal member who told them to get to higher ground, who was yelling at them.

So, these people were scrambling, trying to climb and trying to get to that higher ground. They had to form human chains. They had to cross some of these creeks. So it was just very chaotic there on Thursday and the Governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, activating the National Guard. They had to use a Black Hawk helicopter to get people out of this area. I want you to take a listen to how a member of the guard described some of this.

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ERIN HANNIGAN, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, ARIZONA NATIONAL GUARD: UH- 60 Black Hawk has the ability to -- to move out people quickly. We can seat about 11 people in the aircraft, not including the crew members. So, the nice thing about being able to provide that support was being able to start moving people rapidly. It was surprising when I got down there, and to see the cheers that came from the people who are getting picked up.

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BERNAL: So, of course, just a lot of gratitude from all of those people that were rescued and officials obviously closing the area. There was a tribal village about eight miles below the rim of the canyon that was also closed, and some of the hikers that we talked to saying that they learned their lesson that they're not going back there during monsoon season, because, of course, this was just a nightmare scenario for so many of them. Amara?

WALKER: God, absolutely sounds like it was. Camila Bernal, thank you for your reporting. Australians can finally put their phones on silent after leaving the office and not worry about missing a work email or phone call. That is due to a new law that took effect today, protecting their quote, right to disconnect. I like the sound of that. Kristie Lu Stout has more.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For all of Australia's beauty and relaxed reputation, it might be hard to imagine that many people here feel overworked, but according to some lawmakers, Australians are working an average of six weeks unpaid overtime every year.

[08:50:00]

And so the government has stepped in to protect people's right to disconnect. As of Monday, people won't have to answer out of hours calls, texts or emails.

RACHEL ABDEINOUR, ADVERTISING INDUSTRY WORKER: I think it's actually really important that we have laws like this. We spend so much of our time connected to our phones, connected to our emails all day, and I think that it's really hard to switch off as it is.

STOUT (voice-over): Around the world, ill-defined job expectations and constant connectivity has allowed our jobs to encroach on our private world. The gray areas remain. There may be times the boss still requires an answer, but workers can now defend their right to disconnect in court if they want to.

DAVID BRENNAN, FINANCE WORKER: We are professionals, we're well paid. We're expected to deliver, and we feel we have to deliver 24 hours a day if we have to., So the phone's always on, computer's always on, and we're working.

STOUT (voice-over): Australians likely won't forget work entirely after they leave the office, but more people may feel like they don't have to be always on, meaning more time to enjoy what is already a fortunate place to be. Kristie Lu Stout, CNN.

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WALKER: Well, that Australian law won't be much help to two long suffering astronauts. Are they suffering? Well, these two were sent on a one-week mission, but they just found out that they won't be coming home for months. I guess, it depends on your perspective. If they're suffering or not. We'll tell you why after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WALKER: We have some sad news. Justin from the world of sports, globe- trotting Football Manager, Sven Goran Erickson, has died. Erickson revealed in January that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. In a 40-year career, Erickson coached some of the world's top clubs and several national teams. He's best known for managing the English National Team for almost six years.

Well, NASA has decided the fate of two astronauts who have been stuck in space for nearly three months. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will abandon the Boeing Starliner that's been plagued with issues. So when will they actually make it home? Michael Holmes has the story.

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN AUSTRALIAN NEWS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A village in India is seeking some help from above to bring U.S. Astronaut Suni Williams back to Earth. Williams' father was from the village, so locals feel a special kinship to her and are praying for her safe return after an extended stay in space.

But, NASA has finally given a more down to earth solution to just how and when Williams and fellow Boeing Starliner astronaut Butch Wilmore, will return to Earth after spending nearly three months aboard the International Space Station on a mission that was only supposed to last a little more than a week.

BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with Crew 9 next February, and that Starliner will return uncrewed.

HOLMES (voice-over): It was Starliner's first time carrying astronauts to the ISS, but technical issues with thrusters made NASA reconsider the ride home, opting instead to return the crew on a SpaceX spacecraft that scheduled for an upcoming mission.

[08:55:00]

It's a setback for Boeing, which has struggled to keep up with SpaceX in NASA's Commercial Crew Program, but Nelson says, hard lessons from the past, including the losses of two space shuttles, weighed heavily on the decision.

NELSON: Our core value is safety, and it is our North Star.

HOLMES (voice-over): NASA says, it's reconfiguring the upcoming SpaceX Crew 9 mission to send only two crew members to the ISS instead of four. Williams and Wilmore are both veterans of two long duration stays on the space station, and NASA says, they're not only prepared to fill out the Crew 9 team, but they're already hard at work.

DANA WEIGEL, NASA ISS PROGRAM MANAGER: Since they've been up there, they've been a welcome set of helping hands, they've already done about 100 hours of work on 42 different experiments, and they've helped us with some of the critical station maintenance that we've had on board. HOLMES (voice-over): Wilmore's family said that they were aware there could be a delay, which means more months of FaceTiming to keep in touch.

DARYN WILMORE, DAUGHTER OF BUTCH WILMORE: It is so cool. He gives us a lot of Earth views, especially, like seeing the sunset.

HOLMES (voice-over): And there'll be plenty more of those in space for Williams and Wilmore, which, at least in NASA's view, is a safer option. Michael Holmes, CNN.

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WALKER: All right. I'm Amara Walker. Connect the World with Becky Anderson is next.

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