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CNN International: Outrage Grows After Hamas Releases New Hostage Video; Women Banding Together To Brave Dangerous Search For Food; Watchdog Agency Launches Probe Into Jack Smith; Pope Celebrates Special Mass With Young Catholics; Wife Of Deported Migrant Shares Story On Social Media; 12-Day War Created Gap In U.S. Anti-Missile Defenses. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired August 03, 2025 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:00:29]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
There's anger in Israel as Hamas releases a photo of a hostage. We'll hear what families of the captives told the U.S. envoy on a visit there.
We'll also show you what three women in Gaza face just to feed their families from dangerous crowds to bullets.
And Pope Leo wraps up Catholic Woodstock as young pilgrims gather in Rome. We're live there with his message to the next generation of the faithful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Growing outrage over the war in Gaza sparked by both the treatment of Palestinians and Israeli hostages. Hours ago, protesters held a massive rally in Sydney calling for peace and more aid to be delivered to Gaza. Other pro-Palestinian rallies are expected in Berlin and Tijuana, Mexico later today. That's happening a day after those scenes played out in Tel Aviv.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).
CROWD: (Speaking in Foreign Language).
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BRUNHUBER: Tens of thousands of people attended an emergency protest on Saturday after Hamas released new video of a hostage held in Gaza. Evyatar David looked severely emaciated and his appearance came as a shock. Now we're deliberately not showing the full video, but his family approved this image being released. The protesters urged Israel and the U.S. to bring all hostages home. David's brother made a personal appeal to President Trump.
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ILAY DAVID, EVYATAR DAVID'S BROTHER: Hamas is using Evyatar in one of the most horrific and calculated campaigns of cruelty imaginable, a live hunger experiment. We are begging the government of Israel, the people of Israel, every nation of this world, and especially President Trump, the President of the United States, you have the power. You must do everything in your power by any means necessary to save Evyatar and Guy and the rest of the captives.
OFIR BRASLAVSKI, FATHER OF HOSTAGE ROM BRASLAVSKI (through translator): My child is dying. I've seen it with my own eyes. And the prime minister saw it, too. And he knows his situation and the situation of the rest of the hostages. And yet he chooses again and again not to save him.
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BRUNHUBER: Barbie Latza Nadeau is monitoring developments from Rome and she joins us live. So, Barbie, let's start with the reaction to that new hostage photo.
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know, I mean, that's just such an emotional reaction by those hostage families. You know, there are still 50 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. And, you know, seeing videos like that, of course, those -- those families are just even -- even more upset about the treatment and wondering, of course, why it's taking so long to rescue them.
So there is reaction. You're seeing it around the world, just this sort of dismay at why this is taking so long to -- to free these hostages and a lot of pressure being put on the United States to put pressure on Israel. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Yes. And you're -- you're talking about reaction from around the world, also so much outrage over the starvation of so many in Gaza. What's the latest on what's being done to address it?
NADEAU: Well, you know, of course, the government of Israel says that they're allowing humanitarian aid in and that Hamas is stealing it. And, you know, there hasn't been access by Western journalists to go and really report on the situation firsthand. So what you've got really is just, you know, these incredible videos of starvation of that are coming out of Gaza.
You've got these terrible stories of -- of violence against those people waiting for aid at these controversial U.S.-Israeli aid stations. And, you know, at the same time, Israel's saying that they're allowing the aid in. So unless obviously Western journalists can get in there and -- and tell the real story, you've just got a lot of information, images disturbing as they are and outrage now going around the world, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate that. Thanks so much, Barbie Latza Nadeau.
[05:04:54]
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's profoundly shocked by those latest images released by Hamas. He spoke with the families of Evyatar David and other hostages on Saturday. He released a statement saying, quote, the cruelty of Hamas has no boundaries. While the state of Israel is allowing the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, the terrorists of Hamas are deliberately starving our hostages and document them in a cynical and evil manner.
The Israeli military says another 90 aid packages were dropped into Gaza Saturday. Israel began allowing airdrops last week after international outrage grew over the rising number of deaths from starvation. But a number of aid groups say airdrops are expensive, impractical and potentially dangerous.
As you can see from this video, they lead to chaotic scenes on the ground. Now, there are problems at the U.S.-backed aid distribution sites as well. The U.N. says nearly 1,400 people have been killed trying to reach them.
Some women in Gaza are risking their lives to search for food, often in the dark and often finding nothing. Paula Hancocks looks at their daily struggle to feed their families amid unrelenting danger.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Umm al-Abbad (ph) walks into the unknown. Danger is everywhere in this darkness. A woman alone, surrounded by men, all with the same desperate purpose, to find food to survive. Al-Abbad's (ph) husband was killed in an Israeli airstrike. She's now the sole provider for a family of eight and can only leave them while they sleep to find food.
The children tell me, don't go, mama, she says. Don't go to the aid centers. We don't want you to die, mama. Who will take care of us if something happens to you?
The alternative is they starve. This group of women from one displacement camp make the nighttime search together for protection. But even then, they are targets.
This woman says, yesterday I waited from 6:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. I got a bag of flour, but then a young man with a knife said, drop the flour or I'll kill you. This is the value of Gaza now, my homeland.
Everything around us is a risk to our lives, Omkata (ph) says, whether it's thieves, Israeli soldiers, rockets or drones, everything.
Nafran (ph) says she's come every day for a week and received nothing. She just gave birth to her youngest child three weeks earlier. The women go back to their families at daybreak, empty-handed. More than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli fire waiting for food since late May, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israeli military says it has fired warning shots when it feels threatened, but denies responsibility for the heavy death toll. These displaced women from Beit Lahia have a long walk ahead of them.
This woman says, either I return with food and my children shout with joy, or they will scream in grief because I didn't return.
The crack of gunfire nearby sends them diving for cover, unsure of where is safe. A casualty being rushed past them to hospital, a reminder that safety is a concept that left Gaza long ago. When she returns to her tent, her children start crying when they see the bag is empty.
The United Nations says the trickle of aid being allowed in, the breakdown of law and order and the dismantling of the U.N.-led delivery systems has created new levels of desperation. Gaza is now a place where the fittest survive, and the most vulnerable are left with nothing.
Back from their nightly trips to aid points, Omkata (ph) and Ombalal (ph) share what little food they managed to get. A friendship formed in displacement camps.
I've seen death many times, Ombalal (ph) says, but I will keep going until I get my children something to eat.
CNN tracked down the two women weeks later. As food got scarcer and their bodies weaker, their journey has become even more perilous. Desperation pushed them to try their luck at the American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
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Omkata (ph) says the American aid points are death zones. I reached one and spent the night there. A sniper fired above my head. The bullet missed me by mere centimeters. She hasn't gone back since.
Her three children live on saline she makes at home, and food from charity kitchens. They always go to sleep hungry, she says. Her friend and tent neighbor Ombalal (ph) hasn't given up on the long, tiring treks to find food for her five children.
I was just at Zikim, she says. I left at sunset yesterday and returned this morning. There was gunfire and martyrs lying in front of us. I couldn't bring anything.
Without organized aid deliveries reaching the most vulnerable, it remains an endless and usually futile pursuit.
Paula Hancock, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog says its staff heard explosions near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The plant has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion. Staff with the International Atomic Energy Agency reported smoke and explosions from an auxiliary installation near the facility on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the plant's Russian administrators claimed that Ukrainian forces shelled it, killing a civilian. CNN can't verify these claims.
Meanwhile, video posted on social media shows an explosion near an oil facility in southeastern Russia. The governor of the Samara region said an enemy drone had struck an industrial location there. Ukraine's military also says it struck oil facilities inside Russia, including a major refinery, a military airfield for drones, and an electronics factory.
U.S. special counsel's office is launching an investigation into former special counsel, Jack Smith. The investigation is centered on possible violations of the Hatch Act, which bars some political activities by government workers. Smith led criminal probes into President Trump's handling of classified documents and alleged 2020 election interference, but resigned earlier this year after dropping both cases. CNN's Julia Benbrook has more.
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The United States Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency tasked with enforcing several rules, including the Hatch Act, has confirmed to CNN that it is investigating special counsel, Jack Smith, for alleged Hatch Act violations, essentially investigating the investigator.
Now, this news was first reported by "The New York Post" and later confirmed by our team. The rule that he is accused of violating is not a crime, and the responses to employees that violate it can vary significantly. This investigation comes just days after Republican Senator Tom Cotton took to social media saying that Smith's legal actions were, quote, nothing more than a tool for Biden and Harris campaigns.
Now, Smith, of course, has been in the headlines a lot over the last several years as he led criminal probes into then-former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents, as well as alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election. Now, both of those cases were ultimately dropped when Trump was reelected, but he has long been a target of Trump's frustration.
Smith resigned from his role at the Department of Justice just about a week before Trump started his second term.
Traveling with the president in New Jersey, Julia Benbrook, CNN.
BRUNHUBER: Now, the terminology in all these cases can be confusing. CNN's senior legal analyst Elie Honig explains the difference between a special counsel who is appointed to investigate and prosecute a case and the office of the special counsel. Here he is. ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It's important to understand there are two completely separate types of special counsel in our government. The first type of special counsel is the one that we're all probably most familiar with.
That's when the attorney general taps an outside prosecutor to come in and investigate the president or some other high-ranking official. We've seen a bunch of these in recent years. Robert Mueller, Robert Hur investigating Joe Biden, and Jack Smith himself. So let's call that prosecutorial special counsel.
Completely separate and apart from that, there's what we'll call bureaucratic special counsel, coming out of this office of special counsel. They're not prosecutors. They can't charge someone criminally. What they do is investigate whistleblower complaints for ethical issues, for conflicts of interest. So what's happened here is the latter.
A bureaucratic special counsel is now investigating Jack Smith. So this is not a criminal probe. This is a probe into ethics and conflicts of interest. Not good news for Jack Smith, but it's also not as if he is now under criminal investigation.
BRUNHUBER: U.S. senators are heading home without reaching a deal to confirm a handful of President Trump's nominees. They went into recess on Saturday, hours after President Trump told the Senate Democratic leader to go to hell.
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Sources tell CNN Chuck Schumer asked the White House to release some federal funds and avoid further cuts to funding, but the President called Schumer's demands egregious and unprecedented.
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SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), DEMOCRATIC LEADER: So let me say it again. Sooner or later, Donald Trump, Mr. Art of the Deal, or so he claims, is going to have to learn that he has to work with Democrats if he wants to get deals, good deals, that help the American people.
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BRUNHUBER: And Schumer added that he was getting close to a deal with the Senate Republican leader and the White House before President Trump interfered.
Pope Leo has been celebrating a mass in Rome. He joined hundreds of thousands of young people who have been taking part in the Vatican's Jubilee of Youth. We'll join the celebrations live after the break.
Also ahead, when her husband was deported to Mexico, the choice was clear. We'll hear from a woman who left the U.S. behind to keep her family together.
And rescue efforts continue in Chile after minors were trapped following an earthquake. We'll get how locals are reacting next. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: 2025 was declared a year of Jubilee by Pope Francis before he died. Now his successor, Pope Leo is leading the celebrations. The past week has seen hundreds of thousands of young Catholic pilgrims gather in Rome for a Jubilee of Youth nicknamed a Catholic Woodstock. And the high point, Pope Leo celebrating a mass with this huge and enthusiastic multinational congregation.
CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb joins us now live from the Vatican. So Christopher, I understand the -- the celebration has wrapped up. The Pope has left. Take us through the -- the highlights.
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, yes, that's right. People are leaving now with more than a million estimated here for the mass celebrated by Pope Leo. You can see them departing behind me. Some of them have been sleeping here overnight.
It's been an extraordinary few hours here on the outskirts of Rome for this jamboree, this festival here in Rome for a gathering of young people from across the globe with Pope Leo. It's been something of a test for the first American pope who's been in office for less than 100 days, a test to see if he can connect with the church's future, the younger generations that have gathered here today.
And by and large, Pope Leo has done a great job. He seems to be able to connect with young people because he is an authentic personality. He communicates that authenticity. He's also got a kind of quiet charisma. He's happy amongst the crowds. He was waving at them as he toured in his popemobile all around behind me here.
He caught a ball at one point. He is a youthful pope by papal standard. He's 69 years old. He carried a heavy wooden cross right up to the altar for the celebrations that took place. He led a prayer vigil, which was at times very contemplative and quiet.
So we've had a mix of the Catholic Woodstock vibe, the festival atmosphere amongst the crowds, but at the same time these quieter, more contemplative, peaceful moments. And I think that reflects what the pope wants in his papacy and for these kind of gatherings.
I was amongst many of the young pilgrims here, and I was struck by just how many diverse countries are represented. I was speaking to pilgrims from Korea and then some from New Mexico. A lot of U.S. pilgrims here, of course, very excited about the first American pope, Chicago-born, of course. And they are really keen to spend time with the pope, and they've been able to do that this week during these celebrations. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Yes. I'm curious, you -- you said that his message was -- was contemplative and -- and quiet. What exactly was he saying, and -- and, you know, did he get into anything that might be considered political? LAMB: Well, at the end of the celebrations, he said that all the young people here also stand in solidarity with the children and young people in Gaza and in Ukraine. He made that appeal very forcefully and in English, which, of course, means his message will resonate further than if he does it in Italian, which he has been doing before that, before now.
He's also emphasized the importance of friendship, of peace, and being discerning when it comes to young people engaging with social media and, in general, social networks. There's also been a number of Catholic social media influencers here who are trying to connect with a new generation, those outside of the pews. They are being described as digital missionaries.
So Leo trying to encourage young people to -- to reach out to those maybe not engaged in the church through social media networks, but at the same time urging them to be discerning and urging them to be conscious of the poorest and those suffering the most, in places like Gaza and Ukraine.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting. I appreciate you bringing us that. Thank you so much, Christopher Lamb in Rome.
Workers remain trapped inside one of the world's largest copper mines. We'll show you a vigil for their safe return and tell you what causes the mine shaft to collapse after the break.
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Plus, why the recent Israel-Iran conflict has created a gap in America's anti-missile defenses. Those stories and more coming up. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories.
Protesters in Sydney, Australia held a rally hours ago calling for peace and more aid for Gaza. That followed a massive protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday over the latest hostage video released by Hamas. It showed an emaciated and sickly appearing 24-year-old Evyatar David.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says its staff members heard explosions and saw smoke near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The plant is under Russian occupation. Russian administrators claim Ukrainian forces shelled the factory but CNN couldn't verify those claims.
The U.S. special counsel's office is launching an investigation into former special counsel Jack Smith. It's centered on potential violations of the Hatch Act which bars some political activities by government workers. Smith led the criminal probes into President Donald Trump's handling of classified information and his alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election. U.S. federal agents have arrested a man in California accusing him of sending money to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. The FBI says they recovered what seems to be a homemade bomb from the bedroom of the suspect, 28-year-old Mark Lorenzo Villanueva. Court documents allege he sent a dozen payments totaling more than $1,600 to two people who accessed the money overseas. Villanueva faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
And while the Trump administration's immigration crackdown continues here in the U.S., a story now from Mexico, where an American woman and her family have lived for nine years, ever since her husband was deported there almost a decade ago. For Candace Maria Garcia Sanchez, the move was a no brainer. But what has life been like since making that decision? Well, CNN's Rafael Romo has her story.
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CANDACE MARIA GARCIA SANCHEZ, WIFE OF DEPORTED MIGRANT: Neither of us, I feel like, knew what to expect.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what building a life together sounds like. A life she never imagined she would have.
SANCHEZ: Candace Maria Garcia Sanchez. I'm originally from Utah.
ROMO (voice-over): In the countryside, surrounded by farm animals and far, far away from home.
SANCHEZ: My husband was picked up by immigration. He did have a record in the United States and he was set for deportation. We tried to fight it for a little over a year. And towards the end of it, we made the decision that we were going to move with him instead.
ROMO (voice-over): You heard that right. For Candace Marie Garcia Sanchez, breaking up the family after her Mexican husband was deported nine years ago was not an option. So she decided to leave everything behind and move with their first born to her husband's native country where life is slower and traffic jams do not necessarily involve motor vehicles.
SANCHEZ: Fast forward to now, I feel like we're just living our happy lives and raising our children in a beautiful place. And we get to just focus on our family. That's, you know, what we always wanted.
ROMO (voice-over): Five years ago, she made a decision that has turned a traumatic deportation --
SANCHEZ: Good afternoon from Mexico. My name is Candace. And in 2016, my husband was deported from the United States.
ROMO (voice-over): -- into a learning lesson she now shares with the world by going public on social media. SANCHEZ: Overall, it has been an extremely positive experience for us. We've met -- we've met so many incredible families that unfortunately are in the same kind of situation or similar situation as us.
ROMO (voice-over): Her posts range from daily life in rural Mexico, where two other children were born.
SANCHEZ: And today when I went to the plaza, I found this beautiful girl.
ROMO (voice-over): To the hot topic of immigration.
SANCHEZ: Now there's no getting around it. Deportation is political.
ROMO: She may not live in the United States anymore, but Candace says she has continued to exercise her right to vote from abroad. In a recent post on TikTok, she said she voted against Donald Trump, but makes it clear she thinks immigration is an issue both parties have mishandled.
SANCHEZ: I do believe that both sides have made promises that they haven't kept. Even though I've lived in Mexico for eight years, I do vote in every election.
ROMO (voice-over): She has been successful beyond her dreams. She now has more than 1.5 million followers on TikTok and growing.
Meanwhile, her husband, who worked construction in the United States for 18 years, focuses on building the home of their dreams. A farmhouse overlooking the fields his family has owned for generations.
She left a comfortable life in the United States to join me in Mexico, Fidel says. Everything I do, I do it for her and our children.
The family is now looking forward to one of the most American of holidays, Thanksgiving. That's when they're hoping they will be able to move into their new home.
Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.
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BRUNHUBER: The so-called Dragon Bravo Fire at the Grand Canyon has intensified enough to create its own weather. Fire clouds have been spotted above the flames in the landmark in northern Arizona. The clouds can possibly become fire thunderstorm clouds if the wildfire grows hot or chaotic enough. The Dragon Bravo Fire is the largest fire burning in the continental United States. It's charred nearly 112,000 acres. It's considered a mega fire, which is a rare fire covering more than 100,000 acres.
Monsoon rains have created flash flooding in some parts of India. A major market area was flooded in the city of Patna on Saturday. A massive landslide hit Friday that blocked roads. Much of India's farmland isn't irrigated, and the monsoons are critical for growing crops. The rainy season from June to September brings nearly 70 percent of all water needed for farms and reservoirs.
The first eruption of a Russian volcano in about 600 years may be connected to Wednesday's earthquake and tsunami. That's according to Russia's eruption response team. Have a look at this. Plumes of smoke and ash rose up to 6,000 meters from the volcano on the Kamchatka peninsula on Russia's Pacific coast, and the cloud is now drifting eastward. Emergency officials say there are no populated areas nearby, but there is an increased risk to aircraft in the area. The mountain last blew its top in the 1,400s.
Two people are dead in Chile as authorities race to rescue workers trapped in one of the world's largest copper mines. The state run mining company said Saturday the body of one of the five trapped workers had been found. They were trapped on Thursday when an earthquake caused a collapse inside the mine. CNN's Cristopher Ulloa is there in Chile with more.
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CRISTOPHER ULLOA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: City authorities are still racing up to rescue four miners that remain trapped in El Teniente, one of the largest copper mines in the world. As you can see in the images of Lucas Aguayo, there are dozens of people that are gathering around here in the main entrance of El Teniente mine, lighting up candles as a sign of hope.
They're also hugging each other, they're praying, they're showing also their respect. They say they're very affected by this news, but they still have the hope to find these four miners still alive. Codelco, the state-run firm that operates the mines, says an earthquake of 4.3 magnitude caused the accident in the mine on Thursday, where also nine people were injured.
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ABELARDO CESPEDES, CHILEAN MINER (through translator): The impact was so strong that it was shocking for us. There was always noise from the mountain, things like that, but never as loud as what happened that day. And no one knew anything. I mean, we were evacuated because, as I said, the noise was very loud. We were evacuated, and when we arrived at the facilities where the office and cafeteria are, that's when we realized where it had happened. But we had no idea how shocking it was that people were involved, that co-workers were involved.
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ULLOA: Those are the words of Abelardo Cespedes, one of the miners that was that day, the day of the accident in El Teniente. We are going to still remain here at the main entrance. And just like people say, they still have the hope to find their friends, their colleagues, the miners alive.
For CNN, Chris Ulloa, Rancagua, Chile.
BRUNHUBER: A recent Israel-Iran conflict took a toll on U.S. anti- missile defenses, and now a key weapon is in short supply just when it might be needed. We will have that story and more coming up. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. put a major dent in the stockpile of its key anti- missile defenses during June's conflict between Israel and Iran. Sources say Washington used about a quarter of its THAAD interceptors in only 12 days to protect Israel. And as Tamara Qiblawi reports, it could leave a big gap in the U.S. military posture overseas.
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TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Each of these bright lights come from a sophisticated U.S. intercept missile system known as THAAD, being used for the first time in a war to defend Israel as Iranian ballistic missiles rained down.
A CNN investigation found that the U.S. Military cut deeply into its stockpile of THAAD missiles, launching more than $1.2 billion worth of the interceptors in just 12 days and burning through these crucial defense weapons much faster than they're able to make them.
When Israel went to war with Iran, it came under the most sustained attack of ballistic missiles in its history. Unless intercepted, those Iranian projectiles can take out entire apartment blocks. Israel shot most of these down, and the U.S. Military stepped in to help with the THAAD.
As Iran launched its missiles towards Israel, THAAD, along with Israel's Arrow-3 and the U.S. Navy's own SM-3 interceptors, sprang into action. Where other systems faltered, American troops on the ground launched THAAD, destroying the incoming missiles just outside the earth's atmosphere.
We know from sources that more than a hundred THAAD interceptors, as many as 150, were used during the war, but only 11 THAAD missiles were commissioned by the U.S. government last year, according to official budget numbers.
Twelve are being built this year, and in 2026, production is expected to ramp up to 37. Meaning it could potentially take years to replenish the stockpile used against Iran in less than two weeks. And it's not just hard to replace, it's expensive.
THAAD launches cost around $12.7 million a pop. A THAAD interceptor missile is over 20-feet long and weighs around 1,500 pounds. Each system takes more than 95 U.S. Army specialists to operate, making it one of the most complex weapons in the U.S. arsenal.
We spoke to several former defense officials who say that the war has only deepened a problem that the Pentagon has faced for years. "Stockpiles are dropping. We need more. We need them faster than they're being built. There's not enough systems. There's not enough interceptors, and there's not enough production. And there are not enough people working on it." Analysts say the stockpile depletion could impact U.S. air defenses where they may be critical, in the Asia Pacific region.
DR. SIDHARTH KAUSHAL, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, RUSI: The idea is that China can erect an anti-access area denial bubble to keep the U.S. Navy at arms' length in the event that it wished to intervene in, for example, Taiwan. From a narrowly military standpoint, the Chinese are absolutely the winners here.
QIBLAWI (voice-over): Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the U.S. Military is, quote, the strongest it has been and has everything it needs to conduct any mission anywhere, anytime, all around the world.
Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, snake bites can be fatal. Ahead, how scientists are turning to an unusual tool to create antidotes. We'll tell you how it works coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: You love them or hate them. Snakes can be deadly. And with the antidote called anti-venom being expensive and difficult to produce, the impact of their bites can be devastating. Now scientists in Europe seem to be on to something. They're using artificial intelligence to solve the scarcity. CNN's Isabel Rosales has the details.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Snakes are one of the deadliest animals for humans, killing at least 80,000 people a year, says the World Health Organization. But snake bites can also have a long-lasting impact for millions.
ANDREAS HOUGAARD LAUSTSEN-KIEL, PROFESSOR, TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF DENMARK: Often the snake bite victims are either current or future breadwinners of their family. So, people living in snake infested areas are often dependent on manual labor. So, if they lose an arm, they -- they may lose their chance to provide for their family or their future family.
ROSALES (voice-over): While there are existing anti-venoms to combat this issue, the methods used to produce them are costly, according to the WHO. And at present, only a limited number of countries can produce high quality snake venom, which is needed to create anti- venom.
LAUSTSEN-KIEL: There is a scarcity of anti-venoms and poor management, you could say of snake bites in large parts of the world.
ROSALES (voice-over): A team of scientists at the Technical University of Denmark is now using artificial intelligence to try to solve the anti-venom shortfall.
TIMOTHY PATRICK JENKINS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF DENMARK: Snake venoms are these incredibly complex cocktails of different molecules, so-called proteins, and we need to know what the most medically relevant toxins are. So, we use different techniques to identify these. We then have a very close look at the structure of them, throw them into advanced A.I. models, and then, actually use these to custom make basically glue to these toxins.
So, we stick a protein to a toxin that might be attacking our nervous system, destroying our cells, causing our bloods to clot. And what we do is bind something to it, stick something to it so it can't do this anymore.
ROSALES (voice-over): The team is using RF-diffusion, a free protein design tool to create proteins that target so-called three finger toxins named for their shape. These toxins can be highly dangerous. And when delivered through a snake bite, can disrupt nerve signals, lead to paralysis, and even death if left untreated.
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JENKINS: My personal hope is that within five years we've completed our first clinical trials where we can actually say that there is a product ready to be delivered to patients.
ROSALES (voice-over): While these new antitoxins won't completely replace existing anti-venoms, these scientists hope they'll be cheaper and easier to make and reduce the suffering of snake bite victims around the world.
Isabel Rosales, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: The world's soccer governing body has begun searching for players for a new Afghan women's refugee team. FIFA conducted the first of three planned talent identity -- identification camps in Sydney, Australia. FIFA approved the creation of the team in May.
Former Scotland and Celtic forward Pauline Hamill will coach the team, and is set to announce a 23-player squad after the camps. Many players from Afghanistan's women's team fled the country when the Taliban took power in 2021. One player candidate shares what the creation of the refugee team means to her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONA, AFGHAN REFUGEE TEAM CANDIDATE: Being a refugee in a country is a big challenge. And football, sports, helping us, I know we cannot play for our national team, but we can still represent as a name of Afghanistan for a refugee team. And this is a big impact for -- for my sport life.
And also this project is -- have a big impact in all of the refugee girls, not just in Australia, in Europe, and, uh, even in Afghanistan. Maybe they can have a opportunity, a future opportunity to be part of this project and to get good experiences in this -- from this project, because this project helped us to learn new things.
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BRUNHUBER: The president of FC Barcelona says the team is open and available for a potential official league match here in the United States next season. CNN's World Sports' Amanda Davies spoke to him about the possibility.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Barcelona back in Asia for the first time in six years. What do we read into that and what it means in terms of the club's strategy?
JOAN LAPORTA, PRESIDENT, FC BARCELONA: For us, Asia is -- is crucial. It's very important. It's a -- it's a market where -- where we could develop our image, our brand, and our feelings. We are plenty of supporters here in -- in Asia, and we are very, very grateful.
DAVIES: How does the market in Asia compare with the market in -- in the U.S. in terms of club priorities at the moment?
LAPORTA: Well, it's a -- the market in U.S. is also very important because between, in both markets, I -- I remember that we have 20, 20 partners, 20 partners that they joined at -- joined at us, and I think the 12 in -- in USA and -- and 18 in Asia that we are, well, cooperating together and is making our club bigger and bigger.
In terms of, uh, football, in terms of sport, in States, you know that there will be the World Cup in '26, and it's -- it's -- it's very important in -- in this -- in this -- in this aspect because they are -- they are really keen on -- on football. Mentally, the Asian players are very strong.
And if you compare to -- to -- to United States, maybe in United States they -- they used to play in another way. But it's -- it's -- it's nice to see that -- that there are two footballs, very, very interesting for us because one maybe is less physical than the other. But at the same time the -- the -- the -- the games are -- are very tough.
DAVIES: In terms of Barcelona's development of -- of the academies in the U.S. and the search for the next generation, that's -- that's a really big priority for you at the moment.
LAPORTA: We -- we are giving our training methods to States, especially to States, our academies, there are two that are owned by us and the rest are franchisee -- franchise. I think that the -- the players in -- in United States are very talented in this sense, assimilate very well our methods, our training methods and our general style of playing football.
[05:55:06]
And hope that they will be reflected in a few years in order to -- to improve the -- the soccer in -- in United States.
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BRUNHUBER: Prague pride brought thousands of people to the ancient capital of the Czech Republic. On Saturday, crowds joined the LGBTQ celebration, marching and dancing their way from Wenceslas Square through the medieval city center and across the river to a festival ground. The week-long festival wraps up on Sunday.
Bands of the Grateful Dead are celebrating the band's 60th anniversary this weekend. The legendary jam band has been synonymous with San Francisco and its counterculture since it formed in 1965. And to honor the connection, Golden Gate Park is adding a dozen new specially developed rose bushes to its garden. Have a look.
The bloom is called the Grateful Dead rose, a sister of one of the original band members, Bob Weir, requested that it be created.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKS GUYER, LAS PALMAS DE OJAI: Grateful dead and the rose are synonymous with each other. There's a number of songs that relate to the rose and they've used the rose iconography as long as well as the skeleton for many, many years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Dead and company, a band featuring three original members of the Grateful Dead is playing three concerts this weekend at Golden Gate Park and an estimated 60,000 people are expected to attend each day.
All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For those of you watching in North America, CNN This Morning is next. For those of you overseas, it's Connecting Africa.
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