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Netanyahu Asks Red Cross For Help After Gaza Hostage Videos; U.S. Trade Chief Says Trump's Tariff Rates "Pretty Much Set"; At Least 68 African Migrants Killed After Boat Capsizes Off Yemen Coast; World Athletics Introduces Gene Test For Female Category; Pope greeted by vast crowd at Catholic youth event; Australia's Victoria State Proposes Work from Home Law; Intruders Demand Cryptocurrency in Home Invasion Attack; DHS: "There is No Hunger Strike at Alligator Alcatraz"; Spain Braces for Heat Wave as Rare Snow Covers Australian Towns. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 04, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:29]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, whenever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, aid is beginning to trickle into Gaza as outrage is growing in Israel of the fate of the hostages still held captive in the enclave. After hitting virtually every country in the world with new steep tariffs this week, the White House is now saying those higher rates will be here to stay day.

Plus, a string of violent attacks on crypto investors. How promoting online currency is leading to real world crime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome. We're beginning with developments in the Middle East, where the Israeli prime minister is asking the International Red Cross to bring food and medicine to the hostages held in Gaza. A warning, the image you're about to see is disturbing.

Benjamin Netanyahu's request follows outrage in Israel over the release of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's propaganda videos showing two emaciated Israeli captives. The anger spilling over on the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night where large crowds called for a deal to free the remaining hostages.

Families of those held are warning against an expansion of the war, as one Israeli official says Netanyahu is pushing to free the hostages through military defeat of Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Dear citizens of Israel, like you, I was deeply shocked yesterday. I saw the horrifying videos of our dear sons, Rom and Evyatar. I called the families, embrace them on behalf of myself and my wife and on your behalf, too.

You see them wasting away in a dungeon, but the Hamas monsters surrounding them have thick, fleshy arms. They have everything they need to eat. They are starving them the way the Nazis starve the Jews. And when I see this, I understand exactly what Hamas wants. It doesn't want a deal. It wants to break us through these horrifying videos, through the false propaganda it spreads around the world.

But we will not break. I am filled with even stronger determination to free our kidnapped sons, to eliminate Hamas and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to the state of Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Hamas says it is prepared to, quote, deal positively with any request by the Red Cross to deliver aid to Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, but only if certain conditions are met, primarily that humanitarian corridors are opened, allowing in food and medicine amid a deepening hunger crisis in the enclave.

On Sunday, Israel's military says six countries, including Jordan, France and Belgium, airdropped 136 aid packages into Gaza. However, health workers have said these efforts aren't enough to reverse the crisis, and the United Nations warns airdrops are ineffective and dangerous. The U.N. has released new video showing thousands of Palestinians seeking aid in northern Gaza. One woman expressed the frustration felt by so many.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The U.N. used to distribute aid and I could get it easily. Now we get nothing. I risk my life going to Zikim and I see death with my own eyes and this is now the fifth time I return with an empty bag. I just want to return to my children with something. I'm seeing death. The ones benefiting now are traitors and thieves.

Widows, women and the elderly are left out and no one is looking out for us. I'm a widow. I've lost a lot of weight and my health is deteriorating. No one bill says accept God. I want my dignity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more on the outrage over the hostage videos and a deteriorating situation in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Anger continues to build around the world over the dire situation in Gaza. In Tel Aviv, thousands of people protested Saturday after Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released propaganda videos showing emaciated hostages in clearly fragile condition, causing outrage domestically and internationally.

The brother of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, shown in the video digging a hole he says is his own grave, made this plea to U.S. President Donald Trump to do whatever he could to free them.

ILAY DAVID, BRTOEHR OF EVYATAR DAVID: Hamas is using a 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.

[01:05:00]

You have the power. You must do everything in your power by any means necessary to say the Evyatar and Guy and the rest of the captives.

NADEAU: Elsewhere, people gather to protest the growing humanitarian catastrophe and seemingly endless military attacks on civilian Palestinians inside the Strip, calling for a ceasefire.

In Sydney, Australia, tens of thousands of people marched for peace and aid in Gaza on Sunday amid reports of continuing starvation and the difficulty getting aid. As aid trickles in, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli strikes hit their headquarters in Gaza on Sunday, killing at least one staff member, underscoring the risk to those desperately needing help and those who are risking their lives to provide it. Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Far right, Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has sparked outrage after praying at the most sensitive holy site in Jerusalem. That's because his action breached a decades old agreement that bars Jews from worship in the Al Aqsa mosque compound.

While there, Israel's national security minister called for his country to conquer Gaza and encourage Palestinians to leave the enclave. Jordan and Saudi Arabia condemned his actions, as did the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs, which called Ben-Gvir an extremist.

America's top trade official says global tariff rates are here to stay days before President Trump's new trade plan takes effect. He said he doesn't see those rates being negotiated down before Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: I don't think they will be in the coming days. I think a lot of these, well, I know a lot of these are set rates pursuant to deals. Some of these deals are announced, some are not. Others depend on the level of the trade deficit or surplus we may have with the country. So these tariff rates are pretty much set.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: The White house says a 10 percent tariff will apply to most countries and others will face at least a 15 percent rate if the U.S. has a trade deficit with them.

The U.S. is signaling that the deadline for a trade deal with China could be delayed. U.S. treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer failed to reach an agreement with their Chinese counterparts in Stockholm last week.

But Greer says their conversations have been very positive and the deadline may be pushed back from August 12th. Let's take a look at where U.S. stocks stand ahead of a very busy week. U.S. markets are looking pretty steady. Wall Street's clearly bounced back a bit from the dip. And now to the markets in Asia. Oh, but in Asia, markets are definitely more mixed. Japan is falling.

Now investors are weighing fresh data from China and the latest moves in regional tech. Well, let's keep going with this. Joining us live from Hong Kong is CNN's Kristie Lou Stout, thanks so much for being with me again.

The clock is now ticking to the August 12 tariff deadline with China. Will the truce get an extension, do you think?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is the top question this hour, Ben. And the U.S.-China trade truce could get an extension beyond the August 12 deadline. That is what we're hearing from the U.S. trade representative and the top Trump administration trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer.

Look, you know, after these preliminary deals were reached between the U.S. and China back in May, back in June, these two countries have until Tuesday next week, that is just over a week from now in order to reach a deal for an extension or a full trade deal.

And if they don't reach an agreement, that is when the tariff rates on both these countries is going to snap right back up to this ultra high levels on par with an effective trade blockade.

Now, it was in an interview with CBS that was aired on Sunday when Jamieson Greer was asked the question is there going to be an extension to the U.S.-China trade truce? And he answered this saying that's something that we're working toward. He also said that recent U.S.-China trade talks are moving in a quote, positive direction and that there was a lot of focus on rare earths. I want you to listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREER: We talked about and I won't go into detail because they're confidential conversations between two governments, but they really focused on rare earth magnets and minerals. China has put a global control on the world. And so for the United States, we're focused on making sure that the flow of magnets from China to the United States and the adjacent supply chain can flow as freely as it did before the control. And I'd say we're about halfway there now. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Last week those trade talks between the United States and China and Stockholm ended without a deal. Both these countries face a long list of sticking points, of contentious issues that are getting in the way of a full-fledged agreement.

At the top of the list, and let's bring it up for you of course, is the issue of rare earths and China's curbs on rare earth minerals and magnets. Rare earths again, a key ingredient used in semiconductors in trade and defense industries. And that's why it was also really interesting to hear from Jamieson Greer just a beat ago saying that in regards to rare earths, they're about halfway there in terms of an agreement.

[01:10:05]

Also on the list you have China's purchase of sanctioned oil from Russia, from Iran, also the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China eventually getting into the United States. And of course, the fate and future of TikTok.

Now, analysts have pointed out time and time again the relationship between the U.S. and China is a complicated one. It's a complex one. Yes, a trade truce is in place, but it is a fragile one. And the deadline is looming again, August 12th, Tuesday next week. The clock is ticking. Back to you, Ben.

HUNTE: And in the wake of Trump's tariffs, we also see in China brewing up stronger trade ties with Brazil. Tell me, what is the latest on that coffee deal?

LU STOUT: Yes, this is very, very interesting. As we reported here on CNN Newsroom last week, of the many countries that were slapped with tariffs from the Trump administration, Brazil was hit with 50 percent tariffs on products including copper and coffee. And China, sensing an opportunity here, has swoop in.

We've learned from the embassy in Brazil, the Chinese embassy, that they have approved 180 additional Brazilian coffee companies to be able to export their coffee products into the vast Chinese market. The embassy in China also adds that these permits will be in effect for about five years. This is China sensing an opportunity and swooping in. Back to you, Ben.

HUNTE: Thank you, Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, speak to you soon.

LU STOUT: Thank you.

HUNTE: Next, a boat carrying Ethiopian migrants has capsized off the coast of Yemen, killing at least 68 people and leaving 74 missing. It happened in the Gulf of Aden early on Sunday. Only 12 survivors have been found so far, according to the UN's migration agency.

In recent months, hundreds of migrants have died or gone missing while trying to reach countries in the Gulf region. World Athletics is enforcing new rules regarding the definition of

biological women in the run up to the September World Championships. We'll explain what they are when we come back.

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[01:16:29]

HUNTE: Welcome back. World Athletics, the governing body of track and field, says it will conduct genetic testing for women to determine biological sex ahead of the sports World Championships. They take place in Tokyo starting on September 13th. Athletes who wish to compete must pass the genetic test by September 1st, and that is a closing date for entries.

World Athletics says this once in a lifetime test to determine if an athlete has a male Y chromosome is intended to provide clarity to an issue that has been controversial in the sport for years now. Christine Brennan is a CNN sports analyst and columnist for USA Today. She's also the author of the book "On her game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports." She's joining us from Washington. Thank you so much for being with me. How you doing?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Hey, I'm great, Ben. Thanks so much for having me.

HUNTE: You're so welcome. It's good to see you. I started reporting on LGBTQ lives in 2018, and back then it felt almost taboo to intersex athletes competing. But then skip forward today, there's clearly been a major shift globally in how sports bodies are handling gender and biology. How significant is this new gene testing policy from World Athletics?

BRENNAN: You're absolutely right. There has been a sea change, a real break in terms of how the sports world internationally in the U.S. here certainly, but around the world looks at these issues. And we started to see these changes going on a few years ago when two of the biggest international sports federations, World Aquatics and World Athletics, that's of course, swimming and track and field, when they -- this is, of course, there's two parts to this conversation, of course, transgender female athletes and then the gene testing for the Y chromosome.

But in that first case, the transgender female athletes, both World Aquatics and World Athletics, within a few months of each other, said that if someone has gone through male puberty, they cannot compete in the women's category.

And this, you know, I know a lot of people watching us and are wondering about Donald Trump and his impact in the U.S. absolutely on this issue, transgender female athletes. But in this case, Joe Biden was president, had nothing to do with U.S. domestic policy one way or the other. It was the world of sports organizations starting to make these decisions.

There have been meetings and conversations and studies, science, health, people, doctors, looking at all of this for years. And now we're seeing these changes. And it is really now widespread throughout the international sports community. And so now this testing to make sure that an athlete does not have the male chromosome, the Y chromosome, with just a swab of her mouth or a dry blood test.

Now, this is going to be part of the World Track and Field Championships, another part of a continuing trend to move in this direction.

HUNTE: As you just mentioned there, we have seen this pattern emerge with World aquatics, plus the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees as well, all changing rules for athletes who went through male puberty. Can you just break down for us why all of this is happening now?

BRENNAN: Well, it certainly, it's a great question.

[01:20:00]

And you're right, a few years ago we would not have been having these conversations. And in fact, it looked like the world was headed a different direction for inclusion. What has happened is we have seen an outcry from some women's groups and advocates for women's sports. And in that case, we'd be talking about cisgender women in sports.

And that outcry has grown louder. There are some very significant voices there, including Martina Navratilova, Olympic swimming gold medalist Nancy Hogshead, Donna Devarona, another Olympic swimming gold medalist, and others.

But again, this has been something that is being studied by the international sports community, and it has been for many years. And now what we're seeing is the results of their studies. So Sebastian Coe, of course, ran the London Olympics in 2012 and is in charge of World Athletics.

He has been leading the charge on this based on, as he says, the science and the experts and years of study to get to this point about what happens if someone has gone through male puberty and that is competing in the women's category at this elite level.

I think what concerns a lot of people is the hatred, the anger, the vitriol, especially more at the youth level, more when kids are getting started. And we want children to play sports at all levels around the world. In this case, we are now talking about the elite level, the Olympic level, the world championship level. And that is where this conversation is being had and where the decisions are coming down left and right, including the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the NCAA, the LPGA, all of them are now coming down on the side.

If you've gone through male puberty, you cannot compete in women's sports.

HUNTE: Some reactions online were really supportive of the policy because people said it will help to protect fairness in women's sports. But other people called it exclusionary and scaremongering, especially because there aren't actually that many trans athletes competing at an elite level.

Do you think that this is something that could potentially change back, or is this just how things are going to be now?

BRENNAN: I think that, you know, the way the world is going at this moment, this is it. But you're right, the numbers as of right now, there are no women that they understand to have Y chromosomes. You know, people competing in the women's category at the upcoming World Championships there, they do not believe there are any athletes that would be in the category, but that, of course, they will be testing.

So, yes, you know, we're talking about a very small number of either transgender women or in the case with the sex development disorders or the differences in sexual development. Obviously, Caster Semenya going back to when she won 2009 and all the controversy involving her, very few that make it to the elite level. Nonetheless, this is the conversation that's happening. We're covering it. It will continue to happen.

I do not see it going back anytime soon. This seems to be the way the world is going politically and obviously it in the wide world of sports as well.

HUNTE: Yes, this is going to keep on going and going and we're going to keep on covering it. Christine Brennan, thank you so much for now. I appreciate it.

BRENANN: Ben, thank you.

HUNTE: Pope Leo capped a week long gathering of Catholic youth in Rome with a mass attended by a massive crowd. The Vatican's jubilee of youth attracted pilgrims from countries all around the world. CNN's Christopher Lamb was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rock stars welcome for Pope Leo greeting an endless sea of crowds from every corner of the globe at a mega youth gathering in Rome. The first American pontiff facing a big test whether he can inspire the church's future generation.

LAMB: Pope Leo has arrived on the main stage at Tour Vergata. People are giving him a rapturous welcome, cheering.

LAMB (voice-over): Leo, both embracing the young people's enthusiasm but also ensuring moments of quiet contemplation, talking directly to them.

POPE LEO XIV, LEADER OF CATHOLIC CHURCH: Dear young people, Jesus is the friend who always accompanies us in the formation of our conscience, seek justice in order to build a more humane world.

LAMB (voice-over): For the young pilgrims, it's been a week long jamboree of music and fellowship in a festival atmosphere and the excitement was contagious even for the cardinals. The Vatican says people from 146 countries flocked to the Eternal City from as far as South Korea where the next big youth meeting will take place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted to meet a lot of people from around the world who believe in the same religion as me and do praise together. The religion brings people together.

LAMB (voice-over): And some came from New Mexico, one of the frontline states of U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. They want the Pope to stand with immigrants.

[01:25:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's very important for him to welcome many new people from many new countries, many new places so they can come experience it all.

LAMB: Particularly given what's happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, particularly from what's happening in the United States with other deportations and all of that.

LAMB (voice-over): But connecting with young people today means the church must reach beyond the pews. With some research showing Gen Z are interested in Catholicism. Theology student Nicola Camporiondo (ph) said says his mission is to help make faith more visible online.

NICOLA CAMPORIONDO, CATHOLIC INFLUENCER: It is important to me because young people of my age need to not feel alone. And so the videos I make on social media encourage young people to not be ashamed of practicing their faith.

LAMB (voice-over): Many camping out under the stars at the site so they could catch another glimpse of the Pope in the morning.

POPE LEO: Good morning. Buenos dias.

LAMB (voice-over): With more than a million turning out for Sunday mass with Leo, this was the largest event of his nearly three month papacy.

POPE LEO: God bless you all.

LAMB (voice-over): And his authenticity and quiet charisma helped him connect with the crowd. As they prepared to go home, Leo urged them to remember those suffering, stressing that the young pilgrims are a sign a different world is possible.

POPE LEO: We are with the young people of Gaza. We are with the young people of Ukraine.

LAMB (voice-over): Leo, chosen as pontiff at a turbulent time in history and while still adjusting to the limelight, seems to enjoy being Pope. Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Still to come, the head of one Australian state believes working from home should be a right and not a request. Why she's proposing a remote work law. Just ahead.

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[01:31:59]

HUNTE: Welcome back. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ben Hunte.

The ability to work from home may soon become law in the Australian state of Victoria. Under the plan proposed by state premier Jacinta Allan, working from home at least two days a week would be a right if the job allows.

She says it could save workers more than $100 a week, cut down on traffic and keep more women in the workforce.

The opposition liberal national coalition had announced plans to eliminate remote work, which was partly to blame for their poor performance in national elections back in May.

Well, Chris Wright joins me now. He's a professor of work and labor market policy at the University of Sydney. Chris, thanks for being here. How are you doing?

CHRIS WRIGHT, PROFESSOR OF WORK AND LABOR MARKET POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: I'm good. Thanks, Ben. How are you?

I'm good, I'm good. It is 1:30 a.m., but we're still going.

Judging by the reaction on social media, a lot of people are very happy about this potential shift. In fact, people in other states and even other countries are begging for this too.

But do you think this is actually a good policy, or is it just political theater.

WRIGHT: Well Ben, it certainly is a live issue around the world. Working from home arrangements, which were really baked in during COVID. And we're still seeing the legacy of that everywhere it seems.

In terms of whether this is good policy, I think the evidence suggests that employers who allow working from home arrangements for their employees, where they can do that, this is good for business as well as for workers.

But look, without getting into the technicalities, Australia, we've got a federal system here. The national governments largely have responsibility for workplace law.

So whether the Victorian government can actually do this is another question. I will wait and see, I guess.

HUNTE: I know you've looked closely at the data. Do workers who spend two or three days at home actually perform better, or is that just what people want to believe?

WRIGHT: No, that's true. There's been a whole range of studies that have focused on the productivity benefits and the effects of working from home arrangements.

And you know, two to three days in the office and the same amount of time at home, you know, what's called hybrid arrangements, that seems to be the sweet spot. So workers who work from home, you know, a couple of days each week are found to be as, if not more productive than those who come into the office every day. And they're less likely to get burnt out if they're able to work from home those couple of days.

You know, if you're having to go into the office every day, especially if you have a long commute, and especially if you have care responsibilities that you've got to navigate around, that can be pretty exhausting and can really make it hard to stay in that.

[01:34:49]

WRIGHT: So, you know, there are -- for the businesses that can enable working from home, particularly in the service economy, two to three days is found to be the sweet spot by the -- by the research evidence.

HUNTE: So if that's the case, then why are so many business groups and some political parties fighting remote work?

WRIGHT: Well, there's a couple of things. I think that some business leaders are in a, you know, pre-COVID you could say, 1980s, 1990s, pre-Internet revolution mindset still where, you know, they associate productive workers with workers who they can see being productive.

You know, for some workers, that is the case. You know, they need to have a manager looking over their shoulder to work hard.

But, you know, for many workers, people are likely to be more engaged and to be able to get their jobs done most effectively when they have a bit of flexibility around where they do their work.

You know, like coming into the office has many benefits, having contact with your colleagues, with your managers. Of course, that's very beneficial. But so too is having the space and the time to be able to focus on, you know, project-based work, you know -- deep, deep, deep work, it's often called. And also to be able to try to fit your work commitments around the other things that you've got to do, you know?

So I think there's still a bit of an old-fashioned mindset there. It should be said, which explains some of the resistance that we're seeing out there still.

HUNTE: That makes sense. Do you think this is a uniquely Australian debate, or are we seeing governments around the world using return-to- office policies as political tools as well?

WRIGHT; We're seeing it everywhere. I mean, it's only a few months ago that when Donald Trump came back into the White House, you know, one of the early things he did was to mandate return-to-work orders for government employees in the U.S., you know, that was despite a lot of the research coming out of the U.S. suggesting that those sorts of arrangements didn't lead to the highest levels of productivity and engagement for staff.

You know, we're seeing it elsewhere in Europe, all across the world. I mean, the amazing thing about this to me, Ben, is that for quite some time before COVID, we saw governments and other actors out there trying to put in place, encourage more working from home or remote working for the reasons that you said at the beginning in terms of it's -- you know, it can be good in terms of reducing carbon emissions. It can be good for reducing the barriers to employment for people who often struggle to get into the office every day because of disabilities or because of care for dependents.

And COVID really was a game changer for this. You know, we think about the pandemic as something that's in the past, and it is thankfully, largely. But in terms of the way that it changed people's experience of working from home, they got a taste of it and they liked it.

And so around the world, we're seeing, you know, unions, workers pushing for flexible working arrangements and some governments embracing that, like we're seeing in Victoria. Other governments resisting it.

So it's going to be a live debate for some time to come yet.

HUNTE: Yes. And that's going to happen around the world, I'm sure.

Chris Wright in Sydney, thank you for now. I appreciate it.

WRIGHT: Thank you, Ben.

HUNTE: In march, a well-known online gamer and OnlyFans model endured a terrifying home invasion. The attackers who entered the home she shares with her husband demanded their cryptocurrency in what's come to be known as a wrench attack. And they're happening with greater frequency.

CNN senior crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Kaitlyn Siragusa's attackers came under the cover of darkness, guns drawn with one demand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) crypto? Give us the crypto. I swear to God, I will cut you and kill you.

KAITLYN SIRAGUSA, ONLYFANS MODEL: They pointed the gun at me from the hallway. And they told me to stand up. And so I'm freaking out and I'm standing up and there's a chair over here.

And so they kind of just all come towards me because there's three of them, and they corner me into the chair, and that's when they start, like pistol-whipping me, you know, asking where the crypto is, holding me at gunpoint.

PROKUPECZ: Siragusa is a famous streamer and OnlyFans model. Known to her millions. Of followers as Amouranth. And while she's no crypto kingpin. She believes that a tweet nine months earlier alluding to her investments in crypto is what prompted the attack.

So you're sitting there and the three of them are like, around you like this sort of.

SIRAGUSA: Yes.

PROKUPECZ: Masks on?

SIRAGUSA: Oh, yes.

PROKUPECZ: Guns. And then one guy here?

SIRAGUSA: Yes. He was he was on this side of me holding the gun to my head. And the other one was here hitting me.

[01:39:45]

PROKUPECZ: What Siragusa's assailants didn't realize, the entire attack was being captured by surveillance cameras.

And Kaitlyn wasn't alone. She called her husband Nick when the attack began. And he was listening to the entire frightening episode from another part of their home.

NICK LEE, SIRAGUSA'S HUSBAND: I got to hear kind of all the dialog that was happening, and then even them hitting her.

I'm running over here. I go to the, you know, little safe thing I have here, and I type in my code. And then it pops open. I grab the handgun, and then I slip this on, grab this, and then. I'm rushing down stairs.

PROKUPECZ: Fearing for her life Siragusa decided to lead her attackers towards her husband.

So at this point, you're up. What do you tell them?

SIRAGUSA: Like, oh, I remembered where it is. I'll take it to you to it, like it's so comical, honestly.

It's in -- it's in the pool.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not in the pool. Stop playing.

PROKUPECZ: And so how does this -- this is blood here?

SIRAGUSA: Yes. Those are my hand bleeding after it was touching, you know, it was my head dripped onto my hand.

PROKUPECZ: Surveillance footage captured. Siragusa sprinting across her driveway, leading them to what she hopes is an ambush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go, go.

SIRAGUSA: As soon as I turned the corner, the stairs, he's there, waiting at the top, and he tells me to get down. And I'm about like, right here when I do. I just hugged the side of the wall.

LEE: I fired three shots.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got shot. I got shot

LEE: I hit the guy once, I believe, in the lower abdomen area.

PROKUPECZ: Attacks on prominent crypto holders have been growing. Police say in May, a man in New York was kidnapped, held hostage and tortured for three weeks by men trying to gain access to his bitcoin account. He escaped with his life, beaten, bloody and barefoot.

That same month in France, gunmen ambushed the daughter and grandson of a French cryptocurrency boss attempting to abduct them off the streets of Paris in broad daylight.

And it's not just the crypto elite being targeted. In 2023, an elderly couple in North Carolina was held hostage by two men posing as construction workers. They zip tied the couple before threatening to cut off the man's toes, genitalia and rape his wife before making off with more than $150,000 in cryptocurrency.

Both men were convicted, and Justice Department officials say the ringleader is now serving 47 years in prison for his involvement in a series of similar attacks. The other is awaiting sentencing.

Ari Redbord is the global head of policy for TRM Labs. They're a blockchain intelligence firm that tracks wrench attacks.

They issued a report this year analyzing wrench attacks and identified three key factors contributing to their rise. The perceived anonymity and irreversibility of cryptocurrency transactions, the public visibility of wealth, and the ease with which personal information can be gathered online.

ARI REDBORD, GLOBAL HEAD OF POLICY, TRM LABS: We've seen a spate of these recently, I think in part because you're seeing copycat type of activity.

You know, one gang says, hey, we can see -- we can do this. And then we can steal these funds and move them at the speed of the Internet. And another kind of does the same.

SIRAGUSA: So these are the bullet holes, actually. And there's that -- their blood still where they were bleeding from.

PROKUPECZ: This is the blood from one of them being -- SIRAGUSA: Yes.

PROKUPECZ: So these are still bullet holes.

SIRAGUSA: Yes. And some fragments.

PROKUPECZ: Kaitlyn Siragusa and Nick Lee are now taking more precautions. They've hired private security and installed a 12-foot- high steel fence around their property.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop playing. Stop playing.

PROKUPECZ: As for her attackers, the man who was shot survived and all have been arrested and charged in connection with the crime.

The crypto thing now is there's a lot of concern over security for people who own -- who own crypto.

SIRAGUSA: Yes, I would say if you have -- if you have crypto and you're public about it, definitely make sure you live somewhere where you can have a gun.

PROKUPECZ: And with these attacks happening all across the world, law enforcement from every part of the world is trying to work together to prevent this from happening.

One of the things that they're using, one of the tools, is that they're trying to work with private firms who know how to trace cryptocurrency, these blockchain tools, they're called. And that is helping them in their investigations.

Another thing that we're going to see a lot of in the future are prosecutions and stiff penalties for people who conduct this kind of attacks.

Shimon Prokupecz CNN -- San Antonio, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The Department of Homeland Security says there's no hunger strike at a controversial migrant detention facility. Still ahead, why immigrant rights groups are criticizing conditions at this facility in the Florida Everglades, coming up.

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HUNTE: Welcome back.

The Department of Homeland Security says there is no hunger strike at Alligator Alcatraz. That's the controversial detention center in the Florida Everglades. An immigrant rights advocate said that at least a dozen detainees were on hunger strike to protest conditions at that site.

CNN's Rafael Romo has more.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Access to the migrant detention center is heavily restricted, even attorneys for those detained at the facility are complaining it has been nearly impossible to meet with their clients.

[01:49:45]

ROMO: But an immigrant rights advocate who has been monitoring conditions at the migrant detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" by Florida and federal officials, says at least a dozen detainees have been on a hunger strike for the last 12 days to protest conditions at the facility that opened last month in the Everglades.

Why did the detainees decide to go on hunger strike? This is what Thomas Kennedy, a spokesman with the Florida Immigrant Coalition, had to say about their decision.

THOMAS KENNEDY, SPOKESPERSON, FLORIDA IMMIGRANT COALITION: A number of individuals detained there have refused to eat to protest again, the deplorable conditions that they find themselves in. Including lack of adequate food, having to clean up fecal matter from the toilets due to lack of water pressure, lack of water in general, mistreatment by the guards, water intrusion when it rains due to flooding.

ROMO: Immigrant advocates like Kennedy say they know what's happening because detainees have told them when they have access to a phone, which usually happens once a day.

We reached out to both the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which manages the facility, and the Department of Homeland Security, for comment.

In a statement, a senior DHS official called the information false, calling reports of the hunger strike unsubstantiated, inaccurate allegations. The statement also says that for the record, during hunger strikes, ICE continues to provide three meals a day delivered to the detained aliens' room and an adequate supply of drinking water or other beverages. Ensuring the safety, security and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE.

In addition to what has been described by activists and Florida Democratic leaders as deplorable conditions at Alligator Alcatraz, attorneys for those detained are still facing obstacles when it comes to getting access to their clients held at the migrant detention center.

KENNEDY: I'm actually very concerned not just for the aggravating conditions that the detainees are subjected to, but also the constitutional and due process that's being denied to these detainees and their families.

ROMO: We specifically asked officials at both the state and federal levels for a reaction to this allegation, but it was not addressed in the statement we received from a senior DHS official.

Rafael Romo, CNN -- Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Flooding, scorching heat and a rare winter wonderland -- still ahead, the wild and surprising weather events hitting countries all across the world.

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HUNTE: A volcano in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula erupted for the first time in 600 years. A tourist group filmed the eruption while returning from a trip to see another volcano.

Russian state media says the volcano's eruption could be connected to the massive earthquake that rocked the region last week. Officials in Kamchatka reported an ash plume rising up as high as 3.7 miles, or nearly six kilometers.

Spain is bracing for temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius, or almost 108 degrees Fahrenheit.

While dangerous heat starts to set in there, Australians are dealing with the polar opposite condition. Towns in eastern Australia are seeing the most snow they've had in decades. In both parts of the world, one major feeling is shock.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Spain in August. It's not surprising that it's hot, but when temperatures are expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius or almost 108 degrees Fahrenheit in some places, that's not just hot, it's dangerous.

[01:54:53]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn't imagine. They had told me, but I could imagine but it was so hot.

HUNTE: Spain's weather agency says the heat wave could continue at least a week. The environment ministry reports there were nearly 1,200 heat-related deaths in the country from mid-May to mid-July, a sharp increase from the same period last year when there were 114 deaths.

Many people say they are taking precautions when going outside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take a break. Cover your head, especially if you have little hair. And keep drinking plenty of water. It is very important to stay hydrated to withstand this heat.

HUNTE: It's also brutally hot in Japan, where forecasters say the average temperature in July hit a record high for the third year in a row. And in many regions, there's less rainfall, which is impacting rice production.

Some tourists in Kyoto say it's been a challenge to stay cool.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been to India, so many other places in Asia, so I have the understanding of this heat. But this experience is really, really amazing in a sense that I am sweating from top-down.

HUNTE: It's just the opposite Down Under. In Australia, parts of the eastern country were turned into a surprising winter wonderland. As much as 40 centimeters, or about 16 inches of snow fell in northern New South Wales on Saturday, the most since the mid-1980s.

Emergency services say they were called to help more than 100 vehicles stuck in the snow. But many others made the most of the snowy conditions.

BRENDAN GOUGH, TRAVELED FROM QUEENSLAND TO NEW SOUTH WALES TO SEE SNOW: This actually is a very surreal experience. I've always dreamt about going to the snow. I've never seen snow before in my entire life. And it really is a surreal experience. And yes it's awesome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta.

I'll be back with you at the same time next weekend.

Until then, CNN NEWSROOM continues in just a moment. Rosemary -- over to you.

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