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Netanyahu To Convene Security Cabinet, Reportedly Weighing Full Gaza Occupation; Witkoff Lands In Russia As Trump's Sanctions Threat Looms; House Committee Issued A Subpoena For The Epstein Files; Trump Administration May Release Transcript From Ghislaine Maxwell DOJ Interview; U.S. Woman Accused of Helping North Koreans Get Jobs; 80 Years Since U.S. Dropped Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan; U.S. Coast Guard: Deaths of Five Men "Preventable"; Spain Still Sweltering in Second Summer Heat Wave; Octopus Grabs Child's Arm at Texas Aquarium. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired August 06, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: With a diplomatic solution stalled, Israel looks set to double down on the military option in Gaza. Ahead this hour on CNN Nwsroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): It is still necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And to do that, Israel's prime minister reportedly wants a full conquest of the Palestinian territory.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Kremlin is very unhappy about Washington's threats of secondary sanctions against its main oil and gas customers.
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VAUSE: And those threats come ahead of the U.S. presidential envoy traveling to Moscow with a deadline for a ceasefire in Ukraine just days away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most dangerous thing is to forget what happened a long time ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And Hiroshima's fading legacy 80 years after the first and only use of nuclear weapons during war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: With Gaza's ceasefire talks at an impasse, the Israeli government could soon order an expanded military operation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly in favor of a full conquest of the Palestinian territory. It's been more than 30 years since Israeli forces controlled all of Gaza and a decision could come this Thursday during a meeting of Israel's security cabinet.
On, Tuesday, Netanyahu huddled for hours with his closest security advisers, his office confirming military options in Gaza were under discussion. The U.N. says these reports of an expanded military operation and Israeli reoccupation, if true, are deeply alarming and warns of catastrophic consequences which could further endanger the lives of hostages still being held by Hamas.
All of this as Palestinians in Gaza continue to face a severe shortage of food. Aid agencies say airdrops of humanitarian supplies by seven countries is not even close to what's needed and are demanding Israel allow more convoys into the territory. And the U.S. president says his focus is now on the growing hunger crisis and how to alleviate the shortage of food. But he seemed unconcerned when asked about a possible full Israeli reoccupation of the Strip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We are there now trying to get people fed. As you know, $60 million was given by the United States fair recently to supply food and a lot of food, frankly, for the people of Gaza that are obviously not doing too well with the food. And I know Israel is going to help us with that in terms of distribution and also money.
We also have the Arab states are going to help us with that in terms of the money and possibly distribution. So that's what I'm focused on. As far as the rest of it, I really can say that's going to be pretty much up to Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Earlier I spoke with Yaakov Katz, senior columnist with the Jerusalem Post and senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute. I asked him about Israel's possible next move.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
YAAKOV KATZ, THE JERUSALEM POST: And Israel doesn't have a lot of options, right? What cards does it really have left to play here? It tried the temporary ceasefire and negotiation that would have seen the release of just 10 hostages out of the 20 who are alive. 18 of the bodies out of the 30 that are left in Gaza cease fire for 60 days. Then they were trying to negotiate a remaining long term truce and an end to the war. That didn't work. Now Israel says it's willing to do a complete end to the war, but it
would want a, well, it hasn't said Sari is willing to do a complete end to the war. What it said is it wants to get back all the hostages. It's willing to talk about what that would look like as an end to the war, but also that Hamas isn't willing to do.
So, Israel kind of doesn't have any options. It could end the war, but it wouldn't have the hostages. That's not something that Israelis would digest.
On the other hand, it's left with just one option, expand the war, which is hard to believe and understand two years into this. What does exactly that mean? Expand the war, which has been going on for so long already.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VAUSE: And in Gaza, Palestinians continue to die in a desperate search for food as this hunger crisis continues to deepen across the territory. Among the crowds are young children. CNN's Abeer Salman has the story of one 12-year-old girl and her daily quest to find food for her family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABEER SALMAN, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): In the summer heat, the walk to the soup kitchen gets longer and more tiring, especially with the lack of food. Parents here say they are keeping their children indoors, no play or any movement that could sap the little energy they have.
Everyone is exhausted. The choices for children like Jana are to wait at the back or get squashed at the front.
[01:05:02]
JANA, PRETEEN GAZAN: if we have lentil, we can at least move. We have five children in the family, and I'm the sixth.
SALMAN (voice-over): She says they haven't eaten since yesterday. Most people here are clamoring for their only meal of the day. The soup kitchen might not be open tomorrow or the day after. It's already serving much less food than months before. And there is no guarantee everyone here would get a serving of soup and carry it back.
The blisters and scars tell of how many times boiling soup has burned these hands, stoking disappointment and frustration among the weakest in the crowd. Returning home with a bowl of lentil soup is an achievement, no matter how small.
JANA: I went so the young children would eat, and me too. It was difficult. People got burnt. People were throwing rocks and attacking the place. It took all my strength to fill the pot.
SALMAN (voice-over): We first met Jana in May, when she stepped up to take care of her ailing parents and siblings after an Israeli soldier shot her brother dead.
Back then, Israel had just ended a total blockade of Gaza that lasted 2.5 months. Under international pressure, Israel has allowed a trickle of aid, that remains out of reach for families like Jana's, who cannot fight over aid trucks or afford to buy the looted food.
They've grown weaker over the past two months, like those around them in Gaza City, where the U.N. says the famine threshold for acute malnutrition has been reached. And like thousands of children across Gaza, these kids, too, have visited clinics due to malnutrition several times. Jana's mother fears for her daughter's life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was lost a lot of weight. She gets dizzy if she walks a little bit.
SALMAN (voice-over): Jana feels the weight of this responsibility to keep her family alive.
JANA: It's been difficult. We wake up hungry, and go to sleep hungry. My mom sends me to get water. If I try to carry two buckets, I fall. If I stay in, no one will bring them water. It has to be me.
SALMAN (voice-over): Abeer Salman, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Seems relations between the U.S. president and the Ukrainian president continue to improve. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a conversation Tuesday about increased U.S. sanctions on Russia were productive. Zelenskyy also thanked NATO allies for pledging more than $1 billion to buy U.S. made weapons for Ukraine. Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands have contributed to the financial support, some of it paying for munitions for the Patriot missile defense systems.
Donald Trump's foreign envoy, Steve Witkoff, is on a trip to Moscow where he's expected to meet with Russian officials, possibly the Russian president Vladimir Putin. We're told the Kremlin requested this meeting ahead of U.S. president's Friday deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face the possibility of punishing new secondary sanctions. CNN Fred Pleitgen has more now reporting in from Moscow.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Just hours ahead of the arrival of President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, Russian State TV trying to make sense of the visit.
It can be expected that Witkoff will strive to achieve a solution that will suit Donald, this reporter says, because otherwise he risks returning from Moscow with nothing. And this would be a blow to the position of the American leader's special envoy.
But With Trump's ultimatum to Moscow for a ceasefire in Ukraine drawing closer, the president piling on more pressure, threatening additional tariffs against India if they don't stop buying Russian oil now.
TRUMP: Now, we settled on 25 percent, but I think I'm going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours because they're buying Russian oil, they're fueling the war machine, and if they're going to do that, then I'm not going to be happy.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Kremlin is very unhappy about Washington's threats of secondary sanctions against its main oil and gas customers, threatening to derail the warm relations Moscow felt it had with the U.S. President.
We hear many statements that are, in fact, threats, attempts to force countries to cut trade relations with Russia, the Kremlin spokesman says. We do not consider such statements to be legal. We believe that sovereign countries should have and do have the right to choose their own trading partners.
PLEITGEN: Outside the U.S. embassy here in Moscow, already months ago, the Russians put up this sign in the colors of the Russian flag, saying, which means we are together. Now, it's unclear whether they mean they stand together with the United States or whether it means Russians stand united against pressure from the Trump administration.
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PLEITGEN (voice-over): Folks around here telling us they hope their trading partners won't buckle under American pressure. I don't think that India and China will directly stop and back down, he says. At least China is a power that claims to be a sovereign state on which no one imposes their will. And I don't think it will easily surrender at the behest of some third country from outside.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't like India and China to have sanctions against them from the United States. But if Trump wants it's his choice.
PLEITGEN: But you think Russia can withstand American sanctions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: yes, I'm pretty sure that Russia can withstand.
PLEITGEN: How do you think the relations are between President Trump and President Putin now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All I have to say that I hope that their relationship will be great. I hope, really.
PLEITGEN: But now difficult at the moment?
UNDIENTIFIED FEMALE: I think so, yes.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And solutions seem hard to come by, as the Kremlin has already made very clear Vladimir Putin will not back down in the Ukraine conflict. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Well, joining me here in Atlanta is Ryan Patel, a senior fellow at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University and an old friend of the show. Good to see you.
RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW AT THE DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: In person.
PATEL: Yes.
VAUSE: You live and breathe. OK. So no word yet from the president on how much this extra tariff on Indian exports to the U.S. will actually be. But President Trump seems determined to push on with this. Here's part of a statement which he posted on social media. India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they're then for much of the oil purchase, selling it on the open market for big profits.
In a statement we heard back from the Indian government basically saying they will continue with the imports of Russian oil because the suppliers rival also adding this, India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict, the Ukraine war. The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy market stability.
OK. How big would a tariff have to be to actually change India's behavior to make it stop buying that Russian oil? And the second part of this question is China buys a lot of Russian oil as well. And still no word on China from the White House.
PATEL: Yes, it has to be so large that the Indian government would, you know, stop producing everywhere. It's actually not the best interest of the U.S. so this news is not news. What India is doing, it's been going on for since the beginning of the conflict and it was needed for that region to continue to thrive. Hence why the U.S. is kind of supporting.
So calling on it now isn't so much as I don't think it's actually a threat. I think it's just, hey, here's what this looks like. Because to make a threat on that, on oil prices, think about what that would do to the U.S. economy and to everyone globally attacked if India can't buy that Russian oil, it spiked prices and would kind of go down the path that I don't even think it gets to India's decision than the US.
VAUSE: And if you do India, you have to do China as well. And that's sort of a nuclear bomb in a way. Overall, the tariff rates, especially on the major trading partners for the U.S. apparently, they're locked in. That's regardless of market volatility. The director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, gave details about over the weekend. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could a market reaction prompt President Trump to change these tariff rates again?
KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: The markets have seen what we're doing and celebrated them. And so I don't see how that would happen.
UNDIENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, but not ruling it out?
HASSETT: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
HASSETT: I would rule it out because these are the final deals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, the U.S. economy has dealt with the high price of imports much better than many expected. But, you know, that was until last Friday with that really bad jobs report. So are we at the point now where, you know, the tariffs are starting to impact the economy in a very real way and is it only going to get worse from here?
PATEL: Well, I think it depends on what sectors that you're looking at. When you think of health care is on the other side, manufacturing, definitely. We're starting to see the business sentiment. Right. It's not following the market per se of like, hey, everything's back to normal. Businesses still have cash sitting on the sidelines. They're still having layoffs. They still don't know what the actual impact will be. We are seeing, what we are seeing is prices being passed on to consumers. We're just starting to see this.
So this time in three months from now, Walmart, Target, all of those, you're going to see earnings down if it continues to be that to that degree. And that's when the huge impact will happen for consumers and businesses. So I think we're still at the very stage, early starters behind it.
VAUSE: And very quickly, the BLS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, neutral politically. So a political organization, even though the head was fired because the President didn't like the jobs report.
PATEL: Well, you can't ignore signals.
VAUSE: Yes.
PATEL: And the signals in all these things are saying that we are at the edge. And President Trump has mentioned that going down this path is going to hurt the U.S. citizen and consumer. The question becomes how much can the resilience can consumers have? And I think that's where we are right now.
[01:15:05]
VAUSE: On the positive side, we saw the -- in June, the imports were down by what, $12.6 billion, which meant the overall trade deficit fell sharply to $60 billion or thereabouts. That means the difference between what the U.S. bought from other countries compared to what it sold to other countries was a $60 billion deficit.
Isn't that good economic news? Because, you know, we saw economic growth rebound on the back of those fallen imports.
PATEL: Well, you see, if you look at a month ago and you see where we are and where we are now, it's actually not as pretty because you see inflation being, you know, still where it's at. The Fed doesn't make, it didn't, excuse me, the Fed did not make a decision on interest rates.
And to me, this is where it comes down to. In September, the Fed chooses not to decrease the interest rate. It's a huge signal, meaning they are looking at the numbers. Just because somebody says that the economy is all great and they're not choosing to do that. It sits really, you see all time debt high for credit cards. So there's two different pictures here, John, and I think to me we're not out of the woods yet.
VAUSE: Right, but the question is, are we going into the woods?
PATEL: I mean, as of right now, you have to assume that we are because there hasn't been a decision made by the Fed. I mean, the Fed is our second one of the signals for us to look at and they're choosing not to because they're still very cautious of doing it. And if there's so much pressure right now to make a decision and there's still a lot within the Federal Reserve, this last vote was the first time we've seen some kind of dissent.
VAUSE: Yes. And putting interest rates on hold seems to be just, you know, their way of saying we don't know what's going to happen.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney was also talking about trade tensions with the United States. And he made this comment I thought was quite interesting. Listen, here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: America is in effect charging for access to its economy through a combination of higher baseline tariffs, unilateral trade liberalization by its partners, and new commitments to invest in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I haven't heard anyone describe it that way, but it seems fairly accurate. What would happen if the rest of the world got together, had a bit of a meeting without the U.S. and decided not to play by those rules anymore? Decided they didn't want to do trade that way and just left the U.S. behind.
PATEL: Can't do it now, but eventually they could. And I think that's where this bilateral trade movement in the future will be an issue. Right. We see Europe and that was Europe able to make the E.U. make a deal quickly because they needed the investment into the US. And I think this is kind of Trump playbook 101. If you want access, we make business and they both win. But to your point, just what China is trying to do is to interlock or
unlock away from the U.S. and be more independent. Then what happens when, you know, you're on equal standing. And trust me, these countries are not going to forget when it's time, when the leverage is maybe more even, and then come back and make another deal. Don't be surprised.
VAUSE: Well, we'll have you back when that happens. Good to see you, Ryan. Thanks for coming in.
PATEL: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, what exactly did Jeffrey Epstein's longtime partner and accomplice tell the U.S. justice Department last month? Those details may soon be made public.
Also, the fading legacy of Hiroshima. Those who survived the first and only use of nuclear weapons in wartime fear the world is inching closer to using nuclear weapons again. We are live in Tokyo on a somber anniversary.
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[01:22:35]
VAUSE: U.S. house Republicans continue to defy the president over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, with the House Oversight Committee issuing nearly a dozen new subpoenas asking the Justice Department to turn over any files on the late sex trafficker and pedophile with the names of victims redacted.
They also want to hear from six former U.S. Attorneys general, former FBI Director James Comey, former Special counsel Robert Mueller, and former President and former First Lady Bill and Hillary Clinton. The subpoenas are in defiance of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who's tried to delay the release of the Epstein files.
The U.S. Attorney General and FBI director are among administration officials who will meet with the vice president at his home in the day ahead to discuss the Epstein case. That's according to multiple sources. CNN's Kristen Holmes has more on their strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Sources tell CNN that the Trump administration is considering releasing parts of a transcript or even parts of audio of an interview conducted between Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Now, this has been part of an effort for the White House to try and get in front of forefront of the Epstein story. They have spent a majority of the time over the last few months since the DOJ issued that memo playing defense. They want to now be playing offense.
So here's what we know. We know that there's no final decisions have been made on what they're going to release from this interview. But the Department of Justice has been combing through the audio, combing through the transcripts, making sure any sensitive material has been redacted as they move forward with the potential of releasing this information.
I talked to one White House official who said it could be as early as this week, another saying it could be in several weeks. They don't want to try and bring the Epstein story back into the forefront after it has kind of subsided.
But we know one thing is certain. There are multiple administration officials, multiple White House officials who feel like they've been playing catch up. They feel frustrated by the way that this rollout has occurred, heard with these Epstein files with the Epstein case. And they want to take control of the narrative and the optics, and they believe this is one way to do it.
Now, another part of this, President Trump was asked if he knew about Ghislaine Maxwell's move from a maximum security to a minimum security prison. Here's what he said earlier today.
TRUMP: I didn't know about it at all. No, I read about it just like you did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do you believe that she is --
TRUMP: It's not a very uncommon thing.
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HOLMES: Now, one thing is certain. When I talk to sources not just within the administration, but also some of President Trump's most ardent allies and staunch supporters, they all want more transparency and more information. And they believe that the Epstein case, the information around the case is not going away. Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, work from home meets international espionage. Still ahead, an inside look at a scheme by North Korea to infiltrate the American workplace.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
According to the FBI, more than 300 U.S. companies have been infiltrated by North Koreans in perhaps the most elaborate scam ever, the work-from-home scheme. And they were helped by a woman in Arizona who has pleaded guilty to identity fraud -- identity theft rather, and wire fraud.
CNN's Ivan Watson live in Hong Kong with the details here. This was all about getting money back to North Korea, amongst other things.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. U.S. law enforcement estimates that this criminal scheme earns North Korea between $225 million to $600 million a year.
A team of CNN journalists has spent several months investigating this sophisticated ploy, which gets North Koreans using often stolen identities to get hired at hundreds of American companies. And not only do they earn the salaries from that, but it also gives them a back door into corporate America.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Arizona resident Christina Chapman takes what may be one of the longest walks of her life trailed by a documentary crew. She's going to court for sentencing after pleading guilty to criminal charges, including wire fraud and identity theft.
Did you know that you were working with North Koreans?
U.S. law enforcement says Chapman ran laptop farms for North Korea.
MATTHEW GALEOTTI, ACTING ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: She was involved with an extremely dangerous and serious and sophisticated criminal scheme in which individuals were directed by the government of North Korea to apply for information technology jobs to make it appear that they were either U.S.-based workers or workers in third-party countries that were not sanctioned.
CHRISTINA CHAPMAN, CHARGED WITH IDENTITY THEFT AND WIRE FRAUD: Hi, everybody, TikTok fam.
WATSON: Chapman documented her life extensively on TikTok from poverty in 2021.
CHAPMAN: I'm classified as homeless in Minnesota.
WATSON: To two years later, when she had a new job in what she described as the computer business. It allowed her to rent this house in Arizona.
CHAPMAN: I started at 5:30, go straight to my office, which is the next door away from my bedroom.
WATSON: The FBI raided Chapman's house in October 2023, seizing more than 90 laptops and accusing her of helping North Koreans use stolen and purchased U.S. identities to get remote IT worker jobs at more than 300 U.S. companies earning North Korea more than $17 million.
Why is this case important?
GALEOTTI: Its funneling money back to North Korea, which is sanctioned for its nuclear weapons program. So, in other words, we are resourcing one of the most hostile nations in the world, funding their weapons program. BRIAN JACK, CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER, KNOWBE4: If you post
"remote software engineering jobs" and those positions are listed on a site like, Indeed, I can guarantee you, you are fielding resumes from North Korea.
WATSON: Brian Jack knows firsthand. Last year, his company discovered it had unwittingly hired a North Korean. Now, he says, his teams are experts on spotting North Korean job applicants.
JACK: In the last year, I know of and have looked at, at least 100 North Korean resumes.
WATSON: They often use similar generic names and almost identical job and educational experience. They also use A.I.-Generated photos and even A.I. face filters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like are you using something to like, change your camera view?
WATSON: Such as this one where the man on the left used a Caucasian filter to hide his identity in an online job interview?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can see that you're using some kind of software.
MICHAEL BARNHART, PRINCIPAL I3 INSIDER RISK INVESTIGATOR, DTEX: This is instruction manual by them for them.
WATSON: U.S. Army veteran and IT security expert Michael Barnhart has been collecting evidence that the North Koreans accidentally share.
BARNHART: We've seen their chats. We've seen their emails. We've seen their faces.
[01:34:44]
WATSON: Including Google and ChatGPT searches that show how they're trying to fit in with American society, asking questions like, "I want to know about American football". And "when is lunchtime in the U.S.A."?
U.S. law enforcement can't physically catch North Koreans --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was working remotely most of the time.
WATSON: -- believed to be running their schemes out of China and Russia. But American laptop farmers are a different story.
GALEOTTI: These schemes always happen with U.S.-based facilitators, whether they're financial facilitators allowing their bank accounts to be used, whether they're hosting laptop farms or whether they're helping create or sell false identities.
WATSON: Christina Chapman's prosecution is a warning to corporate America about the North Korean threat that can come with every job application.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Now, Christina Chapman was ultimately sentenced to more than eight years in prison, and the judge in that case went on to say this was an issue of national security.
I listened to her in court and she said that she expressed remorse and that she felt terrible about the victims who'd been hurt in this case.
Now, there are other cases like this. In June, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had raided some 29 suspected laptop farms in 16 U.S. states.
They arrested two suspected laptop farmers based in New Jersey. And they say that this scheme has been so successful that they fear other countries and organized crime organizations could get in on this.
And there's a further element that's important here, John. The A.I. technology is getting more sophisticated. So that can just make these schemes that much more difficult for human resources offices to penetrate when they're looking at hiring remote workers, John.
VAUSE: Ivan, quite the report there. Interesting stuff. Ivan Watson live for us in Hong Kong.
80 years ago today, a U.S. B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped Little Boy on Hiroshima, Japan, a 15-kiloton blast which left the city devastated and more than 200,000 people dead.
Days later, another nuclear attack on Nagasaki. President Truman ordered the first and only nuclear strike to bring the Second World War to an end.
Japan is now marking this somber anniversary with a ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park with dignitaries and the dwindling number of survivors.
One researcher has been painstakingly recovering the remains of atomic bomb victims, hoping to preserve their memory.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the island of Ninoshima, researcher Rebun Kayo digs and sifts slowly, uncovering fragments of human remains from the war that devastated Japan now 80 years ago.
After the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 some 10,000 victims dead and dying were ferried to Ninoshima. The small island in Hiroshima Bay became a field hospital and then a mass grave.
REBUN KAYO, RESEARCHER, HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR PEACE: Boats piled with bodies came to the shore here. Then the soldiers dug a hole and buried them here one after the other.
MONTGOMERY: One day, Kayo plans to bring the bone fragments he collects to a Buddhist temple to be enshrined.
KAYO: The bones in here, they haven't been treated humanely for 80 years. It'll be 80 years this year they've been buried in the earth like they're objects.
MONTGOMERY: Kayo has been coming here for years, driven by the loss of three members of his own family killed during World War II whose remains were never recovered.
Now he searches through the ground to bring dignity to others and to have a reminder of the effects of nuclear war.
KAYO: People today who don't know about the war focus only on the recovery of Japan, and they move the conversation forward while forgetting about these people here.
In the end, it becomes like even if you drop an atomic bomb, you can recover. That's why there will be people who think it's ok to drop the bomb again. There will always be people who try to justify it in a way that suits them.
MONTGOMERY: For Kayo, this is not an act of archeology, but remembrance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins us now live from Tokyo. Thank you for being with us again, Hanako.
But Japan, it's the only country which has been the victim of a nuclear attack. So clearly, this is a day that few people outside of Japan could really understand the significance of.
MONTGOMERY: Hi, John. It's good to see you again.
Yes. I mean, as you mentioned there, Hiroshima is one of only two cities to have ever been bombed with an atomic bomb during wartime.
[01:39:46]
MONTGOMERY: So the scars of this nuclear weapon are very much acutely felt in this city. But I do think that this anniversary is one for the entire world to commemorate, and also to remember.
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and, then subsequently, Nagasaki greatly changed our world's political structure. And we also saw tens of thousands of people die at the hands of these weapons, many of them civilians. And the effects of that are still felt to this very day.
Now, for survivors of the atomic bombing. You know, this anniversary holds even more weight, even more significance. Many of them are now getting very, very old. They're in their 80s, 90s or 100s and have said that this could be the last significant anniversary that they're able to commemorate, that they're able to share their message of peace. But as you just saw there from Kayo, the one who's digging up graves
and bones, I mean, their message of peace really continues to be carried on through these younger generations. And it's still one of massive importance, because really, if you take a look at the way our world is right now, we're seeing increasing tensions.
You know, we saw that this year between Israel and Iran, between India and Pakistan, all four powers have nuclear weapons. And when these conflicts first arose, there was some concern among some experts that these powers could use their nuclear weapons. And fortunately, it didn't come to that.
But I think this anniversary really does serve as a stark reminder of what's at stake here. Should these weapons ever be used again. The complete and total devastation, the heartbreak, the loss.
I mean, these are scars again that are felt very, very significantly for many decades later, John.
VAUSE: Hanako, thank you. Hanako Montgomery there live in Tokyo on a very somber day. Thank you.
Still to come here on CNN, a damning new report detailing the many issues leading to the deadly implosion of the Titan submersible. We'll have that in a moment.
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VAUSE: An investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard has found the instant death of five people on board the Titan submersible when it imploded in 2023 could have been prevented. The report, more than 300 pages long, was released Tuesday and accuses the CEO of the company which operated the submersible of being criminally negligent.
CNN's Jason Carroll has details.
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JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A "preventable tragedy", that's how a scathing new report from the Coast Guard describes the 2023 implosion of the Titan submersible that instantaneously killed all five people on board.
The report also stating the Coast Guard believed former OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was criminally negligent.
JASON NEUBAUER, DEPUTY CHIEF, OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIONS AND ANALYSIS, U.S. COAST GUARD: If Mr. Rush had somehow survived, we would've made a recommendation that the Department of Justice do a separate inquiry, criminal investigation into the matter.
CARROLL: What led to the implosion, the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation finding the primary contributing factors were OceanGate's inadequate design, certification, maintenance, and inspection process for the Titan.
In one example, the board found OceanGate ignored warning signs and did not bother to investigate safety issues with Titan's hull after an incident in 2022.
During that previous incident, a loud banging noise was heard during Titan's ascent, a possible sign the hull was not structurally sound.
The report's findings echoing accounts from OceanGate's former employees, several of whom testified last year about cutting cost and safety issues, issues they say Rush ignored.
DAVID LOCHRIDGE, FORMER DIRECTOR OF MARINE OPERATIONS, OCEANGATE: There was a big push to get this done and lot of steps along the way were missed.
STOCKTON RUSH, FORMER CEO, OCEANGATE: I've broken some rules to make this.
CARROLL: Rush was a highly-controversial figure among deep-sea explorers well before the catastrophic implosion.
RUSH: I have no desire to die.
CARROLL: A recently released Netflix documentary explored his vision for Titan and its eventual demise.
Submersible experts were critical of Rush's approach to building Titan, saying its construction was not founded in tested science. The Coast Guard accused Rush of gross negligence, in its report saying his company did all it could to avoid oversight by the scientific and maritime community, saying he exhibited negligence that contributed to the deaths of four individuals.
NEUBAUER: I think it was very serious. The fact that the vessel was operated, in our opinion, illegally, you know, with paying passengers with no certification, no even registration for the vessel itself, really, I haven't seen that before.
CARROLL: In addition to Rush, the four others who were killed in included famed deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19- year-old son, Suleman.
Jason Carroll, CNN -- New York
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VAUSE: In a moment here on CNN, why one Texas mother is now calling for more attention to animal safety after a harrowing visit to the aquarium and an encounter with an octopus.
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VAUSE: Dozens of people are believed missing after floodwaters tore through a mountain village in India Tuesday.
A wall of water and mud is seen racing down a river in a village in the Himalayan foothills, demolishing buildings in its path. At least four people died.
India's weather agency had previously issued the highest level of warning for extremely heavy rainfall across the region.
An unrelenting second summer heatwave is scorching Spain. Temperatures are again expected to reach at least 40 degrees Celsius, about 104 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of the country, that's Wednesday.
CNN's Pau Mosqueda shows us how many there are now still coping with the extreme heat.
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PAU MOSQUERA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Summer's second heat wave continues to show no mercy in large parts of Spain. The authorities have actually activated warning alerts in nine different autonomous communities because of the extreme temperatures.
That is the case of the south of the country, where the thermometers were expected to soar to 42 degrees Celsius, which is around 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the case of the capital in Madrid, here the thermometer reached 39 degrees Celsius, which is around 102 degrees Fahrenheit. And this is why many have decided to cool themselves off in public pools like the one that you can see an image here.
Families, friends have decided to dive, to be lounging on the poolside banks and enjoy a hot day like it was this Tuesday.
But it's also important to say that not everybody seems to dislike this heat. Take a look.
JOE, BRITISH TOURIST: When you're here, this is -- this is our way of coping, I think. It's really hot in the city. And then we kind of came out here, dip in the pool. It's quite cold in the pool. It's nice.
MATT, BRITISH TOURIST: In previous years when we've been here we've been up in the 40s, so yes, its normal. I wouldn't like it if I'd never experienced it. I'd think it was too hot.
DIANE, DUTCH TOURIST: We actually like the heat because in the Netherlands it's more or less rainy all day. And so we really like this weather actually.
MOSQUERA: Spanish weather agency predicts that this heat will continue at least until Sunday. So as long as these extreme temperatures continue, I don't know if you will agree with me, the best is to cool off a little bit in pools like this one.
Pau Mosquera, CNN -- Madrid.
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VAUSE: In Costa Rica, emergency crews rescued a baby sloth clinging to its mother, who died after being electrocuted by a power line. That's sad. The calf was transferred in good condition to a rescue center and is now under observation.
The Costa Rican fire department says about 2,000 sloths are rescued each year after being electrocuted or hit by cars. About 90 percent actually survive.
For four years, Britney Taryn and her son have been visiting an aquarium in Texas and paying special attention to an octopus. But now the mother is sounding an alarm after the octopus' suckers latched onto the arm of her six-year-old son and wouldn't let go.
CNN's Jeremy Roth has details.
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BRITNEY TARYN, MOTHER OF CHILD GRABBED BY OCTOPUS: We really wanted to tell the world that we don't blame this octopus. We want to see it in a better environment.
JEREMY ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A mom in Texas is calling for more attention to animal and visitor safety after an octopus at the San Antonio Aquarium latched onto her child's arm in July.
TARYN: He never set out with the intention of the octopus grabbing on to his entire arm. It was always supposed to be a two-finger touch. But the octopus is the one that came to him.
ROTH: Britney Taryn said she and her six-year-old son Leo have been visiting the octopus in the aquarium and its touch tank for more than three years.
TARYN: When we first went there and realized there was an octopus, he was obsessed.
ROTH: But she noticed something different about the octopus' behavior the day of the incident.
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TARYN: Instead of being in any sort of like wall or like down in the water, it was out -- like completely out right there for everybody. It was just we'd never seen behavior like that from this octopus.
ROTH: The San Antonio Aquarium sent a statement to CNN affiliate KSAT, reading in part, quote, "The octopus displayed typical curious behavior by touching and holding the child's arm."
CNN has asked the aquarium for further comment, but we have not gotten a response.
DR. KIRT ONTHANK, OCTOPUS RESEARCHER: Yes, if this kid was not as calm as he was, this could have ended badly both for the kid and for the octopus. If that attendant didn't stop this interaction before it got to this point, that's also just as bad as not having someone there.
ROTH: Taryn said it took about five minutes to get the octopus off Leo's arm, and that the animals suckers left harmless, bruise-like marks that went away within a week.
TARYN: This has never been about my child being harmed. He thinks this is the coolest experience of his entire life.
ROTH: After her post about the incident got almost 4 million views on TikTok.
TARYN: I'm pretty sure when I tell you all what this is on my son's arm, you're not going to believe me.
ROTH: She found out the zoo does not have an AZA accreditation for animal welfare. The AZA or Association of Zoos and Aquariums provides certifications to about 250 facilities in the country to ensure quality animal care and welfare.
AZA is a voluntary association that comes with regular inspection and is considered a symbol of quality, but is not mandatory.
TARYN: I also think that they shouldn't be allowing interactions from the public at all. There's dangers to the octopus and there's dangers to the public.
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VAUSE: Well, for most people think of a pet, they think dog or cat, maybe a bird, goldfish perhaps, or gerbil. But for a family in Germany, they think alligator.
Frau Meyer (ph) is a 2.5-meter-long American gator and former circus performer who's been with the family for more than three decades. And like many pets, Frau Meyer, cuddles and takes baths with her owners.
They say she's never actually bitten anyone, which is a good thing despite having 82 teeth. Frau Meyer's family will likely have many years of fun with their alligator because the average lifespan of an American alligator in captivity is about 100 years. So something for the grandkids.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause,
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church after a very short break.
See you back here tomorrow.
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