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2 Children Dead, 17 Victims Injured In Minnesota Catholic School Attack; New Video Reveals Third Strike In Gaza Hospital Attack; Ukraine Delegation To Meet U.S. Officials In New York On Friday; Kim Jong Un To Join Putin And Other Leaders At China Military Parade; Europe Boosting Defense Capability Amid Russia Threat; Exploring the Planet's Most Vital Ecosystem; Denmark Summons U.S. Envoy over alleged "Influence Operations" in Greenland; Officials Release A.I.-Generated Warning of Mt. Fuji Eruption. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired August 28, 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: Gunfire and death during the first week of a new school year in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Ahead on CNN Newsroom.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to have true gun reform right now.
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VAUSE: Once again, grieving parents and outraged local officials are left searching for answers on how to solve a uniquely American problem.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The second and third strikes, less than a second apart, appear to have caused most of the deaths.
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VAUSE: A CNN exclusive reveals Gaza's Nasser Hospital was hit not twice but three times by Israel, suggesting a more coordinated attack.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Watch what would happen Tokyo if Mount Fuji erupted.
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VAUSE: More than 300 years since the last eruption, city officials in Tokyo use an AI created simulation as a visual warning of what will happen sooner or later. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John
Vause.
VAUSE: Just as the first mass of the new school year was being celebrated at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis with students praying for a future filled with hope, came the sound of gunfire and broken glass. Someone nearby had opened fire, creating a frenzy of chaos and panic and killing an 8-year-old and 10-year-old, wounding another 14 children and 3 adults. Their injuries, we're told, are not life threatening.
And in the hours which have followed that terrible Wednesday morning, families and neighbors as well as government officials and politicians have gathered for memorials and vigils, looking for answers and comfort, as well as some calling for tougher gun laws.
The shooter, identified as 23 years old and a former student of the adjacent school affiliated with the church, was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, all purchased recently and legally. According to local officials, the shooter appears to have died from a self- inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators say they have recovered a manifesto which was posted online what might be a major clue in the search for a motive.
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CHIEF BRIAN O'HARE, MINNESOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: We are also aware of a manifesto that the shooter had timed to be released on YouTube. This manifesto appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings.
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VAUSE: CNN's Shimon Prokupecz begins our coverage.
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O'HARE: The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Two children are dead and 17 others wounded in Minneapolis after gunmen fired through the windows of a church.
Police say dozens of children and worshipers were attending a morning mass to mark the start of the school year at Annunciation Catholic School.
O'HARE: Two young children, ages 8 and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Principal Matthew DeBoer says teachers were crucial in saving lives.
MATT DEBOER, PRINCIPAL, ANNUNICATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL: Within seconds of this situation beginning, our teachers were heroes. Children were ducked down. Adults were protecting children. Older children were protecting younger children. And as we heard earlier, it could have been significantly worse without their heroic action.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Of the 17 people injured, authorities say 14 of them were children. All remaining victims are expected to survive, according to police.
Dr. TOM WYATT, CHAIR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, HEPPENIN COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER: Two of them were adult patients, nine pediatric patients. Four of them required the operating room.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The shooter was armed with three weapons, according to police, a rifle, shotgun and a pistol. Officials say all three weapons were legally purchased by the shooter recently.
O'HARE: The coward who fired these shots ultimately took his own life in the rear of the church.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): 10-year-old Weston Halsne, a fifth grader at the school, described the unimaginable.
WESTON HALSNE, SURVIVOR: I just ran under the pew and then I covered my head. My friend Victor like saved me though, because he laid on top of me. We waited like 10 to five minutes, I don't really know. And then we went to the gym and then the doors locked just to make sure he didn't come. And we waited in the gym for more news. My friend got hit in the back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he go to the hospital?
HALSNE: Yes, he went to the hospital.
[01:05:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What went through your mind when you saw that?
HALSNE: I was super scared for him, but I think now he's OK.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Some neighbors also rushed to help after hearing the gunfire. Patrick Scallen comforted three young victims.
PATRICK SCALLEN, NEIGHBOR: I told him in the shirt, I'm not leaving you until the ambulance gets here. And they're going to take good care of you. You're going to be okay and you're going to be with your parents real soon. And I think that's all I could do.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The mayor of Minneapolis, clearly frustrated after yet another all too familiar American tragedy.
JACOB FREY, MINNEAPOOLIS, MINNESOTA MAYOR: Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN law enforcement contributor and retired FBI agent Steve Moore is with us now live from Los Angeles. Hi, Steve.
STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, John. How are you?
VAUSE: Yes, the shooter left behind a manifesto, I guess, which hopefully will be seen as some kind of assistance, some kind of help in this search for a motive. Listen to this. Here's what the officials had to say.
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JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: I have wanted this for so long. I am not well. I am not right. I am a sad person haunted by these things that do not go away. I know this is wrong, but I can't seem to stop myself. And he goes on to say this is his way of getting back at the world, but he doesn't get into getting back at the world for what.
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VAUSE: As John Miller, CNN contributor, he's also a former law enforcement official. But from what we now know, that the shooter graduated from the Annunciation school back in 2017. And connect that along with the manifesto. So in terms of motive, where does it all take the investigation?
MOORE: Well, I think what the manifesto doesn't say speaks loudly. It doesn't tell why these what pains he was experiencing, but those leaked out. I mean, look what he wrote on his magazines and his ammo belts and things like this. He wrote horrific antisemitic things. He wrote anti-black things. He wrote anti -- he, well, political statements, anti-Trump statements.
So there are definitely things that you are going to find in his writings, his musings, his social posts that will fill in the blanks of his manifesto. And what it says is that he was so he didn't even want to discuss in his manifesto the demons that were in his head.
VAUSE: Our focus is now at least in part on gun laws and what could be done or can be done to prevent similar shootings from happening. Listen to the senior senator for Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar.
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AMY KLOBUCHAR, U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA: When you see these innocent kids praying in a church and they get gunned down by a madman, you have to step back and think, what can we do better? What can we do better with background checks or with assault weapons, which may not have played into this situation, but every situation is different.
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VAUSE: Overall, Minnesota's gun laws are fairly strict, at least compared to other states. Are there any glaring omissions from what you can see? MOORE: Well, I think you'd have to delve into what tells what leakage,
psychological leakage was out there for people to know that this person was not the person who should own these weapons. And, you know, John, shotguns are sporting weapons. I mean, we're not even on the spectrum of things that people are talking about limiting.
So, yes, we do need to deal with these things. We do need to find ways to keep guns easily out of this person's hands. But then you have to deal with the fact that there are 400 million firearms in America right now, and what are you going to do about those, even if you stopped everything else today?
VAUSE: Yes, that's always the counterclaim here, which is why this is so hard to solve. The first thing, though, which stood out to me when this shooting was reported, the fact that it was a Catholic school. Numbers are hard to pin down, but the last shooting at a Catholic school in the U.S. was probably in March this year, Williamsport of Pennsylvania. One student wounded by a BB gun. Before that, it seems it was in 1995. A principal shot in the face at a Catholic school in Redlands, California.
They go all the way back to 1991 in Louisiana. One student shot another in the eye also, you know, with a BB gun. There may be others, but these are ones which we know of.
So does this sort of go to motive in that this school is being targeted because it's Catholic? And what are these Catholic schools doing that public schools are not doing?
MOORE: Well, I think what's happening, John, is that you're seeing more and more religious institutions being targeted. I mean, the shooting in Nashville not too long ago was another trans person who was, I believe, angry at their anti-LGBTQ or perceived anti-statements and beliefs.
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And we may have a situation where religious institutions are starting to be blamed for their, for the beliefs they hold by a certain strange group of people.
VAUSE: Yes, this is -- does appear to be a trend. It is very disturbing as you say. Steve, thanks for being with us. We appreciate it.
MOORE: Thank you.
VAUSE: Donald Trump's son-in-law appears to have made an unexpected return to government service, attending a White House meeting on how to end the fighting in Gaza. Few details have been made public about what was actually discussed, but a source tells CNN the focus was on plans for post-war Gaza.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also made a surprise appearance alongside Kushner. During Trump's first term, Kushner had a broad portfolio but no official role during the second term. He does however, have close ties to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Meantime, the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed U.S. commitment to Israel's security during talks in Washington with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar, who is quick to dismiss the possibility of a future Palestinian state while brushing off questions from reporters.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, how is the meeting?
GIDEON SAAR, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: Very good meeting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you guys talk about? What is the big agenda? What's the plan on the Palestinian state? What's the plan?
SAAR: There won't be any.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The Israeli government has asked a global hunger monitor to retract a recent famine assessment to Gaza City and surrounding areas. According to Reuters, Israel claims the report is deeply flawed and unprofessional. At the U.N. Security Council, every member, with the notable exception of the United States is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and citing the famine report.
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TRISHALA PERSAUD, GUYANA'S DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE U.N.: We express our profound alarm and distress at the IPC data on Gaza published last Friday. This is the first time famine has been officially confirmed in the Middle East region. Every day more persons are dying as a result of malnutrition, many of them children.
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VAUSE: A CNN exclusive now with new video obtained by CNN revealing that Israel hit Gaza's Nasser Hospital not twice but three times, the third strike being the most deadly. All up, more than 20 people were killed in this strike. CNN's Paula Hancocks has our report.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A live Reuters feed of the Gazan city of Khan Younis at 10:08 a.m. the shot freezes and the sound drops. Israel has targeted the fourth floor of the Nasser Hospital where the camera stood. Reuters cameraman Hussam Al Masri is killed.
Emergency and health workers rush to the scene along with journalists from a ground floor media tent. It is all broadcast live by Al Khad TV from the street below, the damaged camera and live streaming unit are held up and shown to the crowd. Visible on the staircase is Mariam Abu Dagga, working for AP. Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammed Salama and freelance journalist Moaz Abu Taha in the final moments of their lives. Reuters cameraman Hatem Omar, seen here in a red T shirt, films the scene on his phone.
A rescue worker says they carried two body bags down as they gathered remains of a third body. There was a second explosion. It was 10:17 a.m. nine minutes after the first strike. Footage filmed seconds later is too horrific to show lifeless bodies piled on top of each other.
New video obtained by CNN reveals that this second explosion was in fact two near simultaneous strikes. The second and third strikes, less than a second apart, appear to have caused most of the deaths. One weapons expert says, quote, it suggests a more carefully coordinated attack rather than a single vehicle firing at a target of opportunity.
DR. MOHAMMAD SAQER, DIRECTOR OF NURSING, NASSER MEDICAL COMPLEX: What is the point of weighting the humanitarian and medical standards staff to arrive to a specific area and target them once they arrive.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Israeli statements have evolved over the past 48 hours. Israel's prime minister called the deaths a, quote, tragic mishap. The IDF now says it was targeting a camera, quote, positioned by Hamas in the area of the Nasser hospital that was being used to observe the activity of IDF troops.
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No evidence was offered. The IDF claims six terrorists were killed, disputed by Hamas and health officials in Gaza. The IDF has not addressed the double strike, adding gaps will be examined, including the decision making process and approved munition.
Satellite images show Israeli combat vehicles, including tanks stationed nearby the hospital. An Israeli security official tells CNN the military fired on the hospital with tank shells. The staircase was often used as a live camera position by Reuters, AP and other global media outlets, with international media kept out by Israel. Local journalists grouped together here searching for cell signal to feed their material to the world. The last functioning hospital in southern Gaza already struck multiple times.
The United Nations says targeting hospitals, journalists and rescue workers is forbidden under international law, calling for accountability and transparency, adding neither have been readily apparent in previous incidents where Israel has investigated itself. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
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VAUSE: In a moment, details on a Ukrainian delegation soon heading to the United States for talks on ending the fighting with Russia. More on that and the view from Moscow in a moment.
And later, a behind the scenes peek at an epic two-year expedition which documented our most vital ecosystem like never before.
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[01:20:58] VAUSE: While Russian forces continue a slow and steady advance on Ukraine, a flurry of diplomacy also continues to try and end the war. Already this week, Ukrainian diplomats have held talks in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In the coming hours they'll be in Switzerland and then on Friday, New York. The Ukrainian president's chief of staff is part of the delegation and U.S. Presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to be at that meeting in New York as well.
This recent flurry of high level talks over Russia's conflict in Ukraine appeared to have made significant progress on two key issues, post-war security guarantees for Ukraine as well as a direct face to face meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. The initial reaction from the Kremlin was far from enthusiastic.
That has since grown into outright rejection of European troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine and at the same time playing down the idea of an imminent meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy. CNNO Fred Pleitgen reports now from Moscow.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Russian State TV pushing Moscow's view that when it comes to finding ways to end the fighting in Ukraine, America's European allies are against the U.S. and Russia. Trump clearly said all that is happening is a European conflict, this analyst says, but they don't want it to be their conflict. They want it to be an American.
The Kremlin remaining tough, not offering a timeline for a possible face to face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and also giving a big net to the idea of European NATO states troops keeping the peace in Ukraine.
From the very start it was the advancement of NATO military infrastructure and the infiltration of this military infrastructure into Ukraine that we can say were among the root causes of the conflict situation that arose, the Kremlin spokesman says. Therefore, we have a negative attitude towards these discussions.
While President Trump threatened Russia with tough sanctions and tariffs if there's no fast progress towards peace talks.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It will not be a world war, but it will be an economic war.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Kremlin relaxed Vladimir Putin saying this weekend he believes U.S.-Russia relations could be fully back on track soon. I am certain that the leadership qualities of the current president, President Trump, are a good guarantee that relations will be restored, Putin said. And I hope that the pace of our joint work on these grounds will continue.
But Russia is taking a beating as well. A Ukrainian drone hitting this building in Russia's southwest overnight, causing a major fire. And authorities putting up anti drone nets around schools and nurseries in the Belgorod region close to the border with Ukraine. Still, the Russians say they're ready for a protracted conflict if
President Trump's peace initiative fails. Moscow's Defense Ministry releasing this video of recruits signing up to participate in what the Kremlin calls its special military operation. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
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VAUSE: Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un will join more than two dozen other world leaders for next week's big military parade in Beijing, all part of China's commemorations to mark 80 years since the formal surrender of Japan in World War II.
The parade is expected to showcase China's military might at a time when it's establishing itself as a major power and is taking a more assertive posture towards Taiwan. It's also the first visit to Beijing and China by the North Korean leader since 2019.
Europe is scrambling to boost its own defense capabilities, and a growing threat from Russia is leading nations like Germany to take matters into their own hands. CNN's Sebastian Shuklar has more.
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SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Europe is forging ahead to tackle dwindling ammunition supplies. In central Germany, Rheinmetall, one of the largest contractors in Europe, has just opened this cavernous ammunition factory.
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Over the size of five football fields, it aims to produce 350,000 rounds of ammunition by 2027. The Lower Saxony Plant has been finished in record time, just 18 months and it has already started churning out NATO standard 155 millimeter artillery shells.
ARMIN PAPPERGER, CEO RHEINMETALL: Well, I think it's very important to talk, to give a signal also how fast we are able to be so we can react. Europe is able to react. NATO is able to react.
SHUKLA: The opening of this factory is symbolic, if not significant. It's also very serendipitous. Europe is looking to replenish its ammunition stores. And the idea of security guarantees for Ukraine is also back on the table.
SHUKLA (voice-over): NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte alongside German Vice Chancellor and the German Defense Minister putting on a show.
But the question of security guarantees for Ukraine is still largely unclear.
MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: This is detailed, difficult stuff. You have to hammer it all out. So the fact that nine days later we have not agreed on everything is not a bad signal, means that we are working hard and I'm absolutely sure we will get there.
SHUKLA (voice-over): While the future of European security was on show in Lower Saxony, in Berlin, Germany was shaping its new security and defense posture. Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a symbolic cabinet meeting inside the Defense Ministry, the first in 20 years from a room known as the U Boat, German for submarine. The reintroduction of voluntary conscription and the formation of Germany's first ever National Security Council, all discussed and approved.
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Russia is and will remain the greatest threat to freedom, peace and stability in Europe for a long time to come. And the German government is responding to this with determination.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Europe then is making serious strides in its own security posture and capabilities but tangible details on their support to end the war in Ukraine is still lacking precision. Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Unterluss, Germany.
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VAUSE: As a devastated community searches for answers after another deadly school shooting in the U.S., some advice from someone who has been there before, the father of one of the victims of the Parkland school massacre in 2018. Stay with us.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everyone.
I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
More now on one of our top stories we're following this hour.
The search for a motive is underway after two children were shot dead at a Catholic school in Minnesota Wednesday. 14 other children and three adults were wounded in the attack.
A local resident says his community is absolutely devastated after learning the shooter opened fire through windows of a church where the students were celebrating mass.
Police say the shooter died from self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was -- they were found with a pistol, rifle and shotgun, all purchased legally, prompting calls for tougher gun laws.
Here's the mayor of Minneapolis describing the grief and pain within his community.
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MAYOR JACOB FREY, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: There are no words that can capture the horror and the evil of this unspeakable act. Children are dead. There are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragedy, or the absolute
pain of this situation. These were Minneapolis families. These were American families. And the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary.
And don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now, these kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Tony Montalto's 14-year-old daughter, Gina, was among the 14 students and three teachers who were killed in the 2018 Parkland school massacre. Tony is currently the president of Stand with Parkland, and he joins us this hour from Parkland, Florida.
Tony, thank you for being with us.
TONY MONTALTO, PRESIDENT, STAND WITH PARKLAND: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: How are you coping with what must be a very difficult day for you, and for hundreds of parents whose child was taken from them in a mass shooting?
MONTALTO: It's a very difficult day. Anytime we see students that are murdered in their school, it's particularly disturbing.
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MONTALTO: It brings my family right back to the terrible February day, when we found out that our beautiful 14-year-old Gina was taken from us in a -- in a school shooting.
VAUSE: So for the families whose children have been involved in the shooting today, for, you know, the ones who have died and those who have been wounded, and those who are just traumatized, what's your advice to them? What should they be doing now?
MONTALTO: Well, of course, we identify most with the families of the deceased victims. We know they have a long road ahead of them. A pain that will never heal. The best they can hope to do is to find a way to work around it.
We know that their days ahead are filled with things you never thought you'd had to do. They're going to be picking out caskets for their children. They're going to be finding a place to bury them. It's going to be very, very difficult for them.
And of course, those that are wounded have a long road ahead. And everyone who was there will suffer the psychological damage of today's events.
VAUSE: As is often the case after these kind of tragedies, there were words of sympathy and compassion from politician -- politicians rather.
Here's Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
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GOV. TIM WALZ, MINNESOTA: We double ourselves to do the best we can to understand what we can do to prevent any parent from having to receive the calls they received today, from any school dedicated to children having to respond to a situation that, as we said, is unthinkable but that's all too common, not just in Minnesota, but across this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So in terms of gun control, different states have done better than others. But the harsh reality of American politics at a federal level is that this White House has been winding back a lot of regulations which were put in place by the Biden administration. How concerning is that to you?
MONTALTO: Well, I think we have to realize that, you know, America is different. That the Second Amendment is alive and well.
However, we also need to remember that school safety is not about personal choice, school safety is a -- is a public safety issue, and we need to work on that to keep our children safe.
You know, here at Stand with Parkland, we believe in responsible firearms ownership, which means that there's appropriate background checks before a weapon is purchased.
We believe in the need and the necessity for safe storage if you choose to own one. And that includes the weapon being someplace where it's not accessible by children, not likely to be stolen. And again, the object is to respect people's rights while ensuring public safety.
VAUSE: This year, the number of mass shootings in the United States, it's actually way down compared to previous years. It's part of a downward trend which has been happening, I guess, since 2021 there.
Still, the number of mass shootings number in the hundreds and average out to more than one a day. But is there a simple explanation for why these numbers are actually coming down?
MONTALTO: I'd like to think it's due to public awareness and people looking out for one another. You know, we need more kindness and compassion in this world. That's something that our beautiful daughter Gina exhibited every day of her life.
And I think by making people aware of the issue, providing appropriate reporting platforms, having -- I know in Florida, we've mandated the use of behavioral threat assessment and management, where we identify people that are exhibiting troubling behavior and then get them connected with the programs that will help them before they resort to violence.
And I think we've seen a lot of that discussion happen nationally in the wake of the Parkland tragedy.
VAUSE: Before we go, could you tell us a little about your daughter, Gina, a little more? What more can you share with us?
MONTALTO: Gina was a great kid. She was our firstborn. She was a loving daughter, a fantastic big sister. She loved to cook with her grandmother on the holidays.
And you know, she was the first to reach out to everyone when they moved into town. She was the first one to make friends. As a matter of fact, just this last year at the commemoration, a young woman pulled me aside and told me how she had just moved into the area and Gina made her feel at home, and they were able to bond over the -- her love of Harry Potter books.
So it's nice to see that Gina put the wonderful face that we saw out there in the world.
VAUSE: Tony, thank you for being with us, especially on today. It's very much appreciated. Thank you.
[01:39:51]
MONTALTO: Well, thank you for taking the time to see our point of view.
VAUSE: Absolutely. Any time. Thank you.
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VAUSE: Inspiration can come from anywhere, often the most unexpected of places. Today on "Call to Earth", we visit an award-winning photographer at his home in South Africa for a behind-the-scenes peek at an epic journey, one which showcases the planet's most vital ecosystem on a scale never documented before.
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ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Greyton, South Africa about a two-hour drive east from Cape Town, the quaint mountain village is an idyllic place to slow down and reconnect with nature.
For conservation photographer Thomas Peschak, it's also the kind of backdrop that can inspire life's next great adventure.
THOMAS PESCHAK, CONSERVATION PHOTOGRAPHER: I'm an ocean photographer who has spent the last 25 years exploring the world's wildest seas and secret shorelines. But it is only since I moved into these mountains about 12 years ago that I began also falling in love with rivers.
I never would have thought that these rivers here would eventually lead me to spending two years exploring the aquatic underworlds of Amazonia.
ASHER: It's a journey that began in April, 2022 as part of the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Amazon Expedition. Over the course of 396 days, Peschak followed seven teams of explorers
and scientists from the High Andes in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east.
PESCHAK: My mission was to rebrand the Amazon and take it from an ecosystem that most people associate exclusively with trees and forests and monkeys and macaws and transform it into an aquatic wonderland.
The Amazon River is also incredibly threatened at the moment. Not only, you know, is this region being impacted by dams but, you know, there are also threats from overfishing and climate change and pollution from mercury and plastic.
Not only is it immense in size, it is also incredibly diverse. This isn't just a single ecosystem. I mean, the diversity of habitats within the Amazon River basin is as diverse as the habitats you find in the ocean.
That was clearly one of the most crazy and insane encounters of my life. I just had a half an hour in this river with a lowland tapir.
ASHER: But an expedition of this magnitude starts long before the fieldwork begins. And as a former marine biologist himself, Peschak's preparation was a deep dive to say the least.
PESCHAK: For the Amazon project, I read an excess of a thousand scientific papers. I think I read over 400 books. I spoke to dozens and dozens of experts in various fields. I tried to arm myself with as much knowledge as possible, because that makes me a more informed storyteller.
ASHER: When all was said and done, he had compiled a first of its kind photographic archive of the aquatic and wetland habitats of the Amazon rainforest. And he returned home re-energized and ready for more.
PESCHAK: After two years of not feeling the sweet embrace of saltwater, my heart grew bigger and fonder for marine ecosystems.
And having this break has really reinvigorated my love for ocean storytelling. And personally, I can't wait to go back to telling marine stories once again.
But my relationship with the Amazon is also not over yet. And there are plenty of places and locations that I can't wait to come back to and to use my photographs and stories to try to protect these places well into perpetuity.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the #calltoearth.
Back in a moment.
[01:49:10] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection, which plays a key role in protecting public health worldwide, is now in the grips of a leadership vacuum. After less than a month as director, Dr. Susan Monarez has been removed.
The White House says she was not aligned with President Trumps agenda and was terminated after she refused to resign. That prompted three other senior CDC officials to resign in protest.
Lawyers for Monarez dispute the White House's version of events though. Sources say she was forced out because of clashes with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy over vaccine policies.
Donald Trump has made no secret he wants Greenland. He wants to annex it for security reasons. Now the Danish foreign ministry is summoning the U.S. envoy to Denmark after the country's public broadcaster reported on an alleged American influence operation ongoing in the country.
CNN's Max Foster has details.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The icy beauty of Greenland once again the center of a political storm. Denmark has summoned America's top diplomat in Copenhagen after a report from Denmark's public broadcaster found that figures tied to U.S. President Donald Trump were involved in covert influence operations there.
The Danish foreign minister calling in the U.S. envoy to demand answers which comes months after Trump openly told Greenlanders the U.S. would welcome them into America.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We strongly support your right to determine your own future. And if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America. We need Greenland for national security and even international security.
FOSTER: That drew a rare rebuke.
LARS LOKKE RASMUSSEN, DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: I took the opportunity to very strongly object to claims and presidential statements of a vision to acquire Greenland.
It amounts to a situation where it's what I only can describe it as an attack on Danish -- the sovereignty of the kingdom of Denmark.
FOSTER: Foreign minister Lars Rasmussen making clear back then that Denmark sees U.S. pressure over Greenland as unacceptable. Greenland is a Self-governing territory under Danish sovereignty. It's strategically vital sitting between North America and Europe.
Danish broadcaster DR, reported at least three Americans linked to Trump worked to sway opinion there, attempting to weaken ties between Greenland's capital Nuuk and Copenhagen.
The spotlight on Greenland has only intensified this year. Vice President J.D. Vance traveled there in March, criticizing Denmark's record on the island's security. Whilst in January, Donald Trump Jr. made a brief stop in Nuuk, though without meeting local officials.
Amid rising concern over outside influence earlier this year, Greenland's new government banned all foreign or anonymous political funding, a move aimed at safeguarding its fragile democracy.
With tensions over sovereignty flaring once again, Copenhagen is making clear Greenland may be remote, but the stakes here are global.
Max Foster, CNN.
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VAUSE: The world's tallest bridge has apparently passed the final test before it opens to traffic next month. According to the testing team, the five-day process confirmed that the Huajiang (ph) Grand Canyon Bridge in southwest China has met all the safety standards.
It's about 625 meters above the water and is the world's largest span bridge in a mountainous area. It's almost three kilometers long.
Stress tests were done by 96 trucks which (INAUDIBLE) on designated points of the deck.
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LEI MIN, ON-SITE LOAD TEST DIRECTOR, HUAJIANG GRAND CANYON BRIDGE (through translator): We simulate extreme conditions with 3,360 tons of load to activate the maximum capacity of the bridge structure under normal use.
Today, we focus mainly on monitoring the displacement of the main towers on both banks. The bending moment at the tower roots and the maximum tension in the anchor span cables.
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VAUSE: And good luck to them.
Japan's Mt. Fuji could erupt in the future, well it will at some point. And now the government is urging residents who live nearby to prepare.
Officials released a new A.I.-generated video showing the spread of volcanic ash, highlighting the impact an eruption would have on transportation as well as people's health.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Watch what would happen to Tokyo if Mt. Fuji erupted. This A.I. video made by the Tokyo government shows just how quickly disaster could hit.
Mt. Fuji is one of Japan's most iconic landmarks that beckons millions of tourists annually. But people forget it's also an active volcano just 60 miles southwest of Tokyo.
If it erupted, the government predicts volcanic ash could reach Tokyo in just one to two hours. That ash could irritate your eyes and throat and shut down public transport, cutting off access to food and emergency supplies.
The last time Mt. Fuji erupted was in 1707, and it spewed ash for about two weeks. Researchers believe the damage triggered a famine that lasted over a decade.
Japan is located on the most geologically active part of the planet, the Ring of Fire, and is home to more than 110 active volcanoes. Its frequently hit by earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons.
The video calls on people to stay vigilant and be prepared 24/7, stressing that here it's not if a disaster strikes, it's when.
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VAUSE: Turns out it was a big hit after all. More than 22,000 people turned up to throw 120 tons of overripe tomatoes at each other in the eastern town of Bunol in Spain, as part of the annual food fight, which is known as Tomatina. It lasted for an hour and a half, ended with the town's longest street being covered in tomato stuff.
This year was the 80th anniversary of the event. It was inspired by a food fight between children, not much has changed, back in 1945.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church after a short break.
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