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U.S. And Iran Agree To Halt Strikes; Interview With Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA); Supreme Court To Deliver Opinions In Several Major Cases; Death Toll In Venezuela Quakes Reaching 1,450 With Thousands Missing; Event Permit Fuels Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Wedding Rumors; The Complex History Of The Alamo; Using Resilient Materials To Rebuild From Palisades Fire. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired June 28, 2026 - 20:00   ET

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

[20:00:16]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.

New tonight, signs of de-escalation in the Middle East after days of back and forth strikes between the United States and Iran, testing the clearly fragile ceasefire. A U.S. official telling CNN tonight that both sides have agreed to stand down.

And at the heart of this escalation is the Strait of Hormuz. Iran trying to exert control over the critical shipping passage and attacks on two ships in recent days, which prompted renewed threats by President Trump. And while this was happening the clock still ticking on that 60-day window under the agreement for nuclear talks.

So I want to go to CNN's Julia Benbrook at the White House.

And, Julia, as I understand you have some new reporting on the state of negotiations. What are you learning?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, a U.S. official tells me that both sides will stand down for now. We are also learning that the next stage of talks is going to take place Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. That these discussions will continue. That official saying technical talks are slated to continue in all areas of the MOU, the Memorandum of Understanding. Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely.

All of this coming, though, after just a lot of back and forth on Thursday. One of the key areas of escalation kind of a significant point here came Saturday evening when U.S. Central Command said that it had launched additional strikes against multiple targets at President Donald Trump's direction in response to Iran's continued aggression. And then after that, Trump took to social media and ramped up the rhetoric once again.

He said that it is possible that Iran never learns. Going on to say, there may come a point that we are no longer able to be reasonable and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist. So after all of that, we are now hearing that both sides will halt for now, and that talks will continue on Tuesday.

This all happening just after last weekend. Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Switzerland and kicked off the high stakes, high level technical talks. It's the memorandum of understanding that was agreed to by both the United States and Iran is really just a starting point. It kicked off this 60-day time period to work through the details on Iran's nuclear program and the fate of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, among other things. So an official telling us these talks will continue and the fighting will stop for now. That back and forth, though, no doubt put a strain on these negotiations as they try to move forward -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Julia Benbrook, really appreciate the reporting there from the White House.

I want to bring in Democratic Representative Eugene Vindman of Virginia. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is also a retired U.S. army colonel.

Congressman, thank you for taking the time. As things stand tonight, the situation does appear to be de-escalating. We have these technical talks set to resume. Do you see this as progress?

REP. EUGENE VINDMAN (D-VA): Omar, thanks for having me tonight. And unfortunately, no, I don't have much faith and confidence in the original agreement, which was filled with giveaways for the Iranian regime and the ayatollahs, and about half the days since the signing of this agreement have been days of conflict. And so this official, I suspect this is more about market manipulation, making sure when the markets open tomorrow that there's not a big hit to the markets and to the oil markets. But I have very little confidence that these negotiations will proceed peacefully.

JIMENEZ: Well, your suspicion or not, at the heart of this escalation was the issue of the Strait of Hormuz. And, you know, we saw these strikes back and forth. But I guess at this point, what needs to happen here to resolve this? If Iran tries to exert control again over the strait, should the U.S. be responding here, even if it does get us back into sort of this tit-for-tat that we saw happen over the past few days?

VINDMAN: Well, look, let's think about where we are and where we started. Before this conflict, there was free transit across the Strait of Hormuz. 20 percent of the world's oil went through that. And the president decided this is a war of choice. I think we have to all remember that. The president decided to start this war without a plan, hoping that the Iranian regime would crumble, that the Iranian population would rise up, and that the military pressure would be enough.

[20:05:10]

And unfortunately, he quickly learned that despite the massive, I think, bombing campaign and the success that the tactical and operational level that none of that substitutes for strategy and a plan. And that's what he went into the conflict without. And here we are, with now a week, more than a week into the 60-day timeline, we're going -- we're having exchanges of fire and you know who's paying for it? It's the American people.

They're paying for it at the pump, at the grocery store, and they're paying for it because my Republican colleagues in Congress have not done what they ought to have done and had the president come up with a plan, brief Congress. They've decided that they would rather be a rubber stamp. And that's why the upcoming elections are so critically important. The midterms are so critically important to restrain and put a check on this president's power.

JIMENEZ: And look, on this particular issue, you know, we are still a long way away, it seems, from some -- from the nuclear issue being solved, even if a senior administration official says technical talks are -- will go ahead. But bottom line, what do you need to see come out of any final deal to have your support? And do you think Congress needs to have a larger role, any role, in overseeing it?

VINDMAN: Yes, I mean, absolutely. Congress must play a critical role. A few weeks ago, we had a vote on a war powers resolution that passed the House. A similar resolution passed the Senate before the Senate decided to change its mind again due to pressure from the president and the rubber stamp Republicans there.

What I want to see is free transit across the Strait of Hormuz. This is what we had beforehand. I don't want to see the Iranians have a release of their sanctions. I mean, remember, they're the worst state sponsor of terror in the world. I want to see restraints on their missile program, on their drone program that they've used to effectively attack American sites and kill Americans, frankly, during this conflict, and our allies.

And I want to see a resolution to the nuclear program, something along the lines of what we had, the JCPOA, which the president tore up, which had inspections that was were very vigorous. And Congress must play a role in this. And that's why I'm so aggressively pushing for congressional oversight.

JIMENEZ: You know, I can't help but think that, as this war with Iran continues, it spent -- the Middle East has really become the primary focus, it seems, for the United States officials, especially with the high level of officials that have gone back and forth. And it does take attention away from other conflicts like Russia's war in Ukraine. I know you've been a prominent advocate for further U.S. support for Ukraine.

And I just wonder, is that being heard in this moment?

VINDMAN: Well, not really. And I think it's more due to the fact that the president did not get a quick win. He -- there was resistance to his pressure on the Ukrainians. He didn't put any pressure on the Russians. And just like we've seen repeatedly, whether it's something as trivial as the Reflecting Pool or his name on the Kennedy Center or something as enormously important to the American people as the Iran war, when he faces resistance, he folds, he pivots, and he tries to move on to something else. So the Ukraine conflict is still enormously, enormously important

there. The Ukrainians are making tremendous strides. They're putting tremendous pressure on Russia by attacking not only oil and gas production facilities, but also logistics deep behind the front. And also, the missile factories and drone factories. That is the type of pressure that will bring a resolution and not, you know, the president basically caving and providing the Russians whatever they want, which is what he did in the Alaska talks.

JIMENEZ: You know, to, I guess, tie these two conflicts together, Russia is, of course, an ally of Iran. And they're also a country capable, in theory, of handling highly enriched uranium. And as you sort of explore different possibilities, it doesn't seem like there's going to be any perfect solutions here. In a final agreement with Iran, is there a world in which Russia should take control of this stockpile, as maybe some have floated, as opposed to leaving it in the hands of Iran? Is that something you or any of your colleagues you believe would even entertain?

[20:10:03]

VINDMAN: Yes, I don't think so. I mean, we -- these things have to be formed on the basis of trust and verification. So, I can't imagine a regime where we would trust the Russians to handle the enriched uranium. But on the other hand, just like we had with the JCPOA, if we have a very strict, stringent verification regime where the IAEA is a direct participant, whether international bodies are participant, potentially there could be something there.

But, you know, there are other solutions, frankly, better than Russia. But the bottom line is that, you know, we have these conflicts that are proliferating, breaking out, getting worse under this president because he has demonstrated that he and his senior leadership. The secretary of Defense, the -- are not capable of managing it. And that is why Congress has to step in. And, you know, my colleagues that are in charge of the House and the Senate, the Republicans, they've been a rubber stamp.

We have to exert some power and provide relief to the American people who are paying the brunt of these conflicts at the grocery store, at the pump. And that's the way I see it.

JIMENEZ: Congressman Eugene Vindman, really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here tonight.

VINDMAN: Thank you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still to come, the Supreme Court justices are about to leave for their summer break, but not before announcing decisions on five major cases. We're going to have a preview of what we can expect beginning tomorrow on issues like mail-in ballots and birthright citizenship, next.

Plus, miracles amid tragedy. Incredible stories of resilience we're seeing in Venezuela as rescue teams search for survivors among the rubble. We'll take you there next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:16:29]

JIMENEZ: Tomorrow, all eyes will once again be on the Supreme Court, where justices are expected to announce one or more final decisions as they get ready to go on their summer break. Right now, there are five major cases still pending. Birthright citizenship right there at the top of the list, mail-in ballots, a ban on transgender student athletes in sports, and two cases having to do with the president's power over firing members of the Federal Reserve and independent agency leaders.

So a lot to talk about here. I want to bring in Gloria Brown-Marshall. She's a constitutional law professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the author of the book, "A Protest History of the United States."

Thank you so much for being here. I want to start with the birthright citizenship case. Last week, the Supreme Court justices handed the Trump administration two major wins when it came to immigration, blocking asylum efforts for immigrants at the border and ending special temporary protections for some migrants. Some constitutional scholars argue the Constitution's 14th Amendment clearly protects the right to citizenship for children born in the United States.

What are you expecting from these justices, who have frequently, as we've seen, been very divided?

GLORIA BROWN-MARSHALL, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW PROFESSOR, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Well, yes, it is indeed about the president's power. But I would say the Supreme Court justices are kind of skeptical when it comes to whether or not the president, by executive order, can eliminate birthright citizenship, which is in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. And it states all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and the state wherein they reside.

Before the U.S. Supreme Court was the question by the solicitor general whether or not domicile is to determine if a person is intended to be a resident of this country, and therefore, from the standpoint of the Dred Scott Decision of 1857, which led to the reason why it was needed for 14th Amendment, that if the person didn't intend on being domiciled in this country, then they should not be allowed to stay in the country. They're what's called temporary burners. People who are passing through.

And so the intent and the mind of the person is that they were never intending to be an American citizen. So their child shouldn't be an American citizen or covered by the 14th Amendment. There were, like my two major issues raised by Justice Thomas was because this began with Dred Scott, and that was the famous U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1857, that said that people of African descent, although here for over a century, were not considered citizens. The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 after the Civil War to give

those Arican citizenship full, nonstop. I mean, full stop. But the problem became, when we got to 1898, a Chinese person born in China whose parents were born in China, but he was born as a Chinese American on U.S. soil, left China, came back. They wouldn't let him back in the country. That case is the Wong Kim Ark case that's at the core of this.

Did that case in 1898 that gave expanded citizenship beyond the Africans in America of the Dred Scott decision? Are other people now because they're born in the United States than automatically citizens under the 14th Amendment? And that's the case that was before the court today.

[20:20:07]

JIMENEZ: Yes. I'm going to sign up for your class on that one. You went through a lot of timeline I wasn't even aware of. So really appreciate that.

You know, one of the other cases that's become a main driver for the administration is mail-in ballots. The president repeatedly criticized this form of voting. And I guess the question is, is this really about state rights here? And if so, how do you expect each of these justices will treat this issue?

BROWN-MARSHALL: Well, when I listened to the oral argument I heard once again Clarence Thomas was most skeptical. He was basically asking the question, when is the cutoff? Because at this point, Mississippi allows mail-in ballots as long as they were mailed before the time period of the election day. And so the question before the court from the conservatives basically, was that then, you know, based on the Constitution and the original intent, a person votes on election day, not after election day.

But there are all these exceptions. For example, the military is known to have ballots that come in after election day. And so 16 states allow that exception. Other states allow other exceptions. And so I think it would be very difficult not only to have all the ballots arrive on election day based on what their mailing could be, but also to be able to count all those votes. So I think that practically -- from a practical standpoint, it would be difficult to undermine what states do. But we've seen, unfortunately, with this administration and with attacks on state's rights, when it's something that's going to allow more voters to vote conservatively then we've seen a support for undermining state's rights.

So I think this hasn't been consistent when it comes to whether or not this administration is supporting state's rights or undermining state's rights. But this Mississippi case is a deal breaker for many people, because mail-in ballots is something that's happening around the country. And so we're really looking with bated breath for this one.

JIMENEZ: Yes, like I said, I got to sign up for your class.

Gloria Brown-Marshall, really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

BROWN-MARSHALL: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still to come, a race against time in Venezuela as rescue crews from around the world help search for survivors in the rubble. We'll have an update from there next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:26:52]

JIMENEZ: It is a race against time in Venezuela. The death toll from last week's twin earthquakes has climbed to more than 1400 and thousands are still missing. Rescue efforts continue tonight, even though the critical 72-hour window in which people are most likely to be found alive has now passed. But we have seen some miraculous efforts and people being pulled alive from collapsed buildings this weekend.

For example, a mother and her 9-month-old baby, as you see here, were rescued and are now receiving medical care. And among those found today, after being trapped for more than 86 hours, this 60-year-old woman was found alive. You can see here being pulled out by rescue crews there. It took Peruvian crews 11 hours to dig her out of the rubble and pull her to safety.

Meanwhile, food and clean water are running out in the port city of La Guaira, which has been virtually cut off by collapsed roadways and bridges.

CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is with a group of rescue workers in that coastal town trying to reach people still believed to be alive beneath the rubble.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: We have joined a team of rescue workers from Fairfax County in Virginia. We're in the city of La Guaira, which is one of the most affected by the Venezuelan twin earthquakes. And right now, these rescue workers have heard two distinct tap-tap when they're trying to communicate with people who are still trapped under the rubble.

This used to be several floors. There used to be -- this used to be a several floor building. But of course, all of those floors are now stacked up. But they do believe that there are still people trapped alive, especially children. They try to communicate with them with sound. And this is why this is truly a race against time. But it's a race against time that is happening in utter silence. Nobody dares to speak. Nobody dares to shout because a sound could mean a life saved.

And all of this is also happening as the relatives of the people trapped inside and other survivors are still here. And this is, of course, so crucial. Everyone knows that more than 72 hours have passed since the earthquake struck, and that is the golden window, where the vast majority of survivors are located and rescued in these type of situations. Of course, miracles do happen. Overnight, for example, an 11-month-old baby was rescued from under the rubble. And this is what's giving people hope.

And the other thing that is giving people hope, of course, is the fact that they keep hearing sound from inside. But that clock is ticking and the window is definitely about to pass.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Stefano, really appreciate the reporting.

Still ahead for us here in the United States, wildfires ravaging parts of the southwest. We are tracking red flag warnings in multiple states. Some of the images here. Stay with us.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:34:37]

JIMENEZ: Tonight, speculation is growing that Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce are preparing to hold a wedding celebration right here in New York City. Now, CNN has confirmed that a permit application has been submitted for a major event at Madison Square Garden next weekend, fueling questions, obviously, about whether the couple is planning something big at the famous arena.

[20:35:00]

CNN's Harry Enten runs the numbers on the odds of this happening.

Harry, what do you got?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey there, Omar, it's Harry, your dear friend, and we're back here talking about the Swift wedding because I can't get it out of my mind. I can't get it out of my mind. And it could be happening right down the street here at Madison Square Garden.

Look, I'm not the biggest fan of Travis Kelce, but Taylor swift, oh, my heart flutters. My heart flutters. And you know what? The chance of it actually the wedding occurring down the street, the wedding of the century happening at MSG, take a look here. Take a look here. A 71 percent chance that it's a love story, baby, happening right down the street at MSG. You know what? It could be where the friends get married.

That's where it could be, my dear friend, at MSG. Now I should note this 71 percent has been dropping a little bit over the last few days, which is not so much of a surprise to me because the folks who are putting their money where their mouths are on the Kalshi prediction market, I think they might be catching up a little bit to what we're hearing from some of the security guards who are a little skeptical that the wedding would be at MSG. Now, I will note, if in fact Swift and Kelce get together at MSG, it

would not be the first marriage to occur there because in fact there have been a bunch of weddings that have occurred at Madison Square Garden. Now, probably the biggest one or the most famous of them is probably when Sly Stone got married at MSG. We of course all love Sly Stone and his great groovy, groovy songs back in the 1970s, but in fact, that was just one of the weddings.

There have in fact been 2,000 -- 2,076 weddings. 2,076 weddings that have occurred at MSG. In fact, there was a unification church mass wedding, 2,075 different couples got married at one time at Madison Square Garden. I think if I do in fact eventually get married, I wouldn't be in for the mass wedding. But God bless those who want to get married with a whole bunch of other couples.

Now, of course, this would probably be -- the Swift-Kelce wedding would probably be the biggest one. In fact, in my mind, it would be the most important one ever to happen at MSG. And there's a reason why we're so interested in it. And that is because Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift is known by everybody. I mean, in this day and age in which we have the division of media, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, the idea of being known by, get this, 97 percent, 97 percent, have, you've heard of me in the pouring rain if you're Taylor Swift, 97 percent.

To put down some -- into some perspective for you, Omar, get this, Dolly Parton, who of course is beloved by everyone, including myself, her name recognition is only 94 percent, only 94 percent. So Swift, even better known than Dolly Parton.

Now there is unfortunately one thing about this wedding, though, that is incredibly disappointing to me, Omar. One thing that is incredibly disappointing, and that is, I have not been asked to be in the bridal party. What is going on here? What is happening? But you know what? According to the Kalshi prediction markets, what we see here is that in fact the chance to be a Swift bridesmaids, look at this, 78 percent chance for Selena Gomez. Gigi Hadid at a 58 percent chance.

Then you get Kylie Kelce, who, of course, is married to Travis Kelce's brother Jason Kelce, who of course was a great center for the Philadelphia Eagles. But I have not been asked, indeed, if there was a market for me, it would probably go something like this. It would probably be less than a 1 percent chance to, in fact, be in the bridal party. I think at this point, the best chance for me to be part of a bridal party, look, my girlfriend's sister Rachel has already gotten married, but Brooke hasn't yet.

So, Brooke, I'm here asking you, you know what? I can't be a part of the Taylor Swift bridal party, it seems very unlikely, but maybe I can be part of your bridal party? Look, a man can hope and dream, but at this point, we're all looking forward to the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift wedding, which may or may not be happening in MSG. We'll just have to wait and see, my dear friend, Omar. Back to you.

JIMENEZ: That's what every bride wants. They just want to be asked if you can be their bridesmaid.

Harry Enten, always good to see you. And thank all of you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:43:54]

JIMENEZ: Tonight, "Remember the Alamo" becomes a rallying cry for the Texas Revolution, reshaping the political map of North America and its balance of power. And it's the focus of a brand new episode of the CNN Original Series "THIS LAND." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEVERLY GAGE, AUTHOR OF "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, A ROAD TRIP THROUGH U.S. HISTORY": The story of the Battle of the Alamo seems to be a never-ending source of drama and fascination and myth making.

TIMOTHY NAFTALI, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: The Alamo was initially a siege of a fort near San Antonio, a battle depicted as the purest form of sacrifice by white Anglos on behalf of a future Texas nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Texas, we start Texas history in seventh grade. We learned about the Alamo. It was Travis, Bowie and Crockett.,

BRYAN BURROUGH, AUTHOR, "FORGET THE ALAMO: THE RISE AND FALL OF AN AMERICAN MYTH": Crockett, Travis and Bowie are known as the holy trinity. It speaks to the religious fervor that Texans have around this story. The Alamo legend stirs real emotions, hot emotions.

[20:45:07]

JENNIFER UTLEY, FAMILY HISTORIAN, ANCESTRY: We think of the Alamo as a bunch of white settlers who were standing up to the Mexican army, when in actuality, you've got 45 to 50 Tejano neighbors who are there during the battle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Joining us now to discuss this is CNN historian Tim Naftali, who you also just saw in that clip there as well.

So, Tim, like so much of American history, the Alamo in modern times, very complicated story. But what do you hope viewers will take away from this episode?

NAFTALI: I would hope viewers would see the beauty of adding stories to our history. I think the best history doesn't involve subtracting people's stories. It's adding new stories. So the fact that the brave Anglos who fought at the Alamo were standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Tejanos, who actually had been born in the Mexican empire, in the area we call Texas, and were also defending self-determination, that I think makes the story richer.

It also makes so many descendants living today in Texas part of that original bravery. I think the fact that our story has voices of people you don't usually hear from doesn't detract from our great national history. It doesn't conflict with the idea of patriotism at all. It just makes it all bigger, bolder, brighter.

JIMENEZ: How have the posthumous legacies of famous figures shaped our society, like the story of Davy Crockett, for example?

NAFTALI: Well, you know, the legend of the Alamo was very significant at the time. The news of the sacrifice of those fighters, spread quickly around Texas and helped Sam Houston raise an army that ultimately defeated the Mexicans at the Battle of San Jacinto. Now historians have discovered that maybe David Crockett didn't die quite at the Alamo. He died a few days later, and he was killed by the Mexicans.

So he did give his life for an independent Texas. But the story is more complicated. It didn't all happen on one day in one building.

JIMENEZ: You know, this week's episode also explores indigenous perspectives here. The Navajo people were attacked and displaced by the so-called heroes of the Mexican-American war. And I just wonder, why is it so important to consider indigenous perspectives on American history?

NAFTALI: Well, when I teach about Western settlement, I remind students that in this case, we're talking about the southwest, it wasn't empty of people. The Comanche and the Navajo, and the Tonkawa as well as the Tejanos, lived there. And so the story is not simply Anglo settlers from the Midwest or the south seeking opportunity in an empty space. It's them getting into an empty space with people and navigating relationships with those people. And in the case of Native Americans, ultimately pushing them out of the area where they lived.

JIMENEZ: Tim Naftali, looking forward to seeing it. Pleasure to have you in person. You'll also be able to see him as part of a new episode of the CNN Original Series, "THIS LAND," premiering at the top of the hour and streaming tomorrow on the CNN app.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:53:41]

JIMENEZ: Kentucky's governor says conditions are improving after widespread flooding drenched the state on Saturday. So far, at least four people were killed as heavy rain wiped out bridges and flooded roads and homes. Dozens of people were rescued as well. Some areas saw up to 12 inches of rain in 48 hours. A state of emergency order is still in place as Governor Andy Beshear tells CNN while the water is receding, the danger isn't over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D), KENTUCKY: There is so much water out there that even while it's receding, it is dangerous. We always tell people, don't drown. Turn around. We lost at least one individual trying to drive through waters. That is still possible right now. We lost another in a car accident, you know, caused by, I think, hydroplaning and how hard that rain was coming down. So there are still dangers. The other danger is folks not paying enough attention when they're on roads that may be impacted. A bridge that is no longer there, roads that -- I mean, whole halves have been washed away. So we still need people in the impacted areas to be careful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And obviously we'll continue to monitor. Meanwhile, overseas record-shattering temperatures are baking much of Europe. The historic heat wave has disrupted power supplies, shut down schools and cultural landmarks.

[20:55:02]

Europe's heat has also quickly turned deadly. Some countries have reported hundreds of heat related deaths. The heat is also affecting major events, including the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt. Parts of the race have been shortened because of the heat. Relief is on the way, though. Forecasters expect to cool down in Western Europe this week.

And then back here at home, out west, wildfires in parts of Colorado and Utah are continuing to grow as officials say three firefighters have now died battling a fast-moving fire burning across the border of both states. Two other crew members were injured and taken to the hospital. Colorado's Governor Jared Polis has declared a state of disaster emergency there as well.

And new video from Mesa County, Colorado, shows this thick, billowing smoke in the sky obscuring the sun. You see it barely. That little orange dot in the smoke there. Officials say the wildfire is being fueled by strong gusty winds.

And then in Utah, evacuation orders are in place for some communities near the Cottonwood Fire. It's already burned more than 92,000 acres. You can see the size of it there. And the threat is so severe the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued a first ever, particularly dangerous situation red flag warning. And local officials believe it's Utah's most destructive wildfire on record.

Meanwhile, as Los Angeles rebuilds from its deadly Palisades Fire, some professionals are turning to new technology to prevent the past from repeating itself. Contractor and television host Jonathan Scott gave Elex Michaelson a personal tour of his most recent project. He's helping rebuild a family home using resilient materials that should help it withstand future fires and other natural disasters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN SCOTT, HOST, HGTV'S "PROPERTY BROTHERS": I think it's a beacon of hope.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Celebrity contractor Jonathan Scott is showing us a way to build homes he says are virtually fireproof, earthquake proof, tornado proof and hurricane proof. This is something that could be implemented all across the country,

right?

SCOTT: Absolutely.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Jonathan and his brother Drew are known as "The Property Brothers."

SCOTT: And it just looks fancier.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): For over 15 years, they've renovated hundreds of homes, including many on HGTV, which, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really special.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Jonathan is engaged to actress Zooey Deschanel.

ZOOEY DESCHANEL, ACTRESS: Get out. Don't look at me.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): She appeared in the Christmas classic "Elf."

DESCHANEL: So that happened.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): And starred on Fox's "New Girl" for seven seasons. Zooey and her sister Emily, also an actress, grew up in L.A.'s Pacific Palisades neighborhood. For 42 years, the Deschanels lived in this 100-year-old Spanish style home. This is what it looked like after January 7th, 2025.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): The Palisades Fire killed 12 people and burned nearly 7,000 structures, including the Deschanels'.

SCOTT: It gets emotional.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SCOTT: It's hard to see your loved ones in pain. And everybody is experiencing that. Everybody.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Soon after the fire, Jonathan returned to that home.

SCOTT: Just know that there is hope.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): To film a public service announcement for the city of Los Angeles. Around that same time, he first heard about a technology called RSG 3-D.

SCOTT: This wasn't a technology that was on my radar. I had seen it in, you know, industrial applications, but I didn't know it was available for residential.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Jonathan is now trying out that technology for the first time ever, while rebuilding his in-laws' home.

How does it work?

SCOTT: RSG is simply just no wood. You're building a structure that's reinforced steel with a polystyrene core, and it's concrete on the surface, both the inside and the outside. The entire structure, roof, walls, floors, everything is tied together. So, it's hyper-efficient, incredibly strong, and fireproof from both the inside and the outside.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Here are some examples of completed homes built with RSG 3-D technology. The Deschanel home should look almost identical to the way it did before the fire when construction is expected to wrap up by the end of the year.

SCOTT: It looks rough. I find it sexy. I think this looks really sexy.

MICHAELSON: It is sexy.

SCOTT: So this is how it comes from the factory.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Scott says it takes about a third of the time to build like this versus traditional wood.

SCOTT: So it's way faster, and the cost is about 10 percent more than the traditional. But I would never have to deal with anything again. If anyone's ever had a flood or termites or rot.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SCOTT: It doesn't affect us because there's nothing organic in here.

MICHAELSON: Now, while the Deschanel house is being built over here with the new technology, just across the street, multiple homes are being built with old-school wood.

When you see that, that wood literally across the street from you, what goes through your mind?

SCOTT: I'm like, am I crazy? Either we're ignorant or we're stupid.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): On the same day as our visit, Jonathan shows off the technology to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. He's also talking with insurance companies.

SCOTT: Tell us, if you build this way, we will make this neighborhood more insurable.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Jonathan doesn't have any financial stake in this technology. He simply wants to use his sizable platform to increase awareness.

SCOTT: They used, traditionally, if you wanted a fully hardened home, it was going to be like twice the price. That's not the case anymore. It's just a matter of people don't know about it.

MICHAELSON: Right. And now they do thanks to -- SCOTT: And now they do.

MICHAELSON: Elex Michaelson, CNN, Pacific Palisades, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: And thank you all for joining me tonight. I'm Omar Jimenez. "THIS LAND" starts right now.