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U.S. Strikes Hit Iran; CNN Visits Front Lines of Disputed Claim; India Braces for Day of Youth Protests; NYPD Evaluating If Thursday's Attacks Could Be Hate Crimes; Video Shows Police-Involved Shooting In Madison, Wisconsin; Ukraine's Former Defense Minister Rejects New Role; CNN Visits Joint U.S.-Canadian Command At Bases In Alaska. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 24, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta. It is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, nearly two non-stop weeks of U.S. strikes on Iran. The latest on the ceasefire and how Iran is responding. Plus, on the front lines. CNN's Ivan Watson is in the South China Sea where ships are battling over claims of control. And more protests are expected in India as the "cockroach" movement gains steam. We'll have Prime Minister Modi's message to Gen Z outrage.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte."

HUNTE: Welcome. This is a video just in to CNN allegedly showing Iran firing a new wave of attacks towards Bahrain and Jordan. Iranian state media claims Tehran targeted U.S. assets in those countries. The U.S. is also extending its relentless campaign against Iran with no immediate end in sight. The U.S. Military says it completed a 13th straight night of airstrikes. Iranian state media reports at least four people have been killed.

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(EXPLOSION)

HUNTE: This video shows an explosion in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. CENTCOM says American forces hit military command centers, drone storage facilities, and coastal surveillance sites among other targets, too.

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HUNTE: This comes as "The New York Times" reports Iran rejected a new U.S. ceasefire deal delivered by Iraq. It's not clear what was in it. But in public, President Trump is showing little appetite to return to the negotiating table.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're doing very well against the Islamic Republic of Iran. We're doing extremely well. They would like to do something, but I say they're not ready yet. They need more of the same. They're not ready yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: A senior military advisor to Iran's supreme leader says -- quote -- "The delusional U.S. president has, through a series of fatal mistakes, gone from playing the 'madman' to playing the 'desperate man.'" Iran warned that any further attacks on its infrastructure will be met with a -- quote -- "severe and escalatory response."

President Trump has repeatedly said that U.S. strikes on Iran have devastated that country's military. But a visual analysis on Iran have devastated that country's military. But a visual analysis by "The New York Times" suggests Tehran is still quite capable of inflicting damage in precision attacks.

Our Erin Burnett spoke with one of the Times journalists who conducted that investigation.

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ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: You got images that Iran had put out for propaganda purposes, that you then went and verified what exactly is. So, damage to structures at the U.S. air base in Jordan, which we're looking at right here. That, as well as damage at Tower 22, which is a U.S. military outpost on the northern Jordanian border up by Syria, and damage to U.S. military in Erbil, Iraq up in Iraqi Kurdistan. So, what were you able to learn from this?

CHRISTOPH KOETTL, VISUAL INVESTIGATIONS JOURNALIST, NEW YORK TIMES: What we were able to learn from this is that Iran has a lot of firepower left. So, they're able to conduct precision strikes. If you look at the satellite images, you see that they're targeting specific radar sites, drone shelters, airplane hangars, and so on. So, they can conduct precision strikes and inflicting very heavy damage. And, of course, the most severe damage happened last week on Friday when several U.S. service members were killed.

BURNETT: You were able to verify some of the -- with video, some of what Iran was putting out, including a video that Iran had put out showing a strike on that air base in Jordan. And so, you say -- let's just -- we'll show this, what looked like to you, that the explosion appeared to be prefabricated housing. So, you were able to sort of match this up. So, can you talk about that, how you were able to match up what we're actually seeing to confirm if it's real?

KOETTL: It's a very unusual footage. It's actually filmed probably by a U.S. soldier because it's inside the air base. But what we are doing is we use this sort of footage as well as satellite imagery to match this up with each other, to match up buildings, to check the damage when it actually occurred.

[02:05:03]

Satellite imagery allows you to go back in time to make sure, like a week ago, this building was still standing. And that's how we verify and that's how we can assess both the damage up close, but also on the whole base in this case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The U.S. nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia appears to be in limbo after a major about-face by President Trump. The agreement was signed on Wednesday, but Mr. Trump added a new condition less than 24 hours later. CNN's Kristen Holmes has the details for us.

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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Major confusion among almost all parties involved in the Saudi Arabia nuclear deal. President Trump completely upending what seemed to be a finalized deal on Thursday morning after he said that there was a new condition that had not been mentioned before about this deal, that Saudi Arabia would actually have to sign on to the Abraham Accords, normalize relationships with Israel, in order for this deal to actually go through.

That was not anything that had been listed or mentioned in the previous day's announcement from the head of the Department of Energy, Chris Wright. Now, we are learning that President Trump was angry that his staff was angry at the way that Chris Wright had unveiled this deal. While the president had, sources say, signed off or at least given a blessing to a tentative deal, staffers, White House staffers, had told the Department of Energy not to roll this out on Wednesday, and they say that Secretary Wright did not brief President Trump that he would be doing this massive unveiling.

Now, Karoline Leavitt seemed to kind of allude to a little bit of a discrepancy here between President Trump and Wright when she was asked specifically about this new condition. Here's what she said.

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KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yes, this deal with Saudi Arabia, the energy deal, is contingent on this condition as far as the president is concerned. So, we'll continue to talk with our Saudi counterparts to get the deal finalized and, hopefully, see them join the Abraham Accords very soon.

UNKNOWN: With regards to the Saudi nuclear deal, why was that condition not mentioned yesterday when the energy secretary announced it?

LEAVITT: Well, look, the president is always the final dealmaker, as you know. And this is something that he has mentioned on numerous occasions going back. I can provide you with those statements. He has said, if they don't join the Abraham Accords, the deal is off. So, we'll continue to have those conversations with our Saudi counterparts moving forward.

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HOLMES: And now, from everyone we have spoken to, including those briefed on internal discussions, it seems almost impossible that Saudi Arabia is going to sign on to the Abraham Accords. They have said that they want to see a clear path to Palestinian statehood. That is not something that Netanyahu has agreed to in any way.

But what we are told is that there was a lot of confusion about this rollout. Not necessarily that President Trump was going to tack on this condition of the Abraham Accords, but that nobody believed, and this is from sources that are familiar with this, that this was a finalized product that was going to be unveiled by Chris Wright. In fact, according to one source, the White House thought that this wasn't finalized, given the fact that letters had not been sent to Congress, not all the final steps had been taken.

So, what this means moving forward? That's the big question because the thing to keep in mind here is both sides have signed off on at least one version of this agreement.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

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HUNTE: The widening conflict is taking a toll on oil prices. Brent crude jumped more than six percent on Thursday, briefly hitting a hundred dollars a barrel before retreating slightly. There are growing fears about the world's oil supply after Houthi rebels in Yemen targeted Saudi tankers in the Red Sea. The attacks are raising fears that more violence could cut off the critical lifeline for the global oil market.

Donald Trump is unwilling to give up on his unpopular tariffs. About two hours ago, a new round kicked in, reigniting his global trade war. This means that dozens of the United States trading partners are now being hit with levies of 10 to 12.5 percent on goods imported to the U.S. These new tariffs replace the temporary 10 percent global tariffs that are now expiring. The White House says that President Trump is not going to allow his trade policy to be undermined by a court. It is unclear if this plan C will survive or if it, too, will be shot down by the Supreme Court, which ruled against the sweeping tariffs he imposed last year.

Well, the new tariffs, combined with rising oil prices, are raising fears of a new inflation shock. And, of course, investors are taking notice. Asian shares, as you're seeing there, have been falling today. And yes, they are still down. Ahead of Wall Street's opening, U.S. futures, seeing it there as well, they are mixed, and that is after the markets closed down on Thursday.

President Trump says a date has been set for Chinese leader Xi Jinping's trip to the United States. It is September 24th.

[02:10:00] This will be his first state visit in more than a decade. It follows President Trump's trip to China earlier this year. They are expected to continue their conversation about A.I.

And now to simmering tensions in the South China Sea. China has been acting on its long-held claims to nearly all of this critical body of water and sending warning signs to ships from smaller neighboring countries. The latest flashpoint is Scarborough Shoal. That's a tiny island not far from the Philippines. You're seeing it there. That is rich in marine resources.

CNN's Ivan Watson is aboard a ship traveling through those contested waters and has this report for us.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Elex. That's right, we're in the South China Sea. I'm aboard a Philippine government vessel. It is currently being shadowed by a Coast Guard ship from China, which is kind of a speck on the horizon here.

The situation a couple of hours ago was dramatically different. You had Chinese Coast Guard ships surrounding this ship as well as several other ships from the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and operating in very close proximity to the ship where I am right now. I would say seven, 10 yards away off the port bow and blasting it with water cannons repeatedly was tense. At times, it looked like the Chinese ship might ram us, perhaps even accidentally.

I'm told it was a confrontation where the Chinese maritime security forces were trying to prevent this and several other Philippine government boats from approaching Scarborough Shoal, one of several hot spots in the South China Sea that both China and the Philippines claim for themselves.

In the case of Scarborough, Chinese forces have basically controlled this uninhabited rock for the last couple of years, stopping Filipino fishermen, fisher folks, from being able to fish there and rejecting a competing claim from the Philippines, where they claim to own it. The fact of the matter is that China basically claims almost all of the South China Sea for itself, disregarding competing claims from the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei.

And what we've seen out in this part of the -- on this rare opportunity is how these two governments are engaged in a test of wills, where neither side is willing to back down, and they frequently have their ships and planes coming in very close contact. There have been skirmishes that have led to damage to the ships, injuries to personnel as well. This is a bizarre scene that plays itself out over and over again out in these contested waters week after week.

We got a very rare up-and-close view of just how strange this is. Giant ships. According to the Philippines, at least 26 Philippine and Chinese ships out here in the last couple of hours in very close proximity, coming within yards of each other. Fortunately, nobody reported to be hurt, but a strange maritime drama that plays itself out in these waters week after week.

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HUNTE: The International Criminal Court is set to meet in the coming day to consider removing its chief prosecutor. Karim Khan was suspended last month. He's accused of having non-consensual sexual interactions with a female staff member. The woman says his early interactions made her uncomfortable, adding the misconduct escalated over time. Khan denies the allegations, and the vote comes just a week after the United States announced a renewed diplomatic campaign to dismantle the ICC.

India braces for a day of chaos as angry young people call for protesters to fill the streets. Why they're so outraged and how the country's prime minister is responding, next on CNN. Plus, thousands of people are under evacuation orders as wildfires sweep across parts of Europe. The battle to contain that massive blaze is up next.

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[02:15:00]

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HUNTE: Metro stations and businesses in central Delhi will be closed today as India prepares for a nationwide day of protest by the nation's young people. Led by the self-named Cockroach Janta Party, demonstrators are demanding the resignation of India's education minister after word broke that medical school entrance exams have been leaked, impacting millions of students. This is part of a wider outrage over the national exam system that young people say cheats them out of a fair chance. The revolt is the biggest youth challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014.

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UNKNOWN (through translator): The paper has leaked. So many students have committed suicide, so they must take responsibility for this. That's what a government does. If the government has failed and it is incompetent, then it must take responsibility and resign.

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HUNTE: Opposition parties are echoing the demands of the young protesters and disrupting the current session of parliament. On Thursday, Mr. Modi took the rare step of commenting publicly on the scandal and for demonstrations.

[02:20:00]

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NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA (through translator): Numerous effective measures have been taken over the past two and a half months since the paper leak incident. Those responsible have been arrested and are now in jail. Our main responsibility has been to make sure that the students' academic year is not wasted.

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HUNTE: Joining me from Delhi, India is Anupreeta Das, "The New York Times" South Asia correspondent. It is good to see you. Thank you for being with us. Prime Minister Modi has finally broken his silence. He is promising fast-track courts and fast punishments for those behind exam leaks. Do you think that's going to calm the protests as more are expected today?

ANUPREETA DAS, SOUTH ASIA CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I don't believe so. I think the students and the protest movement has been very clear that what they want is for the education minister to step down and take accountability for the exam paper leak, which I think people have read about, the medical school exam paper leaks.

And so, I think even though Prime Minister Modi has opened -- broken the silence and talked about fast-tracking the courts and holding people to account, it doesn't seem like it's going to calm the students because they are demanding a bigger overhaul of the system, they're trying to hold bigger government to account.

I think it started as a much narrower protest, but it has evolved into something that's just much bigger. And so, yes, as you mentioned, there are nationwide protests today. And so, we'll just have to see what comes out of those.

HUNTE: How much of this is really about corruption and how much is about a generation that feels locked out of opportunities?

DAS: I think it's more the latter. I think corruption is endemic to any government, I would say, and there are different degrees of that. And so, obviously, that does matter. But this is a generation that has been brought up to think about India as a country whose moment has arrived. And a lot of that is because of the way Mr. Modi has pitched the country to them and to the world.

And so, at the same time, you have this education system that a lot of people feel isn't working for them. You know, the term that people use here is that, you know, it's like a pressure cooker environment. Students study really hard to clear these exams. And what's happening is that there's intense pressure on that side. But then when you do clear the exam, if you do clear the exam, because there's a lot of competition for very few spots, you're entering a job market that doesn't actually have enough opportunities or there's a mismatch between the skills you have and the jobs that are available.

So, if you're someone with a lot of aspirations, who is thinking that they're entering in India with great, great potential and opportunity and you're not finding that, I think that causes a lot of pent up frustration and disappointment.

HUNTE: That seems to make sense. The protesters continue to demand the education minister's resignation. Politically, why is removing him proving so difficult? What's going on now?

DAS: I think the Modi government and Mr. Modi himself has always been very reticent. In fact, I would say that they don't engage directly with dissenters. And, you know, in the past 12 years, we've seen more of a crackdown on dissent of any sort. You've seen media companies in India kind of tame themselves and mute their tones. And protests have, you know, always been kind of hand -- delta heavy hand.

So, Modi hasn't yet said anything about the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, which is the education minister. But, you know, Pradhan is also quite an important member of the party, Janta Party, which is the party of Mr. Modi. He is a political operative. He has helped the party win in some state elections. He's a senior member of the cabinet. So, I think it would be a huge, huge step if Pradhan does resign.

HUNTE: We have seen police use gas and batons, too, but the crowds are still coming. Does the government's response risk strengthening the movement rather than stopping it?

DAS: I would say it has infuriated people. I think these are -- this is a bunch of young people. They have said several times that their protests are peaceful and Gandhian in style, that they bring nothing but peaceful, you know, asks.

[02:24:53]

And so, when you have a protest in that spirit being attacked or being hit or being cracked down by police and security forces using sticks and batons and, you know, there are some reports of pellet guns, which are unverified, at least, by my reporting, but there is the sense that we're not going to back down, it just makes people angrier.

But they have realized that leaving the demonstration site, the dedicated site for democratic protests in Delhi, and spreading to a wider area of the march toward parliament, which is what they were trying to do on Monday, does risk creating more violence. And so, they've said that they will continue to protest, but they've called off any future marches.

HUNTE: OK. We'll leave it there for now. But there's so much to discuss in the future, I'm sure, so, please, do stay in touch. Anupreeta Das, thank you.

DAS: Thank you.

HUNTE: Heavy rains have caused flooding in various parts of India, killing at least 40 people in the northeastern state of Assam. Officials say between 70 and 80 people are still missing in Assam. More than 650,000 have been affected by the heavy rainfall. Downpours in the neighboring state of Nagaland have caused swollen rivers to inundate Assam. Monsoon season rains have also caused flooding in Gujarat and Maharashtra states. Seasonal rains are also flooding Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rescue operations are underway in Pakistan's northwest. At least 46 people have been killed and more than a hundred are injured. The heavy rainfall and flooding have caused widespread damage to farmland and infrastructure. Pakistan is seen as particularly vulnerable to climate change with increasing chances of extreme weather events.

Well, Europe is sweltering under an ongoing heatwave and is fueling massive wildfires in some countries. Tens of thousands of people are currently under evacuation orders in Spain and France. But other nations on the world's fastest warming continent are also having difficulty containing fire outbreaks.

CNN's Pau Mosquera reports.

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PAU MOSQUERA, CNN SPAIN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Emergency sirens have become an also familiar sound during Europe's summers. Increasingly frequent, intense, and prolonged heatwaves are making scenes like this more common across different parts of the continent.

In the commune of Saumos in southwestern France, a wildfire that broke out on Wednesday forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people after burning through 2,000 hectares of land. It's a nightmare that residents of the idyllic Italian island of Sicily have also experienced firsthand.

ANTONELLA DI FRANCO, SANTO STEFANO QUISQUINA RESIDENT (through translator): The flames were beating us against the walls. We felt helpless. We tried to help each other using hoses and whatever we could find. No one was helping us. Nobody. But we're alive. That's what matters. The important thing is that we survived.

MOSQUERA (voice-over): Dozens of wildfires were reported across the island on Wednesday as temperatures were forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius. In Spain, just days after the country's deadliest wildfire so far this century, which government officials say claimed the lives of 13 people, another blaze is spreading rapidly through the province of Guadalajara.

DAVID PITA, CONDEMIOS DE ARRIBA RESIDENT (through translator): Well, it's very sad, very sad, very sad. It's a real shame. But as long as there are no casualties, I suppose you could say things are going as well as they can.

MOSQUERA (voice-over): The fire has been burning since July 16th and has so far consumed more than 30,000 hectares, making the Guadalajara fire one of the worst wildfires ever recorded in the country.

PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): More than 100,000 hectares have been burned as a result of the wildlife or wildfires across Spain. To put that into perspective, this is the annual average that Spain experienced over the past decade. MOSQUERA (voice-over): Authorities fear that threats like this could become more widespread before the end of the summer as wildfire risk is expected to remain high across Western Europe in the coming days.

Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: OK, when we return, we take you inside NORAD to examine how U.S. and Canadian forces are working together in the air. That is obviously despite the insults and politics on the ground. See you in a moment.

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[02:30:00]

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[02:34:14]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

Police are evaluating if two stabbings in broad daylight in New York's Upper West Side could be potential hate crimes. They say one Asian and one Jewish man was stabbed multiple times on Thursday. That's before the suspect was arrested. He has been identified as 51-year-old Raul Morales.

This eyewitness video shows emergency crews helping one of the victims. They both are now in a stable condition. Sources say the attacks were unprovoked. Police say initial investigation also suggests that mental health may have been a factor.

CNN has obtained video of a police-involved shooting that's causing outrage in Madison, Wisconsin.

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(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

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[02:35:04]

HUNTE: Protesters rallied on the streets following Wednesday's killing of Corey Ruiz while police were trying to arrest him. The shooting raised a series of questions, including how much of a threat he really was to the officers.

Whitney Wild has a story, but we have to warn you, some images you're about to see are graphic.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy (EXPLETIVE DELETED) WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Disturbing video showing police shooting and killing a man they say pulled a knife and injured an officer during a struggle in Madison, Wisconsin. According to police, officers were responding to a report of a person checking parked vehicles Wednesday afternoon.

CHIEF JOHN PATTERSON, MADISON POLICE DEPARTMENT: They attempted to contact him, but he fled on a bicycle and then traveled through some -- some nearby backyards. We think an attempt to get away.

WILD (voice-over): Officers later tracked the man down for officers and the man began to struggle as police tried to arrest him. Police say one of the officers was injured after the man pulled out a large- fixed blade knife, seen here in a photo after it was recovered by the Madison Police Department.

PATTERSON: A less lethal device. A taser was deployed. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful.

WILD (voice-over): The injured officer then pulled a gun and fired three shots, according to police, the man was transported and pronounced dead at the hospital. A witness says he was about ten feet from the incident.

WITNESS: One of the officers then draws a taser, taser, taser, taser, tasers him. He falls to the ground and the three continue to struggle for a second or two. And then one of the officers stands and just a couple feet above his head, shoots him three times.

PROTESTERS: Quit your job! Quit your job!

WILD (voice-over): The incident sparked protests as news of the shooting and cell phone video circulated within the community. The Madison Police Department doesn't have a body worn camera policy, and none of the officers involved were wearing cameras.

PATTERSON: I'm aware of cell phone video that has been shared and circulated online depicting this incident. I -- I ask the community recognize that there is other video that they have not seen that's not circulating online that will be reviewed as a part of this investigation.

WILD (voice-over): Police acknowledge the city of Madison has a history of controversial shootings. In 2015, a white police officer shot and killed Tony Robinson, an unarmed, biracial teenager

PROTESTERS: No justice, no peace!

WILD (voice-over): Three years before that, Paul Keenan was killed after a scuffle with police when he mistakenly entered the wrong house. Actions by officers in both cases were later found to be justified.

PROTESTERS: I can hear my neighbor crying.

WILD (voice-over): As a community confronts the aftermath of another contentious shooting, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers urged, quote, "transparency and accountability".

Whitney Wild, CNN, Chicago

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The European Union has slapped its 21st round of sanctions on Russia since it launched its invasion of Ukraine. Officials say the move targets Russia's banking sector and cryptocurrency networks, but there is an exception for E.U. companies that transfer Russian liquefied gas to other countries. The new sanctions will kick in at the time when the E.U. believes Russia's economy is vulnerable.

Ukraine's former defense minister has rejected a new role offered by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mykhaylo Fedorov was fired earlier this month. His ousting sparked rare protests, pushing Mr. Zelenskyy to offer him a prominent position in the government. But Fedorov later said no, adding that he will not accept any position other than defense minister.

As President Trump escalates his trade war on Canada, CNN went to NORAD bases in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska. That's where U.S. and Canadian forces are joined at the hip in protecting both nations from threats and adversaries.

So how do they view the ongoing spat between U.S. and Canadian leaders?

CNN's Jim Sciutto went to find out in this exclusive report.

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST (voice-over): While the U.S. and Canada trade tariffs and insults on the ground --

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I'd like to see Canada become our 51st state.

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: But Canada doesn't live because of the United States.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): In the air, they still fly side by side. NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is the first line of defense for both the U.S. and Canada against aircraft and missiles from Russia, China, North Korea and beyond.

SCIUTTO: Tell me how important and how that partnership works.

COL. MICHAEL MULLEN, FORMER DEPARTMENT COMMANDER, U.S. AIR FORCE 354TH FIGHTER WING: That partnership is fantastic, right? So, if you look at it as we go to work in protecting the, really, Alaska, the Pacific region, really our Northern Hemisphere, you saw that map. Again, if you look down the top of the world where the Arctic is and everything gets out there. So, we are working constantly together with our Canadian allies. We really can't do this homeland defense piece for the Arctic region without our two nations working in collaboration with each other. [02:40:03]

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Here, everything is a combined effort. Joint mission, joint commands and joint sorties, often scrambling to intercept Russian and Chinese aircraft testing North American airspace. And those flybys can be close and dangerous, like this one involving a Russian fighter jet in 2024.

LT. COL. NATHAN MONDUL, FORMER SQUADRON COMMANDER, U.S. AIR FORCE 18TH FIGHTER INTERCEPTOR SQUADRON: That was one of my pilots. I'd say that I don't know who that Russian pilot was, but I'm sure that they probably got some talking to and they got back to their base. I would hope they did.

SCIUTTO: Eielson Air Force Base is first to respond to any air incursions by Russian or Chinese aircraft. And it's home not just to F-16s, but also state-of-the-art F-35s.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Inside NORAD's operations center, the wall is decorated with stars marking each intercept of a Russian or Chinese aircraft. And that list is growing. Since January 2025, U.S. fighter aircraft have conducted some two dozen intercepts in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, where U.S. and Canadian fighters respond to any threats in the air.

SCIUTTO: What is the operation tempo up here lately?

BRIGADIER GEN. MARK LACHAPELLE, CANADIAN AIR FORCE: Yes, the operation tempo has been pretty heavy. I've lost count, to be frank and honest. But we do it and it helps us demonstrate our ability to defend our theater and operate in the environment, which we know Alaska is challenging.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): It's a challenge U.S. and Canadian commanders still make clear they can only meet together.

LT. COL. JONATHAN BLENKUSH, ALASKA AIR NATIONAL GUARD: Absolutely essential here. Not just from Alaska being, you know, a lot of common interests with Canada, but from a mission partner perspective, showing that combined effort in defense of the homeland of North America, keeping integrated on that is absolutely essential for us.

SCIUTTO (on camera): Jim Sciutto, CNN, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: All right. Elite and casual athletes are getting in on a new craze. They're wearing so-called super shoes. Ahead, our reporter tells us why they're not just a fashion statement, but also a performance enhancer. See you in a moment.

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[02:47:01]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

Okay. Have you ever heard of super shoes? They're the footwear that pro athletes and casual joggers around the world are raving about. But what exactly is giving them that extra spring in their step?

CNN creator Mathias Grez put on a pair to find out.

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MATIAS GREZ, CNN CREATOR (voice-over): In the world of running, there's one item of footwear that's dominating the global conversation, so-called super shoes.

In this bag is my first pair.

GREZ: So, I'm really excited to try these on. I've obviously seen the pro athletes wearing them at the major races, like the recent London Marathon, but I've never got to try a pair on for myself.

Oh, nice color. Wow. They are so light.

They're pushing me forward. They are so bouncy.

GREZ (voice-over): First worn at the 2016 Rio Olympics, super shoes are now a staple among elite distance athletes.

At this year's London Marathon, they were also on the feet of the two men who broke the two-hour barrier for the first time, and the woman who set a new world record.

SEBASTIAN SAWE, LONDON MARATHON WINNER: This shoe is very light, comfortable and so supportive.

New Balance have given us this pair to try out. Nike, Adidas, Asics all make their own version of super shoes too, along with most major manufacturers.

SARA TALIA, NEW BALANCE RUNNING COACH: Shoulder back. Nice relaxing arm movement. Knees up to 90 degrees. Engage your foot. Okay. So, we're going to work through all the way up to our usual point.

GREZ (voice-over): I've joined this run club for a short evening jog around a park in Doha. I couldn't help but notice quite a few runners here are wearing super shoes.

GREZ: Tell me a bit about your first time wearing them and what did you notice?

WALEED AL SHOULY, RUNNER: Yeah, yeah, of course, of course, I noticed this instantly, you know, the speeds, you sense the difference, you know what I mean? First time I wore it, it was kind of uncomfortable. I wasn't used to that feel, that carbon blazer, that's what makes it amazing. Mostly, I used it for races. So, it wouldn't be for daily runs or whatnot.

I can't walk in them. After my race, I do take them off. GREZ: Straight away.

AL SHOULY: Yeah, straight away. But they're fast. They give you a good improvement. You know, you can see the difference between the regular run and when you're racing.

GREZ: Have you noticed any change in the shoe tech that people are wearing?

TALIA: So, I've seen definitely an upward trend in using kind of a super shoe with a carbon plate shoe. You feel that bounce, but it's not. There are like shoes with cushioning where you feel like it kind of absorbs your energy. But this cushioning is kind of you feel like it's a rebound. OK?

So, you sense it when you go into your -- especially your fast runs.

[02:50:03]

You feel it more not just physically, I think mentally as well. It kind of sharpens you, but you feel that different feeling is in the stride.

GREZ (voice-over): In April, I tried to run the average speed of the London Marathon winner who was wearing super shoes, in my regular dumb shoes, as some people called them. It didn't end well.

Liam James McManus is the head of podiatry at Sports Science Hospital Aspetar in Doha. He explained how the advantages of the new shoe tech work.

LIAM JAMES MCMANUS, HEAD OF PODIATRY, ASPETAR: So traditionally speaking, if you've got a traditional shoe like this, you might be a heel striker. But when you wear a super shoe or a carbon plate shoe with a geometry like this, you're really going to transition from that heel strike to that mid to forefoot immediately.

A bit of a warning, you've going to be prepared for that as well, from a body point of view, and from a muscle point of view as well. You've got to be able to tolerate this. And that's where sometimes people fall short with their injuries.

GREZ: One phrase that I've seen quite a lot recently is running economy. These super shoes say they save a certain amount of percent of running economy with every step. I think I kind of get what that means, but what exactly is running economy?

MCMANUS: To be honest, it depends who you are and what level you're kind of practicing at. But yeah, if you've got this high stack carbon plate and geometry here, You're going to be a little bit more efficient, aren't you? So the research suggests maybe four percent, three percent, all the way up to seven percent, depending on what you're actually-- what level you're kind of practicing at.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have expanded the horizon of human potential. You have done what many believed could not be done. GREZ (voice-over): The question I was left asking is how much shoe development is too much? And as several sports have outlawed certain models of super shoes for exceeding sole size and stiffness regulations, are we at risk of blurring athletic achievement with advancements in tech?

Back at the run club, it was time for a few laps to see how they felt in action.

GREZ: The difference is incredible, but one thing I did notice was having to change my running style. As soon as I changed that, to landing more on the front of my foot or the ball of my foot, I noticed how much more of a difference the super shoes made, kind of springing me forward.

All in all, successful first run with the super shoes, I think, but I think I'm going to need a bit more training to complete a marathon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Wow.

It's a very busy week for space flight from a groundbreaking satellite mission to the latest starship launch attempt. Details on both missions are just ahead. See you in a moment.

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[02:55:21]

HUNTE: SpaceX is set to launch its starship mega rocket from south Texas on Friday. The mission was scrubbed last week because of an engine issue and then delayed again on Thursday by bad weather.

Earlier this week in Florida, the company's Falcon IX rocket launched a robotic vehicle designed to extend the lifespan of satellites in orbit.

Ashley Strickland has more on that mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Three, two, one! Ignition and liftoff! Go, Falcon! Go, MRV! And go, MEP!

ASHLEY STRICKLAND, CNN SPACE AND SCIENCE WRITER (voice-over): SpaceX launched a Falcon IX rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this week, carrying a spacecraft designed to repair satellites and keep them running longer.

Until now, satellites that are running low on fuel or are in need of repair are usually deemed out of service and sent to a graveyard orbit far from Earth or deorbited.

To solve this common issue, aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman developed an MRV, a mission robotic vehicle equipped with robotic arms and three mission extension pods.

ANNOUNCER: Stage separation confirmed.

STRICKLAND (voice-over): After launch, the robot detached from the rocket and began its year long climb into geosynchronous earth orbit. Once there, the MRV will use its ten foot arms to install the pods onto aging satellites. The pods carry their own fresh supplies of fuel, which can prolong the life of a spacecraft for up to eight years.

Northrop Grumman says the robot can also relocate, inspect and repair spacecraft while in orbit. The MRV will be the United States first multi-mission robotic servicer, and the three pods were the first of their kind to ever launch, the company says. The spacecraft is expected to be operational for about 10 years.

Ashley Strickland, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: It is a new era for the hit zombie franchise, "Resident Evil".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. Where was it going again?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Raccoon City General.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey. No sweat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Oh, yes. A trailer released on Thursday teases a new storyline directed by Zach Cregger and starring Austin Abrams as a medical courier dealing with infected monsters. The previous film starred Ukrainian born actor Milla Jovovich. The horror franchise began as a video game before expanding into the blockbuster films, television series and comic books. "Resident Evil" as the new flick is called, opens in theaters on September 18th.

All right. That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team here in Atlanta. I'm Ben Hunte. Much more coming up on CNN in a few minutes with me. See you in a moment.

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