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Jury Hears Opening Statements, Testimony Against Duane Davis; Trump Dismisses Reports of Poor Conditions Aboard USS Lincoln; British Prime Minister Exchanged Texts With Trump Aide Impersonator; Fallout Grows After Cambridge Professor's Death; Fast-fashion Retailer, Shein, Going Public; Thieves Steal Four Renaissance Paintings From Sicilian Museum; U.S. Weighs Possible Tariffs on Mexican Strawberries; Ferrari's First Electric Car Sells for Record $40 Million. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 18, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:37]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from here in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Great to have your company.

Just ahead, President Trump reiterates his top priority in Iran, no nuclear weapons as he threatens a Gulf ally over the Strait of Hormuz.

The president also explains why he's scaling back support for South Korea's annual joint military exercises.

And an exclusive look at Ukraine's empty Patriot missile launchers sitting idle when they needed most.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: We begin at the White House, where President Trump has threatened to bomb an ally and security partner Oman if it gets in the way of securing the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump has also undercut some of his own officials when describing his main objective in the Iran war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They want to make a deal, but they're not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary. Look, we're in there for one reason. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. You understand that? Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won't have a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: It comes after Vice President J.D. Vance said last week that the administration has two war goals that includes maintaining the flow of oil and gas from Gulf countries. President Trump's threats to strike Oman come as the 60-day deadline

for peace talks between the U.S. and Iran expired with no end to the war in sight. Iran says that its talks with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz is complex but ongoing. CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's actually not the first time we've heard the president level such a threat against Oman. I'd remind you back in May, actually, when there was talk of Oman, they were in discussions with the Iranians about trying to find a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, get free flow of traffic back through that key waterway.

But the president had heard this idea that perhaps they were looking at imposing fees in a short term, and at that time he said Oman will behave just like everybody else, or will have to blow them up. That is similar to the threat we heard the president level just yesterday. He was doing a Fox News interview and essentially said that if Oman gets in the way, as you mentioned, we'll blow. He used an expletive, (EXPLETIVES DELETED) out of them, he said.

And went on to argue that, essentially, he doesn't want them interfering in discussions to reopen the Strait. I think this shows more than anything the level of frustration the president feels at this point in the war, and also the level of patience he has, which has clearly been thinning to a very small degree in recent months.

We know that today was really the deadline, that 60-day deadline that was laid out in the memoir of understanding that he signed back in June, and there really is no real progress for them to tout. Those talks have essentially fallen apart. I will argue. We know a lot of these mediators, Oman included, have been working, you know, tirelessly in recent months to try and get those negotiations back on track.

But one of the key issues, and we've heard the vice president say this, we've heard other people here at the White House argue is that in the immediate term, they really do want to try to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened. A problem, of course, that didn't really exist before this war kicked off.

So, I think a lot of this is frustration. But if you listen to what the Omanis argue, they say, look, we have been neutral mediators between the U.S. and Iran for years, and that they are working on behalf of the U.S. and trying to work with Iran to get that waterway back open, and if you listen to a lot of allies, it's not just Oman, of course, that have been mediators throughout this entire process.

You have other key allies in the Middle East, countries like Saudi Arabia, like Qatar. The list goes on that have been also trying to find an opera to this war. They're all, I think, in agreement that they want this war to end because of the retaliation they face, because the economic pressures they face as well, and so all of this, I think, coming to a head. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Thanks to Alayna Treene. With the upcoming elections in Israel, is complicating U.S. efforts to push through President Trump's 15-point peace plan in Gaza. CNN's Oren Lieberman has the latest developments from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMAN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: U.S. Envoy Jared Kushner held a meeting that lasted more than four hours on Monday afternoon with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trying to forge some way forward on the stalled Gaza ceasefire plan.

[02:05:04]

Now, President Donald Trump put forward the latest iteration of that plan at the end of July, a 15-point plan that Trump hailed as a major breakthrough for Gaza, but that was supposed to move forward an earlier 20-point plan from back in October that has stalled with little progress on that.

Well, now, the Trump administration, with Kushner here, is trying to move that forward. Notably, before Kushner met Netanyahu, he met the leader of Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, in Egypt in a rare meeting between the two. In fact, the last time the two met was to finalize the previous 20-point plan back in October.

So, it's very noteworthy that Kushner met with Hamas again as he's trying to find a pathway forward here. But according to an Israeli source familiar with the meeting between the two, Kushner tried to pressure and press Netanyahu to go along with the plan and to, "Not create obstacles as the U.S. is trying to move this forward."

But according to that source, Netanyahu said it would be, "Problematic for him to be seen making any concessions towards Gaza ahead of an election, especially because the Israeli public would largely view those as concessions towards Hamas." As Netanyahu is trying to appeal to a right-wing voter base ahead of those elections, and he has been trailing in multiple polls with about two months to go until those elections arrive here.

Now, one of the other people inside those meetings was Nikolai Mladenov, the Director General of the Board of Peace, and a Board of Peace official, as well as Netanyahu's office, put forward a much more positive readout of the meetings, calling the discussions deep discussions about how to move forward here. They agreed on creating two working groups, one on sanitation and one on disarmament, but crucially, the board of peace largely sided with Israel, saying that before Israel is required to pull back any of its troops, Hamas has to fully disarm, giving up not only its heavy weaponry but its light weapons as well. That has been Israel's demand, and Netanyahu rejected the Trump 15-point peace plan, largely because of that, saying Israel would not take any steps until Hamas completely disarmed.

Now, Hamas has, from its perspective, agreed to a disarmament plan, but made clear that it's not moving forward with that unilaterally. In other words, if it's supposed to take steps towards disarmament, it demands a complete halt to the near daily Israeli attacks in Gaza and a sequence withdrawal of Israeli forces.

But Israel and now the Board of Peace have made clear that Hamas has to act first, completing its disarmament before anything is really demanded of Israel, according to the ceasefire plan. And that means progress here, as it has been the last 10 months, may be very difficult to make, especially ahead of an Israeli election.

Oren Lieberman, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, for all of that and much more on the Iran deal, I want to welcome Danny Citrinowicz, who served in the Israel Defense Intelligence, including as head of the Iran branch in the Research and Analysis Division. He's now a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies and joins us live from Rehovot, Israel.

Good to have you with us, Denny. So, I want to start first on President Trump's threats to Oman. President Trump threatened to bomb the S out of Oman. Why Oman?

DANNY CITRINOWICZ, SENIOR FELLOW, INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES: Well, I think that President Trump is worried that Oman and Iran will reach an agreement on opening the Straits of Hormuz while allowing Iran control over the Straits. And I think in using the threat in order to make sure that the Omanis understand that they cannot allow Iran to control the Hormuz Straits, I think that President Trump is fearing that if there will be such an agreement, the Gulf states would follow this agreement, thus pressuring the U.S. to lift the maritime blockade.

So, in that regard, I think that they are pressuring them. But it still remains to be seen whether Iran or Iran will reach an agreement. It's important to say that even if they will reach an agreement, Hormuz Straits won't be opened until the U.S. will lift the maritime blockade.

KINKADE: I mean, if Trump were actually to strike Oman, what would that do to the regional picture? Could threatening Oman actually make it harder to resolve the Hormuz crisis, given that Oman has traditionally been such an important diplomatic channel between Washington and Tehran?

CITRINOWICZ: Yes, I think it's very hard to understand what is the policy of the administration right now regarding the Middle East in general, and definitely regarding Iran, the administration is really building on the economical pressure. But Iran is not going to capitulate, and every threat to hit Oman is not helping the U.S. in improving its relations with the Gulf states. We have to remember that the Gulf states actually quite disappointed from the U.S. behavior during the war itself, and the fact that he managed to protect them.

So, I think those threats are not helping the U.S. patcher in the region. And even if they're not going to follow, I don't think the U.S. will attack Oman. I think those statesmen creating a problematic situation where the Omanis will be pushed to the Iranians, given those threats, so I think the U.S. needs to rethink about its policy, change its policy, changes definitely the statement coming from Washington, and rebuild its relation with the Gulf states and not annihilating them.

[02:10:16]

KINKADE: Yes, of course, when you look at the Strait of Hormuz, this war has been going on for for many months, and the number of commercial vessels moving through the Strait remains extremely low. Can Iran realistically sustain a prolonged disruption of Hormuz without inflicting serious damage on itself?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, definitely, it's the million-dollar question. The Iranians definitely suffer from the maritime blockade, no doubt about it. But they believe that they can absorb the pressure while putting a lot of pressure on the U.S. international markets. They are trying to block Hormuz Straits, and together with the Houthi allies, they're blocking more or less Bab el-Mandeb Straits, for them it will increase the price of oil, price of gas in the U.S. as we see.

So, I think those who think that Iran will collapse under the pressure, I think they are mistaken, despite the economical situation in Iran. And even more than that, Iran won't capitulate because of the economical pressure.

So, if the administration thinks that this status quo actually will lead to some sort of a change in the Iranian policy regarding negotiation with the U.S. forgoing the control over the straits or false build-up, and those things, I think they are mistaken. And unfortunately, yes, the economical pressure is working. But at the end of the day, I don't see the Iranian calculus changing because of this pressure.

KINKADE: So, what exactly would have to be offered for the Iranians to say this is a good deal?

CITRINOWICZ: Again, a very good question. I think that the administration has only bad options. We have to admit that it can actually more or less capitulate, allow Iran to control the Straits more or less, and end the war, opening the Strait, or he can escalate, but nobody is assuring him that even if it will escalate, Iran will capitulate.

Actually, and I think what will happen, the Iranians will retaliate, and the status quo is not stable. Meaning that I think President Trump is not rushing to extend the war, and he thinks that economical pressure will do the trick. But as I mentioned, it's not going to happen.

So, eventually, President Trump will have to decide whether to capitulate or escalate, and I think the Iranians are not offering a good off-ramp for him. And even worse than that, I think that the Iranians are willing to increase the pressure on the U.S. if the maritime blockade will continue. So, no good options to the administration right now.

KINKADE: Given you are in Israel, I want to turn to Israel just for a moment, the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner has met with the leaders of Hamas and, of course, the leaders of Israel, and said that, you know, Hamas could begin disarming within 30 days.

Do you believe Hamas is genuinely prepared to give up its weapons, or is this potentially another negotiating tactic?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, I have to say that I don't believe that something dramatic will happen until the election in Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu need to preserve its security posture, and he cannot allow the IDF to withdraw from Gaza after he promised the Israelis total victory and annihilation of Hamas in Gaza itself, so I think that we won't see any good development in that regard. No diplomatic development.

In terms of Hamas, it's obvious they are trying to find. They don't want to dismantle the weapons, so they want to keep that in a safe place that they can say that they dismantle the weapons, but actually have the ability to have it if they need.

So, both sides, I don't think that they are interested in reaching now a concrete move that will allow Israel and the Hamas to implement the second stage of the 20 points of President Trump.

So, bottom line of that, nothing will happen until the election in Israel, and the next government in Israel will have to take harsh decisions whether we're going to implement the 20 points or we can continue taking any activity against Hamas in Gaza, but again, in the end of the day, both sides, I think, waiting for the elections.

KINKADE: Danny Citrinowicz, we appreciate your analysis and your time today. Thank you.

CITRINOWICZ: Thank you.

KINKADE: The U.S. president says he and North Korea's leader have recently spoken, and that they understand each other, and that their engagement is, "Making things safer."

Earlier, Donald Trump posted that his very good relationship with Kim Jong Un is part of the reason he's scaling back the U.S. annual joint military exercises with longtime ally South Korea. He said the drills are expensive and send a totally inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea, which he claims has been unthreatening and respectful. But the president also made it clear there are other factors at play.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: When I called recently the president of South Korea, who I like, I think he's very nice actually. But I called him. I said, Would you like to give us a little hand? We don't need help with Iran, but if you'd like, give us a hand with Iran. He said, no thanks.

And I said, wait a minute. We have 39,000 soldiers over there, guarding you from Kim Jong Un, your next-door neighbor. And I said, well, why are we involved in helping you?

[02:15:09]

They get 50 percent of their oil, and they don't want to get involved. Why are we doing it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, there are very good reasons why the U.S. and South Korea maintain a mutual defense treaty. Not long ago, South Korea's president called their alliance mutually necessary, as CNN's Will Ripley explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kim Jong-un and his daughter smiling at the circus, North Korean state media showing them celebrating in Pyongyang this weekend. At the same time, President Trump was posting this picture with Kim, saying, despite the unfriendly look, Kim Jong-un and I get along great. Relationship Trump is now invoking to make a major change on the Korean peninsula.

Ordering the Pentagon to substantially reduce annual military exercises with South Korea based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong-un, Trump says, adding the exercises are costly and send a totally inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea. The moves are fueling speculation. Trump may be laying the groundwork for renewed diplomacy with Kim.

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: This is kind of a shocking development by the president. We'll see if he has some reason beyond what he stated. But certainly, this is not the way to handle a region of the world that really expects reliability from us.

RIPLEY (voice-over): For decades, North Korea has demanded these drills stop, calling them rehearsals for invasion and war. For the U.S. and South

Korea, they serve a very different purpose, training their forces to fight together on the ground and in the air. There's a reason the allies stay ready.

In 1968, North Korea seized an American spy ship, the USS Pueblo. One American was killed. 82 more were held captive for nearly a year. In 1987, North Korean agents bombed a South Korean passenger jet. All 115 people aboard were killed. Then in 2010, the South Korean warship, Chinon, sank near the North Korean border. Forty-six sailors died. An international investigation blamed a North Korean torpedo. Pyongyang denied it.

Months later, North Korean shells raining down on Pyongyang Island. Two South Korean marines and two civilians killed, both nations blaming the other for exchanging fire, all on a peninsula where the Korean War never formally ended.

And the North Korean military Trump faces today is far more heavily armed, with Kim's teenage daughter rumored to be his likely successor as he expands his nuclear and missile arsenal.

Kim's military is also more battle tested, fighting for Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine's president, Vladimir Zelenskyy, says Russia wants another 30,000 North Korean troops, warning Moscow is helping Kim learn modern warfare. Kim has even built a memorial for those killed with room for many more graves.

RIPLEY: President Trump has tried diplomacy with North Korea before. After the 2018 Singapore summit, he suspended major exercises. Kim never gave up his nuclear weapons. Now, Trump is scaling back drills before Kim has even agreed to talk. Could this be a new opening for diplomacy or a concession before negotiations even begin?

Will Ripley, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, the trial against the man accused of plotting the murder of rapper Tupac has begun. We'll have the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:22:58]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAYDEN PANETTIERE, ACTRESS: I finally feel like I have shaken off all of this darkness and this negativity. I feel like I have a lot more life to live.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: We're learning more details surrounding the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, who died Sunday. The South Carolina coroner says emergency personnel responded to a report of cardiac arrest and found the 36-year-old unresponsive.

First responders performed CPR and other life-saving measures, but were unable to revive her. The official cause of death is still to be determined following an autopsy. CNN's Randi Kaye has more on her life and legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PANETTIERE: I'm still working on myself all the time. I had a great therapist, and I'm better, healthier than I've been in a long time.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That was Hayden Panettiere on CBS in May this year. Now, just a few months later, plans for her funeral are underway.

The Golden Globe-nominated actress was found in cardiac arrest inside a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, Sunday afternoon. According to the Greenville County Coroner's Office, efforts to resuscitate her failed. The coroner says an autopsy showed no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death, but the investigation is ongoing. Panettiere's father released a statement describing his daughter as an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her.

PANETTIERE: It's amazing what you can do with special effects these days, huh?

KAYE (voice-over): Hayden Panettiere's T.V. and movie career spanned more than three decades. She was perhaps best known for the T.V. series "Heroes," in which she played indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennett.

PANETTIERE: The thought of living forever and never being able to die is kind of a scary thing.

KAYE (voice-over): In "Nashville," she played a young country music star.

PANETTIERE: From the door, Charlie.

KAYE (voice-over): Panettiere's movie roles included the Scream franchise and "Remember The Tightness," "Bring It On," "All Or Nothing," and "I Love You, Beth Cooper."

PANETTIERE: Still love me.

[02:25:02]

KAYE (voice-over): Her stardom took a back seat to her own personal struggles, addiction, loss, and depression. In her recent memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, she opened up about all of it.

PANETTIERE: I decided to write it because there was so much stigma. I really wanted to share with the world that they don't have to be afraid. That they can live the truth. That they can be imperfect.

KAYE (voice-over): Panettiere told People magazine in 2022 that doctors told her that her liver was, "Going to give out" when she was hospitalized with jaundice. On her book tour in recent months, she discussed her postpartum depression. She'd had a baby girl with her former partner, a Ukrainian professional boxer.

PANETTIERE: Here I am with this beautiful, healthy, beautiful baby girl in this very fortunate life, and I could not for the life of me be happy. I was so depressed, and I just couldn't find my way out.

KAYE (voice-over): Her daughter, now 11, lives with her father.

PANETTIERE: I'm so blessed to have a great relationship with her. I'm on Facetime with her all the time. She's calling mommy more and more.

KAYE (voice-over): Panettiere's younger brother Jansen died in 2023 at just 28 years old from an enlarged heart. After that, she took a break from acting. PANETTIERE: Heartbreaking doesn't even begin to cover it. Losing him and realizing how much of life I was going to have to go through alone and without him, where I -- when I always saw him as being there. He was my best friend, and like when he first died, I just remember screaming, I don't want to live in a world where he doesn't exist.

KAYE (voice-over): Over the years, Panettiere advocated for mental health awareness and animal rights, and in 2022 launched a relief fund for medical supplies for Ukrainians following Russia's invasion. She was also known for supporting environmental issues, saying she wanted to leave the world a better place in her brother's name, Hayden Panettiere was just 36.

Randi Kaye, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, now to Las Vegas, where details are emerging after day one in the trial of Duane Davis. He is the first and only person ever charged in the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur in a drive-by shooting 30 years ago. Members of Shakur's family were in the courtroom on Monday as the jury heard opening statements and testimony from four witnesses. Davis is not accused of pulling the trigger. Instead, prosecutors argue he orchestrated the killing in retaliation for an assault on his nephew, but the defense is already trying to poke holes in the prosecution's evidence. Our CNN's Josh Campbell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We now have Mr. Davis. He's present in custody with Mr. Sansom.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Almost 30 years after rap icon Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas, the trial for the man who prosecutors say orchestrated the shooting is at long last underway.

Duane Keffe D Davis is the only person to ever be charged in the infamous slaying. Prosecutors say he didn't pull the trigger on September seven, 1996, but was the shot caller that fateful night near the Las Vegas Strip. Prosecutors are calling the 1996, killing an act of revenge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What he did do was plan the retaliation for the beating of his nephew.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Surveillance video shows Tupac Shakur leaving the MGM Grand Hotel with Suge Knight, Trevon Lane, and others after watching a Mike Tyson fight on the night of the shooting. They run into Davis's nephew Orlando Anderson, who was standing alone in the lobby, and start attacking him.

Months before, Anderson had pulled a death row records chain off of Trevon Lane's neck at a shopping center near Compton. This escalated tension, the prosecutor said. They encountered each other again. This time in Los Vegas. The fight happened about two and a half hours before the shooting, according to the prosecutor.

On Monday, the prosecutor read excerpts from Davis's 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then jumping on my nephew gave us the ultimate green light to do something to them.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): While Davis's public interviews were also mentioned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He admits to being the boss. He admits to being in the white Cadillac and he admits to being part of the murder of Tupac Shakur.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Defense attorney Michael Sanft warned the jury not to believe his own client's past statements about his role in the incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keffe D was known to be this. That's the testimony you want to hear in this case.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): The defense also argued there's no evidence Davis was in Nevada when Tupac was shot, telling jurors to determine what is fact and what is fiction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look for evidence that shows that Keffe D was even in Las Vegas on the night of the fight. Receipts, credit cards, a picture of him standing next to somebody else. There's no evidence at all that that man was even at the fight.

[02:30:00]

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Davis is now 63 and is the only individual allegedly involved in the murder who is still alive. He's entered a not-guilty plea. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

SANFT: You have to corroborate everything I say in order for it to be true. What you're going to find is that the state cannot prove to you, beyond reason of doubt, the claim that Keffe D had anything to do with a first-degree murder with use of deadly weapon. There's no facts to that matter.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Josh Campbell, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Russia is ramping up ballistic missile attacks as Ukraine runs low on air defense interceptors. Still ahead, CNN's exclusive access to some of Ukraine's closely-guarded Patriot systems.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:35:22]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. President Trump is pushing back on reports of poor conditions and low morale aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The Lincoln has been out there for a period of time, good period of time. But over the years, we've had him out there much longer. I was at a group meeting and an admiral came up to see me over the weekend. And it was at a big group and he happened to be an admiral retired.

He said, I've been on ships that are out there much longer than that, sir. And I know people on the Lincoln, they say it's beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of. And other people went out and they found out that it was fake news reporting from CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, sailors and family members have told CNN the ship has experienced intermittent food shortages, low supplies of hygiene items and problems with the water system. The aircraft carrier has been deployed for nearly nine months after being redirected to the Middle East to support U.S. operations in the war with Iran.

Ukraine's stock of Patriot interceptor missiles is dwindling as Russian ballistic attacks surge across the country. CNN's Nick Paton- Walsh explains why the U.S.-made air defense system is so critical and gets exclusive access to Patriot launchers sitting idle because of the ammunition shortage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON-WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Out in the quiet corn (ph), a moment of absolute desperation. Ukraine has never shown anyone these before. An American-made Patriot air defense launcher. The interceptors they fire, the only thing that can take down Russian ballistic missiles that rain down on Ukraine, are under a huge global supply shortage. But these here are sitting idle, doing nothing, when in Ukraine they could be saving lives almost nightly.

Why? They're empty, out of ammo.

PATON-WALSH: This tube being empty is a sight really that would spark fear for ordinary Ukrainians and is the product of dozens of phone calls to any ally, all sorts of deal making, President Zelenskyy told me, to try and find the interceptors to fill this up. An extraordinary step they're taking by showing us the fact this particular Patriot battery is essentially out of action until interceptors arrive, a sign of desperation.

PATON-WALSH (voice-over): Chief Engineer Dmytro says it is two-and-a- half months since this one fired and six weeks since he saw one fire at all.

DMYTRO, CHIEF ENGINEER, UKRAINE'S PATRIOT SYSTEM: You know, actually, this is a very heartbreaking sight when you have equipment but you're not able to intercept any missiles. This is very sad. When you know that ballistic missiles are flying over your head and you are not able to do anything with it and you know that behind you there are citizens.

PATON-WALSH: And how does that make you feel knowing that you should help but can't?

DMYTRO: Like you learn how to walk but you're not able to walk, or you know how to breathe but you're not able to breathe.

PATON-WALSH (voice-over): He knew the global supply crunch was coming.

DMYTRO: When we saw how many interceptors were launched in the Middle East, we predicted that we will be in trouble.

PATON-WALSH (voice-over): Ukraine has been reluctant to admit if they have zero interceptors left. President Zelenskyy telling me every morning he begs allies for more.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: They do some things which I can't even share. It's not -- it doesn't mean that it's out of the law. No, but it's -- I can't speak about it.

PATON-WALSH (voice-over): Kyiv is rocked by a massive ballistic attack normally once a week. Racing to the subway and shelters where before they felt protected, they are not anymore. It is America First in the queue and Ukraine left to anxiety in the rubble.

Nick Paton-Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: CNN has learned that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham had briefly exchanged messages with someone impersonating Donald Trump's Chief of Staff. Politico first reported the incident Monday and said the British Embassy in Washington voiced concerns to the White House.

A source with knowledge of the matter told CNN that Burnham ended the conversation quickly after he became suspicious that he was not communicating with the real Susie Wiles.

[02:40:00]

CNN's Nic Robertson breaks down what happened.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, this does appear to be the first high-profile phishing attempt against the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. The messages purported to come from President Donald Trump's Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, only it wasn't her sending the messages.

Now, we understand -- CNN understands, that there were no important communications passed by Burnham. And of course, as Prime Minister, and he's probably been pranked before in the past, you know, perhaps as an MP or when he was Mayor of Manchester. But this will be the first time he's likely been put in this sort of a position when he has sensitive, secret national security information at his fingertips.

So for the Prime Minister, this perhaps was a potentially dangerous moment, but he, we're told, became suspicious pretty quickly, shut this messaging conversation down, informed his officials. Now, White House officials are telling CNN that Susie Wiles' phone was not hacked, or the hacking of her phone was not involved in this communication.

But if you go back to 2025, May that year, a U.S. law enforcement investigation was launched because around about that time, Wiles -- or prior to that time, Wiles had informed colleagues at the White House that she believed her phone and her content list had been hacked, leading to efforts to impersonate her.

So it brings into question now, when it's happening to the British Prime Minister, and the communication getting through to him and the messages apparently being exchanged, albeit shut down very quickly, it does raise that question of why was this type of pranking phishing able to get through to the most sensitive of senior political leadership in the U.K., namely the prime minister.

Now Burnham's been a politician for some time, and he's got a lot of experience dealing with political and sensitive issues. But it does flag, if you will, just how potentially easy it appears for somebody sophisticated enough to be able to impersonate, it appears, trying to impersonate the White House Chief of Staff to actually be able to begin some kind of conversation.

So protection, better protection from phishing for the British Prime Minister, and of course therefore better protection from the potential exposure of national security details.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

KINKADE: The death of a prominent Cambridge Professor is fueling a fierce debate in Britain over media scrutiny, race, and DEI. Jason Arday died Friday, just days after resigning his position amid questions about his academic record and allegations of plagiarism. His family is blaming the media and what it calls a campaign of sustained abuse for his death.

CNN's Anna Cooban reports from a vigil for Arday in London.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So a vigil to Jason Arday, a Professor from Cambridge, who died on Friday. This happened just a little while ago, and there was a lot of anger in the crowd, trying to speak to people here today to give their thoughts. It was incredibly difficult.

Many people were just incredibly incensed against the media because they believed that it was the media that hounded this man to his death. Now, as a bit of context, Jason Arday, he was the youngest-ever professor to be given a professorship at Cambridge just three years ago at age 37, and a lot of questions were raised about his past work, about whether or not he was fit to be appointed to that role. There was accusations of plagiarism in his PhD, accusations which he denied. Now, he stepped down from his role earlier this week or a few days ago because of this relentless media scrutiny, and he said he wasn't doing so because he agreed with the accusations. But nevertheless, the media scrutiny continued.

And now, of course, there are also questions and recriminations about Cambridge University and the role that they played in appointing Arday, and also not giving him, many people think, enough support. So, there is a lot of questions that are still being answered, a lot of anger in this crowd today because of this man who sadly lost his life just a couple days ago.

KINKADE: Well, online retailer Shein is going public, but will the stock price be as much of a bargain as the fast fashion products? We'll explain next on "CNN Newsroom."

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KINKADE: Welcome back. Family and friends and fans paid their final respects at the funeral of singer Bonnie Tyler on Monday in Wales. Tyler was best known for her hit songs in the 1980s, including "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero." She died in early July at the age of 75 after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery and being placed in a medically-induced coma.

Tyler had been planning a return to the stage with several performances scheduled for later this year.

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A Welsh men's choir paid tribute to the singer with a somber rendition of her biggest hit.

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"Total Eclipse of the Heart" rendition.

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KINKADE: A Sicilian official says the mafia may have been behind the theft of four paintings from a museum in Messina on Saturday. The thieves targeted the only surviving artworks by Renaissance master, Antonello da Messina, that had remained in his hometown.

Sicily's president says investigators are looking into whether any museum staff were involved in the heist. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon has more.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened at the Messina Regional Museum in Sicily, where four Renaissance paintings were stolen over the weekend.

According to preliminary information, the thieves broke into the museum on Saturday evening, taking advantage of a national holiday when much of Italy shuts down for the summer on August 15. They made out with three panels from the Polyptych of San Gregorio and the portrait of the Virgin Mary. They're all from Antonello da Messina, one of the most famous artists of the late 15th century.

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ENZO CARUSO, MESSINA'S COUNCILOR FOR CULTURE (through translator): More than a loss, this is a real disaster because Messina, without Antonello, is robbed of the very essence of the greatest artist of the European Renaissance. Together with the mayor, we want to be close to the museum and we hope these works may return home as soon as possible.

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POZZEBON: The art stolen in Messina is believed to be worth millions of dollars. Less than 50 paintings all around the world are attributed to Antonello, which makes this type of art extremely rare and also extremely hard to sell for criminal networks.

Just last week, the Italian cultural police successfully recovered three paintings worth more than $10 million collectively in the northern Italian city of Parma.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Rome.

KINKADE: Online retailer Shein is going public this week, but the fast fashion giant may not fetch the price it was expecting just a few months ago. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout reports from Hong Kong.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've probably seen Shein haul videos like this. But how much is the company looking to haul for its long-awaited initial public offering in Hong Kong? Reports say under $30 billion. That's quite a drop in valuation from its previous funding rounds, nearly $100 billion in 2022 and $64 billion in 2023.

So why has Shein lost its shine? Shein tried New York and London before finally getting approval to list here in Hong Kong. It's notorious for its cheap and trendy clothes, mostly made by third-party suppliers in China. It could turn up thousands of new styles a day, which has brought huge profit margins and rapid growth.

But it's been hit with higher costs and slowing sales, according to its prospectus. Thanks in part to the removal of the de minimis exemption in the United States, Shein's largest market, which allowed goods worth less than $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. Shein is also facing a probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that could result in significant fines.

Over the years, it's faced scrutiny from Western lawmakers over its business practices, including accusations of using forced labor, which Shein denies. Also weighing on the retailer, a new EUR 3 sales tax on low-value shipments to curb what the E.U. calls unfair competition from China. But the company could still grow in the rest of the world, where their products are not as heavily taxed and where there's still appetite for this $5 t-shirt.

KINKADE: The U.S. Commerce Department is expected to release its preliminary findings today in a case that might cause Americans to pay more for strawberries. The Trump administration is investigating allegations that Mexican growers are selling winter-harvested strawberries in the U.S. at unfairly low prices, which could cause significant harm to American business.

A determination could lead to tariffs on those imports and higher costs for shoppers. Federal data shows 98 percent of U.S. strawberry imports came from Mexico last year.

Well, Ferrari just set a record for the most expensive new car ever sold at auction. A bespoke model of the company's first fully electric car, the Ferrari Luce "Chassis 0," has sold for more than $40 million. That's 36 times the original estimate of $1.1 million.

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The high bid comes just months after Ferrari's shares price tumbled more than eight percent when it unveiled the Luce in May. All proceeds from the sale will go to the Ferrari Foundation, which supports education initiatives.

Well, thanks so much for joining me. I'm Lynda Kinkade. For our international viewers, "CNN Newsroom," with Polo Sandoval is next. And for viewers in the U.S., stay tuned to "CNN NewsNight."

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