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CNN Gets Exclusive Look at One of Ukraine's Empty Patriot Missile Launchers; More than 2300 Are Died in DRC's Ongoing Ebola Battle. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired August 18, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:07]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hi everybody, I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York, and this is "CNN Newsroom."

President Trump has threatened a key ally in the war with Iran, while also contradicting some of his top officials on what the main goal of the war really is.

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is now the country's deadliest ever, with more than 2300 people who have died. And with no vaccine for this strain, there seems to be no end in sight.

And Meta, heading to a California courtroom for a federal trial over child safety, will tell you why the stakes are so high, as this tech giant faces off against nearly 30 states.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from New York, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Let's begin this hour with the White House, as it sends mixed messages about the top priority in the war with Iran. President Trump undercut some of his own top officials when he said this was the actual U.S.'s main objective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 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)

SANDOVAL: These comments from the Oval Office come after Vice President J.D. Vance said just last week that the administration has two war goals. They include maintaining the flow of oil and gas from Gulf countries, and of course Iran's nuclear program being the second issue, according to the Vice President. And then there's a stunning threat coming from President Trump, as he

said that he would bomb Oman, a key regional ally, if it, quote, "gets in the way of efforts in the Strait of Hormuz." Iran says that its talks with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz are complex but ongoing, and all this comes as the 60-day deadline for the U.S.-Iran peace talks has expired.

Let's go to CNN's Paula Hancocks, who's joining us from Abu Dhabi. Paula, this pretty stunning threat coming from President Trump, and just to remind our viewers that Oman and Iran have been actively engaged in talks to try to sort out the issue of the Strait of Hormuz.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Polo, it was a surprising threat, but it's not the first time that we've heard this threat from President Trump towards a country which, for decades, has had very good relations with the United States.

Now, he told Fox News that he would bomb this ally if they interfered in his efforts to try and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. There's been no comment from Oman, in fact, back in May when Trump said something very similar.

It was because Iran and Oman were talking about potentially charging a fee for vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Trump was particularly vocal about that particular time as well.

Now, Iran is seen as a mediator, excuse me, Oman is seen as a mediator in the region. They were the ones who were trying to mediate talks between the U.S. and Iran before the war happened, trying to curtail Iran's nuclear program and trying to prevent this war from happening.

Now, what we see at this point is that Iran and Oman are still in talks to try and sort out what they believe will happen in the Strait of Hormuz. They border the north and the south of this critical waterway, and the commercial shipping routes pass through both of these nations' territorial waters.

We've just heard from the foreign ministry spokesperson in Iran saying that talks are ongoing, they have a transit route map agreed, but the final agreement has not yet come. Let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAIL BAGHAEL, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Talks between Iran and Oman are continuing seriously. Regarding the text of the joint statement, views are being exchanged, and both sides have so far shown that they are determined to formulate a mechanism that ensures interests and concerns of both sides. While at the same time ensuring the relevant considerations concerning international shipping.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: And just to highlight how key this issue is, we have a report as well from the U.K. Maritime Agency that they have heard a vessel has been struck in the Strait of Hormuz by an unknown projectile, saying that they have reports of one casualty on board, that this particular vessel was conducting an outbound transit, so leaving the Strait of Hormuz. The engine room was damaged and the Omani Coast Guard at this point is trying to intervene and help the vessel.

[03:05:09]

So it just highlights how critical this issue is and the future of the Strait of Hormuz. Marine traffic has numbers for Monday. They say at least three commercial vessels were able to transit this waterway.

It's barely even a fraction of what we saw pre-war. Anything between 110 to 140 ships were transiting the Strait of Hormuz before the war. So it shows how critical the issue is.

Now, President Trump has insisted that the Strait of Hormuz is open. Clearly, the shipping data and those figures negate that particular statement. But both sides are claiming that they have sovereignty or at least control over the Strait of Hormuz, blaming the other for the problems that are persisting, Polo.

SANDOVAL: CNN's Paula Hancocks, thank you so much for bringing us those latest developments.

Well President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for over four hours on Monday, but without any major breakthrough on the issue of Gaza. Here's what Kushner told Fox News about the meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JARED KUSHNER, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SON-IN-LAW: We can be seeing progress, you know, in as little as 30 days, hopefully on, you know, starting to take some of the weapons out and hopefully, you know, filling in some of the tunnels as well in the next 60 to 90 days as well. So progress could come quite soon, but we do need cooperation from both sides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Yeah, where do we see progress, though?

An Israeli source says that Kushner urged Netanyahu to move forward with the Trump-backed Gaza peace plan and to, quote, "not create any obstacles." A senior Israeli official says that the Prime Minister told Kushner that Israel would not withdraw any of its forces in Gaza and also would not allow reconstruction to begin until the complete disarmament of Hamas.

The United Nations is sounding the alarm over rising civilian casualties and escalating violence in Lebanon and Yemen. It's now calling for restraints and an immediate de-escalation of those ongoing tensions. At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, it's among the deadliest in weeks.

And the U.N. says that the violence is now forcing some families to flee areas that they had only recently returned to. And in Yemen, the U.N. says that at least 17 civilian casualties have been reported in Houthi attacks on government-controlled areas since August the 6th, and that includes an attack on Mokhoport that is still under investigation. That's where a fuel station and a residential compound were reportedly hit.

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 also gets an exclusive view to Patriot launchers sitting idle because of that ammunition shortage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out in the quiet corn, a moment of absolute desperation -- Ukraine's 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 rained 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.

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: It is actually, this is a very heartbreaking sight when you have equipment but you're not able to intercept any missile. 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.

[03:10:07]

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: I do some things which I can't even share. It doesn't mean that it's out of the law, no, but 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)

SANDOVAL: And still to come this hour, a grim milestone in the Democratic Republic of Congo as that country records its deadliest Ebola outbreak ever. I'll be speaking with a member of an aid group on the ground about the fight to contain the virus and why help is just not arriving fast enough.

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[03:15:00]

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SANDOVAL: The ongoing outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now the deadliest in that country's history and the second most lethal Ebola outbreak ever recorded.

Already more than 2300 people have died in the outbreak, this latest one, and the country's 17th overall. The government has recorded nearly 5000 cases, meaning almost one in every two confirmed cases has been fatal. And there are no approved vaccines or treatments for this particular strain of the virus.

The U.N. humanitarian chief is warning that the virus is winning, with the outbreak now killing one person every 30 minutes. And help just isn't coming quickly enough, at least not fast enough as it once did. Cuts to aid organizations have reduced both the number of people who can help and the aid that they can provide.

Joining me now is Trish Newport, an emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, joining me from the DRC. Trish, it's good to see you again. Thank you so much for joining us.

TRISH NEWPORT, EMERGENCY COORDINATOR, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: I wonder if you could just put things into perspective for viewers now. The WHO officially declared this outbreak in mid-May and just three short months later, what has allowed this outbreak to spread at such an exceptional pace? NEWPORT: It's a horrible situation here right now. The outbreak

started so big to begin with. By the time the outbreak was identified, there were already over 300 suspected cases, more than 55 deaths, and it was really the response that people were having a very hard time catching up to it and has never caught up to it.

Today, there are cases in areas where there's absolutely no response. They're just, everyone is stretched to their capacity. And so to respond to an Ebola outbreak, wherever there is a case, you need every single pillar of Ebola response in place.

You need to have isolation, you need to have lab capacity, you need to be able to have surveillance, contact tracing, and most of all, you need to have engagement with the community.

Today, this isn't happening everywhere where there are new cases. Even where there's a lot of cases, we see there's not a full Ebola response. You still have communities where there are 15 to 20 deaths in the community.

Every single -- there are people that aren't even getting to an isolation. And we know that if someone dies of Ebola in the community, you can have up to 10, 15 cases that just come from that one death. And so it's really, it's a horrible situation and we need to urgently scale up the amount of resources that are here to be able to respond to this outbreak.

SANDOVAL: It sounds absolutely horrible and really just punctuated by what we've heard from the U.N. now warning that the spread of Ebola is outpacing response efforts in the DRC. What do you think, Trish, would be specifically key in trying to slow the spread?

NEWPORT: I mean, to slow the spread, there always needs to be community engagement. The community always needs to be involved. But on top of that, we need more resources.

We can't, in some places, where there are new cases, there's literally no organization that has the capacity to go set up an isolation, do safe and dignified burials, discuss with the community. And as long as there's no response, this builds time for rumors and myths to grow for the community to be more at risk, for more families to be affected and die.

So there needs to be a serious, serious scale up of the amount of resources that are available to be able to respond.

SANDOVAL: What have you been learning about these ongoing efforts to not only test, eventually approve and deploy this badly needed vaccine for this particular rare Ebola strain?

NEWPORT: This is very needed. Just as a reminder, the big Ebola outbreak here in DRC from 2018 to 2020, there was a vaccine that was available.

[03:20:02] There was a vaccine that was being used and the outbreak still went for two years. And so while a vaccine is badly needed, treatments are badly needed, these aren't just a vaccine isn't the magic answer.

We need to have the capacity to be able to respond to all of these cases. We still need to be on board, understanding what Ebola is and helping guide what the response is. So even if a vaccine appeared tomorrow, this isn't the magic bullet and we still need a massive scale up of resources on the ground.

SANDOVAL: Trish Newport, our thanks to you and the entire team there that's in the front lines of this just awful virus that continues to destroy entire families in some cases. Do come back and get us another update. We really do appreciate your time.

NEWPORT: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: Of course.

President Trump dialing back resources for a close ally for South Korea, but feels compelled to praise the leader of North Korea? We'll have those details in a moment.

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[03:25:00]

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York and these are today's top stories.

President Trump threatening Oman again. The President says that he will bomb the key regional ally if it quote "gets in the way of U.S. efforts in the Strait of Hormuz." His comments come as Oman and Iran are engaged in negotiations regarding that critical waterway.

The trial for the man accused of plotting the murder of rap legend Tupac Shakur is underway. Prosecutors alleging the 1996 killing was an act of revenge after Shakur and several others assaulted Davis's nephew in Las Vegas. The defense argues the case lacks sufficient evidence.

Talk about Dwayne Davis. He pleaded not guilty. He could face life in prison if convicted.

South Carolina coroner says that emergency personnel were unable to revive actress Hayden Panettiere while responding to a report of cardiac arrest on Sunday. First responders performed CPR and other life-saving measures on the 36-year-old actress after finding her unresponsive. The official cause of death still hasn't been determined.

The U.S. President says that he and North Korea's leader have recently spoken, that they understand each other, and that their engagement is quote "making things safer." Earlier, Donald Trump posted that his quote, "very good relationship" with Kim Jong-un is part of the reason that he's scaling back the United States' annual joint military exercises with longtime ally South Korea. The drills have been conducted for over 70 years in an effort to deter North Korean aggression. In fact, not long ago, South Korea's president called a solid alliance quote "mutually necessary," but also said his country needs to get stronger to enhance its value as an ally.

More now from CNN's Will Ripley.

(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." A 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 SERBIA: 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 Cheonan sank near the North Korean border, 46 sailors died. An international investigation blamed a North Korean torpedo, Pyongyang denied it.

Months later, North Korean shells raining down on Yongpyong 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.

[03:30:00]

Kim's military is also more battle-tested, fighting for Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr 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 their 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)

SANDOVAL: Online retailer Shein going public, but will the stock price be as much of a bargain as fast fashion products? We'll explain next. You're watching "CNN Newsroom."

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[03:35:00]

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SANDOVAL: You have to speed on the markets and these are your business headlines.

Regulators appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump are allowing his family's flagship cryptocurrency venture to become a bank. Trump co- founded World Liberty Financial with his sons Eric and Don Jr. Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to block this deal, calling it a brazen act of self-dealing.

Paramount wants the states that are suing to stop the Warner Bros. Discovery deal to post a $1.9 billion bond that would put the plaintiffs on the hook for more than $1 billion in fees if they lose their lawsuit. Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of this network.

Online retailer Shein is going public this week and experts are predicting that the initial public offering will be worth less than $30 billion. That's down from around $40 billion from earlier this month. The company reported a $99 million loss in the first quarter of 2026 as sales slowed.

More on this now from CNN's Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) 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 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 churn out 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 three-euro 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Kristie Lu Stout.

Meta will be facing a federal trial starting on Tuesday in California over claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed to be addictive to children. The company is also accused of misleading the public about the risks posed by its platforms.

The complaint was filed by a coalition of 29 state attorneys general, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to take the stand along with the head of Instagram.

Now the stakes are high, it could be pricey. If Meta loses, it claims the damages could be as high as $1.4 trillion, which is close to its market value. It could also be forced to make swooping changes to its platforms.

Meta calls the charges unsubstantiated, it says, quote, "rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout."

California's attorney general disagrees, saying that Meta chose profit over children's safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Designed and deployed a dangerous product. They knew it was dangerous and they lied about it to the public. And the best evidence that they knew that their products were dangerous is their own internal studies, their own internal memos where they're talking about the harms that their products visit on kids, whether it be anxiety or depression or addictive tendencies or body image issues or learning loss.

They talk about it internally. And then knowing that these products visit harm on kids, they tell the world that they're safe. So it's the deception and the lying that is unlawful under California law.

[03:40:07]

And we'll show them their own words, their own studies, their own internal determinations. We'll put that side by side with their public statements, which are lies to the public, and we'll let the judge and the jury decide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: A Sicilian official says that the mafia may have been behind the theft of these 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 that investigators are now looking into whether any of the staff at the museum may have been involved in this heist.

Here's CNN's Stefano Pozzebon, who's got more on the case from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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 the preliminary information, the thieves broke into the museum on a 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.

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.

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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Thank you so much for watching this hour. "World Sport" is next, and I'll be back at the top of the next hour with more of your headlines on "CNN Newsroom."

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