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Washington to Announce Economic D-Day Against Iran; U.S. Blames Canada for Collapse of Trade Talks; Lindsay Clancy Defense Team Rests Its Case; British PM Burnham Arrives In Ukraine; Iran: Ships Violating Hormuz Transit Rules Could Be Seized; Data Centers Becoming A Hot Issue Ahead of U.S. Midterms. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 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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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," Washington says it's about to announce an economic D-Day against Iran, but Tehran says it's a move of desperation. The Trump administration blames Canada for the collapse of trade talks as 50 percent tariffs take effect. We'll look at what it could mean for the coming midterm elections. And the Lindsay Clancy defense team rests. We will see what the persecution has in store for the triple murder trial.

Well, those stories in just a moment. But first, newly-minted British prime minister, Andy Burnham, is making his first trip abroad to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. He arrived there just a short time ago. Mr. Burnham will share his first meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of countries working to bolster Ukraine's security and defense. The trip follows London agreeing to allow defense firm MBDA to release classified information on U.K. components to help Ukraine build its own long-range SCALP missiles. It's part of a concerted diplomatic push by President Zelenskyy, who recently issued a stark warning about Russia's plans.

CNN's Sebastian Shukla has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: President Zelenskyy has said that Russia could be planning to mobilize some 300,000 people following parliamentary elections in mid-September with the aim of still capturing all of Ukraine's Donbas region. The Ukrainian president was speaking to reporters over the weekend and also said he thought Russia was capable of producing 1,300 ballistic missiles a year, roughly 100 a month, a doubling from their current capabilities.

In order to counter those ballistic missile attacks, President Zelenskyy is still hunting for around 300 Patriot missiles to replenish his dwindling stockpiles, but appeared to admit that no agreement seemed imminent. Russia is exploiting this chink in Ukraine's armor and is pounding it with waves of ballistic missiles, causing catastrophic damage.

Meanwhile, the fighting and the aerial attacks continue unabated from both sides. And an apparent widening of the scope of targets to slightly softer ones, including malls and e-commerce facilities, is a potentially dangerous escalation, with President Putin saying on Saturday night that Ukraine's attacks on its energy infrastructure has unleashed a Pandora's box.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We have stepped up our attacks on Ukrainian defense industry enterprises, including those in Kyiv, and have begun to respond to the enemy actions against our civilian industrial and logistics facilities. The Kyiv regime has set out to damage our economy. What has it done? It has opened Pandora's box itself. Well, get an answer about your most sensitive economic sectors which, frankly, are already on their last legs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUKLA: The president added that he saw no serious versions of a peace agreement, calling ideas exotic and unacceptable, and he seems to be showing no signs at the moment of backing down from his maximalist demands or even being open to talking.

We appear to be in a rather fraught phase of the war right now, and rhetoric and actions from both sides seem to show no signs of relenting.

Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Now, to Washington, where the White House is expected to announce new sanctions on Iran. The U.S. Treasury secretary is vowing an economic D-Day is coming for Iran. In a Financial Times Sunday op- ed, Scott Bessent wrote, the world should understand that our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone. He says Iran won't be the only target but the -- quote -- "economic consequences would impact anyone working with Iran."

[02:04:56]

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SCOTT BESSENT, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: If you insist on doing business with them, either transferring money, buying their oil, they are doing seaborne ship transport, then the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. government, they will put its full might and force toward enforcing against you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Tehran's leadership appears to show growing differences over negotiations with Washington. Iran's president says the country -- quote -- "cannot continue with war forever." But the foreign minister insists U.S. sanctions and pressure campaigns are nothing new for Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, FOREIGN MINISTER OF IRAN (through translator): This is a repetitive scenario. From the crippling sanctions imposed during the Obama administration to the maximum pressure campaign during Mr. Trump's first administration and now to the latest sanctions, all of these measures have been introduced under different titles, but they represent the same kind of bullying that we have always seen in American policy. In other words, it's the same movie they keep playing over and over again. We know this movie, so we know how to confront and deal with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Iran is also warning that ships accused of violating its transit rules in the Strait of Hormuz could be penalized or seized. Iran's already hard-hit economy is suffering from a new blow. Iranian media reports that the country's currency, the Riyal, sank to a record low against the U.S. dollar. It's not just Tehran's economy that's hurting. American consumers have been paying more at the pump and just about everywhere else since the start of the war nearly six months ago. One Fed official says the longer the war goes on, the less confident he is that inflation will return to target.

NPR reporter Arezou Rezvani joins us now from Los Angeles. Appreciate you being with us.

Good to be with you.

CHURCH: So, with Treasury Secretary Bessent set to announce new economic sanctions against Iran in the coming hours, what will those sanctions look like given he insists they will sever every economic lifeline that sustains the regime until it stands alone and just how challenging will it be for the U.S. to apply these new sanctions?

AREZOU REZVANI, REPORTER, NPR: Well, we don't know what those sanctions are going to look like. I think we're going to be getting those details tomorrow from the administration. But I will say that these are going to be really challenging to apply. Iran has adapted to years of economic sanctions and efforts to isolate the economy, and they have developed smuggling networks and different schemes in order to survive and endure, and I think that they have managed to keep money flowing into government coffers.

They were also known for operating a shadow fleet to keep oil out at sea and getting that to their customers, notably China. And China is really important in this. I've spent the last few days talking to several former U.S. Treasury officials and all of them agree that really the extent to which this will be successful depends on how the United States wants to deal with China.

Over the weekend, a spokesperson with China's foreign ministry said that they do not agree with the United States and their pivot to economic war and that signals that they won't be on board. And so, the question then becomes, will the U.S. penalize China and at what cost, at the cost of trade relations, the detente of the last several months? And so, all of these to say that executing this economic war will be hard and the consequences might be significant.

CHURCH: So, why is the Trump administration shifting away from a military war to a more focused economic war against Iran and how will these sanctions be different to others applied by the U.S.?

REZVANI: Yes, it's yet to be seen. I think those details will emerge tomorrow, hopefully. But I think that, look, it has been six months of war. President Trump promised that this was going to be a very swift victory over Iran. It has not. The negotiations didn't go very far. They collapsed. And so, the United States is trying its hand at economic pressure.

I will say that inside Iran, government officials are striking a very aggressive and defiant tone. The National Security Council had said that any countries that join in America's effort to further isolate Iran will be targeted.

And so, I think, overall, the view among Iran's ruling establishment is that, so far, the Trump administration has not succeeded in any of its stated goals, which has shifted over time, whether that be regime change or curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions or prying the Strait of Hormuz out of the hands of Iran. And so, they view that -- they view this pivot as being an act of desperation, especially as we get closer and closer to the midterm elections.

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CHURCH: And Iran is warning that ships accused of violating its rules covering the Strait of Hormuz could be penalized or seized. And the country's top security chief is threatening to hold all oil movement through the critical waterway. What will be the likely impact of action like this?

REZVANI: Well, I think we're going to feel the pain on a global economic level, as we've seen for the last several months. I think that that will just continue to be the case. And I think that this risks further escalation. I think that both sides, people are worried that this could slip back into an all-out war. Iran seems to be certainly preparing for that possibility.

And so, I will say, though, that the blockade, the U.S. blockade is another factor in all of this. That does seem to be working. It does seem to be squeezing the Iranian government and the economy on the ground. I did speak with people inside Iran this weekend, many of whom told me that they are feeling the pain. I spoke with one woman whose mother is getting cancer treatment in Tehran, and she says that day by day, medicine is harder to come by. Hospitals and clinics are having a hard time replacing medical equipment. And so, I think that this is going to be a really -- a really tough time all around.

On the flip side, I did speak with one Iran analyst that's aligned with the government, and he said that Iran is starting to explore alternatives. So, they are looking to see if the Caspian Sea might be a space where they get goods in and out of the country. They're also exploring the possibility of land routes. Certainly not time or cost efficient but, you know, these are options in desperate times.

CHURCH: Indeed. Arezou Rezvani, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

REZVANI: My pleasure.

CHURCH: Thank you. All right, let's take a look at how oil futures are doing. And you can see crude oil prices are down slightly, 93.15. WTI crude oil is at 87.83. And a look now at U.S. futures. They're following a similar trend. You can see there. We'll watch, of course, in the coming hours to see where all of that lands, for sure.

Meantime, the Trump administration is blaming Canada for the collapse of trade talks with the transportation secretary accusing Canada of -- quote -- "taking advantage of the United States." Canada walked away from the negotiations late Friday. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the U.S. had introduced last-minute demands that would have harmed his nation's economy. He's promising to match the United States new tariffs on Canadian goods dollar for dollar. Despite the standoff, White House officials say they expect talks to resume soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: We want fairness for the American worker. And some of our best friends are the worst offenders, that treat us the worst. And the fact that we provide their security for them and they take advantage of us, I think President Trump was the first one to go. You know what? That's not the kind of relationship that friends should have. And so, the president is calling them out. I think you're going to see Mark Carney come to the table very, very quickly because it's going to be devastating for his country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Julia Benbrook explains how the trade talks went wrong.

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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Taking a step back here throughout the week, President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, as well as top trade officials from both countries, had been in direct contact. That was after Trump put a three-day pause on the tariffs. Both sides had expressed optimism that they would be able to come to an agreement before that new deadline. In fact, hours before everything fell through, Trump said that things were moving along with Canada and that the United States and Canada should be able to come to a deal.

There is now, though, that 50 percent tariff on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, and Canada has vowed to match that tariff dollar for dollar starting September 8th. This all just injects more uncertainty when it comes to the relationship between these two countries. And as of right now, there is no sense of when the two sides might come back to the table.

Over the weekend, while speaking with CNN's Dana Bash, former vice president, Mike Pence, said that he hopes that the two sides are able to come to the negotiating table again soon, adding that the last thing Americans need right now is a trade war with Canada.

And some important context to add there. During Trump's first term, when Pence was serving as his vice president, Trump touted the U.S.- Mexico-Canada trade agreement as a fair and balanced trade deal. He has in recent months, though, decided not to renew it. That doesn't mean that it goes away entirely, but that they try and maintain the status quo and that some of these bilateral conversations on specifics continue.

[02:14:57]

The latest, though, is that these recent talks with Canada have failed. Both sides said that last-minute changes to the deal really unraveled a delicate balance that was struck in recent days. We have reached out to the White House to see if there are any plans to start these conversations again.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Earlier, CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein shared his thoughts on whether the Trump administration's trade war with Canada was a good idea to pursue before the midterms. Take a listen.

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RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Will, I'll tell you, in Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Alaska, four states that are really at the center of the struggle for control of the Senate, the U.S. Senate, in the November election, those are all states whose economies are probably the most directly intertwined with Canada, and they are all places that are at, you know, up, the seats that are up this November.

You know, it's really striking. I mean, the tariffs have become both a substantively important and symbolically important part of the midterm election because, you know, as you -- as you look at kind of the way the public is reacting to the second Trump term, obviously, his approval rating on the economy is lower now by far than it was at any point during his first term. And some of that is, you know, something we've always seen through our history, which is that the perils of proximity. When the economy isn't going well, people take it out on the president, whoever it is.

But there is another dimension to the vulnerability that Trump and Republicans have over the economy this year, which is that most Americans believe that his policies are actively compounding the problem they elected him to solve, which was getting control of their cost of living. And I think, you know, getting into a trade war with Canada is

something I think that most Americans cannot fathom, cannot really understand why, you know, our neighbor and one of our closest allies through almost all of our history is now a source of acrimony and potentially higher prices.

So, I think this is the kind of thing that compounds the risk that he and his party faces, particularly in states that are at the center of the battle control of the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Hawaii is being hit with more rainfall after being lashed by Hurricane Lala last week. The National Hurricane Center says tropical depression Moke is passing just south of the islands. The Big Island and Maui have already seen some rainfall on Sunday afternoon, but parts of the islands could see three to six inches going into Monday. Maximum sustained winds are now near 35 miles an hour with stronger gusts. The storm is expected to continue weakening as it moves westward over the next few days. Still, the Hurricane Center warns downpours could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides in places flooded by Hurricane Lala on the Big Island.

A wildfire that's uncontained and growing quickly near Reno, Nevada has prompted widespread evacuations. The Hawk Fire has grown to more than 15,000 acres. Nearly 90,000 people are being told to leave their homes or to prepare to leave as crews try to get the flames under control. Officials say the fire appears to have been caused by human activity, but there's no indication it was intentionally set. Earlier, CNN spoke with Reno's fire chief who explained why the Hawk Fire is so challenging.

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CHIEF DAVID COCHRAN, CHIEF, RENO FIRE DEPARTMENT: We're seeing some incredible erratic fire behavior, that behavior that you, well, many have never seen before. The other thing that's happening is it's extending for longer period. We're getting that erratic fire behavior into the night time and into the early morning hours, which is unusual, and that's what's making this so hard to control and so hard to contain because typically overnight, especially in Nevada where I'm working, you get the temperature will drop, the winds will drop, and the fire kind of settles down, and that allows us to really get after it.

It's very hard to attack the fire when there's high wind, high heat in the middle of the day. But when it settles down, we can get after it. That's when we can ramp up that containment. But if the winds don't drop, the temperature doesn't drop, and you're getting that erratic fire behavior, it just makes it harder to get your arms around a fire of this size and this magnitude.

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CHURCH: After the break, we will get some expert legal insight into the trial of Massachusetts' mother, Lindsay Clancy, as the prosecution prepares to present its rebuttal to her claims of postpartum psychosis this week in court.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The triple murder trial of Massachusetts' mother, Lindsay Clancy, is set to resume today when prosecutors will present their rebuttal witnesses. Clancy's defense was heavily focused on her mental health and the treatment she received leading up to the killings of her three children. Her attorneys argue she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. Prosecutors say she acted deliberately and with a sound mind. Clancy could face life in prison if convicted.

For more, I want to bring in civil rights attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin. Good to have you with us.

AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY, LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Areva, where do you think the triple murder trial of Lindsay Clancy stands now that the defense has rested and the prosecution is set to present their rebuttal witnesses in the coming hours?

MARTIN: I think the defense made a very strong case, particularly some of its witnesses that the jurors, I think, are going to find incredibly credible, starting with her mother-in-law, who was also a labor and delivery nurse. She talked about how she watched Clancy deteriorates, her mental health deteriorates, that she was begging for help.

[02:24:56]

Also, the psychiatric doctor that testified on behalf of the defense talked about Clancy saying that she heard a male's voice tell her to kill her children and to kill herself. That's very powerful testimony and goes right to the heart of what the defense has been arguing throughout this case, which is that this isn't just someone that was depressed, this isn't someone who's just suffering from a postpartum, you know, a mental health issue, she suffered from a psychosis, and that she did not appreciate killing her kids was criminal or wrong. I think the testimony from that psychiatrist and the testimony particularly from the mother-in-law, I found to be very compelling.

CHURCH: And while Clancy's defense is focusing on her mental health and treatment, arguing she was suffering from postpartum psychosis before the murder of her three children, prosecutors say she acted deliberately and with sound mind. So, I'm interested to find out what you think of their case given you have said the defense was a very strong case.

MARTIN: Well, clearly, the prosecutors have a lot of evidence. The biggest point that the prosecutors made, and I think they're going to lean on in the rebuttal case and in closing arguments, is the planning aspect. They're going to argue that Clancy planned this. She premeditated these murders, they're calling them.

She is claiming -- they're going to claim that she arranged for her husband to be out of the house, she arranged for him to run some errands. And that conduct, that act of planning for her husband to be gone so that she could commit the acts, isn't someone who was suffering from psychosis, isn't the conduct of someone that didn't appreciate that their conduct was criminal, but that that's the conduct of someone who knew what they were doing and planned these murders very carefully and very intentionally.

That's what the jurors are going to have to grapple with. Was this someone of sound mind who understood what she was doing and engaged in this kind of planning conduct or was this someone who heard a voice from some male person telling her to act, to kill her kids, and then to kill herself?

CHURCH: So, how, Areva, do you think this will likely play out? And do you think Clancy will be convicted given what we know?

MARTIN: I don't have a crystal ball. I don't think -- I'd be -- I'm reluctant to say, Rosemary, what these jurors are going to find. What I can say and what I'm certain about is that this is not an easy case. This is not a slammed up. This case started, woman kills her three kids, tries to kill herself. It seemed pretty straightforward. It seemed like the prosecution was going to walk into a triple murder conviction without, you know, very many issues.

But as this case has played out, as the evidence has played out, as the defense has put on these witnesses, I would say this has become a much, much more complicated case for the jurors. I think they're going to have to really grapple with all of this evidence. Not sure what the ultimate outcome will be, but I am certain that this case has taken a turn that is very different from what these jurors probably thought they were sitting and was going to hear when this case first began.

CHURCH: And if Clancy is convicted, how likely is it that she will spend the rest of her life in prison?

MARTIN: Oh, if she's convicted, no doubt, she will spend the rest of her life in prison. If she is found not liable, if she is found to have been suffering from this postpartum psychosis, she won't walk free. It's not like she's going home. She will be committed to a psychiatric facility where she very well could spend the rest of her life committed in that facility as well.

So, either way, this does not end with her just walking out of that courtroom free to live her life. She is going to pay. She's going to suffer some consequences, either life in prison or she's going to be, as I said, committed to a psychiatric facility for some undetermined period of time.

CHURCH: That is a critical point. Areva Martin, thank you so much for your legal analysis. I appreciate it.

MARTIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, as the Iranian regime focused on the conflict, enforcement of hijabs has eased. Now, hardliners are cracking down on women's dress codes. Again, we'll take a look at the details just ahead.

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[02:32:44]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church here in Atlanta.

Returning to our top story now, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has just arrived in the Ukrainian capital, his first official trip there as prime minister. It follows London agreeing to allow defense firm MBDA to release classified information on U.K. components to help Ukraine build its own long range SCALP missiles.

The trip also coincides with Ukraine's Independence Day. It was 35 years ago today that Kyiv voted to break with the Soviet Union. We will have more on British Prime Minister Burnham's visit in the hours ahead.

Well, Iran says it won't hesitate to retaliate against the U.S. and its allies in response to the White House's economic war. Tehran warns ships violating its transit rules in the strait of Hormuz could be fined or seized. The country's security chief says it will target the interests of nearby countries cooperating with the U.S., adding, quote, "If they start such an action, we will not allow a single drop of oil to pass through the Persian Gulf."

Well, also, hardliners in Iran are once again enforcing mandatory dress codes for women. But many women are choosing not to wear headscarves.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (translated): -- is disgraceful. Even in Turkey, you can't go out like this.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This woman is being publicly shamed by another woman for showing her bare legs in Iran.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (translated): How dare you come out looking like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (translated): Enough!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (translated): Don't let it happen again. KARADSHEH (voice-over): Eventually officers arrive and make her put on pants.

KARADSEH: This scene is being played out in cities across the country. The focus seems to be turning back to how women are allowed to dress.

At the height of the war, women without headscarves were even seen at pro-government gatherings. The regime seemed to have bigger priorities, but now hardliners are pushing the hijab back on the agenda. Cafes, restaurants and shops are being shut down for failing to enforce mandatory dress codes.

Hardline clerics are demanding tougher enforcement. This cleric, speaking directly to President Masoud Pezeshkian

IRANIAN CLERIC (translated): To what extent do they have to take off their clothes for it to be a red line, so you say: "Ah this must not be done anymore".

[02:35:02]

KARADSHEH: But there's a problem for the regime. Iranian women are not backing down. Four years ago, the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in custody after being detained by the so-called morality police ignited the woman life, freedom protests. The uprising was brutally suppressed, but widespread acts of defiance survived.

Today, women walk through Iranian cities without head scarves and ride motorcycles through Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan. As the war with the U.S. seems to stall, an old confrontation is bubbling up

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery has been told by courts in Tehran that she has one final chance to defend herself as she fights a 15-year prison sentence. Her lawyer was not allowed to speak at the hearing on Sunday to determine his client's fate. The court had ruled that her work is hostile to Iran's government. Despite the ongoing legal challenge, Moaiery says she has no plans to stop working and she welcomes international media coverage about her case.

That explosion ripping through a building in central Gaza, residents said an Israeli strike hit the property after its owners were warned to leave the area. Palestinian health officials say at least two people, including a young boy, were killed in two separate airstrikes in Gaza on Sunday. One Palestinian man described the ongoing desperation in the territory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is no ceasefire. There is nothing. There is nothing. Our lives are destroyed. Our youth are destroyed.

What can we do? We want solutions. We want to live in peace. This does not make sense. This does not make sense.

It's true. These things are happening to other people. But I am also human. I see these things. People torn into pieces. We die. Our morale is destroyed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The European Union is speaking out against the Israeli governments move to advance an internationally condemned settlement plan in the West Bank, the E.U. warns this fundamentally harms the prospects for a two-state solution. Israel has issued a notice inviting bids for the construction of more than 1,200 housing units, with the project aiming to create a continuous block of Jewish settlements from East Jerusalem to the West Bank. The E.U. is urging Israel to halt the project.

The backlash against data centers is mounting ahead of the U.S. midterms. A look at how a public outcry in one Georgia community helped cancel plans for a massive project. That's coming up next.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

We are just weeks away from the U.S. midterm elections that will determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill. And one issue has taken many candidates by surprise the creation of A.I. data centers is drawing the outrage of voters across the country. And politicians are tapping into the backlash, with some Republicans now shifting their positions to oppose the facilities, even though President Trump is making it clear he's all for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If the Republicans are against the data center, that's okay with me. If I were a community, I would want the data center. It means jobs. It means income, and it means lower taxes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Rafael Romo looks at how some cities are fighting back against the construction of data centers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Data centers have prompted a national debate that has been raging for a while, a debate that is heating up as we approach the midterm elections. Here in Georgia, the city of Lovejoy, population 13,000, considered a proposal that would have included a 15-building, 403-acre data center campus that would have been located between two schools and several residential neighborhoods.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The type of contamination that comes from a data center.

ROMO: The proposal generated such a public outcry that city officials and the developer canceled the data center plan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't need something like that within our community right here. Yeah, it's come across as a very negative thing. I think many people are against it, and I'm one of those people as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a place to have families grow, not data centers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not against data centers. Were against data centers in our communities. That's not what we came here for.

ROMO: Lovejoy Mayor Marci Fluellyn told me she's happy that consensus was reached on what's best for her residents.

MARCI FLUELLYN, LOVEJOY, GEORGIA MAYOR: Accomplished. That's the way I feel. For the residents. They had a chance to have their voices heard, which is very important for such a subject as large as and an important as data centers.

ROMO: When you heard from your residents, what were some of the concerns that they had?

FLUELLYN: The most common concerns that the residents had were the environmental impacts, water consumption, power consumption, air and noise pollution.

ROMO: A recent Gallup poll showed 71 percent of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their communities. About a dozen states have proposed data center building moratoriums in New York has recently enacted one. Four other states have taken up similar bills, but they failed to get enacted.

In spite of the opposition, Shelly Palmer, a professor of advanced media at Syracuse University, says data centers are here to stay.

SHELLY PALMER, CEO, PALMER GROUP: The velocity of data is increasing and will always increase. Theres no version of the world where there's less data tomorrow than there is today. Every time you pick up your smartphone, every time you sit down at a computer, every time you do practically anything, you swipe a credit card, data centers are involved. In order to make data actionable, to turn it into something tangible and valuable, you must process it. And that happens in a data center.

ROMO: The United States had more than 5,400 data centers at the end of last year, according to Stanford University's A.I. index report. That number is set to nearly double. Data research center Aterio found A.I. companies have announced plans for nearly 4,000 additional data centers.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: China's mission to the moon to look for water ice is being postponed. Chinas manned space engineering office announced that the launch planned for this year cannot take place. The announcement comes just days before it was supposed to blast off. Details about what caused the delay are not immediately clear. China's state media say only that the lunar probe does not meet launch conditions. Both the United States and China are racing to build settlements on the moons south pole. Frozen water is believed to exist there if it's found, it could help facilitate deep space exploration and a lunar base.

Well, Chinese robots are breaking human records at this year's world humanoid robot games. It's the second year China has hosted the competition as it aggressively invests in its robotics industry.

CNN's Mike Valero is in Beijing to give us a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some astonishing and not so astonishing feats in one of the Olympic stadiums here in Beijing.

The humanoid robot named Lightning ran the 100-meter race faster than Usain Bolt's world record. But you know, these competitors, they don't need protein drinks. They need batteries.

Here at the world humanoid robot games, robot athletes are being tested like never before.

More than 2,000 robots from 16 countries are registered for this year's games. And we have kickboxing, football, table tennis. And some of these events are getting much harder.

The 400-meter race, for example, is now totally autonomous. Reading these robots need to see the track, navigate it and cross the finish line without anybody guiding them by remote control.

And this is actually part of the point when a robot falls, gets confused, or manages to recover on its own, engineers get a real world test of technology they ultimately want working outside the arena,

China's made embodied A.I., which is essentially A.I. in a physical body, a national priority. And the government has backed research, training centers and real world testing, as so many Chinese universities and companies have raced to build better robot bodies and even smarter robot brains.

So, the real competition here isn't just robot versus robot, it's how quickly China can move these machines from spectacle to something a little bit more useful. And judging by what we're seeing here, there are both some amazing achievements and a little bit more training to do.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Well, the first ever IndyCar race on the streets of the U.S. capital is in the books. We will tell you, the winner of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix and hear from some of the fans about the unique event.

That's just ahead. Stay with us.

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[02:50:56]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Well, the first ever IndyCar race in the U.S. capital is now in the books. President Trump, along with thousands of fans, watched Kyle Kirkwood win the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday. The special event commemorating the nation's 250th birthday saw racers zipping past some of Washington's most iconic landmarks.

The race follows an announcement by First Lady Melania Trump that she's teaming up with IndyCar and the Fox Corporation to provide $2 million in scholarships to young adults moving out of foster care.

CNN's Brian Todd was at the race and has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, a successful conclusion to the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, won by Kyle Kirkwood. They're breaking this track down already here in the aftermath of the race. Some of the equipment being lifted and then loaded to be taken out. But it's going to take a while.

This was turn four, one of the tightest turns of the race. And this came down here on Seventh Street, and they would take a left on Independence Avenue. We'll show you some of the grandstands. These were packed during the race. That grandstand was full of fans. And then to your left there you've got the suites, which cost about $200,000 to $250,000 for each suite. There are about 80 suites total, and we were told they were sold out as well.

The organizers said they expected about 100,000 people each day of this race Saturday and on Sunday we talked to several racegoers about their experience overall.

I'm here with Liz Eustace and Chris Richardson, race fans here.

Chris is a -- you've been to several races. You said, okay, Liz, you have not. Okay, got to get your impression first time. How do you -- how do you like it?

LIZ EUSTANCE, RACE FAN: This -- I saw the warm-up and it was so cool. I didn't think I was kind of like, oh, they're just cars running. But the speed they're going. It was so freaking cool. And I got goosebumps. I got all shaky. It was really cool.

TODD: And now you're a veteran, Chris. You've been to some of these races. What do you think? What stands out to you about this particular one?

CHRIS RICHARDSON, RACE FAN: It's a road course and that's always fun. You know, a road course on my own home roads. I definitely love that. And just having a point of reference for how fast they're going on these city streets is insane.

TODD: Now, one of the biggest questions coming out of this is could this happen here again? The mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, has said she hopes that they can bring it back here. But Ms. Bowser is actually going to be out of office as of January. She's serving out the last part of her term.

So, let's see if the city powers that be here can coordinate with IndyCar and with Penske Racing to maybe bring this race back. I think by most measures, it was a success. We talked to so many people coming here who said they had a really good fan experience. What we are told, though, is it's going to -- all told, it's about a two month operation to set everything up, which they started in mid to late July. And in order to break everything down, it's going to take probably at least until the end of the first week in September.

So, all told, about a two-month operation to set everything up and then break everything down.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We very rarely get to see what life is like for everyday North Koreans, but a recent video of a North Korean flight crew posing for pictures before takeoff gives us a brief glimpse into an otherwise ordinary moment. And it reminded our Will Ripley of his own experiences while meeting crew members for the country's only commercial airline. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Look closely at this video. These are flight attendants in North Korea getting together for a selfie with their pilot before a flight. It's such an ordinary little moment, but that's what makes it so rare to see.

I've made 19 trips to North Korea, and I've flown its national airline, Air Koryo, many times.

And watching these women reminded me of this North Korean flight attendant I met.

NORTH KOREAN FLIGHT ATTENDANT: I have been working as an air stewardess in Air Koryo company for five years.

RIPLEY: How do you like it?

NORTH KOREAN FLIGHT ATTENDANT: I like it very much. My job is the envy of all my friends. RIPLEY (voice-over): She told me becoming a flight attendant was

highly competitive with about a year of training, and the job gave her something extraordinarily rare for a North Korean, the chance to travel abroad for work.

[02:55:05]

NORTH KOREAN FLIGHT ATTENDANT: We have flight to Beijing and Shenyang and Vladivostok.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: JS 152 to Pyongyang.

RIPLEY (voice-over): In one of the world's most isolated countries, her work took her beyond its borders and brought the outside world directly to her. Because Air Koryo's flight attendants don't just serve passengers, for many foreign visitors, they're among the first North Koreans they'll meet.

NORTH KOREAN FLIGHT ATTENDANT: They ask us, "What are the famous buildings?" And they ask us about Pyongyang. And we always tell them about Pyongyang. I always tell them Pyongyang has many buildings for the people, and it is just the epitome of socialist Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Sweltering temperatures across Japan pose a threat not only to humans but also to pets. Now a clothing maker has come up with a creative solution to help pets beat the heat. It's a suit with built- in fans. The idea is inspired by air-conditioned vests many construction workers wear to stay cool.

The vest has two battery powered fans that bring in air that's then cooled by an ice pack in the collar. One dog owner says the vest is ideal for walking her dog in the summer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YUKINA KITHARA, DOG OWNER: With this, the ice pack can be placed inside the jacket, and the built-in fans can keep the dog cool so I can head out for a walk much more easily without having to carry too much. It's really convenient.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Very cute. Well, Norwegian football star Erling Haaland is starting the new soccer season with a new look. The Manchester City striker has chopped off his long blond locks in favor long blond locks in favor of a buzz cut. He revealed the transformation in a now viral social media post. Haaland's long blond hair made him one of the most recognizable players during Norway's run at the 2026 World Cup. He looks great either way.

Thanks for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval is next after a short break. Stay with us.

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