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More than 1300 Missing, Close to 200 People Dead in a Catastrophic Flooding in the China-Nepal Border; Meta Agrees to Settle $18 Billion and Make Sweeping Changes to Resolve Social Media Addiction Claims. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired August 27, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hi everybody, thank you so much for being with us. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York, and ahead here on "CNN Newsroom."

Scores dead and more than a thousand missing after catastrophic flash floods hit Nepal and China. A live update on the way as Race for Survivors continues.

And more questions and answers after CIA Chief John Radcliffe makes an unannounced trip to Moscow to meet with Russian officials. We'll talk to an expert about what was behind the visit.

Plus, Meta agrees to pay $18 billion and make sweeping changes as part of a landmark settlement to resolve child addiction claims.

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

SANDOVAL: We'll begin with breaking news coming out of the Nepal-China border where a desperate search is currently underway after massive flash floods tore through the region. At least 162 people have been killed in Nepal and three more in China. And the number of missing is staggering, more than 1300 people across both countries, and that includes many locals and hundreds of foreign nationals from all around the world.

Now a frantic search for survivors is underway, it's Thursday afternoon there now, and authorities are warning that the death toll is expected to rise. The region is forecast to see some rain and thunderstorms in the coming hours, and the difficult terrain is making operations especially dangerous and difficult.

Now a warning that some of the other videos that we want to show you are disturbing.

This was a prominent border crossing between the two countries and you can see people there running when this massive wall of water and mud hit the area. It destroyed everything in its path. The floods have swallowed homes, roads, bridges, leaving some communities completely buried in thick mud.

And then there's this footage where you can see the sheer force of the floodwaters slamming those tour buses that you see that were parked on that, what appeared to be a parking garage, leaving that trail of destruction.

Let's go live now to CNN's Mike Valerio who's joining me from Beijing, continues to follow those developments on this cross-border disaster that continues to develop there. Mike, have rescue crews arrived on scene? What's the latest?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We now know, Polo, that 141 people have made it to that border crossing site. That arresting, stunning video of the wall of water and debris crashing to that building, that's where the 141 rescuers from outside the region have arrived at 8 a.m. local time. So if we take you back to that video, you can see all of the customs officers, all of the people who were involved in trade between Nepal and China.

This site handled about a third of the total trade between China and Nepal. So a bustling site of activity. The latest headline for you, Polo, that we have for everybody watching at work or at home, wherever you may be, is that rescue teams from outside the region have just reached where you're looking at on screen.

Other developments, though, we've talked to some government officials who have said that the locality officials, the people in charge of where we're looking at on the screen right here, those top officials haven't been heard from since yesterday. No contact reached with them so far. Communications between the rest of China, Beijing, where we are, and that area that you're looking at on the screen also has been knocked out.

And there were rescue teams that went into this area yesterday. They have not been heard from as well. Rescue teams who went to the scene yesterday have not been heard from.

So this area is incredibly remote. It's also difficult to get information out of there because, you know, if you're a foreigner, if you're a member of the foreign press, you need permission, Polo, to get into this area of Tibet. You cannot just go, it's incredibly restricted so we're relying on Chinese state media to give us more details.

But in terms of what help is coming from Beijing, more than a hundred people from this corner of China coming into the core disaster zone.

In Nepal, we learned a couple hours ago that all military helicopters across Nepal have been deployed for this rescue effort. Incredible harrowing scenes of rescue soldiers from the Nepali military on board these helicopters pulling out people from the mud.

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You see mud caked on these people's bodies from head to toe. Incredible feats of just rescues that we've been able to see over the past few hours.

So now really the question becomes, how much further does the scale of devastation become apparent in the next few hours? Because I'll tell you, the missing, at least from the Chinese side of the border, has more than doubled over the past 24 hours. So we're all holding our breaths, I know, around the world and certainly here that we've only seen a small fraction, potentially, of what this disaster has unleashed throughout the region, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Those outside rescue crews are certainly going to be crucial in the search and rescue mission there, especially, as you point out, officials, the local officials possibly among the missing as well. Mike Valerio, do come back to us if you get new information.

We are also getting some satellite images and also video that was taken as the flood waters rushed in. They're giving us really a better idea of just how this disaster all unfolded. I want to go now to CNN investigative reporter Yahya Abou-Ghazala to give us more.

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YAHYA ABOU-GHAZALA, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER AND PRODUCER (voice- over): Catastrophic flash flooding has devastated parts of Nepal and China, with the death toll still rapidly increasing and hundreds more still missing. Here's what we know about how the flood began and where it spread.

At 8:37 a.m. local time, in this area, a massive landslide of ice and rocks caused intense shaking. Take a look at this satellite image captured after the landslide and reviewed by CNN. Though covered largely by clouds, you can see where scientists believe a chunk of a glacier sheared off the mountain.

The falling rock and ice carved a 3000-foot-wide, four-mile-long gash into the slope below it, all the way down to the river the flood would run along.

UMESH HARITASHYA, DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM, UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON: This is massive. This is something that we have not seen quite often. Just the flood wave, the amount of water that was gushing through these valleys, is going to have a major impact for a significant amount of the time down the road.

ABOU-GHAZALA (voice-over): Researchers are still investigating exactly how the landslide triggered such a large current, as the flooding tore through several locations. This security camera footage at the Nepal- China border captured floodwaters overrunning the crossing, including a five-story building.

And further downstream, you can see people running to higher ground as they try to escape. The heavy floodwaters also ran right through residential areas along the riverbed. And in other locations, it completely destroyed infrastructure, like this video that shows the water breaking apart an entire bridge and sweeping it into the current. HARITASHYA: We can't pinpoint to one incident and say that climate

change caused this particular incident. But it would be foolish to ignore the role of climate change in any of these events. The climate change role has been clear in terms of warming the slopes and melting the glaciers in that region.

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SANDOVAL: Qatar's Prime Minister will be holding meetings in Tehran today, aimed at de-escalating tensions in the Middle East. Qatar is backing the ongoing talks between Iran and Oman on a potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Well the two countries have outlined a proposal to set up a new shipping route and possibly clear the waterway of mines.

Well the final agreement is still in the works, but tensions remain high as another tanker took fire in the straits in recent hours. A British maritime group says that an unknown projectile caused a fire on a vessel that the flames were put out and that the crew aboard is safe.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump says that the U.S. will have exactly what he called a very big victory at the end of the war. Well he also says that he doesn't believe Iran's supreme leader is dead, even though he hasn't been seen in public in about six months.

Now the U.S. says Theodore Roosevelt will soon be headed to the Middle East. A top Navy official says that the warship will be spending at least seven months in the region. Now the ship and its company of 5000 are expected to relieve the USS George Washington, which replaced the USS Abraham Lincoln just last week.

The U.S. says military personnel could soon be heading to Gaza as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes ahead with a new plan for the territory. At the U.N. Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Mike Walz said that troops from partner nations are scheduled to arrive to help in peacekeeping missions. He says that Uganda, Morocco and Kazakhstan have offered thousands of personnel for an international stabilization force, although deployment has moved a little slower than they hoped.

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And the announcement comes as officials debate Gaza's future. An official with the Board of Peace, the Trump-created group of Western allies, says that Hamas has agreed to a roadmap that would transfer power to a transitional administration and eventually give up its weapons. Israel insists that disarmament must come first, while Russia accuses Israel of blocking reciprocal steps that would also include an Israeli military withdrawal.

There's going to be much more headed your way here on "CNN Newsroom," including Russia's top online retailer taking a pounding from Ukraine. Still ahead, a massive warehouse goes up in smoke as Ukraine ramps up its drone campaign again.

Plus Donald Trump says that his CIA director's trip to Moscow was routine, but the visit could be related to the Kremlin's efforts to test the strength of the NATO alliance. We'll explain.

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SANDOVAL: Another warehouse has gone up in flames after a new Ukrainian drone strike in western Russia. That's from a local Russian governor who says that two people were injured in the overnight attack in the Tambov region. The facility belonged to Wildberries, which is Russia's largest online retailer.

And Ukraine has been targeting its facilities for weeks now. It's all part of its effort to bring the war closer to home for Russia. And all of these strikes were recently expanded to include Wildberries' main competitor, a company called Ozon.

And as Russia's war with Ukraine escalates, President Trump is downplaying the significance of CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visits with Russian officials in Moscow earlier this week.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (on the phone): He's there in a very sort of semi-routine. I hate to disappoint people. We would like to see the war with Ukraine end.

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SANDOVAL: I want to show you some video that is believed to be Ratcliffe's plane landing in Latvia shortly after the visit. Despite Mr. Trump's denial, the "Wall Street Journal" reporting that Ratcliffe went to Moscow to deliver a warning to Russia not to attack NATO countries. And this was Ratcliffe's first known visit to Russia since the start of the Trump administration's second term.

And it's been five years since a CIA director has actually set foot in Russia, so this is significant. Now Wednesday's meeting is also obviously very important given that CNN reported about two weeks ago that U.S. intelligence assessments indicated Putin could try to test NATO's resolve by launching an attack on an allied country. The Kremlin says that Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence officials on Wednesday but did not directly meet with President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin spokesperson did not disclose what Ratcliffe actually discussed with Russian officials.

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DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (through translator): I can only tell you that there were contacts between the special services, I can tell you that there were no meetings with the President of Russia. That is all I can tell you on this subject. Naturally, President Putin is briefed on everything immediately. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Joining me now is Keir Giles. He's an associate fellow, Russia and Eurasia program at the Chatham House. Also author of "American Overthrow: Moscow's Endgame in its Long War with Washington."

Keir, so great to see you again. Thanks for joining us.

KEIR GILES, ASSOCIATE FELLOW FOR RUSSIA AND EURASIA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE, AND AUTHOR, "AMERICAN OVERTHROW: MOSCOW'S ENDGAME IN ITS LONG WAR WITH WASHINGTON": Good morning.

SANDOVAL: So President Trump seems to be downplaying his CIA director's visit with Moscow, as you just heard directly from the President, while the "Wall Street Journal" continues to report that he was there essentially to hand deliver a stern warning to Russia not to attack a NATO country. From your perspective, what's your read and perhaps the purpose of the CIA director's visit to Moscow?

GILES: Well, it's been more than 36 hours now since Ratcliffe left Moscow, and in that time there have been a lot of explanations continuing to swirl for what exactly this visit may have been about, because it's been treated as something semi-secret.

We've had this off-the-cuff comment from Donald Trump, which appears not to show any light on it and doesn't seem to relate to the actual significance of the visit. This is anything but semi-routine, as he said, but the explanation that is emerging as the favorite is that this was an attempt to dissuade Russia from escalating its campaign against Europe any further.

It's been linked to the intelligence warnings that we've been seeing coming out from the United States and its front-line state allies that Russia was actually planning to prepare to escalate against particularly one of the Baltic states, or perhaps step up its campaign of sabotage and arson against Europe, or both. And the idea reported by "The Wall Street Journal" and other outlets was that Ratcliffe was there to deliver a warning, saying the United States will respond to this, so please do not.

SANDOVAL: What does it tell you that the Trump administration sent their CIA director versus a diplomat, versus perhaps an envoy that we've seen travel abroad to try to settle other conflicts?

GILES: Inevitably, this is drawing comparisons, as you heard in the introduction just now, with the visit by then-CIA director Bill Burns in November 2021, trying to dissuade Russia then from mounting its full-scale invasion of Ukraine just a few months later. And that, in some ways, speaks to the seriousness of the issue. It's plainly something that the United States believes is real, in exactly the same way that the threats of invasion of Ukraine at that time were real.

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What everybody is wondering now, of course, is what exactly could the United States do to dissuade Russia? Because that Bill Burns mission ultimately failed, there were not sufficient disincentives presented to Russia to persuade it not to invade Ukraine.

Will this time be any different? Is there any greater leverage that the United States can place on Russia to try to deter it from attacking Europe further, when this is a U.S. administration which has famously been disinclined to put any pressure on Moscow at all?

SANDOVAL: We have seen in recent weeks, as you know, Keir, NATO members, specifically Poland, for example, scramble some of their fighter jets in response to strikes either at or near their border with Ukraine. I wonder if you could just help us gauge the immediate threat that Russia poses to NATO members that would have, according to that reporting that we've discussed so far, would have triggered this visit, that would have called this visit for the CIA director to travel to Moscow.

GILES: Well, we heard these warnings of a looming threat of Russia preparing to mount some kind of major test of NATO, potentially by launching some kind of sub-threshold attack against the Baltic states. But there's also the ongoing campaign, which has been a steadily escalating program of probing NATO's responses by mounting more and more provocative and dangerous attacks right across the continent.

So both of those things are going on simultaneously, and both of those, of course, are presenting very dangerous situations. The question that has been asked among European allies increasingly lately is, at what point will Russia be deterred? At what point will one or more NATO allies say, no, this has to stop or there will be costs and consequences for Moscow?

So the optimistic interpretation of Ratcliffe's visit is that we have now reached that point, and the United States is declaring to Moscow this is taken seriously and will incur consequences if it continues.

SANDOVAL: Keir Giles, always a pleasure to see you. Thank you so much for your perspective.

GILES: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Now, we do want to share some sad news from the world of art. The best-selling artist famous for washing the world with polka dots has died at the age of 97. You see her there.

Japan's Yayoi Kusama was famous for her pumpkin sculptures, certainly the polka dots as well that we've seen in her paintings, and also the infinity mirror installations that drew millions of visitors from around the world. She was one of the world's most celebrated artists, with her work fetching nearly $200 million at auctions in the year 2023 alone, by the way.

She was also known for a splashy collaboration with French fashion house Louis Vuitton. She had very little former training and spent much of her childhood in a military factory sewing parachutes for Japan's Imperial Army, so quite the colorful legacy that she leaves behind.

Nashville's Grand Ole Opry Music Hall will be dedicating Saturday night's show to Dolly Parton, the queen of country music and beloved philanthropist. She died on Tuesday at the age of 80. Singer Rhonda Vincent was performing at the Opry on Tuesday night and paid tribute to the musical icon.

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So much poetry in that song. Parton's connection to the historic Nashville stage spanned more than six decades. Johnny Cash introduced her at the Opry when she was just 13 years old, that was back in 1959. A decade later, she became a member of the Opry, calling it the church of her heart.

Fans have left flowers and other tributes at the Opry in memory of the beloved star.

And there's much more on the way here on "CNN Newsroom." Including an update on the catastrophic flooding that has left a trail of devastation along the Nepal-China border. We'll take a closer look at how this cross-border disaster unfolded.

Plus, we'll break down the strict new curfews and time limits that are hitting popular social media apps. How Meta's major settlement could impact your family.

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval, in New York. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

A desperate and difficult search is underway after catastrophic flash floods swept through villages along the Nepal-China border. More than 1300 people are missing after a landslide triggered the torrent of water and mud you see here, at least 304 nationals among those unaccounted for, including at least 47 Americans, 165 people have been confirmed killed so far. The death toll is expected to rise.

Qatar's Prime Minister is set to hold talks in Tehran in the hours ahead. The negotiations are an attempt to de-escalate tensions in the region. Qatar is supporting talks between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz as the two countries report significant progress.

President Donald Trump says that CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visits with Russian officials in Moscow was routine and not intended to send a message to warn Russia against attacking NATO countries.

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But the "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that Ratcliffe went to Moscow specifically to do just that. The Kremlin acknowledged that Ratcliffe held talks with Russian counterparts but did not meet with the Russian President.

More now on that deadly flooding at the Nepal-China border. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader for millions of followers of Tibetan Buddhism worldwide, is offering prayers for the victims of this disaster. He also pointed to climate change as a possible reason for what happened.

And the Dalai Lama said earlier, quote, "I pray for all those who have lost their lives and offer my sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved and all of those affected by this tragedy."

The U.S. Geological Survey now says that the disaster was triggered by a glacial collapse, not an earthquake. In fact, the collapse was so powerful that it first recorded a 4.4 magnitude quake.

CNN's Will Ripley has more. And also a warning that some of the videos in his report are disturbing.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A bridge snaps before being swept away as flood water pours into Nepal's Trishuli River. Video shared on social media shows people running and riding away on motorbikes, realizing how little time they have to get to safety.

At this Himalayan border crossing, people on the street could probably hear the danger coming before they could see it. A recently rebuilt, earthquake-resistant building blocked their view of the monster wall of water until it was too late.

From this view, you can see the flood water's ferocious speed and massive scale. People desperately running for their lives have nowhere safe to go.

In what appears to be about 20 seconds on video, the flood consumes everything in its path. A row of buses, a four-story building, a bridge, gone, buried beneath a black wall of water.

From the air, a helicopter pilot watches the disaster race through the valleys below, sweeping away homes, trees, and roads.

UNKNOWN: The whole scenario, it was horrendous. It was uncanny, anything like you've ever seen before.

RIPLEY (voice-over): On this bus in Nepal, passengers spot the giant waves crashing into the bridge behind them. The streets are full of people trying to get away. Panic fills the bus as passengers look out the windows at the horror unfolding.

In the same town, from the safety of a hillside temple, people watch helplessly as the deluge of dark water breaks apart a bridge like a toy, dragging it downstream. This video from the Nepal Red Cross captures the speed and strength of the water, whipping around cars and tearing down power lines in its path. The flood came crashing down from high in the Himalayas. Scientists at

Kathmandu University believe an avalanche of ice and rock may have blocked a river until the water broke through.

A torrent of water, mud, and debris forcing its way downstream, submerging or destroying buildings, tearing villages apart. Mile after mile of these majestic mountain valleys, a dark scar carved into the landscape. Foreign tourists, including Americans, are among the missing.

At this vital land gateway between China and Nepal, the mudslide ripped apart roads, knocking out power and communications, leaving communities on both sides of the border cut off.

On the ground, people get their first look at what little the flood left behind. And amid the horror, hope, a helicopter makes a daring rooftop rescue, one of many in the hours and days ahead.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

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SANDOVAL: Meta says that it will pay about $18 billion to settle a sweeping lawsuit over claims that its platforms endangered children. Court documents are showing that the social media giant has also agreed to make changes to its apps like Facebook and Instagram.

CNN's Clare Duffy reports.

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CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: This could be a real turning point in terms of protecting young people on social media. These are the kinds of changes that parents and advocates have been calling for for years from these big social media platforms. Meta agreeing to this settlement midway through a trial with just four of these states that were seeking as much as a trillion dollars in damages.

Now, this settlement is for $18 billion, but still a really significant figure. The state's attorneys general pointing out that this is the largest settlement with a big tech company in history. That money will go towards helping the states fund youth mental health programs, online safety trainings.

And the states pointed out that they wanted to see changes to these platforms faster and more comprehensively, and they felt that the settlement could do that rather than continuing on with this litigation.

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And the changes to Meta's platforms really are at the heart of this agreement. I'll just walk you through some of those changes.

Meta will create a two-hour daily time limit for users ages 13 to 17 that only parents can change. It is turning on by default a night mode that will make Instagram and Facebook inaccessible from midnight to 6 a.m. A school mode that will reduce the number of notifications that teens receive during the school day.

Teens will receive reminders every 15 minutes when they're scrolling these apps to try to get them to think a little bit more mindfully about their use of these platforms. Meta is also turning off likes on teens' content and restricting access to extreme makeup filters.

Now, the other really important piece here is that Meta is calling on TikTok and YouTube and the attorneys general are calling on those platforms as well to make similar changes.

Meta has said that it will pay 70 percent of this settlement agreement, this $18 billion sort of up front, but the remaining 30 percent is contingent on TikTok and YouTube making similar changes. And the attorneys general had said they are willing to go after those companies as well in court if they do not come to the table voluntarily. So this really could lead to fundamental change in how teens use social media platforms and certainly the impact that those platforms have on their mental health.

Back to you.

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SANDOVAL: Clare Duffy, thank you so much for that report. And we'll be right back with more.

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back to CNN. Here are your business headlines.

Global oil prices are lower as talks between Iran and Oman raise hopes of progress on the Strait of Hormuz. The price of crude dipping after the two countries said that they discussed a framework for a joint project to create a temporary shipping route, potentially through that critical waterway. Oman's foreign minister says that he's hopeful they can soon formalize the arrangement.

Sovereignly high inflation has Americans cutting back on their discretionary purchases. The U.S. Commerce Department found that consumer spending in July remained flat and that despite a 0.4 percent uptick in June, economists had been expecting another slight rise, but the saving rate perked up last month to 3 percent.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, warning that artificial intelligence needs significant limits or the harm to humanity, he says, will outweigh any potential good. Gates wrote a 6000-word essay titled "A Turbulent A.I. Era Is Here, The Choices We Make Now Are Critical." Gates proposes major limits on A.I. development, such as taxing A.I. or robots the way that it would pay a human employee's payroll tax, he also wants to identify certain jobs that would be done by humans only. And if gaming is your thing, the biggest event in the industry is now underway. In Germany, more than 1700 exhibitors are gathering right now for Gamescom, the world's largest video game trade fair, the event featuring hands-on demos, stage shows, and massive cosplay competitions. Organizers say that this year's biggest trends include the responsible use of artificial intelligence, the continued rise of indie games, and also a growing focus on how gaming can impact society.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Polo Sandoval, in New York. I'll join you again in about 15 minutes with more of your headlines here on "CNN Newsroom."

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