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Nepal-China Flood Claims 616 Lives, 2,500+ Missing; Trump Claims "Historic" Oil Deal with Venezuela; U.S.-Israel War with Iran Hits Six-Month Mark with No End in Sight; Trump Administration Appeals Order Pausing Vote by Mail Restrictions; Iceland to Vote on Whether to Restart Talks to Join E.U.; Grand Ole Opry to Honor Dolly Parton with Tribute on Saturday; Solar-Powered Clinic Takes Health Care on the Road in Kenya; Roger Federer to Be Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 29, 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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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.
Coming up on the show, the death toll following catastrophic flooding in Nepal surpasses 600 people. Those helping in the search could be in the path of danger themselves.
President Donald Trump is touting an agreement to control billions of barrels of Venezuela's oil reserves. That is as the war of Iran hits the six-month mark, still disrupting the world's oil supply.
And voters in Iceland go to the polls today; at stake, whether to restart talks to join the European Union.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Ben Hunte.
HUNTE: Welcome.
We begin with the catastrophic flooding along Nepal's border with China. Police in Nepal say the death toll has risen to more than 600 people. More than 2,500 people are still missing on both sides of the border, including hundreds of foreign nationals who were visiting the region.
Dramatic video like this shows a massive flash flood raging through a town. Remarkably, one house withstood the floodwaters, with people seen on the balcony. The flooding and landslides have wreaked havoc across the region, destroying buildings, washing away bridges and burying towns under feet of mud and debris.
More rain is expected in the region this weekend, adding to the growing concerns about further flooding and landslides, too. The United Nations, says tens of thousands of people are in urgent need of food, water and other aid.
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STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESPERSON: Partners working on nutrition estimate that some 17,000 children, 1,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women and 9,000 adolescents need immediate nutrition support. At least 23 schools in those districts will need to be rehabilitated.
We and our partners are working alongside the authorities in Nepal to scale up distribution of food, shelter and health care and other critical supplies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: CNN's Mike Valerio is tracking developments for us and joins me now from Beijing.
Mr. Valerio, there are so many twists and turns in this awful tragedy.
What's the latest that you're getting?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
OK. So since last hour, two people rescued, Ben. That is the update. I know it's small but ever since these rescuers got into the core of China's disaster zone, two people rescued. So let's put up that video.
What we're going to show you is new to CNN. We played it for the first time last hour and it's now on our live story, cnn.com.
And what you're seeing is I think that all of us on our phones, social media, have seen that indelible video of this disaster with the customs house, the border crossing being hit by that black wave of landslide debris that looked like a tsunami.
This is the area where that customs house used to be, the border crossing used to be. And I quote, now that we have from state media, from one of these people searching in the area, says that the buildings within the mudslide's impact zone have largely been flattened. And we see that right here on TV. No discernible outline of any structure.
But we will never give up hope as long as there is even the slightest hope that somebody could be alive. So to that end, two people, not where the customs house used to be but in this area, were found alive.
And within the past hour, we also have a very small incremental update to the death toll in China, with seven people confirmed, that is confirmed dead. So that death toll, ultimately, when this crisis is put in the history books, will clearly be much larger.
But China is giving confirmed deaths with the number of people who are missing about 500 -- I should say exactly 554 -- as of this hour.
So what else is going to happen as we look to the next few hours and into the rest of the weekend?
Clearing a road into the area, China's epicenter of the disaster, is the priority so that more rescuers can get there and more heavy equipment can get there as well on both sides of the border in Nepal and China.
You're looking at video from Nepal now on your screen, there's the concern that these lakes that have formed two lakes formed, like a new bathtub, so to speak.
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Because of landslide debris that's clogged valleys, are also being watched. There's one of these newly formed debris lakes in China that posed a considerable risk yesterday. But because of water slowly seeping out, it posed less of a risk.
But there's another lake that's being watched. So that lake, danger of the lake potentially having a breach and then water going down into the valleys, where rescuers are doing their life's work, that is certainly a concern.
And then segmented searches that China is going to be carrying out, making sure that each square meter of that sand has got -- has been gone through.
Because there's always the chance that, under a crevice, under any kind of like, you know, concrete structure that's just barely sticking out of the sand, perhaps there could be somebody who is still there.
But just certainly a heart-wrenching picture as we're starting to get more details of just what these rescuers are up against. I mean, one more note before we go, we're looking at them. I mean, it looks so easy from our TV point of view.
But just it causes so much stress on the lungs, moving meter by meter with all of that heavy equipment. So just, you know, our hearts go out to them. They are doing the best work that they can. But more soon. Watch this space. We'll be back next hour with an update.
HUNTE: Thank you for the update. CNN's Mike Valerio in Beijing. Appreciate it.
Scientists are monitoring a second, newly-formed lake in the Nepali mountains that could burst its banks. CNN's Tom Foreman explains how the rescuers are still facing the threat of another flood.
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For all the people involved in this dismal and dangerous work of rescue and recovery, this is something they really don't need. Let's put ourselves on the map first.
India down here, Nepal right through here, China up in this area. And this is where it all happened, the middle of the country there.
What happened?
Well, researchers say, in the initial incident, this glacier over here collapsed and it created a landslide. It forced all this debris and mud and water and ice to rush down here, to hit this river valley and send a liquid shock wave through it.
Now when I say a liquid shock wave, how much of a shock?
Traveling more than 100 miles an hour. And look at this. If you see the before picture, which we're looking at now, this is the after. Look how far down. This is just absolutely blasted out. And this is where the new concern comes in.
Because if you look closely, you can see right here and right here, those are lakes that have formed along the path from the water building up there against the debris.
So they've been watching this very carefully, saying, what if, in fact, all of this that is building up right now -- and this is one of the actual sites -- what if the water building up behind this, what if this debris and all this scree and rock and mud, what if it gives way?
What happens then?
Does one of these lakes or both of them, do they cut loose and come shooting right back down that valley, right on top of the very people who are trying to rescue and recover those who were lost in all of this?
That's the worry.
What can they do about it?
Maybe not a lot but they're trying to get some cameras in place. They want to get more sensors in place to track this. And most of all, they're warning those workers. Look, as hard as the work is, as tired as you are, you have to be ready at a moment's notice to run for higher ground if another flash flood starts coming through.
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HUNTE: An Italian photographer is speaking out about how his narrow escape from the raging floodwaters affected him. Stefano Lotumolo was riding a bus near the Nepal-China border when the floods hit.
He told CNN he was able to reach higher ground, taking shelter in a small hut with about 50 other survivors. They waited there until military helicopters rescued them the next morning.
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STEFANO LOTUMOLO, NEPAL FLOOD SURVIVOR: All the houses, all the villages being destroyed, there were nothing left in Timula (ph). And after the waves continue for four kilometers -- and there were a lot of workers, there were a lot of trucks. There were a lot of buses but all has been gone. And a lot of people died. The, what we say, what the number we are listening are much more than
what they are saying. Thousands and thousands of people have died. The bus in front of us and our bus, all the people were safe. All the other tourists, we don't know where they are still now. They -- it's also impossible to get something back because the mud is very high.
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The waves reach like 56 meters. And they went down to the -- like down for kilometer and I never see something like that.
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HUNTE: For more on the flooding in Nepal and China, let's bring in Mohan Bahadur Chand. He's an assistant professor in the environmental science department at Kathmandu University and an expert on Himalayan glaciers and climate change, too.
Thank you so much for being with me, sir.
To kick off, can you just explain to us what may have happened in the mountains and how it became such a devastating flood downstream?
MOHAN BAHADUR CHAND, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY: Yes. Thank you. Yes, yes. We like to talk about these high mountains in Himalayan regions are the highly fragile in nature, right?
Due to the fragile geology that the continuous movement of the some of the tectonic plates in these regions, like making the -- those mountains already like kind of vulnerable to the different kind of disaster.
And now on like the glaciers, the way they are changing due to the increasing temperatures changing and the pattern of the precipitations and then that is making like this region is more unstable.
And due to the accelerating melting of the glaciers and then the terrain around the glaciers and those snow and also the permafrost, the frozen ground making those grounds are more and more unstable.
And then also the, like, at the same time, the climate change and the increasing temperatures, making those glaciers more and more vulnerable to collapse like that we saw, like we have been observing, this huge catastrophic flood in particular case, right?
Not only like this glacier collapse but there might be also the other trigger mechanisms, like bursting of the large glaciers which are forming all around, like high mountain regions, including this -- some of the transboundary.
The nature's glacier lake are also there in the high mountain regions. And then also at the same time, the natures of those glacial lakes, as well as the -- like the -- these high peaked mountains with the steep slope and terrains like making more and more vulnerable.
HUNTE: We are hearing more about climate change and its potential impact.
How much evidence is there that climate change is making mountains more unstable?
CHAND: Yes, we have been observing that, like the rate of the temperatures that is increasing in these particular mountains looks a bit higher than the like lower regions of even in the Himalayan regions.
Like it means like that the -- where the those glaciers and fast bury (ph) components are exist, they are more sensitive to those accelerating temperatures and then making them more and more vulnerable to melt, rapid melt.
And then at the same time, due to the rapid retreating and melting of those cryospheric components, making those grounds more and more unstable. And then some of the glaciers, they already like kind of the hanging at the top of the cliffs of the mountains. And they are kind of ready to fall any times.
That this is just one examples. But in the high mountains, including the like whole Hindu-Kush-Himalayan (ph) regions, like there are lots of such like high mountains with the steep terrain and the hanging glaciers. Those are increasing in numbers in the recent decades, making and like kind of direct connection with climate change.
HUNTE: Can you just tell us a bit about the new lakes that are forming?
What are some of the risks that exist there?
CHAND: Yes, so far, in my opinion, like there is lots of kind of the rumors there will be the another big outburst or the big plots in the downstream regions. But the size of the lakes that that formed after this big floods, like the upper one, is quite small.
Maybe if there will be the outburst of release of the waters from the upper lakes might be the very minimal floods and it will have another significant impact. And the -- down the -- which formed like in the rivers and the -- this is already started to the overflow.
And then also like we can assume that the if it can start overflow, maybe there would be the -- will be the very small flood that is already happened yesterday also. But, we can expect some sort of the floods.
But because everything is already like gone in terms of the physical or human casualty but we need to be always keep an eye if there is like some sort of the floods. But in my opinion, the level of flood will be not as high as like we experienced in the last few two days.
HUNTE: OK. Thank you so much, Professor Mohan Bahadur Chand with Kathmandu University.
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We appreciate your time. Thank you.
There is much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM. The U.S. approves a massive new oil deal with Venezuela. We'll have the latest details from president Trump next.
Plus, the U.S. and Iran have effectively been at war for six months now. We'll have the latest ahead in a live report.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. The U.S. military says it has destroyed a boat that it claims was being used as a floating refueling station for illegal drug boats in the eastern Pacific. All crew members were removed from the boat before it was destroyed and were escorted to Ecuador.
This marks the third strike just this week. At least 227 people have been killed in such strikes and dozens of vessels destroyed. Washington has ramped up its campaign aimed at curbing the flow of drugs into the United States.
President Donald Trump says the U.S. has reached what he calls a historic oil deal with Venezuela. The announcement comes as the U.S. faces low emergency reserves while the Iran war disrupts one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
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President Trump says the U.S. will get majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's oil reserves. That will increase oil supply and lower gas prices. He says the deal will also strengthen relations between the two countries.
Venezuela's acting president -- that's Delcy Rodriguez -- is also praising this agreement. A White House official says Rodriguez granted a private company a 100-year concession to develop the oil fields. It is a joint venture between the U.S. government and a private operator in Venezuela.
It's been six months since the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran. Despite initial descriptions of the conflict as an excursion that would only take a few weeks, president Trump's goals still remain largely unfulfilled.
The U.S. has burned through weapons stockpiles, forcing some inventory originally intended for Ukraine or South Korea to be redirected. But Iran shows no indication that it will surrender or abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Nor does Tehran seem likely to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That means no relief for the global disruption to oil, to gas and the fertilizer trade, too, along with the overall increase in consumer prices. CNN reporter Barbie Latza Nadeau joins me now live from Rome.
Barbie, we are six months into this war that president Trump once said could be over in just six weeks.
Are there any signs that this war could be over soon?
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that depends entirely on who you're listening to. You know, six months into a war that was supposed to last just a few weeks, the primary goal being, of course, to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, that hasn't been achieved.
The goalposts seem to be moving now, the secondary goal being, of course, to open up the Strait of Hormuz, which has not been done, unless you're listening to U.S. president Donald Trump, who seems to think otherwise. Let's listen to what he had to say.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We don't want to speak to them. We're not looking to meet or anything. The strait is open. We're taking a lot of boats. Millions and millions of barrels of oil are coming out of the strait every day. Other countries recognize that.
Every once in a while they shoot some -- you know, they put some shots out. You know, we totally cleared the strait of -- we have the best minesweepers in the world.
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NADEAU: And, you know, listening to that, Ben, it seems like an entirely different outlook on what's going on in terms of what is actually going on on the ground. Now he's saying there's no intention of speaking to Iran and wars like this, of course, don't end on the battlefield. They'll need some a negotiation, a diplomatic end to this.
Now Iran is setting up its own circumstances and its own guidelines for how they can open up the Strait of Hormuz, which includes the fighting going on in Israel, in Lebanon and Israel holding back on that.
So there's a lot of discussion going on around the battlefield. But there's very little discussion going on between the parties that are most interested and the people who could, in fact, call an end to this now six-month war that was supposed to be just an excursion, Ben.
HUNTE: OK. CNN reporter Barbie Latza Nadeau in Rome, thank you very much.
In our last hour, I spoke with Gary Grappo, a former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia and former U.S. ambassador to Oman. I asked him if the U.S. had achieved any of its objectives in Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GARY GRAPPO, FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION, U.S. EMBASSY IN SAUDI ARABIA: In terms of achieving strategic objectives, no. It certainly has achieved some significant military successes but the purpose of this war is to achieve some political or strategic objectives. And in that, so far, it has failed.
And those pretty much boil down to some kind of an understanding with the Iranian government with respect to its nuclear weapons program and also the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
And as you mentioned at the opening of this segment, there is no indication that the Iranian government is prepared to negotiate on either score and is continuing to insist that the United States accept its terms. And this is presenting a very significant problem for the United States and specifically for President Donald Trump.
HUNTE: Iran has been badly weakened but the regime has, of course, survived. What does that tell you about the limits of military force against Iran?
GRAPPO: Well, when you begin a war, you have to understand that the purpose of the war is achieving your strategic objective, whatever that is defined as being and willing to commit the resources necessary to do that.
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And I don't think this administration had asked itself that question. How far is it willing to go in committing military resources?
It's clear that this administration, United States, government at large, was never going to commit ground troops to Iran. And without the use of ground troops, there really was no way to truly force this government to acquiesce to American demands. And therefore, I think the war was unnecessary.
And we should have looked at the, United States should have looked at other means. Mr. Trump actually now seems to have seized on a particular approach or a strategy that could, over the long term bear some successes. And that is stepping up sanctions, maintaining the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz. And one thing that he has failed to do but had he reached out ahead of time and worked with American allies and partners around the world to have them step up sanctions as well.
And really, step up the pressure on the Iranian economy to force the government to come to the table and negotiate seriously to open the Strait of Hormuz and begin a serious conversation about the limitation of its nuclear weapons program.
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HUNTE: Four suspects have pleaded guilty in an attack on a Jewish volunteer rescue organization in London. Four emergency vehicles belonging to the group were burned in the city's largest Jewish neighborhood last March. The suspects appeared in court on Friday, pleading guilty to charges
of destroying property and recklessly endangering others. Prosecutors say the attack caused more than $1.3 million in damage. It was the first in a string of attacks on London's Jewish community earlier this year.
There's much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM. The legal battle over mail-in ballots heats up ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
Plus the tiny Nordic nation of Iceland is facing a massive vote. Find out why fishing is one of the main issues dividing the country as voters prepare to cast their ballots. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
Police in Nepal say the death toll from the catastrophic flooding along the border with China has risen to more than 600 people. More than 2,500 people are still missing on both sides of the border, including hundreds of foreign nationals.
Police say more than 2,300 people were injured in Wednesday's disaster. Another round of heavy rain is expected this weekend, threatening to complicate search and rescue efforts.
President Donald Trump is praising a new deal that he says gives the U.S. access to 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's vast oil reserves. He says the move will more than double American oil reserves and lower gas prices.
The deal comes as U.S. emergency reserves have fallen to their lowest levels since the early 1980s. The national average price of gas is now above $4 a gallon.
Day two of jury deliberations in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial ended on Friday without reaching a verdict. Clancy's defense attorney says the jury sent one note to the judge, asking to see prescription pill bottles and the knife that Clancy used when attempting to take her own life.
The jury is expected to return to court on Monday to resume deliberations.
The Trump administration is challenging a federal judge's decision, blocking new restrictions on mail-in voting. The move comes weeks before the midterm elections in November.
The rules require states to submit lists of mail-in voters to the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Service would be allowed to refuse to deliver ballots from states that didn't meet requirements for voter lists and envelopes. For now, those changes remain on hold for two weeks.
People in Iceland are set to vote in the coming hours on whether to restart talks to join the European Union. The main issues facing voters are sovereignty, security of the strategic Arctic north and fishing rights. CNN's Sebastian Shukla has the story for us.
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SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN FIELD PRODUCER (voice-over): A referendum to determine Iceland's future, a simple yes or no question that could restart talks of the tiny Nordic island joining the European Union. But the issue has sharply divided the country.
Opponents say Iceland should keep its independence that it gained from Denmark in 1944. And they say Iceland already benefits from its ties to Europe as a NATO member that participates in the E.U. single market and is part of the Schengen free travel zone. Sovereignty, according to some voters, is a top concern.
OLAFUR BJORN SVERRISSON, ICELAND RESIDENT: I think it's most important whether we have something to say about our resources and how much power we are lacking to letting go to the E.U.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Others argue it's a changing world and joining the E.U. would help protect the country in a world that's increasingly focused on the strategic Arctic North. And it could potentially lower interest rates and inflation if Iceland adopts the euro.
AGUSTA UNNUR GUNNARSDOTTIR, ICELAND RESIDENT: I think it's more steady for us. We are very small nation and most of the companies, the big companies, they use euros. So why not the public?
SHUKLA (voice-over): But it could all boil down to fish. Fishing is a cornerstone of Iceland's culture and economy and for many, sharing its rich fishing grounds with Europe is a deal breaker.
HEIDRUN MARTEINSDOTTIR, FISHERIES ICELAND CEO: We have 100 percent of the profit in Iceland and we want to keep it that way. So that is our worries if we join the common fisheries policy is that this value chain that has generated all this profit for the Icelandic population, that that will be torn apart.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Fishing rights are fiercely protected in Iceland. From 1958 to 1976, the country clashed with Great Britain in the so called Cod Wars, which was a series of sea skirmishes involving boat rammings and net cutting. Iceland ultimately won out, gaining full control of its 320-kilometer fishing zone.
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Security is also on people's minds. Iceland has a coast guard but no army relying on NATO for defense, which is a growing concern in the country. As Russia expands its presence in the Arctic and U.S. president Donald Trump has threatened to acquire neighboring Greenland.
GUNNAR TRYGGVASON, ICELAND RESIDENT: Trump and Greenland and the response, that frightens me. Secondly, the tariffs that he's putting on Canada and is threatening to put on European countries as well, it might help us to be part of a bloc.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Iceland has considered joining the E.U. before. In 2009, talks started and later stopped without gaining traction.
If Iceland votes yes in this referendum, negotiations will begin to try to reach a formal agreement, followed by a second referendum in Iceland, which will be the deciding vote on whether it will join the bloc or not -- Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin.
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HUNTE: Joining us now to discuss the Iceland vote is Tyson Barker, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Europe Center.
It's good to see you, sir. So there is a big vote today.
But what exactly are people deciding and why has this become such a massive moment?
TYSON BARKER, NONRESIDENT SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL'S EUROPE CENTER: Well -- and that's very important to clarify because that's one of the issues that's being muddled in Iceland itself. They are actually voting to -- only to restart negotiations that stalled in 2013, not whether or not to join the European Union.
And the Icelandic citizenship will have another bite at the apple, so to say, even if they vote yes to restart these negotiations, when accession talks are ultimately concluded. So that means that they're just deciding to open these talks, not to close these talks.
It's not a question of whether or not to join the E.U. It's a question about whether to have talks whether or not to join the E.U. So that's the big issue.
Your package mentioned fisheries. I think that's the big issue on the ground. You know, that makes up about 4 percent of the workforce but Iceland is a -- we talk about fishing villages. It's a fishing nation. It's 4 percent of the workforce.
But actually, if you look at the indirect, contributions to the economy, it's about 15 percent to 20 percent of the workforce relies on the fishing and maritime industry. It's about 40 percent of all exports and it's about 10 percent of the country's GDP.
So it's an extremely important economic issue in the country. And, of course, for Iceland's identity, it's an island nation with a lot of -- a lot of resources in its maritime region.
HUNTE: Oh, yes.
Can you just tell us, what are the latest polls showing and could we really see the result go either way here?
BARKER: Very much. It's on a knife's edge. And as we've learned anything from Brexit to elections in the United States and elsewhere, it's really, I would say it would be foolhardy to predict what the ultimate outcome will be.
There were two polls that came out yesterday, both of which had mirror results reflecting the opposite sides. One said 51 percent yes, 48 percent no. And the other said exactly the opposite. So the island is really divided on this issue.
HUNTE: Fishing, as you mentioned before, is at the heart of the opposition to E.U. membership here.
How much will the fear of losing control over Iceland's fishing waters be driving voters today?
BARKER: Very much. I think that there's been a lot of work to kind of paint this as a black or white issue, that this is about a secession of sovereignty on its maritime, this very sensitive issue.
The European Union has indicated that it is much more willing to make concessions in this regard. And that might ease, relax some of the tensions on this -- on this important issue. But it is clearly something that's of concern.
You have to note that there's a geopolitical music that's playing in the background as well, which is, you know, focus the minds, let's say, on this referendum. And I think it's part of the reason it's taking place.
Obviously, a lot of talk about Greenland. Donald Trump's speech at Davos, which was very focused on Greenland -- actually, he confused Greenland with Iceland a couple of times -- was followed by some statements by the ambassador nominee, saying that Iceland should be the 52nd state, which did not sit well in the country.
HUNTE: No.
Can you just break down for us, what would Iceland actually gain from restarting the process and potentially joining the E.U.?
There must be some positives as well, right?
BARKER: Totally, totally. So there's a couple of things. One, you know, the country has a history. It's a small country, obviously very wealthy country but has had a volatile currency. We saw this after the financial crisis in 2008-2009.
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Where the krona lost about 50 percent of its value, that imposed capital controls to the point where every McDonalds in the country closed because imports were so expensive. That was the time, if you recall, your viewers recall, that it became very cheap to go to Iceland. So it became a big tourist destination. But those volatilities have continued in the currency market. And
because of it, inflation is high, interest rates are high. And there's actually a lot of pressure on housing prices. So there's a hope that, if they can join the euro, that that will actually stabilize the market for housing and make it a little more affordable for citizens.
HUNTE: OK. Tyson Barker with the Atlantic Council's Europe Center, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
President Trump has signed an executive order creating a new service academy to train future members of the U.S. Space Force. Mr. Trump announced the move in Houston, Texas, while presenting the Artemis II crew with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
The president said the U.S. Space Academy would train personnel for the Space Force and NASA, while also supporting the civilian space industry.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Given the rapid growth of the Space Force and the commercial space industry and the expansion of our ambitions to the moon and far beyond the moon.
It's clear that we will need to educate and train an entire generation of skilled service members, engineers and civil operators and everything else.
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HUNTE: There is much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, including Nashville could soon give its airport a new name. The lasting tribute that many in Tennessee want to see for Dolly Parton ahead.
Plus, tears and memories for a king who reigned for 3.5 decades. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Dolly Parton's name could soon fly high at Nashville's international airport. Tennessee's governor is backing a proposal to rename the airport in her honor. And that's happened just days after the country music legend passed away.
The idea has major public support, with more than 150,000 people signing a petition for the tribute.
Nashville's Grand Ole Opry will honor Dolly Parton with a formal tribute on Saturday night. She was first introduced to the iconic venue at just 13 years old, alongside Johnny Cash. The beginning of a legendary career that spanned nearly six decades.
A number of artists are slated to perform to honor the life and extraordinary legacy of the little girl from East Tennessee.
Norway is mourning a leader that some call the grandfather of all Norwegians. King Harald died on Friday after 35 years on the throne. He represented Norway in sailing competitions at three Olympic Games and leaves behind a legacy as a unifier.
But as Melissa Bell reports, controversy surrounding other members of the royal family have tarnished the monarchy's image.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There have been outpourings of grief in Norway and beyond at news of the passing of King Harald V, a monarch who was not only the oldest monarch in Europe but also one who had really overseen a period of great stability in the country.
But also of modernization of the Norwegian Monarchy as an institution. He is now succeeded by his son, King Haakon, who comes with a lot more baggage.
In fact, surveys suggest that some of the controversies that have surrounded his wife and her son, his stepson, over the last few months may have cost the institution a great deal in terms of its popularity of the Norwegian people.
Queen Consort Mette-Marit was, of course, engulfed in the scandal surrounding the latest revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein files. Her name mentioned about 1,000 times.
Some of the exchanges she had with the late sex offender proving pretty embarrassing to the Norwegian crown and exchanges and a friendship that she's apologized for, speaking of her poor judgment.
She's also been plagued by health worries over the last few weeks. And, of course, there's the question of her son, the king's stepson, who was found guilty earlier this year on two counts of rape and several other charges. He's now appealing a prison sentence.
But these are some of the controversies surrounding King Haakon VII as he has seized the throne in the wake of a father who was -- will be remembered as much for his stability as for the love and the familiarity that he managed to bring between the Norwegian Crown and the Norwegian people. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
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HUNTE: There's much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM. Roger Federer celebrates his place among the greatest players in tennis today, as he's inducted into a sports hall of fame. That is just ahead. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. A solar-powered mobile clinic is hitting the road in Kenya, bringing essential medical care to remote communities. The prototype was developed by a team of Dutch students.
Solar panels power both the vehicle and the medical equipment inside, including an ultrasound machine, portable X-Ray and a refrigerator for vaccines.
Team members say a recent field test showed the clinic could travel hundreds of kilometers without relying on grid power or fuel. And they say their project could help remove a major barrier to health care on the African continent.
Tennis superstar Roger Federer is one of sports all-time greats and now he's up for a new honor. The 20-time grand slam champ, who retired four years ago, will be inducted today into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Federer told CNN "WORLD SPORT"s Don Riddell that the honor is a chance to reflect on his career and on everyone who's helped and supported him
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ROGER FEDERER, TENNIS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: It's definitely going to be a moment in time and, potentially, for a lot of people, a long time coming. But it's an incredible moment, I think, for my team and my family, also maybe all my fans, you know, to see me getting enshrined and inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
So it's nice to stop time for a second, be able to be really grateful and thank everybody who has helped me along the way. So it's going to be definitely a very special day.
DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You beat everybody in your era and also the biggest names from the previous generation.
If you could play anybody already in the Hall of Fame, if the tennis gods would grant you that, who would you pick and why?
FEDERER: Yes. So I would have a little list probably together. I would love to play maybe Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker and again against Pete Sampras.
I think those would be my favorite players to play against. I've always admired their personalities, what they have achieved and what they represent in the game. So that would be a very special match.
RIDDELL: It's wonderful that now you get to sit alongside them in the Hall. Roger, I followed your career very closely and from your first big win at Wimbledon to your very last match there were a lot of tears. I would imagine this ceremony will be quite emotional for you.
So when do you think you might start getting choked up on Saturday?
FEDERER: Yes, it's a good question. I'm also not sure yet so far. I've arrived in Newport a couple of days ago after playing the exhibition match with Andy Roddick, Agassi and McEnroe in New York, where we had an amazing time.
I've been answering a lot of questions already about entering the Hall of Fame and it's just nice to be in front of the media again and talking about all my memories.
So far, I've been actually really, really good. I'm maybe -- I don't want to say confident that tomorrow I'll get through it without any tears or not getting too emotional. But maybe also I'm just really at peace with my career. It's been an amazing journey. I don't think of it all the time but I'm just really, really happy to be back.
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But it's true that, of course, if I'm speaking about the game and all the gratitude that I have and having, then, you know, my entire family there, from my parents to my wife to my four children and, you know, my whole team from coaching staff and physios, et cetera, I think it could hit home very hard.
And like you said, I've been an emotional character in defeats but also in victories actually. So the happy cries has been something that has followed me throughout my career but I hope I get through the speech with not too many hiccups. We'll see.
RIDDELL: Roger, I suspect your second act is only just getting started. So when all is said and done, how would you like Roger Federer to be remembered?
FEDERER: I know I get that question a lot. I don't know exactly how to answer it.
But it would be nice, of course, if I would be remembered as someone who has pushed the game in the right direction, somebody who has maybe been also a role model to a lot of the children and has represented the sport well and the values of the sport and maybe my country, Switzerland, as well.
I obviously always tried my very, very best in the pressure cooker moments, you know, on the court, to keep going, keep believing in myself and also show my fighting spirit, which not always has been talked about a whole lot because a lot of people always talk about my elegance, about my effortless playing style.
But if people remember me as driving the game in the right direction down the road, that would be enough for me, plenty.
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HUNTE: You're looking at a stunning and full sturgeon moon glowing over Greece on Friday. Skygazers gathered along the coast to catch the annual sight as the heavenly orb lit up the sea and the ancient temple of Poseidon. The country kept some sites and monuments open to the public to mark that occasion.
NASA says the sturgeon moon is named for the time when people traditionally caught the ancient fish more easily in North America's Great Lakes.
That's all I've got for you. Thanks so much for sticking with me and the team there. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Of course there is more CNN NEWSROOM right after this break and we'll be back at the same time tomorrow. See you then.
