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Amazon Cargo Plane Overruns Miami Runway; U.S. Envoys Hold "Substantive" Talks with Zelenskyy in Kyiv; Hawaii Braces for Hurricane Lowell; CNN Updates on Nepal-China Floods; Republicans To Gather For Midterm Convention This Week; Germany's Far-Right AFD Party Secures Historic State-Level Win; WHO: Ebola Outbreak Is Outpacing Efforts To Contain It. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired September 07, 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: Here in the United States and from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," investigators are searching for answers after a deadly cargo plane crash in Miami. A former FAA expert joins me to explain what may have caused it to overrun the runway. Plus, we are tracking the third storm to hit Hawaii in just a month. Hurricane Lowell making its final turn towards the island. We are live in Honolulu. And Germany's far-right party is celebrating a historic win. What it means for the country's future and for Europe.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church."

CHURCH: I appreciate you joining us. Well, at least five people are dead and five others are injured after an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway during a landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday. I want you to take a look at this footage of the incident. We must warn you, though, the video is disturbing. The Boeing 767 was landing after flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Video shows the aircraft left the end of the runway, crossed the perimeter road, and crossed Northwest 67th Avenue before coming to a stop. The 21-air flight struck several vehicles and caught fire. An official says some victims were trapped in their vehicles and had to be freed. Three of the five wounded are in critical condition. I want you to take a listen to this dispatch audio of a first responder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Guys, the plane is on fire. Plane is on fire. Put your game faces on.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Heavy fire load on the right side.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Fire department in control, copy. You're going to do water supply at the bottom. This aircraft overran the runway. It crossed 67th Avenue. It struck a truck. We do have a patient on the ground. We are looking and surveying the area for more patient.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Investigators are working to determine why the plane could not stop on the runway. Delays continue for flights heading into Miami International Airport due to the disabled aircraft.

Well, joining me now is CNN safety analyst David Soucie, a former FAA safety inspector. I want to thank you so much for talking with us.

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST, AVIATION EXPERT, FORMER SAFETY INSPECTOR AT FAA: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, with five people dead and five injured as a result of this plane overrunning the Miami runway, what questions are you asking as an investigation into the cause gets underway?

SOUCIE: Well, if I was there investigating, one of the first things I would look at is, you can see in the video that as the aircraft comes in, it's very level, it doesn't have the nose up like you typically would see and, in fact, it seems to kind of float down the runway.

You can also tell in the middle of the runway, by that point, the aircraft should be firmly planted on the ground and be applying the speed brakes, the wheel brakes, and thrust reversers but, in this case, it was still going 153 knots halfway down the runway and the left landing gear, you can see in the video, still hasn't touched the ground.

So, I think that I'd be looking at that right away to see what had happened on the ground, the localized weather systems that we had there called LLWAS, and that would tell us what was happening to the air and the turbulence on the ground at the low levels.

CHURCH: So, you think this is more about the weather conditions at the time?

SOUCIE: It looks to me like that. So, we're looking at it at this point. I have a friend that was on the American flight that landed just prior to this one, and he told me that he was not flying but he was on that aircraft, the one immediately preceding this airplane. He said it was very turbulent, right about 100 feet above the runway, and that would indicate that there was some side movement.

And, indeed, looking at the weather that I know about now, just moments before this flight landed, the wind changed significantly. Thirty minutes before, the weather reports had shown only 3 knots of wind, which is pretty negligible.

[02:05:00]

But, right before this aircraft landed, it was showing a change in the direction of the wind at 190 degrees, up to 26 knots of wind gusts at that point, which would put a tailwind element into the airplane. For non-pilots, what that's saying is, suddenly, the airplane rather than flying into the wind, which is characteristic of landing the airplane, now you have a tailwind, which actually pushes the aircraft forward. So, you're picking up speed instead of bleeding speed off at that point.

So, now, you're faced with this decision. Do you try to plant the airplane down on the ground or do you continue and put the throttles forward and make the go around?

So, those are the things, as an investigator, I'd be looking at. Number one, what was the direction of the wind, the amount of wind? How much tailwind was there? So, you've got to look at, did the air traffic controllers communicate that to the pilots as they're coming in? We obviously had an airplane before that had had some trouble. But was there enough time? There was only four minutes between the first landing and the second. So, maybe they didn't have time to communicate all that information. I would look at that.

And then also, did the pilots make the right decision by staying on the ground or should they maybe had to take in the other alternative, which may or may not have been the right decision, to make a go around?

So, those are all things, as investigators, that they're looking at now to help determine what happened and how to prevent it from happening again.

CHURCH: A lot to consider there. How long will it likely take to officially determine what caused this crash? What other data will they be looking for to make that determination, do you think?

SOUCIE: Well, typically, Rosemary, you'll see about a 30-day hold on all the information that will come out. Now, one of the things, we still don't really know what the condition of the pilots are. Some local news reporters are saying that the pilots were trapped inside the airplane and had to be extracted and were taken to the hospital. But we really don't have any confirmation of even who they were at this point. Those details will come out through this week.

But I would think that we would get a report back within 30 days. But these aircraft accident investigations can take as long as a year, sometimes two years, before we finally know what actually caused the accident to happen.

CHURCH: And David, what you were saying about the weather conditions, I mean, that's quite a vulnerability, isn't it? What does it mean for future landing of planes? I mean, is there a problem on the ground as well? Because, surely, just weather conditions alone shouldn't be enough to cause an accident like this.

SOUCIE: Well, you know, accidents, you know, Rosemary, we've talked year after year about accidents. The fact is that there's never really one cause of any aircraft accident. It's a combination of three or four things, three or four different potential hazards that fall through and all happen at the wrong time and cause tragedies like this.

So, in looking at this one, I don't see any systemic issues. It appears that the LLWAS, which is the Localized Wind Shear Alert System, is working. It's at that airport and it does work.

Now, one of the things that does concern me but not to a level of a system problem, would be how close those airplanes came in together. There was one, and then four minutes later, another right after each other. And what I would look at for a system problem would be maybe that's too close, maybe that's not enough time. If the weather can change that quickly, which it indeed did change very quickly, how is that being communicated to the pilots? How quickly is it being done? So, they may want to look at that and determine quickly.

The first triage of an accident investigation is, what can we do right now to make sure it doesn't happen again? And that's one of the things that they may find, is that as quickly as those airplanes were one to the other, they may make an emergency act and tell them, no, you need to spread things out a little bit when there's weather in the area, for example. They may have to have a different process when they know that there's thunderstorms that can cause these lateral -- basically a lateral tornado laying on the ground, very low wind shear that can cause that.

So, there's a lot going into it. If there were a system safety issue, then they would have taken an action already to do so. So, I don't think that they've seen anything now that is a system failure that would cause hazards or hazardous conditions for other flyers.

CHURCH: Such a tragedy. Our thanks to CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector, David Sousie. We appreciate your time.

SOUCIE: Thank you, Rosemary.

[02:09:59]

CHURCH: All right, let's turn now to the high-stakes meetings in Kyiv amid a renewed effort to end the war in Ukraine. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner said they had substantive discussions with President Zelenskyy and Kyiv officials on Sunday. This comes after the U.S. delegation also met with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. While we're not hearing word of any major breakthroughs, Witkoff appeared optimistic following the talks with both sides.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: We came to see President Putin first. We needed to hear where he stood. We had good, concrete conversation with him, which we advised President Zelenskyy and his team about. Both sides have to come to a resolution here. My job and Jared's job together are to bring the parties together, to narrow the issues between them, to create good communication channels. And, hopefully, we began that process constructively in the last 48 hours. We're confident that there'll be a good resolution here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The end of peace talks likely signals the end of a temporary truce struck between Kiev and Moscow. A 72-hour pause in strikes protected only the two capital cities for the duration of the U.S. diplomatic visit. Elsewhere, officials say Russian airstrikes have killed at least 10 Ukrainians and injured 65 others in just 24 hours.

Joining me now is Jill Dougherty, former CNN Moscow bureau chief and affiliated scholar at Georgetown University. Appreciate you talking with us.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, AFFILIATED SCHOLAR AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: I'm glad to be here.

CHURCH: So, Jill, U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner sounded an optimistic note after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Saturday and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday, saying they're confident of a good resolution to the four- year long war. How substantial do you think these talks were and how serious is Putin about peacefully ending his war in Ukraine?

DOUGHERTY: Well, those are two different questions, aren't they? And to answer the first one, I think what this is, I mean, obviously, they're going to say they hope everything goes well, and they're getting good soundings, positive ideas, et cetera. But I think what they're doing is it is a, you know, tacit acknowledgement that nothing has worked up to this point. In fact, the negotiations that they had, trilateral, that were among the U.S. as the middle man and then Russia and Ukraine, those ended back in February. And so, what it appears they're trying to do is restart that process.

And according to Jared Kushner, who was asked about this, he said they brought a number of different ideas, and he noted those were ideas that apparently did not work. So, I would think what they were probably doing is saying, what can we do to, you know, make it right?

And they also brought some, what they say, are new ideas. We don't know exactly what that would be. Maybe it's a reformulation of something. But I think any type of idea that this is going to be settled soon is very premature. And sadly, you know, I mean, look, it's good that they're back and they're trying to do this, but I don't think there's any expectation.

And to answer your second question, you just look at that meeting in Moscow. I mean, Vladimir Putin is asking for essentially the same thing that he asked for in 2022 with the full-scale invasion, which is, you know, they say root causes. And we know what that means. That's one of the basic things. Putin means denazification, and denazification means end of Zelenskyy and the government shut down and a control by Russia. So, that's a no-go for the Ukrainians, obviously.

CHURCH: Right. So, no major breakthroughs were breached at this juncture. But both Witkoff and Kushner are pushing for a return to trilateral talks with the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia. How much more progress could be made with trilateral talks, do you think?

DOUGHERTY: Well, I mean, if they were able to get back on the same page and sit down and really negotiate. But you'd have to say, at this point, I mean, the war is at probably one of its worst stages. And the relentless bombing right now by Russia seems to be an attempt to make -- to create as much destruction as possible, make it as difficult as possible for the civilians as they go into the winter. That appears to be the negotiating tactic of Vladimir Putin.

[02:15:01]

And then the Ukrainians are saying, you know, on these very sticky issues like the Donbass region, Russia holds 75 percent of that, Ukraine holds 25 percent. The Russians don't hold all of it, yet the Russians want all of it, and the Ukrainians won't go for that.

So, I don't really at this point see any particular ideas that could bring them together. But this is what we have to hear. I mean, they say that they will be rolling out some of these ideas over the next few weeks, and we'll see what they come up with.

CHURCH: Yes. Indeed. And Ukraine's President Zelenskyy said during a press conference Sunday that he also discussed security guarantees with the U.S. envoys during their visit to Kyiv Sunday. How far do you think he got with that?

DOUGHERTY: Well, that's the other question. Security guarantees are really like the second big thing that the Ukrainians want because the whole idea is this cannot happen again. So, how do you protect Ukraine from another invasion by Russia? And often, that boils down to getting European troops who would be perhaps observers. That has to be defined. But they would be coming into Ukraine to enforce or to observe and make sure the peace is really holding, and that's another question because Vladimir Putin has said that he does not want Europeans in there.

Interestingly, I think, Rosemary, there were -- in these Zelenskyy talks, there were representatives from the U.K., France, and Germany. So, that is, you know, the Europeans want to be in there because they feel, and ultimately, it's correct, that the burden is falling on their shoulders to carry out whatever type of agreement there might be.

CHURCH: Jill Dougherty, appreciate your analysis. Many thanks for joining us.

DOUGHERTY: Thank you.

CHURCH: Iran plans to announce a new restricted zone outside the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days. That is according to the country's top national security official and advisor to the supreme leader. The zone would also include areas in the Gulf, and any ship entering that zone would be added to a sanctions list. All of this as Tehran warns of retaliation in the wake of recent hostilities in the area.

Well, the cost of the war with Iran is also being felt in the U.S. Americans are wrapping up the summer holidays with a hefty price tag as they face record-high gasoline prices for Labor Day weekend. The U.S. national average for price per gallon is at $4.15, according to AAA's latest figures. The U.S. energy secretary told CNN that gas prices are more likely to go down ahead of an effort to ramp up gasoline production.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WRIGHT, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF ENERGY: The Trump administration is working with our refiners to expand our capacity. In fact, our efforts in Venezuela will also bring on not just oil production but, ultimately, a rise in refinery capacity in Venezuela to supply the world. So, the world had a lot of things rowing against the diesel market and democratic policies for the last 15 years to crimp the production of hydrocarbons in the United States is certainly taking a toll, but we're rowing in the other direction, and we'll see that expanded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The European Union is solidifying its support for Greenland. E.U. Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen is visiting the territory and is meeting with both the Danish and Greenlandic prime ministers. While there, she plans to sign a declaration that will deepen Europe's security ties and cooperation with the island. Reports suggest she will also unveil substantial E.U. investments into Greenland's economy.

There's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom." We are tracking the latest developments from Hawaii where a powerful hurricane is moving closer to its western islands. Plus, stunning election results in Germany where the far-right AfD Party has surged to a first-place finish in a statewide election. We will look at how this affects German politics. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[02:20:00]

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CHURCH: Hawaii is bracing for powerful Hurricane Lowell. A state of emergency is in effect as the storm, currently a Category 3, takes aim at Hawaii's western islands. It will stay offshore but is forecast to hit the islands with heavy rains and dangerous surf.

Joining me now from Honolulu is Steven Businger. He is a professor and former chair of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Hawaii. I appreciate you talking with us at this difficult time.

STEVEN BUSINGER, PROFESSOR AND FORMER CHAIR OF DEPARTMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII: Yes. It's my pleasure. I'm happy to be here.

CHURCH: Thank you so much for joining us. Hurricane Lowell is the third storm in just over three weeks to target Hawaii. It's now making a final turn toward Hawaii's western islands as they brace for impact. What is the latest that you're learning about what to expect from this hurricane? BUSINGER: Well, they are forecasting waves to reach 20 to 30 feet,

which is a pretty spectacular wave height. Coming in from the south, which is also unusual. Normally, we have big surf from the north. And we also have high winds that could reach possibly hurricane force in some areas of Hawaii.

CHURCH: And as El Nino supercharges the Pacific hurricane season, how much of this hurricane system is an example of climate change impacting weather systems?

BUSINGER: Yes, the El Nino situation is definitely supercharging our storms.

[02:25:05]

It is definitely a concerning situation for us this summer. Whether this relates to climate change, that remains to be seen. I think that certainly, as ocean temperatures get warmer, then the hurricanes will become stronger.

CHURCH: And how prepared is Hawaii for Hurricane Lowell to hit? What's your best advice to those in its path?

BUSINGER: That's an excellent question. I think that the emergency managers are very well prepared. And we expect that the people there are bracing for the high winds and heavy rains. I know the utility companies are preparing to get their crews out to fix down power lines as that happens.

CHURCH: All right. Clearly, your dog is not very happy with what is going on out there. Do take good care of yourself and all of those in the path of Hurricane Lowell. Thank you so much. Steven Businger, professor and former chair of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, joining us there. Appreciate it. Do take care.

At least three people are dead after a five-storey building collapsed in New Delhi. Nine people have been rescued from the rubble so far, and crews are continuing to search the debris for anyone who may still be trapped. Police say the 40- to 50-year-old building was being used as student accommodation and was undergoing repairs to the basement at the time of the collapse. Delhi's chief minister said an investigation is underway and that those responsible will be held accountable.

An explosion at a church in central Mexico has killed at least 10 people and injured more than 60 others. The blast happened at the church entrance as worshippers gathered for evening mass. Authorities say the cause of the explosion is under investigation, but that fireworks were being prepared for a display. One survivor described the moment as the celebrations turned to panic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ITZEL ALBARRAN, WITNESS (through translator): Everything exploded. We saw it. All the people saw it because it was right next to where the priest was giving mass. So, we all got scared. What we did was duck down because we felt like the tarp was coming down on top of us. And then after we started to react, we started to leave. But people started pushing each other, and there were many injured outside. Everyone was stepping on them. It was very, very awful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: It is nearly two weeks since catastrophic flash floods swept through the Nepal-China border region, killing more than 1,300 people. According to officials in Nepal, nearly 5,000 others are still missing.

CNN's Simone McCarthy saw firsthand some of the devastation in the region as part of a rare trip organized by the Chinese government. We want to clarify that CNN still has full editorial control of the coverage. Here's her report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR CHINA REPORTER: So, we're walking into the main hard-hit port area. Now, I mean, even just some of the ground here is incredibly unstable. It's like -- it feels like it's almost hollow underneath. You can see there's quite large rocks here. There's also excavation going on behind us. A number of workers are actively in the midst of some of the response and repairs here. We've been told as well, as we were walking over, that there is the risk of loose rocks. I'm standing in the location that was once a five-storey border checkpoint.

This used to be a bustling hub of transit between Nepal and China with travelers, travel agents, people involved in trade coming over that border, moving through what was once a huge building here. This is the spot where a huge wall of water washed over a five-storey building in video that was captured on surveillance footage on August 26th when devastating floods and landslides hit the China-Nepal border. I'm standing now in the area where that building was.

This is Gyirong Port in Tibet where CNN is part of a small group of foreign reporters who've been given access to this site the first time that foreign media have been allowed entry. And now, to see what the impact of that was here where there's just -- I mean, you would never know that there had been anything here at all. There's actually a sign which is indicating that this was a foundation. You can still see some rebar, but that's really the only thing that remains. There have been no survivors found in this location.

[02:30:00]

And right now, the rescue teams are just contending with this heavy, heavy mud. The road that we took to get in here was actually layered in some places with five feet of mud. It took the better part of a week for -- for emergency workers to be able to enter via road.

One of the other things that we can notice is that the flood waters actually reached so high up onto the mountain, you can see some of the greenery has actually been scraped away there as a result of just how high those flood waters came as they barreled through this area. We asked one of the responders how long he thought the operations would continue, and he wasn't able to give an answer.

They've put up a Chinese flag to memorialize what was here, but there's just absolutely nothing left. This area has also been a focal point for families who are desperate for information about what happened to loved ones that they believe were at this border crossing at the time when that landslide and flooding hit this area. They're still waiting for answers. The government has yet to publish publicly a list of who was at the border crossing at the time.

Families are really desperate for more information about what happened here and looking around, it's -- you can see that there's no answers immediately visible.

Simone McCarthy, CNN, Gyirong Port.

(ENDV VIDEOTAPE)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Still ahead on this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, President Trump pushes forward to the November midterms. We will tell you about his big moves to rally Republican support ahead of the crucial elections.

Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[02:35:11]

CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.

A special midterm edition of the Republican National Convention is set to happen this week in Texas. Speakers will include President Trump and other top party leadership, as well as elected officials and others hopeful of winning a seat in Congress. The president has touted the convention as just what the party needs to re-energize voters ahead of the midterms. They will need full party support to keep their majority in Congress and continue pursuing the president's agenda. Organizers are being very blunt that the event is all about the president and putting him front and center.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE GRUTERS, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION CHAIRMAN: It's going to be a Trump-a-palooza. It's going to be an amazing opportunity for us to basically go out there and tell the American people all the great things that this president has done and all the great things that we're going to continue to do over the final two years of his administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But not everyone in the party thinks Trump-a-palooza is a good idea. Some fear it may promote the president more than candidates actually on ballots across the country. Other critics have noted the extravagant budget, as well as other major events happening at the same time, such as the start of the NFL season and September 11th commemorations.

Well, the Trump administration has filed a new emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to speed up approval of a controversial mail in ballot rule. It would require state and local election officials to upload lists of mail-in voters to an online portal. It would also require new envelopes with a barcode to track those ballots. The administration argues the changes are needed to guarantee a safe and secure election.

But with less than 60 days until the midterms, at least one state has already started mailing out ballots. A us district judge has temporarily blocked the rule from going forward.

In the state of Ohio, police are preparing to charge an individual who reportedly lunged at Ohio's Democratic nominee for governor. A campaign spokesperson for Amy Acton says it happened at a fair she and her husband were attending. Police found two firearms on the individual and say they expect the person to face two charges of assault and one count of disorderly conduct. No details about the individual have been released so far.

You are watching supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany Party celebrating as election results come in, projecting a stunning victory for the party in state elections. Preliminary results show the AFD party has secured 44 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt. That means they'll hold 39 of 83 seats in the state parliament, just short of the 42 seats needed for an absolute majority. AFD surge in this election reflects deep dissatisfaction with Germany's current ruling coalition, run by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Well, meanwhile, protests against the AFD's win sprang up across several German cities, including in Frankfurt and Berlin. Slogans on some protesters signs recalled Germanys darkest day, such as "Never again 33," referring to the year that the Nazi party came to power.

Joining us now from berlin is Nina Haase. She is the chief political correspondent for the German news outlet DW.

Thank you so much for being with us

NINA HAASE, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, DW: Thank you.

CHURCH: So, Germany's far right AFD party appears to have won a landslide victory in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. But it's not yet clear if it will gain enough support to govern.

What is your assessment of what happened here and the message it sends Chancellor Friedrich Merz?

HAASE: Well, Rosemary, this is definitely a historic day for all of Germany, right? I mean, we're talking about one of Germany's smallest regions. So roughly 1.7 million people went to the polls. And that, of course, in a country of more than 80 million people, is not a big amount.

But it definitely was a breakthrough moment for the AFD. And so that does have political consequences for the entire nation and for Friedrich Merz's government here in Berlin, because the AFD has shown that they're no longer a protest movement. They can dominate a state election, and they will try to present this small state of Saxony- Anhalt as a rehearsal for further gains in eastern Germany in particular, but ultimately also for the federal election in 2029. And of course, this is definitely a very big test for the conservatives now.

CHURCH: Right. But coalition building is complicated in Germany, isn't it? So, the far right AFD party might not get to govern. But if it does, Ulrich Siegmund is the man trying to lead Saxony-Anhalt. He wants a Germany first policy, better relations with Russia, to cut support to Ukraine, to quit the euro, and mass deportation of undocumented immigrants.

How likely is it that he will be able to govern this state, or at least push most of those policies?

HAASE: Well, Germany's electoral system is not -- you said it. It's not a first-past-the-post system. So, you know, traditionally, even if you come out strongest force, you do need a coalition partner to be in government. If you don't win the absolute majority and the AFD has not won the absolute majority here.

Yes, definitely. First force in those elections. But they do need partners to actually dominate politics in the regional parliament. So, all the traditional parties of the center have ruled out collaborating with the AFD because they argue rightly, as you said, this is a particularly radical chapter of an already considered far right political party here in Germany.

This is a political chapter that is officially, legally describable as a right wing extremist, where leading figures have made racist, Islamophobic, antisemitic statements and where the intelligence services have found that elements of the party and its supporters are working towards abolishing Germany's representative democracy and working against minorities. And that is, of course, illegal.

So, this is a tremendous challenge. This verdict was confirmed by independent courts. So, it's not just as the AFD sometimes paints it, an intelligence service that is under the authority of an interior minister, the AFD repeatedly claims that it's all the other political parties using their institutions to prevent the AFD from rising to power. But no, this was confirmed by an independent court.

So, what the conservatives now really have to find out whether they can stay strong, not run into headless chicken mode and stay disciplined, because, of course, the vast majority of people in Saxony-Anhalt also agreed to the statement that if the government here in berlin were doing a better job than the AFD wouldn't be so strong. So, a lot of things now for Friedrich Merz and his coalition partner, the SPD, to sit down about and discuss.

CHURCH: And while protests are popping up in cities across Germany, how might this shift to the far right in Saxony-Anhalt shape the rest of Germany and federal elections in 2029 that you mentioned? HAASE: Well, make no mistake, Rosemary, we're definitely seeing the

entire country's debate shifting to the right. Now, just how far right is going to be a matter of just how disciplined the other political parties can be, whether they can keep their calm, whether they can continue to have, you know, consensus built politics and policies that they push through in all the other regions here in Germany.

But yes, we saw Donald Trump, the U.S. president, post the outcomes of the forecast yesterday, when the first results were published on Saxony-Anhalt. The U.S. president talking about a small region in Germany, that just really does tell you everything you need to know, but you have to keep in mind, the AFD is considered even too extreme by some of Europe's most right-wing parties to collaborate with.

Marine Le Pen in France ruled out collaborating with them, calling them too radical. we've got similar messages also from -- from people in Italy. And you do have links with ethnocentric forces across the world. You've got a very white dominant debate there. So, these voices are simply going to get louder here in Germany.

CHURCH: Nina Haase, chief political correspondent at DW -- thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

And we have much more coming up on the show. After nearly three years of conflict, some Palestinians in Gaza are finally able to put their loved ones to rest.

[02:45:06]

We'll have that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Mourners gathered in Gaza City on Sunday to attend a mass funeral of Palestinians killed in an Israeli strike in 2023. Gaza's civil defense says their bodies were only recently recovered from beneath the rubble. Officials say around 100 bodies were pulled from the ruins of houses, some of them members of multiple families. According to Palestinian health authorities, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's war in Gaza. And Gaza officials say, identifying those victims has presented its own challenges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JALAL ARAFAT, RELATIVE KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKE (through translator): The feeling is full of sadness and grief, but in the end, we found peace knowing that there are graves for our sons, daughters and elders which will bear witness to the genocide.

MAHMOUD BASAL, SPOKESPERSON, GAZA CIVIL DEFENSE (through translator): Some of these martyrs, we couldn't find even a single piece. The rest of their bodies are lost. It is extremely difficult to identify them. We might be able to identify some bodies by their clothing, teeth or skulls, but most are truly difficult to identify. In Gaza, there are no DNA testing devices to accurately determine the identity of each individual accurately.

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CHURCH: Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo are now turning to new tools to help them track the spread of the deadly Ebola outbreak.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard has our report.

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JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER (voice-over): More than 3,000 people have now died from the fast spreading Ebola outbreak, according to health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And they've confirmed over 6,000 cases. The World Health Organization warns the outbreak is outpacing the response.

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is already the second largest on record, and the fastest moving that we have ever seen.

[02:50:06]

HOWARD (voice-over): WHO also says the majority of deaths are happening in small communities rather than in official treatment centers, leading to unsafe burials and unknown chains of transmission that continue to spread. Health officials in the region are turning to a never before used method in Ebola response, tracking mobile phone data to map population movements and predict where cases may emerge.

In an interview with "Reuters", Swedish nonprofit flow minder said it is using anonymized cellular records provided by the DRC's largest operator to identify virus hotspots and track travel from those regions.

GHEBREYESUS: Until every chain is found and broken, the epidemic will continue and will continue to pose a threat to DRC. Its neighbors and the region as a whole.

HOWARD (voice-over): This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, which has no approved vaccine or treatment, but the government is testing Ervebo, an approved vaccine for a different strain of Ebola, in the hopes that it could provide some protection.

SALATIEL WAYLEE, HEAD OF VACCINATION IN KISANGANI (through translator): We believe the Ervebo vaccine can also help protect against other variants because it provides cross immunity.

HOWARD (voice-over): School has resumed and some of the affected provinces and teachers say they are teaching students about how to stay healthy and encouraging anyone to get a vaccine if one becomes available.

DESIREE BUYANA, PRESIDENT, RISK COMMUNICATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (through translator): If there's a vaccine today, the teachers, the children, all will be engaged to mobilize the parents, mobilize the health system so that everyone is vaccinated in order to slow down the spread of this disease.

HOWARD (voice-over): Jacqueline Howard, CNN.

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CHURCH: Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, we will bring you the latest results from the U.S. open as two defending champions battle to retain their title. Back with that in just a moment.

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[02:55:58]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Well, two defending champions are through to the U.S. Open quarterfinals. Carlos Alcaraz, who won the men's singles title last year, made quick work of American Tommy Paul, winning in straight sets. This is the Spaniard's first tournament after nearly five months off with a wrist injury, and if he's feeling any discomfort, it isn't showing. Alcaraz has dropped just one set through all four rounds of the open so far. Alcaraz will face American Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals next.

And on the women's side, top seeded Aryna Sabalenka overcame an early challenge from American Taylor Townsend as she strives for her third consecutive us open title. The defending champion from Belarus recovered after a shaky start, quickly finding her footing to take both sets. Sabalenka will now face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals.

I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church.

CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval is next after a very short break. Stay with us.

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