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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: More Than 1,300 Missing After Deadly Floods in Nepal, China; Trump Signs Order Renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America"; Profiting from the Presidency?; UEFA Preparing Criminal Complaint Against FIFA President; Legal Battle Over Mail Voting. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired August 27, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, the scale of catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet comes into clearer focus. This as authorities warn
of the possibility of more floods. U.S. President Donald Trump reveals he made more than 1,000 stock transactions just in the month of June, renewing
claims that he is profiting directly from the presidency. And the governing body for European football prepares criminal charges against FIFA and its
president, Gianni Infantino.
Well, both Nepal and its neighbor China are waking up to fears of a second disaster. As the extent of Wednesday's devastating flash flood becomes
increasingly clear. A colossal lake is now forming at a site along the China-Nepal border created by yesterday's landslide that caused that
flooding. Beijing says there is now high risk that dam could burst. China also reported a 4.7 magnitude earthquake in Tibet in just the past few
hours.
Nepali police said at least 389 people have now been confirmed dead. More than 1,300 remain missing, about half of them foreign nationals. A
scientist says the wave of water, ice and rocks that tore through the area was like liquid cement. But among the destruction, breathtaking moments of
hope.
We're looking there at a daring rescue by Nepal's army to reach people trapped in a hydropower tunnel. Rescue teams are battling brutal conditions
as they race to find any survivors. Hanako Montgomery is in Nepal with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the moment floodwaters tore through Nepal's valleys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): A furious wall of water, mud and debris swallowing everything in its path. Forcing Nepali workers to run for their
lives. The flash flood rushed through communities along the Nepal-China border. Submerging homes, ripping through roads and vital infrastructure.
Even bridges were no match for the water's force. Some were torn clean in two, severing roads and cutting off some of the worst hit areas. The
destruction stretches for miles. Homes sit buried beneath thick layers of mud. While entire communities were ripped apart by a torrent that left
almost nothing in its path.
MONTGOMERY: We're just driving to one of the worst affected areas right now, which is a couple hours northwest of the capital Kathmandu. And we're
taking the main highway. This is where a lot of supplies go towards the capital. But you can see there are hardly any cars on the road, which goes
to show just how badly damaged this highway is because of the massive flooding we've seen.
So, I'm walking down one of the main roads in Nepal. And this entire place used to be covered in mud. They've cleared part of it now. And I want to
show you some of the damage that we've been seeing. This house, I mean, its first floor is completely submerged in flood water. You can see some of the
windows and doors just caked in mud. This house over here, I mean, its walls have completely collapsed. It's unlivable.
And down here is a gas station. And again, just completely inaccessible and totally destroyed by this flood water and the mud and debris that are
brought with it. And this village that we're currently in is actually several dozen kilometers away from the worst of the damage. So, you can
imagine if you get higher up in the Himalayan mountains just how many people have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and their loved ones.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Well, several dozen Americans are among those who remain missing in Nepal. They include 14-year-old Rashi Shashidharan and her mother Rekha.
The family has not heard from either of them since early Wednesday morning just before the floodwaters struck.
Shakar Agrawal is Rashi's uncle and Rekha's brother. I spoke to him a short time ago about all that he's been going through.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEKHAR AGRAWAL, UNCLE OF U.S. TEEN MISSING IN NEPAL WITH HER MOM: We haven't heard from them for about 40-odd hours now. And yes, we are
worried.
[18:05:00]
SCIUTTO: When was the last time you were able to speak to them? It was right before the flood struck?
AGRAWAL: We spoke to them by about 7:30 in the morning when they were supposed to go and have breakfast. And the flood struck around 8:45 in the
morning, between 8:45 and 9:00. And after that, around 8:50, the signals were all off, the cell signals. So, technically, after 8:50, there has been
no communication.
SCIUTTO: Now, we know there are many hundreds of families right now in the sad situation that you're in, the highly stressful situation that you're
in, trying to find news of their missing loved ones. Do you have the resources you need? Are there numbers that you can call? Is it clear to you
where you can get any news?
AGRAWAL: Lots of numbers have been coming in. People have been sending out numbers. Numbers have been flashed on the television. Yesterday was a bad
day because most of the numbers either were very busy or were not working. People didn't have any news on that.
Today has been relatively better in terms of responsiveness. People are coming out with news. But unfortunately, even the rescuers don't have much
information to share as of now. This is where I believe a very mighty country like the U.S. can step in and do some fantabulous work. A lot of
people there are from the States.
SCIUTTO: Yes, so many Americans. We'll be speaking later this evening to someone from the State Department. I know that President Trump has said
that he will offer Nepal any help that he can. The State Department apparently involved in that. Can you tell us what your plans are next as
you seek news of your sister and your niece?
AGRAWAL: We wait for the time being and wait for some conclusive kind of news. But then it's getting kind of restless now and the weight is very
painful. So, we plan to go down to Kathmandu and maybe do some survey over there and some research. Meet some people, go to some centers, do some fact
finding.
SCIUTTO: For sure. Well, what kind of help --
AGRAWAL: Not able to --
SCIUTTO: What kind of help are you looking for? What would be most useful to you and other families like you right now, just desperate for any
information?
AGRAWAL: Some clear information, some clear feedback, as in what's the actual position on ground, because we know that the group is located -- the
last seen location was Rasuwagadhi in Nepal. And we know the locations of almost all the groups because that was a fairly planned kind of itinerary
that they had. So, if you could concentrate on those areas first and maybe try and expedite the rescue and the feedback to the relatives, I think that
would be more appropriate at the time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: One of so many families now just waiting for any news. You can find out ways to help victims of the Nepal China floods on CNN's Web site.
Go to cnn.com/impact. You can donate there directly. There's also more information about what relief teams need right now as they work to reach
survivors.
We're here in the U.S. President Donald Trump took time today to sign an executive order, which he says renames Lake Ontario as Lake America is the
latest salvo in his trade war with Canada, but also a personal back and forth. He made the announcement this afternoon. Have a listen to how he
explained it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario effective immediately to Lake America. They don't pay for anything
and they want to be treated like a state, but they're not a state. But they want to be treated like their state. And so, we just can't do that anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Canadians, of course, deny that very much. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney noted the facts about Lake Ontario, quote, the name is
more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.
Kristen Holmes joins me now. Kristen, not the first time President Trump has done this, renamed the Gulf of Mexico Gulf of America. But this is just
a latest signal of how bitter and hostile what was one of the friendliest relationships in the world between the U.S. and Canada, how it's become
under Trump.
[18:10:00]
When you speak to White House officials, are there any substantive negotiations underway to move beyond this or is it just getting worse?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It does certainly seem as though at this point it is getting worse. We're seeing both sides
blaming each other, saying that the terms were changed at the last minute. Canadian officials saying that the White House was trying to change the
implementation. The White House saying nothing changed. Canada just backed out of this trade deal after everything had been agreed to.
I mean, the big question, of course, is whether or not they can get them back to the negotiating table before September 8th. That is when those
retaliatory tariffs that Prime Minister Carney put in place are scheduled to take effect. And this is going to dramatically impact Americans across
the country.
Now, in addition to all Americans being impacted by these tariffs, there are also specific states, states that President Trump and Republicans want
to win critical races in those midterm elections that are going to be hit the hardest. Maine is one of them. Susan Collins is running a tough race.
They are trying to make sure she holds on to that seat. New Hampshire is one that Republicans have told me they think it's potential that they could
get some traction there with Sununu running. And the primary hasn't happened yet, but does feel as though they feel like they have a chance
there.
And Michigan, where they also feel like there's potential to flip that seat to a Republican. All of those are places that border Canada, that do trade
regularly with Canada. And these politicians have already said this is going to hurt many small businesses, many locals who depend on the northern
neighbor.
So, this strategy that President Trump is using, it's one we've seen before. He's clearly adding on. He is needling Canada by doing this change
of Lake Ontario. And I think part of -- you pulled up what Carney responded with. But I do think there's also part of that that we didn't read that, to
me, seems pretty indicative of where his mind is at, which he says, essentially, we know that America is changing the trading relationships,
their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydrogens. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario then,
now and always.
So, clearly, he's not taking this lying down, but he's also kind of brushing it off as something that is just the way President Trump operates.
SCIUTTO: And we should note that the president can instruct federal agencies to name it that, but doesn't mean that anybody else in the world
is going to do the same thing. Always good to have you on, Kristen. Thanks so much.
Still ahead, profiting from the presidency. New filing show. President Trump made more than a thousand stock trades in June alone, some tied to
firms impacted by the war with Iran.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:15:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, a solid day of gains on Wall Street. Tech stocks rose 1.5 percent as investors cheered strong
earnings from A.I. bellwether NVIDIA. Shares of the chip giant rose more than 8 percent after the company said sales doubled in the second quarter.
It is raising its forward guidance as well. NVIDIA's results helped ease fears for now about the durability of the A.I. trade.
New concerns that President Trump is continuing to profit directly from the presidency. The president disclosed he made more than 1,000 stock trades in
June alone. Those trades include the buying and selling of thousands of dollars' worth of shares in energy companies impacted by the Iran war. He
made those transactions in a wide range of other industries affected by Trump policies, including drug makers Eli Lilly and Merck and A.I. firms
like NVIDIA.
The White House has repeatedly stressed Trump's portfolio is independently managed and that he has no control over which stocks are bought and sold.
All this after news that Trump appointed regulators are giving the Trump family's flagship cryptocurrency firm the OK to now become a bank. That
move alarmed ethics watchdogs and lawmakers.
Joining me now is Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer, also professor of corporate law at the University of Minnesota. Richard, a lot
to talk about here. Let's start with stock trades. Is it legal for a president to trade in individual stocks?
RICHARD PAINTER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ETHICS LAWYER AND PROFESSOR OF CORPORATE LAW, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: The president can do this. No
other official in the executive branch except for the president or the vice president could get away with this. And when I was the chief White House
ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, I made it clear to everyone that there is a criminal statute that prohibits financial conflicts of
interest. If you own stock in an oil company, you cannot get involved in federal government matters that affect the price of oil. And it would be a
criminal offense if you did under 18 United States Code Section 208.
This provision does not apply to the president, the vice president and the members of Congress who are also busy trading in stocks. Congress passes
laws, applies them to executive branch officials and then exempts themselves and the president, the vice president. This is a very, very bad
situation.
But every other president since the Civil War has avoided significant financial conflicts of interest with official duties. Every single
president, with exception of the slave-holding presidents we had before the war with large plantations of slave labor. But other than that, every
president has avoided these financial conflicts except for President Trump.
President Trump is the first president in American history to be trading stocks in substantial amounts while in office. And so, technically legal,
perhaps, yes, provided he's not acting on the basis of material inside information that's been appropriated from the White House. That would be a
separate conversation. But if he's not using material non-public information, technically he could do it, but it is an enormous conflict of
interest. President Bush never would have dreamed of doing something like this.
SCIUTTO: Well, given you were a White House ethics lawyer, my next question was going to be, if legal, is it ethical? Because the conflicts of
interest appear quite direct here, are they not? If he's, say, buying and selling oil companies whose profits and stock price will be directly
affected by decisions that he himself made regarding the war. And comments that he makes that we've seen move the markets, right? Oh, we're
negotiating with Iran, market goes up. I'm going to attack Iran, market goes down. I mean, it seems from an ethical standpoint, is it clear-cut
unethical?
PAINTER: I think it is unethical. And this is exactly why I and many others several years ago approached Congress to ask that a law be enacted
that would prohibit the members of Congress, the president, the vice president, from trading stocks while in office. If the criminal conflict of
interest statute applies to everyone else, there should be rules restricting stock trading by members of Congress, the president, the vice
president.
The bill never went anywhere because the Republicans supported Donald Trump and hoped that he would come back to the presidency after President Biden
took office.
[18:20:00]
The Biden administration did not support the bill and Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, did not support the bill. Her husband was too busy
stock trading. This is a serious problem that members of Congress and, in this case, a president of the United States don't get the point. These
financial conflicts of interest can be devastating for the American people, for our economy, and we expect leaders who we elect to represent us, not to
simply try to profit from office.
SCIUTTO: Yes. OK. Final question, given we also had in the headlines that regulators have given the Trump family's cryptocurrency firm the ability to
be a bank with enormous potential for profit, a regulator under the Trump administration giving a family business leeway to grow that business,
legal, ethical?
PAINTER: Well, once again, this may be legal if the president, well, the president is exempt from the financial conflict of interest statute, but
this is an extremely risky conflict of interest. We know what happens when the banking system is poorly regulated. What happened in 1930 and 1931 when
about a third of the banks in the United States failed and we had a depression for the next 10 years? What happened in 2008 when banks were
developing derivative securities, poorly regulated?
But at least then, in those instances, we didn't have presidents who had bank charters, who would, of course, want a more liberal regulation of
banks, as opposed to the conservative banking policies that we should have with high capital requirements and restrictions on risky lending.
So, this is a recipe for destroying our economy if the president has a bank charter and then goes out there and encourages bank regulators to loosen
the regulations and get another bump in the economy, which will come crashing down and cost all the American people perhaps their jobs and their
livelihoods.
SCIUTTO: Richard Painter, thanks for giving us the hard truths.
PAINTER: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Well, checking some of today's other business headlines now. News site Axios reports that the U.S. is in talks with Venezuela about taking an
ownership stake in its oil industry. Axios says details still being hammered out if the deal goes through. It could more than double U.S. oil
reserves at a time when the U.S. strategic petroleum reserves at a near 40- year low due to the Iran war.
A lawyer for Fed Governor Lisa Cook has sent a letter to the White House defending her from charges of mortgage fraud. It says the White House's
arguments for firing Cook rely on, quote, untried and unproven allegations of criminal wrongdoing. It says any mistake she made on her mortgage
applications were inadvertent and the result of errors by others.
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh is set to deliver a key policy speech tomorrow at the central bank's annual gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This will be his
first keynote speech at Jackson Hole as Fed chair. Investors are hoping he will give greater insight into where Fed policy is headed. He's been
criticized for not clearly stating what it would take for the Fed to raise interest rates, which has helped trigger volatility in the bond market.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino now under even more pressure as Europe's football governing body prepares to bring a criminal complaint against him.
UEFA is seeking evidence by filing applications in U.S. courts over Infantino's now abandoned plans to sell private stakes in the World Cup.
UEFA is looking for documents related to an investment fund founded by Josh Kushner, younger brother of President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
World Sports Don Riddell joins us from Atlanta. I mean, listen, there's a lot fishy about that deal. No question. What exactly is the criminal
wrongdoing that UEFA is alleging?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, let's try and explain it for you, Jim. UEFA accusing Infantino of criminal mismanagement. Of course, this is
following his aborted plan to sell off parts of FIFA competitions to private investors.
And as such, UEFA, which is the governing body for Europe's 55-member nation, says it is preparing for criminal proceedings in Switzerland
against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials and advisers. As part of the initial discovery process, they've applied to a court in Florida,
hoping to access the files held by two FIFA businesses there. That's FIFA Americas and FIFA World Cup 2026.
They are also applying to courts in New York and Colorado for discovery pertaining to the other figures involved.
[18:25:00]
The Manhattan court request relates to the involvement of Thrive Capital Management and Joshua Kushner, who is the brother of President Trump's son-
in-law, Jared Kushner.
UEFA believes that FIFA Forward Enterprise, which was quickly scrapped, of course, valued the stakes too cheaply and says the whole thing was being
fast-tracked before anyone really had a chance to fully vet it and maybe stop it. Part of the application reads, quote, "Under the terms, Infantino
announced those investors stood to acquire a permanent financial interest in FIFA's commercial arm for $4.2 billion, implying an absurdly low
enterprise value of only approximately $20 billion, a figure that was neither the product of an open competitive auction nor tested by any
independent valuer." UEFA said that the proposed sale was, quote, "done at a fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit,"
end quote.
Wherever this may lead, it is a development which has heaped further pressure on Infantino, who just a few months ago was widely expected to win
a fourth consecutive term as FIFA president in March. Jim, he has refused to step down. We'll see where this avenue leads.
SCIUTTO: Yes, does he get elected again? Is there a criminal prosecution? Thanks so much, Don.
Well, still to come tonight, the urgent need for aid in the Himalayas after Wednesday's just devastating flash floods. I'll speak to a top official who
saved the children about what needs to be done now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto, and here are the international headlines we're watching today.
In the past few hours, Nepali police have said at least 389 people have been confirmed killed in flash floods along the border between Nepal and
China. These new images are giving us a further glimpse of the absolute devastation that flooding unleashed on Wednesday. There are now fears more
flooding could be on the way. China says a dam of a newly created lake might burst.
[18:30:00]
The governing body for European football is preparing to launch a legal challenge against FIFA chief Gianni Infantino. UEFA says it is drawing up a
criminal complaint against him for criminal mismanagement. They accuse him of trying to privatize and sell part of the World Cup below price and
without approval.
The Bosnian Serb general, known as the butcher of Bosnia, has died in prison at the age of 84. Ratko Mladic was convicted of genocide of Bosnia's
non-Serbian population in the 1990s. He led the Srebrenica massacre, which killed more than 7,000 Muslims in just a few days. He was captured in 2011,
sentenced to life in prison in 2017.
Returning now to our top story, the impact of the catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-China border. UNICEF says more than 70,000 children are now
in need of humanitarian assistance. They say those who survive the floods face a heightened risk of disease, malnutrition, violence, and
exploitation.
Janti Soeripto is the president and CEO of Save the Children U.S., and she joins me now. Janti, thanks so much for taking the time.
JANTI SOERIPTO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SAVE THE CHILDREN U.S.: Thanks for having us, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Help us understand the scale of this, because so many people watching right now saw the image of that massive wall of water moving down.
We're getting a better sense of the death toll now, certainly in the hundreds, but I imagine the ripple effects of that go out much broader.
SOERIPTO: Yes, absolutely. And yes, those images are absolutely devastating. Of course, it's like, you know, I've heard senses like a wall
of liquid concrete running down through that valley and the villages and towns and schools. And of course, this flood also happened during a time
when children were on their way to school. So, almost 400 people confirmed dead, over a thousand missing. A lot of children will have been separated
from their families and communities because they were on their way to school.
So, again, even after the immediate emergency response, which of course we are all doing, there will be a huge need to make sure that children get
reunited with their families safely.
SCIUTTO: Do you have any sense of how many of those killed or missing were children?
SOERIPTO: It's hard to get the data. And it's, of course, incredibly chaotic and confusing in a situation like this, only two days after. What's
also hampering the rescue activities is that it's very narrow valley, a lot of infrastructure damage, a lot of roads and bridges are destroyed. People
are trying to flee, of course, the impacted area and rescue teams are trying to come in. So, you'll see a lot of essentially traffic jams
happening in that area as well.
So, within that chaos to get a clear handle on data is always very difficult. Save the children in Nepal. We've been there for many decades.
It was very well prepared. We have warehouses all over the country. We had pre-positioned supplies ready. So, we're on the ground doing the absolute
necessary and lifesaving work as we speak. Clean water, food, shelter, blankets, protection for children is absolutely essential, especially in
those first 24 to 48 hours.
SCIUTTO: I spoke to a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department earlier this afternoon, and I asked if the cut in U.S. foreign aid had impacted the
U.S. ability to respond to this and other natural disasters. He said no. In your experience, are you seeing a less impactful presence from the U.S.
government, U.S. government aid agencies after disasters like this one?
SOERIPTO: Look, we have seen a certain slower response than in previous years. Immediate outpouring of financial support, but also of search and
rescue teams is important, particularly if governments, of course, ask for that. And that is what we would like to see here, not just from the United
States, but from all the international community writ large.
SCIUTTO: Well, Janti, we appreciate the work you and Save the Children are doing. We know you have a lot more work to do. We'll do our best to keep in
touch as you proceed.
SOERIPTO: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, another story we're following, the notorious Bosnian Serb general known infamously as the Butcher of Bosnia has died at a U.N. prison
at the age of 84. Ratko Mladic was convicted of genocide and other atrocities following Bosnia's civil war in the 1990s.
[18:35:00]
He led the Srebrenica massacre and oversaw the siege of Sarajevo, which trapped and terrorized civilians with daily deadly attacks. CNN's Nic
Robertson has more on his horrific legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RATKO MLADIC, THEN-BOSNIAN-SERB COMMANDER (through translator): Don't be afraid. No one will do anything to you.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how the world will remember Ratko Mladic, calming crowds of civilians
ahead of the biggest mass murder in Europe since World War II, a genocide he engineered and would go on the run for a decade and a half before being
captured and brought to trial.
It was July 1995 in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica. The country's bloody civil war was in its third year. Mladic commanded the Bosnian Serb army.
His forces brutally slaughtered more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys from Srebrenica. Mladic's central and blood-soaked role in the breakup of the
former Yugoslavia began years earlier, a frontline commander in 1991 spearheading Serb forces against Croatia.
Over the previous three decades, he'd risen rapidly through the ranks of the Yugoslav army, but it was Bosnia's battlefields that made him hero to
many Serbs, defender of their dwindling fortunes. He was born in 1943 during the Nazis' World War II occupation, close to the crucible of much of
his later killing, Bosnia's capital Sarajevo.
He grew up imbued with Serbian ideology of orthodox Christian faith and defense of ethnic kin. He got his chance in May 1992. Bosnia's Serbian
political leaders picked him to head their forces. Bosnia's Muslim leaders wanted independence for Serbs to remain part of Yugoslavia. Mladic laid
siege to Sarajevo, shelling and sniping its poorly prepared civilian population. More than a quarter million people died in the course of the
three-year war, leading to charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity against Mladic.
When peace came in 1995, Mladic went on the run. In the early 2000s, he was still drawing an army pension in Belgrade. There were reports of sightings,
rumors of arrest, a stroke, even suicide. But eventually, in the summer of 2011, he was captured living on a Serbian farm with a cousin.
MLADIC (through translator): I am General Ratko Mladic.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): At last, he was brought into the dock in the tribunal in The Hague. His right arm appeared limp, almost useless. During
the hearings that followed, he would complain of fatigue and illness, citing past heart problems. But Mladic remained combative and
uncooperative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Mladic, if you --
ROBERTSON (voice-over): He was removed from court during his sentencing, shouting, it was all lies. In November 2017, he was convicted, handed life
in prison for genocide and crimes against humanity. His death ends one of the darkest chapters in Europe's recent history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Quite a life story. Coming up on "The Brief," a legal battle continues over mail-in voting in this country. The U.S. Postal Service has
new mail ballot regulations following a Supreme Court ruling. However, those new rules now facing multiple legal challenges.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: A group of Democratic led states has filed a new lawsuit to block the U. S. Postal Service from imposing new restrictions on mail-in voting.
The Supreme Court allowed those restrictions to move forward this week, saying the states had challenged them too soon in court. President Trump
has now ordered the Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters approved to vote by mail. The states say the Postal Service has no
authority when it comes to elections. Their suit is one, just one of the legal challenges to the Trump administration's ongoing effort to restrict
mail-in voting.
Joining me now, Tianna Mays. She is the legal director at the Democracy Defenders Fund, which filed a separate challenge to that USPS mail voting
rule. Tianna, it's good to have you. Thanks so much for joining.
TIANNA MAYS, LEGAL DIRECTOR, DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND: Thank you for having me.
SCIUTTO: So, first, help us understand the impact first of this this one Supreme Court decision. The administration is treating this as a green
light to implement the new USPS rules. You and your organization have said it does not put in place any new voting restrictions. So, could you explain
the impact?
MAYS: Sure. The Supreme Court ruling was merely about timing, whether or not it was the right time to file the case. Can the case be before the
court? And that is it. We've gone back to court to make it very clear that now that there has been a final rule issued, that we are asking again for
the court to say the implementation of any type of rule around it or any type of orders or actions around it, because the states are the ones who
administer elections, not the president.
SCIUTTO: OK. You have also said that even the fact that the court would consider allowing a president to direct the Postal Service to implement
these new rules is troubling. Does that give you an indication at all as to how the court might decide when eventually it has to decide on the merits?
MAYS: Not necessarily. The idea is that we will continue to bring all of the information, all of the evidence before the trial court. The trial
court will build a very robust record, as was done previously, and the court will look at that and make another decision. It's hard to read the
tea leaves at this time to determine how the Supreme Court will rule, but we are confident that the Constitution makes it very clear that the
president has no role here, and we are confident that that will prevail.
SCIUTTO: Now, the trouble is that the midterm elections are so close, right?
MAYS: Yes.
SCIUTTO: And this isn't an administration or president who has made a lot of unfounded claims about elections. The concern is that even if the court
rules against him that he will use this as a means of challenging elections.
[18:45:00]
And I just wonder, is that something, elections that don't go his way, mind you. Is that something that you think has increased in probability as
result of this, at least this initial decision?
MAYS: Not necessarily. This administration has pretty much made it very clear and has demonstrated that anything that doesn't go its way, it's
going to challenge it, whether or not it's constitutionally sound or not.
SCIUTTO: No question. OK. In some states, the deadline to begin transmitting those mail ballots is just weeks away. Are you confident there
will be clarity from the Supreme Court in time?
MAYS: Well, we don't need clarity from the Supreme Court in time for those states to administer those mail ballots. Right now, it's important that
people understand that the Postal Service is safe and secure. Sending in ballots by mail, it's safe and secure, it is still allowed, and that again,
the states administer the rules and the states are the ones who are administering elections, not the federal government.
SCIUTTO: I understand that to the letter of the law, but this is an administration that has stretched, one can say, its powers, sometimes
beyond the law, or it's done things before asking for permission, right? In effect, forget about asking for permission, just ask for forgiveness later,
even if you do that. So, I'm just concerned, do you have concern that the Postal Service might act on these rules or these lists, even if it doesn't
have legal backing from the courts?
MAYS: We don't have concern that the Postal Service will act without legal backing from the court, but I will say this, we are prepared for any
possibility that if that happens, we will continue to go to court. We will continue to make sure that we are advocating and that we are educating
folks to make sure that they're voting early and make sure that they are listening to their state officials, not what's coming out of the
administration, because again, this is something that the states drive and that the states control.
SCIUTTO: Before we go, Tiana, given that you are now challenging this in court, how quickly should we expect the next steps to unfold?
MAYS: We should expect the next steps to unfold relatively quickly. I think that the court can appreciate, just like everyone else, that this is
something that folks would want an answer to, and that folks need clarity as elections are either underway or getting ready to go underway relatively
quickly.
SCIUTTO: Tiana Mays, thanks so much for joining.
MAYS: Thank you for having me.
SCIUTTO: Well, scientists may be getting one step closer to understanding exactly how autism develops in the brain and what therapies could work for
treatment. The latest research and what it tells us, next.
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SCIUTTO: A potential breakthrough in understanding exactly how autism can develop in the brain. Scientists have mapped out ways in which specific
genetic mutations associated with autism can rewire the brain, leading to the condition. The molecular map was published today in the journal
Science. As Jacqueline Howard reports, researchers hope it could pave the way for more targeted therapies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Researchers used A.I. and they studied tiny lab-grown brains called organoids. And to build this map, what
the researchers did, they really zeroed in on how certain genetic mutations that we know are associated with autism can rewire the brain and influence
how proteins in the brain interact with each other.
So, on this map, researchers mapped out 1,800 protein interactions in the brain that they tied back to autism. And 87 percent of those interactions
had never been seen before. That's why this is a big deal. And the researchers say in the future, this map could help inform the development
of treatments if those treatments target those protein interactions on the map.
And when I say treatments, this is in reference to potentially treatments for profound autism. So, we're talking about the most severe type of autism
where people may need 24-hour care. That's also why this is a major, major deal, if this map can help develop and drive that type of research. It can
take years to develop a treatment, but researchers are so hopeful that the scientists who built this map, they told me that they're already looking
into development programs based on their work.
And advocacy groups also told me that they're excited about this and the potential here. But I spoke with the president of the Autism Science
Foundation, Alison Singer, and she told me that while she's excited, she also hopes that this will encourage the administration to look into and
invest in this type of research. Because we know the second Trump administration has turned a spotlight on autism, and she said that she
hopes they don't redirect funding or investments away from this research and instead focus on this type of research.
She told me in an email, quote, "Redirecting limited federal research investments away from the strongest biological evidence will slow
scientific progress precisely when these types of unprecedented opportunities for therapeutic development are emerging," end quote. So, she
really says this type of research can drive the potential advancement of therapies in the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Our thanks to Jacqueline Howard. Well, the famed Japanese artist who embellished the world with polka dots has died at the age of 97. Yayoi
Kusama was one of contemporary art's most popular and commercially successful figures. Stephy Chung has more now on the lasting impression she
leaves on the art world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHY CHUNG, CNN STYLE ASIA EDITOR (voice-over): Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, famed for her pumpkin sculptures and large-scale infinity mirror
rooms, has died at 97. She passed away at a Tokyo hospital on August 14, according to a statement on the artist's official website.
Kusama was born in Nagano, Japan in 1929 into a dysfunctional and abusive household. She first began experiencing vivid hallucinations at a young
age, which flooded her world with the polka dots that she would later deploy in her work.
The artist moved to the U.S. in the 1950s, where she produced a significant body of work that included not only paintings and sculptures, but surreal
works of film, literature, and performance art. In the 1960s, she staged what she called happenings, where she transformed naked bodies into dotted
canvases.
She returned to Japan in the early '70s and checked herself into a psychiatric hospital soon after, where she continued to live in recent
decades, and up until her final days, produced art from the facility in a small studio nearby.
YAYOI KUSAMA, ARTIST (voice-over): Since I was five or 10, I began drawing. Even now, there is not a day that goes by without my drawing.
CHUNG (voice-over): After some years of relative obscurity, she would later become one of the world's most famous artists and achieved mainstream
commercial success and collaborated with brands like Louis Vuitton. Her famous infinity mirror rooms attracted millions of visitors to galleries
and museums around the world, while many of her paintings have sold for millions of dollars, proving her works resonated deeply and will continue
to inspire audiences today.
[18:55:00]
KUSAMA (voice-over): I want to spend every day with the desire to do whatever possible to bring love into humanity, to battle for the best for
humanity in a society which is peaceful and a wonderful world without war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Finally, stargazers are in for a rare sight in the skies tonight. A partial lunar eclipse will be visible overnight across much of the United
States. About 96 percent of the moon will be in the Earth's shadow at its peak. Observers across North and South America will have the best view of
the partial lunar eclipse. And unlike solar eclipses, you will not need any special equipment. Experts recommend heading to a nearby park or open space
that gives you a clear view of the night sky, hopefully without not a lot of city lights around.
Thanks so much for your company. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
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