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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Ukraine and Canada Agree to Century-Long Partnership; Ukraine: Russian Attacks Kill Nine in and Near Dnipro; Trump's Dividend Promise; U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Missouri Congressional Map; Growing Calls for A.I. Regulation; Yemen in the Spotlight Amid Iran War; U.S. Open Women's Semifinals. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired September 10, 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, a 100-year partnership Canada and Ukraine sign a pact on trade and defense. We'll take a look at the difference that might make
on the ground in Ukraine. President Trump says he will pay every U.S. adult $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms. Why the pledge is ringing alarm
bells and frankly raising doubts. And we'll be live on the court at the U.S. Open as the women's semifinals get underway.
Well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy landed on North American soil just a day after reports that a Russian drone had threatened his plane on
the ground in Europe. Zelenskyy meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The two leaders then signed a 100-year partnership. Under that
deal, Ottawa will give Kyiv new air defense missiles worth more than $250 million U.S. dollars. Here's how President Zelenskyy reacted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We are already strong, but we have to be stronger, enough stronger to have a real dialogue with Putin.
Not only compromises what he wants. We need what is good for people of Ukraine, for people of Europe, for people of the world, for our children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Well, the war today in Ukraine is another reminder of exactly why it is so desperate for more air defenses. A Russian drone slammed into this
gas station today. Russian attacks east of the City of Dnipro reportedly killed at least seven people and injured dozens more. This is a daily event
there. In Dnipro itself, two people were killed when a food plant was hit. Russia authorities claimed a Ukrainian strike killed one person in the city
of Belgorod.
Well, Michael Cerre is a special correspondent for PBS NewsHour. He recently embedded in Ukraine with a relief convoy. He experienced many of
these barrages and he joins me now. Mike good to have you on.
MIKE CERRE, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, PBS NEWSHOUR AND GLOBE TV CORRESPONDENT AND PRODUCER: Good to be here with you, Jim, especially after all your
reporting in Ukraine.
SCIUTTO: Well, tell me what you witnessed on the ground there because Russia has certainly upped the pace of these attacks, ballistic missiles,
jet-powered drones. What were the attacks like that you and your team witnessed there?
CERRE: Well, I was part of a relief convoy that was bringing in emergency vehicles and tech supplies and humanitarian supplies to Kyiv. It was at the
end of August just as the missile surge started for the first time in several weeks. It was a nightly event. You would hear maybe explosions from
the defense weapons going off trying to stop the missiles and the drones and then it was followed by sirens and usually a warning in the hotel to go
to the bomb shelter. It became pretty much a nightly event for the week we were there.
SCIUTTO: Did you have a sense of those air defenses being overwhelmed? Because the sad fact is that just so many of those Russian missiles and
drones and glide bombs are getting through those defenses.
CERRE: We were talking with some local experts who noted that on the first two nights they didn't think any of the very precious Patriot defense
missiles were used and the barrage was getting so heavy that they finally started using some. So, there have been many reports and I'm sure you've
reported on before of the shortage of Patriot missiles which is their key defense measure.
And so, they are being very judicious on how they use them. As a surge got underway, they decided they had to use them because it was getting serious
by the day.
SCIUTTO: I know we have some video that you and your team shot while you were there. We could play that now and perhaps as we do, you can tell us of
the experience there but also maybe describe the need, the humanitarian need on the ground.
CERRE: Yes. I mean, they are in short supply of almost everything. So, these relief convoys that have been going in on almost on a quarterly basis
were bringing in emergency vehicles, as you've been reporting. Once there's a strike on an emergency vehicle or on somewhere, they usually strike the
emergency vehicles afterwards.
[18:05:00]
What you're seeing here is loads of battery power packs to help when they knock out the power systems. This is one of the fire trucks that was
donated from Finland to replace the fire trucks they're losing and you see behind it some ambulances and these four-wheel drives that are precious
need on the battlefront. They're filled with supplies, mostly tech gear and miscellaneous supplies that they need so desperately.
SCIUTTO: As the U.S. has reduced military assistance to Ukraine and now, though, Zelenskyy has asked for U.S. Patriot missile interceptors and
largely President Trump has refused, he says that U.S. stockpiles are simply too low. Did you sense on the ground there that Ukrainians have lost
faith in the U.S. as a partner in their defense?
CERRE: They're somewhat entrenched by the lack of support of the United States and that was the motivation for most of the 30 people who are on
this convoy. They were frustrated the United States wasn't doing enough and they want to do something, anything to show their support and give some
support to Ukraine. So, yes, that's pretty obvious.
They think it's a desperate situation, they need all the help they can get, and they're a little bit concerned by the mixed messages they get from the
U.S. government about how much support they're going to get from the United States.
SCIUTTO: Yes. There's a great deal of concern about the war escalating, particularly as we head into winter, plus you have these new threats, you
have these jet-powered drones which are doing so much damage, they're hard for the drone interceptors to get. You have an enormous number of missiles
and you have a dwindling number of air defenses on the Ukrainian side, although Europe and Canada are trying to step up.
Did you sense a build-up of foreboding as the winter approaches, that it's going to be just a new and extremely difficult phase of the war?
CERRE: The Ukrainians are quick to tell you that as winter sets on, they start to lose their tactical advantage with drones on the battle lines, the
weather makes it more difficult for them to operate. So, they may lose that military advantage and also, they are fearful that these attacks will
continue to disrupt their grid and their way of life in Ukraine, which is going to make it more difficult for everything.
This latest barrage of missiles while we were there were hitting some food supply storage places, grocery stores, big markets and e-commerce sites.
So, it was really intended to disrupt daily life as much as military life. So, they're very concerned about getting through the winter. Their power
grid is always at risk and that makes life very difficult in Ukraine when they have to deal with that power. And that's one of the reasons why three
of the trucks that we're bringing in this convoy were loaded with battery packs.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, I'm sure the people there appreciate that assistance, Mike. Thank you for coming on the show and sharing your experience there.
CERRE: All right. Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, U.S. President Donald Trump is dangling an extraordinary offer to Americans, a $5,000 check for each and every adult. The hitch,
Republicans would have to retain their House and Senate majorities in November's midterm elections. To be fair, there are a great deal of
questions about whether this is a realistic offer from the president. It would cost the government more than a trillion dollars. While the economy
is already struggling, not just with an exploding debt, but also inflation, it would also require congressional approval, assuming it's even legal to
make such an offer.
Here's what President Trump claimed about what he called a dividend while addressing Republicans last night in Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, I will issue a
dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: I will issue, he says. Well, the president's proposal echoes other promises he has made that have not and likely never will come to be.
There was a $5,000 stimulus check from a so-called DOGE dividend. Nothing was delivered. A $2,000 check from what was then called a tariff dividend.
Americans are still waiting on that one as well. Trump also backed a plan to give people enrolled in Obamacare up to $1,500 to help pay for their
coverage.
The White House has now announced another payment. The government will issue a $500 rebate to certain people who bought their health care coverage
through the Federal Exchange. President Trump says recipients were overcharged by the Biden administration. Nearly one people in 30 states are
at least promised that money. All this comes as Republicans wrap up their midterm convention, a first.
[18:10:00]
In just a few hours, Vice President JD Vance is expected to deliver the keynote address of the night, followed by another address from the
president.
Alayna Treene joins me now from Dallas. And, Alayna, the American people have heard a lot of promises like this $5,000 promise, none of which have
come to fruition. And there are particular obstacles to this one, including requiring congressional approval. When you speak to White House officials,
how do they say they're going to make this a reality? Or do they? Do they even share plans to do so?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you this, Jim. I spoke with a bunch of officials this morning and people who are very close
to the president and in his ear all the time about this. This caught a lot of people off guard, a lot of people throughout the Trump administration,
also a lot of Republican lawmakers who you would think would have been given a heads up of a plan like this, given it would likely require
congressional approval. Actually, it will acquire -- require congressional approval. The president arguing today actually doesn't know if he needs it.
But a lot of people kind of thrown off guard by this.
Now, I will say I talked to one member of the president's political operation, one of his advisers, who told me he has floated this idea before
with some of his most senior officials, people like Jason Miller and James Blair. Notably, both of those names I was given are, of course, people on
the outside of the White House who are very much involved in the political operation for the midterm.
But by and large, a lot of people were kind of surprised by this. And I think you are kind of seeing a lot of the skepticism exactly as you're
laying out about how this could actually work from a lot of Republicans today. There is a donor that actually held a fundraiser last night, co-
hosted it with the president's son, Donald Trump Jr. He cast some doubt on this on social media publicly.
A lot of people also arguing, is this really just a carrot that the president is trying to dangle to voters? Notably, of course, this two-day
convention. Every person I've spoken with who's close to the president or in his orbit says this is all about energizing his base. They recognize
they have a problem with trying to convince some of the president's fiercest supporters to get out there for the midterm elections and actually
convince them to show up and vote.
This could be something that could energize them. I mean, who doesn't like a $5,000 check? But as you mentioned, the technical parts of this are
really unclear at this moment. I'd also note that I spoke with one White House official who said they were scrambling this morning to put together a
list of talking points after this announcement.
Notably, they often do that to kind of simultaneously release it once the president makes an announcement like this. That might give, you know, some
support to people who said this really was a surprise to many people. So, we'll have to see whether or not this is actually something they can do.
We have heard other officials, the vice president talked about this, said this could potentially come from tariff money, though. Again, there are
really no details yet that we've been able to glean on how this would actually work, when they would want to do it and what kind of authority the
president thinks he has to try to get this done, particularly if he thinks he can do this without Congress. All that really much not certain at this
point.
But again, not something that will likely even happen after until after the midterm elections and only if Republicans are actually able to maintain
both majorities in the House and the Senate. So, we're going to have to stay on this one, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Alayna Treene at the midterm convention, thanks so much.
Well, speaking of the midterms, there's been a major ruling by the Supreme Court that might impact those elections. The justices again rejected a
newly drawn congressional map in the state of Missouri, which favored Republicans. The decision a blow to President Trump's ongoing efforts to
try to give Republicans a better chance to keep their majority, particularly in the House of Representatives.
There's another big case concerning the midterms. The high court may soon weigh in on Trump's executive order on mail in ballots. The White House
argues new Postal Service rules are necessary to secure the ballots and ensure that only eligible voters receive them. A coalition of Democratic
led states warn the Supreme Court that siding with the Trump administration would be catastrophic.
Joining me now is Republican strategist Neal Chatterjee. He is also a former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under the Trump
administration and former policy adviser to Senator Mitch McConnell. Thanks so much, Neil, for joining. We appreciate it.
NEAL CHATTERJEE, U.S. REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: So, we know the track record of these dividend check promises from the president and the track record is such that they don't happen. Is
there any reason to believe that this one is more realistic than the previous ones?
CHATTERJEE: I mean, we'll have to see the details. I thought Alayna laid it out pretty well. There's no indication on how this would happen. My
assumption would be it would be done through a process called budget reconciliation, which could be done with a simple majority in the House and
the Senate. But it would have to be deficit neutral. How do you offset the $1.6 trillion in cost? I think this is more political, to be quite frank.
[18:15:00]
I think this is the president recognizing that the biggest vulnerability that congressional Republicans have right now is on the economy, on
pocketbook issues. Look, high costs are hurting Americans. Everything from the price at the pump to groceries to expensive utility bills.
Republicans passed a big tax cut last summer, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. They should be focusing on that. I think what the president is doing
here is demonstrating recognition that there's a vulnerability and just trying to create a message that his administration, working with
congressional Republicans, can do something to bring relief to Americans who are feeling the pressure of these high prices. I kind of think this is
more a slogan than a policy proposal. That said, I thought the same thing when he called for no tax on tips and he did get that one done.
SCIUTTO: Why not then talk about policy, though? Why messaging and not policy? I mean, for instance, tariffs. I mean, the Wall Street Journal
editorial board calls them a tax, an import tax, inflationary. There's a lot of economic evidence of that. I mean, there are policy ways to at least
attempt to reduce inflationary pressure. One might even say that raising interest rates might do so. But President Trump is applying the opposite
pressure on the Federal Reserve.
So, why not -- why doesn't the president propose and why doesn't Congress with the president propose actual policy fixes as opposed to slogans?
CHATTERJEE: It's two big things that are hovering over the Republican Party and their electoral prospects right now. It's the two I's, Iran and
inflation, and they're interlinked. I think a lot of the price pressure that Americans are seeing right now are facing are the direct result of the
war in Iran.
And so, you know, there's only so much you can propose on policy. Look, the one big, beautiful bill act did incorporate a lot of key Republican policy
initiatives and they got that signed into law. And I think had it not been for the war in Iran. Americans might be now feeling some of the positive
benefits of that legislative policy proposal that was enacted into law. But because of the war, because the ramifications of the war, Americans aren't
seeing it, which is now why the president is having to resort to kind of bumper sticker slogans to try and energize his base ahead of the elections.
SCIUTTO: Sure. You have this Missouri decision. That's just one seat in one state. But what is your view of the broader effort by the Trump
administration and Republicans in red states to redraw maps to give Republicans advantage this time this time around? I know there's some
concern in Texas that redrawing those maps might actually, you know, put some seats at risk. What's your view? Did it -- what's the bottom line on
redistricting as we go into this cycle?
CHATTERJEE: I don't like it. I don't like doing it mid cycle like this. I didn't like it when Republicans did it in Texas and Florida. I didn't like
it when Democrats attempted it in my home State of Virginia. I think we have a process in place to do this every decade. You know, I think that
this is ultimately going to backfire. It starts a redistricting arms race and Democrats will certainly retaliate. They tried in 2026. They'll try
again in 2028.
And what it does is just it creates further extremes. The losers tend to be the moderates, the people in the middle. And when you do these redraws, you
get more people from the right and you get more people from the left. And the end result is it just creates greater divisions in Washington and makes
it harder to get anything done.
So, I'm not a fan of this at all. I think, you know, they're trying to defy history. Midterm elections have tended to -- going all the way back to 2006
really have gone against the party in power. They're trying to defy those historical trends. I would rather they focus, quite frankly, on the United
States Senate, where the map is really favorable to Republicans.
The path to a Democrat majority really runs through red states where they're, quite frankly, just more Republicans than Democrats. If
Republicans can turn out voters in those states, they ought to win. Focus on that, not trying to game the system.
SCIUTTO: Before we go, I wonder what your view is of the impact of the Iran war and not just on these midterms, right, because we know the impact,
one, just the most direct one is on gas prices, but also other inflationary pressures. But given that there's a lot of reporting in recent days that
the Trump administration is preparing for the possibility the war continues, perhaps to the end of his term. What does that mean for this
president and his administration, a war that he promised to be over in a few weeks lasting that long?
[18:20:00]
CHATTERJEE: Yes. Look, this is a tricky one because I think the central premise, if you believe what the administration is saying is they want to
prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And I think that's something that if you put it in those terms, most Americans, most, you know, citizens
of the world would be supportive of that.
I think the challenge is they did think maybe perhaps some hubris after the successful operation in Venezuela, that this would be very quick and it's
going on longer. I think now what the president is seeing is that the Iranians understand American democracy and American politics, and they've
utilized this tactic before.
If you recall, back in the late '70s, I was only two years old. But when Jimmy Carter was running for reelection against Ronald Reagan during the
Iran hostage crisis, the Iranians held those hostages, specifically knowing they would have leverage over President Carter. I think they're doing the
same thing here with the Strait of Hormuz, with trying to strangle, you know, the global economy and the American economy, knowing that it will
hurt President Trump's party in the midterms.
So, I think President Trump is trying to signal, well, I don't care about the midterms. I'm going to remain strong and fight this through my term.
That's what's fracturing his base. But at the same time, I think that's what's necessary to manufacture leverage in negotiations with the Iranians
who feel like they can just wait him out until November.
SCIUTTO: Neal Chatterjee, we appreciate you joining.
CHATTERJEE: Thanks so much for having me.
SCIUTTO: All right. Well, coming up on "The Brief," Anthropic says it blocked possible attempts to use its A.I. models to develop bioweapons.
Alarming. Plus, growing calls for A.I. regulation. What U.S. Congress plans to do about new warnings from A.I. experts. A Democratic congresswoman
leading the way joins me next.
And how Cubans are trying to cope with the U.S. oil blockade as they are forced to live, as you see there in the dark.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks ended lower across the board once again. All three major indices declined as oil
prices surged. Brent Crude hit $108 a barrel for the first time since May. It was also its biggest one day jump in six weeks. The average price for
regular gas in the U.S. is now $4.27 per gallon, according to AAA.
[18:25:00]
On to A.I. now again, a new report from Anthropic says that the A.I. firm detected and managed to stop biological misuse of its models in what may
have been an attempt to build bio weapons. The company says it identified some 35 potentially concerning efforts over a 30-day period, but says it
could not determine whether the users intended to harm or were conducting legitimate research. This comes after an Anthropic employee quit his job to
give stark warnings about A.I. We told you about this yesterday.
27-year-old Jacob Coxon, who had also worked at OpenAI prior, said, quote, "The people building A.I. earnestly believe that it could kill us by --
kill us all by the end of the decade." He sat down later with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you believe that that these companies actually do want regulation or is it lip service?
JACOB COXON, FORMER ANTHROPIC RESEARCHER: They completely do. This is completely honest, just in the same way that the response to Evan's post
was sort of surprise, it was like this can't be real. Surely a guy working on this technology can't actually believe there's this level of danger. No,
that's completely genuine. And these people are also completely genuine when they are begging to be regulated.
This is a genuine -- they've defined themselves in a scenario where they're compelled to race towards building a deadly technology and they would love
for some sort of international body to allow them to approach it at a reasonable pace. They just don't trust that the people around them are
going to get there in a safe way. So, they feel like they have to race that to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Joining me now is Democratic Congresswoman Lori Trahan. She introduced the Frontier Act this summer, bipartisan legislation to create a
federal oversight framework for the most advanced A.I. models. Congressman, thanks so much for joining, joining us tonight.
REP. LORI TRAHAN (D-MA): Thanks for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, first, I want to begin with the threat, because when you hear reports like we had today, right, you know, attempts to build bioweapons,
warnings from the inside, like you heard from the Anthropic employee about the A.I. models attempting to kill us all, but also examples where when
they run into testing, the A.I. models escape the sandbox, right, go out into the real world and start doing stuff.
TRAHAN: Yes.
SCIUTTO: I mean, are those warnings alarmist or are they quite practical and realistic?
TRAHAN: Well, they could be the only warnings that we get before something devastating happens. And so, look, I think when people who are building the
technology are the ones who are sounding the alarm, we have to listen. We've seen safety researchers resign, models escape their labs, as you
mentioned. And it's the architects who are basically saying that they can't guarantee where all this is going to go.
Meanwhile, we have nothing in place besides an honor system. It's literally the this is the most powerful technology in human history and it's being
regulated by the developers themselves. So, if that isn't making the whole case for Congress to get off the sidelines, I don't know what will. We have
legislation like the Frontier Act, and I think that's where we should start.
SCIUTTO: OK. So, the act has a number of measures, federal safety rules for how the models are tested, for instance, sounds relatively, you know,
straightforward given how we've seen these tests play out recently, but also allowing states, for instance, to retain power to govern how A.I. is
deployed.
Can you can you explain in layman's terms how the legislation would bring us closer to the to the kinds of guardrails you're talking about?
TRAHAN: Yes. Well, there's no question that A.I. touches and will continue to touch everything, right? Jobs, the economy, our kids' classrooms, data
centers, our national security, of course. But I think first we need to put guardrails in place on the Frontier Labs. These are the handful of
companies whose models could actually cause a catastrophe.
We need mandatory incident reporting. We need to have independent audits and verification. We need to have an emergency process for the government
to intervene if a model is at risk of a catastrophe. And all of that is in the Frontier Act.
Now, that is not all we need to do. But I do think that's table stakes and the sequencing matters. As soon as we have that mandatory transparency and
independent verification model with an emergency kill switch, if necessary, then we can move on to, you know, bolstering our cyber defense for
hospitals and electric grids, making sure that we have a liability regime in place if a model creates harm. But there's so much to do here. But we
can't wait to take this first step.
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, when you talk about incident reporting, it sort of comes to mind when I think like the airline industry, right, when there's
an issue there, you got to report it so that everybody can address it so it doesn't happen again. And, you know, lives are at stake.
Is Congress up to this? Because I will say, as I watch hearings sometimes on this, I will listen to some of the members and it's not clear to me they
know what they're talking about or are committed to this, right? Committed to getting something across the finish line. I'm not talking about you, I'm
talking about sometimes when I listen to the hearing.
TRAHAN: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Are they up to the task?
TRAHAN: Yes. You know, I have to say in the last 24 hours, my phone's been ringing off the hook. A lot of rank-and-file Republicans and Democrats know
that we need to do something. Now, the reality is we're not in Washington right now. And the Republican majority has canceled the last two weeks of
session, not bringing us back until after the election. That is unacceptable.
There needs to be some structure in place to either bring us back for a special session or at least have a group of us who have already put pen to
paper on legislation to hammer out a deal. But there's no question that everyone is terrified, both from the report you mentioned at the top to,
you know, the whistleblower and some of the incidents that we've seen this past summer. This has definitely hit a tipping point.
And I do think we're up for the task. I think there are a lot of members who have prioritized this in writing their own legislation and calling for
Congress to act immediately.
SCIUTTO: Here's a question. Is the White House, is the Trump administration a partner in this kind of regulation or are they standing in
the way?
TRAHAN: I think the White House could be a partner. You know, right now, the model is pretty ad hoc. You know, the White House has shifted its --
you know, its posture a number of times. But the ground is shifted beneath us around safety because of what's happening in these large labs.
So, I think, you know, the reason why I work with a Republican from California is so that he can work with his leadership. He can also work
with the White House to make sure that we don't -- we put to pen to paper with something that can actually pass and be signed into law. And the
Frontier Act is best positioned to do that.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, Congresswoman Lori Trahan, we certainly appreciate the work you're doing. Virtually every day on the show we're talking about some
of the worrisome developments in this space, so it's nice to hear someone's paying attention. Thanks so much for joining.
TRAHAN: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Still coming up on "The Brief," Yemen in the spotlight again as the conflict between Iranian proxies and the Saudi backed government there
sees a major escalation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:35:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
Canada and Ukraine agree to a new air defense package worth more than 250 million U.S. dollars. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the
announcement alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Calgary. With this 100-year partnership declaration, as they called it, Ottawa is
committing to provide Kyiv with new air defense interceptor missiles.
Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah tunnels in a key mountain ridge in southern Lebanon. That move completes what the Israeli military calls
operational control of the area. Israel has recently carried out strikes against the Ali al-Taher Ridge in an attempt to dislodge Hezbollah above
and below ground there. Enormous explosion, as you can see.
There will be a new moment of silence on September 11th at the commemoration ceremony at Ground Zero in New York. Six moments of silence
are usually observed, one for each of the key fatal moments from that day in 2001. A seventh moment will now be added to honor the thousands who have
died since from diseases related to their exposure to that toxic ash you see there amid the rubble of the World Trade Center.
Now, to a CNN exclusive. The U.S. is expanding its support for Saudi Arabia's military campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Sources tell CNN more than 100 U.S. military advisers are now on the ground in Saudi Arabia providing intelligence and other assistance. This comes as
the Houthis take control of the strategic Red Sea town of Mocha in Yemen. You see it there. This gives the militants a stronger position near the Bab
al-Mandab Strait. Saudi Arabia has been relying heavily on that route to bypass the Strait of Hormuz which has been effectively shut for much of the
Iran war.
Zachary Cohen has more on CNN's exclusive reporting.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: More than 100 U.S. military advisers are now on the ground in Saudi Arabia providing
intelligence and targeting support for the kingdom's ongoing military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Now, this comes as the attacks from the Houthis on Saudi Arabia have intensified in recent days and the Houthis have also claimed more territory
as they're advancing towards another key waterway in the Middle East.
Now, the U.S. has been providing specific intelligence to aid those Saudi strikes against the Houthis specifically helping them use a system and a
tool that helps them see the battlefield in real time. One of the sources we spoke to comparing that tool to the Maven System that is used by the
Pentagon and U.S. commanders as they conduct operations. And so, this is an example of the U.S. stepping up its support for Saudi Arabia as the Houthi
rebels threaten to open potentially a second front in the ongoing war that the U.S. is already fighting with Iran. Obviously with the Strait of Hormuz
still threatened by Iranian attacks commercial shipping still suppressed in that waterway.
The closure of the Red Sea and shipping in that area would cause reverberations across the global economy. And it's something CNN previously
reported that Iran viewed as an economic nuclear option if negotiations with the U.S. ultimately failed. And this effort by the U.S. to ramp up
support for Saudi Arabia at this time indicates there are prevailing concerns within the U.S., Saudi Arabia and other regional partners about
the potential of the Houthis acting in concert with Iran to do just that.
Now, this all comes as there's concern still in the background of previous U.S. operations conducted with the Saudis to target the Houthis in Yemen.
Strikes that with U.S. support did ultimately kill civilians as a result. But still one source making it clear that these are not the old days and
that the U.S. is actively trying to give Saudi Arabia the support it needs to not only defend itself but to counter any sort of a Houthi advance.
And again, this plays very closely to the U.S. war with Iran where the Strait of Hormuz is still threatened by Iranian attacks.
[18:40:00]
Saudi Arabia, the support it needs to not only defend itself but to counter any sort of a Houthi advance. And again, this plays very closely to the
U.S. war with Iran, where the Strait of Hormuz remains the main point of contention there. Shipping, again, the flow of oil through that crucial
waterway is significantly lower than it was before the war with Iran started.
And again, any steps by the Houthis to close shipping in the Red Sea would dramatically increase the risk of gas prices and oil prices around the
world rapidly increasing.
Zachary Cohen, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: U.S. Secretary of State has ended his trip to Latin America as blackouts and fuel shortages disrupt life in Cuba. We'll show you exactly
how the U.S. oil blockade is taking a massive toll on the country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up his Latin America trip in Peru today after stops in Colombia and Ecuador as well. He met with
President Keiko Fujimori and the Peruvian foreign minister in Lima earlier. Efforts to support right-wing governments and target drug cartels have been
core Trump policy in Latin America. U.S. military has killed at least 227 people on alleged drug boats. That's been more than controversial. And the
Trump administration has been reluctant to provide evidence everyone the U.S. military killed was indeed a criminal.
In recent weeks, the U.S. has reported it is intercepting more suspected drug boats instead of outright blowing them up with the crew on board. It
reported Tuesday it removed people from one vessel before sinking it. In Ecuador, Rubio downplayed any shift in how the U.S. responds to drug
trafficking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, again, it depends. We still blow-up ships, if need be. Every target is selected. Obviously, it goes
through all the lawyers at the Department of War. But it's also these are joint operations. So, you're operating in conjunction with another nation
state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: In Cuba, the U.S. imposed oil blockade has triggered the worst energy crisis the country has faced in recent memories. CNN's Patrick
Oppmann shows us how Cubans are now living because of those fuel shortages and long blackouts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: This is one of the issues that a lot of intersections, their traffic lights are no longer on anymore, and so
it becomes very dangerous to drive at night.
[18:45:00]
OPPMANN (voice-over): Here's what Cuba looks like as the island's failing energy infrastructure nears total collapse. Aging power plants with no
access to fuel as the U.S. oil blockade turns the lights off longer and longer. Cubans have lived with power cuts all their lives, and now they
have to pay for them. Most of their lives. But this is the worst they can ever remember it.
OPPMANN: We stopped here because I'm actually shocked to see this. This is Havana's central park. We're surrounded on all sides by hotels. They're all
in total darkness. We've arrived where there's a blackout. You can actually look up and see the stars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taxi. Taxi. Taxi.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Taxi driver Yasmani (ph) tells me there are few tourists to drive. And blackouts every night, all night.
How do I pass the time, I play dominos or sit on our porch and fan my daughter so she can sleep and go to school the next day.
Power is off now in most of Cuba most of the time these days. And Havana, a city famous for its nightlife has become a city of shadows.
As we drive around in the dark, the only large gathering of people we see are Cubans waiting in a bread line that is fast being depleted.
OPPMANN: The other thing you hear now is that life has just become more and more unaffordable. So, if there's any food product that's on sale,
people immediately get in line and try to get it because it is going to run out.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Anger boils over in the nighttime heat.
You wait for them to put the light on, he says, and for them to take it away.
There's nothing else to do. It's criminal to go to sleep without power and then wake up without power. It's too much.
Even if their leadership blames a crisis on the U.S. pressure campaign, many Cubans tell me they are furious at how the government distributes the
little power there is.
OPPMANN: So, you can see we're kind of at the edge of where there's power and then you look over here and the power cuts out. This is what they call
circuits. And so, some people's power will be on and then you can almost look across the street and the power will be off. And the frustrating thing
is it's not divided equally.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Cuban officials say they've been forced to prioritize power for certain areas and industries as the U.S. wages what
they call an economic war against their country. But as the U.S.-Cuba stalemate drags on and negotiations are at a standstill, regular people say
they're the ones paying the price.
A few blocks further on, we find residents playing dominoes under light provided from batteries. Blackouts now last more than 24 hours in this
neighborhood, they tell us.
Every day we are too tired, she says, to go to work, to take kids to school. We're all exhausted.
Life feels like it has ground to a halt, increasingly unlivable. But there's nothing left for people to do other than fan themselves as they
face another long night in the dark.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Still to come on "The Brief," the U.S. Open is in full swing, with the women's semifinals now underway. We'll tell you who and what to
look out for.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
SCIUTTO: It's down to the top four women at tonight's U.S. Open semifinals, with the possibility of an all-American final between Coco
Gauff and Jessica Pegula. Gauff plays the second semifinal against Elena Rybakina, and in just a few minutes, Pegula takes on the two-time defending
champion, Aryna Sabalenka.
Patrick Snell, he is at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Lucky guy. Tell us what you're seeing there, man. A lot of great
matches coming up.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Oh, yes. Hi there, Jim. Real privilege to be here. I'm standing right outside the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium, where
in just a few minutes from right now, the women's semis will get going, and it's rid of histories being made here. This is the first time the top four
seeded players on the women's side of the draw, Jim, have advanced to the semifinals for the first time since the mid-1970s, 1975 to be precise, when
the great Chris Evert won for the first time of her four in a row between 1975 and 1978.
But right now, it all lies on the Belarusian great, Aryna Sabalenka. Quite remarkable, Jim. This is her sixth consecutive semifinal here at Flushing
Meadows. She's trying to get to the final for a fourth consecutive year, and she's trying to win this tournament for a third time to emulate the
great Chris Evert, and also more recently, the great Serena Williams as well. But her opponent, Pegula, is going to make life tougher, no question
about that.
But I will say Sabalenka really has a number when it comes to this tournament. She won the final between them two years ago and the semifinal
last year. Let's hear now from Aryna Sabalenka.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARYNA SABALENKA, TWO-TIME DEFENDING U.S. OPEN CHAMPION: I'm just super happy that I put myself in the position where I have a chance to go for a
three-peat, even though I'm still far away from that. But I'm loving playing against her because it's a battle, because it's a fight, and I love
being under pressure and going through tough challenges. So, playing against her, it's going to be a really high-intensity level of tennis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: And also, Jim, Sabalenka seeking a fifth career Grand Slam singles title. What an achievement that would be.
Now, the other match as well should be an absolute cracker of a game. Coco Gauff, another homegrown player from here in the United States, 2023
champion, taking on a player who represents Kazakhstan. She used to represent Russia. Elena Rybakina now representing Kazakhstan.
Both players here, Jim, seeking their third Grand Slam singles title. Coco Gauff, though, will have the absolutely fervent support, like Pegula, of
the homegrown crowd here. It's going to be thousands in the court. This is the world's biggest tennis court, Arthur Ashe Stadium, holding just under
24,000 people. You can be sure they will be fully behind Coco Gauff. Let's hear now from the 2023 champ.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COCO GAUFF, FIRST U.S. OPEN SEMIFINAL SINCE WINNING TOURNAMENT IN 2023: Sometimes you're just so focused on the now, now, now because you want it
now. And obviously, you want to take advantage of your opportunities when you have them. But I want to continue to keep my strides going here and
hopefully make it to the end. But just focusing on the moment and trying to improve match by match.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: It'll be a great matchup, I tell you, Jim, Rybakina, boosted by the fact that following her quarterfinal victory earlier in the week, she is
going to become the top-ranked player on the women's side of the game as well. So, a real boost for her ahead of the semifinal. Back to you.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Lots to cheer for the American fans there, right, both on the women's side and the men's side with Shelton and Tiafoe. Patrick Snell,
enjoy the matches.
SNELL: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Well, the NFL is off to its own thrilling start with a rematch of last season's Super Bowl. The defending champion Seahawks narrowly beat New
England last night in Seattle. And in less than two hours, half a world away, the San Francisco 49ers will play the Los Angeles Rams where, well,
down under in Melbourne, Australia. It is the National Football League's first ever game down under.
It is already Friday morning in Melbourne. The 49ers arrived a week early to adjust to the time. It hasn't been easy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYLE SHANAHAN, HEAD COACH, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: We did our totally normal routine. I'm not sure because we're -- like I said, we're a little confused
with -- when I look at my clock and it says the time, and then I try to see my family's time, and then it says the time, but it says yesterday. I don't
even get how that's possible. So, I feel like I'm in the future.
And then, also, when we play on our Friday, which I think is a Thursday in the U.S., we're such creatures of habit. So, I call today Tuesday. No,
wait, sorry. I call today Wednesday, which is the first day we put in a game plan. But I think it's Monday. However, though, it's Sunday in the
present.
[18:55:00]
So, I'm going to mess that up all week if you guys ask me. But today is just our first day of the game plan, which is a Wednesday. And we'll put in
some on a Thursday. Friday is the final part of the game plan. Saturday, we walk through when we play on Sunday, which is a Friday in Australia and a
Thursday in the U.S. So, don't ever make me do that again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Well, that's confusing. Finally, though, a more somber note. Special remembrance took shape in the skies over my hometown, New York, on
Wednesday. Drones recreating the outline of the Twin Towers, ahead, of course, of the 25th anniversary of September 11th tomorrow. 2,977 lights,
one for each life lost during September 11th.
In a commemorative display ahead of the 25th anniversary, just remarkable to see that there over the city, organizers say the aerial artwork was made
by artists, 9/11 families, survivors, and first responders. Quite a tribute.
Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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