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What We Know with Max Foster

Massive Flood Hits Nepali-Chinese Border, At Least 157 Dead; CIA Director Makes Unannounced Visit To Moscow; Iran & Oman Propose Framework For New Route In Strait Of Hormuz; Meta Settles States' Landmark Child Harm Case For $18B; Fans Around The World Pay Tribue To Dolly Parton; Prince Harry And Meghan Arrive Back In U.K. after Six Years. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 26, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:21]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Catastrophic images of Nepal.

This is WHAT WE KNOW this hour in the country. The urgent, desperate search for survivors following a catastrophic flood along its border with China.

And a warning, the video you're about to see is disturbing.

At least 157 people have been confirmed dead, according to Nepali police, with hundreds of people missing. Officials say the death toll will likely

rise in the coming hours. Chinese state media warning of major casualties in Tibet.

The U.S. Geological Survey believes it was an extraordinarily powerful landslide that triggered the deadly flash flooding, bringing an avalanche

of ice and rock down on the villages.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more. Her piece again contains distressing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dozens of people begin to run, what comes next in this surveillance video is hard to imagine. A

mountain of mud and water taller than the building crashes down, wiping out everything in its path like something from a disaster film. But this is a

border crossing between China and Nepal.

It's the result of a deadly flashflood that swept through Himalayan villages on the Nepal-China border on Wednesday. Its enormous force

destroying homes and buildings, including in Nepal's Rasuwa District. Aerial footage captured from a helicopter over the district shows the

immense barrage of water flooding the valley below.

It's a popular area for hiking holidays. Hundreds of tourists, including foreign nationals, have been reported missing, according to an initial

assessment by Nepal's tourism board. Nepalese army helicopters are helping rescue citizens from rooftops in the flood affected areas. The Red Cross is

also deploying an emergency team with relief supplies.

And in Tibet's Gyirong Port, China's President Xi Jinping has ordered all out search and rescue efforts to find those who are missing after a

mudslide caused major casualties, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. The mudslide has cut off the region's roads, communications and

power, Xinhua said.

Nepal's foreign minister said the deadly flashflood was caused by an earthquake triggering a large landslide and which blocked the Bhotekoshi

River. The full scale of the devastation is yet to become clear.

Hanako Montgomery --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Let's speak to Ratindra Khatri, a retired colonel in the Nepali army. He's currently a technical adviser for the Disaster Preparedness

Network, Nepal.

Thank you so much for joining us, Colonel.

Just describe how bad it was today.

COL. RATINDRA KHATRI, NEPALI ARMY (RET.): Yes, Max, it was a horrifying day for all Nepali here in Nepal because early on the morning, very bad

news. It was about 8:40 a.m. when a large chunk of ice was explode, that may be triggered because of the small earthquake in the same area. And that

has outburst of glacial lake from other side of the border. That's about -- it has been said that it is about 20 kilometer north of Nepal, Tibet

borders.

And from there, there is a river called the Bhotekoshi River, from where the whole. Theres a massive flood came, and as you saw in your visual. Also

that initially that swept the Chinese custom and quarantine building. Then subsequently the Nepali side. And that flowed toward the downstream and the

Rasuwa district, the place called Trishuli in Nuwakot, Dhading and up to Chitwan, all downstream was affected, especially the northern area was

quite surprising for all people.

So, that has caused severe damage. It has been said that 11 hydro projects were swept away. One of the largest one was Langtang, where about 60 staff

were there. And about 35 were inside the tunnel. And there is no information about them completely swept away from that area.

And after that, subsequently, the flow of hit in the different about 35 metallic bridges were swept away, about 45 suspension bridges were also

swept away.

[15:05:01] So that area is totally cut up. About 40 kilometers road is also damaged and no communications, no transportation, nothing in that area. And in the

same area --

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: The rescuers also having trouble to get there.

KHATRI: Yes, yes, the rescue operation is sprung immediately after that because the -- in Kathmandu, at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management Authority, they have a monsoon command post. It was activated and they have mobilized the security forces for search and rescue

operations.

About 1,700 Nepal army rescuers are deployed in all that river band, and they are involved in rescue operation. And seven military helicopters and

eight civilian private commercial helicopters were also mobilized by the government under search and rescue operations that is going on.

When tragic incident that, you know, the military also had deployment there, so 44 military personnel, uh, were, are missing and about 28 Nepal

police, the civil police deployed in the local area and 13 armed police force deployed at the custom were also missing. So, despite that and then

there is a substantial deployment of armed police force rescuer and Nepal police rescue are also there. Nepal red cross and volunteers are also

mobilized throughout the day. But the weather is not really good because at the many times there is rain and the climatic condition because of that the

rescue operation is still very, very difficult.

FOSTER: Colonel Ratindra Khatri, we really appreciate your time with us today. And our thoughts are with everyone in your country and the rescue

effort that's going to come. We can see how hard it's going to be from those images.

Now, according to a U.S. official, CIA Director John Ratcliffe has traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian officials. President Trump says the visit

was semi-routine and not intended to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin against an attack on NATO territory. Ahead of the trip, Washington asked

Ukraine to halt strikes in Moscow and other Russian cities. The unannounced visit marks Ratcliffe's first known visit to Russia since taking up his

role under President Trump, while peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are at a standstill.

CNN's Kevin Liptak has been across this story, joins us now from Washington.

I mean, it's not really routine, is it a visit like this clearly shows, though some discussions are underway.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. It's really not routine at all. The last known visit by a CIA director to Moscow was in

2021, when Joe Biden's CIA director went there to warn Vladimir Putin directly not to invade Ukraine. And of course, we all know what happened

after that. Russia did invade Ukraine.

But all to say that this was not the type of routine visit that President Trump was making it out to be. And he said that the subjects discussed were

neither warning Russia against an incursion into NATO territory. And we know that U.S. and European intelligence assessments have suggested that

Putin could be planning something like that to test NATO's resolve. The president also said that the visit was not intended to get Russia to help

reopen the Strait of Hormuz, potentially by cutting off its economic ties to Iran.

But that leaves a lot of questions about what actually was discussed. The president did say that perhaps something would be coming out of this visit

when it comes to the Ukraine war, you know, talks to end that conflict are essentially at a standstill. We know that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the

Ukrainian president, has been pleading with the west for more patriot missile interceptors. Those have not been forthcoming. And that that war

sort of grinds ahead without any clear picture of how it will be resolved.

Now, the one, I think, aspect of this that we know of is President Trump has a pretty clear line to Vladimir Putin himself. If the White House

wanted to issue a warning to the Russian leader about his conduct in Ukraine or potential next steps, President Trump could, in theory, have

just issued that himself. The fact that the CIA director needed to travel in a military transport plane all the way to Moscow suggests that perhaps

there was something more sensitive that he was carrying with him in terms of a message.

So, we just don't know really what they were talking about. A lot more reporting to be done on that. But I think it was also notable that the

Ukrainians were warned ahead of time that a senior American official would be in Moscow so that they could halt their missile and drone attacks that

we know they've been ramping up over the last several months.

[15:10:10]

Clearly, a coordinated effort and a coordinated mission on the part of the administration to speak with Russian officials directly in person. What

exactly they were conveying, though at this point unclear.

FOSTER: A mystery. Okay, Kevin, thank you for bringing some light onto it, at least.

Now, Evyatar David is speaking out about his time in captivity and the propaganda video he was forced to record for Hamas. David was abducted at

the nova music festival on October the 7th, 2023. He spoke two years -- he spent two years in captivity before being released. David now talks about

his ordeal with our Bianna Golodryga in his first international interview since his release.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: There were far too many days, however, that you weren't fed. And that brings me to that video that the world saw of

you, emaciated, forced to dig your own grave.

You've said that it was the commander, the Hamas terrorist commander, who picked you for that video because you looked worse than everyone else that

was there with you.

Just talk about that moment.

EVYATAR DAVID, EX-HOSTAGE: When they're telling me to go with them for the grave, when they wanted me to -- to dig, so they took me like 50 meter walk

-- 50 meters walk. And for me, it was almost -- I almost collapsed. It was almost impossible for me to do.

And I'm telling them that it's very hard, but they didn't release and didn't really care. And we're also going to take me inside their room, the

terrorist room. I can hear them laughing and eating cakes and drinking tea like there's -- there's -- like there's no person that walks like next to

them that looks like a skeleton. It's surreal. It was very frustrating.

But this is how they are. They're very cruel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Evyatar David there speaking to Bianna.

Now, Iran's -- excuse me -- Iran's Revolutionary Guard confirming Iran and Oman have worked out some details of a proposal to open a temporary

shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz. And that is going to Iran's semi- official news agency, Tasnim. The two countries have also reportedly agreed on how to divide their share of the critical waterway and any of its

revenues, but a broader deal still needs to be finalized, and global oil prices dropped for a third straight day.

Off the back of that news, here's a look -- you can see actually brent crude, the main benchmark down more than 1 percent.

Meta, meanwhile, agreeing to pay $18 billion as part of a landmark settlement involving social media addiction claims. The lawsuit, filed

jointly by 29 states, accused the owner of Facebook and Instagram of intentionally designing addictive platforms that harm young people's mental

health. California was one of the states to bring that case.

And California Attorney General Rob Bonta spoke to CNN earlier about this settlement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: There will be massive payments and massive change by Meta independently, but even more if others in the

industry come on board. And we are looking to an industry-wide solution. We're committed to getting it. We will achieve it one way or the other.

Either, YouTube/Google and TikTok can do it voluntarily by working with us, or we can take them to court just like we did with Meta. But we're going to

get the result that kids deserve. Parents deserve, and families deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: So what we want to know is why has Meta decided to settle now?

Joining us, Clare Duffy.

They have made a huge payment. It does imply some responsibility here, obviously, even though it didn't go to court. But I know that, you know,

you're particularly looking at the changes they're making.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Well, Max, that's right. Meta has not, you know, acknowledged wrongdoing as part of this settlement, but it does mean

that their CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is not going to have to take the stand in this trial that was already ongoing with four of these states already. The

head of Instagram was set to take the stand for a second time today.

So, for Meta, this avoids them having to continue to have their executives be subject to tough questioning from the state attorneys general. And the

state said that they agreed to settle because they thought that this would bring about changes more comprehensively and faster than if they had

continued through that litigation process. And, of course, this $18 billion settlement number is really significant. Many of them have pointed out that

this is the largest settlement with a big tech company in history. That money is going to help the states fund programs around youth, mental health

and online safety.

But even more importantly, are these changes that Meta has agreed to make to its platforms. And I'll just walk you through some of those, Max, they

talked about things like a two-hour daily time limit for teens ages 13 to 17 that only parents can change.

They're going to be setting default night mode that will make Instagram and Facebook inaccessible for teens from midnight to 6:00 a.m., a school mode

that will reduce the number of notifications teens are getting during the day. They'll be hiding likes on teens posts. Teens will get prompts every

15 minutes as they're scrolling these apps to try to get them to be a bit more mindful of their use.

And all of this, I mean, I think a significant change to how Meta's platforms are operating, but also, as you hear A.G. Bonta there, they are

seeking changes to TikTok and YouTube as well.

Meta has already said that it will pay out 70 percent of this $18 billion, sort of at the start, and then 30 percent of it only if TikTok and YouTube

agree to make similar changes. So, we really could see industrywide shifts in how teens are able to use these platforms. And, you know, the mental

health impacts that these platforms have on young people -- Max.

FOSTER: Quite frustrating though, isn't it, for many of the people that have been complaining for years about Meta not doing more and then suddenly

they come up with this raft of solutions, which a lot of people probably feel they could have done sooner.

DUFFY: Absolutely. I mean, I spoke to one mom who says that she lost her daughter to social media harms earlier today. And she said exactly that.

She wishes that Meta had made these changes sooner.

Meta has talked about, you know, investing in teen safety features before, but many of these states pointed out that they believed and that Meta

internal research suggested that those tools just didn't work very well. And so certainly, I think the hope is here that going forward, that these

changes make a greater impact for young people.

But I do think it is pretty interesting that Meta is now coming out with this sort of P.R. response, saying, TikTok, YouTube, we're doing the right

thing. Join us.

But remember, it took these states 29 states hauling Meta to court before it agreed to make these changes

FOSTER: Yeah, exactly. Clare, appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Still to come -- welcome back, Harry and Meghan. It's been six years. And now the royal couple are back on British soil. After the break, we'll tell

you what more you need to know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:40]

FOSTER: Tributes pouring in for the late music legend Dolly Parton. The singer and philanthropist died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a brief

battle with cancer.

In New Orleans, several city landmarks were lit up to honor the beloved star. Spots such as the Superdome, Crescent City Connection and Hibernia

Tower, all sparkling in pink in remembrance.

New York's Empire State Building took a cue from Parton's "9 to 5" hit Tuesday night at 9:25. The famed building was lit up in pink in tribute to

Dolly.

Fans near her Dollywood theme park also shared what they'll remember about the superstar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was just a wonderful human being, a wonderful human being. Giving, giving, giving. She always gave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel sadness, but at the same time, we need to feel joy. We need to feel joy for Dolly. She's with Carl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, singer Rhonda Vincent, who shared the stage with Dolly Parton many times, paid tribute with this heartfelt rendition of Parton's

song "Coat of Many Colors" on Tuesday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RHONDA VINCENT, SINGER: This is for Dolly.

(singing): I was rich as I could be in my coat of many colors my momma made for me. So, with patches on my britches --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Lisa Respers France joins us now.

Lisa, yesterday at this time, it was such a shock to hear the news, but actually it's been really lovely over the course of the day to see all

these tributes coming from all over the world and just it just seems to be nothing negative to say about her.

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yes. I don't know, a single human being, Max, who has anything negative to say about Dolly

Parton. She may be the greatest unifying celebrity we have ever had, because the love for her just spans everywhere. If you go on social media,

it's the LGBTQ community. It's the black community, it's old people, it's young people.

Everyone loved Dolly Parton because she gave so much of herself. She managed not to be controversial. She just got out there. She did what she

did best, which was write songs and perform songs. But she also was such a prolific giver of not just her time and talent, but also her money.

I mean, she -- she was such an incredible philanthropist with the library, with the money that she donated for everything from communities to a

vaccine to fight COVID. And so she's just being lovingly remembered today by people who knew her and by people who never even met her.

I saw an adorable video of a little toddler like dancing to a Dolly Parton song, and it just seems like all generations adored her and just she was

such a light. And what a loss, Max. What a loss to lose Dolly Parton.

FOSTER: We've heard a lot about her singing, her songwriting, her philanthropy over the last 12 hours, but I was really interested to read

about her business acumen because she started at a time when a lot of artists were pretty abused by the industry, but she really retained all the

rights to her songs, managed to make the money, which obviously she ended up giving away.

But do you think she really showed women in particular how to find strength in the industry and to own their content effectively?

FRANCE: Yeah, not only that, but how to be a kind, wealthy person. I think part of the reason why Dolly Parton was so focused on being such an

incredible businesswoman is because she came from such humble beginnings, a very large family. That song that we just listened to, you know, "The Coat

of Many Colors" is about the coat that her mother made for her out of rags.

And so to come from nothing, which is the quintessential American story, as you know, its one of the reasons why people first fell in love with Dolly

Parton. And to be able to make money on her talent and what she loved, she never took that for granted. And she wanted to grow not just her legacy,

but I think also her businesses to, you know, have something to leave behind, but also because a great deal of her family works for her.

[15:25:00]

You know, the nephew who announced her passing was her head of security. And he mentioned that he took over being head of security for her from his

father. So she had a great deal of responsibilities, even though she didn't have any children. We heard someone mention her husband, Carl, who was the

love of her life, married for almost 60 years. They had a very comfortable life.

But Dolly was also, you know, she didn't forget where she came from. She didn't forget how very poor they were, rich in love, but very poor in

money. And she did teach a very valuable lesson, especially to women in country music, that you could be the soft, beautiful, loving, you know, she

made jokes about being a dumb blond and stuff like that, but also be extremely smart and really (VIDEO GAP) so generous that I don't think

anybody ever begrudged her a dollar, that she made, Max.

FOSTER: Lisa Respers France as ever, thank you for joining us.

FRANCE: Thank you so much for having me, Max.

FOSTER: Britain's royal family also paying tribute to the queen of country, appropriately with a changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham

Palace that looked a little different from usual.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

FOSTER: A statement that went with that video said the British royals praised Parton as a performer who brought joy and comfort and inspiration

to many, including millions of children given free books through her Imagination Library. We will always love you, it added.

On that topic, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived back here in the U.K. six years after they left the country and they stepped away from royal

life. Harry and Meghan departed the U.K. in 2020 due to tabloid intrusion, racism in British institutions, they said, and online abuse and complex

family dynamics.

The pair are returning as private citizens, meaning they will not resume any official duties. Their children Archie, seven, Lilibet, five, are

already enrolled for the school term, which starts in September.

CNN's Anna Stewart has been trying to get what information she can on this.

But, obviously, you know, when they've talked so much about privacy and security, they're sharing very little about the couple's movements. But you

have found out a couple of tidbits.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly have. Yes, we have very little confirmed from Team Sussex. Of course, they weren't going to confirm their

travel arrangements, but British media reports suggest the couple and their kids flew back at lunchtime, landing in Birmingham airport. They traveled

by private jet, all according to British media reports.

However, we do have a line into CNN confirmed by Team Sussex and that is the news that the dogs have come, too. Max, the dogs are called Paula, a

black labrador, which is actually a return trip. I believe it took a transatlantic flight over to Canada back in whenever it was six years ago.

And Mia, a beagle, rescued more recently. So, first trip to the U.K.

Some sad news though. I mean, that's the positive news, I suppose. Sad news for the chickens, which remain in Montecito in California. We are told they

are going to be looked after while they are there.

Plenty we don't know about the story. We don't know where the Sussexes are going to live. We don't know where the kids will be going to school. We

don't know how much we are going to see any of them. I think when it comes to the kids, probably very little given we don't even see their faces on

social media. I'm sure they'll want to keep their heads down and keep that side of their lives private.

But we might see much more of Harry and Meghan, charity engagements. The lifestyle brand, as ever, on social media. And who knows, Max, maybe a

return to the big screen for Meghan.

FOSTER: Yes, well, we've struggled to confirm that one as well. And whether or not it was part of a P.R. process, but who knows? I mean, it's

incredibly hard, isn't it, Anna, to cover the family because now that they have left public service, they do -- they have a private office and they

don't have a duty to share information in the same way as the palace.

So, we're often left in this situation where, you know, people have this insatiable appetite to know more about why they're here, what they're going

to do. But, you know, they're operating in this environment where they're trying to protect as much as possible.

FOSTER: It's really complicated. And there'll be a sort of gray area, I think, because they're going to want to have the media covering issues.

They want to be covered. They're going to want to have high profile at things like the Invictus Games in Birmingham. Meghan wants to promote her

brand and, you know, puts forward quite personal Instagram posts these days, you know, from her family and from her home, albeit, you know, not

the faces of her children.

So, they have drawn a line as to what they feel they're happy to share and what they're not happy to share. It will be tricky for the media to get

this one right. We've had, of course, many court cases with Prince Harry, regarding this kind of area. It's going to be complicated and it will be

tricky for the royal family as well when it comes to where the attention goes.

What if Prince William has a charity engagement on the same day as Prince Harry? What if there is, you know, divided attention? Do we see split

courts? So, all of that is still really to play out, and will we hear whether the Sussex family are happy with how things are going. I have no

idea whether they're going to sort of talk about how they're feeling about the media intrusion going forwards.

FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. Thank you, Anna. I'm sure we'll be back talking about it again. Anna Stewart there.

Now coming up, one man says he's never witnessed the power of nature's -- nature unfold in this way. Hundreds of people missing as rescue efforts

intensify after deadly flooding along the Nepal-China border.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: More on our breaking news. Nepali police say at least 157 people are confirmed dead in massive flooding across Nepal's border with China.

Hundreds of others are unaccounted for after a gigantic wall of water came crashing down, sweeping away entire villages, houses, bridges, roads.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing, but are proven to be extremely difficult. The European Union, India and the Red Cross are amongst those

pledging to send aid. Last hour, I spoke with Kosh Raj Koirala, a journalist in Kathmandu who's been covering the floods all day. He's in

touch with Nepali officials and called the horrific floods a national tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOSH RAJ KOIRALA, EDITOR, REPUBLICA DAILY NEPALA: I had -- I had, you know, talked to Nepal army, you know, personal officials who were -- who

were there on duty, and also the home ministry official. They say that, you know, the devastation, the extent of the damage is beyond our imagination.

It's really big.

And, you know, yeah, helicopters were sent, but then, you know, it's not easy. Like, it's a -- it's a difficult terrain. And they have put -- they

have deployed helicopters in the nearest army barrack, from there, you know, the troops have been mobilized.

But they are also finding it very difficult to reach to the -- you know, the sites, and, you know, remove the debris and retrieve dead bodies or

those alive. And it's becoming very challenging for even security personnel also.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Also, a lot of confusion about what caused all of this.

Allison Chinchar has been looking into that -- Alison.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. So, what was initially thought as maybe perhaps all starting from an earthquake, the USGS now saying that

it was actually the landslide that caused the tremors in the surrounding area to register as a 5.2 magnitude tremor. So that's what we basically had

here. Was it all initiated from a landslide?

So, to put this in perspective, this is the general area here. You can see India and China up north. This is where the landslide position started.

That is based off of the USGS using satellite data to really find out and pinpoint where that location is.

So, we kind of zoom in a little bit closer, show you what we're talking about. So essentially here, this is where the landslide starting point was.

Everything that's in this area, the ice, the snow, the water, boulders, rocks, anything in that area would have flowed down through here into this

glacier tongue and then down through the river valley and continued on from that point.

Now, one thing to note too, for a lot of this area, here's a different view. So this kind of shows you the before and after its flipped though.

So here is that glacier tongue that we just showed you focus here on this green area you see there. This is from yesterday. Now we focus in on today.

And you can see how all of that landscape turned brown from the debris that just kind of came down through that general area.

So again, from there, it's going to continue down through the river valley and down into where we have some communities, we have some villages along

these areas, this being one of them.

So, all of that would have flowed right down through here, down through this little channel. And then here you can see some buildings in this

particular location. We'll kind of show you some of the video that we've been able to get from this particular area.

So, the building there that's on the corner of what we just showed, again, you can see the flow of that landslide just coming through that general

area that you see there. Here's another angle. Now this is a parking deck that's right through here, and a building just off to the side.

This is actually what would be going upstream, but there is so much force behind that flow of water and ice and rocks that's coming down that when it

finally gets to the end and it has to normally fought to the left, there's just too much.

And so, it actually ends up going in both directions. And so, then you obviously end up seeing that wall of just water and dirt, everything just

kind of rushing down through here. Unfortunately, collapsing not only the parking deck, but also the building that was likely behind it.

So again, just kind of showing you the scope. There you can see what that does, but then it continues to go even further down. And even from there,

you also have some of these communities that were down flow of these that unfortunately ended up being impacted as well.

FOSTER: Allison Chinchar, I appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Elsewhere, at least 40 newborns have died in one of Pakistan's deadliest hospital fires in recent decades. Rescue sources say hospital workers were

able to save only one infant.

CNN's Gage Goulding has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GAGE GOULDING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you really think about it, this fire started in what could be the worst part of a hospital, a nursery where

infant children. We're talking about babies maybe just a few days old, recently born were. And they can't fend for themselves here. We're told

that this fire started around 7:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

Sources telling CNN that an air conditioning compressor exploded starting that fire in the hospital. And at this time, we're also being told, is only

one baby was able to be saved. And more than a dozen children were killed in this fire. I mean, you could only imagine these are parents that just

went through what could be one of the most joyous experiences of their lives now facing, burying their young children.

The prime minister of Pakistan saying that he's, quote, deeply saddened and vows an investigation and to hold anybody that is responsible to the

strictest of penalties. The government -- they're actually forming a fact finding committee to investigate this. But it's important to note that

government facilities, especially hospitals here, are chronically underfunded.

There have been hospital fires before due to aging infrastructure.

[15:40:02]

So, whether there truly is an investigation to be had, that's something that will come out. But I think there's nothing that is more important

right now than thinking about the families that now have to bury their young children. More than a dozen babies killed in this fire.

Gage Goulding, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: It's the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are flat today. Markets are bracing for earnings from A.I. heavyweight Nvidia. Those

expected after markets close next hour.

This is our Business Breakout.

U.S. consumers pulled back on spending in July as high inflation continued to put pressure on prices. According to the U.S. Commerce Department,

spending was flat last month, a sharp slowdown after gains in June.

Home security provider Ring rolling out new encryption technology for its cameras. It's the latest attempt by the company to calm customer fears over

surveillance and privacy of their devices.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded tech billionaire Elon Musk the Order of Freedom, one of his country's highest honors. Kyiv is

hoping to convince Musk to let it use his Starlink internet technology in Russian territory, which could give Ukraine an edge as the fighting

continues.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is proposing putting major limits on A.I. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Gates warned that without

guardrails, A.I.'s potential harms could outweigh its good.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Bill, you said that there's no plan to ease the entry into the A.I. era and that we underestimate the impact of A.I. In

what way?

BILL GATES, MICROSOFT CO-FOUNDER: Well, over the last year, these A.I.s have gotten dramatically more powerful, even faster than I expected. And

they're now capable of causing a cyberattack risk, bioterrorism risk, psychosocial risk. And I have to say, I'm kind of shocked that the exact

criteria that we review these models with and the actions we take to minimize the harms, are really completely missing.

And the broad dialogue we get all of society talking about the trade-offs here. That's just not taking place. And so, you know, we've got to minimize

these harms through careful review and criteria. And we have to accelerate the good stuff or else, you know, we could have a complete backlash that

A.I. would suffer from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The full interview airing on "AC360", 8:00 p.m. Eastern tonight.

Still to come on this show, as the new NFL season is set to kick off, stunning details on the degenerative brain disease known as CTE and its

impact on professional football players.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:56]

FOSTER: Senator Darline Graham won the Republican primary runoff in South Carolina ahead of the midterm elections. She thanked President Trump for

his endorsement and paid tribute to her late brother, Senator Lindsey Graham.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. DARLINE GRAHAM (R-SC): Thank you, Lindsey, for your service to South Carolina and to this country. It's just not the same without you here.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The appointed senator is now officially on the ballot. Senator Darline Graham getting emotional after

winning her first ever election. A political unknown just a couple months ago, she's now likely favored to win in November. She thanked President

Trump, saying her victory would not have been possible without his support.

GRAHAM: South Carolina is truly Trump country.

GALLAGHER: So the political newcomer beat Congressman Ralph Norman in the special Senate Republican runoff race to replace her late brother, Lindsey

Graham, who died suddenly in July, on the November ballot.

Now, Graham was appointed to fill out the rest of his current term. And most people here in South Carolina didn't think that she was going to run

for the full term. But she said she got in at the urging of President Trump. Now, a lot of South Carolina Republicans were skeptical of Graham's

inexperience and a rough runoff debate, where she answered a question about Taiwan by saying, "National security is not my thing," did not help. But

enough South Carolina voters decided that wasn't a deal breaker.

Graham will now face off against pediatrician Annie Andrews. The Democrat has already challenged her to three televised debates, saying, quote, "no

appointment, endorsement or family connection entitles anyone to the Senate seat".

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Dianne Gallagher there.

An alarming new study looking at the potential dangers of playing America's most popular sport, professional football.

CNN's Coy Wire has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This new study, out on Tuesday confirmed CTE in at least one in four former NFL players who died over a

five-year period. CTE is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated impacts to the head. Now, it's a concerning headline for anyone

who has played football. Those who have children playing, especially for former NFL players like myself.

The study from researchers at Mass General Brigham Boston University and the Concussion and CTE foundation, looked at 878 former NFL players who

died between 2016 and 2021, 235 of them had their brains donated for research. Of those brains, 215 had CTE. Average age at death 66 years old,

meaning many played during a very different era of football.

A significant limitation of the study was that it was done in a population of people who were potentially biased because their brains had been donated

by family members who may have noticed symptoms while their family members were living, an NFL spokesperson said, quote, "The NFL continuously strives

to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts," unquote.

And the game has changed more than 50 health and safety related rule changes over roughly the past two decades. Concussion protocols,

independent neurotrauma consultants, fewer contact practices, and dramatically evolving helmet technology. But most importantly, potentially,

is the changing culture.

When I played, there was still some of that gladiator mentality. Shake it off. Get back in there. In 2024, NFL concussions fell 17 percent from the

previous season, the lowest number the league had ever recorded.

All of our reporting at CNN has shown that the game is safer than it has ever been, but safer doesn't mean safe, right? That's why this research

matters far beyond the NFL, because whatever the league learns about reducing those impacts has to keep flowing downstream, to colleges, high

schools and youth football, where millions of young athletes are learning how this game should be played.

For now, CTE can only be diagnosed after death. Symptoms can include memory loss, impulse control, problems and anxiety, depression and anger issues.

[15:50:05]

But having symptoms while you're alive does not mean you have CTE. That's another reason this science remains so complicated. Studies like this don't

give us every answer. They give us another piece of the puzzle. And for players past, present and future, we need to keep putting those pieces

together.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Our thanks to Coy Wire for that report.

We'll be back after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Well, here's something you don't see every day. Police are investigating a men crawling out of a manhole in New York. It happened near

Penn Station, the country's busiest train station.

And CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has been digging into it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This bizarre video posted to TikTok showing three men wearing what appears

to be headlamps and protective clothing crawling out of a manhole in New York City is sparking a frenzy of questions. Who are these people? What are

they doing and why?

The NYPD says they are aware of the incident and are actively investigating. There are no arrests. Police say this video was taken around

4:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 18, just outside Manhattan's Penn Station. It's the busiest passenger transportation facility in America, handling

more daily riders than any individual airport or major tunnel in the area.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think the fact that it was so close to Penn Station means that the NYPD is going to take

probably an extra focus to try to stop this from happening.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): This incident comes after eerily similar videos around New York City appeared just a few months ago. In this one outside an

auto body shop in Queens, you can see the three individuals pry open a manhole cover, enter into the sewer and pulled the cover closed before

traffic started moving again. Investigators believe people may have been hunting for anything of value that found its way into the sewer system,

especially after a storm.

Authorities investigated but did not find that anything was damaged or interfered with.

KAYYEM: These are highly orchestrated events. You have people on the outside knowing exactly when to lift the manhole and let these and let the

others out. The earlier when these were first found in May, these videos, the NYPD said that they thought it was some sort of scavenger hunt.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): After this video surfaced in May, New York City's Department of Environmental Protection issued a statement saying in part,

"Entering the sewer system is both illegal and extremely dangerous."

[15:55:02]

These videos of humans emerging from sewers looks like something out of a Hollywood movie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guys are going down to the sewer to check for slime stuff, and Egon thinks there may be a huge surge in cockroach breeding.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The question remains, is it more minions? Or something more nefarious?

KAYYEM: Whatever it is, it's highly dangerous, not simply for them. It's disgusting down there. There's chemicals, there's smells, there's noxious

materials and liquids, but obviously, they could leave something behind that would be dangerous to pedestrians or street.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. That is WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN. More after the break.

END

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