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What We Know with Max Foster

Trump: Renewed Conflict With Iran Won't "Last Long"; Race To Rescue People Trapped In Tunnels In Nepal; Jury In Lindsay Clancy Trial Says It Is Deadlocked Again; Protests In Ceuta, Spain Over Ongoing Migrant Crisis; Von Der Leyen: E.U. Will Not Be Intimidated On Ukraine. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired September 02, 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: Donald Trump says he's prepared to strike Iran again.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

After a fierce exchange of fire between the U.S. and Iran, President Trump says he doesn't think the renewed war will last long, even as he warns that

new attacks could come at any time. The president spoke just moments ago about the latest wave of U.S. strikes. U.S. Central Command says it struck

military targets in Iran, including air defenses, radar systems, and mine- laying capabilities. Iran retaliated with strikes of its own, saying it hit U.S. military assets across the region.

President Trump says Iran was trying to rebuild radar and missile systems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We hit them hard last night, very hard. They gave a little love tap, but we hit them very hard last

night. We took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz, some defensive, some offensive. They were trying to

see the ships because they can't see the ships. We're taking out a lot of ships. They can't see it because they have no radar because we blew it up,

and we blew up much more than their radar last night. It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one anytime we want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Kevin Liptak is in Washington.

It's difficult to read, isn't it, Kevin? Because it's clearly escalating all the time, but then we're getting this mixed messaging saying it won't

last long.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, and the same messenger is trying to say that this has shifted to an economic campaign

and not a military one despite strikes over the course of three consecutive nights. And so it is, I think, a little confusing to see where exactly they

see this headed.

President Trump claims that he doesn't feel any pressure because of the midterm elections to get this war over and done with, despite the pressures

that that has put on the price of gas and the very real concerns among many Republicans and many of the president's own advisors that if this war is

continuing in the way that it is now, that that could spell for the president's Republican partners in their elections. And so, where this all

hits from here, I'm not sure we know.

The president earlier today on True Social did suggest that he wanted to see Iranians rise up and overthrow their government. This kind of has

echoes of what he was saying at the very beginning of this war. In that video he put out when the war began, he called on Iran to take over their

government.

In the Truth Social post this morning, he asked, why are the Iranian people not when are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?

And when he was asked about that in the Oval Office just now, he acknowledged he knew the answer, which was that the Iranian people would

get shot by their own government if they went out into the street and protested again. He said, that he frankly knows why they're doing that, but

that eventually, in his view, the Iranian government will get weaker and weaker, and it will be easier for the Iranian people to execute some sort

of form of regime change. But how long that takes, he wouldn't say.

And so, we seem to be again back in this sort of liminal space in between a full ceasefire and a full-scale resumption of the war will seem to be

having these night-by-night strikes without any clear view of where that will go from here. There's no sign that the diplomacy has resumed.

President Trump does not seem interested at this point in striking a diplomatic end to the conflict. He seems much more eager to take out some

of these Iranian facilities as they get rebuilt over time, and he seems to think that that is a suitable solution for the conflict, but I don't think,

you know, in talking to some of the president's allies in Washington that they view that as a durable solution. And so how long this goes on at this

point, not precisely clear.

FOSTER: Kevin Liptak at the White House, thank you.

There are still more than 4,000 people missing after last week's devastating floods in China and Nepal. Officials say they're making good

progress restoring communications and clearing roads in the mountainous region that was overwhelmed by floodwaters after a glacier collapse. But

rescue workers think there is a chance dozens of people are still alive inside Nepal's flooded hydroelectric tunnels. They're focusing on two

tunnels that have special chambers with air supplies inside.

CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke to Nepal's foreign minister about the efforts to find survivors of this tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": At this moment, what is your government's biggest priority?

SHISIR KHANAL, NEPAL FOREIGN MINISTER: We're still, for the most part in rescue stays, trying to save lives. We've brought almost 12,000 people to

safety. Unfortunately, over 1,000 people have lost lives, but we're still looking, especially people. There are reports of many people, hundreds of

people trapped inside hydroelectricity power plant tunnels, so we're trying to save lives even today, but at the same time, we're trying to move into

providing support to families survived as well.

COOPER: In terms of searching for the missing, is the -- or the hydro power plants, is that the biggest places where you believe there are people

still missing?

KHANAL: Based on the ground reports, most -- our security personnel, including Nepal Army, have been looking for people since right after the

disaster struck, but based on all the reports we have seen that most likely a large number of people are likely to be in hydroelectricity plant

tunnels.

COOPER: I've been to two locations, two tunnel locations just yesterday. At both places, there's a lot of hard work being done. Both places, they

have not heard any signs of life. Are you hopeful -- well, do you believe that There are people still alive in there.

KHANAL: Based on the reports and the people who designed these plans, they say that deep. inside these tunnels. There could be ear pockets. And the

way these tunnels are designed is they go-- I mean, especially on the mouth front, they go upwards. So, any water or sludge it would have accumulated

may not have gone all the way to the top. So based on these sort of engineering analysis, we are very hopeful that there could be many people

still alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Anderson Cooper there speaking to the foreign minister of Nepal.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery joined Nepali police search teams looking for any sign of those who are missing. And here's what she found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Down in Nepal's plains, the river gives up its dead. Flood waters carried them far from where they

were last seen, scattering them along the riverbanks.

MONTGOMERY: Right now, we're on a search and recovery mission with the Nepali police. They've found hundreds of bodies that have washed downstream

from the Himalayas in this river. So, we're just going to go and see if we can find any more human remains that might need recovering.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Using sticks to probe the tall grass, they search for what the floods left behind, they find nothing, so the search continues

downstream.

MONTGOMERY: They say they found something. Just going to put on my mask here in case it's a body. We found an animal carcass, and you can tell that

it's been here for a few days. It's pretty badly decomposed.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): The police tell us the same is happening to human remains.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): These scenes are very heart- wrenching, but we're keeping strong and working.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): The places to search seem endless, and what they do recover, they bring here, a center where photographs of the found dead

flicker across screens. Families stare at image after image, looking for a brother, a son, or for this man, his sisters.

KUMAR POKHAREL, BROTHER OF MISSING WOMAN (through translator): I'm still hoping that they come back. We're looking for them and contacting all

possible places, but we haven't found any leads.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): The police tell me over 800 people were reported missing at this center alone. Just 12 were returned to families. Some, he

says, are so badly decomposed they're unrecognizable.

HARI SHARAN DHAKAL, POLICE OFFICER (through translator): This situation is very challenging. We're getting dead bodies, body parts, and we don't have

enough people who are able to do this work.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Reunited holds a different meaning here. Finding remains confirms an unbearable truth, but an end to the search for some

families, allowing them to lay their loved ones to rest. But they're considered the lucky ones. The hundreds who can't be identified are brought

deep into the forest to a freshly dug mass grave.

Numbers are assigned for the unnamed, with the bleak hope that using collected DNA samples one day, someone will come looking for them.

Back at the river, the police find what they're looking for.

MONTGOMERY: When we were with the Nepali police, we didn't find any remains. But the same team they called us and they told us they found two

bodies in the river.

[15:10:02]

And now begins the really painful process of identifying these people and then reuniting them with their families.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Behind every missing person is a family still waiting, and behind every recovered body, the enormous task of learning who

they were.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Nepal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now in the past hour, the jury in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy has told the judge it once again is deadlocked. This is the case

involving the Massachusetts woman accused of murdering her three young children. The judge in the case has told the jury it needs to continue

deliberations for the time being.

Jean Cazares is outside the courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Jean, I mean, in your experience, how long can this go on for?

Well, we're getting close because this was a pivotal moment when the jury sent out their second note saying that they could not become unanimous on

any charge. And so, the judge is required by law in Massachusetts to read a charge to them, just not something informal like he did the first time, but

to actually read to them word for word that they need to keep an open mind.

Look at what your fellow juror is saying. Think about it. If you believe that there is guilt here, think about what they're saying as far as

acquittal, if you believe there is an acquittal, then look at beyond a reasonable doubt and guilt.

And so now, they're back doing that. But when it gets to this point, it is fairly serious. And the judge, that is why the judge has to follow such

strict rules here. But we'll see. You know, yesterday the jury went home 30 in the afternoon, and we are getting near that time now. We'll see what the

jury does.

If they keep deliberating, they keep deliberating. If they come back with another note, the judge has a big decision to make and it is the judge's

decision to make.

FOSTER: In terms of what happens then, you know, if it continues in deadlock, what does happen?

CASAREZ: Well, he can charge them again to go back a third time officially to keep deliberating. There will be a point though where because there's

almost 27 hours of deliberation here where the jury that has to be exhausted has to be worn out and they've been trying so hard, he will order

a mistrial and that will be the conclusion of this trial.

Now, it doesn't mean that Lindsey Clancy walks out a free woman. First of all, she's in a mental hospital right now. She is being treated. She still

is having suicidal ideations, according to the defense. She is paralyzed from the sternum down because of throwing herself out of a window on

January 24th after she killed her children. This would be in 2023.

But the prosecution can retry this case again. And that will be a decision that will be made within the district attorney's office. The district

attorney is the one that really has to make that decision. But in many cases, that's exactly what happens. There is a retrial.

FOSTER: Jean Casarez in Plymouth, thank you so much. We'll come back to you if we get a result there.

Now tensions are rising in the city of Ceuta, Spain, at this hour where a migrant crisis has prompted protest.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

FOSTER: The issue started in July when thousands of migrants illegally crossed into Ceuta from Morocco. At one point, more than 70,000 migrants

were estimated to be in Ceuta. City officials estimate up to 10,000 migrants still remain there.

However, Spain's interior ministry says the number is closer to 5,000.

Pau Mosquera joins us from Madrid.

Pau, last hour we saw our colleague Clarissa in Ceuta. Big demonstrations taking place there and also in other parts of Spain, right?

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's it, Max. Here, for example, in Madrid, around 50,000 people, according to data from the Spanish delegation

government delegation in Madrid took the streets and gathered here in front of Cibeles Square where it's located the City Council. All of them were

actually gathering after the call that was made by the federation that represents the interests of the different city councils in the country.

You can actually see here behind of me that there are still dozens gathered in front of the City Council. You can see how they are using some Spain's

national flags and they are already dispersing and getting back home. They are living downtown Madrid.

But over this last hour when the concentration has taken place, we have heard them chanting on, for example, asking to different ministers for this

last hour when the concentration has taken place. We have heard them chanting on, for example, asking two different ministers of the government

to resign, but also criticizing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who they believe that has acted not swiftly enough as to solve this situation.

And in fact, Max, this is the reason why many municipalities that are governed by ruling Socialist Party has not decided to participate in this

demonstrations because they say that those were politically motivated, instrumentalized by the opposition parties like the Popular Party and Vox.

And so, in the meantime, what is the situation in Celta? Well, as you were saying, there is between 5,000 and 10,000 migrants that still remain in the

autonomous city. And the main problem for some residents is that many of them are wandering the streets, and sometimes they create and generate some

tensions with the residents, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Pau, thank you so much for joining us from Madrid.

"Europe will not be intimidated over its support for Ukraine," that's the message from the European Commission president in the wake of news that

Russia may have been behind an attempted drone attack in Germany. Ursula von der Leyen said -- or met with NATO chief Mark Rutte in Brussels a day

after German authorities accused Russia of being behind last month's drone incident at Leipzig airport. She told reporters that she saw the event as

an attack on Europe as a whole.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: This was an attack using military-grade material carried out by Russian operatives on European

Union soil. We will not tolerate it. We stand in full solidarity with Germany. And if the intention was to make us think twice about supporting

Ukraine, I can tell you it has only strengthened my resolve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Now, the threat level in Germany has been moved too high after Russia was deemed responsible for placing a drone laden with explosives at

Leipzig airport. Russia has called the accusations absurd. Nevertheless, the E.U. foreign affairs chief says more sanctions on Moscow are on the

way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAJA KALLAS, EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: What happened in Leipzig was not an isolated incident. Since 2022, we have seen systematic

attacks across Europe. Sabotage, cyberattacks, espionage are becoming more frequent and more brazen. The E.U. stands in full solidarity with Germany.

We have summoned the Russian representative to the E.U, and we are moving ahead with more sanctions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Meanwhile, Ukraine is issuing a warning to airlines flying over Russian airspace. President Zelenskyy says it's becoming completely

dangerous and will effectively be closing because of the presence of Ukrainian drones. Ukraine has now urged the UN's aviation watchdog to ask

its members to fully ban operations in Russian airspace. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls Russian skies completely dangerous, adding that

they will effectively be closing because of Ukrainian drones.

The move comes as both Ukraine and Russia ramp up their attacks.

Now, CNN's Clare Sebastian has an update on the Russian response.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this I think from Vladimir Putin, this is classic Russian double speak. He is saying on the one hand

that he's open to seeking peace, to continuing talks. on this conflict, while on the other hand saying that Ukraine's warning over drones in

Russian airspace is state terrorism and he doesn't negotiate with terrorists.

So, I think it's a sort of no dressed up as a yes, as we've seen many times from Putin and other Russian officials. He also said in the same press

conference that Russia was winning, which speaks to, of course, a lack of incentive for them to come to the negotiating table. So, I think look at

Russia in the sense of what it does and not what it says, because I think critical context this is that this is now the seventh day of perhaps the

most intense and long-lasting bombardment of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, that we've seen since the start of the full-scale invasion.

They have been since last Thursday under near-constant air raid alerts. And these alerts are not just warnings, they're often accompanied by

explosions, President Zelenskyy saying on Wednesday that a university was hit in Kyiv. Thankfully, the 160 students were already in a shelter.

And so profound has the impact been on everyday life in the capital that the government is now upgrading its air alert system, introducing a two-

tier system, yellow for drones, red for missiles, to give people more sort of transparency and more of an ability to plan around these near-constant

alerts.

So that is the context in which we see this very purposeful warning from President Zelenskyy that Ukraine's own air war, its own air attacks on

Russia could still escalate. He's saying that Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe, that drones in Russia's skies, he said, are on a scale

that has to be taken into account. Ukraine, he says, is not targeting civil aviation, but clearly this is something that commercial airlines, though

still operating within Russia, cannot ignore.

[15:20:06]

Limited impact so far. One Turkish carrier, Pegasus, said that flights overnight into Wednesday to Russia were canceled, they said, due to

technical and operational reasons, but are now continuing as normal. Several others have told us they are monitoring the situation. But of

course, this is a moment when we do see this air war escalating. And certainly, Ukraine hasn't been operating commercial aviation since the

start of the war. And it may be that the risk in Russia is now rising as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Clare Sebastian.

Coming up, MapQuest making an unlikely resurgence. Why the digital map, used in the '90s, is the top of the App Store right now, and what it has to

do with Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:54]

FOSTER: The most popular iPhone app in the United States right now is one many people haven't thought of or indeed used in years. MapQuest is making

a comeback, and it's all due to Donald Trump's beef with Canada. After Mr. Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America,

Apple Maps and Google Maps quickly made the change on their platforms. But MapQuest is refusing to follow suit, a move that seems to be proving pretty

popular amongst users.

MapQuest revolutionized digital mapping in the 1990s and 2000s before falling behind its competitors. Now it's number one on the App Store. New

polling, meanwhile, showing just how unpopular Donald Trump's move to change the name of Lake Ontario is with voters. A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows

63 percent of people opposed the president's decision.

A few minutes ago in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said he was doing it for America's benefit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We do things like that because we're fighting for our country. Canada has taken advantage of us. They have ripped us off for years, and

now we're turning the tables, very easily turning the tables.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:25:03]

FOSTER: So, what we want to know is Donald Trump's trade war on Canada backfiring.

Joining us, Peter Mansbridge, a former anchor at CBC and host of "The Bridge".

Thanks so much for joining us.

I think what's interesting about the MapQuest story is that these are downloads from the U.S. So, you'd assume that this was an unpopular move

with the lake in Canada, but it's also very unpopular in the U.S.

PETER MANSBRIDGE, FORMER CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, CBC: It's one of these things that makes no sense, Max. I'm not sure what he was grasping at and

thinking that he was going to get some popularity out of this or some support from whether it was Americans or Canadians, because it's been --

it's been a huge backlash.

Listen, everybody understands it. It's not hard to kind of come to grips with what this issue is about. The renaming of a lake that was named 400

years ago before the U.S. was born, before Canada was born. You know, it's an indigenous name.

It just doesn't make any sense. So, I'm not surprised to see the numbers you just recounted. Nobody's buying it and nobody sees it as a major part

of any argument that deals with trade, which what this is all -- all about between Canada and the U.S. right now.

FOSTER: And he really laid into Canada once again today. I'm not sure about the accuracy of what he was saying, but saying that Canada doesn't

allow -- well, it restricts access to U.S. banks and to U.S. plane makers. So, he's hitting back with tariffs. He got those tariffs laid on straight

away within an hour, he said.

He's -- you know, despite Canada's prime minister making it very clear he's happy to go to a trade war, Trump is just going to keep pushing it, isn't

he?

MANSBRIDGE: Yeah, I don't see-- it's been 10 days, a little more than 10 days now since the talks fell apart, and I don't see any immediate return

to the negotiating table. What Carney, the Canadian prime minister, is saying is that when you stop the insults, when you stop the cheap shots,

we're ready to go back to the table. But those don't stop.

And there's always a little bit of truth to what Trump says in terms of some of the things he's trotted out as arguments, including the two you

just mentioned about today. But overall, it's kind of the other stuff that he talks about, the lake stuff. His commerce secretary, Lutnick, was doing

the 51st state thing again today, which just drives Canadians crazy.

So at the moment, Carney has the support of Canadians. There were three by- elections in the country this week, and he got more than 50 percent in each one of them. And keep in mind, this is not a two-party state. There are

three, four parties running in each of these ridings. And he grabbed more than half the vote.

And why has he got that vote? He's got that vote because he's standing up to Donald Trump.

FOSTER: Is he doing it because it's popular and he's being a politician? Or is he doing it because it's the right thing for the economy?

I mean, no one can underestimate his economic credentials. He's one of the top economists in the world, isn't he? But is he doing it because of the

politics, do you think, or the economics?

MANSBRIDGE: I think he's doing it in a combination of both. I mean, it's a really good question, Max, and I'm glad you've asked it, because, you know,

he talks about trying to get a better deal for Canada. This all started because Donald Trump was saying he wanted to get a better deal for the

United States. And to do that, he needed to quash basically every kind of deal that existed with Canada, including the one he himself negotiated just

a few years ago.

So, you know, I think the politics has worked in his favor. He has a majority position in the Canadian government now. If he called an election

now, that majority would get even bigger, one assumes, unless there was some drastic change in the situation.

But the economy is, you know, a hugely important part of this debate. There are literally tens of thousands of jobs on the Canadian side, upwards of

100,000 or more on the American side that are at stake. It's mainly in the central part of Canada through Ontario and Quebec. It's about the auto

industry and the number of jobs that could be lost there, not just in the manufacture of cars, but in the manufacture of automobile parts.

That's critical to Canada's job picture. That all could just simply fall apart and disappear. And if that happens, Mark Carney will pay the price

for that, no matter whose fault it's decided that was if in fact the talks totally break down and all deals fall apart.

[15:30:01]

The fact is -- the basic fact of these two countries is we share a continent. We've shared all kinds of good times. We've shared some

difficult times, but right now, the times we're sharing are pretty brutal. There's a lot of bad feeling, especially from the Canadian side towards the

Americans.

Americans are just starting to kind of wake up to what their government has been doing. They've got other things on the plate, obviously, the war in

Iran, et cetera, et cetera. But things are very difficult right now between our two countries. And when we look at the lake story, the Lake Ontario

story, that's kind of like a cute part of this story, nobody gets -- I mean, people get upset about it. But this is not one you'd go to the war

on. And nobody believes that six months from now, anybody will be calling it Lake America, no matter what Donald Trump says.

FOSTER: OK. Peter Mansbridge, fascinating chatting with you. Thank you so much for joining us on the show today.

MANSBRIDGE: Thank you, Max.

FOSTER: Coming up, President Trump again, this time, he's calling it the biggest oil deal in history, a landmark and controversial agreement between

two longtime foes, the United States and Venezuela.

(COIMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Back to our top story, Iran accusing the U.S. of atrocities, saying one of the latest U.S. attacks on that country hit a wedding party

in the south. Iran says a young child was amongst the four people who were killed there. It says dozens of others at the wedding party were wounded,

including 19 children under the age of 10.

[15:35:03]

The U.S. says its latest wave of strikes targeted military facilities. President Donald Trump warns new attacks on Iran could come at any time we

want.

CNN's Zachary Cohen is in Washington.

And clearly, any sort of civilian casualties are a tragedy, and America will have to explain it.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Absolutely, Max. And I want to remind folks that we are months since the U.S. accidentally, it

appears, struck a girls' school just in close proximity to where this latest strike that potentially killed civilians happened, killing over 160

children and a dozen or more teachers, according to Iranian state media. And that incident has been under investigation by U.S. Central Command

again for months now, and they have not released their findings into that.

So, ultimately, there will be continued pressure for the U.S. to explain the potential for civilian casualties and the targeting process that went

into each of these strikes. But in the meantime, as you mentioned, the U.S. appears ready to continue launching these strikes, which they say are in

retaliation in large part for Iran continuing to try to attack commercial vessels trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz. And this really comes in a

moment where the arm wrestling over that key waterway between Iran and the U.S. is once again flaring up and continues to be a struggle as both sides

really trying to assert their de facto control over the strait, which has really been the key sticking point of this entire conflict from the

beginning.

Again, worth reminding people that the Strait of Ormuz was fully open before the war with Iran was initiated by the U.S. and Israel. Iran only

subsequently started to threaten commercial vessels transiting that waterway after that initial wave of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes. And now,

we're six months later into a war that was touted as only supposed to have lasting a couple of weeks.

And the Strait of Hormuz remains a problem for the United States and for the Trump administration. We have seen the global energy market respond

accordingly with just after the announcement of these latest strikes, oil futures climbed above $94 a barrel. And again, there is no diplomatic

agreement or sign of a diplomatic agreement in the near term offing as well. And there's questions about how long this war will continue.

President Donald Trump reiterating again today that he's in no hurry to make a deal with the Iranians, saying that he is willing to essentially

continue the current course of economic pressure with bombing of these military targets around the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to really

convince commercial shippers that it is safe enough to travel through that waterway to begin opening the flow of energy products, not just oil, but

also LNG and other critical materials that the world depends on for energy.

So, ultimately, it remains to be seen. Donald Trump has also pledged that the entire point of this war was to make sure that Iran would never acquire

a nuclear weapon, and so the goalposts have continued to shift here. But once again, we are in a period, it appears, of fighting. And that fighting

is really centered around the Strait of Hormuz.

FOSTER: OK. Zachary, thank you.

It's the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are rebounding today. Wall Street looks set to snap a three-day losing streak with the Dow

up 300 points.

This is our Business Breakout.

Uber laying off around 10 percent of its workforce, roughly 3,000 people. Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi says he wants to make the company simpler

and faster. Uber is also looking to concentrate its remaining employees in fewer key hubs, with global teams focused in New York and San Francisco.

The CEO of a major tech firm is missing after deadly floods in Nepal. The head of Infosys Public Services was last seen with a group of people at the

Nepal-China border. His family says the entire group is still missing.

And Donald Trump hosted travel industry executives at the White House today. In 2025, international arrivals to the U.S. fell more than 5

percent. That was partly caused by lengthy visa interview wait times and stricter immigration policies. Visitors in Canada have dropped sharply due

to Mr. Trump's trade war.

The U.S. now controls a major stake in Venezuela's oil reserves for the next century. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright was in Caracas earlier,

meeting with the acting Venezuelan president, Delcy Rodriguez. They finalized a deal to give the United States nearly 20 percent of those crude

reserves. The Trump administration calls it a major win for both Americans and Venezuelans, but critics are questioning the legality of an agreement

that so closely ties the U.S. government with private companies.

CNN's Mary Trinimania is with us now from the Venezuelan capital.

There must be some questions about this in Venezuela because the U.S. does seem to be getting a very good deal here. It's managing to build up its

reserves again at a pretty good price.

MARY TRINY MENA, CNN JOURNALIST: Max, as a matter of fact, there are many, many questions that are still to be answered here in Venezuela. Here,

actually, the deal was not signed today. Apparently, it was signed previously on August 28th and then was informed to the entire population,

to Venezuelans who are now knowing about the extension of the deal and the implications of this one.

This is coming in the middle of the second visit of the U.S. secretary of energy to Venezuela. Today, eight deals were signed, but four different

agreements with one with Chevron and the other one with Eni, which is the Italian oil and gas company. Among these deals, there are also deals with

General Electric to build up and to improve the devastated electrical power grid in Venezuela.

So right now, there are many people here asking about the leader details -- the print the leader letters on these contracts that are -- hasn't been on

close to the whole population.

To give you an example just yesterday, the Venezuelan National Assembly was the one to propose support motion for the agreement. This is a national

assembly controlled by the government. The head of this national assembly is the brother of Delcy Rodriguez, the acting president. And most of the

lawmakers there didn't know about the deal.

One small portion of national assembly which is from the opposition said we are happy that Venezuela is receiving wealth and improving its oil

production, but we need to read the contract in order to make an announcement of a support of this agreement. So right now, there are two

governments pitching the benefits for the country that will bring prosperity, money, jobs to the entire country and also improving the

electrical grid.

And according to Chris Wright, it is a win-win deal for both countries answering questions by journalists that says that the U.S. is taking

advantage of this deal on Venezuela -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, thank you so much for that.

Coming up, not enough money, paper, or people. Some U.S. election officials say there just isn't time to comply with President Trump's mail-in voting

orders. We'll look at how this could impact the November midterms.

MENA: OK, thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:58]

FOSTER: The U.S. midterms are just weeks away and state election officials are sounding the alarm, some of them warning it's not possible to comply

with President Trump's new rules for mail-in ballots. It comes after a Democratic senator released a warning from an unnamed whistleblower who

described the U.S. Postal Service's new ballot verification system as rushed and untested.

Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke earlier to CNN's Kate Bolduan about Trump's new mail-in ballot guidelines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're not going to trust mail-in voting if the Supreme Court allows us to go through, though, are you?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): I won't, personally. And I think most Americans will view mail voting as lacking credibility because, remember,

the United States Postal Service is going to be screening your ballot and sending them back if it finds a single discrepancy. And you may not know

that your ballot has been sent back to state election officials. They may not be able to comply in time, and there are strict deadlines for

submitting mail ballots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Gabe Cohen joins us with more.

Gabe, just give us a sense of exactly what these officials worry about.

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, first off, I think it's extremely important to stress that a federal judge has, at this point,

blocked the Postal Service from actually mandating these rules. And so, for now, state and local election officials are moving forward with the status

quo.

But the White House has appealed that decision, they want it kicked back up to the Supreme Court, so as that legal fight is playing out, we're hearing

from these election officials across the country who are sounding the alarm saying that there is no way that they can implement these changes in just a

few weeks ahead of the midterms. They have laid out a list of reasons why.

They say that there is not enough time to redesign and reprint millions of envelopes that those ballots will come in when they're mailed out, that the

vendors they used may not even have enough paper stockpiled to reprint all those envelopes and that reprinting them would cost millions and millions

of dollars that have not been budgeted for.

And then there is this issue of local election administrators across the country who need to be trained on this new portal that the Postal Service

has built because they don't want any administrative errors caused by an election official, that would mean a ballot gets rejected and sent back to

an election office by the Postal Service. And that ties back to that whistleblower account that you mentioned that we reported on yesterday here

on CNN.

What that Postal Service staffer essentially said is they accuse the agency of really secretively and sloppily rushing to build that system that it has

not been properly tested and that there is a strong possibility that it could have significant errors. And they pointed to something specific, what

they called a zero percent failure policy that they say is going to be the policy of the Postal Service where a local election official would drop off

a batch of ballots. We are talking about potentially thousands of them being turned over at once to the Postal Service. And then if there is even

one error, one discrepancy on a single ballot, a name, an address, a barcode that doesn't match up to what the state or that county has handed

over in advance to USPS, that that entire batch might be rejected and sent back to the election office to be fixed.

And the concern there is that it could mean that voters are waiting a long time, there could be a delay for those ballots to go out. And it could mean

for some that they end up being disenfranchised because they can't actually get that ballot back to the election office in time.

FOSTER: OK, Gabe, appreciate it. Thank you.

Still to come, King Charles and the French President Emmanuel Macron come together to view a nearly 1,000-year-old work of art. We'll tell you why

the beloved piece of history is back on British soil for the first time since it was made.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:36]

FOSTER: Tiger Woods is losing his driver's license for five years because of his March rollover car crash. Woods pleaded no contest to a lesser

charge Wednesday morning in a Florida courtroom. The 50-year-old initially entered a not guilty plea to driving under the influence of a controlled

substance. The March crash was the latest in a series of car accidents for the golf legend.

Travis Kelce is sharing details about his wedding to Taylor Swift. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end spoke about it on his latest podcast episode

with his brother Jason, New Heights. These were some of Travis Kelce's first on the record comments about the wedding. He paid tribute to Adam

Sandler, saying the actor and comedian had to get ordained to officiate his marriage to Swift, held at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July

3rd.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRAVIS KELCE, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS TIGHT END: For him to be up for getting ordained in the state of New York and marrying me and Taylor in the way he

did, in the very, you know, Sandman style and giving us more than we could have ever imagined in that moment, knowing that it was the biggest night of

both of our lives, it was absolutely insane, man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Finally, tonight, King Charles and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, viewing the famed Bayeux Tapestry. At the British Museum in London

just a little while ago, alongside Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron, they saw the nearly 1,000-year-old historic tapestry. The embroidery depicts the

conquest of England by the monarch's ancestor, William the Conqueror, in 1066.

The historic loan from France is part of a deal with the government there bringing the tapestry or embroidery on English soil for the first time

since it was made. Leaders from both countries spoke about it a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING CHARLES, UNITED KINGDOM: The tapestry's story is one of ambition and uncertainty, of oaths and journeys, of ships, councils, kings, comets and

consequences. Yet, it is not merely an English story, nor only a Norman one. Indeed, from the moment of its creation, it may have brought together

our two peoples.

EMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: We do not know for certain where this masterpiece was embroidered.

[15:55:01]

And some of the rather quirky creatures in its borders still leave us scratching our heads. But what we do know is that the epic it tells bound

our cultures, our histories, and our destinies together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN. There's more after the break.

END

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