Duke Energy Officials Say They're Doing Everything They Can to Prevent Coal Ash Spill in Eastern North Carolina; Weam Al Dakheel Becomes First Female to Anchor Main Newscast on State-Owned Saudi TV.
CABRERA: Duke Energy officials are saying they're doing everything they can to prevent a coal ash spill in eastern North Carolina. The rising floodwaters caused a dam to breach at a Duke Energy plant in Wilmington. That dam is meant to contain coal ash, which is toxic industrial waste, that includes arsenic and lead. Environmentalists now fear coal ash is seeping into the Cape Fear River. CNN's Kaylee Hartung is now joining us now from Wilmington. Kaylee, what is the latest on the situation there?</s>KAYLEE HARTUNG, REPORTER, CNN: Ana, Duke Energy tells me they've taken samples from the cooling lake where that dam was breached by the flood waters of the Cape Fear River and they've taken samples from the river. They expect the results to come back late tonight or early tomorrow morning and to give them data to back up what now is confidence, that they do not believe that coal ash has made its way into this river. They've been doing ground inspections and aerial inspections. In the meantime, they say there's no visible sign of coal ash in these waters. Earlier today, I spoke with a representative from Duke Energy who got a bird's eye view for herself.</s>ERIN CULBERT, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, DUKE ENERGY: So I had the opportunity today to go up in one of the aerial inspections by helicopter. And we can tell by that kind of bird's eye view that the ash basin dams here at the Sutton site remain well protected, they are stable, and they are containing the coal ash.</s>HARTUNG: While Duke Energy doesn't believe this industrial waste has gotten into the water, what has environmentalists particularly concerned is that Duke Energy does say another byproduct of coal combustion has. That's what they call cenospheres, this is tiny bead-like metal particles whose consistency is not easy to distinguish from sand. And so, environmentalists say, if these cenospheres were able to get into the water, then they believe coal ash could too. But, Ana, that power plant, upstream from where I am here on the banks of the Cape Fear River, is a place where raw water is taken in to then be turned into drinking water for this area. That plant is 20 miles upstream from the power plant. So the Cape Fear River Utility Authority is saying that, no matter what happens at that power plant, the drinking water is safe and will be safe for the people in the Wilmington area.</s>CABRERA: OK, a bit of good news. Kaylee Hartung, thank you for that reporting. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani going on the attack against President Trump comparing him to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Iran's state TV quotes Rouhani and saying Trump will fail in the economic and psychological war against Iran, just as Hussein failed in his eight- year war against the Islamic Republic. Rouhani also refuted the idea that Iran interferes in the affairs of other countries in the region. Now, Rouhani's message followed President Trump's own comments on Iran last night at his rally in Missouri.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I took over, and before I took over, everybody said Iran will take over the entire Middle East. Now Iran wants to survive, OK? But you know what, I hope we get along with them great. But it's not easy for them. And frankly, it's not easy for others, until we get treated with the respect that we deserve.</s>CABRERA: So this now sets the scene heading into next week's United Nations Security Council meeting on Iran, which President Trump will chair. An historic moment in Saudi Arabia.</s>CABRERA: This woman is breaking through societal norms, becoming the first female to anchor the main newscast on state-owned Saudi TV. This is in a country known for its strict rules for women, so it is a truly groundbreaking moment. Just this summer, another sign of progress for women, finally able to legally drive.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.</s>CABRERA: You're live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York, thank you for being with me. Our breaking news here on CNN, in just the past few minutes, we have confirmation now on a tentative date agreed upon for a woman to appear before a Senate committee and describe what she calls a sexual assault against her by President Trump's Supreme Court nominee. Christine Blasey Ford accuses Brett Kavanaugh of attacking her when they were both teenagers. Today, on a deadline, she agreed to speak before the Senate Judiciary Committee. We just learned that her day will tentatively be Thursday. Our Supreme Court Reporter, Ariane de Vogue, is with us. Also, with us, White House reporter Sarah Westwood.