a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states and around the world. i'm christina macfarlane in for max foster here in london. just ahead -- >> the justice department has already begun digging through the documents that they have seized through the search. >> and they believe that they need a special master to handle

it. russia is trying to legitimize its presence at the zaporizhzhia power plant. >> an offensive is currently under way in the south. >> serena williams as she puts it all on the line in the last tournament of her legendary career. >> it was so loud and i was overwhelmed in a good way. welcome, it is tuesday, august 30th, 9:00 a.m. here in london, 4:00 a.m. in washington and florida where we begin with new details into the search of donald trump's mar-a-lago home. intelligence agencies have been working with the fbi since mid may to examine hundreds of documents to determine their level of classification. the process has been part of the justice department's

investigation, but led to the search of trump's florida home. big picture, intelligence agencies and the fbi want to make sure no information was compromised while the documents were stored there. andrew mccabe has more insights. >> the folks operating under dni authority will look through every one of those documents and figure out what is the home agency that made the original classification of that document. and then they will go back to that home agency, whether that is cia or fbi or nsa, whoever that might be, and ask them to review each of those documents individually to say do you feel you have sources in jeopardy by virtue of the release -- or the poor storage of these documents or has it potentially compromised a technical intelligence collection opportunity. and they will wait to see what those home agencies report back. and with all that, they will have an assessment as to how much damage has actually been

done. >> meantime a hearing is scheduled for thursday on trump's request for a special master to review the material the fbi took during its search with from the mar-a-lago home. kaitlan collins has the latest on what the former president's team is hoping for. >> reporter: former president trump's attorneys are saying that they still would like a third party person assigned to the case of the materials taken from the former president's home, the materials seized in the search of his home, despite the justice department saying on 34 monday saying that they have already reviewed the materials and they have set aside a limited amount of what they say could be covered by attorney/client privilege and they are already going through the proper procedures of how to handle material like that in a situation seized. and they say they believe what is known as a special master

assigned to the case to handle this, basically to have an outside party, a third party attorney help them work through the materials and make a judgment call based on what the justice department has been looking at, what they say could potentially be covered by attorney/client privilege or by executive privilege. that remains to be seen how exactly the justice department will argue against that, they said that they will have more to say this week. and of course tuesday there is expected to be an argument made by the justice department in response to what trump's team has asked for. and trump's team was pleased by the fact that on saturday a judge indicated that she did potentially see an opening for appointing a special master in this case. of course it remains to be seen if they sullactually does and i comes to fruition. one thing trump's attorneys are hoping to get out of that, it could potentially throw things in to chaos and certainly slow them down because then this person would have to review what the justice department has

already gone through. whether that ends up remains to be seen, but they are expecting the justice department to make a more fulsome argument in court this week. kaitlan collins, cnn, washington. one of donald trump's former white house staffers calls his push for a special master a legal tactic to delay the mar-a-lago document investigation. alyssa griffin was director of strategic communications and she spoke to cnn earlier. >> it is completely a delay tactic and he has got this kind of ad hoc team of attorneys, none of whom to my knowledge specialize in these sort of investigations. some of the more credible lawyers who surrounded him earlier in his presidency won't touch this issue because they know how legally exposed he is. it is honestly an attempt just to stop the process. but honestly, the former president's real focus is litigating this, the public relations around it. he has been sounding off on truth social putting out statements saying what a corrupt

job this was by the fbi and doj and i think that he knows the legalees is not in his favor but trying to win in the court of public opinion. i'm confident that he will lose in both, but that is what he is trying to do. >> cnn will have much more on this story next hour on "early start." elsewhere the u.s. secret service assistan orinato left the agency monday. it is a significant departure can which comes two months after his name came up during the explosive testimony to the house select committee investigating january 6. you will recall cassidy hutchinson testified that orinato told her that then president trump belearned his s detail would not take him to the u.s. capitol on january 6. the committee says it believes orinato could provide valuable information about trump's movements and intentions leading up to and on january 6.

a dangerous mission is under way in ukraine as inspectors from the nuclear watchdog make their way to the embattled zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. this as new images reveal some of the damage within the complex including this massive hole in the roof of a building. at least three other holes have also been spotted. it comes after week of repeated at least three other holes have also been spotted. it comes after week of repeated shelling around the russian-held plant and growing fierce of a potential nuclear disaster. the long awaited counteroffensive appears to be getting under way in southern ukraine with troops launching a series of attacks on russian forces in the kherson region. moscow acknowledged the attacks on monday but said that ukraine's offensive, quote, failed mysel midder miserably.

and bring in melissa bell. they have beenroffensive for mo. what are they telling cnn about the advances overnight? >> reporter: well, what regional officials are saying is that for the second day the fighting continues, that counteroffensive continues with fighting in several towns they say along the frontline. but also just as we've seen during the preparation phase also continuing to tax beyond it. so things like ammunition depots and infrastructure across the bridge over the river, of course one of the targets of the ukrainian forces and it has been throughout the phase of this preparation of the counteroffensive to try to cut off kherson from the other side of the river and the supply roots that allow russian forces to bring in weapons and men. and so that counteroffensive continues. but there is of course something we're hearing from ukrainian officials and we've been hearing from the ukrainian president

last night in his address that while this counteroffensive is under way, there needs to be patience and time given in order for it to succeed. >> translator: we will chase them to the border. to our border which line has not been changed. occupiers are well aware of it. if they want to survive, it is time for the russian military to run away, go home. if they do not hear me, they will have to deal with our defenders who will not stop until they free everything that belongs to ukraine. and this is not something special. it is not something that just started. we've been talking about this for 187 days. >> reporter: so a very determined tone there from president zelenskyy last night. but you get a sense of how difficult this is going to be, christine, and how important it is. if the counteroffensive makes some progress, it brings momentum back to the ukrainian

side. if it fails to make progress and that line between the ukrainian-held territory and those parts held by russia will seem more entrenched still. that is the danger. as you mentioned, that is one of the stories we're watching this morning. the other of course is the inspection by the ieae of zaporizhzhia. we're expecting a press conference here in kyiv later this morning from its head. >> we'll keep an eye out for that. melissa bell, thanks very much. and let's turn now to cnn's fred pleitgen who is live for us in moscow. fred, you were hearing from melissa there reports that the counteroffensive has got under way. russia have already been responding. what are they saying? >> reporter: ukrainians said that they had taken four towns on the ground but russians claim that the offensive as they put it as so far failed miserably,

but it also did take the russians a long time to acknowledge that there was a counter offensive going on. so the russians at least acknowledging now that there is heavy fighting going on, that this is a counteroffensive by the ukrainians. one of the other things that the russians have said, that overnight there was pretty heavy shelling going on in a town that is in that general area, a pretty long frontline actually if you look at the counteroffensive where the ukrainians are trying to make head way. again right now the russians say that they are holding on but they acknowledge the heavy firing going on from the ukrainians as well. it was quite interesting because there was a local russian installed official in the kherson area earlier today who said that no one was threatening the town of kherson and that the russians are well dug in. of course whether or not that is the case is impossible to independently verify. but the russians do acknowledge that right now there are heavy battles going on, but so far they have not acknowledged that they have lost any sort of territory or that they are

having any sort of problems resupplying ting troops on the ground. but we have seen that the ukrainians continue to hit a lot of the bridges making it very difficult for the russians to keep their logistics upright. >> and just turning to zaporizhzhia, we know that obviously russia agreed for the iaea to visit or it wouldn't be happening. what else are they saying about the impending visit? >> reporter: well, the russians claim that the ukrainians continue to shell that area where ukrainians keep saying it is the russians and that this is all a provocation. one of the things that happened overnight or in the early morning hours of today is that the russians claim that there was a building in the vicinity that has spent nuclear fuel in it that apparently close to there may have been some hits. it was a statement of put out by the energy provider saying that there were two ruptures in the area near a building that has

stored nuclear fuel in it. unclear whether or not that means explosions or whether there was any sort of more serious damage that was done. but it is something that we've been hearing from the russians really over the past week increasingly as this iaea mission draws closer, they claim that the ukrainians are trying to disrupt the mission. obviously ukrainians are denying that and of course the mission itself right now is in kyiv and as melissa said, there will be a press conference by them today. the russians did say that they will provide for safety for that mission, however they also say of course that they can only do that in the areas that they control. >> fred pleitgen in moscow, appreciate your reporting. thank you. russia could soon have new military hardware on the battlefield in ukraine. u.s. officials tell cnn that they believe moscow has acquired weapons capaable drones from iran. many believe that the dreens have technical problems when the russians were testing them. today marks one year since

the u.s. withdrew from afghanistan. and the last american troops departed the country. in the days leading up t chaos as afghans attempted to flee the country and the taliban. the u.s. says that it was able to move about 124,000 people to safety. clarissa ward will have more on "early start" in the next hour. and we're keeping a close eye on the situation in baghdad where at least ten people have been killed in protests after the announcement of withdrawing from politics. nada bashir is following the developments and we'll go live to her in a few minutes. also next on "cnn newsroom," the play on the court shined brightest of all. more on serena williams' dazzling day at the u.s. open.

and plus the latest on the reason for the delay of the launch of artemis. and millions are under excessive heat warnings. we'll have the latest forecast for you. >> we have a long duration heatwave taking place the next few days across much of the west. i'll have details just ahead. skip the rinse with finish quantum. its activelift technology provides an unbeatable clean on 24 hour dried-on stains. skip the rinse with finish to save our water. - custom ink helps us motivate our students with custom gear. we love how custom ink takes care of everything we need, so we can focus on the kids. - [narrator] custom ink has hundreds of products to help you feel connected. upload your logo or start your design today

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welcome back. if serena williams is retiring from tennis, she is going out with a bang. she was dominant in first round play at the u.s. open defeating her opponent. and carolyn manno has more from new york. >> reporter: all of the stars were out monday night here for serena williamss. she herself shining bright he is not only for the beautiful celestial ensemble that she donned, but with the bay that she play. she moved better than we have maybe seen her move all year. and even though she started a little bit inconsistent with the serve, you could sell that she was a little tight and who could blame her.

the atmosphere was overwhelmed. she really settled midway through the first set and in the second set used the fuel of the crowd to get her past highly anticipated first round match. and now so many are wondering the door has been opened just a crack, what is possible for the greatest player that this sport has ever seen. and if you look at her face after the match was over smiling from ear to ear, you could tell that nobody wants to extend this run at her final grand slam more than serena williams herself. >> i always just got to do the best that i can, you know. this is -- i feel so comfortable on this court and in front of everyone here. you know, when i step out on the court, i just want to do my best that i can do on that particular day. just keep coming out and supporting me as long as i'm here and know that i love you so much and i'm so excited to be here. >> reporter: the test will only get more difficult from here. coming up next for serena is the two seed in the tournament who also won in straight sets today. we don't know what that match

will ultimately end up being, it could be the final time we see her on the court at a grand slam. but what we do know and what she knows especially after tonight and probably all along is that this crowd, her home crowd, will be behind her every step of the way. at the u.s. open, carolyn manno, cnn, new york. the water system in the state capital of mississippi is on the brink of collapse. jackson is struggling after heavy rain and extreme flooding damaged infrastructure impacting some 250,000 people. the governor has declared a state of emergency for the city saying there is not enough running water to fight fires or even flush toilets. >> until it is fixed, it means we do not have reliable running water at scale. it means the city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to

reliably flush toilets and to meet other critical needs. >> but mississippi is not the only state worried about lasting effects from storms. several states across the u.s. midwest are at risk for severe storms in the coming days with potential for tornadoes. and karen maginnis is joining me with more. which states are we talking about here? >> we have the heat across the west and thunderstorms across the east. so we have a variety of weather across the united states. but for the west, about 50 million people are under some sort of heat alert. and, yes, that even includes pacific northwest. probably hoping to transition to a more fall-like pattern. this is late in the season to start and continue to see these triple digits heatwave after heatwave, droughten cans that have been so pervasive across the west. but look at these temperatures the next three days. i say and emphasize three days because this is probably a seven

day event where these temperatures will be ten to as much as 20 degrees above where they should be for this time of year. even death valley will soar to 121 degrees later on in the workweek. sacramento sees triple digits as well. but even around seattle also portland, oregon, into reno, salt lake city, that is where the heat is going to get cranked up over the next few days. heat advisories to the north, excessive heat watches further to the south includes portions of western arizona but also for the metropolitan phoenix area. phoenix on the way to 110 degrees. portland, 98. boise, idaho, 101 degrees as a ridge of high pressure dominates the region. take a look at the east. we've talked about some of the thunderstorms that are expected to move in across the northeastern part of the united states. yes, for boston, washington, d.c., acfternoon and evening thunderstorms could produce brief and heavy rainfall.

but also there is an upper level disturbance that is bringing in lots of return moisture for the gulf of mexico. so some of the rainfall here down to mid land, texas, some of that rainfall could be substantial and the ground is hard packed because of the extreme drought. and here comes a frontal system sweeping across the northeast in new england, further south it kind of dries out a little bit, but we'll expect a few showers here as well. and then high pressure moves in and then those temperatures are still going to be back up there again. so this is the overall weather pattern. frontal system across the eastern sea board could see strong to severe storms in the northeast. be aware of that as you travel on the roads. also for some of the flights. back to you. >> not much relief for now, is there. karen, thank you very much. pakistani officials say deadly and widespread flooding has caused more than $10 billion in damage so far this year.

repeated floods over summer months have swept away buildings and destroyed homes across pakistan. the international rescue community says that more than 70% of the people that they have contacted don't have access to enough clean drinking water. the flooding is so excessive the pakistan climate change minister has compared it to a small ocean. anna coren is joining me from hong kong with more. and anna, given the scale of this damage, there is not really going to be any swift recovery from the floods. so what efforts are being made here by the international community to try to help? >> yeah, we heard from some of international community and they say it is not months but years that it will take for pakistan to recover. is this a country with an incredibly fragile economy that has had to be bailed out by the international monetary fund.

and now the conservative estimate for the damage is $10 billion. and you have to remember that so much of these communities have been cut off and are inaccessible. so really until the damage is fully assessed, they think that it could be two to three times higher from that $10 billion. that is the financial cost. human cost is staggering. you were talking about more than 1100 deaths. and once again that is conservative because they think that it will be so much hire once they can access these areas. 15% of the population has been affected by these floods. remembering that these monsoon rains have been happening since the middle of june. there is a reprieve at the moment, but they believe that they will start up again in the coming weeks. but let's have a listen now to the climate change minister talking about the unprecedented

scale of this disaster. >> literally one third of pakistan is under water right now which has exceeded every boundary, every norm we've seen in the past. we've never seen anything like this. even the 2010 super floods which had literally wiped out half the country was better than this. we are much worse today than 2010. >> and humanitarian aid is slowly trickling in. there is plane loads of aid from china, u.s., turkey, canada have also pledged assistance. but in the end it is a crop in the ocean. pack tkistani is appealing for aid and assistance and it will need it. >> and the fact that this is climate driven means that it can only get worse in years to come. anna coren, thanks very much.

a new study finds that even if we stop emitting green house glasses now, global sea levels could still rise significantly. the research published predicts that more than 3% of the ice sheet will melt in the near future and scientists say that that will raise sea levels by nearly a foot or more than centimeters. and they believe that it could happen sometime by the end of this century. still to come, how the issue of abortion is having a key impact on how candidates campaign. and what led protestors to storm the republican palace in baghdad, that is ahead. i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm christina mack faacfarlane. let me bring you up-to-date with the top stories. u.s. intelligence agencies have been going through the documents found at mar-a-lago since mid may, this is to ensure that the information in the documents remain protected. and a team from the international atomic energy agency has arrived in kyiv, they will visit zaporizhzhia nuclear plant later this week. more on both of these stories coming up on "early start." president biden is set to deliver a primetime speech in philadelphia thursday where the white house says that he will speak about the continued battle for the soul of the nation. the president is expected to warn about what he calls the extreme maga philosophy and labeling it semi fascism.

and the president is expected to call for increased funding for law enforcement. the white house says that he will also address gun safety and renew his push for a nationwide assaults weapons ban. we are now exactly ten weeks away from the critical midterm elections in the u.s. and it appears that the issue of abortion is already a huge factor for voters especially women. and it has caught the attention of several republican candidates as they seek support ahead of november's vote. >> most people support common sense regulation around abortion. >> reporter: and blake master surrounded by his children trying to reset the debate over abortion rights. >> i support a ban on very late term and partial birthth aborti and most agree with that.

>> reporter: and just after, strict language was stripped. before, he wrote that he is 100% pro-life calling roe v. wade a horrible decision and then listed a series of strict instances on abortion. now a softer tone. and roe went from horrible to a bad decision. the words 100% pro-life removed from this section. and that list of positions? it is shorter. >> there is no getting around it that abortion in his particular race is a hot, hot issue for one of the swing coalitions. he has to speak to that issue and being pro-life 100% of the time is not going to get him there. so he has to attempt to make that pivot. >> reporter: masters' campaign says that he remains 100% pro-life but he is not the only one retooling. >> i'm tom barrett. >> reporter: in michigan's 7th congress at district, tom barrett fund raised as 100% pro-life no extensceexceptions.

but over the weekend that on his website is gone. his campaign says that we regularly update the website. >> should all abortions be illegal? >> reporter: in iowa, to represent the third congressional district -- >> no aall abortions, no except. >> reporter: zach nunn won. and the incumbent turned that primary debate moment into a campaign ad. >> even in the case of rape, even in the case of incest, even if a woman's life is in danger. >> reporter: nunn's campaign did not respond directly to request for comment on the democratic attacks, but nunn wrote in an editorial that the ad was false and that while he opposes abortion, we must be k compassionate to women and unborn child. >> reporter: and a doctor says this -- >> if a mother's life is in

danger, i think that that would have to be a medical consideration and an area for potential exception. >> no exsipgsceptions for rape in-crest? >> unless a mother's life is in danger. >> reporter: and now he is calling his previous words clumsy. >> i want to be clear now, rape and incest along with endangering the mother's mental or physical health are acceptable exceptions. >> is tt is an issue in tight rs where there are a lot of college educated white women but that is not every district in america. so in select races you are seeing these shifts. the challenge is on some of the very hot issues, the other campaign keeps receipts meaning that they have the website, they have the primary tv ads. >> too dangerous for arizona. >> reporter: and those receipts are now appearing in general election ads. democratic campaigns and groups

have spent more than $50 million in ads referencing abortion since roe was overturned, a chance to energize voters this november. pivots in politics are certainly not that unusual. whether it works on a wedge issue like abortion is how convincing the candidate is. if the candidate is sincere. and most importantly, whether voters believe it. kyung lah, cnn, los angeles. and some are working to extend assistance from those of out of state. in a tweet governor newsom said that california is launching a new fund to help women that need to travel here for reproductive care while republican leaders across the nation strip away women's freedom, california is here to help. and lawmakers are set to vote this week on the amendment that would ensure help is extended beyond state lines. america's largest wireless carriers not only know where

users are but they hold to that information for years and they r routinely share it with law enforcement. that is according to letters that the companies wrote themselves to the federal communications commission. the issue is under intense scrutiny as states pass new laws redistricting abortion. and the sensitive location data can reveal whether a person may have visited an abortion clinic or other facilities and they fear that the information could be used to prosecute people for seeking the procedure. two people are dead after a shooting at a grocery store in ben, oregon on sunday. the gunman was found dead at the scene as well with a self inflicted gunshot wound. the shooter may have posted information online regarding his plan. 26 alleged gang members were indicted for a series of crimes which targeted celebrities and

wealthy residents, including charges related to home invasions, kidnappings, shootings and armed robberies. the prosecutor says that the suspects targeted people who displayed hair wealth on social media. some of the victims included singer mariah carey and atlanta falcons player calvin ridley. now to iraq where at least ten people are dead after violence protests inside baghdad's heavy fortified green zone. hundreds of supporters of the shia cleric stormed the area after he had announced that he would withdraw from public life. the country has been without a new government since elections last october. and nada bashir is following the developments here and is joining me in london. and we know this is some of the worst fighting baghdad has seen in years. what are the concerns that this could lead to sustained

violence? >> yes, this is some of the most intense clashes that we've seen between these protestors, supporters of the al sadr and we've had just this morning from medical sources in baghdad that at least ten people have been killed in these clashes, some 200 people injured. and that could certainly continue to rise today. and we've just heard from the iraqi security force confirming that four rockets landed within the once very secure green zone damaging the residential complex in that green zone, this of course is an area that houses government ministries, foreign diplomatic missions. so there are concerns that this could continue to escalate. we're seeing the protestors still present within the green zone perimeters. and of course as you mentioned, this has come off the back of the announcement from al sadr that he would be withdrawing from political life, that he would be closing all of his political offices associated

with him across the country. and this is not the first time we've heard this rhetoric. back in june he called for his lawmakers to step back from their seats in protest of what has been months and months of political stagnation. his bloc unable to form a government despite coming out on top in elections back in october and unwilling to enter into negotiations with his rival, the framework alliance. and he has encouraged iraqis to take to the streets to protest what he has described as corruption in the government. he's called for the delusion of parliament, complete overall of the iraqi political system. the concern now is that these protests we've seen yesterday and today could escalate, we're seeing a crackdown, tear gas being used, heavy gunfire. and so there are concerns that this will lead to sustained instability. >> and we'll continue to monitor

it. thanks very much. and next, nasa's historic moon mission will have to wait a little longer as the artemis team tries to work through an unexpected issue. >> this is a brand new rocket. it is not going ging fly until ready. >> this is a hard business, we're trying to do something that hasn't been donone in over0 years. it packs the power of a big blender on ththe go, and it crushes right ththrough ice. just drop in your favorite ingredients, even frozen fruit, and make a smoothie any time, anywhere. blendjet cleans itself. just add a drop of soap, water, and blend. recharge quickly with any usb port. order now on blendjet.com and kick off the new year right!

it is rocket science and it is hard and it requires a lot of people and a lot of things to happen correctly, all things that have to work. and so we shouldn't be surprised. engineering is hard. science is hard. and these are just reminders of that. better that it gets scrubbed than it explodes on the launch pad. and so consider the alternatives. >> yeah, better safe than sorry. and nasa is now hoping for a

launch this friday for its artemis 1 rocket after an engine issue forced it to be scrubbed on monday. they will meet to evaluate their next steps as they prepare for the u.s. space agency moon mission for the first in 50 years. >> reporter: engine number 2058 has helped propel six space shuttles into orbit starting back in 2006. >> scrub of the attempt of launch of artemis 1. >> reporter: but today that system was the primary culprit behind the scrub of the first test flights of the sr.artemis n rocket. >> we need it to be at the temperature such that when it starts it is not shocked with all the cold fuel that flows through it. >> reporter: nasa says it is too soon to determine when it will try again, but the mission manager gave a classic nasa response when addressing if the next launch opportunity on

friday is still in play. >> there is a nonzero chance we'll have a launch opportunity on friday. >> reporter: the artemis rocket or sls has largely been cobbled together from using left overparts. the four engines combined flew more than 20 shuttle missions. nasa had hoped had by recycling the old parts they would be able to build the new rocket faster and more affordably. instead the sls rocket is six years behind schedule and billions overbudget. >> we know these shuttle parts were finicky and expensive and so no surprise that putting them together differently was going to also be expensive and take longer than we hoped. >> reporter: still this rocket is the most powerful ever built. it is designed to return humans to the moon by 2025 and some day go on to mars. thousands of people converged on the kennedy space center today in hopes seeing it fly for the first time, including vice

president kamala harris. >> today was a very important day. a lot of folks might be disappointed that the launch did not actually happen. but a lot of good work really happened today. >> reporter: nasa administrator bill nelson reminded that these kinds of delays are routine for any space flight but especially a first test flight. >> this is a brand new rocket. it is not going to fly until it is ready. needless to say the complexity is daunting when you bring it all into the focus of a countdown. >> reporter: despite all the technical issues, this rocket is still the only rocket in the world as of now that is capable of carrying people to the moon and that is this close to being ready to launch. and spacex is developing a similar rocket, but it is not quite ready yet. and though that rocket called starship is going to be fully

radio reusable, which will make it much more affordable to fly in the future. kristin fisher, cnn, kennedy space center. american flyers are fed up with air travel. during a summer of frequent disruptions, customer complaints soared. details on what is causing the frustration when we return. skip the rinse with finish quantum. its activelift technology provides an unbeatable clean on 24 hour dried-on stains. skip the rinse with finish to save our water.

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u.s. financial markets are looking to rebound when trading begins in just a few hours time. right now all three are currently up. stocks fell on monday as investors continue to worry that the federal reserve will keep raising interest rates. the dow lost about half a percent, the nasdaq was down a full percent. and if u.s. air travel has frustrated you this summer, you are not alone. new data from the department of transportation shows travel complaints surged nearly 35% from may to june this year during the beginning of the summer travel season. and pete muntean takes a look at the numbers and the reasons for all the headaches. >> reporter: this new data from the department of transportation reflects the pain that

passengers have been experiencing during the summer of staffing troubles for airlines. 45,000 flight cancellations by u.s. carriers between june 1 and now according to flight aware, june had some of the worst days for flight cancellations. so not surprisingly this new data from june shows 28% of consumer complaints had to do with cancellations and delays. 25% had to do with refunds from the airlines. 5800 complaints in total. compare that to june back in 2019, pre-pandemic, when there were 1500 complaints. so we're seeing a 270% spike in complaints compared to pre-pandemic figures. only adds ammo to the federal push to step up their game especially with the labor day rush on the horizon. i want you to listen to the interview with scott kirby who shifts some of the blame away from the airlines and on to the federal government and the air

traffic control system. >> frankly the bigger challenges are not the airlines themselves, they are the infrastructure around aviation that hasn't caught up as quickly. >> let me push back on that tiny bit. united has had 5,000 cancellations this summer. what do you say to somebody who does see it as an airline issue rather than some other -- >> first i would say that we're doing everything we can to get the airline running reliably. we know that is the number one priority. we had ground stops for the entire day. and when the faa says you can't land airplanes at the airport, you will have delays and cancellations. >> reporter: before the labor day rush begins, department of transportation is rolling out a new website in which it breaks down airline by airline of passengers' rights. the new data really just shows how desperate airline passengers have become after a tough period for air travel. christina. >> thanks to pee s to pete for . >> honda and energy solution are

teaming up to build a new factory in the united states. and it will supply lg batteries for honda's electric vehicles. the location of the factory has not yet been announced but the companies plan to start building e early next year. and at plan to launch an electric vehicle in 2034. pull kimpkin fans rejoice, the return of the pumpkin spiced latte at starbucks. but it is not immune to inflation. it will cost about 4% more than last year with the grande going for nearly 6 bucks in some locations. starbucks has amassed a loyal fan base for this specific drink for nearly 20 years. that does it for this edition of "cnn newsroom." i'm christina mc2acfarlane. stay tuned for early start with

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welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. it is tuesday, august 30th, i'm christine romans. ukrainian officials say that they have launched a major counteroffensive to retake russian held areas in the southeastern part of the country. a military source tells cnn ukrainian troops have retaken four villages near the city of kherson which the source called the main target of this offensive. the u.s. military officials confirm that they have seen a, quote, uptick in kinet