ahead on cnn newsroom. >> it looks like a war zone out there, really looks like somebody came along and bombed the town. >> billions of dollars and losses, dozens dead, the scope of the fires in hawaii is becoming clear. gop presidential hopeful campaign at the iowa state fair ahead of their first debate, front runner donald trump refuses to comply with one requirement to qualify for the event. and five americans have been released from iran's most notorious prison, what it will take to bring them the rest of the way home. >> live from cnn center this is cnn newsroom with kim brunhuber. >> the catastrophic wildfires scorching the hawaiian island of maui have killed at least 53 people, it is feared the death toll will keep rising as emergency crews reach more areas turn to ash. power and cell service are still out in western maui, and the main tourist district of lahaina which is making it difficult to determine how many people are still missing. the white government up -- 1700 buildings there were destroyed, the wildfires not the second deadliest in the u.s. in the past century, the governor says the fire is likely the largest natural disaster in hawaiian history. one resident describes the terrifying moments of her escape. here she is. >> when the pump trees that are 40 feet up in the air, the fire hit it and the heat hit us, it was maybe 50 to 100 yards away, we said we have to go. we ran out in panic mode and we said let's stay together but there was no time to wait for anybody, i jumped in my truck and the smoke, it was four or 5:00 in the afternoon, it was pitch black the smoke was so thick and black. it was panic, people were crying on the side of the road begging, there was a man i will never forget he just laid in the road and pleaded to jesus that we were going to be safe. >> much of the fire is now contained u.s. president joe biden has greenlit a disaster declaration that will free of federal aid for hawaii. veronica miracle reports from maui. >> is anybody still out here? it is time to go. >> chaos and panic as the relentless wildfires continue to ravage the paradise island of maui, leaving loss and destruction in its wake. >> oh my god. >> some residents escaping by boat, watching the flames engulf their town as they sailed away. historically lahaina essentially gone as the fire torched hundreds of houses, cars, and businesses. we caught up with volunteers today in the harbor, while there are loading supplies to be taken to a nearby area. >> we have had firebombs so big they were sucking oxygen out of the air. people didn't have oxygen to breathe. >> i think this is an absolutely top level nationalist. are we have never seen anything like it in 32 years. >> the before and after images show the horrific scene left behind and fears of a rising death toll. >> what we are seeing is just this wide spread devastation across many different neighborhoods in maui. >> for some who escaped, like florian doyle, who was able to get out with his kids and dog, a feeling of guilt that he could not do more to help others. >> there are a lot of people, more than 36 people who didn't make it. i tried to warn as many people as i could. we tried. there was a lot of people. i think it was just so chaotic that nobody knew. there were no phone connections. as much as i was trying to save it and let people know there are no options, i just had to go and get my kids. and now i have the news that there are friends that -- >> the coast guard pulled more than 50 people from the ocean who had jumped in to escape the flames. >> we still get dead bodies in the water floating and on the seawall. >> nearly 11,000 customers remain without power, more than 2000 residents are in shelters, and thousands of travelers are still stranded on the island. the national guard reports that they dropped 150,000 gallons of water over the fires wednesday to help suppress the flames and wildfires still rage, on the re-search and rescue efforts continue. >> the primary focus is to save lives. and to prevent human suffering, and mitigate great property loss. >> lieutenant governor sylvia lake toured the damage by helicopter on wednesday was shocked by what she witnessed. >> it looked as if it is just the whole town was devastated. >> the one road into lahaina remains closed, people can leave, but they cannot go back in. and others have been waiting on the side of the road, hoping that the moment that this road opens up they can go see their homes and community. but the governor of hawaii saying earlier today that he estimates about 80% of lahaina has been decimated. there is a glimmer of good news, that fire that decimated lahaina, it is now 80% contained. firefighters have been able to make progress despite these conditions. veronica miracle, cnn, maui, hawaii. >> attorneys for donald trump in the special counsel will be in court in washington in the coming hours. u.s. district judge tonya will hold a hearing on how to handle evidence in the election subversion case, she expects to weigh in on what trump can say in public, especially in the wake of his inflammatory media posts. it comes as the justice department is proposing an aggressive timeline for the former presidents trial, on obstruction and conspiracy charges. cnn's kaitlan poland has the details. >> the justice department now has their hopes for a trial schedule, outlined in a new filing in federal court on thursday for donald trump. what the justice department prosecutors want to do they want to take donald trump to trial in the criminal case in federal court by january. they would like a jury selection in december and then the case kickoff with evidence being presented beginning on january 2nd of 2024. now up, that is the day donald trump and his lawyers are almost certainly going to be pushing back on quite harshly, they are not going to have to respond in court to this until next week. when they do, they have signaled that they are very likely going to want to claim that they have a lot of legal arguments to make that are not going to allow for a trial that quickly in 4 to 5 months from now. things about presidential immunity, the first amendment, also they've argued in other cases and hear that donald trump is a busy individual right now, who is running for president. not only is january in february going to bring about the beginning of voting in the 2024 primaries for president, he will be running their, iowa caucuses will be on the calendar. but also, there are other things that he needs to do at the beginning of the year, including prepare for other trials, both lawsuits that are taking him to trial, there is one scheduled in mid january, e. jean carroll the columnist in new york taken him to trial on a defamation case for the second time. and then other criminal trials that he is preparing for now that he has been indicted, multiple times, in multiple courts. so, that is going to get hashed out. it is not going to get hashed out right away though. on friday morning, there will be a court hearing in this case, the federal criminal case against donald trump related to the 2020 election. and in that hearing there will be the first before federal judge in the d.c. district court, she will be talking to the lawyers about how evidence should be handled in this case. there have been disputes over that. how much donald trump will be able to share, publicly, as he learns information that the justice department gathered and handed over to him. his team can prepare for trial. she will be determining that, and she also may be responding to some of the things both trump's lawyers and the justice department has said in court filings so far as far as his social media posts. he has been aggressive on social media, talking about mike pence, talking about the judge, talking about the prosecutors. so a lot to watch for exactly how the judge responds, and what the tone will be in this very first hearing before the federal judge who will oversee the trial of donald trump related to the 2020 election. kayla pullen's, cnn, washington. >> the iowa state fair open on thursday, it was the place to be for many republican candidates still scrambling to catch fire with voters, gop's first debate is less than two weeks out and the fair has always been a natural stumping ground for the rich large diverse crowd. donald trump is expected there on saturday but we still don't know if he plans to appear on the milwaukee stage. so far he is blocked at the parties required loyalty pledged, to endorse whoever the nominee turns out to be. listen to this. >> i wouldn't sign the pledge, why would i sign a pledge, there are people there that i wouldn't have. i wouldn't have certain people as, you know, somebody who i would endorse. >> four candidates however including ron desantis and former u.n. ambassador nikki haley have taken the oath. here's how desantis described it afterwards. >> i signed the pledge to support the team, going forward in 2024, i've always said that that is what you do there is no way i would just take my ball and go home and out. you have to continue to fight, and fight for what you believe in. >> all right, for more on this i want to bring in ron brownstein, who is cnn senior political analyst and a senior editor for the atlantic, he joins me from los angeles. good to see you again, ron. what is going to happen? do you think a trump plus debate? he said not only that he wouldn't support the other candidates but also, he has nothing to gain by debating them. >> well, on the latter point he is right at this point, i think he wants to make a point to fox, i -- most people would be surprised to see him there at the first debate. maybe even at the second debate, that fox is hosting again, fox business at the reagan library in september. once the debates move to the early caucus primary states, the calculation will be different. people will remember that right before the 2016 caucus in iowa he skipped a fox debate in iowa and he held a counter programming event. he ended up losing the caucus, some what surprisingly, he will feel more pressure to participate in the debate in those early stages, for which absence could be seen as a slight -- i think he -- most people believe he will make his point, and keep us marbles and go home as rhonda scent is said. >> if he doesn't show, i mean is that an opportunity for the other candidates to rise above the others free from the pool of trump's gravity? >> interesting question. look, there will be fewer eyeballs on the debate and ultimately, you know, this is a race above finding an argument against on the trump, at this point. the republican, the other republicans on the field more or less, although desantis has moved towards little sharper criticism of trump more or less they are replicating the strategy of 2016 which was hoping, somehow, some external event, as i like to say a meteor striking the earth, dislodges trump support in the republican party and they will be there to pick it up, if they have alienated his voters in the meantime by talking to harshly to him, or challenging him to directly, the strategies and work in 2016, it's not working now. they have to give voters a better reason than they have done so far to bypass trump. and we will see whether with him not on the stage they are willing to go further in that that they haven't, i think it will be a wet blanket over the whole debate. >> i imagine, let's talk about iowa, the republican candidate swapping the state fair, what is at stake for them? how important is this and do they actually have a window there? i mean trump has a big lead there even though he has barely visited. >> necessary but not sufficient really applies to the iowa caucus and any other republican candidates, necessary for one of them to be trump or post a very strong second, because if trump wins that convincingly, it is likely i think people in the other campaign even agreed to steam roll to the nomination, he has been stronger in new hampshire than in iowa and if he wins iowa and new hampshire he will likely win south carolina and, you know someone who wins all three of those early contest is not going to be beaten. not sufficient, however, because the last big winners of the iowa caucus, and ted cruz in 2016, did not win the republican nomination, all of them failed to build a broad enough coalition, you can win iowa by really digging in deep among the states evangelical christians who are significant majority of the republican electorate but beyond that it is hard to win a nomination. so, i will be looking for two things in iowa. whether anyone can put a dent in trump or beat him, which still seems possible in iowa, to me. but also in the course of doing that can they demonstrate the breath of peel right out of the gate that will be necessary to beat him. >> rhonda centers has been practically living there, about the polls and history, as you suggest, seem to be against him there. so, hanging over all of iowa, in a different way the presidents mounting problems as the court calendar starts to take shape as we heard there from kaitlan collins. the justice department trying to start one of the trials in early january, possibly during the iowa caucus, so how distracting might all of this before trump's campaign? and defending himself in court at the same time, or conversely how useful might it be for his reelection as a way to fire up his base? >> well, you know, no matter how politically powerful or popular you are, you can't be in two places at once, right? so if in fact any of these trials do begin during the primary season, that is going to be a complication for trump in one sense, he is not going to be able to be out there in iowa, new hampshire and south carolina and the other early states. on the other hand, as we have seen, he has been able to convince his electorate, within the republican coalition that this is all some, you know, multi prong -- to deny him the nomination and he can shift attention to that can benefit him but i think there's a real cost for anyone in being in multiple criminal trials. >> it will be fascinating, always appreciate your insight ron brownstein, thank you so much. >> thanks for having me. >> ukrainian officials call it a miracle, save children's life during a russian missile strike, a stroke of good luck that made the children leave the site of the attack just in time. stay with us. e moevery hour of your life. except the hours that you're sleeping. so w why do we leave so much untapped potential on the table? this is a next level b bed, for a next level you. my circadian rhythm is kicking your circadian rhyththms butt! it's not a competition. i know, but i'm still winning! so, it is a competition. save 50% on the sleep number limited edition smart bed. plus, 36-month financing on select smart beds. shop now only at sleep number. what's considered normal for your cat is interesting. 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[announcer] finance your next car with carvana today. >> the u.n. humanitarian official says she is appalled by russian strike on a hotel, frequently used by the organization in various ngos in ukraine. it happened on thursday, in the city of zaporizhzhia, ukraine says one person was killed and 16 others were wounded. children's day camp who close during the day an hour before the strike. ukraine has ordered an evacuation of civilians from the city of kupiansk which is under russian military pressure. in the south the front lines are holding despite reports of heavy fighting amid ukraine's counteroffensive. moscow's rushing reinforcements from crimea. for more on this we are joined by stuart crawford defense analyst and former lieutenant colonel in the british army, he's speaking with us from andorra. thank you so much for being here with us. we have been reporting that officials both inside and outside ukraine now have made advances in the offenses, and they are coming more slowly than they had hoped. what are some of the challenges that they are facing out there? >> as, good morning the offenses are very, very slow, indeed. basically the ukrainian armed forces in simple terms aren't strong enough yet and the russian forces have had a considerable amount of time to prepare the defenses. and if you look at the map, we're talking about prepared defenses which in some cases are 30 kilometers deep, it is a major difficult operation of war to breach those defenses, particularly when neither side has got superiority. >> the russians, they seem better at defending than they have been at attacking? >> yes, i think that is the case, historically that has always been the case the russian military doctrine is top-down directed from above where as in western circles there is much more initiative allowed at junior levels of command, very much like the german model in the second world war, but the u.s., britain and other nato allies have adopted. so that is where we are at the moment the -- they are not strong enough and the russians are too strong at the moment. >> just to give an example of one of the challenges, for instance when ukraine breach minefields for instance the russians can just sow them again. i mean what effect does that have? >> well, i mean, absolutely right, a minefield is a very complex and difficult operation, it's not just the engineers who go and first and clear the minds out of the way, they have to be protected, both against ground fire and attacks from the air, and once they clear a path through the minefield, or partial pass in the minefield, the russians have the capabilities of remotely delivering minds that have been cleared behind the engineer, so it is incredibly complex and dangerous. >> apparently the equipment they need for breaching as well. for ukraine, casualties are mounting. how big a worry is this in terms of their ongoing challenge regaining territory? >> well, it is a big challenge. to be on the offensive, the classics of doctrine dictate you have to have a superiority of at least 3 to 1. preferably closer to 5 to 1, or 6 to 1. the ukrainians just don't have that. nor do they have the necessary training yet in what we call all arms combat. above state company levels. that needs practice, in needs rehearsals. it means meticulous planning and of course you need to put it quickly, you need a lot of stuff because losses are bound to occur. and they need to be replaced. >> yes, you mentioned air support, how big of a factor is that when it comes to the counter offensive? >> well the ukrainians are trying to basically breach russian lines without air superiority, either in space or time. the downside is the russians have more aircrafts equipped with longer range weaponry which means that the ukrainians have to move their anti aircraft assets closer to the front line, which makes them vulnerable to russian fire. so it is swings and rounds at the moment. so i can't see everything being broken unless there is some dramatic development. of course the window of opportunity is always closing because the rains will come, and that means that off road maneuver is curtailed absolutely. >> yeah the window closing as well because we have seen less popular support for, you know, giving money to the war in ukraine here in the u.s. as well. so that adds another level of urgency as well. we will have to leave it there, stewart crawford, really appreciate your insights. thank you so much. >> my pleasure, thank you so much. >> still ahead here on cnn newsroom, the u.s. strikes a deal with iran. a group of americans released from one of the country's most notorious prisons. we will look at what iran is getting an exchange. stay with us. 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so far, 14 up against swedish side with some of the best defenses in this tournament, who as you rightly mentioned, knocked out the defending champions the usa in that incredible encounter in the last 16. it will be fascinating to see what impact that has had on this group of sweden players. perhaps, physically, mentally, emotionally their captain has said it is very much given her side confidence, and they will need that against the japanese team who not only are aside inform but aside that people say are looking for revenge, because it was sweden who broke japanese heart on home soil at the olympics a couple of years ago. knocking japan out in the quarterfinals of the olympic women's football competition, as they went on to claim the silver medal. what both of these sides know is that this is arguably the best chance in a generation to potentially lift this women's world cup trophy. something japan did back in 2011. sweden have never managed to do. the side that will be waiting for them in the semifinal is spain. spain produced a bit of footballing history for them as a nation, a little bit earlier on. as you mentioned, in wellington, knocking out the 2019 runners up the netherlands, to one. it was a game that had a bit of everything. the spanish team so incredibly talented. very much dominated possession. dominated in front of goal. but for very long time, you feared that they were going to rue their mischance's, they just couldn't make the breakthrough with a fantastic performance in the dutch goal from daphne. but ultimately, a mistake from a veteran dutch defender saw a handball and penalty conceded, that saw spain go ahead. but, stephanie in what has proved to be her final match in professional football scored the equalizer that took the game into extra time. and then, it was 19-year-old spanish talent selma who scored not only her first ever world cup goal, but the goal that puts her nation into world cup semifinal for the first time. >> absolutely thrilling. can't wait to see the next match. amanda davies in auckland, new zealand. thank you so much. i'm kim brunhuber, for the viewers in the u.s. and canada i'll be back with more cnn newsroom after the short break. for our international viewers, world sport is up next. oh, that's nice... oh!! searchable, verified reviews. that's better than the ham, and i've never said that. booking.com booking.yeyeah like ours is spoiling their dogs. good, real food is simple. it looks like food, it smells like food, it's what dogs are supposed to be eating. no living being should ever eat processed food for every single meal of their life. it's amazing to me how many people write in about their dogs changing for the better. the farmer's dog is just our way to help people take care of them. ♪ tens of thousands of customers wrote about carvana being easy in their five star reviews, including eric. the whole process was really simple and easy, and this is my third time selling to carvana. so i can 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own right, but people in law enforcement say it is not an isolated case. starts against political figures are up sharply in recent years. some experts say the current political climate is making it worse. cnn's brian todd has the details. >> law enforcement officials are conducting a post incident review of a deadly confrontation in utah. an fbi shooting response team launch from the agency's headquarters in washington to the scene. on wednesday, just hours before president biden's visit to utah, fbi agents approached a man named craig robertson in his home at the state. robertson court documents said had made threats against the president and other democratic politicians, a source tells cnn that when the swats agents gave commands to roberts and he pointed a gun at them and he was then shot and killed. in court documents prosecutors say, and one social media post, robertson said quote, i hear biden's coming to utah, taking out my old keely suit which is a camouflage shoot for snipers. and quote cleaning the dust off the sniper rifle. but if he was just spouting off and he hadn't acted on any threats, why go in with force? >> the comments about the president arriving in his area preparing to take out his sniper rifle and engage in some sort of violence directed at the president of the united states, that is clearly beyond the pale. those are actionable threats, and that's what brought the fbi to his door. >> documents a robertson had prosecutors who brought cases against former president donald trump. like attorney general merrick garland, new york state attorney general letitia james. and manhattan district attorney alvin bragg. in one post prosecutor say, robertson wrote he wanted to quote stand over bragg and puts a nice hole in his forehead with my nine millimeter. how much is the political climate in the united states these days fueling all of this? >> no question, and it gets difficult for law enforcement threat investigators to determine what is a real, serious posing of a threat, and what is a direct threat. >> investigators say in march, fbi agents approach robertson at his house about a social media post. he refused to speak to them, documents say, then afterwards posted a message to the fbi, saying quote, you have no idea how close your agents came to a bag. >> then he begins taunting the agents with postings on social media telling them that he almost shot them that day. >> part of a threat environment that is getting more alarming, recently the u.s. capitol police chief said threats against lawmakers had gone up more than 400% over the past six years. >> the rhetoric is rising, the threats are rising and for them to screen and figure out which resources go to which cases, it's just going to be critically important for that information. >> what concerns former secret agent matt dory about what lies ahead is the possibility that those who mean harm to top officials might switch targets, realizing that someone like president biden has several layers of protection, they might then refocus their plot on some who have less protection that some judges or members of congress. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> in new mexico the armor for the movie rust pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence according to the court documents obtained by cnn. the charges filed earlier this year involve the deadly 2021 shooting of the film cinematographer halyna hutchins, production stopped one hutchins was shot and killed after a prop gun held by actor alec baldwin fired live ammunition. the read is now set to go on trial december six, the judge recently denied the attorney's motion to dismiss the manslaughter charges. >> there is a growing movement in the u.s. of ordinary citizens filming police encounters and then sharing them online. activists say it is another way to hold law enforcement accountable. it's also causing some backlash and a string of new laws. josh campbell reports. >> back up. >> i'm on a public sidewalk. i am far away. >> it's become a youtube staple. keep watching. >> don't touch me. >> people are recording interactions between the police and the public, and then posting them online. >> i can get another video. >> and racking up millions of views. >> having the film ourselves from a different perspective allows us to document the incident, document the misconduct and then from there we can take it to the public. >> hop watching our first amendment auditing is not a new trend. >> can't get your name and badge number? >> but it's grown prevalent in recent years after 2020 video shot by a 17-year-old by had captured the murder of george floyd by a minneapolis police officer using excessive force. >> if it wasn't for somebody actually filming that incident, no officer would have been held accountable. it's powerful when we can show the public what happened, as opposed to a police narrative. >> cobb watchers say the goal is to keep the police from overstepping. and inform people of their rights. while they rake in views, some are also making money. >> back at it once again. >> from ads and subscriptions. but while critics say some cop watchers film in ways that are controversial or seen as aggressive towards law enforcement -- >> am i obstruction the roadway? and obstructing it that's the only law [bleep]. >> and could be increasing tensions between police and people. >> i think i calm down the situation, when i show up cops act differently. we all act differently when people are watching. >> you've arrived at a scene, started filming and seen a noticeable change in the posture of police? >> every night. all the time. >> i've reviewed a lot of video taken by citizens regarding police conduct, and it does give you a clearer picture of what actually took place. >> videos can be selectively edited, but one legitimate, offer a good view then a police officer's camera. >> as long as the police officers actions are consistent with training, the department of policy and most of all our constitutional, then it is not a problem, at all. >> in recent years, several states have tried to pass laws creating more physical distance between people and police. >> last month a new line indiana went into effect ordering people to stay 25 feet back from police activity when asked. this week the aclu suit on behalf of a citizen journalist saying that law violates his first amendment right. the aclu challenge an arizona lot last year that try to make it illegal for people to record videos within eight feet of police activity. >> the first amendment allows me to do this -- >> dallas put on hold. >> people have a right to film the police, they don't have a right to interfere with police trying to do their jobs and making arrests. but they have they're very right in the world to film. that is a fact. police officers had to adapt to it. >> even police officers who don't necessarily like being filmed, have to understand that we're never going back to the days when filming wasn't as ubiquitous as today. because nearly every one of us carry a camera in our pocket. what is interesting incurring the story was seeing the commonality between both the cobb waters and a lot of people in on forsman's. the cobb watchers thing that's telling police encounters helped protect members of the public from having their rights violated, but even a lot of people in law enforcement think that filming can be beneficial, because if a police officers wrongly accused of excessive force, the video may tell a different story. josh campbell, cnn, los angeles. >> yes screenwriters and hollywood studios have agreed to meet in the coming hours to resume negotiations, that will be the first meeting since rioters went on strike crippling the entertainment industry. both sides remain apart on issues such as pain residuals. actors are also on strike, the actors guild said our committee returns to the bargaining table ready to make a deal knowing the unified -- and the ongoing support of our union allies. for the first time in 47 years russia has successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft to the moon. the lunar 25 is expected to enter an orbit around earth before transferring to a lunar orbit, and then descend to the surface of the moon. the luna and the indian spacecraft that launch last month are expected to land on the moon's south pole on august 23rd. so, it is a race to see which country will land first. more than a decade after we began selling tickets to space, virgin galactic has finally launched a first tourists to the edge of space. >> five, three, two, one, release, release, release. >> the spacecraft traveled more than 80 kilometers above the earth surface. the altitude the u.s. government considers to be the boundary of outer space. it carried three paying customers, former olympian who is the second person with parkinson's disease to travel space, and a mother and daughter team who won their seats in a fund raising drawing. >> i was flying with my daughter, there was an ad that popped up would you like to become an astronaut? would you like to go to space? i said yes. >> now, virgin galactic is up and running it can begin tackling the backlog of purchased flights, 800 customers have previously bought tickets, the prices of $450,000 each. before we go one hollywood actor is taking his botch trip to an art exhibit in england featuring works of himself all in stride. pedro pascal of hbo's post apocalyptic drum of the last of us went to check the roads gallery in the town of london, he into art podcasters -- so they snapped a selfie to mark the unsuccessful visit and posted it on social media. the gallery owner say they are rethinking the sunday policy and plan to send pascal a gift. i'm kim brunhuber, i will be back with more cnn newsroom after this break. please, do stay with us. eva's about to learn her fear of missing out leads to overeating. i totally eat stuff to not miss out. and that's just a bit of 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