around that time, scientists learned something extraordinary. whales were communicating with each other. sometimes by song over long distances. in part, because of that discovery, scientists and conservationists rallied to enact laws to protect the whales and it worked. the humpback whale population has made a remarkable comeback. now they face a host of new threats. global warming is killing off their food source and human activity is causing thousands of whale deaths a year from the stress of underwater construction noise to fishing entang amments and ship collisions. in the next hour, cnn s bill weir takes us to antarctica, a place very few get to visit to study these remarkable creatures and show us why saving the whales may also be saving the planet. because they are one of our best partners in battling climate change. reporter: those are the songs of humpback whales, flying about 15 billion miles away from earth, on the off chance intelligent life out there wants to
50 years ago humpback whales were considered an endangered species after decades of commercial whaling decimated the population. around that same time scientists learned something extraordinary. whales were communicating with each other, sometimes by song over long distances. in part because of that discovery scientists and conservationists rallied to enact laws to protect the whales, and it worked. the humpback whale population has made a remarkable comeback. but now they face a host of new threats. global warming is killing off their food source, and human activity is causing thousands of whale deaths a year. from the stress of underwater construction noise to fishing entanglements and ship collisions. in the next hour cnn s bill weir takes us to antarctica, a place very few people get to visit, to study these remarkable creatures and show us why saving the whales may also be saving the planet. because they are one of our best partners in battling climate change. reporter
baby s coming up on the left. mum s poopin ! we ll discover secrets that are hidden in the bodies of these huge marine mammals. liquid gold! laughter. ..and why scientists need to be here to protect this vast icy wilderness. musical sting. today, the archive footage looks shocking. it shows our brutal history with antarctica s whales. file: very soon, the giant carcasses are made ready| to yield their store of sperm oil and other products so vital to our post war needs. some were driven to the brink of extinction by commercial whaling during the 20th century. the small whalers bring their catches to the mother ship. through this slipway and a stern will be drawn the many monsters she hopes to catch. that was banned a0 years ago but research is now uncovering new threats to the future of these animals. that s why scientists make the long journey across the notoriously rough southern ocean to antarctica. woke up to my nightstand crashing across the room because we ve hit appare
good day. 2:00 p.m. eastern, 11:00 a.m. pacific, i m jose diaz-balart in today for chris jansing. we are following multiple big stories including a push by donald trump to get his classified documents case thrown out. the battle over special counsel jack smith s authority and why there are also questions swirling about the judge. plus, donald trump s veep stakes enters the home stretch. the top three contenders who have emerged from a list that once included 20 names. and breaking news from the supreme court, the major decision on whether domestic abusers should be able to own or have a gun. and the one justice who dissented from the other eight. but we begin here in florida where the trump appointed judge overseeing the former president s classified documents case is growing under some scrutiny for holding hearing after hearing after hearing without ever even setting a trial date. and it s happening again today. judge aileen cannon holding what will be the first of multi
it comes as brutal heat refuses to let up. 65 million on alert. and in new mexico the massive dust storms and deadly wildfires burning out of control. also tonight the manhunt for a suspect wanted for multiple murders in two states. where he was caught today. the close call for a southwest plane triggering urgent warnings after descending at just 500 feet over a suburb. why was it so low? the train chaos in the north east. why amtrak service was suspended from philadelphia to connecticut. the first debate just one week away. new details on the biden-trump showdown, where they ll be positioned on stage, and who will get the last word. remembering donald sutherland whose acting career spanned six decades. from mash to thehuer games. the warning about popular weight loss drugs, the dangerous counter-foots on the market. and saving the whale. the nearly 3,000-mile mission to rescue two majestic belugas from ukraine s war zone. announcer: this is nbc nightly news