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U.S. Sending Carrier to Middle East to Replace USS Abraham Lincoln; Sailor Rescued After Going Overboard USS Abraham Lincoln; Sources: Aides Joined Trump on Secret Flight, Ohers Stayed on Decoy; Lindsay Clancy Trial Resumes with Testimony from Police Investigators; Police Read Lindsay Clancy's Writing About Depression, Resentment 3- 3:30p ET

Aired August 13, 2026 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: ... the meteor showers proximity to the eclipse extremely rare, making it particularly special yesterday. The eclipse creating darker skies, so you can see the meteors. They were more visible through the night.

And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Demanding Answers: Lawmakers are pressing the Pentagon for details after reports of worsening mental health among crew members aboard the USS Lincoln during the ship's record long deployment in the Middle East.

Plus, new details on President Trump's secret plane switch and flight out of Turkey. We now know who joined the President on that covert flight and what cabinet members stayed on the decoy plane.

And later, Flock Backlash: The CEO of the company behind the controversial cameras, talks to CNN about their new police auditing and safety features as concern grows over police misuse.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: There appears to be much needed relief on the way for more than 5,000 sailors and Marines who are aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. A U.S. official tells CNN that the USS George Washington carrier group is currently heading to the Middle East to replace the Lincoln, which has been the subject of growing concerns about the mental health of its crew.

The aircraft carrier has been continuously at sea for more than 200 days. The ship's only port call happened last December. CNN first reported that a sailor went overboard earlier this month but was quickly rescued. We're now learning new details about that incident and news outlets like Stars and Stripes and the Navy Times are reporting that there have been multiple attempts by Lincoln crew members to jump overboard.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refuted reports about poor conditions on the Lincoln, claiming to Reuters that they were, quote, completely misrepresented. Last month, CNN's Pamela Brown reported live from on board that very

aircraft carrier and she had a chance to speak with many of the ship's crew, who were very candid with her. And she's with us now.

First, tell us, though, about this relief that is on the way. What do you know about this plan?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: I'm told, Brianna, that the USS George Washington is en route to provide relief to the USS Abraham Lincoln and its crew. It's about a week away from the location.

Officials cautioned that, you know, plans could change. It's a very dynamic situation. But that is the plan as of right now. They said they've -- they've had a contingency plan in the works for some time. They've been hesitant to give a specific timeline, first for operational reasons, security reasons, but also because they don't want to give false hope. There had been other timelines set before. They thought they would be home in May, the crew aboard the Abraham Lincoln. Clearly that's not the case. They're still at sea, setting a record for being at sea for the longest, the most consecutive days without regular port visits. And we're seeing the toll that that's taken.

KEILAR: Yes, it's that uncertainty, I think. And we're hearing it from family members as well, who are so concerned about them. You're now learning a little bit more about this incident that happened with the man overboard a few weeks ago.

BROWN: That's right. I actually am told that this incident happened on August 3rd, according to a Navy official. This was a sailor attached to the air wing of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The -- the sailor was wearing actually a life vest, jumped overboard, and was rescued in about an hour.

Now, I was told -- I asked about the timeline of that. And one official told me that it was very choppy waters. The boat -- and I believe we might have video of it, there's a man overboard boat that they usually have at the ready. But because it was such choppy water, they had the helicopter that was deployed and was eventually able to rescue this member.

Here's the boat right there that's typically lowered into the water. And in this case, though, it was actually the helicopter as part of the air wing to rescue this sailor. I'm told that the sailor was taken to the Abraham Lincoln's medical department and transferred off ship for follow on care. And then, the family was notified, according to the statement, per notification policies that the Navy has.

But it -- has also raised questions just about the psychological toll this deployment has had on the sailor. So, I'm told this is being looked at as a mental health issue. At the same time, just for broader context, I'm also told from many sources I've been speaking with in the Navy and veterans that man overboard incidents unfortunately do happen. Some because of mental health reasons, others because it's an accident. In this case, it is looked at, again, as an intentional jump by the

sailor. He was wearing a safety vest and is being treated.

KEILAR: Yes. And I guess that's why they're stressing that there's not an increase, right? This is sort of within normal parameters of sort of what they're seeing.

BROWN: That's right.

KEILAR: That -- that's what we're hearing from the military here.

[15:05:00]

You -- it was really interesting. I thought it was so cool when you spoke to service members on board the Abraham Lincoln because they got real with you, Pam ...

BROWN: They did, yes.

KEILAR: ... and, you know, they were -- they were -- I mean, I don't want to say they weren't on their -- they were on their best behavior, but they were telling you how it was going, which I really appreciated. What did they say to you?

BROWN: Yes, I think it's important to take a step back. Nearly 50 percent of those on board crew members are mid-20s and below.

KEILAR: Yes.

BROWN: A lot of them are very young. And the experience for the enlisted sailors is very different from the officers. It's -- it's a bit of a class system on ...

KEILAR: On the ship for sure.

BROWN: ... on these ships, to be honest. And so, I appreciated the opportunity I was given to go and talk to these sailors and sit down. Every single one of them, I ask, what is it like to be on a ship for so long, not setting foot on land for so many months? And here's what I was told.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I miss my mom, dad, my little brother at home and my sister as well. She's in the Navy as well.

BROWN: What about you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That I miss my family and I'm ready to -- ready to go home.

BROWN: You're ready to go home. Is it tough not knowing when you're going to go home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it is. BROWN: What does that feel like day to day when you don't know when

you're going to be home and you've been at sea for so long? Honestly, you can tell me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just like -- I don't know, honestly. It's like -- I don't know, it's like normally if you wake up and you're like, this is like another day. It's like, oh, my God, I'm dead, you know?

BROWN: Does that feel like Groundhog Day?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Groundhog Day every single day.

(End VT)

BROWN: You have to remember, Brianna, some of these sailors, they don't get to go out on the air wing like those who are the officers or those that are part of the air wing that are assigned there. And so, that was a theme that it was groundhog's day. And I spoke to -- to two other sailors who talked about just what life is like when you wake up every day and you have that uncertainty of not knowing when you're going to be able to go home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: What's it like just from like a human level, a personal level, to being out at sea this long?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For us, it's different because this is what we signed up for. We know what we're going through. And 82 Henson (ph) and myself, we -- we just find the support that we need from each other. And then,, with the sailors that we have as well.

BROWN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just got to -- we just got to get through it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to come home one day when we come home.

BROWN: And you don't know when that day will be?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all.

BROWN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's okay. There's a job to do and we're going to do it.

BROWN: What are some of the challenges day to day that you have to face?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of like Groundhog Day.

BROWN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're like reliving the same day over and over, so that thing is hard.

BROWN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the hardest part, I think, for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And so the Navy does emphasize, look, it -- they're under a lot of pressure. It has been difficult. Relief is on the way. But there were different answers depending on who you asked. The groundhog's day was definitely a theme throughout. And -- and when I asked the Navy to provide a statement, this is what I'm told in terms of just the mental health status on board the ship. The Navy says, "We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. We take every service member's well-being seriously and have religious, medical, and mental health professionals available to address any concerns that may arise."

KEILAR: Yes. It's -- look, it's tough living, I think, on a ship -- ship for a lot of the sailors and Marines under the best of circumstances. The thing about Groundhog Day is you never know when it's going to end. It seems like ...

BROWN: Can you imagine?

KEILAR: ... that is what is really weighing on them. It's -- okay, well, when is this over, right?

BROWN: Yes. It's the uncertain -- I mean, that's just a natural human reaction.

KEILAR: Of course.

BROWN: Uncertainty gives you anxiety. And imagine you're in the middle of the sea. You're in tiny quarters, right? You're sharing rooms with so many others. And you barely get to go outside and not knowing when. But what we can report, which I think is giving some hope, is that there is another ship en route and that ship is nearby. And I think that that is helping a bit with -- with the morale in this moment.

KEILAR: It -- it will help, I think, because we just spoke with an Army psychiatrist last hour. And it's the uncertainty ...

BROWN: Yes.

KEILAR: ... that really is the thing in this topic.

BROWN: I mean, it's human nature. I mean, I'm sure you feel that. If you have uncertainty in your life ...

KEILAR: Yes.

BROWN: ... it gives you anxiety. You want to know.

KEILAR: Yes. BROWN: But they don't -- also, it's that tricky balance of not wanting

to give the false hope because it's happened before. They said this is a certain deadline and then they pass it.

KEILAR: Yes. And that's always bad news for them.

BROWN: Yes.

KEILAR: Pamela, thank you so much. Really, really appreciate ...

BROWN: Thank you.

KEILAR: ... this reporting. Boris.

SANCHEZ: This afternoon, we're also getting details about that secretive swap of Air Force One. As President Trump departed Turkey last month, CNN has learned that fighter jets escorted both the plane that President Trump snuck onto and the plane that was being used as a decoy following a potential Iranian threat.

We're also learning about who was on that covert flight. A source says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Oval Office Operations Director Walt Nauta, and Executive Assistant Natalie Harp all traveled with the President. Let's go live to the White House with CNN's Alayna Treene.

[15:10:07]

Alayna, there were several other key officials from the administration who did not board that second plane. What are you learning about them?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. And they also include two cabinet officials, two cabinet secretaries, which I think speaks a lot to this entire kind of ruse that was going on. Look, both Secretaries of State Marco Rubio and the Treasury Secretary -- excuse me, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were on that decoy plane, that older Air Force One flight that had taken off without the President, so was Stephen Miller one of President's closest aides, also his deputy chief of staff, all of them remaining on the older Air Force One plane that was also carrying reporters.

I think that what's so interesting about all of this, and I've been doing some extra reporting on this today, is, you know, talking with Secret Service, talking with other U.S. officials. They said that the threat was so serious, of course, to put people on this third plane. But the fact that they would even require mustering fighter jets to escort both of those planes as well just speaks to the credibility, they believed, of that threat.

We're also learning new details about how this intelligence came into the hands of U.S. officials. The Israelis, we're told, relayed a lot of this intelligence about this assassination plot to the CIA. I would note some within the CIA had argued, you know, that they were skeptical about the credibility of the Iranian plan and whether or not Iran would even have the capabilities to try and take out the most secure airplane in the world. But clearly, of course, a significant enough threat that they had to go through with a ruse as they did. So, a lot of new details coming out about all of this.

And also, I think, continuous questions about the secrecy around this, particularly, you know, one of the things I've been hearing in my conversations was the threat was pretty neutralized and diminished by the time that Air Force One and the plane that the President was traveling on, the C-32 military plane, had landed in the U.K. But they kept up this whole, you know, subterfuge plan and keeping everything under wraps. They had the President re-board the older Air Force One plane to be -- so that he'd be shown exiting it. A lot of questions about why they didn't just come out then and say, you know, we had to do this secret plan because the President's life was at threat. So, more questions still to be answered for sure, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, an abundance of caution, apparently, by the Secret Service. Alayna, Karoline Leavitt announced that she's leaving her position as White House Press Secretary yesterday in the afternoon. A lot of speculation about who might take her place. Has the White House given any indication?

TREENE: Look, there is a lot of rumors out there that I've seen, including a contributor at CNN. But so far, there has been no indication or really any substantive conversations I've heard that have centered on her replacement. I can tell you, Boris, that when I spoke with some White House staffers yesterday, and this was in the immediate aftermath of the announcement of Karoline's departure, they said that they were very surprised and caught off guard by it. Some of them were surprised to have learned about it. And that from the conversations that they were having internally at the White House, it wasn't clear that a replacement had actually been chosen yet.

Now, of course, things can change overnight. I am sure that the President is already thinking through a list of people that he would like to see replaced her. But it is a difficult position to fill. The President is very particular about who he wants representing him, particularly in a position behind that podium to be the chief messenger. So, I think the search is still on, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Alayna Treene, live for us at the White House. Thank you so much for that.

Still to come, could the man accused of killing a health care CEO plead guilty? We have new details about the ongoing plea negotiations between Luigi Mangione and federal prosecutors.

Plus, prosecutors are revealing what was found in Lindsay Clancy's search history, the latest from that triple murder trial.

And later, forecasters are warning that we are entering uncharted territory. They say this year's Super El Nino could be the strongest ever in recorded history. What that means for hurricane season and beyond. Much more to come on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:39] KEILAR: Happening now, sources tell CNN plea negotiations are underway between accused killer, Luigi Mangione, and federal prosecutors in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione is expected in court tomorrow morning. We have CNN Legal Analyst and former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams with us now to talk about this.

This hearing tomorrow, it's pretty hastily scheduled, and it's a case that's been pending for almost two years now. So why now?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, there's nothing like the thought of going to trial to make everybody, both prosecutors and defense attorneys, want to come to the table and make something go away. It's -- it's always more efficient to plead guilty. I know that's sort of a coarse and crass way to talk about a homicide prosecution, but in many regards, nobody really wants to go to trial. It's expensive, it's costly, and quite frankly, your side might lose. A plea deal might allow both parties to get some measure of closure to something that will be very stressful for the public.

KEILAR: And maybe at this point in time, they both have a picture of how they think the trial might go ...

WILLIAMS: Yes.

KEILAR: ... based on what they've learned in discovery, right?

WILLIAMS: Yes.

KEILAR: So, what could we learn at this hearing?

WILLIAMS: What could we learn at this hearing? I mean, certainly to the extent some evidence will be put forward saying, you know, this is what the government would have established at trial, which could potentially be damning, and also you could just learn, you know, is the -- is the defendant aware of the charges against him? Is he willing to plead guilty? Has he admitted the conduct? What is he going to admit to? Will he say, I committed these acts of murder, or will they try to get him to plead to something other than homicide?

[15:20:10]

Will he plead guilty? Has he admitted the conduct? What is he going to admit to? Will he say, I committed these acts of murder, or will they try to get him to plead to something other than homicide? And there's a reason for that.

KEILAR: What are the considerations of prosecutors here? I mean, why would they get on board or not with a plea deal?

WILLIAMS: Yes. Yes. Well, prosecutors, number one, it's costly and time-consuming to go to trial, and they might lose. Now, everybody is aware of the huge public interest around this trial. You've heard of people named the Mangionistas, people that are followers of Luigi Mangione, who are all over social media and so on. Could someone like that get on the jury and potentially lead to a hung jury, which would not be great for prosecutors?

So, they can get this defendant locked up for a very, very, very long time without having to take him to trial, and I think that's a calculus that prosecutors face all the time.

KEILAR: This is a federal case, right ...

WILLIAMS: Yes.

KEILAR: ... that we're talking about. He also has a state trial that's coming up next month. How could that factor into this plea deal?

WILLIAMS: Yes, so something that the world should know, Brianna, about prosecutions or -- or law enforcement is that state and federal prosecutors are often at odds over going to trial, and they both have different cases.

Now, the big issue here is this idea of double jeopardy. Can a person be tried or prosecuted twice for the same offense? The Constitution bars that, and New York's state double jeopardy law is even broader than the Constitution's, as you can't even be tried for two offenses that arise from the same criminal act or criminal transaction. So, for instance, a homicide and a stalking charge could be seen as the same thing.

The state wants to bring this case. They want to prosecute this defendant. They want closure for the family, and they have an interest in seeing the person going to jail for a long time as much as the feds do. And so, they fear that if he pleads guilty, that could be seen as a conviction for double jeopardy purposes, which would take away the state trial. And so, they're delicately negotiating what, you know, what he -- what he pleads to and what happens here.

KEILAR: Who else would have a say, perhaps, in a deal?

WILLIAMS: Well, number one, the family is the big one. A family does have a right to weigh in and say that, you know, it's -- we want to see this go to trial, too. We want this person to get the highest possible sentence, and a sweet, quote-unquote, "plea deal" might actually not have this -- this individual face justice in the way he's entitled to, number one.

And number two, a judge can actually say -- a judge can block a plea deal. If a judge feels that the plea is not in the interest of justice or if the defendant was coerced into pleading, the judge cannot allow it to proceed. And so a lot of the questions, if in fact he does plead guilty, a lot of the questions the judge will ask will be, do you know what you're pleading to? Do you understand the charges against you? Do you admit to those things? Are you aware of what you're doing just to make sure that he's coming in here of his own free will regardless of what his attorneys are telling him?

KEILAR: And you mentioned a little bit of it, but how much does that attention -- I mean, it -- it might be hard to find someone ...

WILLIAMS: Yes. KEILAR: ... who hasn't heard of this case or has an opinion on this case. How much does that factor in here? Not for the plea. It's a very important question and I think something that's on people's minds. Like, would it lead to a plea? No.

What it would lead to is if it went to trial, the kinds of steps the court would take to ensure that that kind of attention doesn't get in the way. So number one, would they sequester the jurors? Would they put a media blackout on? Would they require that some information be kept in private or whatever else?

In general, Brianna, our legal system, both in New York State and the federal government, really wants everything about trials to be public and out there for the people to see. Judges are reluctant to do that, but for exactly the question you're asking here, they will sometimes put restrictions on a case just to make sure that that kind of craziness that surrounds some of these really high-profile trials doesn't get in the way of the defendant's day in court, but the prosecutor's right to send them to jail if they win.

KEILAR: It's -- in all places, New York, it is so hard not to see a newspaper, it -- like a newsstand ...

WILLIAMS: Yes.

KEILAR: ... and see a headline. I don't even know how you could avoid that, right?

WILLIAMS: Well, just -- real quick, you just ask a juror, even though you've heard information about this case, can you put that out of your mind sufficiently that you could give this defendant a fair trial? And if they can answer yes, they're legally cleared to be on the jury.

KEILAR: All right. Elliot, thank you so much.

WILLIAMS: No problem.

KEILAR: Really appreciate it.

Ahead, as testimony continues in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, police investigators reveal what they found in Clancy's text messages and search history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:46]

SANCHEZ: We're watching more revealing testimony today in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. The Massachusetts mom admits to strangling her three young children with exercise bands in their home. Today, jurors heard from state police investigators who testified about her Internet searches, text messages and phone calls. Let's go to CNN's Jean Casarez, who's been tracking this testimony. So, Jean, what happened in court today?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was all about forensic examiner from the Massachusetts state police who actually took the computer and the cell phone of Lindsay Clancy and looked behind it to see exactly what was in that phone. And he read to the jury and it was extensive, but it was notes that Lindsay Clancy wrote herself in October of 2022. And then she made an addition or a deletion, not sure, but the beginning of November of 2022. So, a couple of months before she killed her children. Let's listen to a little bit of what Lindsay Clancy wrote herself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sad and depressed because I am not able to parent my third child like my first. I want to treat any one of my babies like my first, but I know that's not a feasible possibility. I'm sad that I stopped breastfeeding. I feel not as connected with Cal now. I think I sort of resent my other children because they prevent me from treating Cal like my first baby.

[15:30:10]