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Jury Resumes Clancy Murder Trial Deliberations; Flash Flooding in the Grand Canyon; Grand Canyon Evacuee David Gregory Recounts the Flooding; CARE Nepal's Nilkantha Panday is Interviewed about the Flooding. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired August 31, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Than Hubble's and will help astronomers explore dark energy and exoplanets. NASA expects to publish the first images from the telescope toward the end of the year.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, jury deliberations set to resume in the Lindsay Clancy trial, the mother accused of murdering her three children. The last word from the jury, they asked to see her prescription pill bottles and the bloody knife she used to try to kill herself. Could a verdict come today in the case?

The search this morning for more than a dozen people who are missing after deadly flash flooding tears through the Grand Canyon, washing away shelters and campsites there. The concern, there is another round of rain today.

And rescue crews in Nepal working around the clock to reach hundreds possibly trapped in hydropower tunnels blocked by mud and debris after major flooding there, cataclysmic flooding, as the death toll and the number of missing rises.

I'm Sara Sidner, with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: All right, the breaking news this hour, we are waiting right now for the jury to start back up with deliberations in the triple murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts woman charged with strangling and killing her three young children. Any moment now, things will be getting underway once again.

The jury is made up of nine women and three men. They got the case last week. So far, they've spent about ten hours behind closed doors weighing this case, weighing Lindsay Clancy's fate. And then Friday, they sent their first question to the judge.

CNN's Jean Casarez has been following every moment of this. She is live outside the courthouse in Massachusetts.

Jean, what is the latest from there? JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is I think everyone is in place. It's just a matter of the jury being brought into the courtroom. They will then start their deliberations for this second week.

They had the weekend to think about all of this. We do understand that Kevin Reddington is in place. He came to the courtroom probably 15 minutes ago. The media is still outside of the courtroom. They will be let in when everything is set and everything is ready to go.

But there are a number of charges in this case, and there are also the not guilties in this case. So, the roadmap for this jury, it may not be as easy as it seems because you go through every single count. You've got first degree murder, which is the deliberate premeditation and/or the atrocity and the cruelty of killing the three children. You also have second degree murder, which is intent to kill, murder. That does have the possibility of parole, however. First degree does not. And then you actually have, and this was requested by the defense, manslaughter, which would be a conviction. It's a homicide. But her mental state would be taken into consideration. It is up to 20 years. Also, probation is possible.

And then you have the not guilty because of a lack of criminal responsibility or not guilty because you didn't know right from wrong. A mental insanity claim. And then you have straight out not guilty. So, this jury has a lot to go through.

And you're right, two things they asked for on Friday, the pill bottles and the knife. The pill bottles are significant because she was prescribed many medications between September and January. Some of those pill bottles will almost be full. Some will have a couple out, three out, four out. They have their notes to all of this.

Now, the jurors were able to take notes. They couldn't take them home during the weekend to study them. But they can only deliberate when they're in the courtroom together. And, of course, that knife is when she tried to take her life.

BOLDUAN: And it's all about to start back up. Jean Casarez is there, walking us through it all. Thank you so much, Jean.

You can watch CNN All Access as we await a verdict in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, bringing you live analysis as the jury deliberates. Cnn.com/watch.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, with us now, Margaret McLean, host of "The Margaret McLean Show" on YouTube. She's a former prosecutor and trial attorney.

Thanks so much for being with us.

When a jury goes into deliberations, we on the outside, we only know two things, right? We know how long they're deliberating and if they ask any questions and what those questions are. So, in this case, we know they've been in there for a little more than a day. But these two questions are the questions to see the evidence, the pill bottles and the knife. What does that tell you?

MARGARET MCLEAN, HOST, "THE MARGARET MCLEAN SHOW" ON YOUTUBE: Well, thanks for having me, John.

And basically it tells me, first of all, they couldn't have that evidence in the -- in the room to begin with because a knife is dangerous and pills are considered dangerous as well.

[09:05:07]

But as far as the pill count goes, that's really part of what the prosecution is saying. The prosecution is saying this is not a toxic combination of pills, as the defense would want you to believe. She didn't take all the pills. She took them, you know, there's -- you look at the pill bottles. There's some in there. There's some not. So, that goes to the prosecution.

And, of course, the knife itself, they might want to look at the bloody knife and think about, you know, she allegedly -- she tried to commit suicide and she had superficial cuts to her wrists and to her neck. So, they might want to look at the knife. And, quite frankly, I'd like to feel that knife. I doubt they'll be able to do that, because I wondered if the knife was dull or sharp.

BERMAN: Yes. Right. So, both of those pieces of evidence get to the prosecution's case. Does that mean they're leaning into that side? We don't know. Of course, we have no way of knowing.

MCLEAN: Yes.

BERMAN: But we also know that they had the weekend off, right?

MCLEAN: Yes.

BERMAN: What goes -- what do you think -- how do you think a juror approaches Monday morning when they've had two days away from the case?

MCLEAN: Well, I think they're fresh and maybe they unplugged and they had a nice relaxing, beautiful weekend here in Massachusetts on the beach. They unplugged. Hopefully didn't look at social media. But I think now they're going to go back in. They're going to weigh all the evidence here. They've got so much to look at, opposing experts, and like you said earlier in the broadcast, I think, looking at those different degrees. You've got murder in the first degree, second degree, involuntary manslaughter. And sometimes involuntary manslaughter can be a compromise. So there's so much for this jury to do.

BERMAN: In the manslaughter case, because oftentimes when a jury has different charges to consider, sometimes they like to compromise or find some kind of a middle ground here. Would manslaughter be that? How would and wouldn't that be sort of a compromise conviction? MCLEAN: OK. So, it's really interesting. Under Massachusetts law, the

jury has to apply the reasonable person standard when they're talking about manslaughter. They have to look at Lindsay Clancy's actions and think about that even if her mind was profoundly compromised here by mental illness or a toxic cocktail of prescription drugs, a reasonable person still should have recognized the grave danger. And then failure to act is another consideration that creates a high degree of likelihood that substantial harm will result to another that may constitute involuntary manslaughter.

For example, she had intrusive thoughts about harming the children prior to these incidents. She expressed them to Patrick and to her mother. And jurors may think, you know, she might have had -- she -- why didn't she tell her doctors about that? Maybe she should have. You're having intrusive thoughts that you could harm your children. That's something that she could -- should have gotten help for and she might have -- we might have avoided this entire tragedy.

BERMAN: It may be that they assign some sort of partial responsibility there, but we just don't know.

MCLEAN: Right.

BERMAN: We do know that they are headed back, if they're not back in that jury room right now, they will be shortly. And we are standing by for a possible verdict any time.

Margaret McLean, thank you so much for being with us.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you to you, John.

Turning now to Arizona, where an urgent search and rescue operation is underway after a flash flood tore through the Grand Canyon. Dozens of stranded tourists and hikers have already been evacuated, many by helicopter. It's the only way they could get them out. The flood also knocked out the pipeline that provides drinking water to tourists at the park.

The danger, not over yet. A flood watch remains in effect for the area through this evening. And that is CNN's Ed Lavandera is live this morning on the south rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

We just spoke with someone who managed to escape that area. Give us a sense of what the worry is here this morning.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the rain has been coming in waves and it's -- actually, the sun has come up. It's a rather beautiful morning. But just a few hours ago, we were getting torrential downpours, violent lightning in the area as well. So, that kind of weather can continue to complicate search and rescue efforts here inside the Grand Canyon.

We know that there are at least 15 people believed to be missing. One person has been confirmed dead. That was a 46-year-old man that was found several miles downstream. Some for -- some of the more dramatic videos that we have seen of the flood waters. But witnesses describe this as a, in some cases, a four-foot wall of -- massive wall of dark debris, boulders barreling down the river and also through these popular canyons where people either day hike or go for more extensive campground area there, where they spend some considerable time inside the park.

But these flood waters really causing all sorts of problems downstream.

[09:10:03]

As you mentioned, it's affecting the ability for the park to use its water system for guests that are coming here. So, all of that needs to be repaired as well. A number of bridges that have been used for access on these trail hikes have also been wiped out by these floods. But, you know, very dangerous situation. Hopefully the weather holds off and does not become as intense and dramatic as we have seen over the last couple of days here in this area.

But now that the sun is up, the weather has cleared, at least for the moment. This is giving -- this will give the search and rescue teams a chance to get in there and try to see if there are any more survivors, and just get a better handle on exactly how many people are missing and if there are any more fatalities in this dramatic flooding event.

Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, it's a good point. When it's sunny out there, it like gives them a pocket of time to try and see if they can rescue people who are still missing. We know that so far I think about a dozen people still missing.

Ed Lavandera, thank you for being there. Appreciate your reporting from the Grand Canyon this morning.

John.

BERMAN: All right, joining us now is David Gregory, who was there when this flooding hit.

David, great to see you safe this morning.

Tell me where you were when the water started rising. How did you realize there was something wrong?

DAVID GREGORY, HIKING IN GRAND CANYON WHEN FLASH FLOOD HIT: I was down at Phantom Ranch in one of the cabins that we had reserved. And I was just kind of getting organized, unpacking, getting ready for a ranger talk, and then following that, dinner, when the park ranger came knocking on all the doors. First she said, you know, just get ready in case we have an evacuation. Just get your stuff together. And then about a pretty short time later, maybe ten minutes later, she came back and said, OK, she was a little more urgent, this is going to be a mandatory evacuation. Grab all your stuff. We need to go. We need to go soon. BERMAN: And we've seen pictures of the debris and the swollen river

there. And I've also seen a map there. I mean the Phantom Ranch, where you were, it's like right next to the water. It looks like it's right in, right by the river as it flows by there. Could you see the waters rising?

GREGORY: So, the Colorado River, which is the main river, is about a quarter mile or so away from Phantom Ranch. The creek is what caused all the issues. There's a creek that runs down into the Colorado River. It's called the -- I think the Bright Angel Creek. And that's the one that was completely black, had a lot of debris in it. It was, it was moving very quickly. And when we had all the rain, that brief rain shower that hit Phantom Ranch and then moved north up to the north rim, that water level just got increased. And the ferocity of the creek increased. And that's what wiped out the bridge. And that's what caused the evacuation. the Colorado River was less of an issue for us. It was more that creek that was flash flooding.

BERMAN: And the creek, did you get a good look at it? Were you able to see the dangers there or did you get out before it even got bad?

GREGORY: No, we definitely saw it. I mean normal -- I've been to the Grand Canyon at least half a dozen times and in the past that creek has been clear water. Kind of like a gentle creek. You could put your feet in it. You know, on a hot day, you could kind of lie in the creek. This time around, though, even before the rain hit, it was a black creek and it had kind of debris in it and it was moving faster than like the normal speed.

But then when the rain hit and the rain continued, more -- it just -- it got faster and faster. It was probably moving faster than I think than I could run. So, we definitely saw the creek -- that creek as we were evacuating.

We had to cross over the bridge that crossed over the creek to get to the other side, to get to higher ground. So, one of my traveling companions, he took a video of the creek looking up, up creek and then down creek. And so, you could kind of see it. And then that bridge where he took the video was later completely wiped out. The only thing that's left are the two stone pylons on either side of the creek.

BERMAN: Good thing you got across the bridge when you did there.

How hard was it for you to get to safety? Once the rangers said it's time to go, how hard was it to get out?

GREGORY: At the time it didn't -- it seemed like, you know, the creek was moving quickly, but it seemed still at a lower level. So, you know, we kind of moved quickly, but we -- it wasn't a panicked evacuation. We just moved quickly. We were walking quickly. Single file. Following each other across the creek. And then at first we were directed to go to a mule corral for a little bit. And then she said, OK, we need to cross the main bridge, one of the main bridges across the Colorado and get to the other side. And once we were on that other side, we knew we were perfectly safe. It was considerably higher ground. [09:15:01]

And with the river separating us from the creek, we knew where there was plenty of separation and we were safe at that point in time.

BERMAN: Do you know what happened to the structures, your cabin, at the Phantom Ranch?

GREGORY: To the bridge?

BERMAN: To the structures of the Phantom Ranch. At the ranch itself. The cabins you were staying in.

GREGORY: Are you asking about the bridge?

BERMAN: No, no, I'm asking about the various structures at the ranch.

GREGORY: Oh, yes. My understanding -- right, right. So, the cabin that I was staying in, we had a little bit of water that came in on the -- on the cement floor. It wasn't too bad. There were cabins on the other side, closer to the mountain, and the runoff from the mountain was getting into the cabins. And so it was a little bit more of a water accumulation.

But my understanding that all the Phantom Ranch buildings are intact. They're all standing. The main damage was to the -- to the bridges and the infrastructure. Underneath the bridges they had an electrical line and a water line. And so, when the bridge was completely knocked away, that took out the electrical line and the water line at the same time.

BERMAN: Well, we're glad you made it out. We're glad you got across the bridge in time. David Gregory, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, no kidding.

To Nepal now. The death toll in Nepal jumping today. More than 900 people killed, nearly 5,000 people are missing along the Nepal-China border.

And the scenes on the ground, aid groups are describing as apocalyptic. We've got more on this ahead.

Also more breaking news coming in. More than a dozen people have been hurt this morning after a shuttle bus crashed into a wall at Newark Airport.

And a brewing turf war to regulate A.I. Who will ultimately be responsible for overseeing this industry?

We'll be right back.

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[09:21:23]

SIDNER: Grim news out of Nepal and China this morning, where the number of people missing after the flood disaster there is surging again. The combined death toll from both countries has now surpassed 900 people. More than 4,700 people are still missing.

In Nepal alone, the number of missing nearly doubled overnight. Officials say the highest priority right now are the hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside the country's hydropower tunnels.

Aid groups are, of course, struggling to reach some of the hardest hit areas, where narrow gorges and the soggy, muddy ground have left many routes simply impassable.

Joining me now is Nilkantha Panday, the director of program development and delivery for CARE Nepal.

Thank you for being here.

Can you give me a sense of just how difficult it is for you and your organization and the people on the ground to try to get to areas that are affected, which is so widespread.

NILKANTHA PANDAY, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY, CARE NEPAL: Thank you. Thank you, Sara, for having us here.

CARE is actually implementing, you know, deploying its rescue efforts, the humanitarian response efforts through the partners on the ground from the day one. And we have been deploying our team, our partners, and supporting the affected people through our CARE emergency relief package that actually consists of integrated items of personal hygiene materials, you know, solar lights, tarpaulins, you know, (INAUDIBLE) kits and kitchen utensils and many more.

But we have been really facing different challenges to deploy our response efforts on the ground because of, you know, disrupted roads, the damaged roads and disrupted communications. But we have been seeing the floods have completely disconnected communities, leaving many areas isolated. You know, families have been stranded. And some are opposite end of the river, which is really difficult to carry out, you know, to provide our response supports effectively.

We have seen holding centers are overcrowded with a limited supply of food, hygiene materials, and the personal hygiene materials and kitchen utensils and different, you know, other items. So, we have been coordinating with the local government and the authorities how we can really make our response effective. And we are -- we are closely working to make our response effective.

SIDNER: Can you give me a sense of what your teams and you are seeing as you try to make it into these communities that have been just completely obliterated with all this mud and no access to things like fresh or clean water or food.

PANDAY: Exactly. We have been seeing, you know, people are, you know, out of, you know, this safe water, safe drinking water. And they are completely, you know, simed (ph) up with mud. You know, we have been seeing the women and childrens, they are completely wet with mud and they don't have any additional, you know, the clothings to change. And even they have, you know, struggling to get the right (INAUDIBLE) to change, you know.

So, that's a very difficult scenario. And we have been providing -- that's why we have been providing, you know, clothings, you know, dry clothings to the women and supporting to make a safe shelters for women and others.

So, this is the challenging situations. And we have been coordinating with the local governments and authorities, you know, other security forces to make them safe.

[09:25:02]

SIDNER: What are the greatest needs that you are seeing that must be met urgently?

PANDAY: At the moment, the greatest need is a safe drinking water and the safe shelter. People are crowded in the -- in a very narrow holding centers. So, how we can, you know, provide a safe, you know, shelters to these communities, along with sufficient food, the water, safe drinking waters, personal hygiene materials and the special requirements to the women and girls. They need these, you know, specific hygiene materials during this time. So, these are the critical needs. And also the bedding items, you know, for the sleeping bags and the clothings. These are the most urgent needs, you know. And the food, ready to eat. You know, people are having some ready to eat food, but they need a fresh foods, fresh food. But to have that fresh food, they need a, you know, kitchen utensil items to cook and have a fresh food. (INAUDIBLE).

SIDNER: It's just -- you're pointing out that just everything is gone from simply finding a spoon, to finding, you know, being able to find clean water and clothing. There's just such a great need there. And we hope people do reach out. We're going to give people a way to do that.

Nilkantha Panday, thank you so much to you and your team there in Nepal doing very, very hard work, but really important work for people who are suffering. We do appreciate it.

And here's how you can help the people in that impacted region. You can scan the QR code at the bottom of your screen, or you can text the word "flood" to 707070 to donate.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: A key Senate race is suddenly focusing in on damage control. Why Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is apologizing to Jewish Democrats now in his state.

And we are also coming up, just minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street. Futures pointing down right now after the new -- on the new escalation between the U.S. and Iran, which also has us watching oil, oil prices after U.S. strikes near the Strait of Hormuz. As you can see, where they stand right now, WTI is pointed up, but look at Brent crude right there. Nearly up about two percent this morning, nearly $86 a barrel right now. Investors also will be looking ahead to Friday's jobs report for clues about the economy and the Fed's next move.

We'll be right back.

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