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Pope Leads More than a Million in Mass at Youth Festival; Manhunt for Suspect in Deadly Montana Bar Shooting Enters Third Day; Migrants Advocate: At Least a Dozen Detainees on Hunger Strike. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 03, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:01]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with new developments on President Trump's trade war. After hitting dozens of countries with new steep tariffs last week, The White House now says those rates may be here to stay.

I want to go now to CNN's Julia Benbrook. She is in New Jersey where the President is spending the weekend at his Bedminster estate, so Julia, what are members of his administration saying?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this has been a big week when it comes to trade, and this upcoming week will be a big one as well.

The White House really ushers in a new era of trade policy. Taking this aggressive stance on tariffs is something that President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail, and he is making good on that. His administration says that his moves aim to even the playing field when it comes to American businesses and workers.

But as we have seen these different announcements, pauses, negotiations, frameworks, announced, really the one constant in all of this is to expect change. Even last week, as dozens of America's trading partners were bracing for that Friday deadline where they would see these tariffs go into effect, Trump made some changes just before that deadline and then pushed the implementation date to August 7th.

Now, that gives Customs and Border Security some more time to properly apply these new rates, but it also potentially provides some more wiggle room, more time for negotiations to take place. But I do want to point out that in an interview on CBS that aired just a few hours ago, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, he was asked directly if Americans should expect to see some of these new announcements, new rates negotiated down in the coming days. He said he doesn't think so.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: I don't think they will be in the coming days. I think a lot of these -- well, I know a lot of these are set rates pursuant to deals. Some of these deals are announced, some are not. Others depend on the level of the trade deficit or surplus we may have with the country.

So, these tariff rates are pretty much set.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, he did go on to say that he does expect other Trade Representatives to be reaching out, to have more conversations, to see how they can better work with the United States. Separately, there are the ongoing conversations with China.

Back in May, both countries agreed to bring down their historically high rates on one another, but that pause is expected to end on August 12th. Greer suggested that we could see an extension on that timeline. He and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent actually met with their Chinese counterparts last week, and they both painted those conversations in a positive light, but the meetings concluded without a resolution.

Now, if there is not an agreement or a push to that deadline, it is possible to see those rates skyrocket once again -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook, thanks so much, in New Jersey.

All right, in Rome, they just wrapped up a huge gathering that is being dubbed the Catholic Woodstock. Hundreds of thousands of young people descending on the city throughout the week for the Jubilee of Youth Festival, a celebration of faith, music and religious services. The headline act, Pope Leo XIV himself.

The new American pontiff presiding over a packed mass earlier today. CNN's Christopher Lamb was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, more than a million young people here for this mass celebrated by Pope Leo as part of this Jubilee for Youth celebrations. Pope Leo, leading the largest gathering of his pontificate so far.

This has been something of a charisma test for the Pope, less than a hundred days into the new role. But this festival, a Catholic Woodstock style event in Rome has brought together a range of people from across the world. We have 146 countries represented, there have also been attempts here to connect with the younger generations.

We've seen priest influencers and others, so-called digital missionaries trying to connect with those people outside of the church pews. There has been a kind of festival atmosphere, a huge enthusiasm for Pope Leo as he toured the Tor Vergata Arena here, greeting young people from his popemobile, catching things, waving, blessing. They've been really excited to see Leo and I caught up with some of the pilgrims, including from the United States and Korea, who have been here in Rome for this event.

JAEHUN LEE FRANCISCO, JUBILEE YOUTH ATTENDEE: Korea is a country with the main religion of Christianity, so I wanted to meet a lot of people from around the world who believes in the same religion as me.

[15:05:07]

The religion brings people together.

YARECZY ACOSTA, JUBILEE YOUTH ATTENDEE: I am very thankful to be able to experience this. I know it is, as a first generation child of immigrant parents, I know not a lot of people get to experience this. I know a lot of people are immigrants, and I know that it is a really big issue right now, and I know it would help, I know probably bringing people in this religion closer together, knowing that our Pope has, you know, a perspective that could possibly bring us together.

LAMB: Pope Leo's message is emphasizing that young people can make the world a better place. He said that the people here are in solidarity with young children and others in Gaza, in Ukraine. He also called them to be builders of community, of friendship, of peace. All of those messages resonating here strongly with the crowd who see in Pope Leo and the church reasons for hope.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Christopher, thank you so much.

We are also following breaking news out of Montana, where a manhunt for a suspect accused of fatally shooting four people at a bar is now expanding. The niece of Michael Paul Brown says the Army veteran suffers from mental illness, which she says deteriorated after the death of his parents. Authorities have now locked down parts of a national forest near the crime scene, as search teams combed the area by land and air. State officials are warning the public to stay alert as brown is considered armed and extremely dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AUSTIN KNUDSEN, MONTANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: The vehicle he ended up grabbing was loaded full of equipment. It was not his vehicle, it was a stolen vehicle, but there was camping equipment in it. We believe there was some clothing in it. So at this point, we have every reason to believe the suspect is fully clothed, shoes on his feet ,able to get around.

We are acting under the assumption that he is alive, well-armed, and extremely dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones has the latest developments on this. Julia, what more are you learning?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are learning, Fred, this afternoon that authorities are identifying the four people who were killed in this shooting. They are 59-year-old Daniel Edwin Ballie, 64 -year-old Nancy Lauretta Kelley, who was a bartender at the Owl Bar at the time of the shooting; 70-year-old David Allen Leach, and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm. All four were residents of Anaconda, according to the Attorney General there.

Here is what else he had to say about the shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KNUDSEN: We can confirm that it was a rifle. At this point, I am not going to give out a bunch of more information about that. We do know the individual had access to firearms. We believe he was probably still armed and dangerous.

From what I have gathered, it sounds like he was a regular at this establishment. He literally lived next door. I think likely that he knew the bartender and these patrons, which makes this even more heinous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Some chilling details there, Fred.

Brown was -- is a U.S. Army veteran and he was part of an armored vehicle crew from January 2001 to May of 2005 and spent most of his last year in the Army in deployment to Iraq from February 2004 to March 2005. Later, he joined the Montana National Guard, in April of 2006 until March 2009, and he left military service as a Sergeant.

As you mentioned, we spoke to his niece and she did say that her uncle struggled with mental health while he was in the Army and wasn't the same after his service. She said that worsened after the passing of his parents, but she also described him as very sick, but also recalling some happy moments with him, learning to ride a bike with him and fishing with him. She expressed deep remorse and heartbreak for the victims, and she says that five families were destroyed on Friday with this incident.

Now the search continues, Fred, as authorities have locked down, not just parts of that national forest, the Beaverhead Deer Lodge, but they also are searching the area around Stumptown Road, which is north of Barker Lake, which you can see on the map there.

This is a very heavily wooded part of Montana, and of course, that presents its own sets of challenges, but we heard from the Attorney General earlier that in that press conference that every cabin, every hunting site that is known up in that area has been pinned by authorities and that they have a tremendous number of assets, resources, both local, state and federal agencies working on land and air to find Brown.

They're now offering a reward of $7,500.00 for any information that will lead to locating him -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, very challenging terrain for that ongoing search. Thanks so much, Julia Vargas Jones.

All right, still to come, calls for peace in Gaza grow around the world, including a huge turnout of protesters in Australia.

And later, protests against the new Florida immigration detention center, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. This time coming from inside the facility.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:53]

WHITFIELD: At least a dozen detainees at the Florida immigration facility, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz have reportedly been on a hunger strike for the last 12 days now. An immigrant rights advocate tells CNN the detainees are protesting what they describe as deplorable conditions inside the tent facility that opened last month, as well as alleged mistreatment by guards.

Rafael Romo is here with the very latest.

[15:15:20]

So you spoke with that official from the Florida Immigrant Coalition and what was said?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, let me tell you, first of all, that access to the migrant detention center is heavily restricted, Fred. Even attorneys for those detained at the facility are complaining it has been nearly impossible to meet with their clients. But an immigrant rights advocate who has been monitoring conditions at the migrant detention center, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz by Florida and federal officials, say at least a dozen detainees have been on hunger strike for the last 12 days to protest conditions at the facility that opened last month in the Everglades.

Why did they decide to go on a hunger strike, you may ask. Well, this is what Thomas Kennedy, a spokesman with the Florida Immigrant Coalition, had to say about their decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS KENNEDY, SPOKESMAN, FLORIDA IMMIGRANT COALITION: Where a number of individuals detained there have refused to eat to protest against the deplorable conditions that they find themselves in, including lack of adequate food, having to clean up fecal matter from the toilets due to lack of water pressure, lack of water in general, mistreatment by the guards, water intrusion when it rains due to flooding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, immigrant advocates like Kennedy say they know what's happening because detainees have told them when they have access to a phone, which usually happens once a day.

We reached out to both the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which runs the facility, and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. In a statement, a senior DHS official called the information false, calling reports of hunger strike unsubstantiated, inaccurate allegations.

The statement also says that for the record, during hunger strikes ICE continues to provide three meals a day, delivered to the detained alien's room and an adequate supply of drinking water or other beverages, ensuring the safety, security and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE.

In addition to what has been described by activists in Florida Democratic leaders as deplorable conditions at Alligator Alcatraz, attorneys for those detained are still facing obstacles when it comes to getting access to their clients held at the migrant detention center.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNEDY: I am actually very concerned not just for the aggravating conditions that the detainees are subjected to, but also the constitutional and due process that's being denied to these detainees and their families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And finally, Fred, we specifically asked officials at both the state and federal level for a reaction to this allegation, but it was not specifically addressed in the statement we received from a senior DHS official.

But again, many, many questions regarding access to those detainees.

WHITFIELD: Yes, lots of complaints. It has just been a month now. And then a lot of those detainees still say they haven't had a chance to reach out or contact with attorneys.

ROMO: Right, and it opened exactly a month ago today. And think about it, normally, it is a matter of days before they can see an attorney. It has been a whole month.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, let us know more as you learn it.

Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

All right, still to come, we will examine what the end of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting could mean for your local channel lineup.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:07]

WHITFIELD: All right, just weeks after House Republicans cut funding for public media, the nonprofit in charge of funding thousands of radio and television stations across the country, says it is shutting down. Officials at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting say they are focusing on helping local PBS and NPR stations figure out how to survive with smaller budgets, but they are warning some stations, mainly those in rural areas, they may have to shut down entirely.

Let's discuss more of this now with Iowa State Representative Jennifer Konfrst. She worked over a decade at Iowa PBS, and now she is running for Congress as a Democrat. Good to see you, Jennifer.

JENNIFER KONFRST (D), IOWA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: So first, help us understand how these cuts are going to affect public media in the state of Iowa?

KONFRST: I think that the example you gave a moment ago is exactly what I am worried about. It is the fact that rural areas will have less access to weather information, safety information, but also Iowa's stories.

You know, CPB funding helps Iowa PBS tell stories about everything from our six on six basketball pass, which is, you know, Caitlin Clark territory now all the way through to stories about one-room schoolhouses and what's happening in Iowa right now. It is those local stories that I am really concerned will get lost and missed, and that's exactly why I am running for Congress, because I am really sick and tired of Zach Nunn continuing to vote with his party and not listen to Iowans who are saying, we want public media.

WHITFIELD: And then some Republicans, including your own Senator Joni Ernst, appear to be cheering on these cuts to public media, claiming that they are biased and put out "partisan propaganda." You used to work at Iowa PBS as I mentioned. Now you're an elected Democrat.

So in your view, did politics ever influence your work at Iowa PBS?

[15:25:04]

KONFRST: Certainly not. I was not allowed to be in charge of any programming, you know, distinctly because I had a viewpoint. And the folks, the journalists, the professionals at Iowa PBS were the ones making those decisions.

I think at the end of the day, if anything, PBS made me a stronger Iowan and allowed me to see more about the state that I love. You know, this is the kind of learning and education I got while working at Iowa PBS, whether it is learning more about Iowa, whether it is learning about Iowa's Ag economy, or even just getting to travel the state and see the amazing things we have around the state, made me love the state even more and made me want to continue to serve.

You know, those 10 years that Iowa PBS were public service to me and now continue to be -- you know, I am continuing my public service in a different way. But at the end of the day, the idea wasn't about political propaganda at Iowa PBS, that's not what we did. We did things like drive around the state and tell kids to turn off the T.V. and go outside and play, or to read more at local libraries. That's what Iowa PBS was about, sports, telling Iowa's stories, that kind of stuff. And that's what, Iowans really rely on Iowa PBS for. And that's why I was so proud to have worked there.

WHITFIELD: And what are you hearing from Iowans that you talk to? Are they worried about, you know, no longer having these outlets? Are they upset about the funding cuts? What are they saying?

KONFRST: You know, this is another example for them of how things aren't being listened, how they aren't being listened to in Washington. That's what they're telling me. This is another example.

You know, they hear about all of these big, you know, big picture fights, but at the end of the day, they're worried they are going to lose coverage of high school boys' baseball. Right? Or they're worried that they're going to lose their Ag news program every night. And so this is something that affects their daily lives, and they're seeing the impact or they will see the impact soon.

It is things like that, threats to rural health care, things -- you know worried about things like clean water in the state of Iowa. All of these things really come together to make Iowans feel like they're not being heard, they are not being listened to in Washington and that's another reason that I am running for Congress, to go out there and represent them.

When I go there, I will fight for public broadcasting. I will fight for rural hospitals. I will fight for the things that constituents are telling me they want, because this is all a lot of politics, and people are really sick of politics right now, I can tell you that.

WHITFIELD: What are going to be the options, particularly in some of those rural communities there in Iowa, where they don't have public T.V. or, you know, public radio stations, what are their options going to be?

KONFRST: You know, I think that we make a lot of assumptions that folks all have access to broadband or streaming services, they don't in all of rural Iowa. Right? Or we make assumptions that people can afford to subscribe to all of these millions of apps, but really, this is available for -- public broadcasting is going to create a hole if it is not here because we are going to see that folks who don't have access to streaming or don't have access to all of these apps will lose out on updated weather information from Iowa public radio, you know, storm warnings, things like that.

Coverage of, you know, things that are happening across the state that aren't getting covered anywhere else. They will lose a little bit of Iowa storytelling and a little bit of their connection to our home state.

I know that Iowa PBS and Iowa public radio will continue to find ways to keep broadcasting and stay going, but what they're able to offer is severely limited now because of Zach Nunn voting against this bill or voting for this bill and cutting public broadcasting in Iowa.

WHITFIELD: All right, Iowa Democratic State Representative Jennifer Konfrst, thank you so much for being with us.

KONFRST: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, a new T.V. series starring Jason Momoa takes a look at the fascinating history of the Hawaiian islands at the turn of the 19th Century, like you've never seen before. One of the stars of "Chief of War" will join us later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:41]

WHITFIELD: All right, new today, Israel says 136 pallets of aid were airdropped into Gaza by a coalition of countries -- Jordan, Belgium and Egypt, taking part in today's deliveries. For the past week, countries have been dropping aid directly into the Palestinian enclave to bypass border crossings. Meanwhile, Gaza Health officials say 13 more Palestinians have died from malnutrition in the last two days.

In Sydney, Australia, there was a massive turnout for a pro- Palestinian peace rally. Reporter, James Wilson from NINE NEWS picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES WILSON, NINE NEWS REPORTER: It's fair to say both police and protest organizers today were completely surprised and overwhelmed by how many people turned up for this March for Humanity over the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Rough estimates have it around a hundred thousand people.

We were on the bridge and there were points where communication had completely broken down. Police were trying to devise plans by the minute to try and disperse this crowd as they walked north over the bridge and then back south into the CBD.

The crowd, though, did a really good job of self-regulating and managing and staying calm to ensure that there were no crowd crushes. People did use the barriers to jump over to the pedestrian walkway to avoid getting stuck in the middle of the bridge for over an hour, as those waves of people just kept walking up.

But overall, this was a very peaceful and orderly protest. The police did have a press conference a short time ago that said, at times things were dicey and they avoided catastrophe, but a good result, no arrests and no injuries. And standing in the middle of the Harbor Bridge, it is fair to say, today, these protesters made one heck of a statement.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:35:23]

WHITFIELD: All right, there are now more than 1,300 people in Gaza who have been killed while waiting for aid according to the U.N., and for many Palestinian women, it has become an awful choice between watching their children starve or risking their own lives.

It is a risk that could deprive some families of their only remaining provider.

CNN's Paula Hancocks explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Umar Labad (ph) walks into the unknown. Danger is everywhere in this darkness. A woman alone, surrounded by men, all with the same desperate purpose, to find food, to survive.

Now Labad's husband was killed in an Israeli airstrike, she's now the sole provider for a family of eight and can only leave them while they sleep to find food.

(UMAR LABAD speaking in foreign language.)

HANCOCKS (voice over): "The children tell me, don't go, mama," she says. "Don't go to the aid centers. We don't want you to die, mama. Who will take care of us if something happens to you?"

The alternative is they starve.

This group of women from one displacement camp make the nighttime search together for protection, but even then, they are targets.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)

HANCOCKS (voice over): This woman says, "Yesterday I waited from 6:00 P.M. until 4:00 A.M. I got a bag of flour, but then a young man with a knife said, drop the flour or I'll kill you. This is the value of Gaza now, my homeland."

(OMKATA speaking in foreign language.)

HANCOCKS: "Everything around us is a risk to our lives," Omkata says. "Whether it's thieves, Israeli soldiers, rockets or drones -- everything."

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)

HANCOCKS: Their friend says she's come every day for a week and received nothing. She just gave birth to her youngest child three weeks earlier.

The women go back to their families at daybreak, empty-handed.

More than a thousand people have been killed by Israeli fire, waiting for food since late May, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Israeli military says it has fired warning shots when it feels threatened, but denies responsibility for the heavy death toll.

These displaced women from Beit Lahia have a long walk ahead of them.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)

HANCOCKS: This woman says, "Either I return with food and my children shout with joy, or they will scream in grief because I didn't return."

The crack of gunfire nearby sends them diving for cover, unsure of where is safe.

A casualty being rushed past them to hospital, a reminder that safety is a concept that left Gaza long ago.

When she returns to her tent, her children start crying when they see the bag is empty.

The United Nations says the trickle of aid being allowed in, the breakdown of law and order, and the dismantling of the U.N.-led delivery systems, has created new levels of desperation. Gaza is now a place where the fittest survive and the most vulnerable are left with nothing.

Back from their nightly trips to aid points, Omkata and Umberlao (ph) share what little food they managed to get. A friendship formed in displacement camps.

(UMBERLAO speaking in foreign language.)

HANCOCKS "I've seen death many times," Umberlao says, "But I will keep going until I get my children something to eat."

CNN tracked down the two women weeks later. As food got scarcer and their bodies weaker, their journey has become even more perilous. Desperation pushed them to try their luck at the American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

(OMKATA speaking in foreign language.)

HANCOCKS: Omkata says "The American aid points are death zones. I reached one and spent the night there. A sniper fired above my head. The bullet missed me by mere centimeters." She hasn't gone back since.

Her three children live on saline she makes at home and food from charity kitchens. "They always go to sleep hungry," she says.

[15:40:07]

Her friend and tent neighbor, Umberlao, hasn't given up on the long, tiring treks to find food for her five children.

(UMBERLAO speaking in foreign language.)

HANCOCKS: "I was just at Zakeem," she says. "I left at sunset yesterday and returned this morning. There was gunfire and martyrs lying in front of us. I couldn't bring anything."

Without organized aid deliveries reaching the most vulnerable, it remains an endless and usually futile struggle.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:20]

WHITFIELD: All right, raw, emotional, authentic: It's a story of war, it is a story of community, and it is a beautiful telling of the unification of the Hawaiian islands from an indigenous perspective.

The first two episodes of "Chief of War" premiered Friday on Apple T.V.+, written by and starring Jason Momoa. The show boasts an almost entirely Polynesian cast and one of the stars is with us today.

Te Ao O'Hinepehinga, she plays as Kupuohi, the wife of Jason Momoa's character, the War Chief at the heart of the story. Let's take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP FROM "CHIEF OF WAR"/APPLE T.V.+)

WHITFIELD: All right, Te, oh, my gosh, it is so great to have you and congratulations. Okay, I am not hearing Te. Is everybody hearing Te?

Okay, were working it out.

TE AO O'HINEPEHINGA, "CHIEF OF WAR" ACTRESS: Oh, it is good to see you.

WHITFIELD: There you are. There you are. Great. I can hear you now. Hello. Aloha, I should say. All right.

O'HINEPEHINGA: Aloha.

WHITFIELD: Thank you. Mahalo.

Hey, there is so much to talk about. I mean, starting with. I mean, the beautiful people and the language and Te, you are from New Zealand and embraced the Maori culture and language. But I wonder if you can tell me about your journey with learning and speaking the lyrical native tongue of the islands Olelo Hawai'i?

O'HINEPEHINGA: Oh my goodness. It has been a journey for sure. We spent oh good -- months, probably before we even started filming. We were very lucky. Hawaii was determined to get this right. Jason and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett were determined to get this right. So walking in, we each had a language coach who worked with us privately.

I think I was on calls for three-four hours most nights before leading into the production, and every day during. So after a big old day filming and playing make believe on set, I was right on to the Zooms working on it again.

WHITFIELD: Oh my God, you were a student throughout, I mean -- but it is a beautiful movie. I mean, it really is something and so authentic. I mean, the series is almost entirely, you in Hawaiian with subtitles, right? So what do you think the viewers' experience -- what do you think their experience is like as they take in both the visual and audio beauty and the complexities here?

O'HINEPEHINGA: I think our audiences are so primed for it. I mean, we had the incredible show "Shogun," which was iconic. You had "Lupin" on Netflix, which was super popular, and it was in French. I think now is the time where we really love to enjoy shows that aren't so much -- aren't as simple as just being in English, so it is really exciting to be able to add one more language to that flow.

WHITFIELD: Right? And I said movie, I really mean series because there have been two that have aired thus far, and there are many more to come. So, you know, additionally, most of the cast is, Polynesian, but kind of describe what your experiences were like working on a set in a location and a cast like this? I mean, this had to be very unique and special.

O'HINEPEHINGA: It was very unique. It was incredibly spiritual, I think. We're very lucky here in Polynesia. Our cultures are very in tune with the land and with the water. So to actually be having our feet on the land, to feel the energy flowing through, it was incredibly powerful.

And I mean, being on location also comes with its own obstacles. There was plenty of natural disasters that went down. We had a volcano eruption, we had cyclones, we had a drought. I think we ticked off most things in terms of natural disasters. I think we ticked off most things. The only thing we didn't get was a tsunami, which thank goodness, I don't think anyone needed to go through that.

WHITFIELD: Yes. We don't need that.

[15:50:01]

I also recently saw an interview with Jason Momoa, you know, recently. He was talking about how really personal this project was, the entire experience. I mean, this was aspirational for him to be a part of and help produce a production like this. His dad making a cameo as well.

How are you hoping this production, this series, will help educate and enlighten people?

O'HINEPEHINGA: I think it is really exciting when you get to bring indigenous stories to the forefront. We are seeing it more and more these days, which is incredibly heartwarming because we get to experience and really learn culture from the perspective of the indigenous storytellers, the people who own this story.

And so to be able to put that at the forefront on such a global stage is, I mean, this is the kind of thing that people like myself have been dreaming of. People like Taika Waititi, Merata Mita, Lee Tamahori, who produced or directed "Once Were Warriors." These are the kinds of ideas that we have been working towards.

So to be able to support Hawaii in that journey, and to be able to take it to that next level is -- I mean, it is hard to put it into words, isn't it? WHITFIELD: Oh, it look -- it look -- I can see it and read it on you how gratifying it is to be a part of this. I mean, the next seven episodes, they'll be dropping every Friday until, you know, the season finale in late September.

I mean, did you -- have you had a chance to watch all of them, or are you watching them, you know, the complete packages as they go, like the rest of us?

O'HINEPEHINGA: I, well, obviously with all the press stuff I've been given the luxury of watching it ahead of time. So I've watched it all, although I have to admit I really don't like watching myself. I don't think its natural. Humans are not supposed to see each other in playback. It's so weird.

So I had to binge watch it all in one go, and there may or may not have been more than a few glasses of alcohol.

WHITFIELD: Wow! Were you kind of making corrections along the way, like, oh, I should have delivered it this way or ooh, I like the way I said that or did that. Well, you know, are you kind of critical of yourself as you're watching it?

O'HINEPEHINGA: Oh, absolutely. I mean, we are our own worst critics, right? And I've -- I have yet to develop the skill that Jason has to be able to just watch back very analytically. His brain is incredible. It is truly an artist brain.

So I am hoping one day I will be able to do that, but so far I am just like, oh, I think most of the time, there was a blanket over my face going, yikes!

WHITFIELD: Well, critical is natural, but really you should just celebrate. Celebrate your part in this. Celebrate that people are enamored by watching a beautiful story being told by such beautiful people and using this language and really opening our eyes to a culture that has been, you know, really not shared enough where people don't have the depth enough to know about this beautiful culture.

So congratulations and thank you, Te.

O'HINEPEHINGA: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. Glad you could be with us.

All right, in the next hour I will look at the eruption, speaking of volcanoes, look at the eruption of a volcano that's been quiet for hundreds of years. And if a recent huge earthquake is actually to blame for this sudden activity, and it is not in Hawaii.

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WHITFIELD: All right, the new CNN Original Series: "American Prince: JFK, Jr." follows the story and lasting legacy of John F. Kennedy, Jr. from his early years marked by his father's assassination to John- John's decision to create a new political magazine, "George" and the iconic love story, with Carolyn Bessette. Here is a preview.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was pretty much the most famous guy in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unless you know him personally, he is a myth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John became the biggest celebrity in America when he was conceived.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The boy who would be king.

JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR. AKA JOHN-JOHN OR JFK JR., WAS AN AMERICAN ATTORNEY, MAGAZINE PUBLISHER, AND JOURNALIST. Hello. I'm John Kennedy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a pressure. You're a Kennedy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John was just, like, a little bit more of a free spirit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His mom was a cultural icon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jackie had raised john to be media savvy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He wanted to maybe break some rules, and then he did.

KENNEDY, JR.: Ladies and gentlemen, meet "George."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had the foresight to understand this is where the country is going.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was like the number one pinup of the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Carolyn Bessette. She made John more attractive and John made her more attractive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a couple, they were sought after.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't know the real story.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are so many people who wanted John to fail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was enormous pressure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They wanted quotes, they wanted scandals.

ROBERT DE NIRO, ACTOR: He would be followed more than I was followed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With John Kennedy, Jr., there's less room for error.

JOHN KING, TALK SHOW HOST: It is very good to be the son of a legend. KENNEDY, JR.: It's complicated.

VOICE OVER: "American Prince: JFK, Jr." premieres Saturday, August 9th on CNN.

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and we begin this hour with harrowing new details about the movements of the gunman who carried out that mass shooting at a Manhattan office building on Monday.

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