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Trump will Declare Strait of Hormuz A "U.S. Territory" After Defeating Iran; Mangione Pleads Guilty In FED Case, Sets Up Double Jeopardy Fight; Hawaii Braces For Hurricane Lala To Possibly Make Landfall. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired August 15, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Scandals fueled the headlines and the Buffalo Bills, showed how heartbreak could define a decade. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE POSNANSKI, AUTHOR, "WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL": A whole bunch of new heroes came along for the 90s. It's true in tennis, you talk about you talk about Lendl, you talk about McEnroe, Connors and Martina Navratilova. You know, they stayed as long as they could. And now Monica Seles and Sampras and Agassi, you know, are beginning to take over.

In the 90s, there was also the changing of the guard in the NBA. When the Bulls finally got over the hump against the Detroit Pistons.

BOMAN JONES, SPORTS JOURNALIST AND PODCASTER: The 1991 Eastern Conference Finals is the end of an era where a great team in NBA history who's been to the finals three straight years, is now being dispatched. The Pistons in mass, all who could walked off the floor without shaking the Bull's hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN. Another hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

[19:01:01]

JIMENEZ: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in Atlanta.

Tonight, President Donald Trump and Iran divided over future control of the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump announcing plans to declare the critical waterway a U.S. territory after the United States finishes, "defeating Iran."

The timeline on that still unclear as Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister is pushing back on that, saying the Strait cannot be seized with a tweet. And then just this morning, Iran's Foreign Minister said Tehran had not decided on whether to resume negotiations with the Trump administration. I want to bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook, who joins us now. And, Julia, what are we hearing on all of this from the administration tonight?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Strait of Hormuz, it remains a key area of focus. And this now nearly six-month long conflict. And there are conflicting messages, as Iran has laid out, demands that it says the United States must fulfill in order to fully reopen the Strait.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has remained adamant. He has insisted that the United States is already in control of that critical waterway.

I was at an event just yesterday. It took place in New York. It was on another topic, but at one point he did go off into some detail on this, saying that after the United States has finished defeating Iran, that he would like to see the Strait of Hormuz as a U.S. territory. I want you to take a listen to that part of his remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And after we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated. Pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States, essentially, that's what -- we have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: We do know that some within the President's inner circle have been looking for ways to bring this conflict to an end. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, according to recent CNN reporting, he had spoken with other top officials and made clear that the United States needed to find an off ramp.

These recent remarks from Trump, though, really only escalate that rhetoric once again. And in recent days, the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said that the U.S. Military could keep a naval presence there in the region indefinitely to enforce the blockade. If that is what is needed, he added that he plans to stay as long as needed.

JIMENEZ: And Julia, we're also learning about how these extended deployments amid the war with Iran are now impacting some of the United States' troops. Just what can you tell us about this? How is the President responding to these reports?

BENBROOK: A lot of that focus has been on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for nearly nine months as it's supporting operations in the Middle East. And there have been concerns from a number of family members about the conditions on that ship. One crew member told CNN that morale is very low and that there's this near constant strain on some of the essential amenities.

Trump was pressed on this by a reporter about those conditions. Those concerns, and he seemed to dismiss those saying that those deployments had not nearly been going long enough. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Has the deployments got on too long? Are you worried about the mental health concerns?

TRUMP: No, no, no, no, not nearly long enough. Thank you everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And as you can see there, after he gave that answer, he kind of abruptly turned and went to Air Force One. He spoke for a shorter amount of time than he normally does in some of those gaggles. He also said that the Lincoln would be leaving the region sometime soon, and then when it does, it would be replaced by a very similar ship -- Omar.

[19:05:09]

JIMENEZ: Julia Benbrook, really appreciate the reporting. I want to bring in now senior defense editor for the National Security Journal, Steve Balestrieri. He also served in the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Look, President Trump seemed to dismiss claims that families of service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have concerns about the conditions, and that it hasn't been deployed for, in his words, nearly long enough.

As someone who has been covering this, your former service member as well, what do you say to that sentiment?

STEVE BALESTRIERI, SENIOR DEFENSE EDITOR, NATIONAL SECURITY JOURNAL: Well look, the ship has been at sea for, you know, 267 days. It's been extended twice. And then it was extended again with no announced end date. And now, you know, the troops or the sailors on board, you know, there's a shortage of fresh food. Obviously, there's a shortage of hygiene items, potable water. And now were hearing problems with the plumbing. The same thing that the Gerald Ford had a few months ago.

So, you know, this is a time when material starts to break down these long deployments really hurt morale. And, look, the ship really needs to be replaced at this point. And they haven't had a genuine port call in 245 days. That's the most important thing. The actual length of the deployment isn't the factor. The fact that the ship hasn't had, you know, a liberty call for the troops to or the sailors. I keep saying troops, the sailors to get off the ship. And that is a huge factor.

JIMENEZ: You know, you talked about the Gerald R. Ford Carrier. I know you were calling attention to that months ago, back in April, if I'm not mistaken. And you had said, "Eleven brutal months marking the longest U.S. Carrier deployment since the Vietnam War."

I just wonder, can you just explain what it's like day-to-day being at sea for, for months and how it can actually affect sailors and marines in terms of morale, as you sort of mentioned.

BALESTRIERI: Oh, yes. Well, eventually, you know, if you're deployed for such a long period of time, you know, your morale will suffer. And that's when troops make mistakes, right? They get burnt out. And look, you know, you go back to the Vietnam War, our carriers on Yankee station off the Coast of Vietnam, they were typically there for almost a year, but every month they would leave to either Subic Bay or Hong Kong for a period of four to seven days for the crews to decompress and then they could get back on station.

This crew has been at sea for 245 days. They've conducted 10,000 sorties and they've dropped 1.5 million pounds of ordnance on 40 days straight. I mean, this a time when things start to break down and you can have accidents. And that's the last thing anyone wants to see.

JIMENEZ: Is that what you mean? You wrote a while back as well that, that, you know, obviously carrier strike groups are project power preventing wars just as important as winning wars, but that, you know, if your demands are outstripping your abilities, cracks are being are beginning to show. Is that what you mean by that? That that the cracks --

BALESTRIERI: Yes, absolutely. And, you know, like the Lincoln Is going to be replaced by the George Washington. Now, that left Danang and it passed through the Singapore Strait. It will take approximately nine days for it to get there. But the other factor in this is now with the Washington leaving the Western Pacific, that is left completely, you know, without a carrier force in it. And, you know, that's -- they're taking up space for CENTCOM now where they really are needed in the Western Pacific.

We all know that tensions are growing with China and Taiwan. And now, you know, our carrier force is going to be shorthanded once again.

JIMENEZ: Steve Balestrieri, I really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

BALESTRIERI: Thank you very much.

JIMENEZ: Of course. All right, still to come, Democrats reshaping the primary calendar for the 2028 Presidential race.

We're going to tell you which states will go first and who could gain some key political clout.

Plus, what Luigi Mangione said about the shooting of healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson and what it could mean for the murder charges he still faces.

[19:10:07]

And we're following breaking news right now. Hurricane Lala now lashing the shores of Hawaii. We're going to have a live report to show you how the whipping winds and powerful waves are continuing to get worse there. We'll bring you those details soon; you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:02]

JIMENEZ: Democrats are already looking ahead to 2028. Tonight, the Democratic National Committee unveiled its newly approved calendar for the Presidential Primaries in 2028.

It replaces Iowa and New Hampshire with South Carolina and Nevada as the first contest to kick off the race for the party's next Presidential nominee, followed by New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, and finally, Virginia in February.

The move, though, is meant to empower and give more weight to Black and Latino voters, who make up a large portion of the populations in South Carolina and Nevada. You can see there Iowa no longer part of the early primary lineup.

Our political panel is with us now. CNN's senior political commentator and former Obama administration official, Van Jones, and host of the show "Adam Mockler Show" on Midas Touch Network, Adam Mockler.

So, Van, the Iowa Democratic Party chair, was disappointed with the decision. Obviously, back in July, calling it a sign the party is, "out of touch" with voters. What do you say to that?

VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I can understand why folks in Iowa would be disappointed. it's been a very long tradition. Obviously, Barack Obama was able to take off from there. And Pete Buttigieg would have been able to if they had counted the votes in time.

But the party is, there are other voters who matter as well. And to say, you know, which voters are you talking about we're out of touch with. Youve got strong labor presence in Nevada. In addition to the strong Latin vote there.

And I think this is a party that's wanting to take labor more seriously, the Latin vote more seriously, the Black vote more seriously. It's the backbone of this party. It makes more sense for them to have a bigger say earlier on.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, Adam choosing to include Nevada, New Mexico in the early contests, the party clearly has frontloaded the calendar with states that do have large contingents of Latino voters, a group that, by the way, President Trump made inroads with during the 2024 Presidential election. Do you think that this reordering will make a substantive difference in bringing back some of those voters to the Democratic Party?

ADAM MOCKLER, HOST "ADAM MOCKLER SHOW" ON MEIDASTOUCH NETWORK: Yes, of course, if you check out the polling, there's already been a seismic shift in the way that Latino voters view this administration due to the surgical ICE raids that are like Trump will be sending ICE into majority Latino neighborhoods, undertrained.

And you see a huge lack of popularity on that issue. I definitely think that as these primaries continue, sorry, as these primaries continue, were going to see a seismic shift in the way this happens. Theres a lot of lingering distrust from the Iowa caucuses in 2020 as well, when the voting apps weren't working.

So, I think that that just creates an environment where people want change. They want to try out new demographics in the primaries, and it definitely will make a difference.

JIMENEZ: And you're hitting on that, that idea of change. Obviously, it's been a major topic of conversation within the Democratic Party. And a new AXIOS article out this week highlighted one of what they said is a growing problem for the democratic establishment, specifically older democrats, who, as the article describes, are facing a revolt against the party's old guard as primary voters head to the polls.

And Van, I just wonder, how do you see this new primary calendar within the context of the party, really trying to figure out what is going to dominate its direction moving forward?

JONES: Well, listen, this primary season has really been a sea change for the party in some ways it's a backlash election against, you know, the restoration of Donald Trump, which I think, you know, really made people sit up and say, how the heck do we wind up with Donald Trump back in there? People are mad that the Democrats let that happen and, you know, and weren't able to stop it.

But also, there are three things happening in this party. There is a generational gap. You've got new folks who want to come in. You've got folks who are 70 or 80 years old wanting to hang on. Theres a generation gap. There's an ideological gap. Some of these younger folks are a lot more progressive than the people they're trying to replace.

But most importantly, there's an innovation gap in terms of how do you turn out voters? Do you stick with the big donors, the big consultants, the big PACs, the big ad buys, or do you go directly to social media and grassroots? You're seeing this new insurgency. They are younger. They're ideologically more to the left.

But more importantly, they're, how they're going about getting attention, how they're going about mobilizing the vote is much more streamlined. it's social media and grassroots, they're not so much about the big donors and big PACs, the big money, the big this and big that.

And I think that those three things together are why you're seeing this shock wave moving through the party.

JIMENEZ: Adam, you're nodding your head. What is resonating with you and Van's answers in terms of the direction of the party?

MOCKLER: I think Van said it perfectly regarding a lot of these new candidates running more nimble, social media-based campaigns and gaining attention in that manner. When I talked to Democratic voters, they're sick of the same old establishment. The Democratic establishment is currently as unpopular as the Republican Party, and the Republican Party is quite unpopular. So Democratic voters want fighters right now. And a lot of these younger candidates know how to leverage social media and fight the Republican Party and bring attention to a message.

You have Zohran Mamdani, you also have Abdul El-Sayed. I think there's this really reductive analysis that happens where people think the Democrats are moving towards socialism or Marxism, and it's not that simple. There's like a handful of DSA candidates, and the reality is Abdul El-Sayed is a free-market guy who appreciates competition.

People just want fighters. And again, I think Van hit the nail on the head. These are more nimble, social media-based campaigns that bring attention to these issues.

[19:20:34]

JIMENEZ: And look, Michigan is going to be one of the biggest tests. I mean, were talking about a swing state. We're talking about a statewide race as well, in terms of not just getting through the primary, but up against someone like Mike Rogers. And I don't know if you all saw earlier, but we had Harry Enten on who showed us that Abdul El-Sayed is trailing Mike Rogers in the Senate race in terms of where the polling is right now, in terms of this snapshot, but also that he is not polling as well as Democratic candidates have typically polled at this point in the campaign cycle ahead of the general election.

And I just wonder for you, Van, do you worry about his general election chances or is it just he's the nominee and now you've got to do what you can to get him in?

JONES: Well, look, obviously the numbers are very disturbing. And what I'm hearing on the ground is also very disturbing. I think the problem that you have is that the kinds of positions he took to energize people in the primary are really hurting him in the general.

You have a very large Jewish population that can usually be with Democrats if they move over, that's tough for him. I think you can be very critical of Bibi Netanyahu and Israel without calling for, as Abdul is calling for a total and complete arms embargo against Israel.

Because they couldn't even purchase a interceptors or defensive weapons. That is so extreme. You know, I think the party is very concerned about what's going on in the Middle East. But to say that Israelis could not purchase the kinds of protective weapons that Barack Obama put in place, you know, Barack Obama put a protective shield over Israel. it's called the Iron Dome.

Abdul says that should come down. We shouldn't pay, not only should we not pay for it, they couldn't even buy it. I think he's driving off a lot of voters that would ordinarily be with the Democratic Party. Luckily, he has time to change position on some of these more extreme positions. If he doesn't, I think he's going to have some challenges.

JIMENEZ: Well, it was interesting sort of looking through where Haley Stevens won in the state of Michigan and sort of where the support was there versus where El-Sayed had sort of the base of his support.

I think we lost Adam's signal. So, I'm just going to give you one more question, Van, before we head out, because, look, obviously Wisconsin was one of those primary results in the governor's race for Democrats that that signaled to Republicans sort of about what voters don't want. And I just wonder, how did you interpret the results of that governor's race as close as it was there?

JONES: Yes. Well, look, I mean, for me, it just shows that there's a real footrace in this party. You know, honestly, given some of the positions of some of these candidates, you'd expect a blowout. But, you know, there's a foot race in this party who represents change, who represents more of the same. But there's also, I think, a desire for some kind of stability and some kind of electability going forward. So, it's kind of electability versus change that voters are trying to manage.

Look, this is a this is a historic year for the Democratic Party. You have the rise of a new generation and a new politics. And we'll get this thing sorted out. But here's the reality is, none of these matters until November. And we see what the general election voters want. We've not yet heard from the Independents. We've not had the Republicans have a chance to really work on some of our new nominees.

We'll see how effective the Republicans are dirtying up, muddying up either moderates or our more progressive candidates. We'll see what the independent voters say. But right now, you know, the progressives have a lot of momentum.

JIMENEZ: All right, Van Jones and I see Adam Moakler back, I'm sorry, we're out of time. Lost you for a little bit.

MOCKLER: No, it's all good, it's all good, it's all good. Good to see you both, regardless.

JIMENEZ: Thanks for taking the time.

MOCKLER: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right, we got a lot of news we are following over the course of this hour, including, we want to bring you details on panic during services at a Manhattan synagogue where a woman was injured after being attacked. A suspect is now facing multiple hate crime charges. We are going to have the latest on the investigation just ahead, stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:29:10]

JIMENEZ: New York Police say a man has been arrested and charged with hate crimes after shouting and disrupting a service, then attacking a woman and a security guard at a New York City synagogue last night.

CNN's Rafael Romo is following this story for us. Rafael, what have you learned? RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Omar, well, a law enforcement official has told CNN the suspect entered the synagogue during Shabbat Services Friday night and was sitting down for roughly ten minutes before he got up and was confronted by security. A clip from the synagogue's live stream, obtained by CNN affiliate WCBS, shows how congregants scrambled as shouts of panic erupted while the security guard is seen trying to restrain the suspect as he barreled down the aisle.

The law enforcement source told CNN that when the suspect tried to make his way toward the rabbi, security tried to escort him out, and that's when he proceeded to attack a woman and the security guard while also yelling a racial slur at him.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified the suspect as 46-year-old Larry Montes from the Bronx. She also said the suspect has now been charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime as well, among other charges.

Tisch also said that no one was seriously injured and that the NYPD increased security at the synagogue. The synagogue's rabbi opened the service Saturday morning by saying the congregation is grateful to be safe.

[19:30:34]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RABBI ANDREW KAPLAN MANDEL, CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE: Our day of rest was interrupted last night by a security incident in our main sanctuary but we are okay. We are safe. We are grateful to be here. We are grateful to our security team for supporting us. We feel so grateful for our community.

JENNA PERSALL, CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE CANTOR: Went through something really hard and scary last night, and I think this healing prayer can be focused on the whole community, on all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a post on X that, "This despicable act has no place in our city, and our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe."

The law enforcement official familiar with the investigation also told CNN that Montes, the suspect, tried to walk toward an area that is not open to the public, and when they confronted him, he proceeded to chop with his hands at two candles, each valued at $10,000.00.

According to CNN source, Montes has several sealed arrests, some of which were robberies, as well as a history of mental health issues. And investigators do not have evidence that he was targeting anyone inside the synagogue.

CNN reached out to the federal public defender's office in Southern District of New York, but we were told, Omar, the suspect had not yet been assigned an attorney. Now, back to you.

JIMENEZ: All right, Rafael Romo, really appreciate it.

Still to come, after his guilty plea, Luigi Mangione's legal team moves to dismiss New York's murder charges and look at the double jeopardy argument behind this strategy.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:36:50]

JIMENEZ: Just after Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in federal court to stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, New York officials took the steps outside the courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE MCDONALD, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: We live in a civilized society governed by the rule of law, we debate, we disagree, we protest, we do not commit murder. No grievance, political belief or ideological cause can ever justify murder. There can be no celebrity in assassination.

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: And to those who idolized Luigi Mangione, I say this, violence is not a cause, murder is not a message and a killer is certainly not a hero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: That was U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Now, inside that courthouse, with Thompson's family sitting just feet away, Mangione told the court, "I shot Mr. Thompson and he died. I knew what I was doing was illegal."

So, I want to bring in criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson, who is with us now. And joey, I mean, pretty stunning blunt words from Mangione in court there. What's your reaction to what he said?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Omar, good to be with you. And so, this is part of what's called an allocution. And what that means in English is that if you're going to accept a plea, the judge wants to know what you did. And so, to the extent that he indicated what he did, he shot Mr. Thompson also gave some indication about the ruse that he engaged in, in terms of pretending to be with a multi-billion- dollar company so he could get the logistical access of where Mr. Thompson would be.

But I think the basis for him saying that, Omar dealt with what they're trying to do, they, being his defense attorneys, which is to avoid the state case, which, as you know, was supposed to start on September 8th. And so, to the extent that he noted that he, in fact, killed Mr. Thompson, that would be murder. That would be consistent with what he's charged with, with the state. The defense will argue, double jeopardy attaches. And as a result of that, they will attempt, his attorneys, to get the state case thrown out. But that's part and parcel for why he said what he said.

JIMENEZ: Well, how do you see their defense strategy there?

JACKSON: So, I'll tell you this, I think that it's certainly going to be important to knock out the state case, which was about to begin. But before getting to that, just briefly, I think he's got a larger issue. And the larger issue, going back to the clip you just started at the outset of this segment, was that I think law enforcement and prosecutors are very upset about what he did. And why do I say that?

He's pled guilty and the plea he entered into what is called an open plea. That means that the judge can evaluate the facts. And there's three tenants to sentencing, right? The first tenant is punishment, the second tenant is deterrence, deterring anyone from engaging in this and then the third, is rehabilitation. And if a judge finds him irredeemable and that he can't be rehabilitated and believes that significant punishment is warranted to deter copycats, he could be facing life and the judge can put him away for life on the federal charge.

So, that, I think, is the first order of business. If you get by that. And of course, we know that's not until December. I think the second order of business is to void the state case. And I do believe that the attorneys for Mangione have a legitimate argument.

The issue is, yes, you can proceed with dual, and it happens regularly with a federal government has an interest in prosecuting you for violating federal statutes here, stalking. And the state has an independent interest to prosecute you for violating a statute, namely murder. But when they merge as they do, and arise out of the same set of facts and circumstances, and the ill that the statute the law is attempting to thwart is the same murder. I think that they have his attorneys a viable argument in getting the state case thrown away.

[19:40:44]

You know, not a slam dunk, but I think they certainly have a very viable argument and one that Judge Carro the state court judge could believe in and actually throw out the case. But make no mistake about it, throw out the state case or not. He's facing a life sentence in federal court, to be clear.

JIMENEZ: Yes, so let's talk about that. I mean, that's what's already on the table. We've got that sentencing in December. But also, how much does what the victim's family experienced as part of this factor into what a judge is weighing here?

JACKSON: So, so much it really does. And so, just to be clear, when you get sentenced federally, Omar, there is something called federal guidelines and sentencing guidelines, and they're simply guidelines. They're not mandatory, they're advisory. And the purpose of those guidelines is to have uniformity in sentencing. You don't want one person to get some type of time and another person for the same offense to get entirely different sentence.

So, for uniformity. That being said, a judge is going to evaluate what we call aggravating factors against what the defense will pose as mitigating factors. What am I talking about?

I'm talking about what you just mentioned. And that is the victim impact statements. The one thing the judge is going to weigh, and I already talked about punishment, deterrence and rehabilitation, but under the statute, you have to weigh the nature and gravity of the offense. It's not going to be lost on the judge when the victim starts speaking that feel how you feel about health insurance, about CEOs who run the entities, about what they do, about corporate responsibility.

The judge is going to evaluate the nature of this offense and going to look at the fact that he traveled through state lines, the fact that he plotted and planned, you know, the fact that he shot in cold blood, this surveillance, this video, there's all types, he's going to evaluate. The judge will evaluate the actual family and the statements they make. The judge will also those are called aggravating factors, the premeditation of it and what a person did.

The mitigating factors are those which the defense will argue that he didn't have a criminal history, right. First offense that he engaged in. He had apparently this back problem, Omar. And as a result of the back problem, he was taking these medications and he was not getting really the compliance he needed with the healthcare industry. Whether you think it's a good argument, a bad argument, that's what the defense will use. They'll use the fact that, you know, again, he's an Ivy League individual, et cetera. And because of his past history and it wasn't shrouded in crime, the judge should weigh that in terms of being redeemable.

So, there'll be a balance there. And under the guidelines I think his range is 30 years. Because without getting into the technicalities, they do this quantifiable numerical calculation and accepting responsibility lessens the amount of time. But if he goes in for 30 years in in federal court, you get about 85 percent of the time, he'll be out in about 25 years. He's 28, so he'll be in his 50s. He will have some life.

But if the judge sides with, you know, the victims and the prosecutors and again, going back and buttoning this up with the clip you showed, which is that, hey, listen, we're not about this law enforcement said, no matter what you think, killing somebody is not okay. Vigilantism is not okay.

And if the judge takes that tack to demonstrate a message to everyone else and puts him in for life, then all the discussion about thwarting the state case and everything else goes out the window because he's got a problem, and that means he'll spend his life in jail.

JIMENEZ: Joey Jackson, always appreciate the insight. Thank you for being here.

JACKSON: Thank you, Omar. All right, up next, we are tracking Hurricane Lala as it bears down on Hawaii. We are live on the big island, next, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:57]

JIMENEZ: We're following the breaking news in Hawaii right now. Category one, Hurricane Lala is approaching the Big Island, where it's expected to bring dangerous surf and torrential rainfall of up to two feet. Now there are eight city hurricane refuge areas open across the island of Oahu, and multiple roads are closed due to landslides, downed trees, power lines.

Almost 38,000 customers are without power right now, and Hawaiian Electric is urging residents to prepare for potential extended outages. KITV reporter, Angela Cifone joins us now from the big island. And Angela, I know we just checked in with you a few hours ago. What are you seeing now and what has changed?

ANGELA CIFONE, KITV REPORTER, ANCHOR, WEATHER GIRL: Yes, you know what? It's good that you're checking in again because it's continuously changing. You know, right now it's a little bit slower. The wind's not too bad. But just a minute ago it was gushing wind and rain all over into our lanai. So, it really just depends and you know what kind of saying like the calm before the storm. We're hearing that Lala is starting to really approach.

I thought it was here and now I'm finding out it's slowing down. So, I'm going to get out of your way so you can kind of see. We've been talking about these waves all day. And the one thing about these waves that makes me a little bit worried now is that when they've gotten so big now where they're breaking, we can't see it as much because they're getting so much closer to the shoreline.

So now, we don't even know when they're breaking because they're so close to us. So, we are kind of expecting it to kind of go into the yard in a little bit, maybe within an hour or two. But definitely throughout the night. So, we are expecting to see that. Again, we've seen branches go down, coconuts go down, wind is swaying these trees. But we are here.

The homeowner did leave for a second, but she said she felt safe to come back. So, she is here to come do an interview and kind of talk about what her experience is, you know, we are seeing this hurricane that hasn't been hit in Hawaii for over three decades.

You just left. You came back. What was your experience out there first?

[19:50:54]

CYNTHIA TOTTY-HEFLEY, LIVES IN HAWAII: Well, the roads are really bad close to the ocean over here. And they improve as you move away from the sea. But there's still coconuts down in the roadway. There's palm branches on the roadway. There was a fire on beach road from a power line that was down and there were trees down in that required the police to get involved, I think, to control traffic, cut it up, whatever.

CIFONE: So, but it's not as bad as you thought. You know, you thought it was going to be. However, you just came back and we were just talking about what kind of the backyard looks like. What did you expect to come home to? And are you kind of happy that it's still in one piece?

TOTTY-HEFLEY: Yes, very happy that I still have a lanai out here. I'm sorry, you're soaking wet. We're all drenched, everybody's wet. Dogs wet, I'm wet, everyone is. What I was surprised about is how many more coconuts fell. Which, in a way, is a favor.

CIFONE: You know, we're just keeping an eye on it. You know, those coconuts are falling, those trees are swaying. But again, we're going to keep an eye on this weather here at Kaloli Point. This is the eastern most side of the island. Again, thank you guys for having me. Um, really excited to keep you informed in all of this that's going on the Big Island.

JIMENEZ: Angela Cifone, really appreciate the reporting for us and bringing us some local color there on the ground to give us an idea of what's really going on.

I also want to bring in storm chaser and independent journalist Jonathan Petramala. And Jonathan, I know you've been traveling across the big island as well. Just give us a sense of what you're seeing now and what you have seen.

JONATHAN PETRAMALA, STORM CHASER: Absolute tropical storm conditions here. Heavy, heavy rain, wind that is breaking some of those abilla trees, they are an invasive species and those are kind of wreaking havoc. Those are the trees that grow very rapidly, but they have very weak wood. And so, any sort of gusts of wind, they're very vulnerable. And those are crashing down on onto those power lines that's creating some of the issues with power here on the Big Island.

Also, there's problems with the cell phone service. Here in Hilo area, there is beginning to be some flash flooding on some of the roadways. And the Wailuku River is roaring. Rainbow Falls is unlike somebody has probably ever seen before. it's extremely, extremely powerful right now with all the water that's coming down from the mountains.

And that's really the story, I think, on this hurricane here in this part of the island, at least, is the rainfall. It's been steady since overnight, heavy at times, and it's relentless. And it's beginning to show on the roadways and again in the Wailuku River and other rivers here that are draining into the ocean, they are roaring.

JIMENEZ: And we're showing some of that footage. As you've been talking. I'm not sure if you can see it, but obviously the power is unmistakable in what we're seeing and what the viewers are seeing, I just wonder, look, this is not your first hurricane weather event that you have chased in places all over. And I just wonder, how would you compare capturing this storm and what you've seen to this point compared to what you follow, maybe in the Mainland U.S. or in other parts of the country?

PETRAMALA: You know, a lot of people chase the storm for the storm, I chase for impact. And the impact for me with this hurricane was the fact that this is not a hurricane hardened island. As you might know in modern history, at least a hurricane has not made direct landfall right here on the Big Island. And so, you have a mixture of older architecture that is not built to withstand very strong winds. Those trees that I mentioned as well, the power lines.

I was just in a typhoon in Japan a little over a month ago. And, and that island in Japan, they are built to withstand very, very powerful super typhoons. And so, it's a night and day difference being there in Ishigaki, Japan, to here on the big island where the wind absolutely would cause problems. And with the approach of this hurricane, it was very unusual that it was coming from the east and being able to maintain its strength and threaten this island with hurricane force winds.

The higher up in elevation you go, of course, the winds are going to get stronger up by volcano. They're seeing some good dust on the peaks. They're getting some real extreme hurricane force gusts with this storm.

Here in Hilo, miles really matter with hurricane and so and so with this, they're getting the impacts what they've seen before with hurricanes that have missed the island but have brought the rain. And that's what this storm is bringing here to, to this part of the island.

[19:55:25]

JIMENEZ: It's a huge concern in terms of what we've seen at this point. I know you are going to be experiencing it firsthand, so please stay safe out there. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us for just a little bit, Jonathan Petramala, everyone.

And thank you all for joining me this evening. I'm Omar Jimenez. Remember, if you're in the United States, you can now stream CNN whenever you want on the CNN App. Visit cnn.com/watch for more and if you're sticking around right here, you probably should. "Real-Time with Bill Maher" coming up next after the break.

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