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600+ Dead, 3,000 Missing After Catastrophic China-Nepal Flood; 90 Americans Among Missing After Catastrophic Flood; Canada's Retaliatory Tariffs On U.S. Goods Kick In Sept 8; Interview With Michigan Representative Debbie Dingell (D); Six Months In: Trump's Stated War Goals Remain Unfulfilled; Tributes Pour In To Honor The Legendary Singer And Philanthropist; Reflecting On Dolly Parton's Talent For Music And Songwriting; Helping Vets Cope With The Healing Power Of Art. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 29, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:37]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Danny Freeman in New York.

We begin this hour with the foreign minister of China describing the massive, deadly landslides and flooding there as the most serious cross-border disaster in years.

Villages along China's border with Nepal-China have been devastated this week, and in some cases, nearly wiped out. Rescues are underway after the catastrophic flash flooding and landslides buried villages in sludge.

Nepali authorities say at least 675 people have been killed along the Himalayan region, and thousands more are missing.

Now, this right here coming in is new video from Nepal's police showing the moment a young girl is rescued. Take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP OF YOUNG GIRL BEING RESCUED)

FREEMAN: Just such incredible video there. Now authorities say she is being treated after resting overnight at a rescue camp.

Joining us now for more on all of this from Nepal is CNN international correspondent Hanako Montgomery. Hanako, good to see you. What is the latest you are seeing and hearing there on the ground?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Danny, on Saturday afternoon local time, we were actually with the Nepali army as they were embarking on a search and recovery mission. They had heard that there were a few bodies still stuck in the mud in a town that was very close to that flooded river. And Danny, you know, we just saw video of a little girl getting

rescued. But unfortunately, you know, she's one of the lucky ones. We're seeing a lot of stories play out across the country where people are losing their loved ones, losing their parents, and sometimes their daughter. Like this man that we spoke to earlier on Saturday.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONTGOMERY: Here in Nepal's Devghat, destruction stretches for miles. Daily life has grounded to a halt here, replaced instead by a steady stream of police and dogs sniffing for any bodies.

And actually, just moments ago, they did find one. We, of course, can't show it to you, but they told us that because it was so badly decomposed, they couldn't even identify who it was.

Downstream, workers are digging a mass grave for the hundreds of bodies that have washed ashore, delivered by the truckload. Some are so heavily waterlogged, workers struggle under their weight.

And among these bodies is this five-year-old girl. Serena's family said she was on her way to school when the flood swept her bus away.

We spoke to her father, Rajkumar, by phone. He barely survived and is now stranded with help out of reach.

When did you learn, sir, that your daughter was missing?

RAJKUMAR, FLOOD SURVIVOR (through translator): I was working and I called immediately after I escaped. I was still hoping that my daughter was alive.

One of the girls who tried saving her told me she wasn't able to hold her, and the flood swept her away.

MONTGOMERY: I can't imagine the pain you must be feeling right now. How are you dealing with this immense tragedy?

RAJKUMAR: My dream was always to educate my daughter so she could be successful in life. That's why I worked so hard. But my dream for her hasn't come true.

[17:04:53]

MONTGOMERY: But Rajkumar says he can't identify her body with no money or means to confirm that his only child is now gone.

Numbers can't describe the human cost of this tragedy, a pain shared by too many here.

Sudeep Nepal (ph) lost his business in the flood and his home, the one he's lived in for years.

How long do you think it's going to take for you to rebuild all of this?

SUDEEP NEPAL, LOST HIS BUSINESS AND HOME IN THE FLOOD: I think it is not possible to stay here. I think we have to leave this place.

Sudeep barely made it out alive when he saw the flood rushing toward his town, he said, like a tsunami. He ran up a nearby mountain where he filmed these videos. He said all he had was a t-shirt and sandals, but luckily his whole family made it out in time.

He shows us inside his home, where furniture and a bathroom once stood are now tree branches, ropes and animal carcasses that the river brought in.

Now, more than three days after the flood swept through the valley, the chances of finding trapped survivors alive are getting slimmer. Many of these operations are now becoming search and recovery, a mounting toll of heartbreak for thousands of families.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MONTGOMERY: And Danny, one thing I've noticed reporting on the story now for a few days in the Himalayas is that this disaster has truly affected so many families. I mean, thousands and thousands of people.

Sometimes they would have lost their close loved ones, for example, their parents, their daughters, as you just heard, that man in our story right there.

But even, you know, their neighbors, people they had grown up with in their towns, in their villages, this disaster has truly affected so many people in Nepal. And of course, abroad, because there are still hundreds of missing foreign nationals.

So Danny, you can just imagine the scale of devastation and destruction we've been seeing on the ground here.

Back to you.

FREEMAN: No. I mean, it truly is hard to imagine. And again, the stories combined with the images, you just were thinking of all those people in that region.

Hanako Montgomery, thank you so much for staying up late for us in Nepal.

And of course, people from all around the world are reported missing after these floods. The State Department, our State Department, says 90 Americans are among them.

CNN's Rafael Romo joins us now with the latest. Rafael, what do we know about some of the people missing from the United States?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I can tell you that there are very desperate and just sad families about what's been going on there after the devastating flood that hit Nepal's border with China on Wednesday. And one of those missing Americans is Anil Goel from Virginia.

According to his family, Goel, an avid hiker, had planned a multi-day trip to hike Mount Kailash, near Nepal's border with China as part of the tour group.

But his son, Anurag Goel, told CNN this morning that the family hasn't heard from his father or the group since the day before the disaster. Anurag Goel says the last communication from the group happened less than an hour before the flooding happened in that area around the border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANURAG GOEL, FATHER MISSING IN NEPAL: They're known to last be at the Nepal side of the Nepal and Tibet border. That's called Gyirong Crossing. And that was -- they were last known to have received their departure stamp on their passports around 8:35 a.m. to depart Nepal and Tibet.

And there were also some messages through WhatsApp exchanged around that time. So that was roughly 45 minutes before the flooding took place in that area

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Goel also told CNN that, quote, "There's been a large lag in communication from the affected region" that has made it even more difficult for families like his, who are desperate for any news about their loved ones.

Last night in Hicksville, New York, Danny, people came together for a solemn vigil.

Nepalese society organized the vigil to gather in solidarity, prayer and hope as CNN affiliate News12 Long Island reported, a man who worked as a teacher in Nepal and now lives in the United States told News12 he lost several people he knew, including former students and neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIAWAKAR PANDE, NEPALI COMMUNITY LEADER: I was a teacher in Gyirong. I lost my three students in Gyirong, my neighbor people I lost in there. A lot of the people I lost in this time in this incident.

MYAM JIRI, LONG ISLAND NEPALESE SOCIETY: It's very heartbreaking to all of us to see our fellow countrypeople losing their lives and houses in a matter of a few minutes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:09:44]

ROMO: A State Department spokesperson told CNN the United States government is sending half-a-million dollars in aid to Nepal, including food, and that the first trucks carrying assistance are on the way.

The United Kingdom has pledged nearly $6.8 million in assistance. And the European Union said it would provide $2.3 million in aid.

Danny, now back to you.

FREEMAN: All right. Rafael Romo, thank you so much for that critical reporting of so many communities here in the United States feeling this pain as well.

For more on all this, I actually want to bring in Sneha Sudhir. Her husband is one of the many people currently missing in Nepal. He was traveling in a group with nine other men who are all also now missing.

Thank you so much Sneha, for taking some time this evening to tell us about what you know. And of course, I want to start by saying I'm so sorry you're going through this along with your family.

Let's start here. When was the last time that you spoke with your husband. Sneha, can you hear me?

SNEHA SUDHIR, HUSBAND MISSING IN NEPAL: Yes. I can.

FREEMAN: Oh, there we go.

Yes. So just we're asking you, what is the latest information that you've been hearing out of Nepal.

I think we might be having some technical difficulties. I'll try one more time. Sneha, can you hear me by any chance?

Yes. Go ahead. Go ahead.

SUDHIR: Well, it's been -- it's been beyond 80 hours that we haven't heard from my -- I haven't heard from my husband. He was on a hiking trip from Nepal. And then he was with nine other friends, family friends.

All of us are U.S. citizens. It was supposed to be a simple two weeks Nepal hiking trip where he would go have some good time with the boys and be back home.

So but then, as I said, it's been beyond 80 hours that I haven't heard. The families have not heard anything from them. And we do not have any help where anybody else is also trying to tell us what has happened.

So I don't know. That's where we are trying to reach out to everyone.

FREEMAN: I'm just so sorry that, again, you and your family are going through what can only be described as a nightmare.

Can you tell us a little bit more about this trip? What was your husband exactly doing out there with this group?

SUDHIR: So, as I said, it's all friends and family from -- many of them from Virginia, and in and around Virginia. So these boys were supposed to be going on a hike. And then that was starting from Nepal and eventually would be the Mount Kailash trek and be back home. That was their plan.

And they had a wonderful guide. they had prepared for this particular hike for close to about three months. So they were well-prepared, well-organized, and a great guide to direct them.

And they did -- they were at the border near Nepal when this -- the flood situation did occur. And they, I think that that's where it was the last where we spoke to them or had their pictures shared with the families. And since 80 hours, we haven't heard anything from them.

FREEMAN: What was your thought when you heard initially news that these devastating floods were coming to that area? Did you think immediately that your husband was out there potentially in danger?

SUDHIR: The minute I got the news, of course, the first thought was, of course it's not us. So I would start hearing from him in some time.

Of course, the connectivity is lost, but the minute I would start sending him a message or start calling him. So probably next hour or so, I should start hearing them.

So it's going to be coming soon. Just not us or these guys are not in the place where all this thing is happening. So that that was my initial thought.

And but then yes, looks like -- I don't know where they are.

FREEMAN: Well, I'm certainly trying to hold out hope as I know so many people, especially in your community, are as well.

Can you tell us though, a little bit more about your husband and what you want people to know about the man that he is?

SUDHIR: It's a -- it's a family that's out there. It's ten boys who are stuck there. Everyone is a great human being, a great dad, a great husband. And I'm talking on behalf of the entire family of ten that I'm representing here.

[17:14:42]

SUDHIR: We want to seek help from public, government, military -- I don't know who's going to help me. But if you guys can start looking for them, because there are some of them who needs their medical attention on a day-to-day basis.

I also have one of my elderly brother who had joined there. And he is -- he is 70-plus, super fit, many of them run their marathons. But of course they're not ready for something like this.

And as I said, yes, they need their, medications on a timely basis. They, of course, need to take their food. I don't know what not.

But 80 hours is way too long for them to be somewhere where that they are not taken care of.

FREEMAN: Well, and I just thank you so much for your strength in order to get this so crucial and important message out to so many watching around the world.

The last thing, if it's all right, can you tell us what kind of support, if any, you're getting from authorities here in the United States? Have they -- has anyone been communicating with you that they are trying to help find your husband and all of these families who are out there?

SUDHIR: Yes, yes, definitely. There is a big support from my community by itself. I have my congressman and Suhas Subramanyam. So he's been very -- his office has been very helpful. They have been in touch with us. They have been communicating to us. They're talking to us on Zoom calls and making sure that we are heard.

He has, I think he has already pushed it way ahead to Senator Tim Kaine, whose office is also talking to us, conveying all that they are trying to do.

I think even Department of State must have spoken to my son and other family members. But, you know, yes, these are the positive things that the -- that their teams are trying out. But as I said, for 80 hours, I have I have nothing. I have -- I have no information from anybody as to are they looking for them? If they're looking for them, where are they?

FREEMAN: Well, Sneha Sudhir, we are thinking of your family. We are thinking of you. We are praying for you right now and for all of those who are missing as part of this group.

Thank you so much for spreading the word to make sure that hopefully, your husband and this group are found. Thank you for your time this evening.

SUDHIR: Thank you very much. And I request everyone to help us find these boys and get them back home.

FREEMAN: Absolutely.

And I'll say, if you want to know how you personally can help the people in Nepal currently affected by this disaster, you can go to CNN.com/impact or scan a QR code that we're going to put up on the screen.

And we will be right back

[17:17:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREEMAN: In just over a week, Canada's retaliatory tariffs are set to take effect. The tariffs range from 15 percent to 50 percent on over 700 American goods to match U.S. tariffs dollar-for-dollar. One state set to feel the impact is Michigan, which last year sold more than $23 billion in goods to Canada. Canada is its biggest trading partner by far.

We're joined now by Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan. She serves on the House, Energy, and Commerce, and Natural Resources Committees. Congresswoman, thank you so much for your time on this Saturday evening.

Let's start here. What impact will these tariffs have on your state?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): Danny, good to be with you tonight. These tariffs are going to have a very serious impact. I think people do not understand how economically intertwined we are with Canada or the impact on both our economic security and our national security.

If you just look at the automobile industry -- I'm a car girl. I worked for General Motors for three decades.

Last year, we sold more than 660,000 vehicles to Canadians. We have more than 500,000 jobs in the United States because of the parts that we are selling to cars being manufactured in Canada.

Do you want to just take real world -- tourism? We had 39 million visitors from Canada in '24, and in '25 it dropped 25 percent to 29 million.

There are more than 1.2 million jobs in the auto industry connected to Canada. It's a part of the back-and-forth over the bridge or the tunnel from between Canada and U.S. 8 times.

So it's got a dramatic impact. And I think of Canada as our friend, our neighbor, our partner, not as an enemy.

FREEMAN: Congresswoman, you talk about the impact that these reciprocal tariffs would have on jobs. You know, the administration has been saying for its entire second term, essentially of President Donald Trump, that their initial tariffs will have the goal of bringing jobs back to the U.S. Is any of this math actually adding up to help Michiganders here?

DINGELL: No, it's not. Look, I am not somebody -- a lot of my colleagues say don't like tariffs or just automatically respond to the president.

I do believe tariffs are a tool in the toolbox. I think we should be using them against China. But we had -- I mean, he won in 2016.

[17:24:44]

DINGELL: I told people he was going to win because the North America Free Trade Agreement was one of the first -- worst trade agreements we had had in the history of this country.

But the president and his team negotiated the USMCA, which was the Mexico-Canadian trade agreement. And actually, there's a new study this week that shows it's not just the Canadian tariffs that Michigan families are -- it is costing Michigan families more than any other state in the nation. And it's at 5,000-some dollars that the average family is paying in these increased tariffs.

It makes zero sense. And I just -- I don't -- I just -- I don't understand why we are doing this. I don't -- my district is actually north of Canada in a part of it. We do so many things together.

And you know, he's gone after the Great Lakes this week. Great Lakes are 20 percent of the fresh water in the world. That's something that two countries have a responsibility to correct together. So I'm obviously not happy with what we've been watching.

FREEMAN: Well, and don't worry, I'll get to the Great Lakes discussion in a moment, especially the one that's a little bit over, of course, Lake Ontario there.

But before we get there, just I'm curious, because you're frequently candid with what you're hearing, good or bad, from people in your district. Are they -- is this issue of these looming retaliatory tariffs from Canada, are they resonating with folks in your district? Are they actually now concerned, as this is coming down the pike?

DINGELL: So I'm going to give you a couple of examples. First of all, I did a parade today in Chelsea, Michigan, one I do every year. The entire parade route, people yelled at me, don't let the president hurt Canada.

The Great Lakes did come up, but I have never in -- it's a good focus group. These parades are good focus groups. I get good and bad. I had no negative towards me today and the whole two-mile parade route, people brought up Canada. That shows you something.

When the president first did tariffs, when he returned to office, this time, the UAW president was "tariffs have a role". The UAW president, Jon Faine this week loudly denounced what is happening.

So yes, I'm hearing about it every single day.

And I want to give you another example that people are worried about. It's not automobiles per se, but our Detroit hospitals. If something happens to the bridge or the tunnel or people get very whatever, we can't run those hospitals without the nurses that come over every day from Canada. Those hospitals will shut down.

FREEMAN: All right. Congresswoman, I only got about 20 seconds left here. Just quickly, I wanted to get your perspective on President Trump signing that executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.

What's your perspective here? I mean, I know that it seems clear that you've been boggled by a lot of decisions as it -- as it relates to Canada. But can he even do this, from your perspective?

He's going to try to change the name of it on geological things that the government does. I will be introducing legislation on Monday with two of my colleagues from New York, Tim Kennedy and Joe Morelli. Lots of my other colleagues are co-sponsoring it to reverse that change that he is making.

Why are we spending money on name changes? Because everybody's still going to call it Lake Ontario. It's been called that for 400 years.

FREEMAN: Right.

DINGELL: But why isn't he focusing on making this country more affordable, protecting jobs? That's where his focus should be.

FREEMAN: Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, thank you so much. Thank you always for your time. Really do appreciate it on this Saturday evening.

DINGELL: Great to see you.

FREEMAN: Still to come, six months into the war with Iran, will President Trump's threat of stronger economic pressures finally lead to a lasting ceasefire? Stay with us for that answer.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:28:50]

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[17:33:20]

FREEMAN: It is now just over six months since the U.S. and Israel jointly launched the war on Iran, an operation President Trump, at the time, said would take just four to six weeks.

Now, it's at a stalemate with no clear exit plan. This week, the Trump administration turning up the economic pressure on Iran, vowing to punish any country still doing business with the regime,

Norman Roule joins us now. He served for 34 years in the Central Intelligence Agency, managing Middle East programs for the agency. He also served as the National Intelligence manager for Iran at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

OK. So, let's start here. Thank you so much for being with us this evening.

Since the opening weeks, President Trump has been saying the goal of this war was to make sure Iran never had a nuclear weapon. Six months on, as you see it, has this war brought us closer to achieving that all-important goal for the administration?

NORMAN ROULE, FORMER MIDDLE EAST EXPERT, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. The word never is a big word, and I try to avoid using that in any response. But it is verifiable and clear that the United States and Israel have severely degraded Iran's nuclear enterprise to the point where it is unlikely that Iran would be able to develop a nuclear weapon in less than a year or 18 months.

And even then, they would have to be able to do so, considering that they could get away with it without being discovered, and then get away with it without enduring a military attack. Those last two points are going to be constraining factors on Iran.

Nonetheless, my bottom line would be that Iran can always attempt to rebuild a nuclear program. What we have destroyed, they can rebuild, and hence we need a political solution.

[17:35:02]

FREEMAN: Well, it's interesting because, with that being said, the war seems to now have shift over the course of the past several months into really a fight over ultimately the Strait of Hormuz and the economic impact of that crucial part of the region.

Six months ago, it was open and oil was flowing. Now, Iran and Oman are in talks about a potential deal for control. Let's start here, Norman. What's your assessment of where the strait stands right now?

ROULE: Well, the United States is certainly in the strongest military position, and the United States has severely degraded and severely reduced Iran's capability to contest traffic within the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf as a whole.

That said, Iran retains sufficient capacity to contest traffic at a modest level0 that keeps insurance prices high, costs high, reduces some shipping.

Now, in fairness, the administration has stated, and multiple sources have confirmed that energy and container traffic has significantly increased in recent weeks, but is still very much below pre-war numbers.

So, the bottom line is, we could be in a new normal for the Strait of Hormuz that could last for some time.

FREEMAN: What about this idea that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could potentially become under some sort of joint control of Iran and Oman? Do you think that would be something that the Trump administration would ultimately accept?

ROULE: Possibly, but it would not be advisable for many reasons.

First, the United States and Oman and certainly Iran have no right to change the status of international waters. That would be an extraordinary shift in how world diplomacy has occurred.

Second, the Houthis are moving their operations in Yemen to in a way that seems to indicate they are trying to replicate what Iran is doing in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb.

I mean, do we want a situation where in six months, the Houthis are now claiming that they control the other main waterway in the area, and they are to get fees as well? Last, the other Gulf states would certainly not be interested in the situation where Iran controls not only what enters and leaves the Strait of Hormuz, but the fiber optic cables that carry the data between the GCC and Asia.

This would be giving Iran almost a global economic impact forever in exchange for an IRGC government of radicals to their -- for their promise of peaceful management.

FREEMAN: Norman, on this note, the Trump administration this week threatened sweeping new sanctions on countries that do business with Iran.

So far, this does not explicitly include any major financial institutions from China, of course, Iran's largest trading partner.

From your perspective, is that a mistake?

ROULE: Well, it's a first step. So, in essence, what the Trump administration is doing is they are taking existing sanctions, which make it expensive for Iran to conduct business, and that's meant to create a debate in Tehran: Do you want to continue this expense or make a deal?

And then, they are translating the blockade, which stops Iran from being able to conduct business, and that, again, to change the debate. And now, they are adding sanctions on secondary partners, which in essence cut Iran's ability to cheat through overland transactions.

(CROSSTALK)

FREEMAN: Right.

ROULE: China is hugely consequential. But Turkey, Iraq, and Pakistan will also be as complicated diplomatically for the administration to handle.

FREEMAN: Well, Norman Roule, I really do appreciate your expertise, especially on a Saturday evening. Very, very insightful. Thank you so much, as always, for sharing your thoughts.

ROULE: Thank you.

FREEMAN: All right. Still to come, as the world celebrates the life of Dolly Parton, we are going to take a specific look at her Hall of Fame talent as a songwriter. One of her collaborators joins us next.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[17:43:32]

FREEMAN: Tributes keep pouring in to honor the life of Dolly Parton, who died on Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer. Dolly, of course, left behind a rhinestone-studded legacy of music and philanthropy. Since her death, many are remembering, though, her talent for songwriting as well.

In a nearly 60-year career, Dolly wrote thousands of songs, including hits like "Nine To Five, of course Jolene, and I Will Always Love You, famously sung by Whitney Houston.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOLLY PARTON, AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER: And I will always love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Won't get tired of listening to that.

All right. For more on this, we have country music historian and co- author of "Dolly Parton's Songteller: My Life in Lyrics", Robert Oermann.

Robert, thank you so much. You also, of course, I should note, wrote this book with Dolly Parton. Just tell us -- let's start here. What was it like to work with her?

ROBERT OERMANN, LONG-TIME FRIEND OF DOLLY PARTON: Well, we have worked together a lot over the years. We have known each other for about 40 years. So, we have done T.V. specials before and articles and all kinds of other things. But this was something big, and it took a long time.

The thing I remember most vividly about those sessions is that she will outwork you. I mean, we would start at 10:00 in the morning, and at 6:00 at night, I would be exhausted. I would be like; we got to quit you. No, no, let's keep going. Going. No, no, no.

She used to joke, she said, I may look like a show pony, but I'm a workhorse.

(CROSSTALK)

FREEMAN: No, I feel that --

OERMANN: But that was what it was like. It was like she will outwork you every time.

FREEMAN: Yes, I feel that came a cost clear.

[17:45:03]

Well, and tell me, you know, what -- in addition to just the pure work ethic, and again, she seemed tireless for years and years and years. What about Dolly made her such an iconic songwriter, though? I mean, where does that -- where does her songwriting ability rank among all of her other many talents?

OERMANN: First, she believed that her songs writing and her songs were the most --

FREEMAN: Oops, I think, we might be having some technical difficulty with Robert. Robert, you got me? Can you hear me there?

OK. I think, we are going to take a break now, just because we lost Robert.

I'm really enjoying these stories. We'll see if we can get them back. But for a moment, we are going to take a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:31]

FREEMAN: OK. We are back with Robert Oermann, author of "Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics". He is joining us back again, and we have taken care of the technical difficulties. So, thank you, Robert, for playing ball with us.

The last place that we left off was I asked you what, in your mind, make or made Dolly Parton such an iconic songwriter.

OERMANN: Well, she was just the best of the best, is all there is to it.

What I was so impressed with was how what the -- when I -- when I really took a deep dive into the catalog, which is huge. There is like 3,000 songs to pick out the songs for the book. I was just stunned by the variety of topics she addressed. I mean, prison, illegitimacy, insanity, suicide, unwanted pregnancies, women's issues, working people's issues. Just the -- she even wrote a song called "PMS Blues".

I mean, there's all kinds of stuff in there that are just -- it's fascinating. Her creativity knew no boundaries. I think that mountain upbringing with no T.V., you know, no electricity, no running water, it forced her into a really interesting, creative space in her mind that she could constantly go back to.

Also, I've known every songwriter in this town, and I don't know anybody that sustained a songwriting career over that many decades and was still writing as great as songs at the end of the career as she was at the beginning.

It's just astonishing. I don't know anybody else like that.

(CROSSTALK)

FREEMAN: And -- of course --

OERMANN: And she could write anywhere on a crowded tour bus --

(CROSSTALK)

FREEMAN: Wait, what do you mean she could write anywhere?

OERMANN: If she is on a crowded tour bus, or even at a restaurant or something, you could see like a cloud go across her face, and she was thinking up a song. She would write, in the middle of chaos all around her, she could go away into her what she called her God space and come out with a song.

I don't know anybody else that does that.

FREEMAN: That's incredible. All right, last thing I have to put you on the spot, Robert.

(CROSSTALK)

OERMANN: She is a genius. She was a stone genius.

FREEMAN: No, without a shred of a doubt. Last thing, Robert. I want to put you in the spot. But do you have a favorite Dolly Parton lyric by any chance? One that stands out to you?

OERMANN: Well, what drew me to her, the very first song that drew me to her was "The Coat of Many Colors", about the bullying and the -- and the -- it was a statement about poverty, a statement about beauty. And I just -- when I heard it, I just -- I bawled the first time I heard it, and I thought I have got to know this person, and that's one of the reasons I moved to Nashville, was to get into the songwriting community here.

And I told her that my -- the ones that drew me were her, Chris Christofferson, and Tom T. Hall, and Tom T. Hall was known as the storyteller.

And so, Dolly said, well, if he is the storyteller, then, I'm the song teller. And she came up with the title of the book. And it's also going to be the title of -- it's also going to be the name of her hotel in Nashville this fall.

FREEMAN: Wow! Well, Robert Oermann --

(CROSSTALK)

OERMANN: So, it's all --it's her creativity --

FREEMAN: No, I mean, truly just stands in a league of her own, truly.

Robert Oermann, apologies again for that technical difficulty earlier, but thank you so much for coming on and sharing such good memories with a legend who we are so sad to have lost. Appreciate it.

OERMANN: I loved her so much, but you know what? So did everybody else.

FREEMAN: Yes, amen. Well said. All right. Thanks, Robert.

All right. To this now. Music and art can help veterans process trauma. That can also be really hard to talk about.

Marine veteran Richard Casper experienced that healing power after he came back from war, so he started a nonprofit to help others. Well, now his group is turning an abandoned church in Nashville into a 24- hour art center for veterans.

As CNN Heroes marks its 20th year, we are highlighting how the 2022 honoree is now expanding his mission. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD CASPER, 2022 CNN HERO: I just always wanted to serve other people, but I didn't know how to ultimately do that.

And all of a sudden, 9/11 happened when I was a junior, and everything changed.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): In 2003, Richard Casper joined the Marines and was deployed to Iraq. Within the first four months, his Humvee was hit four separate times, and he watched as his best friend Luke Yepsen was shot and killed by a sniper.

When Casper came home, he struggled to process the trauma.

CASPER: You just don't want to talk to people about it because you feel like you are weak. They never gave him that vulnerability back.

COOPER (voice over): Casper enrolled in community college and found himself in an art class. He began to express himself in ways he couldn't before.

In 2013, he started CreatiVets to bring the healing power of art and songwriting to other veterans.

[17:55:04]

CASPER: I tried to explain to him in the beginning: it's going to be easier to tell your story once you create your art piece because you are not going to be talking about you. You're going to be talking about your art piece and focus on it.

COOPER (voice over): Casper was honored as a CNN Hero in 2022, and his work continues to grow.

He recently purchased an abandoned church in Nashville to create a facility with art studios, songwriting rooms, performance spaces, and more.

The goal is for part of the space to eventually be open 24/7.

CASPER: Arts and music is not something veterans are drawn to, but they need a place to go when PTSD hits. It always seems to come at like 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 a.m. And the only places you can go is to be destructive.

Instead of going to a bar somewhere and just letting it go, I want them to come here, have a place where they could beat up some clay, they could write a song, they could do anything they need to, to really get it off their chest, but also to turn all that pain into something beautiful that they could just sit with and process it in a completely new way. COOPER: As the new facility takes shape, Richard hopes it will inspire more veterans to discover the power of creativity and a path toward healing.

CASPER: I want them to know that art's an option for healing. It's what allows you to understand that it's OK to not be OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)