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Mistrial Declared in Lindsay Clancy Case as Jury Deadlocks; Search Intensifies after Rescue of Two Tunnel Survivors; Russia Pummels Kyiv for Eight Straight Days; Nepali Army Says Another Person Rescued Alive; Trump Calls Iran War "Small Potatoes". Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired September 05, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, after five intensive weeks, the trial of Lindsay Clancy has ended in a mistrial. We're going to take a look at what comes next for the woman who admits to killing her three children.

And there is hope despite the devastation in Nepal. We're going to have a live report on efforts to find more survivors after Friday's dramatic rescues.

Plus, president Trump's special envoys are set to visit both Moscow and Kyiv in the coming days. What each side is saying about the chances of reaching some deal.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Salma Abdelaziz

ABDELAZIZ: Let's begin this hour with a stunning end to a trial that captured the attention and caused heated debate across the United States. A mistrial has now been declared in the Lindsay Clancy case.

Jurors told the judge Friday that they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. This is despite some seven days of deliberations. Prosecutors have not yet said whether they plan to retry Clancy, who faced three counts of first degree murder in the deaths of her three young children.

Clancy's lawyers do not deny she killed her kids but argue she is not criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, an extreme mental illness.

Now crowds had gathered outside the courthouse throughout the trial, with many people dressed in pink to show their support for Clancy. The case has focused new attention on maternal health. On Friday, angry Clancy supporters interrupted the district attorney as he spoke.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You only cared when the kids were dead.

Why don't you care about the mother?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- decision right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: CNN's Ivan Rodriguez is in Plymouth, Massachusetts, for us with more on the day's events.

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IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The judge in the Lindsay Clancy trial declared a mistrial after jurors weren't able to come to a unanimous verdict.

Despite that, Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, called it a victory for him.

He says, "I won the case."

He also said that the prosecution was crushed. He also claimed that the jury was split 11 to 1 for acquittal and sharply criticized the holdout juror.

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JUDGE WILLIAM SULLIVAN, MASSACHUSETTS SUPERIOR COURT: I'm going to declare that the jury is deadlocked and I'm going to declare a mistrial.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Following about 38 hours over seven days of deliberations, jurors remained deadlocked, unable to reach a verdict in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial.

SULLIVAN: I understood how hard everybody worked in this case. I understood that you all gave everything you could.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Prosecutors argued Clancy acted, quote, "intentionally, rationally and swiftly" to kill her three children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Children were murdered. And it's our job to seek justice.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): While her defense team said she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

ROSEMARY SCAPICCIO, LINDSAY CLANCY'S CIVIL ATTORNEY: We need to make sure that, when there is postpartum or maternal mental health, that these doctors start listening to women because that's not what they're doing right now.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Jury notes indicated they were split 11 to 1 but any verdict must be unanimous. The judge denied a request from the defense to further question a juror who it said was the lone holdout.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They know that they were robbed by one man.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): While next steps in this case are unknown, Clancy's defense attorney said that, if a retrial happens, he would request that the jury be sequestered, yet noted that finding unexposed jurors would be near impossible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know if we will ever be able to get jurors that aren't aware of this case anywhere -- New York, Washington, Georgia, Japan, India -- I don't know.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Both the prosecution and defense will be back in court on September 29th for a status hearing on the case.

RODRIGUEZ: The Plymouth County district attorney says that they still aren't in a position to make a decision regarding a retrial -- in Plymouth, Massachusetts, I'm Ivan Rodriguez.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now it's been 10 days since that devastating flooding between Nepal and China but hope is still alive that more survivors can be found in tunnels blocked by water in debris. Those hopes have been raised by the rescue of two men who were trapped in a tunnel for nine days. You can see those images there.

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Since then, Nepal's army says that emergency crews have dug about 700 meters farther and established a link with yet another tunnel. They're using rafts and boats to move in, while simultaneously pumping water out.

And take a look at this new video. It gives you an idea of what rescuers are up against. These are Indian and Nepali emergency teams navigating a tunnel where people are still believed to be alive.

The death toll from last week's catastrophic flooding has reached almost 1,400 people. More than 5,000 others are still unaccounted for. Our Gage Goulding is monitoring all of these developments for us from Seoul and he joins us now live.

Good morning, first of all to you, Gage. So we know that dozens are still missing in those hydropower tunnels. We were speaking just 24 hours ago about the hope that there was after finding those two men alive. Where do we stand now on those rescue efforts?

GAGE GOULDING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hope very much so is alive in Nepal as rescue crews are working around the clock to try and find any more survivors. The miracle rescue, if you will, on the ninth day after the flood, those two people rescued from the Trishuli-3, a hydropower tunnel.

Those two rescuers -- or two workers -- excuse me -- initially heard the voices of rescue crews and, you know, let them know that were down there. And then the rescue crews said, don't worry, we're coming for you.

An incredible story. They were down there for nine days. And after 48 hours in an environmental environment like that, where it's dark, it's cold, you have no idea what's around you. You have no idea what happened. You start to hallucinate.

And it makes sense that, you know, as soon as one of the two guys got brought to the surface, he asked, what day is it?

They had no idea how long that they were underground. But here's the thing. They are just two of around 900 or so workers that are missing in about a dozen different hydropower plants missing and unaccounted for, some of which may be trapped.

So albeit a very good headline coming out of Nepal, it's still very much so a long, long road to try to find any closure for families. Actually, I think some of these families at this point are understanding that they might not get an answer.

The father of one of those two men rescued says he didn't believe it when he got the call saying that his son was rescued. It just, you know, even he could not understand that his son was pulled out nine days after the flooding.

And you have to sit there and wonder, exactly how long can the human body go for?

How long could they potentially spend underground?

And for those above ground doing the rescue work, it's an incredible effort. Many of them digging with their bare hands, going through actual rock and mud, trying to find the access points that they need to get into these tunnels or using rafts.

They're using all kinds of different makeshift equipment, if you will, that wouldn't necessarily be used in a tunnel rescue, doing anything they can. So I think the obstacle ahead is going to be continuing to have that mindset of, we can do it. We've done it before.

And this is the exact jolt that the rescue teams needed as they continue to work around the clock.

ABDELAZIZ: Extraordinary, Gage Goulding, not even knowing what day it is when they were rescued from deep underground in those tunnels. And as you said, hope still very much alive that more survivors can be found. Thank you so much.

For more information about how you can help the flood victims, please go to cnn.com/impact.

Now to Ukraine. We're waiting to see when U.S. mediators will try to jump stall (sic) those stalled peace efforts in Ukraine. A U.S. official has confirmed to CNN that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will head both to Moscow and Kyiv.

Russia's state news agency says the trip could begin in the coming days. Peace efforts have been stalled since last winter. This is before U.S. attention turned to Iran.

But as those mediators seek peace, Russian strikes on Ukraine are not letting up. And Ukraine is reporting a new barrage of more than 160 drones and missiles. This is just in recent hours. The targets were spread across the country, as you can see in that map there. At least four people were reportedly killed and six others were wounded.

We have more on this for you from our Stefano Pozzebon. He joins us now live from Rome.

Good morning, first of all, to you, Stefano. So we now know that Kushner and Steve Witkoff will be heading to both Moscow and Kyiv with a proposal.

Is what we were told by president Trump, do we know what this proposal is?

What does it contain?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know the details about this delegation's trip. We understand, however, Salma, that Witkoff and Kushner will head to Moscow first, maybe as early as today.

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And then they are expected in Kyiv tomorrow on Sunday to meet president Zelenskyy. And what is significant is that it is the first time that Steve Witkoff in particular, who has also been overseeing the dossier to try to bring an end to the other war, the Iranian war.

But as I was saying, it's the first time that Witkoff is in Kyiv, will be able to see firsthand by himself the damage inflicted on the Ukrainian capital and on the rest of Ukraine.

But these continuous barrage of ballistic and drone strikes that you were mentioning, more than 160 in the last few hours. But take notice that more than 50 people have been killed across Ukraine in the last seven days as a result of these constant missiles pounding on the front line and on the urban areas of Ukraine.

Donald Trump, you might remember, famously boasted that he was going to be able to bring an end to this war in less than 24 hours when he was campaigning for the presidency back in 2024, Salma. Yesterday, he was asked about this trip and he admitted his failures

in bringing an end to bringing peace to Europe. However, he blamed it on personal differences. Take a listen.

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TRUMP: We have an idea for peace. Look, I said late wars. Most of them were supposed to be, in my opinion, more difficult than Russia- Ukraine. There is a personality problem in Russia-Ukraine. You have president Zelenskyy and President Putin. They truly hate each other.

Do you know what hate is?

They have serious hate.

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POZZEBON: Now other than the hate between the leader of Russia and the president of Ukraine, the real reason why it's so hard to bring an end to this conflict is that neither of the two sides are dropping their maximalist demands when it comes to a resolution.

Russia is insisting, for example, that Ukraine cedes large swaths of its territory, particularly in the east and a commitment not to join NATO in the upcoming years. And both of those are red flags when it comes to Kyiv accepting and working toward a truce.

The president of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, had signaled the intention to call for a unilateral ceasefire to favor the climate around this visit, in particular for the safety of the two U.S. envoys traveling between the two capitals.

But the scene, more than 160 ballistic missiles and drone strikes just in Ukraine, just in the last few hours, the signals, perhaps, that Moscow is not even ready to grant a temporary ceasefire as this visit proceeds, Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Readiness, willingness, that's very much the question here when it comes to attempts to restart these talks. Stefano Pozzebon, thank you so much for those updates from Rome.

Now there is so much more to come here on CNN, including a new way to look at the world. Why the U.N. is backing a map that could seriously change your global perspective, right after the break.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

ABDELAZIZ: Coming in to CNN and I want to go back to our Gage Goulding, who is monitoring those developments out of Nepal.

I know we were just speaking a short time ago, Gage, but our producers got in my ear and said you have some new information for us, so please take it away.

GOULDING: Yes, we just got confirmation from the Nepali army that another person has been rescued from the hydropower tunnels 10 days after that catastrophic flood. That wall of water rushed down the mountain valley. It is incredible. This information just coming in moments ago. I'm going to describe the image that I can see here.

It is a Chinese national, we've been able to confirm, that was trapped underground. It appears that he's being helped out. His arm slung over these army soldiers that were helping with the rescue operation. And he's coming out of the tunnel.

The photo that I can see that was just shared with CNN, I mean, literally just seconds ago, he looks like he's coming out of the mouth of a tunnel. This is absolutely incredible. Ten days since the onset of this disaster, since this flood, there's a very good chance that this man has gone a good amount of time without access to fresh water and food. We're not exactly sure what kind of cache, if any, of emergency supplies that they had.

But we do know this is that he was trapped underground in the Trishuli-1 plant, the hydro plant there, for at least over a week. So it's just another incredible story. We talked just moments ago about how they this latest rescue yesterday gave them hope.

And I can only imagine that, for the rescue crews themselves, that were actually doing this work, I mean, this is -- this is fuel. This is jet fuel for a rescue crew to continue working harder because, every day that passes, you sit there and scratch your head and go, oh, man, I don't know if they could really be alive this far after the disaster.

This is proof. This is proof that people are still trapped underground. And now there is a very urgent, urgent mission to get to them. And they are working all hands on deck again.

Just wrapping up here, this is a Chinese national that was just rescued moments ago from a hydropower tunnel, Trishuli-1 in Nepal. The Nepali army providing all of this information.

Again, I mean, all things -- and this guy looks like he's in pretty good condition as he's being helped out by army service members there. Of course, we'll get these images to you as soon as we can.

But this information hot off the press, as they say, this information just coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM. But again, another day of remarkable miracles happening in Nepal, Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely extraordinary news. A third person now found alive, pulled out deep from those tunnels, as you described, a Chinese national.

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Thank you so much to you and to our news gathering teams for bringing that news to us so quickly. I know you'll be back with more information and with those images that I am so keen to see of this survivor.

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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Reuters is reporting that Bolivia's defense minister says at least two people are dead and dozens more injured after an explosion at a military base, 14 people are reported missing.

Now this video shows people running for shelter after this sudden explosion. It happened on the outskirts of the capital, La Paz. The deputy defense minister says pyrotechnic material was being stored at the base but the cause of the explosion is not yet known.

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ABDELAZIZ: And in Mexico, a lawmaker has been found dead with a gunshot wound. This is in the eastern state of Veracruz. Zenyazen Escobar was found inside his car on Friday. Authorities say his vehicle showed no signs of violence.

Now Escobar was a member of congress for Mexico's ruling Morena party. He represented Veracruz, home to some of the country's oil complexes. And his death comes less than a year before local and federal elections.

The United Nations is backing a new way to look at the world. The General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution promoting the Equal Earth map projection. Supporters say it challenges colonial era views of the world. The United States cast the only vote against it.

The Equal Earth map is designed to show countries in a more accurate proportion. For example, Africa appears 15 times larger than Greenland on the new map, whereas the commonly used Mercator map shows them almost equal in size.

For more on this landmark resolution, I want to bring in CNN correspondent Larry Madowo. He joins us now live from Nairobi.

I found this absolutely fascinating. So I love that you brought them up for us because I want to understand.

Explain to me what is being corrected here and why did America oppose it?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, Salma, I feel like a teacher. That's why I brought some maps.

This is the map you probably learned in school. And you see Africa here and Greenland about the same size. The reality is that Greenland is not the same size as Africa. This is the Mercator projection, which has been in use since 1569, 450 years-plus. This is the Equal Earth map that the African Union adopted in March.

And it's a more accurate view of the world. Now look at Greenland here, it is tiny. Greenland is actually 14 times smaller than Africa.

Greenland is the size of one African country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, not the big Greenland that you used to see in a lot of maps. And the African Union, which pushed for this resolution at the U.N., says that Africa has gone -- undergone a symbolic minimization in the people's collective imagination for nearly 500 years.

And it's time to correct the map. It's about African agency. And the U.N. overwhelmingly voted for this, 164 countries voted for it, except the United States, which considers it's ideological and the reason why the U.N. Is losing credibility.

But every other country agrees with it. The reason why this map is popular is because it's used for navigation. It's very popular, was used for navigation around the world. But it stretches countries at the North Pole and the South Pole.

But countries near the equator in the middle, Africa, Latin America, South Asia appear much smaller. Here's the Togolese foreign minister who helped push this resolution forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT DUSSEY, TOGOLESE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER (through translator): So this issue goes far beyond just the sphere of mapmaking or cartography.

It has to do with cognitive justice, with access to precise geographical knowledge, the dignity of people's historic memory and the fight against representations that we have inherited and have an influence on perception.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: This resolution is non-binding but the U.N. the African Union, are hoping that everybody can begin to update their maps, digital maps. This is Google Maps. You still see the same distortion, that Greenland is almost the same size as Africa.

And over here is Apple Maps. Again, similar Mercator projection, which has been wrong for 500 years. But it's what everybody uses.

So they're hoping that on your phone and devices everywhere, they can start to use the correct, equal projection. So Salma, should I give you some questions?

ABDELAZIZ: Wrong for 500 years. Thank you so much for nerding out with us. Larry Madowo with his maps, live in Nairobi.

We have more breaking news for you coming to us here at CNN. This time it is out of Iran. Iranian state media is reporting that several explosions near Kharg Island -- this is in the Persian Gulf. It is a hub for most Iranian oil experts. [04:25:00]

A semiofficial news agency says an Iranian oil tanker has been struck by a missile and the semiofficial Fars news agency reports the sound of explosions was heard from the Persian Gulf area but there was no signs of smoke or fire observed.

Now there has been no comment as of yet from the Iranian military or from the Revolutionary Guard or from the U.S. military.

And this is coming as the White House is trying to downplay the current state of the war with Iran. The conflict has led to the deaths of 18 U.S. service members and wounded nearly 800 American troops. It has also sent fuel prices soaring and rattled the global economy. But here's how president Trump characterized the conflict. On Friday.

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TRUMP: A lot of people don't call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing. It's a military conflict. But it's very intermittent. I could see somebody not calling it a war.

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ABDELAZIZ: President Trump also raised the prospect of a new operation soon to target a suspected Iranian nuclear site. This is south of Tehran. The president suggested the U.S. may hit Pickax very soon, referring to this underground facility, where Iran is believed to have moved some of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.

Meanwhile, in Iran, witnesses are describing chaotic scenes in destruction after a night of U.S. attacks. Earlier this week, a U.S. strike reportedly hit a wedding celebration. This was near the Strait of Hormuz and it killed at least four people, including a child.

Vice president JD Vance says the U.S. is investigating the incident and it comes during three consecutive days of fighting this week, when the U.S. and Iran have exchanged fire.

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SULEIMAN ZAKIRI FARD, RESIDENT (through translator): The missile hit that communications tower. I came outside and saw there was a simple wedding taking place right here in the house. You can see.

Then all of a sudden, I looked over here and saw a drone came in and fired two more missiles here. When it hit, I ran around because I saw no one who was coming to help the people.

There was dust and smoke everywhere. Someone was shouting, someone was screaming. People were coming out one by one, some with blood all over their faces.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. "CNN CREATORS" is up next and then I'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM.