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CNN This Morning

Hurricane Lala Lashes Hawaii's Big Island, One Dead; Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Attack Deep Into Russia; Search For Survivors Continues After Indonesia Earthquake; IDF: Senior Hezbollah Commander Killed In Strike In Lebanon; At Least 72 Killed In Zimbabwe Ferry Disaster; Suspect Arrested In Virginia State University Shooting; Shooting In Kentucky Park Leaves One Dead, Four Injured; Opening Statements Monday In Tupac Shakur Murder Trial; More Rounds Of Disastrous Flooding In Midwest, Six Dead In Indiana. Budgets Under Stress And War & Severe Weather Around The World; Pres. Trump Signs Executive Order On Vaccine Schedules; "Decades In Sports" Airs Tonight At 9PM ET/PT; Nonprofit Helps Women Released From Prison Start New Lives. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired August 16, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:31]

RENE MARSH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. Here's what's new today. Severe weather strikes. We're tracking Hurricane Lala brushing by Hawaii with heavy rain and a lot of wind. At least one person is dead. We'll check in with a storm chaser riding out the storm.

Plus, deadly flooding in the Midwest. Videos are coming in of people being rescued and wading through water in their homes. We are tracking it all.

Happening now, new fallout from the war on Ukraine. Russia is reeling from one of the largest aerial attacks yet launched by Ukraine as a NATO fighter jet reports shooting down a Russian drone.

And later the impact of the Trump administration's changes to guidance on the number and order of vaccines for children. We'll ask a pediatrician what parents need to know.

Well, welcome to the new week. It is Sunday, August 16th. Thanks for joining us. Victor Blackwell is off. I'm Rene Marsh in Washington.

Well, breaking news right now. Hurricane Lala is lashing Hawaii's Big Island and already turned deadly. One person was killed in a storm related car wreck. You can see here the torrential rains, flooded roads and massive waves. And while the storm's eye did not make landfall, the Big Island is bearing the brunt of the rain, winds and storm surge. The effects are felt across the island chain.

More than 100,000 people across the islands are without power right now. Hawaii Governor Josh Green says the next 24 to 36 hours are critical to responding to emergencies and crises. Crews spent hours ahead of the storm setting up equipment ready to roll after the worst moves through. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOLLY PIERCE, OAHU DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: So, you may have seen pictures of vehicle tunnels that are just full of construction vehicles. And so, we've moved as much as we can into protect them. And we've pre-staged emergency response vehicles around the island in the event that roads are blocked off so that they can still respond to areas of most need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: Well, taking a look now at our radar, the hurricane is now moving past the Big Island and it's making its way towards Maui. Storm chaser Jonathan Petramala is there on the Big Island right now. Tell us a little bit about what you are seeing. We see that the storm is on the move. It's moving past the Big Island.

JONATHAN PETRAMALA, STORM CHASER IN HAWAII: Yes. Lala was basically like being in a car wash all day. Intense, intense rainfall rates, two to three inches per hour causing problems throughout the island. Not just here in Hilo where there are flooded roads, roads that are closed.

The Wailuku River is at major flood stage. It rose over 20 feet just a short amount of time. And it is just roaring down into the ocean nearby where I am.

But also on the southern tip of the island, really close to where the eye brushed by the southern parts of the Big Island of Hawaii, there were debris flows that came down. Unfortunately, according to officials, two houses were washed away by one of those debris flows. I have friends that are staying nearby in a different condo complex, and they say their road turned into a river. So, they are cut off and some of the water actually got into a few of the condos there as well.

So, dangerous situation. This storm really lived up to what we expected it to be, which was very impactful, especially from its rain.

MARSH: It sounds like a lot of flooding, water rushing, lots of rivers going over their banks. If you could, I mean, I know you've been chasing this storm. I mean, what was the most dramatic moment that you witnessed as it was passing through?

PETRAMALA: Just the rain. The rainfall rates when you see over two feet of rain falling in just such a short amount of time in less than 24 hours, that's incredible. That's an incredible amount of rainfall and a lot of it even more was falling further up on the mountains. And that water has to go somewhere and it comes down.

So, you see those rivers -- Rainbow Falls is very, very famous, world famous. And you see the roar of those falls. It looks more like Niagara Falls from the amount of rain that was falling.

[06:05:02]

So you had a lot of locals, a lot of tourists coming out to take videos, to take pictures. They're just in awe of the force of that river. It's not something that is normal.

The river does not roar like that very often. So, that was incredible. The waves as well. Big massive surf pounding the beaches and the shoreline here. That was very, very impressive.

And the wind, this is not a hurricane hardened island. In modern history, a hurricane has not made landfall on the Big Island of Hawaii. So, this is likely the closest direct impact of a hurricane that the Big Island has ever had, at least in modern times. And with that, power outages.

I'm sitting in Hilo and it's dark. A lot of people are without power. A lot of trees were knocked over on power lines. And so, people are going to have to recover from that.

The roads as well are cut off. A lot of mudslides and rock slides on the north side of the island to try and make it around to maybe get to Kona. The south side of the island is cut off as well because of those debris flows and roads that's been washed out as well.

So, it's going to take some time. Sunday is going to be a day of patience for people here on the Big Island.

MARSH: Yes. And as you mentioned, I mean, Hawaii rarely experiences anything like this. How did residents respond to the lead up here? Were they prepared? Were they heeding all the warnings?

PETRAMALA: People -- I like to describe it as cautiously skeptical. They were very skeptical that this hurricane was going to be very impactful, because they've seen so many times before hurricanes shift or weaken before they make it close to the -- to the Big Island because of those two massive volcanoes that are 14,000 feet in the sky, and they break up those hurricanes, but they were cautious as well.

So, they were still taking the needed steps. They were going out, buying water, buying food, generators also selling out, and also filling up sandbags. So, people were taking precautions even though they didn't quite believe that it was maybe going to live up to the hype.

But this is not a storm that needed to make landfall to make the impact. All the rain, all of the wind, it didn't matter that it didn't make landfall. It came close enough. And we've seen the consequences of it.

MARSH: Jonathan Petramala, thank you so much. Stay safe. Thanks for that report.

And CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here now. She is tracking Lala's path. Allison, tell me, where exactly is it at this point?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, it is just to the southwest of the of most of the Hawaiian islands. Again, you can still see a lot of those outer bands bringing a tremendous amount of rain. We do have this flash flood warning that now has the catastrophic tag to it. It is labeled as a particularly dangerous situation.

I want to note that is the highest distinction you can get from the weather service when it comes to these, just to kind of show you the sheer volume of water that has come down in this area. You're talking an incredible amount of water that is now starting to spread into some of the other islands as well. So, that's going to be the big concern going forward.

Even though the storm is essentially moving away from the islands out to the west, all of those outer bands are still expected to drop incredible amounts of rain over the next 24 to 36 hours, even by late Sunday evening. Again, even some of those extreme outer bands still expected to bring some light to moderate showers. And even though they will only be light to moderate once you've already had six, 10, 12 inches of rain, even adding an extra one to two inches can cause problems.

Here's a look at the forecast rainfall accumulation. We're going to start to see lighter amounts over the Big Island. But again, as we mentioned, even an extra one two three inches is still going to cause problems because of the amount of rain that's already fallen. But these other islands, you are still looking at an additional six to 12 inches of rain on top of what they've already had.

MARSH: Allison, thank you. And breaking news this morning. Moscow says it shot down more than 800 Ukrainian drones overnight in one of Kyiv's largest aerial attacks of the war. The targets included areas around the Russian capital.

Video shows a large fire tearing through a warehouse south of Moscow after one of the strikes. Russia says at least six people were killed. The attack comes as both sides continue to trade long range drone and missile strikes.

Well this morning, rescuers are racing to find survivors after a powerful earthquake rocked Indonesia. Take a look at where it hit. The quake struck off Flores Island and triggered a series of strong aftershocks. More than 50 people have been killed.

Drone video shows widespread damage across communities hit by the quake. More than 1,300 homes were damaged. Most of those severely. Schools, government buildings and hospitals have also been affected.

You can see survivors being carried on stretchers and others receiving treatment. Many families are spending the morning in open fields as they wait for help. Joining me now is CNN's Gage Goulding.

[06:10:02]

Gage, what is the very latest? I know there are several aftershocks as well.

GAGE GOULDING, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, several. How about 341 aftershocks recorded according to government agencies there in Indonesia, that just an astronomical amount of shaking that the people there have undergone in the last 36 hours. In those other earthquakes in the region, also causing problems for the entire country.

What we know right now is that there are more than 1,300 homes that were damaged as a result of this earthquake. On top of that, 87 different schools and a number of hospitals. I'm told that number is around 18.

And the number of those hurt standing around 113 people. But every hour it seems to be we're getting additional information, new updates on the number of people, unfortunately, killed and hurt here.

In the situation now, after the onset of this incident, this past 24 hours, many folks are now wondering, OK, do I have a home to go back to? Should I go back inside a structure because there's so much shaking that's continuing to happen?

I mean, within the last couple hours here, we've seen a 5.5 magnitude aftershock. And to quantify that for you, I mean, that alone within itself is something to be worrisome about. And you have that time after time.

Again, oftentimes it's the aftershocks that can cause more problems, particularly when it comes to search and rescue efforts. People going into the rubble trying to search for victims that might still be there.

But the focus now is on the people that survived this, right? What's the future look like for them? Many of them, thousands of them at that are living in makeshift camps, if you will, and tents, some of them even sleeping on the ground. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SITI SULFIA BIRA, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): At the moment, we don't dare go home just yet because the situation isn't stable. We still worry that there might be more tremors coming.

ABDUL MNUTAS, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): You can see for yourself we're camping under a tree, so we need more tarpaulin sheets, drinking water, food, children supplies. We can't have them sick.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOULDING: We talked about the destruction of buildings and homes, but there's also infrastructure, too. We're learning that there's about 20 gas stations in the area that simply can't pump fuel because it doesn't have power at this hour. Obviously, a very long road to recovery.

MARSH: Gage Goulding, thank you for that report and thanks for tracking that for us. Now, moving on to Israel this morning, it says that it has killed a senior Hezbollah commander in its attacks on southern Lebanon. The Israeli military says the commander helped carry out attacks against its forces, including drone strikes. The announcement comes a day after Israel launched a series of strikes in southern Lebanon. Lebanese health officials say at least 11 people, including women and children, were killed. Israel says it launched air strikes after three of its soldiers were seriously wounded in a Hezbollah attack.

Well, coming up next on CNN THIS MORNING, we're getting new video of an overloaded ferry that capsized in Zimbabwe. What we know about the death toll that includes children.

Plus, a murder trial, 30 years in the making. Opening statements will get underway tomorrow in the trial of the man accused in the death of rapper Tupac Shakur. We'll walk you through how we got to this point.

And who decides your child's vaccine schedule, Washington or the states or you? The great vaccine debate has many parents confused. We'll tell you what you need to know just a little bit later.

And as we go to break, here's a live look at Cincinnati. Good morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:18:28]

MARSH: At least 72 people, including 18 children, were killed when an overloaded ferry capsized in a lake in Zimbabwe. The ferry was traveling to a rural fishing community on Tuesday when it flipped over in high winds. It's not clear how many more people might be missing. Authorities estimate there were more than 150 people on board the ferry, which had a capacity of 90.

A 19-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a shooting at Virginia State University that left five people wounded, one critically. Police say they found Camron Harris of Henrico, Virginia, hiding in a dormitory closet on Saturday. He and four of the shooting victims were not students at the school. No word yet about a possible motive. Classes for the fall semester will begin as scheduled tomorrow.

One person was killed and four others injured in a shooting Saturday afternoon at an outdoor concert in Lexington, Kentucky. A CNN affiliate reports, the survivors include a four-year-old and a 14- year-old. None of their injuries are considered life threatening.

Police have not released any information about a possible suspect or a motive. The shooting took place about a mile from where Governor Andy Beshear was delivering a speech.

Opening statements begin tomorrow in the murder trial of Duane Keffe D Davis, the man accused of orchestrating the killing of Tupac Shakur. Authorities allege Davis conceived a plot to get revenge on the rapper and Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, but Davis claims he wasn't in Las Vegas on the night Tupac was shot.

[06:20:09]

CNN's Nick Watt has the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Keffe, Metro Police. Come over here.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Keffe D was arrested three years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what they got you for, man?

DUANE "KEFFE D" DAVIS, SUSPECT IN TUPAC SHAKUR'S MURDER: Biggest case in Las Vegas history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes?

WATT (voice-over): The shooting, the killing of Tupac Shakur at a stoplight in Vegas late one night after a Mike Tyson fight nearly 30 years ago. Here's what prosecutors will argue detailed by a homicide detective just after Duane Davis, Keffe D's arrest.

LT. JASON JOHANSSON, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: As we all know, Tupac Shakur was a artist who was signed with Death Row Records and that Death Row Records and its CEO, Marion "Suge" Knight, were closely affiliated with the Mob Piru criminal street gangs, and that they had an ongoing feud with the South Side Compton Crips. Duane Davis was the leader and shot caller of the South Side Compton Crips.

WATT (voice-over): Members of both gangs were, say police, at the Tyson fight in the MGM Grand that night and afterwards, in the lobby, Tupac, Knight and others spotted Keffe D's nephew, Orlando Anderson, and beat him up.

JOHANSSON: Duane Davis began to devise a plan to obtain a firearm and retaliate against Suge Knight and Mr. Shakur.

WATT (voice-over): Anderson, his uncle Keffe D and two other men allegedly got into a white Cadillac and followed Knight and Tupac, who were in a black BMW en route to a club. Unclear exactly who pulled the trigger, some have said it was Anderson.

Keffe D is the only man who was in that white Cadillac who is still alive. He's now 63. He was, they say, the shot caller. And under Nevada law, he can still be charged with murder.

JOHANSSON: Within the first few months of the investigation, our detectives knew most of the information I just briefed you on. However, we never had the necessary evidence to bring this case forward.

WATT (voice-over): His own words, say investigators, were Keffe D's undoing.

JOHANSSON: Specifically, Duane Davis' own admissions to his involvement in this homicide investigation that he provided to numerous different media outlets.

WATT (voice-over): Them jumping on my nephew gave us the ultimate green light to do something to their (EXPLETIVE DELETED). And in the documentary, "Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders," Keffe D describes the moment he says he handed Anderson, whom he calls Lane, a gun while riding in that Cadillac.

DAVIS: I gave it to Dre and Dre was like, no, no, no. And Lane was like, popped the dudes.

WATT (voice-over): But in July, Keffe D denied being involved in the killing, telling a Las Vegas news station he wasn't even in Nevada when Tupac was shot.

DAVIS: I ain't worried though, I didn't do (EXPLETIVE DELETED) so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I mean, that's what court's for, right?

WATT: So it's Keffe D's own words that landed him in court. Here's how that happened.

Back in 2008, he struck a deal with law enforcement. He told them about narcotics and gang issues. He was up on some charges at the time. And he also told them that, that night that Tupac was shot, he, Keffe D, got the gun, had it in the front seat of the car, passed it into the back seat and Tupac was shot.

Now the deal was that those words could not be used against him. That was the quid pro quo. Then in 2019, he wrote the book and he started talking about it. So investigators said, well, the deal is off. If he's talking about it, we're going to use those words from 2008 against him. And that is what's happening. The trial is expected to last four to five weeks.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: And we'll preview the trial and discuss the challenges facing the prosecution when we're joined next hour by civil rights attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin.

Well, next parts of the Midwest are bracing for more rain. The region has seen catastrophic flooding over the last week, forcing many to evacuate at a moment's notice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Started grabbing the kids are still asleep and I just started grabbing them and running them out to the car without even getting shoes, clothes or anything like that. I just -- they still had all their pajamas on and it's just like a panic to get out of here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:29:02] MARSH: New this morning. The Midwest is expected to get more disastrous flooding. Six people are dead in Indiana. Indiana's White River broke a record reaching major flood stage yesterday. First responders have been trying to save people trapped in the flooding.

Julio Enciso captured video of his family being evacuated by rescue boat. You can see them there. And look at this home where heavy rain rushed inside. The home owner surveyed the damage after taking a canoe back to his neighborhood to grab some of his belongings, including his cat.

And Indiana's governor said President Trump intended to approve his request for a presidential emergency declaration. He said that will speed up the process of getting federal help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKE BRAUN (R-IN): It would take something like the magnitude of what happened down in North Carolina a few years ago. And for Indiana, this is about as widespread of a weather issue we've had in years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:30:03]

MARSH: Well, CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins us now with the latest forecast and what is facing the folks there in the Midwest in the coming hours. I mean, are they going to get a break anytime soon?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on-camera): And not today, really.

MARSH: Yes.

CHINCHAR (on-camera): When you take a look, it's already raining in several of these states. Can you got very strong thunderstorms and very heavy rain across portions of Kansas and Nebraska? That line is going to continue to spread eastward into the Midwest as we go through the remainder of the day today. But you already have some showers and thunderstorms in the Midwest, namely around the Ohio Valley. Those are sliding into areas of the Mid Atlantic, and that's where we actually have the greatest threat for the heaviest rainfall and the flooding potential today with a bullseye really kind of right over West Virginia.

But it's not the only area, even portions of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia. All of those areas have the potential to see some additional chances for flooding today because of the anticipation of these extra storms that are rolling through.

So, here's a look at the morning. Again, you've got that system that's over the Mid Atlantic, another one that's in the Midwest. Those are going to continue to slide eastward by the afternoon. Again, the focus really becomes over the Ohio Valley and into the Mid Atlantic. That's where the heaviest rain is going to be, but you do still have some farther out to the West. Areas of Missouri and back into Indiana and Illinois through the overnight hours and as we head back into Monday yet again.

MARSH: Allison, thank you and the severe weather in the United States and globally really is colliding with the turbulence of the war in Iran and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. And it's all contributing to an already complicated economic situation.

So let's talk about all that with Ryan Patel. He is a global business expert and senior fellow at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

Good morning. Thank you so much for joining us. You know, we are starting to see some indicators that American consumers are getting a bit cautious with their cash last month. Retail spending dropped some 0.6 percent. That's a notable shift. Spending has largely held up despite economic challenges over the last couple of years.

But what's your read on this? This shift here, this downward shift?

RYAN PATEL, SR. FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: You know, great joining you. You know, I think it's careful not to overreact. I think to one of the month's numbers, obviously it fell. It is definitely a warning sign.

So I'm saying that that's not the case. But there were some unusual factors of the timing, you know, that Prime Day promotion happened earlier. But there are some other sales that are really concerning. We talk about auto sales falling about 1.8 percent. So, I'm not saying the consumer collapse is there. Consumer represents over two-thirds of the U.S. economy.

But, you know, what I what I think is happening, they are, you know, consumers are starting to be more selective than before because of all these different events that are happening around the world. And, you know, these are consumer costs that cannot be avoided. And I think the consumer has a lot more power when it comes to those being selected.

MARSH: Yes. Well, I want you to take a listen. This was just two days ago. The President's message about higher prices consumers are facing specifically as it relates to gas prices. Let's play that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: For you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline. Just remember, you're doing it so that a very evil country cannot have a country. Really, it's the number one state sponsor of terror in the world. We don't want to have them have a nuclear weapon.

So remember that when you have to pay a little bit more, you're at $4. It's OK. I mean, it's I'm not -- I'm not -- I'll never apologize. I did the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: So, what is the President signaling there to you when you hear his words there? PATEL: Well, this rhetoric is not new. He's done this before. So the last time he signaled this, if it's the same, it's to get used to at least in the short term, because obviously this can't be a long term play that things are going to get more expensive.

So let me take a step back. So in essence, he's talking about the sanctions, the headlines important, but the economic story is a little bit more about movement of goods. So why is that going to be more expensive for the consumer? It effectively is the shipping routes around the world. So we're going to see not just an oil prices is what he's -- well, it's not just the oil prices. It's going to move into energy. It's going to move into transportation, moves into manufacturing. So eventually it goes into the consumer price.

So you are going to face again, I don't want to say the word buckle up, but you are going to face a little bit more higher prices in a little bit over a longer period of time is what happened last time is what I think he's signaling here. It's not going to be just a week or two. And that's the question.

MARSH: Yes, long term. So, you know, speaking of that, Treasury Secretary Bessent, he has also said that, you know, prepare Iran for these unprecedented actions. He says unprecedented sanctions will be happening. He doesn't detail exactly what those unprecedented actions will be, but we can assume sanctions restrictions.

[06:35:00]

And I'm just wondering, could we also see some sort of boomerang effect on American consumers in the form of even higher prices, depending on how long these sanctions or restrictions are in place that Bessent is hinting at?

PATEL: Yes, I think we could. And again, it depends on how long it is and what the actual sanction is. You know, consumers cannot predict what's the next shock, but they definitely are going to create this financial flexibility for themselves because they've been doing this. They've been cutting out some of the big ticket items.

And on top of that, you have to tie in what the business community is doing, too. They're going to not hire as much. It's going to be very selective on how they're hiring, what they do with the capital. And if they're slowed down, consumers' employees' pricing goes down as well because they get paid on wages per se, also not helping the environment, too.

So I think this is interesting to see what the actual sanctions are. So let's be clear about that. And then how long it will happen, because the longer it goes, the more consumers are going to feel it.

MARSH: Yes. And just really quick, because we have to go, but I mean, could we see a situation where all of these things converge? The extreme weather, you know, the conflicts that we're talking about here, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, all converge to really set prices higher than where we're even seeing them today. PATEL: I hope not. But if it is right, you're going to see certain industries like the gasoline, diesel, airline tickets, even food specifically in categories when it comes to, you know, meat, grains, anything imported, packaged goods. You know, those are the things that if all these come together, what would you feel faster? That would be my question. Things that people don't think about when it comes to shipping these items and putting them in place for the final product for the consumer.

MARSH: Ryan Patel, thank you so much for your insight. Thanks for joining us.

And a vaccine fight heads back to school despite a new Trump order. Many states say their school vaccine requirements aren't changing. What parents need to know, next.

And if you're heading out, remember, you can stream our show anywhere in the United States right now from the CNN app. You can just go to CNN.com/Watch.

And you're looking at a live look at downtown Chicago. Good morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:42:01]

MARSH: Well, this week, President Donald Trump announced a new executive order to significantly reshape childhood vaccines. The biggest change is a push to split up the triple combo measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The combination MMR vaccine has been used in the United States for more than 50 years. Despite decades of research showing there is no link between vaccines and autism, the President said that's the main reason behind the executive order.

So what does this all mean for your child's vaccine schedule? That's a question so many parents are asking.

Joining me now is Alabama pediatrician Dr. Nola Ernest. Thank you so much for waking up early and joining us.

Lots of questions for you, but we want to start with the most practical question that parents are asking. Since this executive order, the next time my child goes to visit their pediatrician, does anything change?

DR. NOLA ERNEST, ALABAMA PEDIATRICIAN: Absolutely. And if you were to walk into my office, even this morning as I'm headed off to clinic to do an urgent clinic this morning, if you were to walk in my office this morning, you would see that nothing has changed since before the executive order. And that's because the science has not changed.

MARSH: So, and that's a point, because I think this is where the confusion is. Now, all 50 states, as people should know, set their own school vaccine requirements and all allow for these medical exemptions. I guess the question then becomes if states are in charge of setting their vaccine requirements, could families hear different guidance depending on their state, depending on their doctor, depending on their insurance plan?

ERNEST: The executive order has not yet changed any state requirements here in Alabama or as I'm hearing around the country. And we have -- we do not anticipate any changes to insurance coverage or access as well.

And honestly, that's really because as kids head back to school, they love to share with their friends. They're excited to be at school. But that means sharing germs as well. And vaccines are the way that we keep the most children out of hospitals and in schools to learn and have fun with their friends throughout the school year.

MARSH: What should parents ask their pediatrician if they're unsure which vaccine schedule their child should be following? And really, if they're unsure where to turn for the most reliable guidance?

ERNEST: Absolutely. You know, being a parent in 2026 is very difficult because you are overwhelmed with information all of the time. And this executive order just adds to that confusion.

And so for confused parents, I just ask them to talk to their pediatrician who we have the knowledge, the special training, as well as most importantly, the experience to guide families, as we have always done through these difficult conversations to help them make the best decision for their child.

[06:45:06]

As for me and my practice, we're still using, oh, sorry, the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule.

MARSH: Yes, so, I mean, and of course this conversation is happening as measles cases in the United States have reached a 35 year high. Why is measles such a concern for pediatricians right now? And for parents hearing this conflicting information, what do you want them to understand about the risks?

ERNEST: Now I will say that measles has not yet made it significantly to the state of Alabama, which we are so grateful for, but it's primarily due to our history of having very high vaccine rates. Measles, unfortunately, is highly contagious and it can put children in the hospital. About one in 20 to one in 50 children that gets measles will wind up in the hospital and many more children will have to be out of school during this critical period if they're exposed to measles.

And so by getting the safe and well-studied measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine on time for their child, that keeps their child protected from this illness in school.

MARSH: And we should note, we don't get any indication that insurance is going to change at this point either, at least not yet. If you could give parents one clear takeaway before their child's next doctor's appointment, what would it be?

ERNEST: Your pediatrician is here to help. We haven't changed. We are still ready to guide you through making difficult decisions for your children as we have always done.

MARSH: Dr. Nola Ernest, thank you so much for joining us.

ERNEST: Thank you.

MARSH: Well, tonight on CNN, sports and the '90s scandals fueled the headlines. Athletes became superstars and new dynasties were built.

Here's a preview of the latest episode of "DECADES IN SPORTS."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A whole bunch of new heroes came along for the '90s. It's true in tennis. You talk about Landau, you talk about McEnroe, Connors, you know, Martina Navratilova, you know, they stayed as long as they could. And now Monica Sellis and Sampras and Agassi, you know, are beginning to take over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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 Bulls' hands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: A new episode of "DECADES IN SPORTS" airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN and tomorrow on the CNN app.

And as we go to break, here's a live look at Miami Beach. Good morning, Miami.

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[06:52:14]

MARSH: Right now, Hurricane Lala is lashing parts of Hawaii. The Category 1 storm will not make landfall, but it brushed close to the Big Island late last night.

One person was killed in a storm-related car accident. Governor Josh Green said more than 60,000 customers are without power.

Well, Tuesday voters will head to the polls in key primaries in Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming. Some of the highest profile races are for several House seats in Florida. We'll dig into those races in the next hour.

California will also hold a special election to replace former Representative Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April after sexual misconduct claims.

And the Democratic Party is shaking up the road to 2028. A newly approved calendar will have South Carolina kick off primary season on January 22nd, followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, Virginia in February. The calendar removes Iowa from its traditional early spot.

Well, more than one-third of women released from prison every year end up back behind bars within five years. CNN Hero Susan Burton was caught in this cycle of incarceration. But when she finally got help, she decided to pay it forward.

We're highlighting how far Susan's mission has come as we celebrate 20 years of CNN Heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN BURTON, CNN HERO: I was in a revolving door of incarceration. I would walk out the gates and I would end up going back to prison over and over again.

Finally, I found help, and that led me to a different path.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): For almost three decades, Susan Burton and her nonprofit have helped women rebuild their lives after prison.

BURTON: At A New Way of Life, we provide a house. We treat people with dignity, respect, and we shower them with resources. And that makes a difference. We have a 94 percent success rate.

COOPER (voice-over): After she was honored as a CNN hero in 2010, Susan expanded her organization from five homes in California to 12. She also wrote her autobiography and shared her story with women in dozens of prisons.

BURTON: And those women stood up with tears in their eyes saying, we don't have anywhere to go after incarceration.

So, I created SAFE to train other women on A New Way of Life's model. Ninety percent of the people who are replicating our model are formerly incarcerated.

[06:55:06]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She literally gives you all the tools you need to hit the ground running. Also, she gives everybody a $50,000 grant.

BURTON: The Lilac House is a hand up for people to dream again, to live again, and to thrive.

COOPER (voice-over): The Safe Housing Network has grown to more than 30 partners and housed more than 2,000 people.

Susan and A New Way of Life have also expanded their mission, opening homes in New Orleans and North Carolina. They plan to build a campus in Los Angeles.

BURTON: We have just touched a fraction of the people that need a second chance at life. You plant a seed and it gets watered and it grows.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: Well, to learn more about Susan's important work, go to CNN.com/Heroes.

A new hour of "CNN This Morning" returns after this break.

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