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CNN This Morning

750 Plus Dead, 3k Plus Missing After Floods Along Chinese- Nepali Border; Hundreds Of Foreign Nationals Still Missing After Disaster; Manhunt After Deadly Shooting At Switzerland Rave; Far-Right Provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos Deported Form U.S.; Rabid Goats At Petting Zoo Prompt Health Warning In NC; Zelenskyy Calls For Investigation After Deadly Russian Strike; NASA To Launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. NASA Launches Next-Generation Space Telescope; Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin New Mail-In Ballot Plan; Canadian Official Pushes Back on Lake Ontario "Renaming"; Grand Ole Opry Honors Dolly Parton With Special Tribute Show. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired August 30, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:01:32]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Welcome to CNN This Morning. Here's what's happening. Rescuers are urgently searching for hundreds of workers missing from several hydropower projects in Nepal. Meanwhile, the death toll and the number of missing, that's continuing to rise. We'll take you live there.

We're also following breaking news out of Switzerland. Police are searching for the person they say started shooting at a rave.

Plus, country music stars came together last night to honor Dolly Parton, how she was remembered in tributes at the Grand Old Opry.

And in just a few minutes, NASA will launch what scientists have called the Discovery Machine. It's a telescope that NASA says could change the way we understand the universe. We're going to bring that to you live.

Plus, tennis great Roger Federer was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER FEDERER, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: If people remember me as driving the game in the right direction down the road, that would be enough for me, plenty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: More from Federer and the ceremony, all coming up this morning on CNN.

Sunday, August 30th, almost done with the month. Thanks for joining us. I'm Victor Blackwell.

We are tracking the latest updates after that catastrophic flooding and the landslides along the Chinese-Nepali border. Overnight, the death toll rose to at least 750, and more than 3,000 people are still missing. Rescue crews are running into changing landscapes. Another landslide Saturday created a new barrier lake near the disaster zone. Rescuers themselves had to be evacuated from that area.

Among the missing are foreign nationals from around the world. Families are anxiously waiting for their loved ones to call, text, post something on social media. One Virginia woman whose husband was there for a hiking trip says that she's begging for details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SNEHA SUDHIR, WIFE OF MAN MISSING IN NEPALI: 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 is happening. So I don't know. It's -- that's where we are trying to reach out to everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Almost 1,000 workers are also missing across a slew of hydropower projects in Nepal. In one of the tunnels, rescuers are pumping air in. They're dropping in food, although they've not connected with anyone inside yet.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery is joining me now from Nepal. Talk to me about the efforts around these tunnels and the hopes for rescues there.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Victor, we actually spoke to a mountaineer who was volunteering to find any remaining survivors in those tunnels. He's been collaborating with the Nepali Army, flying in, using helicopters, and he's been using, for example, shovels, picks, anything to try to find any remaining survivors again in those mud-filled tunnels.

And actually, we spoke to a group of these workers who were rescued just moments ago, and they told us some of the harrowing things that they were seeing. They told us how they lost everything in the flood. They lost their phones, their money, even the clothes that they were wearing.

And they also told us, and, Victor, this is really quite distressing to hear, but they told us how they saw their friends and co-workers get swept along the river and get swept in the flood, unable to actually hang on to anything to make sure that they could survive. And this is just, I mean, some of the stuff that we've been hearing on the ground here.

[07:05:18]

Here's a little bit of our interview from one of the survivors and also the man who helped rescue this group of workers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAM CHANDRA, RESCUED FROM TUNNEL (through translation): I was hanging on a rung from the ceiling. The water was rising in the tunnel, and it was difficult to move my legs. If I had let go from that rung, I would have fallen into the mix of water and concrete.

AMAR BISTA, RESCUER: Like, hundreds of people are there, and no food. Everybody got a diarrhea. You know, like, nothing. So, I didn't have a word for them, because they all are from my area. You know, like, I didn't know.

Nothing to tell, because a lot of people here, they doesn't know the reality. When I entered there, like, the reality is different. We cannot tell. You know, the reality is way different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: And, Victor, Amar, the man you just heard from, who was actually helping rescue these men, was telling us that he's losing actually quite a bit of hope, especially when it comes to people trapped in those tunnels. But he told us that he keeps going back, trying to find any bodies that might be stuck in that sludge, because he hopes to at least be able to bring those bodies back to family members, so that they could be reunited with their loved ones once more. Victor?

BLACKWELL: Hanako Montgomery, reporting there from Nepal. Thank you.

There are hundreds of those missing in the disaster area who are from, as I said, other countries, from around the world. In the U.S., specifically, there are families who are waiting to hear from their loved ones, or, as Hanako mentioned, they're just simply, they want to know what happened.

CNN's Rafael Romo shares some of their stories.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor, good morning. According to the U.S. State Department, there are about 90 Americans missing after the devastating flood that hit Nepal's border with China on Wednesday. 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 a tour group. But his son, Anurag Goel, told CNN 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 ANIL DURAG MISSING IN NEPAL WITH TOUR GROUP: They were 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, enter 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. Friday night in Hicksville, New York, people came together for a solemn vigil.

Leaders from the Long Island Nepalese Society organized a vigil to gather in solidarity, prayer and hope, as CNN affiliate News 12 Long Island reported. A man who worked as a teacher in Nepal and now lives in the United States told News 12 he lost several people he knew, including former students and neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was the teacher in there. I lost my three students in there. One, my neighbor people, I lost in there. A lot of the people I lost in this time, in this incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very heartbreaking to all of us to see our fellow country people losing their lives and houses in a matter of a few minutes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: A State Department spokesperson told CNN the United States government is sending $500,000 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.

Victor, now back to you.

BLACKWELL: All right, Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

Here are other stories we're following this morning. Police in Switzerland are searching for a gunman after a deadly shooting at a rave event. The shooting happened right after the event ended early this morning at a horse racing track in a city north of Zurich.

One person was killed, five others were injured. Officials are still trying to figure out why it happened and exactly what led up to the shooting.

[07:10:14]

Milo Yiannopoulos, a prominent figure in the far-right movement, has been deported from the U.S. DHS says that he was sent back to the U.K. after being detained by ICE at an airport in Louisiana. Officials say that he overstayed his visa and failed to appear at an immigration hearing, and that led to a judge to issue the removal order.

In North Carolina, health officials are trying to track down people who may have been exposed to rabies after several infected baby goats appeared at a traveling petting zoo. The goats from Farm Adventures attended events across 10 locations over the past month. Three tested positive for rabies and a fourth is believed to have been infected.

Officials believe the goats caught rabies from a skunk that got into their pen in late July. Anyone who had close contact with animals is being urged to contact local health officials right away.

Weeks from the midterm elections and a judge has paused the plan to overhaul how millions of Americans cast their ballots. We're going to dig into the fight over mail-in voting.

And dozens killed, even more injured, in a Russian attack on Kyiv. Why Ukraine has launched a criminal investigation.

And just moments from now, NASA will launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. It is a powerful new tool. Wait until you hear what this can do. It'll give scientists new clues into dark matter, into the universe. We'll bring that to you live when it happens.

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[07:16:25]

BLACKWELL: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for a criminal investigation after a Russian drone struck a warehouse west of Kyiv on Saturday. At least 37 people were killed. Ukrainian officials say the facility was storing shells, mines, and other ammunition. Zelenskyy wants to know why it was located so close to a residential area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translation): It is a horrific situation, and there has been an appalling negligence by those who stored explosive materials right next to where people were living. My condolences go out to all the families and loved ones. The rubble is still being cleared. The death toll, unfortunately, may rise. Dozens of people have been injured, including locals and rescue workers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN's Barbie Nadeau is tracking the latest developments for us. She's joining me live from Rome. More than three dozen killed here. Tell us what you know.

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know, this really is a devastating blow. We're, you know, obviously, more than four years into this war, and the people, certainly in Kyiv, have gone, undergone this two, three days of this intense bombardment with these jet- powered drones that evade, you know, air defenses and land-to-air defenses. So it's been particularly difficult.

What makes this different, though, is the fact that, as you said, this was a missile or a drone striking that ammunition warehouse, and that's what set off this cascading explosions and what killed so many people. So, you know, obviously, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is looking into why these munitions were stored there. But let's listen to one of the harrowing details of one of these survivors and what she was facing. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALYNA HORODETSKA, 70-YEAR-OLD RESIDENT (through translation): A wall of fire was coming toward us. My son dropped to his knees and shouted, "Mom, get down." So I dropped to the ground and started crawling home on my knees. It was impossible to walk because the wall of fire would have engulfed us, so we crawled on our knees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: And, you know, Victor, you know, this really is a horrific sort of set of circumstances, but it's the second time that an ammunitions warehouse has been hit by a Russian strike in the last couple of months. So this isn't the first time that these warehouses have been put so close to residential areas.

So there are a lot of people that will have to answer a lot of questions right now. You know, it's a tough time for people of Ukraine, and they're looking at their fifth hard winter coming ahead with no end in sight for this war. Victor?

BLACKWELL: And fewer of those defenses against those ballistic missiles.

Barbie Nadeau with the reporting, thank you.

All right, let's take a live look now at Kennedy Space Center. NASA is about to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The scientists say it has surveying capabilities that's more than 1,000 times faster than Hubble. We expect that launch to happen in -- within 10 minutes, actually. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.

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[07:23:55]

BLACKWELL: Happening now, NASA is about to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. NASA says that this could lead to a real significant shift in how we understand the universe. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we have, as the rocket continues to put its final propellant on board, we --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: NY LOX load complete.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We also know that the spacecraft sitting on top of the nose there that's heading into space, that is on internal power. So it is running off its own batteries. Of course, it's covered up by the fairing, but it can run on those batteries for a little bit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stage 1 Lock Slow Complete.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before it has to pick up some of the sun's energy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's for sure. And we just heard on the loops, LOX load is complete for Stage 1, which is a great, great sign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So we're going to go back to Hawthorne and Zach for the last 2.5 minutes before launch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, thanks, Steve. So coming up in just about 20 seconds from now, we should be hearing the call out for Stage 2 LOX loading Completion.

[07:25:03]

And at that point, the Falcon Heavy will then be fully loaded with nearly 3 million pounds of propellant comprised of RP-1 and LOX. So we should be hearing that call out for --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stage 2 LOX load complete.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there's that call out right on time.

Now, coming up shortly, we'll be hearing a call out for closing out of gaseous systems called out as ground gas closeouts. And that'll consist of topping off tanks and sealing vents in order to maintain pressure in the vehicle. And we should be hearing that call out in just about 15 seconds or so.

And weather, of course, is now looking beautiful there in Florida. And we're right on track for launch in just about 1.5 minute from now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ground gas closeouts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there's that call out for ground gas closeouts. Now, looking ahead at the T minus 1 minute mark, Falcon Heavy will enter startup, and the onboard flight computers will take over the launch countdown, and both stages will begin pressurizing for launch.

So we should be hearing that startup call in just a few moments.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Falcon Heavy is in startup.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there it is. Falcon Heavy is now in startup, and those flight computers are in controlled account. So we're now just waiting on the final go, no-go from the launch director for today's mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The launch director is go for launch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And great news there, the launch director has given the final go for today's mission. So let's sit back and watch as Falcon Heavy takes the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to Space.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: T minus 30 seconds. T minus 15 seconds. T minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Ignition. And liftoff. Go Falcon Heavy and go Roman Space Telescope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And liftoff of NASA's Roman Space Telescope on a mission to revolutionize our understanding of the universe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vehicle is going to take down rage.

All M-1DE chamber pressures are nominal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Falcon Heavy has cleared the tower and is on its way to Space.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's look like a beautiful launch so far, Steve. Great shot there from on top of the rocket looking down, and then now tracking up, looking at those 27 Merlin engines, lifting the Falcon Heavy and Roman Space Telescope off into Space.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Falcon Heavy is soaring --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And telemetry nominal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Falcon Heavy is soaring into the Florida sky. We are 53 seconds into this flight. Rocket will be heading into Max Q.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Falcon 9 is supersonic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Picking up speed and altitude very quickly. Engines will throttle down slightly to reduce the mechanical pressure and the mechanical stress on the rocket.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Max Q.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we heard that call out for Max Q, which is the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure as the rocket is ascending. Now, coming up in just under a minute from now, we're going to have a large series of events happening back to back. We'll be starting with BECO or booster engine cutoff, where the engines on those boosters will power down.

We'll then have side core separation of those two boosters. Followed by that, we will then have MECO of the main core and then stage separation of that, as well as second engine Start 1 following that. Now, those two boosters will be heading back to Florida today. They'll be doing boostback burns to put them on trajectories back towards Kennedy in Florida.

Now, we should be hearing that call out for BECO in just about 13 seconds from now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Side booster separation confirmed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there we saw stage separation, and you can actually see the view from the main core on the left and then the two side cores on the right hand side of your screen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: PY boostback startup

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: NY boostback startup.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there's confirmation of the boostback startup on those two side core boosters. So, at this point both Falcon Heavy side boosters are performing their boostback burns which is the first of three burns each side booster will undergo on the way back to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Now, the primary objective of the boostback burn is to quickly reorient the side boosters onto the required return trajectories and this is required in the event of a return to a launch site as opposed to a drone ship ocean recovery. And today they're headed towards landing zones 2 and 40 in Florida. Now, meanwhile on the center core the nine M1D engines are continuing to power Falcon Heavy on its nominal trajectory.

Now, the engines on that center core are still burning right now. They're set to burn for about another 12 seconds or so and then they'll throttle down and we'll have our MECO, our Main Engine Cutoff of that and then --

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And there you have it the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman telescope dubbed the Discovery Machine because of these new capabilities. We're going to see our galaxy in ways that we have not seen before. This is the start of a multi-year mission. Roman will have a primary mission lifetime of five years but designed to support an additional five years.

And if you hear that name, and I say Nancy Grace and you think that Nancy Grace we're talking about a different Nancy Grace. This is Dr. Nancy Grace Roman who was the first chief astronomer one of the architects of the agency's modern science program actually known as the mother of the Hubble Space Telescope.

But last hour I spoke with astrophysicist, Jonathan McDowell, and he talks about what makes this different than Hubble and the James Webb telescope.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN MCDOWELL, ASTROPHYSICIST, DURHAM UNIVERSITY: Can see a huge part of the sky at once and so it can suck in galaxies to do mapping of the universe and that's the thing that Hubble and Webb just can't do it would take them decades to do what Roman can do very quickly.

And so, Roman is going to map out the three-dimensional structure of the galaxies in the universe and look for faint ripples in the patterns of the galaxies that are going to give us clues to what happened during the Big Bang.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: What he also says is so exciting about this is the immediate open science that the data the 1.4 terabytes of information that will be downlinked daily to stations in New Mexico and Australia and Japan will be open to scientists to review so they'll have immediate access to the information coming from this remarkable new telescope. We'll continue to watch this. We'll take a break. We'll be right back.

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[07:35:00]

BLACKWELL: A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked a new postal service rule that could limit mail-in voting for the 2026 midterms. Now, the Trump administration's plan required states to submit voters lists and get ballot envelopes pre-approved by the USPS. Several states said compliance before the November elections was impossible. The Trump administration is already appealing.

Joining now for the conversation, WABE politics reporter Rahul Bali, former U.S. attorney Michael Moore, and journalist Melissa Knowles back in the building. Good to have you back in the studio. Good to have everybody.

MELISSA KNOWLES, JOURNALIST: Thank you. I mean, I'll take the word welcome. I love it.

BLACKWELL: Especially --

KNOWLES: Thank you for having us.

BLACKWELL: Rahul, let me start with you on this because Congress is on recess right now. They'll be back mid-September. But this is the issue that the president is focused on. The question is, is it realistic before the November midterms and will the states be successful in fighting it off?

RAHUL BALI, NEWS AND POLITICS REPORTER, WABE NEWS: This is a story I'm doing on Monday. The answer is no. And here's why. Those of us who are reporters in politics, we are spending more and more time in this man's world covering, going to, you know, courtrooms and reading briefings. And one of the important things we've learned as political reporters is something called the Purcell principle.

And the bottom line around this is a 2006 ruling from the Supreme Court. Once you get too close to an election, you can't make changes. It could confuse voters or cause problems with elections. So, that principle right there, I think, and that's the story I'm doing Monday, is probably makes it unlikely this close to an election to make those kind of changes.

MICHAEL MOORE, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY AND PARTNER, MOORE HALL IN ATLANTA: I think that's probably my biggest fear. And that's the question. Is this not -- is the goal not necessarily to prevail on this, but to cause the confusion? I mean, I think that is -- that's -- we are too close to the election to do anything. The states clearly have a right to set up their system, to do their -- you know, to maintain -- and the constitution gives them the right to control the elections, but are we so close that the confusion is ultimately the win for the administration? That's what I think they're after.

KNOWLES: But also creating that confusion in this moment, this close to November, isn't that showing that they're desperate? Isn't that showing we're going to throw anything at the wall to try to see if this will work? Oh, if this works, we're going to stay with this no matter or not, if we're going to run out of time.

[07:40:00]

BLACKWELL: Yes. Talk about the strategy of the White House. We're now seeing, I don't know if this is the secondary or the tertiary element of a trade war between U.S. and Canada, but now it's gone to socials where the Ontario premier, Doug Ford, has unveiled a sign on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario and posted this on social media. Let's play that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG FORD, PREMIER OF ONTARIO: You may have heard that President Trump is trying to rename this lake, all because he doesn't like Ontario and Canada standing up for ourselves. But let's be serious, long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario. And long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And the president posted on social media, let's show that, I guess this digital kind of meme of -- this is the wrong video you've got previewed, these Canadian geese with toupees and semi-automatic rifles that apparently they're Donald ducks protecting Lake America.

Melissa, there are few world leaders who engage at this level with the president. Doug Ford apparently is one of them, but this doesn't even get to the issue of the trade war.

L KNOWLES: But that's the point, to not even talk about what is really relevant, because if you can constantly distract the public from what we should be paying attention to, what is consequential in our lives, then you're kind of winning. If you're throwing constant confusion, if you're throwing last minute plays to see what works and what sticks, then that's what they're going to continue to do. I wouldn't say that this is a new level. Maybe it's just another new low.

MOORE: It just makes me think that the next administration is going to have to spend the first month undoing all this stuff and taking chisels and knocking his name off of things, changing the names of the places that he's renamed. And this is just for show. I mean, he has the authority, I think, and he has the power to say it for the United States, I'm going to call it this, but it doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the world. And it's sort of emblematic of his problem in that he sees everything through his vision and not the United States as part of a global enterprise.

BLACKWELL: What's interesting here is that people don't like the -- I call it, the Freedom Fries approach to these things, as we, you know, saw from the Bush administration changing French fries in federal buildings to Freedom Fries. When the president tried to rename the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America, at the start of this term, it was very unpopular. The Marquette Poll found 71 percent of Americans opposed it. It was more unpopular than the pardoning of the January 6th rioters.

Is there any political value to this for the president? I mean, I imagine there are Republicans who are on the ballot who think, Mr. President, this doesn't help.

BALI: I have to say, on the campaign trail, whether it's Republican candidates or Republican voters, they have not talked about Gulf of America. They just haven't at all. That's -- It's not coming up on the trail. It's affordability. It's a wide range of issues going back to the trade war. Gas prices keep coming up, but no one, no one on the trail is talking about this.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

KNOWLES: What I will say, though, is I looked -- because I wanted to see if Google has actually changed Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. I screenshotted it on my phone. They have.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

KNOWLES: You go on Google Maps, it's Gulf of America. And I think that that can feel almost oppressive because it's like we're taking over everything all at once just because the word of our president is I want to do this now.

BLACKWELL: Yes. All right. We got a lot more to talk about. So, everybody stay with us. Still ahead, we all remember those struggle meals in college. I remember trying to get 27 cents together for a box of mac and cheese because it was a quarter plus the tax, mainly ramen noodles. Well, they're fancy now. This survival kit that you could send to your college student. We'll talk about it and the price tag.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:00]

BLACKWELL: Country music's most famous stage honored a true icon and humanitarian hero, Dolly Parton, last night. The sold-out show at the Grand Ole Opry was dedicated to Dolly's extraordinary life, her legacy, contributions to music. Every artist who took the stage during the show had a tie to Parton. Carly Pearce performed as she got her start in country music at Dollywood's theme park. Dolly Parton was 13 years old when she made her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry stage in 1959. She was introduced there by Johnny Cage.

My panel is back with me now. Melissa, let me start with you because what was really remarkable over these past few days since she passed is the breadth and diversity of people who had a connection to Dolly beyond country music.

KNOWLES: Beyond, because you felt, Victor, a familiarity with her because she was so genuine. From the time she made her debut into entertainment until, I mean, just a week ago, no one was expecting that we would lose such a legendary figure in this period of time. I know that Dolly Parton's legacy will live on because there's something special about a person who can connect all of us from so many different backgrounds, from all over the world. And there was something that she possessed, wouldn't you agree, that even if you weren't a fan of country music, you knew the words to her song.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Even if you didn't love country music, you love "Steel Magnolias" or you love "9 to 5."

KNOWLES: You could quote it.

MOORE: It truly is one of those things where you -- and this happens a lot of times when people die, is you didn't know them, right? And then you find out, either you read this obituary, but we found out through a week-long obituary of her things we didn't know about her life or, you know, the things she did for charity and reading and -- I don't think people knew that.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

MOORE: And so, she's so much more beloved even in death now knowing it. You know, and I think the contrast is we've talked about renaming things in Washington, this guy is trying to put his name on everything. We want to put her name on everything. We want to do it. And she never tried to do it.

KNOWLES: She did.

BALI: And think about it politically. This has been beloved across the political aisle. And then I think about my own, you know, social media feed and take out, you know, even reporters, the number of people she touched or had seen in person or one interaction, you know, that people had with her is completely across the spectrum in literally so many people in my life.

BLACKWELL: So, many people, specifically on the Imagination Library, getting that book through that charity globally. And one thing is I was putting first of all together yesterday, and we were focused on native tribes across the country.

[07:50:00]

There were several that canceled some meetings or held moments of silence and honored her as an elder because their children on -- in the sovereign nations received books through the Imagination Library. So, many different walks of life that Dolly Parton touched.

Let's talk about another legend. This is Gladys Knight. And fans have recently been concerned about her appearance on stage. At some point they have been reporting that she seemed to be disoriented. TMZ reported that she appeared exhausted at a performance this month. Last month they reported that she appeared to lose her place in a midnight train to Georgia. She turned away from the audience, appeared to walk off the stage.

Rahul, you were making the point about the way that artists make money now and if there is some necessity for octogenarians to stay on stage.

BALI: It's so hard to make music, making music, selling music.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Making money making music.

BALI: That really -- I mean, I think that's one of the reasons why ticket prices are so high around concerts is this is the way that performers now make money. It's those concerts, it's those big shows. And if you're an older performer, this may be the only way to make money. Because I think about my kids they've got these YouTube music playlists. We pay a few dollars a month, but we're not buying albums, CDs or even downloads anymore.

KNOWLES: But you also want to see somebody like Gladys Knight. You want to see her perform.

BLACKWELL: Who sounds the same.

KNOWLES: Who still sounds amazing.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

KNOWLES: It's Gladys Knight.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

KNOWLES: You want to see a living legend. And I know that for multiple generations, I mean, I'm an elder millennial, I would love to see her. But I also know I want mama to get her rest.

BLACKWELL: Yes, yes. She posted on social media, after much soul searching, I've decided that I will be easing into fewer performances while focusing on transitioning into the next stage of my career and life moving forward. I'll be spending more time on projects with my husband visiting with my grandbabies. And I'm looking forward to this new era. So, enjoy that time off. Although she is not completely leaving the stage.

All right. Here's what we tease before the break. There is now a special care package courtesy of the company that creates Cup O' Noodles, Nissen Foods and Dash to send this dorm survival kit. Six pack of chicken flavored noodles. I don't know why they chose only chicken. Insulated kettle and a rapid egg cooker. Valued at $135. Soon available for $70.

KNOWLES: $70.

BLACKWELL: Is this something you want to one, send, second, receive as a college student?

BALI: No.

BLACKWELL: No?

BALI: No. No, look. When my kids go to college in a few years, we're going to do what my folks did. It's going to be frozen Indian food. You know, multiple containers. That's what they're getting. They are not getting this. OK? They're just not.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Give me the $70.

KNOWLES: Hello, give me $70.

MOORE: What says love more than cardboard noodles and a bowl of eggs? I mean, nothing, right?

KNOWLES: And extra sodium. Give me the freshman 15 in a box, because that is what this is.

BLACKWELL: All I'm saying is, if you're the roommate of the person who receives the egg cooker and the cup of noodles.

KNOWLES: But also, isn't that against dorm rules to have --

BLACKWELL: Yes, I couldn't have that.

KNOWLES: -- anything you can plug in like that? I know I could. I mean, we did go to college a long time ago.

BLACKWELL: Yes, that's true. I, too, am a geriatric millennial.

KNOWLES: I didn't say geriatric. I didn't say that.

BLACKWELL: Melissa, Michael, Rahul, thank you all for being part of the roundup.

Still ahead, Roger Federer takes his place in tennis history. We hear from the superstar as he's inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame.

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BLACKWELL: Tennis great Roger Federer is one of the most decorated athletes in history and he just added another accolade to his collection. Coy Wire is here.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, the hall of fame. Not that -- the numbers just tell part of his story. He made brutally difficult tennis look like ballet with a racket. Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame yesterday. First man ever to win 20 Grand Slam singles titles as well as one of the most beloved sports figures of his time. Our Don Riddell asked Fed ahead of his induction how he hopes to be remembered. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER FEDERER, 20-TIME GRAND SIAM CHAMP: It'd be nice of course if I would be remembered as someone who has pushed the game in the right direction. Somebody who's been also a role model to a lot of the children and has represented this sport well and the values of the sport. And I obviously always tried my very, very best in the pressure cooker moments, you know, on the court to keep going, keep believing in myself and also show my fighting spirit. If people remember me as driving the game in the right direction down the road, that would be enough for me, plenty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Congrats to Roger Federer. Now, college football is all the way back. 74-year-old Bill Belichick was 4 and 8 in his debut at the Tar Heels last year. That season began with a blowout loss to TCU. This time in Dublin, Ireland, different story. Belichick's defense looking very Belichickian. Three sacks playing stingy and soundly shut down TCU's offense.

Tar Heels, they're playing with discipline too, getting TCU to jump on a fourth down with 30 seconds to go to help seal it. Belichick is pumped. UNC wins 15 to 10. No luck of the Irish needed.

How about Hawaii scoring 20 straight to take the lead over Stanford in the fourth quarter, but look at this throw and catch. Davis Warren to Liam Thorpe, the former Michigan Wolverine. Warren throwing for 310 yards and a touchdown. Then Micah Ford would score the go-ahead touchdown. Third of the day, defense would seal the deal. A 37-27 win in the debut of Andrew Luck and coach Tavita Pritchard at Stanford.

Don't look now, Victor, Howard down one to Alabama A&M with 245 to go. Ja'Shawn Scroggins to Se'Quan Osborne for 51 yards and a touch and a lead. Then watch this. Victor Blackwell, 30 seconds to go. Howard defends with a huge hit. Force fumble initially ruled targeting, but it was overturned. So, Howard recovers and wins 31-24.

BLACKWELL: H-U.

WIRE: Let's go. Leo Messi's Inter-Miami playing Montreal, and Messi played Magician. Unreal. Look at this. The hat trick wasn't enough. Messi scored four goals in this one. It was a 7-1 blowout win, Inter's biggest margin of victory ever.

Pete Crow-Armstrong almost pulled off the same sort of Messi magic, but he only hit one, two, three, count them, Home runs in a 17-5 blowout of the Reds. At 24 years old, PCA's the youngest Cubs player ever to hit a hat trick of homers in a game. 36 on the year now. Strong case for an LNVP.

Finally, Nevada's Carsynn Meyer stepped into the batter's box to a roar of 20,000 fans at the Little League Baseball World Series. First girl to play in the U.S. Championship, and she hit an RBI, helping Nevada beat Ohio 12 to 2 to advance to the Little League Baseball World Series title game. Nevada plays Curacao in the final today.

BLACKWELL: You know, I wondered why my sister was in Ireland. Because she went to Chaple Hill. So, now it makes sense.

WIRE: There you go.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thanks for watching this morning. Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju is up next.

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