Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Nor'easter Slams East Coast, Topples Trees And Triggers Flooding; China's Latest Panda Diplomats Set To Arrive In Atlanta; Mass Shooting In South Africa Leaves 17 Dead, 15 Wounded; U.K. Police Raid Village Near Airbase Used By U.S. Air Forces; Pope Celebrates Mass In Lourdes; Trump Rejects Proposal To Reopen Strait Of Hormuz; FBI Reassigns Veteran Agents After Displeasure With Katie Miller Probe; Oxford Officials Hosting Free Narcan Class After Ole Miss Deaths. Soon: "Ping Ping" & "Fu Shuang" Arrive In Atlanta From China; Lindsay Clancy Back In Court Tuesday After Mistrial; Concert Aims To Help Farmers Facing Growing Economic Pressure; Uganda's Gorilla Guardian. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired September 27, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:36]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. Here's what's new as you wake up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL THOMPSON, PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENT: We heard this big crash, a bang. Our house shook. We were just lucky to survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Toppled trees, water everywhere and thousands of flight disruptions. A nasty nor'easter leaves a deadly and destructive mark as millions brace for another day of extreme weather. We're tracking it all ahead.

And panda diplomacy, China's newest panda diplomats are set to arrive in the U.S. this morning after an 8,000-mile journey. Team coverage from Beijing and Atlanta ahead.

And breaking news from the U.K., several men under arrest on suspicion of offenses under the country's explosives act near an airbase often used by U.S. forces. What we know that's ahead.

And breaking overnight, two shootings in South Africa leave nearly 30 people dead. We are live with the massive manhunt for those suspects, coming up.

And Lindsay Clancy is set to return to court for the first time since a mistrial in her triple murder case. We will talk to a retired judge about what to expect in that case. That's still ahead.

It is Sunday, September 27th. Thank you for joining us. I'm Isabel Rosales in for Victor Blackwell. Right now that powerful nor'easter is still pounding the northeast. Flood waters are swamping coastal communities. Strong winds are toppling trees and thousands of people are without power. The storm has reportedly claimed at least one life, a 56 year old man out of Brooklyn. Officials say the New York City Housing Authority employee was walking through a parking lot when that tree fell and then sadly killed him.

This is what the storm looks like in Avalon, New Jersey. Coastal flood warning remains in effect along the Jersey Shore through this afternoon. Officials are warning people to stay off of flooded streets and away from the beach and the ocean.

From flooded streets to battered shorelines. This right here is video from Brant Rock, Massachusetts, shows massive waves, look at that, just slamming into a seawall and sending seawater crashing over homes along the shore. One resident says the damage to his home happened in an instant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: We heard this big crash, a bang. Our house shook. She started to step in and I grabbed her by the shoulders. There's no wall. There's no wall. The back wall. You can look right outside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Yes, incredible. There are nearly 120,000 customers across the northeast without power, with New York and Connecticut reporting the largest outages. And more than 300 flights have already been delayed. Another 241 canceled nationwide.

Yesterday, there were more than 3,000 flights delayed, and over 500 cancellations with Boston's Logan Airport hit the hardest. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is riding out the storm in Hull, Massachusetts. Derek, wow, a lot of rain there. What are you seeing?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we're still getting battered to by that powerful northeasterly wind. I mean, you can see why there's so many delays. And unfortunately, you can understand why this has become a fatal nor'easter. It has toppled trees. It has taken down branches and taken down power.

Here in the state of Massachusetts, where I'm located, 10,000 or so customers without power. Of course, we know over 100,000 people without power for this kind of sprawling nor'easter that anywhere that the Atlantic Ocean meets the land from southern New England, all the way down to the coast of New Jersey, through Delmarva, is being impacted right now.

The Atlantic Ocean, obviously, the sun hasn't come up, but it is just over my left shoulder and we're getting pelted with sea spray. And then obviously these tiny little raindrops that just give you pinpricks across your face because the wind is so intense, it comes in gusts. So obviously, we have a formidable storm. This thing hasn't really weakened that much, even though it's kind of on its degrading stage of this nor'easter. It is going to sit and spin in a really precarious position and bring still several high tide cycles with this relentless northeasterly wind.

So we know what this is all -- what this has done. We've seen it. We were in Scituate yesterday. We saw the Atlantic, the angry, angry ocean, just creating these two story tall waves that were crashing over the seawall.

[06:05:04]

We will see and experience more of that today across the coast of Southern New England and into the mid-Atlantic. Some of those vulnerable communities will likely see additional coastal flooding, more coastal erosion. Because of this driving northeasterly wind, the high tides made worse by the fact that we had a full moon just last night.

I've got an anemometer here, and I've been kind of clocking the wind speeds. We're still gusting between 25 to 35 miles per hour. And what strikes me as really fascinating this has absolutely no tropical characteristics, but the impacts are very similar to a tropical storm or a low end hurricane.

I mean, Isabel, you've -- you've been out in these storms before. You know, it just like I do. This is the type of conditions, but there's a marked difference in the way that the air feels. It's not humid, it's cold and it's uncomfortable. And it's just one of those days to stay in and ride this thing out, not on the roads and potentially just don't think about traveling today. It's the best advice I can offer.

ROSALES: Yes, to a layman, a non-meteorologist, that looks remarkably similar to a hurricane right there, but certainly serious business with, you know, the heavy rain, the heavy winds, the flooding. And so sad that it's already turned deadly. Derek Van Dam, stay safe out there. Thank you.

All right. Let's turn to CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar standing by with more on this on this track. And it looks like this thing is just not moving anywhere.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And which is why it's still ongoing. And you still will likely have a lot of these peak conditions through at least lunchtime today. Now, that doesn't mean it's going to end after that. It just means we'll finally start to gradually see an improvement in the conditions.

Now, here's a look at what we're talking about in terms of where those showers are right now. You can see we've still got a pretty large swath of rain stretching from areas of Virginia all the way up to Maine.

Some of the heaviest rain right now is located from about Providence up through Boston. You can see a lot of that orange and yellow there on the radar. So, it is really going to be coming down very close to where you just saw Derek at the moment.

But again, even some lighter showers sliding over areas again that were already saturated. And that's really going to be the key for today. A lot of these areas, that ground is already saturated. So even if we add, say, an extra one or two inches of rain, which doesn't sound like all that much, it's going to be enough to trigger additional flooding. So, that's why you still have a lot of the flooding concerns.

The heaviest rain in the forecast is going to be places like Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and then up through Maine, because that's where the system is going to be making its way over the next 12 to 24 hours.

So, here's a look by again this evening. The bulk of the rain again, is more on the New England side rather than the northeast as a whole. Once we get towards Monday morning, it is going to be a very soggy commute. Still, for many folks across the northeast, as this system starts to wrap back up.

So even though the peak conditions will only last through the first half of the day today, the rain showers are still going to linger for much of the next 24 hours. You also have a lot of these wind alerts.

Now, the vast majority of these will expire today, but you're still going to have those gusty winds even through tomorrow morning, say 20, 25 miles per hour. They just won't be the 40, the 50, the 60 mile per hour winds that we have.

ROSALES: Yes. Still not out of the woods with this thing quite yet. Allison Chinchar, thank you.

Well, we are on panda watch this morning. China has sent two of its giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, to Zoo Atlanta. It's part of China's panda diplomacy efforts to strengthen its ties with other countries.

President Xi called the giant panda a historic, quote, "envoy of friendship" between China and the U.S. during his meeting with President Trump last week. Let's go now to CNN's Rafael Romo, who is live from Atlanta. And listen, it's been a long time, Rafael, since we've seen pandas here in the city, here in Atlanta.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right, Isabel. It's been nearly two years since there were giant pandas in Atlanta. But of course, that's about to change. And we are this morning right outside the FedEx hangar, right behind me. That airplane with the two pandas is expected to land here at Atlanta's Hartsfield- Jackson International Airport.

And Isabel, the two giant pandas left China at 2:55 a.m. Sunday morning local time. That was 2:55 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Atlanta time. That was from the city of Chengdu in southwestern China and are expected to arrive in Atlanta any moment now later this hour, according to China's state news agency Xinhua. The arrival will mark the beginning of the latest episode in Beijing's long tradition of using panda diplomacy to strengthen ties with the United States and other countries. The flight departed China just a day after the conclusion of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington. President Xi announced Thursday during his remarks at the White House that China would send two panda bears to the United States.

[06:10:00]

The giant panda, Xi said, has been an envoy of friendship between the Chinese and Americans. He was referencing, of course, the half century in which pandas lived in U.S. zoos on loan from the Chinese government, not only here in Atlanta but also in cities like San Diego and Washington.

Zoo Atlanta announced earlier this year that as part of a new agreement with China, the institution was getting ready to welcome two panda bears, including Ping Ping, a male, and Fu Shuang, a female, both born at the Chengdu research base of giant panda breeding in China.

Now, Ping Ping, the male panda's name, means peace, the same name given to the bear China gave to the Soviet Union in 1957. Ping Ping was born in March 2020. Fu Shuang, the female panda's name, means double blessings and was also born in 2020, but seven months later, in October, that was seven months later than the male panda.

And Isabel, videos and photos taken at Zoo Atlanta this weekend show banners with two pandas on them and the words the Future Home of Ping Ping and Fu Shuang. Now, we don't know if we're going to be able to see them here behind us, Isabel, because we understand that they are very heavily guarded. They're going to -- they're going to be quarantined for weeks once they get to the zoo.

So, it's going to -- we're going to see if we can do that and bring you the images to you. But again, they're being very closely guarded as they make their arrival here in Atlanta. Now, back to you.

ROSALES: It feels like presidential watch, but instead it's panda watch. Keep your eyes on the sky, Rafael. OK, we're trusting in you. Be on the lookout for those pandas.

ROMO: OK.

ROSALES: All right. Thank you. Well, Chinese state media says that the pandas got a farewell ceremony before they embarked on their trek across the world to their new temporary home. Soon to come here in Atlanta. Let's turn now to CNN correspondent Mike Valerio in Beijing for more that part of the story. Mike, so much excitement on both sides of the world with these pandas.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Isabel, you know, it was a little bit of a pandaganza in Chengdu. We can go to the video that shows you a little bit of the panda motorcade that started to happen after the sun went down local time yesterday. And, you know, it was a fanfare sendoff because, you know, when you talk to people either in Chengdu in southwestern China, Sichuan province, or here in town in Beijing, people are pretty glad that this tradition that Mao Zedong started in 1972 is still persisting 54 years later, even though, you know, tensions are still ongoing and relationships change so many people here in China, Isabel, see this as a through line, a very cute fuzzy through line to continue

But in terms of what was needed to make sure that this was a safe and smooth 15-hour plane ride, which is almost over right now, two elements of training. First of all, making sure that the pandas would like the crates or be OK with those crates and manage to go to them on their own accord. That did happen, thankfully.

And then the second thing, what to do about the aircraft noise? Pandas, as you know, Isabel for the most part are very chill. They don't like loud noises. So over the past month they've been given more aircraft sounds in the background of their panda habitat in Chengdu, getting them acclimated to what the journey would be like.

In terms of if you live in Atlanta, if you're going to visit Zoo Atlanta, one of their highlights is that they have two very different personalities. Ping Ping, the male, is very demure as described by their keeper -- his keeper, I should say. And Fu Shuang, you know, I don't want to say that she has chaos energy per se but there are moments when she does when its snack time.

So when you go see these pandas, when they're out of quarantine, which should take a few weeks, it's going to take a beat, they will have, you know, very different personalities in the sense that you might see one just kind of hanging out while the other is flopping and falling all over the place. So certainly people here, very glad that this tradition is persisting, and we're going to see what images come out of Atlanta in the next couple minutes as we're waiting for this touchdown, Isabel.

ROSALES: Hey, chaotic energy around food time, I mean, can you blame a girl, Mike?

VALERIO: Yes.

ROSALES: Mike Valerio --

VALERIO: No, no. No, no, no.

ROSALES: -- thank you. And by the way, just ahead, we are not done with this panda business. We're going to have an expert talk to us about what the pandas represent as competition for global dominance grows between the U.S. and China, this gets trickier, very nuanced. So, we'll talk about that up ahead.

And breaking overnight, by the way, two deadly mass shootings in South Africa. Seventeen people were killed and 15 others were wounded when eight unidentified men opened fire on customers at a tavern. This happened in the township of Wedela in the West Rand District near Johannesburg.

[06:15:03]

Also this morning, 10 people were shot and killed at an entertainment venue in a township in the Western Cape of South Africa. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is tracking the latest developments. Stefano, good morning here from Atlanta. These mass killings just becoming all too common in South Africa. What can you tell us about what you're learning?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN ROME CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Unfortunately, we don't have many lines, fresh lines from the latest development. What we can say is, of course, take a minute to give you a little bit of context of why this is happening in South Africa, a nation that really seems unable to shrug off a violence crisis that has been grappling for the last few years.

It was back in March that the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, authorized the deployment of up to 2,200 soldiers to help the police tackle these murder crisis and violent crime crisis. Think, Isabel, that about 58 murders take place every day in South Africa, according to the police figures.

And in addressing the deployment of the army, that was extraordinary in a country that has tried to remain neutral or in a third way, unaligned throughout his recent history, at least since the fall of the apartheid regime in the 1990s. Well, Cyril Ramaphosa said that the that the army was tasked to giving the support to the police, especially in areas that are ripe with gang crime and illegal mining. The town of Wedela, where 17 people appear to have been killed this morning, is exactly one of those places known for gold mining, but also gang activity, Isabel.

ROSALES: Just sad all around. Stefano Pozzebon, thank you for explaining. And we also have breaking news out of the United Kingdom linked to an air base that's used by U.S. forces. British police say they arrested several men in a nearby village on suspicion of offenses under the country's explosives act.

The village is just two miles away from the Royal Air Force Base at Fairford. Some residents have been evacuated to local centers.

Now, back in March, the U.K. granted the U.S. permission to use the base to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites targeting ships on the Strait of Hormuz. We'll have more on this story as it continues to develop.

And by the way, stick around with us, because Pope Leo is in France this weekend. Today he visited the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, where he is holding an open air mass. We'll have those details coming up here in just a couple of moments.

Plus, President Trump has rejected Iran's offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling it, quote, "unacceptable." What Iran says was in the new proposal. That's next.

And Lindsay Clancy will be back in court again for the first time since the mistrial in her triple murder case. We'll have more on what to expect. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:00]

ROSALES: Good morning and welcome back. Pope Leo celebrated mass in France this morning in front of Lourdes main basilica to an estimated 150,000 people. He used the moment to express his opposition to euthanasia and medically assisted dying. The French Catholic shrine is associated with miraculous cures and is also a place of healing for survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Today, the Pope is also meeting with the bishops of the French Episcopal Conference. On Saturday, an estimated 800,000 people lined the Champs-Elysees in Paris to get a glimpse of the pope. During his visit he has been urging Catholics to find happiness in faith and not in material possessions.

President Trump has rejected a proposal from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's top diplomat says he submitted a fresh offer to the U.S. several days ago that would reopen the critical waterway and kick start peace talks between the two countries. CNN's Julia Benbrook has the latest.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump says he has rejected Iran's latest proposal, calling it unacceptable. Now, the details of what is in the proposal are scarce. But Iran's foreign minister said that it did nothing more than what was in the memorandum of understanding, the agreement signed by both the United States and Iran back in June. But that was scrapped shortly thereafter.

This recent proposal, Iran says, would have led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for some of its long standing demands of the United States. The Strait of Hormuz, that critical waterway, has been a key area of focus for this now months long conflict, and there are conflicting messages on it. Trump has remained adamant that the United States is in full control of it, and watching every inch of it. He spoke on that part specifically at the White House on Saturday. Take a listen.

[06:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He said, let's close it and cause a problem for the world. And then I came along and we put up the greatest blockade ever in military history. It's a wall of steel. I would put it up.

And guess what? They don't have any money now because they wanted to close the strait. And I said, that's fine. We're going to close it on you. But everybody else is able to use it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: These comments come not long after Trump spoke at the United Nations General Assembly, and he said that he was in deciding mode when it comes to Iran. He said that he believed there could be some sort of an agreement to end the conflict shortly after the midterms, suggesting that Tehran is trying to put some political pressure there.

But as he said, that there could be an agreement in the coming weeks, he also said that he could annihilate Iran. He added that he could drive Iran into, quote, "hell with no chance of survival." It's important to note that following those first joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran, Trump said that this could last a number of weeks. It is now nearing that seventh month mark.

And as those midterms are quickly approaching, poll after poll shows that the majority of Americans do not approve of the way that Trump has handled this. In fact, a recent CNN poll found that just 26 percent said that they approve of the way that Trump has handled this conflict so far.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

ROSALES: Julia Benbrook, thank you. Well, here's a look at some of the stories making headlines this morning.

The FBI removed two senior agents from their jobs and reassigned them over an investigation into alleged threatening calls made to Katie Miller, the wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller. This came shortly after the veteran field agents determined that the calls to Katie Miller, who is a MAGA podcaster, did not meet the threshold required for terrorism and did not warrant further investigation. According to sources, that decision may have upset their bosses. The FBI confirms the removals but denies the order came from Director Kash Patel.

Oxford, Mississippi law enforcement officials are hosting a free Narcan training session next month after the deaths of two Ole Miss students. The causes of death for 18-year-old Aidan Hamilton and 20- year-old Robert Strang are still under investigation. But packages of the drug kratom were found near their bodies in two different locations. A toxicology exam will also reveal if other drugs were involved.

Now, kratom can be bought at retail stores and gas stations across several states, including in Mississippi. Although, it's banned from being sold there in Oxford. The free Narcan training class is scheduled for October 1st.

Two giant pandas have left China and are on a flight bound for their new home at a zoo right here in Atlanta. Next, we're going to talk to an expert on Beijing's long tradition of using panda diplomacy to strengthen ties with other countries. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:30]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. It is a big day here in Atlanta. That's because two giant pandas named Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are arriving from China. They are part of Beijing's long tradition of using panda diplomacy to strengthen ties with other nations.

Joining us now to discuss is Ja Ian Chong. Chong, excuse me, he's an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

Professor, good morning and thank you so much for coming on the show.

Let's start with the names. Ping Ping means peace. Fu Shuang means double blessings. Can you give us a sense of what these giant pandas represent to the Chinese people and the Chinese government, especially as they're being used as this tool of diplomacy?

JA IAN CHONG, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR POLITICAL SCIENCE, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE: So, pandas have become this public diplomacy symbol for the PRC. They were endangered, you know, efforts to, you know, conserve them have been quite successful.

So in some respects, you know, they represent China's success. They represent also a fuzzier, more cuddly element of China that's aimed to dispel some of the China threat talk. And I guess with the naming, a lot of the loans of pandas come with names that evoke cooperation, friendliness between whoever the, you know, gifty is.

ROSALES: Yes. And Professor Chong, China's President Xi announced the loan of the two pandas while he was visiting President Trump late last week in Washington, D.C. Given what we know about President Trump and how global leaders have flattered him to curry favor, how much of an impact do you think these giant pandas have with President Trump, if any?

CHONG: So I'm not sure how President Trump responds to the pandas, but I don't think the panda, the point of the loans are President Trump. I'm sure they are part of the visit, but it's more targeted towards the U.S. public. Right.

The audience often with these loans of pandas is public, is public diplomacy, is to create an image that China is friendly, that it is well-meaning. And so that's really the intent, because these loans can go on over years, sometimes decades, because pandas can live quite long.

So, it's really the U.S. public.

ROSALES: Yes. And this whole practice started way back with President Nixon back in the 1970s. You mentioned that this is a sign of goodwill, of perhaps, you know, influencing public perception of the American public and how it views China.

[06:35:07]

Is that intent? Does this still work? This panda diplomacy, does it still work in modern times?

CHONG: I think some of the novelty of pandas have worn off. They are far more common now around the world in zoos than they were previously. Now, they still are a very positive image for the PRC. That having been said, you know, there are sometimes controversies that come up at points where there are tensions between China and the country it loans the pandas to, you know, these pandas and their treatment becomes an issue of contention. Sometimes they get moved back and as in the case of Japan (ph) last year, it became a whole public issue.

And also upkeep of the pandas can sometimes be a bit expensive, right? Because they require very specific conditions under which to live. And so sometimes that becomes an issue of contention between the PRC and the country that's loaned the pandas to.

ROSALES: And what is the symbolism, do you think, say about the U.S.- China relations at this moment? We've seen, for example, other nations like Japan in the past give back the pandas.

We saw cubs go back during Barack Obama's presidency after he visited the Dalai Lama. What does it say about right now the relations between China and the U.S.?

CHONG: So right now, I guess in a parallel to the Nixon era, is an effort by Beijing to reach out to send friendly signals to the U.S. public. The issue with cubs is that cubs that are born to pandas overseas, they belong to the PRC, right? So they do have to get returned at some point.

So sometimes the timing can dovetail with periods of friction between the PRC and the loan estate. Sometimes the return of the pandas can reflect an unhappiness that the loan estate has with Beijing.

So, you know, this whole kind of diplomacy, it can go different ways. A lot of it is about signaling.

ROSALES: Professor Jia Ian Chong, thank you so much for explaining this to us. Yes, they're cute and they're cuddly, but it goes so much deeper than that. It goes into symbolism, diplomacy, and yes, politics. Really appreciate your time.

CHONG: My pleasure.

ROSALES: All right. Still to come, let's chat with a legal expert about what to expect next in Lindsay Clancy's triple murder trial.

Stay with us.

And if you're heading out, remember that you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S. right from the CNN app. You can also go to CNN.com/WATCH.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:42:37]

ROSALES: Welcome back.

For the first time since her murder case was declared a mistrial, Lindsay Clancy will be back in court on Tuesday in a move to have her conviction overturned. You remember that she was charged with murdering her three young children, but the jury could not unanimously agree on a verdict.

Clancy's attorney now wants an investigation into the lone juror who wanted to convict her.

Joining me now is legal analyst and retired judge Ashley Willcott.

Judge, thank you so much for being on the show and for your time.

ASHLEY WILLCOTT, LEGAL ANALYST: Great to be with you Isabel. The (ph) case.

ROSALES: This case. Oh, my goodness. It feels like everyone's talking about it. It's taken a life of its own --

WILLCOTT: Yes.

ROSALES: -- on social media and still continues to do so. Let me begin because there's so much we could talk about here. But Clancy's attorney is --

WILLCOTT: Yes.

ROSALES: -- arguing that the mistrial would violate double jeopardy protections.

WILLCOTT: Yes.

ROSALES: What do you think about that.

WILLCOTT: It's a very zealous representation of his client, a unique argument, because in Massachusetts, the burden has shifted. The prosecution has to show not only she committed the murder beyond a reasonable doubt, but that she was criminally responsible.

So he's saying there was not enough evidence, judge, before this jury to prove that she was criminally responsible. And therefore, you have no choice, judge. You have to acquit her.

I do not know that legally the judge is going to do that, but it's a very good argument to at least make.

ROASLES: Logically sound, but you're not sure if it's going to take it all.

WILLCOTT: Right. Because, you know, that's the reason there's a retrial, right? When you have a hung jury and the jury can't decide, the reason prosecution retries is because the jury has spoken. They can't decide.

So to say, take it out of the hands of the jury, judge, and you decide it's an acquittal is a big ask.

ROSALES: Yes. So, what happens next? What are the potential next moves here for both sides?

WILLCOTT: So many different things could happen. Number one, the judge could agree and acquit. And that means double jeopardy applies and there's not going to be a trial. And she's not going to walk free.

I think everybody needs to remember there's really not a good chance she's just going to be back out on the street. She did kill three children, regardless of the reasons or what happened. She would be in a psychiatric hospital like she is now.

But the other option is this. The prosecution is going to say, we're going to try her again. And we are going to go for that guilty of murder so that she goes into the prison system. Keeping in mind, she will still get treatment in the prison system.

[06:45:01]

ROSALES: Now, what do you think is the appetite for that move?

WILLCOTT: Well, I think that the nation's divided. If you look on social media, some people say absolutely murder and some people no, no, no postpartum psychosis. She couldn't recognize what was criminally responsible for and therefore get her treatment. Don't send her to jail.

But the thing I have an issue with is don't forget prison means treatment as well, whichever way the people decide.

ROSALES: Yes. And let's talk about this lone holdout juror who refused to find Clancy guilty by insanity. The case has now seemingly become more about the jurors than really the accused and Clancy's attorney now wants that juror investigated.

From your experience, how do you see this as a case that has shifted hyper-focused on this juror?

WILLCOTT: Well, I really hate it for our system because the jury is meant to be anonymous in terms of when they're deliberating, people don't know who it is and then transparency requires we learn about jurors after the fact.

But by the four people who spoke, giving some of the characteristics of the juror who chose not to speak, the lone juror, he was able to be identified. So now he's kind of forced to come out through his attorney and make a statement. And his statement is no, I found no reasonable doubt. There was no reasonable doubt for me as the juror, but the picture painted is very different.

And so, what I don't like is that now there are individuals on a jury being criticized for what they did in their role as a juror.

ROSALES: Right, because their role is important.

WILLCOTT: Yes, that's what they're supposed to do is come up with a decision based on the law.

ROSALES: Judge Ashley Willcott, thank you so much.

WILLCOTT: Thank you.

ROSALES: You make something so complex sound easy. Appreciate it.

WILLCOTT: Great to see you. Thank you.

ROSALES: Thank you.

Well, still to come, family farmers are certainly feeling the squeeze. How Farm Aid is putting their struggles and the communities counting on them center stage.

Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:51:17]

ROSALES: Welcome back.

With American farmers facing growing financial pressure, Farm Aid 2026 in Virginia Beach put the people who grow our food and the communities that they support front and center.

CNN's Bill Weir has more on the annual music festival. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: This now 41-year-old tradition started in the mid '80s back when empathy was cool and Live Aid was rocking two continents. Bob Dylan took the stage flanked by a couple of Rolling Stones and said as long as we're raising money for famine victims, we should do the similar thing for farmers in the U.S.

At the time during the Reagan administration, farm foreclosures and suicides were at an all-time high. But fast forward now, 41 years later, a lot of the same issues remain. You can add on tariffs and trade wars and the price of diesel.

So life for the American independent farmer has only gotten harder over the life of Farm Aid. This institution has raised about $90 million over the years to support those small farmers. And tonight was a cavalcade of those longtime supporters.

Willie Nelson was watching Live Aid and saw Bob Dylan's call out. That's when he called Neil Young. John Mellencamp had started this movement that is now rolling on here. Neil Young, rather subdued performance, the hard rock and protest singer, mostly acoustic and emotional early on, but finished with the rocking in the free world. And it was young and old, all kinds of generations represented here at Farm Aid 41.

Bill Weir, CNN, Virginia Beach.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ROSALES: Bill Weir, thank you for that.

This week CNN Heroes Spotlight focuses on Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian who has devoted her life to protecting endangered mountain gorillas by empowering their neighbors.

Here she is in her own words. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLADYS KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA, CNN HERO: The mountain gorillas used to be one of the most critically endangered species on earth. When I first came out here as a vet student, I realized how intelligent they were. And, you know, I felt a really deep connection. And I was like, wow, I felt it was so important that they're protected.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to 43 percent of the world's endangered mountain gorillas. Bwindi was threatened by a lot of high human population growth. There are a lot of interaction between the gorillas and the people. We used to find that people were not hygienic. Gorillas are picking up preventable diseases, basically. And this made me realize that you couldn't protect the gorillas without improving the health of their human neighbors.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA: We started the village health and conservation team approach in 2007. They do a lot of good work promoting health and hygiene practices. And now we're reaching over 10,000 households.

You can make each other sick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA: But we're not making each other sick because you're clean.

Over time, we have seen huge changes. Having a clean toilet. A hand washing station. A separate animal house. But at the same time, we want to make sure that they're less dependent on the forest by finding them sustainable livelihoods. You cannot keep the gorillas healthy when people next to them are poor, hungry. It just can't work.

We found out that the coffee farmers were not getting a fair market price and were still entering the forest to poach. So, then we started to sell the coffee. We give them an above market price and a donation from every bag goes to support community health, gorilla health and conservation education. This is showing people that we care about not just the gorillas, but we also care about them.

[06:55:11]

Gorilla tourism has completely transformed the lives of the people here. And engaging local communities is our way of making sure that gorillas are being protected. I always get very excited when I hear that baby mountain gorilla has been born. And as long as the communities see the gorillas as their future, the numbers are going to keep growing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: And you can see much more about the work that she's doing in Uganda at CNN.com/HEROES.

By the way, we have breaking news. The pandas that we were mentioning, Ping Ping and Xu -- La Shuang (ph) from China have just landed here in Atlanta. We will have live team coverage from Atlanta and Beijing straight ahead on "CNN This Morning Weekend."

Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)