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The Situation Room

1,200 Plus People Dead in Nepal-China Floods; 5,000 Plus Missing; U.S. Officials: Military Escorted 40 Commercial Ships in Strait; Family Blames ICE for Son's Death. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired September 03, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Hanako Montgomery is in Nepal following the rescue efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than a week on from the deadly flash floods, Nepal is still counting the number of those who died and searching for thousands who remain missing. Authorities are desperately searching for survivors, particularly in hydropower tunnels where hundreds remain unaccounted for, but it's unclear how many are still alive.

The rescue and recovery effort is being hampered by bad weather, destroyed roads and bridges, but also because the tunnels are filled with thick, heavy mud from the floods. Prime Minister Balendra Shah says some of these operations can't safely continue until that mud has fully dried, and one military officer has warned that that task could take months. That gives you a sense of the scale of what lies ahead.

And now, there's another growing concern that disasters of this magnitude could become more frequent due to climate change. Here's what the prime minister had to say about this issue in parliament.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALENDRA SHAH, NEPALI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): This is a serious signal that alongside climate change, the risks we must bear in the Himalayan region are increasing. We must be aware of this, and the time has also come for us to present forcefully before the international community the disasters we are suffering because of climate change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: And new images continue to reveal the scale of the devastation. Drone footage shows the trail of destruction left by the floods, and residents are digging mud out of their homes in some places, even as their entire village remains buried. And with bridges washed away, rescue workers are building makeshift zip lines to reconnect communities cut off by the floods.

Thousands of families are also now mourning their lost loved ones. You can see here men shaving their heads as part of Hindu cremation rituals. And for families who still haven't recovered a body, straw effigies are being burned, a symbolic farewell to loved ones they may never be able to bury.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Kathmandu, Nepal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: A special thanks to Hanako for that report from Nepal. And to our viewers, you can find out how you can help Nepal flood victims. Just go to cnn.com/impact.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And still ahead, a wild neighborhood standoff takes a turn when a man who fired at a police drone barricades himself with a tractor. You're in the Situation Room, we'll be back.

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[11:35:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, sources tell CNN the U.S. military escorted 40 commercial vessels carrying 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. and Iran actually exchanged a new round of strikes on Tuesday. And that marks a wartime high. Roughly 20 million barrels passed through the Strait daily before the war started in late February. CNN is also learning U.S. forces hit nearly 60 Iranian military targets around the waterway while escorting the ships.

Joining us now here in the Situation Room is the former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta. Mr. Secretary, thanks as usual for joining us. What do you take away from all this latest reporting that we're getting about the overall state of the Iran war right now?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, it still appears very much to be a stalemate in which neither side is really able to bring the other side either to the negotiating table or surrender or be able to bring this war to an end. And so, right now, we are in a prolonged war that appears to be continuing.

I think it is good news that the United States has been able to escort some ships through the Straits of Hormuz because, frankly, one of the fundamental issues here is the closure of the Straits of Hormuz. That's what's impacting on the price of fuel. That's what's impacting on our inflation, the cost of living. And it really is leverage on the part of Iran to be able to threaten the Straits of Hormuz. As long as they have that capability with their missiles and drones, I'm afraid that even though we may have scored a few ships, the fundamental closure of the Straits of Hormuz is still a reality.

BLITZER: President Trump told reporters yesterday, Mr. Secretary, that the U.S. military blew up, quote, "much more" than Iran's radar system in strikes earlier this week. What could he be referring to and why is that potentially significant? PANETTA: Well, it sounds like they're trying to go after targets that are involved in firing missiles and firing drones at ships that are going through the Straits of Hormuz. And if there's a combination here of U.S. ships escorting transports, probably using the Omani path through the Straits of Hormuz. In order to make that work, you've got to make sure that you're going after Iranian missiles and drones that can fire on those ships. So, I'm sure that seems to be the combination here to try to allow some passage of ships through the Straits.

I'm glad we're doing that. But make no mistake about it, it's still a very hit-and-miss operation.

[11:40:00]

And as long as Iran continues to threaten those ships going through the Straits, they still have a tremendous amount of leverage against the United States. Clearly, this war is not over yet.

BLITZER: I want to play, Mr. Secretary, some of what the president said about the prospect of regime change by the Iranian people. Listen and watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: So, when I ask that question, I ask it sort of knowing the answer. The only answer is that they're being shot. The regime is getting weaker and weaker by the day. And at some point, they're not going to be able to shoot so easily because I think the people aren't going to take it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Just how realistic is a rebellion by Iranian citizens against the Iranian regime?

PANETTA: Well, we've seen this before. And the president at one point indicated that he would be providing help and never did. I think unless there is an effort to try to support some kind of stronger opposition that is able to provide leadership and be able to organize people, it's just not going to happen. You can't just be hopeful. You can't just wish for it because it's obvious that we're dealing with a very hardline regime that will come down very heavy on people who try to break away.

So, my view is that unless the United States is providing support to those who are, in fact, on the streets and trying to be able to bring this regime down, it isn't going to happen.

BLITZER: Amid this war, Mr. Secretary, multiple sources are now telling CNN they believe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is damaging the Army's efforts to adapt to the modern battlefield as he focuses in on cultural issues and pushes out leaders who don't necessarily align with his vision. And this comes after the Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's recent resignation. What's your response? You're a former Pentagon chief yourself. You were secretary of defense. As you see this unfolding, what do you think? PANETTA: Well, I was also a member of the Army when I served in the military. And as a former secretary of defense, I think the secretary is undermining the strength of our military and particularly the Army by creating the kind of turmoil in the command structure that he's been creating.

Anytime he dismisses a command structure that is experienced and that has been recognized as strong and bringing experience and leadership to the position, which is very important in the military, it isn't the secretary that is leading those people on the battlefield. It is those commanders. And when you get rid of those commanders and when you get rid of the secretary of the Army, what you do is you create turmoil, which damages the ability of the Army to do its job, particularly at a time of war.

The current Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnell, says, and I'm quoting him now, "It's a total fabrication to claim that Secretary Hegseth is not focused on modernization," end quote. But what do you read from some Republican lawmakers right now publicly calling for Hegseth's ousting?

PANETTA: Well, when you look at the record here, it is not a good record in terms of supporting our men and women in uniform. We're running out of weapons. We have depleted our missile supply. We are deploying ships like the Abraham Lincoln for nine months, extended deployment that has impacted on morale, on their health, on their maintenance, and on their mission.

When you combine all of that with the actions that are being taken against the commanders, commanders who have been chosen because they are experienced, because they're good. I've worked with many of these people. They are the best. When you combine all of that, what he's doing, very frankly, is weakening the ability of our military to respond and do its mission.

BLITZER: Have you ever seen anything like this before at the Pentagon?

[11:45:00]

PANETTA: Never, never. This is -- you know, everyone I talk to has commented that there is nothing but turmoil going on at the Pentagon. Turmoil in leadership, turmoil in terms of the mission, turmoil in terms of fully supporting our men and women in uniform who are putting their lives on the line. That is not what the Pentagon is doing. What the secretary ought to be doing, he ought to be supporting those who put their lives on the line, not undermining the support that they absolutely need to do the job.

BLITZER: The former defense secretary, Leon Panetta, thanks so much for joining us.

PANETTA: Good to be with you.

BLITZER: Pamela. BROWN: All right. Wolf, coming up, he lost temporary protected status and was issued an ankle monitor. Months later, he took his own life. Why his family says ICE is to blame for his death. That story up next.

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[11:50:00]

BROWN: Now, to a Situation Room special report. In Ohio, a family of Haitian immigrants said they were forced to leave their home Their 20- year-old college student died by suicide because he was humiliated by the ankle monitor that immigration officials required him to wear.

Pierre Damas Bel and a growing number of Haitians in Ohio were outfitted with ankle monitors after the Trump administration ended their temporary protected status. Pierre had been going through two and a half years of immigration proceedings to stay in the U.S. His family and friends say the monitor sidelined him from his beloved soccer and prevented him from getting a new ROTC uniform. And they say some classmates teased him about it. On Monday, Pierre stepped into traffic on Interstate 70 and was killed.

Joining us now are Pierre's close friends Yola Lamarre, who is also a member of the Haitian Community Network, a local advocacy group, and Carl Ruby, an immigration advocate who has been supporting Pierre's family. Thank you both for coming on.

So, Yola, tell us more about your friend, what he was like and how your community is grappling with this.

YOLA LAMARRE, CLOSE FRIEND OF PIERRE DAMAS BEL: Thank you. Pierre Damas Bel was a beacon of light in his community. He originally originated from Columbus, Ohio, and actually wanted to move to Springfield to be a soccer player on the Springfield High School varsity men's soccer team. A lot of people can say that he was a positive person, always looking to help at work, where he worked at, at Texas Roadhouse. Someone that was grateful for literally anything, hardworking, determined, full of courage.

And it's difficult for the community to grapple with this. I think that this just adds into existing compounded frustration and trauma that the community is already enduring that is preventative. None of this has to happen, and it's very difficult for everyone.

BROWN: Carl, you've been spending time with the family since Pierre's death. His father said that Pierre called him just before his death. Can you share some of that conversation with us?

CARL RUBY, PASTOR, CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Yes. And I want to also add that I've become involved with the family since Pierre's death. So, Yola has been outstanding in supporting them. What the father told me is that at 8:00, Pierre left home heading toward Wright State and called him at one point and was very distressed and told him that he didn't know whether he could go on. And he attributed it to bullying that he was experiencing, to people seeing him with the ankle monitor and calling him a criminal. His dad begged him to come home, thought that he was going to do that. His dad had to take a younger sibling to school. And when he got home, he expected to find Pierre. Pierre wasn't there. And at 11:00, the state highway patrol showed up with news of his death.

BROWN: Yola, a spokesperson for ICE, says that it won't comment on a death that is still being investigated, but did say this in a statement, quote, "Remaining in the country illegally while fighting removal is a choice. Leaving with a free flight home and $2,600 is also a choice. ICE will continue to use detention or alternatives to detention as needed for those illegal aliens who stay in violation of the law."

Yola, I wonder what your response is to that statement. What's also a choice is creating permanent pathways for people not to fall into cracks in a dehumanizing and criminalizing system.

LAMARRE: What's also a choice is allowing people a fair game at justice. What people don't understand is that people, ordinary people, everyday people are being criminalized and dehumanized by this administration's disgusting immigration policy. Pierre came legally in the country.

What people don't understand is that when this administration took its place, many forms of legal entries and pathways have been revoked. We are facing the biggest mass de-legalization in immigration history in the United States of America.

[11:55:00]

And so, to take away the ability for people to adjust their status and also live a normal life and to respond in a very myopic simplistic way that people have a choice completely dismissing and oversimplifying the humiliation that Pierre had to endure, it's just -- it's shameful and it's a disgrace. It's a statement that I can't even take seriously.

And I think that it is important for this administration to take into consideration many other immigrants who have already committed suicide due to the emotional turmoil of this administration's disgusting immigration policy and revise it and also understand the importance of dignifying people, especially the Haitian community.

BROWN: I wonder, Carl, how people -- have you if you've seen a change of perception of Haitian immigrants and how they've been viewed and treated in your city over the last couple of years, especially given some of the false claims about the community.

RUBY: I'll do that, but I want to take a crack at the previous question. First, what I would ask to ICE officials and to every legislature, legislator and President Trump and to Stephen Miller and to Markwayne Mullins, would you take your children back to Haiti for 2,600 bucks? And my guess is most would say not.

The Haitian community is loved by the vast majority of people in Springfield. They work hard. They're wonderful neighbors. They are kind, joyful. Our city needed them. We were we were declining in population. They have re-energized our city. They've re-energized our churches. My church grew significantly with Haitians becoming a part of our church. And we went from having 50 Haitians a day on a Sunday till I think two when I arrived in town. So, they are locked in their homes, terrified of coming out the door.

BROWN: We have to end it here. Yola Lamarre, Carl Ruby, thank you so much. If you or a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, call or text 988 for help.

BLITZER: And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. Inside Politics with our friend and colleague Phil Mattingly today starts after a quick break.

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