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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Earth Moves Between Sun and Moon in Partial Lunar Eclipse; Nearly 500 Dead and 1,300+ Missing in Catastrophic Flood; Trump in Texas to Campaign for Ken Paxton Bid for Senate; Monsoon-Fueled Storms Possible in Flood Zone in Coming Days. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired August 28, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.

[00:00:37]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Elex Michaelson, live in Los Angeles. Welcome to a special edition of THE STORY IS, where we are about to witness a spectacle in the sky, a partial lunar eclipse.

We've got live pictures from around the world as we are just minutes away from what's called maximum eclipse here on the West Coast of the United States. You see right there. This is a live picture from here in Southern California.

The Earth is moving between the Sun and the Moon, which is casting a shadow on more than 96 percent of the lunar surface. The result, if you go outside in most parts of the world right now, is a bright outline around the Moon and a rusty reddish glow from the Moon's surface.

Nearly a billion people around the world will be able to see all phases of this eclipse, expected to be the most impressive eclipse until the very, very end of 2028.

An estimated 3.6 billion people live in areas where at least some of the eclipse will be visible. That includes North and South America, parts of Europe and Africa. One of the few events that reminds us that we all share one planet, and we are in this together.

And a nice moment to, frankly, take a break from all the divisive politics and bad news and celebrate our place on this planet.

Let's go live to CNN's Stefano Pozzebon in Rome to begin our team coverage. What are you seeing there?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The first light of dawn here in Rome. But we've been here for a couple of hours to witness this celestial spectacle of really rare beauty, especially when you're so privileged, like we are, to see it on top of one of the most beautiful cities on Earth, and perhaps the most famous dome, or the cupola of St. Peter's. This is why we've had several astrophotographers and simply

enthusiasts, for example, who have been here since the nighttime just to take a photo of -- of the spectacle.

Of course, we're not going to see, perhaps, that reddish glow. That is an optical trick from the Earth's atmosphere. That is because, of course, the Sun is already about to start rising here in Southern Europe.

However, the last few hours have been emotional. There is a connection with the Moon, for example, in that a lot of people find -- find it almost magical and the relationship with our satellite. It's in night like this that you realize, perhaps, how small we are as a specimen on a -- on a piece of rock that is traveling at light speed around the galaxy.

But perhaps I'm here in Rome. You're there in Southern California. Julia is at the Griffith Observatory, as well. It's a night where we feel we are together on this piece of rock.

And from Rome. Really? We can't see the Moon right now at -- with the naked eye. But with our cameras and the cameras of our friends here at the Villa Borghese Park overlooking Piazza del Popolo and the city center of Rome.

It really, truly is a magical spectacle that is happening very rarely, like you said. You said 2028, 2029. I've learned, for example, speaking with astronomers that this type of eclipse takes place every 18 years.

It was 2008 the last time that this -- that the Moon and the Sun aligned with exactly the same characteristics. We would have to wait up until the 2040s in order to see that again -- Elex.

MICHAELSON: And Stefano, as we continue our conversation with you, we're looking at a live picture right now from Madrid, where you get a good sense of this as being visible all throughout Europe.

It seems like people are waking up early where you are just to be a part of this global experience.

POZZEBON: Yes, exactly. Or people staying up all night. There were a couple of astrophotographers that we spoke with earlier today. They -- they pulled an all-nighter. They just stayed up with a thermos of coffee.

And we arrived here at about 3 a.m. local time. And there were already people still here, or maybe people still here from -- from the night before.

[00:05:03]

But yes, definitely a lot of people that came up. There are about 2,000 people.

Let me see if we can actually speak with someone. How do you feel about this spectacle -- (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

POZZEBON: "It's beautiful. Very emotional." (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

POZZEBON: "You can touch the happiness," these ladies just told me, coming here from the most beautiful city on Earth, perhaps.

Elex, this is truly a privilege and a luck that we can show -- show you and the audience and appreciate the spectacle from Rome and from Villa Borghese.

MICHAELSON: Stefano Pozzebon, who, when he joined us from South America, spoke Spanish live on the air; now speaking Italian for us, live on the air from Rome. The guy does it all.

POZZEBON: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Great to have you with us for our live coverage.

POZZEBON: Thanks, Elex.

MICHAELSON: We want to keep our coverage going here in the studio here in Southern California. Joining me now is Dr. Briley Lewis. She is a researcher at both UCLA and at UC Santa Barbara. And she brought her scarf to prove it.

DR. BRILEY LEWIS, RESEARCHER AT UCLA AND UC SANTA BARBARA: Yes, of course. I have to.

MICHAELSON: We love -- we love the attire.

So, talk to us about what's happening right now. Sort of describe what we're all watching.

LEWIS: Yes. So, we are watching the Moon pass into the Earth's shadow.

So, there are two parts to the Earth's shadow. There's the penumbra and the umbra. The umbra is the darker central part of Earth's shadow. And that's where we're really seeing the light of the Moon be blocked out. How you can see it on those images.

The penumbra, that was happening for the last few hours, and a lot of us probably didn't notice, because the Moon just got a little bit dimmer passing into the shadow of the Earth. Like, the main inner shadow is where all of the really interesting stuff happens.

And once it gets fully into that is when you would have a total lunar eclipse. We're not getting quite all the way to that total eclipse. It won't be fully in Earth's central shadow, but we're pretty close, as you can see on all of the images.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And so, the peak is about six minutes away. So, we're -- this is -- this is really close. We're in that place right now.

And you talked about a total eclipse. We won't have that until December 31st, 2028.

LEWIS: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Which is crazy to think of, New Year's Eve.

LEWIS: Yes.

MICHAELSON: With a total eclipse.

LEWIS: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Like, there's enough crazy stuff that happens on New Year's Eve and enough crazy stuff that happens when anything's happening with the Moon.

LEWIS: Yes.

MICHAELSON: To have both of that at the same time, watch out already. It's like, say --

LEWIS: It'll be fun.

MICHAELSON: Stay off the roads on that -- on that night.

You know, we don't have to have special glasses or anything for the lunar eclipse. People can go and look -- look at this, right?

LEWIS: Yes.

MICHAELSON: With their -- their bare eyes.

Do eclipses happen for other planets? Is this a thing that we see in other places?

LEWIS: Yes. So, eclipses like a lunar eclipse can happen anywhere where there's a big planet casting a shadow and there are moons. So lunar eclipses can totally happen on other worlds.

It's solar eclipses that are really extremely unique to Earth, because we have a Moon and a Sun that just happen to appear to be the same size. And that's a really weird coincidence.

And it's because the Moon happens to be 400 times smaller than the Sun, and the Sun happens to be 400 times further away. So, they end up appearing to be the same size.

MICHAELSON: Wow.

LEWIS: But yes, other -- other planets can have, especially lunar eclipses and not necessarily full solar eclipses, but they do have things where a Moon can pass in front of the Sun. And it won't block out the Sun completely, but you can see the shadow of the Moon. So -- MICHAELSON: So, we are in such a divided time. There's so few things that everybody can experience together, right? Everybody is on their phones, looking at their own algorithm.

This is one of the things that, like, everybody sees at the same time.

LEWIS: Yes.

MICHAELSON: As somebody who makes this your life's work, what does this kind of moment mean to you? And why does something like this matter?

LEWIS: Yes, I mean, this is -- this is what it's all about. This is why I got into astronomy, right? Is that it's something that connects all of us. It's something that humans have been doing for thousands of years.

Like, the first recorded lunar eclipse was almost 3,000 years ago and --

MICHAELSON: Wow.

LEWIS: -- on, like, an ancient Babylonian clay tablet.

MICHAELSON: Wow.

LEWIS: So, it's cool to think that this is something that has connected people across time and across our entire planet.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And it will -- will keep going.

So, in terms of that reddish color that some people see and which we're maybe about to see within the next few moments. Hopefully, we can look at more live pictures from around the world.

What does that -- what does that mean? Like, so describe the color scheme. What's going on here as we look at this live picture?

LEWIS: Yes. So, as we look at this picture. You can see the bright little sliver. That's still the Sun illuminating the Moon, where it's not fully in Earth's shadow.

And then the rest is where Earth's shadow is, you know, blocking out all of the sunlight that usually illuminates the Moon.

So, a lunar eclipse like this happens at a full Moon, when the Sun would usually be fully illuminating it. And we can see it's really starting to get there.

And that reddish color is something that you would be able to see right now, if that bright bit of sunlight weren't quite so bright.

[00:10:04]

So, in a total eclipse, the reddish color comes from the fact that the only light illuminating the Moon is actually light that has passed through Earth's atmosphere.

MICHAELSON: Wow.

And so, this is a live picture from our window. So, this is literally where we're sitting right now here in Burbank, California.

A rare cloudy night in Southern California. We haven't had many of those recently. So that's making this picture a little harder to see. But as we get closer to that, that maximum time, which is now about two minutes away, we do see the colors changing a bit. You see less and less, but you do see that that brightness still out there.

LEWIS: Yes. And so, the -- the reddish, orangish color that should come up hopefully soon. You can think of that as actually, like, all of Earth's sunrises and sunsets sort of at the same time.

So, the red-orange color that you'll see here is a similar effect to why the sunset looks red and orange.

MICHAELSON: Wow.

LEWIS: It's because of light is passing through so much of the air in Earth's atmosphere, and the blue light is scattered away. That's why the sky looks blue to us usually.

But when the light is passing through a lot of our atmosphere, that blue light all gets removed and it's really the red that comes through to us that we see.

MICHAELSON: That is fascinating. Thank you for that.

Let's go back to Stefano right now in Rome as -- as we're approaching the peak time of this how is it looking there?

POZZEBON: Anymore, unfortunately, Elex. But that is because, of course, here in Southern Europe and in the -- in Rome, the Sun is rising already.

Clearly, like our friends in Madrid or, for example, how a spectacle it would be to be in the middle of the Atlantic right now, in the Atlantic Ocean when it's still dark.

Here, it's 6:11 a.m. local time. The Sun is just about rising. We can already see some of the night.

But luckily we do have a bum (ph) shot on our camera here, as well, in order to see that reddish glow, that beautiful autumnal tint that the surface of our satellite gets because of the particles that are coming from the Sun via the atmosphere of the Earth, now hitting the surface of the Moon.

And as you can see, like, we were chatting with Paola (ph) and her friend just before, but you can see --

MICHAELSON: You see our picture? POZZEBON: -- other people -- sometimes people down there, perhaps --- that have seen -- that have been here pulling an all-nighter just to see the spectacle.

There was a couple here hugging each other. Of course, it can be an emotional moment for many people just to see, just to see the satellite and this rare spectacle that it takes place really every -- every few years.

A lunar eclipse -- lunar eclipses are more common, and they last a little bit longer than a solar eclipse. But there is an element of romanticism, perhaps in the attachment that we have to the satellite that we see every night, or almost every night.

But of course, on a night like this, it all becomes too magical. And of course, it all becomes too magical, especially if you are lucky, as we are, that you're coming up from Rome and you can see on the surface of one of the most beautiful cities on Earth -- Elex.

MICHAELSON: Thank you. Stefano.

Now, we're going to stick with this picture from -- from here in Southern California. This is the main moment. We are now in -- in the peak of this.

Let's bring back in Dr. Briley Lewis to try to explain, OK, what are we actually looking at right now. And what does peak actually mean?

Actually, let's bring in -- if you don't mind. We're going to go to my colleague Julia Vargas Jones, who's joining us live from the Griffith Observatory here in Southern California.

Julia, we get you right at the main moment here.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's amazing, Elex. Like, really, it's just -- we have this little sliver of pearly white at the top of the Moon, and we're about to -- we're about. We are in full totality. I think this is it.

I mean, as you mentioned, there's some clouds in the sky, but it's cruel. These clouds have been going in and out and shrouding. You know, there was a lot planned for this evening. There was a -- an event that the Griffith Observatory said that they had to cancel.

But they've actually brought people back out and continue with what they said they were going to do. We see the tiny little sliver still. I'm seeing this little sliver.

And people have started to clap. You know, I talked to someone earlier who said that she was here doing her full Moon ritual. She said she did the water to get Moon water as the moonlight was being absorbed into her water to wash her hands and let go of anything that she doesn't want anymore.

Coming here to journal, to write down all the things that don't serve you anymore. Stefano was talking about this, that the emotional part of the Moon,

we have this connection with the Moon, that the Moon represents the occult. The Moon represents everything that is unknown.

But it is also just a moment to observe nature and a moment that we can come together as every being on this planet.

[00:15:08]

I don't know if you can hear, but we're now getting some cheers out here, and I hear some drumming coming out from the Griffith Observatory.

Still, this little sliver of pearly, pearly white on the Moon. It's extraordinary to be here with all these people in this moment.

And I'm not sure if you can hear it still, but there's drums. There's a drum line coming out, and they're lit by some -- (AUDIO GAP) -- around the crowd. And hopefully they'll get to us.

Do you see? I'm going to step out of the way so you can see. So, our photojournalist, Chris, can show you a little bit of the party that's going on here. We've got a magician. We've got a dragon, and we've got some folks with musical instruments.

MICHAELSON: OK.

JONES: What is this exactly? I can't tell you, but it surely is a celebration of this special moment of -- that we all get to witness together here in Los Angeles.

MICHAELSON: L.A.'s -- L.A.'s showing up for this -- for this event and showing out. It brings out the best in everybody, I guess.

JONES: Be any different.

MICHAELSON: Griffith Observatory. Of course, one of the most beautiful spots in Southern California. An iconic spot, featured in so many movies: "La La Land," others. That spot where so many people go and get an opportunity to observe.

Bring back in Dr. Briley Lewis, here on set with me. I thought you were bringing it with the outfit. I mean, those -- those guys --

LEWIS: I know, right?

MICHAELSON: -- they took it to another level. Maybe they're part of the astronomy class.

So, in terms of -- of what we just witnessed, you know, what did we just see? And sort of what's the process now that we have been through that part, sort of the peak of it? What happens next?

LEWIS: Yes. So, I mean, in L.A., we did see a lot of clouds. So, that was a big part of, at least, what I could see on the screen. But now that we have reached the point where the Moon is the most in

Earth's shadow it's going to be for this eclipse, which isn't 100 percent, but as you said, it was very, very high.

MICHAELSON: Ninety-six percent. Pretty close.

LEWIS: Yes, yes. And so now, the Moon will keep moving, and it will move out of Earth's shadow. It will eventually move out of the umbra in the next hour or so. And then you won't see, you know, so much of the Moon fully in that darkness that we saw.

And the Moon will be still a little bit dim for a few hours after that, as it moves through the penumbra, the sort of outer shadow, and then it will be back to the normal Moon we're used to seeing.

MICHAELSON: So, if you -- if you've still got about an hour to go outside. This is a pretty nice picture that we're looking at right here, where you get a sense of this. This is from Rio.

LEWIS: Very nice.

MICHAELSON: So, a reminder that we're seeing this. We've looked at the picture from Europe. We've looked at the picture from here in North America. Now we're looking at a picture from South America. And a reminder of how this unites us.

How different is the -- the -- the view of this, depending on -- on where you are? And, like, where on the Earth would you not see something like this?

LEWIS: Yes. So, pretty much anywhere that you're on the night side of the Moon, like the night side of the Earth, you're going to see it.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

LEWIS: It's not like solar eclipses, where the shadow is very tiny. So, the Moon shadow that it casts on the Earth is only a few hundred miles wide. But the Earth shadow that's casted on the Moon is much, much bigger.

And so, really, the places that you won't see this right now are mostly where the weather's really bad, and it's hidden behind clouds. So, Rio's got a great view, it looks like.

MICHAELSON: They do have a great view, and it looks like a fun time to be out in Rio, where it is 1:18 a.m. But we know in Rio, that means there's still plenty of people that are out that are enjoying this view right now, that may be watching us from there.

So, it's going to be really interesting to see. I guess we'll keep an eye on this over the next hour.

Dr. Briley Lewis, thank you so much for coming in --

LEWIS: Thanks for having me.

MICHAELSON: -- and being a part of this with us.

We're going to continue to watch the live pictures of all of this over the next hour. We'll talk to you more in the next hour, as well.

Up next, we will be back with some big news, as you know, from Nepal. Stay with us. You're watching THE STORY IS.

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[00:23:51]

MICHAELSON: Police in Nepal say the death toll from the catastrophic flash floods has risen to 469 people as of Friday morning, local time.

Three people have been reported dead on the Chinese side of the border. More than 1,300 people have been reported missing, including foreign nationals.

Rescuers are searching for survivors, but they're having to battle the elements difficult terrain and washed-out infrastructure. Families and friends are anxiously waiting for updates on their loved ones in the region. And there are fears of a secondary disaster.

We go live now to CNN's Will Ripley, who is joining us from Kathmandu in Nepal outside a hospital.

Will, what's happening where you are?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Elex, this is obviously a very busy scene, this table in particular, because this is where families of people who are missing are registering their names and their ages and any information, hoping that, if they turn up at this hospital, because this is where the majority of the survivors are being treated, albeit that number is only about 31 right now that are being treated here. This is where they would be.

And there's also a morgue nearby with an even larger crowd of people, looking at photos on a wall of various bodies that have been that have been photographed in the flood zone. I saw children; I saw men; I saw women. And on this -- on this list that people are adding names to behind me.

The range in ages on the list, Elex, was the oldest was 83, and the youngest was 6. A lot of people in their 20s and 30s

that were all in this area.

This over here, this much shorter list, a handwritten list on this column. These are 31 names of people who survived who are being treated here at the hospital.

And we've seen people just kind of coming and checking every 30 minutes or so to just see if a new name has been added to that list.

We've been hearing that there might be more survivors being brought in. It hasn't happened yet, although we did, just about ten minutes ago, learned that four additional bodies were brought in here. So, it's a very difficult situation, obviously, for the families of those who are missing.

And we caught up with the families of two Americans who are among the group of people who right now, their fates are just unknown. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (voice-over): This is New Yorker Rashmi Shashidharan enjoying her vacation in Nepal. The 14-year-old and her mother, Rekha, have been missing since a catastrophic flash flood hit the Nepal-China border, destroying villages and infrastructure on Wednesday.

They are just two of several missing Americans and hundreds of foreign nationals among the thousands missing since the disaster struck. The eighth grader and her mom spent a few days in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, getting used to the high altitude before heading off on a Hindu pilgrimage with a group tour in the now impacted region.

SHEKHAR AGRAWAL, RASHI'S UNCLE: This is Rashi, enjoying her temple visit.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Rashi's uncle, Shekhar Agrawal, told CNN in an interview in Mumbai. He feels helpless as he searches for information and tries to find them.

AGRAWAL: This is the crucial golden hour, basically. I believe these 2 or 3 days, quick action needs to be taken by the government, and some information proactively needs to be exchanged with the people.

RIPLEY (voice-over): He last spoke to his sister at 7:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday. They were at Rasuwagadhi in the Rasuwa district on the Nepal-China border. They were planning to go to the immigration checkpoint at the Chinese border post at 12 p.m., the bridge that got swept away.

So, they were supposed --supposed to travel on that bridge. So, I believe she must be in the hotel.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Surveillance footage from the Chinese border post showed a mountain of mud and water taller than the building, crashing down and wiping out everything in its path.

Despite the shocking images emerging from the region, Rashi's uncle remains hopeful.

AGRAWAL: Well, we are hoping for the best, because these kind of things have happened earlier also. And we have seen cases wherein people have walked after three days, four days, five days. So right now, the only thing that you can do is be hopeful.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The images coming out of this devastated region are hard to comprehend, and the death toll will undoubtedly rise. Hundreds of people have so far been confirmed dead.

While rescuers have been filmed pulling mud-covered survivors from the debris, the race to find so many more continues. (END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: And you can see these people here, just scouring this list, looking for names.

We spoke with a tour company operator who said they had one tour group that, just because of where they were standing when the flood happened, they were able to run up a hill and get to a safe point. And they have been rescued. They are alive.

We're going to speak to some of them, actually, in the next hour or so here in Kathmandu.

But then there was another group that was actually at that Himalayan border crossing between China and Nepal, right in that area where we saw that horrible footage of the black wave that basically consumed that building.

And everyone there, they just were in line waiting to cross. And it is believed that they were washed away.

Another group that was just standing on a bridge that broke apart, similar situation.

So, I think people out here are aware of the fact that they just don't know where their loved ones were. Were they in an area that was inundated with water, or were they lucky enough to be in an area where they could have had, in those few seconds, a chance to run, to survive?

People are hoping. And over these next days, it's really going to be crucial that, you know, also communications are down in that area so that maybe their loved ones just haven't been able to reach out. But they're praying that they're still alive.

And then on top of all of this, Elex, of course, is the fear, especially on the Chinese side. They've been -- they've been reporting, sounding the alarm, really, that that -- that glacier that is believed to have caused this entire event is still highly unstable.

And so, there's also growing concern that a similar flood could happen again. And so, there have rescuers going into this area. But having to be mindful of the fact that there could be another emergency, and they have to be careful of where they go, obviously.

[00:30:03]

So, it's -- it's a really tough, tough thing to witness out here. This was an absolutely horrible event on both sides: here in Nepal and also on the Chinese side -- Elex.

MICHAELSON: I can't imagine that scene at the morgue that you describe of people looking at photos of body parts and trying to determine if their loved ones are alive or dead.

It is great to hear about that -- the bus of people that were able to get out, and I look forward to that conversation. How were they able to get out?

RIPLEY: Because they just -- see, some of the -- if you remember the footage where you saw a row of blue buses. What we're hearing is that there were actually people in those buses, the buses that when the wave came, they were washed away. And it looked like they were almost toy cars, you know, just getting, getting washed.

There -- those buses were full of people.

This particular group was not in their bus. They were in an area just by luck where -- where their group was that there was a hill nearby. And when the guide told everybody to run, everybody just ran up the hill. And that's how they were able to survive. They just had a matter of seconds.

And then from that hill, they were up -- they were up on an elevated position, watching down below as other groups, some of whom they had had breakfast with at their hotel, were essentially just lost in that -- in that surge of black water.

MICHAELSON: A dramatic live shot that really gives you a sense of the chaos and desperation happening in Kathmandu. Great reporting from CNN's Will Ripley, live on the ground.

Will, thank you so much. We will continue to check in with you throughout the day as you keep that reporting up.

Still ahead this hour, as well, jurors expected to resume deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. Hear what prosecutors and Clancy's defense attorney had to say in closing arguments.

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[00:36:32]

MICHAELSON: The fate of -- we're looking right now at live pictures as we continue to look at our coverage of this partial eclipse happening around the world.

This is a live look at Rio de Janeiro, where it's now 1:38 a.m.. 1:36 a.m. I should say.

Now, let's take you to Europe, where we have live pictures right now from Spain. This is a look at Madrid, where it is 6:36 a.m.. Look at that. A really spectacular shot of the Moon as we experience this together.

At this point, the most exciting part of this is in the rearview mirror, but you're still going to be able to see this partial eclipse in most of the world for the next 20, 30 minutes or so.

So, if you haven't gotten a chance to go outside, keep your TV on so we get the ratings, but then walk outside and come back and watch us.

Meanwhile, we want to get to some other news. The fate of Lindsay Clancy is now in the hands of the jury as deliberations begin in her murder trial.

Clancy is accused of killing her three children in January of 2023.

In closing arguments, her defense attorney claimed that Clancy suffered from postpartum psychosis at the time of her children's death and should not be held criminally responsible. He blamed, quote, "lousy medical care" and said that Clancy lived for her kids.

Meanwhile, prosecutors argued that Clancy intentionally killed her children and that she knew right from wrong. They also cast doubt on whether Clancy was in psychosis at the time of the killings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER SPRAGUE, PLYMOUTH COUNTY ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: So, why did she specifically do it? She was depressed. She was exhausted. She was done. She didn't want to try anymore. She felt damaged.

But those kids, those kids were her protective factor. Those kids were keeping her from ending her misery. And so, she had to remove the protective factor.

And I'm not saying she was happy about it. I'm saying that it was what she had to do to end her misery. But it was a choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: The jury is expected to resume deliberations on Friday. They are considering charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter.

They can also find Clancy not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility, which is also known as the insanity defense in other states.

President Trump expected to attend a ceremony in Texas Friday to award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew members.

Earlier, he traveled to Houston to campaign for the candidate he endorsed for U.S. Senate: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Here's what the president told reporters at the White House before departing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I'll be going to Texas, and we're working very hard. We want to win that race. He's running against a man who should not -- never be.

We have a very good candidate, Ken Paxton, and he's running against Talafreako [SIC], they call him, because he is a little freaky. And that's not a man that represents the value of Texas.

So, I'm going to help Ken Paxton, and I'm going to spend a lot of time in Texas. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Let's bring in our panel: Dina Doll on the left, legal analyst for "Meidas Touch"; and on the right, John Ziegler is the host of the "Death of Journalism" podcast, a conservative who's not a big fan of President Trump.

[00:40:02]

John, your thoughts on the need for President Trump to campaign for a Republican Senate candidate in Texas at this point?

JOHN ZIEGLER, HOST, "DEATH OF JOURNALISM" PODCAST: Well, obviously, he was told that this was the best place to watch the lunar eclipse. So, that's why he's in Texas.

Look, I -- I'm not a fan of Trump. I want Republicans to hold the Senate, though.

But this is a problem of Trump's own making.

MICHAELSON: Right.

ZIEGLER: He's the reason why he has to do this.

MICHAELSON: Right.

ZIEGLER: Because he picked the wrong candidate in the primary.

And the biggest problem Republicans have in this situation is that MAGA Republicans do not come out to vote for non-Trump candidates. If he's not on the ballot, they tend not to vote.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

ZIEGLER: But liberals will walk over hot coals to vote against Donald Trump. And in their minds, he's on the ballot in November.

So, this is a double whammy for Republicans. And this is why Trump has to try to get out the MAGA vote for a candidate that really should have no problem winning in a state like Texas, but does, because he's a terrible candidate in a bad climate.

MICHAELSON: Well, and we saw that in 2018, when Trump had a similar situation, and Democrats won big in that midterm race.

James "Talafreako" is what he's saying. Talarico is -- is appealing to a lot of Democrats, though, right? I mean, this isn't just an anti- Trump thing.

DINA DOLL, LEGAL ANALYST, "MEIDAS TOUCH": Trump has lost his nickname touch, 100 percent. His cognitive decline is showing.

Every second he spends in Texas is a win for Democrats. I mean, James Talarico has -- the fundraising haul he has gotten. He's outraised not only Democrat nominees, Republican nominees for the past decade. Nobody has raised as much money from him.

A majority, small donors. That shows the excitement, the -- the -- the many people who want to actually give money maybe will then also vote for him.

So, when Trump has to go to a red state like Texas, that's a win for Democrats.

MICHAELSON: Well, it's also interesting that he's campaigning privately tonight and fundraising for him, but not doing a big rally. That's an interesting choice. Right?

DOLL: Very interesting. And perhaps he doesn't want to be tied to a loser. As we know, Trump doesn't like to associate with somebody who's going to lose.

And Ken Paxton doesn't even seem to be trying himself to win. I mean, he's off in London on the Fourth of July. His fundraising is down.

You know, Trump may also kind of realize that Paxton may not be able to pull that off.

MICHAELSON: Well, but how many Democrats have said this about Beto O'Rourke and said this in other times about Texas? And then, right at the end, "We got so close." And then the Republican takes it.

DOLL: Absolutely. But to your point, Trump, I mean, the reason why he actually liked Mamdani was because Mamdani was seen as this winner in New York. He likes to associate himself with winners.

And it is a bad sign he's not willing to do a rally with Ken Paxton. I mean, Ken Paxton is deeply unpopular in Texas. To your point, John, he was the wrong nominee. And Trump kind of knows that.

MICHAELSON: But is there danger, John, also in Democrats getting a little overeager and maybe spending and wasting their money in Texas when they should be focused on other states?

ZIEGLER: Well, you make a great point, because I think the Senate is going to come down to a razor-thin margin in about 3 or 4 states. And Democrats need to calculate where do they put their resources?

Because the one advantage Republicans are going to have in a state like Texas is money. They're going to have plenty of money to get out their vote.

MICHAELSON: And a registration. I mean, there's more Republicans that live in Texas than Democrats.

ZIEGLER: There's no question.

MICHAELSON: The Republicans should win Texas.

ZIEGLER: A hundred percent. A hundred. The fact that Trump has to go to Texas is a terrible sign. The fact that John Ossoff appears safe in Georgia is a horrendous sign for Republicans. I think it's going to come down to 50/50. We're going to be up very

late on -- on election night in the midterms to determine who will be the -- who will be in charge of the U.S. Senate.

And as a -- as a conservative, I want Republicans to win. But I'm not that optimistic about it at all right now.

MICHAELSON: And we'll see if it comes down to states that are able to count their ballots on election night, unlike here in California. So, in which case, we wouldn't know on election night.

ZIEGLER: Right. No Senate race here in California. They'll forgive us (ph).

MICHAELSON: But a lot -- a lot of red states are up for grabs.

ZIEGLER: Yes.

MICHAELSON: North Carolina, Iowa, Ohio --

ZIEGLER: Alaska.

MICHAELSON: Alaska. So, it will be interesting.

DOLL: Absolutely.

MICHAELSON: Dina and John, you're going to be back with us for the next hour. Really excited to continue to talk with both of you.

But we want to continue our coverage from Nepal next. My colleague Hanako Montgomery on the ground. We will take you there next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:49:11]

MICHAELSON: As people in Nepal struggle to cope with the deadly floods, there are concerns growing about more flooding from possible thunderstorms in the next few days. Rescuers worried that mudflow from that could turn into concrete.

CNN's Allison Chinchar joins us with the forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: One of the biggest concerns going forward is going to be the increased rain chances over the region.

Now, not much has occurred over the last 24 to 48 hours, but it's what's anticipated in the next couple of days.

Another concern here, you can see this brand-new lake that has formed off there in the distance.

Now, this was a river valley that flowed down through this region. But after the landslide, all of the rocks, boulders, and even trees. You can see some trees down here that once used to be up there on the side of the mountain, that fell down, effectively damming that river and creating a lake.

The problem is that lake is going to fill up as more of that water flows into it, and even fill up, thanks to all of the additional rainfall that's expected over the next few days.

Well, at some point it's going to reach too much volume of water, and it is each too much volume of water and it is going to break through. We just don't know if that will occur over the next couple of days, or even perhaps the next couple of weeks.

The amount of rain over the next couple of days is going to vary, but a lot of these areas could pick up 50 to 100 milometers of rain, maybe perhaps as much as 150 milometers total. You're talking 4 to 6 inches just over the next few days.

That is not uncommon for this area. Again, when you see a lot of that, especially up in those higher elevations where you get some of those higher total amounts of rain.

And as we mentioned, this is not uncommon. This is monsoon season, right in the middle of monsoon season. August is the second wettest month out of the year. So, this is the time of year you're going to get the rain showers. And not just rain, but heavy rain at times.

And that is also going to be a concern when we talk about rescue and recovery efforts, because all of this area you see through here, the mudflow that essentially went through it almost turns to concrete.

Because it's not just water. It's not just mud. It's mixed with rocks and boulders and debris, like cars that it picked up along the way. And again, it just makes it so strong.

It also, however, is very unstable underneath. That's what makes it so dangerous for the rescue and recovery crews. You can't land a helicopter on it. So, this is going to be a concern over the next several days, and even perhaps the weeks as more rain is anticipated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Allison Chinchar, thank you for that.

The U.N. has mobilized emergency teams on the ground in Nepal, but the conditions there are so difficult that rescue teams are either fighting their way through it or forced to use aircraft to reach the hardest hit areas.

More than 1,300 people are missing, including more than 700 foreign nationals from two dozen countries, including America.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery is in one of the hardest hit areas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the moment flood waters tore through Nepal's valleys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God, oh my God!

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): A furious wall of water, mud and debris swallowing everything in its path, forcing Nepali workers to run for their lives.

The flash flood rushed through communities along the Nepal-China border, submerging homes, ripping through roads and vital infrastructure.

Even bridges were no match for the water's force. Some were torn clean in two, severing roads and cutting off some of the worst hit areas.

The destruction stretches for miles. Homes sit buried beneath thick layers of mud, while entire communities were ripped apart by a torrent that left almost nothing in its path.

MONTGOMERY: We're just driving to one of the worst affected areas right now, which is a couple hours Northwest of the capital, Kathmandu, and we're taking the main highway. This is where a lot of supplies go towards the capital.

But you can see there are hardly any cars on the road, which goes to show just how badly damaged this highway is because of the massive flooding we've seen.

So, I'm walking down one of the main roads in Nepal, and this entire place used to be covered in mud. They've cleared part of it now.

And I want to show you some of the damage that we've been seeing. This house, I mean, its first floor is completely submerged in flood water. You can see some of the windows and doors just caked in mud.

This house over here, I mean, its walls have completely collapsed. It's -- it's unlivable.

And down here is a gas station. And again, just completely inaccessible and totally destroyed by this flood water and the mud and debris that it brought with it.

And this village that we're currently in is actually several dozen kilometers away from the worst of the damage. So, you can imagine if you get higher up in the Himalayan Mountains, just how many people have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and their loved ones.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Hanako Montgomery, who's gotten the closest of any of our reporters to the hardest hit area. Thank you for that reporting.

And for more information about how you can help -- and I know a lot of people looking at this say, I want to do something -- you can go to CNN.com/impact.

We'll continue to follow what's happening in Nepal throughout our next hour.

We also continue to follow this partial eclipse, which the world is experiencing together right now. This is a live picture from Dakar, Senegal, where it is almost 5 in the morning. Our live coverage from around the world continues next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:59:23]

MICHAELSON: As we approach the top of the hour, let's take a look at today's top stories.

The death toll from the catastrophic flood that hit Nepal in China has risen to nearly 500 people, according to Nepali police. More than 1,300 people are missing, including 700 foreign nationals.

The threat of heavy rains and possible landslides is complicating search-and-rescue efforts in the extremely difficult conditions.

As the U.S. engages in a tense trade war with its neighbors to the North, President Trump has signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America, effective immediately.

In response, the prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, posted on social media that Canadians will forever call it Lake Ontario. He noted the name dates back more than 400 years.

Controversial online influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have appeared before a U.S. federal judge.