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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Nearly 500 Dead And 1,300 Plus Missing In Catastrophic Flood; Earth Moves Between Sun And Moon In Partial Lunar Eclipse; Jury Expected To Resume Deliberations On Friday; Board Delays Plan to Add Trump's Name to Kennedy Center; Federal Judge Pauses Postal Plan to Restrict Mail Voting; Scientists Looking Into Cause of Disaster; Trump Administration Increasing ICE Operations at U.S. Airports. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 28, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: On social media that Canadians will forever call it Lake Ontario, you know did the name date back more than 400 years.

Controversial online influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have appeared before a U.S. federal judge in Miami, Florida for a bail hearing. The brothers are fighting extradition to the United Kingdom where they face rape and human trafficking charges. During the hearing the Tates argued that they could not defend themselves in multiple legal cases while being held in federal detention. Both brothers deny the allegations against them. The judge has yet to rule on their request for bail.

We end this hour with live pictures from Dakar, Senegal where it is nearly 5:00 a.m. and we see the move towards the end of this partial eclipse that we've all experienced together in this first hour of The Story Is. We'll wrap that up is the next hour. The Story Is starts right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michelson.

MICHAELSON: And I am Elex Michelson live in Los Angeles. Coming up this hour, The Story Is, families desperately searching for their loved ones in Nepal as scientists are still working to pinpoint exactly what caused the deadly landslide. CNN is in Nepal and in China with the latest.

The Story Is, reaching a verdict. The fate of Lindsay Clancy is now in the hands of the jury. We'll speak to a reporter who has been following the trial from inside the courtroom. She's with us live.

And The Story Is, a partial lunar eclipse. Watched and celebrated around the world by billions. We take you live to Rome, Italy.

But we begin in Nepal. Police there say that the death toll from the catastrophic flood has risen to at least 469 people. Three deaths also reported across the border in China. More than 1,300 people are still missing. Nepal's prime minister says authorities are operating at full capacity as they focus on search and rescue efforts and helping the affected families.

New video into CNN shows the wave of water, mud, ice and rock traveled nearly 14 miles in six minutes, slamming into villages. It speeds up to 120 miles an hour. Thousands of security personnel and emergency teams are being deployed to the flood zone. We -- Chinese social media geolocated by CNN, this video shows, well, Nepal border crossing with China has caused a devastating avalanche and landslide.

And we want to talk about the situation there, including what happened on Wednesday at 10:30 in the morning. Some folks on the ground mistook a glacier for something else and then they were unfortunately had to deal with the after effects of that. Nepal's government is offering free medical treatment for flood victims. So is the Kathmandu Medical College, which has sent a team of doctors and medical officials to the disaster zone to treat injured and help transport if needed. President Trump is also offering to send aid. We've called Nepal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've called Nepal and we've offered any help that they need. You know, we have a very good relationship with Nepal. And that was a brutal. That wasn't just what -- that was mud and water is a mixture. Nobody's ever seen anything quite like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: CNN's Will Ripley is in Kathmandu, where hundreds of people are waiting, hoping to find their missing loved ones.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm here at the teaching hospital. It's one of the busiest medical centers here in Kathmandu. It's also the main intake point for flood survivors and also for the bodies of flood victims.

So you see this table here. This is incredibly busy right now. More than 1,200 people have registered names of loved ones who are missing. And if we go over here, there's another concrete pillar with a much, much shorter list of just about 31 names. These are people who have actually been identified, who are survivors who are being treated here at the hospital. Family members are waiting, hoping that more survivors will be brought in.

But obviously you see the difference between all of the people here with loved ones who are missing and the incredibly small number of names of those who've actually been identified as survivors. Still, family members we've talked to out here say they are holding out hope for a miracle that their loved ones could be alive. And if they're not, they at least hope to be able to identify their bodies.

MICHAELSON: Ripley is. Mike Valerio is monitoring developments from Beijing. He joins us now live. Mike, obviously this is affecting multiple countries and such a sad reality. Obviously, we're having some audio problems with Mike's signal. Hopefully we will be able to get that fixed and hopefully get back to Mike when that is up and working. Mike Valerio reporting for us in Beijing.

[01:05:12]

I guess we'll move on now to the partial lunar eclipse, which is in the waning moments here on the West Coast and around the world. The Earth is casting a shadow on the lunar surface as it moves between the sun and the moon. It is down to just a sliver right now.

As you can see in these live pictures, this is a live picture that we're looking at right now. At maximum eclipse, more than 96 percent of the lunar surface was covered. Cloudy skies obscured what should have been brought bright outline around the moon, which turned a rusty reddish color. Nearly a billion people around the world were able to see all phases of the eclipse.

Let's go live now to CNN's Stefano Pozzebon, who is in Rome, where it's just after 7 o'clock in the morning there, and a lot of folks have enjoyed an all-nighter and even got the shades out, Stefano?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN JOURNALIST: Interesting that here in Rome, the totality of the eclipse, so the moment where the shadow of the Earth cast the wider shadow, the 96.3 percent of the moon surface being covered by the Earth's shadow, that coincided, I would say, with dawn, because it happened at around 6:15 local time and sunrise here was at about 6:20. So it's been interesting for us because we came here at 3:00 a.m. in the morning and there were still exactly people pulling an all-nighter, coming in, there were a couple that came in from a club, for example, or astrophotographers and enthusiasts getting ready with the lenses and with the cameras to try to get the show of the spectacle of the eclipse on top of the St. Peter's Basilica, which is about 500 meters or 15,000 feet -- 1,500 feet behind my back.

And now instead it's the distinctive early morning vibe here in the park of Villa Borghese. It's a beautiful spot for people to go jogging, for example, rather than for moon observations. And yes, the sunrise is literally rising behind our camera person, Fiona's back, and so that's why as soon as I'm done with you, we'll have to put on some sunglasses. But we were talking about this relationship that we as a specimen, humanity, have with the moon, and the fact that we're all, it's in moments like this where we can see the same spectacle happening in the sky, and I was in Rome, you are in Southern California, Julia was out at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles as well, but Adelaide, we had images from Madrid, from the East Coast, from South America, we all feel like a little bit more perhaps united in this piece of rock that is traveling so fast around the galaxy, but all watching and looking at the same spectacle.

It was magical and it's also a nice way to wrap up this summer. Only two weeks ago, CNN was live around the solar eclipse, now we were live again on the lunar eclipse. It brings an end to the eclipse season of 2026, perhaps see you with these sort of spectacles once again. In a couple of years time, I understand, according to NASA, we will see a next almost total lunar eclipse on the New Year's Eve between 2028 and 2029. So this is clearly a rare spectacle on the sky and we're really lucky to have appreciated it, not just because of the clarity of a clear sky without clouds, but also coming up from one of the most beautiful cities in the world and right with the Roman city center as a background for this beautiful celestial show. Elex?

MICHAELSON: Yes, and in 2028, it's not only going to be a partial, it'll be a full eclipse going into New Year's Eve, which is going to be a wild night already. I can only imagine how much alcohol is going to be happening that night. What do you already think about that? But in the meantime, a beautiful, beautiful image behind you. What a lucky guy to be in the middle of Rome on this beautiful morning. Stefano Pozzebon, thanks for staying up early or staying up late or getting up early for us. I don't know what it is for you, but hopefully you're able to get a nap and enjoy this sunrise in the meantime. Thank you so much.

I want to bring in to our coverage now Dr. Briley Lewis, who is here. She is from both UCLA and U.C. Santa Barbara and we have observed this together over the last hour. So as we hopefully get to look at some of the pictures from around the world in terms of what's happening right now.

[01:10:04]

BRILEY LEWIS, ASTRONOMER: Yes, so the moon is moving out of Earth's shadow. So we got to see it earlier when it was mostly in Earth's darker inner shadow that we call the umbra and it's, you know, we passed the point of the most it's going to get into that shadow today and it's moving out into what we call the penumbra, which is Earth's sort of outer shadow where it's not going to be fully dark. So the moon will look a little dim for a few hours once this shadow goes away and then it'll be back to the moon that we all know and love.

MICHAELSON: I mean, he talked about we won't have a full eclipse until 2028. How rare is this sort of thing?

LEWIS: Yes, so it all depends on where everything lines up in the orbits of the moon and the Earth and the moon is actually tilted a few degrees from the orbit of the Earth. And so that's why these alignments don't happen all the time is that we have to wait for things to actually line up just right. And so they are pretty special for us to actually see them where it lines up perfectly. So it's only every couple years that we get something like this.

MICHAELSON: I mean, it's got to be fun for you because this is one of the few moments where everybody else geeks out about your thing that you're geeking out about all the time. I mean, what is the value of a moment like this, not only for you, for people that are into astronomy, but sort of our collective unity as a planet?

LEWIS: Yes, this is one of the things that I think is beautiful about space is that it really reminds us that we're on this very unique planet together, that we have a planet that, you know, has all of these cool things that happen and that it's the only place that we can all live. And so I think it's a good reminder for us, you know, to come together, to take care of the Earth, and to be grateful for this very, very unique planet that we do have.

MICHAELSON: And from an astrology perspective, what are you most excited about next? What's the thing that we should mark on our calendar that we should be ready for?

LEWIS: Yes, the next big astronomical event for me personally is actually the Roman Space Telescope launch this Sunday. So if anyone likes watching rocket launches, there's a really big one happening this Sunday. It's NASA's next big space telescope, and I know myself and a lot of my colleagues are really excited about it.

MICHAELSON: Where's that launch happening?

LEWIS: It's happening in Florida.

MICHAELSON: OK.

LEWIS: Yes, but it'll be on all of NASA's live streams for sure.

MICHAELSON: OK, that sounds fun. I didn't know about that. So learn something new, a lot new from you, Dr. Briley Lewis, astronomy expert. Thanks so much for hanging out with us as we experience this eclipse together.

But now, back to our top story rescue efforts underway in Nepal. Mike Valerio is monitoring those developments. Let's go back to Mike in Beijing. Mike, what are you seeing from your perspective?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Let's go to that new video that we just geolocated out of Nepal. It shows this huge boulder, Elex, still barreling down this river. And the theme of our live shot is to talk about these geologic forces that are still a danger, a secondary lingering danger to rescuers who are in the region. So as we look at this boulder that is definitely bigger than a bus approaching the size of a house or a structure, we pivot back to China where we're broadcasting from because we're looking at this lake, this barrier lake that is upstream from the border crossing that was the scene of that arresting, breathtaking video of that cascade of landslide debris and water just overtaking the building.

So there's this lake that is formed because of landslide debris, like the boulder that you're looking at, that is having the potential to continue to overflow because there's a water, a water source, a river that's filling this landslide debris area with more water than it's supposed to be in this valley. And that could be dangerous for rescue operations that are downstream, that are looking to see who, if anybody, has survived the landslide and all of the debris that cascaded down around that port area.

Quoting from Chinese state media that was looking at the topic this morning, you know, one of the reporters said, because this barrier lake is continuously overflowing, it is highly likely to trigger new disasters such as flash floods or debris flows. So it's extremely dangerous to head to key search and rescue areas. So in terms of what can be done by the Chinese side to address this barrier lake that could have a crack sending water down into the rescue search site or perhaps overflow, there are teams that have been trying to see if they can create a spillway, Elex, in the lower portion of this lake that formed because of the landslide. But they have to calculate the water flow velocity.

They have to calculate how quickly this lake is filling up with new water in order to safely create a spillway. But because the landmass is so unstable, you can think of all of that new sediment that is filled into the area. They haven't been able to construct a spillway. So that is our reporting target to see how close rescue teams can get to these areas on the Chinese side. But we have three more days of rain. It is certainly hampering and slowing efforts on the rescue front on the Chinese side, Elex.

[01:15:17]

MICHAELSON: And that video of that boulder is really dramatic to see. Mike Valerio, thank you for that monitoring the situation in Beijing.

Still ahead this hour, jurors expected to resume deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. I'll speak to a local reporter who has been following the case inside the courtroom. We'll have that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:20:02]

MICHAELSON: 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 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, "lousy medical care and said that Clancy lived for her kids." Meanwhile, prosecutors argue 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.

Joining me now live is Colleen Cronin. She is a reporter for the Boston Herald and has been following the trial closely and been in the courtroom. What's it like there, Colleen?

COLLEEN CRONIN, REPORTER, BOSTON HERALD: You know, I think that the atmosphere has definitely changed at times, but it's very intense in the courtroom. Potentially a woman's life in prison is on the line and also, you know, we're there because three children were killed. The testimony has been very intense. There's been family members, both Lindsay Clancy's family and Patrick Clancy's family in the courtroom for parts of this trial and it's very heavy what the prosecutors are discussing.

MICHAELSON: I want to put up on the screen some CNN reporting about what our reporters have witnessed in the courtroom. It says, "The panel includes a woman who was wiping her eyes and a man who appeared distracted during closing arguments and a woman who nodded when a psychiatrist testified that Clancy's choice to not have a specific medification was reasonable in her mind." What are you seeing in terms of looking at the jurors and how they're reacting?

CRONIN: You know, I also have seen a specific juror who's been pretty emotional during a lot of the trial. I'm at some of the key moments when Ms. Clancy's also been crying, the moments when autopsy photos were showed or there was particularly gruesome and detailed testimony about how the children were killed. I think that there have been times when, especially things have been a little bit more technical.

You know, it's hard for jurors. They're in there for hours and hours every day and they have such a huge responsibility. I would say for the most part, I've been seeing jurors really taking notes, taking notes, trying to stay focused and trying to really pay attention during key moments where, you know, either side is making their big claims about this case.

MICHAELSON: So we want to put up on the screen the options that the jury will have in terms of determining either not guilty, not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility, that's the insanity defense in other states, guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of second-degree murder, and guilty of manslaughter. And they have to answer this for all three kids. So because of that, the conventional wisdom, Colleen, is that this deliberation could take a while.

CRONIN: Yes, and I think that also presents, you know, a sixth option, which is, can the jury even come to a decision? Because any decision they make needs to be unanimous. All 12 jurors need to agree. And, you know, it's hard to get even a smaller group of people to agree, I think, about much less serious topics. So not only is there an immense amount of evidence in this case, there's three victims, three young victims in this case. They're also, like you said, there's a lot of options.

They have, you know, obviously a high burden of proof to meet if they do find her guilty on any of those charges. And that could take a very long time, and it could take a long time to come to a consensus on any of those if they can at all.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Well, as we know, what started off as a smaller case now kind of the whole world is watching and watching your reporting, Colleen Cronin from Boston Herald. Thanks so much for staying up late for us, and I know it's going to be a busy few days ahead for you. Thank you.

CRONIN: Thank you so much.

[01:24:32]

MICHAELSON: There is a new move in the legal fight over adding President Trump's name to the Kennedy Center. Our panel will be back to break it down. Plus, the president's take on how he stacks up against other presidents. And guess what? It's not very humble.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: The Kennedy Center Board has delayed trying to add President Trump's name to the building on grounds that until October 8th at the earliest. The board pushed the date back from September 8th after Thursday's court hearing. During the hearing, a judge asked pointed questions about why the board wanted to proceed while the legal challenge to the name change continues. The lawsuit brought by Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty argues that Congress did not authorize the change. Here's what Beatty's attorney told CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATHANIEL ZELINSKY, LEGAL COUNSEL FOR REP. BEATTY: I think the rule of law is going to prevail. I mean, yes, it's deja vu all over again. We shouldn't be having to do this, but they're violating the law and the law is going to hold them to account. I mean, I think what's particularly concerning are their threats, right?

[01:29:54]

They said if we don't get our way, we might have to demolish the Kennedy Center.

This is a bit like someone saying, my, what a wonderful Kennedy Center you have there. Shame if something should happen to it. That to me is deeply concerning. It's lawless. But I think we're going to hold them to account.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty going to hold them to account. My colleagues and I at the Washington Litigation Group and also our co- colleagues at Democracy Defenders are going to hold them to account.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Our panel is back. John Ziegler, host of "The Death of Journalism" podcast, and Dina Doll is legal analyst for MeidasTouch.

John, your thoughts on this? And is this helping make life more affordable for the average American?

JOHN ZIEGLER, HOST, "THE DEATH OF JOURNALISM" PODCAST: Not really. The part about this that is most confusing to me, we all know about Trump's ego, right?

But does he not think things through? Because here's what's going to happen. Even if he gets his way, there's going to be a future Democratic president. And that future Democratic president is going to have a massive ceremony to change the name back to Kennedy Center.

And all that Trump is doing is increasing the level of orgasms that Democrats are going to have once he's out of office, because they will be able to undo everything like this that he has done.

I really don't understand the logic. I really don't.

MICHAELSON: What do you think the logic is?

DINA DOLL, LEGAL ANALYST, MEIDASTOUCH: I mean he's threatening to destroy. He's an incredibly sore loser. I mean, we're still suffering from the fact that he lost --

ZIEGLER: He is the president. He's not the loser. He's the president.

DOLL: He cannot accept any loss even something like this. And that just shows he's incapable, really, of having the capacity to be president. And yet he is.

MICHAELSON: Well, he certainly has a high opinion of himself based off of the Truth Social post that he put out today, which may or may not be a joke, I don't know.

It says, who is the greatest president of all time and ahead of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson -- Donald J. Trump.

And interestingly, he puts in the average category, Bill Clinton, but puts in the failure category, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter. How would you rate this?

ZIEGLER: My concern about this as a real conservative is that no real conservative would ever put FDR, Franklin Roosevelt, ahead of Teddy Roosevelt.

MICHAELSON: That's your concern.

ZIEGLER: That's my concern, because this is like a liberal putting Bernie Sanders below Colonel Sanders, or Martin Luther King below Don King. I mean, this is ridiculous.

Everyone knows that Donald Trump's going to put himself at the top of the list. That's just a joke.

But the fact that he was so lazy that he apparently took a 1948 historian's list and then mismatched it around a little bit while putting himself at the top, apparently that's what occurred --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

DOLL: Right.

ZIEGLER: -- is really the most -- maybe the most concerning thing. At least put some effort into this.

MICHAELSON: Well, and also Herbert Hoover, an average president, you had the Depression. James Buchanan, an average president, you end up with the Civil War. I mean, we could get deeper into this.

DOLL: I mean, the fact that he has to do this at all, put his name on the Kennedy Center, put his name on an airport, put his name on the currency. Usually in this country, we do that after president has passed because we want to honor their legacy.

He knows all of this shows how deeply insecure he is, how deeply unpopular he knows he is, and he doesn't trust people to honor him after his death. So he forces it now. MICHAELSON: I mean, if this was another president who did this and put

out that list itself, that would be a top story and a huge thing for weeks, people talking about it.

And this is like going to be a blip because there's so much stuff that comes out.

ZIEGLER: To me, that's the biggest problem with the Trump administration culturally, is the desensitization. We are so desensitized to so many things, and he uses this to his advantage.

MICHAELSON: I mean, could you imagine --

ZIEGLER: Obama.

MICHAELSON: -- what folks on your side --

ZIEGLER: Obama.

MICHAELSON: -- if Barack Obama put out a post that said he was a better president than Abraham Lincoln and George Washington --

ZIEGLER: Right.

MICHAELSON: -- you think our friends on another network would let that go?

ZIEGLER: That would be about a three-week story, at least.

DOLL: And he wouldn't need --

(CROSSTALKING)

MICHAELSON: And meanwhile --

DOLL: -- everyone else does it for him.

MICHAELSON: Speaking of renaming, there is Lake Ontario, which President Trump now wants to rename as Lake America. Of course, in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico being named Gulf of America. Is it good that America is going to be honored in such a way?

DOLL: Absolutely not at all. He's embarrassing. He's so embarrassing on a national stage, and he's also a bully. And he's so used to the Republican men in particular having no spine when it comes to him.

And so he thinks he can boss around Canada and boss around Mexico and rename things and be this strong guy. But it just makes him look weak because he's doing it because Canada is not falling in line. And they're not because they don't need to like he thinks they do.

[01:34:50]

ZIEGLER: To me, this is sad. This is a lot like Hollywood running out of ideas. No one likes all the sequels. This is obviously a sequel to the Gulf of America. If you really don't want to go after Canada, right, use a little

imagination instead of being lazy like Trump is. If you want to go after Canada, get the NHL to rename the Stanley Cup, the Trump Cup and watch heads explode.

That's how you get Canada. They're not going to care about Lake Ontario.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

ZIEGLER: That is not going to matter to Canadians.

But to me, it's the saddest part about this is the Laziness and the lack of imagination, because Trump used to be pretty good at this kind of stuff.

MICHAELSON: He needs a Johnny Infantino running the running the NHL. Maybe.

(CROSSTALKING)

MICHAELSON: So now, something you two might disagree on, which is the U.S. Postal Service is now in the midst of a -- of a -- of a legal battle. President Trump wants the USPS to help him sort of regulate mail in balloting to states like California and other states that do universal mail-in balloting.

Democratic states now pushing back in court, a judge saying put the brakes on the USPS earlier today saying were full steam ahead. How do you see this issue, John?

ZIEGLER: To me, mail-in balloting is inherently vulnerable to some fraud, not the kind of fraud that Donald Trump talks about, not the kind that will rig an election. But to me, it needs to be curtailed.

So I am supportive of making more rigorous and strenuous safeguards against fraud in mail-in voting.

But here's the bigger picture that I don't understand. The whole idea of mail-in voting is to make voting as easy as possible, easier than it currently is.

In my view, voting is already way too easy. We have people who have no business voting, who are now getting ballots at home, universally, who are just willy-nilly filling out ballots, having no idea who they're voting for.

Who is in favor of that? Tell me. Who is in favor of --

MICHAELSON: Well, the Constitution.

(CROSSTALKING)

ZIEGLER: No, no, that's totally.

(CROSSTALKING) ZIEGLER: Totally wrong. That is totally wrong. There is no obligation to vote. There is a right to vote.

MICHAELSON: We have a right to vote.

DOLL: Right.

ZIEGLER: Right. I think everyone should have a right to vote, but no obligation whatsoever, especially if you're not paying attention or if you have no clue about our system.

MICHAELSON: That's why I always say get informed and then vote. I don't just say vote. But --

ZIEGLER: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: But isn't it good to try to make it easier?

ZIEGLER: No.

DOLL: Yes, absolutely.

First of all, nobody has an obligation to turn in that ballot. But I don't think Republicans should be trying to argue that only educated voters should vote. But first of all --

(CROSSTALKING)

ZIEGLER: I don't care who they vote for, I want educated voters.

DOLL: Ok, this is -- this really what this is about is creating chaos for the midterms. This is why the Supreme Court emergency order was a win for Trump, because that spring executive order basically directed the postal service to come up with a rule.

They just came up with this rule, which is redesign the envelopes and have states put forward the envelope and have the postal service approve it. And there's no timeline for how long they have to take to approve it. Then the states have to input the voter registration into a portal.

This is a disaster. I don't know about you, but I already got something in the mail from California saying, hey, the elections around the corner. It is too late.

Even if this is a good idea, which we haven't even had Congress weigh in. Congress would have to weigh in. Not by executive order.

I mean, there's so many things about this as unconstitutional, but it's also chaotic. And it makes elections distrustful the more chaos there is.

ZIEGLER: Can't you just admit that you guys love mail-in balloting because it helps you --

DOLL: I love voting. I love voting. ZIEGLER: No, no, it's good for Democrats. That's why you like it.

DOLL: Well, voting is good for Democrats.

MICHAELSON: It is interesting though, John.

(CROSSTALKING)

DOLL: Popular policy.

MICHAELSON: We showed a study last night from that Caltech commissioned that showed that it actually didn't advantage one party or the other, and that it was -- it was equally distributed.

ZIEGLER: I would like to take a look at that. I would like to take a look at that.

DOLL: I mean, I would think -- I imagine seniors probably like it.

MICHAELSON: We've got to go, but we'd love to have you guys back to talk more. I don't think this issue is going away any time soon.

Dina, John -- thank you.

Scientists are still trying to determine what caused the landslide and flooding that led to the ongoing disaster in Nepal. But they believe a big part of that picture is this glacier that broke off the side of a mountain on Wednesday. It then plunged about one kilometer into a valley below.

As CNN's Bill Weir reports, the changing climate may -- may have played a role.

We may -- it looks like were having some audio issues with that. We want to continue our discussion about mail in balloting. We've got -- I mean, why don't -- we're going to -- we're going to go to a break, I guess.

[01:39:45]

MICHAELSON: Having some -- for our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is up next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be right back.

Thank you so much for watching THE STORY IS. Maybe it's the moon. Maybe that's -- maybe it's --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Scientists are still trying to determine what caused the landslide and flooding that led to the ongoing disaster in Nepal.

CNN's Bill Weir looks at the possibility that climate change may have played a role.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: The pain of losing earth's ice comes in many forms. As glaciers everywhere deflate by the year with no consistent winters to rebuild them, there is the slow-motion march towards water scarcity.

Exhibit A, the American Southwest, no longer enough snow and ice in the Rocky Mountains so, the nation's biggest reservoirs are crashing.

But then there is the sudden violence that comes when once frozen landscapes come crashing down in an instant and at massive scale.

[01:44:49]

WEIR: A CNN satellite analysis shows a chunk of ice around 2000 feet wide sheared off, bringing along the surrounding mountainside as it tumbled 7,000 vertical feet.

This cascade of water, pulverized ice, and rock came roaring down the valley and covered over 14 miles in under seven minutes -- an average speed of 120 miles an hour.

This was the Gyirong Port, a major border crossing that handled a third of the trade between China and Nepal. And here it is now. The police station and customs office, completely buried in mud.

It vividly shows how communities built in the steepest places are the most vulnerable, even as those places like the Hindu Kush, the Alps and Pyrenees warm faster than average.

Since 2021, three major GLOFs or glacial lake outburst floods have taken hundreds of lives in the Himalayas. In the Alps, the picturesque town of Balaton was flattened when a chunk of the Birch Glacier broke off, and melting permafrost this summer has the residents of Kandersteg, Switzerland worried that the rock formation above them could fall any day.

And Alaska's capital of Juneau now lives with the threat of glacial flooding as the nearby Mendenhall Glacier thaws at an ever-faster rate.

But this disaster, on one of the highest borders in the world is just beginning. Officials worry there is another barrier lake built by landslide debris that's holding more water by the hour, just as tsunami rains are on the way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Bill Weir reporting there.

We'll be back with more of THE STORY IS right after this.

[01:46:39]

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MICHAELSON: The Trump administration is ratcheting up immigration enforcement at airports across the U.S., targeting a growing number of people who thought that they were allowed to be in the country.

CNN Shimon Prokupecz has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all know this is unfair.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is unfair. And you know that.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We were with Indi Vitia the day she went to have an electronic monitor placed on her ankle. It was days after she was released from ice detention.

I saw how upset you were when you came out.

INDIRA VITIA, DETAINED BY ICE: You see a monitor and you think you're looking at the person that has -- is a criminal and I'm not a criminal.

PROKUPECZ: Vitia is seeking asylum in the United States. She and her wife left Venezuela seven years ago, and in that time, she says she's done everything the U.S. government has asked of her.

Then one day, coming home from a business trip --

VITIA: I was getting into the jet bridge, four or six guys came out of nowhere and like in plain clothes and pushed me to a wall.

At this point, I saw that I was being assaulted. I asked, am I being detained? So they handcuffed me.

PROKUPECZ: The 47-year-old and her wife live with their dogs in Indianapolis, where she has worked her way up from a warehouse assistant to her corporate role.

as part of her asylum application, which was filed in 2019, immigration officials previously told her, quote, "you may remain in the U.S. until your asylum application is decided".

She's still waiting to be called for an interview. After her arrest at Atlanta's airport, it would be hours before anyone heard from her.

VITIA: I was begging to call -- to call my wife to let her know what was happening. They finally allowed me to have that call. They said I had five minutes, so I called my wife first, quick one. The toughest call I had to make my entire life.

PROKUPECZ: She was taken to a detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia where she stayed for 21 days. The experience changed her.

VITIA: When we got there, there was the most inhumane treatment. They led us in a room that I will say was around 50 degrees. I was in t- shirt. They finally moved me to a cell at 11:00 a.m. the next day.

So it was 14 hours in that hostile environment at 50 degrees. And they finally, at around 3:00 a.m., someone came to the door and I begged, if they can give me a jacket, which they finally did.

PROKUPECZ: Did they ever ask you if you wanted to wave and just leave?

VITIA: They say we pay you $2,600 if you leave. Do you want a voluntary departure?

PROKUPECZ: What did you do? How did you get through it?

VITIA: What kept me sane? The love of my community. I talked to my girls daily and they were -- I'm sorry -- they were reading the letters that all of my coworkers had for me. And that's what kept me sane because I thought that I was going to lose my mind.

I'm a rule follower. I always have been. I have done everything that the government has asked me to do. And anyway, I was detained like a -- like a criminal.

I'm broken. That's how I feel.

PROKUPECZ: After nearly a month and dozens of letters, friends and coworkers sent to the judge, Vitia was released.

[01:54:43]

VITIA: Those centers are there for break you down and you decide to go. Even if your life is in danger, if you go to your country that you rather be out of those centers.

PROKUPECZ: What happened to Vitia is playing out all across the country --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on?

PROKUPECZ: -- as the Trump administration ratchets up immigration operations at airports?

JORGE GAVILANES, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY, PARTNER AT KUCK BAXTER: We've been describing the immigration system as broken for decades. Now, it's just complete chaos.

PROKUPECZ: The Department of Homeland Security tells CNN, to be clear, they say, a pending application does not confer legal status in the United States.

GAVILANES: In fact, the government has given them a work permit to work, get a driver's license, and do whatever they need to do to take care of themselves while their application is pending.

But now that the same government is telling them, oh no, you're not allowed to be here, which is contradictory.

PROKUPECZ: These ramped up operations across U.S. airports by ICE officers even got an American citizen caught up.

JOHN PHILLIPS, DETAINED BY ICE: I was just living my life kind of living in my little white guy world. Three guys jump out at me. I said, I'm an American citizen.

Now that this has happened. Holy smokes, we have an agency of our government who is completely unfettered and unaccountable to anybody.

PROKUPECZ: Phillips was released after ICE realized he was the wrong person. For Vitia, she's still grappling with what happened to her.

VITIA: I won't let them, give them the credit to keep me broken. I will rebuild myself and it will for sure grow up or grow up stronger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Shimon Prokupecz, thank you.

I'll see you tomorrow with Sir Anthony Hopkins. See you then.

[01:56:30]

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