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Protests & Fires in Milwaukee after Police Shooting; Dramatic Rescues in Louisiana from Deadly Floods; Michael Phelps Caps Career with Gold. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired August 14, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A police-involved shooting in the United States followed by protests and several fires. We have the very latest from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ahead.

Plus, little or no relief from deadly flooding in the state of Louisiana. We'll show you some of the dramatic rescues that are still being made.

And Michael Phelps saying that he is finishing his Olympic career, and what a career it was. Capped with one more gold medal.

Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

It is 5:00 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast and in the state of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Police say things are calmer this hour after a night of violent protests sparked by a police shooting. Crowds gathered there just hours after police say an officer shot and killed an armed man during a foot chase.

During the protests someone hit an officer in the head with a brick. Police then moved in to clear the streets but things got out of control, they say, and protesters set four buildings on fire.

Milwaukee's mayor spoke earlier about those disturbances, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR TOM BARRETT, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: If you're a mother who's watching this right now and your young son or daughter is not home and you think they're in this area, get them home right now. Get them home right now.

If you love your son, if you love your daughter, text them, call them, pull them by the ears, and get them home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: The mayor reaching out to people there. Let's get the very latest from our reporter Sheldon Dutes with our affiliate WISN in Milwaukee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SHELDON DUTES, WISN REPORTER: And fire crews were working in this

neighborhood well into the early morning hours. Just before 3:00 this morning, crews still on the scene of this auto parts store which was set on fire late Saturday night.

Crews were out here for several hours trying to get those flames and that smoke under control. It was not until a little before 3:00 local time that they were able to get everything in that building under control. It's the O'Reilly (ph) Auto Parts.

Now this is one of three fires that were smoldering in this particular neighborhood. A beauty supply right next door to that auto supply building also set on fire. And there was a small fire at a bank a little bit further down the block.

Now police had this intersection and the area around it blocked off for several hours tonight as crews were battling multiple fires in this section of Milwaukee. Now, crews had their helmets on, they had their shields on, but there were no confrontations with police at least from what we could see.

A couple of people were taken into custody at this location. As far as the reason why they were taken into custody, that's something that we're still working to find out.

In Milwaukee, I'm Sheldon Dutes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: We also have our national correspondent Ryan Young there on the scene and Ryan will bring developments here as we get more information from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Now, to the U.S. state of Louisiana, where heavy rain and deadly flooding has left communities under water. Three people there have died. One person is reported missing. Louisiana's governor declared a state of emergency on Friday, calling the flooding truly historic.

Boris Sanchez has more now from the flood zone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now that the floodwaters are starting to recede in some parts of Louisiana, we're getting a clearer picture as to the extent of the damage, just how bad the flooding this was, how strong these waters were.

I want you to take a look over to the left of me, we're in an industrial yard here in Amite, Louisiana. And that's a body shop. And you see that pickup truck just crushed like a child's toy, flipped over.

That truck was actually on the other side of that building. There was a tractor in this area earlier that was helping people get across this flooded area to get to their homes and come back. The truck actually got stuck in the water and had to be pulled out itself. You can also see pieces of asphalt, huge pieces of asphalt that have

just been lifted off the ground and tossed about like pieces of paper onto the street.

And I want to point something out, you see it across the street here in that area just off the street, that white pickup truck, that was actually a man that was trying to cross the road while it was flooded out.

He clearly did not make it across. He had to be rescued by officials, one of the 1,000 rescues that firefighters, paramedics, and other emergency officials have had to make here in Louisiana because of this devastating flooding.

The last thing I want to point out, across the street, that trailer, I spoke to the guy that lived in that trailer. He kept it across the street here in the industrial park. Fortunately, he didn't spend the night here last night.

He says it ran more than 120 yards and got smashed, flattened against the trees over there. I asked him how he felt how his home flattened and his state in disarray. Here's what he said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's terrible. The gentleman (INAUDIBLE) has that tractor right there, he lost his house in the flood back in March. He just a couple of weeks ago got his house back in order, and he has lost everything. He had six to eight feet of water in his house. That's terrible. I mean, there are people that just -- you know, it's a sad thing to see.

SANCHEZ: The major concern now are the cities and towns that are south of here, because all this water that was here has continued moving in that direction.

The other question is, when is the rain finally going to stop? It had settled down here a couple of hours ago, now it's falling yet again. Experts tell us that it will continue at least until Monday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: CNN national correspondent Boris Sanchez there asking the question, when will it end?

But, Derek, it doesn't look like it will be over soon?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, the bulk of the rainfall looked as if it was moving on. But now just within the past two hours or so, some of the most saturated and hardest-hit areas have another resurgence of moisture. I'll show that on the radar in just one moment.

But, first, George, I want to show our viewers and yourself some very compelling video coming out of Baton Rouge, this is rescue just in the nick of time. This woman survived a near-drowning in Baton Rouge, thanks to some courageous men on a boat who arrived.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God, I'm drowning!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN DAM: You're going to hear her say she's asking for help. She's drowning. This car kept sinking. One of the men -- again, you can see him here trying to puncture a window to actually access the woman, but he jumps onto the car, starts to tear through the convertible's fabric roof.

And what you're about to see here is absolutely incredible. Thirty seconds later it would have been a different story.

And, George, it even goes on from here. This very courageous man, I wish we could interview him right now, he went on to save this poor woman's dog who was still stuck within the submerged car.

Watch this.

I think that video just speaks a thousand words. We have to tip our hats to the authorities and to the volunteer rescue individuals saving countless lives. There has already been over 1,000 swift and high water rescues in Louisiana alone.

Here's what I was talking about, the recent flare-up of rainfall. This is the latest watches and warnings from the National Weather Service. Baton Rouge flood warning as we speak.

From Interstate 55 to the west, that's the area we're concentrating on, right along and parallel to Interstate 10, see that dark shading of red there? That is a flash flood warning. It has been ongoing throughout the course of the overnight period.

But look at the latest radar returns. This is the Gulf Coast, you can see New Orleans is dry right now. This is the area that has been hardest-hit. And, again, just within the past hour or two, a flare-up of moisture into this area, means that additional rainfall and fairly heavy rain over the next few hours for that particular location.

So we're going to continue to monitor for the potential of flash flooding at least through this morning.

Look at the rainfall totals, oh my goodness, almost 27 inches of rain in Brownfields. Monticello also very high rainfall totals for you. This is since Thursday evening.

Our forecast radar going forward over the next 12 hours shows the rain starting to disperse, OK? We don't see the heavy oranges and yellows which would indicate the heaviest participation. So we're going to start to see the intensity break apart once that band of heavier rainfall finally starts to move on.

I want to show you the flash flooding here from a rain gauge, this is the Comite River. And that river rose 25 feet in 12 hours. This is scary, too. Think about this. In Livingston, Louisiana, the

one area you're supposed to have authorities, you call these 911 call centers to ask for emergency help. Well, this particular emergency call center had to be evacuated with all personnel because water was rapidly rising into this particular building.

So, George, wasn't that video just astonishing? I mean, to see something like that.

HOWELL: It's unbelievable to watch it and see it.

VAN DAM: And to be there at a moment's notice and to capture it all on video like that, that is why I'm in this news business.

HOWELL: You know there are a lot of people today who I know are going to want to talk to that guy.

VAN DAM: Including myself.

HOWELL: Yes, me too. Derek...

(CROSSTALK)

HOWELL: Yes, thank you.

All right, day eight of the Rio Olympics wrapped up on Saturday and Michael Phelps finished in true Olympic style, the most decorated Olympian ever. He took gold with his U.S. teammates in the men's 4x100-meter medley.

Phelps says he won't compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but he did come out of retirement to compete in Rio. So, look, we'll have to wait and see. With his latest win, though, Phelps now has 23 Olympic gold medals.

The U.S. was also victorious in the women's 4x100-meter medley as well. Simone Manuel anchored the U.S. team as Australia took silver and Denmark bronze. With that win the U.S. earned its 1,000th gold medal in modern era Summer Olympics.

In track events, British runner Mo Farah won the 10,000-meter despite a fall during the race. The win makes him the first British track athlete to win three gold medals.

For more on Saturday's events and what to expect on day nine, let's bring in Christina Macfarlane, live for us this morning in Rio.

Christina, it's good to have you. Let's start with Mo Farah, what a performance, not only did he come back -- break out from the behind, in the back of the pack, but he also recovered from a fall.

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, George. Surely only Mo Farah could fall during a race and still go on to win the 10,000 meters. You know, this isn't the first time he has fallen. He actually fell during the Beijing Olympic Games and at the World

Championships last year, and he got up and won those as well. Mid- race in this race, he was clipped by one of the runners, in fact it was his teammate Galen Rupp. And he went down, but he got straight back up again, found his pace.

And then he powered clear of the field in the final 100 meters to a time of 27 minutes and 5 seconds for gold.

But you know what's extraordinary, George, in all of this, is he was up against the Kenyans, the Ethiopians, who all run as a pack. And all of them trying to intimidate him on the track, but it was water off a duck's back.

And what we saw last night was sheer dominance from him. But, you know, this is a man who knows when to move, he knows when to challenge and when to hang back. And it was just a master class.

Let's remember that he'll be back on Wednesday as well to defend his 5,000-meter title. And if he wins that, he'll become the first man since "The Flying Finn," Lasse Viren, in 1976, to retain his two Olympic distance titles.

HOWELL: Just fascinating. Let's talk about Michael Phelps in the pool, the question, history made for sure, but will this be his last Olympics?

MACFARLANE: That's a good question, George, you know, after winning the 100-meter butterfly on Friday, he said he was absolutely not carrying on. And then he also followed up that with a confirmation on Facebook live on Saturday morning saying that Tokyo 2020 was not for him.

Though he appears to be adamant that this is his last event, but, you know, the reason we have obviously problems believing him is because London 2012 he retired and then he came back.

And we're expecting a press conference later today where we may hear official confirmation of that.

I have a really good stat to tell you, George, about Michael Phelps here. Now if Michael Phelps were a country, he would actually rank 12th in the world in the medal tables since 2004, that is how dominant he has been.

And no one doubted it would be gold number 23 for him last night. Twenty-eight in total, of course, after winning the 4x100-meter medley relay, cementing surely his place as the greatest ever.

But, you know, for this particular event, we shouldn't have expected anything less than gold because the USA have never failed to win this particular event in Olympic history. But Phelps, of course, the man of the night.

HOWELL: Very interesting stat to share with us. Christina Macfarlane, thank you. And obviously we'll be looking ahead to see what happens with Justin Gatlin and Usain Bolt as the next day of competition starts. Thank you so much for your reporting.

Let's talk just a bit more now about Michael Phelps, for almost two decades the sport of swimming has revolved around its greatest star, and now he says that he's saying good-bye after five Olympics and a career like no other.

Our Andy Scholes takes a look back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Phelps entered the global swimming stage at the age of 15, qualifying for his first Olympic Games. Since that time he has been the most dominating force the world of swimming has ever seen, competing long enough to inspire a new generation of swimmers.

Look no further than American gold medalist Katie Ledecky. Here she posed with Phelps as a 9-year-old, 10 years later, they're winning gold together in Rio.

MICHAEL PHELPS, 23-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: It's pretty incredible to have helped kids go after their dreams and their goals.

DEBBIE PHELPS, MOTHER OF MICHAEL PHELPS: I'm seeing him in a different capacity, one as an athlete, a fierce competitor, but also Michael Phelps the mentor.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: He has just become a role model to so many people and taken swimming to a sport that used to be just, well, that's an Olympic sport, well, now it's cool.

SCHOLES: Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, and then his first retirement. Phelps did not just come back for a farewell tour at these Rio games, he crushed it, winning five gold medals. He has now stood atop of an Olympic podium 23 times.

BRENNAN: This is young person's sport. This is a sport where teenagers are winning gold medals. He's 31. If -- in baseball years that's probably 55. And the thought that he can still be at the top of the world on this -- at this point, it's extraordinary.

SCHOLES: On top of the world in the water, Phelps sometimes struggled out of the pool. Controversy, two DUI arrests, rehab in 2014. But after all of it, he emerged with a new commitment to compete in his fifth and final Olympic Games.

If this is it for Phelps, he couldn't have written a better ending. He's now a father. His fiancee Nicole Johnson and his 3-month-old son Boomer watching and cheering him on at every race.

D. PHELPS: They've adjusted themselves so well. And I just think they have a very special loving bond between the three of them. I just think Michael is in a really good place right now.

SCHOLES: What's next for Phelps? He says he's looking forward to spending time with his family. We won't have to look far to find him pitching a number of products around the world. He will continue his work with the Michael Phelps Foundation which helps kids learn to swim and be safe around water.

Perhaps Phelps also uses his free time in retirement to encourage change in the sport of swimming.

BRENNAN: If Michael Phelps speaks out about doping, the IOC will listen in a way they're not going to listen to anyone else. And maybe at the end of the day, that's Michael's legacy, a combination of bringing children to the sport of swimming and then trying to clean up the sport of swimming in terms of doping and all the bad things that have happened over the years.

ALLISON SCHMITT, 11-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: He has changed the sport and he will continue to change it even past his retirement.

M. PHELPS: It is finally setting in more and more that some of the things that I've been able to accomplish throughout my career is, it's -- you know, in wanting to change the sport I'm seeing it firsthand. And I think that's something that is really rewarding.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: One of the greats.

We're following this story of an imam and his assistant dead after an ambush in New York. The details on that fatal shooting as police search for suspects.

Also, this special Cuban cigar is for a very special occasion, we'll show you who blew out the birthday candles, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

Police in New York are on the lookout for whoever shot and killed an imam and his assistant outside of a mosque. Authorities say they do not believe the men's faith played a factor in the killings.

Our Sara Ganim has details for us from the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New York City police confirming that a Queens imam and his neighbor were both gunned down leaving a mosque on Saturday afternoon. Following prayers as they walked down the street towards home, a man approached them from behind, shooting both in the head.

Investigators here at the scene still trying to figure out exactly what happened, say they are looking at surveillance video that shows a man with a gun running from the scene, no arrests have been made. But witnesses are also being interviewed.

Investigators say there's nothing that preliminarily indicates that these two men were targeted. But investigators are also looking to see if there was an earlier dispute at the mosque that may have led to a shooting. That's according to a law enforcement source.

And as this investigation begins you can see that the local community has gathered, news of the shooting garnered a significant reaction from the community here. Obviously, it's a very scary thing to think that a local religious leader could be gunned down in the middle of the street in broad daylight.

And there are many concerns from people in this community who have gathered calling for justice, and also remembering these men. Some people have told me that the local imam was beloved here. He had just eulogized someone else the other day.

And that he was a very nice guy, very well-known in the community. He had kids, frequented the local stores. And so obviously, the showing of support here in Queens as the investigation continues to try and figure out what happened.

Sara Ganim, CNN, Queens, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Sara, thank you.

New York Police are now stepping up patrols at the mosques in the city and authorities say there are no threats but they're adding security as a precaution.

"America's Choice 2016," The New York Times" is reporting that some of Donald Trump's advisers believe that it may be impossible to save him from his own mistakes.

The Republican presidential candidate fired back on Twitter calling The Times "a failing newspaper of fiction." But Trump's grievance is not just with The New York Times," he seems to a hold even a lower view of reporters than he does of his opponent in the election, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll tell you, honestly, I'm not running against crooked Hillary Clinton, I'm running against the crooked media. That's what I'm running against.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: I'm not running against crooked Hillary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Trump talks a lot about his contempt for the media. CNN certainly no exception. Our Brian Stelter takes a closer look now at what Trump says and tweets about his campaign coverage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald

Trump's campaign is all about getting attention. Media attention.

TRUMP: Look at all those cameras, look at all the red lights.

I know I'm here for the ratings, but it's a little bit ridiculous.

STELTER: But Trump likes to have it both ways. His favorite show is "Beat the Press."

TRUMP: These people are the lowest form of life, I'm telling you.

This sleazy guy right over here from ABC. He's a sleaze.

The Washington Post, one of the most dishonest papers in the world.

STELTER: When the going gets tough, Trump gets tough on the people covering his campaign. Right now especially CNN.

TRUMP: FOX has been fair, but CNN has been catastrophic, it's so dishonest.

STELTER: Lately he doesn't seem to want the attention at all.

TRUMP: They cover things that are -- that should not be covered.

STELTER: Hillary Clinton does face daily scrutiny, especially about her email server. But Clinton usually keeps her immediate critiques private. Trump tweets his on an hourly basis.

CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, he has objected to a dozen things just this week alone. On Friday he called CNN "ratings- challenged." But odds are he's watching this program right now.

Watching cable news and then reacting to it is a defining feature of his campaign.

TRUMP: You ought to see these news organizations yesterday when I said Obama -- right, did you see that? That Obama is the founder of ISIS.

STELTER: Time and time again he says the media is rigged against him.

TRUMP: The media is rigged. It's rigged. It's crooked as hell.

STELTER: He is far from the first candidate to blame the media.

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Here's a little news flash for those reporters and commentators, I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion.

STELTER: Sometimes when campaigns are down in the polls, the anti- press talk gets even louder. The difference with Trump is the intensity. He is not just running against Clinton, he is running against us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: That was CNNMoney senior media correspondent Brian Stelter reporting for us.

Donald Trump has been under fire for refusing to release his income taxes. But his running mate, Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence, he is taking a different approach, Mike Pence says that he will release his own tax returns before Election Day in November. He promises though, they will be a "quick read."

Cuba is known for its cigars. But this is no ordinary cigar. It's 90 meters long, or just shy of 300 feet, and it rolled out for someone who just turned 90 years old, Fidel Castro.

Our Patrick Oppmann has more on the birthday celebrations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A frail but very much alive Fidel Castro made a rare public appearance on Saturday at a government celebration marking his 90th birthday.

Castro was seated next to Cuba's current president, his brother Raul Castro, and a key ally, Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro.

Fidel Castro needed help rising to his feet as Cuban school children sang him "Happy Birthday," as high-ranking government officials gave him a standing ovation.

Castro was once omnipresent in Cuban life. But he is rarely seen in public these days. Years ago Castro said that one of his greatest achievements was, "having survived." As president Castro endured assassination attempts and the fall of the Soviet Union, which nearly collapsed Cuba's economy.

But even as Cuba normalizes relations with the United States and embraces capitalism, Fidel Castro has once again proved that he's a survivor.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Patrick, thank you.

Still ahead here, deadly flooding has engulfed parts of state of the Louisiana. And ahead, the rainfall is still drenching parts of that state. Details on when people could start to see some relief from the flooding there ahead.

Plus, police are investigating a mass stabbing attack on a train in Switzerland. What they're saying about the suspect, coming up.

We are live in Atlanta this hour, broadcasting in the United States an around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. It is good to have you with us. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

The legendary swimmer Michael Phelps won gold in his final Olympic race on Saturday. He swam in the 4x100-meter medley relay. That makes gold medal number 23 for the American, by far the all-time record.

In the U.S. presidential race, Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence said that he will release his tax returns before Election Day in November. Trump is still resisting calls to release his own tax returns, saying it's because they are being audited.

Two separate air strikes by Saudi-led coalition forces have killed more than a dozen children in northern Yemen. According to Yemen's health ministry, the first strike hit a private school killing at least 10 children there, wounding 28 others. Another air strike struck a nearby school killing four children and three adults.

In the state of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Police say that they are restoring order now to the streets after a night of violence over a police shooting that happened there. Crowds gathered Saturday night hours after police shot and killed an armed man during a foot chase.

As officers tried to break up the protests things then turned violent. Police say people set buildings on fires. They say that people threw bricks at police officers. One officer was even hit in the head by a brick thrown through his windshield. Earlier we heard from the brother of the suspect killed by police, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, you've got a city riot going on because, once again, the police have failed to protect us like they say they were going to do. They failed to be here for the people like they say they were -- like they're sworn in to do.

You know, us as a community we're not going to protect ourselves but we don't have anyone to protect us, then this is what you get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: That suspect was 23 years old. The officer who shot him has been put on administrative duty while the investigation is under way.

Moving on now to the state of Louisiana, drenching rains have produced disastrous flooding there. At least three people have died. One person is reported missing. The video that you see here is from Walker, Louisiana, where caskets have been seen floating in a cemetery.

The state's governor calls the flooding a truly historic event and he says everyone needs to be in response mode. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN BEL EDWARDS, LOUISIANA: What we know is we have record levels of flooding along rivers and creeks. And because these are record floods we don't know how wide the water is going to get in those areas.

We don't -- this is unprecedented. So, we don't have records that we can go back and see who all is going to be impacted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Let's get the very latest on the flooding there, our meteorologist Derek Van Dam has been following this for a long time now, Derek. Any relief in sight?

VAN DAM: Doesn't look like the areas that have been hardest-hit have relief, at least in the next -- the short term, I should say the next six hours or so.

George, we have been showing some dramatic videos of rescues taking place in the Baton Rouge. Well, now we have some new video coming into CNN from the Coast Guard. I've never actually seen an angle like this before.

This is a helicopter making a rescue. The Coast Guard continues to rescue people here in distress on rooftops from their automobiles, trailers, due to flooding. Again, this is the Baton Rouge area.

In total, two helicopter air crews from the New Orleans Coast Guard and the Aviation Training Center in Mobile have assisted in rescuing 300 people from the sky. You can see the people, three individuals, I think, within that basket there, quite compelling video to watch.

And people, again, seeking higher ground when the water rises so quickly during this flash flooding event. Now, I want to show you, I talked about the areas that have been hardest-hit and how there's no relief at least for the next six hours.

And the reason I say that is because there has been a new flare-up of heavy rainfall moving from the Gulf Coast inland towards the Baton Rouge region and to the west.

This is I-55, Interstate 10, and that shading of red is where the National Weather Service has continued with its flash flood warning. Otherwise flash flood watches as rivers and streams continue to subside.

Now look at this, this is the radar-estimated rainfall totals. And you can see that shading of white there indicating 20-plus inches in a few different locations. We have had official reports of up to 27 inches of rain and we continue to tally that on with more rain in sight at least in the foreseeable short-term future.

You can see, however, our high-resolution forecast radar starts to disperse the precipitation. And we do expect a slow reduction in the heavy rainfall going forward.

But what's interesting to note is that moisture is going to spread northward, not in the heavy sense that we have had lately. But nonetheless we do have flash flood watches from Memphis through St. Louis, and into the Ohio River Valley. This is something that we're going to continue to monitor as we go forward over the next day or so.

HOWELL: Derek, thank you.

VAN DAM: Thanks, George.

HOWELL: Looking ahead at competition in Rio, Sunday's biggest event is the men's 100 meter where superstar Usain Bolt will look to defend the first of these three sprinting titles. Bolt is going after the first ever treble-treble, a three-peat in the 100-, 200-, and 400- meter sprints.

The men will also run the 400-meter race. While the women will compete in the marathon and the triple jump.

Grenada's track wonder will be competing in the 400 meters on Sunday. Kirani James won the first ever Olympic medal for his country back in 2012 when he nabbed gold for that event and now, well, he's looking to do it again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIRANI JAMES, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: My name is Kirani James and I'm aiming for gold.

Just having that, you know, confidence of me from Grenada, small island competing against the larger Caribbean countries and winning races and doing well, I think that really set in that, you know, I could compete and do really, really well in track.

We're a very proud people and any time we have something positive that we can be proud, you know, we go the extra mile to let people know how proud we are or something.

So, just winning that first medal, I think, at home, you know, everyone at home erupted. It was a very historic moment and something that I'll cherish every day of my life.

I called my mother and you know she was out in the streets along with everybody else. She couldn't hear me, I couldn't hear her because its was so many noises. And I guess she just kept handing the phone to various people, random people, you know, that or they were grabbing the phone from her, I'm not sure.

But, you know, and just to hear people's voices and how proud they were and how excited of winning the first -- Grenada's first Olympic gold medal, I think that's when it really hit me that I did something very extraordinary for my country.

Training has been going great. It has been injury-free. And, you know, I've competed this year, I haven't, you know, lost a race yet. So, I would say it has been very positive just trying to do well. As long as I do that then, you know, I'm happy.

They want the games for a reason, because the Olympic Committee saw something special in them. And so I'm going in with the mind-set it's going to be a great games. And only when we get there we'll see.

So, hopefully they get everything sorted out by then. And it will be a memorable games.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Yes, so exciting to see all of these different stories. We certainly wish him the very best.

This is CNN NEWSROOM. We want to tell you, of course, about the Syrian city of Manbij, celebrations there and a chance to start life again after ISIS is forced out of that city. Why Manbij is a crucial point in the battle against ISIS.

Plus, thousands of Venezuelans crossed in Colombia to buy food and other basic items. What have might have lead the Venezuelan president to change his mind after he closed that border last year. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: Police in Switzerland are investigating a train accident that wounded six passengers Saturday. They say a 27-year-old suspect set fire to the train with some sort of liquid and stabbed several passengers on board. A 6-year-old boy is among those injured. And the suspect was also hurt in the fire.

The attack happened in the east part of that country on a service line that was shut down. Authorities say that dozens of people were on board and the train was heavily damaged.

People in the key Syrian city of Manbij now have a sliver of hope that their lives will recover. Fighters backed by the United States have forced ISIS out of that city. The U.S. hoping to acquire key intelligence now left behind by that terror group. And Washington wants to use Manbij as a springboard to retake Raqqah, which is the de facto capital of ISIS.

Our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has this report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With the fall of Manbij, ISIS has lost another important stronghold in Syria. The latest in a string of towns and cities in Iraq and Syria where ISIS's black banner has been torn down.

For the habitants of this Syrian town it was a relief to be liberated by the U.S.-supported Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters. The inhabitants of the town enjoying relief from ISIS's draconian regime, some men took the opportunity to shave off their once-mandatory beards, and men and also women had the opportunity to enjoy a smoke in public for the first time in years without fear of a lashing.

Some women took the opportunity to burn their head-to-toe niqabs, a stifling garment required by ISIS of all women who wanted to go out in public.

ISIS has now lost an important supply route between the Turkish border and its de facto capital of Raqqah. But this is just one battle won, the war against ISIS is still far from over. ISIS still controls Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, and it still controls large tracts of northern Syria.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Ben, thank you.

In Venezuela, thousands of desperate citizens crossed into Colombia on Saturday after the two countries agreed to at least temporarily reopen the border there. Venezuelans are anxious to buy food and other basic supplies. Items that they can't find or afford in their own country. Falling oil prices have contributed to a severe economic recession in that nation. The opposition wants to remove the president, Nicolas Maduro, by a referendum vote this year.

Following this story, our Rafael Romo reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hours before sunrise people were already standing in line at the border, tens of thousands of Venezuelans desperate to cross into Colombia for the first time in almost a year.

"Colombia and Venezuela have always been sister nations," this woman says, "the border should always be open."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the 2,200-kilometer border closed last August after a clash between Colombian paramilitary forces and Venezuelan troops.

He met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Thursday in Venezuela to announce a reopening of the border.

"We will open the border in an orderly, controlled, and gradual way," President Santos said.

(on camera): Which means this is not yet a permanent reopening. For now the border will be open for up to 15 hours a day and only for pedestrians. According to Colombian officials, about 28,000 Venezuelans crossed into their country on Saturday alone.

(voice-over): Authorities briefly opened portions of the border several times in the last few weeks. But this is the first time it reopens as part of a bi-national agreement.

For the Venezuelans it was mainly an opportunity to buy basic food products and toiletries that have been scarce in Venezuela for years. Later in the day, they returned home carrying bags, packages, and boxes full of food and other items.

Others flocked to pharmacies to get medicines that are nowhere to be found in Venezuela. Some even carried tires.

This woman said she felt like taking pictures of this Colombian supermarket where we found her. All she sees back home, she said, are empty shelves. After almost after a year of suffering shortages, the abundance of essential grocery store items in Colombia was overwhelming.

Rafael Romo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Starting in a few hours, the Nice, France, football team says that it will pay tribute to the victims on of the terrible Bastille Day attack in that city. A month ago, a man plowed a truck through crowds of people celebrating the French national holiday.

On Sunday, in their match against Rennes, players of the OGC Nice will wear a special white jersey with the names of the 85 people killed, in the shape of a heart. That team is also asking fans to wear white shirts.

So, if you've wondered what those circles are that are popping up on some Olympic athletes, you're not alone. You see it there. We'll have more on this phenomena just ahead.

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

So if you've been watching the Rio Olympics you may have seen a trend of sorts among athletes, those dark circular marks on their bodies, you see it here. These are a part of a therapeutic technique known as cupping.

Earlier my colleague Jon Mann spoke with our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. And they started by discussing exactly what is cupping. Well, here is the answer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the name is a pretty good one for this because you're actually taking these cups and you're putting it on the skin and you're creating a certain amount of suction. That's what they do.

So sometimes the cups are glass, for example. And you actually heat up the inside. And that creates a vacuum on the skin. Sometimes they're actual suction cups. And the whole idea is to basically pull the skin up, and what you're

really doing is pulling it away from the muscle that's underneath and allowing those blood vessels that are in between the skin and muscle to rupture and bring in more blood flow to the area.

That's the goal of cupping. And that's also why you see those bad bruises on people like Phelps.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN ANCHOR: And does it work, does it do any good?

GUPTA: Well, you know, it's one of these things, it's for a lot people they believe that it works for them. I mean, they have been doing this for a thousand years literally in countries like China. And it has withstood that test of time.

They believe that it actually promotes healing. So people who are actually training really hard, the recovery time can sometimes be inhibiting in terms of them exercising. So they want to improve their recovery time.

And some people say it takes pain away from certain areas that are over-stressed, over-worked. It doesn't appear to be harmful.

But, again, you know, the idea of whether something is effective sometimes is very much in the eye of the beholder. It could be placebo effect as well, who knows? But, you know, these guys are Olympic athletes doing this.

MANN: Now it doesn't sound like there's convincing scientific evidence for it though.

GUPTA: There have been a few small studies around this. But you're not going to have the sort of study around something like this like you might around a cancer drug. In large part, there's no money to be made on something like this. It's literally something you can do in your own home.

So as a result, the big pharma company is not going to invest in a big study. So the studies around these things are typically very small. There are people who are athletes who decide they want to study it themselves.

MANN: Now sometimes when people try alternative medicine, doctors say don't do that because it means you're not going to get the cure that you need. Is anyone with muscle trouble that could be helped by a doctor or by a physiotherapist going to make a mistake if they try that route instead?

GUPTA: That's a good question. I mean, I think that for the average person who may be having muscle problems, you know, you obviously still want to get that checked out to make sure.

These are athletes who are, you know, obviously very highly trained and thoroughly checked out. You know, they have entire medical staffs. And they realize that they're healthy people who are looking for some sorts of improvements, again, in terms recovery time and quicker relief of pain.

They don't take -- it's not a substance so, you know, it's just something they're doing to their own bodies. So it's important because there are not these randomized trials around this. You can't assert these sort of things.

But look at a guy like Phelps, I mean, he has been training for years for these few days. And would you -- you know, if you give them some credit, including the team, look, we're not going to do anything that's going to inhibit his performance, it might help, why not? I guess that's sort of their attitude.

MANN: Why not? Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.

GUPTA: You got it, thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: And some sad news to share with you for "Star Wars" fans, the British actor Kenny Baker has died. The barely one meter or three- foot tall Baker, he was best known for playing the lovable role of R2- D2, the droid in the film franchise.

He also appeared in other science fiction movies including "Time Bandits" and "Flash Gordon." Kenny Baker was 81 years old.

We thank you for being with us this hour on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. For our viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY" is next. And for other viewers around the world, the "BEST OF QUEST" starts in a moment.

We thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.