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Hegseth Says, reports of Poor Conditions Aboard Carrier Misrepresented; Sources Say, Luigi Mangione Could Plead Guilty in Federal Case; Flash Flooding Underway in Indiana and Illinois as Storms Slam Midwest. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 14, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, relief is reportedly on the way for the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln after sailors' families warned their loved ones' mental health was deteriorating, along with the living conditions on board that ship. The Pentagon's pushing back hard on those reports as members of Congress demand answers.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, happening today, a last-minute hearing that could bring a major development in the federal case against accused CEO killer, Luigi Mangione. A possible plea deal and what that could mean for his state trial.

Plus, two wayward goats on the lam hitching a ride on a city bus. Where did they come from? Where did they go? And most importantly, did they have valid fare?

Everyone's off today, but I'm Danny Freeman with Erica Hill, and this is CNN News Central.

HILL: This morning, there is growing concern for the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln as the Iran war drags on. Sources telling CNN a sailor jumped overboard earlier this month. Now, that sailor was rescued, but the account comes amid reports of similar attempts by multiple crew members.

The carrier has been deployed now for more than 250 days. It has not made a port call in over 200 days, which one Democratic lawmaker calls a modern-day record. And Democrats are now demanding answers, citing reports of food shortages on board, as well as contaminated water, plumbing issues, in addition to those concerns about the crew's mental health.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pushing back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's completely misrepresented. Listen, we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment. Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, the carrier USS George Washington is now headed to the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln.

One official telling CNN that swap had been planned in advance, but still a lot of questions this morning.

CNN's Brian Todd is with me now. So in terms of what's happening on board the U.S.S Lincoln, Brian, what do we know this morning?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, we do have new reporting from our colleagues, Pamela Brown and Ross Atkins. They cite three U.S. officials saying a sailor on board the aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, went overboard earlier this month. Two of the officials tell CNN that sailor was quickly rescued, was medically evaluated, treated, then transferred off the ship for follow-on care. One official said the sailor went overboard wearing a life vest and was not injured. The official added that the Navy considered the incident a mental health episode.

Now, this incident, which had not been previously reported, adds to the growing concerns about the crew of the USS Lincoln. The news outlets Stars and Stripes and the Navy Times reported this week that there had been multiple attempts by crew members on the Lincoln to jump overboard. Those outlets cited interviews with sailors and families of those on board who describe the impacts of a very lengthy deployment.

Now, according to Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, the Lincoln has not made a port call in more than 200 days. That's about six and a half months.

Now, just last month, Pamela Brown was reporting on board the Lincoln. She spoke with Airman Randall Stone about the low morale on the ship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Why is morale low?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's a fairly simple answer. Morale's low because we haven't hit a port in about seven months. I mean, I haven't stepped off the ship in the year 2026. I haven't been off the, I haven't been off the ship. I haven't touched land.

BROWN: Even when we went, the, there's been a couple of quick port stops. You didn't, you weren't able to get off?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. The last time I was off the ship on dry land would've been Guam in December. So, 2026, unfortunately, I was live- risk (ph) in Dukedom. So, that was off the table for me. So it's hard. You know, it's hard on your mental state, being out to sea for eight months without being on dry land, it takes a toll on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Now in a statement to CNN, the U.S. Navy said, quote, we have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. We take every service member's wellbeing seriously and have religious, medical, and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise. End quote.

One U.S. official told CNN the Navy's internal tracking of reports of suicidal ideation on the USS Lincoln had actually gone down in recent months.

[07:05:04]

Erica?

HILL: All right. Brian, I really appreciate the update. And I do want to note that coming up today on The Situation Room, Senator Richard Blumenthal will be joining to discuss his letter to the Department of Defense, specifically asking them to address those concerns aboard the USS Lincoln. Danny?

FREEMAN: In just a few hours, Luigi Mangione is expected back in court, where sources say he could plead guilty to federal charges tied to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione, you might remember, previously pleaded not guilty in both the federal and state cases against him, but any deal with federal prosecutors is likely to raise questions about his state case.

CNN's Kara Scannell is outside of the New York courthouse where this is all happening. Kara, what can you tell us about what might happen today?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Danny. Sources tell CNN that Luigi Mangione could plead guilty this morning, but sources also caution that there is still a lot in the air. And until a guilty plea is stated in court, it is not a done deal.

Part of the issue here is that state case. Mangione's facing federal stalking charges tied to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In state court, he's facing murder charges as well as weapons charges.

The state trial is expected to start in three weeks, and so a lot will come down on what Luigi Mangione says when he allocutes, that is, tells the judge what crime he had committed. Because the issue here for his lawyers is to try to get the federal case to knock out the state case under double jeopardy laws, but that is still a big question.

So, part of this will be what does Mangione actually say in court today if it gets to that point where he does want to enter this plea of guilty to these charges, and then do federal prosecutors agree with that? And, ultimately, the judge will have a say in this case. She is not a rubber stamp. And as we've seen in other high-profile cases like Hunter Biden, a defendant can come in intending to plead guilty, but then the deal falls apart.

So, right now, there's still a lot of fluidity in the situation. It will come down to what happens inside the courtroom today, because it's both something that the federal prosecutors want to get done, but also the state prosecutors. They are urging the judge here to think about the victims, to remember Brian Thompson and his family, and to make sure that any deal is just for them. Danny?

FREEMAN: Yes, all eyes on that New York City courtroom.

All right, Kara Scannell, thank you so much. We'll be checking back in with you throughout the day. Erica?

HILL: Powerful storms slamming the Midwest for a sixth straight day. Rivers rising to catastrophic levels amid rainfall, prompting water rescues and growing concerns now about what is next.

Plus, the World War II Memorial in Washington vandalized. Who is responsible for that damage? And pop star Selena Gomez now accused of fraud over her mental health startup. We have the details on that new lawsuit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

FREEMAN: Happening now, a flooding emergency unfolding in the Midwest. There are flash flood warnings right now in parts of Indiana, where you can see this heavy rain has already forced hundreds of people from their homes and left more than 300,000 without power.

Areas of the state have seen once in a thousand year rainfall leading to water rescues, sunken cars, and ruined homes. The fire chief in Muncie telling CNN in nearly 30 years on the job, he has never seen flooding like this.

Now, the floodwater's partially uprooting this tree. You can see it right here behind me. I mean, that's just outstanding, leaning against that house, and homes have been left in shambles. The owner of this home, a father of six, says it was, quote, a panic to get out of here with his kids, now that he's left to pick up the pieces.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIMOTHY HICKS, HOME DAMAGED BY FLOODWATERS: It's all waterlogged, probably trashed. Everything I've worked for my whole life is just washed the away. I don't know, it just crushed me. My kids' house is gone.

I mean, it's not really gone, but all the stuff in it is going to take months to get it back together probably.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: CNN's Allison Chinchar joins me now. Allison, is there any relief coming for these communities?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We may get some lighter showers, but really for the near future, we still anticipate getting even more rain on top of what's already fallen in many of these hard-hit communities, not just today, but even as we head into the weekend.

Again, when you talk about some of these areas, especially river flooding, it takes time for those water levels to come back down, and you've got over 50 river gauges that are at or above flood stage, some at minor, some at moderate, and even two of them that have already reached major flood stage. Again, it takes time for that water to come back down.

Here's a look at the radar. Again, you have flashflood warnings stretching from Nebraska all the way over through Ohio. That's where all those little red boxes that you see there. So, again, this long line of very heavy rain continues over the exact same spots that have been dealing with it for the past week.

You take a look just since Monday on this map. Look at all of that bright red and orange color. That indicates at least four to six inches has fallen. But then you see this pink area here, especially the bright pink across portions of Indiana. That's where you've had about a foot of rain that has come down just since Monday.

Some of these areas picking up one and even two months' worth of rain in just two days. And then we keep adding more on top of it.

Here's a look. You've also got, in addition to the flashflood warnings, all of these watches in anticipation of what we just talked about. Unfortunately, more rain is on the way, and you can hear it.

[07:15:01]

It's going to be wave after wave, or see it, rather. Here we look at Friday. You can see that first wave coming through, then the secondary wave moving from portions of the plains over into the Midwest and the Ohio Valley into the day on Saturday. So, it's not just today, but even as we head into the weekend, many of these same areas are going to continue to be hit.

So, take a look at these maps. Again, this is Friday here on the left- hand side. This includes Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Des Moines, Chicago, areas that have already had plenty of rain, expected to get even more today. Then we go into Saturday, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Des Moines, Chicago, the exact same cities I just mentioned for today are still under the threat once again when we get to Saturday. So, it's going to continue to be a multi-day event for many of these same areas.

Now, I will point out that some of the hardest hit areas, especially across Indiana and Ohio, the southern portions are not expected to get that much more rain, maybe an extra inch or two. But when you've already had a foot, even an inch or two can still just exacerbate a lot of those flooding problems.

The heavier rain is going to be farther to the north, places like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toledo, stretching over into areas of northern Illinois and into Iowa, where we could look at another four to six inches.

FREEMAN: Oh man, just incredible. We're still thinking of those families and those communities.

Allison Chinchar, thank you so much, as always. I really do appreciate it.

All right, coming up in just a moment, almost 30 years after Tupac was killed, a jury has been seated for a trial in his murder. We're going to tell you when we could start hearing testimony.

Plus, a bear breaks into a Colorado hotel and takes some M&Ms. You're not going to want to miss this one either.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

HILL: The jury that will decide whether Duane Davis is responsible for Tupac Shakur's killing has now been seated, and opening statements in that trial are set to begin on Monday. Now, prosecutors say Davis helped to orchestrate the 1996 drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Important to note he's not accused of firing the gun, but they plan to use Davis' own public statements as part of the case against him. Davis has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. That trial is expected to last four to five weeks.

This morning, there is a new vandalism investigation underway in the nation's capital, this time focused on the World War II memorial after pink and green neon graffiti was found on the Atlantic Pavilion there, including the words, clean hands, dirty money. The fountains were also filled with bubbles.

Law enforcement blocked off the area while Park Police investigated. In a statement to CNN, the Interior Department called the vandalism an utter disgrace, noting the memorial is a sacred place honoring more than 400,000 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War II. The department says the investigation is ongoing and has promised to find those responsible. Danny?

FREEMAN: Also new this morning, legal trouble for Selena Gomez. Several investors are suing her and her mental health startup, Wondermind, claiming they were misled about the company's success and her involvement in it.

Now, the company launched in 2021 and lists the billionaire as co- founder, chief impact officer, and head of marketing. Five investors claim they put in more than a million dollars back in 2022, expecting Gomez to leverage her star power to help build the company. Well, the lawsuit alleged, quote, for three years, while the company quietly collapsed around them, not one of its founders, officers, or directors said a word to the investors whose money was funding that collapse.

Now, they're suing Gomez and her mother for fraud and breach of contract. Gomez and Wondermind declined to comment.

And to this now, the cyclospora outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce has now spread to 17 states, and there are more than 9,400 cases according to the FDA. Two people have died, and nearly 400 have been hospitalized in connection with this outbreak.

Now, the parasite can cause an upset stomach for weeks if left untreated. But health officials say the main source of this outbreak is iceberg lettuce that was imported from Mexico. The FDA says it believes all of the recalled lettuce has been removed from the market. Good news there.

All right, still ahead, a quarter of the U.S. Reaper drone fleet reportedly gone since the start of the Iran war. What the impact of this could be as this war drags on.

Plus, President Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board votes to put his name on the building again. We're going to tell you how they're trying to get around a federal judge's ruling.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

HILL: There are growing questions this morning about conditions on the U.S.S Abraham Lincoln, deployed now for more than 250 days. That ship has also now gone without a port call in over 200 days. Sources tell CNN a sailor jumped overboard this month. That sailor was rescued, but the account comes amid reports of similar attempts by multiple crew members. There've also been reports of food and supply shortages, contaminated water, plumbing issues as well. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the reports, quote, completely misrepresented.

Joining me now, CNN Political and Global Affairs Commentator Sabrina Singh, of course, former deputy press secretary at the Pentagon. You've actually embarked on this ship, on the USS Lincoln. You know it firsthand. We are hearing the pushback, Sabrina, from Secretary Hegseth. He pushed back in a similar way over the spring about reports of food shortages, which he called fake news at the time.

This is not an isolated incident, though. You have the Navy Times, the Stars and Stripes reporting 200 family members of Lincoln crew members were raising concerns just last week about mental health issues, safety conditions as well, raising those concerns to the acting secretary of the Navy and other senior officials. What do you make of all of this?

SABRINA SINGH, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yes. Well, you know, when I was at the Pentagon in 2024, I was lucky enough to do an embark on the USS Lincoln, and so seeing firsthand some of the quarters that our sailors and Marines live in, I mean, they are very, very narrow. You know, three or four bunk beds stacked up. You're sharing, you know, the showers and stalls, and then also you have a crew boss that has to feed, you know, thousands of sailors and Marines every single day, kind of at all hours.

The living conditions are tight. And so for the secretary of defense and, you know, the acting chief naval officer downplaying the experiences of our sailors and Marines, I mean, you can't deny that these people are going through something that is really hard. I mean, not having a port call, not seeing land, not being able to step on land for over 200 days, being at sea for over 250 days.

[07:30:00]

I think Pamela Brown even interviewed a sailor that said he hasn't seen land all of 2026. That is going to take a toll on your mental health, and it's also going to impact --