Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Nepal Rescue Efforts Continue; U.S. Military Leadership Facing Turmoil?; Jury Deadlocked in Lindsay Clancy Trial; U.S. Launches New Strikes Against Iran. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired September 01, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:43]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Breaking news into CNN.

U.S. Central Command confirming that U.S. forces are striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Officials say the strikes are a response to Iranian targets on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members who are deployed to the region.

CNN's Haley Britzky is with us now.

Haley, tell us what you're learning.

HALEY BRITZKY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Boris and Brianna, I mean, we do not yet know the extent of these strikes, right?

U.S. Central Command announcing just moments ago that, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, so roughly an hour ago, U.S. forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran. It does not say what those targets are. It says: "The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American troops deployed in the region."

So, a good reminder there for us that, as these conversations have continued with -- about the war with Iran, about the Strait of Hormuz, economic pressure, diplomacy, et cetera, there are still American forces in the region who are carrying out these operations who are at risk of attacks by Iran.

But what's happening today comes just a couple of days after, obviously, we saw overnight Sunday, when the U.S. fired upon Iranian rocket launchers preparing to put sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz, according to Central Command. And that resulted in Iran firing upon American positions in Jordan and in the UAE. So we're kind of seeing this restart again here after more than a

month of relative calm between the U.S. and Iran, and as we have seen the White House sort of turned to economic pressure as a way of trying to force Iran back to the table.

But, clearly, military operations and military strikes have never been off the table and are continuing to be used as a way of sort of sending a message to Iran by the administration.

SANCHEZ: We will see if and how Iran responds.

Haley Britzky, thank you so much for the update there. We know you will stay on top of that story for us -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Right now, a deadlock jury is still struggling to reach a consensus in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, after three days of deliberations, the nine women and three men deciding her fate telling the court they weren't able to reach a unanimous decision, raising concerns about a possible mistrial.

Well, the judge acknowledged the jury's difficult task before telling them to keep at it. Clancy is facing murder charges for strangling her three young children with exercise bands. Her attorney say Clancy is not criminally responsible, arguing that she committed the killings, then tried to take her own life while in the throes of postpartum psychosis.

CNN's Jean Casarez is outside of court in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Jean, tell us what the courtroom was like when the judge revealed the jury couldn't reach a consensus.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was about three hours ago.

And all of a sudden it was realized something is happening inside that courtroom. And when the jury filed in, according to our producer Nicki Brown in that courtroom, one female juror looked at the defense table, which is unusual. They are not looking at the attorneys, what I have seen in the courtroom, but then gazed at the prosecution table.

Another male jewel sat with his head, rubbing his -- his hands rubbing his face, obviously frustrated in all of this. Then, the judge began to speak to the court, telling them that there is a note that the jury cannot reach a decision. Why don't we listen to that sound of the judge as he was telling the courtroom and the jurors exactly what would be happening?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE WILLIAM SULLIVAN, MASSACHUSETTS SUPERIOR COURT: I brought you back out because I know that this was a long trial, all right? I know there were over 80 witnesses. There were over 300 exhibits. And -- but, because of that, I'm going to ask you to go back out, keeping in mind all the instructions that I gave you, to go out and to continue your deliberations at this time, all right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: So when he announced that the jury could not reach unanimity, there were audible gasps from the courtroom. And the courtroom is packed. It is wall to wall with people. And there's media, but there's also people that have come from other states. There are people that are local. There are people from nearby states.

[13:05:03]

They want to be in that courtroom. They want to see what is going to be a significant trial for this country and remembered for many, many years.

KEILAR: Yes, lots of eyes on this.

Jean, thank you for the latest from Plymouth -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Let's get some legal perspective now with attorney Areva Martin.

Areva, thanks so much for being with us.

So this wasn't what's typically known as an Allen charge in many states. This is a Tuey-Rodriguez charge in Massachusetts. It's a more unofficial direction from the judge to keep deliberating. How far do you think that's going to get this jury?

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY: Well, Boris, unlike an Allen charge, in the state of Massachusetts, this charge, this Tuey-Rodriguez charge, the judge literally gets two bites at the apple. He gets to send this jury back two times to encourage them to continue to deliberate.

And at the third time, if they continue to be at a deadlock, if they cannot reach a unanimous decision, he doesn't have the power, like a federal judge, of giving an Allen charge to keep sending them back repeatedly, repeatedly.

But at the third charge in the state of Massachusetts -- third time, I should say, in the state of Massachusetts, the jury has to agree, they have to consent to continue to deliberate, or else this judge is going to be forced to call a mistrial.

I'm not surprised, though, Boris, that we are where we are today because of the complexity of this case, as the judge said, 300 exhibits, 80 witnesses, a lot of complex forensic testimony from experts, a lot of complex testimony about mental health issues and this postpartum psychosis, so not surprised that this jury is grappling with all of this evidence.

SANCHEZ: They have deliberated for more than 20 hours at this point. The longer this goes on, how much more entrenched do jurors typically become? How hard does it become for jurors to sway each other one way or the other?

MARTIN: It's not impossible for there to be a unanimous decision even after jurors have told the court that they are at a deadlock or they're at a stalemate, but it is not likely.

I mean, you see cases go either way in this situation, but it probably becomes more difficult for these jurors to find common ground on some of these complex issues. We know that the jurors asked to see two pieces of evidence. They wanted to see the pill bottle and they wanted to see the knife that Clancy used to try to commit suicide.

So that gave us a good indication that they were grappling with this evidence. And then, again, the jurors -- the instruction that these jurors have been given, this whole concept of criminal responsibility, this isn't a case where they're debating, did she do it or not? That's already been decided.

The case that they're really grappling with is, are her actions -- should she be held criminally responsible for the killing of her three kids? A very difficult standard.

SANCHEZ: I also wonder if the fact that jurors are choosing between five possible verdicts, from first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, down to not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility, does having that many options make it harder to get a unanimous decision?

MARTIN: Absolutely, Boris.

They have got to go through each one of those possibilities and determine if the evidence meets the standards for each of those. And we know that the manslaughter is kind of the compromise . For those folks who don't want this woman to be held responsible for murder, maybe it's a manslaughter that lacks that level of criminal intent.

But, again, they're grappling with very difficult issues, complex testimony...

SANCHEZ: Right.

MARTIN: ... that was given by these expert witnesses, and then these 300 exhibits. We can only imagine what's going through the minds of these jurors.

And then you have women, nine women on these -- on this jury, and the whole issue of mental health, how women are treated after childbirth, postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, all very complex issues being decided by this jury.

SANCHEZ: If the judge declares a mistrial, what does that mean for Clancy and whether this case gets tried again?

MARTIN: Well, we have already heard this prosecuting team say that, if there is a mistrial, they will retry her.

I'm thinking of the Andrea Yates case some years ago. Remember, she killed, drowned five of her children, her five children. The first trial was over -- there was a conviction. It was overturned, and then there was a second trial where she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. So these complex cases involving mothers who kill their children can

be retried. That's a good example of a case where there was a second trial. And the prosecutors in Massachusetts have said they will retry Clancy if there is a mistrial.

SANCHEZ: We will see what the jury decides if they can come to a decision. It could come at any moment, a signal from them.

Areva Martin, thanks so much for the expertise.

[13:10:00]

Still to come: The Army's top official is out after months of clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Ahead, we have the latest on the shakeup at the Pentagon and some exclusive new reporting on the Department of Homeland Security's plans to investigate alleged voter fraud in the midterm elections.

Plus, the death toll from deadly flooding in Nepal topping 1,000, as rescuers race to save 900 workers believed to be trapped inside underground tunnels.

That and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We have some new details about a shakeup at the Pentagon six months into the war with Iran. Multiple sources tell CNN Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned from his post after months of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

[13:15:05]

A source familiar with his departure from his role said that, in his resignation, Driscoll brought up concerns to the Trump administration about the transformation of the Army, its readiness, and Hegseth's blocking of those efforts, specifically by firing the generals who are responsible for it.

In a statement, the White House said: "Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump's agenda to make America strong again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and more."

Driscoll's exit reportedly has some service members concerned about potential replacements. "The Atlantic" reporting -- quote -- "Driscoll's departure and the prospect that he will be replaced by someone more politically aligned with Hegseth are already raising fears inside the Army. What happens then? Generational damage," according to a defense official.

We're joined now by one of the "Atlantic" staff writers who reported on this story, Nancy Youssef.

Nancy, thank you so much for being with us.

You have some new reporting on this conversation that Driscoll had with President Trump before he resigned. What did you find out?

NANCY YOUSSEF, "THE ATLANTIC": So, last week, the secretary of the Army goes to the president to discuss some of his concerns. And the president raises reports that he's heard about changes in the Army's leadership, the blocking of certain promotions.

And as the secretary of the Army is describing these problems, the president expresses surprise at the number of generals who've been fired or passed over for promotion or resigned because of some of the changes that the secretary of defense has brought into the Pentagon.

And that was the beginning of a conversation in which, as your colleagues have reported, that they were sharing their concerns about where the Army is going. And subsequent to that, the secretary of the Army resigned, and he becomes the latest in the string of Army officials to leave their posts in the last year.

With his departure, the secretary -- the service, America's largest service, no longer has a secretary of the Army, a top confirmed general in charge of the Army, or five of the 10 Army four-star generals that it needs or has needed up until this point to run the service.

KEILAR: Yes.

And how could this particular shakeup with Driscoll be felt as the U.S. is once again striking Iran today, six months into the war, without a clear end in sight?

YOUSSEF: Well, one of the things that the Army is responsible for is resupplying the United States' munitions, air defense munitions.

And General Randy George, who was the Army chief of staff, was in place and doing that up until April and his resignation. And so the constant departures and changes in staff movements at a time of war, I think, makes it hard to do those detailed kinds of missions that are required to get the troops the assets that they need.

I think it also just creates a climate of instability, because people don't know why these top officials are being forced out or resigning or are not being promoted. And so it's made it hard for those in place to know if there's a future for them in the United States Army when they see so much upheaval with such little explanation behind it.

So the combination of the lack of experience needed at -- particularly at wartime, plus the uncertainty, I think it makes it harder for individual service members to navigate, not only their own personal careers, but where the Army writ large is going.

KEILAR: You mentioned the Army chief of staff. Hegseth has also fired or forced out an Army vice chief of staff, the head of Army Transformation and Training Command, the Army chief of chaplains, the director of the Joint Staff. And on top of that, the commander of U.S. Army, Europe, and Africa stepped down. That was the battle-tested and well-respected Chris Donahue.

And then there are many others, right, who have been held up in promotion from one-star to two-star or even going from being an O-6, a colonel, to being a one-star. We have seen that, right?

YOUSSEF: Colonel. That's right. That's right.

KEILAR: So, and there's a ton of those actually, relatively speaking, in what's normally quite a bottleneck for promotions.

What is -- you said people don't know why they're being held up, and maybe there's different reasons, but why do they suspect they're being held up?

YOUSSEF: Well, there's sort of two buckets that we hear of in terms of speculation behind these. One is that there's no longer the place for minority and female service members that there once was in the Army.

And the other is an affiliation for with past generals or top defense leaders that are seen as not aligned with the president, for example, Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or other leaders that the administration perceives as not aligned with their views, and the assumption being that they carry sort of the baggage of being affiliated with those past leaders.

[13:20:02]

But, again, there hasn't been anything definitively said about all the firings that you mentioned earlier. And so it's led to a lot of conjecture, people trying to navigate their own careers while not quite knowing where those land mines are that could get in their careers.

And, in some cases, what they're choosing to do is to just not continue in the military. And so you're seeing a lot of upheaval, not only that caused by the secretary of defense's decisions, but by people taking on their own initiative the decision to reassess whether there is a future for them in the United States Army.

KEILAR: Yes, lots of people self-selecting out, and that's not even in the numbers that we see of people who are being held up.

So this is happening six months into the Iran war, and we have seen these various readiness warnings, overextended deployments of carrier groups like the Lincoln, dangerously low munition stockpiles, and lots of bipartisan concerns about that, and "The Washington Post" reporting about top commanders warning Hegseth about the effect of extended large-scale deployments on U.S. readiness for other potential conflicts.

How does this personnel tumult play into those warnings?

YOUSSEF: Well, you point out the excellent reporting from "The Washington Post," and I think the personnel concerns, the readiness concerns, the concerns about the strain that the war in Iran is putting on the force, it just becomes another vector, another direction from which you're hearing concerns about where the military is going.

And I think, overall, what people are saying is that the United States is stealing too much from its current resource away from future resources. Every ship that is extended means that there's less rest time for the force, that there's less time to fix the ships as needed.

Every time that there are personnel decisions, you're taking away in some cases decades of experience that could be used to better inform the conduct of the war. Every time that you're having these sort of disagreements inside the building about how to proceed and what is the cost of the Iran war on places like Europe and Asia, you're stealing away from the United States to potentially respond to threats from those regions in the future.

And so I think if there's a connective threat in all of these issues that we have been talking about in the past week is a feeling that there are real concerns from multiple directions that, in the bid to build the military the way this secretary of defense wants it and the fight while fighting this war in Iran, that there's a real theft of resources available for the military in the future.

KEILAR: Nancy Youssef, great reporting for -- by you and your colleagues, and thank you for being with us.

YOUSSEF: Thank you.

KEILAR: Boris.

SANCHEZ: An alarming new report on the warning signs just days before the catastrophic flooding in Nepal and China is getting attention right now, as we are seeing more video of the tragedy as it unfolded.

Scientists say that meltwater on the glacier that collapsed had visibly turned brown and had signs of a crack in the surrounding bedrock that were visible. Today, the confirmed death toll surpassed 1,000. Officials say more than 4,400 others are still unaccounted for after six days of searching, though there have been some miracles.

Here's CNN's Will Ripley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a pretty significant emotional milestone on the ground here to have the number of deaths officially crossed 1,000.

But the reality that people are starting to process and wrap their heads around is, it's going to be a question of how many thousand are dead by the time this is all said and done. And the reason for that is simple. When you see a giant wall of water traveling at such a fast speed, obliterating buildings in a matter of seconds, it's unsurvivable for most people who are in the path of that.

Now, there have been some exceptions to that. We met the mother of a young girl named Manisha, a 5-year-old girl, who her parents thought she was dead when the flood swept their house away in about five seconds. And yet rescuers found her 2.5 days, or 60 hours, after the flood between two batter buildings wedged in an air pocket that allowed her to survive.

I spoke with her mother exclusively. Here's a piece of what she had to say.

It's miraculous that, given the force of that water, that she was able to have a place where she could survive.

GITA UCHAI MAGAR, MOTHER OF RESCUED GIRL (through translator): It was miraculous. When the child was found, it felt like a miracle. I thought, there is a God.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: A miracle indeed.

There is hope that more people are alive underneath rubble, rescuers in another area racing to save as many as 900 workers they believe are trapped in underground hydropower tunnels that were clogged by mud. Also today, the U.N. says they have yet to make contact with some of the hardest-hit areas.

Up next, we have a CNN exclusive. We're going to show you what we're learning about regarding a brand-new effort within the Department of Homeland Security to investigate claims of voter fraud in select states.

[13:25:01]

Don't go anywhere. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Now to a CNN exclusive. We have learned the Department of Homeland Security is stepping up efforts to investigate alleged voter fraud.

SANCHEZ: That surge begins today and involves at least nine states, marking a major shift toward making DHS a central force in President Trump's voter fraud crusade.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is part of the team that broke this story.

So, Priscilla, walk us through the details.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in many ways, this is a doubling down by the Department of Homeland Security to advance the president's crusade on alleged voter fraud.

In this case, they are again leaning on ICE Homeland Security Investigations.