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Gazan Officials Say Israeli Missile Strike On School Kills More Than 90 Palestinians; Israeli Defense Forces Say Missile Strike In Gaza Aimed At Hamas Leaders; Reporting Indicates U.S. Made Precision Bomb Used In Israel Strike In Gaza; Ceasefire Negotiations Between Israel And Hamas Possibly Affected By Israeli Missile Strike In Gaza; Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris Campaigns In Las Vegas, Nevada; Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Visits Montana To Campaign For Republican Senate Candidate Tim Sheehy; Plane Crash In Brazil Kills All 62 Passengers On Board; Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Denies Telling President Biden To Step Down As 2024 Democratic Presidential Candidate; Two NASA Astronauts Remain Stranded On International Space Station As Boeing Starliner Still Not Cleared For Return Flight. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 10, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[13:59:59]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And later, rising rivers. The very real threat from the remnants of tropical storm Debby.

Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta alongside my colleague, Wolf Blitzer in Tel Aviv. Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Fred, always great to work with you. Thank you very, very much.

We're following some major new developments today right here in the Middle East. And a warning to our viewers, some of the images you're about to see you may find disturbing, including a gruesome scene in Gaza. An Israeli strike hit a school in a Hamas compound. Gazan officials say the blast killed more than 90 Palestinians. And according to Gaza medical officials, those killed were sheltering from the ongoing war, including many children and the elderly. Israel Defense Forces say that compound was being used by Hamas terrorists, but today there is mounting international outrage about that strike.

We have our teams of correspondents around the globe tracking all the late-breaking developments. But first, I want to bring in CNN's Clarissa Ward. She's here with me in Tel Aviv. First of all, you're doing a lot of reporting on this, Clarissa. What more can you tell us?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So this was truly a devastating strike, Wolf. It took place during the Fajr prayer. That's the pre-dawn prayer. According to Gaza civil defense, there were roughly 200 people in the room. This is the Taba'een Islamic school and mosque compound in Gaza City.

It was a place where, according to Gaza civil defense, 6,000 people were sheltering, many of them displaced from their homes. The blast went off, rescue workers arrived on the scene. And honestly, Wolf, we've been looking through this footage all day. We can't show most of it, because these are scenes out of a horror movie. Scores of dead and injured, including children, which we have seen.

The IDF has said that this was a strike on a Hamas command and control center. They are disputing the casualty figures. They are saying between 20 and 25 Islamic Jihad and Hamas militant commanders were killed. We obviously were not there on the scene. We can't confirm exactly, but having gone through that footage, I can tell you there were many civilians among those dead, and that is why you are seeing so much outrage.

The other thing we noticed going through that footbridge is a U.S. made small diameter, it's called the GBU-39 small diameter bomb. It is produced by Boeing. This is one of the munitions that was used in this strike. And it's significant because of course, this has been a real issue of contention and debate in the U.S. And it was just yesterday that the U.S. finally agreed to release that $3.5 billion in military aid to Israel. I'm sure this will become another issue again in the U.S. politically and on the campaign trail.

But for the people in Gaza tonight, this is really just casting a lot of doubt on the idea that anybody really wants peace at this stage. And as I said, that international condemnation coming through thick and fast, Wolf.

BLITZER: There's no doubt it will escalate the tensions that are already very, very high in this part of the world. Clarissa, stand by. I want to go to Kevin Liptak. He's in Washington for us. Kevin, what is the White House saying about all of this?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, they are voicing some very serious consternation at this Israeli strike, but also saying that it makes more urgent than necessity to bring about the ceasefire and hostage deal that President Biden is so urgently trying to work toward. A spokesman for the National Security Council saying today, "We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Gaza following a strike by the Israel Defense Forces on a compound that included a school." The spokesman went on to say, "We are in touch with our Israeli counterparts who have said they targeted senior Hamas officials, and we are asking for further details."

Now, the spokesman does point out that Hamas has a history of using these types of facilities to gather an operate out of, but says that Israel still must take measures to minimize civilian harm. Of course, that has been the message from the White House and President Biden for the last several months, but it's not clear whether that is influencing Israel's behavior at all. This has caused enormous tensions between President Biden and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and of course, only makes more urgent this push that President Biden has been on to try and bring about this ceasefire deal.

We just saw in the last week President Biden released a statement with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar calling on all of these sides to come together next week for renewed talks. Now that President Biden isn't running for president, this is one of the overriding objectives of the remainder of his term. In his view, this would lower tensions not only in Gaza but throughout the entire region.

That being said, there are enormous roadblocks to this deal. The sides are very far apart on certain details. The White House says in their statement today that this strike in Gaza only underscores the urgency of a ceasefire and hostage deal, and they say they are working tirelessly to achieve that, Wolf.

[14:05:05]

BLITZER: Let's hope they achieve it. All right, Kevin Liptak, we'll get back to you. I know you're working your sources as well, significant reaction from the Biden administration.

I want to go to CNN's Ben Wedeman right now. He's joining us from Beirut, from Beirut. Ben, Israel is preparing, as you know, to send negotiators to Cairo this coming week to work on a ceasefire and hostage deal. This as Israel is bracing for Hezbollah in Lebanon, where you are, to retaliate for killing a commander in Lebanon. Israeli military officials tell me that could happen within, quote, days. What does this new strike mean for those talks and a possible retaliation?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: First of all, Wolf, let me give you an update of the situation here in Lebanon. Three-and-a- half hours ago, Israeli warplanes flew over central Beirut, breaking the sound barrier twice. That's the third time in the last five days. This comes on a particularly violent day along the border. Hezbollah claims that so far they have launched nine strikes on targets inside Israel, most of them military. The latest one, the ninth, they said it was a swarm of drones that were targeting Israeli military facilities not far from Lake Tiberias.

And so, clearly, the situation here continues to be tense. Now we've heard from officials in the United States saying the strike going back to Sunday was going to be within the next 24 to 48 hours. So people here have been very much on edge. But at this point many are asking, is it going to happen? When is it going to happen? So we're just waiting to see.

As far as the talks go, it probably will provide some impetus, certainly to the United States, to try to push all the parties to agree on a ceasefire agreement, as well as a hostage release agreement. But it comes at a very sensitive time when everyone is expecting Hezbollah to respond to the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander last week, and also to the killing, presumably by Israel, of Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital.

The Iranian and Hezbollah have made it clear that if the war ends in Gaza, if there's a lasting ceasefire, they will cease their fire. But there's still a lot of pressure on Hezbollah from the other members of the so-called axis of resistance to somehow get revenge for the killing of that senior Hezbollah commander. But of course, many people here in Lebanon are not at all eager for a war with Israel. Many would rather than Hezbollah do nothing and that people can simply get on with their lives. Wolf?

BLITZER: It's a very, very dangerous situation in Beirut, also here in Tel Aviv, where I am. Ben Wedeman, stay safe over there, as I always tell you.

Clarissa, give our viewers a little sense of what's going on, where we are right now in Tel Aviv. You and I have done a lot of walking around this city, speaking with Israelis. People are very, very nervous.

WARD: People are nervous. And yet it has, I think, become the new normal here. Israeli officials and defense leaders have made it clear to people that they need to have their shelters ready, that they need to be prepared for a possible attack. Indeed, they've been telegraphing that an attack would be expected as soon as this weekend.

And yet, Wolf, as we have seen on the streets, as we have heard dance music on the night sky, people are still going about their lives. They are living as they always have. And partly, I think, that's the mentality you see, not just in Israel, you see it in Lebanon as well. At a certain point, you don't have a choice. You have to move on. But none the less, definitely people are preparing themselves for this potential Hezbollah attack and what it would mean going forward for the region.

BLITZER: And there are a lot of alerts going off in the north already not far from Lebanon. People are nervous as they hear some of those alerts going off on their cell phones.

All right, Clarissa, we're going to get back to you. Stand by. Don't go too far away. Everyone, thank you very much. We're watching all of these developments unfold here in the Middle East.

In the meantime, Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much. We'll get back to you as well soon.

All right, the race for the White House, well, it's targeting western voters today as we are now less than 90 days from the election. Today, Vice President Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, are wrapping up their nearly weeklong blitz of battleground states. Tonight they'll hold a rally in Nevada. Right now, Harris and Walz are in Arizona where they held what the campaign called it's biggest rally yet last night.

CNN's Eva McKend is in Las Vegas covering tonight's rally, and people are already lining up, getting ready to get their best seats.

[14:10:04]

So what is the message from the Harris-Walz campaign?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: You know, Fredricka, the vice president, doesn't take the stage for another several hours, but people already starting to get lined up here in steamy Nevada. What we have seen -- (CHEERING)

MCKEND: So what we have seen, Fredricka, is that this party has really been reenergized by the shakeup in the Democratic ticket. Even some Republicans on this line tell me that they previously never supported a Democrat but feel motivated to support the vice president. And a particularly animating issue in this battleground state is reproductive rights. Lots of people thinking about abortion. Take a listen to what they're telling me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA BLUNT, NEVADA VOTER: When I was young, I watched the women, and I was part of that movement to get the rights and the things that we needed. And it's like, for them to remove them away, it's like all the work that the woman before these women came, it's like now you're going to take it back.

And then as a senior, it's time to move on with the young, you know what I'm saying? Life is about moving forward. We don't have to stay back there where we were.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And the vice president picking up a key endorsement ahead of her Las Vegas rally, the endorsement of the culinary union, that is hospitality workers, that are so important to the organizing structure in this state. So that's all about the get out the vote operation. The vice president taking the stage in just a little bit, and we'll continue to talk to folks here. Fred?

WHITFIELD: OK, look forward to hearing from more of them. Whoa, hey, camera, where are you going?

(CHEERING)

WHITFIELD: OK, well, there's the crowd. All right, so Eva, while we're looking at the crowd there, talk to me about the Harris campaign and their overall message now, trying to clarify some comments from the vice presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, now saying that he misspoke in that newly resurfaced video from 2018? Eva, you still with me? Can you hear me.

All right. All right, well, it is boisterous and excited there, and understandably why she couldn't hear us. But next time we talk her, we'll get a chance to ask that question again. But the crowd, they're very excited about the rally they tonight in Las Vegas.

All right, former President Trump, he is back on the campaign trail holding fundraisers today in Wyoming and Colorado. Last night he took the stage in Montana. He wasted no time going after Vice President Harris and her new running mate, Governor Walz. CNN's Alayna Treene is in Bozeman, Montana.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, former President Donald Trump traveled to Bozeman, Montana, on Friday. It was his first rally since Vice President Kamala Harris had announced her running mate, selecting Tim Walz on Tuesday.

Now Montana is an interesting state. It is not a battleground. It is a reliably red state, one that Donald Trump's senior advisers tell me they are not concerned about him winning in November. But he came here instead to stump for Tim Sheehy. He's a businessman as well as a former Navy Seal, and he's locked in a tight Senate race with Jon Tester, the long serving Democratic senator of Montana.

And really, when I talked to people on the ground as well as people on Capitol Hill, they say this is one of the most hardest fought races in the battle for the Senate majority.

Now, I actually caught up with Steve Daines, the senator from Montana as well as the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. And he told me that he was the one who actually privately encouraged Donald Trump to come here. He said, "We know it's not a battleground, but this race is incredibly important." So a lot of reasoning for why he wanted to come here tonight.

Now, we did see Donald Trump mentioned Sheehy as well as give shoutouts to both him and other Republican lawmakers. But most of his speech really mirrored what we heard him do on Thursday at his press conference in Florida. He attacked Harris over immigration, crime, inflation, but also mocked her intelligence, argued that she was running to the left of Joe Biden, that she was a dangerous liberal, and also attacked her running mate Tim Walz.

Now, one thing that was new, that we haven't seen before, is he actually stopped in the middle of his speech on two different occasions to play a video going after Harris. I want you to take a look at what he did.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So don't take my word for it. Listen, Kamala Harris's agenda straight from her own mouth, would anybody like to see her? Let's do it for a couple of seconds. Go ahead yes.

KAMALA HARRIS, (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am radical. You need to get radical about what we are doing and take it seriously.

[14:15:00]

TRUMP: Kamala is grossly incompetent, and in my opinion, has a very low I.Q. But we'll find out about her I.Q. during the debate. OK, let's find out about her I.Q.

TREENE: I think it's clear from that that we have really entered this new phase of this election cycle. Donald Trump's campaign, but also the Harris campaign, their attacks have become increasingly personal and nasty. And I think it's reflective of just the state of the race right now as they're sprinting to November. And one thing I can tell you, at least for Donald Trump's part on this

when I talked to his team, is that he has been increasingly frustrated with the Democratic enthusiasm surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris. She's sustained this enthusiasm for several weeks now, and you've heard him attack her crowd size, attack her for having celebrity performers. All of those things have been getting under his skin. And I think that's a lot of where this is coming from.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Bozeman, Montana.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Alayna.

Still ahead, shocking images and no survivors. We'll go to Brazil for the latest on the horrifying plane crash that killed everyone on board. Plus, Boeing's Starliner astronauts are stuck at the International Space Station with no end in sight. We'll talk to a former NASA astronaut about how to get the stranded crew home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:21:00]

WHITFIELD: We're learning new details about some of the victims of that horrific plane crash in Brazil that killed all 62 on board. Among those killed include a professor, a computer programmer and his three- year-old daughter. Dramatic footage shows the plane's rapid fall and destroyed fuselage in flames on the ground. The passenger plane was on a domestic Brazilian flight when it slammed into a residential area outside of Sao Paulo.

Journalist Stefano Pozzebon joins me now live from outside that crash sites. Stefano, what more are we learning about how this happened?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN JOURNALIST: Yes, Fredricka. Well, unfortunately this is the moment where we learn a little bit more about who these passengers and the crew were. Sixty-two people have lost their lives in the plane crash that took place at about 200 feet behind my back in that residential area. You're right, that were a computer programmer, a lot of medics who are traveling here for a conference, families. We have learned in the last few minutes that three of them are were a Venezuelan family with double citizenship, and one Portuguese national.

However, not many updates about what could have caused that tragic accident. The Brazilian authorities have said that they have recovered two black boxes. A couple of hours ago, we learned from authorities that the black boxes have been taken to Brasilia, the capital, where they will be going through examination to try and understand what caused that this tragedy.

But now it's probably the moment for morning and a moment to take a minute to remember those tragic lives that have been lost. But at the same time, in the last couple of hours, Fredricka, we were able to speak with a few neighbors here. And there is a very strong sense of relief in this community because the plane crashed on an open field and didn't cause even further damage. So it's a bittersweet moment, relief for the community impacted, but also the tragedy of so many lives lost.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and still so many unanswered questions. Stefano Pozzebon in Brazil, thank you so much.

All right, coming up a horrific massacre, that's how one Middle East country is describing the devastating Israeli strike on a Gaza school. Nearly 100 people are reportedly dead as tensions in the region intensify. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:27:51]

WHITFIELD: A new CNN report now. Nancy Pelosi is speaking out about the wild weeks after President Biden's disastrous debate performance. The former House Speaker refuses to say that she played a direct role in the president's decision to step aside. But one thing is clear, the speaker emerita still wields enormous influence over the Democratic Party.

CNN's Brian Todd is on this story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA): Hello, North Carolina Democrats.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The former House Speaker has been pressed a lot recently on what role she may have played in President Biden's decision to quit the race. Nancy Pelosi telling CNN's Jake Tapper, she still hasn't spoken to the president.

PELOSI: Well, he knows I love him.

TODD: This after telling CNN's Dana Bash earlier this week this.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Is everything OK with your relationship?

PELOSI: You'd have to ask him, but I hope so. But he knows, look, I have loved Joe Biden, respected him for over 40 years.

TODD: Pelosi also saying this to Jake Tapper about Biden's horrible debate performance on June 27th.

PELOSI: I thought we were going to see Joe Biden from the State of the Union. I never wanted him to debate what's-his-name because it's always, he's a joke. It's not a funny joke, but it's a joke.

TODD: But when asked about the many phone calls she got from Democrats after the debate voicing concerns that Biden couldn't win the election, and asked if that's why Biden eventually dropped out.

BASH: -- because you said that you did not put anybody up to pressuring him to --

PELOSI: I did not. I did not.

TODD: And according to "The Washington Post," Pelosi refused to acknowledge in an off-camera interview with reporters whether she ever directly told Biden that he needed to step aside. Her answer, quote, "I won't answer that question."

Pelosi's words come with a lot of weight. When Biden did an interview with ABC shortly after the debate saying he wouldn't quit --

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think anybody is more qualified to be president or win this race than me.

TODD: -- many analysts were surprised by her response on MSNBC just a few days later.

PELOSI: It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to make that decision.

TODD: The former speaker, who regularly took on Trump in the White House, even ripping up his State of the Union speech in 2020 for the whole world to see, remains a giant in her party today.

[14:30:06]

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, "ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION": She remains at the top. She remains very effective. She remains very connected. And the fact that people trust her acumen, trust her advice, trust her vision goes a long way.

TODD: In the end, what will Nancy Pelosi's strongest legacy be? This episode with Biden exiting the race, hunkering down on January 6th, and then working to hold Trump accountable for it, or her overall legislative record as House Speaker? Analyst Tia Mitchell says it's possible that Pelosi strongest legacy is yet to come because, she says, if Donald Trump gets elected again, a lot of Democratic fingers will be pointed at Nancy Pelosi.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Brian, thank you so much.

All right, still to come, Debby's path of destruction. Damage assessments are just getting underway as flash flooding and emergency rescues continue. We'll bring you the latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:39]

BLITZER: International condemnation and outrage after an Israeli strike on a school and mosque in Gaza reportedly left more than 90 people dead. At least 11 of the victims were children, according to the Gaza civil defense. A warning that some of the images you are about to see are disturbing. Israel claims that 20 Hamas militants had been operating at the site.

But the Egyptian foreign ministry says Israel is deliberately killing civilians, adding that Israel lacks what Egypt says is the political will to end the fighting. One weapons expert tells CNN, Israel used at least one U.S. made precision bomb in that strike.

With me now, CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. He's also the White House and national security correspondent for "The New York Times." David, thanks so much for joining us. As you know, mediators have been urging Israel and Hamas to resume the ceasefire talks at a meeting that's now coming up this coming Thursday. How does this strike and Gaza, do you believe, impact those talks?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It's a really interesting question because that request came from President Sisi of Egypt, President Biden, and, of course, the leaders of Qatar in the joint letter. And the Israelis agreed to it.

But the scene that you've just described, the horrific scene that you've just been showing images of, Wolf, it's been the pattern time and time again, and that is a fundamental Israeli decision that if there are one or 10 or 20 suspected militants in a group, even if they have integrated themselves, as they frequently do, with civilians, that that makes them a legitimate target, even if there's going to be a large number of civilian casualties.

And that's the fundamental difference here. I think for the United States under most of the rules and combat, not always followed in Iraq and Afghanistan, that is a strike that they would elect not to take because of the size of that civilian casualties.

BLITZER: Is there a chance, David, that the meeting that's scheduled for Thursday, I think either Cairo or Doha in Qatar, may not actually now take place?

SANGER: I guess there's that risk, but we've seen them take place before. I think the equal risk, Wolf, is that it does take place but doesn't get them over the finish line. It was three weeks ago at the Aspen Security Forum that Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the world that he thought that we were inside the 10-yard line, and there we just issues of execution of the agreement to be worked out. But the fundamental nature of the prisoner swaps, the timing, and so forth, that had been sorted out. And here we are three weeks later, and we've seen that repeated time and again.

And it does make you wonder whether or not the Israelis really want this. And now it also makes you wonder about Hamas, since the leader of the, of the Hamas militant operation is now also leading the negotiations.

BLITZER: As you probably have heard, the United States has just released more than $3 billion, $3 billion to Israel to spend on U.S. weapons and other military equipment. That's a lot of aid. When it comes to future funds, does the U.S. have any leverage with Israel right now in pushing them, pushing the Israelis towards a ceasefire and hostage release agreement?

SANGER: They do, but these agreements tend to be for long term provision of military goods, and the U.S. is never going to give up defending Israel, and we've got a long-term commitment there for all sorts of very understandable and historic reasons. I think the question is whether or not the president holds back certain kinds of weapons, as he did earlier this year when he refused to release the 2,000-pound bombs that he feared would result in large civilian casualties.

[14:40:06]

Now I think the question is, is that making much of a difference? The initial report that you just sent indicated that there was a precision U.S. weapon involved, and that may well be the case. It'll take some time to go sort it out. But the fact of matter is you can have big civilian casualties with any of these weapons. And it's not a question of providing the weapons. It's the rules under which the Israelis use them.

BLITZER: Meanwhile, David, Iran now says it hopes that a planned retaliation for Israel's assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran will be, quote, "timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential ceasefire", close quote. What do you make of that? And are you surprised that Iran has not yet retaliated for that attack?

SANGER: I am. And there have been a lot of backchannel conversations between the United States and Iran, some through the Swiss, some through the Iranian mission to the United Nations, to say, think hard about how you're going to do this and whether you're going to do it at all, because the Israeli retaliation could well be highly escalatory this time.

You'll remember that in April when Iran sent hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israel, the U.S. and others managed to intercept them. I think the question now is, if they did that again, would they intercept them again. There were very few casualties after that initial attack, and the Israeli response was restrained.

I think the fact that the Iranians are saying this now may indicate that the message has been received and they may be backing off. So I think they'll have to do something, but I think they are now recognizing the escalatory risk.

BLITZER: Yes, and even if the Iranians hold back and don't retaliate, there is enormous concern here in Israel that Hezbollah in Lebanon, an Iranian proxy, will retaliate and will retaliate, I'm told, within days. That's what Israeli officials keep saying, days. So they're bracing for that right now.

David Sanger, as usual, thank you very much. We always appreciate your insight.

Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Wolf.

Up next, stranded in space. Astronauts could be stranded at the International Space Station for another six months. We'll discuss what or who might be to blame now to get them home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:47:18]

WHITFIELD: Houston, we have a problem. After being stranded in space for more than two months already, NASA now says there is no end in sight for the two Boeing Starliner astronauts who are stuck at the International Space Station. It was Boeing's first manned spacecraft mission and was only supposed to last for eight days. Now, NASA says it's considering ferrying those stranded astronauts on a SpaceX spacecraft. But that wouldn't be ready until mid-September at the earliest. With NASA saying it's making contingency plans for return home sometime next year.

Let's bring in now former NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino. Great to see you Mike, or should I call you Captain? Probably, yes. All right, so Nasa --

MIKE MASSIMINO, VISITING PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ENGINEERING SCHOOL: No, no. Go with Mike, please.

WHITFIELD: Really? OK, All right, thank you.

MASSIMINO: Yes, I'm a civilian.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: OK, I don't know. Once an astronaut, always an astronaut, wear that badge with honor.

All right, so NASA is blaming issues with Teflon seals on the Boeing Starliner for some disagreement about whether a return trip to earth would be safe. So if there is so much uncertainty about those seals, then why was the Starliner allowed to take off in the first place?

MASSIMINO: Well, they didn't have all these problems when they did launch. They held that spacecraft on the ground for a long time, in fact, for years. They've had to other flights that were uncrewed to make sure everything was working to get comfortable with putting astronauts, Butch and Sunny, inside of it. So they really took the precautions they needed to do to make sure it was going to be a safe launch and rendezvous, and it was, Fredricka. They made it.

But they did have some problems on the way up there. It's just a test flight. You expect to have a couple of little things here. But it's the problems that they had once they arrived to space and rendezvousing with the space station that they're still troubleshooting now.

WHITFIELD: OK. So now, I mean mid-September. Wow, that's a long time. I mean, it's a month away, but when you were only told you are going to be there for eight days, that sure seems like a long time to wait. The earliest a SpaceX rocket would be ready to bring the Starliner crew back. I mean, what would be your comfort level if this were the predicament that you were in?

MASSIMINO: Well, the September date is when they're launching a SpaceX vehicle that could take the crew back. And they wouldn't take the crew -- if they do that, the crew is not coming back until February. So it's an added six months on top of the two they've already spent. So it's been quite a long time. And that's not been determined yet. I mean, you're still hoping they're going to come back in the Starliner.

If it was me up there, I think I'd have a -- remember about my trust in the program and in the people on the ground.

[14:50:00]

They have really good people at NASA, very experienced people. Steve Stich, for example, the program manager. I've known him for decades. He was there when I was there as a flight director. So they're going to make the right decision here. If it's safe to bring him back in the Starliner and they feel comfortable, they'll do that. If not, they're going to extend. And to answer your question, that's going to take, I think, a bit of a mental shift not only for my friend, but for their families on the planet.

WHITFIELD: Exactly.

MASSIMINO: They're expecting to get them home, and now forget about Christmas with mom and dad. That's going to be a different story.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

MASSIMINO: So that's a little bit tougher.

WHITFIELD: And while we look at the two astronauts there, they're smiling. I mean, they are really taking it like champs. I mean, mentally, what do you think the adjustments they are having to make? I mean, just survival mode?

MASSIMINO: Well, they're actually in a pretty good spot. They're not really stranded. If they needed to come back in an emergency, that vehicle has been cleared to take them back if there was an emergency with the space station. Knowing both of them, they've waited a long time for this launch. They have been assigned to this flight for years. I think for each of them it has been around 10 years since they've had a chance to go to space again.

I know them both very well. They're great astronauts and really wonderful people, very dedicated. They don't complain. They do their jobs. They're both military test pilots. So I think that they're enjoying their time up there. I think they want -- more important than that, I think they want the mission to go well. And for the mission to go well, they have to determine what's going on with the Starliner and hopefully be able to return. But I think they're about the job. I think they're maybe, probably

more concerned about their families on the ground being without them for longer than expected. But I think overall, I think it's going to work out OK.

MASSIMINO: All right, Mike Massimino, great to see you. Thank you so much.

MASSIMINO: You bet. Thanks for having me, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely.

All right, still to come, commemorating one year since the Maui wildfires ravaged the island.

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[14:56:32]

WHITFIELD: It's been one year since a wildfire ripped through the Hawaiian town of Lahaina. President Joe Biden marked the occasion by urging Congress to pass additional funding for rebuilding efforts in Maui. And 102 people lost their lives in the nation's deadliest wildfire in more than a century. In remembrance, dozens of surfers, boaters, and paddlers put together a paddle out, a traditional ritual in Hawaii that honors loved ones. One survivor talked about how difficult the last 12 months have been.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been a long year just dealing with everything. But with the strength of God that helped me through everything, family and friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And turning now to the recovery efforts in the aftermath of Debby's downpour, damage cleanup is underway in the northeast after Friday's severe flash flooding. Torrential rainfall forced people from their homes sent trees and debris flowing into this lake. The worst flooding in New York state was seen in rural areas near the Pennsylvania border. People in several towns that were under evacuation orders there are beginning to return as those orders are being lifted.

CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa is here with more on this. Elisa?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: We're finally seeing some of the rain move offshore, but now comes the river flooding. The rivers have just received incredible amounts of rain, and they're still reacting.

Here's a look at what's left of Debby. It got sucked up into a front that's now offshore. So again, the good news is a lot of that heavy rain is off in the Atlantic. But look at the footprint of what it left behind. Not only do we have the rainfall totals in Florida where it made landfall, but you're looking at 10 to 20 inch totals in the Carolinas, that footprint goes up through D.C., Philly, New York, even up to the Canadian border and parts of upstate New York.

We're still dealing with residual flooding. There's still some watches in effect, and look at all of the river concerns, because we, again, just dumped so much rain into these rivers. They're going to rise as they get aggravated and need to spill out somewhere. For the Cape Fear River, you're looking at it in major flood stage right now, over 20 feet. Again, flood stage is 13 feet. Tarboro, North Carolina, we're not there yet. So again, still rising. We are right now in action stage, but the rivers will rise to moderate stage. So again, some additional flooding, even as we go into the weekend and early next week.

Also, some heat advisories posted across parts of Florida and the Carolinas. Some of these people might not have power, so something to keep in mind. Next, chance of a storm developing is already there, a very high likelihood, 80 percent chance of some development headed towards the Caribbean as we go through the week here and look at this spaghettis. We'll have to track this one pretty closely.

The next name on the list is Ernesto. That would be the next one that we have to track. And like we've been talking about pretty much all season, we're still dealing what's motion temperatures that are incredibly warm, three to five degrees above normal. That is what fuels this hurricane development. We're also on La Nina. That's also feeling that as well.

The National Hurricane Center actually just updated their forecast for the season and we're still looking at a 90 percent chance that it is above-normal. Up to 24 named storms, average is 14. Up to 13 hurricanes, average is seven. So just incredible that we're really only just beginning, and we're already way ahead of schedule.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, we're bracing. Thanks so much, Elisa, appreciate it.

All right, tomorrow, Donie O'Sullivan dives back into the world of misinformation. Will it cause chaos in November's election?