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U.S. Defense Department Official: Iran Officials On A Hold; Police: Berlin Pride Attack Suspect Dead After Encounter With Police; Colorado River's Two Big Lakes Hit Record Low Levels. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 26, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: You look for a safety signal. If there is one, then you move it. But if there is not one, then you don't.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Critics warn, it will essentially reverse decades of how we approve drugs in the United States.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:00:10]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I am Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, we begin this hour with new developments in the U.S. War with Iran. Today, a U.S. source tells CNN military operations with Iran are currently on a hold.

And it comes as we are learning new details about a key White House meeting President Trump held on Friday focused on the war. A U.S. official and a source familiar with the matter told CNN that Vice President J.D. Vance and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine warned the President about potential consequences of escalating the war.

The sources say Caine gave Trump his military options, but he also expressed concerns about further depletion of the U.S. munitions stockpile and other possible negative consequences of ramping up the war.

Since that meeting, the U.S. has paused nearly two weeks of strikes on Iran, but it is unclear if those warnings prompted the lull in the attacks.

We've got a team of correspondents around the globe covering these developments. Nic Robertson is in Jerusalem. But let's begin with Betsy Klein at The White House.

Betsy, what more can you tell us about this White House meeting?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER AND WRITER: That's right, Fredricka. President Trump spending part of his Friday huddling with top advisers and Cabinet officials to discuss the options for an escalation in this five-month long war with Iran, but for the last two nights, we have seen this apparent pause in fighting after 13 consecutive days of U.S. strikes on Iran.

One U.S. source telling CNN that those attacks are on a hold as they give the diplomatic discussions some time to play out. We heard moments ago from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, weighing in on that pause. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: I've spoken with Secretary Hegseth. What the President is doing right now, as we've seen all along, is giving some talks, some space.

Talks are ongoing. They are happening at every level from the more technical aspect of it all the way to the highest levels, of course, within both the Iranian government and the U.S. government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, in that Friday meeting, we are learning that both Vice President J.D. Vance and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, raised concerns to the President about the possibility of that escalation.

The President for weeks has been threatening massive attacks on Iran that could impact critical infrastructure. Things like roads, bridges, as well as the key oil hub of Kharg Island. The President has been warned that that could constitute war crimes.

Caine also specifically raised concerns about U.S. munition stockpiles, but we heard from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell addressing that. He says, "We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. Military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests."

But sources say that other concerns were raised to Trump, including the possibility of massive civilian casualties across Iran. The idea of a potential refugee crisis, as well as this conflict potentially spilling into a broader war across the Middle East.

Now, there are few people we are learning within the President's inner circle who believe that the options he has been given for this escalation would yield the results that he is hoping for, Fredricka, as he weighs that path forward.

WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein at The White House, thanks so much.

All right, let's go to Nic Robertson now.

Nic, do we know how this apparent U.S. pause on strikes with Iran may be impacting peace talks? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It certainly gives them the space. The Omanis had a delegation in Tehran on Friday. They stayed there through Saturday. They left late Saturday. They were talking about the Strait of Hormuz. We heard today from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman who said the talks were constructive, that progress was made, that they would continue at a technical and political level.

So you can hear right there that the language kind of matches what we are getting from The White House, but the key details we are not getting right, and the key detail is, have the Iranians agreed not to try to charge tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, which is the main issue in play right now.

Both countries have got their blockades ongoing at the moment, but the main hostilities have sort of abated. Perhaps, President Trump will get more insights from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he leaves here tomorrow and heads to Washington for the funeral of Lindsey Graham, but he will meet President Trump at The White House on Tuesday.

He is very likely to give the President an update on the latest Intelligence that the Israelis have, and of course, they have had Intelligence that pointed towards Pickaxe Mountain in Iran as a site where Iran may have tried to secure some of its highly enriched uranium and other centrifuges and other equipment that it uses to enrich uranium.

[15:05:21]

So there may well be new information put in front of the President by the Israeli Prime Minister, who is keen, perhaps let's not say, for the war to continue, but the war, pausing the way it has, has caused him political hardship at home, and he has got elections coming up in three months, so he will be minded to try to find a way to persuade President Trump that there is still work to be done on Iran and perhaps present a roadmap for that.

And he will also likely thank President Trump for putting a sort of a speed bump in the path of Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear deal with the united states by saying that Saudi must normalize with Israel before that can go ahead. That's something the Israeli Prime Minister is grateful for.

Big picture: Did those talks give the product the President wants? That's the space we are in right now.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

We are also following the latest on this weekend's deadly act of terror on a pride event in Germany. According to police, the suspect, they say, is responsible for carrying out a car ramming and stabbing attack is now dead following an encounter with authorities earlier today.

At least one person was killed after the attacker drove his van into a crowd yesterday in Berlin. Dozens more were left injured. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin with more on what we are learning about the suspect.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka.

Well, the Berlin Police is saying that around 6:00 P.M. local time that they did police action in the west of Berlin, in a suburb called Spandau, and there, in a garden shed, they say that they found the suspect in this ramming attack, that they say that the suspect apparently then approached the police officers carrying a knife. There were shots that were fired, and they say in the end, the suspect was killed by those police officers after those shots were fired. Now, obviously, the investigation here is still very much going on.

Where I am right now is only about a hundred yards away from where this ramming attack took place. This is right in the middle of a very central park in the center of Berlin, The Tear Garden, and that's also right at the edge of the route of that procession that took place, of that Pride Parade that took place on the sidelines of which that attack took place.

Now, the police here and the German authorities are saying now that 29 people in total were injured in that ramming attack. One person was, of course, killed, was confirmed dead. They also say that the suspect fled the scene after crashing into the tree and apparently injured several people using a machete or a knife.

As you can imagine, this manhunt was going on throughout the better part of the day. And here in Berlin, we heard helicopters overhead in many places for an extended period of time. We ourselves also saw buildings that were put on lockdown. Police officers outside those buildings searching some of those premises.

They also went into the subway here in Berlin, looking for the suspect. Now, they say that in a garden shed in the west of Berlin, in that area of Spandau, is where they found Abdul B. who had been named as a suspect and even was being looked for with a photo. And then in the end, after that police action took place, he was then killed on the scene.

They said they tried to revive him, that there were medics on hand, but that every help came too late for the suspect in all of this.

Obviously, as you can imagine, there is still going to be a big investigation going on. I can tell you from the days leading up to this parade, that there were a lot of barriers that were being put up. There was a big security concept for this parade and so the authorities here are saying that they are obviously going to have an after-action report to find out exactly how a major vehicle managed to get into this park, and again, wound several people in the end, leaving one dead as well -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Fred Pleitgen in berlin. Thank you so much.

All right, still to come, the summer sizzle continues with more than 100 million people facing dangerous heat and more record highs possible today.

And later, hundreds of students at Howard University are asking what went wrong after they were unenrolled just weeks before classes are to begin. We will tell you what happened and what is being done about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:16]

WHITFIELD: All right, extreme temperatures are targeting more than 100 million Americans today. A heat dome is moving east, with parts of the south expected to see feels-like temperatures in the triple digits.

CNN meteorologist, Allison Chinchar has more.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Temperatures have been on the cooler side across many areas of the Southeast and the Midwest, thanks to all of the rain showers that have been in the area the last few days. However, that is going to change all of the heat that is in the Rockies and Intermountain West and areas of the Central Plains is now going to start to spread eastward.

You have all of these areas under some type of excessive heat alert, not just for today, but leading into Monday and Tuesday of this upcoming week. The forecast high for Denver today, 101, roughly ten degrees above where they normally would be this time of year, and that's similar for Omaha, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, all looking at temperatures well above where they normally would be this time of year.

[15:15:10]

Now, this map here shows the heat risk and I want you to focus here on the red color and especially the purple. Notice, there is not really much purple on the map for today, but we start to see it increase across the Southern Plains and into the Southeast as we head into Monday and Tuesday, because that is where the heat is really going to start to increase in the coming days.

The other thing too, about the Southeast, it is not just the temperatures. You also have to factor in the humidity, so that feels- like temperature is going to be even higher. Places like Houston is going to feel like 105 for at least the next four days. New Orleans also looking at triple digit temperatures. Same thing with Orlando, even Atlanta looking at several days there this upcoming week of having the feels like temperature be into the low triple digits.

Now, one thing, too, to note, some of these areas, yes, it is just ten or even 15 degrees above average. For others, it is record breaking.

Everywhere you see one of these red dots on the map has the potential to break a record temperature at some point over the next three days. Some of those locations could break several records in a row.

Dallas is going to be one of these areas that has a temperature well above average for at least the next seven days. WHITFIELD: That's a lot. Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right, a lifeline for 40 million people is at risk as the Colorado River dries up. The crisis is reaching a critical new stage.

This month, two of the river's major reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, dropped to their lowest levels on record. Seven states depend on the river for drinking water, agriculture and hydropower. It helps generate electricity for about 700,000 homes and irrigates more than five million acres of farmland across the Southwest.

CNN chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, much the way we are seeing record- shattering temperatures across the American West and Southwest, we are seeing similar alarming levels when it comes to the water in the American Southwest.

Forty million people depend on the Colorado River system. All the snowpack in the Rockies that falls in the winter should melt and flow downstream, dozens of creeks and tributaries. Much of it is caught in Lake Powell. There is a dam there, and then released through the Colorado River. And then, Lake Mead is the other big reservoir. You can think of the two of them, that system as really the water tank of the West, and it is at record lows.

After the most recent evaluation, Lake Powell now at 23 percent of capacity. Lake Mead just over a quarter of capacity. And the fear is that if the drought continues, we are in a 25-year drought in this part of the country there. If it just continues, which is expected to, and there is another warm, dry winter like we just had last winter, that it could reach dead pool.

Lake Powell could get so low that there is not enough water to turn the turbines and make electricity. About 750,000 homes are powered by the water, the hydropower that flows down the Colorado River there. Not to mention all the drinking water, all the irrigation that is vital there as well.

And added to this debate, of course, the recent boom of data centers, which consume a lot of power and water, and the Colorado River system only has so much of that right now.

Seven states share this under a compact that was written in 1922, one of the wettest years ever. So, it has been overallocated in many of the states, especially the Upper Basin in the mountains versus the Lower Basin states like Arizona and California and Nevada. There is a fight over conservation. Who is putting too much water on lawns or golf courses in this state versus that state? There is no agreement. The states blew past the February deadline from the federal government to come up with a plan on how to share this dwindling resource, but nothing has moved on this. And right now, all the -- all the locals can do hope and pray for rain and then snow this winter. But as one expert told us, hope and prayer is no way to run a water policy for 40 million people.

I'm Bill Weir, CNN New York. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

Straight ahead, that rhetorical question: Remember that? Well, it is a rhetorical question that President Trump often uses at rallies, but sometimes the events he is talking about actually didn't happen. A CNN analysis next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:24:03]

WHITFIELD: "Remember that?" That kind of rhetorical question, it seems to be one of President Trump's favorite phrases or questions to ask. Listen to him using it in a speech at the EPA last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And just like we did with the Green New Scam, where we were scammed, the whole country was -- I wasn't scammed. I got it right from the beginning. I got it from the first minute when I heard this crap. You know? They were saying wind was so wonderful, so wonderful, except you couldn't watch your television.

They wanted to watch the debate. Donald Trump against Sleepy Joe Biden. Nobody could watch it because the wind wasn't blowing.

Remember that? Darling, would you like to watch the debate tonight? I am sorry the wind isn't blowing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But when the President asked if you remember, is he always referencing something that actually happened?

CNN's Daniel Dale is with us right now.

Daniel, I mean, let's start with the Thursday speech there. What are the facts behind the President's claims?

DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: This was the President asking Americans to remember something that absolutely did not happen. So he said nobody could watch his June 2024 debate with Joe Biden.

[15:25:08]

In fact, more than 51 million Americans watched that debate. There was no mass television outage that day. And the viewers, of course, included millions of people in the state that uses by far the most wind power that is Republican dominated, Texas, also the most populous state he won.

The premise of this story, which he has told in various versions for years now, is that when wind energy is used, you can't turn on your T.V., you can't power your house when the wind isn't blowing. That is absolutely false.

Wind is used as part of a mix of power sources, so stuff stays on when the wind isn't strong or isn't blowing. Batteries exist that can store wind energy for low wind periods. So the debate story is false, and the underlying premise of the story about wind energy is also totally false.

WHITFIELD: Oh boy! Okay, so Daniel, you've also noted that there are several other instances where President Trump used that phrase about moments that never actually happened.

DALE: Yes, he keeps saying, "Remember that?" And then telling stories that only exists in his imagination. They are fabrications. So he said it, for example, last year he said, remember when I was at my golf course in Scotland before the Brexit vote and I correctly predicted Brexit. In fact, he was at the golf course the day after Brexit, didn't make a prediction because it was after the vote.

And he also just generally told a bunch of fake history stories over the past few months. I counted two others this month alone. So listen to two totally fake stories he told, one about George Washington and one about the construction of the Panama Canal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You picked a good location, but George Washington had two desks in his pre-White House. One was -- and they were right next to each other. One was for business and one was for the presidency. He had two desks in the same room.

And by the way, 38,000 Americans died to give us one of the greatest engineering feats of all time, Panama Canal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: None of that is accurate at all.

This two-desks-story was widely debunked by experts in George Washington when he started telling it during his first term. George Washington did not have two side by side desks for business and official duties, and then nowhere close to 38,000 Americans died during the construction of the Panama Canal, according to imprecise records, about 5,600 people in total died during the U.S. construction phase in the early 20th Century, but only a hundred of those were Americans. The others were poorly paid, poorly treated workers from the Caribbean. So 38,000, forgive me, just not even close to accurate.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy! Hey, I am glad you dig. Thank you so much for digging, Daniel Dale. I appreciate it. All right, tonight on "The Whole Story," Jake Tapper sits down with former GOP Senator Ben Sasse. They talk about how he is choosing to live after he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in December.

The doctors told him he had only months to live. Jake shares a look at their conversation.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Fredricka!

So I recently spoke with former Senator Ben Sasse about the life- changing moment when he learned that he had stage four pancreatic cancer or, as his doctor put it to him at the time, a torso full of tumors.

We talked about how he is navigating each day after being given just months to live. We talked about the medications he is on that are extending his life. Here is a preview of what he shared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Senator Sasse, it has been a long time.

I've known Ben Sasse for more than a decade, having interviewed him many times over the years. And as you can see, cancer has certainly taken its toll physically on him.

BEN SASSE, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: I have a great hospice doc who told me early on, she goes, when you're dying of an abdominal disease, you've got an algorithm of four variables. Youve got pain from tumors. You've got nausea from drugs and tumors. You've got constipation to diarrhea continuum. And you've got an energy fatigue dimension.

And she said, any of those problems, if you tell your doc you have a problem, they will say there is a drug for that and there is definitely a drug for that, and it might screw up the other three. So you've got to manage the algorithm. And so --

TAPPER: So you're like an alchemist now.

SASSE: I am a druggie, but I definitely would prefer to have more energy and less fatigue. And I am willing to endure more puking and more pain to be alive. So I do less drugs than would be normal for the amount of cancer I have.

TAPPER: And you, in order just to do this interview, you have to modify your drug regimen, right?

SASSE: I toned down my morphine a lot -- a lot. Otherwise. I'd be giggling all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, Fredricka after spending time with Ben Sasse and his family and hearing their stories, hearing about their fears and their faith and their love for one another, it really leaves an impression, a lasting impression, a pretty impression. It makes you reflect on your own faith and on your own love and family and what matters most and how any one of us might prioritize spending the rest of our days if we were faced with a similar diagnosis.

[15:30:21]

It is the kind of conversation, Fred, that stays with you for a long, long time.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is a powerful conversation and very generous at that the former senator would be willing to have this conversation.

All right, watch "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper. "Ben Sasse is Going Home: Lessons on Life and Death" on CNN tonight at 8:00 and streaming the next day on the CNN app.

All right, still to come, more than 500 students were enrolled and then unenrolled by their university just weeks before classes were to begin. What went wrong and could they get their spots back?

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[15:35:38 ]

WHITFIELD: All right, we are checking in on a CNN hero who turned his own struggles into a mission to help others.

Scott Strode founded a recovery program called The Phoenix after overcoming addiction. And as CNN Hero celebrates its 20th year, we are looking back at Strode's impact and how his organization has helped thousands of people find support, connection and a fresh start.

Here is CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT STRODE, FOUNDER, PHOENIX RECOVERY PROGRAM: To get on my bike and go ride up in the mountains, it really just brings peace. And in my drug and alcohol use, it was the opposite.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Scott Strode started using drugs and alcohol when he was 15. But through sports, he found a way out and overcame his addiction.

STRODE: When I got sober, I lost my group of friends because they were still out drinking and using. I got into boxing, triathlon, climbing. I had this new group of friends. I had completely redefined myself. So, I thought, how can we give this to other people.

Welcome to Friday night climbing. It's good to see all you here.

COOPER (voice over): In 2006, Strode started his nonprofit, now known as The Phoenix, that provides free fitness programs and social events to help people in recovery.

STRODE: We have this common connection. So, it's easy to make new friends. We do bike rides, hiking, triathlon training, strength training. It really is just a new community of folks to hang out with.

What's up, Phoenix?

COOPER (voice over): During the pandemic, community became even more vital for people in recovery. Strode quickly moved Phoenix programming online, keeping members connected through virtual classes and meetups.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me, it was this point in my life where I was like, I have to get sober now, or else I'm going to be in this quarantine environment, and I'm just going to continue that downhill slide. And just having that community and knowing that at any point I could sign in and I could see friendly faces and people who could help support me through this recovery process, it was a huge turning point for me. So, there is no looking back now.

COOPER (voice over): Today, the organization has grown to serve one million members and become a movement. The Phoenix hopes to reach 10 million people by 2030, thanks to their free app, Newform.

Launched last year, the app brings addiction recovery and mental health support together in one place, making it easy for people to connect with recovery and wellness communities wherever they are.

STRODE: We are having fun, and we are proud of being sober. So, come out and go climbing with us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, to learn more about The Phoenix or to nominate your hero, go to cnn.com/heroes.

All right, still to come, it is that time of year again. Discovery's Shark Week has turned one of the oceans most feared predators into a cultural phenomenon. Why we can't look away or get in the water.

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[15:43:10]

WHITFIELD: All right, summer, it is the season for a time at the beach, in the sun, and of course, Discovery's Shark Week. It is the one time of year that we can really sink our teeth into celebrating the science and conservation of this ocean apex predator.

A few of the highlights on tap for this 38th Annual Shark Week -- can you believe it? K-Pop Shark Heroes, House of Sharks and Chum Island catching a killer.

Let's bring in Shark Week host and conservationist, Kinga Philipps.

Kinga, great to see you. Your show, it is a one-hour show, right? "What Sharks Attack" that airs this Thursday night your team is going to be focusing on investigating shark attacks, specifically by zeroing in on the type of shark. Let's get a sneak peek right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luckiest man alive --

KINGA PHILIPPS, SHARK WEEK HOST AND CONSERVATIONIST: Rosie got me a bite from a bull shark. So you can see they're going after big fish so they have more of a grab and tear.

It is a messy serration, and I am looking at the teeth marks. This was a shark that was probably over 12 feet. You can see the serrations there. Those steak knives. That is very indicative of a shark.

White sharks are tearing apart seals, sea lions, whales. So, their teeth are slightly different shaped. This is a white shark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So fascinating. So, Kinga, I mean, according to the International Shark Attack File, there were 65 confirmed unprovoked bites in 2025. Twenty-five of those were in the U.S., I mean, so help people understand why it is important to know the types of sharks that are doing this, because really, it is fairly rare.

Usually, you know, sharks kind of bite because they are making a mistake, like you mentioned, you know, going after a seal somehow you look like it or some kind of yummy prey.

[15:45:10 ]

But help us understand why it is important to know what kind of shark is behind some of these attacks.

PHILLIPPS: Well, you're absolutely right. It is so rare for shark attack to happen. I mean, you name 65 in the grand scheme of things, that is nothing. And fatality-wise, we are looking at less than 10 a year.

So realistically, there is a lot more that's going to get you before sharks do. But it is really important for us who work in science and conservation, to be able to study these attacks, to be able to study these incidents, to figure out what shark attacked, because it really gives us data on all these different points that we can then address.

So whether it is human error, whether it is, you know, conservation oriented, warming water temperatures, sharks moving into a certain area, really just the nuances of where predators and people interact. The more we know about that, the more that we can do to prevent those types of incidents. So, it is very important.

WHITFIELD: That is so true. It is very important. And just really seeing your technique and really zeroing in on, you know, what kind of lacerations were made in a surfboard or, you know, a part of a boat, you know, all of these materials. I mean, talk to me about the kind of the science of how you do this and what makes it most challenging or maybe really fascinating.

PHILLIPPS: Well, it is all of the above because we call it really Shark CSI, because what we have received here is this viral video data that we have on these incidents, because everyone has an action camera now, so we are very fortunate that we get to see either the aftermath or even during some of these incidents.

So from that, we really get to break it down. We look at any clues, the time of year, we look at absolutely everything. Sometimes, there is a glimpse of a shark, but also we also often have forensic evidence. If there is a bite mark, especially in a surfboard, unfortunately, sometimes in a human, we can look at that data.

We can look at the types of teeth, the size -- we measure them, the kind of serrations and that really helps to reveal what species of shark attacked.

WHITFIELD: Wow! And this really is all about education, too. I mean, there is a lot of entertainment value here.

PHILLIPPS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: You know, a lot of shock value, but you really are, as a conservationist, trying to help teach people, you know, about valuing this amazing wildlife, marine life and then how to behave. So what are you hoping your viewers are going to get from this program when they think about, you know, whether it is a Florida beach or a California beach or in Hawaii and how this kind of information about these types of sharks that may be specific to various regions are things that they need to know about.

PHILLIPPS: Discovery does such a great job of really combining the entertainment and the education, and that's always what we are leaning into. So I think with Shark Attack, the takeaway for our audience we want is there is a great opportunity to coexist. You know, I live in California. We have tons of sharks out there in the water. I was in the ocean yesterday. I am in the ocean all the time and I am still here.

We see the interactions. Everyone has got a drone. We know that they really don't want us, but there are certain things that we can do to help prevent these incidents and to lower the number. So there are just very simple things, you know, going into the water and being observant of your surroundings. You see sea lions and seals out there, maybe not a good time to swim.

WHITFIELD: Yes, don't do it.

PHILLIPPS: Maybe not a good time.

WHITFIELD: You're going to get mixed in right in the food chain.

PHILLIPPS: Yes!

WHITFIELD: All right, it is about surviving.

PHILLIPPS: We learned that from "Jaws."

WHITFIELD: Right. All right, Kinga Philipps, we will be watching "What Sharks Attack." Thank you so much. PHILLIPPS: Thank you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead in the next hour, firefighters are racing the clock to control wildfires in France and Spain before a new heat wave returns days from now.

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[15:53:23]

WHITFIELD: All right, just imagine being accepted to your dream university or college, only to be dropped just weeks before the first semester begins. That's been the experience for hundreds of incoming freshmen at Howard University in Washington, D.C., who say they received an e-mail informing them that they were unenrolled due to a remaining tuition balance.

Well, dozens of these would-be students have taken to social media, some in tears, sharing their experiences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISABELLA WILLIAMS, COLLEGE STUDENT: Never in my life have I been so disappointed when I was promised and told my people that what I was doing was okay, that everything was fine, and that my scholarships could come through later? And then I am suddenly unenrolled from my dream school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. Devastating!

In a statement, Howard University says it, "... provided multiple detailed communications" from March through July to incoming students and families on the steps to secure enrollment. Students who did not meet the established payment deadlines have been notified that the university can no longer hold their place in the incoming class.

The university says it is reviewing information related to anticipated scholarship funding and other financial aid, and will consider relevant circumstances regarding pending award and financial aid resources.

All right, joining us right now to share her experiences is the young woman that you just heard from, Isabella Williams.

[15:55:05]

She is one of these incoming Howard University students who got that e-mail, got that letter and said, you're no longer going to be enrolled here for the fall semester class of 2030.

Isabella, great to see you.

WILLIAMS: It is great to see you as well. Thank you for having me. WHITFIELD: And it is nice to see your smile because there is some good news here. But first, before we get to that good news, I do want you to just kind of, you know, help us through this journey. You know, tell me, you know, how important and special this pursuit has been for you to, number one, be accepted into Howard University. It is my alma mater as well, you know, receive a slew of scholarships and then, you know, actually say goodbye to your neighborhood and your friends. I mean, tell me what that journey has been like.

WILLIAMS: Yes, absolutely.

So Howard University has always been really important to my family and I. My mother went during her freshman year. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to continue because of financial circumstances. Thankfully, she did get her education later on, but she never talked bad about Howard. If anything, she made it even more of a dream school for me.

Going throughout my senior year, making sure I got all the scholarships that I needed from my local chapters. It was just a great experience to have and I think it really showed me the type of person that I want to be and the type of perseverance that I can have.

And before I even got to Howard, I think it has already taught me a lot and I am ready for the next step even though there is a big difference between Alabama and Washington, D.C.

WHITFIELD: Wow! Indeed. I mean, it is an incredible journey. You know, all throughout everything that happens to us at whatever juncture, it is all about, you know, how you handle it and how you persevere, as you just said.

So then tell me, you know, about, I guess, that moment. Here you are saying goodbye to your high school friends, people in your neighborhood, and then, I mean, somebody kind of drops the bomb, you know, and says, did you get this kind of e-mail? Tell me what happened.

WILLIAMS: Yes, so I was out with my friends. It was the day before I was supposed to leave and they said, wow, we got this e-mail. We are unenrolled. And I was like, oh my gosh, this is kind of scary. So I checked my e-mail. I unfortunately got one as well. I was very confused because I submitted all my documentation for my external scholarships to Howard University.

I went and I got home and checked my laptop and my classes weren't there. It was honestly really scary. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I usually don't cry a lot, so to be having such a dream taken away from me like that, I think was devastating. It almost felt like a life or death situation.

And one thing I do know I am good at is social media and I wasn't expecting it to blow up. If anything, I thought maybe the right person would see it and would know how to help me. And thankfully, it turned into something much bigger than that, that was able to help my class and just really speed up this process to make sure that some of us are able to get back into our class before school started. WHITFIELD: Well, tell me about that because, I mean, you are a military kid as you describe yourself, you know, you're big on rules. You're very organized. You worked really hard to get all of these scholarships. You know, once you got your acceptance of Howard University, it was like, okay, how is this going to be paid for? So you worked on all of that.

You're devastated by this e-mail and then you went to social media. You shared your story. So how has everything turned around not just for you, but like you just mentioned now, it has helped a lot of other people who are in a very similar situation.

WILLIAMS: Yes. So I am really big on rules. I am a proud child of a military veteran. I love you, dad, if you're seeing this, but it was definitely very crazy. And we weren't sure what exactly was going to happen. The more that people started to see my video, the more opportunities we were given.

Certain foundations offered to give us scholarships. Howard University did say that we could contact Enrollment Management. We sent e-mails. I called the Financial Aid Office and the Bursar Office and left voicemails for them, explaining my situation. Luckily, over 46 people have been reinstated and we are hoping even more will come within these next few days.

I know at least two people have been reinstated today, so I really do say thank you to the public for putting pressure on them to get this alleviated quickly. And I also thank Howard University for giving us an opportunity to go back and look at our files and see that we did have the money to pay for our schooling.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And in your case, right, wasn't it the case that you had like about $12,000.00 balance and that was going to be covered by the scholarships, but sometimes scholarships are, you know, don't always make the deadlines as well. And so, you know, you talk about how you did try to reach out and you were hoping some scholarship groups perhaps would hear this, see this, and, you know, get with the deadline.

I mean, Howard University did make it clear that it had its deadlines in place. But do you think after all of this, it is being conveyed that there needs to be a little bit more wiggle room or pressure needs to be applied a little bit more to these places of scholarship that they need to, you know, be on the ball and meet some of these deadlines so that students can, you know, carry out and live out their dreams and their aspirations here.

WILLIAMS: Yes, I would say honestly, it is standard practice for scholarships to release around early to mid-August. I do think that this was a little bit of a miscommunication between the scholarships, the students and Howard University as a whole. I did personally make sure that I reached out to the Financial Aid Office before all of this.

I told them that I submitted my documentation through our platform called Backpack, that I had all of my scholarships submitted, and I had that they would be released in August. And they said that I did not have to enroll in a payment plan whatsoever, because they had documented that I had external scholarships.

So I wouldn't blame the scholarship foundations, but I would say that Howard University needs to be a little bit more cognizant of the way that things are set up and how it affects their students. I understand that they need to make sure that we are paying for things, but if we give our proper documentation, then I think we should have been all squared away and it shouldn't have been such an issue, especially this close to school starting.

WHITFIELD: I love that you've also turned this into a lesson for yourself, and you said you've learned a lot about yourself and the value of perseverance. I am also going to be talking to the interim president, Wayne Frederick of Howard University, in about 30 minutes from now. He might be watching now, but I am wondering, you know, if you kind of have some advice or an appeal that you'd like to make to Howard University president about this process, what you've endured, perhaps advice or, you know, on the road ahead for other students or other classes to come.

WILLIAMS: Yes, well, first of all, I would like to say thank you to him for trying to do his best. I know that this has been really hard on Howard University, and sometimes who are a little understaffed, so it is a lot to take care of.

My biggest piece of advice would be to take care of us like we are your kids. These are 17 and 18-year-olds that are trying to figure out their life. A lot of us are moving very far away. We are doing what we can, and we are doing what we need to.

There also has been some e-mails that certain students didn't get. Some people didn't know about the payment plans or about the way that we had to have certain things set up by July 10th or different dates until June.

So making sure that there is a lot of communication between the Backpack platform and the Bursar's Office and the Financial Aid Office is really pertinent to making sure that your students are set up and that Howard University is set up for success.

WHITFIELD: All right, Isabella Williams, something tells me that -- and you're moving in like now, right?

WILLIAMS: I am here actually, yes.

WHITFIELD: I should have asked you to, you know, take us on a tour of your dorm.

Hey, congratulations. Something tells me that however many years that you are at Howard University, you're going to love it, enjoy it, and make the most of it. Because already you are demonstrating to have done that thus far.

Isabella Williams, thank you so much. All the best to you. Thanks for being with us as well. And again, we are going to have the interim president of Howard University, Dr. Wayne Frederick, join us live in the next hour.

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