Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

One Dead After Hurricane Lala Lashes Hawaii's Big Island; CentCom Commander Visits USS Abraham Lincoln Amid Morale Concerns; Millions Of People Across Midwest Remain Under Flood Watches; Wildfires Tear Across Parts Of Drought-Stricken Europe; Indonesian Earthquake Leaves Hundreds Without Homes; Joint Op-Ed: ICE Must Answer For July Killings Of Two Fathers; Jared Kushner In Egypt For Gaza Peace Talks; Magical Moments: Brothers Smash Home Runs Same Night. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 16, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:27]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news.

Disastrous, deadly rain is drenching the Midwest for an eighth straight day as communities deal with an astronomical amount of water. And the storms are not over yet.

Plus, as concerns about morale aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln grow, the U.S. Central Command chief makes a visit to the aircraft carrier. What he told the crew.

And later, home run history. A pair of brothers make a momentous professional debut, both homering on the same night. Their mom will join me live.

Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with breaking news out of Hawaii. Right now, there is life-threatening flooding happening across portions of the Big Island and Maui just hours after Hurricane Lala lashed the islands. One person has died and more than 170,000 have lost power.

The storm did not make landfall and weakened to a tropical storm this morning as it traveled west. The National Hurricane Center says Lala's eyewall brushed past the south shore of Hawaii's Big Island. It brought Category One hurricane force winds of 80 miles an hour and more than 30in of torrential rainfall. Officials say at least 19 buildings have lost their roofs.

CNN affiliate KITV detailed conditions as the outer bands blew through.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA CIFONE, KITV REPORTER: You can see that there is so much wind, just so much rain and massive waves behind me. I'm going to step out of the way so you can kind of see.

You're getting hit with these waves and that mist from those waves as they break are brushing onto neighbors' roofs.

We had a branch go into the home owners door screen. There's water coming in through the bottom of the house. The lanai is soaking wet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Dozens of flights in and out of Hawaii have been canceled or delayed. Governor Josh Green says the state is on full operational capacity and will begin damage assessment tomorrow when the storm clears.

Now overseas. In the Middle East, a high-level visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln amid growing concerns about the mental health of crew members during the carrier's record-breaking deployment. The U.S. military says Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the U.S. Central Command, visited the Abraham Lincoln during a ten-day trip to the Middle East.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is following all of this from Basking Ridge, New Jersey near President Trump's residence.

So Julia, what more do we know about Admiral Cooper's visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This comes as there are growing concerns about these extended deployments and how these deployments are impacting American service members.

There has been a lot of focus on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for nearly nine months, supporting operations in the Middle East.

A number of family members of those on board have voiced concerns, have been asking questions about the conditions there. And a crew member servicing the ship recently spoke with CNN and said that morale is very low and that there are these regular strains on some essential amenities.

So as this is all taking place, we are learning that the U.S. Central Command chief, Admiral Brad Cooper, during a ten-day visit to the region, he did stop at the Lincoln. He had a message for those on board.

He thanked them for their, quote, "tremendous dedication and courage", and then added this. "History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally-intense and consequential of the modern era." That came in a statement from the U.S. military.

Now, the message that President Donald Trump presented when he was asked about these lengthy deployments and the mental health concerns of those on board, he gave a different tone, gave a much different response.

He said that he did not believe that these deployments had gone on nearly long enough. Those remarks drawing a lot of criticism, especially from Democrats.

[14:04:49]

BENBROOK: One specifically, Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore, a veteran, spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper earlier today. And he said that those comments from the president made him angry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): Instead of saying, I'm going to look into this and I'm going to get to the root of this, and I'm going to figure out what's going on, and we're going to make sure we're protecting those who are willing to protect us. His response is their deployments haven't lasted long enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And as these concerns are front and center, Trump did say that the Lincoln would soon be traveling out of the region, that it would be replaced by a very similar ship. An official tells us that that swap was previously planned.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, thanks so much.

All right. Joining me right now, Retired Army Brigadier General Stephen Xenakis. He is an army psychiatrist and is now in private practice. Thanks so much for joining us.

First, you know, what does it tell you that the CentCom commander made this visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln as concerns grow about the well- being of the crew?

BRIG. GENERAL STEPHEN XENAKIS, U.S. ARMY (RET): It's good that the commander visited, and it's important that sailors there know that he has shown the concern and consideration.

He's trying to get all the information so that he can, in fact, take the actions and make the decisions that need to be made.

This is what experienced commanders do, and they get up and look around. I mean, they learn as things, as operations go on what the consequences are, what the effects are. So it's a good sign, I think, that he, in fact, took the time to visit the aircraft carrier.

WHITFIELD: What's your guess on what the interaction would be, though, from him and service people on board? How honest might people be about how they're really feeling or what the conditions are like? Or do you think there would be some real reticence among the service members to divulge exactly what they are thinking and feeling?

XENAKIS: Well, I mean, I don't know Admiral Cooper. He's got a great reputation and who knows what his style is. And that varies with commanders, senior officers in terms of how they interact with service members that are right there on the front lines.

And so it really is a matter of the staff of the -- of the aircraft carrier preparing the sailors for his visit, the way he carries himself, how much he's able to now open up and meet and show that he's really concerned with what the sailors are thinking. And that he wants to know exactly what the conditions are and what's happening.

And he'd like to get that information so he can factor it into his decision making. He can, you know, it can -- it's variable.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I want you to listen to exactly what President Trump had to say when he was asked about the deployment and the well-being of the crew on the ship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Family members of U.S. service members are concerned about the conditions on board the USS Lincoln.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, now that ship is moving. No they're not. That ship is moving right now or very shortly, and its being replaced with another very similar ship.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has the deployments gone on too long? Are you worried about the mental health concerns?

TRUMP: No, no, no. Not nearly long enough.

Thank you everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So to all that, you know, what kind of impact on the service people's mental health or well-being or what their families have to say about it, you know, is that kind of comment coming from the commander-in-chief having?

XENAKIS: It could have all sorts of effects. I mean, obviously, this is a long deployment. This has been a very important mission. There have been -- and the burden of that mission has rested on these sailors on the front lines.

And some will, you know, who knows how each of them individually will respond to that and be able to feel that they're supported, and the families feel they're supported. That can really also vary a lot.

I mean, what's important are -- is the leadership on the aircraft carrier, the day-to-day, the people that are working together and how they're supporting each other and thinking about what they're doing and how motivated they feel. And confident that they're doing what is expected of them. And they're doing it in the best way possible.

WHITFIELD: Historically, you know, a lot was learned about deployment lengths after the Vietnam War. And in this war, goals and strategies may not be universally understood.

[14:09:43]

WHITFIELD: So as you look at this deployment almost nine months now, what would your main concerns be? What would the indicators be that you'd be looking for in crew on how they're faring?

XENAKIS: Well, so as a medic, as one of the special staff advising the senior leadership, looking at what is the health, the mental health, the sense of welfare, the enthusiasm, the esprit of those sailors as they're carrying out, or the soldiers, because I was an army officer, as they're carrying out the mission.

And I want to advise the senior leadership about how all this is being experienced by them, what's important, so that they can continue to do what is expected of them, do their jobs, and particularly what we need to do to support them.

What is it that's most important so that they know and they feel that they can continue doing what they need to do? I mean, who knows how long these deployments are going to be?

We know over many, many years, not only Vietnam, but sometimes with the Iraq/Afghanistan war, that lengthy deployments that don't seem to have an end-state, that are not sure what the -- what the mission is and how we're going to say that we've accomplished that mission can, in fact, affect the morale of our service members.

So we pay attention to that, and we do what we can to make sure that they're confident about what they're doing.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, General -- Dr. Stephen Xenakis, thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.

XENAKIS: Glad to be here. Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, Indiana underwater. At least six people dead after a week of punishing rain in the heartland. A state of emergency in effect with a new threat today.

Plus, race to save lives in Indonesia after a massive earthquake leveled entire neighborhoods. Thousands of people displaced today, as the death toll continues to climb.

And demanding justice. Two fathers shot and killed by ICE agents nearly 2,000 miles apart. The major newspapers joining forces now calling on Congress to step in.

[14:11:58]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: More than 8 million people across the Midwest remain under flood watches as the region faces new threats from another round of storms today. Officials in hard hit Indiana say at least six people have died, including a four-year-old-boy who was killed after a tree fell on his home.

Dramatic video of flooding in Indianapolis as well, where the raging waters tore apart a roadway.

This is the moment a family was evacuated from high flood waters by first responders. They climbed into a rescue boat being pushed through the street there.

And one homeowner who evacuated returned home by canoe to find floodwaters nearly reaching the second floor of his home. Water from the nearby White River poured over its banks and flooded the neighborhood.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun says President Trump intends to approve the state's request for federal assistance.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the next threats.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: From severe thunderstorms to flooding to heat, we've pretty much got it all on the map today.

The severe thunderstorms are really going to be focused here just to the east of the Rockies. So areas of Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and then spreading east with that system.

You also have the potential for some very heavy rainfall and flooding. Yes, unfortunately, in some of the same areas that have been dealing with flooding for the last week. That includes the Ohio Valley.

But now the focus really starts to become more of the mid-Atlantic, especially for today. So areas of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and even portions of eastern Ohio.

We've already had ongoing showers and thunderstorms throughout many of those states so far today. It continues through the evening hours.

Again, you can see by about 10:00 tonight, still some heavy showers around Washington, D.C., to the east of that, spreading into areas of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York.

But you also have this cluster here throughout portions of the Midwest. So areas right around Saint Louis going to be looking at some more strong thunderstorms moving in overnight.

And then even as we get into the early portions of Monday, Cincinnati once again getting hit with some very heavy rain. Same thing around Louisville. But you also still have a lot of showers that are wrapping up across the northeast.

So folks headed out on their morning commute, say, in Boston, New York could be looking at some showers and thunderstorms around the area that you could have to contend with.

By late Monday, again, still looking at that next round across portions of the northeast and Mid-Atlantic, just adding to that potential for flooding.

On the southern side, the big story here is heat and record heat for some of these areas. Unfortunately, it's also going to be a multi-day event. You look at Sunday's forecast, again 103 is the feels-like

temperature. So this is taking into account the air temperature but also the humidity. A lot of those in the triple digits here across the South, not just today, but Monday and even into Tuesday. So it's that prolonged effect for many of these areas.

Take Dallas, for example, the average high this time of year 96. So we get it. It's already very hot, but every single one of the next seven days, that temperature is actually expected to be in the triple digits.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you, Allison Chinchar.

Extreme wildfires are still plaguing Europe. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon walks us through how the countries are dealing with multiple fires during record breaking heat.

[14:19:48]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN ROME CORRESPONDENT: The wildfires raging across Europe at this hour are particularly concerning for two reasons.

The first one is just how widespread this issue is with several countries battling wildfires at the same time. Currently, there are more than 500 people evacuated in France, more than 300 in Greece, a thousand in Croatia and more than 2,000 people have been evacuated in northwestern Germany.

All this happening while wildfires are being reported in Italy and Spain too. Spain in particular, so firefighters taming the blazes in order to spare a Middle Age monastery from destruction.

The second issue is that regions that are normally spared by wildfires are also being hit. In France, for example, one of the regions hit is Brittany, which is in the Northwestern Atlantic Coast and is normally associated more with wet weather than droughts.

Or the United Kingdom, where the prime minister, Andy Burnham, has described the situation as a tinderbox.

Just to give you an idea of the scale of the crisis in Britain, across England and Wales, they have reported more wildfires already this year than for the entire 2025, with further fires expected in the weeks and months to come.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And Indonesian rescue crews are in a race against time. They're trying to find survivors under buildings brought down by Saturday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake. At least 53 people lost their lives in the quake. Making matters worse, hundreds of aftershocks followed the initial earthquake.

CNN's Gage Goulding has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GAGE GOULDING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the island of Flores in Indonesia, this is how thousands of people are now living, makeshift tents lying on the ground

ABDUL MNUTAS, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): You can see for yourself, we're camping under a tree, so we need more tarpaulin sheets, drinking water, food, children's supplies. We can't have them sick.

GOULDING: Some 1,300 homes were damaged or destroyed in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake just off the northern coast of the island.

Many were asleep when the earth, began violently shaking around 6:00 in the morning Saturday. Those that have a home to return to, it's a question of whether it's safe.

SITI SULFIA, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): At the moment, we don't dare go home just yet because the situation isn't stable. We still worry that there might be more tremors coming.

GOULDING: The nation's disaster response agency has set up temporary camps, including makeshift hospitals. They say 18 health care facilities were damaged during the quake.

It's here were meeting some of the victims who survived the worst of the disaster.

KUMALA, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): When it shook, I felt I was spinning. I didn't have the chance to get up. Just as I was about to get up, rocks fell on me, on my head, on my legs. I had my two kids with me and we were all buried under the rubble. We were then evacuated by someone.

GOULDING: The Indonesian government is now racing to respond. Overnight Sunday, the Indonesian Air Force flew in 50,000 aid packets to the hardest hit areas. But locals say the relief has been slow to arrive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Until now, not a single tent was given to us. We're very disappointed because the newcomers should also be given tents, but we haven't got any.

We have two babies here and they're asleep, so they're sleeping in the morning dew. Please pity them. The government should pay attention to these things.

GOULDING: Those disaster relief teams not only working around landslides and crumbling buildings, but also aftershocks. The initial earthquake has been followed by more than 340 aftershocks, including three with magnitudes of 5.6 or even higher. One, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake 1,600 miles northwest in north

Sumatra; and 600 miles north in Palu, another 5.7 magnitude earthquake.

The clock is ticking when it comes to finding anyone else who might be trapped in the rubble. There's a so-called golden window of time. It's roughly 48 to 72 hours after a disaster strikes to find those victims. But after that window closes, the rate of survival drops.

Gage Goulding, CNN -- Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And still ahead, Jared Kushner is back in the Middle East, where he held talks today with the leader of Hamas. A meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected. What this could mean for peace in Gaza.

[14:24:19]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Tomorrow, some of the top Democrats in the House are holding a hearing not on Capitol Hill but in Biddeford, Maine. They're calling for justice in the killing there of this father, Johann Sebastian Duran Guerrero, by ICE officers one month ago. The hearing is happening just days after a rare joint op-ed by newspapers in Maine and Texas. The "Portland Press Herald" and the "Houston Chronicle" are demanding accountability for Guerrero's death. And in the case of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, another father killed by ICE. Salgado, was shot in Houston the week before Guerrero died in Maine.

Here's part of the op-ed. Quote, "Neither Duran Guerrero nor Salgado were formal targets of ICE investigations. Both were caught up in a deadly dragnet strategy that refuses to distinguish between dangerous criminals and hardworking immigrants. Both men were on their way to work."

[14:29:43]

WHITFIELD: Joining me right now are some of the people behind this piece. Evan Mintz, opinion and community engagement reporter at the "Houston Chronicle", and Siobhan Brett, opinion editor for the "Portland Press Herald". Great to see both of you.

Evan, you first. You know, why did the "Houston Chronicle" feel compelled to write this opinion piece with the "Portland Press Herald"?

EVAN MINTZ, OPINION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT REPORTER, "HOUSTON CHRONICLE": Well, thank you for having us on. We wanted to bring attention to this as not just a local issue facing Maine or Houston, but a national concern. We have immigration enforcement officials across the country who seem to believe that they can kill people without any oversight. It is the job of Congress to make sure that the executive is doing its job and doing it properly.

And there are basic questions that aren't being answered about this. The names of the people who did the shooting, the weapons used, those haven't been turned over yet. Their training, their background just the same week that Mr. Lorenzo Salgado was killed in Houston, there was a police shooting, and the next day we had the name of every single officer on the front page of "The Chronicle".

That is just how things are supposed to go. We have had the local sheriff writing for us about how ICE is not following any of the usual practices around this, but only Congress can make sure that ICE is being held accountable for what it does. And we're calling on John Cornyn and Susan Collins to do their job.

WHITFIELD: And, Siobhan, now, tomorrow, House Democrats are holding a field hearing in Maine. Do you believe it will reveal anything more that has already been learned?

SIOBHAN BRETT, OPINION WRITER, PORTLAND PRESS HERALD: It's hard to know about reveal, but it's certainly important that this is happening. I think that it's called a shadow hearing and that we have been at pains to explain to our readers that, no, it is not formal. It is a different type of event that's based on the goodwill of the people who will come to attend and who will take questions.

I think it's important for the public. I think the outrage and the sense of pain and disappointment throughout Maine at this time requires that we see some voices and some people. And the state A.G. certainly coming in and giving whatever information they can, but the frustration with regard to basic questions being ignored, simple information. As Evan just said, the likes of which you would assume should be ours, within hours of such an event taking place. It's just really not what's been happening here, to a really pronounced degree.

I mean, we have our own information. For example, in the case of the Biddeford shooting about the shooter, which the press managed to establish. But the DHS has still said nothing on that at all and will not. And that type of stonewalling, for want of a better description, is just never before seen, I would say. And that's really what we're attempting to get to the heart of.

WHITFIELD: DHS and other federal agencies have, in these cases, and others tried to suppress releasing the identity of, you know, these agents, whoever may be involved in any of these shootings, deadly or otherwise, because they have said to protect them and their families.

So, Evan, while House members are going to have this kind of field meeting, what about from senators? You know, you all are specific. You called out, you know, Susan Collins and even, you know, John Cornyn of Texas and even adding to the list now, Angus King and Ted Cruz, I mean, why do you believe a difference will be made if senators are outspoken similar to the hearing that some House members might be holding?

MINTZ: Well, the reality is that Republicans have a majority in the House and the Senate, and it will take that majority control to make something happen. But I want to point out that here in Texas, this isn't a partisan issue like it has become in Washington.

Governor Greg Abbott said that ICE should be able to do its job without spilling blood. Orlando Sanchez, the Republican candidate for the chief county executive, wrote an op-ed for "The Houston Chronicle", mourning. Mr. Salgado's death and calling for a thorough investigation and the one Republican on commissioners court, which oversees county government, funded an investigation led by the district attorney to try to figure out if any crimes were committed by ICE agents.

And the question is just why can't Republicans in Congress do the same? Why can't we have the normal sort of government oversight that we expect in every other circumstance? You know, Mr. Lorenzo Salgado spent his life 30 years building homes in Houston, and sometimes it feels like the only home that matters to too many politicians is the White House. People need to care about their constituents, not just what's going on in D.C.

There's too much going on in the rest of the country, and that is why we work together on this, to try to get it to raise to the level of, say, CNN, and get the folks who make the real decisions in our country to pay attention and act.

WHITFIELD: And, Siobhan, you know, officials from the Department of Homeland Security, you know, say that it is investigating these shooting deaths. What do you say to those who say, you know, give these agencies more time?

BRETT: Gosh, time comes up again and again on this subject. Things are being either done early or late. And. It has we have no relationship. We have no ordinary relationship with time when it comes to ICE as much as we do with so many other elements.

[14:35:06]

You know, we had body camera announcements coming last week and we were told by Senator Susan Collins. There were two weeks early to Maine, depending on your timeline, they were two weeks early.

I think it's completely fair to say that they should have been in operation from day dot. And the idea that the investigations are ongoing, but we do not know by whom. We do not know who is in possession of cars, who is in possession of personal effects of victims, and the queries just continue to go unanswered.

I don't know that time is what's needed here. I think an overhaul is probably what's required. I think having the promise of cameras, followed by the caveat of were well release the footage at our discretion, just shows how empty so many of the pledges and the promises are. And we can't have any faith or confidence in them anymore.

WHITFIELD: Siobhan Brett, Evan Mintz, thanks to both of you for joining us and for your very revealing article and op-ed.

Thanks so much. We'll be right back.

MINTZ: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:39]

WHITFIELD: Also new today, Jared Kushner is in Egypt trying to jumpstart the stalled Gaza ceasefire plan. Sources tell CNN he met with the new leader of Hamas, along with the director of the Board of Peace, the U.S.-led body created to oversee a postwar Gaza. President Trump's peace plan laid out steps for Israel to halt attacks in the enclave, for Hamas to disarm, and then for Israel to withdraw. Israel rejected the plan.

Oren Liebermann joining us right now with more details about this trip.

So, what do we know? Has there -- is there any measure of progress? Because thus far, it's been very difficult. Can Jared Kushner really make a real impact or difference?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Saying it's very difficult. It seems very much like an understatement. Jared Kushner, the U.S. envoy, of course, President Donald Trump's son in law, is having meetings with all of the right people. He met with the new leader of Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, who was also their chief negotiator. He met with the Egyptian president, one of the key negotiators here. And he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow. Along with him is the director general of the Board of Peace.

But it's not just about these meetings. It's -- can he move anybody on these issues? Hamas has made their position very clear from their perspective. They have agreed to disarmament, but that has to happen at the exact same time as the as the deployment of an international security force to Gaza under the ceasefire agreement, as well as the beginning of the Israeli withdrawal.

Well, that security force doesn't really exist yet in any deployable fashion, and Israel has made clear that it has no intention of withdrawing at all until Hamas is completely and fully disarmed. That means that either Jared Kushner has to get Hamas to move on its demands, which is unlikely, or to get Israel to somehow move, which is also incredibly unlikely. And that's the challenge that Kushner faces as he goes into these meetings. We haven't gotten a readout of Kushner's meeting with Hamas new leader. It is at least the second known meeting between Kushner and Hamas. The last was in October, when there was a 20-point ceasefire agreement that went into effect.

Well, this now, months later, is a 15-point plan that's supposed to jumpstart the 20-point plan from before. So, you see how complicated and difficult this entire process has been.

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh. And then I wonder, you know, Israel has an election, of course, coming up. And, that might not be a direct correlation to this withdrawal plan, but might there be some influence here.

LIEBERMANN: Absolutely. Netanyahu is in a very difficult race now. He has been trailing in the polls for quite some time now, months, if not several years, really. And he's unlikely, very unlikely to make any concessions in Gaza that could be seen as weak, especially as he's trying to appeal to a right-wing base. So, the Israeli election, which is just one week before the midterms, very much has a bearing on how this could play out and whether Netanyahu is really willing to work with Kushner and with the Board of Peace to make any concessions to try to move forward. President Donald Trump's peace plan in the U.S.- brokered agreement here.

The mediators, as well as other Arab and Muslim countries, have made clear that they lay the blame at the feet of Israel for there being no more progress here. In a joint statement several hours ago from Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, they said, such rejection confirms that Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories.

So, you see where they place the blame. The key question, of course, will that influence how Kushner sees the difficulties in advancing this plan and how much pressure he's willing to put on Israel?

WHITFIELD: All right. Tough work in progress. Oren Liebermann, thank you so much.

All right. Straight ahead, two brothers, two hits, two home runs, and a mother watching their momentous career debuts. I'll talk to her about the absolutely magical night, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:49:14]

WHITFIELD: All right. August 4th will definitely be a day to remember for the Lombard family. That night, with his parents in the stands, shortstop George Lombard, Jr. homers in his Big League debut with the New York Yankees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPORTS ANCHOR: The zero two hit in the air to deep left field. Torres back George Lombard, Jr., has entered the yard and left it. His first big league hit, his first big league homer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Crazy, but crazy, too, that same day, 1,200 miles away, his younger brother Jacob also smashes a home run during his debut as a shortstop with the Jupiter Hammerheads.

[14:50:08]

They're the single A affiliate for the Miami Marlins.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPORTS ANCHOR: A tenth of an inch but they have no challenges remaining the rest of the game. Breaking ball hit high in the air. Deep left field going back is Haskins. He turns and this ball is gone. First hit. First RBI and first professional home run for Marlins' first round draft pick Jacob Lombard, and we are tied at one here in the third.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, talk about near mirror images and near mirror outcomes, the brothers both homered in their second plate appearances of the night. Both hits were off breaking balls and according to the MLB, both homers had nearly identical launch angles and speed. I mean, did I tell you this was crazy?

Well, let's bring in now, Judy Prado Lombard, George Jr., and Jason's mom.

Judy, congratulations to you. Because their achievement and accomplishments are yours too. This has to be a really proud moment.

JUDY PRADO LOMBARD, SONS BOTH HIT HOME RUNS DURING CAREER DEBUTS: Thank you. I'd love to take credit for that. But honestly, these boys have worked so hard and watching those videos, I can watch them over and over again.

WHITFIELD: And I bet you do. I would if I were you. So, so take me back to that night. I mean, I know you watched the videos to kind of relive it, but really tell me how you were thinking and feeling. What was the pit like in your stomach and how did you manage knowing what was going on with 1,200 miles apart?

LOMBARD: Well, honestly, the nerves were real. I mean, we were -- it's -- there's something about having your debut as a young kid for first professional game and another thing, doing it at Yankee Stadium, you know, legendary. So, the nerves, at least for me, I kept just looking at my son like, I hope you're holding it, holding on okay because I know my nerves were -- it was tough.

And then needless to say, after the game started, he seemed like he felt right at home and luckily, he's a very even-keeled kid, so he handled it great and we couldn't be more proud of him.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, how incredible. I mean, your husband, George Sr., I mean, he's a bench coach for the Detroit Tigers. And after, you know, his own professional career. So, you kind of have a sense of what this world is like. I'm probably a big sense. But I mean, can you describe what this moment was for him? Because when we look at the video of just both of you nearly, you know, falling off the, you know, the bleachers there, you know, describe for me what you were thinking and feeling.

I mean, something tells me that you were also kind of planning your whole lives around this kind of moment.

LOMBARD: You know, it's funny you say that because even though you dream about that day, when it gets there, it seems so surreal. Like it speeds up on you. You just can't believe that you're actually there and you're sitting at the stadium and I'm trying to take it all in. I told my husband, I'm like, I don't want to get my phone. I don't want to take a picture. I don't want to take a video.

I just want to soak in the moment because this is such a special moment. And you hear 50,000 people yelling your son's name. It just -- it's surreal. Like there's no other way to explain it.

And my husband kept saying, Detroit Tigers are really gracious and letting him be there for that special moment. They valued it as well, which was amazing because he was out in Seattle with the team and he kept saying, the whole time, I can't imagine if I wasn't here for this, I would have never forgiven myself.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

LOMBARD: It was such an emotional moment for all of us. I mean, the work that goes into it. And my husband, he's been in baseball pretty much his whole life. He understands the greatness of that moment. And he's like, you know how difficult it is to just hit a home run in a game, like to do it at this moment. He's like, it was just, I still it's hard for me to put it into words.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's so great. I mean, I mean, this is a, like you said, when you have been on the path of, you know, helping to shape your, your kids in sports like this, this is a dream come true. You all are actually living that dream, you know, but you, you, you put in the work too, mom.

You know, you were taking them to practices, games, the camps, travel ball, all of that. So, then for this to kind of come to fruition this way for you, I mean, while you may have dreamt it was part of you also kind of thinking, I don't know, this seems like a reach. And then now here you are.

LOMBARD: Right. I mean, it's like, you know, when your kids have this wild, crazy big dream and you just support them along the way thinking like, it would be amazing, but you know, it's one in 1,000,000. So, let's see how this goes. But it does.

There is a time where you kind of sit back and you say, you know, like the hour, the minutes, the hours or days, the years, you know, those were long. There was countless practices, countless, you know, the part that people don't really see behind what has gone into this and just the amount of days, the -- of tournaments, of driving, of everything else that has gone into it. But at the end of the day, it's so worth it.

I would do it a million times over because, you know, to see their dreams come true like that, even though it's just the beginning of his career, there's a lot more he wants to do in the game.

[14:55:05]

Just that first step was really great.

WHITFIELD: Well, wonderful. Congratulations to you, the entire family, the entire journey and endeavor. All the best. And what a great inspiration you all are.

LOMBARD: Thank you and I appreciate you having me on the show. Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely, absolutely. Thanks for being with us.

All right. Thank you, Judy.

Coming up in the next hour, a murder trial, 30 years in the making. What you need to know about the man facing a jury tomorrow for the death of rap legend Tupac Shakur.

Plus, locked up for a month. A 30-year-old nanny sits down with CNN about her traumatic weeks inside an ICE detention center.

And battleground revival. We are on the ground in Iowa, where Democrats are making a massive push to win back rural voters, desperate for change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump is on the ballot whether anybody likes it or not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like the opportunity is there, and I feel like people want change. I think that people want to feel heard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)