Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Lala Lashes Hawaii's Big Island; Aftershocks Rattle Indonesia; Stolen Paintings Recovered. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 16, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00]

WILL RIPLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Hello from Hong Kong, I'm Will Ripley.

Coming up on CNN Newsroom, strong winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lala lashing Hawaii's Big Island right now. We have a storm chaser standing by to give us an update on the ground.

More aftershocks are rattling Indonesia. Rescuers are searching for survivors from Saturday's massive earthquake.

And Italian authorities say they found three paintings stolen from a museum in March, and wait until you hear where they were found.

At this hour, we continue to track Hurricane Lala battering parts of Hawaii right now with destructive winds and heavy rain. U.S. weather officials say this storm is not expected to make landfall, but earlier, the eyewall brushed the big island's southern tip with sustained winds of nearly 130 kilometers an hour. We got an update in the last hour from Hawaii's governor saying one person has been killed in a storm-related car accident, and you can see how dangerous the conditions were earlier out on the roads.

Lala is still a category one storm right now, and its forecast is expecting it will weaken as it moves across the island chain. But still, it is expected to pack a very big punch. Power is out for tens of thousands of people across the state, including more than 70 percent of Hawaii County on the Big Island. And people there, they've been bracing for this storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been really surreal and kind of unreal that we're getting like Lala, like right now, and it said like in three decades we haven't got one, like, this big that's said to be this big.

So, I am kind of nervous about it, but we're going to hunker down. We're going to stay safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Earlier I spoke with Eric Lau, he's a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, and he told us what to expect from this hurricane.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC LAU, METEOROLOGIST, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: We're going to continue to see Lala move northwest and south of the, the rest of the Hawaiian Islands overnight. So, even though it's not going to make landfall in any part of the state, and not expected to, however, we're still expecting the large wind field of very strong winds and heavy rainfall to impact the rest of the state, first with Maui tonight, and Oahu and the rest of the islands later tomorrow morning.

RIPLEY: How rare is it for Hawaii to see a hurricane like this?

LAU: It's not uncommon although this year we have El Nino conditions set up globally. And so with El Nino conditions across the Pacific, it is more prone the conditions and environmental conditions are more ripe for tropical cyclone development.

As we look into the Western Pacific, we've already had two super typhoons earlier in the year. So, with Lala, it's not a complete surprise that there's a tropical cyclone near Hawaii. Typically within an El Nino condition years, we see a lot more increased activity with regards to tropical cyclones.

RIPLEY: The area where this is impacting, how are the buildings there? Are they designed to withstand the kind of winds that you're expecting to see?

LAU: It's a mix. You know, a lot of the Hawaii homes were originally built back in the '40s and '50s, so there are quite a bit of single wall constructed homes. So, there are some areas within the Hawaiian Islands where the infrastructure is not great. So, any type of strong winds, you know, we're expecting 30 to 50-mile-per-hour winds for Oahu later on tonight and tomorrow. So, there may be some home damage over the island over the next 24 hours or so.

RIPLEY: Have there been any evacuations? Are there shelters that are open for people who need it?

LAU: Yes. Here on Oahu, there are eight shelters open and there are buses that can take people to the evacuation shelters.

So, the city and County of Honolulu, also the County of Maui, they're all getting ready to open up shelters so that people have safe places to go to if they feel unsafe in their current shelter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:05:10]

RIPLEY: Eric Lau there with the National Weather Service. And I want to check in now with Jonathan Petramala. He's an independent journalist and a storm chaser, and he joins me now from Hilo on Hawaii's Big Island, which is getting the brunt of all this.

Jonathan, I'm glad we're able to get a signal with you. I know you've had power outages, so communications have been in and out. What's the latest there that you're seeing?

JONATHAN PETRAMA, INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST: Hey, Will. Good evening. It's dark. So, as you've mentioned, bridges here, which unsurprising, this is not an island (INAUDIBLE).

RIPLEY: All right, I'm having a hard time hearing Jonathan. Jonathan, we're getting a -- we're having a hard time with your signal there, as to be expected because of the severe storm conditions. We'll try to reconnect with Jonathan and check back in with him in just a bit. But that just underscores how difficult it is right now on the Big Island even to get a phone call out, and certainly a video call out of the question right now because of this hurricane.

So, we're going to stay on top of it. We'll try to get Jonathan later. But let's pivot now and talk about what's happening in Indonesia, because the number of dead there is rising from that powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake. At least 47 deaths are now tied to that quake. It hit just off the island of Flores on Saturday.

That's home to some 2 million people. Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency says in addition to the dead, they have at least 113 people injured, many with severe injuries, because this quake happened at about 6:00 A.M. local time, so a lot of folks were inside their homes sleeping.

And just hours after the initial tremor, there were even stronger aftershocks than what many were expecting. A 6.9 magnitude earthquake hitting near Northern Sumatra, followed by a series, we're talking about dozens of aftershocks.

Officials say rescue crews, they have yet to even reach the region closest to the epicenter, the hardest hit region. This is because of landslides blocking the roads. They've already evacuated about 2,000 people. That was in the hours after the earthquake. Officials say there may still be some people who are trapped in buildings across the region. Indonesia is prone to powerful earthquakes because of its position along the Ring of Fire.

And CNN's Gage Goulding, who has been tracking this quake from just a few minutes after it happened, he's back with us live here on this Sunday.

Gage, so you've been on the phone getting updates. What's the latest that you're hearing?

GAGE GOULDING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's now this kind of weird period that the main earthquake has happened. It's 24-plus hours since the onset of the emergency, and a lot of people are still dealing with aftershocks. They don't know if they should go home, if they even have a home to go towards.

I want to show you some video here from a town, it's Maumere. This is one of the harder hit areas that many people had their homes damaged. About 1,300 homes there damaged, in addition to businesses and hospitals and schools and critical infrastructure. Even about 20 gas stations can't even pump fuel because of the damage that they've had there. And this is very much what they're seeing.

And a new video today, if we have it, I'd like to pull it up. During the actual initial earthquake along a dock near the port city, people either they were thrown into the water or they were jumping into the water for safety and actually had to be hoisted out.

This is an incredible video here from people that were along -- and mind you, this is an island. It's very coastal. But people running back and forth, and that building, that multi-storey building in the background of the video that you saw there, actually collapsed as a result. But people had to be picked up and pulled out of the water.

And now, you know, that's the case that they were dealing with yesterday, but many of these people, either their businesses were destroyed, their homes were destroyed, so what do they do now? They're now kind of camping out. They're in tents. They're in makeshift villages, if you will.

The Indonesian government sending more than 250 tons of relief supplies to help these people, with about 50,000 individual aid packets. But this is the conditions that they're living in, I mean, quite literally makeshift towns, if you will, up in the higher elevations.

You know, Will, you said it earlier, that a lot of these people are used to this because they are along that Ring of Fire where earthquakes are common. But it sounds like the folks that are living through this would think that the aid would come a little bit faster too. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL MUTAS, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOULDING: Yes, so they have a long road of recovery ahead, and here's the problem, Will. 340-plus aftershocks have hit since that initial earthquake, one as early as this morning coming in at a 5.0 magnitude, enough to still cause problems.

[03:10:09]

Will?

RIPLEY: 340 aftershocks. You can understand why even if somebody's home wasn't destroyed, they're too scared to sleep inside because these buildings, when they rattle in the days after an earthquake, it just brings back all that fear, and a lot of times things actually do come crashing down with these aftershocks.

People have their young children with them. It's just a really tough situation.

Gage, thanks for staying on top of it for us. We'll check back in with you in the coming hours.

We're also watching, of course, the situation at another devastating earthquake in Colombia, where several cities right now they are working to assess the scope of the damage.

This was a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit, and communities in Cali, they're coming together now trying to clear debris from public spaces. There's been this city-wide cleanup initiative launched and coordinated by the local authorities there.

Meanwhile, in Bogota, thousands of volunteers, they have transformed a sports stadium into the country's largest humanitarian aid collection center. The operation has already shipped 700 tons of aid to the hardest hit regions.

And while the search and recovery efforts are continuing, there is a growing number of injured animals also in desperate need of treatment in Colombia, and there's a public veterinary hospital in Pradera that has been operating at full capacity offering free emergency care to city residents. And for some, that act of kindness is a source of relief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESTEFANIA HENAO, COLOMBIAN DOG OWNER: Here, the care is great. They are very loving. They are very attentive. They are very specialized. She is very old. She has been to many veterinarians, and here, all the information they give is super useful, super correct. No, here it is wonderful, and that it's free. Well, it's a blessing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: The latest from Pradera, Colombia there.

And now we're going to turn to Europe, not about earthquakes, but about wildfires there. And there's been a series of them continuing to tear across the European continent as record-breaking heat and extreme drought conditions leave landscapes parched and primed to burn.

In Belgium, a fire that started on Friday has already become the largest on record, burning 27 square kilometers. A regional response effort to contain the fire is underway right now. This is involving the E.U. and neighboring nations as well.

Also, we're watching a fire in Southwestern France. So far, 600 people have been evacuated as a result of this one, and this is following two large French fires just last month. Those blazes destroyed more than 500 square kilometers combined. France right now is dealing with its driest year ever recorded.

In Croatia, strong winds are fueling a wildfire that has killed at least one person and has left 40 others injured there. Additional fires are also burning in Spain, in Italy, in Germany, in Greece, and Great Britain. Climate experts say Europe is the world's fastest- warming continent, raising the risk of these dry, hot conditions that fuel wildfires. We're getting word of a new air raid alert in Kyiv indicating a possible drone threat at this hour. This is happening after Russia pummeled Ukraine with a fresh barrage of strikes overnight. At least four people are reported dead, local officials say. The targets included the capital, where the attack caused this large fire at a market. At least three people were injured in the city proper, and more than 20 others injured across Ukraine.

And Russia is now saying that its capital region saw one of the largest drone attacks in recent memory, leaving this Wildberries warehouse on fire. You see the huge plume of smoke there. Officials say at least one person died, three others injured. Russia claims it shot down more than 800 Ukrainian drones overnight.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels are further complicating shipping disruptions in the region. Yemen's Mocha port, it's a strategic point on the Red Sea, and it has suspended operations now. This is because they were hit by dozens of missiles in recent attacks by the militant group.

The port's director said the attacks so far have killed seven people, and they've caused more than $15 million in losses. Yemen's internationally recognized government says the Houthi rebels launched six ballistic missiles at the port city just on Friday alone.

So, let's check in now with CNN's Larry Madowo, who joins us live. He's been following all of this. So, Larry, this port was hit with something like 25 missiles so far. There have to be concerns in the region about a return to large-scale conflict in Yemen.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is a fear that has been brought on by this war in Iran. 25 missiles in a few days in a small port is significant.

[03:15:02]

It caused a huge amount of damage, $16 million, and that's why it has to shut down. And this is a way the Houthi Armed Forces describes it. Their spokesperson said they targeted Saudi military concentrations and weapons, as well as military boats belonging to proxies and mercenaries of Saudi Arabia. So, that is the reason they're giving here.

But this port is one of the third port in Yemen. It's a key part of international navigation connecting the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. And so it's very important, especially as we've seen all of the trouble with the Strait of Hormuz right now. And so that opens up the fear that there could be a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen, further complicating issues in the Middle East.

While that is happening, Iran and Qatar in a war of words over the fate of three fighter pilots. So an Iranian military commander in charge of search and rescue says that the Qataris shot down some fighter jets that were targeting the U.S. base in Qatar early in the war, and they have been detaining these three pilots since then and have not allowed them any consular visitation, as is required by international law.

And Qatar shot back, said this is completely not true, it's misinformation, and that they had reached out to Iran about the fate of one of their pilots who was killed in action and offered to provide the remains, and they did not get any response from Iran. So, that is this back and forth.

It's interesting that Iran is making a disclaimer right now because two weeks ago, the Iranian military said they were still trying to determine the fate of these three fighter jet pilots. Now, they're saying that only one was killed in action. Three were detained by Qatar and have been detained essentially for the last few months without any word on their status, without any attempt to visit them from Iran. And now this back and forth between Qatar and Iran, and Qatar says this is very irresponsible, especially as they try to deescalate tensions in the region right now.

RIPLEY: All right. Larry, appreciate that update, watching all of this evolving. I appreciate the information, and we'll check back in with you.

Paintings went missing in a multi-million dollar heist in Italy that lasted just a few minutes. But now these stolen masterpieces have been found, and you won't believe the surprising location they were recovered.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:00]

RIPLEY: A man is facing hate crime charges in New York. Police say he injured a woman and disrupted Shabbat services on Friday. They also say the man, Larry Montes, has a history of mental health issues and a lengthy arrest record. CNN's Rafael Romo tells us this attack comes as the U.S. sees a rise in reports of anti-Semitic violence.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A law enforcement official has told CNN the suspect entered the synagogue during Shabbat services Friday night, and was sitting down for roughly ten minutes before he got up and was confronted by security. A clip from the synagogue's live stream obtained by CNN-affiliate WCBS shows how congregants scrambled as shouts of panic erupted, while a security guard is seen trying to restrain the suspect as he barreled down the aisle.

The law enforcement source also told CNN that when the suspect tried to make his way toward the rabbi, security tried to escort him out, and that's when he proceeded to attack a woman and the security guard while also yelling a racial slur at him.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified the suspect as 46-year-old Larry Montes from the Bronx. She also said the suspect has now been charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief, also as a hate crime, among other charges. Tisch also said that no one was seriously injured and that the NYPD increased security at the synagogue.

The synagogue's rabbi opened the service Saturday morning by saying the congregation is grateful to be safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our day of rest was interrupted last night by a security incident in our main sanctuary. But we are okay. We are safe. We are grateful to be here. We are grateful to our security team for supporting us. We feel so grateful for our community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We went through something really hard and scary last night, and I think this healing prayer can be focused on the whole community, on all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a post on X that this despicable act has no place in our city, and our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe.

The law enforcement official familiar with the investigation also told CNN that Montes, the suspect, tried to walk toward an area that is not open to the public, and when they confronted him, he proceeded to chop with his hands at two candles, each valued at $10,000.

According to CNN's source, Montes has several sealed arrests, some of which were robberies, as well as a history of mental health issues, and investigators do not have evidence that he was targeting anyone inside the synagogue. CNN reached out to the Federal Public Defender's Office in the Southern District of New York, but we were told the suspect had not yet been assigned an attorney.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

RIPLEY: Fans of the iconic Bonnie Tyler paid tribute ahead of the Welsh singer's funeral this week. Tyler's hearse passed through the streets of Swansea, Wales on Saturday, where a talent scout first spotted her in 1975, helping launch her recording career. The singer died in July at the age of 75.

Tyler was known for power ballads from the '80s, like Total Eclipse of the Heart, of course, and Holding Out for a Hero. Her funeral is planned for Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN STORTON, SWANSEA RESIDENT AND FAN: I think everybody wanted to pay respects to Bonnie. I mean, she's well-known, she's well-loved. We call her our Welsh Queen. And I had the pleasure of meeting her in a restaurant I was working in many years ago with her husband, Bobby.

And she was very down to earth, and we had many a laugh there few times I saw her and met her.

[03:25:04]

And she was just a lovely lady, and it was sad to hear what has happened. (END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: And turning now to Italy, where three stolen masterpieces by famous artists are now back in the hands of authorities. Officials announce these paintings, which had been missing since a heist in March, they've now been recovered, and you won't believe where they were found, as CNN's Stefano Pozzebon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In just three minutes, these thieves stole paintings worth $10 million, but now they've been recovered. Italian police released the new CCTV footage showing the masked men breaking through a window into the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Northern Italy on the night between the 22nd and the 23rd of March.

They got away with three masterpieces from French artists Cezanne, Matisse, and Renoir. Local media says that the paintings have been found in a cardboard box used for a T.V. set in the basement of one of the alleged thieves.

Magnani Rocca is one of Italy's largest private art collections, and is located in Parma. And the foundation celebrated the recovery, posting on Instagram that beauty has prevailed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Disney's D23 showcase in California was packed with big announcements about future film and television projects, and one of the most anticipated was the star-studded cast reveal for Marvel's upcoming X-Men film. Fans erupting there after learning talents like Sadie Sink, Adam Driver, Samara Weaving, and Christopher Abbott will now feature in the franchise. The film is set to be released in May of 2028.

And that's it for CNN Newsroom live from Hong Kong. Thanks very much for joining us. I'm Will Ripley.

Quest's World of Wonder is next, and there's more CNN Newsroom at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(QUEST'S WORLD OF WONDERS)

[04:00:00]