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Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36; Trump Reveals Rift with South Korea; Trump's Gaza Peace Plan Faces New Diplomatic Push; New South Wales Announces Gun Buyback Scheme For November; Philadelphia Nanny Released From ICE Detention; Search Efforts Continue One Week After 7.4 Magnitude Quake. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 17, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," Hollywood is mourning the loss of a young star as tributes pour in after the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, Donald Trump is exposing a growing rift with a key Asian ally, ordering the Pentagon to substantially scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, meeting with the leader of Hamas as the White House tries to get its Gaza peace plan back on track.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade."

KINKADE: We're following breaking news from the entertainment world this hour. Actress Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36. The actress is most well-known for her roles on television in the science fiction show "Heroes" and the country music drama "Nashville." While the circumstances surrounding her death remain unknown, Panettiere's father told CNN -- quote -- "she was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her and to the millions who watched her on screen."

For more, I'm joined by Sandro Monetti, the editor-in-chief of the Hollywood International Film Magazine. I appreciate you joining us at this hour. I want to obviously get your perspective on all of this. Hayden Panettiere grew up in the public eye from "Heroes" to "Nashville." At just age 36, this is such a shocking loss. What are you hearing from Hollywood tonight?

SANDRO MONETTI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL FILM MAGAZINE: This one hurts. So young, so talented, so sad. In the tributes, everyone is referring to the fact that she battled so many demons in her life, things she admitted in her recently published autobiography, which came out three months ago. We're talking about struggling to cope with the fame that made her so loved around the world, battles with alcoholism, battles with opioid addiction, battles with postpartum depression. She struggled so much in her short life. And now, that life is over.

KINKADE: And we have heard from her family and representative that they confirmed the death, but we still don't know publicly the cause of her death. What do we know at this point in time?

MONETTI: Yes. Well, we know that police were called to her home. There is some ongoing investigation, but no further details than that released. We first heard from her family. Her father, Skip, issuing a statement there. But, boy, how this family has suffered. It was just three years ago that Hayden's younger brother died from complications surrounding an enlarged heart. And now, his sister, Hayden, has gone as well. And so, yes, that statement must have been written between tears because this family has suffered more than most.

KINKADE: They really have so much tragedy. You spoke about, you know, Hayden suffering from addiction and depression and the memoir that she released a few months ago. Reading that memoir, what stood out to you?

MONETTI: She started her career so early. It was 20 years ago when she was 16 that I and most of the world first became aware of her when she played the indestructible cheerleader in "Heroes." But she actually started acting from the age of 11 months. That's when she did her first commercial. And then at five, she was a soap opera regular. Her mother, who later became her manager, was a soap opera actress herself.

And I think this is why, when she sorts of first burst upon the scene at 16, we were so taken by how good an actress she was at such a young age, because she was vastly experienced. She had already been acting for 15 years.

[02:05:01]

And then she went on to another role in another hit series, "Nashville," playing a troubled character. And she seemed, at this point, was on top of the world. But then we learned more about her. She was very open, you know, with her struggles, that sometimes, as so many stars are found, it's very tough at the top. It may look like the ideal life, but take it from someone who has chronicled the famous. A lot of these stars had a lot of problems to deal with.

She bravely battled them. She was open about so many. She wrote this book hoping that it would help others who were struggling. We're seeing it now, "This Is Me." It's a powerful and it's a point-to-read. And even more so, just three months after she published it, she's gone.

KINKADE: Yes. And, of course, when the headlines and speculation eventually fade, how do you think Hayden will be remembered?

MONETTI: So, this is the power of streaming, of course, that she has not just those two iconic shows, but a couple of screen fan -- screen films as well. Lots of other stuff she did. But she will be remembered, you know, as an incredible talent who made and created characters that left an indelible mark. It would be exciting to see what would happen next. But so sadly, there will be no more performances from this great talent, a talented star. A life ended way too soon.

KINKADE: Certainly. We really appreciate your time tonight. Thanks so much for joining us, Sandro Monetti.

MONETTI: All right.

KINKADE: The joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea are now underway just hours after President Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially scale them back. In a social media post announcing the change, the president cited his positive relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying the drills send a signal that is -- quote -- "inappropriate and hostile to North Korea." The president also cited Seoul's lack of assistance with Iran, saying he recently asked South Korea's president if they'd like to join the -- quote -- "denuclearization of Iran," and they said no.

CNN's Gage Goulding is following the developments and joins us now from Hong Kong. Gage, welcome to CNN. Good to have you with us. So, President Trump has ordered the Pentagon to substantially scale back its support of these exercises. You know, he doesn't want to send any sort of hostile signal to North Korea. How significant is this move for the U.S.-South Korean alliance?

GAGE GOULDING, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, first, I think there's a lot to unpack in this Truth Social post. There's the fact that the president is, you know, kind of opening up maybe some open arms to the North Korean leader to say, hey, maybe we should talk again.

There's also the fact that he says it's too late to cancel this operation, which is of a gigantic proportion. But then he says we're still going to scale it back, and then also kind of throw us in that little dig at the South Korean leaders saying, hey, you didn't help us with the war in Iran.

Now, what that could say there is it could be potentially saying, hey, you know, we help you here in the Korean Peninsula, but you're going to have to back us up here, but also maybe in other parts of the world as well. That very well could be what the president is trying to allude to.

But, at the same time, this is also kind of an awkward position, if you will, for the U.S. and South Koreans because you have North Korea that's actively engaged with Russia in the war against Ukraine there. They're helping Russia. And then, at the same time, you have, you know, the United States and South Korea kind of taking a step back.

But you also have to think that this photo here was posted yesterday by the president where he said, you know, look, we might not be looking happy here, essentially. But, you know, our relationship is great.

Now, mind you, during President Trump's first term in office, he had several different meetings with the North Korean leader. But, so far, in his second term, he has not. But it's something that he has tried to do in the past, Lynda. KINKADE: Yes, he certainly has plenty of love letters. He has spoken about exchanging with the North Korean leader. But Trump also criticized South Korea for refusing to join the U.S. effort to denuclearize Iran. How much is what we're seeing today actually about North Korea and how much is it about Trump's frustration with yet another ally that isn't supporting the U.S. in the Middle East?

GOULDING: You know, you brought it up. He did say that they had, you know, in the written exchanges with the North Korean leader, that he had, you know, fallen in love or they had fallen in love. But, you know, also, he said, you know, quote, calling him a little rocket man and threatening North Korea with fire and fury. So, there's a little bit of hot and cold.

[02:10:00]

I think that's a big question, too, because this operation is something that President Donald Trump knows about. In 2018 and 2019, during his first term in office, he did actually scale back that operation. COVID-19, years '20 and '21, also had that operation reduced. So, this isn't something that he just thought of.

So, you know, the line in his post that says, oh, it's too late to cancel it, I'm not sure exactly what that means, but it also could be maybe pulling back the curtains a little bit on something that's doing in the background or it could be reaching out in all a branch, if you will, to the North Korean government saying, hey, look, maybe we should talk again.

I don't know if it's necessarily about South Korea not getting into the war with Iran, but it also, like I said earlier, could be saying, hey, look, we're going to need your help off of this peninsula, too, but that's something that we're just going to have to see develop here.

KINKADE: Gage Goulding in Hong Kong, good to have you with us. Thank you.

President Trump's son-in-law is in the Middle East hoping to find a way to get the Gaza peace talks back on track. Sources tell CNN that Jared Kushner met with the new Hamas leader. In the coming hours, he will meet with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has rejected President Trump's 15-point peace plan for Gaza.

CNN's Oren Liebermann filed this report from Jerusalem.

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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: As the Trump administration tries to push forward the U.S. brokered ceasefire agreement in Gaza, U.S. envoy Jared Kushner is here to try to push forward that stalled agreement, holding meetings in Egypt and Israel to see if it's possible to make progress here.

But he's walking into an incredibly difficult diplomatic situation. On Sunday, Kushner held meetings with Hamas's new leader, Khalil al- Hayya, who is also the chief negotiator at the time of the previous ceasefire agreement back in October. He also met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. He is a key mediator between Israel and Hamas and was one of the key elements in getting that previous agreement. On Monday, he'll meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The real question here is, is it possible to make any progress here? Hamas has, from their perspective, made clear their position. They have agreed to disarmament, but they refused to begin that process until there's the deployment of an international security force to Gaza to take over security and Israel starts withdrawing from the more than half of Gaza that it occupies.

Until then, Hamas has made clear they're not moving forward on disarmament, except that international security force doesn't exist in any real way that's deployable to Gaza. Israel has made clear they have no intention of withdrawing at all from the territory they occupy in Gaza until Hamas fully disarms, something Israel is skeptical will actually happen.

And that is the situation Kushner walks into, in which he's trying to see if it's possible to move forward with the agreement. He also has with him Board of Peace Director General Nickolay Mladenov, who has met with the parties before. But these difficulties here have existed and continue to exist as Kushner and Mladenov will try to push forward these agreements.

Meanwhile, the mediating countries as well as several other Arab and Muslim states put out a joint statement on Sunday condemning Israel for its rejection of the Trump-brokered 15-point agreement that's supposed to move forward the ceasefire in Gaza. In a joint statement, 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 territory.

We'll see if that statement influences Kushner's thinking at all and the amount of pressure that he's willing to put on Israel to try to make progress here in what is and has been an incredibly difficult situation to try to manage and to try to make progress on.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

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KINKADE: The memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, which gave the two countries a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent end to the war, has just expired. Now, it seems neither side is in a hurry to get back to the negotiating table. Iran's foreign minister says Tehran has not decided whether to resume talks with Washington. Tehran's top negotiator has declared the U.S. and Israel have failed to achieve their war goals.

The White House has made it clear that its current strategy is to inflict maximum economic pain on Iran. The U.S. Treasury Secretary has said unprecedented economic measures against Iran could go into effect this week. Well, joining me now from Geneva is Ali Vaez, the deputy program director for the Middle East and North Africa International Crisis Group. Thanks so much for your time.

ALI VAEZ, DEPUTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Great to see you, Lynda.

KINKADE: So, Ali, the 60-day ceasefire framework, the memo of understanding, it's now expired. Iran's foreign minister says there's been no decision to resume talks with the U.S. Is diplomacy essentially dead right now?

VAEZ: Well, it is not dead, but it is in dire straits.

[02:14:56]

You know, Lynda, one of the problems with allowing something as basic as a memorandum of understanding, let's remember this was just a page and a half, which only did the essential, end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. It really didn't address any of the substantive disagreements between Iran and the U.S. over the nuclear issue or sanctions relief. If that doesn't stand for more than two weeks and the parties can't find a way back into it, then basically, yes, diplomacy is not going to deliver results, and this is a formula for a forever war.

KINKADE: You recently described this as a game of endurance, with each side believing the other will eventually blink. The U.S. is threatening more sanctions. What do you believe Washington can accomplish through additional economic pressure?

VAEZ: Well, the same thing that it has accomplished so far, the hardening of the Iranian position. Look, pressure is not a new strategy for the United States. It's particularly not a new strategy for President Trump. Since his first term in office, he imposed maximum pressure on Iran. And his advisers and talks in Washington have constantly told him that we are one turn of the screw away from Iran crying uncle and capitulating to U.S. terms.

That hasn't happened. It has brought two wars and it has closed the Strait of Hormuz. Continuation on the same trajectory is not going to produce a different result.

KINKADE: Ali, you said that Iran's strategy is to essentially hold its nerve, wait for Washington to feel the economic pain. The Trump administration says it can sustain the blockade indefinitely. Which side is actually under greater pressure right now?

VAEZ: Well, I think both sides are under pressure, and this is why it's a game of chicken. But the stakes are very different, Lynda. I mean, for the United States, this is a discretionary conflict. It is choosing to try to bring Iran to its knees. And it is, as a result of it, suffering higher energy prices and inflicting a high cost on the global economy.

But for the Iranian regime, this is the battle of the century, this is existential. This is why, at any cost, they are very unlikely to capitulate and to give in, because they believe that that would be the end of the regime. It would not result in alleviation of pressure.

KINKADE: You know, Iran's army chief has come out offering a $30,000 reward for anyone who kills or captures a U.S. service member, double if that service member is a woman. How seriously should Washington take this? Is it primarily psychological warfare? Does it represent a meaningful escalation in the threat to U.S. troops?

VAEZ: So, look, in the same way that the Trump administration thinks that the economic pain is what really hurts the Iranians, the Iranians understand that in this war, they have inflicted economic pain on the U.S.

But what American people really care about is to avoid American body bags coming back home. And, tragically, there have been already 18 American service members that have been killed in this conflict. But if that number were 180 or 1,800, obviously, it would have backlash politically on President Trump in a fundamentally different way. And that is what the Iranians are trying to signal to President Trump, that we, too, can inflict harm on you if you continue on this trajectory.

KINKADE: Of course, talking about political pain, the midterms are in November. What will this mean for the Trump administration if this war is still at a stalemate come November?

VAEZ: Well, I would argue it's already too late because even if this war ends today and the process of opening the strait starts tomorrow, it will take a few weeks for things to go back to normal, for vessels to get to their destination and refineries get the products that they need. That means that prices are probably going to remain high until November. And so, it's already too late. This is certainly going to hurt many Republican candidates in Congress.

I think the president himself has come to terms with the fact that this is probably a lost cause in terms of control of Congress, and so doesn't really care about it. The two things that he does care about, I think, are markets and munitions because we also have a very serious problem of depletion of interceptors and long-range missiles.

KINKADE: Yes, that is a huge concern. Of course, if neither side wants to make the first concession, what is the off-ramp here? Is there a realistic deal that gets Hormuz reopened without either Washington or Tehran appearing to capitulate?

[02:19:57]

VAEZ: So, Lynda, there is already a deal that Iran and Oman have negotiated on, how to administer traffic in the Strait of Hormuz once it's reopened. But reopening the strait would require Iran and the United States to come back into the memorandum of onderstanding or a revised version of it. And there are some efforts by the mediators, like Pakistan and Qatar right now, to try to make that happen.

But because both sides still believe that they can basically modify the other side's position by increasing the pressure, they're not yet at a point of giving the green lights to the mediators or showing the requisite flexibility that would make returning to the MOU possible. And absent of that, unfortunately, we would remain in this stalemate at least for another few weeks.

KINKADE: Ali Vaez, great to get your analysis as always. Thanks so much for your time.

VAEZ: My pleasure.

KINKADE: The commander of U.S. Central Command is pushing back after concerns about morale and mental health aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Admiral Brad Cooper visited the aircraft carry this weekend as part of a recent trip to the Middle East. The ship has been deployed for more than 250 days after being sent to the region to support U.S. operations in the Iran war.

Admiral Cooper says the USS Abraham Lincoln has among the lowest mental health cases out of the Navy's 11 active carriers. But he went on to say -- quote -- "this doesn't mean that all is perfect. Find any of the nearly 4 million Navy veterans in America today and they will likely tell you that service at sea for long periods isn't for everyone. It is uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stresses in different ways."

Russia is still assessing the damage following one of Ukraine's largest aerial attacks of the war so far. A mall in the Russian- controlled Donetsk region suffered extensive damage, which authorities have blamed on Ukraine. It's reportedly the third Russian mall to be hit this week. This video shows smoke rising from a burning medical supplies warehouse near Moscow. In total, the Kremlin says it shot down more than 800 Ukrainian drones overnight. At least 187 of those were said to have been intercepted over the Moscow region.

Russia has also continued firing on Ukraine. President Zelenskyy says Russia has launched more than 1,500 drones, 1,500 guided bombs, and 62 missiles over the past week. The Kremlin's latest attack Sunday hit a book market in Kyiv, among other sites.

A powerful earthquake hit Indonesia over the weekend. After the break, we'll have the details on the ongoing rescue efforts to find survivors. And prolonged drought and heatwave conditions have left some of Europe's mightiest rivers running dangerously low. Ahead, the cascade effect from the dwindling water supply.

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KINKADE: Rescue teams are still searching for survivors after a massive earthquake in Indonesia on Saturday. More than 50 people are dead after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia. Thousands of people have been evacuated. Rescue crews are struggling to reach remote areas as some roads are reportedly impassable. The initial quake hit near the island of Flores and was followed by more than 300 aftershocks, leaving people scrambling to get to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): My husband couldn't walk anymore. He was very frail and weak. He told me, you run. I'll stay here. It's OK. If God wills that we die, then I accept that. If we live, I accept

that, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Tropical storm Lala has started to leave Hawaii, but parts of the state are still seeing heavy rain and strong wind gusts. Officials say the most serious threat now is flash flooding and mudslides, especially in higher areas. Lala made its closest approach to Hawaii's Big Island Saturday as a Category 1 hurricane that left a lot of devastation behind. Hawaii's governor says at least 100 homes have been damaged or lost.

Video from the scene shows just how powerful these floodwaters can be. This vehicle was pushed down the road with two paramedics inside. They were rescued by the National Guard. Wind gusts toppled trees and knocked down utility lines. Right now, about 180,000 customers are without power. They've been warned that the outages could last a while.

Two people have been killed and at least five others injured as fast- moving wildfires tore across the Greek island of Salamina Sunday. It's just one of several fires burning across Europe exacerbated by the severe drought and successive heat waves in the region. On Salamina, near gale-force winds fueled the quick-moving flames, which spread rapidly into residential areas. Here, we can see thick smoke rising from a nearby beach. The fire broke out during Greece's peak summer getaway weekend. Several ferries were deployed to evacuate more than 500 beachgoers.

In that same drought and heat wave conditions fueling Europe's wildfire outbreak have taken an extreme toll on the region's water supply, including the continent's mightiest rivers.

CNN's Stefano Pozzebon reports on the cascade effect as dwindling water levels disrupt power production and supply chains across Europe.

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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Some of Europe's mightiest rivers are running dry. Great waterways reduced to a sliver of their size in the hot summer heat.

In Hungary, authorities sank barges and dropped cement blocks in the shrinking Danube to try raise water levels and redirect the current to keep water flowing to a nuclear power plant that produces about a third of the country's electricity. Hungary's prime minister says it is a race against time. PETER MAGYAR, PRIME MINISTER OF HUNGARY (through translator): The water level is dramatically low and no significant precipitation is expected in the catchment areas for the next few days or weeks, which could also mean that the problem could persist for months.

POZZEBON (voice-over): This power plant is already operating at a fraction of its capacity because of a lack of cooling water. And if the Danube drops even further, one of its two remaining turbines could be shut down.

Neighboring Romania took similar measures to try and raise water levels there, but it was forced to shut down its nuclear power plant just a few days ago. The country had already declared a state of emergency over power shortages with some cities going dark at night and residents asked to conserve energy use.

MIRCEA, ROMANIA RESIDENT (through translator): It seems we've reached this point due to poor decisions that were made, considering the climate crisis we've faced for decades.

POZZEBON (voice-over): The Rhine, too, is running dangerously low. It's a major artery for moving fuel and raw materials across the continent. Cargo vessels have been forced to lighten their loads to avoid grounding themselves and diverse shipments over land.

ANDREAS BARTEL, DUISBURG HARBOUR SPOKESPERSON (through translator): More smaller, more easily maneuverable, lighter ships are being used, but a great deal is being transferred onto the train and onto the lorry in order to enable the transport and keep the supply chains going.

POZZEBON (voice-over): And if navigating shallow water isn't challenging enough, the skeletons of sunken ships are surfacing in some places. Rome's Tiber River is so depleted that the remains of a 2,000-year-old structure called Nero's Bridge is visible once again. These relics of the past exposing just how urgent the crisis is.

[02:30:00]

Hungary says a longer-term plan is underway to build a dam-like structure underneath the Danube to help manage water flows, but that will take weeks. And if the river continues to drop, its nuclear power plant might be forced to shut down entirely like Romania's did, further straining the country's energy greed and the budget much longer than the summer season.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Still to come, residents of Australia's new south -- of New South Wales could soon get some extra cash for selling their firearms to the government. We'll have the latest on the scheme to cut down on the number of privately-owned guns.

Plus, in Philadelphia, a nanny detained by ICE has been released from detention. Still to come, she speaks to CNN about her time in custody and her pending immigration case. This story and more, next

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[02:35:25]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Australia's prime minister has announced a new gun buyback scheme to begin in New South Wales this November, following the deadly Bondi beach terrorist attack. The buyback will roll out in waves, offering residents cash in exchange for firearms. The first phase will offer up to $1,000 for some firearms with higher value weapons, will be able to bring in 10,000 Australian dollars early next year. It's the latest move in a crackdown on gun violence after the deadly mass shooting in Bondi Beach last December. Fifteen people were killed at a Jewish festival.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted the program's importance on Sunday.

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ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Australians are quite rightly proud of our gun laws, but the fact is there are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of dealing with the Port Arthur gun buyback that occurred under the Howard government. This is about strengthening Australia's gun laws and keeping our community safer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Joining me now is Steven Bendle, who leads the Australian gun safety alliance. Appreciate your time today. So, this has been described as Australia's biggest gun buyback since the Port Arthur massacre.

What exactly is changing for gun owners in New South Wales?

STEPHEN BENDLE, CONVENOR, AUSTRALIAN GUN SAFETY ALLIANCE: Hi, Linda. The New South Wales government has introduced a limit on the number of firearms that somebody can own. So, depending on the firearm license category, there are a limit of four firearms and people such as sporting shooters or primary producers can have a limit of 10 firearms. There are some other exemptions built into the legislation, but fundamentally, about 25 percent of the firearms in New South Wales are hope to be taken out of circulation.

And so, the governments have got together to fund this national buyback, which is 5050 covered by the federal government and the state government.

KINKADE: And, of course, Stephen, you support this buyback, arguing that Australia needs to recalibrate its gun laws. After the massacre we saw at Bondi Beach.

So up to 274,000 registered firearms could be taken out of circulation. Why is removing that many legally owned guns necessary for public safety

BENDLE: Well, I think that a matter of being sympathetic to the views of the community. So, since Port Arthur, we've had some very strong laws, as the prime minister just said in Australia, but there has been an explosion in the number of firearms in the country. There's changes in ownership patterns. Theres changes in the marketing and technology of firearms. And our laws just haven't kept up with that.

And the community expects the government to keep the country safe and the firearm use and possession is a privilege. Nobody has a right for a firearm in Australia. And if you have a firearm, it's conditional upon public safety.

And so, the governments have realized after the tragedy of Bondi, that there was an unlimited number of firearms in the country. So, someone with a firearm license in New South Wales could legally have 300 or 400 firearms, and the community just doesn't think that's in the best interest of public safety. And so, there are now limits on the number of firearms someone can own.

KINKADE: The Bondi attacker had access to firearms that had been legally obtained. So, what specifically failed in the existing licensing and monitoring systems? And which of those failures does this buyback actually fix?

BENDLE: Well, that investigation and reporting is still underway. Clearly, there was some breakdowns in intelligence sharing between in our federation, but also one of the perpetrators did have six firearms, which was quite legal to have in suburban Sydney.

And the Australian population, once they realized that there was an unlimited capacity for people to have stockpiles of firearms in suburban streets, there was an outcry of, you know, really, coming back to basics about, well, why do you need firearms?

[02:40:06]

What are the genuine reasons to have firearms? And, is there any real reason to have more than five or 10?

KINKADE: And just finally, there has been criticism over the cost of the program, even though, you know, the government hasn't disclosed a total price tag. But with potentially hundreds of thousands of firearms being brought back and destroyed, why does each firearm actually need to be destroyed? Can some actually be repurposed or, you know, potentially used lawfully elsewhere, transferred to another government or military?

BENDLE: Yeah. And I think that's still to be sorted. There'll be some situations where firearms will be sold to gun dealers, and recirculated, I'm not entirely sure whether the buyback is contingent upon, destroying that firearm. I think some of those details are still being worked out.

KINKADE: All right. Stephen Bendle, we really appreciate your time today. Thanks so much for joining us. BENDLE: Lovely to talk to you.

KINKADE: Hundreds of migrants in Ceuta, Spain, are demanding the chance to apply for asylum.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

KINKADE: Spanish officials believe up to 8,000 migrants remain in the North African territory, two weeks after tens of thousands of people crossed from the border from Morocco in a deadly rush. Spain's interior minister says anyone who entered illegally will be sent back unless they face danger doing so. As they wait, most migrants are sleeping on the beach or on the outskirts of the tiny city. And they're asking for better conditions

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYOUB ELARROU, MOROCCAN MIGRANT: We are truly suffering. We are sleeping next to the sea with cold, with bad smell. We are suffering a lot. The police don't let us go downtown. They always kick us out, telling us to get the hell out of there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: And a nanny living in Philadelphia who was detained by ICE has finally been released. She was on her way to a world cup match when she was arrested and spent weeks detained at facilities in four different states. She told CNN's Rafael Romo she's been through a nightmare, despite doing nothing wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a month in ICE custody, Iliana Noeli Lick is back home in Philadelphia, where she has been working as a nanny for two families for the last couple of years, in which she lives with her American boyfriend. Lick told me she's going through a roller coaster of emotions and that trying to go back to normal has been weird because she's thinking all the time about the other people in detention she met while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

As we first reported last week, Lick was detained by ICE at the Philadelphia International Airport on July 11th after she was dropped off by her boyfriend to take a flight to Kansas City, Missouri, where she planned to attend a World Cup game between Argentina, her native country and Switzerland. Lick told CNN she was held at a county jail in Pennsylvania and three different detention centers in Louisiana, Texas and then New Mexico before being granted bond on August 10th. After a full month in custody.

She calls her ordeal both traumatic and shocking, not only because she was not expecting to be detained in the first place, but also because, she says she and other detainees were at one point held with the general prison population.

ILIANA NOELI LICK, DETAINED BY ICE: Suddenly, they put us with them, with the people have a little, like a lot of mental issues and it was a nightmare the first two days. It was really, really bad. Like we were not able to sleep. They were like screaming the whole day.

ROMO: You've probably seen what ICE is saying about you. They say that you were in the country with an overstayed visa. To that, what do you say?

LICK: I didn't commit any crime. I was trying to do everything right. Like everything they asked me. I did. And all this legal process and I told -- I -- several times, I'm not illegal. I never stayed in this country illegally. And they put in my notice appear that I overstayed without permission, basically, like which is not true.

ROMO: While her asylum case was pending, she was granted an authorization to work. In a statement sent to CNN before Lick's release, the Department of Homeland Security described the nanny as an illegal alien from Argentina who was detained during a targeted arrest operation at Philadelphia International Airport on July 11th.

In a new statement sent to CNN after her release, DHS says that on August 10th, Lick was granted bond by an immigration judge and was released with a GPS tracking device.

[02:45:03]

She will receive due process. To be clear, they say work authorization or a pending application do not confer legal status in the United States.

Lick also told me that when she was held at the Cambria County Prison in Pennsylvania, she and other ICE detainees had to wear a black and white striped jail uniform while wearing full restraints that included ankle cuffs and shackles. She told me all this in Spanish because she's more fluent in her native language, adding that she felt she was being treated as a common criminal and insisting that she shouldn't have been detained in the first place because she has always complied with immigration law.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Colombia is working to get aid to regions devastated by last week's earthquake. Still ahead, a look at the Latin music stars in Miami raising money for the relief efforts.

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[02:50:25]

KINKADE: Welcome back.

It's been a week since the devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Colombia, which is estimated to have killed at least 290 people and injured thousands more. But authorities are not giving up hope of finding more survivors, with at least 140 people still missing. Search operations continued Sunday in some of the hardest hit areas, including Colombia's third largest city of Cali.

As rubble is cleared, communities are discovering just how much was lost.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): What we've encountered is a lot of pain. People who lost everything their homes, their belongings and people who died. For us, the hardest part is finding people beneath the rubble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Latin music stars united in Miami to raise awareness and donations for relief efforts after the recent earthquakes in both Colombia and Venezuela.

CNN's Carolina Peguero reports

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CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): United For Our Own is the name of the concert that brought together more than a dozen artists in hopes to raise donations for those impacted by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela and Colombia. The proceeds from ticket sales online and phone bank donations will go to help rebuild communities. Homes provide food and medicine to the displaced, as well as mental health support to adults and children.

The event that was originally organized to aid Venezuela after the two earthquakes struck on June 24th, killing more than 6,000 people, was later designated to help Colombia when on August 10th, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake shook the nation, leaving more than 250 dead.

International Latin artists like Marc Anthony, Chayanne, Luis Fonsi and others donated their talent and efforts for the cause made possible by the collaboration of several nonprofit organizations like Global Empowerment Mission, World Central kitchen, Maestro Cares Foundation and Univision Foundation. Fans came from all over to support and share their thoughts and prayers for those impacted by the natural disasters.

MARTIN LINDENFIELD, IN SUPPORT OF CAUSE: I believe in brotherhood among the nations, especially Latin nations who that's where we're here for.

IRVIN AVILES, IN SUPPORT OF CAUSE: This is the best time to embrace each other and to show our brothers and sisters in Colombia and Venezuela that that we are united, right. And that we care for each other, and I know they're going through a difficult time, but they're going to go -- they're going to go through. And with our help and the help of God, I'm pretty sure that everything is going to be better for them.

GIANNA SULTON, IN SUPPORT OF CAUSE: History can change in either a good or a bad way. So I'm here to just support and donate and help as much as I can.

PEGUERO: The initiative comes in a crucial time of need, where families who have lost it all their loved ones and their homes in Venezuela and Colombia slowly rebuild their lives and face the long road ahead of them.

Carolina Peguero, CNN, Miami

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Two women separately adopted from India as infants grew up as friends in the Netherlands, never knowing they were inextricably connected. That is, until four decades later, when they took a DNA test that would change their lives forever.

CNN's Isa Soares has their incredible story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The two women who grew up in the Netherlands. It really is a small world. After being adopted from orphanages in India as infants, Meena and Minal were raised by different families in the Netherlands. But 40 years later, a DNA test revealed they're sisters.

MINAL TIJSSEN, OLDER SISTER: I've always been surrounded by many people who love me and who took care of me, but something inside of me, I've always felt very lonely and yeah, I always hoped to find some biological family somewhere. And I always said yes. I would love to see if there's my biological mother. But even more, brothers or sisters. So -- and now this happens. So inside it was like, now I don't feel alone anymore.

SOARES (voice-over): Growing up just 100 miles from each other, they actually met in 1996 at a gathering for adopted children, still unaware they were siblings. They became fast friends and even jokingly called each other "sis" in correspondence. But they lost touch with each other for about 15 years.

[02:55:00]

But recently, not expecting to know any potential relatives. They both took separate DNA tests and the results were the shock of a lifetime.

TIJSSEN: I was home alone and then I got the pop up on my phone and it said, your results from DNA, my heritage are ready. So, I opened it and then there was written, Meena, sister. And I didn't realize it was Meena that I know.

SOARES (voice-over): Now, they've been reunited, but this time officially as family.

TIJSSEN: It feels like home. Yeah, yeah. It's like we don't live together. We have very different lives. But when it's like when I see you, it's like I'm home. MEENA GILTINK, YOUNGER SISTER: I feel finally complete. And that's

the puzzle piece in my heart. And yeah, I know that it's -- it's a lot, but it feels really good.

SOARES (voice-over): Isa Soares, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: So remarkable.

Well, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

CNN NEWSROOM continues. My colleague Polo Sandoval in New York after a quick commercial break. Stay with us.

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