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780-plus Dead, 3,000 Missing After Floods Along China-Nepal Border; NASA Launches Discovery Machine To Uncover Universe Mysteries; Border Czar Defends Quick Deportation Of Milo Yiannopolous. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 30, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

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

The frantic search and rescue efforts on the Nepali-Chinese border are now in their fourth day following those catastrophic floods that washed away entire villages and sank towns under debris and mud.

Today, the death toll has risen to more than 780 people, some 3,000 are still missing including almost a thousand workers at various hydropower projects in Nepal.

Emergency workers are now pumping air and dropping food into one tunnel that have yet to establish communication with anyone inside.

Today, displaced survivors are facing new concerns after a landslide on Saturday formed another barrier lake that officials fear could lead to more to more flooding. Help continues to arrive in the flood zone. A shipment from China has landed in Kathmandu.

And the U.S. is sending more than $3.5 million of aid.

CNN's Will Ripley joins us now from Nepal with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So we continue to hear stories from people who just barely survived this massive flood, perhaps by just seconds. And one of the couples that I spoke with today is an Italian couple who actually were at that border checkpoint that saw some of the most severe damage, they saw tour groups, other tour buses, full of people essentially just wiped away.

And we are now learning that bodies have been turning up sometimes hundreds of miles from the initial spot where they were initially washed away, just to show you the strength and the violence of the water.

Authorities also believe there are many bodies yet to be discovered that are buried beneath multiple layers of quicksand all along the flood route. So it is a very grim situation with so many people, 3,000 people missing.

But there are some here who believe that the number of missing could actually be far higher than that, because a lot of cases have been so far unreported.

But I want you to hear about this couple's story. Stefano and Valentina, they talked to me earlier about how they managed to survive

VALENTINA PICCININI, ITALIAN FLOOD SURVIVOR: Everybody turned right, only me turned left. So that's the point. I don t know why, but in my mind I can -- I don t know, I cannot explain, I cannot see anything, anybody around me, I cannot hear my name because they are only -- everybody is saying my name, but I was not able to hear them.

So I just followed him and he showed me the only way I could follow to survive the only way. Because if I am going straight on for sure, I would not be here.

RIPLEY: Did you know it was water that was coming when you saw the big black --

STEFANO LUTUMOLO, ITALIAN FLOOD SURVIVOR: No, we couldn t know. Like, I had just seen the immigration point. It was the beginning and we just saw something crashing into buses 30 meters in front of us. It was very big. Like it was crazy -- the sound, it was unbelievable.

PICCININI: I felt that everybody of them, they were alive. I don t know why, but my heart can tell me, okay, don t worry. They are all alive. So first start, think about you. Start to run. Think to survive.

And then somebody somehow, Universe, God, Shiva, whoever will find a way to bring you back to them or bring them to you.

RIPLEY: And you said the healing power of the Nepali people has kept you here and helped you to heal from this experience.

LUTUMOLO: We were together. They were not different between Italians, Nepali -- we were just human beings, survivor. And we just try the night time celebrating life and they lost everything. They lost everything -- people, houses they have nothing. They had nothing left.

RIPLEY: And Fred, they know they are the lucky ones when there are just so many people and so many families who are wondering what happened to their loved ones who were also lost in this flood and have yet to be seen or heard from.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Will Ripley, thank you so much, in Kathmandu.

All right, let's get more now on what is happening in Nepal in other directions.

With us now is David Fisher. He is head of the Nepal delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross. He is in Kathmandu. David, glad to be with us.

I mean, give us an idea of what is happening on the ground there as it pertains to offering assistance and being able to meet the needs of so many right now.

DAVID FISHER, HEAD OF THE NEPAL DELEGATION, INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS: Well, we've been able to reach some of the people who have been affected in Nuwakot and in Dhading districts and many of them are desperate. Still, they ve escaped with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Many are children who have lost their parents, many are older people who have lost their families.

They also are happy to be alive, but they need everything. And so the Nepal Red Cross has worked with authorities to find temporary shelter for them and religious buildings and community buildings, very temporary setting for them.

And the really good news is that a road has been opened now between, Nuwakot and Rasuwa, which is the area that was hardest hit by the flood and has been completely cut off from road traffic and has only been accessed by helicopter until now.

So our team from the red cross spent 12 bumpy hours to get through there today and we will start doing assessments and try to bring in some additional aid.

The Armed Forces have been doing rescue, bringing in some aid, but there is so much more that's needed.

WHITFIELD: Yes, so starting with that temporary shelter that you described, in some cases, you're able to create something like that in some of these buildings. Paint a picture. What does it look like?

Are there cots or is it a matter of people sleeping on the floor? You know, what kind of meals are they able to get?

[15:05:10]

I mean, bring us there.

FISHER: Yes, so we provided this sort of very thin mats, a little bit like yoga mats and with blankets and hygiene kits and we are able to provide hot food and a couple of items here and there, but it is not much to be honest. There are hundreds of people like that even in Bidur and what is going to be important is that we start to register these people and provide them not just these items, but, you know, cash, so that they can go and buy what they need and travel if they need to and make their own solutions.

But what is most pressing also are all the people who haven't received much of anything yet in the areas that were inaccessible and that is why we are so happy now that there is at least a road, even if it is very difficult to pass.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. David, earlier the director of a water aid agency told CNN that there is an urgent need for clean water in the area. Are you hearing that as well? And what can be done? What are the options?

FISHER: It is absolutely true. So, in the first instance, we just have to bring in bottled water, but soon that has to be replaced by something that's more manageable, large bladders of water and as soon as things -- we can very rapidly fix the water sites here so that people can have access to clean water. But if they don t, if they start using, you know, flood waters, there is a very, very high risk of disease.

All right, I mean, so many, you know, potential dangers still existing while the search is ongoing for potential survivors or even in the recovery efforts.

David Fisher in Kathmandu, thank you so much.

All the best in your continued endeavors.

And you can help the flood victims by scanning the Q.R. code at the bottom of the screen here, or text the word "flood" to 707070 to donate.

All right, coming up, she says she followed every rule and still ended up in ICE detention after being arrested at the airport.

The immigrant, who says she was treated like a criminal, is now speaking out about what happened.

Plus, a new eye on the universe, and it could change what we know about space. The brand new telescope now heading a million miles from Earth. Bill Nye was at the launch, and he joins us next. There he is!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:12:31]

WHITFIELD: All right, this morning, NASA launched a massive telescope that scientists are calling a discovery machine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Five, four, three, two, one! Ignition and liftoff. Go Falcon Heavy and go Roman Space Telescope!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And liftoff of NASA's Roman Space Telescope on a mission to --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Officially, it is called the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and it could answer questions about some of the universe's biggest mysteries.

Joining us right now from Cocoa Beach is Bill Nye, The Science Guy who watched the launch on site this morning. Very exciting. And you're also there via special invite from NASA as Chief Ambassador of the Planetary Society.

Bill, great to see you.

BILL NYE, THE SCIENCE GUY, CHIEF AMBASSADOR OF THE PLANETARY SOCIETY: Great. Great to see you.

WHITFIELD: Well, what most excites you about this launch and the possibilities?

NYE: Well, first of all, everybody, understand we've been trying to get this thing launched since 2010, and it has been canceled five times, reinstated five times and now, it is going. And so Nancy Grace Roman, the woman herself was the first astronomer, chief astronomer at NASA. She was the first executive at NASA and she was very influential in the design of space telescopes like this one.

So when you get up above the Earth's atmosphere, way, way out in space, you can get a much clearer view of the cosmos and the couple of things that these scientists, researchers are trying to determine is what is the source of gravity that we detect among galaxies in the universe? That is to us, invisible and it goes by the charming phrase "dark matter" and along with that is dark energy.

We can't readily detect it, but we can see its effects. So you ve got to figure if it is going on in the deep cosmos, its going on here and we don t quite understand it. That's the first thing.

The second thing is this telescope is so -- it captures so much light so quickly that altogether you get about a thousand times the observing power of the Hubble Space Telescope, which in itself is very successful.

And so we hope to find more evidence of black holes, very massive black holes and then exoplanets. These are planets that would be orbiting other stars. And even these unusual things that go by the term "rogue planets" that seem to be adrift or following space time gravitational pathways between stars. It is really extraordinary.

[15:15:13]

WHITFIELD: Wow. It really is! I mean, that it captures more light as you describe this telescope than others. That is one big distinction. What are some of the other distinctions about this?

NYE: Yes. Bigger mirror, modern electronics, modern systems that are able to capture things more quickly.

WHITFIELD: So among the discoveries that it could potentially make, what is it that you're hoping for? What, answers are you hoping to be revealed here?

NYE: Well, I mean, I want to find evidence of life on another world and so people throw around the phrase "biosignature," where you detect evidence of life on another world. That would be extraordinary. But it might give everybody a nudge that is to say, change the course of history.

And everybody remember that although this is $4 billion or so spent over decades and this is an application of our intellect and treasure. And do you ask, what are you going to -- what am I most excited about? What discovery am I most excited about? The answer is, we don t know. That's why we are doing this sort of exploration.

But it is based on very careful thought from the planetary science community, the astrophysical community who produced this thing called the decadal survey every 10 years, the decade and the Planetary Society, thanks for the shout out, we have been advocating for this mission for 16 years, and so it is really -- I am very excited to see it finally fly.

And this is another example where space exploration brings people together. So there was a press conference. This is routine after a successful after launch as a press conference, and then the President calls in, okay, we are excited about this. That's great. So, that's good.

But keep in mind, keep in mind they did try to cut the NASA budget by 20 percent. They tried to cut the Planetary Science budget by just about half, several times or more than twice, about twice-and-a-half and so thumbs up --

WHITFIELD: So this is bringing you some hope now?

NYE: But it was --

WHITFIELD: Right.

NYE: Well, but it is a lot of back and forth between the legislative branch and the executive branch.

WHITFIELD: Of course.

NYE: So this is something, you know, nobody else can do this right now and so we should all be proud that NASA has pulled this off and it is a long way out to where this telescope is going to be stationed at what is called the Lagrange Point #2, this is where everything is in balance. You're going around the sun, going around the earth-moon system, and it is following this halo orbit to keep it from going unstable and not staying where you intend it. It is very precise --

WHITFIELD: And so then, when -- yes so then what should we anticipate in terms of when does ordinary folks --

NYE: In December

WHITFIELD: In December? That's very soon!

NYE: Yeah. So in round numbers it s a hundred days to get out there and first light end of December, early January.

First light is in astronomy telescope term.

WHITFIELD: Yes, okay. All right, all right, I like that.

And I am very glad to hear that derivation of the name, because that was one of my questions like the Nancy Grace, but I love that it is honoring the first female NASA astronomer and that is wonderful.

NYE: Yes, you know, it was an unusual thing in the 1960s, a woman astronomer.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

NYE: Got an executive position in government, that was unusual, and she changed the world.

WHITFIELD: All right, go, girl power! I love it.

Bill Nye, always great to see you. Thank you so much.

NYE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We will have you back to talk about those December pictures that we are going to see.

All right, coming up, a frightening scene in the mediterranean after a boat packed with passengers capsizes off Cyprus, a desperate rescue effort today, with crews racing to find hundreds of people. We will have an update on those who remain missing and the rising death toll.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:39]

WHITFIELD: All right, back now with our breaking news on the search and rescue efforts underway following those devastating floods on the Nepalese-Chinese border. U.S. officials say there are at least 85 Americans still unaccounted for. Several of those missing Americans were taking part in a group hiking trip in Nepal. They were right near the Nepali-Chinese border when the flash flood hit.

Among those missing Americans is Kesava Rao Tadipatri. The Arizona man sent his family a group photo of himself and his fellow hikers just a short time before the flood waters hit. In the last hour, I spoke with his daughter about her family's desperate search for details on his fate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMYA TADIPATRI, DAUGHTER OF KESAVA RAO TADIPATRI: What we know so far. We know that my dad was on a recreational hike with this group and seeing various Holy Sites. So, he spent some time doing that in Nepal. And then was traveling through the Gyirong Port. He was on his way into Tibet, and he was marked as departed from that port on at 8:30 local time.

And the last member of his group was marked as departed, 8:35 local time. That picture that you showed was -- we had received at 8:36 and the tremors -- the first tremors, we understand happened at 8:37, then at 8:42, was, we received a message from my dad and he said, I will have some issues near the Trishuli River, which was that river that was flooded and my mom asked what issues and then it was a communication blackout that was the last we heard.

And then two minutes later was that video that showed the flood hitting that port, that very same port.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And for more information about how you can help Nepal flood victims, go to cnn.com/impact.

All right, and now we have an update to the breaking news that we've been following on the capsizing of a ferry in the Mediterranean Sea. Officials say at least eight people are now confirmed dead, 18 remain missing.

Officials say the boat was carrying nearly 270 people and was headed from Northern Cyprus to Turkey when it began taking on water. A search and rescue effort is underway off the coast of Cyprus now, and so far, 241 people have been rescued alive.

One survivor told CNN that passengers alerted the crew about water seeping into the ferry, but their concerns were not initially taken seriously. He also said people had a hard time accessing emergency exits and finding life jackets. Officials say the incident is under investigation and the vessel's captain and seven crew members have been detained.

New today voters in Iceland have rejected a nationwide referendum to resume talks to join the European Union. The debate centered on national identity, the economy and protecting the country's fishing rights. Those in favor said E.U. membership could offer more security, especially against President Trump's threats to take over nearby Greenland.

Iceland first applied to join the E.U. back in 2009, in the wake of a major financial crisis. Now political uncertainty, including U.S. tariffs and fighting in the Middle East, have renewed the debate.

All right, coming up, she thought she was simply coming home from a business trip until ICE officers stopped her at the airport. What happened next changed her life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INDIRA VELTIA, DETAINED BY ICE: I have done everything that the government has asked me to do. And anyway, I was detained like a criminal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:25] WHITFIELD: The quick deportation of right-wing firebrand, Milo Yiannopoulos is raising questions about whether he received preferential treatment. The British citizen who supported President Trump's immigration policies was detained at the airport in New Orleans by ICE on Thursday and deported to the United Kingdom on Friday for overstaying his visa.

He was processed far more quickly than many people facing deportation. White House border czar, Tom Homan was asked about that today on CNN's "State of the Union."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Was he given preferential treatment to leave instead of remaining in an ICE detention facility longer?

THOMAS HOMAN, U.S. BORDER CZAR: No. We've been working steadily in the last few months on getting people out quicker, that way, save the taxpayers money and detention space. The quicker when a judge orders them out, rather than being in detention waiting for travel documents and flight arrangements. ICE, along with CBP through the Department of Homeland Security is working really good on the efficiencies of the removal process.

Get them out quick. Open those beds up for more detainees to be held.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Homan said political affiliations are not a factor in deportation, and that the goal is to remove anyone who is ordered deported as quickly as possible.

The Trump administration is scaling up its immigration enforcement operations at the nation's airports, and it is now targeting a growing number of people who thought they were allowed to remain in the United States while their asylum applications are pending.

Shimon Prokupecz has the harrowing story of one woman who was arrested at the airport.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all know this is unfair.

VELTIA: It is unfair and you know that.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We were with Indi Veltia the day she went to have an electronic monitor placed on her ankle. It was days after she was released from ICE detention.

PROKUPECZ (on camera): I saw how upset you were when you came out.

VELTIA: You see a monitor and you think you're looking at the person that is a criminal. And I am not a criminal. PROKUPECZ (voice over): Veltia is seeking asylum in the United States. She and her wife left Venezuela seven years ago, and in that time, she says she has done everything the U.S. government has asked of her. Then one day, coming home from a business trip.

VELTIA: The airline called me to the counter and say they needed to balance the weight on the aircraft, and they were moving me to the front rows. Again, at this point, it was normal.

[15:35:10]

And then when I was boarding and I was getting into the jet ramp -- the bridge, these, I will say four or six guys came out of nowhere and like in plain clothes and pushed me to a wall and at this point I saw that I was being assaulted.

I asked, am I being detained? For what? And he only said yes and never said why I was being detained. So, they handcuffed me.

PROKUPECZ (voice over): The 47-year-old and her wife live with their dogs in Indianapolis, where she has worked her way up from a warehouse assistant to her corporate role, where she is known for making valuable efficiencies, ultimately saving her company thousands of dollars her coworkers tell CNN.

That she says as part of her asylum application, which was filed in 2019, Immigration officials previously told her, "You may remain in the U.S. until your asylum application is decided." She is still waiting to be called for an interview.

After her arrest at Atlanta's airport, it would be hours before anyone heard from her.

VELTIA: I was begging to call -- to call my wife to let her know what was happening. I was on a business trip, to call my boss. They finally allowed me to have that call. They said I had five minutes, so I called my wife first. Quick one. The toughest call I had to make my entire life.

I called my boss and then I called my best friend to let her know what was happening and to ask for help.

PROKUPECZ (voice over): She was taken to a detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia, where she stayed for 21 days. The experience changed her.

VELTIA: When we got there, there was the most inhumane treatment. They led us in a room that I will say it was around 50 degrees. I was in t- shirt. They finally moved me to a cell at 11:00 A.M. the next day, so it was 14 hours in that hostile environment at 50 degrees.

And they finally, at around 3:00 A.M., someone came to the door and I begged, if they can give me a jacket, which they finally did. They give you underwear, three uniforms, of course, that many people have used before. And a sheet that also you can see through. The only way to drink water is through the faucet on the sink. And -- but they don t give you cups. So you have to find your way to drink water.

And also, they don t give you any utensils when they bring food.

PROKUPECZ (on camera): Did they ever ask you if you wanted to waive and just leave?

VELTIA: They say, we pay you $2,600.00 if you leave. Do you want voluntary departure?

PROKUPECZ: What did you do? How did you get through it?

VELTIA: What kept me sane? The love of my community. I talked to my girls daily and they were -- I am sorry -- they were reading the letters that all of my coworkers had for me and that is what kept me sane because I thought that I was going to lose my mind.

I never thought that I could experience something like this. In a country where you believe that the people do the things by the book, I am a rule follower. I always have been.

I have done everything that the government has asked me to do. And anyway, I was detained like a criminal. I am broken. That's how I feel.

PROKUPECZ (voice over): After nearly a month and dozens of letters, friends and coworkers sent to the judge, Veltia was released on a $15,000.00 bond, money her friends scraped together.

VELTIA: Those centers are there to break you down and you decide to go. Even if your life is in danger, if you go to your country that you would rather be out of those centers. Those centers are built to break you down.

I don t think i want to be ever again in none of those centers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on?

[15:40:10]

PROKUPECZ (voice over): What happened to Veltia is playing out all across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you? Help! Help!

PROKUPECZ (voice over): Increasingly, people with papers they thought allowed them to be in the United States are being targeted.

JORGE GAVILLANES, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY, PARTNER KUCK BAXTER: Ive been practicing immigration for more than ten years. Ive never seen this level of enforcement. Weve been describing the immigration system as broken for decades. Now, it is just complete chaos.

PROKUPECZ (voice over): The Department of Homeland Security tells CNN, this administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport.

To be clear, they say, a pending application does not confer legal status in the United States.

GAVILLANES: In fact, the government has given them a work permit to work, get a driver's license, and do whatever they need to do to take care of themselves while their application is pending.

But now, the same government is telling them, oh no, you're not allowed to be here, which is contradictory.

PROKUPECZ (on camera): These ramped up operations across U.S. airports by ICE officers even got an American citizen caught up.

JOHN PHILLIPS, DETAINED BY ICE: I was just living my life kind of living in my little white guy world. Three guys jump out at me. I said, I am an American citizen. I am like, I am totally shocked now that this has happened. I am just like, holy smokes! There is a lot of bad stuff happening.

We have an agency of our government who is completely unfettered and unaccountable to anybody.

PROKUPECZ (voice over): Phillips was released after ICE realized he was the wrong person.

For Veltia, she is still grappling with what happened to her and adjusting to her new normal.

VELTIA: I won't let them give them the credit to keep me broken. I will rebuild myself and I will for sure grow up stronger.

PROKUPECZ (on camera): And Indi told me that she was scared to come forward, scared that by coming forward and telling her story and telling people what she went through, that somehow there would be some kind of retribution.

But she felt it was important for people to know what she has been through.

Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:46:59]

WHITFIELD: Every summer, a temporary city rises in the shadow of Montana's big horn mountains, with some 1,500 teepees drawing Native Americans and visitors from around the world.

It is Crow Fair known as the teepee capital of the world, and there is a special invitation to experience it for yourself on your next big trip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good that you came. This is the time where the Crow Fair celebration is happening.

RIPLEY (voice over): For over 100 years, a temporary city pops up every summer in the shadow of the Big Horn Mountains. This is Crow Fair, known as the "Teepee Capital of the World," with 1,500 canvases raised on the Crow reservation outside of Billings, Montana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bingo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been using teepees as far back as probably like 1600s, 1700s. You feel alive, you know, you feel like you're like a real Indian.

RIPLEY (voice over): Today, this is one of the largest gatherings of Native Americans in North America. Indigenous communities and tourists come from around the world to experience it. The day starts with a parade in Crow Regalia.

VANESSA AFRAID OF BEAR, MISS CROW NATION: One of the biggest topics in Indian country today is the loss of culture. With Crow Fair being as big as it is, it kind of aids us in the way that we're able to keep our teachings and our traditions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now here they come.

RIPLEY (voice over): One of those traditions is the adrenaline filled Indian relay. It's a race where riders jump off a bareback horse onto another.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now this is an outstanding team.

AFRAID OF BEAR: One common misconception is people believe that they need to be invited. But really, the invitation is open ended. I just think that the best way to support us is just being here. This is my invitation. This is me inviting you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, we are going to be there.

All right, so we have all heard about potential bigfoot sightings, but have you heard of the elusive creature? What it might sound like? Dedicated bigfoot seekers gathered for sasquatch calling contest in Maine this weekend to answer that question.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh! Well, this was the second bigfoot calling contest and members of the Maine Bigfoot Foundation were among the judges. And guess what? A four-year-old right there walked away with the $100.00 prize in the children's competition. All right, experts are often warning that A.I. could wipe out huge numbers of jobs in the future, but not for this California barber who is leaning in and helping to teach artificial intelligence how to cut hair.

The Bay Area barber wears five cameras mounted on his head, chest and wrists. The footage he collects is used to mimic his movements and map angles of his hands to teach robots how to move and work.

[15:50:09]

He says he is personally not worried about A.I. because the technology cannot replace close, personal connections.

All right, coming up, for more than 130 years, these temple doors have been closed to nonmembers. CNN gets a rare look inside one of the most sacred places in the Latter Day Saints faith ahead of public tours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Unless you were in good standing with the church, you were not allowed to walk into the temple. I am not in good standing with any church, so why am I allowed now? Well, because they are opening this temple up for the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:29]

WHITFIELD: Typically closed to outsiders, the epicenter of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is opening its doors to everyone.

Following a major renovation, the Church will allow public tours of its Salt Lake Temple, including nonmembers, and in a CNN exclusive, Nick Watt was invited inside the temple to give us a rare glimpse inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (voice over): For roughly 17 million devotees worldwide, this is the holiest of holies where sacred covenants are made with God.

WATT (on camera): For the past 133 years, unless you were in good standing with the church, you were not allowed to walk into the temple. I'm not in good standing with any church.

So why am I allowed now? Well, because they are opening this temple up for the world to see. This used to be an historic temple.

WATT (on camera): Why are you letting us in?

CAMILLE JOHNSON, GENERAL PRESIDENT, RELIEF SOCIETY: We want the world to see the joy and happiness that comes in a greater understanding of the blessings that our Heavenly Father has in store for us. WATT (voice over): Why now? Well, as you can see, the temple is being renovated. We've been allowed to take a peek.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a sort of modern day Michelangelo situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do. Yes.

WATT (voice over): There are a few rules for the construction workers on this massive multi-year project.

ANDY KIRBY, DIRECTOR OF HISTORIC TEMPLE RENOVATIONS: In the contract with the general contractor, it says no, vulgar language, no loud music. It's part of the level of decorum we expect, right?

WATT: So these are the dressing rooms where church members change into their all white attire before going into the temple. Now all of this construction is new, made to look old. Look, if you take a look at that chandelier, that is modeled on a chandelier from a catalogue from the time that the old temple was built.

WATT (voice over): Construction on the Salt Lake Temple began in 1853.

Oh, how construction technology has changed.

KIRBY: We are under the temple, so the stone walls of the temple are right above us here.

WATT (voice over): Nearly 200 million pounds of temple now resting on 98 earthquake proofing base isolators.

WATT (on camera): How much movement does this give you?

KIRBY: Five-feet in any direction.

WATT: And so the idea here for you is to make sure that this temple survives long after we're all gone.

KIRBY: That's right. Yes, well into the future. After the Lord comes, we want this temple to be in service.

WATT (voice over): They call themselves Latter Day Saints because they believe that second coming is not too far away.

WATT (on camera): Is this sort of, like, God's mission for you is to strengthen this? I mean, or am I barking up the wrong tree there?

KIRBY: Not at all. I believe, I've been prepared by God to be on this project.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Salt Lake Temple you see outside is called the House of the Lord.

WATT (voice-over): When the remodel is finished, there will be a window when you too can visit. See inside where the faithful are wed or sealed. JOHNSON: A husband and a wife, a man and a woman kneel across an altar with their hounds interlocked, and they're sealed not just for time, but for time and eternity.

WATT (voice over): And you'll be able to see the baptistery.

KIRBY: This is a railing for the baptistery. Bronze with a --

WATT: Around the font. Okay.

KIRBY: I think it's bronze with a brass finish, probably.

WATT (on camera): We from the outside, we definitely do feel that there's something secretive and maybe stuff going on that we just don't know about.

KIRBY: I like to say.

JOHNSON: Yes. It's sacred.

KIRBY: Sacred not secret.

WATT: Sacred not secret.

KIRBY: Yes.

JOHNSON: Yes.

WATT (voice over): Short of converting on temple grounds, there is this brand new visitor center with a scale model of the temple. And there are replica temple rooms that will remain open for all to see. This is the replica baptistry.

KIRBY: And so here, people are wearing all white. They're wearing a sort of white jumpsuit. They come in, and they're fully submerged. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to help you feel comfortable about what we're doing.

WATT: This is the first full time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First full time temple open house and a visitor center. Yes.

WATT: Is there a gift shop?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Nick Watt. Thank you so much.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

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

We continue tracking the latest breaking developments on the desperate search and rescue efforts underway on the Nepalese-Chinese border, following those catastrophic floods.

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