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Italian Tourists Narrowly Survive Nepal Flash Flood; At Least 85 Americans Among Those Unaccounted For In Floods; U.S. Strikes Iranian Island In Strait Of Hormuz; Jurors Resume Deliberations In Lindsay Clancy Case On Monday; Silent Mental Health Crisis Inside The U.S. Navy; Military Mental Health; Norfolk State Marching Band; Apocalypse Hideaway. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired August 30, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: We continue tracking the latest breaking developments on the desperate search and rescue efforts underway on the Nepali-Chinese border, following those catastrophic floods.

Today, the death toll has risen to more than 780 people. Some 3,000 remain missing, including almost 1,000 workers at various hydropower projects in Nepal. Emergency workers are now pumping air and dropping food into one tunnel, but have yet to establish communication with anyone inside.

And today, displaced survivors are facing new concerns after a landslide on Saturday formed another barrier lake that officials fear could lead to more flooding.

CNN's Will Ripley is in Nepal and joins us with the latest on the search and rescue efforts.

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're 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's 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 following Hernan and he showed me the only way I could follow to survive. The only way. Because if I'm 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 have 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, OK, don't worry. They are all alive. So first, start to think about you, start to run. Think on 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 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. Also the night time celebrating life. And they lost everything. They lost everything. People, houses. They have nothing. They had nothing left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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.

WHITFIELD: Will Ripley, thank you so much.

Among the missing at least 85 Americans. The U.S. State Department says nine Americans have been safely evacuated.

CNN's Rafael Romo is following this for us and with me now.

What are you learning?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are so many families who are desperate for any news, really, from their loved ones who are still missing there in the disaster area. And, Fred, over the last 24 hours, we've been able to get in touch with some of the families of a group of men traveling together for a hiking trip of a lifetime, for both spiritual and recreational reasons.

There were nine Americans and one Canadian in the missing group of friends, traveling as part of a tour as catastrophic flash flooding hit the area where they were around the Nepal-China border on Wednesday. One of those missing man is Kesava Rao Tadipatri, a 73- year-old American father who lives in Arizona. Tadipatri is the one located in the upper left corner of this picture, holding a phone.

And, Fred, you know this because you spoke with his daughter in the last couple of hours. And earlier today, she told you that her father sent his family the group photo of himself and his fellow hikers just a short time before the flood waters hit the border crossing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMYA TADIPATRI, DAUGHTER OF MISSING MAN IN NEPAL: That picture that you showed was the -- we had received at 8:36.

[16:05:02]

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Tadipatri described her father as a spiritual guru and guide for the Hindu community and shared with CNN that the 73-year-old had run his second marathon earlier this year.

CNN also got in touch with the wife of another member of the same group of men hiking together near the Nepal-China border when tragedy struck. Sneha Sudhir says her husband, Srinivas Sudhir Rangu, was enjoying a long anticipated hiking trip through Mount Kailash with nine other family friends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SNEHA SUDHIR, WIFE OF MAN MISSING IN NEPAL: He was on a hiking trip from Nepal. And then he was with nine other friends, family friends. It was supposed to be a simple two weeks' Nepal hiking trip where he would go, have some good time with his boys, and be back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Sudhir also told us the hikers, including her husband, had been preparing for months for this trip, and the men, whom she described as great human beings, were all in good physical shape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUDHIR: So these boys were supposed to be going on a hike. And then that was starting from Nepal. And eventually would be the Mount Kailash trek and be back home. That was their plan. And they had a wonderful guide. They had prepared for this particular hike for close to about three months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Meanwhile, help continues to arrive in the flood zone. A shipment from China just landed in Kathmandu, and the United States is sending more than $3.5 million of additional aid. But just your heart breaks for these families.

WHITFIELD: It does.

ROMO: Especially just considering that they haven't received any news since Wednesday.

WHITFIELD: Nothing. Yes. All right. Well, we and everybody continue to hope and pray for them.

ROMO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Rafael Romo, thank you so much.

All right. And this is how you can help. Scan the QR code at the bottom of your screen or text the word flood to 707070 to donate.

All right. Coming up, hundreds of workers trapped inside a hydropower plant in Nepal. We're on the ground with the efforts to rescue those still potentially alive. Plus, jurors are set to resume deliberations tomorrow in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the woman who killed her three children. What a criminal defense attorney specializing in murder trials believes is happening behind those closed doors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:12:44]

WHITFIELD: All right, more breaking news. The U.S. military has launched new strikes on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, the first strikes in over a month now.

Let's go to the White House. Julia Benbrook is there.

Julia, what are you learning?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are learning that earlier today, U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Lauric Island. A U.S. official tells us that this took place after Islamic Revolutionary Guard forces were observed preparing rockets with sea mines to launch at the Strait of Hormuz. That critical waterway, of course, has been a key area of focus during this now more than six- month long conflict.

Now, this official went on to say that U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway. And Trump has previously said that there would be no hesitation when it comes to the U.S. military shooting down boats, laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, it was just last week that Trump and his administration made it clear that they wanted to ramp up economic pressure on Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had referred to it as economic D-Day, and they did announce plans to put pressure on Iran and countries doing business with Iran.

We're somewhat vague in the rollout of those plans, but they've made it clear that that's how they want to act going forward is by putting this economic -- this financial pressure on Iran. And all of this is taking place as poll after poll has shown that the majority of Americans do not approve of the way that Trump has handled this conflict so far -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, we'll check back with you. Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, we're taking you inside the 50-year-old legacy of Norfolk State's Spartan Legion, one of the most iconic HBCU bands in the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:19:08]

WHITFIELD: Deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy triple murder trial are set to resume tomorrow morning. The former Massachusetts nurse, who tried to take her own life after she killed her three children, pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder. Clancy was prescribed about a dozen different medications in 2022 and 2023 to treat her mental illnesses and disorders. Her defense team argues she is not criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

I want to bring in now criminal defense attorney Elyse Hershon for more legal perspective.

Elise, great to see you. So jurors began deliberations on Thursday, deliberating three hours that day, all day Friday, and then now resuming on Monday. So what do you think they've been assessing all weekend long?

ELYSE HERSHON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good afternoon, and thank you for having me back on your show. So essentially we know that they're looking at the physical evidence because on Friday they asked to see two pieces of evidence, a knife and a bottle or some bottles of pills that they made a big thing about during the trial.

[16:20:11]

So that shows that they're taking it seriously. Thursday likely, there's over 200, 300 exhibits they probably were organizing for a lot of that time. And then Friday they hunkered down and started going through it. This really all comes down to state of mind, but they do have to go back and see what physical evidence supports and whether the prosecution has proved that.

WHITFIELD: Right. Now this was not a sequestered jury either. So they're able to go home, you know, of course, you know, instructions from the court. Not likely, you know, allowed to read or even communicate with anybody about this case. But, you know, does this kind of time individually for two days allow them to better assess things? Do they, you know, come back together on Monday and kind of share thoughts and, you know, as they resume deliberations?

HERSHON: It's a great question. Essentially this time over the weekend, you know, they're instructed not to go on social media, not to discuss the case, but they can't shut their brain off and their thoughts off. So sometimes over the weekend, they can either affirm the position they were taking or going towards the -- on the Friday before, or maybe they start to see another point of view and they're into more of a compromising mindset when they come back Monday.

We've seen like in several murder trial murder trials, in the Brian Walshe case, they come back on a Monday morning with a verdict. So it is possible they come back tomorrow refreshed and ready to make a decision.

WHITFIELD: As you reflect on this case, were there any particular testimonies that you think were, you know, particularly resonating that you think were persuasive either side?

HERSHON: This is -- how much time do I have? Yes. So the first witness is the husband. And I think this, as the trial went on, we realized that Patrick Clancy's testimony had a lot of inconsistencies in it. But strategically, I think the prosecution put him on first because as they called the rest of the witnesses, then they couldn't go back and say, well, how come your testimony doesn't line up with this?

He was kind of one in and one out, and he went back out of state to New York. So he really stood out. And as the expert testimonies came at the end, three rebuttal witnesses from the prosecution, three on the defense side, I think it was really telling. They all recognized that Lindsay Clancy had mental illness that she was suffering, but to what degree. The three prosecution experts say, no, she is criminally responsible. She knew what she was doing. She could have stopped herself. She did plan this and made decisions along the way.

And the defense witnesses saying, and, you know, one of them having worked with Jeffrey Dahmer, very, very well-reputed, world renowned, and they said, no, she's not criminally responsible. So it's up to the jury who they credit. I thought the defense witnesses were very credible. But remember, the prosecution is required to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt. If you're weighing two sides, that's the definition of reasonable doubt.

WHITFIELD: OK. All jurors have to, you know, be in agreement with the outcome. But if it's a hung jury, where would this case, in your view, go?

HERSHON: I think all sides would be frustrated with a hung jury. And if there was a mistrial declared, it's so much work, so much emotion that went into this case. So essentially the prosecution can decide to try this case over and over again until they get to a verdict. We saw it with Karen Read.

They tried that case again and actually lost public support for that prosecution as it went along. And I imagine if they decided to retry this case, I think the global support for this would be even more eye opening and, and they should really decide not to re-prosecute.

She is either going to end up in a psychiatric hospital for the foreseeable future or state prison if they decide on a verdict here. Very unlikely they acquit her all across the board. So it's really just a question of where is she going to go after this.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Elyse Hershon, appreciate you. Thank you so much.

HERSHON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, the silent mental health crisis inside the U.S. Navy and the culture that keeps so many sailors from getting help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JORDAN HOUGH, FORMER NAVY ENLISTED SAILOR: I think there are so many more people struggling than we realize because they're afraid to speak up for whatever reason it may be. Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's fear of repercussions. You know, whatever it may be. And that's sad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:29:10]

WHITFIELD: The USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to stop in Thailand this week as part of its voyage home to San Diego. A Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson said the crew will be able to, quote, "go ashore and relax," end quote. Earlier this month, the carrier came under scrutiny after reports of mental health challenges on board while in the Middle East.

But as CNN's Pamela Brown reports, the toll of extended deployments is not unique to the Lincoln or its mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOUGH: I don't want to be looked down on. I don't want a bad reputation. I don't want to let down the team.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Jordan Hough, a former Navy enlisted sailor, felt his mental health began to spiral in 2024 while deployed on an aircraft carrier, speaking up and asking for help wasn't easy.

HOUGH: Oh, yes, there's a stigma for sure. And it's sad because I don't really think that it should be.

BROWN (voice-over): Hough says he sought counseling even before deployment under the crashing demands of getting his nuclear qualifications and caring for his dying mom.

[16:30:09]

HOUGH: When I was transferring for my last bit of training to my ship in San Diego is when my mother passed away. And it made everything more difficult, as you can imagine.

BROWN (on camera): You had to leave her when she was in the hospital, right?

HOUGH: I had to leave my mother on her deathbed in the hospital to go report for my new duty station, which is awful.

BROWN (voice-over): He says he boarded the USS Abraham Lincoln in May of 2024 with the knowledge he needed for the job as a nuclear engineer, but not the mental preparation for what life would actually be like.

HOUGH: I was surrounded by metal walls everywhere, tight corridors, and the amount of people on that boat. Gosh, it was crowded. Not to mention the long waits for the chow line. It's something that maybe I've -- I knew or have heard of before but had no idea what to really expect, until I was there.

BROWN: Two months later, he reached out for help.

HOUGH: I was prescribed some medication on the ship. I was very happy to be receiving some help. I don't recall if the medication was working for me or not. However, while out at sea that the ship ran out of supply, they didn't have enough medication to give to me. I just switched my medications mid deployment.

BROWN: And despite that, he says there were plenty of mental health resources on board with counselors, chaplains, and even a therapy dog. But underlying it all was a bigger problem with the culture around mental health.

HOUGH: When I started seeking help, it disqualified me from my nuclear work aboard the ship, so I couldn't really participate in group work. And I was definitely looked down on by my peers for that. A feeling or vibe like, oh, this guy doesn't want to work. He's just going to pretend to be sad to get out of it.

And so, I think I looked -- I was looked at as lazy for that. When, in fact, I was really just trying to get some sort of help.

BROWN (on camera): And you were suicidal?

HOUGH: Unfortunately, yes. At that time, I was -- I was suicidal.

BROWN (voice-over): Jordan's experience is part of a much larger national problem in the military. A 2021 study, published by the National Center for Biotechnology information, found that 23 percent of active duty service members were depressed. That's compared to an estimated 13.1 percent of the general population being diagnosed with depression.

TERI CASERTA: I believe that if they actually got him to mental health when he was begging for it, he'd be alive today.

BROWN: Teri and Patrick Caserta lost their son, Brandon, to suicide in 2018 while he was serving in the U.S. Navy, after they say he was bullied in his chain of command. They then pushed for several years to get the Brandon Act passed to allow service members to directly and confidentially seek help.

PATRICK CASERTA: When we were getting the Brandon Act passed, we went to psychologists nationwide and, in particular V.A. ones, and we talked to them. And they told us the hardest part of their job is getting somebody to the door. They said, if you get them to the door, we have a 99.9 percent success rate of helping them get back on track.

BROWN: CNN recently reported a man went overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln earlier this month in mental distress, amid an extended deployment, renewing scrutiny on service members' well-being. In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, says the Abraham Lincoln has among the lowest number of mental health cases, compared to the Navy's 11 aircraft carriers in service.

And the Navy says suicidal ideations onboard the Lincoln have gone down since the beginning.

BROWN (on camera): The military talks about the data, about suicidal ideations. Do you think people feel comfortable raising their hand to say they have it? Like, you struggled to do that? You eventually did. But it's, like, does the data really capture the reality?

HOUGH: I don't think so. I think there are so many more people struggling than we realize, because they're afraid to speak up for whatever reason it may be. Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's fear of repercussion. You know, whatever it may be. And that's sad.

BROWN (voice-over): Some of the roughly 5,000 crew members on board the USS Abraham Lincoln gave mixed reactions to CNN in July about the psychological toll from the long deployment.

BROWN (on camera): What are some of the challenges, day to day, that you have to face?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of like "Groundhog Day."

BROWN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, reliving the same day over and over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard. You know, it's hard on your mental state being out to sea for eight months without being on dry land.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what I love to do. I love being on the deckplates.

BROWN: You do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I miss my family. But being out here has been great.

CAPT. CASEY MAHON, COMMANDING OFFICER, USS DESTROYER FRANK E. PETERSEN JR.: This is the closest weapon system (?).

BROWN (voice-over): During our July visit, commanding officer, Capt. Casey Mahon, of the Destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr., says he's well aware of the struggles of many months at sea in combat can bring.

BROWN (on camera): Every day is a big day.

MAHON: Yes.

BROWN: Potentially.

MAHON: Yes.

BROWN: How do you keep that heightened state?

MAHON: So, five and a half months on the -- on the picket line, on the firing line, is a long time. And I think it's really important to respect that challenge of that. Like (?), and be open and honest about it, right? Like it's -- it is wearing on the -- on the crew is wearing on the ship.

With that being said, I think there's two real traits that the sailors on board this ship have -- this Destroyer have.

[16:35:03]

MAHON: That sailors (INAUDIBLE) have and I think, really, sailors in general have and, if you really (?) think about it, the U.S. military, resilience and adaptability.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand by to recover aircraft.

BROWN (voice-over): Hough says military service, like the Navy, can be great for some and not for others like him. He eventually was airlifted off the carrier in October 2024 and medically discharged from the military that year. In the end, he says, asking for help is exactly what he needed to save his life.

HOUGH: I don't want to seem like a complainer. You know, I was there. I did my job. It wasn't what I wanted, so I tried to leave and get some help. And that worked out for me.

BROWN: Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we reached out to the U.S. Navy to get its response to Jordan's experience with his medication running out and his medication being switched on him. A Navy official told CNN, quote, "The Navy coordinates pre-deployment medication dispensing, alongside standardized carrier pharmaceutical inventories and regular underway replenishments. If operational extensions create temporary supply limitations, credentialed medical officers actively manage safe, therapeutic transitions or coordinate medical transfers to prioritize the sailor's health and safety. The Navy remains committed to expanding mental health access." End quote.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is always open. That number is 988 and is available 24-7. We'll be right back.

[16:36:39]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, it's the return of college football this weekend. And that also means the return of college marching bands. One of the most iconic HBCU marching bands in the country is the Norfolk State University's Spartan Legion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAWN MURRAY, AMERICAN ACTOR AND T.V. HOST: There's no better band than the Spartan Legion.

DAWNN LEWIS, AMERICAN ACTRESS AND SINGER: We do this in a special way.

TIMBALAND, AMERICAN RECORD PRODUCER: Everybody couldn't wait for the half-time show for the Norfolk State band to play.

SHERYL LEE RALPH, AMERICAN ACTRESS AND SINGER: It is diva.

JAY PHAROAH, AMERICAN ACTOR AND COMEDIAN: You all got a good band and you all cherish (?).

KIRK FRANKLIN, AMERICAN GOSPEL MUSICIAN: If you're not accepting of it, that in itself is your death sentence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK, that was from "Rise of the Legion," a documentary about the Spartan Legion. The film chronicles the program's 50-year legacy of high stepping, cape flying and thunderous horns, powered by more than 250 dedicated student musicians, dancers and staff. I mean, they are a force.

And joining me right now, the folks behind this incredible documentary, the executive producer of "Rise of the Legion," April Woodard. Adrian Woodard is also executive producer and co-director. And Adrian Woodard II is the film's co-director.

It's a family affair. So great to see you all.

APRIL WOODARD, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, RISE OF THE LEGION: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Congratulations.

APRIL WOODARD: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. April, you first. Where did this come from?

APRIL WOODARD: Well, you know, I read an article in a magazine about the rise of the legion, and the legion being the first band to play the song from Cameo, "Talkin' Out The Side Of Your Neck."

And, you know, there was a lot of debate going on. But as I read through the article, I recalled being a child and all of the things that were being said in the article being true.

And I had a little bit more to the story too. Because, at the time, my dad was president, and I lived on the college campus. And I knew everything that was going on with the band, because I wanted to be in the band. So, --

WHITFIELD: This was in the blood.

APRIL WOODARD: This was in the blood.

And so, I told my husband about it. And he's, like, well, this has to be bigger than just Norfolk States band, because, really, the HBCU band has impacted culture worldwide.

WHITFIELD: Yes, absolutely.

APRIL WOODARD: And so, as a result of that, he then took the reins, and they did their magic.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's an incredible -- and it's really hard to just -- you know, you really are talking about and putting the microscope on so many HBCU's marching bands, because they're all known for -- hey, I'm Howard grad, you know, --

APRIL WOODARD: Hey.

WHITFIELD: -- so I'm partial, you know, with the Bison marching band. But, I mean, this one really is like none other.

And Adrian, you all were able to get some, you know, very high-profile folks, including Sheryl Lee Ralph. We saw Kirk Franklin to also talk about and toot the horn of what the Spartan Legion is all about.

ADRIAN WOODARD II: Yes, exactly right.

WHITFIELD: How did you do that?

ADRIAN WOODARD II: There's a lot of cameos, a lot of appearances. Sheryl Lee Ralph, Timbaland, Kirk Franklin, Jay Pharoah and all those people are paying homage to the Spartan Legion, and HBCUs.

Specifically, this one is in Virginia, Norfolk. A shout out to the 757.

ADRIAN WOODARD: And I just think -- when you start thinking about the fact that people who we view as iconic also think of this school and the band as also being iconic, it does put a different perspective on it. Because we're from there, --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ADRIAN WOODARD: -- so it's a big deal to us. But the fact that it's a big deal to them also. And super producer, you know, Timbaland looks at this band. Pharoah also looks at this band. And they make their music based upon their interaction and their impression on the band. Just it's a wonderful feeling.

APRIL WOODARD: And fun fact. Pharoah's --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

APRIL WOODARD: -- band director, when he was in high school and I think middle school, was in the Spartan Legion and was in the band. So, he was, you know, instructing Pharoah as a young man.

WHITFIELD: So, the influence is so great. It's really not just about your college experience, but it permeates beyond that. So, tell me more about your conversation, you know, mom and dad, hubby and wife, about how this came to fruition.

[16:45:03]

WHITFIELD: I mean, you had your own kind of, you know, kitchen table conversations --

ADRIAN WOODARD: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- about, wait a minute, you know, this is really something. How do we put this magic into this documentary?

ADRIAN WOODARD: So, for us, it was personal. It's a legacy film.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ADRIAN WOODARD: Obviously, because April's dad was president. But we met on Norfolk State's campus as teenagers. And so, I wanted -- and during our courting time and talking on the phone, I'd always hear the band in the background. It's part of our soundtrack to our -- to, you know, -- to our relationship. So, we knew this was something that we wanted to do that was special to us.

But when we begin to unfold the layers to what Norfolk State has done, who they are, and the way they have created this thing for -- not only for the region of Norfolk State, but also -- and (?) Norfolk State is located in Virginia. But also because the impact. Any stadium you go into, PWI, you're going to hear that song. And it all started at Norfolk State.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

ADRIAN WOODARD: And so, we wanted to make sure that we highlighted that. And then, of course, the greater impact of HBCUs in the culture, and what it has on the overall pop culture and mainstream. WHITFIELD: So, Adrian II, while this is in the family. You've heard

the stories, you know, and the influences all your life. It was something else to kind of peel back the layers.

What do you think you learned while helping to put this together that was really enlightening, that, perhaps, you didn't realize or even know, even by hearing the family stories and it being in your backyard?

ADRIAN WOODARD II: Yes, exactly. I think just the importance of music and how powerful it is. It is really something that can bring together multiple cultures, multiple generations. I use plenty of songs in the film from the 1930s all the way to today.

So, those people are able to rejoice in the pride and the integrity that the band has. So, it's really amazing.

WHITFIELD: And it's not just about the music. I mean, just looking through the, you know, portions of your documentary. The dancing, I mean, the marching.

ADRIAN WOODARD II: Exactly right.

WHITFIELD: I mean, the baton twirling. I mean the real athleticism that comes with also being rhythmic.

ADRIAN WOODARD II: Oh, yes.

WHITFIELD: It's incredible.

ADRIAN WOODARD: And, look, it's a wonderful experience for us, as a family, to be able to do this. On one hand -- and, you know, anybody who's working with your family, it's wonderful and horrible at the same time.

WHITFIELD: There can be moments, right.

ADRIAN WOODARD: Yes. Yes. Yes.

WHITFIELD: Oh, wait. And congratulations on the Emmy.

ADRIAN WOODARD II: Thank you.

ADRIAN WOODARD: Thank you so much.

ADRIAN WOODARD II: Thank you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: That's incredible. So, how did this bring the family together even, you know, tighter?

APRIL WOODARD: I think it just brought us together because we have a different appreciation for each other. I mean, he's the cinematographer. He's the editor. He's the colorist. He -- you know, he pulled the music out.

So, I appreciate that. My husband is a visionary. He's got the branding background, the money background with J.P. Morgan. And then, I have a journalism background, so I sit down and do all of the interviews with the individuals.

And, over the years, I've maintained some pretty good relationships. And so, I'm able to get in touch with Sheryl Lee Ralph because of Scott Hamilton, my friend who was my intern back at, you know, when he was younger and I was starting in the business. So, it's --

WHITFIELD: It all comes full circle.

ADRIAN WOODARD: It does.

APRIL WOODARD: It really does.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's beautiful. Well, congratulations. You all are an amazing family.

APRIL WOODARD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Talented, driven by your heart and all of this as well. And what a great inspiration.

APRIL WOODARD: Thank you. And, behold, the green and gold.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's so wonderful. All right, well, we will all be watching. April, Adrian and Adrian II, thank you so much for being here. Congratulations. And what a fabulous endeavor.

ADRIAN WOODARD: Thank you.

APRIL WOODARD: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. All right, coming up, a saltwater pool, a vertical garden, even a jail. Step inside a luxury doomsday bunker, as we take you inside the world of doomsday preppers.

[16:48:37]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Tonight, on "THE WHOLE STORY,", the rise of doomsday prepping. The number of Americans who identify themselves as preppers has doubled in less than a decade to an estimated 20 million. They include all kinds of people, regardless of gender, race, education level or geography.

But how different does doomsday prepping look for the ultra-rich? CNN's Nick Payton Walsh visited a missile silo turned luxury doomsday bunker for the super wealthy in this week's episode of "THE WHOLE STORY."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (on camera): What was the cost to buy the abandoned silo itself?

LARRY HALL, SURVIVAL CONDO OWNER AND DEVELOPER: $300,000.

WALSH: But that's a bargain, right?

HALL: Oh, yes, for -- yes.

WALSH (voice-over): There is no denying the engineering feat the owner and creator, Larry Hall, has achieved here over years of detailed planning.

HALL: OK, this blue box you see is a volcanic ash scrubber. We have enough diesel fuel to run these for two and a half years. It just takes care of itself. The computers that control everything.

This is what we call the pet park. People get the feeling that, you know, they're outdoors.

I have a lot of people, ultra-high net worth individuals, that come in here. And a lot of them, when they first contact me, want to build their own private bunker. And I say, well, that's good, but why don't you come and look at what I've built?

And then, we found out that they value having other adults to bounce ideas off of, as opposed to having just their family locked in a smaller facility that they were exclusive to.

So, now you're in the bunker. Now you've got other adults saying, what do you think? Like, what's going on? How long are you --

WALSH: Even billionaires need other people.

HALL: Yes, they did. And they really appreciate that.

WALSH: So long as it's other billionaires.

HALL: Well, --

WALSH: We only have a couple of people I would put in the billionaire category.

[16:55:00]

WALSH: Other people are just successful, self-made professionals and --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Payton Walsh joining me right now. Nick, great to see you.

OK. Wow, is all I've got to say. So, this former, you know, missile silo turned luxury doomsday bunker. I mean, that was quite the feat of engineering. Does he feel like he's going to have to use it?

WALSH (live): I mean, it is stunning to see that there is a part of the population, with between $1 to $5 million of spare cash, willing to get a floor in something like that. There's an elevator basically connecting about 20 floors there.

And you can get your own special space there, where you can even imagine whatever outside view you'd like on the windows. The pet park you saw there. There's even a small jail, in the event that one billionaire gets a bit too drunk in the bar they have there and picks a fight with another billionaire.

It's an extraordinary microcosm of a world there with air scrubbers, all sorts of stuff. Hydroponic gardens for lettuce. That shows you how much money you can genuinely spend, if you really do believe the world is going to end in your lifetime.

Now, I should point out, for so many Americans, the political crisis, the climate crisis, the sense of omni crisis you see on your phone the whole time, leaves that notion of this becoming much more of a mainstream fear than it was, for example, 20 or 30 years ago. Where most preppers were like, kind of, you know, white men in the woods with guns.

So, something's really changing in the climate around all of this. But the silo we saw was kind of the extreme end of expenditure there. And I kept wondering in the back of my mind, you know, this all feels so phenomenally, carefully, excellently prepared.

And it's stunning to stand in it. But surely at the end of times, there's going to be the unexpected, the unknown unknown that makes all that sort of slightly crumble, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Right. And then, I just got to wonder, just to get, you know, the most bang for their buck, so to speak, is there any -- is it being made useful in any way, in the meantime, waiting for doomsday?

WALSH: Yes. I mean, look, it's ultimately empty. And you're still seeing, kind of, Amazon packages turning up for the last time people were hanging out there.

But I think in the journey we went into, Fred, which we'll see later on, on CNN as part of "THE WHOLE STORY," it was a (?) month's long dig into this growing movement across the United States. And, you know, that's the millionaire end.

But there's still the urban survival element that we saw how to survive in the city, where many fear this is going to potentially happen.

And then, the low budget, really tough, gritty stuff that we did on a Mexican beach. Where a survival expert taught me things that, you know, you and I think we probably know. Which is how do you light a fire? How do you catch a fish? How do you build a shelter? That are actually incredibly hard and exhausting.

And to me, that was the most eye-opening part of our experience, where you're ultimately having to count the calories and the clock as you hunt for food. Knowing that the longer you do that, the less energy you have and the worst at it you're going to get. We'd got bitten live from head to toe by insects. I only ate what I could find. And, you know, if you live on coconuts, you eat more than four or five in a day, you'd definitely deteriorate, in terms of your digestive system.

WHITFIELD: And you're still not hungry. I mean, you're still not full.

WALSH: Right.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no. Did we just lose our signal? Oh, darn. OK, well, an added incentive why you must watch this evening. Nick Payton Walsh, I thank you so much.

I mean, obviously, you've got to be very industrious. Those are some of the lessons that you -- we are going to be learning by way of him to be a survivalist. Just in case you don't have a few million dollars to plunk down on a bunker.

All right. "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER" this evening, The End of the World As We Know It, it airs tonight at 8:00 Eastern and Pacific, right here on CNN. And tomorrow on the CNN app.

All right. The 2010s produced some of sports' biggest stars. Simone Biles, Lebron James, just to name a few. They led the way, though, while social media changed engagement forever by letting fans get closer than ever before to their favorite athletes.

Here's a preview of our CNN Original Series, "DECADES IN SPORTS."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Social protest was a characteristic of sports in 2010s, and it was part of social media creeping into the sports world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Social media made everything that was good about sports better and everything that was bad about sports worse. For fans, they could find out so much. But it was also a megaphone for every bad fan who used social media as a way to criticize the most elite athletes for their supposed shortcomings and failings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the positive side of it is that you can feel a certain connection to the athletes through what they are putting out themselves.

[17:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when athletes and other celebrities start to utilize it, you get to see certain parts of their life that you would never get to see before. What they like to do. Who are they as people.