Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Three Major Storms Hit Northeast, Hawaii And Mexico; President Trump Rejects Iran's Latest Proposal; Interview With Governor Ned Lamont (D-CT) On Powerful Nor'easter; Nor'easter Knocks Out Power To Tens Of Thousands; Soaring Mortgage Rates, High Gas Prices Loom Over Midterms; 41st Farm Aid Benefit Concert Kicks Off At 7:00 P.M. ET. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired September 26, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Thank you so much, John.

Of course, we're going to be watching. Watch Farm Aid live CNN tonight, 7:00, and streaming with an "All Access" subscription.

And thank you, everybody, for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The NEWSROOM continues right now with Omar Jimenez.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.

Right now we are following three major storms that are hitting the northeast, Hawaii and off the coast of Mexico, wide range here. So we've got this early season nor'easter slamming the northeast, unleashing heavy rain, wind and waves that are causing flooding, even beach erosion as well. You see how powerful those waves are there. Meanwhile, millions of people are impacted from Delaware to New Jersey, New York City to Massachusetts and Maine.

Tens of thousands of customers are without power, by the way, as heavy rain from hurricane -- from hurricane is ramping up, threatening Hawaii with potentially life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Hurricane Nolo there. It's Hawaii's third dangerous brush with a hurricane in just six weeks.

Also, category five Hurricane Polo is still roaring off the coast of southern Mexico and is expected to make landfall in Baja California Sur on Monday. Dangerous surf and rip currents are expected along portions of the northwest coast of Mexico for the next several days.

So we've got a whole team together to cover this severe weather. Danny Freeman is in New Jersey. Derek Van Dam is in Massachusetts with meteorologist Allison Chinchar covering the forecast.

But, Danny, I want to start with you first. What are you seeing out by you now?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you, Omar, this storm has been one of the most bizarre storms I've ever covered because it keeps going in the cycles. Earlier today, Omar, there was so much flooding all across Atlantic City where I am. This entire road down here, Omar, as far as you could see, it was flooded. Cars were trapped. They could not get out. We saw one person that was stuck and had their hazards on. It was waiting for city crews to come help her.

It was really intense again just a few hours ago. But then the tide receded and now this road is almost completely clear. So the main star of the story for this particular storm has been the ocean and has been the tide. And you can see actually we're looking at what looks like -- does it look like a Coast Guard ship, I believe? Out there just looking at the inlet and where the ocean comes into this part of Atlantic City, this boardwalk here.

The ocean really has been the star of this show, Omar, because everyone has been watching the tide and the tidal flooding. The wind has been intense. Right now, it's not raining, but everyone on the ground here has been saying, and officials have been noticing, that as the tide goes out in, that really is how the flooding goes. So we are currently in a lull. That's according to Governor Mikie Sherrill. She said at an update not too long ago.

And that's why she and local officials here on the ground, and up and down the coast, they're telling folks now is the time to move your cars, to get them out of the way, because at around 6:00 p.m., and as we get closer to 8:00 p.m. tonight, when that high tide comes back in, that's when we're likely to see another round of flooding, another cycle of flooding here.

So once again, we've been saying this really, Omar, for the past 24 hours. There are moments of calm before the storm. And then we're going to see likely another round of flooding. And also, Omar, as Alison and others have been noting, we're likely going to see another round of rain down here as well, which only compounds the flooding risk as well. So a lot going on down here.

This is the calm moment. I just spoke to a woman that just walked up here. She was taking the chance to actually get outside after she was pretty much locked into her place earlier when there was so much floodwater around. But she knows she's going to have to get back to her house, Omar, because that second round of flooding is likely coming in just a matter of hours.

JIMENEZ: And as you've been talking, Danny, we've been showing the radar to see how this system has been affecting the northeast and showing some pretty powerful waves out in Massachusetts, which is where our Derek Van Dam has been throughout all of this.

It looks rain. I can tell it's raining there. Some wind as well. But what have you been seeing in your time out there in Massachusetts, Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Omar, more than just wind, this is tropical storm force strength. I mean, it's pretty wild to think that this is a non-named storm. It's a nor'easter. It's got different characteristics but similar impacts to a tropical system. But, I mean, if the producers and the control room have a satellite image that they can pull up, perhaps on one of the routers, I mean, this is -- it looks like a hurricane from space.

There is a defined eye to this thing. It is still gathering strength. It is still feeding off the waters, the Gulf Stream waters, which is just off the East Coast of the U.S..

[16:05:04]

We're here in Scituate, Massachusetts. This area is no stranger to powerful nor'easters, but the duration of this storm is what's setting this apart from previous nor'easters, because it's kind of backing up. It's using a term called retrograde. So it's moving to the west. And as it kind of sneaks into that little pocket right there, near the Tri-State area, it's going to drive in the Atlantic Ocean, which is here over my left.

Let me show you around because it's pretty gnarly out here right now. The wind, careful, it is very -- it's very rocky here, obviously. We are on the Scituate lighthouse and you can see just how turbulent the ocean is right now. My cameraman is going to wipe the, you know, the camera because it is just pelting us with rain. But what we're experiencing here is sea spray that leaves a taste of salt in your mouth, you know, every couple of seconds because it's direct from the ocean.

And because the water is coming in, the wind is coming in from the northeast, it has been for days, and it will continue to do so as this storm sits and spins right off the coast of Long Island, it is going to drive in the Atlantic Sea, the Atlantic Ocean here during multiple tidal cycles. And I find this very fascinating here. This pier that you're seeing right now, a couple of people, you know, braving the elements out there, not the wisest idea because rogue waves can easily take people off. I mean, look at all the overwash that's coming. And this is low tide right now for us.

High tide doesn't actually occur here until 11:30 this evening. So we're going through that cycle right now. But this is the Scituate harbor. And look how much protection it has. But it still gives you an idea of how the blinding wind and rain is seething across the tops of the water there. I mean, you could see the waves, or rather the ripples in the water because of the intense wind. Those boats out there, hopefully they're moored in well.

This storm has so many components to it, from the potential of taking down tree limbs. We know that there's been hundreds of reports of trees down in and around New York City. That is a danger, but it also can take down power lines along with it. So we've got people without power. It is largely impacting the coastline anywhere where the Atlantic meets the land from southern New England into coastal New Jersey, we're going to have issues, and we've seen them unfolding in real time with this powerful nor'easter that's still cranking up across the Atlantic right now.

Omar, it's pelting us in the face, stinging every time these little rain bands hit us. There's a newly issued flash flood warning just to our south. And if you had an opportunity to see the radar, you know, right over Massachusetts, there is a gigantic slug of rain that's associated with this massive rain shield that's coming in from the nor'easter, and that's producing flash flooding around parts of the county, or at least the potential for that.

So I was just actually looking at my radar a moment ago on the CNN Weather app. We can zoom right into that area. Look at these kids. Oh, my goodness. Hey, careful, careful, buddy. I'm surprised that small little dog doesn't get blown away. Wow. All right. People braving the elements out here, but maybe not the best idea, right? That dog does not want to move, and it probably is not very happy that he's here right now.

Omar, we're in the middle of what feels like a hurricane, but this is a nor'easter. People are coming out to sightsee because, you know, in Scituate, Massachusetts, they've been through worse, but it's still impactful. And we know that further down the coastline you go, it's dangerous.

JIMENEZ: I mean, I think listening to the wind in your live shot, it's about as close to feeling the wind as you can possibly be as you watch it through a screen here, as we all watch it through a screen. But to just see it, to hear it, and to see those folks, to see the looks on their face as they were bracing from the wind, this is serious as this event continues.

Derek Van Dam, stay safe out there.

I want to bring in Allison Chinchar because she's been following all of these developments from the CNN Weather Center.

So, look, we see what it's looking like on the ground there for Derek, pretty intense at points, especially along the coast. What is the forecast for the region looking like as this weekend continues?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Really, I hate to say it, but much of the same and the real reason for that is this low pressure system just is not going to move all that much over the next 24 to even 48 hours. So these same areas are going to get pummeled by more and more of these bands as they continue to spread inland over the next two days. So right now you can see the heaviest rain right in areas where Derek was across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, getting a little bit of a break in parts of New Jersey and upstate New York.

But all of this is going to be off and on throughout the next several hours, as more of these waves continue to spread out to the west.

[16:10:01]

Now, here's a look at the forecast for the excessive rainfall. This is where you have the greatest risk of flooding for today. Notice when we fast-forward into tomorrow, it looks very similar to the map does today. And again, that's because it just simply isn't moving all that much. So these same areas are going to be impacted. By Monday, it does finally shift farther off to the north. But take Boston, for example, in the threat for today, in the threat for tomorrow and in the threat once again on Monday. Here's a look at the forecast radar. By about 11:00 tonight or so,

you're looking at the heavier rain bands across Massachusetts now starting to spread back into New Jersey. By tomorrow morning, really heavy rain across Boston and New York. Same thing for around Providence, Rhode Island. And even as we head into Monday, still looking at those rain showers impacting these areas.

JIMENEZ: All right. Allison Chinchar really appreciate it. But also Derek Van Dam, Danny Freeman, you all stay safe as you as you monitor the impacts firsthand for us. We'll check in with you throughout the day.

Meanwhile, though, you can check them out plus more on the CNN Weather app, which gets you the data you need before the storm so you can plan your day with fewer surprises. You can get precise insights and expert coverage when you download the app on IOS today.

Still ahead, President Trump has rejected Iran's latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. So what does this do to the timeline of trying to end the war around the midterms? We'll talk about it. Plus, mortgage rates hitting a grim milestone this week. We'll tell you how it affects those in the market to buy a new home. And then later, we're counting down to the Farm Aid festival, where a legendary lineup is hitting the stage for a good cause.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:16:17]

JIMENEZ: President Trump says he is rejecting Iran's latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Now, Iran's foreign minister announced earlier this week that Tehran had submitted a new offer to the United States that would have opened the critical waterway. But President Trump says the proposal was, quote, "unacceptable."

So a lot to talk about here. I want to bring in retired Brigadier General Peter Zwack.

Now, General Zwack, we don't know exactly what conditions were included in this latest proposal, as announced by Iran. But Iran's foreign minister said it was nothing more than what was part of the previous U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, signed what seems like centuries ago but it was just earlier this summer. That initial deal, as we all know, fell apart. But since then, the countries have been at this impasse here.

What do you think it is going to take to see any movement here diplomatically?

BRIG. GEN. PETER ZWACK (RET), U.S. ARMY: Yes, this is part of a long, fairly agonizing chapter going all the way to June, where we and the Iranians have been going back and forth, back and forth, on negotiations and on deals and almost deals. And here we are again at a really, really critical juncture in the mission. It's going to take time.

JIMENEZ: You know --

ZWACK: Which is what I said four months ago.

JIMENEZ: Yes. I mean, there are a lot of answers that you could copy and paste at this point over the past few months or so because, while individual details and some rhetoric has changed, the stalemate has remained. And some of that rhetoric, for example, we heard from the president where he said he was weighing whether to, quote, "annihilate Iran's regime," as he said at the United Nations.

But I want to get your perspective on the Pentagon's inspector general report released earlier this month on the effects of the Iran war that acknowledged the depletion of some key U.S. munitions stock and destruction of critical U.S. assets. But realistically speaking, what options does the president have right now in terms of escalation and doing so in a way that is enduring?

ZWACK: First of all, the report, I mean, it touches on what I think many believed what was going on throughout the summer. Yes, we are -- we are enmeshed, I'll use that word, in a campaign situation. We just flat out didn't expect it to go this way. We've taken some -- we've lost some personnel, which is tragic. And we have found some problems and inconsistencies with our arsenal.

We've all been reading about the air defense, which is almost a crisis when you measure that to what's going on in Ukraine. And so there's a lot of I think once we get through this, there's going to be some real introspection to figure out what we're going to do to sort out these problems. And the personnel problems. The sailors on board the carrier and that, you know, so there's a human cost as well that we hopefully will learn from.

JIMENEZ: You know, and that was some of what the -- that inspector general report actually looked at, detailing how Iranian strikes have forced significant changes to how U.S. troops operate in the region, which includes the withdrawal of army medical helicopters from Iraq and Kuwait. So most medical evacuations have actually been carried out by ground to local treatment facilities.

[16:20:01]

How do you assess the logistical impact this war has had on our military? I know you mentioned the aircraft carrier before, but what is that logistical impact that you're looking at?

ZWACK: Well, what we saw, I mean, at least right in the area of conflict, battle, we had crippled, I'll use that word, our Navy support base in Bahrain. And basically it got knocked out in the early stages. And so we're having to really get the bulk of the supplies and they've made workarounds in Diego Garcia, which is over 2,000 miles away.

And there are other -- and we are the finest military in the world as far as logistics, but we have to do some very, very quick workarounds. And again, these are lessons learned, God forbid, if we ever get into something like this again.

JIMENEZ: No doubt. I mean, and these are things that, I mean, many are learning and documenting in real time.

General Peter Zwack, I really appreciate the time and perspective on all of this.

ZWACK: Thank you, Omar. All of you take care.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

And meanwhile, tens of thousands of people are without electricity as they deal with a powerful nor'easter. After the break we're going to talk to Connecticut's governor about how his state is dealing with this rare September storm system.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:25:58]

JIMENEZ: Let's get you updated now on the big storm that is battering much of the northeast coast right now. The nor'easter is bringing heavy rain and very strong winds from New Jersey to Massachusetts. Coastal flooding as well reported in some areas as we look at tens of thousands of customers in the region that have lost power. The high tides sent water levels in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to their highest since Superstorm Sandy 14 years ago.

And Connecticut also right in the thick of it. So I want to bring in Governor Ned Lamont, who joins us now.

Governor, your state of Connecticut is right in the middle of all of these effects that we've been talking about. What are you hearing from your teams right now across the state?

GOV. NED LAMONT (D), CONNECTICUT: Yes, it's a wicked nor'easter. That's what it is. It's a combination of heavy rains that saturates the soil. You know, 30, 40, 50-mile-an-hour gusts that topple some of the trees. That takes out power. We have tens of thousands of folks without power. And combine that with a full moon. That means when you get a high tide, it's extra high tide. So along the shoreline, you're much more likely to have flooding.

We haven't gotten the worst of it yet. That's supposed to come in about eight to 10 hours, but we're ready.

JIMENEZ: What is your principal concern at this stage?

LAMONT: Electricity. If people are smart, they stay home as much as they possibly can. Don't drive over a flooded area. People are smart. I worry less about that. Now we're watching the power wires carefully because the branches go down, electricity goes off.

JIMENEZ: You know, you mentioned a little bit about the concerns over tides, over the flooding with some of the worst you expect to come over the next eight to 10 hours or so. What are you telling folks who, one, might be thinking or might just think, all right, we've been through storms like this before, I'm going to go about my weekend normally? How are you distinguishing what we're seeing here versus maybe what might be a typical weekend thunderstorm?

LAMONT: Well, we've had some rain bombs over the last, you know, a couple of weeks, a couple of years where you get a ton of rain in a very short period of time.

JIMENEZ: Sure.

LAMONT: Sudden flooding, storm water damage, little less likely now. Now it's a more consistent. But we're telling people we've done this before, Connecticut, you know, stay at home, charge up your phones, take care of any elderly neighbors, keep an eye on them as well. And right now most of our roads are open. But for our folks, you can call the local emergency number and make sure roads are open and you're going safely. And don't drive over a flooded road and don't touch any broken poles.

JIMENEZ: And as we've sort of been showing, not just for Connecticut, but other places as well, this is going to be a slow-moving storm. So rains, winds in many places expected to last into Monday. What are you telling your teams there in the state in terms of anticipating either wind damage, flooding, loss of power? How are they preparing to deal with what could be some pretty significant effects here?

LAMONT: Again, we have a lot of trees. We have a lot of aerial wires, electric wires. So we work very closely with our electric utilities. We track them. They've got extra people ready to go, ready to get this taken care of. But in the middle of a rainstorm with heavy winds, you've got a lot of catching up to do.

Our guard is standing by. Municipal police trying to rescue people as needed. It hasn't hit yet. It's a lot tougher down in New Jersey and New York right now but Connecticut is ready.

JIMENEZ: And you mentioned you were already seeing some power outages, if I'm not mistaken. How extensive are they to this point? What exactly are you seeing?

LAMONT: Oh, my god. Well, Hurricane Sandy and some of the bad ones going back in time, you had hundreds of thousands. We've gotten the low tens of thousands right now. But, you know, it's wicked. You'll have a tree come down and they'll take out a house. So we have isolated instances that are really severe and we haven't gotten the worst of it yet. So be careful, people.

[16:30:00]

JIMENEZ: And as you and your crews sort of prepare for what's to come again over the course of tomorrow and potentially even into Monday as well. I know you said power outages -- principal concern -- you got flooding. You feel prepared for this, it sounds like, Governor.

LAMONT: We're prepared for what we can prepare for.

JIMENEZ: Sure.

LAMONT: And right now we look like we know where the storm is going. But watch out. Noon tomorrow, high tide, winds and rain. That will probably be the peak risk time. And those high tides could create a lot of shoreline flooding. So watch out.

JIMENEZ: All right. Well, Governor, stay in touch as you all go through this. We're in touch with a lot of different states as they're dealing with this nor'easter. Appreciate you taking the time tonight.

LAMONT: Right back at you. Thanks.

JIMENEZ: All right. Meanwhile, mortgage rates hitting their highest level in nearly two years. And the cost of the most important fuel in the world continues to rise. After the break, we're going to talk about the financial moves that people should be considering, with really no sign of relief in sight. We'll get into it. Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:45]

JIMENEZ: We are 38 days away from election day. Who's counting though? The rising cost of living probably tops of minds for just about everyone going to the ballot when the time comes.

Just this week we saw mortgage rates top seven percent, which is the highest in nearly 20 months. And then you look at gas prices, they just keep going up in many cases. AAA says the average price for a gallon of regular is now $4.49, while diesel is at $6.48.

Let's talk about it with Rick Newman, the founder, editor and publisher of the PinPoint Press. He's also a former columnist for Yahoo Finance. So, Rick, look, Americans paying more at the pump and to buy a home. When you look at sort of the numbers landscape that are out there right now, what sticks out to you? What do you believe maybe is most significant to pay attention to?

RICK NEWMAN, FOUNDER, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, THE PINPOINT PRESS: Well, everybody is familiar with gas prices at around $4.50 a gallon. I mean, they've been that way for the last several weeks. Diesel prices are just as important. And maybe even more important.

I mean, most people don't pay much attention to the price of diesel, but we've never had diesel prices in the range that they're in now, which is $6.50 per gallon. And even though most people don't fuel their own car with diesel, trucks run on diesel, farm equipment runs on diesel. So that means that is just -- that is just going to bring higher food inflation.

It's already -- it's already happening because they've been elevated since the war started back in February. But we're going to get even higher food inflation during the next several months. Anything that travels by truck, which is most consumer products, that is going to go up -- those costs are going to go up because of diesel fuel. And of course, this could not be happening at a worse time for President Trump, just five weeks before the midterms, as you mentioned. So Trump has a problem.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, you talk about those diesel prices, not just elevated. These have been record high diesel prices that have continued to set records on themselves for day after day after day. The $6.48 technically down from the record that was set at a little under $6.53 a little bit earlier this week. But we're still talking about extremely elevated levels here.

When you look at that price of diesel, what are the chances you see it falling between now and the end of the year? Is that journey down the same as the way up in terms of price?

NEWMAN: I mean, tell me what's going to happen in the Iran war. And I'll -- and I'll answer that question. I mean, it really is kind of that simple at this point.

And even if we had -- if we had an overnight cessation of hostilities and somehow Trump and the Iranian mullahs solved this problem, and we got the oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz again, you would still see higher than average prices for diesel for a while. And that's because there are just backlogs at refineries. I mean, refineries are running basically at full capacity at this point.

And diesel has turned out to be the one thing that is really getting crunched. So if we got through the war, we'd see prices come back. But, you know, there's farms -- food has been harvested with diesel at high -- record-high prices.

Products have been shipped with diesel at record-high prices. And you know, those people -- all those companies have to recoup their costs. So that means inflation for -- really for months ahead, even if oil prices start to come down.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And then let's talk housing on top of that, because mortgage prices are also sky high right now. You know, buying a home is out of the question for a lot of people, for a number of different reasons. We were talking about some of the economic factors as well. But what should those who want to buy a home right now do with rates this high?

NEWMAN: I mean, I -- here's an idea. Maybe just put off the idea that you have to have a house at such and such point in your life and start investing money in financial assets. I mean, become a shrewd investor.

I'm not saying gamble it on crypto, but -- I mean, you can build wealth by investing it. You don't have to buy a house. And what I think people need to be thinking about in terms of mortgage rates -- I mean, you said mortgage rates are sky-high.

That is true relative to the last 20 years or so. But the last 20 years have been an unusually low interest rate environment. I mean, mortgage rate at seven percent. That's actually the historical average if you go back to the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. [16:40:06]

I mean, the 1990s were a really good -- really prosperous decade. And mortgage rates were around seven or eight percent then. So the mortgage rate itself is not the problem. The problem is we don't have enough housing.

So as anybody who's looking for a house knows, house prices are already elevated. That is because there's just not enough housing in the United States. And home builders don't want to build relatively inexpensive homes. They want to build mansions.

So, very complicated problem. It will revert over time. So if you -- if you -- if you're going to buy a home and you just don't see it happening, just save your money, invest smartly, and keep paying attention because it will come around.

JIMENEZ: That is the optimism we want to hear. It will come around for prospective home buyers out there. Hold on, Rick Newman. Appreciate --

NEWMAN: Notice I didn't put a date on that.

JIMENEZ: Yes, exactly. Exactly. If I had a crystal ball -- I don't know if I would say it on here. I think I'd invest it somewhere else. But you never know. Rick Newman, good to see you. Thanks for taking the time.

NEWMAN: Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Meanwhile, as farmers face some of that growing economic pressure that we were talking about, Farm Aid is aiming to raise money and awareness for them through music. And then after the break, we are live from the festival with one of the people taking the stage. We'll show you. We'll talk to him. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:46:05]

JIMENEZ: We are just a few hours away from the 41st Farm Aid music festival. Legendary artists including Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp are going to take the stage to raise money for family-owned farms around America, and CNN will bring you those performances live. Bill

Weir is in Virginia now. So, Bill, what have you been seeing people already starting to line up?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. It's filling in. It's really an amazing vibe at Farm Aid. We did it last year for the 40th anniversary.

Incredible musicians coming here and doing this for free to help the farmers and sort of vent maybe some frustrations of the day. And if you love the Neil Young's of the world who do not hide their emotions, you're going to love our next guest. This is Mon Rovia. You have an amazing story. Great to hear your set.

MON ROVIA, INDIE-FOLK ARTIST/FARM AID PERFORMER: Yes. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it, man. It's been fun.

WEIR: This young man was born in Monrovia, Liberia, was adopted by Christian missionaries when you were seven. And then you were raised from Florida to Montana.

And you have what you call, like a Afro-Appalachian sound. Your voice is so pure and beautiful. What does it mean to get invited by Willie to something like this?

ROVIA: Man, it's an honor. I mean, when he was -- when we first pulled in, and we got to sit in the -- in the opening session. Yes, I got -- you know, it was emotional because you see somebody that's loved their art, built this community.

And that's all you can ask for as an artist is to have something that you can look at at the end of, you know, whatever your life -- and be like, that's -- I've done something good, you know? So it's an honor, man.

WEIR: You saw -- I notice you were wearing a T-shirt that said, Monopolies Taste Awful, and you know, Dr. King's shirt, not shying away from the political message of music and the power of that. How did you come by that? What is it you hope that your message says in your music?

ROVIA: Yes. You know, I don't think I set out to be a very political artist. When I first entered this place and got noticed, and things like that, and the fans started to grow. I was just kind of talking about healing and journeying.

But I think if you're an artist and as you grow and you get this, people are looking to you. Your fans are wanting to see if you experience the same things they do. And we're all humans, no matter how rich you are.

The experience that's happening is for everybody. And so I try to be honest in those things with my music and never feel like I'm far away from the realities of the world and of the fans and the people. It's really important to me.

So if it's political, it's like, all right. But really it's just about understanding that this is real.

WEIR: Yes.

ROVIA: This is what's happening. And I'm a part of that.

WEIR: And you said something beautiful in this page about the responsibility of making sure the next generation doesn't have to make the same mistake.

ROVIA: Yes, absolutely. Yes. We carry these things forward. So it's important. WEIR: It's great to meet you.

ROVIA: Yes. Thank you so much.

WEIR: You got a new fan in me. I appreciate it. Yes.

ROVIA: Thank you, man.

WEIR: Thanks for coming on.

ROVIA: Thank you, man.

WEIR: Lucas Nelson on stage right now, Willie's son, part of the family. And of course, John Mellencamp. Dave Matthews is going to be here.

Neil Young, very sort of righteously angry Canadian. He'll have something to say tonight. And then Willie, 93 years old, playing a full set. So stay with CNN. Just lock it in and feel the vibes.

JIMENEZ: Willie still playing after all these years. It's incredible. Bill Weir -- Mon Rovia -- tell him thank you as well. I'm going to go listen to some of his stuff. You can also watch Farm Aid live on CNN tonight at 7:00 and streaming with an all-access subscription as well, so stay tuned for that.

But in the meantime, we've got some news to cover. Where in Atlantic City, for example, water levels reach their highest point since Superstorm Sandy. But how bad could it get? We'll get into it coming up here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:54:26]

JIMENEZ: It could be a major advancement in detecting cancer early. An FDA advisory committee voted in favor of a blood test that can actually detect more than 50 types of cancer in your bloodstream. But there are limits to this test.

To investigate, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta bought and took the test himself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATRINA FIRLIK, CANCER SURVIVOR: You automatically see this bright lump right here, kind of lighting up like a light bulb. This tumor was sitting there, not causing a problem. And what's funny is, when I met my thoracic surgeon for the first time.

He walked in. He shook my hand, and he said, you might be the luckiest unlucky person.

[16:55:04]

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wow. FIRLIK: Unlucky because I had the positive result, but lucky, he said he never sees tumors this small.

GUPTA (voice-over): Katrina Firlik and I have been friends for years. She credits her luck to a blood test that aims to catch cancer at its earliest stages. They're known as liquid biopsies, multi-cancer early detection tests that can identify 50-plus cancers by searching for DNA fragments of the disease in your blood.

FIRLIK: I didn't have to live through any cancer crisis. I was able to intercept that crisis.

GUPTA (voice-over): Many doctors do preach the gospel of early screening, and the numbers bear this out. Between 1975 and 2020, there were almost five million cancer deaths that were averted due to routine prevention and standard screenings.

GUPTA: The problem is this. Most diagnosed cancers do not have a recommended screening test. As a result, many of those cancers are caught later, and they're harder to treat.

You're a friend. You're a fellow neurosurgeon as well. We're the same age. Should I get this test, do you think?

FIRLIK: Do you like the idea of catching cancer early?

GUPTA: I do like the idea of catching cancer early. But at the same time, I'm still not sure that I really need to be doing a test like this. And here's why.

These tests have what's known as a high positive predictive value. If it comes back positive, I likely have some form of cancer. But at the same time, if it comes back negative, I'm not really that confident that I don't have cancer.

VERSHALEE SHUKLA, CO-FOUNDER, VINCERE CANCER CENTER: After doing this for over five years and almost 10,000 liquid biopsies, less than a dozen cancers detected.

GUPTA: So it's not picking up as many cancers as you would like?

SHUKLA: 100 percent it's not picking up cancers.

GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Vershalee Shukla runs a cancer screening program for first responders in Arizona. Now they are often younger than the 50-year-and-older population that these tests are designed for. But studies also suggest firefighters have higher rates of cancers because of their jobs.

SHUKLA: We went out in one week. We drew 500 firefighters. We did all of their blood, and not one came back positive. And no one wants to come in to get their cancer screenings, because everyone had this sense of security.

GUPTA: I think what the picture you're painting is, someone goes, gets the grail test, comes back negative, and they think, hey, I'm good to go. I don't need to get the colonoscopy or the additional screening tests.

SHUKLA: It took a lot of work on our part over the next 18 months to two years to get all those members to come in and get their colonoscopies or whole body MRIs. We ended up diagnosing another 14 -- 15 cancers.

ALEX KRIST, FORMER CHAIR, U.S. PREVENTIVE SERVICES TASK FORCE: But that's also something we need to measure. Like how much will that happen? Will people continue with usual cancer screening?

GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Alex Crist used to chair the Federal government's advisory group on screening recommendations. I asked him how a group like that would think about these tests today.

KRIST: When we're talking about cancer screening, we're looking at are you less likely to die from cancer? Will you live longer? But also, you know, could it improve your quality of life?

GUPTA (voice-over): It's a lot to mentally wrestle with as I take my own test. A negative finding does not mean I'm in the clear. It also doesn't mean that I should skip my routine cancer screenings. Even the test makers say that.

And importantly, we don't yet have the studies to prove whether or not these tests save lives. That will need a lot more people and a lot more time. But then there is the story of Katrina.

FIRLIK: In my case, the benefit was that I needed the most minimal treatment. I found it at the earliest stage.

GUPTA: It's been pretty nerve-wracking these past few weeks waiting for these results. I mean, here's the thing. There are over 600 FDA- approved cancer treatments, but we can't take advantage of them if we don't know that we have cancer and find those cancers early enough. In my case, came back negative. No cancer signal detected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Absolutely fascinating there from Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Meanwhile, in the sports world, let's talk some playoff baseball because it is just days away. And whether you want to call it divine intervention or a papal miracle, Pope Leo's favorite baseball team, the Chicago White Sox -- they made it to the playoffs.

They become the first team in history to make the playoffs after losing 100 games in each of its previous three seasons. And so the pope had to be asked about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure you're pretty aware that last night the Chicago White Sox made the playoffs. Two years ago they just had the worst record in baseball history. Sometimes call it a miracle. Do you have anything to do with that?

POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: No comment. Great things happen in Chicago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Great things happen in Chicago. Look, there's a celebratory mass in honor of the pope at the White Sox home stadium earlier this year. Pope Leo actually attended the World Series the last time the White Sox were in it.

But that was way back in 2005, way back when he was known as just Robert. But pay attention to the storyline. There's a real turnaround for the White Sox. Next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.