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Tens of Thousands Lose Power as Nor'easter Hits U.S. East Coast; Hurricane Nolo Strengthens as It Nears Big Island of Hawaii; White House Bars CNN from Covering Trump's Tennessee Trip; Trump and Xi Extend Trade Truce, Look to Future Meetings; U.S. Proposed Joint Meeting with Ukraine and Russia; U.S. Consumer Sentiment Dips to Second Lowest Level on Record; Doctor Stabbed to Death in His Home; Man City Guilty of Breaking Financial Rules. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired September 26, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's go straight to our headlines.

More than 40 million people are fleeing the effects of a powerful fall storm on the U.S. East Coast, while Hawaii deals with yet another hurricane. We'll have the latest on the severe weather hitting the U.S.

Iran has a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and it says it is now up to the Trump administration to decide.

And a high-stakes summit between president Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has wrapped up with more potential meetings this year. We'll look at what the two discussed.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: Let's begin this hour with the U.S. weather in focus. We're tracking Hurricane Nolo as it impacts Hawaii. But first, a rare and dangerous storm that is now arriving on the U.S. East Coast.

It's called a nor'easter. It's named for the direction its winds come from. It's bringing heavy winds, soaking rain and coastal flooding to a region that stretches from North Carolina to Massachusetts and into Maine. And it could linger for days.

Nearly 55,000 customers have already lost power across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. A state of emergency has been declared for parts of New Jersey and New York, including New York City.

Much of the mid-Atlantic is already soaked from rain since Wednesday and today's full moon will make coastal flooding worse. The storm's effects are being felt as far south as North Carolina's Outer Banks, Barrier Islands and it is expected to remain over the region for days.

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ABDELAZIZ: Let's go back to Hawaii now, where Hurricane Nolo is gaining strength as heavy rain soaks the big island.

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Take a look at this satellite image. Nolo is the third hurricane to batter the Hawaiian islands in just the last six weeks. Parts of the big island could see up to 15 inches of rain through the weekend, with up to 25 inches in the steepest terrain.

Hurricane Nolo could also bring damaging winds and dangerous surf. El Nino conditions are helping fuel an above-normal hurricane season in the Pacific.

I want to go now to Robert Ballard, the science and operations officer at the National Weather Service in Honolulu for more.

Thank you, first of all, so much for joining us. Let's start, of course, with where you are in Hawaii.

What is the latest forecast you have for Nolo's track and what should people expect here in terms of the worst possible conditions?

ROBERT BALLARD, SCIENCE AND OPERATIONS OFFICER, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE, HONOLULU, HAWAII: Yes, thanks for having me.

It looks like the worst of what Nolo is going to be bringing the islands ought to be over the next, say, 12 to 18 hours as Nolo continues to make its point of closest approach to the islands.

The big island in Maui overnight have been especially feeling that. We've seen wind gusts at several locations, both on the big island and Maui, gusting over 60 miles per hour and a few spots even over 80 miles an hour. And that's pretty far away from the center.

One thing that we haven't seen quite as much -- and this is a good thing -- that we haven't seen quite as much rain as we initially thought we might. The main rain bands with Hurricane Nolo have mostly been staying just a little bit offshore. They've been brushing the southern parts of the big island.

And certainly that area doesn't need any more rain so we'll be watching over the next few hours to see if that creeps northward or if Nolo is going to start to make that westward turn.

ABDELAZIZ: So let's talk about Nolo's center. You've mentioned that here a couple of times.

Even if Nolo's center stays offshore, what are the greatest dangers for the big island, particularly when it comes to flooding and mudslides? And what parts are most vulnerable to that?

BALLARD: Yes, there's a couple different areas on the big island that we're really concerned about. As far as rainfall goes, it would be mainly the east and southeast sides of the big island, where all of that tropical moisture can pile in to the east slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Those are 14,000-foot volcano slopes where heavy rain can just pile up and then run down the basins and cause massive flooding on the east and southeast sides. Now hopefully the worst of that rain will stay a little bit south of the island.

We like the trend that we're seeing over the last few hours but we still need to be vigilant and we hope folks will take the threat seriously. And then as far as wind, we'll get wind acceleration across portions of the Maui County and the big island from those high mountains.

So Haleakala on Maui, almost just over 10,000 feet tall, and then the big island summits are almost 14,000 foot tall. So they cause accelerations in the wind as the wind blows over and around those mountains.

ABDELAZIZ: We are looking images at projections of Nolo. And this is Hawaii's third hurricane threat this season after Lala and Lowell.

I have to ask you, how well placed are communities in emergency services to handle yet another storm, especially if they're still recovering from earlier damage?

BALLARD: Yes, that's a great point. I mean, we're struggling after Lowell and Lala, both of which had severe impacts to the islands in different areas. Lala, of course, mostly affected the big island in some of the same areas that we're seeing tonight.

And then Lowell affected mostly the island of Kauai and Niihau, with the other side of the state getting high winds and heavy rain. And so it's just something that we're having to deal with. As you mentioned, we're in a very strong El Nino, possibly a historic El Nino. And, it's really -- we're really feeling those effects here in the Hawaiian islands.

ABDELAZIZ: Robert Ballard from the National Weather Service in Honolulu as the islands brace for yet another hurricane threat. Thank you so much for your time.

BALLARD: Take care.

ABDELAZIZ: CNN and the White House press corps are facing a new challenge from the Trump administration. The White House now says it is barring CNN from flying on Air Force One in the coming hours, when president Trump heads to Tennessee for a college football game. CNN's Alayna Treene is following the latest developments for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House revealed on Friday that they are barring CNN from traveling with the president on Saturday on Air Force One to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Now all this comes after, the White House had initially announced a ban on three different media organizations, CNN, MS NOW and "Politico" last week.

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However, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, that temporarily the White House needed to restore access to those different reporters and organizations and that happened. But one question that was still left a little bit murkier was the question of the pool.

And to give our viewers a sense of what the TV pool is, it is made up of five networks and essentially how viewers, whoever are tuning in on television, actually watch the president and stay up-to-date on television with all of his movements.

Now every day, there is a rotation on one day when it's CNN's turn. You have photojournalists coming here to the White House, setting up, tracking the president's every movements.

Whenever he speaks on camera, it is CNN's footage that day that will then be shared with all the other networks. And when he travels, similarly, CNN is the crew representing him on board. Another day would be FOX, another day would ABC and the list goes on.

Now CNN was scheduled to be the TV pool representation on Saturday for the president's trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a college football game.

However, the White House revealed in a schedule released on Friday that CNN would not be accompanying the president. I will say I reached out to the White House. We have not yet gotten a comment on what this means and whether or not this is something that will continue.

We're still waiting to hear back from them but this is very much likely to be another turn in the legal fight between this White House and the three media organizations -- Alayna Treene, CNN, the White House.

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ABDELAZIZ: Iran is offering a new pathway to end the war with the U.S. Iran's foreign minister says that Tehran presented a new seven- day proposal to end the conflict. It was delivered through mediators with the U.S.

But he says the choice is up to the Trump administration. Iran says that, under its proposal, the Strait of Hormuz would open on day six and, on day seven, Tehran and Washington would restart talks toward a so-called final deal.

But before any of that can happen, both sides would need to return to the conditions outlined in the memorandum of understanding that was agreed to earlier this year.

Now a White House official says the U.S. is having, quote, "positive and constructive discussions" through the mediators. Iran's foreign minister spoke about his country's proposal on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

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ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Iran has conveyed to the United States through Qatar a concrete seven-day plan. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened and normal maritime passage restored within seven days. The choice now rests with the United States.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now in the past hour, I spoke with Jasmine el-Gamal, a former Middle East advisor for the U.S. Defense Department. And I asked her about Iran's latest proposal to end the war with the U.S., about whether there is a real chance for diplomacy or if these efforts will fall flat. Take a listen to what she said.

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JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FOUNDER AND CEO, AVEIRO STRATEGIES: The proposal is pretty much essentially what was on the table back when the MOU was signed. So there's really nothing new that the Iranians are offering here.

They seem to be trying to make the case publicly that they are not the problem here, that they are open to making a deal ASAP and it's the Trump administration that's holding the deal up.

But if you look at it from the Trump administration's perspective, the conditions on the ground are not the same as the conditions under which the MOU was signed. Since then, the Trump administration has placed extensive sanctions on Iran. The blockade continues. They've just sanctioned all of their airlines.

And so from the Trump administration's perspective, why would they sign a deal?

Now that was the same one that was on the table when they haven't really seen what impact those sanctions have had and whether that will give them more leverage over the Iranians in order to get a better deal down the road. So from their perspective, there's no rush.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now as the U.S. and Iran consider their next steps, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are putting a new regional military agreement to the test.

The Reuters News Agency says that Saudi Arabia shot down multiple Houthi drones and missiles overnight, including some that were headed for its capital. This comes after military leaders from Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia met in Riyadh on Friday as the rebel group steps up its attacks on Saudi targets.

Last month, those countries signed the Mecca joint military agreement, which says an attack on any of them is an attack on all. The military leaders condemned the Houthi strikes and discussed how to bolster their defense cooperation.

There is much more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM. President Trump says the state visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping was a great success for everybody.

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But what was actually accomplished during their landmark meetings in Washington this week?

Plus, Ukraine reportedly gets a step closer to producing the only weapon that can stop Russia's most powerful missiles.

And it's Pope Leo's second day in France as his four-day tour continues. We'll have highlights from his visit so far and a look at what's next in a live report.

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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back.

To Washington now, where president Trump is looking ahead to future meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping after wrapping up a landmark state visit on Friday. The two leaders said they could potentially meet in person two more times this year.

Now president Trump and Xi traded kind words on Friday as the Chinese leader concluded his first visit to Washington in more than a decade.

During the whirlwind three-day visit, they extended a trade truce and talked about working together to address the risks of AI. Now president Trump says they also discussed the U.S. war with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.

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They also visited the National Archives to view the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. You can see the images there.

As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, the visit put the founding documents of American democracy on display for China's autocratic leader. Both leaders framed their talks this week as a success and beneficial for both sides.

However, we're still waiting for specifics on any potential new agreements. We expect those details early next week. At the National Archives, Trump spoke with reporters about the two countries' histories.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're just comparing. Ours goes 250 years, which is great and we're proud of it. But theirs goes 6,000 years. So there's a little difference between 6,000 and 250 but we're very proud of our 250 because when Trump -- oh, everything.

We had a great meeting. We had a really great meeting. Great for everybody. Great for the farmers. Great for everybody.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, says he welcomes the talks between the U.S. and the Chinese leader. Mr. Putin was asked on Friday if he was jealous of Mr. Xi for having face-to-face talks with president Trump. This was his response.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): Jealousy belongs in a completely different realm, one of a humanitarian nature, concerning relations between a man and a woman. In international politics, I believe such categories are not used.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now Mr. Putin also said that, because the U.S. and China are the world's two largest economies, any agreements they reach will affect the entire global economy, including Russia.

Ukraine's president says the U.S. is pushing to restart three-way talks that aim to end the war in his country. He says Washington has proposed organizing the negotiations, possibly in the United Arab Emirates. The meetings would involve Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. But the date is not yet clear.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also says his U.S. counterpart will give Ukraine the go-ahead to make Patriot missile interceptors. Mr. Zelenskyy says president Donald Trump told him at the recent meeting at the U.N. that his decision on that is final.

Meanwhile, new video coming in to CNN shows the emergency response after overnight strikes on Kyiv. Officials say several people were injured. The capital has been under almost constant aerial attacks from Russia for weeks now. For more on all of this, we're joined now by Stefano Pozzebon from Rome.

Hello, Stefano. So this is a major victory for president Zelenskyy that he is now allowed to produce those advanced Patriot air defense missiles. This is something he's been asking for a long time.

What does it mean in the context of his fight with Russia?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's clearly a potential game changer for the conflict because we've seen that, in the last few months but especially in the last few weeks, Russia has clearly ramped up its ballistic campaign, pounding the Ukrainian capital with a coalition, a plethora of drones and missiles.

And the Patriots have this capacity of intercepting and breakthrough the attacks of the Russian Federation.

However, we should take everything that comes -- that is coming out of Washington in these hours with a pinch of salt, perhaps, Salma, because, well, we've seen Donald Trump, for example, opening to the idea of granting this license to produce Patriots to the Ukrainians already in the past and then changing his mind.

Similar with the issue of talks. Well, that is a possibility that could indeed change the course of the war but it remains as of now the possibility.

Well, the reality is that if you are in Kyiv in these days, especially at night, with a constant barrage of munitions coming in from Russia, all of these speculations coming from the world leaders are dead (ph). They're speculation. That is noise.

What remains is that the population there is under constant threats. This is what, for example, some of the Kyiv residents wanted to say to some cameras of colleagues up in Kyiv.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Trump, Putin, Lavrov, they all speak with honeyed words but, in reality, this is the result. They don't want to take even a single positive step to call a ceasefire for a month or two so that negotiations can take place.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't really believe in an energy ceasefire.

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Because it feels as though things are only getting worse every day. It's just getting worse.

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POZZEBON: "It's just getting worse."

I don't want to really believe to the energy ceasefire, that woman was saying. The energy ceasefire was, of course, the possibility of both Ukraine and Russia refraining from attacking each others' energy infrastructure.

And that was a request from president Trump to try to tame the oil markets and keep the price of the barrel, which is already under huge pressure from its own war against Iran in the Persian Gulf, well, to keep it, to keep it safe.

So the situation in Ukraine is that, yes, there are openings. And the Kremlin has indeed confirmed contacts between the Russian

delegation and the U.S. delegation, with the possibility of opening the door to negotiations in the Arab -- United Arab Emirates, to try to wrap up this horrible conflict in Eastern Europe. However, the reality on the ground, Salma, remains dire.

ABDELAZIZ: Stefano Pozzebon there, bringing us the voices of Ukrainians caught in Russia's relentless air campaign. Thank you very much.

Pope Leo is on the second day of his historic four-day trip to France. In the hours ahead, he'll celebrate mass at the Place de la Concorde in the largest public square in Paris. More than half a million people are expected at the pope's open air mass.

A short time ago, he visited a migrant support center in the French capital. Our senior international correspondent, Melissa Bell, is standing by for us in Paris in the Place de la Concorde, where the pope is expected to give that mass in a short time.

I see that it's starting to fill up around you, Melissa. Give me a sense of the atmosphere there.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is. It's really impressive, Salma, to see the vast crowds that have made their way here. And there's more than three hours to go before this mass begins.

And that, of course, speaks to the enthusiasm that we've seen here in Paris. This is a state visit, began yesterday. Pope Leo arrived at Orly airport. The French president picked him up. He was received at the Elysee.

Then there's talks at UNESCO. But I think some of the most impressive pictures really, Salma, was that ride that he had on his Popemobile over 2.5 kilometers from Montmartre, all the way down to the Left Bank, in order to make his way into Notre-Dame and see the restored cathedral.

It was 300,000 people that lined the streets in the hopes of getting a glimpse of him. It was a beautiful day and really absolutely astonishing pictures of the enthusiasm that there was from the crowds.

Also then last night, he spoke to 80,000 people at the Stade de France. These were the youth, 18 to 37, and again they come from all over France. The enthusiasm there was absolutely extraordinary.

It is 600 000 people who are now expected here in Paris to hear Pope Leo XIV deliver that mass. Then he goes on to Lourdes and then to Metz. It is a four-day state visit, some of the first in 18 years, the first state visit from a pope although Pope Francis had come to France, not in an official state visit. So it's been a long time.

What we've seen over that period of time is a resurgence of Catholic faith here in France, especially amongst the young. Baptisms are up and it was really impressive to see just how many people turned up last night. And all around me now, just how many people are turning up now. Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Melissa Bell in a Paris that is welcoming the pope with open arms and hundreds of thousands, as you mentioned, lining the streets, preparing to attend that mass, welcoming that pope in the first state visit in 18 years for a pope. Thank you so much.

Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, Americans' view of their economy takes a turn for the worse. We'll tell you where consumer sentiment stands now.

Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court hands Donald Trump a victory allowing the use of a voter citizenship data tool. That story and more after the break.

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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Iran's foreign minister says the choice to implement its new plan to end the war with the U.S. now rests with the Trump administration. Iran's top diplomat says it has a seven-day plan that would lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks between Tehran and Washington toward a final deal.

But first, both sides would need to adhere to the memorandum of understanding from earlier this year.

The Reuters News Agency says Saudi Arabia shot down more Houthi drones and missiles overnight, including some that were headed for Riyadh. This came after military leaders from Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia met at the Saudi capital on Friday.

The three countries signed a military agreement last month that says an attack on any of them is an attack on all.

A rare and dangerous nor'easter is now arriving on the U.S. East Coast. It is bringing heavy winds, soaking rain and coastal flooding to a region that stretches from North Carolina all the way to Massachusetts and into Maine. And it could linger for days.

A state of emergency has been declared for parts of New Jersey and New York, including New York City. Nearly 55,000 customers have already lost power across New York, New Jersey. Here's a look at the radar right now.

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[05:35:00] ABDELAZIZ: In a victory for president Trump, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can review voter rolls by using a controversial citizenship data tool. In an unsigned opinion, the court rejected claims that the administration broke the law by making it easier for officials to use this system.

But the justices said the program should be used for, quote, "individualized" citizenship checks. The court also indicated that federal law prohibits mass voter removal so close to an election.

The three liberal justices dissented, saying there could be harm if even just a few law-abiding voters lose their rights to cast ballots. They said that outweighs what they called the nonexistent harm the government might suffer by taking action it has no authority to take.

The Supreme Court also dealt a blow to president Trump and the GOP. The justices have blocked Missouri from using a new congressional map in the upcoming midterm elections. This was the third time that the effort failed.

The ruling likely ends a weeks-long legal fight over districts that could have helped Republicans pick up an extra House seat. President Trump had urged Missouri to redraw its congressional maps last year.

Americans are not feeling great about the economy. Consumer sentiment has hit its second lowest level on record. CNN's Matt Egan looks at the numbers and explains how we got here.

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MATT EGAN, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Consumer sentiment is low. It is historically low. The mood on Main Street is very gloomy and that's despite the fact that unemployment is low and the stock market is high.

The University of Michigan found that, during the month of September, consumer sentiment fell by 7 percent from August, 13 percent lower than at this point last year. But what really stands out is the level 48.1. That is low. That is very low.

The University of Michigan, they've been taking this survey since 1952 and this is the second lowest reading on record. The lowest came earlier this year back in June. Now this chart goes back to 1980. And the shaded areas, those are recessions.

And so what really stands out about the current moment is that sentiment is weaker than it was during other periods of significant economic turmoil, right?

Lower than during the COVID recession, lower than during the 2008 financial crisis, lower than around 9/11 or during recessions in the 1990s and in the 1980s.

So why is this happening?

Well, the survey pulled out two major factors. First, they cited high fuel costs, right?

So that's the fact that gasoline has never been as expensive during the month of September as it is now. And diesel is at all-time highs.

The other factor is intensifying trade tensions. We know the war with Canada, the trade war with Canada really escalated this month. And both of those factors, tariffs and high energy prices, they're both adding to frustration about the cost of living.

Americans are bracing for inflation to get even worse. So back in February, before the war started, consumers were pricing in about a 3.4 percent increase in prices for the year ahead. That's elevated but not terrible. By August, it was 4 percent.

And look at this, a major acceleration in the last month to 4.6 percent. Now in case you're wondering, the decline in sentiment, it's not being driven solely by Democrats.

The University of Michigan, their survey director, Joanne Hsu, she said that interviews reveal broad agreement across the political spectrum that the outlook for the economy has weakened since the beginning of the year.

In fact, looking at consumer sentiment just among Democrats since the start of the year, sentiment for Democrats down 13 percent.

[05:40:00]

But for Republicans, it's down even more, down by 20 percent. Now it's true. This is just one survey. But poll after poll shows that Americans are giving this economy very low marks. And that includes a CNN poll out recently that found 50 percent of Republicans disapprove of the president's job on inflation.

So look, bottom line here, it's absolutely true that economic growth has been resilient, much more resilient than many had anticipated. And it's also true the stock market is near all-time highs and unemployment is low.

But that doesn't change the fact that Americans just don't seem to like this economy. And that really gets back to the main issue that the president promised to solve the cost of living. Back to you.

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ABDELAZIZ: Coming up next on CNN NEWSROOM, a campus in Mississippi is in shock following the deaths of two students as investigators examine a possible link to a controversial over-the-counter substance.

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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back.

Investigators in Pittsburgh are working to determine the motive behind this brutal, fatal attack of a pediatrician. Authorities say the doctor was killed and his wife was critically injured when a man broke into their home in the middle of the night and stabbed them repeatedly with a knife.

Their two children did manage to flee and a suspect is in custody but hospitalized. Marybel Gonzalez has this report.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very much taken, surprised.

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A community just outside of Pittsburgh is in shock tonight after the killing of a pediatric critical care physician. Dr. Idris Evans died of stab wounds inside his home in the Edgewood borough neighborhood Thursday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of the police are on the street. At that time, they were calling for drones. They were calling for K-9 units.

[05:45:00]

GONZALEZ (voice-over): Officers responded to the Evans home shortly after midnight to find Evans and his wife with multiple stab wounds each. According to a criminal complaint, the couple fought their attacker, who was in his underwear.

The mother yelled for her children to flee. She was also able to run to a neighbor's home. Evans was pronounced dead at the hospital. At last report, his wife remained in critical condition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The victims were home in their bedroom when a male assailant entered the home, armed with a knife, and attacked the male and the female, stabbing them both multiple times. The bedroom furniture, broken; mirrors broken. It was a very -- it was a very graphic scene.

GONZALEZ (voice-over): Police arrested 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway. They say the suspect was found behind a nearby home by a K-9 unit with wounds on his hands. Authorities say Hemingway faces multiple charges, including homicide and criminal trespass.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They found the suspect in my back yard. It sounds cliche but, you know, it's not something that is typical, you know, or happens here.

GONZALEZ (voice-over): Officials have not provided any information on any motive in the attack -- I'm Marybel Gonzalez reporting.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now to the University of Mississippi, where the death of two students at the university is focusing attention on a product that's as close as the next gas station or convenience store counter. It's called kratom and it has not been verified as connected to the

deaths. Seven states classify kratom as a controlled substance. Yet elsewhere, this herbal extract can be bought over the counter or online.

It is unregulated by the FDA, meaning there are no federal standards governing potency or labeling. Yet it targets the same parts of the brain as opioids. More from CNN's Randi Kaye.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- possible O.D. They do not believe the subject's breathing, trying to start CPR over the phone.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A dispatcher in Lafayette County, Mississippi, on Monday, responding to a possible overdose at the University of Mississippi, Ole Ms.

The university identified the victims as two students. Aidan Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado and Robert Strang, a Jr. from Atlanta.

Investigators are looking into whether the deaths are connected to kratom, an opioid like herb that can produce both stimulant and sedative effects. While there is no evidence confirming kratom was the cause, packaged kratom sold from a retail store, was found in both investigations.

That's according to the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics, a multi- agency law enforcement unit.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Here, the autopsy is going to be key, which is, was it an overdose involving only kratom or were there other aspects to it in terms of other substances, whether they were legal or illegal?

KAYE (voice-over): Mississippi's governor said in a statement that the state's Department of Public Safety and Bureau of Narcotics are working with local law enforcement to expedite toxicology reports.

The head of Mississippi's Department of Public Safety told CNN, until those investigations and toxicology testing are complete, we cannot rule out foul play.

RAVEN TUSTALL, OLE MISS STUDENT: College is supposed to be where we grow and gain new experiences. it's not supposed to be where our lives end.

KAYE (voice-over): Officials have asked people to avoid kratom.

MILLER: You can buy it in gas stations. You can get it in convenience stores without having to jump through hoops to do it that make it seem harmless and safe.

KAYE (voice-over): A spokesperson for student, Robert Strang's family issued a statement saying, we are heartbroken by the loss of our dear son Robert and are trying to process this unimaginable loss.

A statement released by the university from Aidan Hamilton's family read, "Aidan was a bright, wonderful young man who was taken too soon.

WTVA reported that several fraternities and sororities have placed Black ribbons outside their on-campus houses. That station also said campus vending machines offering free Narcan have been emptied. Narcan can help reverse respiratory depression from a kratom or opioid-like overdose.

MILLER: In a case where there's a kratom overdose, whether Narcan will help that directly, it will certainly, in all likelihood, help it in the cases where it's a combination of kratom and other opioids.

KAYE (voice-over): Just last week, the state attorney general's office trained students at Ole Ms. on how to use Narcan to help save a life.

KAYE: Kratom isn't illegal in Mississippi but the A.P. has reported that Oxford, where Ole Ms. is located, banned related products back in 2019. Meanwhile, the CDC reports that calls about kratom related poisonings increased more than 1,200 percent between 2015 and 2025 -- Randi Kaye, CNN.

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ABDELAZIZ: Still to come, a legal fight puts Manchester City in the spotlight.

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Ahead, the latest verdicts and what comes next for the English soccer powerhouse.

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ABDELAZIZ: A bombshell verdict against a major force in soccer. Manchester City has been found guilty of breaking all but one of the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaching. That's according to multiple reports. CNN "WORLD SPORT"s Patrick Snell has all the details for us.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: So now we know the football world and beyond.

The fans have all been waiting for an outcome to this case, was seemingly an eternity, according to multiple reports.

Manchester City, who've consistently denied any wrongdoing, have been found guilty of 114 of those 115 charges it faced from an independent panel. Here is what many people are now asking. What about potential sanctions?

Well, no sanctions have yet been decided. City are expected to appeal the decision. This has been something that's been bubbling away under the surface for the last three years.

Remember, these charges brought against City, they were announced in 2023. City were charged in February of that year after a four-year investigation with the Premier League alleging that Manchester City failed to provide accurate financial information between the 2009-10 season and the 2017-18 campaign.

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The league also accusing City of failing to comply with UEFA's financial fair play regulations between 2013 and 2018.

Now the Citizens won a total of eight trophies in that period, covered by the case, including three Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup. And interesting to note that 2011 FA Cup was the club's first major trophy in 35 years.

Well, on Friday, Manchester City releasing a statement, "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed and subject to strict confidentiality. As such, Manchester City FC's position remains consistent with the Club's statement of February of 2023.

"The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence."

So what can we now expect in terms of possible sanctions?

Well, they could include a point's deduction, an unlimited fine or even expulsion from the league entirely. That's according to the Premier League's handbook. The Premier League itself wouldn't comment on the report to CNN.

And with that, it's right back to you.

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ABDELAZIZ: Celebrations were in full swing in New Orleans on Friday to honor the legendary singer Dolly Parton. Dolly Day falls on September 25th, a reference to her hit song "9 to 5."

In New Orleans, the celebrations included the parade that you can see here, the unveiling of a Dolly Parton-themed license plate, as well as musical acts who performed at the official afterparty.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz "CNN THIS MORNING" is coming up after a quick break.