Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Russian State Media Shows Motorcade Preparing For Witkoff, Kushner Arrival; Rescuers Pull Nepali Woman Alive From Mud-Buried Home 10 Days After Flood; Judge Declares Mistrial In Lindsay Clancy Case After Jury Deadlocked Again; Missouri Supreme Court Reverts Congressional Map; Trump's Arch May Break Ground Without Final Approval; Gas Prices Surging Ahead of Labor Day as Midterms Loom. U.S. Economy Added 162k Jobs in August this Year; NOAA Releases Video of View from Inside Hurricane Lowell; Mamdani Signs Executive Orders Ahead of 9/11 Anniversary. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired September 05, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:30]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to CNN This Morning. Here's what's new today. Happening now. Preparations are underway for the arrival of Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Moscow.

And Ukraine's president says his country is responding to new strikes on Kyiv just as we expect the U.S. envoys to land in Russia.

Also breaking this morning, more than a week after devastating flooding in Nepal, remarkable news, several new rescues of survivors. We have those remarkable images just coming in.

Plus, the trial it seems everyone is talking about. We're going to break down what happens next. After a mistrial declared in the Lindsay Clancy case because jurors could not come to an agreement.

And later, not free to move about the cabin, a plane was forced to make an emergency landing after. Look at this. A passenger had to be duct taped to a seat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This Breaking News.

FREEMAN: And good morning to you all. It is Saturday, September 5th. Thank you so much for joining us. Victor Blackwell is off. I'm Danny Freeman live from New York.

We have breaking news in Russia's war on Ukraine. At this hour, Russian state media shows a motorcade preparing for the arrival of President Trump's special envoys. We're expecting President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to first land in Moscow any moment now. And a U.S. official says they will also be making their first visit to Kyiv afterwards. All of this is to try to bring a diplomatic end to the four and a half year old war.

Let's go straight to CNN's Stefano Pozzebon who's following all of these developments. Stefano, what are you learning this morning?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN ROM CORRESPONDENT: We are learning from Russian media that the two Donald Trump envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are expected to land in Moscow, really anytime soon. We heard from Russian media that their arrival was expected to be around 1pm local time, which is right at this hour.

You can see images from the Russian media showing the motorcade of U.S. license plates, diplomatic license plates, that is ready to welcome them as they go and try to meet once again with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin to try bring an end to these deadly conflict that has been raging in Eastern Europe for the last four years, for more than four years.

At the same time, the novelty of this visit is that tomorrow the two of them are expected in Kyiv. It is the first time that Steve Witkoff in particular, who by the way, he's also one of the persons leading efforts to try bring an end to the other conflict, the Iranian war. However, today he is focusing on Russia and Ukraine.

As I was saying, it is the first time that Witkoff is expected to be in Kyiv and see firsthand, see by himself the damage that the continuous barrage of ballistic and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital has caused in the last few weeks and also in the last few days. I think, Danny, that just in the last seven days more than 50 people in Ukraine have been killed by this continued constant barrage of ballistic strikes.

That also serves to point out that the shortages of Ukraine when it comes to the arsenal that is repelling most of these attacks, the Russian president, the Russian media have been trying to spin it as a way to show that Russia now has the upper hand in the conflict, but it shows just how different and how distant the two positions are when it comes to finding a truce to these deadly, deadly conflict that frankly has dragged for far too long in Europe. Danny?

FREEMAN: Yes, well said. And again, the need for a diplomatic solution on display. All right, we'll keep an eye on that. Stefano Bozzebon, thank you so much for that reporting.

Also breaking this morning, Iranian state media is reporting several explosions off Iran's Kharg Island. The island is considered a central location for Iranian oil exports at this point. No casualties were reported and so far no comment from Iran's military, nor U.S. military on what exactly happened. We're going to keep an eye on this story throughout the morning.

And we're also following this breaking news out of Nepal where rescuers have pulled a woman alive from a flood damaged building 10 days after devastating flooding swept through the region. Take a look.

[06:05:03]

This incredible video shows the 60-year-old woman being lifted from the upper floor of a four story building and carried away by rescuers. We're still working to learn more about her condition. And then there was another remarkable rescue this morning. The Nepali army says a joint team of Nepali and international rescuers pulled a Chinese national alive from a tunnel.

Officials say he was found about 245 yards inside of the tunnel and is being evacuated by or evaluated, I should say by medical teams. Search and rescue operations are still underway.

Let's turn now to the dramatic end in the case that has gripped so many of us. A Massachusetts judge has declared a mistrial in the case of Lindsay Clancy, the former nurse accused of murdering her three young children.

After seven days of deliberations, the jury deadlocked. Clancy's attorneys revealed a single holdout juror prevented a unanimous verdict. And the prosecution have not yet said whether they will retry the case. The judge has set a status hearing for September 29th to decide the next steps in the case.

CNN's Jean Casarez has been in Plymouth, Massachusetts following the trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDGE WILLIAM SULLIVAN, MASSACHUSETTS SUPERIOR COURT: At this point, I'm going to declare that the jury is deadlocked and I'm going to declare a mistrial.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lindsay Clancy's triple murder trial coming to a dramatic ending on Friday. A mistrial.

KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY'S ATTORNEY: This is not a time for gloating, bragging, expressing victory. It's a very sad case.

CASAREZ (voice-over): But not before a few last ditch efforts by the defense, including filing an emergency appeal to the Massachusetts highest court. But that appeal was denied after six and a half days of deliberation and several notes to the judge from the jurors saying they were unable to come to a unanimous verdict.

The last note from the jury read simply quote, it is with a heavy heart that we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision and will not be able to.

Earlier in the day when the court reconvened, the defense asked the judge to question the lone holdout juror.

REDDINGTON: It clearly and unequivocally indicates that they are basically 11 to 1 and this person will not apply reasonable doubt to the evidence to return a not guilty verdict.

CASAREZ (voice-over): The judge denied the request. The defense then pushed for a forceful reminder to jurors to follow the law, drawing visible exasperation from the judge.

SULLIVAN: What do you want me to do? Get a brass band?

CASAREZ (voice-over): Later on outside court, in an unusual moment, the defense spoke out about that one juror who was a holdout.

REDDINGTON: They know that they were robbed by one man for whatever his agenda was who stole seven weeks of the life of these other jurors that were so attentive, so beautiful, so wonderful. And listen to this evidence and you could see how defeated they were sitting there.

CASAREZ (voice-over): Clancy is accused of strangling her young children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan in January of 2023. She does not deny that she killed her three children but pleaded not guilty. The 36-year-old's defense team argued she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

REDDINGTON: She loved her children. They were her life. This young lady is not guilty of the killing of her children because she was suffering from a disease and defect.

CASAREZ (voice-over): The prosecution acknowledged Clancy had a mental disease or defect, but claimed the former labor and delivery nurse deliberately killed her children with premeditation and extreme cruelty and that she was not in a state of psychosis at the time of the murders.

TIM CRUZ, PLYMOUTH COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This case is not about a health care system or about how women are treated in it. Those are all important issues. This case, however, was about Lindsay Clancy and what she did on January 24, 2023, and the cruel and calculated killing of three innocents.

CASAREZ (voice-over): The focus now turns to what happens next. Prosecutors saying they will decide whether to retry the case against Clancy at a future court hearing.

CRUZ: I do know that one of the questions that are out here right now regarding retrials, I will let you know that there'll be no decisions made today regarding that. I'm going to be meeting with our team and we will address this case further at the appropriate time in the context of an official court proceeding.

CASAREZ: There is a status hearing set in this case for September 29th in the courthouse right behind me. The defense is going to have a motion for consideration and we may learn from the prosecution if they actually are going to try this case again. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, for CNN, I'm Jean Casarez.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[06:10:05]

FREEMAN: Thank you, Jean. And coming up at 8:00 a.m., retired Massachusetts Judge Carol Erskine joins us to discuss this mistrial and what may come next.

All right. We're following other headlines this morning. First up, a flight from Texas to New Jersey ended with one passenger. Look at this. Wrapped up in duct tape from head to toe. Witnesses say the man was agitated, yelling profanities and using racial and homophobic slurs.

They say he then turned physical, allegedly hitting another passenger and a woman who tried to step in. Passengers say he then bit one man and tried to bite another as they worked with the crew to restrain him using zip ties and as you see, duct tape.

The flight was diverted to Baltimore where police arrested the man after the plane landed. What's still not clear is what exactly set him off. One of the passengers who helped restrain him said, we don't know exactly what happened or what triggered it, but whatever it was, it was pretty intense. Sure seems like it.

And to this now, the fight over Missouri's congressional map is now in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. State officials asked the justices yesterday to restore new district lines that could help Republicans win another U.S. house seat.

Missouri's highest court blocked that map on Thursday, and it ruled state officials wrongly rejected a petition signed by more than 300,000 people demanding a public vote on the changes.

Missouri wants the case settled by September 14th so ballots can be mailed on time to military members and Americans overseas. The Supreme Court has ordered the groups fighting the map to respond by midday on Monday.

And Dolly Parton's star is shining again in Hollywood. The country music icon's star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been replaced after it was vandalized in the days following her death at age 80. Her name had been scratched off the star, which had already been scheduled for repairs because of existing damage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The original star was pretty damaged. So we want to give the Hollywood Trust wanted to honor her with a new star.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Well, now the restored star is back on Hollywood Boulevard, surrounded, of course, by flowers and tributes from fans honoring Parton's life and legacy.

All right, coming up in just a moment, a piece of the Kennedy Center came crashing down. We're going to tell you how a ceiling collapse is feeling. A bigger battle over whether the iconic landmark should be renovated or rebuilt.

Plus, drivers are seeing surging gas prices as they hit the road for the holiday weekend. We're going to find out if relief might be on the way.

And the biggest story of college football's opening weekend isn't actually on the field. We're going to tell you why LSU hit the brakes on adding players with NFL ties after a major court ruling. And as we go to break, let's take a live look right now at the

beautiful sunrise over New York City where I am here. Good morning. Much more on CNN This Morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:17:30]

FREEMAN: Talk about Lookout below. The grand foyer at the Kennedy Center will remain closed at least at the weekend after. Look at this. A chunk of the ceiling fell off and shattered on the ground.

Thankfully, no one was injured. It's not clear what caused the damage, but it came after two days of heavy rains in Washington, DC. In too, controversial votes earlier this year, the Kennedy Center board decided to close the iconic building for two years for renovations. It released this statement saying in part, this structural failure stems from decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership. And there's no justification for further delays in restoring America's Cultural Center.

Also new this morning, there's new legal wrangling over President Trump's so called Triumphal Arch Project. In a court filing, the Trump administration's attorneys appear to be backtracking on the extent of planned work on President Trump's arch. They say the work they will be doing over the next two years is not construction activity. That's after they previously announced groundbreaking plans.

Now opponents had asked the federal court to block any further work. And CNN's Sunlen Serfaty brings us up to date.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: That's pretty great, huh?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Without the usual approvals and still in legal limbo, the Trump administration is pushing forward to break ground on President Trump's Triumphal Arch.

TRUMP: I think we'll be the most beautiful in the world.

SERFATY (voice-over): Announcing they will start excavating the ground to build the arch in the next two weeks.

TRUMP: The Arc de Triomphe would be the one that you would probably know in Paris. It's one of the most beautiful. It's a very similar size. Slightly larger. We're doing, we have to do slightly larger.

SERFATY (voice-over): The proposed 250 foot arch planned for Memorial Circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery has not been approved by the National Capital Planning Commission, the last of the two agencies that need to review and approve the work. Nor has it gone through a full review necessary under the National Historical Preservation Act.

The FAA's final aeronautical looking at the safety impact to the nearby airport has also not been finished. And the project is still bogged down in the courts with the veterans' rights group seeking a temporary restraining order Friday saying the arch obstructs the view of D.C. from Arlington Cemetery.

TRUMP: We get a better view right over here.

SERFATY (voice-over): All this comes after the administration scored a major victory for one of the president's other projects, the Supreme Court, allowing the construction of President Trump's ballroom to move forward.

TRUMP: This will be the greatest military complex ballroom anywhere in the world. There won't be anything like it.

SERFATY (voice-over): That decision appearing to embolden the administration.

[06:20:02]

TRUMP: What I do best in life is build. I build buildings really well.

SERFATY (voice-over): With Justice Department lawyers now using that ruling to make the case that other challenges to the president's construction projects should be dropped. Administration lawyers for the Arch and for the president's desired championship golf course he once built in D.C. this week both requested the courts to dismiss each case.

TRUMP: This will be here long after we're gone. No matter what happens with the world, this is not moving.

SERFATY (voice-over): Meantime, as the president pushes ahead with only these projects to remake Washington in his style and liking.

TRUMP" We weren't necessarily thrilled with the contractor.

SERFATY (voice-over): His reflecting pool renovations continue to grow in cost. The administration hiring yet another new company to help clean and maintain the reflecting pool, adding another $2.7 million to a project that has already ballooned in cost to now over $16 million.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Our thanks to Sunlen Serfaty for that reporting.

Coming up in just a moment. Gas prices, they are skyrocketing and overnight, the average price for diesel hit an all-time high. We're going to break down the impact on holiday weekend travelers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:25:34]

FREEMAN: Millions of Americans are expected to hit the road this Labor Day weekend and it's going to cost a whole lot more to fill up. Gas is now averaging $4.15 for a gallon of unleaded. That's according to AAA. So if you happen to say be driving your 6-year-old Chevy Tahoe from L.A. to Las Vegas for the holiday weekend, that 272-mile trip will set you back $64 and change for gas that's nearly 15 bucks higher than last year. And then of course there's the return trip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I look for the cheaper ones. Yes, I have to have to try to save a little here, save a little there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh God have mercy. OK. Too expensive as of right now. You know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Medora Lee joins us now. She's the money and personal finance reporter for USA Today. Medora, thank you so much for joining us on this holiday weekend. Morning Labor Day gas prices never been this high. Let's talk about it. This is brutal for the president and the current administration. What's driving these prices up predominantly.

MEDORA LEE, MONEY AND PERSONAL FINANCE REPORTER, USA TODAY: Yes. So you might have heard about the war in Iran. I think that is really kind of gripping the market right now. People don't really know what's going to happen. They say there's a ceasefire. Then there doesn't seem to be panning out. And sometimes they say the Strait of Hormuz is open. It's maybe not.

So I think that that's really what's driving gas prices. A lot of uncertainty about what's going, a lot of threats. And I think that even Vice President JD Vance conceded that we could see gas prices stay high for a little bit longer.

So, this is going to maybe become the new norm these days. We just have to get used to slightly higher gas prices and we're never really sure it's going to come lower anytime soon.

FREEMAN: Well, meanwhile, the price of diesel also just hit a record high. It's now $5.85 a gallon. That means higher shipping costs that get passed along to consumers. I guess between that and just what it takes to fill up a gallon for, you know, a regular trip on a Labor Day weekend.

I mean, is this sustainable for consumers to keep seeing high prices like this?

LEE: Yes, so the diesel prices are really concerning because we do need things to be shipped and, you know, to our stores, to our homes. It kind of touches a lot of different parts of our lives that we rely on. You know, you can cut back on driving, but I don't know if you can really cut down on trucks bringing groceries to the grocery store. So that is pretty concerning.

And I think that a lot of people are thinking that if diesel prices stay high, I mean, we're almost at $6 a gallon now. I think it was 585 last time I checked -- FREEMAN: 5.88 as of this morning. In fact. Go ahead.

LEE: 5.88.

FREEMAN: Yes.

LEE: See, I'm already 3 cents behind. I can't even keep up. But yes, I mean that's going to affect a lot of our lives and that's probably the part that's most concerning. And I think a lot of people now are saying that if diesel continues to stay high, we could definitely see higher prices across the board in everything that we see in the stores, every Amazon delivery, maybe some surcharges from FedEx and UPS.

So, I think that's really going to, if that pans out and it stays high, we'll start to see it in the inflation numbers.

FREEMAN: I want to turn to the August jobs report that we got this week. The U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs, actually doubling expectations with unemployment holding steady at 4.1 percent. What's your assessment of these numbers that just came out at the end of this week?

LEE: I think a lot of people felt kind of relieved. People were a little bit worried that the jobs market was weakening and at the same time that inflation remained elevated and that the Fed would kind of be stuck in this situation whether to raise rates or not. But -- so I think some people were relieved and it was a pretty good jobs number. You know, we saw jobs created across the board pretty much.

And so the broadness of jobs is there. I mean, we saw a lot of pickup in leisure and hospitality, a lot of kind of blue work, blue collar jobs, which is a good sign. And that kind of tracks also with a Bank of America study that said -- that showed that lower wage workers were gaining ground in terms of wage growth.

[06:30:08]

So, maybe that K-shaped economy is turning into more -- as Treasury Secretary Bessent said, a C economy where the lower end is picking up pace.

So, there are a lot of bright spots in the jobs report. But as economists will always tell you, one report doesn't make a trend. So, we'll have to see --

FREEMAN: Right --

LEE: If this last. And if it does, that might give the Fed some room to raise rates to fight inflation. So, we'll see what happens. A lot of people now think that the Fed will probably raise rates at least once, maybe twice this year.

FREEMAN: Right. Well Medora Lee, thank you so much for breaking down so many important economic headlines. Really do appreciate it on this morning. LEE: Well, thank you for having me.

FREEMAN: Right, to this now. Stunning new video this morning from inside of Hurricane Lowell. Now, hurricane hunters flew into this storm to collect critical data needed for future forecasts. Satellites can monitor hurricanes from above, of course, but scientists say nothing replaces the raw data gathered from inside of the storm itself.

Scary stuff. Meantime, Hawaii is under a state of emergency as it braces for Lowell. The storm has regained strength as a Category Five hurricane, with winds of up to 160 miles per hour. It's expected to make landfall on Monday, and the island is preparing for the worst.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH GREEN (D-HI): It's a heavy storm, and we're hopeful it will miss us. But if it does what Iniki did in 1992 or even does anything close, of course, we could see tragic consequences. So, that's why we're taking this so seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins me now with more on the weather as we begin this holiday weekend. Allison, great to see you. But again, what are you seeing across the country? It seems like there's going to be some weather.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, let's get about 50 million people under some type of heat alert. Again, I know it's technically -- we're getting into September, things should start to cool down by now, but that's really not going to be the case for many of these areas, especially right here in the central U.S., but it even dips down across portions of the southeast.

A lot of these areas are expecting temperatures five to even 15 degrees above average. Ninety-nine in Dallas today, 97 in Atlanta. Keep in mind, those temperatures are going to feel even worse because of the humidity. The one bright spot is going to be the northeast.

A lot of those temperatures in the 70s, lower humidity. It's actually going to feel fantastic there in the northeast. It's the central part of the country and stretching into the deep south. That's where you're going to see those incredibly hot temperatures.

And also, again, the humidity being very high, so, those feels like temperatures are remaining up there. Dallas, look at that. The feels- like temperature into the triple digits. Every single one of the next four days, same thing with Oklahoma City and even into Shreveport.

Again, the northeast though, very nice conditions. Those temperatures even a couple of degrees below average. Now for some of these areas, we also have some storms to contend with. This is a large cluster of storms moving through portions of Ohio and Indiana right now.

That's going to spread southward into West Virginia and Kentucky throughout the day. And then we're also going to start to see more showers and thunderstorms pop up this afternoon. So, if you have some plans to maybe cool off at the beach, make sure you have an app or something that you can get that forecast from to see whether or not you're going to have some storms to contend with.

FREEMAN: Yes, this weekend it seems the beach and the lake, wherever you can get cool, that is the place to go. Allison Chinchar, good to see you, check back in later. Thanks. And to this now. As the nation prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, New York City is putting new safety measures in place.

Our own John Miller reports that the U.S. Secret Service, in coordination with the NYPD, is currently installing an 8-foot fence around the perimeter of Ground Zero, anchored with concrete. And on Friday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order creating an Annual Day of Remembrance and Service while updating the city's preparedness policies. Mamdani says the goal is to make sure the lessons of September 11th are never forgotten.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK STATE: If these two executive orders hold a shared message, let it be this: When we say never forget, we do not mean it in the abstract. It is a sacred vow to those we will always mourn. The heroes who ran towards horror so that others could run towards home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: And as we approach the 9/11 anniversary, the all-new CNN film "TOP OF THE WORLD" tells the story of Windows on the World. The legendary restaurant, of course, atop the World Trade Center that became one of America's most celebrated dining destinations and a powerful symbol of New York City's resurgence in the 1970s.

Its extraordinary story came to a tragic end on September 11th, 2001, when the 9/11 attacks claimed the lives of 79 Windows on the World employees and 91 guests. CNN's John Berman recently sat down with Michael Lomonaco; the restaurant's former executive chef. Take a look.

[06:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How do you pick what you're going to serve?

MICHAEL LOMONACO, AMERICAN CHEF & RESTAURATEUR: In my case at Windows, Joe Baum and David Emil hired me. They needed to focus on modern American food, but with a focus on local. Joe Baum and I would sit there in the dining room, as you know, from up here on the 107th floor, we could see the farms that we should be buying from.

BERMAN: It's one of the few restaurants on earth you can say, OK, I only should buy food from places we can see, but you're up 100 stories -- LOMONACO: Yes --

BERMAN: In the air, so you can see a lot.

LOMONACO: Yes, Joe Baum first said to me in 1997, we're going to create sustainable cuisine. No one had ever uttered those words before.

BERMAN: In the documentary, you say that Windows on the World was like the United Nations of restaurants, in terms of who was working there. How did that influence sort of the atmosphere inside?

LOMONACO: You know, you have 450 people working together, and there were 65 different languages that were spoken. The fact that people could get along and work together seven days a week, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, it was inspiring.

BERMAN: It's the 25th anniversary, obviously, of September 11th, but the 50th anniversary of the creation of Windows on the World. How would you want it to be remembered?

LOMONACO: You know, Windows would still be there today had we not suffered this horrendous day. It stood as a beacon on New York. It was welcoming to all. And I think that, that hospitality is what we can offer anybody, anywhere, in any time in life.

BERMAN: We're 25 years on, which feels like a long time, but there's still a connection there. And I know that there are people who reach out to you and say, hey, I'm related. I'm the niece. I'm the grandchild of someone who worked at Windows on the World.

LOMONACO: People will reach out to me through social media or through someone they know, and they'll say that my grandfather worked there, and then they say, what can you tell me about them? I'm always touched by that because it's how we connect as people. And then I start to feel like somehow, I'm part of their family.

BERMAN: Which is so important.

LOMONACO: The story of people who lost so much, the families who lost so much, the nation who lost so much, came together to rebuild and to go on again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: The all-new CNN film "TOP OF THE WORLD" premieres Monday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Pacific and next day on the CNN app. All right, coming up in just a moment, forget the scoreboard, the biggest college football battle is headed to the courtroom.

Why LSU was changing course after a landmark ruling on players with the NFL ties. And if you're heading out, remember, you can always stream our show from anywhere in the U.S. right from the CNN app, you can also go to CNN.com/watch.

Let's take a live look right now at Philadelphia International as flights take off for this busy Labor Day weekend. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

FREEMAN: The wait is officially over. College football is back. But some of the biggest preseason headlines have been off the field and in the courtroom. Ahead of LSU's opening game against Clemson, Tigers coach Lane Kiffin left two former NFL players ultimately off the roster.

The move comes after the SEC sued LSU and its leadership, saying that recruiting professional athletes was a violation of the league's rules. A court injunction cleared the players to return, but the escalating war between LSU and the SEC leaves their status hanging in the balance at the moment.

Seth Emerson joins us now from Louisiana. He's been covering all of this drama for The Athletic. Seth, thank you so much for joining us early this morning. Let's start with your reaction to this roster move by LSU after all of this drama.

SETH EMERSON, SENIOR REPORTER, THE ATHLETIC: It seems like a good way out to kind of tone down everything for LSU. Notably, LSU's administration has been pretty quiet during all of this, while the governor has been pretty adamant about like pushing for these players to be rostered, and Lane Kiffin, the coach has been adamant about it.

The administration has been quiet. And so, I'm not surprised that they left the players off the roster, which means that temporarily, they're not going to play. They remain enrolled in school. So, they could be added to the roster later.

So, this could be about LSU waiting to see how court proceedings go or I don't know, you could see the players ultimately getting out of school and not pushing this. We'll see, come, I guess, Monday and how things go.

FREEMAN: Yes, I think important to remind folks the story far from over. But I'm curious, what are you hearing from other SEC athletic directors behind closed doors? Is there a consensus from your perspective on keeping ex-pros out, or are schools --

EMERSON: Yes --

FREEMAN: Maybe actually hoping for this to be an option?

EMERSON: No, they considered this a red line. There's been a lot in college sports over the last five years that has changed stuff that people once thought was just a previous third rail red line. Whatever term you want to use that now, they're -- I mean, they're even talking about collective bargaining if that's what it takes, if they don't get federal legislation.

[06:45:00] But having players leave pro teams where they have signed and come

back to college is still a red line for a lot of people. Now, this situation is different in that it relates to just the players who were part of the 2022 recruiting class because of the NCAA changing their rule.

When they did, everyone says, including LSU and Lane Kiffin, that this wouldn't be a routine thing. This wouldn't happen in the future. But on SEC athletic directors, other people in college sports are very adamant about not letting it happen.

Now, just on the principle that players should not have come -- not be able to be pros and then come back, but also, they are worried about a precedent. They're worried about it. People saying now that, oh, it's just about this year, it won't happen in future years.

But then come next year saying, well, you know, maybe that. So, that's why it was important to them to -- sorry to use another one of those terms, but draw a line in the sand on this one.

FREEMAN: No, not at all. And again, to your point, I mean, it's hard to potentially put toothpaste back into the tube once it's out here. But -- so looking forward, how do you see this conflict resolving between the Louisiana State Court injunction protecting the players and the SEC's federal suit in Alabama?

EMERSON: Well, I've used my journalism degree and my sports writing background to learn a lot about the legal process the last few weeks. The SEC, which I think has also learned a lot about the legal process, filed a federal lawsuit in Birmingham in their backyard, but a federal lawsuit with the idea that it would supersede the state court injunction.

Now, technically, the Louisiana case is supposed to go to trial, but obviously a trial would take place after any of these matters after the season. The SEC is hoping that this federal lawsuit, and I think the specter of that federal lawsuit may have been part of LSU's calculation in not rostering these players.

But does that federal lawsuit -- all that's happened so far is the SEC has filed it. They have not gotten a preliminary injunction yet that would officially --

FREEMAN: Got it --

EMERSON: Supersede it. I think what's even more vital to this is the penalties the SEC put in place a couple of weeks ago, they said they were enforcing a rule that was already on the books, but the penalties were new, and LSU legally could play these players.

They could roster these players. But if it ends up that the courts ultimately rule like this federal lawsuit out of Birmingham the SEC filed, ultimately ruled that the SEC is correct, and that their penalties hold up, then, retroactively, LSU would be in violation of that and here comes the hammer from the SEC. So, I think the specter of that is ultimately -- FREEMAN: Right --

EMERSON: What is making LSU blink here.

FREEMAN: Well, Seth Emerson, thank you so much for breaking all of that down. An important story to many certainly. Appreciate your time this morning.

EMERSON: Of course.

FREEMAN: All right, coming up next on CNN THIS MORNING, we're getting brand new video of a deadly blast at a military base in Bolivia. Take a look at this. The new information we're learning overnight, we're going to talk about it all.

And as we go to break, here's a live look at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on a steamy Saturday morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLOSION)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Unbelievable video. A deadly explosion at a military base in Bolivia. Two people were killed and at least, 58 were injured, according to Bolivia's deputy Defense Minister. The blast occurred at an Artillery and Maintenance Base where pyrotechnic material was being stored.

Terrifying stuff there. And we're following breaking news coming out of Russia. A short time ago, Russian state media reported that President Trump's special envoys have landed in Moscow. You're looking at new video of the plane Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner flew on for their visit.

Now, according to a U.S. official, Kushner and Witkoff will then make their first visit to Kyiv in Ukraine. This week's CNN Hero is dedicated to tackling homelessness in Syracuse, New York. Andrew Lunetta is building tiny homes in his city, offering unhoused people not only safe shelter but stability, dignity and support as they rebuild their lives. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW LUNETTA, CNN HERO: We take for granted the stability that a home affords us. If you were to just imagine doing anything without a house, like, oh no, that's where I have to get first. That is where our tenants are coming from constantly. The tiny home is a really solid model because it pairs this independent and also private living. RHEA HOLMES, BENEFICIARY OF ANDREW LUNETTA HOUSING UNIT: I wish people understood that the homeless population are still human, and any time, circumstances can change. I was living at my husband's grave for eight months.

My whole life was turned upside down. When I finally got to the end of the rope and became out of my home, the only place that I felt was home for me was the cemetery where my husband was.

LUNETTA: In its simplest form, stable housing made it so Rhea no longer had to sleep in the cemetery.

(FEMALE KNOCKING ON A DOOR)

HOLMES: Come in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi!

HOLMES: It's so good to see you.

LUNETTA: The next step after that was long-term case management supports to help her address the things that hopefully she's not going to have to deal with anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am so proud of you.

HOLMES: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've got to help me out.

LUNETTA: Oh, man, yes --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all got me focused.

LUNETTA: Where a tenant moves in. They don't necessarily understand that they're being housed by this organization that cares a whole lot about them.

[06:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, dude, you've been knocking it out of the park.

LUNETTA: So, when all of a sudden, we're knocking on their door, there's a little bit of like, well, this is different. Hey, buddy, you want to walk? But as time goes on, and I think that it's seeing that we mean it, it's really pretty profound some of those changes. This wouldn't exist without the tenants.

HOLMES: You a great leader, sir. Peace is now what I have. It's like freedom to just exhale, like your nervous system is now able to rest.

LUNETTA: Let's go get this toilet fixed, shall we? I still don't love being called a landlord, but it is true. That's what we are. And I think that what this population needs is landlords who care, and it's absolutely what we do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: For more on Andrew's story, you can go to CNN.com/heroes. And thank you all very much for joining me this hour, I'm going to be back with a special two more hours of CNN THIS MORNING, starting at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. "TABLE FOR FIVE" is coming up after this quick break. And we'll leave you with this right now -- rainy Miami this morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)