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The Situation Room

Dozens Dead, Hundreds Missing After Flooding in Nepal, China; Remembering Dolly Parton, Country Music Icon, Philanthropist; Tariff Standoff Between U.S. and Canada Escalates. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired August 26, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is on assignment. You're in The Situation Room.

There's breaking news we're following right now. Dozens, dozens of people have been killed, and hundreds of people are missing after massive flash floods hit the border between Nepal and China. This shocking video shows a massive rush of water slamming into a town. Urgent rescue operations are currently underway as emergency workers desperately search for survivors.

Let's go live right now to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam. What more are you learning, Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: What we're learning here is that there are millions that are under threat from these melting glaciers that not only are made worse by the overall climate scenario here, where we're seeing so many of them melt into these glacier lakes, but also the topography playing a role along with the monsoon rains here that have settled in across portions of Nepal and the border of China.

So, you're looking at a Google Earth image. We're zooming into the areas that were most impacted, and this is the river, some of the thousands of glaciers that line the Himalayans here. And notice the steep topography across this area, some of the buildup of the glacial lakes that can happen within these gorges. There was a 4.4 registered magnitude earthquake in and around the disaster zone.

So, what we believe could have potentially maybe cascading impacts from this is not only the melt water from these glacial lakes but also being dammed up by falling debris, ice, rocks that potentially made their way into these very, very narrow gorges here.

We've seen a lot of videos coming up from some of the hydroelectric plants within this area, the water overtaking the buildings that are basically at the base of these towering behemoth mountains. Remember, we call a glacial lake outburst, another nickname for this would be an inland tsunami because of the force of the water that gets let out instantaneously. It's got nowhere to go but downstream. And you've got roughly 2 million people in the way of this potential disaster, and these are the locations. We're seeing a lot of the water and the mud and debris leftovers from this area as the water overspilled its banks as it cascaded down the Himalayan Mountains towards this part of Nepal. Dangerous situations, scary videos to watch. Wolf?

BLITZER: Very, very scary indeed. All right, Derek Van Dam, thank you very much.

There's other breaking news we're following. Social media giant Meta has agreed to a major $18 billion settlement over accusations it intentionally harmed children. That according to court documents filed today. 29 state attorneys general claim that Meta intentionally designed harmful and addictive platforms.

Let's go live right now to our tech reporter, Clare Duffy. Clare, how did this settlement come about, and what more have you learned?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes, Wolf, this is a massive settlement, as you said, 18 billion dollars.

The North Carolina attorney general just called that the largest settlement against a big tech company in history. This happened as Meta was set to go into yet another day of trial. This was the second week of trial in the first of the trials from these states as part of this massive multi-state lawsuit accusing it of intentionally designing addictive platforms.

And the states have said that they agreed to this settlement because they felt it would bring about changes to Meta's platforms more comprehensively and faster than if they continued with the litigation process. Meta has denied these allegations and repeatedly said that it has made investments to make its platforms safe for young people.

But this settlement is going to require them to do much more. Not only are they making this nearly $18 billion payment to fund states' youth safety initiatives, they've also agreed to make a number of significant changes to their platforms for users 13 to 17, Wolf, and those include things like a two-hour daily time limit that only parents can turn off, a default night mode that will make the apps inactive from midnight to 6:00 A.M., a school mode so that kids will be getting fewer notifications during the day. Teens will also get 15- minute reminders when they're using the apps to make them more conscious of how long they've been scrolling.

So, really important changes coming to Meta's platforms here, which ultimately was the goal of these states with this litigation. Of course, this brings to, you know, an end to significant legal battle for the company, and they have not admitted wrongdoing as part of this settlement. But they are going to be making these very significant changes, Wolf.

[10:05:02]

BLITZER: Does any of the $18 billion in this settlement, Claire, go directly to parents or kids who suffered as a result of this?

DUFFY: I think we're still waiting to get a better sense of how each state will use their portion of that $18 billion. Meta did say that it will fund youth safety initiatives, and so, you know, certainly, I think states will try to figure out how to help parents and families with this.

But, Wolf, there are still hundreds of lawsuits that have been filed by individual families, by school districts against Meta and the other big tech companies accusing them of similar claims, making these addictive platforms that have harmed children. That litigation will be ongoing here, but this does resolve the significant multi-state lawsuit from the state attorneys general.

BLITZER: Clare Duffy reporting for us. Claire, thank you very, very much.

Still ahead, remembering a music titan. We're live in the home of country music legend in Tennessee as the world mourns the loss, so sad, of Dolly Parton.

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[10:10:00]

BLITZER: This morning, we're remembering a fabulous music titan. The world is mourning the loss of Dolly Parton. The tributes are pouring in, showing just how many lives she touched through her music, her movies, and philanthropy.

We're live in the home of the country music star in Nashville, Tennessee. I'll speak to former HLN Anchor Robin Meade on her connection to Dolly. Coy Bowles of the Zac Brown Band will also join me to talk about Dolly's impact on the music industry. And the fire chief of Waldens Creek in Tennessee will be here to talk about her amazing impact on the town after fires devastated that entire region back in 2016.

But, first, here's Dolly singing her biggest hit ever, I Will Always Love You.

Dolly's family announced she died peacefully in Nashville yesterday after a brief battle with cancer. She was 80 years old.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you.

Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.

Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt Granny, Gigi.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: Dolly's iconic career spanned nearly seven decades. She was just 13 years old when she made her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, where she was introduced by Johnny Cash.

From very humble beginnings as one of 12 children, Dolly skyrocketed to stardom, going on to be nominated for 55 Grammys and winning 10. She was also honored with the Grammy's Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition to her musical career, she graced the big screen starring in films like the iconic 9 to 5 with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dabney Coleman.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look, I got a gun out there in my purse. And up to now I've been forgiving and forgetting because of the way I was brought up. But I'll tell you one thing. If you ever say another word about me or make another indecent proposal, I'm going to get that gun of mine, and I'm going to change you from a rooster to a hen with one shot. Don't think I can't do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: To her role as Truvy Jones in Steel Magnolias, where she delivered some of the best one-liners in her small town southern beauty salon.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Shelby, I wasn't expecting to see you here today. What can I do for you? I'm running a special. It's called a Christmas quickie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Miss Truvy, I'm beyond help. Last week, I discovered the early stages of crow's feet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Honey, time marches on, and eventually you realize it's marching across your face. Stop it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Since the announcement of Dolly's shocking death, tributes from coast to coast, and indeed from around the world, have been pouring in. Here, you can see flowers and balloons surrounding the Dolly Parton statue outside a courthouse in Eastern Tennessee. And in New York, look at this, the Empire State Building lit up pink in her honor, honor at 9:25 last night, or 9 to 5, in honor of her hit movie.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dolly Parton was the closest thing that I had to religion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's going to be missed. I mean, she is a legend. She is the queen of Tennessee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If America had royalty, you know, right, she would be one of them. It's like losing our Princess Diana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We mourn artists because we knew them, but we mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's all -- it's our job to, you know, carry her legacy on through community service, reinvesting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's left her mark on this planet tenfold, and I don't think anybody can do it like her. So, I will always love you, Dolly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Dolly even left some of our favorite celebrities in awe. Here's Reese Witherspoon remembering her own experience with Dolly.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I want to just tell you, Dolly, I'm going to get emotional, but I just -- you've inspired me so much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You continue to inspire me. I've always wanted to be more like you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, don't be like me. Be like you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am. I'll be me. But you do inspire me, and I think you inspire so many people out there with your positivity and your -- the warmth and the kindness just comes off of you because it's real.

[10:15:05]

And --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I try. Well, thank you. It's like I've chased after rainbows. I've captured one or two.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I've reached for the stars, and I've even held a few. I've walked that lonesome valley, you know? I've topped the mountains, soared the skies. I've laughed and I've cried, but I've always tried.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I love you, Dolly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for sharing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

It touches me to no end that I'm an inspiration. It makes you feel like you've, you've done something right, because you don't really know in your life how you're going to be seen or remembered. And I look back and then I still see that my music seems to be important, and that young women especially, which I love that, that they can look to me to say, Dolly had the strength to do it, or she got through it. That's really humbling, and it makes me feel proud. And I just thank God for it.

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BLITZER: Let's go live to CNN Anchor and Senior National Correspondent Sara Sidner, who's in Nashville for us. Sara, what is the mood on the ground there right now?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, it's somber, but it's also gleeful in the sense that they get to remember all that Dolly was and all that she did for this town and for the world.

And I will say, you know, we're standing outside of the place that you mentioned. She was 13 when she came here to the Grand Ole Opry and she sung. And then right after she graduated from high school, literally the day after, she came here at 18 years old, and she was clear about her goals. She wanted to be a star. She wanted to make it in the world of music, and boy did she. 21 number one hits. She is an incredible -- she is an icon for so many here.

And people are coming out from all over the place to talk about the impact that she has had on them, whether they are people who are fans or people that she's worked with in the city, like the mayor or people that she played with, the musicians, the many musicians that she played with and continues to inspire with her incredible songwriting as well as her singing and her musical abilities.

I got the chance to speak with the Oak Ridge Boys' lead singer, Duane Allen, who played right alongside Dolly Parton right here at the Grand Ole Opry, as well as singer-songwriter John Ford Coley. We had a great conversation outside of this beautiful building where so much music has been handed to the world.

Here's what they said when they learned of her passing.

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DUANE ALLEN, THE OAK RIDGE BOYS SINGER AND SONGWRITER: I was devastated when I heard it yesterday. I couldn't hardly talk for a while. I got a call from a friend who wanted me to come to their studio and do an interview, and I did. And after the interview, I just broke down. I just completely broke down. I lost it. It's not on film, but it's in my heart, and it was devastating to hear the news.

I don't worry about where she's gone or where she will go, but I -- and I know that for our business, a whole empty space is in my heart that she always filled.

SIDNER: That's beautifully said. What about you? JOHN FORD COLEY, SINGER AND SONGWRITER: And we -- you know, again, because I travel all the time, I still play a lot, we lose friends constantly. It's the most depressing thing. As a matter of fact, I was talking with another friend of mine. He's rock and roll Hall of Famer, but now he's a preacher. And I said, do you realize how many times I walk outside and I point my finger in the sky and go, you, God, 2:00, my office tomorrow. We got to talk. You're messing up here. And when I saw that Dolly had died, I just put on my Facebook, no, not Dolly. Not Dolly.

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SIDNER: Now, Duane Allen said that the person that we all saw as fans was exactly the person that she was. She was witty, she was funny, she was naughty, she was an incredible talent, and she gave it her all, all the time, least of which she did when it comes to philanthropy.

You know, Dolly Parton never had children of her own, but she considered children hers who were complete strangers, all the world's children, and she came up with the Imagination Library, who has affected children throughout their lives, giving them books.

She also was about to debut a new hotel here, and now they are going to have to change their plans to honor her with this hotel. The mayor coming and saying how his heart broke open when he found out that she was gone, but her memory is going to last forever.

[10:20:01]

Wolf?

BLITZER: And as we say, may she rest in peace, and may her memory be a blessing.

Sara Sidner, thank you very, very much.

We're going to continue looking at the extraordinary life of Dolly Parton, including her advocacy for the L- LBGTQ-plus community, which included her very vocal support for years, and even writing a song, Traveling Through, for the movie TransAmerica, which earned her an Oscar nomination.

Here she is in her own words in an interview with Larry King. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do not believe that we should criticize and judge other people. I think we should be accepting and loving. We are all God's children. We are who we are, and we should allow -- be allowed to be who we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[10:25:00] BLITZER: We'll have much more on the life and legacy of Dolly Parton, but we're also following some other important news stories right now. Happening now, the trade standoff between the United States and Canada is clearly escalating amid days of President Trump and Canadian leaders exchanging pledges to tariff each other's countries after talks completely fell apart.

The two sides still have time before the September 8th deadline for Canada to impose its own retaliatory tariffs, and CNN reports that Republicans are urging Trump officials to pursue a deal that averts an all-out trade war between these two allies.

Joining us now to discuss is Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan. Your home state, Congresswoman, shares a long border with Canada right now. What are you hearing from your constituents about these tariffs and, and the impact that they're having on the economy and politically as well, just ahead of the midterm elections?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): So, good morning, Wolf. It's good to be with you this morning. And I want to tell you that in my district, it's more than just -- look, this is an economic security issue, it is a national security issue. But you need to understand, in a part of my district, we're north of Canada. You look out people's windows and you see Canada. You don't see America. You get -- you used to be, when I was a kid, you get in a boat and we'd be in Canada, and I didn't know there was such a thing as a border.

Canada is our neighbor. They are our partner. They are our family. And what we're watching right now is just simply outrageous, and it's dangerous for this country. You want to talk about the economy that you just asked me at? About 500,000 American jobs are tied to the U.S. auto part manufacturer. We sold more than 650,000 vehicles to Canada last year.

And you want to know how the Canadians are feeling about us? In 2024, almost 40 million people visited America from Canada, and that number went down 25 percent last year. This is a problem for us. And I love my Canadian neighbors. They are my family, and what's happening is wrong. And I will be -- when I return next week to Washington, I've got a letter circulating to the president now. I'm introducing a resolution for sets of Congress. This is not good for our country. This is not okay.

BLITZER: Yes, I can certainly relate to everything you're saying. I grew up on the border with Canada as well, in Western New York and Buffalo, right on the border with Canada. We always had a summer cottage in Ontario, Crystal Beach, in Ontario, in Canada, and I love the Canadians. So, it's hard for me to see what's going on, just as it is for you.

President Trump suggested to CNN that the U.S. added conditions late during trade talks with Canada. Have you had any conversations with Canadian officials about the specific hang-ups in these current negotiations and how to try to resolve them?

DINGELL: I have had multitude of conversations with Canadians this week from the Canadian ambassador to I'm trading with Pete Hoekstra, our U.S. ambassador, talked to many other government officials there. I don't have the specific details.

I know that nobody likes where we are. It's already been a very rough summer here in Michigan. You can understand this, Wolf, because Buffalo is like where we are right now. It took forever to open the Gordie Howe Bridge, which Canada paid for, which is critical for our -- you know, an auto part goes back and forth across one of our bridges an average of eight times.

And on the day that we finally opened the Gordie Howe Bridge, which our president and secretary of commerce tried to block, we put a 50 percent. It's called the Gordie Howe Bridge after someone you and I both know was born in Canada, one of the greatest hockey players in the United States, and we put a 50 percent tariff on hockey sticks. This isn't right.

So, I know that they're concerned, but they've got to stand up. I -- what their prime minister is doing, they're fighting for Canada, and I understand it, and what I want to do is deescalate this whole thing.

BLITZER: As you know, Congresswoman, President Trump is now even floating the idea of renaming Lake Ontario and calling it Lake America. How do you view this? Is it a public relations stunt, a move with real implications, or perhaps just both?

[10:30:00]