not so much right away to voters in minnesota. i won the first vote by 320 votes, which that's funny. [ laughter ] this is cnn. breaking news. >> 3:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world, following breaking news this hour here on cnn. i'm george howell at cnn center in atlanta. search and rescue efforts are under way after the u.s. guided missile destroyer collided with a merchant ship near singapore. this happened early monday. ten sailors are missing from the uss john s. mccain, five are injured. there is some visible damage. can you see a gaping hole above and significantly below the ship's water line. but it's moving to port under

its own power. this is the fourth mishap involving a u.s. navy warship in the pacific this year. let's get the very latest this hour from cnn senior u.s. correspondent kyong. what do you know about the position of the sailers, the search of the missing and those who are injured? >> reporter: we haven't received any recent update. the last update we got from the seventh fleet was that ship, as you said, was sailing under its own power back to port in singapore. and that the investigation was going to pick up from there. the last thing we heard about those sailors is thatthey remain missing. that there are a number of assets that have been deployed to that region from u.s. helicopters to ospreys from the u.s. marines, to assistance from singapore, malaysia, a significant effort to try to figure out where these sailors are. so that's the very latest that we've heard, that the search is under way, that ship is heading back to port and that they will try to figure out what happened

with these young sailors from what we understand, george, they've tried to reach out to families. seventh fleet tweeting out a number for support to kcall in. we've been aboard a lot of these ships. the sailors are very young. in their 20s. the young people are still missing. george? >> there is context with regards to the u.s. navy. this is not the first time we've seen an incidence like this. just two months ago, the uss fitzgerald complieded with a philippine container ship. before that, two other ins kecis in the year. what can you tell us under the overall optics here, the big picture? >> we can take it piece by piece by looking at uss fitzgerald report just came out this past thursday. detailing events. what happened when the collision happened. it didn't answer how it could have happened.

when you look at the breadth of all of these, the one that just happened, uss fitzgerald, containing with a container ship. the uss lake champlain hitting a fishing boat. then the uss antietam ran aground while anchoring. some questions about how this could happen, how will be at play for families that want know. is there something wrong us systemically. the uss fitzgerald accident is ha harolding. a number of people aboard the jits fer al fitzgerald will be punished. >> thank you. we will stay in touch with you as you monitor developments

there. president trump tweeted saying the follow be, quote, thoughts and prayers are with those in the navy, sailors aboard the uss john mccain where search and rescue rescue efforts are under way. more than 8,000 troops are in afghanistan. the taliban and other militants still control or contest large parts of the country. we have more from boris sanchez on this report. >> reporter: the president is said to address the nation later tonight at 9:00 p.m. he is expected to outline the strategy in afghanistan and further the south asia strategy for the white house that's been working on figuring out this piece of the puzzle in that part of the world for many months.

the president has several options. and several senators voiced support for including john mccain of arizona. another potential option is a complete withdraw or perhaps a sifting of similar responsibilities in afghanistan from american personnel to private contractors. secretary of defense, james mattis, was asked about the approach on sunday. he didn't get into much detail except i wanted to let the president give his own explanation to the american people. here is more from secretary mattis. >> i am not willing to make significant troop lifts until we knew the strategy, what was the commitment going in. in that regard, the president has made a decision. as he said, he wants to be the one to announce it to the american people, so i'll stand silent until then. until that point.

>> also of note, you heard secretary mattis echo that idea that this wouldn't be just a strategy for afghanistan but rather an entire south asia strategy for the entire region. to give you context, this is the longest war in american history dating back to the fall of 2001. as you know, president obama declared an end to combat operations in afghanistan. back in 2014. fast forward to february of this year, 2017 and a commander of troops in afghanistan, general john nicholson, declaring that there was essentially a stalemate between american and afghan troops and the taliban. so it will be interesting to see which of these options the president chooses moving forward. certainly a heated point of contention between many officials close to the president and we will find out his decision tonight at the okay p.m. boris sanchez, cnn, traveling with the president in bridge water, new jersey.

>> president trump's announcement will follow a very rocky week so to speak. will this be the opportunity for the president to turn the page? let's talk about the pages he hopes to turn first. scott lucas, professor of university politics at university of birmingham in engla england. thank you for being with us, scott, this hour. before we talk about the week ahead, let's talk about the week that was. we saw mr. trump's chief strategist, steve bannon fired. also that intense criticism the president faced for his response that both sides were somehow to blame for what happened in charlottesville, virginia. controversies that came at rapid pace. and now, this new nbc news marist poll showing three key states that helped president trump win the election. 64% of registered voters in michigan. 63% in pennsylvania. 64% in wisconsin. now say they feel embarrassed by as his conduct office. the snapshot we see, what does

it say about where the president stands? >> i think the president has been standing on slippery ground for months. the russia investigation, failure to get any legislation through congress, including health care proposals, uncertainty offer his budget and uncertainty within the white house. the question is whether that slippery slope became a cliff face last tuesday when he appeared to give a pass to white supremacist and criticism the so-called alt left over sh charlottesville. it is one thing that people carry confederate flags. it is different to appear to endorse swastikas, nazi style salutes, anti-semitic slogans. the hope is today that afghanistan announcement will push some of that to the side. let's not talk about charlottesville, let's not talk about white supremacy. but it push forward the russia investigation and economic

issues in weeks to come and is the afghanistan proposal a strategy or holding announcement? those are the questions we face in coming weeks. >> you know, the president in his first response was criticized for not saying white str supremacist, neo-nazis and kkk. a couple of days of that. but mr. trump is getting support from jerry fallwell jr, giving the president credit for the second try. >> the bold and truthful statements i was referring to was to call evil and terrorism to its ney to identify groups, nazis, kkk, white supremacists, and that's something a leader should do. i admire him for that. president trump is something that we haven't had in national leadership in a long time.

he is substance over form. some recent national leaders have been form over substance. they tell people what they want it hear. they sugar coat everything. they have shul augar-coated everything. i think the american people have gotten thin-skinned and i think they need to listin to ten to t substance of what he said. >> the substance the first time he didn't use those words. second time he did. keeping in mind president trump when he was running for office, constantly criticizing pred s s predecessors for not using islamic terror. does he deserve the credit from mr. falwell when he didn't use the words initially? >> i'm the son of a preacher. let me be clear. mr. falwell is not speaking as a religious person, he is speaking as a political speaker for the

president. you say president trump criticized racism. he did that, reading it from a script. day later at the ad hoc press conference at trump tower that came out and said it was the alt-left carrying clubs, saying it was fake news and fake media whipping out the white supremacist threat. then went on twitter and tried to shift it to confederate statues. all these white supremacists and neo-nazis, supposedly defending symbols of southern heritage and culture. so no, jerry falwell is recreating events of the past. we need to be clear about that. the question is, moving forward, do we see an attempt by the president and realigned white house staff with steve bannon gone to be more conciliatory, to recognize issues before all-americans, not just some, or does trump revert back to his aggressive and quite often hostile rhetoric? >> scott lucas, thank you for

your time today. >> thank you. >> some members are congress are opening questioning mr. trump's fitness for office. top dem krocrat on house democrc committee called for more shakeup. but says the fundamental problem is at the top. >> well i certainly think that there's an issue with the president's capability. some attribute to his character that makes him a broad understanding of what the country really needs. and i think it is a question that people are asking. you know, what is going on with this president? what could explain this kind of behavior. >> then this from cnn contributor and iconic journalist carl bernstein that president trump's fitness for office needs to be investigated. >> republicans in congress, highest of intelligence officials, highest of military officers in our country, leaders of the business community, all

of whom have dealt with the white house and many of them dealt personally with donald trump, have come to believe that he is unfit for the presidency. that's what i'm learning as a reporter talking to many, many people in washington who over the last month or two have come t that conclusion and especially among republicans in congress. they have been raising the very question of his stability and mental fitness to be president of the united states. this is not me, carl bernstein saying this, this is me carl bernstein being a reporter. whaen i haand what i have said n important crucial dangerous story that reporters need to start making their business to dot reporting. to go to all the republican members of congress and talk to them in private or on the record if they will about what they believe to be the fitness or unfitness of donald trump to be president of the united states.

>> when reporters do they, they usually get a no comment. how do we get to the issue if gg gop leaders don't talk about it. >> i don't believe you will have to many people do what bob corker did on the record and question the president's stability but let's find out. i think the first task to remember is that most good reporting, real deep reporting, investigative reporting we do, does involve anonymity for our sources. and we need to know that people don't have an axe to grind. i don't think we aught to be talking to democrats about this question. primarily we need to go to the republicans in congress. go to top intelligence officials, military officials and ask them on background as we call it in our profession, and perhaps off the record, what do they think about the president's sta pilt a stability and fitness to be

president of the united states. >> and in austin, texas, university of texas is moving the remaining confederate statues on its campus. in statement the university's president said that it's clear confederate monuments have become symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-nazis. six confederate statues on the campus were first evaluated after the church shooting in charleston, south carolina in 2015. two stat ice were relocated. now remaining four stat ice are being removed as well. still ahead, as barcelona tries to heal from last week's deadly terror attacks, the hunt for one of the men responsible is going beyond spain's border. also ahead, a missing world war ii warship has finally been found. the story of the uss indianapolis. ♪

you think you've seen everything? ♪ let's talk about that when you get here. ♪ the united states virgin islands. you're more than just a bathroom disease. you're a life of unpredictable symptoms. crohn's, you've tried to own us. but now it's our turn to take control with stelara® stelara® works differently for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before or during treatment, always tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths,

or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion, and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. we're fed up with your unpredictability. remission can start with stelara®. talk to your doctor today. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options for stelara®.

the search for a suspect in spain's twin terror attacks is now an international manhunt. spanish police work to reinforce the border with france but they fear he may have crossed that border at some point.

in the meantime, investigators are learning more about the terror cell and the ex tetent o the plans. we are live in barcelona. as this investigation is still going, people take the time to remember the victims in this terrible tragedy. >> very good morning to you. very much so, george. i will step out of the way so you can get a sense of the memorials that cropped up here leading up to las ramblas. you can see media but also tourist, many tourists come to this area. but also many spaniards coming here to put down their flowers. also candles. lots of messages. messages of peace. but also messages that say not to support. we do not have any fear.

this is very much a show of unity, a show of force, a show we have seen in the last few hours in spain. standing strong and united. a defiant barcelona. living up to its motto. more than a clump. today, a city. a fitting ending to what has been a somber day. spaniards involved outside. inside, king and queen pay tribute to those who died and more than a hundred injured. the prayers hadn't even been heard when the tragedy of august 17th was relived once more. authorities telling cnn 7-year-old julian thought to be missing was confirmed dead. as the country comes together to

grief and mourn, police are making strides in what is an increasingly strong investigation. >> translator: they planned one or more attacks in barcelona with explosives made it these days in the hopes of causing even greater damage. >> reporter: the grand plan orchestrated from right here. they may have long gone but their shadow continues to haunt the sleepy town. for days now controlled explosions have rocked. police sifting through rubble and the pile of explosives. taking stock of the magnitude of what was planned. >> translator: the number of canisters is more than 100 at the moment. but the inspection isn't over yet. it will probably last days because it is a very slow process. as you know, this is the kind of explosive used habitually in daesh attacks.

>> reporter: for six months they skauted in this house until a mistake by them forced their hand. since that explosion, police discovered human remains belonging to two suspected terrorists. a third suffered serious injuries and is now under arrest. as the pieces of the puzzle come together, this man is still on the run. police may have been intensified the hunt. with reinforcements in highway answers borders. five days on from the terror attack. they acknowledge he may have slipped through the net. and george, now authorities are looking for younes, who spanish media say is 22 years of age and originally from morocco. but there seems to be a lot of questions around the area where he is from. an area where 8 of the 12 suspected terrorist attackers are from.

and police wanting to know more about him and his role in the investigation and how much of a role do you have in trying to radicalize these young men. these are questions the authorities now closely trying to get answers to. george? >> trying to understand exactly the origin of why and how this all came together. isa soares reporting for us. thank you. the john s. mccain just arrived at singapore's naval base more than ten hours after complieding wi colliding with a merchant ship. there is visible damage there. there is a gaping hole above and significantly below that ship's water line. search and rescue operations are ongoing and are looking for ten u.s. navy sailors. five, as we understand, are injured. the first total solar elips clio

cross the united states in almost a century will be in ten hours. people have been traveling to states like oregon, they will have the very best views. our miguel marquez hit the road to see how many are planning to celebrate and watch this eclipse. >> countdown to total eclipse coast to coast. >> this is the sun and this is the eclipse. this is the moon and it goes directly at it and then makes it totally dark. repo >> reporter: in its path, an astronomical celebration from or t.o. south carolina. place to be, 70-mile swath of eclipse or totality of the moon shadow going through 12 states turning day into night. what do you think will happen? >> like, i don't think you really should look at sun. >> no, you shouldn't. >> it might burn your eyes.

>> reporter: good advice heeded everywhere. in chicago long lines despite the rain for eclipse viewing glasses, eclipse traffic already heavy. >> we are hearing a lot of information about the traffic's going to be real halfy that day. we're going to be staying home. >> reporter: cities and small towns along the path of totality preparing for massive crowds. >> you think can you literally double, triple, quadruple the size of this place overnight? >> oh very much so. >>. >> reporter: and people will be spread out. in idaho, massive crowds. friends staying with friends. families coming together. millions on the move. even camping out for this once in a lifetime happening. you've been planning this trip for now long? >> at least seven years. >> reporter: seven years? >> yes. two vehicles, truck campers. we left at 4:30 in the morning. got here about 3:30 in the afternoon. >> reporter: in the math of totality, total eclipse of the

theme for everything from dark of day wine in nebraska to martinis in oregon. >> we take the martini glass and rim it with a little bit of oregon oreo crust. >> reporter: and of course, eclipse doughnuts. >> chocolate top, sun ring around it. but you break it up and it is full of sunshine and orange cream cycle flavoring. >> reporter: this eclipse unique for the u.s. the last time one went coast to coast here, 1918. woodrow wilson was president and first world war was nearing its end. miguel marquez, cnn, independence, oregon. >> it's going to be exciting. miguel, thanks for the report. still ahead, u.s. president will soon outline a new strategy for afghanistan. but ask he find a way out of the war? some say is unwinnable. also ahead this hour, u.s. and south korean war games draw new threats from pyongyang, a live

report from seoul, south korea. cnn live on both cnn international and krp usa this hour. stay with us. we check our phones 85 times a day.

so it only made sense to create a network that keeps up. introducing xfinity mobile. it combines america's largest, most reliable 4g lte with the most wifi hotspots nationwide.

saving you money wherever you check your phone. yeah, even there. see how much you can save when you choose by the gig or unlimited. call, or go to xfinitymobile.com. xfinity mobile. it's a new kind of network designed to save you money. 3:31 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. good to have you with us. u.s. navy is searching for ten sailors miss afg the uss john s. mccain collided with a merchant ship east of singapore. five sailors are injured and there is some damage to the ship with flooding in several places.

in spain police say they can't confirm that the terror suspect is still in the country. they believe he may have fled north with the border with france. 14 people left dead and more than 100 people wounded. donald trump is planning to address the nation monday night to explain new detail of the u.s. strategy in afghanistan. despite years of involvement by the united states the taliban remains a powerful force in that nation. president trump's team has been working on options for afghanistan for many months now. more than will,08,000 u.s. troo stationed there. it is not clear if more troops will join them under the strategy or if there will be a full or partial withdrawal. james mattis says the president's strategy won't just cover afghanistan but will also cover south asia. listen. >> i was not willing to make significant troop lifts until we

knew what was the strategy, what was the commitment going in. in that regard the president made a decision, as he said, he wants to be the one to announce it to the american people so i'll stand silent until then. until that point. >> let's bring in cnn intelligence and security analyst bob bare. it is good to have you with us this hour. this is a decision that was several months in the making since he took office. what do you expect to hear from president trump whaen do you believe is needed there? >> well i believe he will boost the troop level. there is no indication we will pull off of afghanistan at all, at this point. i just don't think this president is willing to say, i can't win the war, so let's pull out and frankly, you know, what he is up against is this is an

unwinnable war. not just a war against the taliban it is a war against the posh tune tribal confederation which is the border of afghanistan and pakistan, some 40 million people. so adding some p 3,000 or 4,000 troops may sound good on paper but it won't take back afghanistan. >> let's talk about options that were considered before the president reached this particular conclusion. options to increase troops as you pointed out, options to reduce numbers and to send in private mercenaries but reports indicate that last option was never taken seriously. >> the private mercenaries won't work. it makes no difference to our fate on the battlefield. sending in eric prince's blackwater won't win this war. i know eric prince has been out there promoting this with steve bannon and a lot of other people. i don't think mcmaster, national

security adviser, or mattis, secretary of defense, will buy off on this. i think the most we can do at this point is hold ground because the taliban is contesting and controlling 50% of afghanistan. they are doing better today than they've ever done since we invaded in 2001. so you know, frankly, this president doesn't know what to do, and this is why it has taken so long. what it would take to occupy afghanistan is more than 100,000 troops. that would be indefinitely. and it would do nothing for the pashtun on the other side of the border in pakistan. so it is a quagmire that no one has an easy solution for. >> bob baer giving us insight and analysis. thank you for your time today, bob. >> thanks, george. military exercises are getting under the way between the united states and south

korea and are drawing new threats from pyongyang. on sunday north korean state media called the drills quote reckless and said they were a move toward a possible nuclear war and also said its military can target guam, hawaii, and the united states mainland at any time with a quote merciless strike. paula hancock is live in seoul, south korea. paula, given the rhetoric we saw a week ago, talk to us about the sensitivity if there is any heightened sensitivity involved in what's happening. >> george, the sort of remarks that we're hearing from north korea at this point are as expected. they happen very often just before a joint military job between u.s. and south korea. we started at a heightened level of contention given the strong remask back and forth between the u.s. president and north korea. there is concern at the heightened level that we're

looking at. we have heard common remarks from president moon of south korea saying that there will be no second korean war on the peninsula just this morning talking to the cabinet he said it was very important note that these drills are defensive. let's listen to what he said. >> translator: there's no intent at all it heighten military tension on the korean peninsula as these drills are handled annually. north korea shouldn't use exercises as an excuse. >> we also heard from the u.s. second of defense james mattis. he said that north korea is well aware these are defensive drills. they are well aware they are annual. but feel this is necessary for them to say potentially for a

domestic audience. one thing to point out with the drills is they are very different from the drills we have in the spring time here in south korea between the u.s. and south korea these are more of a computer simulation. we heard from secretary of defense it is more of soldiers hunch offered computer screens rather than am amphibious drills. we will have to wait and see how provocative north korea finds even these kind of drills. >> thanks are for the report, paula. fans are mourning american comedian jerry lewis. jerry lewis died sunday at the age of 91 years old. a look back at life and legacy of the man whose name was synonymous with laughter still ahead. they have businesses to run they have passions to pursue how do they avoid trips to the post office?

stamps.com mail letters ship packages all the services of the post office right on your computer get a 4 week trial plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/try and never go to the post office again

speak now. (coughs) so sorry. oh no... it's just that your friend daryl here is supposed to be live streaming the wedding and he's not getting any service. i missed, like, the whole thing. what? and i just got an unlimited plan. it's the right plan, wrong network. you see, verizon has the largest, most reliable 4g lte network in america. it's built to work better in cities. tell you what, just use mine. thanks. no problem. all right, let's go live. say hi to everybody who wasn't invited! (vo) when it really, really matters, you need the best network and the best unlimited. plus, get the pixel, by google for $5 a month.

the world is mourning the

loss of two comedian legends. dick gregory died saturday in washington. the 84-year-old used stinging comedy to fight for social change and broke barriers during the u.s. civil rights era. >> i feel so sorry for willie. i hate to see any baseball troub player having trouble. that's a great sport sfor for p. that's the only sport where a negro can shake a stick at a white man and have no riots. >> he caugtaught us how to figh. he taught us how to live. >> comedian and humanitarian jerry lewis died on sunday. he was 91 years old. stephanie ilam takes a look at the life of man who made generations laugh until they fell over. >> he was born joseph levich in

1926 but became known to the world as jerry lewis. zany but loveable fool in films such as "the bill bbell boy" an t "the nutty professor." >> martin and lieis became one of the most popular com by teams in history. thousands of sold-out performances. 16 hit movies and dozens of radio and tv appearances. on his own, lewis signed a seven-year $10 million contract with paramount in 195 the. at that time, the largest contract ever between a studio and performer. lewis went to act in or direct shows for movies for several decades. he later offered this advice to fellow entertainers. >> be a hit. score. get the audience laughing and happy. that's the secret of success in

this business. >> he didn't just make audiences laugh. lewis used his fame to make a difference taking up the fight against muscular dystrophy. his annual labor day telethons helped raise more than a billion dollars for research and treatment and almost always ended with his signature song "you'll never walk alone." >> quote walk on with hope in your heart and you'll never walk alone ♪ >> lewis struggled with his own health problems over the year. prostate cancer, type 1 diabetes, pulmonary and heart disease. >> i've ingested more than 24,000 pills. >> but through it all, kept his sense of humor. >> you better laugh at it. but the alternative is not funny.

there? >> jerry lewis. in the coming hours, th dayl turn briefly tonight. millions of americans will watch this happen. more on the solar eclipse next.

we danced in a german dance group. i wore lederhosen.man. when i first got on ancestry i was really surprised that i wasn't finding all of these germans in my tree. i decided to have my dna tested through ancestry dna. the big surprise was we're not german at all. 52% of my dna comes from scotland and ireland. so, i traded in my lederhosen for a kilt. ancestry has many paths to discovering your story. get started for free at ancestry.com.

megan's smile is getting a lot because she uses act® mouthwash. act® strengthens enamel, protects teeth from harmful acids, and helps prevent cavities. go beyond brushing with act®.

breaking news we're following out of spain. authorities have confirmed the key suspect was in fact the driver who rammed a van into a busy barcelona street on thursday. that attack killing 13. officials were unsure if the driver was killed in a shootout with police but they now believe that he is still at large, still on the run, and he was in fact behind the wheel. they also think he may have escaped the country as the international manhunt to find him continues. here in the united states in coming hours, millions of americans will watch the first total solar eclipse to travel across the united states in nearly a century. the path of totality, where the moon completely blocks out the sun and things will get really dark is about 70 miles or 112 kilometers wide, and many people

are heading to those areas to try to catch a glimpse. the total eclipse will start around 10:00 a.m. pacific time and end on the east coast just before 3:00 p.m. eastern time. let's talk more about it with lucy green. lucy is a professor of physics at university college of london. good to have you with us. lucy, i know you won't see it there in the united kingdom. a lot of people in the state excited about this. help the viewers understand the significance of this event. it is described as a once in a lifetime eclipse. there will be another one in 2024, why is this eclipse not to miss? >> i think this one is extra special. we haven't had a total solar eclipse that was visible from the west coast to east coast since 1918. this solar eclipse is only visible in america with about 12 million people living under that path of totality and many millions more able to drive to

the site. many of my kcolleagues from the uk have come across to america to see it. we will just have a fairly short time where it is clear but you have to go to america if you want to see the total solar eclipse this year. >> talk about things the scientists can learn from this particular eclipse? . >> it is very exciting. you would think with the tell scopes and ground-based tell scopes that solar eclipses wore super seeded by modern technology. but during solar eclipse, the aspect that makes it so exciting is that the atmosphere of the sun is revealed. the moon blocks out the surface and this atmosphere is seen us to. in that atmosphere we have lots and lots of interesting physical processes at play. it is a million-degree atmosphere. we want know dwr it is heated to those altitudes.

there are huge eruptions that cake place in the atmosphere. during total eclipse, you get such a good view of the atmosphere, better than the atmosphere, so it is the best time to observe the sun. >> there is also a warning, watch out. you can't look directly at the sun, lucy. if you do, you have to take these glasses off or whatever and put these glasses on. and i can't see you right now but i think that's good thing. if i can see a light bulb or something through these glasses, that would a problem. >> absolutely. so the sun is so incredibly bright and have you a natural blink reflex for a reason. it is hard it look at the sun. but you don't realize have you a lot of heat radiation coming into your eyes as well. can you damage your eye answers the fact have you no pain sensors in there means you won't realize it. really it is important never look at the sun directly.

the only time it is safe to do so is when the total eclipse is in process. once the bailey beads have gone, diamond ring has gone and the sun is covered up. it is only safe to take off your eclipse glasses then. otherwise keep your eclipse glasses or make a pinhole camera, tiny pinhole in a piece of card. horizontally. let the sun light go through it and project the image on the ground. that's the par will eclipse phases. >> lucy, i'm wearing the glasses again. it is important to kekeep them . thank you for the understanding of what to do. let's bring in our meteorologist to tell us about what we will see, what to expect and let's get that word out again. just wear the glasses. it's so important. >> absolutely. absolutely. only take a couple seconds.

less than three seconds to cause permanent damage to your eyes. want to show you what we are dealing with as far as the weather pattern. oregon, idaho, into wyoming, generally clear skies. century region. plenty of clouds and thunderstorms and especially around the coastal region of south carolina caharlston in particular is particularly cloudy. across southern california, this is in south texas where he had 50% coverage and work your way out to san francisco. 75%. seattle, 90%. once you get to totality and narrow path, 100% is achieved and can you see stars an planets and you have heard how animals act and just ambiance is impressive. really the most dangerous is your sun and retina. sun's rays can instantly destroy rods and cones which are the point in your eyes that transfer

the electrical impulses as light into your brain. great job is doing that. with you no sensitivity to pain within them. as they are killed off, you could lose eyesight temporarily if not forever. i will tell you about a story about myself. i looked inadvertently while looking through clouds about 15 years ago. i have sun spots in my eyes. don't threat happen to you. the sun in fact is some 400 times wider than the moon but it is about 400 times further away as well. if you are standing on earth this perspective makes it like the exact same size on a day like today. so if you're in this region of totality, that's why everyone wants to be there. interesting to think about it. if you're at 95, 96 or 97% coverage of the moon over the

sun, that it is very dark outside, not the case. it is 10,000 times brighter when it is at 9 th9% coverage. that 1% makes all the difference. like a black out curtain in a hotel. left open and tremendous amount of light. >> we will get into traffic. we will be in the traffic. >> you and me both. >> wish us look. thank you so much. >> okay. >> we're excited about this report. eclipse has videos and everything you need talk more about this eclipse. if you're in the united states can you plug in your address to see how close you are to the path. check it all out at cnn.com/eclipse. thank you for being with us this hour for "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell at cnn headquarters in atlanta. early start is next for the views here in the united states. we continue with our colleagues

from around the world. you're watching cnn, the world's news leader.

breaking news overnight. ten sailors are missing after a u.s. navy destroyer collides with a merchant ship near singapo singapore. the latest on the search. plus, president trump will outline the path forward for the u.s. in afghanistan tonight. what it means for america's longest war. and a total solar eclipse that sweeps from coast to coast. what you can expect from this once-in-a-lifetime event and