Spectacular Solar Eclipse News Today

What have people been doing when you are to prepare? >> reporter: for one thing, wolf, everyone here has been wondering about the clouds. i have to thank chad myers. raining where stephanie elam is in st. joseph, missouri, it started to rain. nonetheless, if i put on my special glasses here i can see that it is starting. the eclipse is starting here. i can see this top right corner -- corner. the top right sir come for instance of tcircumference is getting that bite out of it. even with the clou...

Experience this historic events. millions across the united states stretching across 14 states from oregon to south carolina. well be in whats called the path of totality for this solar event. cnn meteorologist chad myers is in the cnn severe weather center in atlanta. miguel marquez joining us from salem, oregon, where the eclipse is about to begin. stephanie elam in st. joseph, oregon. chad myers, start with you. tell viewers here in the united states and around the world who are watching what...

Should be a good viewing area. the problem is the clouds. we were supposed to get thunderstorms. now were not. still the cloud area we are concerned about. its drizzling and the sun getting brighter at the same time. its a little confused here but trying to hopefully see we can keep our eyes on it. you can see here, people have special lenses, to protect their lenses and also to protect their eyes here. but you can see, wolf, from where were standing now, that the eclipse has started to make tha...

Any moment now in out of this world once in a lifetime experience. all eyes watching for the first total eclipse to sweep across the u.s. in nearly a century including the president and vice president. while president trump and the first lady watch the eclipse from the white houses truman balcony, the vice president is hosting a a class. and possibly in salem, oregon, where we find cnns miguel marquez. miguel what are you seeing right now? >> reporter: well, we are seeing the sun that looks more...

That this will cross through. just an amazing happening here, starting in oregon and finishing up in south carolina. manu? >> cnns miguel marquez? salem, oregon. thank you. watch the eclipse live in virtual reality. go to cnn.com/eclipse. thanks for joining us on "inside politics." wolf blitzer picks it up right now. hello, im wolf blitzer. its 9:45 in salem, oregon. 10:45 in casper, wyoming. 12:45 p.m. right here in washington, d.c. wherever youre watching from around the world, thanks very...

Midwest, in a green belt and corn belt. the southeast, showers and clouds pop up across the carolina coast all the way down to about parts of florida. but its that -- that middle part. that center part of the eclipse that is the most important part. 12 million people live somewhere in there. but we are seeing at least another 12 million maybe more than that drive to that center. so here it is. starts in salem. runs all the way across the united states. 3,000 miles. 70 miles wide. really, if your...

Can expect, and in just about an hour. you can watch the eclipse live in virtual reality. go to cnn.com/eclipse. up next, president trump gets ready for primetime as he prepares to address the nation on his strategy in afghanistan. what it could mean for american troops. ♪ ♪ it feels good to be back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

Skepticism, you know, keep in mind that tomorrow he is going to arizona to deliver what will be what we expect to be sort of a campaign rally speech. we dont know what that is going to sound like. and he is always, always, just 140 taps away from his next tweet. we dont know what thats going to be either. >> and the will he stay on message? one of the big questions here. well talk about that later in the show. watch the presidents remarks at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn, and pictures, aga...

Miguel, are you there? looks like we may have lost miguel. >> reporter: what can i say you? >> what are people on the ground saying to you? >> looking at everybody staring up into the sky. watching this thing as this national phenomenon hopappens. this particular eclipse is special because not since 1918. woodrow wilson was president then, had we had an eclipse across the u.s. coast to coast like this. in that path of totality. 12 states it will pass through. about 70 miles across, the path. tha...

>> depends where you live. if you are in totality, you will actually get dark enough to see stars. at 1:00, 2:00 in the afternoon. if you miss totality, it wont be that different than just leaving your blinds slightly cracked when the sun rises. it doesnt stay dark. it lights up. i believe i see the sun getting a little bit of a nick out of the top of that sun right there from salem, oregon, and so this is going to start in the west, and its going to drive itself to the east bp you think, wait a...