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NISAR Satellite will Provide #D View of Earth; Tsunami Waves Hit U.S. Shores; Largest Quake Since 2011 Triggers Alerts; NTSB Holding Hearing on D.C. Midair Collision; NYPD Investigators Go to Las Vegas; Democrats Trying to Force Epstein File Release. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 30, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Radar of what's happening on earth. What does that allow us to see? The way land is moving, the way the polar caps are degrading, the way coastlines are changing. And all of that has a big play on how we respond to natural disasters out there, whether they're hurricanes, whether it's flooding, whether it's climate change, whether it's this tidal wave we've been talking about this morning, the tsunami this morning. This is going to be the thing that can happen. And this is really a triumph that started in the Obama years, because that's when President Obama's administration said, we need to be looking back at earth. They signed the deal to make this happen. That's why this spacecraft is up there right now. And we'll be seeing big results in coming months.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Fascinating. Great explanation.

FOREMAN: (INAUDIBLE).

BOLDUAN: And you know I adore you, but if you question my editorial judgment ever again.

FOREMAN: Every day, my friend.

BOLDUAN: You will be put in the CNN NEWS CENTRAL time out box, Tom Foreman.

Thanks, buddy.

FOREMAN: See ya.

BOLDUAN: Oh, my goodness.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we do have breaking news. New data out just moments ago on the U.S. economy. A big rebound from losses in the previous quarter. But we've got new information on what's behind these numbers.

President Trump says Jeffrey Epstein, quote, "stole young women" that worked at his Mar-a-Lago spa. This as we are waiting to hear from the House of Representatives, if they will succumb to Ghislaine Maxwell's new demands.

And millions under threat after the biggest earthquake in over a decade. There are tsunami warnings overnight all across the Pacific, including the U.S. West Coast.

Sara is out. I'm John Berman, with Kate Bolduan, and this is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: And that breaking news overnight. It is now just after 6:00 a.m. on the West Coast. And what many people are waking up to, tsunami alerts in effect for California, Oregon and Washington, where the first waves hit overnight after one of the most powerful earthquakes on record struck thousands of miles away. Advisories also remain in effect for Alaska and Hawaii. On Maui's north central shore, waves of more than five feet have been reported. The powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake that triggered all of this hit off of Russia's far eastern coast. It is the strongest earthquake recorded since 2011. And it's tied as the sixth most powerful earthquake on record. It damaged a kindergarten and left buildings submerged under water in Russia.

Let's talk about the threat and alerts that it triggered here in the United States. Veronica Miracle in Santa Monica, California, for us.

And what are people waking up to there?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, the sun is finally up now, and people will be waking up to the fact that there was no destruction here. There was no flooding here in southern California. That's excellent news.

But officials are very worried about the currents, to the point where all of the L.A. County beaches here, up and down the southern California coastline, are actually closed through noon. Officials are really worried about people getting in the water. They've canceled all beach activities. They're asking RVs to move away from there. They're worried about how strong these waves will be, despite the fact that there was no significant flooding here.

In northern California, also a major concern, that was the area that got hit the hardest along the West Coast, from Washington all the way down to California, is that northern California little sliver there saw waves of up to three feet. That's an area that officials continue to monitor.

And then in Hawaii, the worst of the damage is over. There was some flooding there in low lying areas. But harbors are now opening back up and people are being allowed to go back to their homes that are along the coastline.

But the hours leading up to those waves that were about -- more than five feet in some areas coming ashore, there was major chaos. People were asked to go to the mountains. They had a couple of hours leeway. They had some -- they had some time. They did have some time. They had a significant warning. But people were trying to go up to the mountains and there was a lot of traffic.

And on the big island, some tourists actually got stranded after a cruise ship had to leave. And these passengers couldn't make it back.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY BOOKER, CRUISE PASSENGER STRANDED IN HAWAII: We were up visiting Volcano National Park. And so the tsunami warning go off on our phones. And then one of the tour operators from our -- our cruise ship, the Pride of America, said, everyone back to the ship as fast as you can. Ships leaving at 3:30. And -- but we knew at that point we weren't going to make it. So, it -- its pulling away now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: So, officials there asking people to remain vigilant. And here in southern California, many are asking people to stay out of the water.

[09:05:03]

It could still potentially be dangerous.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Veronica Miracle, thank you very much.

John.

BERMAN: All right, let's get more on all of this. CNN meteorologist Chris Warren is here with what you are seeing now and really what developed over the last 12 hours.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, John, yes, over the past 12 hours or so the earthquake happening here and propagating, pushing out all of those waves, the tsunami waves. And I say waves. It's not just one push. And so, this is still an ongoing situation.

New this hour, Crescent City now reporting four feet above what you would normally expect here.

So, just looking at this line, this also gives you an idea of how this is not just one push of water. So, this line right here, there's a blue line in here. And you can think of it as, there's time right here. So, late yesterday to where we are now. There's high tide, low tide, high tide. And all of this up and down is essentially like the wave action. And this is over several hours of time. So, still seeing some peaks. So, it's not over yet in Crescent City.

In Hawaii, in Maui, Kahului, almost six feet, 5.7 feet recorded there. This the focal point where the earthquake happened. This happening, remember, underwater. So under -- unlike normal waves where wind is pushing the water, you get the ongoing push of the water that creates the wind waves and eventually the swells. In this case, an earthquake happening underwater essentially like bumps up, kind of like creates a push with the movement of the earth. And that creates a wave. And if you were standing on a boat on the water, you probably wouldn't

even notice it. It's not until the water gets shallow where the energy builds, and that's when you get what is essentially like a surge. And you can have multiple surges, because as we see the big trek across the Pacific Ocean, the wave action kind of breaks up and it transforms and it moves a little bit. So overall, John, when we see how this plays out, it can last, like we're seeing right now, that surge in the high water for several hours.

BERMAN: All right, again, which is why people are still being vigilant about some of these warnings, even as they begin to return to their everyday lives.

Thanks so much for that update.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, months after that deadly midair collision in Washington, D.C., a key NTSB hearing is set to begin this morning that seeks to answer some of the most crucial questions about what went so wrong in that disaster. That collision happened in January over the frigid Potomac River between that passenger jet coming in for a landing at Reagan National and that military Black Hawk helicopter. Both aircrafts crashed into the water, killing everyone on board.

Joining us now is CNN transportation analyst Mary Schiavo for much more on this.

And, Mary, what are the key questions that we could learn answers to today?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: Well, the NTSB has divided up this hearing over the next -- today and then tomorrow through Friday into five categories. And the categories are very telling. They're going to lead off the hearing with an examination of the helicopter's electronic data systems and their -- and their altimeters. Because, remember, back in February, the NTSB already reported some preliminary facts that show that there was discrepancy in the altitude, that the helicopter was at 400 feet, 300 feet. It was supposed to descend to 200 feet but did not. So, that will be a significant part of this morning's hearing.

And then this afternoon, the NTSB is going to look at that D.C. airspace and the constant conflicts between helicopter and commercial passenger planes and other limited fixed wing flights. And that's going to be a very important part of the hearing, not only for what happened on that horrible day in January of this year, but what continues to happen.

Weve had many near misses since then. Just last week a near miss between an Air Force B-52 and a commercial civilian passenger plane. And then in Burbank, between an antique fighter jet and commercial planes. Because it is the job of the NTSB, not only to figure out what happened in this accident, but to find all collateral causes and make recommendations so it doesn't happen again.

So, that's a tall order. And, literally, I mean, the safety of the nation depends on this because these near misses keep happening.

BERMAN: Mary, stand by for a second. We've got Pete Muntean at the hearing right now.

Pete, give us a sense of how this will play out and what your expectations are.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, this will start off with a very technical start. But right now the opening statements taking place from NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy. This just gaveled into session. The most significant part of this investigation on the six month anniversary of this midair collision on January 29th between that American Airlines regional flight and that U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. This will be a huge and in-depth findings and scope in this investigation that will come to light.

[09:10:01]

Two hundred new documents will be made public, 10,000 pages of documents. And this hearing, on day one of three days, will open with brand-new 11 minute long animation of the events that led up to that midair collision on the approach end of runway 33 at Reagan National Airport over the Potomac River and the collision itself. We'll also hear the transcripts from the cockpit voice recorder on board the Black Hawk helicopter and the passenger jet. Also, the transcripts of the air traffic control audio. And then there will also be a transcript of all three of those audio tracks that have been analyzed and recovered by the NTSB essentially combined, put together.

I want you to listen now to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. She made this statement just yesterday. She said, these three days of hearings, really unprecedented when it comes to the scope of an investigation like this, is all about transparency. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIRWOMAN, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: We're going to go through some pretty in-depth discussions on different points of this investigation. An investigative hearing is not like the end of the board meeting where we present our conclusions. It's to develop more facts for the investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Just yesterday, Senator Ted Cruz, one of the top senators on the Senate committee overseeing the Federal Aviation Administration, essentially proposed a bill, trotted out a bill, that will close what he calls the military loophole for critical collision avoidance technology that was turned off on the Black Hawk helicopter the night of that mid-air collision.

He says that the military has had much too broad of leeway when it comes to not using that technology for specific mission needs. The Army is really going to take it on the chin during these hearings, and they are among the first witnesses on day one of these three day hearings. And they will go long. This will end at about 7:00 p.m. East Coast Time. We're talking ten hours of hearings today, ten hours of hearings tomorrow. This will be really incredible. Be really incredible new findings about the most deadly aviation disaster in the United States in more than two decades.

BERMAN: Pete, we'll let you get back inside there.

Mary Schiavo, back with us.

Pete Muntean lays out, Mary, you know, 200 new documents, transcripts that we had not seen before, as well as an 11 minute animation which will depict, they say, what happens there. To what extent do you think this -- this will change or reorient the thinking about what happened that day? And you heard Pete there at the end say he expects the Army will take it on the chin at these hearings for how the military side of this was handled.

SCHIAVO: Well, absolutely. Pete's right, not only will the Army take it on the chin, but coming up tomorrow is the deep dive into air traffic control and the FAA. And, you know, the important thing, and -- and Senator Cruz and Pete have said it right. I mean it's not just what happened here, it's what is going to happen going forward. And things must change. So -- so looking at air traffic control, they're going to look at training because, remember, alerts did go off. And what was the response to the alert.

And then looking at the equipment. That is an important point that Pete and the senator made because there is equipment out there that if used by all aircraft, and if functioning, we've learned that a lot of the equipment wasn't working on the -- in the military. But if functioning, this equipment literally could eliminate near-collisions and collisions. And the question is, why don't we use it? Why don't we use it extensively? And as the secretary of transportation promises to build a new air traffic control system, will this equipment be fully required and fully deployed? Like I said, it's great to have this equipment, but unless you're using it and its functions, we will continue to have near-misses and, heaven forbid, collisions. So, that's an important part of the hearing too.

And then finally, I think that the chairperson is going to look in the safety data. Remember, it was the NTSB that uncovered that we had 85 near misses at DCA alone in the last three years, and the FAA seemed oblivious to this. She's going to dig down and find out why we have this data, but the FAA and others pay no attention to it. That is life-saving data. And collecting that data and using that data is the job of the FAA.

BERMAN: All right, Mary Schiavo, Pete Muntean, we've got our best people, both of you, monitoring these hearings, which will continue today and go into tomorrow. You will keep us posted on all the new information.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, new details in Manhattan's deadliest shooting in decades as New York investigators are headed to the gunman's home in Las Vegas to now search for answers. And also this morning, jury deliberations pick back up in the trial of

a Colorado dentist who is accused of fatally poisoning his wife -- his wife's protein shakes. What was said in yesterday's closing arguments that brought him to tears.

[09:15:02]

And hackers leaking tens of thousands of selfies after breaching a new dating app made for women to anonymously share reviews of the men that they date.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: An NYPD team is now headed to Nevada to investigate the home of the gunman who killed four people in a Manhattan office building Monday. We are also now getting a closer look at some of the evidence. Some of it includes a bloody gun used in the shooting and what police also found in his car, a loaded revolver and ammunition.

[09:20:09]

CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller back with us.

And, I mean, you've been reporting on all of this and bringing us all of the new developments since this horrible tragedy started playing out. What is next in this investigation as they're heading to Las Vegas now?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, the -- the picture is coming into sharper focus.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

MILLER: It's not like most of the investigations where they're trying to gather evidence against the shooter for trial. He's dead. But it's still important to detectives, to the NYPD, to the FBI, to develop a picture of, what set this person off, how long that was germinating, boiling before -- before this terrible tragedy happened. You know, they talk about the gunman snapped and launched this attack. We know that's not how it happens. So. they're going back over it to figure out what were the signs, were there any missed, what can we learn?

At the same time, there is that issue of the gun. He uses this M4 platform. Looks like the kind of thing that special forces would be using overseas. It's got a scope on top. It's got a flashlight out front. It's got 30-round magazines. He had more in the car.

And the central question there is, how did he get that? The main component of the gun, the lower receiver, was purchased by somebody else, an individual he worked with at the Horseshoe Casino in security named Rick. We reached out to Rick yesterday. Has not gotten back to us. But detectives have reached out to him. Las Vegas Metro and so on. They want to talk to him. In the suicide note, where he talks about his perceived issues or real

issues with CTE, we won't know until the medical examiner comes back with those tests. He ends it by saying, and, you know, please tell Rick I'm really sorry about everything. Investigators are looking at that and saying, OK, sorry about what? Sorry that I used the gun you got for me in a mass killing, and that's going to cause problems for you, or sorry I took your gun, you know, without telling you. This is a gap that they're trying to fill.

BOLDUAN: And it does seem that that's why a lot of the focus is now shifting away from the crime scene in New York to Las Vegas, and what must be a huge coordination effort between NYPD and everyone in Vegas.

MILLER: And there's two other things going on in the background. The story that began to emerge here with the efforts we put in to tell the stories of each victim. You know, these people where their human destiny crossed in this large building in an event where you never could have predicted or imagined this would have happened. Each one of those is a funeral that's being planned. And from the NYPD's side, you have Officer Islam, who was killed as probably the first victim in that the gunman targeted the person in the lobby he thought could be a threat to his continuing. And that is, you know, a traditional Muslim funeral that is unfolding at a mosque where they're going to have a wake and a service. But that's also got to be combined, and this is complicated, and yet beautiful in a certain way, with the traditions of the NYPD, where you're going to have an inspector's police funeral with thousands, thousands of officers, not just from New York, but from all over the East Coast, probably from all over the country, coming to attend and making sure that, from a ceremonial and religious standpoint, all of that meshes.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Yes. It's going to be remarkable to see.

John, thanks so much for being here.

MILLER: Thanks.

BOLDUAN: Really appreciate it.

So, we are getting some breaking news coming into CNN. How Senate Democrats are now trying to force the release of the Epstein files. This latest move. We've got the details on that just coming in right now.

And also right now, thousands of fans are paying their final respects to the godfather of heavy metal as Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession passes through his hometown streets in England.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:28:32]

BERMAN: All right, breaking news. We are getting new reporting on an action that Senate Democrats might take in order to get their hands on some of the Epstein files. Let's get right to CNN's Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill with this new reporting. What are you learning, Lauren?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are learning that senator -- Senate Democrats, excuse me, on the Homeland Security Committee here in the Senate are requesting, along with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, all of the Epstein files, using this arcane law that allows this committee, when they are joined by five or more members, to request information from the administration.

Now, this is a very little tested law. It's not clear if this would even work. But this is, obviously, the latest gambit by Democrats to try and keep this story front and center on Capitol Hill. We should note that House Republicans have been gone on their recess this week, but Senate Democrats continue to press for this information. We expect they're going to hold a press conference today at noon to discuss this latest effort.

But in this letter requesting this information from the Justice Department, they say, quote, "we call upon you to fulfill the promises of transparency, specifically we request all documents, files, evidence or other materials in the possession of DOJ or FBI related to the United States versus Jeffrey Epstein."

[09:30:01]

Now, the letter goes on to say that they want to protect any victim information, that they want to protect any images of child abuse. They also make clear that