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At Least Four Dead After Attacker Shot Worshippers, Set Fire to Church; Government Shutdown Looms as Lawmakers Battle Over Funding Deal; Trump to Attend Hegseth's Top Military Meeting at Quantico Tomorrow. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired September 29, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, at least four people dead, eight wounded, and many more people still missing after a horrible attack on worshipers at a Michigan church. We are live at the scene this morning with the latest.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. The clock is ticking. The government will shut down in less than 48 hours. We are standing by for a White House meeting to see if they can reach a deal. The question is, who really wants one?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Now this is a mouthful. An Egyptian strongman pulls a 700-ton ship with his teeth. Why?

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: All right. The breaking news this morning, the death toll is rising after a horrible shooting and arson attack on a church in Michigan. The search is expected to resume actually soon at the scene as multiple people are still missing. The FBI has now taken over the investigation and is calling it a targeted and act of targeted violence.

What we know right now is at least four people are dead, eight people are wounded from the attack on the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan. One Source tells CNN as many as seven people are still unaccounted for in all of this.

This unfolded during a large service Sunday morning. Authorities say gunman first rammed his pickup through the front of the church, then began shooting, also set fire to the building, which grew into -- you're going to see some of this video. It is wild. It grew into this huge inferno.

The police chief told reporters overnight that amidst the chaos, churchgoers rushed to protect the children who were there inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF WILLIAM RENYE, GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP POLICE: They were shielding the children who were also present within the church, moving them to safety, just hundreds of people just practicing their faith, just extreme courage, brave, and that's the type of community that we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: We are also hearing from survivors who were inside when the attack began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what was going on, and I didn't know if we were going to have to get down because we couldn't see anybody.

To worship my savior, Jesus Christ, and I didn't expect this to happen, of course. And I've lost friends in there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm completely distraught.

This was a quiet neighborhood, you know? We've never seen anything like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This gives you chills.

Here's what we know about the attacker. He's been identified as a 40- year-old man who is now dead after exchanging gunfire with police. The motive remains under investigation and we are expecting to learn more this morning a news conference with law enforcement is scheduled for just a little while from now.

CNN's Leigh Waldman is live at the scene for us. Leigh, I'm so thankful that you were there. What is the very latest from the scene?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, it's good to be with you. You can see there's still a roadblock leading to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It's a large roadblock here as law enforcement was working late into the night last night, we left the scene around 10:00 P.M. and we're passed by about a dozen or so sheriff's office vehicles carrying trailers that said search and rescue on the back of them.

We know it's a large scale recovery effort that's happening at the chapel that law enforcement has told us is deemed a complete and total loss after that suspect you mentioned drove into the front doors of that church, began shooting and intentionally set that chapel on fire. Law enforcement saying it appeared that he used some kind of an accelerant in addition to setting this church on fire to aid in the blaze that he set.

Let's talk about what we know about him at this point. We know that he is a Marine veteran who served from 2004 to 2008, spent time in Iraq. He, according to his social media, is an avid outdoorsman. Law enforcement arrived at the scene within 30 seconds of that first 911 call coming, and within just eight minutes, they were able to take down the gunman at the back parking lot of that church here.

The scene today looking a lot different than it did last night. We know those recovery efforts were suspended overnight because it was so dark. We're hearing from law enforcement sources that at least seven people are possibly unaccounted for, that death toll rising to four last night, at least two of those people dying from gunshot wounds.

[07:05:08]

But take a listen to what investigators had to say yesterday at a press conference about those ongoing efforts here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. KIM VETTER, MICHIGAN STATE POLICE: Investigators are tirelessly combing through evidence, under difficult circumstances, and working to identify each victim as quickly and accurately as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: And we're waiting to hear about when that press conference is going to happen today, pushing for more information about who these victims are. We know people were also being treated at local hospitals for smoke inhalation as well. Our thoughts are obviously with them, Kate, after this horrible attack on this church.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. I mean, and just how fast law enforcement responded and still how many people were killed and wounded in just seconds, really.

Leigh, thank you very much for your reporting. John?

BERMAN: All right. Happening today, a last this effort to avert a looming government shutdown. For the first time since taking office again, President Trump is set to meet with the top four Congressional leaders. They've got less than two days to hammer out a deal. Government funding is set to run out on Tuesday night at midnight. If that happens, hundreds of thousands of federal employees could either be furloughed or work without pay. And the White House Budget Office has said that they are threatening permanent mass layoffs.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is with us now with the very latest. A lot riding on this meeting today.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There really is, John. And President Trump and Congressional leaders are heading towards this make-or-break moment as the federal government is barreling towards a shutdown in just under 41 hours. Heading into this meeting, Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders remain far apart on how to avert this shutdown. Republicans and President Donald Trump want Democrats to accept this short-term stop gap funding bill that would fund the government through November 21st.

But Democrats are firm in their position that they need to see some concessions from Republicans, specifically when it comes to healthcare. Democrats want to see an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. But so far, Republicans aren't giving in to that demand.

Take a listen to two of the leaders over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save healthcare so we can address the issues that really matter to the American people.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): The Obamacare subsidy is a policy debate that has to be determined by the end of the year, December 31 -- the December 30th, not right now, while we're simply trying to keep the government open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, the House has already passed that stop gap funding bill. They remain back at home in their districts this week, but the Senate is set to return this afternoon. Senate Majority Leader John Thune needs seven Democrats to get on board with this plan. They are ultimately hoping that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will cave in this scenario like he did back in March.

But the Democratic base has really shown that they want their Democratic leaders to fight. And so that is what Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer are looking to do in this shutdown fight.

Now, if the government were to shut down at midnight on October 1st, this could have widespread consequences for federal workers. Thousands are expected to be furloughed, though the exact amount is still unclear. There would be many who are working without pay, such as members of the military, air traffic controllers. And then there is the added layer of concern about federal workers writ large, as the Office of management and Budget has threatened that a government shutdown could be a way for them to move forward with mass layoffs with these furloughed workers never returning to the job.

So, a lot of questions about the impact this could have on the federal workforce, the impact it could have at the economy overall. And so all eyes will be on that afternoon meeting with between President Trump and Congressional leaders this afternoon to determine whether they can actually reach a breakthrough to avert a shutdown, or if they will simply harden Democrats and Republicans in their positions.

BOLDUAN: That's right. Pay attention to the posturing before the meeting and then the immediate reactions after.

Arlette Saenz, thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Called in from around the world with no explanation, top military brass referred to the meeting as the General Squid Games, but now things have changed and President Trump is expected to attend this unusual meeting.

Plus, breaking overnight, devastating flash floods in Arizona leave four dead, even more people unaccounted for this morning. The search for survivors is ongoing.

And superstar to the Super Bowl, Bad Bunny set to headline at halftime. We'll talk all about it ahead.

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SIDNERPresident Trump says he plans to attend a highly unusual gathering of hundreds of generals and admirals in Virginia tomorrow. This is the meeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered last week. It has now been described as a pep rally for top military brass stationed around the world, some of whom are traveling thousands of miles to attend.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House for us. What exactly is the purpose of this? There was a lot of concern among some generals that this was something very different. They were worried about potential firings at one point.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And a lot of people were very surprised, Sara, when -- and sorry for that. I know it's a little loud. But a lot of people were surprised when this was announced because they had no idea what this was about until we started reporting on it last week.

[07:15:04]

And, essentially, as you mentioned, this was described to my colleague, Natasha Bertrand, and I as a pep rally of sorts. Really, we're going to see the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, who is now, of course, referred to per the Trump administration wants him to be referred to as the secretary of war. It's kind of installing that rebrand, kind of a moment for that, and also to have him go through what they're calling the, quote, warrior ethos.

Now, what we reported is essentially he's going to underscore and outline a new vision for the U.S. military that includes new standards for grooming, fitness, et cetera. And now the president, of course, we're learning, is also going to be attending. And I want to tell you, I actually -- when I was talking to the White House about this last week, they were telling me that really this was all Hegseth's idea. It stemmed from him. The president knew very little about it, but, of course, the White House was later looped in. And it wasn't until Saturday, I'm told, that the president decided that he wanted to attend this. So, that does throw in a new dynamic.

And this is how the president referred to it in an interview yesterday, Sara, I just thought this was a great quote. He called it an esprit decor. He said, quote. It's really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we're doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. We have some great people coming in and it's just an esprit decor. So, that's the sense of what we're going to be seeing tomorrow.

SIDNER: Okay. So let me ask you about another move by the president over the weekend. He ordered troops into Oregon, into Portland in particular, to deal with and protect immigration officers, he says. What do you know about that plan?

TREENE: Yes. So, this was something the president announced on Saturday, essentially following through on his pledge that he made previously to try and have Portland be the next target of his plans, you know, to send in military, send in the National Guard. And he essentially described Portland, the city itself, as war-ravaged, and he said he wanted to do this to protect ICE facilities. We have seen some protests in recent months there. He's arguing that Antifa and other organizations have been the ones behind some of these protests.

Now, I do think one of the most notable things about all of this is that yesterday, Pete Hegseth ordered some 200 members of the 6,500 strong Oregon National Guard to be called into federal service for the next 60 days. So, this is, of course, an escalation of what we've already seen with this administration sending in the military, particularly targeting Democratic cities.

Oregon and its leaders are pushing back on this. They filed a lawsuit trying to block this, kind of similar to what we saw California do when the president sent the Guard and Marines, active duty Marines, to Los Angeles. All to say, we're going to have to see how the shakes out in the court, but a further escalation of what the president's been trying to do with these cities.

SIDNER: Yes. And the Supreme Court expected to weigh in on this after a federal judge actually agreed with California on this. So, we will be watching all of that. I know you will be.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Kate.

BOLDUAN: Ahead for us, a shakeup in New York City's mayoral race, why the current mayor, Eric Adams, is now ending his reelection bid.

And the Ryder Cup takes a turn with one of the biggest names in golf calling out how fans were behaving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was -- you know, than what was seen out there this week.

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[07:20:00]

BERMAN: All right. This morning, we all woke up to NFL history. No game has ever finished in a 40-40 tie until now.

Let's get right to CNN's Coy Wire. Coy, what do we call that?

COI WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: It is a scoragami. No NFL game ever finishing with that score. Incredible stuff, incredible. Sunday of NFL action, including those Packers and Cowboys. Green Bay was up 13 to nothing in the first half. Dallas scores 16 straight, takes the lead at halftime. We're going to go to the fourth where the Packers take the lead with just a minute, 45 to go.

Jordan Love to Romeo Dobbs, all three Packers T.D.s coming via Love saying, where for art thou, Romeo, those three T.D. passes there. But no slim pickers for points for the Cowboys, Dak Prescott strikes back with his third touchdown pass of the game to George Pickett, his second touchdown catch of the game.

It went overtime, John. Both teams settling for field goals with finishes in that historic tie, second highest scoring tie ball game in NFL history, 40-40.

Big developments to the Big Apple, Giants win their first game of the season toppling the previously undefeated Chargers with new starting quarterback, rookie first rounder Jaxson Dart. Fancy little dance for his touchdown on the opening drive, 13 of 20 passing but some bad news for the Giants. Their most dangerous offensive weapon, Malik Nabers, feared to have torn his ACL and potentially sorrowful stop to his season. Giants win 21-18.

And we had a huge announcement coming last night. Listen.

Three-time Grammy Award-winning global recording artist Bad Bunny will be the halftime performer for Super Bowl 60 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8th.

I see you bobbing your head, John Berman. Europe won the Ryder Cup after fending off a remarkable comeback at Tampa by Team USA on the final day. Americans started the day seven points behind, but the Europeans prevailed, 15-13.

The tension all weekend, John, was palpable, players and caddies shouting at each other, fans heckling the European team, even a cup of beer hitting Roy McIlroy's wife at one point. He addressed the drama in what he described as a lack of etiquette. Listen.

[07:25:00]

All right, well, it looks like our sound has been lost, but he basically said, we can't have this. We have to keep it proper. And he said, instead of players shouting at us, they should be -- or the fans shouting at us, they should be, or the fans shouting us, they should be cheering for their own team, and he wants to make it different when it continues in 2027 in Ireland next time, John.

But the beers pouring all over each other, I feel like that'd be like if you and I played golf.

BERMAN: That's right.

WIRE: We'd just be out there, only thing lower than our scores would be are what constitutes fair play and a fair way.

BERMAN: The only way, that's the only part of the golf thing that I can do is the drinking of the beer nearby there.

All right, Coy Wire, you did a fantastic job as Roy McIlroy. Today, the part of Roy McElroy will be played by Coy Wire. Thank you very much for that dramatic reenactment.

SIDNER: It was really nasty. I watched them. And it was -- it got really nasty. It looked more like Wrestle Mania, the way people were screaming at him on a golf course, just unusually bad.

BERMAN: Yes, absolutely, the emotions were crazy all weekend.

SIDNER: Nuts. But you know what? He got to celebrate.

BERMAN: Yes, he did.

SIDNER: They didn't. Yikes. All right, thank you, John.

If there is a government shutdown, you may see an impact on the economy like we've never seen in past shutdowns.

And new details emerge about the suspect behind a deadly shooting fire at that Michigan church. What we know about a possible motive.

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