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Blanche Refuses to Pledge Independence from the White House; Nashvill and Heroes Actress Hayden Panettiere Dead at 36; Soon, Opening Statements Begin in Tupac Shakur Murder Trial. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 17, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The new declaration of non-independence from new Attorney General Todd Blanche already appearing at places and saying things that analysts say break precedent.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And also breaking overnight, actress Hayden Panettiere has died, just 36 years old, and just days before her birthday. What we know this morning.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Severe weather across the United States this morning. Massive, torrential flooding in Hawaii from Tropical Storm Lala, as excessive, oppressive heat bakes the lower 48.

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

BERMAN: And this morning, there will be no declaration of independence for the newly confirmed Attorney General, Todd Blanche, who has had the full title for about a week. He was asked point blank whether the Justice Department will act independently from the White House. His answer, a flat no.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ATTORNEY GENERAL: -- pledged that, and no attorney general should ever pledge that. The president -- I mean, if I were to pledge I will be independent of the White House, what that means is that if President Trump says, I want the Department of Justice to go after every violent criminal in this country, which is what he has said, what you're saying to me is I just said, no, sir, not going to do it.

So, there's -- I will act with integrity. Our prosecutors will act with integrity. We will prosecute without fear or any sort of favor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The attorney general, who was of course Donald Trump's personal attorney, said the president does not tell him whom to investigate. If so, that seems to differentiate Blanche from former Attorney General Pam Bondi. The president told her to go after James Comey, Letitia James, and Adam Schiff in a social media post. We can't delay any longer, he said. And according to the book "Regime Change" by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump also told aides to look into former national security official Chris Krebs. So, there is all that.

CNN's Betsy Klein live at the White House. The attorney general delivering a message that maybe folks like Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn will be interested to hear this morning.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's certainly right, John. President Trump -- Attorney General Todd Blanche have, has a very, very notable omission. He declined explicitly to always act independently of this White House. And the reason that that is notable, an extraordinary statement, is because it is a long-held norm within the Department of Justice.

It is actually specifically spelled out on the Justice Department's website alongside its mission, which is to uphold the rule of law, to keep the country safe, and then among its values, independence and impartiality. On its website it says, quote, we work every day to earn the public's trust by following the facts and the law wherever they may lead, without prejudice or improper influence.

But Blanche also suggested in that NBC News interview that he was willing to push back on President Trump. Now, part of the reason, as you laid out, that his predecessor, Pamela Bondi, was fired back in April is because in the president's view, she was not moving fast enough to investigate or prosecute the president's perceived political enemies. So, the president then installing Todd Blanche, who was his former personal defense attorney, as the nation's top law enforcement officer, he is expected to be more aggressive on that front.

Now, he officially began one week ago, and in that same interview, he was asked whether he would take President Trump's views into consideration as he made prosecutorial decisions. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLANCHE: Will I take the president of the United States' view on something into consideration? Yes, of course, and I hope every attorney general in history would not answer that question differently. And that there is this extraordinarily false narrative that the president wakes up in the morning and calls me and says, Todd, go prosecute X or Y. He does not do that. He has never done that. He will never do that. And so if there's something that he wants to do, but he needs to know that there's a challenge or that we can't do it, of course I will tell him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:05:00]

KLEIN: And, again, a reminder that President Trump has explicitly called on former Attorney General Pamela Bondi when she was in that role to be more aggressive about prosecuting people like James Comey, Adam Schiff, as well as Letitia James. So, very notable development there, again, the attorney general, Todd Blanche, declining to explicitly say that he will stay independent of the White House. John?

BERMAN: All right, Betsy Klein at the White House this morning, thank you so much for your reporting. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Let's get more to the shocking development overnight of actress Hayden Panettiere has died just five days before her 37th birthday. Her father confirmed her passing in a statement that said in part, called her an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her.

At this hour, the circumstances surrounding her death still unclear, still unknown. Though she was so young, her acting career spanned decades. She began acting as a child in soap operas and then went on to star in shows, of course, Heroes and Nashville, and in movies like Remember the Titans, but so many questions and a lot of sadness this morning.

Omar Jimenez has the very latest on this. And there's not a lot known, but what are we learning?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Not a lot known, but sad news nonetheless. I mean, this was someone who became incredibly known over the 2000s especially. Obviously had that career that spanned decades, but you look at movies like Remember the Titans even when she was a little kid, but, of course, the Heroes and Nashville as well.

As you mentioned, we don't know the cause of death at this point. She was 36 years old. But I do want to read a little bit more of a statement from her father shared by her representative. It said, it is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her, and to the millions who watched her on screen.

But I also want you to listen to Hayden in her own words from just a few months ago as she opened up sort of what she had been going through off-screen. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything kept -- started matching up from, you know, the -- who Juliet Barnes was dating, to being an alcoholic, to postpartum depression, to losing her child, basically abandoning her child. Then it was like, okay, this -- you guys are just mirroring my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, as you hear there, look, again, we still don't know what exactly happened here, but she had been open about her struggles with alcoholism depression things of that nature, and --

BOLDUAN: Yes, really opening up in a memoir that she put out earlier.

JIMENEZ: Yes, exactly. That memoir just came out just a few months ago as well. She also had spoken about the loss of her brother, Jansen Panettiere, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 28 and how that affected her as well.

And so Greenville, South Carolina was where the body was found as, as we understand from police. Our affiliate there reported that Greenville Police found her unresponsive around 1:51 P.M., that's according to our affiliate, WHNS, on Sunday. And so the investigation there continues as we await information from the Greenville County Coroner's office.

But bottom line, a lot of people waking up in shock this morning, especially for fans of Hayden and for those that have been following her journey obviously so closely over the years.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. All right, much more to come on this. But thank you so much, Omar, I really appreciate it. Sara?

SIDNER: It's really hard to hear. Thank you, guys.

In just hours, opening statements begin in the Tupac Shakur murder trial, nearly 30 years after the rapper was killed. We will bring you the details there.

Plus, priceless Renaissance paintings gone in a flash. The art heist rocking Italy this morning, we'll take you there live.

And tens of thousands are left in the dark after what was once Hurricane Lala ripping through Hawaii. We are tracking the path of the destruction of that storm.

Those stories and more ahead.

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[07:10:00]

SIDNER: Today, opening statements set to begin in the trial over the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. Nearly 30 years after the iconic rapper was gunned down in Las Vegas, the man accused of orchestrating his murder is going before a jury. Former gang leader Duane Davis has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors allege the 63-year-old helped plan the attack as revenge after his nephew got into a fight with Shakur and his entourage following a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand, all of it caught on surveillance video.

Now, prosecutors are expected to focus heavily on Davis' own words, including statements he made publicly and details in his 2019 memoir. The defense argues those are just exaggerations and not credible admissions of guilt.

Joining me now is CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney Joey Jackson. It's good to have you here.

Look, it's 30 years old, this case, just about, a month shy or so. Prosecutors are saying, look, Duane Davis didn't pull the trigger, but he helped coordinate this and supplied the weapon. Give us some sense of legally what the defense, or what the prosecution has to prove and what they will be doing in their opening statements. JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Without question. Good morning, Sara, right? So, this is predicated, this case, on something called accomplice liability. What does that mean? It means prosecutors don't have to establish that he, Keffe D, pulled the trigger, just that he aided, abetted, facilitated, encouraged, you know the story.

[07:15:08]

So, in the event that they demonstrate that he was actually something beyond merely being present, because remember, you -- if they establish only that he was merely present, not enough. You got to establish that he was intricately involved.

Now, how's that going to happen? You just noted, it's 30 years ago. Now, what the prosecution is going to say is, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we don't need to convict him. He convicted himself. How? There was this 2008 confession. It's on tape. We're going to play it for you. And you're going to hear him say, chapter and verse, his involvement.

He'll tell you about the white Cadillac. He'll tell you about his nephew, Orlando Anderson, who was attacked at the MGM after the Tyson fight. He'll tell you that as a result of that, he got his crew together, secured the white Cadillac, drove with three other people, procured the gun, handed it, and as a result of that, he's guilty. His own words will tell you.

But it doesn't stop with the 2008 confession, ladies and gentlemen. Let's talk about the memoirs, right? The memoir in 2019, how he bragged about it and said the same thing that he said in 2008. And in between, he was on every podcast, every YouTube video, et cetera.

But the defense will say, Sara, not so fast. Where is your murder weapon? Where is the actual Cadillac that you're referring to? Where are the fingerprints? Where is anything that would establish that he was involved at all, other than his word? You know, my client has a right to make a living, and if he wants to put out pure fiction because he's making money, that's his prerogative.

So, if the prosecution doesn't have the evidence, they don't have a case. And so it's going to be those competing narratives, and what competing narrative carries the day will be up to the jury.

SIDNER: I'm curious who you are looking forward to hearing from in this case, because the witness list has some very famous names in it as well.

JACKSON: So, I'm not looking at the famous people, right? I'm looking at the people who might have some involvement or knowledge. Like who? If there are people that he was involved with, Keefe D I'm talking about, and in terms of his gang, if they come in and say, yes, he was a shot caller, he really ran things, I know what he was up to.

Now, they're not eyewitnesses per se, but they're people who could corroborate the fact that he was a gang member. Why is that important? Because they are prosecutors charging not only murder with the weapon, but that it was facilitated by his gang and promoted by his gang involvement. So, if you have those people who are down at the street level who can talk about what Keefe D knew and when he knew it, those are the people that I'm looking to hear from. They'll be very important in this trial.

SIDNER: It will be interesting to see this go forward. So many things have been made about this particular killing for so many years.

Joey Jackson, I know you're watching every detail, and you can watch full coverage of the trial with Laura Coates starting today at noon Eastern. Watch on cnn.com/tupactrial or on the CNN app. John?

BERMAN: A multi-million dollar art heist. The search is on for several Renaissance paintings worth frankly tens of millions of dollars swiped from a museum. Quick, get Gabrielle Alon on the line.

And then robot versus human in a new high-stakes competition. Watch the robots do everything we can except much, much slower and worse. I'm sure I will never regret taunting that.

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[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: This morning, investigators in Italy are searching for thieves who made off and stole four masterpieces worth tens of millions of dollars. Now, authorities say they got past alarm and security systems at a museum in Sicily, this was Saturday, and then walked away with works of art that have survived for more than 500 years.

CNN's Stefano Pozzebon has more for us from Rome now. Stefano, what's the latest?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN ROM ECORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is that the police Kate, is still trying to piece together what really happened in the early hours of Saturday, Saturday being a massive national holiday here in Italy where millions of Italians just flock to the beaches. And it's a perfect time apparently for thieves to try, enter, break into museums, and get away with really true masterpieces.

We're talking here of four works by the late 15th century artist Antonello da Messina, who's one of the most famous painters of the Italian Renaissance, but he's also one of the least prolific, Kate. Think that worldwide there are less than 50 paintings from this artist all around the world, compared to almost 200 by the more famous Michelangelo, for example.

And the city councilor at the city of Messina, who gives the name to this famous artist, referred to the theft in bleak words. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ENZO CARUSO, COUNCILOR FOR CULTURE, CITY OF MESSINA: More than a loss, this is a real disaster, because Messina without Antonello is robbed of the very essence of the greatest artist of the European Renaissance. Together with the mayor, we want to be close to the museum, and we hope these works may return home as soon as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: A real disaster, says the councilor, of course, but perhaps the hope is that the investigators could really find a trace and trying to piece together what really happened and recover these stolen masterpieces. Just last week, Italian cultural police was able to locate and rescue another -- other three famous paintings that were stolen in March in Parma, in Northern Italy, for example.

[07:25:06]

That was just last week, and now they're back again at work trying to figure out what really happened around these works.

And according to several art critics that spoke with Italian media, it's really hard to place such a rare and delicate masterpieces on the market.

So, perhaps the investigators can really find a way to get these paintings back together. But less, as I was saying, less than a week after recovering one, well, they're back looking for yet another theft of art crime here in Italy. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes, quite a wild thing, especially how close in time these two things have happened.

It's good to see you, Stefano. Thank you so much. John?

BERMAN: And the plot of the next Daniel Silva book.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

BERMAN: This morning, President Trump has such warm feelings towards North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, he orders the Pentagon to scale back training with South Korea. So much for all those concerns about communism.

And an elderly man gets lost in the woods looking for his model airplane. How officials lifted him to safety.

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